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              maroon LOYOLA UNIVERSITY, NEW ORLEANS Vol _L iV hi . ■ i/. Cummings Hall badly damaged by fire BRIAN.KENSEL Music students sat on salvaged books and instrument cases as they watched a three alarm fire gut newly renovated Cummings Hall last Friday. The cause of the fire, which was reported at 1:54 p.m. and brought under control about one hour later, is still unknown. Richie Gray, president of the SGA Music School delegation, said the fire destroyed $12,000 to $15,000 of renovations which included painting and carpeting on all three floors. The fire also destroyed about $7,200 worth of personal property. Dr. Joe B. Buttram, Dean of the College of Music, said that approximately $12,000 worth of string instruments stored in the third floor attic were destroyed. There was also water damage to materials in the first floor library. There was considerable speculation that the fire was started by faulty wiring. "The buildings are old," said Joseph Hebert, Director of Bands. "I had the electrician in this morning. The fuse boxes are rattling in the walls." Manager of University Services John McCulla said, however, that Cummings Hall had been inspected regularly by the fire marshal and that the wiring had been found adequate. "It could have been a cigarette just as well as a wire," said McCulla. The fire was discovered on the third floor by Instructor John Kite after a student rushed into the library and said that smoke was coming out of the attic. "I couldn't see anything up there but flames. Then I went to the second floor to get everybody out of the building," Kite said. Deputy Chief John Birabent felt there had been an unnecessary lapse of time between the discovery of the fire and the call to the fire department. "Did you see the amount of stuff they took out of here before they even called the firemen?" he said. "Delay in alarms in these big fires lets these fires get away from us." Security Director Jack Kellogg said he sent security guard Paul Angrisamo to check out a call reporting that smoke was coming out of Cummings Hall. He said that Angrisamo radioed back to him within 30 seconds. "It was probably no more than a minute from the time the fire was reported to us that I called the fire department," Kellogg said. Although much valuable equipment was lost, students and teachers who were in the building at the time the fire was discovered were able to save some books and instruments. "About 12 guys went in and yanked out equipment; I was one of them," said Doug Berry, a Business Administration major who takes several music courses. "Five security guards came and helped us." "We did have a few problems," said Jack Kellogg, Director of Security. "We had to tell people to stop going in there. They wanted to go back to get instruments and b00k5..." The building was being renovated to make it more suited for music courses. Until three months ago, Cummings Hall was used by the education department. "We fought like crazy to get this thing, and now it goes up in smoke. This is gonna ruin it," said Dennis Assaf, a senior music major, "We'll probably have to hold classes on the front lawn." Classes have been shifted from Cummings Hall to the Education building, the Science Complex, Good Ballard Hall and to the old Music building. Reconstruction of Cummings Hall is expected to be finished by next Fall, according to Dr. Lee Gary, Associate Director of Development. Both the building and its contents were fully insured. Students look on as firemen battle Cummings Hall fire. Photo by Russ Cresson First three candidates selected The presidency GARY GOMEZ Staff Reporter The first three candidates to be invited for interviews for the University Presidency were selected last week by the joint Advisory-Board Committee, Fr. Ernest C. Ferlita, S.J., Chairman of the , Board of Directors and the Board Search Committee, said. The candidates are: Fr. James C. Carter, S.J., Loyola Provost and Acting President; Fr. Edward A. Doyle, S.J., Associate Pastor of Holy Name Church; and Fr. John F. Keller, S.J., Associate Director of Development at Loyola. Fr. Carter 46, received his Ph.D. from Catholic University of America in 1956. His teaching experience has been at Loyola University where he was an Instructor, Assistant and Associate Professor of Physics. His administrative experience includes Director of Education, New Orleans Province, Society of Jesus, and Provost and Acting President, his current post at Loyola. Fr. Doyle, 58, also received his Ph.D. from Catholic University of America. His teaching experience includes teaching an Honors Course at Jesuit High School, New Orleans and teaching philosophy and education at Loyola. His administrative experience includes Vice-President, Dean of Faculties, Dean of College of Arts and Sciences, and Academic Vice-President of Loyola University. Most recently, Fr. Doyle was Principal and President of Jesuit High School. Fr. Keller, 56, received his Master of Science degree from St. Louis University. At Spring Hill College he was Instructor and Assistant Professor of mathematics and physics. His most recent teaching experience was from 1955-64 at Loyola as Assistant Professor of mathematics and computer science. He has been Chairman of the mathematics and computer science departments and was Executive Vice-President of Loyola University. He was also Vice-President of Loyola from 1968-70. The Advisory Search Committee received 35 nominations for University President but only ten nominees accepted. Of those ten nominees, three candidates were elected by a two-thirds majority vote of the joint Advisory-Board Committee. The committee made the selection after discussing the candidates' backgrounds and looking over three mandatory letters of recommendation from each candidate, Fr. Ferlita said. Fr. Ferlita added that the joint Advisory-Board Committee will probably elect additional candidates for interviews from the remaining seven Jesuits that accepted the nomination. After personally interviewing each candidate on campus, the Advisory Search Committee will present to the Board Search Committee a list of the top three candidates. The Board Search Committee will then rank the candidates in order of preference. The Board of Directors will elect the new University President on May 16 probably by a two-thirds majority vote, Fr. Ferlita said. This will be the first time that the University Presiuent will be chosen solely by the vote of the Board of Directors. Fr. Feriita said that the voting procedure will have to be determined by the Board of Directors at their next meeting. Special section inside Ten years from now— A look at 1984