TL20050908_001 "Quality actors laid to waste in deceptive thriller-turn-courtroom drama, 'Rose' fails to exorcise its demons Arts, page 19 2010 main theme of Caret Fall Address Brian Stelter Editor in Chief Towson University President Robert Caret caught up on some reading over the summer. One of his favorites was """"Good to Great,"""" a bestselling case study of success by Jim Collins. Collins believes the most important thing in ensuring the success of an organization is to have """"the right people on the bus with you."""" Caret said that applies to Towson - and fortunately, many of the right people are already on the bus. """"We can apply the 'Good to Great' title here as a metaphor of our path to 2010,"""" Caret said in his Fall Address on Wednesday afternoon. """"We are a good campus, a very, very good campus, and we are trying to become a great campus. We're planning our future, we're planning our growth, and we're planning how to go from here to there, but we're doing it in a way that's true to the historical value system of this campus."""" Caret's hour-long address, delivered to faculty members and administrators in the Stephens Hall Theatre, focused on his Towson 2010 plan and the initial efforts to See TOWSON, page 20 SGA holds first meeting, lays plans for upcoming year News, page 7 Published for and by the students of Towson and Baltimore -- twice weekly Thursday, 9/8/05 Vigil honors victims of Katrina DerrekWindsor/ The Towerlight Students, faculty and staff of Towson have collectively bonded together to share in both sadness and hope with a vigil in honor of victims caught in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. They have also organized volunteer efforts to raise money for the recovery effort along the Gulf Coast. Towson is also welcoming students displaced by the Katrina catastrophe. See stories, page 7. TUPD scrambles to fill staff vacancies Police department shortages leave union questioning campus safety Brian Stelter Editor in Chief Four police officers have left the Towson University Police Department since July - and a fifth officer is leaving on Monday. Those resignations, combined with a lack of police aides, have left the department in a lurch. Some sworn officers who normally fulfill administrative responsibilities are now filling holes in patrol schedules. Meanwhile, the president of a union representing TUPD officers is expressing concern about campus safety and the University's hiring process. """"We've had several officers resign Herring explained. """"It's kind of exacerbated at this point because we have several officers who are, for other reasons, not here with us. They're on various forms of extended leave. When you couple that with the vacancies, it does create some scheduling difficulties that we have to overcome."""" Col. Bernie Gerst, director of public safety, stressed that students, faculty and staff shouldn't notice a decrease in police presence on campus. """"The safety on this campus is not going to be compromised,"""" he said. Last Thursday, Gerst sat down staffing schedule for September and October. """"We have covered our mandatory minimum staffing of a sergeant and three officers for those months,"""" he said. The safety on this campus is not going to be compromised. Bernie Gerst Colonel, TUPD Last week, a new officer accepted a job with the TUPD, Gerst said. """"We are working diligently to hire personnel,"""" Gerst said. """"This kind of thing ebbs and flows. And this is something that is not unique to this department - this is something that takes place in departments across the country, especially in small depart- Retention problems are not unique to the TUPD, but it's still creating concern among some officers. Cpl. Robert Cordell, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 82, said 24 officers are supposed to be working on the patrol division. """"Right now, we're eight short, so eight from 24 is 16. Thirty percent of the police department is short; that equals one whole shift,"""" Cordell said. Four of the eight positions are actual vacancies. Two are due to long-term medical absences, and one is a medical retirement. On Monday, Aug. 29, a fifth officer put in his two weeks notice. His last day will be on Sept. 12. Derrek Windsor/ The Towerlight to go to other agencies,' Lt. Joe with his c omman Jers to review the ments."""" See TUPD, page 20 INSIDE: Perspectives....2 Beyond... News ...J Arts 12 Movies 17 Classifieds.... ..18 Sports. 21 28 Coming In Monday's Towerlight. News: Richard Picciotto, FDNY chief, remembers his experiences on 9/11 News: TU swim team jumps in the pool for a whole new reason with Laps-4-Life"