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ESTABLISHED 1921 February 20, 2012 Volume 90, Issue 32 Your Home. Your Voice. Your Newspaper.

Loyola Marymount University

California proposes cut in Cal Grants

www.laloyolan.com

Memes’ popularity surges

The potential cuts would affect over 825 LMU students.

By Adrien Jarvis Editor in Chief

The University is calling upon its community again to help protect the financial aid some students receive.

Last semester, the Federal Pell Grant Program faced potential cuts.

However, following a national rally against the action, the grants were not only protected, but increased slightly. Now, California has released the proposed budget for 2012-2013, which includes a 44 percent reduction of a different grant many students at LMU benefit from: the Cal Grant award.

University President David W. Burcham sent an email to the LMU community regarding the budget cuts last Wednesday, Feb. 15. In the message, Burcham specified the proposed budget “cuts the maximum Cal Grant award for students attending independent, nonprofit colleges and universities.”

Additionally, he cited that more than 26,000 students statewide will be impacted, including over 825 LMU students.

In response to the potential cuts, LMU is working with the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities (AICCU) to contest them, including a trip to the state capitol building on March 7 and a rally the same day. LMU’s Director of Financial Aid Catherine Graham, along with two students who have yet to be selected, will advocate directly with legislators there. The AICCU also created an online petition to sign

NEWS ANALYSIS University-specific memes are turning into one of the latest Internet fads.

By Jay Lee

Asst. News Editor

Within the past week, Internet memes have surged in popularity as a college trend with students creating Facebook meme pages specific to each university. Before memes’ recent popularity, they were featured prominently on sites such as Reddit.com and 4chan.org, according to the article “College Memes madness: Students posting Non-stop on Facebook” published on Feb. 14 on PBS.org.

A meme, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is “an idea, behavior, style or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture.” As reported by PBS, Oxford University’s student newspaper defined Internet memes as “humorous images [that] are copied and re-captioned, concisely describing or satirizing the activity of an individual or group.”

Ikenna Nwachuku, a freshman

biochemistry major, Andrew Carmine, a freshman business major, Kwaku Yeboah, a freshman studying health and human services, and Diego Rodriguez, a freshman biology major, decided to create an LMU Memes Facebook page on Feb. 11. As of Loyolan publication, the page already had 1,091 likes.

Facebook and social media seem to be largely responsible for the increased popularity of memes because they are spread from network to network in a viral manner.

“All the other colleges had one. All my friends at the other colleges, I’ve seen them liking their meme pages [on Facebook], so I thought it would just be nice if we had one too,” said Carmine.

“I feel like everybody has a problem with their college campus,” Nwachuku said. He said memes are a good way to address those problems and concerns, and they are trendy because they reference inside humor specific to different colleges. The memes on the page are special because “nobody knows what we’re talking about unless you go to

See Memes | Page 3 Graphic: Alberto Gonzalez | Loyolan

See Grants | Page 4

LMU collects fewer pints than in previous drives This year’s drive falls short of previous records, collecting 475 pints of blood.

By Casey Kidwell Asst. News Editor

Over the past few days, St. Rob’s Auditorium has been home to the biannual blood drive sponsored by the Center for Service and Action (CSA) and the UCLA Blood and Platelet Center. The organizer of the event from CSA, Tom King, said there were no changes to this particular blood drive but “Fall [drives] historically are much better than the spring. This drive we’ll probably be about 150-200 pints less than in the fall.” Fall 2011, he said, broke the previous record of 607 pints with 674 pints.

King believes that the decrease in numbers is due to the change in energy among students on the LMU campus. A lot of previous donors think that their recent donation keeps them from giving blood so soon

afterwards, King said.

The Thursday, Feb. 16 donation day was slow, according to King, but he acknowledged some of the records that LMU has made in the past.

“Our best spring ever in 2010 we did 516,” he said. “I don’t think we’ll get [that] for this drive. We’ll probably end up around 500.”

Regardless of the statistics, Anne Marie Lepsat, senior supervisor at the Blood Platelet Center at UCLA and Westchester native, praised LMU participation at each of the drives. “[The] student body is absolutely fabulous. Just amazing. You are all so dedicated and motivated and understand what you’re doing for the patient population. It’s just really a joy for us to come here,” said Lepsat.

As a result of this, along with her adoration for the campus itself, Lepsat has dedicated herself to volunteer at one drive a year and has done so for around five years.

Both Lepsat and King discussed the students that do not give blood and

CONSTITUTION CONTROVERSY Sparked by the comments of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, two opinion columnists debate the current value of the U.S. Constitution.

Opinion, Page 8

Devin Sixt | Loyolan

Senior engineering major Katrina Regan donates a pint of blood during the Center for Service and Action’s biannual blood drive cosponsored with the UCLA Blood and Platelet Center. why they think that is. King said he found some people’s fear of needles as an excuse ironic because “some people who say that have tattoos and I think, ‘Oh, so you’re afraid of needles when it’s helping somebody else?’ People

Index Classifieds.............................5 Opinion...............................6 Coffee Break.........................9 A&E...................................10 Sports..............................16 The next issue of the Loyolan will be printed on Feb. 23, 2012.

need to be a little uncomfortable when they’re doing good. It’s not always easy doing [that].”

Lepsat agreed with King that

See Blood | Page 5

VEGGIE VENTURE TO VENICE Asst. A&E Editor Luisa Barron continues her vegan journey by visiting the "macroboutique" Seed Kitchen.

A&E, Page 10

February 20, 2012 Page 2

News

www.laloyolan.com

University installs new lighting system in U-Hall New energy efficient light fixtures are intended to save money and reduce energy.

By Kenzie O’Keefe Senior Editor

What do headaches, tuition reduction and energy efficiency all have in common?

All of these things are potential products of a new “Spectrally Enhanced Lighting” (SEL) system currently being installed in U-Hall, according to Joe Rasmussen, LMU’s Campus Sustainability coordinator.

Classrooms, offices and conference and meeting areas are all being retrofitted with more energy-efficient light fixtures in order to “save energy, save money and reduce LMU’s carbon footprint,” said Rasmussen.

“We chose U-Hall because it is the largest building on campus and would generate the most cost savings,” said Rick Harris, the director of Building Management in Facilities. SEL was also implemented in the building’s parking structure in March.

SEL employs a “design method” that uses less wattage,

and the light fixtures are engineered to maximize the light they produce, according to Rasmussen. Because of this, the new lights will cut $135,000 off the University’s annual electricity bill and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 106,000 lbs of carbon dioxide per year, according to Rasmussen.

SEL also improves light quality.

According to Rasmussen, the new lamps are “brighter, whiter, provide better color rendering and are more like mid-day daylight.”

Additionally, the lights are supposed to reduce eyestrain and improve visual acuity.

Community reactions to the lights have been mixed.

“I appreciate the University’s commitment to energy efficiency, but at least initially, I’m having difficulty adjusting to the new lights,” said English Professor Molly Youngkin. “My eyesight is extremely poor, and even with the correct contact prescription, I have a hard time seeing under the new lights.

Even with the old lights, I use alternate lighting in my office, but I can’t bring alternate lighting into the classroom.”

Rasmussen explained that Facilities Management anticipates the different

Devin Sixt | Loyolan

The new lights in U-Hall are being met with mixed reviews. LMU chose to install the lights because U-Hall has the potential to generate the most cost savings, according to Rick Harris, the director of Building Management. reactions to the lights.

“Changes in lighting take a few weeks to get used to. Most people eventually adjust, but some don’t and we have to make accommodations for them. We need to make sure people are comfortable and productive.”

“Our Facilities Management team wants the community to know that occupant comfort is as high on our priority list

as cost savings and energy savings,” he added.

Senior English major Alexander Zielinski did not notice a change in the lights, but expressed some concern over their cost. “It’s good that they’re putting in more energy efficient lights, but what’s to say the technology won’t improve by the time the lights start to save the school money?”

he said.

There are no immediate plans to retrofit other buildings on campus with SEL, but both the Von Der Ahe Student Center and the William H. Hannon library were outfitted with energy-efficient lights when they were built, said Harris.

“We’re going to start looking at what’s next and see if we have the money for it,” he said.

Students welcome family members to campus This past weekend, the campus was filled with students’ families for Family Weekend. The University hosted numerous events, including a men’s basketball game, program presentations and theatre productions.

Kensie La-Anyane | Loyolan

Junior music major Joe Dhanens sings in the “Voices in Vienna” musical put on for parents Feb. 18-19 in Burns Fine Art Center.

Devin Sixt | Loyolan Devin Sixt | Loyolan

The Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts hosts an annual brunch for the parents of students in the College of Liberal Arts on the morning of Saturday, Feb. 18 in University Hall.

Devin Sixt | Loyolan

Parents and their students over the age of 21 have the opportunity to attend the Beer Festival in U-Hall on Saturday, Feb. 18 as part of one of the Family Weekend festivities.

Adrián Cuevas of University Relations serves parents at the Beer Festival in U-Hall on Saturday night.

Kellie Rowan | Loyolan

To start off Family Weekend, families tailgate before the men’s basketball game against Valparaiso on Friday, Feb. 17 in Hannon field.

To view more photos from Family Weekend, visit laloyolan.com or the Loyolan’s Facebook page.

News

www.laloyolan.com

February 20, 2012 Page 3

Students localize meme phenomenon at LMU Memes from Page 1 LMU.” Although memes are humorous, they occasionally touch upon more serious ideas. On the LMU Memes page, there are many memes that voice legitimate concerns of LMU citizens, albeit in a humorous manner. One shows a Lord of the Rings character with the caption “One does not simply find parking in Drollinger.” Another depicts a crying girl and says, “Dismount zone created. Now I have to bike on the street with cars.”

“I wasn’t really into [memes], and then we were in The Lair and people were paying with cash [in the cashier line], so we got irritated and we just decided to make it known,” Nwachuku said.

The meme he created says: “Goes to The Lair – stuck behind people using cash.”

Anyone can make a meme and upload it to Facebook – an aspect that led to the rise in their popularity. Connor Dolan, a sophomore finance major, browses

Facebook and enjoys memes.

Reflecting on the abundance of memes, Dolan said, “There [are] a million [memes]. I like them if they’re funny. Some of them are really funny but some of them are just not.”

On a different note, memes can potentially divide and disrupt community. Professor Michele Hammers of the University’s communication studies department enjoys Internet memes.

“I saw the LMU memes page, and I saw the one about communications majors. … And yes, it’s kind of funny. I know the old movie, and I saw the humor in it,” said Hammers. “But there’s also a part of me that as part of the communications studies department that I thought, ‘Wow, that’s not really fair.’ So it touched off for me a different kind of chord.”

One of the most popular memes on the LMU memes page depicts a picture of Willy Wonka from the 1971 movie “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.” The caption reads, “So you’re a communications

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major? What do you do with all your free time?”

Hammers believes that memes are powerful because of the inside humor.

“Each college has its own culture. … As a community, there is also a lot of shared or very common ideas,” Hammers said. “I think that building that sort of inside humor is a really powerful way to bond and have a good community feel.”

“With any kind of humor, or with any kind of joke, you’re going to tell or humor you’re going to hear, there’s always a line where it may become offensive to other people or insulting,” Hammers said. “I would hope that in building these communities of college memes, that people are always respectful of other people’s differences and try to keep that in mind.”

To hear students’ reactions to LMU memes, visit laloyolan.com.

Kellie Rowan | Loyolan

The student who volunteers to be Iggy, the LMU lion mascot, takes approximately 15 minutes to suit up for one to two basketball games per week.

11 Burning Questions with the the man behind the mask

This issue, Human Resources Coordinator and Asst.

News Editor Brigette Scobas talks to the student* inside the Iggy suit about what it is like being LMU’s mascot.

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1. What steps did you take to become LMU’s mascot?

This is my second year being Iggy, and I remember the first year they put out an email saying that they needed a mascot and another guy and I responded. It was pretty much as simple as that. They needed it, we showed up and got it, and the other guy quit, and so now I am doing all the basketball games.

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2. What inspired you to be Iggy the Lion?

Iggy is the personification of LMU spirit at heart. I really think of myself as a pretty outgoing guy, and I [thought] I could put my natural qualities at work to help best represent LMU.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

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3. What has been the most interesting experience you’ve had while inside the suit?

When I was doing the Alumni Barbeque, I’ve never had my butt grabbed so much by drunk girls. You have no idea. Every single time I’m in the suit, some girl comes up and honks my butt. … And, one of my favorite moments was earlier this season: ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ came on during a timeout and nothing was going on and so Cowbell Guy and Cowbell Girl and I did an interpretive dance on the fly, and it was just so much fun.

4. What is most difficult about being a mascot?

Saving your energy because, being mascot, you have to be crazy sometimes. It’s definitely pretty much an entire cardio workout with a sleeping bag on you and a football helmet, and so it gets pretty hot, pretty quickly. If you don’t save your energy, you won’t make it till the end of the game.

5. How hot is it in the suit?

It obviously gets over 100 degrees inside, plus it’s humid. It’s like a hot day in Florida. It’s really, really humid because you’re perspiring so much, and all that heat gets trapped inside the suit.

6. What is the most embarrassing moment you’ve experienced while in the suit?

Last year at the tree lighting I walked around as Santa Iggy and was greeting all the kids and students and then out of nowhere this little kid screams, ‘Santa’s a monster!’ It was so sad but I kept laughing. It is so sad whenever you’re trying to be happy and it scares kids.

7. How do you get “in the zone”?

Every game they have a very specific pump-up song: ‘Welcome to the Jungle.’ That’s pretty much my pump-up song. And other than that, it’s a lot of Cowbell Guy and Girl and me feeding off each other and just getting each other pumped up. Also, it helps when our team is winning because that’s a big morale boost.

8. If you went pro, what mascot would you be?

I’d probably be Goofy at Disneyland.

9. When you hang up your suit at the end of a game, how hard is it to shake off the Iggy the Lion mentality and go back to being an LMU student?

By then, you are so tired from so much energy exertion. You just want to go and sleep. By then any source of Iggy is gone and just a tired, sleepless college student remains.

10. If Iggy were to be cast in a movie, which of the following characters would he play: Simba, Aslan or the Cowardly Lion?

Why? I think he would be Simba because he’s very rambunctious and kind of has that youthful quality to him. I mean, Aslan is a proud lion and is pretty badass, and the Cowardly Lion is just sad, and if you’re representing spirit you shouldn’t be sad.

11. What would Iggy say about the basketball team this season?

He wouldn’t say anything, because he can’t talk. *In order to maintain Iggy’s persona, the Loyolan is keeping his identity anonymous.

To find out more about Iggy’s schedule and his opinion on school spirit, read the extended interview on laloyolan.com.

February 20, 2012 Page 4

News

www.laloyolan.com

Students’ ‘fight’ not over Grants from Page 1 and a Facebook page.

“Take a few moments to do your part to help save the current Cal Grant maximum award for LMU students and those at other AICCU institutions,” Burcham wrote in the Feb. 15 letter.

As of Loyolan publication, the petition already had 3,586 signatures out of the goal of 4,000. Those who sign can simply include their name, but some elect to include messages,

which largely explain how the Cal Grant was instrumental in helping them to afford higher education.

One such signer on the online petition, Megan Welty of Concord, Calif., wrote, “With our public universities becoming increasingly crowded and students unable to graduate in four years, private universities are a real option for today’s student. ... I hate to think of what I would’ve done without scholarship and need-based offers from

private universities; I probably would’ve given up and not pursued higher education.”

Graham emphasized the importance of maintaining the maximum Cal Grant award to help protect the students at LMU and across the state who benefit, especially considering that Graham told the Loyolan that at the moment, the University does not have the funding to make up the financial aid loss that students could face.

According to Graham, “almost every year for the last eight years,” the January budget proposal has threatened cuts to financial aid. However, she also stated this was the first time such cuts would impact continuing students, “So we are facing a different challenge.” She also said that of the more than 825 students at LMU who have Cal Grants, approximately 660 would be returning students, and the University usually gains around 200 new students each year who qualify for Cal Grants.

The budget released for 2012-2013 is only a proposal, so there is still time for the cuts to be revised. As stated in Burcham’s letter, California Governor Jerry Brown wants the budget adopted on June 15, but Graham emphasized that that leaves time for the negative feedback about the Cal Grant program’s proposed decrease to be heard. She hopes for similar to success as the situation with the Pell Grant.

“We have to keep fighting.

We have to get the message across,” Graham said. “By no means is this over.”

To access the petition and Facebook page, visit the “Action Alert: Save Our Cal Grants” page on LMU’s website.

University Hall -- On Wednesday, Feb. 15, DPS received a report of damage to a vehicle. The case is closed.

Whelan Residence Hall -On Tuesday, Feb. 14, DPS received a call of an intoxicated student. The student was under the influence of an unknown substance and was transported to the hospital by LAFD. The case has been referred to Judicial Affairs.

Huesman Residence Hall -- On Tuesday, Feb. 14, DPS received a report of a possible sale of marijuana. There was no evidence of marijuana, but a paraphernalia item was seized as evidence.

The case has been referred to Judicial Affairs.

University Hall -- On Monday, Feb. 13, DPS responded to a door alarm activation on the roof, and observed two students on the roof. The case has been referred to Judicial Affairs.

Azusa Pacific University

Burns Recreation Center (BRC) -- On Monday, Feb. 13, DPS received a report of a stolen purse from a cubby at the BRC. The case is closed.

Leavey 4 Apartments/ O’Malley Apartments -On Sunday, Feb. 12, DPS observed two damaged concrete ashtrays. The case is closed.

Whelan Residence Hall -- On Saturday, Feb. 11, DPS responded to a possible fight. It was determined that the two individuals were intoxicated.

The case has been referred to Judicial Affairs.

McCarthy Residence Hall -- On Saturday, Feb. 11, a vandalism report escalated to an assault of a DPS officer by a student, who was later arrested by the LAPD. The case has been referred to Judicial Affairs.

Information compiled from the Department of Public Safety Daily Crime Log

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February 20, 2012 Page 5

Students donate blood ‘to give back’ Blood from Page 1

many students’ fear of needles holds them back from donating, as well as students’ aversion to the sight of blood. Of these people, Lepsat said that oftentimes “they get in here and see that everything is moving smoothly and we have a wonderful staff, [then] I think that fear goes away.”

Since 1972, Lepsat has been working with UCLA. “Everyone we have working for us at UCLA is just the best,” she said. “They’ve done such a wonderful job and I’m so proud of them.”

King noted that this blood drive is especially pertinent to the Southern California area because of a “blood shortage.”

“Nationally, about five percent of people donate blood, but in Southern California there’s about three percent, so Southern California is always facing a shortage.”

The Spring Blood Drive at LMU

welcomed new donors as well as returning donors. First-time donor and freshman psychology major Ryan Johnson was unsuccessful in her attempt to donate but said she will definitely be back to try again next year. “Hopefully my veins get bigger!” she said.

For fellow first-time donors such as herself, or people that may be apprehensive for other reasons, Johnson said, “You can take an hour out of your day to help save someone’s life. It’s not that hard; I don’t know from experience, but I feel like it wouldn’t hurt that much and to impact someone’s life … would be worth it. You should definitely go out.”

The returning blood donors and LMU stwudents have an incredible sense of purpose to give back, according to Lepsat. “Students here are so motivated that we’ll call them and say ‘Gee, we have a baby here,’ and they’ll drive all the way to Westwood,” she said. “I’m very impressed with you guys.”

Devin Sixt | Loyolan

Mesgana Affework, a sophomore sociology major, gives blood for the final blood drive of the 2011-2012 school year.

Opinion Student Editorials and Perspectives

February 20, 2012 Page 6

Board Editorial

Rule of Thumb

Board Editorials represent the voice of the Loyolan. They are written in collaboration by the Executive Editorial Board.

Michael Goldsholl Managing Editor

Adrien Jarvis Editor in Chief

The Loyolan’s Executive Editorial Board weighs in on current topics of discussion.

NJ governor vetoes gay marriage bill

Kevin O’Keeffe Managing Editor

Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey made good on his promise to veto the gay marriage bill that reached his desk last Friday. The measure had passed through the New Jersey Assembly and Senate last week. The governor claimed that his veto was motivated by a desire to see such an issue voted on by the people rather than created in the legislature. While his legal motivations might be respectable, several states have already passed gay marriage bills through their legislatures, so the precedent is there. Not only that, but the action hits close to home, especially in light of California’s Proposition 8, a votedupon measure, being overturned. Thumbs down to Governor Christie for not keeping up with the changing tides.

Brigette Scobas Human Resources Coordinator | Asst. News Editor

Y

Cal Grants threatened

et again, an unstable economy is forcing the government to make budget cutbacks.

And once again, education is being targeted as an area where such reductions are deemed justifiable. On Jan. 5, 2011, California Governor Jerry Brown proposed cutting the maximum Cal Grant award from $9,708 to $5,472 – or 44 percent – for students attending independent, nonprofit colleges and universities. [See “California proposes cut in Cal Grants,” Page 1].

If adopted, this proposal would not only affect approximately 26,000 students attending institutions in California, but would change the financial game for over 825 LMU students.

The conversation that a college education is too expensive is nothing out of the ordinary. For years, increasing tuition costs have made obtaining a degree exceedingly difficult for young and aspiring students. However, in a nation that places great emphasis on that piece of paper and its value, creating a pathway to a college education that only benefits those who can afford it turns the degree into a commodity instead of something to be earned.

Why take money away from individuals who are making the effort to not just help themselves become a valuable asset to the world, but subsequently help foster the growth and bettering of the world as a whole?

However, if past triumphs are any barometer for what can happen in the future, the

I

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battle does not have to end in a loss for students.

Last semester, the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction announced a plan to reduce the amount of money students can receive from the Pell Grant (which was then listed at $5,500).

This announcement not only resulted in a great deal of criticism towards the federal government, but it caused an uproar among students – prompting them to stand up for what they believed in and fight for the ability to attend college in a financially flexible fashion. Students spoke out and signed a petition. In the end, Pell Grants didn’t face cuts – in fact, they slightly increased.

Less than six months later, students are faced with a similar situation, and President Burcham has once again sent out an email request to students and faculty stating that, “The Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities (AICCU) has launched an advocacy campaign to try and reverse the cuts.”

The Loyolan stands behind President Burcham and encourages students to sign the petition with the hope of getting the financial reductions prevented.

It’s imperative to recognize the importance of a college degree, especially in a world where so much value is given to a college education. It would be a mistake to take money away from individuals who are working towards providing a positive impact on the betterment of the world.

Library allows early check in for study No longer will students need to fret about waiting for their study date to begin. A new service will allow early check in to the study rooms in William H. Hannon Library. Compared to the previous service that kept appointments to a strict schedule with no wiggle room, a problem compounded by the delayed clock in the system, this service is far friendlier for the stressed student. Thumbs up to Hannon Library for thinking about the students’ needs.

Poor choice of words on ESPN’s part For approximately 35 minutes, starting at 2:30 a.m.

EST, a racist headline directed at New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin, accompanying the game story for the Knicks-New Orleans Hornets matchup, appeared on the front page of ESPN’s mobile site. This wasn’t the first time the same obscene reference was made by an ESPN-affiliate, as an ESPN anchor used the phrase on-air while talking to NBA Hall of Famer Walt Frazier on Wednesday, Feb. 15. Whether this was done intentionally or by accident, thumbs down to ESPN for this insensitive and racially motivated act.

Exploring L.A. with Ellen

got into a car accident, but Feb. 1, 2012 was still one of the best days of my life. The radiance of Ellen DeGeneres as she danced just a few feet away from me at her show that same morning was enough to make this misfortune yet another exciting event to add to an exhilarating day.

I have idolRun ‘n Tell Dat ized Ellen since the sixth grade.

By Kim Tran When it was Opinion Editor announced that First Lady Michelle Obama and “Harry Potter” actor Daniel Radcliffe were Ellen’s guests for the day, I screamed loud enough to solicit dirty looks and stares. Then, tears started streaming down my face. I was crying out of pure joy.

Aside from me wanting to share this experience with anyone who will listen, I think it is also a prime example of one of the many opportunities that would only be available to me in Los Angeles.

The “Ellen” tickets were free.

Persistence is what got me to the show. Every couple of weeks I would check the website to see if any shows were open and I would sign up. When they didn’t call me, I’d do it again. A year of this paid off because that hour spent a few feet away from Ellen DeGeneres, Michelle Obama and Daniel Radcliffe was well worth the couple of minutes I spent submitting my name for tickets.

Living in Los Angeles, LMU students have so many opportunities available to us that it’d be a shame not to pursue them. I know so many people who complain about not having anything to do, or not having any money, but most of the time, money isn’t even necessary.

Los Angeles is the largest city (in area) in all of the United States.

With a population of almost 4 million, there is an array of cultures and eccentricities to explore right outside

of the back gates. All it requires is some initiative to begin experiencing the city.

For example, many art museums such as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) and the Getty are all free aside from a parking fee.

You can visit Griffith Observatory for free, without any parking fees, take pictures with wax figurines at Madame Tussauds Hollywood or compare your footprints with those of the stars at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre without paying a dime. If you’re into gameshows, so many are taped in Los Angeles that it’s easy to get free tickets. Websites such as Hollywoodtickets.com and Ocatv. com give you the chance to be in the audience of shows like “The Price Is Right” and “The X Factor.”

There are so many opportunities to experience great things without breaking the bank. You just have to

in the Von Der Ahe building. It goes into sponsoring clubs, holding events and bringing in guest lecturers and speakers to enhance our learning.

The LMU website homepage has a calendar of events that lists all of the major things happening on campus throughout the year. Faculty Pub Nights are often held in the library in which faculty members come to speak about their recent publications or creative accomplishments. The College of Business Administration is constantly hosting guest lecturers to showcase examples of success, and even just to broaden our understanding of the world of business.

So why is it that all of these events are so empty?

Perhaps it is the lack of publicity that most of these events get, but even then, I think the larger problem is the absence of school spirit and student initiative. There is an apparent lack of interest in anything that seems to pervade the campus.

Two employees from The Onion, a satirical News publication, were brought to LMU as the keynote speakers for the Loyolan’s First Amendment Week, and there weren’t even enough people present to fill up half of Burns Back Court. Aside from men’s basketball games as of late, the rest of the LMU’s athletic department seems to be nonexistent to the student body.

Students are not actively seeking or pursuing opportunities that are so readily available to them at this school and within the confines of this city. We are privileged to have so many resources at our fingertips, so many opportunities to enhance our lives with new experiences and better knowledge, and it would behoove us all to take advantage of them.

So do some research, get on a show, visit a museum or even just attend an on-campus event. Perhaps then, car accidents and other misfortunes won’t seem so bad.

“There is an array of cultures and eccentricities to explore right out the back gates.” do some research first. As poor college students (at least some of us), we should not let money troubles get us down. It’s about being aggressive and finding ways to do things for free. They’re out there.

If your problem is transportation, Discoverlosangeles.com has a page of things you can do right by LMU, such as visit the Flight Path Learning Center, where you can see scale models of aircrafts along with Howard Hughes memorabilia.

You can explore Venice Boulevard, a wildly unique experience; or, you can just stay on campus.

If we’re going to pay as much as we do to attend this school, we better make it worth our while. Along with not skipping class, there are proactive ways to get your money’s worth. The money that we pay for school doesn’t just go to Mac screens

This is the opinion of Kim Tran, a sophomore marketing and communication studies double major from San Jose, Calif. Please send comments to ktran@theloyolan.com.

Compiled by Kim Tran

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Opinion

www.laloyolan.com

Lauren Walsh Junior

English and Spanish double major

“Facebook.”

February 20, 2012 Page 7

Ben Herrera

Angel Thomas

Jake Quattorcchi

Tom Kandris

Communication studies major

Marketing major

English major

Psychology major

Junior

“Swearing.”

Freshman

“French fries.”

Sophomore

“Nothing – I’m not Catholic.”

Freshman

“Procrastinating.”

To see videos of more responses, visit laloyolan.com/opinion.

Graphic by Kim Tran | Loyolan; Compiled by Kasey Eggert | Loyolan

Graphic by Alberto Gonzalez | Loyolan

February 20, 2012 Page 8

Opinion

www.laloyolan.com

The U.S. Constitution: foundation or standard?

Written by people, not gods

T

here is a certain amount of national pride that is expected of an American citizen. Whether you find it disrespectful to not place your hand over your heart during the National Anthem, or if you subscribe to an outlook similar to Matt Stone and Trey Parker’s “Team America: World Police,” the seniment has become engrained in our society. Like most things, patriotism is good in moderation, but after a certain Don’t Quote Me point it can lead to reactionary behavBy Joseph Demes ior regarding stateAsst. Opinion Editor ments or issues that are not necessarily unpatriotic.

During a recent televised interview with Al Hayat TV in Egypt, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg warned against using the U.S. Constitution as a model for which Egypt could construct their own. Her reasoning, according to a Fox News article “Ginsburg to Egyptians: I wouldn’t use U.S. Constitution as a model” published Feb. 6, was simple enough: “Why not take advantage of what else is there in the world? ” In an April 2005 address to the American Society of International Law mentioned in the same article, Ginsburg criticized “the notion that it is improper to look beyond the borders of the United States in grappling with hard questions,” which may or may not strike you as unpatriotic for a justice. Mathew Staver, the founder and chairman of the Liberty Council and dean of the Liberty University School of Law, thought so.

In a Feb. 10 interview with Catholic Online, “Supreme Court Justice Ginsberg tells Egypt: Don’t use the U.S. Constitution as a model,” Staver saw Ginsburg’s choice of words “distressing, to say the least,” and that they “undermine the Supreme Court as an institution dedicated to the rule of law.” The tone of absolutism, however, is troubling and detracts from the possible soundness of his argument.

That kind of rhetoric seems to assume that being patriotic and fully agreeing with the ideologies of one’s country are mutual. You certainly might not like President Obama, but that doesn’t necessitate a distaste for the presidency.

It would be fallacious to assume that the Constitution is the absolute standard of government documents, but even more so to say that it works fantastically for us. In an overview of the book “Our Undemocratic Constitution,” Sanford Levinson, a professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law, outlines some of the major problems of the Constitution which include the fact that it “regularly places in the White House candidates who did not in fact get a

majority of the popular votes,” and that it is “the most difficult to amend or update of any constitution currently existing.” Furthermore, the New York Times article “‘We the People’ loses appeal with people around the world” published Feb. 6, notes a recent decline in the similarities of foreign constitutions with our own.

This may be due to “the commitment of some members of the Supreme Court to interpret the Constitution according to its original meaning,” or to more complicated reasons like its failing “to protect, at least in so many words . . . the presumption of innocence and entitlement to food, education and healthcare,” or a recognition of an underlying parochialism in the Supreme Court by foreign judges.

In any case, according to the article, the reaction that Ginsburg’s comments have caused some to elucidate a very troubling notion: Our appearance as a world power seems to be held in higher importance than how well our government functions within our own borders (not unlike how we are portrayed in “Team America”).

There is certainly a difference in establishing what ideals America might represent, such as the land of opportunity or the great melting pot, and how our government can best function; confusing the two is tantamount to blind patriotism and idealism.

We are a relatively young nation, and one founded in large part on idealistic principles. While these facts alone do not make the U.S. government problematic in itself, it does not mean we are not without our faults and does not give us the authority to solely inform other nations on how to found their own governments. As the aforementioned New York Times article states, some foreign nations rewrite their constitutions on a fairly regular base, about every 19 years, to keep the rhetoric and laws current and relative. We have only really made additions to our document, and the wording remains in its original (and some might say archaic) state for no apparent reason other than the sake of tradition.

There is a realistic and an idealistic lens to look at our government with. The latter is good insofar as it is used loosely as a starting point from which we can derive more concrete and democratic laws. In all earnestness, we have to recognize our government’s fallibility and treat the democratic process as such, and not as if it were irrevocable.

“It would be fallacious to assume that the Constitution is the absolute standard.”

Graphic by Alberto Gonzalez | Loyolan This is the opinion of Joseph Demes, a junior English and philosophy double major from Clayton, Calif. Please send comments to jdemes@theloyolan.com.

Flexibility: the ultimate structure

F

ranklin Delano Roosevelt once said, ration from the United States’ Constitution,” “The United States Constitution has referencing the spectrum of First Amendproved itself the most marvelously ment protections as well as the Fourteenth elastic compilation of rules of government Amendment’s Equal Protections Clause, ever written.” Since its adoption by the Unit- among others. ed States government in 1787, the ConstituWhile Ginsburg’s intentions are both hontion has been amended orable and appealing, they are misguided.

27 times. This capacity Evan Gerstmann, a professor in the poto evolve has led many litical science department at LMU, told the to consider the Con- Loyolan: “Our framers used open-ended stitution as a “living language that could evolve with the times.” document” – one that He also explained that if a country develops adapts with the times. a constitution that is too specific and proAlthough this theory vides a list of groups to protect as opposed to of interpretation has upholding basic equal rights – which is the not gone unchallenged cornerstone of the U.S. Constitution – there Bakk it Up by those who maintain could be troubling consequences. This type of o r i g i n a l i s t specificity runs the risk of excluding groups

By Tess views, the fact that may not be detectable at this time.

Wafelbakker that the Con- “What groups will we think of 100 years Staff Writer stitution has from now?” Gerstmann added. “We are not received sig- the end of history.” And this is true; the opennificant modi- endedness of the the American Constitution fication since lends itself to the just application of the law in its original con- any time period with any demographic. The ception speaks Constitution is not limited in the way that a to the resilience of specific and “time-appropriate” constitution the document. would be. The times will continue to change This past and this merits a timeless document that has January, Supreme the ability to change as well.

Court Justice Ruth Besides the fact that, in my opinion, GinsBader Ginsburg ap- burg’s statements misrepresented the Amerpeared on Egyptian ican Constitution, there is another important television at the end consideration in this controversy: Is it approof a short trip to the priate for a Supreme Court justice, whose job recently-liberated it is to apply and uphold the U.S. Constitunation. According to tion, to seemingly dismiss it? Mathew Staver, the U.S. Embassy in the Dean of the Liberty University School of Egypt, Ginsburg trav- Law stated, “Justice Ginsburg’s comments eled to both Cairo and about our Constitution undermine the SuAlexandria where she preme Court as an institution dedicated to met with “judges and le- the rule of law, as well as our founding docugal experts as well as law ment,” and added that her comments were faculty and students,” “distressing.” It does seem troubling that one and had intended to “‘lis- of the individuals entrusted with upholding ten and learn’ with her the American rule of law at the highest level Egyptian counterparts as would speak of the foundations of the legal they begin Egypt’s con- system in a negative manner. stitutional transition to Dr. Paul Kengor, professor of political scidemocracy.” ence at Grove City College, stated in a Feb. 10 Jan. 25 marked the posting on the blog, The Blaze, that the U.S. anniversary of the pro- Constitution is “the most stable, successful, tests against Egyptian leader remarkable constitution in history, bringing Hosni Mubarak, who ultimately together a vast array of peoples and assimistepped down after an intense lating them into history’s most prosperous, and ongoing public uprising. awe-inspiring nation – a nation that spent Justhe 20th century tice winning freedom Ginsfor other nations, burg genso those nations “The open-endedness of the erated concould produce troversy when American Constitution lends itself democracies and she stated on constitutions.”

Egypt’s Al to the just application of the law.” The U.S. ConstiHayat TV that tution has facilishe “would not tated the freedom look to the U.S. and liberty in Constitution if I were drafting a constitution America that is sought after throughout the in the year 2012” with specific references to world. Those like myself, who disagree with its “original exclusion of women, slaves and Ginsburg’s prescription, by no stretch of the Native Americans.” imagination advocate the exclusionary facets Instead, Ginsburg advised Egyptian law- of the U.S. Constitution that existed prior to makers to consult alternative constitutional existing amendments. Though visionary, the blueprints, pointing to South Africa’s Con- Founding Fathers were imperfect and those stitution, which she hailed as a “really great deficiencies are evident in the original text. piece of work.” She pointed to their “embrace However, the U.S. Constitution has survived of basic human rights,” as well as their estab- 225 years in what has become the world’s lishment of a highly independent judiciary premiere democracy, and that must count for in her explanation. Ginsburg candidly ad- something. vocated taking advantage of what the world Header Graphic: Flickr | Creative Commons has to offer in terms of revolutionary legal design. However, Ginsberg did spend a sig- This is the opinion of Tess Wafelbakker, a senior political nificant portion of the interview “spelling out science major from Morgan Hill, Calif. Please send all the ways the Egyptians could take inspi- comments to ktran@theloyolan.com.

February 20, 2012 Page 9

www.laloyolan.com

Undercover Wizards

Odd Turtle

By: Jackson Turcotte

By: Ian Zell

Odd Turtle

By: Jackson Turcotte

Edward enjoys his cat naps.

Undercover Wizards

Undercover Wizards

By: Ian Zell

By: Ian Zell

Arts & Entertainment Film, Literature, Music, Restaurants and Theater

February 20, 2012 Page 10

Veggie Ventures

www.laloyolan.com

2.0

Venice’s Seed Kitchen impresses with scrumptious sandwiches and desserts

Y

ou know that episode of “SpongeBob SquarePants” where Patrick eats his candy bar so fast that he firmly believes SpongeBob ate it? Admit it – you know exactly what I’m talking about.

It’s what happened to me when I ordered a sandwich at Seed Kitchen in Venice, except I didn’t have the excuse of a hungry, yellow, squareVeggie Ventures 2.0 s h a p e d companion.

By Luisa Barron Nonetheless, Asst. A&E Editor I gave my fellow veganhippie-beach-bum patrons the evil eye when I realized half my sandwich had disappeared right before my eyes.

Seed Kitchen is an organic, vegan, “macrobiotique” (and even I’ll say I don’t know what the hell that means) café a block away from the famed Venice Beach Boardwalk.

Just a few steps west and you can be awash in prototypical California surfer dudes, clueless tourists and a wonderful variety of colorfully zonked-out people.

Thankfully, the meal I got at Seed was fantastically filling and more than enough to fuel an afternoon of photography on the beach. (Yes, I was the one taking 20 different shots of one seagull.) I’ll admit, I’ve never felt so fundamentally “Venice” than when I realized that: 1. I was wearing the same plaid as a woman I passed by while driving down Abbot Kinney Boulevard; 2. I was toting a fancy Canon around my neck; and 3. I was frolicking barefoot in the sand and deeply admiring a man who was not only playing an accordion, but also wearing a T-shirt saying something along the lines of “[expletive] Texas.”

Back to Seed. The menu covers a few basics: salads, soups, grain and curry bowls, paninis and burgers, as well as desserts and a small brunch menu for weekends. I was eyeing the soyzzarella, tomato and basil panini. Although missing meat has never been an issue for me, I have a severe emotional attachment to that which I reverently call the glorious TMB (tomato, mozzarella and basil) panini, found only at one particular grocery store in Houston. As a result, I was more than ready to try the vegan substitute.

I was also curious to see what the vegan gurus at Seed could whip up when it came to chocolate mousse.

So, I got the gluten-free chocolate mousse terrine. Since the sandwich

did admittedly take a few minutes longer than I expected, I dug into dessert without waiting for my sandwich. (Hey, life is short – eat dessert first.)

The mousse was rich and chocolatey, a little thicker than the average mousse, as it took more the form of a small, creamy cake rather than a sort of pudding. It had a slightly strange aftertaste, but overall was a lovely consistency and a satisfying dessert.

Then the sandwich finally made its appearance. Innocuous-looking at first, the panini came on the usual panini-grilled bread, with a tiny side of cole slaw with salt and pepper vinaigrette. That was perfectly fine, although the sandwich was admittedly steep at $9.95 for not having a real side.

But then I bit into it. And, as aforementioned, someone stole half the sandwich and I’m still adamantly looking for the perpetrator. It was warm and fresh, the tomato and basil crisp and brightly colored. I also have a weakness for basil pesto, which is hard to find in the vegan variety. This pesto was absolutely

Seed Kitchen 1604 Pacific Avenue Venice, CA 90291 (310) 396-1604 Hours 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. daily delicious, as was the soy mozzarella. It was an absolutely beautiful, “is this vegan?” moment.

I hurriedly chowed down on the coleslaw, as I’m a firm believer in saving the best taste for last. When I approached that second half of the sandwich, I thanked the macrobiotique gods for granting us cheeselike, dairy-less substances and dug in. The sandwich genuinely filled me up for the rest of the day, and having the ability to eat like an Olympic swimmer, that’s quite a feat. The $9.95 was beyond worth it, and I’ve finally found a lunch spot in Venice that can complement my continuing obsession with the area. Except next time I’m bringing someone along so I can steal their sandwich, too.

This is the opinion of Luisa Barron, a junior screenwriting major and philosophy minor from Houston, Texas. Please send comments to lbarron@theloyolan.com.

Luisa Barron | Loyolan

Despite a brief and strange aftertaste that would probably make nonvegans run screaming, the chocolate mousse was altogether pleasant.

Luisa Barron | Loyolan

The soyzzarella, tomato and basil panini was the perfect sandwich to complement a sunny afternoon on the Venice Beach Boardwalk, despite the relatively puny side of cole slaw with salt and pepper vinaigrette. Even though it was a bit pricey at $9.95, the sandwich was a winner and well worth the money.

www.laloyolan.com

Arts & Entertainment

February 20, 2012 Page 11

‘Dramatic’ Facebook video a viral hit Student Spotlight

By Khayla Golucke Staff Writer

W

e’ve all seen how seemingly irrelevant Facebook statuses can turn into trivial online dramas. It seems as if this Internet phenomenon peaks during one’s middle school years.

Two LMU students recently found Internet fame after becoming inspired by the hilariously immature conversation of a middle schoolaged Facebook friend, and then uploading a video about it under the account “Navy Seals of Comedy.”

Junior film production major Michael Lange, also a contributor to the Loyolan, and junior theatre arts major Jackson Kendall, star in “Dramatic Interpretations of Facebook – Doubt.” Though uploaded only a few weeks ago, the video has already accumulated over 750,000 views and over 1,000 comments, as well as mentions on popular comedy blogs such as “Tosh.0” blog and College Humor. The video also features senior theatre major Robyn Littleworth in the role of Keala and sophomore theatre major Maddie Dial as Kelly.

Loyolan staff writer Khayla Golucke sat down with Michael Lange, one half of the comedy team and the video’s editor, to talk about how the sketch went from a funny idea to a YouTube success.

Khayla Golucke (KG): How and when did you come up with the idea for the video?

Michael Lange (ML): “Zach” [Lange’s character] is my high school friend Troy’s younger brother. He friend requested me on Facebook my freshman year of college when he was in sixth grade. He was hilarious

on Facebook. He was always posting stupid stuff like, “Just got home from school, texting a lot of people.”

He then randomly added Jackson on Facebook. So Jackson saw in [his] News Feed this conversation unfold on a photo, and we thought it was hilarious. ... Then, about three weeks ago, we just randomly started talking about the conversation again, and we thought it would be hilarious to do a dramatic reading of it. Jackson had two of his friends, Robyn Littleworth and Maddie Dial, already coming over that night to do a scene study for their theater class, so we roped them into being in it and they turned out to be the best performances in the video.

KG: What is “Navy Seals of Comedy” and how did it start?

ML: The “Navy Seals of Comedy” was the name some friends at ROAR Network and myself made up for ourselves; for the stuff we were writing and the sketches we planned on doing. ... All the sites that started reposting the video and writing about it referred to us as “Navy Seals of Comedy.” It made us sound way more legitimate.

KG: Have you made anything else like this before?

ML: Sort of. I’ve made videos with friends before. I make stuff at ROAR Network all the time, and Jackson and I talk about sketch videos all the time, but this was definitely the most excited we’d ever been about an idea we had. Now that we have all the views and subscribers on the YouTube channel, it’s a bunch of motivation to make more videos.

KG: What have been some of your favorite reactions and comments to the video?

ML: The video responses are some of the strangest things I’ve ever seen. People who participate in the

Can you spot the mistakes?

Apply to be a Copy Editor for the Loyolan.

Contact Editor in Chief Adrien Jarvis at ajarvis@theloyolan.com.

social world of YouTube are strange enough to begin with. One of the video responses was a CGI girl, another was a teddy bear with a bra on and another was an old man with a black trash bag over his head. Pretty disturbing stuff. I had a lot of fun responding to the comments on the video. ... Some people have given pretty backhanded compliments like, “I didn’t think this was very funny, but I enjoyed it.”

One guy said, “Hey guys, I hate to trash on your hard work, but I’m really not feeling this video. At all.”

Which was just hilarious in how polite he was.

KG: Did you promote the video at all to get more views or did its popularity come out of nowhere?

ML: The reason the video got as popular as it did, I completely attribute to Paul Morgan [junior film production major, who shot the video]. He uses the site Reddit a lot, which is like this weird Internet cult website. He posted it on Reddit at midnight after I uploaded it on YouTube, and then messaged all our friends and his fraternity to make a Reddit account and “upvote” the video. The next morning, it was on the front page of Reddit, which a lot of blogs and websites visit to find new content to repost.

I had work at 7 a.m. and the video had a ton of comments, so I could tell it was getting passed around a lot. I didn’t go to class that day – I just sat there refreshing the page and seeing where it got reposted. It was a pretty fun day.

KG: Where has the video been featured?

ML: The video got reposted on the “Tosh.0” blog, which was definitely the coolest thing. We watch “Tosh.0” religiously; Paul has gone to a taping, and we both saw Tosh perform live last year in Anaheim. The fact that Daniel Tosh has possibly seen

Michael Lange

Lange and Kendall’s video begins with a dinner conversation (above). It has received more than 750,000 views and been featured on CollegeHumor.com. the video is super rad. The first repost I saw that really shocked me was on Huffington Post. That’s the website I go to when I wanna feel like I’m not wasting time on the Internet, and I try to catch up on politics. So when the video was on it, I got stoked. It was on The Chive, BuzzFeed, CollegeHumor, Memebase and Chicagoist.

KG: Did you expect the video to have this kind of success?

ML: We thought it was a great idea, but it’s impossible to predict if a video has any chance of viral success.

It was making us laugh while we were filming it, and then I showed the footage to my other roommate when he got home and he was cracking up, but we really weren’t thinking about what kind of success it would have. I knew the video had a lot of appeal, though, after I put it on Facebook, because a bunch of people “liked” it and all sorts of people were commenting on the post.

KG: Will you be making more videos like this in the future?

ML: Yes. We’re trying to find more ridiculous middle school conversations on Facebook, but it’s proving difficult. We have a lot of great ideas for future videos, but we want to make the second video another Facebook interpretation because that’s what people want. I spent three hours stalking middle school Facebook pages and came out the other end with nothing to show for it. I felt kind of dirty for a while.

KG: Can you remember ever being guilty of writing your own dramatic Facebook updates?

ML: No. I never post anything remotely serious on Facebook. I think I confuse a lot of people that don’t know me very well with the things I write and say on Facebook. As far as Jackson, Maddie or Robyn, I can’t say.

To see future videos from Lange and Kendall, you can subscribe to “Navy Seals of Comedy” on YouTube, find them on Facebook, and find them on Twitter (@navysealscomedy).

February 20, 2012 Page 12

Arts & Entertainment

www.laloyolan.com

Check out Managing Editor Kevin O’Keeffe’s Oscar Blog, “Road to the Gold,” only at laloyolan.com.

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Sports

February 20, 2012 Page 13

LMU ATHLETICS UPDATE Track

W. Water Polo

Members of the LMU track team set records at the Pomona-Pitzer meet on Saturday.

The women’s water polo team (4-5) could not keep up with non-conference rival UC Irvine (9-2).

Sophomore Drew Dalton won section one of the 3,000-meter race, beating the nearest competitor by a staggering 12 seconds.

The Lions lost 12-9 in a Saturday afternoon matchup, with UC Irvine’s Jessy Cardey and Danielle Warde scoring five goals apiece.

Junior Tyre Johnson came in eighth place with junior Michael Carlone coming in shortly after Johnson.

The Anteaters scored the first two goals of the game and the first three goals of the fourth quarter.

Senior Oran Arms also set a new personal record in the mile with a time of 4:27.21.

Seniors Casey Flacks and Kimberly Benedetti, junior Jessica Morelos and sophomore Alexandra Honny all scored two goals in the Lion’s losing effort.

In the women’s 3,000-meter race, senior Brieanna Delaney finished second with a time of 10:19.57, nearly three seconds faster than her previous record at this race.

Compiled by Dan Raffety | Asst. Sports Editor

The Lions will get a chance to avenge the loss on Feb. 25 in the first round of the 2012 Anteater Invitational at the UC Irvine pool at 10:15 a.m.

Compiled by Dan Raffety | Asst. Sports Editor

M. Golf

Tyler Torano’s 70 puts Lions in a good position after first round of weekend golf tournament.

Sophomore Tyler Torano led the Lions to a third-place standing in the Folino Men’s Invitational at Industry Hills Golf Club at Pacific Palms in Industry, Calif.

He ended the first round of the tournament atop the leader board, shooting a 70. Torano finished the first round, which took place on Sunday, strong after starting his first round two over par.

In the last seven holes, Torano hit four birdies. He is rated No. 79 in the country by Golfstat.com.

Round two begins Monday at 7:30 a.m. at Industry Hills, the home of the Lions.

Compiled by Dan Raffety | Asst. Sports Editor

W. Tennis

The Lions struggled versus the No. 26 team in the nation in a shutout loss.

The women’s tennis team could not defeat the No. 26 University of South Carolina Gamecocks as the team lost 7-0, with only junior April Bisharat and senior Elisaveta Pironkova managing to force the match to a third set.

The Gamecocks defeated the Lions in doubles competition, despite tough efforts by LMU. South Carolina ended doubles 8-6, 8-3, 8-4 to take their momentum into single play.

The Lions next match will be at UC Riverside on Thursday, Feb. 23 at 2 p.m. The Lions are searching for their first win this calendar year.

Compiled by Dan Raffety | Asst. Sports Editor Graphics by Greg Smith, Alberto Gonzalez and Joanie Payne | Loyolan

S ports One hundred one and still waiting for a win

February 20, 2012 Page 14

Tiger Woods has yet to overcome his problems and return to dominance.

I

miss the old Tiger Woods.

From Stanford University to stardom with a side of intensity, he revived a sport caught up in its own stereotypes.

F o u rteen majors in 12 years.

A fluidity on the course rivaling Muhammad Ali in the ring or Michael Droppin’ Dines Jordan in the paint.

By Nathan Dines Where did Sports Editor all that go?

Most will argue it started that fateful Thanksgiving weekend 2009. Car crash, facial lacerations, the rage of

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Elin Nordgren. Why was he driving away from home in such a panic?

And then the floodgates were ripped open. One affair revealed after another, and we could only speculate the truths from the lies. But we knew. Deep down, you as well as I had the gut feeling that the world of golf – Tiger ’s world – was about to come crashing down.

I miss the old Tiger Woods.

He made driving a Buick hip, revitalized Gatorade and made it socially acceptable to enjoy playing a golf video game.

Eighty four days after the Thanksgiving festivities, Tiger attempted a humble apology.

Attempted.

Instead, he chipped, sliced and hooked his way around the real problems. He slipped into a sand trap and has yet to emerge. He talked of Buddhism, performance-enhancing drugs, his foundation, a “real apology to [his ex-wife] that will not come in the

form of words.”

But he needed those words.

He needed the short and tothe-point statement that helped Kobe Bryant get past the rape allegations, Ben Roethlisberger past the harassment accusations, and made the world forget Michael Jordan ever had a gambling problem.

These words escaped his Feb. 19, 2010 speech. And today, two years and a day after the apology, he is still a different man.

The old Tiger Woods won his last Professional Golfer ’s Association (PGA) tournament on September 13, 2009 in fitting Tiger fashion. At that 2009 BMW Championship, Tiger ran away with an eight-shot victory to put together a beautiful 19-under for the tournament.

The new Tiger Woods won his last PGA tournament, well, when he was still the old Tiger Woods. On a side note, Tiger did win the Chevron World Challenge last

year. However, the official PGA tourney record since the fallout is zero. Zilch. Nada.

101 PGA events have passed, and Tiger Woods still has yet to don the top of the leader board.

I miss that old fire, that old passion. I want the sudden death US Open victories on one good knee. I want the fist pumps and chest bumps.

I want Tiger to lead an improbable six stroke comeback on the final day at Pebble Beach, Calif., not Phil Mickleson. I love Phil and he tries his best, but he is no Tiger Woods.

I was there for Tiger ’s last romp on arguably his favorite course before the 2009-10 meltdown. It was June 20, 2010, Pebble Beach, down five strokes heading into the final round. My dad and I woke up at the crack of dawn, made the trip to the cliffs and waited for Tiger to claim yet another U.S. Open trophy. We longed for the return of the old Tiger, but

could only sit back and watch his new form stumble at the stretch. Instead, we saw the crowning of a new champion, Graeme McDowell, the first of many to take from the new what the old would never have allowed.

Are you still there, Tiger?

Can you come back and make golf relevant again? I don’t think it’s too much to ask.

His drought is unsettling.

The once unstoppable, unbeatable entity we called Tiger Woods is now a mere man looking for his place in the sport he once dominated.

He has lost money, coaches, friends, family, love and most of all, respect.

I miss the old Tiger Woods.

We all miss the old Tiger Woods. But believe me, the new Tiger misses his old self more than anyone could ever imagine.

This is the opinion of Nathan Dines. Please send comments to ndines@theloyolan.com.

Despite conflicts, Mallia was valued Perspective from Page 16 time putting their complete trust in Joe. Instead of demanding their respect right away, he did what any player would desire and worked hard to connect with the girls individually.

Taking it step by step, everybody developed their own relationship with him. Some were good, some were bad and some were both good and bad depending on the circumstances. Because he came from an assistant coaching position at UCLA, he was used to being the nice coach that everybody confided in, so I think the idea of some girls not liking him no matter what he did was difficult to grasp at first.

However, he learned how to adapt and establish a specific and unique role in all of our lives, regardless.

Personally, Joe and I had our fair share of good and bad experiences with each other. Each season brought new trials and truths to learn and move forward. Although I may not have appreciated the arguments or frustration at the time, I realize how much I have learned about myself in the past four years and how much of that realization is due to my relationship with him.

As the head coach of a Division I women’s soccer team, he had a lot of influence on the lives of all the girls he coached. His words and actions will forever be embedded in our minds and memories. Whether every player can admit it or not, their coaches effect their lives in drastically. Being away from our parents and essentially responsible for ourselves, Joe’s position in our lives catapulted him to a main authoritative role. Although some resisted that role, Joe always followed through

and never gave up on any of us.

Over the past four years, Joe did a lot for me, and I am very appreciative of that. When I needed a last minute recommendation to apply to a service organization my freshman year, he was the first person I went to. After earning a spot on the field my freshman year, he called me the following summer to scrimmage with the U-20 National Team – an experience I’ll never forget. I tore my ACL sophomore year and he supported me every step of the way through my rehabilitation. I was nervous to tell him my junior year that I was going on a service trip to Haiti the week before preseason, and instead of getting on my case, he donated money toward my trip.

As a senior and one of the 20112012 captains, my relationship with Joe went beyond practice and games. My position required constant communication with him and an opportunity to see his heart and dreams for our team. I know from my four years with him that he truly cares about every one of his players and really does all he can for them. Sometimes we aren’t able to appreciate that because it gets in the way of what we want to do and forces us to be accountable. But I know that, in the end, every one of us recognizes the ways in which our relationship with Joe has shaped us for the future and helped show us the kind of person we want to be.

If it weren’t for him, our time here would probably be a little less challenging, but not nearly as influential to the bigger picture – on and off the field.

This is the opinion of Jaide Timm-Garcia.

Please send comments to ndines@theloyolan.com.

Michelle Myers

was named last Friday the new head coach for the 2012 women’s soccer team, becoming the fifth head coach in the program’s 19-year history.

She joined the LMU program as an assistant in 1996 .

Photo: LMU Athletics; Graphic: Joanie Payne | Loyolan

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Sports

February 20, 2012 Page 15

Relief pitching key to wins Baseball from Page 16 fielder Trevor Kirk and forced a groundout to Cullen Mahoney at second base to end the Rebel threat.

With the Lions leading 4-2 going into the bottom of the frame, third baseman Alex Guthrie singled on a chopper over the UNLV third baseman’s head to lead the Lions in the bottom of the eighth.

Nick Truhan then singled into right field to put runners on first and second with nobody out.

First baseman Shon Roe, who replaced Dahlson at first when he came in to pitch, advanced both runners into scoring position with a groundout back to the box. Dahlson came up to the plate, being eligible to bat because he started the game at first base, and drove both runners in on the first pitch with a chopper over the third baseman’s head again to give the Lions the eventual winning runs.

“He threw me a first pitch fastball, and I pounded it into the ground,” said Dahlson. “It wasn’t exactly what I wanted to do, but luckily it went over his head to give us some extra runs.”

Joey Boney started off the

bottom of the sixth inning with a bunt single, beating out the outreached arm of first baseman Trent Cook. Boney advanced to third base after two consecutive wild pitches

by George “Buddy” Borden.

Mahoney then drew a walk to put runners on first and third with no outs and clean up hitter Guthrie at the plate.

Guthrie hit a ball that dropped into shallow right field to score Boney, but Mahoney was thrown out at second base to give the Lions a 3-1 lead. Guthrie was then picked off at first base after too big of a lead. Scott Harkin then drew a two-out walk to keep the inning alive.

UNLV’s right-handed pitcher Borden kept the Lions offense quiet for a second straight game, not allowing a hit through the first three innings, but eventually would get the loss.

He gave up a single to designated hitter David Edwards to advance Harkin to second and finished by giving up three earned runs, four hits, four walks in five and twothirds innings of work. He did manage to strike out seven Lion batters on the day. Righthanded pitcher Brady Zuniga took over on the mound.

Dahlson singled to score Nick Truhan from second, who pinch ran to Harkin. The Lions led after six, four to one.

Right-handed relief pitcher Aaron Griffin replaced senior starter John Lally, who gave up one run on six hits in five innings in his first win of the season. Lally did not walk a UNLV batter, but did not strike anyone out either.

“The key was throwing strikes. I know if I throw strikes, I can control the game,” said Lally. “[After I gave up the first run] I had to keep throwing zeroes up there, I knew my offense would score some runs for me.”

Following five innings of solid pitching by Lally, Griffin came in and bridged the sixth and seven innings, allowing two hits, but striking out two as well.

Dahlson finished what he started to get the save en route to the Lions 6-2 victory, to win two out of the three games of the series.

“Anytime you can take two out of three in college baseball, you are excited,” said Gill. “This was a close and tough game, but we took advantage of our opportunities.”

Abbey Nelson | Loyolan

Alex Cowling sets LMU scoring record

Redshirt junior forward Alex Cowling broke the program record of 1,665 points. Read Managing Editor Michael Goldsholl’s story on the record-setting performance on laloyolan.com/sports.

Swimming hopeful Swimming from Page 16 year ever competing in the event. Her impressive time in the event has her in seventh place in LMU history. This just adds to the list of accomplishments achieved in her career as a Lion.

Overall, Adair said, “We had a very strong season. We had some great individual performances, but as a team we were weaker than we expected.”

Choy added, “We had a lot of team casualties that brought our morale down but overall, we coped pretty well with everything and made the best out of it.”

But while competing at such a high level means not getting all the big wins, it does come with a few advantages. “We’re starting to bring in some really strong recruits,” Adair said.

“With the jump to the bigger conference, we’re getting recruits at a higher level that will be able to compete well in this conference next year.”

LMU embraced the new conference, and found the best in the situation. While swimmers felt overwhelmed at times, they understand it will help the program move in the right direction.

“The bigger conference is good for us and is more competitive, which improves us,” Hopp said. “It’s just different to not get into the championship final as often as we used to but it gives us higher goals as a team to live up to.”

LMU is only graduating two seniors, who scored points last weekend. This, along with the strong performances seen from the underclassmen and a good incoming recruiting class, leaves everyone optimistic about next year’s squad.

“Next year will be a great year,” Hopp said. “We’re bringing in some great girls who will really contribute to the team.”

Adair added, “We knew that we would be challenged this year, said Adair but we’re heading in the right direction now.”

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Lion Sports

February 20, 2012 Page 16

Mallia always a mentor

A senior member of the women’s soccer team reflects on former LMU Head Coach Joe Mallia.

I

knew from my first meeting with Joe Mallia that he loved LMU and what it stood for. The main concept that he fed to me during my recruiting trip was, “LMU is the perfect place that provides everything you need to have a good college experience.”

He used this line with all of his recruits, and I think that he truly believed in what he was selling (unlike many other college coaches).

He was determined to do all that he could to help each player check off their bucket Player Perspective collegiate list by the time they

By Jaide Timm-Garcia graduated, and enContributor couraged everybody to get involved in activities outside of athletics. Sometimes, as college students and ambitious young women, our priorities collided with his, but he did his best to accommodate our schedules and help us meet our non-soccer goals.

I came in as a freshman during Joe’s second year as the team’s head coach, and I could tell that the next four years were going to be full of development and growth. There were only five of us in my freshman class, so it was easy for the coaches to keep tabs on us and make sure we were adjusting to college life.

Our relationship with him was one of mutual transition, because although it was already his second year, we were all in the same boat trying to adjust to a new program.

I soon realized that he needed as much grace as we did when it came to making mistakes and learning from them. By stepping into an already well-established program, some of his changes created tension within the team.

I could tell it wasn’t easy for him his first couple years, as he had to deal with a mixture of emotions from the upperclassmen on the team. Those who were close to previous Head Coach Gregg Murphy had a difficult

See Perspective | Page 14

Devin Sixt | Loyolan

Junior infielder Joey Boney (pictured above) compiled six hits and five runs scored in the three game series against University of Nevada, Las Vegas this weekend. In Sunday’s pivotal third game, he batted 3-4 with two runs scored, one steal and two advances on wild pitches.

Lions win two of three Final event challenges swimming LMU’s baseball team defeats UNLV twice with strong pitching and opportunistic hitting.

By Dan Raffety

Asst. Sports Editor

After an important Opening Day victory and a disappointing one-hit loss yesterday to the Rebels of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), men’s baseball defeated UNLV 6-2 in the rubber game of the threegame series with solid pitching and hitting with runners on base.

Senior set-up man Ryan Hawthorne, who led the Lions in saves last season, entered in the eighth inning to protect the three-run Lion lead. After a fly out, the Rebels strung together two straight hits to put runners on first

and second base. Hawthorne did bounce back to strike out catcher Remington Pullin, but walked two straight Rebel batters, one with the bases loaded, to cut the Lion lead to 4-2.

Head Coach Jason Gill had seen enough and pulled Hawthorne in favor of right-handed closer Bret Dahlson, who inherited the bases loaded with two outs in the top of the eighth inning with the top of the Rebel lineup coming to the plate.

“Ryan was struggling,” said Gill. “He had lost his command and walked in a run. That’s not typical of him and so I made the move.”

“Anytime you come in with the bases loaded you have to throw strikes because you do not want to walk him,” said Dahlson. “After Hawthorne walked him, I had a pretty good idea I would be coming in, and I wanted to control my breathing and throw strikes.”

Dahlson went to a full count with right

See Baseball | Page 15

Fischer blasts record out of the park LMU’s softball team wins three games as senior Sam Fischer sets the LMU home run record.

By Kevin Cacabelos Staff Writer LMU’s women’s softball team took three of four games in a pair of doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday against the Utah Valley Wolverines. The Lions’ pair of three-run innings in the fourth and sixth propelled them to an 8-3 victory in the fourth and final game of the series on Sunday at Smith Field.

In Sunday’s first game, the Lions (7-3) won 7-2 over the Wolverines (3-3). Senior shortstop Sam Fischer hit a two-run home run to right center field in the first inning, making her the career home runs leader at LMU. “This is definitely one of my top moments in my time at LMU,” said Fischer. “I feel just really on hitting wise right now. Everything came together. It was pretty sweet seeing it go over the fence to break the record.”

Fischer’s 48th home run (fifth of the season) broke current LMU assistant coach Danielle Kaminaka’s mark that she set in 2005.

“She’s a great hitter, you can’t argue with that,” Kaminaka said. “She’s worked hard.

She’s out there everyday. She’s earned it.”

“To hit that many home runs, it takes consistency. She’s been our team leader for many years now, and I think the big thing was to get it over with,” said LMU Head Coach Gary Ferrin. “It’s always tough when you’re chasing a record, and you’re close and the pressure

[is building] because everyone expects it from you.”

Lions junior Molly Medeiros (5-1) pitched a complete game, striking out six and only allowing four hits. Sunday’s effort was Medeiros’ second start in as many days. In game one of Saturday’s doubleheader with Utah Valley, Medeiros pitched a complete game, only giving up four hits and three earned runs in the loss.

In the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader, Fischer continued her hot hitting. Her first inning double drove in junior Danielle Smith from second, giving the Lions their first run of the game. The Wolverines answered back with a solo home run by senior Amanda Perez in the second. Junior catcher Jennifer Olivares kept the Lions offense moving in the bottom of the second inning with a solo home run to left field, giving the Lions a 2-1 lead.

The Lions’ big inning came in the the fourth.

LMU got its third run of the game courtesy of a Danielle Smith’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly to right field that scored redshirt sophomore Leilani Montalvo from third base. Freshman Sterling Shuster kept the rally alive with a two-out double to right field that went past two converging Utah Valley outfielders. Shuster’s double drove in both senior Kylie Ahlo and Olivares, giving the Lions a commanding 5-1 lead.

Utah Valley cut the Lions’ lead with a tworun sixth inning, however, a three-run home run in the seventh inning by senior Kelly Sarginson gave the Lions an 8-3 lead effectively putting the game away for the Lions.

The Lions averaged eight runs and nine hits a game in the four game series.

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Senior shortstop Sam Fischer (pictured above) hit her 48th home run of her LMU career.

LMU will head east to Florida for two tournaments in two weeks. From Feb. 24-26, the Lions will play in the Hilton Suites “Strike Out Cancer” Tournament in Boca Raton, Fla. and from March 2-4 they will play in the USF Under Armour Invitational. LMU doesn’t return home until March 12.

“It’s tough. We’re playing quality teams.

We have to be careful with our pitchers. It’s not a do-or-die, so the experience we get from playing high quality teams should establish a good foundation for conference,” Ferrin said.

Despite an eighth place finish, the women’s swimming team sets LMU program records.

By Ray Ferrari Staff Writer The LMU women’s swimming season came to an end Saturday after finishing eighth in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Championships last week at East Los Angeles College Swim Stadium.

Competing in the MPSF for the second season, LMU came into the conference championship meet at a disadvantage as an undersized school while dealing with a few costly injuries. LMU did achieve quite a bit of success considering the circumstances.

“We had some swimmers that swam very well,” said Head Coach Bonnie Adair. “But it’s a really competitive field.

It was a pretty big achievement for a small school like us.”

Junior Camille Hopp swam the 50 yard freestyle in a time of 23.24 seconds on her way to a sixth place finish while breaking the school record, previously held by Anne Scott 2010.

“I swam with [Scott] my freshman year and looked up to her, so it’s a pretty cool feeling for me,” Hopp said. “I didn’t even know what the record was until I broke it so I was kind of shocked when I found out.”

Senior co-captain Tammy Choy ended her LMU swim career on a fairly high note Saturday. Choy finished seventh in the 100 yard backstroke and won the consolation final in the 200 yard backstroke (9th place overall). Choy was satisfied with her performance in the 100 but would have liked to do a little better in the 200. Regardless, Choy said, “I tried my best all weekend, and I’m happy with where I am now. I don’t regret anything.”

Another triumph for LMU swimming is senior co-captain Jillian Dahle. Dahle won a consolation final in the 100-yard freestyle (17th place overall) in her first

See Swimming | Page 15