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February 21, 2013 — Vol. 91, Issue 10
Thieves progress from Sustainability annoying to destructive sustainable? by MARY AGNOLI
I
news editor
by NICK JOOS
executive editor
n recent weeks, students have reported multiple break-ins on and off campus, both in vehicles and in Loras-owned houses.
In the beginning of the year, several minor break-ins of cars were reported. The perpetrators broke into the vehicles, stealing petty objects such as iPod cords and even eyeglass cases. In those crimes, vehicle owners claimed to have locked their doors, but no signs of forced entry were found. It appears as personal irresponsibility might be the culprit. Recently, however, there can be little doubt that the vehicles were locked prior to break-ins. The crimes have increased in both property damage and the value in the stolen items. Two car break-ins occurred, one in the Keane parking lot on a lower parking tier, and one on Kirkwood Street near Byrne Oaks. The vandals, who have yet to be found, broke the car’s windows. Both occurred on the same night. One of the vehicles was parked away from other cars, not in eyesight of the school. Matthew Saylor, assistant director of campus safety and security, of campus safety and security, said that the location is a dangerous place to park a car for those various reasons. “Park in groups,” Saylor said. “Those isolated vehicles are easier to target.” Saylor said the two car break-ins appear to be related, but there is no proof to validate those suspicions. Unfortunately, cars were not the only objects broken into in the past few weeks. Two campus houses also were entered illegally and ransacked over J-term. “Both were back-door entrances in houses, not well lit from the back door,” Saylor said. “And a little damage was done, a broken window on one. The (burglars) took video games, HDMI cables, TVs and a video game system.” Loras authorities have suspicions and a
illustration by AYUSH SUBEDI
few suspects, but nothing more, as to who committed the break-ins. Those names have, of course, been passed on to local authorities. Sometimes when dealing with break-ins and stolen possessions, Loras will work directly with the Dubuque Police Department, as they are criminal matters. Charges vary depending on the motive of the perpetrator, and Saylor said that can sometimes be difficult to determine. Robbery is defined as “taking or attempting to take something of value by force and violence, or putting the victim in fear. This is usually accompanied with a weapon,” Saylor said. Burglary, however, is an unlawful entrance into structure with the intent to commit a felony or a theft. This charge is usually accompanied with breaking and entering. Burglary includes anything taken from someone’s room, including a residence hall or campus house. But, for burglary, the discrepancies are difficult to comb out. A person must enter the structure or vehicle with the already-established intent to steal property. Loras is trying to quell the recent rash of break-ins. Campus security does have one roving camera that has been set up at certain areas of campus. It was this camera illustration by KAITLYN KEELY that helped cam-
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A lot of times there will be something that happens and we’ll find out later this person has been in multiple incidents already.
Matthew Saylor
assistant director of Campus Safety and Security
,,
pus security bust motorists driving down Cox St. while the roadway was closed for construction. But, Saylor said students must take personal responsibility as well, when protecting personal belongings. Of course, when windows are broken, locking car doors does not suffice. However, precautions can help in fending off burglars. “Parking your car next to others, and keeping your car within eye-sight of buildings may help limit issues,” Saylor said. “Parking cars near street lights also helps. But, when it comes to fighting crime, Saylor says being an active community member is the best strategy. “If you see any suspicious behavior, let (Campus Security) know. A lot of times, there will be something that happens and we’ll find out later this person has been in multiple incidents already.” To report any suspicious behavior, send an email to either Matthew Saylor or campus safety.
Shorter showers, recycling, turning off the faucet when brushing teeth or carpooling. All of these actions are easy ways to promote sustainability in everyday life. However, there are much bigger projects happening across the globe, and even here at Loras. In years past, there was a sustainability committee that has since dissolved. “People would meet and have big agendas, but it costs a lot of upfront money,” said Stacia McDermott, coordinator of Peace and Justice. “People maybe got disenchanted or disappointed because they had this initiative but it wouldn’t happen.” “I think people approach issues of sustainability and climate change as such big issues and that they can’t possibly make an impact,” said Kalli Miner, student co-coordinator of Peace and Justice. However, meetings between various organizations and individuals last fall and over J-term have shown that the passion is still very much alive. “The most exciting thing is that there isn’t a lack of interest,” said Miner. “We just needed someone to bring their ideas together and put something in motion.” And that’s just what the Sustainability Initiative and Peace and Justice are trying to do. “It became clear that there are already a lot of great sustainability projects going on around campus,” said McDermott. “But there’s a lot of misinformation or lack of information as well.” McDermott said there are various groups at Loras that care about issues regarding sustainability, and this Sustainability Initiative will serve as that umbrella for them all to meet, pull resources and, overall, work together to create a greener campus. “The hope is to get everyone who cares about issues of sustainability to work together,” said McDermott. “And the key is that instead of starting new projects, we want to focus on all the positives that are going on, illustration by KELSEY BERGAN and begin there. Before we can move forwards, we need to know what’s already in place.” McDermott spoke highly of Campus Dining and the work it has done to push for more sustainable measures. However, the word is simply not out about their initiative. “The first step is getting the word out that (anyone) can come to the Peace and Justice office if they are interested,” he said. As part of the initiative, the Lorian will be featuring a “Sustainability Spotlight” in which a new “green” project on campus will be discussed.
Student Union starts petition to cancel school on Easter Monday by HANNAH WAY copy editor
In recent years, students have not had a long spring break. But this year, the academic calendar showed that instead of a short Spring Free Days, students would have a weeklong Easter break. However, like most change, this brought with it controversy. Classes are scheduled to resume on April 1, the day after Easter. This leaves many students faced with the potential problem of starting their trip back to school on
Easter Sunday. Some students have noted the conflict that arises when the observance of this religious holiday is at odds with what may be a long drive back to school. Once the Student Union executive board heard from around campus that this was a student issue, the board decided to address it. “We decided that we would begin a petition soon after discussion talks began,” said Student Union president Daniel Thole. “It was not created to necessari-
ly take action yet, but it was created to see exactly how passionate students are about this issue.” The news of the petition appears to have spread around campus mainly through word of mouth among the students. This alone has stirred quite a bit of interest around campus and has brought a good number of students to the Student Union Office. “We absolutely respect the administration and those who came up with the academic calendar,” said Thole. “We sim-
ply formed the petition so we can present this issue accurately. We have seen much interest from the students about this issue come to light after they have seen that their Student Union executive board is trying to address this student concern.” The petition will not itself change anything, but it is an important step in gauging student interest and the seriousness of the matter. “We are preparing ourselves to address the situation with evidence if it comes down to it,” said Thole.