Friday, Feb. 10, 2006
Features What a girl wants... What a guy wants... pages 8 & 9
CabriniCollegesStudent ewspaper
www.theLoquitur.com
Radnor, Pa.
Vol XLVII, Issue 15
In education, girls out-smart boys ELIZABETH BRACHELLI ASST. A&E EDITOR EAB722@CABRINI.EDU
Reaching into the bottomless pit of his backpack, sophomore Sam Sedam of Harry S. Truman High School searches frantically for a pencil and his homework.. Then, he tries to dig into the pit of papers to find his textbook. With no luck, he figures, “I can carry a “B” average, why should I worry?” Sedam, like many other boys across the nation, is not alone. Although his biggest concern is not his grades, academics are now a huge concern among parents and educators. It has been reported by Newsweek that boys across the nation and in every demographic group are falling behind in school. Also, the number of boys who didn’t like school rose 71 percent between 1980 and 2001, according to a University of Michigan study. And this shift is clearly being seen on college campuses everywhere. 30 years ago it was girls, not boys who were falling behind and men represented 58 percent of the undergradu-
A&E ‘In Focus’ opens a world of portraits to students page 10
Immigration law could create 11 million ‘aggravated felons’ MEGHAN HURLEY STAFF WRITER MLH722@CABRINI.EDU
inferior. They’re just hardwired differently. They’re maturation is completely different,” Kessler said. The difference of maturation is seen early on. In elementary school, boys are not as encouraged to read although they begin with lower literacy skills. Boys ages five to 12 are 60 percent more likely than girls to have repeated at least one grade according to the U.S. Depart-
On Dec. 16, 2005, the House of Representatives approved an immigration bill that classified all undocumented immigrants as aggravated felons and classified anyone helping these immigrants as criminals. Students at Cabrini and surrounding colleges and universities are rallying against this legislation with a letter writing campaign and demonstration planned in February. They are partnering with Catholic Relief Services and the Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition to protest this impending legislation. This bill, titled Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005, was drafted by James Sensen-
BOYS, page 3
IMMIGRATION, page 3
KRT
The number of boys who do not like school rose 71 percent between 1980 and 2001 according to a University of Michigan study.
ate student body. Now men a minority at 44 percent according to Newsweek. Sedam said, “I’m not really motivated enough. There are other things to do. Why work?” Although Sedam may not be “motivated enough” now, he hopes to attend Penn State University after graduating from high school in the near future. At many state universities, the gender balance is 60-40, tilting towards women according to Newsweek. Carolyn Roberts, a sophomore exercise science major, said,
“Some people are just more motivated. I just think boys are very apathetic. Their grades don’t mean anything to them.” Dr. Carol Kessler, associate professor of education, believes that boys like Sedam and Cabrini’s male students are falling behind for several reasons. According to Newsweek, boys are biologically, developmentally and psychologically different from girls, which was a point that Kessler stressed. “Male brain chemistry is different. They start out differently and that doesn’t mean they’re
Up ‘til Dawn benefit dinner a life-saving success TUNOMUKWATHI ASINO ASST. EVENTS EDITOR TA725@CABRINI.EDU
Lauren Lewis, St. Jude hospital’s patient of the month, is two years old. She has a tumor called neuroblastoma. Neuroblastoma is a cancer of specialized nerve cells called neural crest cells. These cells are involved in the development of the nervous system and other tissues, according to the research hospital’s website. Lewis is just an example of the many patients that the St. Jude hospital treats daily. The St. Jude hospital treats 180 “in and out” patients daily. The hospital has 4700 active patients. There are 60 patients in bed. It costs over $1 million a day to keep the hospital running. “Every bit counts,” Francine Clement, a sophomore sociology major and executive director of Up ‘til Dawn, said. Amanda Young, Philadelphia’s representative of St. Jude Hospital, echoes Clement’s senti-
ments. Young explained that St. Jude hospital relies on events like these, referring to the benefit dinner held Feb. 3. Young, who was emotional while delivering her speech at the dinner, explained that St. Jude hospital does not ask patients to pay anything. If the insurance does not cover, patients are not asked to pay. If patients do not have insurance they are not asked to pay either. Patrick Jordan, assistant director of Up ‘til Dawn, and Francine Clement, executive director of Up ‘til Dawn, both delivered short speeches. The lightest moment of the night was when Rodney Stockett, chef of dining services, gave his appreciation speech. “I don’t care if you hug the trees…hug the rabbits, continue to do what you are doing,” Stockett said, applauding the current members of Up ‘til Dawn for their hard work.. He said there was a great legacy and the members were building on something. Stockett continued by saying he hopes that “we will
JESS WEBB/PHOTO EDITOR
Francine Clement, far right, is the executive director of Up ‘til Dawn
continue to do this year in and year out.” Stockett thanked everyone involved with the benefit dinner. The dinner was held to support the St. Jude children hospital in Memphis, Tenn. Sharon Kolankiewicz, a junior English and communication major, attended the dinner. She felt that the dinner was a great way to raise money for kids. “It is raising awareness. Before I did not know that St. Jude hospital existed,” Kolankiewicz said. Fiona Bride, a junior science
DAN SQUIRE/ASST. PHOTO EDITOR
The benefit dinner was a huge success and a great fundraiser for the children of St. Jude’s Research Hospital.
health and promotion major, who also attended the dinner, agreed with Kolankiewicz. When asked how she felt about the dinner, Bride said, “overall it was wonderful, wonderful because it is helping kids with cancer.” There were also raffles on sale for $1. The prize was a gift voucher to Starbucks, the bangle factory, to mention but a few. St. Jude Research Hospital is a hospital for terminally ill children. It provides treatment for free. Up ‘til Dawn is one of the most successful events used to raise awareness and money. The annual nation-wide event raised $34 000 last year, according to Clement and Jordan. The hospital’s mission is to provide unsurpassed patient care and to advance the health of children through biomedical research. The hospital was founded by entertainer Danny Thomas. It opened in 1962. Up ‘til Dawn’s slogan is “Be a hero.”