Congressman: Homeland Security is Understaffed

Only one-fourth of the Department of Homeland Security is staffed properly, said Congressman Christopher Carney from Pennsylvania's 10th District Tuesday at an event sponsored by the College Democrats.

Carney said the current structure of DHS is not effective enough and he hopes to incorporate more security on American ships, planes and Amtrak trains. He stated Amtrak is not protected from potential terrorist attacks.

When asked what is one of the most pressing issues in the United States, he responded, "I do not want to say the [Iraq] war because it is too cliché. However, the war and energy crisis are crucial matters." He continued to say if we link the two things together, situations like Iraq wouldn't happen.

"We rely on the Middle East for our resources," he stated. "If we can change this, more resources will be available domestically and more things can be accomplished on U.S. soil." He stated the Iraq war costs 17 million dollars an hour.

Regarding immigration, Carney said the fence between the United States and Mexico will be built but will be a long time coming. And although it will "stem the tide of illegals," he stated, "we need to find a rational immigration policy."

In regard to a war draft, he said he believes one will never be reinstated.

Carney was elected to the House of Representatives in 2006. He stated he decided to run after Congress voted on the Terri Schiavo case on Palm Sunday of 2005, otherwise known as the Palm Sunday Compromise.

He is the vice chairman of the subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management. He is also the chairman of the subcommittee on Management.

Could This Be Boston's Year Again?

Boston is back on top. In addition to the New England Patriots amazing feats during the last seven weeks, the Boston Red Sox have returned to the World Series after just three years. The Sox finished first in the league this season, followed closely by Cleveland. In the American League Championship Series (ALCS), Boston came back from two games down against the Tribe, continually forcing games five, six and seven to advance to the 2007 World Series. Could this perhaps be a repeat of 2004?

Indeed it could be. Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis led the league in fielding this year, as he was the only player without an error during the regular season, not to mention his four home runs and 10 RBIs in the postseason. Although his showing was not up to his usual standard in Game 7 of the ALCS, DH David Ortiz has also contributed three runs and eight RBIs this postseason.

If Wednesday night was any indication of the World Series tempo, the Sox will have no problems making a clean sweep. Boston was treated on Thursday night when Colorado actually decided to play baseball, as the Sox won their second game of the Series. Red Sox Nation will (as usual) leave a lasting impression upon the Rockies, ending their postseason hopes on Sunday in Colorado.

Stats provdided by: tsn.com, yahoo.com/sports

Students Contribute to Prayer Books Published by University

Campus Ministry created personal prayer books for the University, which were distributed this week.

The prayer books aim at "[giving] our students another venue to share their faith and [to] support other CUA students as they face the challenges of life," according to Rev. Robert Schlageter. The prayer book is comprised of student-authored as well as traditional Catholic prayers.

"Prayers at the beginning of the book cover every day challenges faced by young adults in college," said Schlageter. Those prayers include intentions for roommates, sports games, theatre performances and recreational activities, among many others.

"They've got a prayer for everything.whether it's stress because of classes, a relationship problem, etc.," stated Michelle Cullari, a resident minister who helped distribute the books.

Campus Ministry expects to distribute close to 4,000 books by next year and Schlageter indicated that work on the second edition will begin next year.

The book was sponsored by Campus Ministry, Student Life and the Office of the Provost. In addition, it was edited by a team of students in conjunction with the English Department and Rev. Donald Paul Sullins, associate professor of Sociology.

Flather Resident Infected By Drug-Resistant Bacteria

A University student was infected with Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, and has been receiving medical treatment off campus, the University was notified Friday. The infection, an antibiotic-resistant type of the common bacteria known as staph, is not airborne or easily contagious, according to the University's Student Health Services, who do not anticipate an outbreak.

A freshman in Flather Hall was diagnosed with MRSA after Student Health Services advised her to get outside additional testing, according to Dr. Loretta Staudt, medical director for Student Health Services. Her family notified the University Friday, Oct. 19.

The student is expected to have a full recovery and will come back to campus upon doing so.

The University student's case comes a week after a Virginia teenager died of MRSA when the infection spread to his kidneys, liver, lungs and the muscles around his heart. News of his death created a media storm, exploring the infection and its effects. Since then, Fox 5 news has reported 14 cases in Montgomery County schools, six in Fairfax County, two in Howard County and one in both Prince William and Anne Arundel counties.

In addition, The Baltimore Sun reported that SEED Public Charter School in Southeast Washington, D.C. sent students home on Monday after a reported case of staph infection. The school disinfected classrooms and residential quarters as a precaution.

In response to the national media attention on MRSA, Jessica Raven, one of Flather Hall's resident assistants, set to calm her students through an e-mail.

"There has been a lot of talk about this infection and I feel it is getting a little wild.there is only one confirmed case in Flather [and] it has been treated," wrote Raven. She provided a link to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's website and advised the students, "Please do not let the rumors take over the facts."

Jonathan Sawyer, associate vice president for Student Life and dean of students, also sent a letter to the student body notifying them of the affected student and precautions they should personally take.

"Staph are bacteria commonly carried on the skin or in the nose of healthy people and are one of the most common causes of skin infections in the United States," wrote Sawyer. "As with combating the possibility of any infection, practicing good hygiene is fundamentally important."

The University stated that regular procedure was carried out, but they still took extra precautions.

"Everyday we disinfect all the common places and community areas and that includes doorknobs, hand railings, classrooms and desks in academic and residential areas," said Victor Nakas, associate vice president of Public Affairs. "And the cleaner we use has the capacity to completely sterilize the staph bacteria." In addition, Nakas stated, the student's room and residence hall floor was re-cleaned upon hearing of her MRSA diagnosis.

"The biggest preventive thing everybody needs to do.is to be very contentious of hand washing," said Staudt. She advised students to leave open wounds unexposed and limit sharing personal items such as towels and razors, but insisted the bacteria is not easily transmittable and students should not be alarmed.

"Thank goodness it's not as contagious and aggressive or easily spread as other illnesses, like Norovirus," said Staudt. Nearly 60 students fell ill with Norovirus last December in an outbreak. Staudt maintained the two are not comparable.

-John Schmidt contributed

to this report.

Fires Torch West

The flames came close enough to char the windows of University junior Sarah Jones' house in Rancho Bernardo, California, but Jones considers herself one of the lucky ones. The Witch Creek fire in San Diego County took her next-door neighbor's home, along with many other homes in the region.

Jones and her family are among the over a half-million Californians who have been forced to evacuate as a result of 16 fires which have devastated six Southern Californian counties. On Thursday, 10 major fires were still threatening the region. A combination of a five-year drought and the annual Santa Ana winds contributed to the severity of the fires which are largely attributed to natural causes. However, police are investigating incidents of arson.

"This has become our Katrina, but unlike that horrible situation, it seems that the overall crisis response here was much better," said James Brandt, a University graduate student who took a leave of absence this semester to become a priest in San Diego.

As of Thursday morning, 1,400 homes had been reported destroyed, there has been three fire deaths, five fire-related deaths, 26 injured civilians and 40 injured firefighters as a result of the fires which have scorched over 720 square miles of Southern California: the equivalent of nearly all of the state of Rhode Island, according to reports.

The fires have directly affected members of the University who are from California.

"The fire stayed four miles away from my house, this time, however, four years ago [the Cedar fire] was only a quarter mile away," said Ben Newell, editor in chief of The Tower. "I am more worried about flooding this winter because of all the underbrush being burnt-out near my house." Newell said, "Secondary effects are major."

Newell's father, Cedar Pines Park resident Tom Newell, has been working to keep the water lines open for firefighters, behind fire lines, throughout the crisis. Newell said he is proud of his father's work in helping to save lives and homes.

There are fires north and south of senior Ray Gennawey's house in South Orange County, California, but his family has not had to evacuate. His mother told him on Wednesday that "the air is brown and the sun is red.

Awareness Week Games Help Promote Drinking

As most of you are aware, this past week our school participated in National Alcohol Awareness week, which is an important cause. Thousands of people die in drunk driving accidents every year, drink to the point of death and ruin relationships with loved ones. And to put it as briefly as possible, I'm positive everyone in their life knows or will come to know an alcoholic and how destructive they can be.

Most bad habits are picked up out of curiosity, for example, cigarette smoking. Kids see adults smoking and, well, monkey see, monkey do. I feel that the same goes for drinking. Kids listen to those they look up to. In our case, they listen to their older brother or sister beginning conversations with, "Last night was crazy! I can't remember anything!"

I understand that college students are certainly not children, but I cannot help but wonder if promoting alcohol awareness can be achieved while drinking simulated beer. It's basically like giving someone a bb gun and a red t-shirt at gang awareness week. I knew something was wrong when a friend of mine was walking around the student restaurant with a virgin piña colada in her hand, saying "this tastes pretty good!"

How can I be expected to believe that drinking is wrong when people are blatantly walking around campus with a cocktail, I mean mock-tail, glass? What lesson am I learning when I see a flyer in my dorm that says in huge letters "Baseball and Beer"? Most people are not going to be inclined to walk up to the poster to discover that it says in tiny letters "Root beer, silly." If I didn't know any better, I'd think that this organization was trying to get people to drink as much simulated alcohol in one week as they could.

It is difficult to preach to one of the largest markets of alcohol consumers (and I include college students under 21). Thinking of fun events for college students is always difficult. A better idea would be to plan fun activities that don't involve alcohol.. At all! No kegs with root beer! No cocktail glasses! The point of this week is to show students that alcohol in excess is not the best solution, specifically for those underage. Why would this national organization follow the "monkey see, monkey do" footsteps?

I think I can go as far to say that it is common sense that if we want people not to do something destructive, we shouldn't do something exactly like it either.

Need Advice? Ask Judith

We're looking for questions to put to our resident miss-helpful, Judith. Please e-mail cuatower.entertainment@gmail.com. Don't worry, questions will always be anonymous.

I think my roommate might be bulimic. She seems to disappear after meals a lot. I'm really worried that she's going to really hurt herself. How do I confront her about it?

This is certainly not an easy problem to solve. I am glad that you want to approach your roommate, because if you ignore the problem she will not accept that it's a problem.

Approaching her will be difficult because eating disorders are created out of a habit they plan meticulously and constantly. Attacking her eating disorder is the same as attacking her way of life. The best way to speak to her would be to ask her if she's feeling ok when you notice she's come back from the bathroom. Do not, and I repeat, do not, go to the bathroom while she is there unless you know for certain that she is going to purge. To her, you are being undermining; why should she trust you if you do not trust her? Make sure she knows that you care about her well-being, and that if she needs to talk to someone she can turn to you. Do not, and I repeat (yet again) do not make any promises you cant keep. What I mean is that you shouldn't say you're going to keep her stories secret and then tell a therapist behind her back. If she makes you promise and you have intentions to tell someone, tell her that you cannot keep the secret. If a therapist comes to her when she still is not ready to face her problem, she will most likely repel by continuing to purge, probably more so than before.

I don't mean to scare you, but like I said, this is not an easy problem to solve. Understand that you cannot solve her problem on your own. Eating disorders take years to get over. and they usually are never completely remedied. Showing you care can make a huge difference. She is lucky to have a friend like you.

I really like this guy I know. I'm attracted to him but he's not attractive. I love spending time with him, just not in public because I'm embarrassed to be seen with him. Am I being completely shallow about this? Is there any way I can get over it?

Yes, you are being shallow. I know that sounds harsh, but haven't you ever heard the saying "Love is blind"? I'm not asking you to fall in love with him, but you have some questions to ask yourself: Do you like the feeling of liking someone, or do you really like him? How would you feel if you saw his arms wrapped around another girl? Basically, what I'm saying is just how much do you like this kid? If you had genuine feelings for him, you would not care if he was wearing a bunny costume on Thanksgiving.

The best way to get over this would be to spend more time with him when you are out with your other friends. Chances are, maybe you're scared of what your friends think of him. Once you see that he can be the same person he is around you in front of your friends (which should be the case, if not, we have another situation on our hands), then you will probably gain stronger feelings for him.

I went on a first date with a girl and it was fine but there was no chemistry. She seems to be really into me but I'm just not interested. How do I let her down easy?

Well, first of all, that sucks. Not just for her, but for you, too. I've been on both sides of this situation, and I hate to break it to you, but there is no awkward-free way to get through this one. The best way to tell her would be to talk to her (IN PERSON!!!!) and tell her that you had fun on the date but you think it would be a lot better if you two stayed friends. I hope you didn't say anything you didn't mean on your date, cause then you have a hell of a lot more awkwardness to deal with.

Do not feel too guilty about this. When you asked her out on a date, you didn't ask her to marry you either. The whole point of dating is to see if there is compatibility; and this time there wasn't. As you continue to date people you create a mental checklist of attributes that are desirable and some that aren't. This is just another experience that has allowed you to edit the checklist again.

Entertaining 'Evita' Opens Today

"Evita," presented by The Benjamin T. Rome School of Music, opening October 26 through the 28, is entertaining and character-driven, despite certain technical mishaps during the rehearsal Wednesday, which will undoubtedly be corrected by the time the show premieres Friday evening.

Any seasoned actor knows the difference between a technical and a dress rehearsal. In technicals, there are mishaps: microphones stop working, set pieces do not fit and light cues are late. But these mistakes have little effect on Friday's final product. What does matter, above all, are the actors, who in the University's current production of "Evita" win through, with a qualified yes.

Aesthetically, the show is simple. A few moving cubes, a hanging banner with images of the three leading players and basic props (chairs and a bed) adorn the stage. Costumes, shoes and hair are flawless, despite the gap between the poor crowd and Evita's increasingly luxurious wardrobe. The simplicity allows one to focus on what is the most important aspect of "Evita" - the actors.

When they're hot, they're hot. Each character changes a great deal, but eventually settle into a comfortable rut.

Notes & Asides

Republican Senator Sam Brownback dropped out of the presidential race for his party's nomination last week. He realized that his high approval rating he had at Catholic actually compiled 100% of his nationwide support.

Without Brownback in the race, the only major Roman Catholic candidate left in the race is former cross-dresser Rudy Giuliani…oh, and Stephen Colbert.

National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week wrapped up on Friday…just in time for the weekend parties. Now where are those left-over drink supplies from those virgin drinking parties?

Friday is Oktoberfest. The senior class is hosting an event with German food, music and drinks. What a way to top off NCAAW.

Halloween is next week. What will you be dressing as this year? The Tower suggests either a Senator Kerry or Dumbledore costume to go along with your evening's festivities. Costumes are available int he UCSPE office.

Several residents of Conaty Hall have spotted mice in their dormitories. They named it Spellman and go around chanting "Kill Spellman!" Self-declared "3rd Floor Crew" leader Pat McClellan credits the pictures of vicious cats he has posted on his floor as the reason that they have not resurfaced recently. Exterminators have also been onsite.

A case of drug-resistant staph infection has made its way into Flather Hall. South Campus alum and its current residents are not worried though…they've put up with worse.

It is obviously not summer anymore. The Washington D.C. area received more than its fair share of rain this week. It is nature's way of making the Basilica lawn even more fun to drive on with golf carts and 'Fatal Vision Goggles,' thoughtfully provided by DPS.

The rowing association is hosting the 2nd Annual CUA Crew Halloween Dance on Saturday. Tickets are $6 with a costume in advance, $8 without in advance and $8 at the door with or without. If you are a skeleton and do not have any body to go with, that is not a problem. The dance starts at 8:30 and goes until midnight in the Pryzbyla Center's Great Room.

On a more serious note, The Tower's prayers go out to the victims of the fires in California, especially those affected within the University community.

Editorial: University Needs to Keep Students Informed

his week Catholic was faced with the daunting task of dealing with a student who contracted MRSA. Many other schools in the DC area have been dealing with MRSA for the past few months and now the infection has hit home at our campus.

An outbreak of illness is not unfamiliar to our campus. Just last year norovirus made over 65 students ill. The recent case of MRSA brings back memories of this outbreak and how the University handled the situation and allows us to compare the how the University reacted to the two situations.

The student who contracted MRSA fell ill on October 19 and an email was not sent to students until October 22. In the time that the University took to send this email, the many rumors that were started about MRSA started to spread across campus all the while growing in inaccuracy. The University should have been more proactive about the situation in order to prevent students from thinking that the situation was out of hand, when in reality it was not.

When the norovirus hit campus last year, emails were sent almost daily to students, updating them on what was happening on campus. This helped to suppress the many rumors that the Pryz was the source of the illness. It also helped to calm students fears about the illness and helped them to take the precautions they needed to.

With the recent MRSA related death of a student in Virginia, many CUA students became fearful when they heard that a MRSA case was on campus. As a result, students heard rumors spread by their friends and passed them on to other students. Because they were left uninformed by the University, students were left to make their own conclusions about MRSA including telling other students that the bacteria had spread to another freshman dorm.

The University has a responsibility to the students to inform them about what is going on with the campus, especially on health related issues. This will not only help the University to help keep students safe, but also to prevent worried students from exaggerating a health problem and scaring other students.

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