Maroon

              The Maroon A Loyola Tradition Since 1923 • "For a greater Loyola V 01.90, No. 17 www. LoyolaMaroon .com Friday, February 10, 201 21 NOPD to be vigilant during Carnival season By CRAIG MALVEAUX The Maroon The boisterous atmosphere surrounding Brandon Snow was deafening. Popidar songs blared from the instruments of marching bands. Dune buggy cars roared through the streets as loud as Harley Davidson choppers. Children screamed for heads and throws as decorated platforms passed them. Together, the assortment of Carnival-season sounds polluted the air. But no amount of noise could drown out the resonance of gunfire Snow heard merely 20 feet away from him while standing on a Jefferson Parish parade route. "They're something you recognize when you hear them, so my first instinct was to run," Snow, criminal justice sophomore, said of the gunshots. "The whole spot cleared within five minutes." A year after shots were fired on the West Bank where Snow stood and along the Bacchus parade route near Lee Circle, New Orleans Police Department authorities are increasing their street force in attempt to stem shootings that have seemingly plagued Carnival season in past years. "NOPD is putting more plainclothes officers out there on the parade routes looking for guns this year," said John Dobard, an NOPD crime prevention unit officer. "In addition, we're going to be more visible, more vigilant and more proactive because we know shootings can happen because they have happened in previous years." The city of New Orleans, which saw a 14 percent spike in homicides last year, has witnessed several shooting Company reports Monroe Hall renovations are over budget By JUDITH CORRO Staff Writer Monroe Hall's renovations hit an obstacle when the university received a cost estimate that was significantly over budget. The university confronted this obstacle in its efforts to expand Monroe Hall when it received the cost estimate bv Faithful and Gould, an outside consultancy firm employed by the university. Bret Jacobs, vice provost for Information Technology and chief information officer, said the cost overrun is approximately .'i() to 40 percent over the original budget of $80 million. He added that these estimates are still subject to change. "The first estimate received bv the university was based on design documents. Construction documents, which arc required for an accurate cost estimate, have not yet been completed," Jacobs said. Edward Kvet, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, said having a cost overrun is not entirely KEVIN ZANSLER/PHOTO MANAGING EDITOR Monroe Hall is surrounded by temporary fencing as construction on the building continues Wednesday, Feb. 8. Renovations to Monroe Hall exceeded their planned budget. Emergency Management position new to university By LUCY DIECKHAUS Staff Writer Three hours after the bomb threats were made last November, Ric Bell, the director of Risk Management, had a decision to make on how to inform the Loyola community. After determining that the bomb threats that FBI agents say student Evelyn Hubbard made were not credible, Bell and the other Risk Management staff members decided not to evacuate the university because they did not want to incite chaos and panic in the Loyola community. Under Ixiyola's current emergency plan structure, Bell made this decision after consulting with the police, who had searched the building tor a bomb and did not find a threat. Come later this month, Bell will have someone else to consult with for emergency planning. The university has hired an emergency manager and will implement the Office of Emergency Management. The name of the emergency manager will be released Feb. 27. The position of an emergency manager was created in part because of previous threats to other universities. University President the Rev. Kevin Wildes, S.J., said he believes that Virginia Tech is the "best example" Loyola can use to prepare against future emergencies. In regards to shootings, Virginia see CRIME, page 4 see POSITION, page 16 see OVERRUN, page 16 Happy Mardi Gras from The Maroon See page 7 |P ! // Crime Watch For updates, breaking news •• Remember that acting City 4 and online exclusives, sign up Stupidly won't just impede Life & Times for our weekly email at others' it can also land "9™ 11 Idbw you in trouble with the oy°ao™w«»r Season rp p0|jce to 14 and like The Maroon Corrections: In the Feb. 3 issue the "Online program receives top national ranking" story programs are offered at baccalaureate, masters and doctoral levels. We at The Maroon regret this error.