ESTABLISHED 1921 February 23, 2012 Volume 90, Issue 33 Your Home. Your Voice. Your Newspaper.
Loyola Marymount University
www.laloyolan.com
Concerns remain about Mexico travel Fire alarm system to be EACH YEAR, over 100,000 updated American high school and college students
Facilities Management hopes that renovations will decrease malfunctions.
spend their spring breaks in
Mexico, a country where nearly
half
of the states are currently under a travel advisory from
By Laura Riparbelli
the U.S. Government. Photos: Associated Press Graphic: Joanie Payne and Dol-Anne Asiru | Loyolan
NEWS ANALYSIS
U.S. government-issued travel warnings increase to include 14 Mexican states. By Casey Kidwell Asst. News Editor
Over 100,000 American high school and college students travel to Mexico for spring break each year, according to a Feb. 26, 2009 article on MSNBC.com. LMU students are no exception, and with the University’s close proximity to Mexico and focus on social
Senior Editor
Statistics from MSNBC.com and U.S. State Department
justice, there are even University-sponsored trips there. However, following the U.S. State Department’s travel warnings for 14 of the 31 Mexican states, issued Feb. 8, questions have been raised about the safety of students heading there next week. Despite these recent travel warnings, members of the LMU community will continue to make the trek across the border. This spring break, an alternative break group will head to Morelos, Mexico, a city described as having state authorities “being increasingly infiltrated by drug gangs,” sparking citizen protests in April 2011, according to the BBC News article “Mexico violence: Morelos state security chief sacked.” Additionally, in 2012 alone, there have been six De Colores trips to
Tijuana, Mexico, according to the Center for Service and Action’s website. During these trips, students spend a weekend immersing themselves in the culture and doing service to help locals. Campus Minister and Coordinator for Service and Spirituality April Gutierrez, who is also the organizer for the De Colores program and Ignacio Companions trip to Cuernavaca and Mexico City, said that the significance of these service trips is that it allows students to “see an aspect of their own mission or an issue they care about in a deeper or new light.” While Gutierrez labeled this as an important attribute of the programs she
He currently serves as the Chairman for the Alliance of College Ready Public schools, which manages Los Angeles middle and high schools. Riordan spoke as a part of the Spring 2012 Urban Lecture Series in Ahmanson Auditorium on Tuesday and was interviewed by Dr. Fernando J. Guerra, director of the Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles. At the Urban Lecture Series, according to its website, guests discussed the impact of the Los Angeles Riots (April 29, 1992) on Los Angeles and their future vision for Los Angeles. Riordan and Guerra covered a variety of topics, including Riordan’s policies and actions as mayor. Riordan continually brought up the
importance of streamlining business practices, utilizing the private sector, reforming the education system and empowering Los Angeles citizens. Riordan believes in empowering people, even if it means breaking rules. Guerra asked what Riordan was most proud of during his tenure as mayor, to which Riordan replied, “empowering people to do things, getting a city that believes it can make things happen.” Guerra mentioned that Riordan handled the 1994 Northridge Earthquake well. Riordan said he “told people on television ‘Forget rules
See Mexico | Page 3
Riordan stresses empowerment Former L.A. mayor Richard Riordan offers local, political insight to students. By Jay Lee Asst. News Editor
Even after his tenure as the mayor of Los Angeles, Richard Riordan continues to be politically active within the city. Riordan, a Republican, was mayor of Los Angeles from 1993-2001 and California Secretary for Education from 2003-2005.
See Mayor | Page 5
Liana Bandziulis | Loyolan
Rose float lion takes up permanent residence on the first floor of U-Hall It took approximately two hours for crew to remove the metal platforms under each foot of the lion which were prohibiting it from fitting through the U-Hall doors. The statue has been set up in the U-Hall atrium, but may be moved in front of Roski Dining Hall.
EVERYTHING OSCARS Loyolan staff members provide an in depth look at this Sunday’s Academy Awards.
A&E, Pages 8-9
Index Classifieds.............................5 Opinion...............................6 A&E...................................8 Sports..............................16 The next issue of the Loyolan will be printed on March 8, 2012.
Fire alarms rang across campus last semester a total of 37 times, according to statistics compiled by the Department of Public Safety (DPS). This semester, there have already been 31. Of these, 23 were false alarms and eight were due to equipment malfunctions occurring with the fire alarm system. Four were classified as “mischief,” meaning that the alarm was intentionally pulled when no danger was present. “Intentional pulling is relatively new to us,” said DPS Chief Hampton Cantrell. “We know it is an extreme nuisance when a building alarm goes off several times in a year.” Although DPS Captain Cristina Martin said that the number of fire alarm activations is not necessarily abnormal, Cantrell stated that when a fire alarm is pulled or erroneously activated, valuable DPS resources are taken from the department. “For example, when there is a malicious pull in U-Hall, it requires [us to] send most of our officers to manage the evacuation, check the building and make sure people can return inside,” Cantrell said. “Because U-Hall is so large, we need almost all field personnel to respond, and there’s disruption of classes, meetings and a loss of productivity.” Junior film production major Kevin Wells was asleep on his couch in the O’Malley Apartments early Saturday morning, Feb. 11, around 2 a.m. when the fire alarm sounded and the building was evacuated. Although that fire alarm was later deemed a mischievous pull, Wells said that he experienced a system malfunction his freshman year in which he said Del Rey South was evacuated twice one evening due to the equipment not working properly. “If they improve the system, that would be nice. Even if it only happens every once in a while, it seems to always happen at the most inconvenient times,” Wells said. “I think I subscribe to the ‘boy cried wolf’ phenomenon sometimes. I’ll go into my apartment and I’ll hear an alarm going off and it doesn’t even cross my mind that it could be [a real] problem because the system seems to be always going off.” Facilities Management has taken heed of these issues and, in order to provide an upgrade of the current system, is crafting a plan to renovate all fire alarm systems on campus. This upgrade project, which is currently in the drafting phases, will include automatic fire sprinklers, fire alarm systems, fire alarm monitoring, access control systems, video surveillance systems, in-building emergency communication and wide-area mass communication, among other upgrades. Rick Harris, director of Building Management at Facilities Management, and his team have been working in collaboration with DPS on the proposal since the summer of 2011 and, although no date for completion has been set, some changes have begun installation. The first allocation of funds
See Alarms | Page 2
JOURNEY TO THE TITLE BEGINS The Loyolan sports section reflects on LMU basketball this season in preparation for next week’s WCC tournament.
Sports, Page 15
News
February 23, 2012 Page 2
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Fire alarm system Don’t like what the Loyolan to be modified publishes? Alarms from Page 1
for the project went toward employing a third-party monitoring company to examine the 13 buildings on campus that had previously housed a standalone system, meaning that the alarms were not tied back to DPS or any other service. “This is a cohesive approach to upgrading all of these systems and brings us into the 21st century. ... The focus is Student Housing. It’s all about the students and it’s imperative that we do all that we can to keep them safe,” Harris said. In terms of cost, Harris said that the plan has yet to be finalized and a set amount of funds have not been appropriated. Upon examining Pepperdine University’s costs for a similar upgrade project, Harris estimated that Pepperdine’s costs for a full renovation were in the millions. Once the proposal has been finalized, Harris expects to have a better idea regarding what this will mean for LMU’s renovation process. “I’d like to see much better systems campus wide and in our academic spaces. There are some buildings that are just certainly not as well equipped as even our older residence halls,” Harris said. Although the buildings are currently up to code in terms of fire safety, a renovation is necessary, according to Harris, due to the outdated nature of the equipment and the difficulty of finding replacement parts. He expects that a renovation will solve the problem of system malfunctions and other
false alarms relating to equipment issues. “It’s a legacy project. This is a project that will ensure the integrity of LMU’s fire alarm and security systems for years and years to come,” Harris said. Cantrell noted that regarding the intentionally erroneous pulls, none of the culprits responsible have been caught. According to California Penal Code section 148.4, any individual convicted of willful and malicious tampering of a fire alarm system may face a fine of up to $1000 and/or up to a year in jail.
FIRE ALARMS
ON CAMPUS 2011-12
FALL 2011
SPRING 2012
37 Total Fire Alarms 16 False Alarms 7 Equipment Malfunctions 2 Mischief 5 Cooking 1 Smoke 0 Fire Drills 1 Power Surge 0 Use of Blow Dryers 0 Accidental Pull 0 Facilities Maintenance Test
31 Total Fire Alarms 7 False Alarms 1 Equipment Malfunctions 2 Mischief 6 Cooking 1 Smoke 14 Fire Drills* 0 Power Surge 1 Use of Blow Dryers 1 Accidental Pull 3 Facilities Maintenance Test
As of Feb. 14 *The discrepancy between the 14 fire drills in the spring and zero in the fall is due to the fact that DPS was not tracking fire drills until the spring, according to DPS Captain Cristina Martin.
Graphic: Dol-Anne Asiru | Loyolan
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News
February 23, 2012 Page 3
Students keep travel plans to Mexico despite warnings Mexico from Page 1 runs, she also recognized the potential dangers present for her travelers. “Risk is always present, and we are constantly weighing that risk with the educational and formative benefit of offering an opportunity, locally or globally for our students,” Gutierrez said. The risks present in traveling to Mexico at this time are made known to the students, especially those making the journey to the country this upcoming week with the alternative break program, according to Pam Rector, director of the Center for Service and Action (CSA). “All students are asked to read over the U.S. Department of State website with information about Mexico prior to signing the LMU form ‘Mexico Assumption of Risk and Release of Liability,’” Rector said. The U.S. State Department’s travel advisory was the largest travel advisory issued since Mexico escalated its drug war in 2006, according to the Feb. 10 Huffington Post article “Mexico travel warning: U.S. increases warning to 14 states.” The advisory warns against nonessential travel in such locations as Chihuahua, Coahuila and Tamaupilas, all of which border the United States. Other border states are included in this warning, as well as parts of central and western Mexico where drug cartels have been warring, according to the Huffington Post
article. But the article states that “the advisory seems to take pains not to make even violence-plagued tourist destinations off limits,” pointing out that the popular tourist location, Mazatlan is not on the list. Another popular tourist spot, Northern Baja, Mexico, is listed on the travel advisory as a place to “exercise caution, particularly at night.” It is also where members of The Station, a Christian club on LMU’s campus, will travel on a mission trip next week. Attendees at Journey of Faith Church in Manhattan Beach will accompany LMU students on the trip. Gregory Piken, who is both the young adult and local outreach pastor at Journey of Faith and an adviser to The Station, coordinated the two groups’ participation. On the mission trip, students travel to the largest orphanage in Northern Baja, Door of Faith, to spend time with the children doing art and service projects for four days. While not endorsed by the school, some LMU students are participating in this mission trip put on through Piken’s church. Piken told the Loyolan that LMU’s policy is not to sponsor or support travel to countries for which the U.S. State Department has issued travel warnings, and his trip is not sponsored by LMU. Piken and his group are taking what he feels are necessary precautions, such as renting a large van for the group to travel in and only traveling on the road during daylight hours. While this group has remained informed
about the risks, Piken also said, “God is greater than our biggest fears and problems. He is bigger than Mexican drug cartels and border crossings.” Chair and Professor of LMU’s Chicana/o Studies Dr. Karen Mary Davalos has been to Mexico on three different occasions, all of which, she told the Loyolan, were hassle and problem free. In discussing the current situation in Mexico, Davalos said that it is “the result of U.S. involvement in the Mexican policy and the manipulation of the so-called ‘war on drugs,’ which only targets the supplier and not the U.S. consumers who are overwhelmingly white, male and middle class U.S. citizens.” In saying this, Davalos added that the travel warning issued by the U.S. State Department only applies to a limited number of places in Mexico and not the entire country. Davalos cited travel destinations such as Greece or the United Kingdom as ones she was more concerned about than Mexico. The Greece 2012 trip this upcoming summer was canceled due to a “faculty decision,” according to “LMU cancels Greece program,” published in the Loyolan on Oct. 13. This is not the first travel warning for Mexico issued by the U.S. State Department nor is it causing any LMU sponsored trips to Mexico to be canceled. No matter where students travel for Spring Break, Davalos said that “travel advice never changes: be aware of your surroundings.”
Zaneta Pereira | Loyolan
Campus Minister Fr. John Galvan, S.J., thinks that LMU students should question their “day-to-day way of living” during this Lenten season.
11 Burning Questions with a campus minister This issue, News Editor Zaneta Pereira talks to Campus Minister Fr. John Galvan, S.J., about Ash Wednesday and the Catholic Lenten season. 1. For those who may not know, can you briefly summarize what Lent is? Essentially, it’s a time of introspection, of reflection and it’s an opportunity for all Christians, not just Catholics, to examine their faith and relationship with God. 2. Where does the concept of giving things up for Lent come from? It comes really from the Jewish tradition and that history of fasting and abstinence, from the prophets down to Jesus’ time. Certainly, other world religions have it as well. 3. Personally, what does Lent mean to you? Personally, it reminds me of my family and the traditions that we had as a Mexican, Catholic family. So it’s just a time of reflecting truly on who you are and the way God sees you and not just the way you see yourself. It also brings back, like I said, family traditions, the dishes that we eat, especially on meatless Fridays, and certainly the idea of the Holy Days and walking around with ashes on your forehead and recalling what the ashes mean. 4. What exactly do the ashes that are applied to the foreheads of Catholics on Ash Wednesday mean? The ashes are put on your forehead to remind you that you’re nothing without God’s mercy and love. When the [layperson] puts the ashes on you, there’s two formulas. One says, “Repent and believe the Gospel,” and the other one, which I think is more poignant, says, “You were ashes and to ashes you will return.” 5. What are you giving up for Lent? For Lent, I’m going to be giving up pastries. 6. Why do you believe that this kind of self-denial is a useful exercise? I think it’s just that, in these 40 days, I might remember that I love pastries, but I’m giving them up because it’s this special time which then prompts me really into a journey of auto-searching and seeing the ways in which I’ve not been very Christian, so it’s just a way of remembering these things. 7. Do you think that Lent is very well observed here at LMU, by the Catholics students and faculty? I think they do abstain, at least from meat, or they think about it. How much more do they observe it, I’m not sure. 8. Is Campus Ministry holding any special services during the Lenten season? Certainly. Ash Wednesday’s a big event here on campus and we have five Masses. Lent will be celebrated through the Sunday Masses and then for Holy Week there’s the whole Triduum starting from Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, the Easter Vigil and certainly the Easter Sunday Mass. 9. The Pope Benedict XVI said this Ash Wednesday in his Vatican address that Lent was “a time for mature decisions.” What do you think students can get out of this season? Well, I think that, not only the Catholic students but all the Christian students, be they Protestant or Orthodox, if they say they are of this faith, then the 40 days of Lent should have them questioning their day-to-day way of living and certainly their weekend activities. Also, it should provoke thought about [if and how] they as students, although the major thrust right now is their studies, can find time to share their gifts with those who have less. This is a big volunteer school, but can they do a little bit more? Perhaps Lent can challenge them to do things they would not necessarily do. 10. Do you have any plans for Spring Break? I’m working, so I’ll be here for most of it, but I will be attending the WCC conference in Las Vegas, as I’m sort of like the athletics chaplain. 11. When did you know that you wanted to become a Jesuit? I joined the Jesuits when I was 29, and when I was a kid I’d always had this feeling inside of me of wanting to be a priest but then, you know, [with] the major shifts of high school and college I thought I wanted [to be] something else. After college I went to work in Puerto Rico, and it was there that I realized that the little gnawing sensation was still inside of me, and I said to myself, “Well, I’m 29 years old right now. If I don’t find out if this – the priesthood – is for me, I’ll always sort of regret it. If I try and it’s meant for me, I go on. If I try it and it’s not meant for me, I go back to my life.”
February 23, 2012 Page 4
News
Jesuit denounces violence Nobel Peace Prize nominee speaks about protesting peacefully. By Jaide Timm-Garcia Contributor
“Culture says you’re a nobody, but if you want to be all that you can, [you should] go fight and kill for the empire. We live in a culture of violence, but life is a journey of making peace with ourselves and every human we meet,” said Fr. John Dear, S.J., a non-violent activist, as he opened his talk in the Sullivan Academic Center on Tuesday night. Dear, who has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize and arrested more than 75 times, emphasized the importance of promoting active peace wherever one goes. His lecture and arguments stimulated a 15- minute Q&A session, where he acknowledged that the more you try to do, the worse things get, but that you should still “do what’s good because it’s good and leave the results in God’s hands.” Campus minister Sr. Joanna Carroll, C.S.J., who organized the event, scheduled Dear to speak after learning he was in town for the Pax Christi in Los Angeles. Dear’s résumé includes the titles of priest, pastor, peace activist and author of 28 books, and he was able to draw upon his varied experiences to engage the audience of approximately 35 people. According to Carroll, “LMU hasn’t had an event like this since the Monk Thich Nhat Hanh spoke in Gersten Pavilion several years ago.” Indeed, Dear’s talk revealed
his willingness to go to any means necessary, short of violence itself, to stand up for peaceful justice. Dear spoke about how he once served eight months of a 20-year sentence in prison for hitting an F-15 fighter and nuclear bomb carrier with a hammer in an act of anti-war and nuclear weapon protest. He explained that the message he was trying to get across for this demonstration was “love your enemies, don’t nuke them.” For Dear, his spiritual journey began at the end of his college years at Duke University. He specifically recalls having an epiphany on Ash Wednesday in 1980 and thinking to himself that when he dies, God would want to know what he did to help others during his life. As a result, Dear resolved to go Israel to study the life of Jesus in the Holy Land, when he found himself in the middle of the Israel-Lebanon conflict of 1982. “To see war and mass murder from 15 miles away made me think, ‘What’s the point of going to church on Sunday if you’re going to make bombs the rest of the
week?’” said Dear. “Fr. John’s words were very effective, powerful and humbling,” said freshman communication studies major Sarah Scherk, who was in attendance. Scherk said she identified with his encouragement to seek peace and actively pursue it. Although Dear frequently interposed Biblical references in the majority of his ideas about peace, he also included an equal amount of teaching from his two mentors: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi. Using their quotes and beliefs to support his own, he addressed the spiritual issue of violence in war and spirituality. Semhar Dory, a junior political science major, said that she admired Dear’s honesty and consistency throughout his talk. “He gave other examples besides Christianity and brought up every religion in regards to nonviolence,” she said, praising Dear’s “consistency” and focus on “the bigger sphere of things.”
Abbey Nelson | Loyolan
Fr. John Dear, S.J., served time in prison for hitting an F-15 jet with a hammer.
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TODAY!
February 23, 2012 Page 5
Former mayor ‘concerned about the common good’ Mayor from Page 1
of the city, just go ahead and do things yourself. If you have to repair something, go ahead and do it.’ And the city was absolutely amazing with what they did.” His belief in empowering people extends to his investment in the education system. Riordan stated that he believes the solution to solving poverty in Los Angeles is providing education that allows the impoverished to rise above their circumstances. Humberto Solis, the communication coordinator for the Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles, organized the event and was pleased by the turnout as he felt that the Urban Lecture Series has been “doing great work.” “It’s talking about very important subjects that need to be discussed, and it’s giving the public a chance to discuss them with officials that they don’t necessarily have access to,” said Solis. Riordan, who spoke to a mostly packed auditorium, included humor in his speech, asking a student on one instance if his mother knew how he was dressed. Solis said, “Dr. Guerra had warned me that he [Riordan] was a bit of a jokester, and that really came through. He has a big personality, and I really admire the work that he’s doing with schools.” Fr. Robert Welch, professor emeritus of the political science department, said, “It’s a very
good series, with all these former mayors to get a view of L.A. politics. … He’s still biased towards business, and he doesn’t like labor, but that’s the way most businessmen are. They always find fault with labor. It’s a constant in a capitalist system.” On the whole however, Welch was complimentary of Riordan, stating that, “He does seem to be concerned about the common good. … I like his attitude, he talks a lot about public education, especially for the poor.” Anne-Marie Boisseau, a sophomore political science major, attended the event and said she enjoyed it. “I think that he did a good job of expressing what he did in office, which was interesting to see because I’m not from around here,” Boisseau said.
She noted that despite being a Republican, Riordan came across as “more centralized and I liked that he brought up that he was pro-immigration, pro-choice, but he still held those economic beliefs of being a Republican.” For Guerra, the aim of the event was to “have students see people who are in leadership positions, to see how they talk about being in real politics. … The political science department, urban studies and other academic departments, we do a great job about teaching [students] the theory, and teaching certain patterns, but I want students to see also the practical – how it gets implemented.” For Guerra, demonstrating this practical implementation is what the lecture series is all about.
Abbey Nelson | Loyolan
Former Los Angeles mayor Richard Riordan spoke to students Tuesday in Ahmanson Auditorium night about his prior leadership positions.
Opinion Student Editorials and Perspectives
February 23, 2012 Page 6
Board Editorial
Letter to the Editor
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
T
Re: “Escher/Obama 2012: Birth control for all” (Feb. 16, 2012, Page 7) Dear Editor,
Kevin O’Keeffe Managing Editor
Brigette Scobas Human Resources Coordinator | Asst. News Editor
Assessing affirmative action
he Supreme Court has declared that it will debate the constitutionality of affirmative action for the second time in nine years. The announcement came on Tuesday after the court was presented the case Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin (UT). Caucasian student Abigail Fisher filed the case after her application to UT was denied, arguing that she was judged on her race rather than her credentials. In 2003, the 5-4 decision in Grutter v. Bollinger ruled in favor of colleges and universities taking race into account in the application process, supporting the policies first instated by the late President John F. Kennedy in 1961. The decision was written by then-Justice Sandra Day O’Connor – whose replacement, Justice Samuel Alito, is noted to be far more hostile towards affirmative action, according to The Daily Beast’s Feb. 21 post “Court Takes Case on Affirmative Action.” Because of this, Justice Elena Kagan’s recusal and the noted anti-racial equalization records of Justices Alito, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, John Roberts and Anthony Kennedy, legal scholars anticipate a decision in favor of Fisher. This is the latest in a long string of social justice issues that have been debated at a national level in recent years, most notably following the hot-button topics of abortion and same-sex marriage. The United States is in
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a period of close examination of social issues, something that, as a Jesuit university committed to social justice, is important to LMU’s mission. Regardless of how one feels about affirmative action, the more crucial issue here is the likelihood that the nation will hear the opinions of very similarly-comprised courts on the same issue. It is the mission of the Supreme Court to hear every case from an impartial point of view. The Loyolan feels that if the case is going to be heard on the same range of topics by the same group, the justices must pay special attention to staying unbiased. Justices Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer all served on the Court for the affirmative action case in 2003 – it is likely that they’ll hear much of the same information in this case, and the three justices who previously voted against the issue (Scalia, Kennedy and Thomas) thus will probably be inclined to vote similarly again. The Loyolan knows that the issue of affirmative action is a controversial one and a touchstone for much debate in all levels of society. It is this sensitivity that requires all of the justices of the Supreme Court to make sure they fulfill their roles as impartial arbiters of the law to make the correct decision in this case – one that accurately represents the rights of American citizens, as laid out by the Constitution.
After reading the Feb. 16 article “Escher/Obama 2012: Birth control for all,” I felt obligated to respond to Anna-Michelle Escher’s claims about the controversy surrounding Obama’s Affordable Care Act. As a non-Catholic woman, I believe the author, and many others, are missing the point about this debate. It is not about “elderly, celibate men telling young women what to do with their bodies.” It is about religious institutions, which do not condone contraceptive use, being forced to pay for the actions of the women working for them. The Catholic Church is not trying to force its ideals or beliefs onto anyone; it is simply saying that it should not be obligated to effectively support behavior that is in direct opposition to its doctrine. This is more a religious rights issue than a women’s rights issue. Women have complete freedom in this situation. They can either choose to not work for the Catholic institutions in question, or they can choose to pay for their own contraceptives. In contrast, the Catholic Church is not given a choice. The government is trying to force religious leaders to bear the financial burden for acts that it does not support. Yes, I realize that Obama rescinded his original proposal and is now mandating insurance companies to cover the costs for these contraceptives, but it is employers who pay for insurance. So, by default, these institutions will be forced to pay. This is a clear infringement on religious freedom and conveys the growing resistance people have to taking personal responsibility for their actions. To the women affected by this act: Do what you want with your body, just don’t ask anyone else to foot the bill. Liz Spanos Senior finance major
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The Loyolan welcomes letters to the editor. All submissions must include the author’s first and last name, phone number, e-mail address and year in school or relation to the University (i.e. alumnus, professor, etc.). Submissions should be typed and no more than 300 words.
Cuts could carve the way to a slippery slope A
t one point or another, we have all witnessed the slow and painful decline of the California education system. Whether on the news or first hand at a public school, everyone has seen the overworked teachers and overcrowded c l as s ro o m s . In college, especially in a private u n i v e r s i t y, Rythym and (like LMU), we have Views the luxury By Jackson Souza of taking Contributor a backseat to this circus. Finally escaping the confines of a poorly executed high school curriculum, I thought I was free from the decisions the government makes that dictate the ebb and flow of my educational experiences. That was until the California State Budget was released on Jan. 5. Last Wednesday, the entire student body received an email from University President David W. Burcham, alerting us that Governor Jerry Brown is proposing to “cut the maximum Cal Grant award for students attending independent, nonprofit colleges under the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities (AICCU) from its current $9,708 to $5,472 – a 44 percent reduction.” LMU falls under this category. Students dependent upon the financial aid of a university and the California state government, such as myself, should be ready to act against these proposed cuts. Furthermore, anyone who has dreams of attending a California university, any parent that bears the immense financial weight of a modern college education and every person in this state
that has received any iota of knowledge from a California university should be appalled as well. Out of all Californians that receive the Cal Grant, AICCU schools put this money to the best use, according to the Cal Grants Fact Sheet on aiccu.com. Private university students that receive the Cal Grant A, which assists with tuition and fees, exceed University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) students that receive the same aid. So, out of the 399 California colleges, why would the state choose to cut funding to 74 of the colleges that most benefit the
state fiscally? Given the rocky financial history of California in recent years, and also given how many times the state government has attempted (often with success) to squander the limited amount of money allocated to the needs of the California state education system, students and educators need to start being aware of this mistreatment. In an effort to halt these shortsighted cuts, Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom sent a letter to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee on Feb. 8, respectfully lobbying for the restoration of California’s “world class public higher education system,” lest we face
“a workforce that is underskilled and unprepared for the next economy.” He addresses the paradoxical situation that Brown is forcing upon students, “placing the burden of our fiscal problems on the very students who will help lead California out of this morass.” Newsom also brings to light an important but overlooked point in these budget cuts, that “the current proposal threatens to further handicap students already fighting social and economic disadvantages,” which will “disproportionally affect minorities.” The sad thing is, according to the same Cal Grant fact sheet on aiccu.com, over 60 percent of
Information compiled from aiccu.org; Graphic by Nadine Jenson | Loyolan
AICCU Cal Grant A are recognized as part of a minority. A few more far-reaching and startling realizations, also on the fact sheet, are that Cal Grants for AICCU schools have not increased in 10 years, while CSU and UC maximums have increased by several thousand dollars. AICCU schools are pouring more and more of their own institutional aid to make up for this stagnancy and now, sadly, if this proposal passes ,then responsibility will fall onto the universities to make up for the cuts, or they will have to standby as their students drop like flies. I am not proposing that we shove the Cal Grant cuts onto universities that seem more fit to handle them, but that we oppose cuts to education all together. Even though these cuts only affect AICCU schools, such as LMU, who really knows what set of colleges is next on the chopping block? I encourage everyone to act against cuts towards education, whether it be to secondary schools or universities, because, as Newsom said in his letter, we cannot afford to handicap “the very students who will help lead California” out of this financial crisis. There are three steps to take action, as listed on the LMU website. You can sign the online Students First Alliance: Save Our Cal Grants Petition, go to LMU’s advocacy site to quickly send an email to the governor and your legislators or “like” the Students First Alliance Facebook page. This will help raise awareness of the issue. If you are a current or past Cal Grant recipient, post stories on the Wall or upload a video about what Cal Grants mean to you. This is the opinion of Jackson Souza, a freshman philosophy major from Sacramento, Calif. Please send comments to ktran@theloyolan.com.
O pinion Rape is never deserved, in the U.S. or overseas
February 23, 2012 Page 7
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R
ape. If you’re female and in the military, expect it, according to Fox News commentator Liz Trotta. Choosing a career in a male-dominated field only makes it your fault. Quit whining. Trotta’s controversial comments on women in the military have again reminded us that no matter how much progress has been made Over a Glass towards sexual equality By Amanda Kotch in our society, Opinion Intern the problem of gender dis-
crimination is still alive and well. Recently, Trotta reported on a statement released from the Pentagon that showed a 64 percent increase in reported sexual assault in the military from 2006. Her response was not sympathetic to the victims nor critical of the abusers. And she didn’t offer any insight as to why this is an ever-increasing problem. Trotta’s take on the troubling issue: “What did they expect?” Women in the military should expect to be raped because they are in “close contact” with their male counterparts, she said. She added, “I think they have actually discovered there is a difference between men and women,” with a sarcastic, self-assured chuckle, and she blamed feminists for “wanting to be warriors and victims at the
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same time.” The Pentagon’s statement was released in conjunction with news of a change in policy that eased the restrictions on where women can serve in the military. “These new rules or more appropriately changes to the Department of Defense (DOD) ground combat exclusion policy do not mean that women will be fighting with the infantry for the first time. Women have been in these roles [for more than 10 years,] but not officially acknowledged,” according to Feb. 15 Time Magazine article “Liz – Are You For Real?” by Donna McAleer. Ever since equal job opportunities have been granted to women, there has been debate over whether certain jobs should remain offlimits. Regardless of whether you believe women should have the ability to serve alongside men in combat, no woman in any field should come to expect sexual abuse as part of her job description. And not every woman falls under the umbrella of what society has constructed to be the norms of the female gender. All men do not inhabit the role of “warrior,” just as all women are not playing the role of “victim.” Sarah Albertson, a United States Marine from 2003-2008, submitted her story to Change. org, a social action platform which promotes and works towards social change. In the Feb. 21 article on Change.org, “Fox News’ Trotta Still Doesn’t Get It: I Want Her Rape Apologism Off the Air,” Albertson wrote, “Property of male Marines’
was never in my job description, and therefore I should never have had to ‘expect’ to be raped. Not only does Trotta’s twisted stance set women’s rights back several decades, once again telling us that despite our abilities and qualifications, we should not be allowed to work in our chosen profession, so as to avoid ‘tempting’ violent criminals whom she desires to see continue their employment. However, she goes even further to suggest that any male in our armed forces is completely capable of raping his colleagues.” Trotta continued, criticizing government overspending on programs to help these victims of sexual abuse, these “women in the military who are now being raped too much.” Not just raped, but raped “too much.” Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart addressed his shock over Trotta’s comments on his satirical news program “The Daily Show,” making a point by stating, “Think of how much cheaper it would be for all of us if they were raped just the right amount.” The idea of a woman being raped just once is troubling enough. The idea that a woman could be raped “too much,” implying there is a standard at which the occurrence of the crime is acceptable, that by entering into a particular career field she is subjecting herself to this abuse is unthinkable. Women should be blamed for government spending on counseling programs. Not only does she believe that the victims are to blame for this
abuse, but Trotta later dismisses any notion that these women should have access to basic protection and freedoms, saying, “That’s funny, I thought the mission of the Army, and the Navy, and four services was to defend and protect us, not the people who were fighting the war.” But these people fighting the war, they are “us.” They are American citizens who have just as much of a right to live and work in a safe environment, to have access to legal protection and the ability to do what they want with their own bodies, as any other citizen. The women in these positions are fully competent employees, yet Trotta seems to think excluding women from the military is the only solution for preventing rape. Not once in her report does she allude to the possibility that there might be a problem with a male culture that thinks rape is OK. While it is unlikely many will agree with Trotta’s views, knowing that they exist at all is unfortunate; particularly when they are being promoted through our national news media. Her opinions only serve to facilitate gender discrimination not just in the military, but in the entirety of our society. And whether she is a mother at home or a soldier in combat, a woman should never have to live in a world where ‘rape’ is synonymous with the female sex. This is the opinion of Amanda Kotch, a sophomore art history major from Huntington Beach, Calif. Please send comments to akotch@theloyolan.com.
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Film professors debrief Oscar nominees By Kevin O’Keeffe, Managing Editor
In preparation for this Sunday’s Academy Awards, Managing Editor Kevin O’Keeffe sat down with four professors from LMU’s School of Film and Television. Professors Kevin Arkadie, Karol Hoeffner, Susan Barber and Anke Zwirner talked to him about the race, their favorite performances and which nominees didn’t quite belong. For the full transcript of the interview, visit laloyolan.com. What are your basic impressions of the Best Picture nominees this year? SUSAN BARBER (SB): There’s a huge array of subjects here: silent film [“The Artist”] and “Hugo,” a three-dimensional spectacle. It’s a whole range. KAROL ANN HOEFFNER (KAH): I thought it was a wonderful year for a lot of good films. I don’t think that there has been one particular film that has captured the particular year, or the enthusiasm of either the Academy or audiences. But I do think that it was a year for good movies. We also saw some movies that I think took a lot of chances – structurally, subject wise – which was really kind of fun. There’s a lot of small movies on this list for Best Picture, as well as a couple that ... would never have made my list. ANKE ZWIRNER (AZ): I never thought that a French silent film would be so successful within the whole season. We’re talking about French film, silent, black and white, that it’s been so successful all season. KEVIN ARKADIE (KA): I think the best thing the Academy did recently was expand beyond five films. So, number one, it’s a great marketing boost for the industry at large. ... That’s what strikes me the most. I agree with Karol;I don’t think there’s a single great movie. There are great moments in a lot of movies, but masterpiece? No. I think it’s anyone’s ball game. Are there any performances, on this list or otherwise this year, that you felt really knocked out by? SB: Viola Davis turned in a wonderfully understated performance in “The Help.”That was a dignified, internal performance. It’s not as flashy as Octavia Spencer [“The Help”], who is equally wonderful, and I’d love to see them both win. But I know Viola Davis [“The Help”] put a lot of prep into that to not make her role too flamboyant. ... It was a very confident, contained, dignified performance. KAH: I thought Christopher Plummer was amazing in “Beginners.”That was a really incredible performance. KA: Kirsten Dunst in “Melancholia.” I really thought she was, you know, really good. SB: Wasn’t [Charlize Theron in “Young Adult”] delightful? She brought so much humanity to what could have been just a ... self-centered role. She was very good. KAH: And again, if you’re looking at the Academy, [“Young Adult”] is not a movie they would like or get. I think it’s too brash. SB: Melissa McCarthy in “Bridesmaids” is delightful. They were all delightful. And Jonah Hill in “Moneyball.” I thought he was very good in that. What film in the Best Picture crop do you think did not deserve the nomination at all? KAH: I think “War Horse.” I have had extremely loud and incredibly close arguments with people over “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.” ... I frankly loved the film, I really did. I loved the movie, and it gets me in a lot of trouble, saying that. But some would probably argue that it doesn’t belong. http://www.circlecinema.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/The-Artist-Poster.jpeg KA: Even though I did enjoy it,“Midnight in Paris.” Not for Best Picture. AZ: Talking about movies made in France and in French. I was really amazed that “Hugo” could play in Paris and celebrate one of the first French filmmakers [Georges Méliès], and it was all shot in English. From my European perspective, I was a little annoyed that they speak in American-accented English. ... [Martin] Scorsese makes wonderful films, and here he was trying to make a children’s film. ... [Especially] for the first 30 minutes, it was too much eye candy without enough storytelling.
Images: Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros., Fox Searchlight Pictures, GK Films and Infinitum Nihil, Le Petite Reine and ARP Sélecion
Formula forecasts actors’ fate By Christopher James, Asst. A&E Editor
For Best Actor, the winner is determined by tallying up votes from certain “Oscarology” sites such as GoldDerby.com Experts, GoldDerby.com Editors, Gurus o’Gold votes and placement on respected film blogger Scott Feinberg’s predictions. This number is added onto the total number of precursor awards won. The precursor awards are weighted to place higher value to more prestigious awards like the Screen Actors Guild Awards or Golden Globe Awards compared to, for example, the Las Vegas Film Critics Society’s Sierra Awards. According to the formula, Jean Dujardin has not only taken the lead, but also distanced himself from the competition.
LOYOLAN OSCAROLOGY: PREDICTING BEST ACTOR
2012 Best Actress Nominee Michelle Williams
Interested in more predictions?
Check out laloyolan.com to read Managing Editor Kevin O’Keeffe’s final “Road to the Gold” Oscar blog.
Graphics: Alberto Gonzalez | Loyolan, Photo: Associated Press and Flickr Creative Commons
February 23, 2012 Page 10
Arts & Entertainment
Asos attire allures Ready for spring break? Plan on hitting up the beach? For casual chic dresses, body hugging cover-ups and flirty bandeaus, Us.asos.com has an array of apparel fit for any spring break destination. For those opting for warmer climates, Us.asos.com has the essentials: stunner shades, floppy hats and strappy sandals to swoon over. Originally based in Europe, the host site, Asos.com is
the UK’s largest independent online fashion and beauty retailer. This expanding online retail shop has become a favorite to global fashion bloggers and fashion connoisseurs. The online store carries its own line as well as other designer brands. With a price range of about $15 - $1,500, a shopper’s options are endless. Spring break begins tomorrow, so you might want to place a rush order. -Dol-AnneAsiru Asiru -Dol-Anne
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February 23, 2012 Page 11
‘Sultan’ play addresses What to do in historic religious conflict L.A. over break Professor Q&A By Tierney Finster A&E Editor
M
uslims and Catholics have a long and storied history, but some might wonder how those stories are relevant to today’s cultural climate. A&E Editor Tierney Finster sat down with Amir Hussein, a professor in LMU’s Theological Studies department, to discuss “The Guest of the Sultan,” a play that sheds light on the Christian-Muslim connection. “The Guest of the Sultan” will be followed by a Q&A with the playwright and actors after the reading tonight in Murphy Recital Hall.
Tierney Finster (TF): How would you describe “The Guest of the Sultan?” Amir Hussein (AH): “Guest
of the Sultan” is a great play, written by the award-winning playwright T.S. Cook. At the end of the day, the play has to be able to stand on its own. Is it a good play? Given that Cook is someone who pays close attention to the news, he is very much interested in contemporary issues. “Guest of the Sultan” goes to the historical encounter in 1219 between Saint Francis of Assisi and the Muslim Sultan Malik al Kamil. It looks at that historical encounter and uses that as a way to launch into a discussion of Christian and Muslim issues in Egypt, including terrorism, hostage situations – that kind of thing. It talks about the 800year connection between Muslims and Christians in that area.
TF: Why is Muslim–Christian relations such a relevant top-
Off-Campus Beat
ic still today? A.H.: These are the largest
religions in the world. Roughly speaking, one-third of the world is Christian and onesixth of the world is Muslim. Christians and Muslims together then make up half the world. Half of the world is then involved in this conflict. Muslims have been part of the Christian world since its conception in the seventh century. Part of it is that we have lived together in contact. It’s not as if those Muslims were in Australia and Christians were in Canada and we never came in contact. It’s often that Christians are in the north [of a country] and Muslims in the south, or vice-versa. You look at places like Southern Spain. Thirty percent of the Spanish are Arabic, so the Muslim influence is clearly there. The interconnections are there, but so are the conflicts. We can choose which of those to spend time looking at. Do we look at the faiths as distinct things, or attempt to understand the mutual world they come out of?
TF: Why do you think LMU students should go to the reading? A.H.: Well, on the one hand,
it’s a free play with some nice refreshments afterword. Here’s the chance to see a play by an Academy Award nominee. What makes it an educational experience is the Q&A that will occur after. It will talk about how a play gets produced, with the first step as this kind of thing, and a reading in front of people. It won’t be done as a set, but with professional actors reading parts. The conversation after will be great for students interested in the
By Brandon Cudequest Staff Writer
D
Abbey Nelson | Loyolan
Professor Amir Hussein discusses the complex Christian-Muslim relations in the play “The Guest of the Sultan,” which will be read tonight in Murphy Recital Hall. show business side to it, who can talk to the actors and Cook about that process. The other panelists include the Chair of the Catholic Theology at LMU Fr. Thomas Rausch, S.J., Fr. Alexei Smith, who is the Interfaith Officer for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles; Feryal Cherif from the political science department and myself. The four of us will talk along with T.S. Cook, the playwright, about the educational component of it. A reading of “The Guest of the Sultan” will take place today, Feb. 23 from 7 to 10 p.m. in Murphy Recital Hall.
id your parents not pay for your plane ticket home for Spring Break? Don’t worry – they may not love you, but at least you’re stuck in a city with plenty to do. Here are a few suggestions to fill your time over the break. First Friday: First Friday is a time when food trucks are lined up on the Abbot Kinney Blvd. in Venice, art galleries stay open late and hordes of people come to start their weekend. March 2 is the first Friday of the month, so be sure to head to Venice to check out all the offerings. Just be warned that you may have to wait in line for some of the more popular treats. The Echo/The Echoplex: In the mood for some music? Then head to one of the hippest venues in Los Angeles. During Spring Break they have an amazing schedule, with Unknown Mortal Orchestra playing Saturday, Feb. 25., !!! (Chk Chk Chk) playing March 1 (a definite for those who want to get their dance on) and Cloud Nothings, for the fuzz rockers, on March 2. “Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie”: A fan of the popular Adult Swim comedy sketch show? Then you are going to want to see Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim in person on Friday, March 2. They will be in attendance for a Q&A after the 7:30 p.m. showing of their adapted feature film. If you need a laugh, head to the Nuart Theatre, which is conveniently located just
off the Santa Monica exit of the 405. Cirque Du Soleil’s “OVO”: Cirque du Soleil has taken over the Santa Monica Pier to immerse you into the world of insects. Even with a student discount, it is going to cost you a fair sum for good seats. But don’t you want to see people do things you cannot (but wish you could)? Celebrity Stalking: With the Oscars rolling into town on Feb. 26, you can bet there will be some great opportunities for celebrity sightings. Try and get as close to the red carpet as you can (the event is in the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood), and try your luck at getting into an after party.
Associated Press
Cirque Du Soleil is performing at the Santa Monica Pier. It’s their new production “OVO,” which takes the audience into the world of insects.
February 23, 2012 Page 12
Arts & Entertainment
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Artist teams with twin brother for exhibit Student Spotlight By Sonja Bistranin Staff Writer
F
amily’s the thing in the latest student exhibit presented in the Thomas P. Kelly Jr. Student Art Gallery. Loyolan Staff Writer Sonja Bistranin sat down with Gildon Kirk, a senior studio arts major. His latest show, “Brothers From Another Planet,” was done with his twin brother, Roger Kirk, who attends UCLA to showcase life as a twin, and convey what it was like growing up with one another.
SB: What inspired you to do this exhibit? GK: My brother is also an art major – he goes to UCLA – and I thought it would be fun for my senior year, for the last semester, to do a show where we could celebrate our relationship. I knew it was going to be difficult, but I thought we could pull it off, so I applied for a show. [The work] was pretty much half-and-half with my brother. We did some stuff together, but then we each have our own individual pictures. SB: What’s your favorite piece of work in the exhibit? GK: I really like the egg picture and the one with both of our eyebrows.
SB: How do you think the exhibit exemplifies being a twin and plays on that theme? GK: It basically shows that I think we have a closer relationship than most siblings have. But at the same time, if you look at the differences between our works, we both have our own aesthetic and we’re both striving for different things. So we’re two individuals but still very close. SB: What do you hope to do with your art? GK: Well, I’m interested in trying to get my work into galleries and keep doing fine arts photography. But I work for a gallery now, and so getting into curating or something like that would also inter-
est me. And Roger is more interested in teaching art. So he’s applying to Teach for America and is planning on going abroad to teach and gain experience. SB: When people walk into your exhibit, what do you hope they see and get out of it? GK: I hope that they get an insight into what twins are actually like because I feel like a lot of people see twins as a spectacle and something that is very foreign to them. I hear a lot of people say, “Oh, I wish I had a twin,” or “What is it like having a twin as a brother?” We get those questions all the time. And I think the exhibit kind of jokes on those questions but also answers them
Stewart Tomassian | Loyolan
Gildon Kirk described one of his favorite piece in the exhibit (pictured above) as representing fraternal twins being born as distinct people.
at the same time. SB: Tell me about the fried egg picture in the exhibit. GK: Basically, we’re twins but we’re not identical, we’re fraternal. But we look similar enough that sometimes people don’t believe we’re not identical. It’s funny. So this is a symbol for when we were in our mom’s belly, we weren’t the same egg, we were two separate eggs, and that’s how fraternal twins are.
“Brothers From Another Planet” is on display until March 10th. Student viewing hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Stewart Tomassian | Loyolan
LMU student Gildon Kirk (right) enlisted the help of twin brother, Roger Kirk, an art major from UCLA, to present an exhibit in the Thomas P. Kelly Jr. Student Art Gallery emphasizing life as a twin in both its duality and individuality.
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Sports
February 23, 2012 Page 13
3-1 Mustangs JASON GILL JOINS USA BASEBALL’S 2012 COLLEGIATE
HEAD COACH
NATIONAL TEAM AS AN ASSISTANT COACH
FOR THIS SUMMER’S UPCOMING
OLYMPIC GAMES.
Joanie Payne | Loyolan
come to town Baseball from Page 16 “Pitching and defense was the key to this past series and will be the key to our whole season,” Gill said. “I hope it holds up [against Cal Poly], but we need to have more opportunistic hitting, get more people on base and take some pressure off our pitching staff.” Freshman Colin Welmon will start his second game of the season on Friday to build upon his six-inning, three-earned-run outing against UNLV last Friday. Welmon walked the first batter of the game, but quickly settled down to keep the game close for the Lion offense to score in the bottom of the sixth and seventh innings. “Going six innings, I put my team in a position to win,” Welmon said. “They had my back and gave me a few runs in the later innings, but overall I was pleased with my performance.” Welmon reflects on his first outing and what he needs to imporve going into his second career start. “It’s important to throw that curveball for strikes, especially in the later innings when it is your third time through the batting order. It’s also nice having a defense that has your back to know that I can pitch to contact. They make a lot of plays that aren’t easy to make,” Welmon said. Junior right-handed pitcher Aaron Griffin, senior set-up man Ryan Hawthorne and righthanded closer Bret Dahlson lead a Lions bullpen that, according
to Gill, is a “potential strength” of the 2012 team. Other than those three power arms, the Lions provide depth in the bullpen, with junior left-handed pitcher Matt Florer, who gave the Lions two and a third innings of work on the Lions’ Saturday loss to UNLV, and junior right-handed reliever Ramiro Carreon, who struggled in his first outing on Saturday. Other than the pitching depth shown over the weekend, the Lions strung together 19 hits and drew seven walks. Junior outfielder Matt Lowenstein, who is hitless in his last eight plate appearances after a two-for-three start, focuses on his improvements at the plate. “The goal is to go up there and have quality at bats, try and hit it hard and get on base,” Lowenstein said. “The power will come, but we have to continue to be aggressive, go first to third and steal bags, that’s how we are going to score runs.” The Lions’ offense has not hit a home run in three games thus far. Over the weekend, the Lions will play four games against a Cal Poly team that finished in third place last season, behind perennial powerhouses CSU Fullerton and UC Irvine and ahead of Long Beach State. “In college baseball,when you play four games in three days,the pressure falls on pitching, especially our starters,” Gill said. “We want to go as deep in the game as we can and save our bullpen. It’s not a concern, but it will definitely be a challenge.”
S ports Billy Bean ‘represents the best of LMU’ February 23, 2012 Page 14
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Last March, Billy Bean returned to LMU, speaking to an audience in Gersten Pavilion about his professional baseball career. Bean from Page 16 It is certainly true that LMU’s historic season was a result of much more than the individual accomplishments of Bean. But it is equally true that without Bean’s leadership and exceptional play this season — which at one point saw the Lions ranked number one in the nation and climaxed with the program’s only College World Series appearance ever — would never have been possible. Bean came to LMU as a highprofile athlete who excelled in both baseball and football at Santa Ana High School. He and fellow 1983 freshman Tim Layana (who passed away in 1999) were seen as saviors for the struggling LMU baseball program. While both were suc-
cessful in their early careers, it was not enough. Fortunately, help was on the way. In the summer of 1984, LMU hired Dave Snow as the new head baseball coach. Under Snow’s influence and direction, players who had previously languished now blossomed, while Bean and Layana flourished. The tide started to turn quickly for LMU baseball as Snow’s first team finished the 1985 season at 28-27, only the program’s second winning season in nearly a decade. Bean, the unquestioned leader on the field and in the locker room, was named first team All WCC and his season’s accomplishments earned him the first of multiple All-American awards. But it is the seldom-told story of the summer of 1985 that
made the spring of 1986 a possibility. At the conclusion of their junior seasons, both Bean and Layana were drafted — Bean by the New York Yankees and Layana by the New York Mets. For both, this represented a concrete chance to make their way to their ultimate goals and dreams of playing major league baseball. For both, this was an extraordinary opportunity to erase the scars of 11-41 seasons and take advantage of offers that were not guaranteed to present themselves again. They had played hard for LMU, and the program was gaining momentum. They had done their share for LMU baseball. However, the two friends were conflicted, so they headed to Alaska and the premiere summer baseball league for college players. Bean hit over .400 and earned summer AllAmerican honors, and Layana excelled as well. By July, the Yankees and the Mets had made contract offers to each that no one, not coaches, teammates or families thought they could turn down. But both Bean and Layana said no, and when classes resumed in August for the 1985-86 school year, Bean and Layana were back on campus. Bean returned to LMU for a very simple reason: he loved being an LMU student athlete and perhaps more than anyone else, he and Layana saw with clarity what others were not yet capable of imagining, the possibilities that LMU could accomplish with them on the roster. The rest, as they say, is history. And it is history worth revisiting and appreciating.
The story of the 1986 LMU baseball team is the story of players and coaches made in the image of their Jesuit models: a group of men relentless in their pursuit of a destiny that required commitment, faith and an unyielding drive for excellence. Bean was better than ever, another All-American campaign where he was arguably the most complete college baseball player in the nation. To the surprise of no one who knew Bean, less than a year after his final game as a Lion, he made his major league debut with the Detroit Tigers. On that day, he had four hits, tying a major league record for hits in a debut. In his recent Convocation Address, LMU President David W. Burcham said, “A great institution does not rest on its ac-
complishments; it builds upon them.” Burcham will be proud to know that when Bean’s playing career ended, he used his business degree to help develop a successful real estate company, is now furthering his education taking writing classes and continues to serve as an agent of social justice, providing his voice to those who are outcasted and silenced. Today, when he looks back on the years he spent at LMU, Bean says it was a “profound time. I have a warmth for the school, and more than anything, I’m grateful.” Twenty-six years later, Bean still represents the best of LMU. This is the opinion of Bill Ferrari ‘88. Please send comments to ndines@theloyolan.com.
LMU Athletics
During his senior season in 1986, Billy Bean led the LMU baseball team to its first ever appearance in the College World Series.
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S ports ROAD TO
February 23, 2012 Page 15
SIN CITY 12-01-11— First back-to-back wins of the season, beating New Mexico, 57-54
11-11-11— Lions knock out crosstown rival #17 UCLA, 69-58
1-21-12—Women secure first conference win over Santa Clara, 64-54
11-29-11— LMU upsets continue, knocking off another ranked team in #23 Saint Louis, 75-68
Photos: Flickr Creative Commons, Associated Press and Loyolan Archives, Devin Sixt and Kevin Laughlin | Loyolan
Women to Malibu, men finish with two home games for finale 1-28-12—LMU downs Portland 68-60 in effort to turn season around
Before heading to Las Vegas, the men’s basketball team will play two home games, tonight against University of San Diego and Saturday against Santa Clara, while the women travel to Malibu to take on Pepperdine. Visit laloyolan.com/sports to read the full previews for each team.
Loyolan staff members weigh in on the upcoming West Coast Conference (WCC) tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada. Women’s Basketball
2-2-12—Lions continue streak, top USF 62-49 for third win in four games
2-16-12—Three seniors honored as LMU drops big game to San Diego, 78-54
2-18-12— Alex Cowling sets LMU scoring record as Lions fall to St. Mary's, 61-56
Men’s Basketball
A
I
n all honesty, the women’s basketball team would have been better off being referred to as the LMU Alex Cowlings instead of the Lions this season. Cowling, a redshirt junior forward, is averaging 22.3 points per game – putting her first in the West Coast Conference and eighth in the country. She’s responsible for half of the conference’s 30-plus point performances, and her individual accolades were the only bright spots in a season marred by inexperience and a lack of players on the court. However, despite only mustering three wins through conference play thus the Lions did display that Two Plus the Foul far, there is something growBy Michael Goldsholl ing in Gersten. The team is Managing Editor sporting nine freshmen and sophomores on the roster – a massive hurdle in itself. Even in the mid-majors, that amount of inexperience on one roster is just asking for struggles. As far as the WCC tournament is concerned, the Lions seem locked into the eighth or ninth seed, which means they will be one of the two teams participating in the play-in game on Wednesday Feb. 28. While this does mean the Lions have a better shot at picking up a playoff win, their low seeding is a testament to how much they struggled in 2011.
ccumulating a 7-1 record in West Coast Conference (WCC) road games, the LMU men’s basketball team has taken on the persona of “Road Warriors” who love going into big environments and bringing their best in high-pressure situations. The Lions are playing with confidence and toughness, winning six of their last seven games. Sounds like a perfect recipe for a dangerous team in college basketball’s best month of the year. After last week’s highprofile wins, people outside of the Bluff area started to take notice that the Lions would be a scary matchup for any team Wilks World in next week’s WCC tournaBy John Wilkinson ment in Las Vegas. Teams Senior Editor like BYU, St. Louis, St. Mary’s and UCLA can vouch for that. With the guarantee of a top-four finish and a bye to the quarterfinals, LMU will need two wins at the Orleans Arena to land itself in the primetime championship game on ESPN. A game like that would provide a new level of exposure for the Lions and a win in it would send them to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in over two decades. Skyscraper confidence, bright lights and the promise of a payoff you have always dreamed of – isn’t that why people go to Vegas anyway?
This is the opinion of Michael Goldsholl, a junior english major from Santa Barbara, Calif. Please send comments to mgoldsholl@theloyolan.com.
This is the opinion of John Wilkinson, a senior screenwriting major from Phoenix, Ariz. Please send comments to jwilkinson@theloyolan.com.
THE LOYOLAN
has you covered this SPRING BREAK! For all your WCC tournament coverage, log onto
laloyolan.com/sports
1-14-12— Men lose nailbiter down the stretch 62-58 to #21 Gonzaga
Starting Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012
Graphics: Dol-Anne Asiru and Joanie Payne | Loyolan
1-28-12— First home WCC victory, win close game over Portland 62-59
2-4-12—Huge 19-point rally to overcome San Francisco, 90-88
2-15-12—Third ranked upset of the year, cruise to 75-60 win over #16 St. Mary's
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Lion Sports
February 23, 2012 Page 16
Justin Vitug and Devin Sixt | Loyolan
Basketball teams ready to test limits in Vegas With less than a week left before the Zappos.com West Coast Conference (WCC) tournament, the Loyolan sports staff offers a breakdown of LMU’s basketball teams’ seasons and what to expect at the tournament. For more coverage on next week’s WCC basketball tournament, see Page 15.
Pitching staff crucial in this weekend’s series The Lions welcome the Cal Poly Mustangs for a four-game series this weekend. By Dan Raffety Asst. Sports Editor
Devin Sixt | Loyolan
Freshman right-handed starting pitcher Colin Welmon (pictured above) will try and earn his first collegiate victory after going six innings and allowing three earned runs in his first outing.
After taking two of three from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Rebels, the Lions (2-1) face a four-game series, with a double header on Saturday against Big West representative California Polytechnic San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) Mustangs (3-1) starting Friday at 1 p.m. at LMU’s Page Stadium. Cal Poly comes into the series on a high note, winning their first three games out of four, including a dominant sweep of Big
XII member Oklahoma State University, outscoring the Cowboys 23-3 over the weekend. The Mustangs did hit their first road bump of the year losing to Santa Clara University 5-2 on Tuesday. “It looks like they can pitch, I know their head coach from when I played junior college ball and he’s excited about his young pitching. They swept Oklahoma State, so we have our work cut out for us,” Head Coach Jason Gill said of their opponent. Pitching and defense was the main key in the Lions’ series win. In 27 innings of work, the Lions’ pitching staff did give up 27 hits and 10 earned runs, but struck out 24 UNLV batters, while only allowing five free passes to first base. The Lions also did not give up any defensive errors on the weekend.
See Baseball | Page 13
Bean’s vision, commitment leads to historic career Looking back on an illustrious career, LMU alumnus Bill Ferrari examines the impact of Billy Bean. By Bill Ferrari Guest Columnist
F
reshman leftfielder Billy Bean stepped to the plate for the first time in a Loyola Marymount University baseball uniform on Sunday, Feb. 6, 1983 at Dedeaux Field in Los Angeles, Calif., and his three hits would propel the Lions to a seasonopening victory over the University of Southern California. The next morning the Orange County Register labeled Bean’s day “an auspicious start” to his
collegiate career, a start that led to Bean’s induction into the West Coast Conference (WCC) Hall of Honor on March 3. Both the University and the conference owe him greatly. But promising starts don’t always make for fairy tale seasons, and this proved true for Bean and the Lions, who managed only 10 more wins that spring, finishing with an 11-41 record. On Thursday, June 5, 1986 at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Neb., senior centerfielder Billy Bean stepped to the plate for the last time in an LMU baseball uniform, the clock having struck 12 on the most improbable of seasons, now concluding with a 50-15 record and a sixth-place finish in the College World Series.
See Bean | Page 14
LMU Athletics
LMU Hall of Fame baseball player Billy Bean (pictured above) is the newest Lion to enter the WCC Hall of Fame. Bean will be honored Saturday, March 3 at the Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.