2004 Vol.73, No.15 Xavierite

              Inside
THIS ISSUE
STUDENTS
ENJOY
STUDY
ABROAD
TRIP
Page 3
NEW ESSENTIAL
INCUBUS
ALBUM IN
STORES
Page 12
MENS B-
BALL FALL
OUT OF
FIRST
PLACE
Page 20
NEWS
FEATURES
SPORTS
SXU's future up for grabs
By Becky Hicks	
News Editor
"Strategic planning is way of
thinking, making decisions and taking actions in concert with one another and in step
with the needs of our larger society," President Dwyer stated in a statement issued on
the Saint Xavier website.
Strategic Planning asks SXU
where are we now, where to we want to be
and how will we get there.
The steps involved in this planning, however, do not
happen   overnight.
From the beginning of
December, the steps to
a better school began
with a cabinet defining
five broad strategic areas and then proceeded
to send surveys to all
faculty, staff and 1,800
alumni asking them to
respond on possible directions for planning.
There is also a
link on the Strategic Planning website, link
mentioned below, where anyone, community, 
students and staff can fill out the "community input form." "From here, they can
look at that and send us their questions and
concerns," said Dr. Kathleen Carlson, Director of Planning and Assessment.
Through Strategic Planning, institutional resources are concentrated in a limited number of major directions in order to
maximize benefits to the stakeholders. Strategic Planning is future oriented, long-term
investment of resources, based on environmental scanning/information, action-ori-
Strategic Planning has helped enrollment grow over the years
Graph courtesy of Dr. Carlson
ented, focused on decisions.
Town Hall meetings will be held,
with a limited number of tickets, to share
'Quonset Huts' In need of repair: a possible part of SXUs Strategic Plan
the progress of the Planning and is open to
comments from all who attend. All meetings will also be taped, for viewing if people
cannot attend.
The repairs that go into consideration for the "new SXU" can be small in
size or as big as an entire new building. In
the past few years, new buildings such as
the Shannon Center, McDonough Chapel,
McCarthy and Morris Halls have been
added.
Photo courtesy of The Xavierite
"It's an entire evolution that's going to be taking place," Carlson said.
"Dwyer utilized these options at her past
jobs and the president is behind this completely." She also added that the school has
changed since she started working here. "I
came in January 1997, I wouldn't believe it
was the same school."
Look for the next issue of The
Xavierite for more in-depth coverage.
Saint Xavier first Catholic university for Safe Zone
By Christina Cucci
Deputy News Editor
In 1998, the nation turned its eyes
toward Wyoming when a young, college student named Matthew Shepherd was brutally
beaten and killed because of his sexual orientation. His death brought national recognition to gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgender issues. Several college campuses started to recognize the importance
of providing those identified as sexual minorities with support
from faculty, staff and
student allies.
Safe Zone
Projects, while having
been around since 1992
with the implementation
of such a program at
Ball State University,
began to gain momentum in the late 1990's at
a variety of college
campuses across the nation. Currently in Illinois, seven universities
have implemented Safe Zone Projects. Now
Saint Xavier University will not only be
added to that list, but also be accredited as
the first Catholic university to apply such a
program.
Shea Rentschler, who in her nearly
eight months as an SXU Academic Advisor, has already begun to make a difference
at Saint Xavier University. As the dynamic
staff advisor for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Transgender and their Allies (LGBTA) Alliance, Shea submitted the proposal for the
Safe Zone Project at SXU. Shea advocated
for Safe Zone on behalf of the LGBTA Alli-
SAFEZONE®
ance and in conjunction with the Student
Activities Center, who recognize the Alliance as a student group.
As Shea revealed in the proposal,
"This group currently has 32 members including students, staff and faculty. While
brainstorming ideas for possible activities
for the upcoming school year, we thought a
Safe Zone Project at Saint Xavier University would be an asset for everyone on campus in order to make students who identify
as belonging to a minority group feel included and supported.
Many of the students
within the LGBTA Alliance do not feel comfortable 'coming out' at this
institution and this has
caused great personal turmoil for some of them.
They figured that other
students in certain minority groups felt the same
way they did in that they
did not belong or feel
comfortable in the majority of students here. The
diversity we speak of [in the university's
mission statement] should not stop with race
or ethnicity, but also include gender expression, sexual orientation, socio-economic
background, age, religion and ability among
others."
The hallmark of these programs is
the public identification of LGBT's allies
by placing a "Safe" symbol, usually incorporating a pink triangle, on office doors or
within living spaces. The LGBTA Alliance
is in the process of distributing more than
250 static cling window decals which display the "Safe Zone" logo on them to stu-
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Allies Alliance board is displayed in a main hallway at SXU
Phott courtesy of The Xavierite
dent leaders, faculty and staff. These 3x3
decals can either be placed on office windows or attached to mirrors, bulletin boards,
doors or computers.
If one displays the decal, the
LGBTA Alliance offered a few examples of
what one might expect on campus. LGBT
students and colleagues may censor their
speech less, providing a more genuine exchange in conversation and they will be
more at ease, perhaps anticipating a non-
judgmental atmosphere.
Senior, Irma Tinajero is the proud
president of the LGBTA Alliance who presented her thoughts on the group's project,
"I honestly don't see anything negative coming from the Safe Zone Project in the near
future. On the contrary, I feel it will be a
great resource for those who seek any type
of help and are concerned with a certain issue by making them feel comfortable and
supported. I also think this project allows
[one] to make the first step in getting educated and keeping an open mind in relation
to LGBTA issues."
"Safe Zone" continued on page 2