February 28, 2013

IT’S GAME TIME.

ESTABLISHED ESTABLISHED 1921 1921 February 27, 28, 2012 2013 September Volume Volume91, 91,Issue Issue33 7

www.laloyolan.com Your Home. Your Voice. Your News. loyola marymount university

ASLMU approves new VP

New ASLMU President Vinnie Caserio appointed Jason Abbott as his vice president this week.

By Casey Kidwell and Tilly Rudolph Loyolan Staff

Liana Bandziulis | Loyolan

UpRooted performs at Convo as part of a recording arts major requirement UpRooted, a West Coast indie band, performed at Convo on Tuesday, Feb. 25. Every spring, junior recording arts majors are responsible for producing concerts during Tuesday Convo. None of UpRooted’s members are LMU students, but recorded at LMU last year with an LMU recording arts major, which landed them an invitation to perform this week. For more photos from the concert, see Page 9.

Greek Council president speaks out

Lauren Coons claims that her emotion while presenting the complaint was to “engage” students.

By Kevin O’Keeffe Editor in Chief

Before she walked into the Feb. 20 ASLMU Senate meeting, Greek Council President Lauren Coons was not spending her time rehearsing the impeachment complaint against then-ASLMU President Bryan Ruiz she would be submitting.

Instead, the junior entrepreneurship Liana Bandziulis | Loyolan major was in class.

Lauren Coons “Trying to sit through class, knowing that I would be making this huge movement, this splash in the community ... I was nervous,” Coons said of the time prior to the hearing. “I still can’t believe that I did it, to be honest.”

“It,” as first reported by the Loyolan online on Feb. 17 (“Greek Life preparing impeachment complaint against

ASLMU president”), was the submission of the first impeachment complaint filed against a sitting ASLMU president in at least 15 years, according to Director of Student Leadership and Development (SLD) Andrea Niemi.

When Coons’ class ended and she entered the meeting, she found herself speaking to an audience of over 100 students, all collected to watch history being made.

“You don’t speak in front of 100-plus people every day,” Coons said of her anxiety in the moment. “Nor do you go against the current every day.”

The genesis of the complaint After being elected to the presidency of Greek Council in December, Coons spent much of her time and energy postrecruitment season researching the events of an alleged Feb. 5 on-campus meeting of Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE), the off-campus, unrecognized fraternity of which Ruiz was formerly the president and is currently a member. According to Coons’ complaint, the meeting was an SAE alumni night held in a Foley Annex classroom. Sanctions received due to this meeting ultimately led to Ruiz’s removal by the University, according to a post on Ruiz’s personal blog on Tuesday.

According to Coons, rumors of the meeting first surfaced at a Greek

TIME TO TRAVEL The Loyolan staff offers tips and insights to help you plan your next getaway.

Travel, Page 8

leadership summit.

As chapter presidents expressed frustration that issues with SAE were not resolved when they first surfaced last fall (as reported in the Nov. 12 Loyolan article “Unofficial fraternity colonizes off-campus”), Coons said she felt “a little bit” of a personal obligation as Greek Council president to take charge of the process.

“I think the presidents took it personally that nothing had been done, and that SAE chose not to listen,” Coons said. “I had full support from them from the beginning. So this was not something just coming from me. … I made sure I was representing the Greek community.”

Despite rumors to the contrary, Coons said the complaint was entirely studentmotivated, with no interference from the University. “I know there’s been a lot of speculation and some wisecracks made about the administration and puppeteers,” she said. “But I wrote [the complaint] myself.”

‘It seemed to deeply impact her’ All this preparation led Coons to stand in front of the Senate to present the eight-page complaint. Rather than merely read the text, Coons said she aimed to “engage” the students through an emotional presentation.

Index Classifieds.............................4 Opinion.........................5 Travel..................................8 A&E.................................9 Sports.............................16 The next issue of the Loyolan will be printed on March 14, 2013.

See Coons | Page 2

THURS 73˚ - 53˚

FRI 77˚ - 56˚

SAT

SUN

78˚ - 59˚

64˚ - 52˚

ASLMU Senate approved former Chief Justice and senior biochemistry major Jason Abbott as the new vice president at yesterday’s Senate meeting. Abbott was nominated by current ASLMU President and senior sociology major Vinnie Caserio to fill his former role.

In a statement he released to the Loyolan, Abbott said that he is looking forward to working with Caserio, as they have been friends since freshman year.

He says that his Kevin O’Keeffe | Loyolan “biggest strength in Jason Abbott assisting Vinnie in the coming months will be [his] ability to motivate others and [his] attention to detail in conjunction with [his] previous ASLMU experience.”

As chief justice, Abbott presided over judicial hearings, served as a voting member of the Judicial Committee, coordinated arrangements for hearings and maintained all records on file in the ASLMU Office. As vice president, Abbott will represent the president in his absence, serve as the nonvoting chair of Senate meetings and serve on the Student Reserve Board (SRB), among other duties.

In addition to his experience as chief justice, Abbott served on ASLMU Senate in the 2011-12 school year.

Caserio was required to appoint someone to fill his old position as dictated by the ASLMU bylaws due to the removal of former ASLMU President and senior marketing major Bryan Ruiz, as reported in the Feb. 25 Loyolan article “Former ASLMU president ‘no longer eligible.’”

In a letter he addressed to the LMU community, Caserio said that while he has known Ruiz for nearly 10 years and will continue to be best friends with him, he is “ready to serve the student body as ASLMU president, and looks[s] eagerly toward the challenges that lie ahead.”

Over the next two months, Caserio says that his aim is to “carry out the mission that Bryan and [he] originally envisioned: ‘to put the student back in government.’”

Abbott said that he understands the “scrutiny” he will be under due to the “concerns of the past week.” He continued by saying, “I pledge to support my ASLMU team and to thoughtfully serve the study body as we attempt to address any issues facing the LMU community.”

In Caserio’s letter to the ASLMU Senate regarding Abbott’s appointment, Ruiz was quoted as highly recommending and supporting Abbott as ASLMU vice president.

In the letter, Abbott stated, “I plan to continue the phenomenal job Vinnie has done as VP while trying to incorporate a new perspective given my Senate and judicial background within ASLMU.” –Additional reporting by Kevin O’Keeffe, Editor in Chief

RECORD BREAKING TALENT Redshirt senior forward Alex Cowling is set to be the all-time leading scorer in the history of the WCC.

Sports, Page 16

News

February 28, 2013 Page 2

www.laloyolan.com

Coons ‘regrets’ prompting a power struggle Coons from Page 1 This emotion led to a moment where Coons began to cry.”

“My initial reaction to her emotion was certainly, from a student leadership standpoint, to see how passionate she was about what she was speaking about,” Niemi said of Coons’ tears. “It seemed to deeply impact her.”

Greek Life Program Coordinator Dan Faill agreed.

“Yes, she got emotional,” he said to the Loyolan after the meeting. “However, given the level of work and investment she had with the matter, I am proud of how well she did.”

“It was a long week. A lot of work went into it,” Coons said.

“I think part of it was stress coming out finally.”

A student body divided After the meeting concluded, Coons’ complaint quickly and sharply divided LMU’s student body, as comments on both ASLMU’s and the Loyolan’s Facebook pages quickly escalated into full-scale debates about the validity of the charges “It sucks,” Coons said. “We’re a very small community, and we shouldn’t be so divided. I hate that it came off as the Greek community versus ASLMU.” Still, she noted, “It’s interesting to see how passionate students get. …

Students have a voice. Clearly, they do. As much as it sucks that they’re divided, it’s kind

Liana Bandziulis | Loyolan

Coons admitted getting emotional at the end of her presentation.

She said that it was due to her “stress coming out finally.”

OVERHEARD

@ LMU

THIS WEEK’S SUBMISSION

Cartoon: Jackson Turcotte | Loyolan; Graphic: Kevin O’Keeffe | Loyolan

For the Record In the Feb. 21 issue of the Loyolan, a graphic stated that the Neighborhood Advisory Committee meeting is monthly. It is actually held on a quarterly basis.

of cool to see that happen, to see how students react and get involved with this stuff. They’re passionate.”

‘Power struggle’?

However, one of Coons’ regrets about the division in the student body is how the saga has been perceived as a fight over power.

“I think this got heated really quickly, and I kind of forgot, too, that we are students and we are one community,” she said. “I wish it wasn’t depicted as such a power struggle or a battle against these two communities, because we’re one community.”

One person who firmly believes that it was a battle is former ASLMU Senator and sophomore finance major Roy Dilekoglu. “It’s one big power struggle. They like to argue that ‘one in four people are Greek life.’ Well, three in four people aren’t Greek life,” he said. “[My] perspective … is that it has nothing to do with ASLMU. It’s just the power.”

However, Faill doesn’t believe that Coons had power in mind.

“With Lauren, this has never been about power, even when she first brought it up,” Faill said. “This is and has always been about integrity and doing the right thing.”

Looking forward, looking back The day after the meeting, Ruiz was removed from office. Because of this, the impeachment hearing Coons petitioned for was never held.

“I was a little angry, just because of how much work I put in,” Coons said of the University’s decision. “[But] it also was bittersweet. It was a lot

Liana Bandziulis | Loyolan

Members of ASLMU,the Greek community and other LMU students filledThe Hill on the fourth floor of Malone to hear Coons present the impeachment complaint on behalf of the Greek Council on Wednesday, Feb. 20. of work, and for Bryan’s sake, that would have been terrible to drag it out for another three weeks with spring break. And on my end, it was a lot of work that I didn’t have to do.”

Ultimately, Coons said, it was time to move on. “I just kind of let it go. Book’s done.

Chapter’s done,” she said.

While Ruiz is no longer president, SAE remains active off campus, something that Niemi said is still an issue for Greek Life. “My understanding is that there … are others that share the sentiment from an organizational standpoint,” she said. “And I can imagine that Greek Life will continue to have that as a subject of discussion internally.”

“SAE as an organization has some work to do. And we as an LMU Greek community hold our organizations to a high standard,” Coons said. She did allow for the possibility of SAE returning to campus during a future expansion process, however.

Looking back, Coons said that while she does have some regrets as to how things proceeded, she remains steadfast that her impeachment complaint was valid and glad she went through with the process.

“I’d do it differently,” Coons said. “I’m not sure how, but there are definitely changes that I would make.”

She then added, “But I would do it again.”

News

www.laloyolan.com

Alcohol Violation Del Rey North On Feb. 23, an intoxicated student was released to a sober friend. The case was referred to Judicial Affairs.

Larceny Theft Hannon Apartments On Feb. 23, a student reported a stolen bike. The case is now closed.

a fake ID. The case was referred to Judicial Affairs.

Larceny Theft Leavey 4 Apartments On Feb. 21, a student reported theft of the front tire of their bike. The case is now closed.

Criminal Mischief University Hall On Feb. 18, there was a report of graffiti vandalism Larceny Theft Malone Student Center on the first floor. The case is On Feb. 22, a visitor reported now closed. a stolen iPad. The case is Alcohol Violation now closed.

Parking Lot L On Feb. 17, an intoxicated Alcohol Violation student was found inside Hannon Apartments a vehicle. The student On Feb. 22, there was an required medical assistance. underaged student in possession of alcohol and The case was referred to

February 28, 2013 Page 3

Judicial Affairs.

Controlled Substance Del Rey North On Feb. 16, marijuana and paraphernalia were seized during a room search. The case was referred to Judicial Affairs.

Vehicle Incident Parking Lot D On Feb. 13, a student reported hit-and-run damage to their vehicle while parked. The case is now closed.

Sex Offense On Campus On Feb. 11, DPS received a report of an alleged sex offense on campus. The case was deemed unfounded.

Hate crime found in Rains Hall Bias-related vandalism was found in Rains Hall on Monday, Feb. 18, according to an email sent to Rains Hall residents by Resident Director Johnny Peters on Tuesday, Feb. 26. The vandalism, specifically graffiti, was found on a Black History Month poster in the elevator. According to the email, the incident was reported immediately and the poster was removed. The email stated that this type of behavior “will not be tolerated” at LMU.

Start getting ahead of the game.

start in the lead.

Sonja Bistranin | Loyolan

Yamashita says that sustainability is a “personal interest” of his because he wants to “leave something that was lasting.”

11 BURNING QUESTIONS with an AB trip leader

This issue, Asst. News Editor Sonja Bistranin talks to senior entrepreneurship major Ryan Yamashita about his motivation to plan an LMU surf club AB trip to Fiji.

1. How did this all come about?

For surf club, every year we have an annual movie premiere, and that year [2011] we premiered Air Pacific’s movie “Drop Zone Fiji.”

And one of the cool things was I found out the marketing director for Air Pacific is the husband of [LMU’s Admissions Assistant Director] Chris Parra, Bob Parra. Then, this summer I thought, “I want to do some kind of surf trip,” somewhere out of the country because I’ve never surfed out of the country before and that would be so much fun. I thought maybe we could do a “surf and service” trip over spring break.

2. What are some obstacles you’ve encountered while trying to plan the trip?

I think some of the speed bumps I ran into were [that] I was on the silent retreat, so I was gone for a week. Bob was doing different trips out [of] the country, so he would be gone and traveling for two or three weeks at a time. So we would make a lot of progress, and then the planning would be on pause for two or three weeks.

3. How many people are attending?

Our final count is we have five students going and one professor.

So it’s a smaller, more intimate trip.

4. How did you go about planning the trip?

I modeled the trip after my AB trip to Guatemala. I’m excited to have that service aspect. I know a lot of people think of Fiji and they think of this nice tropical island you go to for vacation. But actually, 35 percent of the population of Fiji is living below the poverty line.

That’s something that you don’t see, and I was excited to have the opportunity to go there and make a difference.

5. When do you leave?

We are literally flying out [today, Feb. 28]. We will get there Saturday morning because of the time difference and 12-hour flight.

Start moving up.

start coMManding attention.

6. What kind of service will you be doing on your trip?

Back in December, Fiji was hit by Cyclone Evan, and it wiped out a lot of water resources, a lot of gardens. So the sustainability focus will be helping out with reconstructing [the] rainwater harvesting system, building repairs and replanting some of the community gardens.

7. What do you expect to learn in Fiji?

This is only going to be my second time out of the country. So I don’t really have expectations.

Start learning more.

8. Is sustainability a personal cause of yours?

I think it’s a personal interest. I [want] to leave something that is lasting, like some kind of hands-on project.

start taking charge.

start strong. sM

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9. How do you bring what you learn in Fiji back to LMU? I think just encouraging students to get the most out of each project. I know every afternoon we have a debriefing, so leading a good debriefing and asking, what can we take away from this? Are there action plans that we can walk away with?

10. How can LMU students who are not attending the service trip get involved with sustainability?

I think sustainability is something that’s great, [but they] should look for something [they’re] passionate about and then get involved.

11. What do you think the differences or similarities will be between Guatemala and Fiji?

It’s tough to say, because Guatemala was my first time out of the country. It was more of an immersion focus than a service focus. Yes, we spent a lot of time working with the students teaching classes, but we also spent a lot of time traveling to Mayan ruins. I loved the group I was with. Also, I was not on the leader side. I was excited to go there just to have the chance to speak Spanish and that will be different in Fiji, because I don’t get to speak Spanish.

To read the extended version of “11 Burning Questions,” visit the News section of laloyolan.com.

News

February 28, 2013 Page 4

www.laloyolan.com

Alumni continue to serve ASLMU NEWS FEATURE

CANDIDATES

Students discuss their decisions to take part in post-grad service after LMU.

Elections Calendar :

ASLMU elections are approaching quickly. Check out the calendar of events and list of candidates to prepare your vote.

By Brigette Scobas Senior Editor

Their friends already have well-paying jobs, but they cannot afford flights to visit home. They have countless late nights.

Yet, they are willing to give up at least one year of their lives in order to participate in an experience where service for and with others is their top priority.

These individuals are the LMU alumni who partake in post-graduate service all around the world.

“I knew that I was going to get a degree in English writing, but what does that mean?” said Matthew Estrada (’11). “Everybody has a dream when entering college of being a musician or a famous artist or an athlete or CEO of some company that they don’t even know of yet. And then reality starts setting in. Do I live in an apartment with some buddies and get a job that has nothing to do with my skill set in college or do I do service?”

Estrada is one of many former LMU students who struggled with the decision to apply to and participate in post-graduate service. In October 2010, during the fall of his senior year, Estrada decided post-graduate service was for him. He applied to the PLACE Corps and started volunteering as a sixth grade teacher at St. Mary Magdalen School in Camarillo in June 2011. His volunteer term is for two years.

According to Center for Service and Action (CSA) Assistant Director of Campus Service Tom King, there are 108 alumni who, like Estrada, are participating in postgraduate service this year.

“That’s what we know,” said King. “There could be more. … It’s certainly gone up over the years.”

Whitney Wozniak (’12) is one of those 108 LMU graduates.

After starting to look into programs in the fall of her senior year, Wozniak decided to be a part of Lasallian Volunteers, a program of the De La Salle Christian Brothers, in Chicago, Ill. She leads student retreats and city tours to homeless shelters, service agencies and schools.

“We introduce [students] to justice and it allows them

Megan Wery

Wery (above) works on interior painting for Habitat for Humanity .

Monday: Campaigning starts Tuesday: Senatorial debate Wednesday: Town Hall meeting Thursday: Presidential debates Voting Periods: March 19th, 20th and 21st

PRESIDENT/VP CANDIDATES: Shawn Troedson and Caitlin Maher junior, urban sudies and junior, psychology

Giovanni Douresseau and Chris Fennessy sophomore, political science and junior, history

Bradley Richards and Dillon Siler junior, marketing and junior, marketing

SENATORIAL CANDIDATES: Megan Wery

Megan Wery (far left) serves with her team at the Habitat for Humanity of the Greater L.A. area site on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. to talk to the people oneon-one and it allows them to break down barriers and stereotypes,” said Wozniak.

While leading retreats and connecting with students has been rewarding for Wozniak, she still reflects on her friends who have jobs and her family who she wishes she could visit. However, she recently decided to stay for a second year.

Estrada also reflected on acclimating to volunteer life.

“It’s realizing that this isn’t the [bluff] anymore,” said Estrada. “This isn’t the bubble. This isn’t Thursday night at Iggy’s anymore. I can’t do that. As much as I’d like to be in the Lion’s Den studying, I don’t need to make the extra drive to go there.

I’d love to go to The Loft, but I’m not there anymore. And, I can’t be so focused on what I had when I’m trying to figure out what I have.”

Estrada is about 10 years older than his students, and for him, the hardest part was having to grow up.

“I’m trying to figure out how to be an adult for them when I’m figuring out how to do that for myself,” he said.

But teaching has been rewarding for Estrada.

“I had the privilege of teaching these wonderful sixth graders last year and as much as teachers complain about behavior or the lack of effort or motivation, you really grow to love and care for each of those students.”

One student in particular has stood out to Estrada in his year of teaching. He was “that kid” who “just had to say the joke to say it,” and as much as Estrada tried to control him, he didn’t seem to stop. So Estrada decided to handwrite him a letter.

“I basically told him you have an incredible amount of potential and you’re just throwing it away and whether or not you keep this letter ...

I hope you keep the message that it has that you can achieve when you want to.”

This year the student came back to Estrada and pulled out his Velcro wallet. He took out the letter and told him that it is the only thing he keeps in his wallet.

“That had ... nothing to do with fractions and nothing to do with subjectverb agreement. It was just a simple message that I believed in,” he said.

For Megan Wery (’12), being a volunteer coordinator for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles is something she believes in.

“This year of service is definitely reminding me to work hard and be humble,” said Wery. “The reward in my case is seeing hard-working families moving into decent, affordable housing. I have worked alongside so many of our partner families, and they’ve taught me what it means to have a strong work ethic and they have reminded me to be grateful for what I do have.”

Estrada, Wozniak and Wery have found the right sites and King, who is in his ninth year at LMU, works closely with students like them who are interested in doing one to two years of volunteer service.

Katie Mulembe, the Catholic Volunteer Network’s membership and recruitment coordinator, said, “There are opportunities for everybody, , so we try to help people based on their interests and experiences to find that one program. I really haven’t met anyone [where] there isn’t a program for them.”

According to King, some programs’ application dates have passed and some are coming up in March and April.

In terms of the application, acceptance and acclimation process, Wozniak said, “Let go and let God. It may not seem right all the time but being able to work through challenges is really important.”

Mulembe encourages people to be real in their applications.

He advises them to share why they are interested, who they are and what experiences they have had.

Rather than try to look good for the program, Mulembe suggests helping the program understand people and what they are looking for through their applications.

“Discern what it is that will get you up in the morning,” said Estrada to those thinking about applying and those who are in the process of accepting their placements.

“If it’s going to Bolivia and helping kids with dental work or going to Minnesota and serving the underprivileged YMCA, whatever the actual service is, it has to be enough to get you up because the environment itself will bring you down. … Be pretty sure about [the service].

It’s a hard thing to choose. It’s a commitment. What you’re doing is very rare in the world.”

For more information on post-graduate service, visit Lmu.edu/csa.

Raymond Chavez

freshman, political science

Franklin Bernstein

freshman, entrepreneurship

David Tassone

freshman, finance and economics

Andriana Ricchiuti

freshman, management

Alexander Bautista junior, accounting

Colin OʼBrien

junior, accounting

Kate Henley

junior, political science

Eddie Estrada

sophomore, communication studies

Charles Riley

junior, economics

EJ de Lara

junior, political science

Emilyn Cahn

freshman, liberal arts undeclared

Greg Eshom

junior, civil engineering

Stephanie Schiller | Loyolan

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Opinion Student Editorials and Perspectives

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BOARD EDITORIAL

lmu

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

Zaneta Pereira Managing Editor

Kevin O’Keeffe Editor in Chief

Dan Raffety Managing Editor

Jenna Abdou Asst. Managing Editor

Change allows for further connection

T

ransitions are defined by change, self-evaluation and, hopefully, growth. While not always easy, they are necessary in a world that is constantly evolving. Each year, as we transition into a new editorial staff at the Loyolan, we reflect on our strengths and weaknesses in serving the LMU community. While we are proud of the Loyolan’s accomplishments over the past year, the new executive editorial board is eager to further establish the Loyolan as the first place members of the LMU community go for their news. Most importantly, we hope to continue developing a deeper relationship with the student body and embrace the incredible potential that new media gives us to connect with the community instantaneously.

The Loyolan’s mission is to provide accurate and well-rounded coverage of events and issues that are pertinent to the LMU community.

We recognize that we are not alone in the transition process, as ASLMU is also currently working under new leadership. The past week’s events have ignited the campus and have called us to serve the University more than ever.

The Loyolan is grounded in its commitment to being the objective, but still inquisitive, voice on campus. By delving deeper into important issues, we are always seeking to provide more comprehensive and thorough reports on topics that are relevant to the student body. No matter what the issue is, positive or negative, we promise to give you the most complete coverage we can. We are not and will never be a public relations firm – we’re here to give you facts.

Our goal is to represent the issues that impact the LMU community, and that relies on the Loyolan becoming more connected with the students. We hope that the LMU community will play a more prominent role in the reporting process this year. We encourage the community to submit story ideas online, contribute your opinion to the paper and provide feedback on our content. Ideally, our mission will extend to every corner of the LMU community as a whole and the Loyolan will be able to serve as a platform to discuss relevant topics.

In line with that mission, new media has given the Loyolan a special opportunity to get know our readers on a much more personal level. In particular, social media sites, including Facebook and Twitter, serve as platforms for us to further engage in discussions with you.

While we are placing a special emphasis on utilizing social media to deliver the news in the most direct form, we are also eager to extend our conversation with our readers. Whether you are responding to an opinion piece or retweeting the latest sports recap, we thrive on your opinions and constantly evolving dialogue.

The dialogue that we share with community members is the reason the Loyolan is so passionate about our mission to serve LMU. More than anything, we want your feedback. As we embark into the next era of the Loyolan, we seek to deliver the news that is most relevant to the student body in the most inspiring and effective manner possible.

We want your feedback. Get in touch with us on our Facebook page, Twitter account and, of course, our website, laloyolan.com.

February 28, 2013 Page 5

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Re:“Former ASLMU President ‘no longer eligible,’” Feb. 25 Dear Executive Editorial Board, The buzz around campus about what’s happening in ASLMU cannot be ignored. Unfortunately, with all of this news making the headlines, I was disappointed by the lack of positive coverage. This past Friday, Lambda Chi Alpha and Sigma Phi Epsilon collaborated to raise awareness with their annual event “All in for Alzheimer’s.” The event had great attendance and raised approximately $4,500 for the cause. This same day ASLMU had Service with Senate, providing a take-along service opportunity for LMU students in conjunction with the service club Underwings Praxis. Approximately 20 LMU students headed to Dolores Mission to learn and serve at the Guadalupe Homeless Project in East L.A. On Saturday, ASLMU, Underwings Praxis and the residents of Whelan Hall collaborated to put on the annual Community Day in Sunken Garden. They brought in members of Dolores Mission with bounce houses, food, a soccer tournament and games. With all of these great events involving many groups on campus, I was surprised to open the Loyolan and not read about these successes. I completely understand why the biggest news is about ASLMU, but I think it is about time we show the reasons why we love LMU and how we are one community, not just a member of the multiple groups that make up this campus. It is time to support our school and the efforts each student is making by attending the events that are guided by the mission and stop focusing on the negative aspects that will ultimately divide our community.

Hannah We’d LiHauserman Junior Business administration major

The Lo

We’d Like To Hear From You: Loyolan Letters Policy letters @theloyolan.com The Loyolan welcomes letters to the editor. All submissions must include the author’s first and last name, phone number, email 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.

PLEASE RECYCLE THIS LOYOLAN!

Taking control of the hook-up culture

O

h, spring break: the one week in the middle of spring (or, in our case, first week of March) where social niceties go out the door, binge drinking becomes everyone’s modus operandi and clothing is most definitely optional. Due to a healthy mixture of the three aforementioned characteristics, it seems as though our genWhat the Heck eration’s ‘hookup culture’ is

By Allie Heck most evident on Opinion Editor this weeklong hiatus from real life and responsibilities. From making out on the dance floor to late-night frolicking (read: drunkenly skinny-dipping) on the beach, the sexual tension could be cut with a knife.

Many of our parents can’t understand, or choose to ignore, how our morals fly out the rolled-down windows on our way to Tijuana. But while everyone seems to be a little more loosey goosey upon downing a yard of ale from Señor Frog’s, hooking up has become an integral part of our college lives in general.

Up until somewhat recently, I honestly thought that true courtship was a mere fallacy, something that expired in the Dark Ages and was recreated for purely Hollywood purposes. But supposedly dating was an actual thing (although, I still have my doubts), and it wasn’t too long ago that it was overtaken. A relative coup d’etat took place, leaving the concept of somewhat involved, yet

somewhat casual, dating relationships in the dust and all of our generation in a fleeting haze of hooking up. I believe this evolution of young sexuality happened in accordance with many feminist movements.

I think that all of the students here at LMU, men and women alike, are here for one main reason: to get a college education. Notice that there’s no fine print in that statement, no ifs, ands or buts; no asterisks leading you to a subtext stating that all of the girls secretly want to find their husbands and settle down upon graduation. I am here to continue my education, further my life experience and have a hell of a good time doing it all.

This belief, held by many of my lady peers, is said to be one of the driving forces behind the hook-up culture.

According to a study carried out in 2004 by Elizabeth Armstrong, then a sociologist at Indiana University, and graduate student Laura Hamilton, hook-ups are used to delay the inevitable.

The women they studied, furthering their education and planning for their futures, were just simply not looking for Mr. Right at what seemed like the wrong time.

“If I want to maintain the lifestyle that I’ve grown up with, I have to work,” said one woman to Armstrong. “I just don’t see myself being someone who marries young and lives off of some boy’s money.”

I personally love the idea of a badass woman taking control of her sex life, but I think that the hook-up culture’s link with feminism has gotten a bit muddied, to say the least. How am I supposed to respect the idea of a strong,

Information from Paula England’s study as cited in the September 2012 Atlantic article “Boys on the Side”; Graphic: Sydney Franz | Loyolan

independent woman in this context when every girl that does take advantage of this culture is deemed a ‘ratchet ho?’ I can understand not participating in the culture, as I myself generally thrive on deep and trusting relationships in every aspect of my life. But slut-shaming and name-calling are the opposite of what we should be doing. We can’t expect guys to respect us and our own decisions about our personal lives when we are not consistent in our cause. While I do think that all of us are responsible for tainting this hook-up culture with misnomers and insults, I think that the culture as a whole has taken a turn for the worse.

The vision of the strong woman deciding things for herself has been abandoned for a disheveled, drunk girl making out on the dance floor. That’s all fine and good. It happens. Do you, girls.

However, I don’t think that the

hook-up culture that has evolved and made its mark on college culture is in any way beneficial to feminism. Not to mention, alcohol is just a sad excuse for regrettable decisions anyway. I’m sick of girls using “I was drunk” as an excuse for hooking up. First off, you don’t need an excuse, and second off, making excuses and offering quasiapologies for hooking up takes all control out of your hands.

While I don’t think that this culture we perpetuate is benefitting women, I don’t agree with many of the arguments that accompany my view, like the whole “why buy the cow when you get the milk for free” adage. I think it’s pretty safe to say that no woman ever wants to be compared to a cow on any level, and seriously, why should a woman be responsible for repressing her sexuality while guys are almost expected to promote their promiscuity? If a guy doesn’t like

your decision, to hell with him.

There are plenty more fish in the sea.

But cows and fish aside, and in all seriousness, my problem with the hook-up culture does not lie in its principle, but rather in its execution. I’d like to see girls taking control of their sexuality instead of hiding behind shallow excuses. It’s awesome to do what you want when you want, but it’s even more awesome to do it in the name of women everywhere. So don’t stifle your sexuality or shame those who don’t, especially not in regards to spring break. To quote Young MC in his mega hit “Bust a Move,” “every dark tunnel has a light of hope, so don’t hang yourself with the celibate rope,” unless your scene is of the celibate variety, in which case, do your thing.

This is the opinion of Allie Heck, a freshman business major from Dallas, Texas. Please send comments to aheck@theloyolan.com.

Opinion

February 28, 2013 Page 6

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As time goes by: From strangers to friends

I

don’t need to ask my friends about their spring breaks.

Between the constant live tweeting and Instagramming, followed by Facebook albums with titles along the lines of “SB 2k13 yaaaa,” I will already know everything I’ll ever need to know.

I’ll know where they traveled, whom they were with and what Yuseful they deemed important to Information document

By Jennifer Yu Amidst all Asst. Opinion Editor of this information, however, our media-obsessed generation is missing some pretty integral parts of true life experience. Contrary to popular belief, the events of a vacation or the contents of a friendship cannot be summed up in 140 characters.

Similarly, vapid conversations and limited interactions will not lead to meaningful relationships.

This past Valentine’s Day, I put my cell phone down, laptop away, and focused on the important things. And I met someone.

He’s sweet, he’s a hilarious, he’s a gentleman. Oh, and he’s 73 years old.

Now, before you get all creeped out, let me explain. As I am currently (and contentedly) a single lady, I decided to take my roommate Daniela to see the classic 1940s movie “Casablanca” at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica. Afterwards, we planned to have dinner at a restaurant in Venice fashioned after the movie and appropriately named Casablanca, because keeping to

a theme is obviously essential.

We glided past the standby line, flouncing my preordered ticketreceipt in the eyes of all the envious line-waiters, and made our way inside the theater, eventually finding two empty seats.

To our right was a high school couple, complete with mushy giggling and unnecessary P.D.A., and to our left was an older gentleman sitting by himself next to the aisle.

As we waited for the movie to begin, my friend Dani went to buy water and I struck up a conversation with the older gentleman, expressing my excitement to see one of my all-time favorite movies on the big screen.

“Oh good! You have to see it in the theater – there’s no other way,” he said animatedly. We talked more about old movies and introduced ourselves, and when Dani got back, I introduced her to my man Ralph. During the movie, it didn’t feel like I had just one companion – I had two!

Ralph was so genuinely excited for us that it heightened our own excitement and made the experience all the more special.

After the movie ended, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I wanted to invite him to our dinner at Casablanca. It’s hard to explain, but including him in the next part of the night just felt like the right thing to do. I was nervous at first that he would think we were strange for asking a complete stranger to join us for dinner. But when I asked him, he lit up and said, “That is such a great idea!” and went on to repeat that phrase several times throughout the night. So we ended up having dinner with Ralph, and it was one of the most special, spontaneous nights I’ve had in a long time, one I will

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never forget.

This experience made me reflect: Why are such experiences so rare? I think it is because we have grown up in a society that simply doesn’t value community. Specifically, L.A. may be known for sunny skies, but we are far from sunny people.

Just take a drive on the 405 – at almost any time of day you will be sure to witness some sort of rude, obnoxious driving, as well as some infantile shouting or behavior. Hell, this may even be you on a bad day. The city we live in and the culture we perpetuate is not one of friendliness and openness at all; rather, it is one that demands only the minimal, superficial interactions between people that discourage meaning-

ful connections. We’ve perfected the eager smiles and wide eyes, the automatic “I’m fine, how are you?” and the interested looks on our faces. Somewhere along the way though, we’ve lost our ability to genuinely care about people.

This problem is exacerbated by our generation’s affinity for technology. We are simply more concerned with capturing our oh-so-thrilling lives and using Instagram and Facebook to advertise how cool we think we are. We are too obsessed with convincing others and ourselves that we do indeed have interesting lives rather than focusing on what’s important.

So, why not give a chance encounter a shot? If you feel

Jackson Turcotte | Loyolan

like your life may be stagnant or eventless, perhaps all you need is a healthy dose of the new, of the unfamiliar, of leaving your usual comfort zone. And when it comes to strangers, I’m not saying you should take every one you happen to sit next to out to dinner, but be open to the unexpected. You might be surprised.

It took two open-minded parties to make the night a magical one. So, Ralph, thank you for reviving my faith in the kindness of strangers and the warmth of people in general. As Humphrey Bogart famously says, “Here’s looking at you, kid.”

This is the opinion of Jennifer Yu, a sophomore marketing and English double major from Reseda, Calif. Please send comments to jyu@theloyolan.com.

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Opinion

February 28, 2013 Page 7

LMU ink: Leaving the regrets at the parlor

I’

m gonna let you guys in on a little secret. (Dad, if you’re reading this, turn back right now. This is your last chance.) I have a tattoo, and it’s on my ass.

I got my tattoo a week after I turned 18, and decided to keep it from everyone besides my closest friends.

I

By Elli el-Effendi feared being judged – Contributor judged for getting it so young, judged for what it is (the band Sigur Rós’ album cover) and judged because it’s on my pasty white bum.

I like the idea of permanence. I’m forever changing, be it my personality traits, my interests, my opinions or my physical traits. A tattoo is one thing I have control over.

It is easy to forget what was important at certain points in my life, but a tattoo will make a great memory, a bad memory, a joke, an interest or whatever it represents as important to me forever as it was the day I got it.

When I came to LMU, I informed a lot more people about my dirty little secret than I did back in Dallas, partially by accident.

In one of my classes last semester, the topic came up and my professor curiously asked us who all had a tattoo. I was sitting in the front of the class and raised my hand on a whim, then found out that I was only one of

two. Whoops. I mean, this is California – I figured a lot more people would’ve confessed. I proceeded to explain it to my class at a classmate’s request and felt my cheeks burning as all eyes were on me. Some students looked surprised to hear it, some looked disgusted and some even looked excited and amazed. I knew what those who disapproved were thinking: “Really? A foreign band?

That’s so cliché.”

But criticisms don’t just stop at the content of your new (and permanent) inked art. Another common way for people to criticize tattoos is to say that that you’ll eventually regret it. My response is that my tattoo is a reflection of who I used to be. As stupid as I might think it is in the future, I have to acknowledge all aspects of myself, no matter how embarrassing.

What I didn’t fully realize just under a year ago was that tattoos are a form of art. That’s blatantly obvious, right? Yes, but what comes along with it being art is a little more complex than one would think. Just like with photography, dance, poetry and music, you’re going to have some critics. Some will love it, but some will definitely hate it. Each person is going to have an opinion, and several may even feel the need to voice theirs.

When I planned to get my tattoo, I cared so much about what others thought, mostly because I had yet to mature past that level of self-consciousness most high schoolers experience. Coming to

school over 1,000 miles away from my hometown forced me to mature pretty quickly.

Now, I personally just don’t care what others think about a piece of art I decided to put on my body.

My father has always been against tattoos, which sort of explains why I got it on my butt – he may disown me if he ever finds out. (I really hope he doesn’t ever stumble upon this gem.) He defends his disapproval by saying that having tattoos can affect my career opportunities, claiming that some employers will notice the ink and decide that I’m not right for the job simply because of my physical appearance.

Well, I see a tattoo as an act of self-expression. If my future employer appreciates outward appearance over my creativity and potential contributions, thank you very much, but I don’t want to work for you. If you want to judge me, I can judge you right back for being closedminded.

When I got my tattoo, I wasn’t ignoring the potential reactions or repercussions, but I also wasn’t thinking about every unwarranted criticism that would come my way from peers, future employers and those closest to me. I don’t think that getting a tattoo is a life-changing decision, but I would recommend coming to a concrete conclusion regarding permanent ink on your body prior to your third margarita on spring break. To quote “Juno,” “That’s one doodle that can’t be undid.”

Jackson Turcotte | Loyolan

It worked out for me that soon after I was jabbed with that little needle, I stopped caring about judgment, but I consider myself lucky. Those few months of living in fear of my close friends’ silent or not-so-silent judgment were pretty awful. That day I divulged my secret in class, it didn’t matter what a single

one of those people thought, because my tattoo means something to me that I could never put into words and that not one of them needs to understand.

This is the opinion of Elli el-Effendi, a freshman psychology major from Dallas, Texas. Please send comments to aheck@theloyolan.com.

February 28, 2013 Page 8

Travel

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Advocating for a more atypical spring break T

his year, my preparation for spring break did not involve a strict workout regimen, a fake tanning salon membership or a 48-hour cleanse, since I will not be joining other LMU students who e s c a p e their books and classes to soak up the sun in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

BanAnnaGram Cabo was

By Anna Escher a popular spring Senior Editor break destination for LMU students long before I was a freshman.

As a sophomore and junior, I went to Cabo and absolutely loved watching my friends compete in slightly degrading bathing suit push-up contests at the Mango Deck and weaving past vendors on the crowded streets downtown after margaritas at The Sleepless Lobster. This year, however, something within me decided that it was time to move on and pursue a new spring break adventure.

I decided to make my way over to the East Coast this year – Boston and New York City, to be exact. Accompanied by two friends, I will explore the city of Boston for four days, seeking out the best seafood restaurants and Irish-themed bars. I hope to socialize with strangers and soak up a different culture.

In New York City, I expect to brush shoulders with harsh New Yorkers while hailing cabs and waiting in Starbucks lines that are way too long. I will attempt to disguise my Californian accent of slow vowels and jump into the fast-paced city life. I will seek out nightlife, shopping and pizza.

Flickr Creative Commons

Iconic sights such as New York City’s Times Square (above) will be among Escher’s destinations during her spring break trip to the East Coast.

I have made the decision to turn down a 90-degree beach trip filled with jean shorts, tan skin and tequila for a trip to the East Coast that will include insulated jackets, freezing weather, cheap hotels and bus rides. My uncharacteristic choice could partially be attributed to growing up and accepting the fact that I am a senior and will be graduating in a few short months. There is so much more to explore in the world, and spring break gives me the opportunity to do that. So why go on essentially the same trip I’ve been on two years in a row? Despite my love of Mexico’s college party town, my decision was prompted by my realization of something bigger: As we get older and our lives become filled with internships, jobs, graduate school and

other obligations, we need to strategically plan our travels if we want to get the most of our vacation.

An immature part of me regrets the fact that in a few days I will not be on the coast of Mexico drinking dirty monkeys, losing my sunglasses in the sand and dancing until 3 a.m. at El Squid Roe. I will not be walking the cracked sandy pavement of downtown Cabo and wading ankle deep in a tide pool at Hacienda del Mar. But the more reasonable, adventurous side of me is excited to push past the fear of the unknown and slowly but surely conquer the world, starting with Boston and New York.

This is the opinion of Anna Escher, a senior communication studies major from Stanford, Calif. Please send comments to aescher@theloyolan.com.

For your next trip, try out ‘procrastination planning’ I

Sydney Franz | Loyolan

am a procrastinator. They say acceptance is the first step to recovery, but I’m afraid I’m far too proud of my ability to put things off until the last minute and still pull them off to ever actually change.

In fact, I take pride in extending my phi l os ophy of procrastination to areas that All About Z many of the chroniBy Zaneta Pereira cally late Managing Editor will not attempt, the clearest example being the field of travel planning.

I know we’ve all been told time and again to book in advance, plan an itinerary and not leave travel for the last minute. While I accept the value of all these pieces of advice, I’m here to advocate ‘procrastination planning.’

Before you dismiss it as a recipe for disaster, let me assure you that this is something with which I have a

wealth of experience. In fact, ‘procrastination planning’ is a proud tradition for my family. One Christmas we decided, with about two weeks until the holidays, that we didn’t want to spend the season at home anymore. Believe it or not, thanks to a cheap deal that had us flying in on Christmas Eve, my family of five got a white Christmas in England that year.

So if you don’t yet have plans for spring break or Easter just yet and are willing to jump right in and just go somewhere, here are three things to keep in mind: Be flexible. When you put travel off until the last minute, you can’t go in with specific expectations. You’re looking for a deal, and you have to be able to take what you get in terms of travel times and destinations. My family knew we needed to go somewhere and, despite the fact that we’d spent the previous summer in London, when we saw a good deal to England, we took it.

Moreover, being in an airplane on Christmas Eve may not be the ideal situation, but when it lets you spend New Year’s

watching fireworks over Big Ben, it’s definitely worth it.

Try to avoid a hotel. While airlines will be desperate to sell tickets that would otherwise go to waste, the same is not always true of hotels. If possible, when booking last minute, look for places where you know people who would let you stay with them (we have incredibly hospitable family in England) or explore alternative options (see sidebar) so that you’re not losing money on accommodations.

Do your research. Just because you’ve put it off doesn’t mean you get to skip planning altogether.

Websites like Airfarewatchdog.com are great for tracking seasonal trends and setting up alerts, while one-stop sites like Lastminute.com showcase deals on airfare, hotels, activities and even complete packages. Finally, if you’re looking for last-minute, flexible-schedule tickets specifically to Hawaii and Europe, check out AirTech.com.

This is the opinion of Zaneta Pereira, a sophomore psychology major from Pune, India. Please send comments to zpereira@theloyolan.com.

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

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February 28, 2013 Page 9

ADG mixes music and art for good cause Concert Recap

By Dwayne Logan Staff Writer

A

s the Oscars took over Hollywood this weekend, LMU rolled out its own red carpet this weekend for Lionpalooza, a charity event put on by the Alpha Delta Gamma (ADG) fraternity and Taste Nation LLC, a company founded by LMU and ADG alumnus Matthew Thomas (’99).

Lionpalooza featured the bands Allensworth, Robert Jon and the Wreck, Acoustic Minds and a set by DJ IRon. Prizes were awarded in a raffle as part of the fundraiser, with some prizes even donated by Thomas himself.

Thomas reflected on the different steps it took to put the night together: “A lot of focus goes into finding the right charity, the right band and making sure everyone enjoys

the event,” Thomas said.

Vice President of ADG and junior entrepreneurship major Tim DiBiase explained one of his goals for the fraternity was to get a positive image within the Greek community.

“We want to be different from the image of a typical Greek student,” said DiBiase.

Bobby Anderson, a junior management and human resources major and member of the fraternity, agreed, adding that he’d like ADG to build a positive influence on campus and gain respect at LMU. “We like to have a good time, but our foundation is doing good. We love to go wild, but we’re all leaders and support each other,” Anderson said.

All proceeds from the fundraiser went towards the philanthropy Falling Whistles, a charity dedicated to saving African children who are forced into militias.

Some of the members of

Chris Delgado | Loyolan

In addition to the concert, artwork was sold to benefit Falling Whistles, which helps save helpless African children forced to fight in militias.

Chris Delgado | Loyolan

Bands such as Allensworth (above) performed at Lionpalooza, a fundraising event put on by Alpha Delta Gamma fraternity and Taste Nation LLC, with proceeds going towards Falling Whistles philanthropy.

ADG said that the charity most properly addressed the horrors certain African children face.

“These kids leave home and join these militias. They blow whistles that hang around their necks when they see the enemy and get killed at a young age. This is where we get the name, Falling Whistles,” DiBiase said.

He added, “ADG is a smaller fraternity on campus, so we can pull off events like this. A lot of people can come enjoy this concert, and the proceeds are going towards a good cause.”

The event was meant not only to uphold the values of ADG, but the values of LMU

as a whole. “This kind of shows another aspect of service at LMU,” said Anderson.

“This charity ties into the core values of LMU and Alpha Delta Gamma, and the Jesuit tradition we’re both used to.”

Taste Nation, LLC, one of the collaborating groups for Lionpalooza, was created by Thomas after spending time working in businesses postgraduation. “Taste Nation was in the works for a few years. I’m extremely methodical with the business I do,” said Thomas.

Taste Nation LLC was born out of the desire to bridge the fundraising needs of charities and non-profit organiza-

tions with the power of live music, according to Thomas.

LMU was a positive force that helped encourage Thomas to pursue creating Taste Nation LLC. “I was always involved in music since I was a little kid.

I was also a DJ for two years at KXLU, which exposed me to so much more music,” said Thomas. “I learned that at LMU, as long as you have the work ethic and you play above water, you will excel in any industry.”

You can donate to Falling Whistles at Fallingwhistles. com, and get involved in Taste Nation at Tastenationllc.com.

Recording arts students organize free concert from UpRooted’during Convo Up-and-coming bands don’t always wait for CollegeFest to give students a free concert. UpRooted, a reggae/hip-hop/funk/rock fusion band, performed at Alumni Mall on Tuesday during Convo. The performance was the first recording arts department live show this semester, with students handling the setup, planning and implementation of arranging the free concert.

Students gathered around the Alumni Mall stage as the hustle and bustle of Convo raged on. UpRooted, fresh off playing to a sold-out crowd at the Roxy Theatre this past month, performed music from its latest EP, “Elevate,” among other songs in its repertoire. This free concert during Convo was added recently as yet another stop on its“Elevate Cali Tour.”

Some recording arts majors who spoke to the Loyolan felt that putting on the concert was a rewarding experience not just for them, but for students as well. “From the behind-the-scenes aspect, these concerts are good for recording arts students to learn how to set up a stage and run a show,” said junior recording arts major Gretchel Lomboy. “For students, we are in a state [filled with] culture, which is great for free concerts.”

The recording arts department plans to put on three more free concerts for students during Convo this semester.“For a city with culture and music, this is a pretty cool event,”said Lomboy.

– Christopher James, A&E editor

Photos: Liana Bandziulis | Loyolan

February 28, 2013 Page 10

Arts & Entertainment

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Pop star obsession breeds unnatural curiosity

C

elebrity relationships are always sensational and always none of our business.

Yet hundreds of people make a career documenting the life of the rich and the famous, while millions of people pay attention to who is dating whom and what they think about it.

The overbearing presence of celebrities in our lives has led UnPOPular us to falsely believe that Opinion our opinions

By Chelsea of these relaChenelle tionships are Asst. A&E Editor valid, or even matter. When we sit around and call Taylor Swift a slut, or say Rihanna is stupid for getting back together with Chris Brown, what we are really doing is taking away the validity of a woman’s right to choose her partner, however many there may be.

Recently, Swift has fallen under scrutiny for her seemingly endless barrage of whiny breakup anthems.

Having herself been in the spotlight since age 17, so has her love life, from a fling with John Mayer to her most recent flame, One Direction member Harry Styles. At first, arguably due to her age, these little romances were endearing to the public as they eagerly awaited the fall and her next chart-topping single. Yet, as Swift got older, these high school crushes began to take on a more sinister connotation with the public since they could no longer buy into her innocent virgin image.

As a 23-year-old woman, we began labeling Swift not as love-

Photo: Flickr Creative Commons; Graphic: Tyler Barnett | Loyolan

struck, but as slutty. Her behavior became lecherous rather than passive, which was what we came to expect. This same phenomenon happened to Britney Spears when she traded in her schoolgirl outfit for pleather pants. Automatically, her songs became contextualized in a sexual realm instead of the teen pop icon she had earlier epitomized.

Music aside, no one deserves to be slut-shamed. Regardless of how many boyfriends Swift has had or the amount of sexual experience she may carry, neither is a valid means of criticism. The relationships she chooses are no one’s business but her own. Even

Associated Press

Rihanna and Chris Brown’s on-again-off-again relationship has attracted much scrutiny due to a 2009 domestic violence incident.

Stumped? Check out the answers for this week’s puzzle on laloyolan.com.

if she could be colloquially labeled as a slut, or if she herself proudly professed what a tramp she really is, it would still speak more negatively to those who hold it against her than the woman herself.

Rihanna’s love life is another hot topic that no one will leave alone.

In 2009, Chris Brown was arrested for domestic violence and Rihanna got a restraining order after photos surfaced. Four years later, Rihanna and Chris Brown are publicly back

together and people cannot get their noses out of her business. While I personally think Chris Brown is an idiot, I also believe that the subsequent Rihanna hate is dangerous.

When her single “S&M� dropped, the Internet was abuzz with tasteless comments that linked the Brown incident with the kinky sex habits she brought up in her music.

Once the couple was publicly back together this past year, everybody and their mother had something to

say about how Rihanna was now putting herself in a postion of “asking for it.� It is easy to say we live in a society that frowns on domestic abuse until we realize that it is still in our nature to blame the victim.

People have told me time and again that their issue stems from the message that was sent when Rihanna took Chris Brown back.

But what they fail to realize is that it is not Rihanna’s job to make you feel comfortable with her relationship decisions and she doesn’t owe you anything. Instead of worrying about the potential message this may send to young fans, why not worry about the message that is sent when you blame someone for the choices they make without knowing the entirety of their situation? I would rather explain to my child that everyone has the right to choose whom they love rather than ever promote the idea that someone is “asking for it.�

Whenever we, or the media, charge Swift or Rihanna with being either a slut or an idiot, we say more about ourselves than we do the celebrities. We showcase our own ignorance and our own discomfort with the idea of a woman making her own life decisions. We chastise them like children and treat them as inferior for taking a route of love different than our own. What happened to freedom of choice? Or does that only apply when we ourselves are involved?

This is the opinion of Chelsea Chenelle, a sophomore art history major from San Diego, Calif. Please send comments to cchenelle@theloyolan.com.

For the Record In the Feb. 25 issue of the Loyolan, the article, “‘Faculty Pub Night’ explores art history� incorrectly identified the writer of the article as Jennifer Pastore. The author of the article was contributor Marissa Morgan.

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Arts & Entertainment

February 28, 2013 Page 11

Alumnus’ novel focuses on artists and alcohol Alumni Spotlight

By Jennifer Pastore Contributor

M

arcus Gorman (’05) proves success after graduation can be a possibility, as he holds the titles of playwright, screenwriter, freelance journalist and, most recently, novelist. Gorman graduated from LMU in 2005, where he majored in film and television production and minored in English. During his years at LMU, the writer worked tech for the Del Rey Players and had a one-act play produced.

Gorman was even a Loyolan staffer, where he wrote and was the A&E editor from 2003-2005.

Currently, Gorman is pursuing his career in writing, as he recently published his novel “Triceratops.” He also maintains his own blog, “10 Years Ago: Films in Retrospective,” and contributes to Los Angeles’ KCET TV station by writing episode recaps and interviews.

The Loyolan sat down with Gorman to learn more about his book, how LMU helped shape his career and the advice he gives students who wish to write a book of their own.

Jennifer Pastore (JP): Tell me a little about the premise of your novel.

Marcus Gorman (MG): “Triceratops” is about musicians, writers, painters and alcoholics. It’s a darkly comic story about Henry and Charlotte, two Seattleites who, two years after undergoing a catastrophic night together, both happen to be in New York City. Charlotte has moved there, hoping to put her troubled past behind her, but when her lover does something drastic, she has to pick up the pieces and figure out how to survive in her newly ad-

opted city. Henry, meanwhile, is a struggling writer, hoping a three-week vacation experiencing New York’s literary and musical history will give him the inspiration he so desperately needs. By sheer coincidence, the two run into each other on the streets of Greenwich Village, the last thing either of them expected. Coming together once again, they venture forth and get caught up in the characters, cultures and chaos of NYC.

JP: What inspired you to start writing this story?

MG: I wanted to tell a relatable, readable narrative about the people who fascinate me – strange, verbose, bohemian types who are courageous enough to reject what we might call “normal society” in order to endlessly pursue their artistic endeavors, sometimes to a fault. … It’s a novel obsessed with sitcoms, underground art, Beat authors, classic Hollywood cinema and a damn good variety of music. … I wanted to write something that was intensely personal, therapeutic and something that I thought was generally missing from the literary world – a middle ground among the films I like.

I also just really needed to tell a story about New York – the personalities, the culture, the hustle and bustle, its vital place in American history. It’s a remarkable town with 8 million stories to tell.

JP: You’re a graduate of LMU. Did you know during your college years you’d be a novelist?

MG: Never. While I always intended to use my interest in writing as an advantage, I came to LMU for the film production program, hoping to become a director. Through my studies, I quickly noticed that I was far more interested in

the storytelling aspects of art as opposed to the technical aspects. I added a minor in English, joined the Loyolan staff … and expanded my horizons.

JP: How did LMU prepare you for your writing career?

MG: By taking courses in dramatic literature, classic novels, television production and screenwriting, I was able to discover what I found powerful and advantageous about each genre of writing. ... Working at the Loyolan helped me focus my themes and my minimalist-leaning style, because in a newspaper you only have so much space. However, I still have a tendency to overwrite, but journalism taught

me that each and every one of those extra words has to count.

JP: Did your writing style develop while you were studying English in college?

MG: Absolutely, although not nearly as much as it did afterwards. No amount of coursework can prepare you for how others receive your writing.

Writing doesn’t happen in a vacuum, so how you spend your post-college years – the evolution of your interests, the new people you meet, the crappy jobs you sometimes have to take – is just as vital as the time you spend sitting in a classroom learning the nuts and bolts of storytelling. After graduation, no matter what career obsta-

Los Angeles, giving focus to the racial prejudices and tensions that commonly plagued communities of its kind.

The film showcased the struggles of a black family unit, desperate in its aim for creating stability and earning redemption amid the chaos of its environment, eventually leading to tragic consequences. Also highlighted in the film was the culture of rebellion of the time period, connecting various characters with the controversial, yet influential Black Panther movement. Footage reels of rallies and protests of the civil

rights movement and beyond integrated the movie, serving as a way to inject as much authenticity and backstory into the storyline as possible.

Joining the audience was writer and director Tanya Hamilton, a distinguished Jamaican-born filmmaker who presented her film with the intention of challenging her audiences. It was during the Q & A session immediately following the screening in which Hamilton got the opportunity to bring to attention several key factors that helped shape the finished product.

One particular factor

was her desire to project the utmost realism into her characters and storyline, something she believes is scarce among contemporary directors of color.

“To try to find a way to draw the most complicated and messy character – I think it’s something we don’t allow ourselves to do,” Hamilton said.

Several of the LMU students in attendance expressed words of praise for Hamilton’s work.

“I was impressed by how realistic the characters were. … It’s so often we have onedimensional characters, and I felt she did a great job showing us as people,” said Ebony Gilbert, a freshman screenwriting major.

Asha Flowers, a junior women’s studies major, also found herself affected by Hamilton’s work. “I didn’t know much about her before, but after seeing the Q & A, I would really like to see more of her work. The movie was visually captivating,” she said.

Charles Swanson, professor of cinematography and chair of the production department, commended Hamilton, as well. “The acting ability for her to sustain the story was a great accomplishment,” he said.

Swanson mentioned his own family’s history and affiliation with the civil rights movement, yet remained distant from the Black Panther movement.

“To see them portrayed in such a realistic, objective way, I appreciated a great deal. I think it had a lot to

Marcus Gorman

LMU alum and former Loyolan A&E Editor Marcus Gorman (’05) recently released a new novel, “Triceratops,” that explores the worlds of musicians, writers and painters, as well as their relation to alcohol. cles you encounter, you need to write, write, write, even if it’s not very good. If that’s the case, keep at it until it becomes good.

College provides the tools, and post-college is about figuring out what to do with those tools.

JP: Do you have any advice for current LMU students who hope to one day write a book?

MG: There’s no one way to write a book. Find what works for you, obsess over your own interests, start up a Word document, and see what happens.

For an extended version of the interview, including where to find Marcus Gorman’s book, “Triceratops,” visit laloyolan.com.

Director discusses civil rights at screening Screening Recap

By Pamela Rios Staff Writer

S

ome may consider film to be the only way to understand certain controversial movements. Continuing their celebration of Black History Month, LMU students, faculty and guests arrived at the Mayer Theater Monday night for a screening of the 2010 independent feature film “Night Catches Us.” The film, starring Kerry Washington, takes its audience back to 1970s inner-city

Magnolia Pictures

“Night Catches Us” writer-director Tanya Hamilton attended a Q&A following the screening of her film. do with her being an immigrant, while she was able to see things that I think a lot of ways an AfricanAmerican person would want to protect too much.”

According to Hamilton, the most important purpose for this project was to create a film in which her target audience could easily see itself.

Unfortunately, this was something she said she believes was not fully accomplished, citing the relatively small number of African-Americans who managed to see the film.

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Sports

February 28, 2013 Page 13

Speaker addresses lack of female sports coverage Sam’s Slam from Page 16 opinions about the articles I write? Maybe, maybe not. But either way, it already gives me some disadvantages compared to male sports writers, because there is an unwritten rule in a sports newsroom that men have more sports knowledge than women.

I’m not a hardcore feminist.

I’m not going to sit here and lecture anyone on why there should be more coverage of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) on ESPN or why we should all watch the Independent Women’s Football League. (Did you even know that was a thing? Because I didn’t.)

I am, however, going to try to keep you questioning why sports coverage in our society is the way it is from my perspective as a female sports writer.

During the speech, Hardin asked the audience what we thought was the only time of the year when people took true interest in women’s sports coverage. I was thinking the Swimsuit Edition of Sports Illustrated – thank god I didn’t shout out my answer – but most of the crowd had another response: the Olympics.

According to Hardin, the U.S. women brought home 56 percent of our country’s medals, compared to the men’s 44 percent. However, she noted the fact that only certain types of women’s sports get coverage, such as volleyball, swimming and gymnastics. Why is this?

Women are given very little wiggle room in sports to break

out of the preconceived image that we already have of them from everyday life. We have this idea that girls should be graceful and elegant, and boys should be tough and manly.

This is why we’d rather watch Gabby Douglas performing gymnastics on the world stage than watch Claressa Shields compete on our U.S. boxing team. At the 2012 London Olympics, Shields became the first American woman in history to win a boxing gold medal, but got little to no media coverage.

We’re uncomfortable watching women compete in things like basketball and boxing because they’re contact sports and they’re not aesthetically, pleasing like swimming or volleyball.

Another point Hardin covered was the unspoken hierarchy of sports coverage.

At the top, which gets the most coverage, are the Big Three in men’s sports: professional basketball, baseball and football. The rest of the hierarchy from the top down goes: men’s college sports, high school and local sports and finally, at the bottom, we have women’s sports. This means that people are more likely to know that Banana Joe, a beloved little dog, won Best in Show 2013 at the Westminster Kennel Club than the results of a WNBA game. Hardin suggested that we should try to at least get female sports coverage on the same section of the hierarchy as men’s college sports.

“I didn’t put it on the same level as the Big Three, because

Leslie Irwin | Loyolan

Pennsylvania State University journalism professor Dr. Marie Hardin spoke to students about the lack of female sports coverage in the media for LMU’s 32nd Forum on Media Ethics and Social Responsibility.

I wanted to be realistic,” Hardin said with a laugh.

Sounds reasonable, right?

One the funniest moments I had as a reporter this year was when I was waiting for a call from an athlete I was supposed to interview, and I accidentally missed it. Hours later, I checked my voicemail and heard the athlete say, “Hey Sam. ‘Sup bro? I’m calling about the interview.” The combination of me being a sports writer, my nickname being a guy’s name

and my voicemail having the automatic message system instead of my actual voice led this athlete to believe I was a guy. Can you blame him?

The point of all of this is that we should try to have an open mind about women on the sports field and in the newsroom. Women make up about half the population of the world and deserve more than they are getting in sports coverage – usually around 5 percent or less on news television networks. I’ve rarely

had my gender determine what I do at the Loyolan because I don’t think it matters, but Hardin’s presentation definitely hit home for me for some things I had never even considered before. At the end of the day, sports are sports and athletes are athletes, no matter who writes about them.

This is the opinion of Sam Borsos, a freshman undecided liberal arts major from Palo Alto, Calif. Please send comments to sborsos@theloyolan.com.

S ports March Madness allegiances: Go Gonzaga Bulldogs?

February 28, 2013 Page 14

An LMU sports fan ponders cheering for rival Gonzaga University this postseason.

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o question, I want LMU basketball to succeed. I want this team to be competing with teams like Brigham Young University, St. Mary’s College and Gonzaga University. I want this team in the NCAA tournament.

At the same time, I also want to watch good basketball. If LMU is not pushing for an NCAA Tournament bid every single season, they are not playing good basketball.

At 27-2, LMU’s conference counterpart, KC at the Bat Gonzaga, is a really

By Kevin Cacabelos good basketball team.

After No. 1 Indiana Sports Editor University’s loss on Tuesday, there is a high chance the No. 2 Zags will be the No. 1 team in the nation when the new polls come out this weekend. Only three mid-major teams have reached No. 2 or No. 1 in the polls since 2000: Saint Joseph’s University in 2003-04, University of Memphis in 2007-08 and this year’s Gonzaga team.

While LMU has a chance to make the NCAA Tournament, its chances are slim. If the Lions win the West Coast Conference (WCC) Tournament in Vegas a week from now, then they will be playing in the NCAA Tournament.

What are the chances of the last-place team winning the championship? Next to zero.

LMU has clinched the No. 9 seed. Since the beginning of the WCC Tournament in 1987, only four of the lowest seeds have ever won a tournament game, and in each case, not one of those teams has made it to the championship game.

After LMU’s season is finished, I am throwing all my support behind the Zags, hoping they become this year’s national champions.

You should, too. Unlike LMU, Gonzaga has a

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realistic chance to be the last team standing in April. It’s true ... I’m from Washington state.

But if Santa Clara University or St. Mary’s were as good as Gonzaga was this year, I would feel the exact same way.

Why Gonzaga, and not another winning team like Duke University? It is all about conference affiliation.

Gonzaga is a WCC school, therefore they represent the same conference as LMU. We want our conference to succeed in the NCAA Tournament. The further the Zags advance, the more exposure the WCC will receive. If the Zags are crowned champions in Atlanta, Ga. on April 8, the WCC will have its first-ever national champion.

As a result, more eyes will be on the conference and teams like LMU, Santa Clara and the University of San Diego will all benefit indirectly. Marketing your team to potential recruits gets easier because a coach can stress the strength of the competition with an elite school like Gonzaga. Better recruits lead to a stronger talent pool, and a stronger talent pool results in better teams. A group of better teams means a more consistent WCC presence at the NCAA Tournament.

This is success.

LMU players and coaches may feel they should not root for Gonzaga once its season is over in a week. Why would you root for a team that killed you by 45 and 19 points on two separate occasions?

Or maybe the players will feel obligated and even want to cheer for Gonzaga. Blowouts and yearly losses aside, LMU basketball players and coaches respect Gonzaga.

“Some people feel their second team would be one of the top three or four teams in our league. They have a lot of depth. They are a great program,” LMU Head Coach Max Good told the Loyolan in late January.

“They are a well-oiled machine,” LMU junior point guard Anthony Ireland said after LMU’s loss to Gonzaga in February. “They had great offense, so many threats out there. They are well-coached. Their basketball IQ is very high.”

Its success as a basketball team is what every other WCC team in this league aspires to achieve, including LMU. Without Gonzaga’s

Lions hope to repeat win The men’s basketball team is determined to repeat win against Santa Clara University.

By Michael Goldsholl Staff Writer

By tipoff of tonight’s game between LMU and Santa Clara University, it will have been exactly seven weeks since the Lions came away with a victory.

Exactly seven weeks ago, LMU (8-20, 1-13) picked up its lone win of the West Coast Conference (WCC) season while pitted against the Santa Clara University Broncos (20-9, 8-6).

The win halted a two-game losing streak for the Lions and put them back at .500 overall.

The Lions’ 50-percent winning statistic lasted about 48 hours as LMU followed the 84-80 victory with a string of 12 consecutive losses – a streak that has yet to cease.

“For us, we’re going in there with a different type of confidence,” said junior guard Anthony Ireland, who posted 29 points and eight assists in LMU’s win over Santa Clara on Jan. 10. “We beat them last time, so it’s only right to beat them this time.”

But with just two games remaining in regular season play before the conference championships – tonight’s game included – the stakes are much higher, for both teams.

LMU will still be without the services of junior guard Ayodeji Egbeyemi (injured with a groin tear), who held Santa Clara’s leading scorer, senior guard Kevin Foster, to just 11 points on 4 of 18 shooting in the two team’s previous matchup. Furthermore, Ireland has now logged a total 991 minutes instead of the 495 he was at before the Lions’ win over the Broncos.

“We don’t have [Egbeyemi], but we’ve got [sophomore guard] Chase [Flint] back,” said Head Coach Max Good. “I think [redshirt junior forward] Alex [Osborne] is playing better.

He’s scoring more, he’s had double figures the last two games and we’ve tried to preserve Anthony [Ireland] some in practice because teams are obviously aiming their defense at him and trying to stop him.”

Santa Clara, on the other hand, is in a close race for fourth place and a first-round bye in the WCC Championships in Las Vegas, Nev. At 8-6 in the conference standings, they sit

just one game behind Brigham Young University (BYU).

Additionally, following their Valentine’s Day win over the University of San Diego, the Broncos became the only team in the NCAA to boast four players with at least 1,000 career points, as senior guard Raymond Cowles III became the fourth Bronco to break the 1K milestone, joining Foster, redshirt senior forward Marc Trasolini and junior guard Evan Roquemore.

“They’re the only team that [has that],” said Good. “You can’t really just jump on Foster, because Trasolini is capable of getting 25 to 30 [points], Cowles is capable of getting anywhere from 18 to 25, Roquemore is capable of getting 18 to 25 and Foster is capable of getting 30 to 40.”

“We’re not worried about that,” said redshirt senior forward Ashley Hamilton. “We have two guys ourselves. The only reason they have that is because they have a couple of seniors and juniors, and Foster shoots the ball every time he touches it. Anthony [Ireland] might have 2,000 points by the time he’s done, too. I’ve got 1,000 and a couple of other guys are going to get 1,000 from our team, too. So that could have easily been that way with us.

We’re not too worried about that. That’s just one of those stats.”

However, just as Santa Clara will be hungry in its attempt to win out the regular season and steal the first-round bye from BYU, the Lions are starving for some momentum heading into the WCC Tournament, with their previous two losses coming on buzzer beaters against the University of San Francisco and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo last week.

“It’s motivation and it’s frustrating at the same time, because we’re so close,” said Ireland of the close losses. “Then again, we just have miscommunications. We don’t know our defensive assignments when it comes down to crunch time. ” Tonight’s game tips off at 8 p.m. PST at the Broncos’ Leavey Center and the Lions will return home this weekend for Senior Night on Saturday, March 2 at 8 p.m. PST against BYU. “This is a process,” said Good. “We just have to keep working and working and working.

Everybody is talking about next year. I don’t give a damn about next year. I want to finish this year. We want to put a good ending on this year.”

Associated Press

The Gonzaga University Bulldogs are one of the top teams in the West Coast Conference and the country with a 27-2 record. Their last loss came to Butler University in early January. run of success since its Cinderella run in 1999, the WCC would not be as relevant or even as competitive as it is today. The increased talent, competition and amount of exposure the conference has received since 1999 is a result of Gonzaga’s ability to stay nationally relevant.

Now, with the Zags peaking, wanting them to win it all makes sense.

If LMU is not playing in the NCAA Tournament, it is only logical for any fan of LMU basketball or any other losing WCC school to cheer for Gonzaga.

Cheering for another college basketball team is completely normal. Healthy minorities of students at LMU still cheer for their homestate colleges, including more than a few Spokane natives lurking around the bluff.

Some basketball fans come to LMU games and then leave at halftime if the team is losing by a significant margin. I’m not sure you could even call these students fans. Regardless, people at LMU are accustomed to cheering for other basketball teams, simply because LMU has not made the NCAA Tournament since 1990.

It is “Go Lions!” for me until this team’s season is over, but when March Madness begins, it seems only right for me and any other LMU basketball fan to support a fellow WCC-member school. Dare I say it? Go Zags.

This is the opinion of Kevin Cacabelos, a junior history major from Seattle, Wash. Please send comments to kcacabelos@theloyolan.com.

Sports

www.laloyolan.com

February 28, 2013 Page 15

Cowling 21 points shy of all-time WCC record Cowling from Page 16 home and had a great athletic program.

It seemed like a perfect fit.

But, when recruiting season came, UC Berkeley didn’t join the party; Cowling didn’t know that they were invited.

“It seemed like they weren’t interested,” said Cowling. “Later, I was told that wasn’t 100 percent true, but that’s what I was led to believe. It’s neither here nor there.”

So then why did this Bay Area product choose to leave her home in Northern California for the crowded beaches of SoCal? Because, just like everything Cowling does in life, she wanted to make a difference.

“This place has meant everything to me. I love the school itself, and I have loved my time playing on this team.

Here at LMU, I know the president of the University. I’m close to the athletic director. That doesn’t happen at a ton of schools,” said Cowling. “This was a program that I wanted to make an impact in. I wanted to turn it around, just like I did with my high school program.”

Her head coach agreed. “Alex is Ms. LMU,” said Head Coach Charity Elliott. “She absolutely loves this place and lives the mission in everything she does.”

But instead of a Cinderella story with Cowling as the belle of the ball, the program has continued to struggle, winning only eight games last season and nine this one.

“There have definitely been a lot of frustrating moments in my time here,” said Cowling. “I’d be lying to you if I said there weren’t, but I know that this team will eventually turn it around and get to the point where we need to be.

It’s just going to suck not being a part of the good times, but rather a part of the foundation. I won’t get to enjoy the fruits of my labor.”

But that doesn’t mean that people don’t notice the hard work Cowling has put in her senior season, with a firstyear coach who completely altered the previous culture of the team.

Elliott could not begin to describe the impact Cowling’s attitude has had in the transition between coaching staff.

“She has been our number-one supporter,” said Elliott. “She has done everything we have asked her to do, and she has never complained. She has had to sacrifice personal statistics or shots

for the betterment of the team, and not only has she done it extremely well, but she genuinely wants her teammates to succeed. She’s a special person and player.”

Her teammates have felt her impact both on and off the court. Freshman guard Deanna Johnson, who has only known Cowling for a season, said she values what Cowling has taught her.

“She’s extremely confident, and she shows it in everything she does,” said Johnson. “She’s an incredible player on the court, but an even better person off of it. She’s a definite diva in life, but she’s also the person I can go to when I want to have my ‘deeper conversations.’

She’s special.”

But all great things must come to an end, and Cowling’s days in an LMU uniform are numbered. Yet in spite of her accomplishing so much, Cowling isn’t completely set on her plans post graduation.

“I’m not sure what the next step for me is,” said Cowling. “I’m not sold on continuing my basketball career. I might try and do some things with my urban studies major. I’m just not sure yet. I know I’ve had five years to think about it, but I honestly don’t know the answer.”

Despite her uncertainty about the future, Cowling understands the present and what’s expected of her and her teammates for the remainder of the season.

“When the final buzzer sounds, if we honestly feel we have given it our all, that we put everything on the floor in each of our remaining games, that’s all you can ask for,” said Cowling.

It’s Senior Night at LMU’s game tonight against Brigham Young University at 7 p.m. in Gersten Pavilion.When asked how likely she thinks it is Cowling will break the record at home, Elliott started to smile.

“I think she most definitely could break it [tonight], but at the same time, and I know she would agree with me on this, that we want to come out and get a big win. Alex will get her points, but the most important thing to is to come out on Senior Night, play well and get an upset.”

Cowling’s family will be in attendance. If Cowling does not break the scoring record tonight, she will likely do it in the Lions’ game at the University of San Francisco on March 2.

Steven Douglas | Loyolan

Head Coach Charity Elliott not only hopes to see Alex Cowling break the all-time WCC record for her Senior Night, but also to get the win against BYU who is place third in WCC.

ALEX COWLING

CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS LMU all-time leading scorer LMU single-season record 666 points (in 2011-12)

First Team All-WCC 2011-12 2009-10

National All-Jesuit Women’s Basketball Team selection 2011-12

Loyolan Archives

Redshirt senior forward Alex Cowling averages 15.4 points per game with a total of 417 points. The most she’s scored in a game this season was 28 points, against Cal State Fullerton.

For the Record In the Feb. 25 issue of the Loyolan, it was incorrectly stated that Alex Colwing has 2125 points this season. She currently has 2145 points and needs 2166 to break the all-time WCC record.

WCC All-Freshman Team 2008-09 Information compiled from LMU Athletics; Graphic: Mercedes Pericas | Loyolan

Lion Sports IT’S GAME TIME.

www.laloyolan.com

February 28, 2013 Page 16

Cowling on doorstep of greatness Proudly a part of the 10 percent Pennsylvania State University professor speaks to LMU about lack of female sports coverage.

L

Loyolan Archives

Redshirt senior forward Alex Cowling is 21 points away from breaking the all-time West Coast Conference scoring record of 2,145 points held by former Gonzaga standout Heather Bowman. LMU has two conference games remaining.

SPORTS FEATURE

Redshirt senior forward Alex Cowling is leaving LMU as one of the program’s greatest players.

By Dan Raffety Managing Editor

Greatness. We hear the word all the time in the sports community, whether we’re discussing a player ’s statistical accomplishments, their impact outside of their sport or even

what they bring to a team inside a locker room. Greatness is associated with a plethora of different athletes at different levels of sport. Sometimes, greatness is all of the above; sometimes, on rare occations, it goes beyond.

LMU redshirt senior forward Alex Cowling fits the profile of greatness.

She is 21 points away from becoming the all-time leading scorer in West Coast Conference (WCC) history; she is LMU’s all-time leading rebounder and now, the sky is the limit for her in terms of post-graduation basketball options.

Cowling is the clear-cut leader of the 2012-13 LMU women’s basketball team and is the only player on the team to average double digits in points. She has been in the program for five seasons, seen two different coaching staffs and loved every minute of her time on the bluff.

However, LMU was not always her preferred destination to play collegiate hoops. Cowling, who grew up in the Bay Area, said that UC Berkeley was her school of choice since she was in the fifth grade. It was close to

See Cowling | Page 15

et’s play a guessing game. Which work environment do you think has a lower ratio of females to males: the United States Armed Forces or a sports newsroom?

Seeing as you’re reading a sports column and not my opinion on the Armed Forces, the answer is pretty obvious, but if anyone needs it, I’ll give them a hint: It’s the sports newsroom.

You probably think I’m a straight-up genius for knowing this, but I didn’t know this fact until Monday afternoon when a guest speaker came to LMU Sam’s Slam to share her wisdom.

By Sam Borsos Dr. Marie Hardin, a Asst. Sports Editor professor of journalism at Pennsylvania State University, gave a powerful lecture about the lack of female sports coverage in our society, and opened my eyes to a lot of things I hadn’t thought of before.

First of all, let’s talk about the elephant in the newspaper. I’m a girl, and I write about sports. I’m the only female currently writing for the Loyolan’s sports section. This is typically expected in a sports section, as Hardin mentioned that about 10 percent of sports newsrooms are made up of females. The question is, does that change some people’s opinions about the articles I write? Maybe,

See Sam’s Slam | Page 13

Torano rolls to second straight individual win Torano shot a final round of 67 and finished 7-under 203 to win the Del Walker Golf Classic.

By Carlton Lew Asst. Sports Editor

Junior Tyler Torano pulled away from the field in the final round of the Del Walker Intercollegiate Golf Classic on Tuesday to secure his first outright victory of his LMU career. This is the Lions’ second consecutive third-place finish and Torano’s second consecutive victory in two weeks. Torano started the final round one stroke behind junior Alex Edfort from the University of the Pacific, but shot a 67, putting him at 7-under-par for the tournament.

“It feels really good to finally win outright,” he said. “The other ones were wins but it’s a better feeling when you come out [on top] by yourself. It’s definitely going to help me down the road when I need to pull away from everyone.”

Torano shot a career-best 66 in the first round of the tournament, but trailed throughout the first two rounds. Torano started the final round with two early birdies, as Edfort stumbled with a bogey on the second hole and double bogeys on holes 11 and 13. Edfort’s final round continued to fall apart as he finished four over par while Torano sunk two more birdies on the back nine to finish with a 67, 3-under-par.

“I played with the leader [on the final day], so I just made sure I stayed close to him and just put pressure on him when it counted most,” Torano said.

In the last week, Torano switched some technical details of his game, and he believes it made the difference.

“I’m been hitting really well with irons and hitting close shots,” he said. “I switched putters this week, and it made me feel more confident with putting and it helped out.”

Senior Bryan Bergna also turned in a topfive performance after shooting a career-best 66 on the first day of competition. His second round of competition was shaky, but he shot

“It feels really good to finally win outright.”

-Tyler Torano

Long Beach State Athletics

Tyler Torano won on Tuesday by four strokes, and the Lions placed third overall at the Del Walker Intercollegiate Golf Classic this past week. Tuesday’s victory was Torano’s first outright title win, with his other three career first-place finishes being ties. a 71 in the third round to finish in the fifth spot. Bergna finished the tournament tied for fifth with senior Raymond Ho from CSU Long Beach.

“The first round was my best round by far.

I was hitting the ball well and putted well,” Bergna said. “The last two rounds I hit the ball well, but my putting suffered a little bit.

The putting was the problem the last two rounds.”

After Torano and Bergna, the Lions fielded five golfers that finished within 12 spots of each other. Freshman Chase Nicolai shot a 1-over 71 in the final round to move up one

spot to 21st. Freshman Connor Campbell and senior Eduardo Chavez tied for 26th.

Campbell shot an 8-over-par first round, but recovered nicely, shooting a 70 and 71 in his next two rounds, respectively. Sophomore Tyler Little finished in a three-way tie for 29th with a 220 total score. Senior Boris Stantchev rounded out the Lion’s efforts with a total score of 222.

The nine-team Del Walker Classic featured three opponents from last week’s Folino Invite, including CSU Northridge, CSU Fullerton and the winner of both tournaments, Long Beach. After starting off the

spring season with a disappointing 10th place finish at the Farms Invite two weeks ago, the Lions have rebounded with consecutive top-three finishes. Torano hopes the momentum will continue in their next few tournaments, as they get ready for the heart of their schedule.

“This last week was really good. We were only a few shots back and it gives us a lot of confidence going forward,” Torano said. “We know that we can compete with the best and everyone is playing well. We’re just trying to use these next few tournaments to be prepared when we get to conference.”