Campus News Briefs

University Ranked Seventh on List of Top Ten Colleges with American Values
The University was ranked seventh on the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) list of the Top 10 Colleges for American Values. This list ranks colleges on their ability to offer so-called "traditional" courses and having "non-radical" professors. According to the list, the University was chosen for the rankings due to its "excellent resources, a sincere student body and a sense of mission." In addition, requirements for coursework in literature, foreign language, math, the natural sciences and the social and behavioral sciences were cited as reasoning for the ranking. The University of Chicago was ranked number one on the list, with such schools as Christendom College and Baylor University. The list can be found in ISI's book "Choosing the Right College: The Whole Truth about America's Top Schools."

CPIT to Test New Residential Network Registration Program
Beginning next week, the Center for Planning and Technology (CPIT) will be testing a system in Regan Hall where residents will be required to register their computers before having access to the Internet. The CUA Residential Network System will require students to submit their University network username and password to CPIT on a web-based system before being allowed to use network resources, according to Betsy Ramsey, director of information technology for CPIT. The network registration is being tested in Regan due to its specific network infrastructure, according to Ramsey, and it will be implemented across all residence halls through the spring semester. Students can find more information about the system on CPIT's website at http://computing.cua.edu/resnet/registration.

University Cable System Experiences Outages on Two Channels
Two channels on the University residential cable system, channels WBDC and WDCA, affiliates of the WB and UPN networks, respectively are experiencing an outage. There is no picture or sound on the affected channels, which are not working due to an equipment problem, according to sources close to the problem. The channels should be fixed in the coming days when technicians fix the network infrastructure in Caldwell Hall. The cable system is part of Resnet, which is a division of the Center for Planning and Technology (CPIT).

Washington Post Editor to Speak on Campus
Brian Barger, Washington Post assistant foreign editor, will talk about the state of investigative reporting in light of the recent news scandals and cutbacks and the role of print and television journalism in the age of the Internet on Tuesday, Nov. 15 in Shahan Hall. An Emmy award-winning journalist, Barger spent 10 years working for the investigative unit of CNN, where he covered Latin America, Washington politics and national security issues. Barger has spent the past five years at The Washington Post as an editor covering various foreign affairs issues.

McAuliffe Event a Step in the Right Direction

The University hosted Terry McAuliffe last night and demonstrated how we are opening our doors to different opinions and political implications once again. Like all speeches on campus, attendance was not mandatory, so if you think McAuliffe is the Devil incarnate, you didn't have to listen. We at The Tower are thrilled at this step forward.

Unsurprisingly, McAuliffe spoke out against the University's speaker policy in an interview with The Tower, advocating academic freedom. McAuliffe didn't say anything that could be interpreted as conflicting with the Catholic Church. As a Catholic himself, he represents the kind of speaker we want to attract: someone who works for the opposite of what most University students are accustomed to, but has the same core beliefs. The administration shouldn't be worried about crazy liberal ideas affecting its base group of Catholic conservatives; everyone knows the best way to understand your own viewpoints is to understand the opposition's.

Granted, McAuliffe is no longer the Democratic National Committee chair. But he is still a vocal member of the Democratic Party and is on the inside of political dealings. It isn't surprising that he had negative things to say about President Bush - what Democrat doesn't? The encouraging part is that no one questioned his right to do so. If CUA has access to someone of his experience and willingness, we (a school full of politics majors located in D.C.) need to take advantage.

His appearance is notable because he represented the interests of a group that is not in line with Catholic teaching. He didn't gush about abortion or contraception or premarital sex, but he could have. CUA tolerates free speech again.

The event also shows that CUA is recovering from the speaker policy debacle and is diversifying the information students are allowed to hear. The ironic thing about the whole controversy is that any student has had access to anything a liberal or anti-Catholic person has said. The same time speakers like McAuliffe and Stanley Tucci were banned from speaking on campus, anyone could watch them pontificating online or on one of the many TV news channels CUA provides.

Hosting someone like McAuliffe lends the school credibility as a progressive institution of the 21st century, unafraid of rival beliefs. Students have reason to be optimistic about future speakers, who could theoretically represent both sides of any issue and open some minds. It's a wild idea, CUA being a University and all, but it's just crazy enough to work.

University Researcher Iping Discovers Milky Way Star Named 'Eta Carinae B' This Summer

Rosina C. Iping, a University physics researcher, discovered an elusive star this past summer, that exists in the Milky Way galaxy. This discovery is the companion star to Eta Carinae, named Eta Carinae B. Eta Carinae is 7,500 light years from Earth and is located in the constellation of Carina, and is completely visible from the southern hemisphere. It is massively brighter than the sun, and carries about 5 million times more energy. "[It's] no baby star" joked Dr. Bruhweiler, Physics professor and director of, Catholic University's Institute for Astrophysics and Computational Sciences in Greenbelt, Md. It is believed to be one of the brightest and most massive stars in the Milky Way galaxy.

Dr. Bruhweiler has been working with the University and NASA since before Catholic University's Institute for Astrophysics and Computational Sciences' establishment in 1996, and has been involved in research in astrophysics. About 30 researchers and graduate students continue research on the sun, other stars and other parts of the galaxy.

"There is a lot happening with astrophysics here at Catholic," said Bruhwiler.

Iping and a group of researchers from Catholic University's Institute for Astrophysics and Computational Sciences at NASA Goddard Space Flight center in Greenbelt, Md. detected the star using a Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer [FUSE] Satellite, a NASA satellite that detects short ultraviolet wavelengths.

Researchers suspected that Eta Carinae was a binary star, meaning it had a companion, when they noticed that every five and a half years something strange would happen. The star would orbit and its solar winds of about 300 miles per second would collide with the winds, about 3,000 miles per second of Eta Carinae B. Eta Carinae would orbit around Eta Carinae B and Eta Carinae would eclipse Eta Carinae B and its x-ray light. Eta Carinae is too cool to create x-rays. About every three months it was noticed that x-rays could not be detected from the star and it would change in the light that it emitted. This was discovered in 1997 by researcher Augusto Damineli of University of Sa

Rhode Island Metro Construction to Pave Way for Brookland

Pending development at Rhode Island Avenue Metro Station was the primary topic of discussion at this week's meeting of the Brookland Community Association. This was of interest to the association because similar development is planned for the Brookland Metro Station.

The development at Rhode Island Avenue is a joint project involving Mid-City Urban LLC, A&R Development and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), which owns the land. The development at Rhode Island Avenue is part of WMATA's land value capture plan, which calls for WMATA to reduce reliance on government subsidies by developing property next to Metro stations.

Mary Baird Currie, who chaired the meeting, said that "Even though the Rhode Island construction isn't in our community, it abuts our community. All of this construction interlocks and we're all going to be affected by everything. In order to put the picture together we have to know what's going on with Rhode Island Avenue, Brookland, Fort Totten and Takoma. We have to have the big picture of where this is going. This is important to ensure that the community is informed. An informed community can get involved and stay involved and that's what we're trying to do."

The development plan was presented by Vicki Davis of Mid-City Urban and Kapres Meadows of A&R Development. According to Davis, the site being developed is the Metro parking lot, "which is roughly a seven-acre size lot, has 340 parking spaces and is zoned industrial. What we would like to do there is build an apartment building with retail, mixed use development."

"Talking numbers, we plan for there to be 271 apartment units and 70,000 square feet of retail. Twenty percent: 54 units will be affordable. Ten percent of the retail is set aside for community-based business and community use. There will be a WMATA garage. We're supposed to replace the 350 spaces with 215 spaces in this garage. We have agreed on a shared parking arrangement in our other garages to bring the level of parking close to the current level," said Davis.

The most contentious issue relating to development was parking. This in part had to do with the subsidized parking rates. "That parking costs $3.40 a day. When Metro studied the site, they found that the site was full very early - like 8:00 and that half of the parkers are from Maryland. Through Metro's fare structure, we're encouraging Maryland Commuters to drive into the city, park at Rhode Island and save $50 a month in transit by parking at Rhode Island," said Davis. To alleviate the problem, the developers agreed to provide for shared parking where residents would get priority at the station.

National store chains would make up to 90 percent of the proposed retail. According to Davis, the heavy dependence on national chains has to do with their much higher credit rating. Nevertheless, there will be room for local businesses to move in.

According to Davis, outreach was a significant part of making this project work. The developers showed up at ANC Meetings, the Ward 5 Democrats meeting and Councilman Orange's economic summit. Nordheimer of A&R emphasized the importance of communication. He had suggested that as the Community Association figures out what kind of development it wants, that it should sit down with Robert Smith, a member of the Metro board and former chairman. An architect in Maryland, he might be able to offer an important perspective also. He said that such a request would surprise WMATA.

One of the issues still being worked on is policing, safety and security. There have been past incidents in the Giant parking lot that in particular are of concern. ANC Commissioner William Boston remarked, "If Metro sees this helps their ridership, I hope they'll extend their police protection. It is often saved 'til the end.'"

Currie was also concerned about the security issue. "The safety and security issue is fragile when it comes to the D.C. police department. WMATA assumes safety and security for its property. Once you step over the line it's MPD's problem. The police are saying- we're only responsible when you step over the line. There are a lot of things together."

Because the developers have only a sixty-year ground lease with WMATA, all of the property at the Rhode Island Avenue site will be rental property.

According to Currie, WMATA is looking to develop the land adjacent to Brookland soon, and she is in the process of getting community input. Currie emphasized that communication was important to the success of the project. "This isn't a single picture; it links together like a big railroad track - Rhode Island, Brookland, Fort Totten, Takoma. We want to put these links together so we don't end up at the short end. Our best allies will be the other communities."

McAuliffe Addresses Politics, Supports Free Speech at Univ.

With over 125 students and faculty in attendance last night, former Democratic National Committee Chairman and University alumnus Terry McAuliffe delivered a speech that focused on American politics. He also made his opposition to the University's speaker policy clear after the speech in an interview with The Tower.

McAuliffe said there is "no question" that there should be an open platform for speakers. "If you're a Catholic, you need to talk about all of the issues," he said. "I clearly ought to be able to talk about politics."

McAuliffe said he hopes his visit to campus makes an impact and "allows all people with all different ideas to come in." He added that he feels that different speakers are important to academic freedom.

"Even Pope John Paul II was against the war in Iraq," he said.

Frank Lankey, president of the College Democrats, said he thinks that the event will "really open up eyes and change the policy."
"People from all sides were asking questions," he said.

After an introduction by Lankey, who called McAuliffe "the prominent leader of the Democratic party and a favored son of CUA," McAuliffe first addressed the recent gubernatorial victories for the Democrats in New Jersey and Virginia. He called Tuesday a "great night for the Democratic party," and said that Virginia "was a big win for us because it is a red state." He also touched on Michael Bloomberg's recent reelection in New York and said, "If I've got to take a Republican, I'll take Michael Bloomberg."

McAuliffe mentioned later that former Republican National Committee chairman and University alumnus Ed Gillespie owes him $200 in a bet they made over which party would take NJ and VA.

"George Bush is in serious trouble," he said referring to CNN's latest polls. He said that Bush's approval rating is getting dangerously close to that of Nixon's at the time he resigned. He cited the recent situations surrounding Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX), Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN) and Hurricane Katrina as major downfalls of the Bush administration.

McAuliffe then opened the floor and took questions from the audience. First he was asked to provide his thoughts on the fact that over 2,000 troops have now died in Iraq. "He sent our troops over there on false information," he said, referring to Bush. "This is going to go on for a long time in Iraq."

"Now we have the Taliban back in Afghanistan because we've taken our eye off the ball."

Regarding the 2004 election, McAuliffe cited some mistakes made by Democrats. First, "shame on us," he said (meaning Democrats) for approving the type of ballot that was used. McAuliffe said he went to college and law school and it "took me five minutes to figure out how to vote for Al Gore."

He also said that the Democrats should have a more definitive platform. When he spoke on behalf of his party, he said he would ask, "What do you want me to say about Iraq?" "Terry, go wing it," was the usual response, he said.

"I really thought we were going to win right up until the last minute," said McAuliffe. Just before 10 p.m. the night of the election was when he said they knew they had lost. "I'm glad the exit polls were wrong; I had the greatest twelve hours of my life."

As for next year, "we've got to win 15 seats in the house," said McAuliffe, "and seven in the senate."

When asked about the 2008 presidential election, McAuliffe said, "I'm a big Hillary Clinton fan."

"She will be our first woman president. I think America is ready for a woman president."

"The guy I'd hate to run against is probably John McCain," said McAuliffe. "If it's a McCain-Clinton race," said McAuliffe, it will be the "greatest election."

McAuliffe joked that he can not run for president "because the Clintons keep forcing me to do all this work for them."

"I really want to help Hillary," he said, "I just don't think Bush is up to this job."

Speaking more to the students, McAuliffe said, "I'd hate to graduate [under Bush]" and called the current job market "horrible."

In closing, McAuliffe spoke about his years at the University. "My favorite classroom was the Ratt."

"We had so much fun there," he said regarding the Rathskeller, "you should bring it back." The Rathskeller was an on-campus bar and grill on the ground floor of University Center West. It was closed in 2003 after the Pryzbyla Center opened.

"I was the best RA on campus," said McAuliffe. He added that his policy as Resident Assistant in Spalding Hall was, "Just don't set the place on fire."

McAuliffe also served on the Judicial Branch of the Undergraduate Student Government and was active in D.C. politics. "I knew this town inside and out," he said. He encouraged students to take advantage of opportunities in the District as well.

Junior politics major and College Republican member Darius Barakat said "While I felt Mr. McAuliffe [was] really engaging as a speaker and I had a great time at the event, at the same time I was somewhat disappointed that he spent the majority of his time pointing out the faults of President Bush and the GOP instead of addressing just how the Democrats were going to fix the so-called problems the country was facing if they returned to power."

"In my opinion," he added, "simply stating that the Republicans are doing a bad job doesn't tell me anything as the Democrats are not offering any sort of alternative in terms of legislation."

Dan McKenna a senior politics major and Opportunities Director for the College Democrats said, "I thought it was good."

"I liked the fact that he kept his talk short and concise, commenting on the recent elections and current events, and spent the majority of the time answering questions, which I thought he did fairly and honestly–he wasn't afraid to admit the party or people had done certain things wrong and stayed until all questions were answered."

Pat Brown a senior politics major and D.C. Fed Representative for the College Democrats said, "This event was a sign of progress for the University and we were proud to be a part of it."

Foreign Panelists Discuss Importance of Tolerance

The Symposium on Cultural Tolerance was held Tuesday in Caldwell Auditorium. Originally described as a forum for the discussion of anti-American sentiment abroad, the speakers instead chose to outline several aspects of individual tolerance.

The speakers were Dr. Dan Ferrand-Bechman, a University Professor at the Universite de Paris and Dr. Ahmad Iravani, former Chair of Philosophy at Mofid University in Qom, Iran.

The Symposium consisted of two parts. In the first, the two speakers brought individual experiences in both French Government and Islam to bear on the topic of tolerance. The first part lasted approximately an hour and a half. The panel then took questions from the audience of more than 100.

After a short break, the group began a roundtable-type discussion. Individuals from India, Nigeria, Lithuania, Vietnam, Poland, the Ukraine and the Phillippines discussed several aspects of tolerance, and how one could apply it to daily life.

Several attendees and speakers stated that they believed globalization would force cultures to become more tolerant. While she agreed with this outlook, Bechman stated that "Compromise was not needed in order to be tolerant at all." Speakers also expressed concern that individuals could become too tolerant, and stand idly by while "the intolerable was happening."

The organizers expected about 70 participants, and it is estimated that 100 plus attended to the surprise of event organizers. Additional folding chairs were needed to seat all present.

The event was sponsored by the CUA Center for International Social Development, School of Arts & Sciences (Departments of Sociology and Politics), National Catholic School of Social Services, Columbus School of Law, International Student and Scholar Services, CUA Center for the Study of Culture and Values, CUA Peace and Justice Program, and The Jan Karski International Institute for Tolerance and Dialogue.

'Jarhead' Serves a Powerful Punch

Have you ever seen a movie where all the best scenes were in the trailer? "Jarhead" is not that movie. The trailer (which is by far the best released this year) only gives a small taste of the complexity of this movie. Yet, that same trailer also misleads the viewer into thinking that they'll be watching a straight war film. "Jarhead," however, is more reminiscent of "Full Metal Jacket" than "Saving Private Ryan." The movie is gritty, crude, violent,and addictive from the start. "Jarhead" is not your average war movie; it is far better.

"Jarhead" follows Anthony "Swoff" Swofford (Jake Gyllenhaal), a third-generation Marine, as he goes through basic training and sniper training before being shipped off to the Middle East for the first Gulf War. Along for the ride is Troy (Peter Saarsgaard), his friend and mentor, who teaches him about what it means to be a Marine and Sergeant Sykes (Jamie Foxx), a Marine lifer who commands Swoff's unit.

The film shows both the light-hearted and dramatic side of military life. A humorous scene of soldiers playing football in biology weapons protection suits is near a scene of those same soldiers being shelled by mortar rounds. "Jarhead" also catches the soldiers in moments of personal anguish and triumph. One soldier will learn about the birth of his son, while others learn that their wives and girlfriend have been cheating on them. The movie does not sugarcoat or hide the grittiness and crudeness of the military. It actually exploits these facts. There are scenes that are almost shocking in their vulgarity, but they come across so real that it is almost impossible to be offended.

The film is disturbing at times, such as when it shows the charred bodies of Iraqis, but the content is never gratuitous. "Jarhead" shows the violence of military life without being overtly bloody or gory. This film focuses on the camaraderie of the soldiers and how they come together to fight every adversity in life - personal or military. What results is not a movie about war but, rather, a movie about the relationships between soldiers.

Gyllenhaal gives his first groundbreaking performance in his role as Swoff. The actor, best known for his role in the cult classic "Donnie Darko," has grown up. His emotions are always close to the surface, and this gives his character a depth and complexity that most actors would not be able to accomplish. He straddles the line between boy and man perfectly. Gyllenhaal plays both the trained Marine sniper and naked, dancing goofball with the same effortlessness and skill. The intensity he gives Swoff permeates through every scene. His portrayal can be described as nothing but addicting. The actor is able to deliver an individually poignant performance without overshadowing the rest of the film.

The rest of the cast only enhances Gyllenhaal's performance and the movie as the whole. Saarsgaard could have merely settled into the sidekick role, but, instead, he made something more of it. In his culminating scene, Saarsgaard's dramatic delivery will leave the audience breathless and possibly in tears. He throws himself into this role and holds back nothing. While Foxx will not be remembered for this role as much as he was for "Ray," he creates a polished portrayal of Sgt. Syke. Foxx gives Sykes a lackadaisical intensity that will leave the viewer awed.

Sam Mendes of "American Beauty" fame superbly directed "Jarhead," taking what could have been a typical war flick and creating an artistic movie that utilizes every aspect of filmmaking. The camera work bounces between steady shots and the jarring handheld camera that make the viewer feel as if they are in the scene. The cuts between scenes are sometimes abrupt and often jarring. Yet, they do not alter the viewer's experience of the film. The transitions only act to enhance the message Mendes is trying to send. There is a sense of restrained violence - both on the screen and in the editing - that underlies every minute of the film. When the violence breaks through, physically or emotionally, it is both shocking and gratifying.

Mendes does not rely on one style of filming, he uses them all. While this could have created nothing more than a confused mess, Mendes succeeds with ease. The film cuts between scenes rapidly and sometimes without warning. A high-stakes discussion will give way to a quiet firing range and then to muddy, noisy training trench. An almost overly artistic dream sequence is thrown in for good measure.

After battles and war, real soldiers have often commented on the random things they noticed. Mendes uses this when he shows soldiers fixating on dead bodies or the way their boots leave white trails in the oil covered sand. This attention to detail helps give "Jarhead" depth and completeness.

War is not pretty, and Mendes does not try to hide this fact. He shows the actors in awkward, tense and vulgar moments. He brings out their emotions to the highest level possible without sapping the viewer's attention. The strength of this film is that Mendes does not shy away from anything. He uses the vulgarity of men and war to the best advantage. In the end, "Jarhead" encompasses the drama of "Black Hawk Down" with the down-to-earth absolute rawness of "Full Metal Jacket." For everyone who can stomach its sometimes disturbing contents, "Jarhead" is the must-see film of the year.

"Jarhead" opens in theatres nationwide today.

USG Plans to Work With Professors, Academic Senate to Bring Back Papers

The Undergraduate Student Government (USG) is drafting a report to send to the administration supporting student interest and academic need for daily newspaper service. This is based on the response to USG's program last week when the organization provided 150 free newspapers a day in order to gauge interest in readership. Students responded strongly, with all of the available copies taken by 1 p.m. each day.

The Legislative Branch is taking the data from last week's study and creating a report showing student interest in receiving daily newspapers on campus. This will be presented to University administrators including the Office of Student Life to propose the reconsideration of the discontinuation of the Collegiate Readership Program on campus in some form. Nevertheless, USG was not sure how or when newspapers would be provided again.

Furthermore, the Legislative Branch will be working with the Academic Branch to prove the need for daily paper service. According to Daniel Favarulo, USG Communications Director, the organization is working to provide evidence that daily papers are important to student academics. Favarulo stated that the papers were used in various classes as professors expect students to be aware of current events.

"We are going to work with various professors, the Provost and the Academic Senate to show to the University that reinstatement of newspapers are important as both a student life and academic issue," Favarulo said.

Jennifer Jones, Legislative Branch Vice President, and her committee arranged for 150 copies of the Washington Post to be delivered to the Pryzbyla Center each day last week at a cost of $140.00 total or $0.18 per copy. This cost is comparable to the cost provided to The Tower by the Washington Post in a test phone call.

Students responded well to the initiative. Senior philosophy major John-Paul Mikolajczyk stated, "I live in the insular bubble of undergraduate academia…for once in my four years here USG has finally done something beneficial for the campus - in this instance, reminding the administration that we'd actually like to know what's going on beyond 12th Street," Mikolajczyk said.

Students could obtain a copy of the newspaper by going to the information desk and providing their University identification card, according to Jones. In addition, students had to fill out a form where they provided their student ID number as well as their e-mail addresses. This was collected so that USG could use the data to create a report of the number of students who would be interested.

The project was a response to concerns brought to the Legislative Branch of USG regarding the elimination of daily weekday newspaper delivery to each residence hall, which began this semester. Some of these concerns included 75 electronic comments via the "Tell USG" feedback system on the their website, according to Jones. "It was determined that it was a pressing student issue on campus," Jones said.

The Collegiate Readership program, sponsored by USA Today, provided copies three newspapers, the Washington Post, The New York Times and USA Today. The newspapers were placed in the lobbies of all residence halls on campus. Students could take any combination of the newspapers delivered five days a week for free as the cost was covered by student fees.

According to Associate Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students Jonathan Sawyer, the program was costing more than originally expected and was only benefiting the few students who picked up newspapers each day. "The program was an open relationship based on readership that was costing some months $5,000 and others $2,000, and cost $40,000 total last year," Sawyer said in an earlier article to the Tower on the issue.

Despite the price, the University was willing to spend the money if it was it was clear that students were actually reading the newspapers. According to circulation data by USA Today, readership of the newspapers was limited to only 12 percent of on-campus students. In addition, Sawyer stated that the readership data that USA Today provided at the end of last year showed that over the past two years, only 27 percent of the three newspapers provided were actually read. "The data does not support that it was a good investment on our part, we would rather invest in more programmatic events," Sawyer said in a previous interview.

USG hopes, despite the administration's reasoning, that through the noticeable interest of students in daily newspaper service coupled with plans to stress the service's academic value, that it will reconsider its earlier decision on the matter.

Spellman Hall Resident Accused of Property Theft

University freshman Calvin Torres was found to be in possession of stolen property by the Department of Public Safety (DPS) Tuesday. According to sources familiar with the case, DPS searched the suspect’s room and found stolen items, including laptops, hidden above the ceiling tiles.

Torres, who lives on the third floor of Spellman Hall, was discovered to be in possession of stolen items by three students who live on the fifth floor. An array of items, including two laptops, was taken from the roommates’ dorm in the early hours of Sunday, Oct. 30.

Upon realizing that their property was missing, two the roommates went to the third floor in search of their property while Torres was at work on Tuesday. According to one of the students involved, the suspect’s roommate allegedly located the missing property in the ceiling tiles.

DPS and the Resident Assistant were immediately informed of the incident. Upon his return, Torres was asked to pack an overnight bag and was relocated to Regan Hall. The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) was notified, and investigators took possession of the stolen items. According to a student involved in the case, the investigators are fingerprinting the recovered items, and as of press time, have yet to return them.

Torres is denying the charges, said one victim of the thefts. Along with laptops, many other items were reported missing or stolen in Spellman including clothing, cologne, debit cards and electronic equipment. It is unknown exactly which items or how many laptops Torres has been accused of stealing.

Another Spellman resident, Mike Fortes, allegedly punched a student in the face at 3 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 1. The victim and his roommates had confronted Fortes and accused him of trying to resell laptops that were stolen from students in the dorm. DPS responded to the incident, and relocated Fortes to Gibbons, according to students familiar with the case. DPS Investigator Gary O’Neal will apply for an arrest warrant, according to the department’s 24-hour crime log. Also according to the log, seven items have been reported stolen from Spellman Hall since August 29.

The multiple sources used for this story did not wish to have their name associated with this article, and DPS did not provide any information outside of the 24-hour crime log.

Outrage Reasonable, Change Expected

It's no secret that, statistically, Brookland and CUA have become much more unsafe this semester and year. While it is true that locals are targeting some CUA students, crime isn't confined to the neighborhood. This past week, Brookland had a town meeting to discuss ways to improve safety and a student was arrested for stealing laptops in Spellman. This dichotomy is the students' plight in a nutshell: approaches to increasing protection are being discussed but nothing is really changing.

The Tower is thrilled that the spike has reached a point of getting people's attention. It is distressing, however, that crime has to reach such a high before a meeting was even held. Nevertheless, the outrage expressed is good, and we need more of it. It is also heartening to know that the people of the neighborhood are aware and as troubled by the state of affairs as we are. A strong community is integral to eliminating the threat and decreasing crime.

We do wish that the meeting had been publicized more, as it would have been constructive to have a mix of Brookland residents and students. USG President Daryl Lloyd showed initiative by speaking for the CUA community and making it clear we're part of the neighborhood too, be it a more vulnerable and na

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