First place winner for “Distinguished College Journalism” at the Press Club’s 2005 National Headliner Awards Wednesday February 1, 2006 Vol. 93, Issue 7 The Rwww.stmarytx.edu/rattlerattler Committee Greehey donates $25 reaffirms million to St. Mary’s accreditation Valero patriarch wants to raise $5 million for St. Louis Hall restoration. By CAROLINE E. HALLMAN COPY EDITOR St. Mary’s University is off of the 12-month warning status placed by the Southern Asso- ciation of Colleges and Schools’ Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) for reaffirmation of accred- itation, commission officials announced late last semester. University President Charles Cotrell, Ph.D., and Vice President for Academic Affairs David Manuel, Ph.D., traveled to Atlanta to receive the news of the reaffirmation of accreditation in per- son on December 6, 2005. Accreditation status signifies that an educa- tional institution has proved that its purpose is for higher learning and that it has the proper re- sources, programs and services with which to ac- complish and maintain these duties. In December of 2004, a SACSCOC commit- tee issued a warning to St. Mary’s and required the university to improve in five problem areas before the university’s accreditation was re-en- dorsed. The committee returned in September of 2005 to evaluate the changes. “According to the commentary by the second (SACSCOC) visiting team, the reaffirmation is By FRANCISCO VARA-ORTA Mary’s School of Business Dean Keith EDITOR-IN-CHIEF truly evidence of the educational effectiveness Russell went to the University of Dayton and dedication of the entire community,” Cotrell Just days before Christmas last year, for an executive-in-residence program to wrote in an e-mail sent to the St. Mary’s commu- St. Mary’s University received one of the see Dayton’s flourishing business school nity immediately after the decision was issued. most generous gifts in San Antonio col- that he asked the university how he could “The major step (to assure accreditation) was legiate history from Valero Chairman help get St. Mary’s back on top. clarifying for the commission the relationship and St. Mary’s alum Bill Greehey – a $25 The School of Business then made between the Society of Mary and the Board of million personal donation for major im- him a dream proposal which Greehey ac- Trustees. The clarification resulted in changes to provements at the School of Business. cepted to fund entirely – all with the swift the institution bylaws that make that relationship It’s the largest single donation St. move of a pen on a personal check. PHOTOS BY ANGELIQUE CHAVARRIA (above) Bill Greehey poses with his St. clearer,” Manuel said. Mary’s has ever acquired in its 154-year It has been 46 years since Greehey Mary’s accounting degree and wall of St. According to Manuel, another major impact history and is believed to be the largest graduated with a degree in accounting Louis Hall artwork in his office at the Vale- the reaffirmation process had on St. Mary’s is the ever given to a local college or univer- from St. Mary’s, an achievement he said ro Headquarters (pictured directly above). “improved conversation” about the revision of sity. was only possible with the support and the core curriculum. The commission was con- “I want to see St. Mary’s have the best guidance of the Marianists such as his your success with others.” cerned that there had been no major changes to business school in the nation,” Greehey mentor, former School of Business Dean Greehey’s multimillion-dollar dona- the core curriculum in almost 20 years. said last Thursday in a sit-down inter- Br. George B. Kohnen, S.M. tion is a far cry from the initial $4 he do- The revisions will be made according to the view at his office in Valero’s Northside “(Kohnen) took me in when I didn’t nated in his first post-graduate days as Quality Enhancement Plan, a new feature of the headquarters. “This donation is what it have anything and made sure I was head- an auditor with Price Waterhouse, before accreditation process with the goal of enhancing takes to get all the improvements need- ed down the right path,” said Greehey, moving onto a job with Exxon and later the quality of university educational programs. ed done and I am happy that I can give an Iowa native who grew up in a house Coastal Corporation, where he took an “We have to file a five-year interim report pri- something back.” without indoor plumbing and supported ailing refinery and built it into the $77 bil- marily focused on the Quality Enhancement Plan, Although Greehey said he had been himself right out of high school. “One of lion Valero empire based in San Antonio. but the actual dates of the reaffirmation are from thinking of donating a large sum for the things I learned from him was that 2004 to 2014,” Manuel said. a few years, it wasn’t until he and St. you’re never a success until you share Continued on PAGE 2, SEE “GREEHEY” Six vehicle break-ins occur in one day By KIMBERLY VELA Though police have not caught the perpetrators STAFF WRITER yet, Chief Glowacki said he believes that the crimes The owners of six vehicles found shattered glass in are not targeting St. Mary’s University in particular. place of windows when they returned to their vehi- “We are also looking at the crime rates and occur- cles parked on campus overnight earlier last month. rences of this kind in our surrounding neighborhood Burglars smashed windows and stole items such and we have found that these incidents are occurring as CDs and stereo plates from six different cars in other areas as well,” he said. “In this particular oc- parked at lots R, S, A and Q between 2 and 4 a.m. on currence, burglars broke windows with a blunt ob- January 7. ject. We have found similar type entries far beyond “At the time, the campus was being patrolled, but St. Mary’s.” when you only have two people patrolling at a time, The University Police Department sent a safety if one incident happens in one area, it leaves other alert e-mail to the St. Mary’s community five days af- areas open,” said Chief of Police Paul Glowacki. “We ter the incident. While the message informs the com- usually don’t see that much vehicle theft. That night munity about the particular incident, it also serves as PHOTO BY ROBERTO MALDONADO Campus police tell students to not leave any belongings on their carseats was just a surprise. It was isolated if we look at previ- to hopefully deter a break-in as simulated in the photo above. ous breaks.” Continued on PAGE 2, SEE “UNIVERSITY” Marianist Spirit Baseball Preview Class Days Left Learn about the theme Rattlers ready to bounce behind Marianist Heri- back from disappointing tage Week. 2005 season. INSIDE... Page 3 Page 8 60 News 2 www.stmarytx.edu/rattler The Rattler February 1, 2006 University Police encourage increased awareness Continued from page 1 down on criminal activity. p.m. through a single entrance The alert issued also included StMU VEHICLE CRIME a public announcement to increase “After the (alert) went out, we and all visitors must pass through safety tips and precautions to keep From Aug. 20, 2005 to Jan. 16, 2006 awareness of the issues surround- received phone calls reporting sus- a security station. in mind when leaving a vehicle •13 burglarized vehicles •9 incidents of vandalism to vehicles ing vehicle theft. picious occurrences. Now, those First-year St. Mary’s biology unattended in the parking lots. SOURCE: University Police Sophomore mathematics major turned out to be non-threatening, major Jessica Solis believes the The community was encouraged TEXAS’ TOP TEN Frank Gonzales found the safety but it shows that people are being possibility of break-ins threaten to keep an eye out for anything out STOLEN VEHICLES alert on the campus website. more observant,” Glowacki said. people who choose to leave their of the ordinary in parking lots. 1. 1994 Chevrolet Full Size C/K 1500 Pickup “I never think about [the break- Unless the university is host- vehicles unattended, but the pos- “These days everyone carries a 2. 1997 Ford F150 Series ins] too much because I’m always ing a special event, entrance gates sibility could decrease if the cam- cell phone so they don’t have to go 3. 1996 Honda Accord 4. 2003 Dodge Ram Pickup here on campus and I’m never onto campus are closed at 6 p.m. pus would enact more security to an office or somewhere to reach 5. 2000 Honda Civic aware of what’s really going on, daily except for the 36th Street en- cautions regarding the campus a phone to call us,” Glowacki said. 6. 1994 Chevrolet Suburban 7. 1990 Toyota Camry but it’s a major concern,” Gonza- trance, which never closes. The parking lots. “When they see suspicious activ- 8. 1994 GMC Full Size C/K les said. “It is something I should gates reopen at 5 a.m. “I think tracking people who ity, they need to call immediately Pickup 9. 1997 Ford Taurus think about more often.” Other San Antonio campuses come in and out would be a good to let officers take action.” 10. 2002 Ford Explorer If community members open have different security policies way to prevent (the auto-thefts), For emergencies, University SOURCE: 2004 National Crime Information their eyes to the concerns of public concerning campus access.