Hilltop Views S t .
E d w a r d ’ s
U n i v e r s i t y
Wednesday, February24 , 2010
Volume 27 | Issue 5
A quick look 6 Features: at the candidates for the Texas primary elections.
9 Sports: Homecoming week-
Two students 13 Entertainment: try to find their way through the final season of “Lost.”
end displays school spirit.
PEC reopened after attack
ing was not affected, law enforcement closed off and monitored the PEC parking lot during the incident, according a statement published on the homepage of the St. Edward’s University Web site. Ninety-eight people at the PEC—62 corporate students, 18 St. Edward’s students, 11 administrators, six contract instructors and one St. Edward’s instructor— were evacuated due to the building’s proximity to the Echelon I building, according to Mischelle Diaz, director of communications.at the marketing office. The PEC hosts
Jen Obenhaus Kayla Meyer Caroline Wallace
The St. Edward’s Professional Education Center resumed business as scheduled on Monday after a man intentionally crashed his aircraft into the Echelon I Building located nearby on the morning of Feb 18. The seven-story building, located in Northwest Austin off N. Mo-Pac Expressway and U.S.-183, was engulfed in flames for several hours after the crash. The building housed several federal government offices, including the Internal Revenue Service. Although the PEC build-
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The Echelon I building is near the St. Edward’s PEC.
hilltopviewsonline.com
Homecoming week wraps up Tristan Hallman Kayla Meyer St. Edward’s University wrapped up its annual Homecoming Week with some changes this year. The Homecoming festivities included traditional events like the pep rally, Casino Night and the Topper Cup Classic. The pep rally kicked off the weekend Feb. 19. Students filled the stands of the darkened Recreation and Convocation Center equipped with glow sticks. Once the event started, the men’s and women’s bas-
SUICIDE | 3
ketball teams were introduced by their respective coaches before entertaining the crowd and asking for their support in Saturday’s games. Many students, family and alumni attended Casino Night, held this year in the Alumni Gymnasium rather than the Homecoming tent, on Feb. 19. This year’s theme focused on sweets, like free cupcakes provided by the Cupcake Bar, and candy. For the second year, the university did not charge ORTIZ | 4
Students see rise in burglaries and thefts on campus Megan Ganey Junior Stacy Giles left class the afternoon of Feb. 9 and walked to the on-campus parking garage where her car was parked. When she arrived, however, she found someone else was already behind the wheel of her car and driving away. Giles, a member of the St. Edward’s University softball team, ran after her car, which was heading off-campus, to try to get a description of the driver. She called 911
and then reported the theft to the University Police Department immediately after. UPD showed her video of her car being driven out of the garage. “All you can see is the car and license plate, not the driver,” Giles said. “They didn’t have any other videos to show me. They did not have a video of the third floor or a video of people walking in and out of the garage. Pretty pointless, if you ask me.” The car theft followed several other thefts in the park-
Beck said he does not suspect that students are committing the crimes. ing garage and the on-campus apartments. It was also at least the second theft of a vehicle on-campus this year. Giles had been parked on the third floor of the garage, where the two previous vehicle break-ins occurred. Since Giles’ vehicle was stolen, UPD plans to add five
additional cameras to the parking garage as well as employ two rotating, on-duty police officers to monitor the parking garage at all times, said UPD Lt. Dan Beck. But for Giles, that was too late. “If there were break-ins, then why wasn’t there an
increase in security?” Giles asked.
Issues of Jurisdiction
Beck said he does not suspect that students are committing the crimes. “We have no reason to believe that the people that are committing the bike thefts, the burglaries of vehicles, the theft of the vehicle, or anything else have anything to do with this campus,” Beck said. “They’re people from off campus.” UPD shares their reports with the Austin Police De-
partment because their jurisdiction ends at campus limits. Giles case was being investigated by UPD as well as APD. The case was turned over to UPD, however, because the car was recovered and is now in an impound lot. Giles is not allowed to pick up her car yet because UPD is still investigating the theft. Beck said because UPD believes that people from off SECURITY | 2