U.S. Citizens have trouble re-entering country

RYAN KIRBY STAFF WRITER REK722@CABRINI EDU

The United States stepped up the security at the Mexican border and made it increasingly difficult and time consuming for American citizens to reenter the country. The reported delays at the border have not been this bad since the months that followed the September 11th attacks. Anti-terrorism legislation passed by Congress in 2004 is finally taking effect, requiring Americans to show proof of citizenship upon re-entering the country. The wait times have already been reported as two hours or more.

Bomb kills more then 120 people in Pakistan

With the retirement of President Antoinette Iadarola steadily approaching, one organization has the difficult task of choosing a new president.

They are the board of trustees headed by Theresa Cavanaugh, a 1974 graduate of Cabrini College, who was recently elected as chair of the board.

“My selection as chair of the board was a big surprise. I was asked in 2006 to become the vice chair, with the expectation that I would then become chair. I am proud that I was selected, but more than that, I feel very honored to be given this opportunity and this enormous responsibility, especially this year, with Dr. Iadarola retiring and the College needing to find a new president,” Cavanaugh said.

Cavanaugh not only faces the challenge of searching for Iadarola’s successor. In addition she serves as corporate director of marketing for Continuum Health Partners.

“The main responsibilities of my job are to oversee the marketing materials for three hospitals in New York. My staff works on advertising, web sites, direct mail, brochures, posters and so on. We generally promote specific clinical areas, such as our cancer services or orthopedic services, as opposed to overall hospital advertising. I also oversee a small staff that makes physician referrals,” Cavanaugh said.

As a child she grew up in Westchester County, New York and then went to high school in Topsfield, Mass. After her aunt suggested applying to Cabrini, she applied and received a full scholarship.

“I loved my time at Cabrini, and still love being on campus. I lived in Grace Hall my first two years, Woodcrest my junior year and the Mansion my senior year. I also had my wedding reception at the Mansion, so, as you can imagine, the place is very dear to me,” Cavanaugh said.

While at Cabrini, Cavanaugh studied English and philosophy. Her original plan had been to be a teacher but after college she decided that was not for her.

“Cabrini helped prepare me for the real world although, of course, we are all so much influenced by our families and friends too. Sometimes it’s hard to know exactly where we learned particular skills or attitudes. One skill I have that has been very important to my career is that I can write and edit well. I see a host of young people entering the work force whose writing is terrible. I learned a lot about how to write at Cabrini,” Cavanaugh said.

“My main focus will be the Presidential Search Advisory Committee. We also made major changes in the committee structure of the board, to align ourselves with the strategic plan. I’m hopeful these changes will align the committee work more closely with the main initiatives at the college.”

Cavanaugh has so many wonderful memories of her time at Cabrini but one stands out as particularly memorable.

“A group of us English majors went to see a new production of a Tennessee Williams’ play in Philadelphia called ‘Out Cry!’ Our teacher, Dr. Frank Saul, had a friend at the theater, and Dr. Saul arranged for Tennessee Williams to go to Dr. Saul’s apartment after the play, and meet all of us students, and talk about the play. I still have my autographed Playbill. And there’s a picture of the event in an old issue of Loquitur, along with my story about it,” Cavanaugh said.

Theresa Cavanaugh has memories of Cabrini College that will last a lifetime. Now it is the board of trustees and her goal to choose a president to lead this institution and a generation of new students into the future.

In Pakistan’s worst episode of political violence, 120 people were killed and hundreds more were injured as two powerful bombs detonated next to a convoy that was transporting former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. Bhutto was returning from exile to a homecoming where thousands lined the streets to cheer her on. The bombs were detonated just yards from the truck Bhutto was in, although she escaped unharmed. The former prime minister had spent eight years in exile and was returning in hopes of winning her old job back and bringing stability to the Pakistan government.

Financial gap between presidential candidates

More then one third of the financial contributors to George Bush’s campaign have withheld funds from the 2008 Republican candidates, creating a growing financial gap between the Democratic candidates. Withholding donors cite problems such as their restlessness with the strategies being used in Iraq, their disappointment with Republicans in congress and the general lack of enthusiasm surrounding the Republican candidates.

Pollution problems surrounding China bring question about the 2008 Olympic Games

The city of Beijing, which is set to host the summer Olympics in less then ten months are calling into question the lack of plans to get rid of the pollution before the games and how athletes will be affected. Critics point to Beijing’s lack of testing for serious pollutants on a regular basis, dangerous pollutants to the ozone and types of fine matter that if inhaled can rest deep inside the lungs. Officials worry about Beijing’s inability to produce statistics on pollution in specific areas such as the Olympic Village, they choose rather to use a citywide average of pollutants in the data they release.

Spying bill terms are finally agreed on

Telecommunications companies who will help the government have been granted immunity in a highly controversial bill that passed through the Senate. The bill is considered a huge victory for Bush’s administration and an embarrassment for Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi. Telecommunications companies have full immunity and are no longer violating privacy rights by sending the government telephone records and e-mail summaries without a warrant.