May 3, 2018 La Roche College Vol. 28, Issue 12 La Roche College • 9000 Babcock Boulevard Courier Pittsburgh, PA 15237 • 412.367.9300 Staff member survives horrific car accident By Julia Felton Editor-in-Chief woman drove her blue Hyun- tion of the drive or the tree falling. dai Elantra down Mount Roy- The next thing she remembered was A al Boulevard in Shaler Town- holding a stranger’s hand. “My first ship on what seemed to be a typical memory was when the paramedic was Wednesday morning. She had called holding my hand. I remember he had off work because her younger daugh- a gloved hand. He kept telling me he ter was sick; she was dropping off her wouldn’t leave me,” Makuta recalled. older daughter at daycare. Though Makuta said she remem- But she doesn’t remember the bers very little of the accident, other MAX (above) performed his music, including hit song © Ryan George drive. people have been able to fill the gaps “Lights Down Low” at La Roche. Nor does she remember the mo- in her memory. She said people told ment a tree fell on her car, cutting her that first responders were treating her face, breaking her nose and teeth, the accident like a fatality until she be- See page 6 for the full story and knocking her unconscious. gan screaming for help while trapped Julie Makuta was the driver. Ma- inside the car. kuta has worked at La Roche for Her daughters, 11-month-old Ce- eight years as the executive assistant celia and two-year-old Felicity, were Residence Life to the Vice President of Student unharmed. Life, Colleen Ruefle. Bystanders removed her two un- Makuta’s accident occurred on injured daughters from the car. “A addresses room April 4. neighbor lady actually took them into Ruefle said that she and her co- her house so they didn’t have to see workers were dumbfounded when what was going on,” Makuta said. selection concerns they heard about the accident. She Emergency responders got Makuta By Mina Holland explained, “They had said that she out of the car and to the hospital, Associate Editor was unconscious, so you have all where she needed over 200 stitches these things going through your and staples. s the school year closes, the cause that’s the easiest way for me to head. Is she going to wake up? Is Makuta said her next vivid memory La Roche College Fall 2018 do it,” she said. “That’s how we de- she going to be brain damaged? Is was in the hospital. “I remember at ARoom Selection begins. termine who goes first and who goes she going to be paralyzed?” the hospital bed, my heart sunk. I re- Held annually in the spring, La last.” Makuta said she has no recollec- Roche College Residence Life offers On Room Selection day, students See Makuta, Page 9 all returning sophomore, junior, and are assigned time slots, which are senior residents a chance to choose 15 minute Room Selection intervals their roommates and housing loca- throughout the day. Residence Life tions for the following year. The se- groups 15 to 25 people in each time lection takes place in the Bold Hall slot on Room Selection day, after de- SGA prepares new Singletary Lounge, where residents termining each student’s lottery num- group together with friends and as- bers. When a group of students pick signed lottery numbers, to choose who they want to live with, they go to board, completes their room for the fall semester. the Singletary Room with the group On April 19 and April 20, 2018, member who has the earliest time on-campus students gathered in the slot. existing goals Singletary Lounge, hoping to gain Students do not always get to pick By Julia Felton satisfactory rooming situations for where they room or who they room Editor-in-Chief the fall. According to Assistant Di- with. Sweitzer said that she suggests n their final meetings of the se- to help the next person transition into rector of Housing & Residence Life, to students to have multiple backup mester, Student Government As- this role.” Jessica Sweitzer, students receive lot- plans in case their rooming selections sociation (SGA) focused on tran- SGA does have a complete board tery numbers that determine how and do not go as expected. “We actually I where their living situation will occur. have wait lists, and so we encourage sitioning to a new board. They also for next semester, with all 17 posi- completed their goals for this semes- tions filled. Returning students must receive students to get on any wait list that ter. However, the current SGA board a lottery number, which chooses applies to what they want,” Sweitzer SGA Secretary Kristen Spezialetti had to elect some positions that were their time and date for Room Selec- said. “If someone is in a six-person- said that current board members not filled during school-wide elec- tion participation. “Students get their room and they don’t care what build- will fill out transition worksheets, tions. Since no one ran for certain lottery number based off of a cou- ing they’re in, but they want a four- which would outline what their posi- positions—including Director of ple different things,” Sweitzer said. person room, I tell them to get on the tions entail. Their successors would Commuter Affairs and Director of “They get 10 points for every credit Mahler, Schneider, and Peters wait be able to use this information to International and Multicultural Af- completed by March 1, they get five list.” smoothly transition into their new fairs—during the school-wide elec- points for every RA program they’ve Sweitzer added that if a student roles. “It just gives a rundown of tion, SGA voted for remaining posi- attended by March 1, and they also wants a two person room, Bold Hall the positions,” Spezialetti explained. tions during their meetings. lose points if they have been found is the only building that offers them. “We’ve been struggling with knowing Inductions will be held in the Bold in violation of a policy.” “Typically, it is first-year students what our role is when we come in, Union Room on April 26. According to Sweitzer, returning thinking they’re going to live in Bold so this is hopefully going to make the Though SGA members empha- residents lose 25 points for drug and Hall,” she said. Sweitzer added that transition a little bit easier.” sized preparing the newcomers for alcohol violations, 50 for continued there aren’t many available rooms in She encouraged the existing board their positions, current members also violations, and 10 points for minor Bold Hall since most rooms house members to take these forms seri- finished their projects for this semes- issues, such as quiet hour disruptions. freshmen, Graphic Design majors, ously. Spezialetti said, “If you can re- ter. Sweitzer added that it is possible for and Interior Design majors. ally think about your answers to this, In other news: multiple students to have the same “I think this year, students were the transition worksheet can help o The weekend before Easter, number of points. “If we have [ap- much better at making sure they had prepare the person coming into your SGA hosted an Easter Bunny brunch. proximately] twelve people in the a backup plan, and I think that’s be- position. I encourage you to really According to SGA adviser Jeff Dai- same point value, then we random- cause they had more time to come ize them using RANDOM.ORG, be- take the time and really think about it See SGA, Page 9 See Room Selection, Page 8 This publication reflects the views, attitudes, interests, and tastes of the writers, editors and contributors to The Courier. It does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the administration, faculty and staff of La Roche College. The La Roche Courier - May 3, 2018 2 Opinion Student discusses guns and humanity By Matt Feeney Contributing Writer nce again, guns and regula- tory. They’re terrifying engines, ca- tanks, nerve gas, and other weapons tions have entered the public pable of causing irrevocable damage that would make Ares, Odin, and Kali Odiscourse, so you’ll have to to pretty much anything on the wrong think we’re overdoing things a bit. pardon me when I don’t say anything end. In my opinion, they—along Many of those inventions were cre- productive on this controversial sub- with people argue that guns don’t kill ated by Germany under the Third ject. My usual response to anything people, which is true in the technical Reich, which has the haunting impli- political is to suggest outlandish poli- sense. You know what does kill peo- cation that they could’ve easily been cies, such as outlawing the distribu- ple? High-powered stupidity. Sadly, tested on prisoners of the Nazis. The tion of marijuana while making hemp there’s no “Are-you-butter-fingered- amount of destruction caused by that paper the industry standard for all moron?” question in any background era’s assortment of deadly weapons is printed media. For entirely separate check I’ve ever seen. astronomical. I’m not saying atrocities reasons, I encourage more book burn- Reiterating for anyone that has didn’t exist, but numbers like 80 mil- ings. Party like it’s 451. ever willingly checked the “moron” lion weren’t used to describe wartime I think I’ve proved my point that box, guns and their impact are com- causalities; they were used described one should rarely take me seriously plicated.