Loyola University • New Orleans • Volume 97 • Issue 2 • August 24, 2018
THE MAROON FOR A GREATER LOYOLA
Organizations rally together to host Ignation Teach-In By Andres Fuentes aafuente@my.loyno.edu
A freshman lounges in a triple room in Biever Hall on August 22, 2018. Due to the increased enrollment and retention, Residential Life accommodated the freshman with about 75 triple rooms facing the residential quad in Biever. EMMA RUBY/ Courtesy.
Res Life triples up in Biever Hall By India Yarborough iayarbor@my.loyno.edu
In response to an increase in students living on campus this year, Loyola’s Office of Residential Life has placed more than 200 freshmen in three-person dorm rooms in Biever Hall. Residential Life director Amy Boyle said that in 2000 the university updated all Biever rooms facing the residential quad. Each of those rooms was expanded to accommodate a third person and additional furniture. “We have only placed triple occupancy assignments to those expanded rooms,” Boyle added. About 75 rooms in Biever Hall now house three students. Biever — Loyola’s only all-freshmen dorm — has the capacity to hold 410 students total, according to residential life’s webpage. For accounting freshman Kallan Trombino, the three-person setup hasn’t been bad.
“It’s a little bigger than the doubles, I’ve noticed,” Trombino said. “For the most part, my roommates and I are pretty low maintenance, so we don’t have too many belongings.” However, she said she does expect the limited space to be “challenging.” “I think we’ll end up merging into each others’ spaces,” she added. “It’s cramped, but it’s doable.” Trombino received notification in July she had been assigned to a three-person room. “I talked to (my roommates) before school started so we got to know each other pretty well,” she said. Biever rooms with three occupants have three desks, two closets, a wardrobe, a bunk bed and a lofted bed with a dresser below it. Trombino and her roommates agreed the two students occupying the bunk bed would use the closets, while the person in the lofted bed would use the dresser and wardrobe. Students assigned to three-per-
son rooms pay a “triple rate,” Boyle said — about $560 less than students in two-person dorms. The residential life director said she has not received many complaints about the triple spaces since freshman move-in day Aug. 16. “With the concerns we have, we are following up and will do our best to de-triple spaces when we can,” Boyle said. “(Resident assistants) will also work hard to complete those roommate agreements first and will be available to support students’ concerns (as they) arise.” According Boyle, around 1,400 of the university’s more than 2,600 undergraduate students are living on campus this semester. She said that’s a 7 percent increase from last year’s numbers. Loyola requires its first and second-year students to live on campus. Juniors and seniors may live on or off campus. Students with more credit hours under their belts and higher GPAs are able to request rooms first, according to residential
life policy. “To accommodate our incoming class and returning students, we had a choice,” Boyle said. “Either reduce the number of upper class bed spaces or add spaces to our existing footprint.” Residential life has assigned three people to rooms in Biever before, Boyle added, most recently during the 2012/13 school year. In addition to tripling rooms in Biever this year, the university opted to renovate a building on Loyola’s Broadway Campus. The updated building, Founders Hall, can accommodate 43 students. Founders Hall houses sophomores, juniors and seniors. No other long-term construction plans are in place to account for larger incoming classes in the future according to Boyle. “We will continue to assess space to thoughtfully consider what is best for our student experience,” she said.
Greek life member advises on Panhellenic recruitment By Tess Rowland tmrowlan@my.loyno.edu
For women looking to join a sorority, recruitment can be the most wonderful time of the year, or the most nerve-racking three days of your life. Yet, all the pain is quickly erased when you run home to your new sisters on bid day. Greek Life gets a bad reputation at most state schools. I myself was hesitant to become a member of a Greek organization, but I’m proud to say at Loyola we pride ourselves on having a completely different recruitment experience. Our recruitment isn’t about what you wear or who you know; instead,
it’s about who you are and what you want to become over the next four years. Going through recruitment may be scary, but it is so worth it to take that leap of faith. Being in a sorority teaches you to learn about financial responsibility and time management. Your sisters will push you to keep your grades up and be the best possible version of yourself. You will always have someone to sit with at dinner, and there will be dozens of late night runs to Cane's or Boot Pizza. Here are some tips to ease your stress during the hectic and exciting time that is Panhellenic recruitment.
See GREEK LIFE, page 9
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In an effort to shed light on an ever-pressing subject matter, the Jesuit Social Research Institution, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the Office of Languages and Cultures, Women’s Resource Center, Center for International Education, Honors Program and Café con Ingles are teaming up to host an Ignatian Teach-In to showcase the negative realities that immigrant families face. The campus organizations will host the event on September 20 in the Audubon Room from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The event will showcase the Mujeres Luchadoras, a group of local immigrant women who help support families who have lost husbands or fathers to deportation. Leslie Galvez, environmental biology senior, is volunteering to help with the event and has high hopes for the Loyola community. "It's really important for the Loyola community to attend because being on campus sometimes we live in our own bubble of diversity and inclusivity, but that kind environment isn't reality for migrants in our country," Galvez said. "This event will hopefully open dialogue within our the Loyola community about what we can do as a community and learn about migrant issues in our backyard from people that have experienced it first-hand rather then listening to a news reporter and hopefully take what they learned back home to educate others." Galvez hopes that Loyola students show up to learn about the issues, but also to help with the event itself. "These events are huge for immigrants in our country. With all the policy changes and the Trump Administration making it more difficult for people to immigrate to the US, there's a lot of anxiety and worries about the future. Having these types of events that create a positive dialogue, educate the community, and give a face to the issues makes our community a safer place for them," Galvez said, "Outreaching to the community like this also increases the number of people advocating for just migrant policies at the state and federal level." The Jesuit Social Research Institution is also reaching out to find student volunteers to help act as translators for the event. Galvez was passionate about the opportunity. "Both of my parents immigrated from Mexico," she said. "I know what it feels like to live in fear of deportation and the uncertainties that come with that." Galvez said the organization needs bilingual students to help provide instructions to families and ask questions throughout the event. "It would be great if students feel the call to advocate for migrant issues in our community, but just starting a dialogue with others that aren't aware or don't completely understand is huge," she said.