Chile gets a new president as three more earthquakes rock the nation

Chile swore in Sebastian Pinera as their new president Thursday, but just before the ceremonies, Chile was hit with three large earthquakes, all within a half hour of one another.

These come just two and a half weeks after an 8.8-magnitude quake hit the country, killing more than 500 people.

CNN reports the epicenter of the earthquakes was the city of Rancagua in the middle of the country.  There were no immediate deaths reported, but there is significant damage to homes in the area.

After the inauguration, Pinera went to Rancagua and named the city a catastrophe zone.  He also ordered evacuations in some coastal areas as a precautionary measure against tsunamis similar to the one caused by the earthquake on February 27.

Pinera stressed tah politicians need to look beyond party lines for the country to fully recover.  He won the Chilean elections with 44 percent of the vote in January and is the first conservative president for Chile in 20 years.

Syracuse University tuition hike

According to the Syracuse Post-Standard, Syracuse students and their parents can count on paying even more for an Orange education next year.

The Syracuse Board of Trustees met Thursday and approved a 4 percent increase in tuition, making the cost to attend school next fall $52,000.  Although the 4 percent increase is steep, it is the lowest increase the university has seen in 44 years. 

Employees of the university will get a 2 percent pay raise.  Also, this is the first time benefits will be offered for a employees with an unmarried partner of the opposite sex.

Also, if a university employee is enrolled at Syracuse University, they now have to pay up to ten percent of tuition.

Hoyas upset the Orange in Big East Tournament

Georgetown stunned the number 1 seed Syracuse Orange in Madison Square Garden Thursday afternoon with a sound 91-84 victory.

It was the first game for SU in the Big East Tournament.  Everyone had great expectations for the team.  They are outright Big East Champions for the first time since 1991, and just a week ago, were ranked number one in the country. On top of that, Syracuse beat Georgetown twice in the regular season.

Now they are going into the NCAA Tournament off of two straight losses, something the team has not done all season.

While Wesley Johnson put up 24 points for the Orange, it was Georgeown's Chris Wright that dominated the game with 27.  Wright said after the game in an interview with ESPN that the first two games against the Orange this year helped them figure out how to break down the SU defense, a strength the team has had throughout the season.

Hopefully, the team will have a full roster in time for March Madness.  Arinze Onuaku left the game late in the second half with a knee injury, and Mookie Jones has been out for two weeks with a broken finger.  While both are expected to recover in time, the fact that both are injured on top of the team's recent losses jeapordizes their anticipated number one seed in the tournament.