Maroon

              The Maroon A LOYOLA TRADITION SINCE 1923 "FOR A GREATER LOYOLA" Friday, AUGUST 28, 2009 Vol. 87, NO. 1 ONLINE EDITION AT LOYOLAMAROON.COM Residents overflow to Cabra Res Life caught off guard by highest housing demand since pre-Katrina By JOHN ADAMS Senior Staff Writer The good news is Loyola is seeing its largest freshmen class since Hurricane Katrina. The bad news is on-campus housing is starting to feel the pinch. The influx of incoming freshmen paired with the new rule requiring sophomores to stay on campus has created an increased demand for on-campus housing. "We're at 95 percent capacity whereas a year ago we were at 78 percent," said Craig Beebe, interim director for Residential Life. As a result. Residential Life has had to move students to new rooms. Beebe said this decision affected 120 students. Officials sent these students a letter at the beginning of July stating the residents on the second and third floors of Buddig Hall will be reassigned to Cabra Hall to make room for more firstyear residents on Loyola's main campus. Many students originally assigned a single room in Cabra, must have a roommate. Some students are unhappy because of the smaller sleeping quarters in the suites. "I went to check the Cabra rooms, and 1 noticed that there is not enough room for two people in a room," said Maria Villacreces, music industry studies senior. "Obviously it was designed for two, but it really isn't." Villacreces is one of the 120 residents affected. She said she originally requested Cabra Hall because she wanted a single room and was told that there was a good chance that the rooms will not be doubled up. Others, like Shawn Sedlak, general studies sophomore, are upset about being moved away from the main campus. "I am very annoyed that I am now off campus, since all my classes are on the main campus, and will need to bike, or shuttle, or walk to all my classes, rather than what I expected which was a two-minute walk," Sedlak said. After learning of the room consolidation Villacreces started taking action by writing letters of her disapproval to officials and starting a Facebook group. "I decided to make the Facebook group so Res Life could see how many people are not okay with the decision taken," Villacreces said. "Also it was a way to come up with solutions — like taking away the sophomores have to live on campus rule." Marcia "Cissy" Petty, vice president and associate provost said the new rule requiring sophomores to stay on campus is part of "Loyola 2012," a strategic plan to raise retention rates. "It is recognized that students living on campus actually engage more fully with the institution both academically and co-curricularly when living on campus versus commuting," Petty said. Beebe said sophomores from the New Orleans area were allowed to live off campus as well as other sophomores that were granted an appeal on a case-by-case basis. Villacrees said Robert Reed, assistant vice president of student affairs was allowing sophomores unhappy with the consolidation to move off campus if they wanted but he did not publicize this. Reed declined to comment. But not everyone is unhappy with Residential Life's decision, such as music education sophomore and Residential Life staff member Micael Morin. "Res Life made the wisest choice possible with the resources they had," Morin said. Even if the size of freshmen classes continues to grow, Beebe said he isn't worried about finding housing for years to come. "It will be harder to accommodate single rooms, but most universities function this way," Beebe said. To better prepare themselves, Beebe said Residential Life created a committee to make room draw selection easier and plans on getting earlier projections from the Office of Admissions. As of right now Beebe said there are no specifics on a new residence hall being built but that it is an important topic. "We want to continue improving residence housing," Beebe said. John Adams can be reached at jradams 1 @loyno.edu. KEVIN ZANSLER/The Maroon Mass communication sophomore Courtney Mattison visits friends in a Cabra dorm room after she moved in last week Wildes: Undergrad interest unparalled Convocation covered present, future growth By EDUARDO GONZALES Senior Staff Writer The Rev. Kevin Wildes, S.J., university president, took the podium as he spoke at this year's faculty and staff convocation, while looking towards the future regarding plans to continue to grow and improve after Hurricane Katrina. The main topics of his speech were the increase in freshman applications received this year, the highest in the university's history, and the Board of Trustee's approval of the university's goals and plans, "Loyola 2012." "Last year the board approved enrollment goals, for this year, of 865 new students 750 first year students and 115 transfers," he said. "We will meet and surpass our goals. Our first year undergraduate applications were our highest levels ever. We expect more than 770 first year students and more than 120 new transfer students." "In planning for this year, we made an assumption that we would have a 76 percent retention of our first to second year students. At this point we expect our first to second year retention rate to be near 80 percent," he said. "Last year, our retention rate was 73 percent, so this is an important and significant increase." Ron Paul to lecture in Nunemaker By BRITTNEY YANDLE Contributing Writer On Sept. 2 Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) will hold a lecture on Loyola's campus titled "The Fed, Freedom and Foreign Policy" on an invitation from the campus Economics Club. Loyola's College of Business professor and club adviser Walter Block worked as Paul's scholar-adviser during his presidential campaign. Block has known Paul since the 1980s where they met at a conference. Both men are involved with the Ludwig von Mises Institute, an organization that encourages the research and education of classical liberalism and libertarianism. Sharing a history together, it was easy for Block to get Paul to speak at Loyola, he said. "He and I are old buddies," Block said. "He knew that he would be among friends at Loyola." This event will not only reach out to Loyola students and faculty, but other supporters of Paul from Tulane and the rest of New Orleans, Block said. Block said Paul will probably speak on issues that are most important to him as a politician and also those that are greatly affecting our country today. "He might mention ... stopping abortion, legalizing drugs, stopping Obama's health care fascism," Block said. Block said it will be good for the Loyola community to hear a different political viewpoint and wants his students to hear the ideas of libertarianism from an influential and well-known person like Paul and not just from their business professors. "He will provide (the audience) with a perspective many will not have heard before," said Block. "All too often, invited speakers at Loyola represent but one small part of the political economic spectrum." Paul's speech will be held in Nunemaker Hall at 7 p.m. Brittney Yandle can be reached at blyandle@ loyno.edu Ron Paul is scheduled to give a free, open lecture Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. see CONVOCATION, page 7 Tbcbal's  hour court Sports Page Correction: A May 1 article incorrectly referred to the past separate departments of education and counseling as the Department of Education and Counseling. They were split in 2005 shortly before education was cut. MAROON DIRECTORY: CAMPUS WATCH, page 2 | EDITORIAL, page 10 | LIFE & TIMES, page 9 | SPORTS, page 5 | NEWS TIPS: 865 3535