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              THE MAROON A LOYOLA TRADITION SINCE 1923 "FOR A GREATER LOYOLA" M Vol. 87, NO. 4 ONLINE EDITION AT LOYOLAMAROON.COM FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2009 SGA prepares for budget allocations By EDUARDO GONZALEZ Senior Staff Writer Leadersofstudentorganizations are preparing to file their requests for allocations, and this year Maria Rossi, Student Government Association vice president and English literature junior, vows to make the process easier. This year, SGA has a budget of $181,639, but will allocate $62,000. In addition to this, there will be $5,000 for appeals. If an organization needs additional funds, they will be able to file an appeal. The allocations committee is comprised of the four college presidents and two senators-atlarge.Rossi added another member, Brittani McClain, psychology pre-med senior, from the College of Humanities and Natural Sciences due to her experience in the allocations process. Jay Alqotob, accounting sophomore and director of finance for SGA, comprises the committee. Last year's process revealed there were many doubts as to how to fill out the allocations packet. This year, SGA will have two informational sessions where they will go over the correct way to fill them out. They will also be checking the packets to see if they have been filled out correctly. If not, they will be correcting them there. "The process is basically going online and printing out all the documents," Rossi said. "Info Packet is the form you have to fill out where you prioritize your events and then you have to go through the violations." Altogether there are three pages that need to be filled out. If something is left out, then it will not be funded. For this reason, Rossi wants people to take their time and think about what they want to be funded. "There are seven categories and whatever you want to be funded must fall under one of them," Rossi said. The seven categories are: community service projects; student programs and performances; educational or speaker programs; achievement or competition programs; equipment; uniforms and costumes; conferences or travel and publications or journals. Splash for Cash SHANE HENNESSEY/The Maroon Sean Hendler, political science sophomore, winds up to throw a pitch as philosophy senior Nick Courtney looks on at the Gamma Phi Beta dunk tank fundraiser Tuesday, Sept. 15. Members of Loyola's faculty and staff volunteered to be dunked to raise money for the sorority's charity of choice, Campfire USA, an organization which promotes leadership in children. Ramadan prompts fasting fundraiser By MAI BADER Staff Writer Fast-a-thon focuses on charity, discipline On Tuesday, Sept. 15, approximately 200 students from Loyola, Tulane University and Tulane Medical School gathered in the St. Charles Room at Loyola's Danna Student Center to break their fast as part of the Islamic traditions celebrated during the holy month o£ Ramadan. Loyola's Muslim Student Association started a "Fast-a-thon" that has now become an annual event at Loyola to create awareness about global hunger. From the beginning of the semester, MSA members set a table at the Danna Center during the window and encouraged students on campus to sign up and join them for a day of fasting. For each person who fasts, arrangements are made for a certain amount to be donated to Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and other charities on behalf of the person fasting, this year totaling around $7000. Tuesday's event opened up with the words "salaam alukium," ("peace be upon you" in Arabic) from the president of Loyola's MSA, biology senior Amna Aziz, who then introduced the event's speaker. Imam Omar Suleiman. The imam discussed the meaning of Ramadan, the ninth month in the Islamic lunar calendar. Ramadan is also the month in which the Quran, the holy text of Islam, was first revealed to the prophet Muhammad, through the angel Gabriel, in the year. As an observance of the beginnings of the religion of Islam, it is the holiest month for Muslims. More than one billion Muslims around the globe refer to Ramadan as a "month of blessing," marked by prayer, fasting and charity. Muslims retain a focus on self-sacrifice and devotion to Allah (the Arabic word for God). On a typical day, this means that Muslims don't drink or eat anything during daylight hours for the entire month. However, when the sun sets, it's time to feast. Suleiman said that "humanitarianism has many faces and approaches. To be humanitarian is to feel the sense of poverty all over the world." Suleiman added that "Fast-a-thons" are held in over 200 Economics lecture series hosts variety of viewpoints By KATIE URBASZEWSKI News Editor Paul events attendance unlikely to be matched Economics professor Walter Block is itching to debate the value of socialized health care with a Loyola professor during a future meeting of the Economics Club, an organization that has recently gotten a lot of attention. The 500 received in Nunemaker Hall filled up quickly when Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) came to Loyola, and as big an issue as health care has become. the faculty adviser of the economics club said they're unlikely to be that popular again any time soon. "We've never had that much turnout, and I doubt we ever will again until he comes back," Block said. Still, Block said it's been his experience that students love to see their professors take each other on in a debate and government-run health care is something that needs to be discussed. He hasn't found anyone who wants to argue pro-socialized medicine yet and said, "no reasonable offer will be declined." see SGA, page 4 see FAST, page 4 see ECONOMICS, page 4 sr p MAROON DIRECTORY: CRIME WATCH, page 2 | LIFE & TIMES, page 5 | SPORTS, page 8 | EDITORIAL, page 10 | NEWS TIPS: 865 3535