Keynote Speaker Gets Mixed Reactions Sister Helen Prejean Speaks To
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www.fclcobserver.com Opinions H Features.. Arts & Culture.... Literary OBSERVER Sports.. May 5, 2005 FORDHAM UNIVERSITY AT LINCOLN CENTER Volume XXIII, Issue 14 Keynote speaker gets mixed reactions Lead found in Lowehstein water, says science class By GISELLE ISNER ' has been asked to deliver com- Staff Writer mencement addresses at other By JOE DELESSIO The class also found approxi- schools in the past and is excit- Features Editor mately 20 micrograms of lead FORDHAM—John Sexton, ed to have the opportunity to per liter of water from the eighth Fordham alumnus and presi- address students from FCLC—An FCLC science floor water fountain, and eight dent of New York University Fordham. class has found lead in the water micrograms of lead per liter of (NYU), has been chosen as the "I'm deeply honored," he on Lowenstein's eighth floor. water from the eighth floor lab- keynote speaker for Fordham's said. "My heart skipped a beat The Honors Natural Science oratory sink. The class found 160th Commencement, which with the honor and I said yes class tested four water sources less than five micrograms of will be held on May 21. The immediately." and found as much as 200 lead per liter of water from the decision has brought about Some students would prefer micrograms of lead per liter of eighth floor men's restroom mixed reactions from the stu- a well-known persona to speak water. The eighth floor sinks. dent body. at commencement, such as past women's restroom sinks had the According to information Although it is not expected speakers and alumni Marry highest levels of lead. provided by Kruyer, lead can be that every student will be Higgins Clark, Denzel The Environmental Protection harmful to the body in concen- pleased with the keynote speak- Washington and Alan Alda. Agency's (EPA) National trations less than 10 micro- er at his or her commencement, "Last year the graduating President of NYU John Sexton Primary Drinking Water grams per liter of water. unlike past alum speakers, class got Tim Russert, the host is this year's keynote speaker. Regulations do not permit any Kruyer said it was her under- Sexton is the president of what of 'Meet the Press,' and a level of lead to be found in pub- standing that the presence of some consider a "rival" school. household name," said Bettina "You can never find a com- lic water systems. According to lead m water can be the result of "1 think it is a bit insulting Blanchard, FCLC '05. "It mencement speaker that every- the EPA, ingestion of lead-con- old piping. She said this could for the NYU president to speak seems almost as though maybe one enjoys." taminated water can lead to kid- explain the differences in lead at our graduation," said Jill there was no other way of She pointed out that Sexton ney problems and high blood levels in samples from the vari- Percia, FCLC '05. "It is sort of securing another speaker who was chosen not because he. is pressure in adults. ous locations, such as the differ- a rival school. Many people would better suit the feftivi-. president of another university, "I think that definitely the ence in lead levels in the men's who got rejected from NYU go ties." but rather because he is a'well- water fountains should be a lot and women's restrooms. to Fordham and now we have Blanchard prefers "someone accornplished Fordham cleaner," said Anna Kruyer, • Kruyer sai($}she would hope to listen to the president speak who has a larger impact on > University alumnus, according FCLC '08, a student in the class these issues would be rectified if to us. Fordham is a wonderful society as a whole ... someone to Ball. who participated in the experi- the piping is a factor in the pres- --> institution, but does Fordham's who is more accomplished in a "We enjoy having alums," ment. ence of lead. "It seems they president speak at NYU gradu- wider sense. No' one outside of said Ball. "It shows to students "It's the sort of thing that gdes would be able to keep them up to. ation? I think not J' >. NYU knows who Sexton is." these are people who s*at where unnoticed when it's in the par," she said, in reference to the Sexton believes there is In response to student's you sat and now look where restroom sinks, and I think a lot men's and women's bathrooms. nothing out of the ordinary for complaints, Margaret Ball, uni- they are. [Sexton] is a Fordham of people ... take for granted Doug Mitchell, director of the president of a university to versity secretary and com- graduate. I think that's what what's in the water we're they're facilities operations at the address students of another. He mencement coordinator, said, drinking," she said. see SPEAKER, page 3 see WATER, page 2 Job market for Class of '05 is Sister Helen Prejean speaks to Fordham strongest in years, some say By NANCY YOUNG Staff Writer By EMILY GENAO FEATURES Staff Writer Pages 10-12 FORDHAM—On the evening of April 23, in the James Some members of the Class "Compared to recent years, B. McNally Amphitheatre in of 2005 may not need to worry we are seeing strong growth in Fordham University's School of about getting a job after grad- the number of jobs available law, Sister Helen Prejean, author uation, because the job market for new grads, particularly in of "Dead Man Walking," spoke is at its best since 2000, sales and support services to the Fordham community on according to a survey conduct- such as finance and account- her life experience, her views on ed by MonsterTRAK.com. ing," said Michelle Forker, the death-penalty and the impor- MonsterTRAK, a Web site senior vice president of tance of public discourse. that connects employers with Monster Campus in a press Prejean began her work of college students and gradu- release. ministering to the imprisoned ates, conducted its annual sur- The hottest field at the in 1981. During this time she vey of students, recent gradu- moment is sales, which became pen pals with a death ates and companies looking to accounts for 25 percent of entry row inmatet Patrick Sonnier. hire them. The survey found level positions nationwide, Prejean was his spiritual advis- Sister Helen Prejean discussed the death penalty at Fordham. that 80 percent of companies according to the survey. er and repeatedly visited him. surveyed with 5,000 or more Administrative and support ser- After witnessing the Louisiana Prejean also reminisced ple against it will read Amnesty employees plan to hire 2005 vices are second, with 10 per- execution process when about the difficulty of her early International." graduates this spring or sum- cent. Customer service and call Sonnier was put to death by years of discourse on capital Any uncertainties about mer and 90 percent of compa- centers accounted for 6 percent, electric chair in Angola State punishment and said, "In the writing the book did not stop nies with 10,000 or more and advertising rounded out the Prison, Prejean felt compelled early '90s everybody and their her for long. In 1993, "Dead employees plan to hire 2005 top four with 5 percent. to share her experiences and cat was for the death penalty." Man Walking: An Eyewitness graduates. MonsterTRAK sur- The survey found educate as many as she could She joked that when she used Account of the Death Penalty veyed more than 900 compa- California, with 15 percent of about what she refers to as the to give lectures on the topic in the United States" became nies and nearly 11,000 stu- the country's job opportuni- "secret ritual" of the death very few individuals would number one on the New York dents. ties, to be the best state in penalty. even show up to hear her and Times Bestseller List, where it Among the graduating stu- which to find an entry level Prejean began her lecture by that people would often rofer to remained for 31 weeks. dents surveyed, 83 percent position. Texas was second quoting Supreme Court Justice her as "the death penalty nun." "A book is a very special expected at least one job offer with 9 percent. New York Thurgood Marshal, when she Recalling the uncertainty she way of discourse," Prejedn upon graduating, if not more. made the top five with 6 per- said, "Educate the American felt about writing a book, said. "I wrote it instinctively in Last year's survey found that cent of the country's job people about the death penalty, Prejean said, "Why should I the first person so that when I 51 percent of seniors in college opportunities. nnd they will reject it." Prejean write a book? People who are went through something you for it [capital punishment] will didn't expect any offers at all. see JOBS, page 11 has dedicated her life to this see PREJEAN, page 4 mission, read Rush Limbaugh and peo- News 2 THE OBSERVER Mav 5. 2005 Cardinal Dulles comments on Benedict XVI and papacy WATER By ANTHONY HAZELL Joseph Ratzinger in 1971 during a logical depth, and without unneces- his predecessor did." FROM FRONT PAGE Managing Editor Faith and Order Commission meet- sary jargon," Dulles said, "He has Benedict XVI has already ing in Louvain, Belgium, has occa- a great gift for communicating pro- been labeled by many as ultra- Lincoln Center campus, said he FORDHAM—"According to sionally exchanged what Dulles found ideas in simple language." conservative because of his past is looking into the class' findings.