TL20051121_001 "U--..I i.i in. ?.?,???? ? ??"""" *'""""%?m ?"""">ni ? Director Chris Columbus marks uncharted territory with movie musical 'Rent,' exceeds expectations Arts, page 14 ? ."""".? 1^ ' www. thetowerlight.com Culture explodes in University Union News, page 7 ,-V-Y:'"""" .'?:V>V -:.*?-?:. ??--?-""""--?'?-'?:?: Published by and for the students of Towson and Baltimore -- twice weekly Thursday, 11/21/05 .-.??.:. ??;..?? : . -? ? Campus Group Volunteers Gulf Coast ghost town Students, staff brave devastated remains of Louisiana to help with Hurricane Katrina cleanup efforts Ben Boehl Staff Writer Imagine a major American city that has no electricity or traffic lights, countless trees lying on the ground, and a horrible stench wafting through the air. For some members of the Towson community, that nightmare became a reality when TU's Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) traveled to New Orleans to lend a helping hand to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Jen Smoker went with the group to help clean up the Gulf Coast a few weeks ago. The further south the students went, the worse the damage became. """"We started noticing things in Mississippi driving down. More and more trees were down or missing from the side of the road,"""" the staff member of the TU chapter of Cru said. """"Once we got closer, it was honestly scarce to see a tree actually standing."""" The devastation became more evident as the students headed into Louisiana. They drove over the 24- mile Lake Pontchartrain Causeway and saw extensive damage to the bridge. Half of the bridge was closed because on the other side portions of the road were missing. """"They had made one bridge two lanes, because huge chunks of the other side were gone. Most of the guard rails were missing and you'd be driving along, and then there would be no bridge, and then Htonestly, what I can say about the devastation is that it looked and felt like we were in a third world country. Jen Smoker Cru staff member it would pick up again,"""" Smoker said. The group found it difficult to explain their emotions as they saw the damage in downtown New Orleans. Evan Allen, a sophomore business major, said the. damage and the odor was worse than he had anticipated. """"It was really bad. Some areas had trash piled high,"""" Allen said. """"I didn't know it was going to be that bad. It stunk."""" Residents had gutted their homes. Trash littered the streets. """"Honestly, what I can say about the devastation is that it looked and felt like we were in a third world country. [It was] hard to believe we were actually in a large city in the United States of America,"""" Smoker said. """"The thing you notice the most is the amount of trash everywhere."""" Once the Towson group arrived in New Orleans, they helped distribute clothes and bottled water. They spent one day gutting a damaged church. They thought the trip was a success because seeing the reaction of the people from New Orleans brought a smile to their faces. The people were not only glad for the help, but also glad to see young people, since most workers were adults. """"They love the fact they saw young people. It gave them hope for the future,"""" Allen said. See CRU, page 9 INSIDE: Heidi Greenleaf/ The Towerlight Clockwise from top: The Towson Center was filled with 3,898 fans Saturday night for the men's basketball season opener against rival Loyola. While T-Unit cheered on the players, a fan won a trip to MTVs Video Music Awards. Doc the Tiger got the crowd riled up. Head Coach Pat Kennedy said """"our students were great and I wish we could have given them a'W to cheer about..."""" Perspectives.... 2 News 7 Beyond 9 Movies..........14 Sports. Arts... .......13 Classifieds 16 - | Enjoy Thanksgiving break, The Towerlight will 20 j be back on newsstands Monday, Nov. 28. :-:?:?>:?:??-:?:?:?:?:?:?: :??>-:?:-:-:?:??:-:-x-: :?:?:-:?:?:-:?:? ????:???:?:?:?:?:?:?:?:?:->:?:?:?:?::?? :???'?'??+>::+<yyk+y^"
