Maroon

              The Maroon A Loyola Tradition Since 1923 "For a greater Loyola" I V 01.90, No.B www.LoyolaMaroon.com Friday, October 28, 201 1 Calhoun resident sues over Monroe renovations By SAM WINSTROM The Maroon The renovation plans for Monroe Hall feature state of the art and an environmentally friendly design, but one neighbor worries they also include a clear view in his yard. John Fenn French, owner of a house located directly across from Monroe Hall, is suing Loyola over the planned renovations to Monroe Hall. According to French, Loyola's plans to expand Monroe Hall violate an existing agreement between Loyola and the residents of Calhoun Street to protect the privacy of the neighborhood's residents. Agreement has history of about 50 years The agreement goes back more than 50 years, to when French's grandfather, Darwin Fenner, owned the house, he said. Loyola bought the houses that were once CHIKA JOHN/PHOTO EDITOR Fenn French stands next to the windowless side of Monroe Hall along Calhoun Street. As part of renovations, the university plans to add windows to this side, which French claims is a violation of a previous agreement. Editor's Note By MASAKO HIRSCH Editor in chief Iseriela SeXUALTTY We know it's been done before. Different university newspapers have likely tackled the same topicover and over, using similar art and headline puns. Yet sexuality remains an important subject, especially on a college campus. Just look around Loyola: there are speakers, clubs, events, all with something to say about it Our conversations, however, are a little different than most other universities. Everything is framed by our Jesuit identity. For this reason. The Maroon is starting a series on sexuality, focusing on how it is expressed at a Jesuit university. Through it we hope to capture the questions and issues that come up as we learn who we are, and how those might be reaffirmed or compromised by our environment FOR FIRST STORY IN SERIES see page 5 Criteria established for centers, institutes By JAMIE FUTRAL Assistant News Editor The demand for proper review of the university's centers and institutes led to an established evaluation criteria for these organizations by an academic affairs committee. The Standing Council for Academic Planning, a committee that oversees the university's academic decisions, established and approved the criteria for evaluating proposed centers and institutes, evaluating existing centers and institutes, and discontinuing existing centers and institutes at its Sept 27 meeting. A subcommittee led by Marcus Kondkar, associate sociology professor and former vice chairman of the committee, began developing the criteria last spring. University removes 100-year-old oak By GEiNAH ACEVEDO Contributing Writer The Loyola community has said its final goodbyes to "Ollie Oak," a 100-year-old live oak tree that has been a part of the university since before it received its charter. The live oak tree was located at the corner of Loyola Street alongside Monroe Hall. The tree was cut down on Monday, Oct. 17 to accommodate the building's upcoming expansion, which is scheduled to begin May 2012. "The footprint of Monroe Hall is being expanded, and the building is being extended and two floors will be added to accommodate the programming needs of the university," said Meredith Hartley, director of Public Affairs and External Relations, in an email. According to Hartley, aside from the expansion and additional two floors, a new stairwell, bathrooms and mechanical storage space will be built in the area where the tree once stood. Hartley also said through email that the Monroe Hall renovations committee explored every other option for expansion. Due to Monroe Hall's location, the only other option for expansion was toward the Monroe Quad. This option required the removal of four trees instead of one and loss of campus green space. After weighing their options, the committee decided that removing the Loyola Street live oak was the "most feasible solution," Hartley said. The decision was made this May. David White, biology professor and botanist who also sits on the university's landscaping committee, has been concerned about the building's surrounding greenery and spent the summer exploring the option to relocate the tree. According to White, if the tree were relocated rather than cut, the tree's size and location would have raised the standard relocation cost of $150,000 by a considerable amount It would have also required the street to be excavated in order to successfully retrieve the roots. White also said that even WADNER PIERRE/SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER The century-old live oak tree was removed Monday, Oct. 17. The university saw the removal necessary to proceed with Monroe Hall renovations. Freshman retention rate decreases five percent By KRISTIN DIAZ Staff Writer Fewer sophomores have come back to Loyola this semester, resulting in a decrease in the retention rate, which was released earlier this month. According to the Office of Enrollment Management 77 percent of last year's freshman class returned this year as sophomores. The previous year, 82 percent of freshmen returned, which was one of the highest retention rates for the university. "It is unfortunate the retention rate went down, but we're coming up with strategies to improve retention for next year," said Elizabeth Rainey, see LAWSUIT, page 7 see RETENTION, page 7 see TREE, page 4 see CENTERS, page 4 trurn to page 5 for ghastly ghost stories MIPIIiHM H Pag® 10