Thursday, Sept. 20, 2007
www.theloquitur.com
Thefts conquer Cabrini’s campus
NEWS | 3
Immigration in further detail IMMIGRATION, page 1
ASHLEY COOK/NEWS EDITOR
The office of communications center supervisor Heather Shanley was among the places that the thefts took place. Shanley’s office was locked at the time.
THEFT, page 1 leaving property unattended, not letting strangers into residence halls and houses and traveling in pairs especially at night. The email also said that the items stolen were out in clear view. Heather Shanley, communications center supervisor, was a victim in the campus thefts and claims otherwise.
“None of the items were in clear view,” Shanley said. Shanley’s office is located in the communications wing of Founder’s Hall and was locked when the thefts took place. An iPod, two MP3 players and an iPod dock with a total value of about $600 were stolen over a period of three days. “I had a video camera sitting out in clear view, and they didn’t take that,” Shanley said.
“They were looking for things they could stuff in their pockets and not get caught with.” When contacted, Radnor police department could not provide detailed information regarding the current situation on grounds that it is an on-going investigation. “It’s a problem and something needs to be done about it,” Shanley said. “If there’s a problem, you need to fix it.”
A refugee is a person who seeks protection in the U.S. for fear that they will be persecuted in their homeland. In order to obtain refugee status, a person must prove on the grounds of race, religion, membership in a social group, political opinion or national origin that they have a “wellfounded fear of persecution.” They remain in their own country awaiting the approval. Like a refugee, an asylum seeker fears persecution from his homeland. They are, however, already on U.S. soil when making this claim. Unlike refugees, they remain in the United States in hopes of avoiding deportation to their homeland. Undocumented immigrants, also known as illegal immigrants, are those who reside in the United States without the permission of the U.S. government. They can enter illegally, without being inspected by an immigration officer or by using false documents. They also can obtain a temporary visa legally, and then continue to reside in the United States illegally beyond the expiration date. People such as students, tourists, temporary workers, business executives, diplomats, artists and entertainers and reporters are all consid-
ered non-immigrants. They are permitted to enter the United States for a limited time. The naturalization process allows legal permanent residents to apply for U.S. citizenship as long as they reside in the United States for five years without having committed any serious crimes. To qualify, these individuals have to understand, speak and write ordinary English. The Catholic Church, one of the most outspoken advocates of immigration reform, has viewpoints on the immigration issue. The Catholic Church does not condone illegal immigration because it is not good for society. However, the church understands that, although those without legal status have broken the law, they do so in order to survive. The Catholic Church thinks it is in the best interest of the nation to reform the current immigration laws. Having organized a grass roots campaign, called the Justice for Immigrants campaign, the Catholic Church is making it so that Catholics may be more involved. They will continue to speak out on the moral consequences of immigration and the effects of human life. Many more topics remain in the immigration debate, all of which will be touched upon in the upcoming presidential debate.
Faculty trip to border explores immigration TRIP, page 1 to get to the United States but kept getting sent back. The man said that he wished people in America would realize that we are just human beings in search for a better life for our families,” Fr. Michael Bielicki, the chaplain, said. He added that the man will probably not see his family for four years in the process. “What really tore me about the experience is it showed me the greed here in America.” Fr. Michael said a man about 24 years old is paid 85 cents to fill a bag with onions everyday between the hours of 3 a.m. and the afternoon the next day. The group lived on both sides of the border with an organization called Annunciation House, which has houses on both sides of the border, serves immigrants who have crossed the border without work documents who are considered by the U.S. government to be “illegal” or “undocumented.” Although the Annunciation House does not help people cross the border, they do provide them with food, clothing and shelter. Faculty and staff stayed in the house for five days. The group also met a repre-
sentative of the U.S. Border Patrol. Talking to the border patrol, faculty and staff learned that it takes about two hours to cross the border with a work pass just for the day. During their five day stay, there was a 17-year-old boy shot trying to cross the border. The faculty who went on the experience included Ann Servey, associate professor of business administration; Dr. Nick Rademacher, assistant professor of religion; Dr. Kathy McKinley, professor of sociology; Dr. Jeff Gingerich, associate professor of sociology; Dr. Nancy Watterson, assistant professor of English and communication; and Dr. Jerry Zurek, professor of English and communication. The staff that went on the trip were Father Michael Bielicki and Wolfington Center staff member David Chiles. Meghan Hurley, an alumna of 2007, also attended. The trip was sponsored by the Academic Affairs office and the Wolfington Center. The issue of immigration will impact the future of Cabrini students’ lives because immigration is having a large influence on our culture and economy. Zurek pointed out that many businesses such as restaurants and farms in
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JEROME ZUREK/SUBMITTED PHOTO
Meghan Hurley, Cabrini Aluma’ 07 and Father Michael look through the border fence to Mexico. the United States, could not function without their labor. McKinley said that people are working in factories and getting exploited by American corporations. For Hurley, Zurek, McKinley and Fr. Michael, they feel change is needed.
“The trip only reinforced my opinions on immigration. I feel that we need comprehensive immigration reform and that higher security measures on the border and building higher walls are not the answers,” Hurley said. The immigration issue is one
that holds special meaning to Cabrini College, since St. Frances Cabrini is the patron saint of immigrants. Zurek, said that if Mother Cabrini were alive, that he is sure she would be working with them.