Maroon

              A lOVOLA TRADITION SINCE 1923 - "FOR A GKI-AT I- R LOYOLA" THE MAROON VOL 85, NO. 13 WWW.LOYOLAMAROON.COM FRIDAY, JANUARY 12, 2007 Educators take a stand By DANIEL MONTEVERDE EDITOR IN CHIEF Colleges, universities will suffer from crime, officials tell law makers, law enforcement Higher education leaders say that the recent wave of murders in the city will begin to drive away students and keep away prospective students. With a unified voice Wednesday, 10 area universities sent a direct message to state and crime fighting officials: "We're tired of the violence." Meeting at Loyola with limmy Clarke, Chief of Staff for Gov. Kathleen Blanco, and officials with the Louisiana National Guard, Louisiana State Police and New Orleans Police Department, the university officials said the recent spate of murders is beginning to hurt their retention and admission rates. "We live in this city, and parents won't send their kids here" with constant murders, said Deborah Stieffel, dean of admissions at Loyola. Clarke said the meeting was the first step in starting a dialogue that will begin between higher education officials and state and law enforcement officials. He said that having spent part of his professional career working in a college admission office, he understands the concern, as do other state leaders. "1 talked to Gov. Blanco, and she thinks this is totally appropriate to initiate this conversation," Clarke said. Because of the various universities in the city and their locations and campus types, Clarke said, the needs of each university will be different but said he will make sure that the campuses are secure. Joseph Byrd, an admissions officer at Xavier University in Mid-City, said his campus is relatively safe. The main concern for his campus is police visibility. "Everyone who comes through campus with a book bag doesn't necessarily have books in their bag," he said. Anne Banos, who works in the president's office at Tulane, said the city bears some responsibility in the murder spree. Remnants of Hurricane Katrina aren't helping, she said. "It's not just the police. There are street lights out and some abandoned houses are not really abandoned," Banos said. Earl Retif of Tulane's registrar office said he's heard of some parents not allowing their children to visit the campus because of the city's image. "That's just one thing that will stop us from having the class we need," he said. "We can't isolate our students on the island of Tulane University." NOPD Capt. Michael Pfeiffer said that the department is working to fix problems that have plagued the department following Hurricane Katrina, including a lower number of For student opinions on safety, see page 3 MICHAEL NISSMAN / THE MAROON Louisiana National Guard Maj. Gen. Bennett Landreneau speaks to higher education leaders during a discussion Wednesday addressing the recent crime surge in New Orleans in the Senior Commons Room in the Danna Center. Eight murders begin new year By DANIEL MONTEVERDE EDITOR IN CHIEF As the City of New Orleans capped off the murder count at 162 for the 2006 calendar year, the New Orleans Police Department recorded the first murder of 2007 on New Year's Day. The offense occurred around 7:45 p.m. in the 2300 block of Fourth Street, according to the NOPD. When officers arrived on the Gill Benedek, from the Neighborhood Planning Network, an outreach program, takes notes during Wednesday's round-table discussion in the Senior Commons Room in the Danna Center. MICHAEL NISSMAN / THE MAROON Institute may jazz up Loyola By ALEX WOODWARD SENIOR STAFF WRITER University trying to land Monk Institute By Fall 2007, Loyola's campus could be next in line to host the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance. According to Robert Thomas, interim director of the School of Mass Communication, the institute is considering a four-year lease with Loyola and may arrive in mid-spring to interview candidatescandidates for scholarships. "We are optimistic about this," said Edward Kvet, Dean of the School of Music and Fine Arts. "But nothing is guaranteed until the contract is signed." The contract will provide the institute with a four-year lease of the Communication/Music Complex's Studio B and its adjoining classroom located on the fourth floor. Founded in 1986 by the family of groundbreaking jazz musician Thelonious Monk and the late opera-singer Maria Fisher, the institute offers college-level courses to gifted young musicians as well as jazz programs for public grammar schools. In September 1995 the institute expanded to include intensive, two-year college-level programs in private and ensemble environments, providing tuition-free courses with additional stipends to cover living expenses. Serving as a nonprofit education organization for young musicians, the institute will award six to twelve students from all over the world with scholarships, providing tuition-free courses taught by renowned jazz musicians and educators. If the contract is approved, the institute will make the formal announcement in Thelonious Monk institute of Jazz • Tuition-free program  for young musicians  from around the world  • Expected to come to  Loyola in Fall 2007  • Currently housed at the University of  Southern California  • Featuring artistic direc-  tor Terence Blanchard,  artists-in-residence  Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Clark Terry, Jimmy Heath, Barry Harris, Hal Crook, Steve Torre, Carmen Lundy, Dave Holland, Kenny Barron • Planned to occupy Studio B and its adjoining classroom on the fourth floor of the Communications/Music Complex see CRIME, page 3 see MURDER, page 3 see JAZZ, page 11 mm MAROON DIRECTORY: CALENDAR, page 2 | EDITORIAL, page 4 | LIFE & TIMES, page 6 [ SPORTS, page 9 | NEWS TIPS: 865 3535