December 6, 2012

ESTABLISHED 1921 December 6, 2012

Volume 91, Issue 22

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

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Photos: Liana Bandziulis and Leah Hubbard | Loyolan; Design: Joanie Payne | Loyolan

Holiday spirit was alive across campus as the LMU community gathered on Alumni Mall last Sunday, Dec. 2 for ASLMU’s Annual Christmas Tree Lighting (above) and students rehearsed for the annual LMU Choruses Christmas Gala Concert (bottom right). The concerts will take place tonight and Saturday night at 8 p.m. in Sacred Heart Chapel. For all the Loyolan’s Christmas coverage, including a preview of the Gala Concert, see Pages 8 and 9.

Petition proposes adding LMU mourns death of parking fee to tuition retired ROTC coordinator

The petition currently has over 60 signatures from students and neighborhood residents.

By Allison Croley Asst. News Editor

“Put the parking permit fees into the tuition for each LMU student.”

This is the proposal of an LMU student petition to redistribute the parking fees that will be imposed next semester, according to an online petition site called Change.org.

Terio Ruiz, a senior screenwriting major, started the petition and as of the Loyolan’s print deadline, it had 61 signatures. According to the website, the goal of the petition is to prevent students, faculty and staff from paying “expensive parking fees,” yet

HOLIDAY HAPPINESS Ring in the most wonderful time of the year with the Loyolan's Christmas coverage.

A&E, Pages 8 and 9

still bring in revenue for the school.

Parking fees have been a sensitive topic for LMU students the past year, and now that the fee’s institution is just weeks away, students are emphasizing their concerns.

“I created this petition Saturday night and my goal is to get as many signatures as possible. Even though it may be a little late, I figured that it is better to do something rather than nothing,” Ruiz said.

Garrett Harris, a sophomore film production major, voiced his concern on the petition website. He argued against making faculty and staff pay more than students, stating, “They already do not make enough as it is.”

Alex Newgard, a senior screenwriting and sociology double major, voiced a similar concern,

See Parking | Page 4

A 35-year LMU employee, Donna House, is remembered as ‘committed and strong.’

By Casey Kidwell Asst. News Editor

On the evening of Nov. 28, after a two-year battle with ovarian cancer, recently retired administrative coordinator for LMU’s Air Force ROTC program Donna House passed away. She was 72 years old.

House is survived by her two LMU ROTC daughters, Erin Donna House House (’88) and

Index Classifieds.............................4 Opinion.........................5 A&E.................................8 Faith...........................12 Sports.............................16 The next issue of the Loyolan will be printed on Jan. 17, 2013.

THURS

FRI

65˚ - 54˚

64˚ - 54˚

SAT

SUN

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Kerry Hughes (’91), as well as a son Brian House (’93).

According to a letter addressed to the LMU community from President David W. Burcham, House was a 35year LMU employee.

Upon her diagnosis with ovarian cancer, House continued working for a year before taking a few months off for medical leave, and then returned for a few more months before taking her permanent medical leave, according to Air Force ROTC Captain Alexis Bailey.

While Bailey says that those who worked with her knew she was battling cancer, they did not know to what extent. “She was always so committed and strong. … She loved what she did and wanted to be here so much,” Bailey said. She continued

See House | Page 4

KEEPING THE FAITH The Loyolan's editors reflect on their stages of personal religion during a special time of year.

Faith, Page 12

News

December 6, 2012 Page 2

www.laloyolan.com

Award recognizes students’ humanitarian efforts LMU students win scholarship for service that ‘betters the world.’

By Ali Swenson News Intern

A combination of faculty and staff chose four LMU students to honor this year with the $2,500 Doshi Bridgebuilder Scholarship.

Chosen out of nine applicants to win the scholarship, senior political science and environmental studies major Sahar Mansoor, senior political science major Allison Goldberg, senior theological studies major Alex Abbasi and graduate student of comparative theology Christopher Miller will formally receive their awards on Sunday in a private ceremony in U-Hall.

These four students all submitted proposals that detailed a variety of work they have been doing with different organizations and programs.

Mansoor, for example, has worked with the Guadalupe Homeless Project, SunBridge Care and Rehabilitation Center for the Elderly and Tree People, in addition to traveling to India, Congo, Sudan and Washington, D.C. to work and study, according to Doshi professor of indic and comparative theology, Dr. Christopher Key Chapple.

Goldberg has worked with Oxfam, an organization dedicated to ending poverty, Dolores Mission and the United States Agency for International Development, where she interns now.

She has also gone on an alternative break trip in Israel through the Center for Service and Action (CSA).

Along with working for Tutoring Tomorrow Today, Abbasi organized a enter for the Ederly, Tree People “delegation of 14 students, staff and faculty of Israeli, Palestinian, Muslim, Jewish, elopment and Christian background to travel together to Israel and Palestine, and he also

has started a club called LMU Students for Justice in Palestine,” Chapple said.

Finally, Miller teaches yoga philosophy, has traveled to India with a service program called Surfing Yogis USA and has done a variety of service projects during his time in Los Angeles, according to his proposal.

This scholarship is a reconstruction of the Doshi Family Bridgebuilder Award, which formerly recognized figures who are working to better the world. The award was designed to annually honor an “individual or organization dedicated to fostering understanding between cultures, peoples and disciplines,” according to the Center for Religion and Spirituality.

For the past several years, the award has been bestowed upon such influential individuals as Thich Nhat Hanh, who helped reach an end to the Vietnam War; Dr. Vandana Shiva, who has been a worldwide innovator in agriculture, and maestro Greg Mortenson, a globally known author.

Navin and Pratima Doshi, the founders of the Doshi Family Bridgebuilder Award, made the decision to convert the award into a scholarship this year. They met with Pam Rector, director of the Center for Service in Action, and Chapple, to recreate the honor as a scholarship.

“We thought about how to best bring this idea forward and the four of us came up with the description of the award,” Chapple said. The scholarship application stated that the four LMU students whose service fits the goals of the Doshi Bridgebuilder program, namely “building bridges between cultures, discipline and peoples,” would receive the scholarship.

In mid-November, a committee convened to review the proposals, looking for applicants who were “the most effective in doing the

bridge-building work and the interdisciplinary work that we were looking for, all in the broad arena of social justice and affecting social change,” Chapple said.

Each winning student was congratulated by Chapple via email for “creating and

maintaining such a strong commitment to issues of social justice and bridge building.”

“I feel very humbled and excited to receive this award, because it proves that the initiative I was a part of founding, LMU Students for

Justice in Palestine, truly is about building bridges between people and culture,” Abbasi said.

Sunday’s ceremony will feature a seminar on consciousness, Indian dance, a dinner and the bestowal of the four awards.

Survey Closes Friday, December 7, 2012 TAKE IT TODAY!!

Doshi Bridgebuilders Scholarship Winners Sahar Mansoor (senior)

..Political science and environmental studies major Organizations worked with: Guadalupe Homeless Project,

SunBridge, Care and Rehabilitation Center for the Elderly, Tree People Places traveled: India, Congo, Sudan, Washington, D.C.

.

Allison Goldberg (senior)

.Political science major .Organizations worked with: Oxfam, Dolores Mission, State Agency for International Development .United Places traveled: Israel Alex Abassi (senior)

.Theology major .Organizations worked with: Tutoring Tomorrow LMU Students for Justice in Palestine .Today, Places traveled: Israel

Christopher Miller (graduate student)

.In-progess Master’s in comparative theology .Organizations worked with: Surfing Yogis USA . Places traveled : India Information compiled by Ali Swenson, News intern; Photos courtesy of those pictured; Graphic: Mercedes Pericas | Loyolan

For the Record The Nov. 29 article “LMU welcomes back De Colores trips” incorrectly stated that Patrick Furlong discussed the stark contrast between the Mexican and American flags. He was referring to the Mexican and American sides of the border.

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News

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December 6, 2012 Page 3

Various campus groups gather for Sandy fundraiser Lambda Chi Alpha and Sursum Corda hold all-youcan-eat dinner to raise money.

By Christopher James A&E Editor

Although Hurricane Sandy hit nearly 3,000 miles away from the LMU bluff, it did impact the lives of LMU students, especially those from the East Coast whose family and friends were affected by the storm.

Yesterday, Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and Sursum Corda service organization held a fundraiser to raise money for the relief effort for the victims of Hurricane Sandy. Together with Sodexo and the Center for Service and Action, the Lair presented a special East Coast-themed all-you-can-eat night for $8.99 featuring such East Coast specialty foods as spaghetti and meatballs, philly cheesesteaks, cobb salads and Manhattan clam chowder, among others.

The drive to raise money for the relief effort for Hurricane Sandy was a very personal matter for junior psychology major Nick Warner, who approached Sursum Corda with an opportunity to cosponsor this event with his fraternity, Lambda Chi Alpha.

“I am from Hoboken, New Jersey, which is right on the Hudson River. The Hudson river rose to levels it never has before and flooded into my entire town,” said Warner.

“My family was without power for a week and it was hard to get in contact with them at first.”

This is not the first

fundraiser for Sandy relief efforts held on campus, as sophomore entrepreneurship major John Ruffaine and his service organization, Sursum Corda, hosted a cookie sale at Convo a few days after Sandy first hit the East Coast.

They sent the proceedes to hurricane victims.

Ruffaine also had familial ties to those on the East Coast affected by the hurricane.

“My family is originally from the East Coast and moved to Sacramento before I was born,” said Ruffaine. “I [still] have aunts, uncles and cousins in New York who had to live without power for quite some time.”

For something that gained so much national and international media attention, some feel that Hurricane Sandy has not received its due attention on LMU’s campus.

“As a student, I have not noticed much attention given to the catastrophe or noticed many opportunities on campus to help aid the victims,” said Ruffaine. “This is part of the reason why I wanted to do something, to raise awareness and aid.”

Being on the opposite coast from the damage seemed to make it harder for students whose hometowns were affected.

“It was hardest to see all the damage my state and hometown endured while I was 3,000 miles away in sunny California. I felt helpless; there was nothing I could do but watch,” said Warner. “It was a scary time being so far away, constantly wondering if my friends, family and home were okay.”

Pam Rector, the director of the Center for Service and Action (CSA), felt this was a perfect example of how expressing an interest and desire to help can lead students to head charitable projects.

“The work of Student Affairs professionals is to support students’ ideas and help them create programs and events that they feel called to do.

It’s important for students to learn about what it takes to put on a successful event, from planning, promoting, implementing and evaluating the event,” said Rector. “As John and Nick look back on their college career, this will be an event that they can say they brought to life that brought awareness to the LMU community while helping to raise disaster relief funds.” “[An] eye-opening aspect [of the event] has been the collaboration of a service organization and a fraternity toward this cause,” said Warner. “This is something that rarely happens on our campus, but it has been amazing thus far.”

Warner and Ruffaine said they hope that they hope this opens the door for students to take a more active role in getting involved in issues and projects that they are passionate about.

“I feel that many people are discouraged from creating fundraisers because they think they cannot get the assistance they need,” said Ruffaine. “With a little effort, it is great to see how many people are actually willing to help and contribute to put together a great event.”

Don’t just read the top news.

Write it.

Contact News Editor Zaneta Pereira to learn more.

zpereira@theloyolan.com

Leslie Irwin | Loyolan

Soledad Logo started working for Sodexo in 2006 in catering. She now works at the Lion’s Corner Café and “doesn’t have anything bad to say about [her] job.” Her favorite part is making drinks.

11BURNING QUESTIONS with a Sodexo worker

This issue, Assistant News Editor Allison Croley talks to Lion’s Corner Café employee Soledad Logo about her favorite Starbucks drink and Michelle Obama.

1. How did you come to work at Sodexo?

I started working here in 2006. I worked at Ralph’s for 10 years and my uncle was working here in catering and told me that they were hiring, so I came and got a job. I didn’t think that I would be here this long, but I’m here. I’ve been here for six years.

2. How do you like working here?

I really enjoy it. Personally, I’m a people person. I like to interact with and meet different people.

3. What is your favorite part about working at Lion’s Corner Café?

I love making the drinks. I’m not a coffee person, so I get tripped out that people just want coffee. I learned that coffee is an addiction. I also really love all my customers. I have a relationship with some of them, and seeing them makes my day.

4. Do you have a least favorite part about working here?

No. This is where God put me. I come to do my work. I don’t have anything bad to say about my job.

5. What can you say about the LMU students who come in and out of here daily?

A lot of them have different characteristics. A lot of them just come in, get their coffee and go, but some are more friendly than others.

6. What is your favorite drink to make?

When I first started working here, the hardest drink for me to make was the caramel macchiato – now it’s my favorite drink to make. At first, it took me forever to learn it, but I love making them today because you get to design them.

7. What is your favorite pastry at Lion’s Corner Café?

I like the chocolate chip scone because it’s sweet but not too sweet.

8. What do you like to do in your free time?

Shopping. Shopping or sleeping.

9. Where is your favorite place to shop?

Express – I love going shopping at Express.

10. If you could trade lives with anyone else in the world, who would it be?

Michelle Obama because she is the First Lady. I could say whatever I want to say.

11. What is your best piece of life advice?

You always have to wake up and thank God that you are alive and that you have what you have. You have to really think that and realize that not everyone has everything that you have.

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

News

December 6, 2012 Page 4

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Administrator will Students show concern for be ‘sorely missed’ fee’s ‘fairness’ and ‘practicality’ House from Page 1 by saying that when everyone found out the seriousness of her illness, “everyone was like ‘wow, she really loved what she did.’”

After 35 years on LMU’s campus, Bailey and Colonel Charles Corley both said that House was always the woman with the answers.

“Donna’s vast amount of knowledge and her contacts throughout the University provided invaluable continuity to the scores of Air Force people who served here but moved on every two to three years,” Corley said.

Although he only knew her for about a year, Corley said that it is quite obvious House touched a lot of people. In addition to her vast knowledge, she offered something that was “more important … her sincere friendship. She had a great way of putting everyone at ease and always went out of her way to get to know each of the new cadets that nervously showed up every year,” Corley said.

Since the news of her death, Corley said that people from all over the country have been sending their condolences.

Acting as the “grandmother hen,” according to Bailey, House took the opportunity to get to know students’ names, stories and truly

Public Lewdness Alumni Mall On Dec. 2, students were observed taking a lewd photo inside the campus nativity scene. The case has been referred to Judicial Affairs.

Larceny Theft Foley Hall On Dec. 1, student reported a stolen laptop.

The case has been closed.

befriend them. “The consistency of her friendly, committed presence made such a difference for our students in the program,” Bailey said.

Her friendliness and inviting presence to students and other staff members coupled with her ability to gather any needed information or answer any questions are the things Bailey said House will be remembered for on campus.

“If there was anything that anybody needed to know about ROTC, how something worked how to get something done, everybody knew Donna was the place to go to get that information. … If there was an answer, she would know where it was or how to find it,” Bailey said.

The respect that House delivered to each cadet was “easily reflected back to her in spades,” Corley said. “She was a greatly admired part of our team and will be sorely missed,” Corley said.

According to Burcham’s letter, a rosary will be said at St. Anastasia’s Catholic Church at 7390 W. Manchester Blvd., Westchester, Calif., today at 10:15 a.m., followed by a funeral Mass at 11 a.m. A private burial will follow.

Drug Abuse Sacred Heart Chapel Grounds On Nov. 29, students were caught using marijuana near the Chapel. The case has been referred to Judicial Affairs.

Harassment McKay Hall On Nov. 20, a student reported receiving harassing text messages from their roommate. The case has been closed.

Criminal Mischief Rosecrans Hall On Dec. 1, graffiti was reported on the third floor Burglary of Rosecrans Hall. The case Huesman Hall has been closed.

On Nov. 20, a student reported a stolen laptop.

Harassment The case has been closed.

Hannon Loft Area On Nov. 30, a suspicious Alcohol Violation person was reported Desmond Hall harassing students. The On Nov. 18, underage case has been closed. students were found in possession of alcohol.

Harassment The case was referred to Burns Rec Center Judicial Affairs.

On Nov. 29, a staff member reported being Criminal Mischief harassed by a patron. The Parking Lot L case has been closed.

On Nov. 18, an individual

Parking from Page 1 stating that “For a school that prides itself on social justice and equality, the idea of charging Sodexo workers and janitorial staff, who make low income and have limited benefits, seems a bit wrong.”

He continued in discussing his fear that many LMU workers will not be able to come back to the University to work given the high parking fees.

However, Director of Parking and Transportation Mario Inga said that there is compensation for those students, faculty and staff who need it. He stressed that these fees are “very, very fair,” and even followed up in an email to the Loyolan, stating, “The user fee imposed by the campus parking permit is meant to both be fair and charge only those who actually use the resource as well as a green initiative to reduce the number of cars on campus.”

Inga also pointed out that Burcham is “committed to not increasing the tuition,” and that the fees are “supported by University senior leadership.” He made clear

witnessed hit-and-run damage to their parked vehicle. The case has been closed.

Drug Use Del Rey North On Nov. 18, student use of marijuana was reported.

The incident has been referred to Judicial Affairs.

Alcohol Violation Von Der Ahe On Nov. 16, an intoxicated student was reported in need of medical attention.

The incident has been referred to Judicial Affairs.

Alcohol Violation Burns Rec Center On Nov. 16, an intoxicated student was in need of medical attention. The incident was referred to Judicial Affairs.

Criminal Mischief U-Hall On Nov. 13, damage to an escalator handrail was reported in U-Hall. The case has been closed.

To see where crime is happening on campus, take a look at the “On the Prowl” map feature in the News section of laloyolan.com.

that the Parking Advisory Committee, which appraised and approved the proposed parking fee, is made up of undergraduates, graduates, faculty and staff.

“Our parking committee represents pretty much everyone at LMU,” Inga said.

Inga explained that 50 percent of the money coming from parking fees will be used to build a new parking garage, and the rest will be divided between other parking-related budgets such as city taxes, transportation alternatives, valet and parking waivers.

“There is an amount being budgeted for people who have financial needs. I am proud of what we are doing because we are really trying to help,” Inga said.

Continuing, he explained that it is hard to get donations for a parking structure because donors would rather donate to a new laboratory or auditorium. He also said that the University does not want to take money from the University’s endowment or the students’ tuition because not everybody has a car to park.

“This is a user fee. If you don’t park, you don’t pay,” Inga said.

Still, students are concerned about the fairness and practicality of the fees and are going to great lengths to express their concerns.

“This is an issue I feel very passionate about and have actually given several presentations on,” Newgard said.

“If we get enough support, this can definitely change things,” Ruiz said.

To learn more about the petition, go to Change.org/ petitions.

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TODAY!

LMU Ice Hockey The CENTURY CUP returns to LMU! ICE HOCKEY beats USC in game 2 of the best of 3 series to take back the coveted Century Cup in front of a packed crowd at the Skating Edge on Thursday night. With goals from Nick DelBuono and Jim McDonald (with 16 seconds left), the Lions held on to win 2-1. On Friday the Lions travelled to Anaheim to play game 3. Jack Hyman, Trevor Isbell, and 4 goals from Jim McDonald led to the 6-5 victory as the LIONS sweep USC. Goalie Taylor Spesak recorded wins in both games as the Lions improve their record to 10-3-1. The Lions return to the ice to finish out the semester on Thursday (at HOME vs Chapman College) and Friday (AWAY @ CSU Northridge). Check out our Spring 2013 schedule at www.lmuicehockey. com The LMU ICE HOCKEY team would like to thank you for your support in 2012 and wishes you a safe and happy holiday season and a prosperous 2013.

FREE CLASSIFIEDS FOR ALL LMU CAMPUS CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS! FOR MORE INFORMATION EMAIL: free@theloyolan.com

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.

Kevin O’Keeffe Managing Editor

Adrien Jarvis Editor in Chief

Dan Raffety Asst. Managing Editor

S

Joseph Demes Opinion Editor

A semester in review

tudents are stressed, professors are strict and the library is full in the middle of the night – it’s clearly that time again: the end of the semester. Instead of giving you tips on how to to survive the final week, the Loyolan wants to use this time to reflect on the semester and share our hopes for the future. Let’s start with the positives.

Celebrating our diversity. Across LMU’s campus, throughout the semester, a conscious effort has been made to recognize and promote the diversity on this campus. It kicked off with ASLMU’s Zero Tolerance Week, a time used to recognize diversity of skin color, religion and anything that made an individual, just that – an individual. But it didn’t stop there, continuing with events like the Tunnel of Oppression. We as a university pride ourselves on our heterogeneous nature, and this semesterlong recognition of our diversity has really embodied what it means to be a student at LMU. Protecting academic freedom. The Loyolan has made it no secret that we are proud of the way the University has stood up for our academic freedom. We praised the University for standing by the September on-campus reading of the play “8,” which recounted the same-sex marriage controversy that took California by storm during the 2008 election. Despite the Catholic Church’s notorious stance on the topic of gay marriage, the University stood by our academic rights and the Jesuit ideal of teaching how to think, not what.

LMU and President David W. Burcham came under fire for this decision, but we hope that this commendable stance will set a trend for the future of the University.

Self-reflecting on academic rigor. As we wrote in a board editorial earlier this semester, the reason each one of us chose LMU is personal. However, most students can agree that a major perk of this university is the dedication to keeping classrooms small. Despite the rising cost of higher education, the University has promised to keep these in

Rule of Thumb

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

California judge blocks ban on gay therapy

YOUR VOICE, YOUR Brigette Scobas DECISION 2012 Asst. Managing Editor

place, and the access students have to professors in and out of the classroom is invaluable. This strong learning environment is coupled with the recent University-wide push, through the Strategic Plan, to challenge academic rigor on campus. The Loyolan looks forward to seeing how the University rises to the occasion.

However, all that being said, there are plenty of ways in which we hope to see the University grow and improve – namely, in terms of communication.

We need to foster cross-campus communication.

As a university, it is vital for everyone to be on the same page. Departments, schools, faculty, students, staff and administration all need to work to better communicate. This comes in the form of academics: When different schools need to work together for shared students, the communication often struggles to be effective. Students who are members of multiple schools need to make multiple visits to multiple people in order to get answers to simple questions. This is inefficient. Create a communication system between schools that allows students to simplify their lives.

But it doesn’t stop there. The Financial Aid Office, the Office of the Registrar and the Study Abroad Office – to name a few – could all stand to streamline processes to avoid the mad dash between departments to complete paperwork.

Finally, our favorite topic as of late: parking. This is the Loyolan’s final plea. Please, LMU Parking, communicate with us. This affects everyone – student, faculty, staff and neighbors. We need clear and concise communication about payment, sectors and times of enforcement. Paying for parking is a big transition, and we need effective communication to make this work.

Overall, this semester has certainly seen its ups and downs, and next semester is sure to be as interesting. Until then, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa and Happy New Year, LMU. We’ll see you in 2013.

December 6, 2012 Page 5

Well, California was almost progressive. California Governor Jerry Brown signed a law, SB 1172, earlier this year that would ban “gay conversion” therapy – a.k.a. therapy meant to change the sexual orientation of minors from gay to straight.

This is the first law of its kind in the nation and, as Brown simply put it, the therapy has “no basis in science and medicine and [belongs in] the dustbin of quackery.” But, U.S. District Judge William Shubb signed a temporary injunction, prohibiting enforcement of the law. He ruled that it might inhibit the First Amendment rights of therapists who oppose homosexuality. We at the Loyolan obviously love our First Amendment rights and even annually dedicate a week to celebrating it, but we cannot support this ruling. Gay therapy is largely criticized for being “unscientific and harmful,” according to the New York Times. Beyond that, being gay is an inherent facet of a person – not a choice – and this therapy is hateful and a false promise. Thumbs down to the blocking of a progressive and positive step forward in gay rights and the protection of California residents, regardless of sexual orientation.

Royal baby officially on the way There’s been speculation since the wedding, but the news is finally here: British royals Kate Middleton and Prince William are expecting Britain’s next top (potential) monarch. Word broke earlier this week after Middleton was hospitalized for hyperemesis gravidarum, a.k.a acute morning sickness. Hundreds of millions of people around the world tuned in for the 2011 royal wedding, so we can only imagine the frenzy the months of pregnancy will bring. Will the baby be a boy or girl? What name will they choose? What if she’s expecting twins? And most importantly, how will the newborn’s outfits compare to those of other celebrity spawn, like Harper Beckham and Suri Cruise? Thumbs up to the happy news for the couple, as well as the excitement a royal birth is sure to bring.

Here comes the holiday spirit December brings a lot of stress at LMU; it means projects, papers and tests to close out the semester. It means long, caffeine-fueled nights. But, it also means Christmas. As we were reminded with the Christmas Tree Lighting last Sunday, the holidays are finally here, and we couldn’t be more excited.

Amidst all the stress the end of the semester brings, don’t forget to give yourself a little holiday cheer. Turn on ABC Family’s “25 Days of Christmas” while you work. If you need a caffeine fix, choose a festive peppermint or eggnog-flavored drink. If you feel like you are about to burst from all the studying, take a break by walking around campus to see all the lights and decorations. You deserve it. Thumbs up to the holiday spirit that is a shining light during the hectic finish to the semester.

Parking fees: consent apparently not required I

t’s crunch time. There’s been a lot of talk culminating regarding the impending parking situation around campus. Perhaps discussions and debates of paying for parking have not been well-attended in the past.

Nevertheless, it’s necessary that we keep the discussion going.

In the March 8 Loyolan article “Annual parkBy Michael O’Neill ing fee aims to resolve curContributor rent parking issues in line with the Master Plan,” you can read up on why we are paying for this new plan, which seems to implicitly hinge on the fact that we are a minority in comparison to universities that require paid parking and that unlike other universities, this will not be a source of revenue but go directly to the project itself.

Director of Parking and Transportation Mario Inga states in the same article that there have been, since last semester, “4,253 parking spots on campus, and more than 7,300 parking permits have been distributed.” I’m no math major, but a simple calculation tells me that currently, about 58 percent of those with parking permits have the physical ability to park, and the other 42 percent of permit holders do not. That only holds true if the 58 percent of parking permit owners are allowed to park wherever they please. Of course, we all know that we are assigned where we are allowed to park, and therefore there are some spots that are not even

being used.

The University has decided to implement a Master Plan that is going to provide 609 additional spots, which, if added to the current 4,253 spots, gives us a total of 4,862.

Thanks to my Core Curriculumrequired calculus class, I can divide 4,862 by 7,300 and arrive at 67 percent. Of course the number of drivers will fluctuate, so I’ll round that number up to 70 percent to be generous.

In any case, according to this “Master Plan,” 30 percent of permit holders will still not be able to get a parking spot, and that number may increase as long as we’re assigned to parking sectors. But I’m way ahead of myself. This plan won’t be realized for 20 years. Twenty years from now, I’ll be celebrating my 40th birthday, working at a job that doesn’t exist in today’s economy.

In the meantime, we’ll pay for parking spaces that don’t exist.

However, as quoted in the same Loyolan article, Mike Wong, associate vice president of administration services, said he “expects that this new fee will deter on-campus parkers by 20 percent.” Once again, without any additional parking spaces being implemented in the meantime, we’ll keep our current number of parking spots of 4,253.

Taking away 20 percent of 7,300, we’re left with 5,840 permit holders.

So by next semester, we increase the number of available spots to 73 percent. The other 27 percent of people are paying $335 (just for the semester) so that they can say they have exclusive rights to a product that doesn’t consistently return on its investment. It doesn’t seem like sound logic that the student body should bear the burden of paying

to implement a system from which they are not guaranteed to benefit, especially when that system is based on the mere hope that more students will opt out of parking on campus.

But of course, we must include what students will be paying for an entire year when we come back to school in Fall 2013. So twentyseven percent will pay $335 to not have the ability to park and then will pay an additional $670 next year for the exact same thing.

How could we possibly accept that even if we pay more than half of a thousand dollars, we won’t be given what we’ve paid for? The answer is under the FAQs for LMU Parking and Transportation: “Paying for parking does not guarantee a parking space.” Then what are we paying for?

Charging people money does not magically create spots. The amount of people allowed to park needs to be limited. I cannot see why we aren’t pursuing the option of not allowing freshmen to have cars on campus.

This reminds me of the Dismount Zones and the great controversy surrounding them. After a while, we became complacent and soon forgot about it. There was one protest that was an exhilarating last skate across campus during daylight hours, but the emotion surrounding it soon died out.

This complacency seems to be a recurring theme in our generation.

Whether it’s a Dismount Zone or an issue such as KONY 2012 in front of us, we get so impassioned for 24 hours and then quickly forget the issue. We allow ourselves to be pushed into whatever situation higher powers deem necessary for

Loyolan Archives

The issue of parking congestion goes beyond the concrete of U-Hall and Drollinger lots, all the way to the edge of LMU’s bluff. us.

We are college-educated students. We are part of the educated minority of America. We have a duty to our community and ourselves to stand up to issues we don’t believe in. Here is an issue that I don’t feel is being dealt with in the right way. Don’t let yourself be impassioned for the next 24 hours and forget what’s right in front of you. Speak your mind to ASLMU; its weekly Senate meetings are open to the public. There is even a petition circulating to have parking fees siphoned into

the overall tuition of each student.

While it may not be the best second option, there are already so many other utility fees implemented in our overall tuition, and this would be no different from that. If nothing else, it’s an alternative that’s being put out there by some students.

I urge you not to pay for parking until our opinions gain the respect they deserve from the people earning our tuition.

This is the opinion of Michael O’Neill, a junior business major from Phoenix, Ariz. Please send comments to jdemes@theloyolan.com.

December 6, 2012 Page 6

Opinion

www.laloyolan.com

GIF Tumblr blogs: girl-on-girl crimes

I

f you want a good laugh, check out GIF Tumblr sites. But if you’re a college woman, expect to be inadvertently stereotyped and degraded.

A GIF – which stands for Graphics Interchange Format – is essentially a moving image clip. You’ve probably BanAnnaGram seen your Facebook

By Anna Escher f r i e n d s Asst. Opinion Editor r e p o s t ing GIFs on each other ’s walls from Tumblr blog sites like “#WhatShouldWeCallMe” and “ # H o w D o I P u t T h i s G e n t l y. ” After observing these sites and laughing along with them for about a year, I have realized that some of their content proves to be troubling.

About a year ago, GIF Tumblr blogs emerged as an online trend in which the GIFs were paired with a caption, in most cases expressing comedic statements that pertain to college life. For example, on the #WhatShouldWeCallMe Tumblr blog, a GIF of a cat attempting to jump from one piece of furniture to another but falling was posted with the caption, “Attempting to do work over the holiday weekend.” This is intended to be funny and relatable to college students.

Although these blogs are

typically authored by women for women, degrading messages are frequently conveyed toward the college woman demographic in a stereotypical way. This is where I take personal issue with some of the implications GIF Tumblr blogs have set forth.

While educated women started this trend, and some of the posts could be intended sarcastically, it cannot be assumed that every post is received as a joke bythose who view it. Some women could take them seriously and internalize the sexist messages in some of these GIFs, lowering their self-esteem.

People make fun of themselves by pointing out stereotypes of groups they are part of.

However, this becomes dangerous when GIF blogs that include sexist, degrading messages – whether they are a joke or not – achieve Internet fame.

One specific GIF that comes to mind is from #WhatShouldBetchesCallMe. It depicts Chris Lilley, an Australian comedian from “Summer Heights High,” dressed as one of his characters, Ja’mie King, a spoiled, private school girl who attends a public school briefly. The post is separated into four GIFs and is captioned, “When people ask what my post grad plans are.” The character ’s GIF response reads, “Travel the world, catwalk stuff, hang out with famous people, then

eventually come back marry some guy and have kids and stuff.” Nowhere here does it suggest that a woman might want to use her degree to get a job, join the professional world or go to graduate school, despite the fact that some of the authors of these blogs are in graduate school themselves, as explained in the March 29 Forbes.com article “#WhatShouldWeCallMe Revealed: The 24-Year Old Law Students Behind The

revolve around chasing men, partying and sex. Enter Jenna Marbles, the YouTube personality whose channel has 4,961,129 subscribers and 868,310,504 video views.

A GIF from one of Marbles’ videos is captioned, “When I considered applying to NYU.” In the GIF she says, “James Franco looks like someone my vagina would want to be friends with.” Case and point, these GIFs aren’t enforcing the idea that college women should take themselves seriously. They mimic the stereotype that the main reason women go to college is for the purposes of chasing men and seeking out sexual encounters, not to pursue higher education that will prepare them to be professionals in post-graduate life.

Blogging can be seen as a form of empowerment, but many of these GIF Tumblr Li sitesWe’d disempower collegeaged women by portraying their demographic as shallow and misguided in an acaThe Lo demic sense. Many of these GIFs are not conducive to the advancement of women’s presence in the workforce, which is weak to begin with.

The anonymous author of #WhatShouldBetchesCallMe uses Jenna Marbles, a popular, attractive comedic figure, to joke about the only reason a girl would consider applying to NYU would be that “James Franco looks like someone [her] vagina would want to be friends with.” The

“[This] becomes dangerous when GIF blogs that include sexist, degrading messages achieve Internet fame.”

New Tumblr Darling.”

I do not blame the # W h a t S h o u l d We C a l l M e authors, but I am troubled by some aspects of the fad that have ensued from this Internet trend of posting GIFs and the reflection it provides of college woman culture. When these jokes deprecate women in the process, it becomes offensive.

College women are already faced with a patriarchal society to fight. Some GIF Tumblrs are problematic because frequently, the posts enforce the thought that college women don’t need to take school seriously. Some of the GIFs suggest that a woman’s college experience should

Loyolan Staff

Dead dolphins wash up on Mississippi Coast The remains of three dolphins washed up on the Gulf Coast recently, bringing the total to at least six dolphins in the past six weeks. Many were mutilated, having been shot, stabbed or otherwise injured. It is unknown if the most recent instances were connected to the previous dolphin killings, but the deceased animals were brought to the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies for further investigation.The Marine Mammal Protection Act protects dolphins from this type of crime, and in accordance with this law, a suspect convicted of a dolphin killing could get up to one year in prison and be charged up to $100, 000. How do you think this should be handled?

$125-million streetcar project for downtown L.A.

The funding for a new transportation project in downtown L.A. that would allow for a car-free route for many residents and commuters has been approved.The projected streetcar line would run down Broadway, Hill and Figueroa streets, connecting many different and important neighborhoods in the downtown area. While some are hailing this project as the practical and cultural solution to public transportation issues in this car-centric city, others are claiming that it is too costly and inefficient. Would you utilize the new public transit?

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college female audience associates with that humor, confusing it with a more serious inequity in today’s society: the lack of women’s drive for success in education and the prioritizing of relationships and sex with men over their own academic and professional success.

This just isn’t right; college women should not degrade themselves in these ways, especially on the Internet where jokes become visible to millions of other impressionable women. It’s a girl-on-girl crime for women to portray each other in these ways. Not to mention when men see women relate to each other in degrading ways, it only makes it less taboo for them to degrade college women as well.

This apathy toward education and professionalism is exactly what continues to lower women’s self esteem in regards to the academic and professional world. What must be understood is that as college women, we are more than our bodies and partying habits. Society should encourage us to take advantage of our privilege of being able to attend a university, and we should not let the girl-to-girl sexist messages represent us.

While GIF Tumblr sites are great for a good laugh, we should not let them speak for our generation.

This is the opinion of Anna Escher, a senior communication studies major from Stanford, Calif.

Please send comments to aescher@theloyolan.com.

Loyolan Editorial Policy The Los Angeles Loyolan, a studentrun campus organization, publishes a twice weekly newspaper for the greater LMU community. The first copy is free of charge. Additional copies are $1 each. Paid, mailed subscriptions can be purchased through the Business department.

The Loyolan accepts unsolicited letters from students, faculty, staff and alumni, and press releases from oncampus and off-campus organizations, but cannot guarantee publication.

The Loyolan reserves the right to edit or reject all submissions, including advertisements, articles or other contributions it deems objectionable.

The Loyolan does not print consecutive articles by the same author that repeat/ refute the initial arguments.

Opinions and ideas expressed in the Loyolan are those of individual authors, artists and student editors and are not those of Loyola Marymount University, its Board of Trustees, its student body or of newspaper advertisers. Board Editorials are unsigned and reflect the opinions of the Executive Editorial Board. Guest editorials are by invitation of the Executive Editorial Board and reflect the views of the author.

All advertisements are subject to the current rates and policies in the most recent Advertising Rates and Information materials.

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L

Opinion

December 6, 2012 Page 7

Cruisin’ L.A.: freshman year with a car

et it be known that I drive the Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) preferred model of car – a black Toyota FJ Cruiser with a rack. I’m reluctant to put this in writing partly because I enjoy scaring unknowing delinquents, but mostly because, up until now, I have gone virtually unnoticed

by DPS. In short, I have the What the Heck ideal setup. I

By Allie Heck couldn’t imagOpinion Intern ine life without my car just because of the possibility of not being able to afford parking.

I cruise through the gates sans card-swipe a good 85 percent of the time, the traffic directors let me through the crosswalks without question and seeing the fear in my fellow students’ eyes as I roll up on their little parking lot party is priceless. By the time everyone realizes I’m not DPS, it’s too late – I am but a trail of invisible exhaust.

But the ease and convenience of having a car is not limited to those of us with a replica DPS vehicle. No, having a car at LMU makes life a lot (and I mean a lot) easier.

From late-night grocery store runs to mid-day snack attacks, I make serious use of my car.

Sometimes, I even do stuff that’s not centered around food.

For instance, every weekend

Jackson Turcotte | Loyolan

I try to go somewhere or do something different, and without a car, I don’t think I would have experienced some of the more memorable things that I’ve done here. I’ve driven to Huntington for paddle boarding, Malibu for brunch (okay, that’s still food-centric) and Santa Barbara for the weekend; not to mention, the many concerts and events that I’ve attended. Having a car allows for some much-needed relaxation and cultural enlightenment that would be very difficult to otherwise experience.

I knew what I was driving into, so to speak, when I

arrived at LMU. My hometown of Dallas, Texas, much like Los Angeles, is not known for its public transportation. Quite shockingly, urban sprawl and massive quantities of people don’t allow for the most conducive environment for bus and metro expansion, so I was well aware of my need for a car.

However, I think it is a shame that, in a city with some of the best concerts and other cultural happenings, many students don’t have the means to attend them. Based on the fact that I go to the beach in between class pretty regu-

larly, it’s saddening that some people don’t have the ability to go to the beach. It’s crucial to go off campus, and hiking in the nearby mountains or swimming at the beach immediately de-stresses me.

LMU has done a good job of alleviating some of the transportation issues with implementing things like the Lion Express an the Zipcar. Now more than ever, students – if they’re willing to spend the extra cash – have the option to explore the surrounding areas or run errands.

But having a car at LMU is also quite costly. Driving

from Dallas to LMU, when including wear and tear on the car, is more expensive than than buying a plane ticket.

And when you also take into consideration the ridiculously expensive parking tickets that I’ve acquired, accompanied by the skyrocketing gas prices, having a car seems counterintuitive.

The problem of cost will soon be exacerbated by the implementation of parking fees. Starting next semester, I will have to pay to park my car on campus, and while this new expense won’t deter me from having a car, I’m afraid that it could do just that for other people in the community. Having a car on campus has been invaluable, allowing me to have a freedom that has expanded the first year of my college experience more than anything, but this new parking fee has the potential to take away that opportunity for current and future students.

Regardless, I don’t think I could live without my most prized possession, my baby, my first love, my wonderful car. Maybe it’s because I’ve always had an obsession with being behind the wheel, or maybe, just maybe, I like quasi-impersonating authority figures. Either way, you can keep your flossy BMWs and fully loaded Range Rovers, thank you very much. I’ll be FJ cruising in my DPS vehicle ‘til the day I die.

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

re

Editor plans weeklong movie marathon E

very family has its favorite Christmas tradition. For me, Christmas has not arrived until my family starts ranking Christmas cards with our rigorous rubric (rule #56: sunglasses worn in a Christmas card photograph receives a 10-point deduction), lights begin going up around the neighborhood so we can pile in our neighbor’s car in our pajato drive Chris Culture mas around and

By Christopher James admire them A&E Editor and good movies trickle into our poor, run-down Lodi theater.

My mom and I have an annual tradition to see one movie each day for a whole week during Christmastime. This tradition was born in the winter of 2005, when both of us came down with a cold so bad that we became the family pariahs and had to retreat to the theater. We still talk about how we coughed louder than King Kong, how my mom cried harder than anyone else in “The Family Stone” and how we went on a Johnny Cash music bender after “Walk the Line.”

Since the summer, my mom has been badgering me about what our week will be like this year. I am happy to say, the crop of films this year looks stronger than ever.

Sunday :“This is 40” Pete and Debbie (Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann) from “Knocked Up” return as the couple tackles turning 40

and the changes in life the milestone brings. Far and away my favorite characters in the Judd Apatow universe (I’ve watched the scene where the bouncer does not let Debbie into the club too many times), I cannot think of a better way to kick off the holiday season. Plus, I can’t see my mom or me having the self-control to wait to see this.

Monday:“Monsters, Inc. 3D” Some people do not buy into the post-3D conversion trend. Susan James is not one of them. She kidnapped her best friend’s child to go watch “Finding Nemo” in 3D since she resented the fact that I was in college and unable to go with her. It seems a trip to the 3D world of Monstropolis will be in order.

Tuesday:“Les Misérables” The most anticipated film this Christmas season for my family is undoubtedly “Les Misérables.” Since I performed the play in high school, it has been a family favorite. Depicting one man’s journey to go from fugitive to prosperous member of the French community in the wake of the youth revolts, “Les Misérables” is a story rich in drama and heart.

With a stunning cast that includes Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and Anne Hathaway (in a role that will undoubtedly win her the Oscar), I am as confident as ever that the film will deliver the emotional sucker punch that one feels while watching the epic musical.

Wednesday :“Django Unchained” I am more than open to spending my holiday season watching Quentin Tarantino’s version of slavery in America. We saw the director use his sly wit and penchant for violence to gleeful results in tackling World War II and Nazism in “Inglourious

Basterds.” Now, it will be interesting to see how he turns a free slave’s journey to rescue his wife from slavery in the spaghetti-western-influenced “Django Unchained.” While the cast is loaded with classic actors from the Tarantino universe (Christoph Waltz and Samuel L. Jackson), I am most excited about how Leonardo DiCaprio will approach his role as the vicious slave owner, Calvin Candie.

Thursday:“The Guilt Trip” Every holiday needs to have one of “those” comedies. You know, the road trip comedy that somehow involves an embarrassing mother. Well, my mom and I eat those up (mostly because it reminds us to never road trip together in a million years). I feel that Seth Rogen has only been getting better after “50/50,” and my mom won’t pass up an opportunity to see Barbra Streisand. We may just have to take Grandma too, to make sure the whole family is included.

Friday:“Jack Reacher” Another year, another attempt for Tom Cruise to prove he is still an action star. Before I get hate mail, yes, “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol” was good. But was “Knight and Day”? I didn’t think so. Nevertheless, the week is ending, and we need to cover all of our bases by watching Cruise as ex-military investigator Jack Reacher going after a rogue sniper. Plus, Dad has been feeling hurt and excluded so we have to find something to do with him.

Saturday: Drive to the far-off indie theater Unfortunately, living in a small town means I will not be able to partake in the limited releases of “The Impossible,” chronicling a family’s

Universal Pictures

“Les Miserables” is just one film that will be a part of A&E Editor Christopher James’ holiday movie week. struggle to survive the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, “Zero Dark Thirty,” which tells the decades-long saga of the manhunt for Osama Bin Laden, or “Amour,” a weeper about an octogenarian couple struggling to survive after a stroke. Hopefully, the people behind the release patterns of those films will find the courage to open wider with their releases so that way people in the small towns, like me, over Christmas will not have to wait a full extra month to see these films or drive about an hour out of town to view it in Sacramento.

This is the opinion of Christopher James, a junior screenwriting and marketing double major from Lodi, Calif. Please send comments to cjames@theloyolan.com.

KXLU takes music off campus for charity efforts Event Preview

By Chelsea Chenelle Asst. A&E Editor

L

ooking for a seasonal way to celebrate the end of the semester? KXLU has you covered with the FYF Christmas Party. On Friday, Dec. 14, local concert and festival sponsors FYF gang up with KXLU; The Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock and Burger Records to present a holiday-themed show featuring station-staple King Tuff, Audacity and in their first show ever, Lace Curtains. It will also feature DJ Derek James, who will be spinning ‘60s music throughout the night.

Mukta Mohan, a junior communication studies major and promotions director at KXLU, said that when FYF’s event coordinator and founder Sean Carlson approached her about co-presenting the show, “It was a no-brainer. We have a really great relationship with FYF and have been supporting them since they started, so we work with them pretty often.”

In the holiday spirit of giving, attendees will be encouraged to bring an unwrapped toy for donation to Union Rescue Mission, a homeless shelter in downtown L.A. According to the FYF Fest site, “Santa will be there for sure,” returning the favor and giving all guests who donate a gift another present in return.

“When we present a show, we heavily promote it on the radio and on our social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter,” Mohan said. “We also have a presence at the show by displaying the KXLU banner and giving out air fresheners and stickers.”

KXLU Music Director Domenico DeCaro said the station has supported headliner King Tuff and his other bands “since day one.” King Tuff’s self-titled album, which was released by Sub Pop earlier this year, received critical acclaim and a spot on Billboard’s Heatseeker Albums chart.

“I hear kids all the time talk about how the music we play is ‘too weird,’” DeCaro said. “But King Tuff, an artist many students enjoy listening to, is one of those artists we supported,

long before the hype.”

Attendees will also have the option to opt for some treats from Clara’s Cakes, which Mohan claims are “the best vegan cupcakes in Los Angeles.”

Aside from King Tuff, the show will present two other “garage-y” – so called because of their raw sound – type bands, Audacity and Lace Curtains. Audacity, whose “Mellow Cruisers” album was heavily played on KXLU over the summer, features former King Tuff guitarist Matt Schmalfeld. Lace Curtains, who are performing their first show, is the brainchild of Michael Coomer of Harlem.

“I think students should go because it’s going to be a rad show with three awesome garage bands and things are going to get crazy,” said Mohan. “The shows we present are always a good time, and it would be cool to see other LMU students come out to support.”

The FYF Christmas Party will be held at The Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock at 8 p.m. Tickets are $12 dollars and are available online at Ticketfly.com.

King Tuff, The Lovely Bad Things, Zig Zags at The Echo - Thursday, Dec. 13.

King Tuff, Lace Curtains, Audacity at The Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock - Friday, Dec. 14.

Casy & Brian, Maston at The Smell - Friday, Dec. 14.

Ty Segall, Bleached, Night Beats, Pangea at The El Rey - Saturday, Dec. 15.

KXLU Holiday Party with a live stream from Timewarp in Venice - Friday, Dec. 21.

GRMLN and guests TBA at The Bootleg - Thursday, Dec. 27.

KXLU Residency featuring Golden Animals, Corners, Mr. Elevator and the Brain Hotel at The Smell - Friday, Jan. 11

Choir brings Christmas joy in song Event Preview

By Mary Grace Cerni A&E Intern

‘T

is the season to take a study break and experience LMU’s immense choral talent. This Thursday, Dec. 6 and Saturday, Dec. 8 at 8 p.m., the LMU Department of Music will be holding its annual LMU Choruses Christmas Gala Concert in the Sacred Heart Chapel. This is a singular event where all three of LMU’s choirs – the Consort Singers, the Women’s Chorus and the Concert Choir – will come together to perform classical musical arrangements of the holiday season.

According to the Director of Choral Activities Dr. Mary Breden, the popular concert is a festive display of LMU’s talent. She said it is “consistently great. It is an event everyone always enjoys and it is one of the great examples of the excellence LMU is all about.”

The choirs will be performing a variety of Christmas songs. Some will be familiar arrangements, but most will be classical choral pieces.

According to Concert Choir member and sophomore theatre arts major Cameron Tapella, the concert is less of a recital of typical Christmas carols as it is a unique collection of spirited Christmas orchestrations.

“The style of Christmas music we will be singing is not typical of what one would expect at a Christmas concert, but this does not mean we are not singing Christmas songs,” he said. “Though we may not be singing ‘Jingle Bells,’ ‘Frosty the Snow-

man’ or ‘Deck the Halls,’ the songs have the theme and spirit of Christmas nonetheless. We will be singing some of the typical Christmas carols, but they will be a version that people probably have never heard before, [presented] in the best way possible.”

When speaking about the dynamic nature of the unique pieces, member of the Women’s Chorus and sophomore political science major Kate Donahue said, “This concert truly captures the spirit of Christmastime. ... This year, we are opening with a really cool arrangement of the Christmas song, ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing.’ I think it will really set the tone for a beautiful show.”

“The concert will be a learning experience and an opportunity to enjoy Christmas music in a new way,” Breden said. “The music may not be familiar, but it represents music of all different cultures. This concert is an opportunity for students to expand their horizons, just as they may in any class they take.”

During the concert, each choir will perform a set of five songs, and then come together for a finale with accompaniment of a professional orchestra. Each choir is different.

According to Breden, the Concert Choir is a coed group that consists of students, members of the community and alumni; the Consort is a smaller, more select mixed group of 24 singers and the Women’s Chorus is an all-student and all-female group.

While discussing group cohesion among the choruses, Consort member and junior communication studies and music double major

OUR GO-TO

CHRISTMAS

PLAYLIST

It’s that time of year again. School is nearly out, you finally have an excuse to watch “Elf” over and over again and Christmas music is filling the radio airwaves. Enjoy your mild California Christmastime with this eclectic collection of holiday tunes, new and old.

1. “Christmas is Coming” by the Vince Guaraldi Trio The film “A Charlie Brown Christmas” has always been an essential part of my holiday ever since I can remember, and the soundtrack is lively and iconic.

This jazzy tune is a great opener for any Christmas gathering.

2. “Baby It’s Cold Outside” by She & Him The roles of the vocalists are switched in this interesting and minimalistic arrangement of the sultry carol; Zooey Deschanel is placed in the pleading-the-other-to-stay position. Stay cheeky, Zooey!

3. “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Matt Costa Matt Costa’s charming vocals and twangy guitar will make you feel like you’re drinking hot cocoa in a snowy cabin in the Appalachians.

4. “The Christmas Song” by Nat King Cole My personal favorite holiday song. It is a track that has and always will capture the true spirit of Christmas.

5. “Wonderful Christmastime” by The Shins It’s tough to do a solid Paul McCartney cover, but The Shins pull it off with their updated rendition of this holiday classic.

6. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by Frank Sinatra You can’t have a Christmas playlist without Frank. This song always comes standard.

– Mary Grace Cerni, A&E intern

Leah Hubbard | Loyolan

Students sing loud for all to hear to celebrate the Christmas cheer as a part of the LMU Choruses Christmas Gala Concert.

Madison Grady said, “We have numerous holiday events, fundraisers and private concerts in addition to our Christmas gala we rehearse for.

It is so fun. We are a big family, and there is so much excitement for the Christmas gala. We always look forward to entertaining LMU students and faculty, friends and community members.”

The concert is not only a chance to see the talent of LMU’s music department, but it is, as Breden said, “an opportunity to see your peers perform, which makes it really special.”

When asked why LMU students should take a study break to see the concert, Donahue said, “Our Christmas concert is considered by so many members of the LMU community as the official beginning of the Christmas season. Students should

definitely take time to come see the show because it really does capture the feeling of Christmastime, and it shows the hard work and dedication that all the choir performers and Breden have put into the LMU Choruses.”

Tapella added, “Returning to campus and to finals is something that can kick you out of that holiday cheer that Thanksgiving can kickstart, and I think the best way to get back into that Christmas spirit is to take a two-hour break from studying and seeing this spiritual, cheerful and amazing show.”

Tickets are currently on sale at the LMU ticket office – for general seating, tickets are only $5 for LMU students and $10 for faculty. With two showings, there is plenty of Christmas joy to go around before finals week and break.

NETFLIX PICKS OF THE WEEK

“Hugo”

Not Christmas-y enough, you say? Well, Martin Scorsese’s award-winning ode to the grand days of silent cinema has all the elements of a great holiday film, even if Santa Claus isn’t flying over the Parisian train station where little orphan Hugo Cabret resides. Set in the glorious wintertime in Paris, Hugo is a kid trying to repair his dead father’s machine, who then falls in love with a spirited young girl and motivates the famous director Georges Méliès, a Scrooge figure played superbly by Ben Kingsley, to entertain the world again with his films.

“Christmas Time in South Park”

If the goal of your Christmas season is to laugh while your heart shrivels rather than warms, then a collection of “South Park” Christmas specials would match your holiday needs perfectly. Featuring Mr. Hankey the Christmas Poo, the evil Satanic woodland critters and a Santa Claus getting shot down in Baghdad, “South Park” once again offers fun, topical and irreverent comedy in place of holiday cheer.

“Adam Sandler’s Eight Crazy Nights” I am ashamed for loving this gross-out, animated Adam Sandler romp as much as I do. However, once you get past the scatological humor throughout, you will find a really sweet movie that is actually quite funny and a bit heartwarming. Plus, if you would rather watch a Hanukkah movie than a Christmas film and have no fear of Sandler’s brand of humor, you are in luck.

-Christopher James, A&E editor Graphics and Layout: Alberto Gonzalez | Loyolan

December 6, 2012 Page 10

Arts & Entertainment

www.laloyolan.com

Dancers tell stories in annual show

Event Preview

By Tyler Barnett A&E Intern

P

assionate dancers, skillful choreography and creative storylines are the foundation of the dances to be seen in this year ’s annual winter dance show, “An Evening of Concert Dance.”

The show will be held in Strub Theatre from Wednesday, Dec. 5 through Saturday, Dec. 8 at 8 p.m., including a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday.

“An Evening of Concert Dance” will feature 10 professionally choreographed dances that show a diverse assemblage of modern, jazz and ballet dance styles. Each dance will tell a story, representing a theme or inspired by a musical piece or particular emotion. This annual

showcase of LMU talent is being put on by the dance program in the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance.

Artistic Director and CoChair of the dance program Damon Rago said of the show, “We keep striving for variety.

That’s one of the hallmarks for our program. We’re not just a modern dance program.

We’re not just a jazz dance program.”

Each dance will feature unique choreography, accompanied by a custom lighting design and costumes that aid in capturing the emotion of the piece. Freshman dance major Alyssa Iselli said she thinks that the LMU community will love the show “for the variety” and because “you’re never going to see the same thing over and over again. The show is always going to be changing.”

Shaina Julian | Loyolan

“An Evening of Concert Dance” showcases the diverse talents of the LMU theatre arts and dance community this week at the Strub Theatre.

Iselli is performing in a high-energy piece titled “Under the Ground,” choreographed by the worldrenowned J.T. Horenstein.

“Under the Ground” features LMU dancers as “The Ladies of Hades” in a colorful, fastpaced dance.

A historical element is brought to the dance show

by LMU faculty member Kristen Smiarowski. Smiarowski’s piece, “Indexical Permutations,” is part two of a three-piece choreographic response to Ida Fink’s “The Key Game,” which discusses Poland in World War II. “Indexical Permutations” will be packed with emotion and incorporates an original sound design made up of various sound bites, such as a steaming tea kettle and clanging artillery.

Junior dance major Grace Goodwin will perform in a piece titled “Nerd Alert” which is choreographed by LMU alumna Jessica Harper.

“Nerd Alert” brings a little bit of humor and a splash of color with the dancers dressed in neon suspenders and goggles.

“I think every single person that comes to the dance concert once will always come back again because they fall in love with it and are so impressed by our work,” Goodwin said. “This show is also a way for students to fill their artistic void and be challenged emotionally. It’s really thought-provoking for them to see this show.”

“An Evening of Concert Dance” merges the talent of LMU students with the knowledge and creativity of high level, well-known chore-

Shaina Julian | Loyolan

LMU dancers show off their polished dancing skills as “The Ladies of Hades” in J.T. Horenstein’s piece, “Under the Ground.” ographers within and outside of the LMU community. Bill T. Jones, the choreographer of “Spent Days Out Yonder,” is who Rago refers to as “probably the most famous living American modern dance choreographer.”

Rago said that students

“should expect to be amazed because we have a student body of such amazingly talented dancers that will showcase really remarkable and complex choreography.”

Admission is $10 for students and $15 for the general public.

www.laloyolan.com

Arts & Entertainment

December 6, 2012 Page 11

Del Rey Players get existential with latest production Theatre Review

By Hayley Lobel Staff Writer

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he concept seems simple: one room, three people, a valet and an eternity for them to get to know each other. Initially, this concept confused me, as I had assumed the Del Rey Players new play, “No Exit,” would be centered around vampires and other eternal figures, but was pleasantly surprised to realize that’s not what it is about.

Jean-Paul Sartre’s play, also performed under the title “In Camera,” depicts three deceased characters who are being eternally punished in hell by being locked in a room together.

The lights dim in LMU’s blackbox theater on Friday as three condemned souls – Vincent Cradeau (Adam Dlugolecki), Inés Serrano (Lacey Smith) and Estelle Delaunay (Jessica Long) – are brought to

a room by a mysterious valet (Eric Reedy). Directed by junior theatre arts major Luc Hediger, this play is loaded with raw emotion, keeping audience members enticed throughout the one act, single-room setting play.

The theatrical experience is delightfully entertaining as a personal hell for each troubled character is quickly revealed.

The four actors are able to effortlessly keep audience members engaged in the 90-minute play that brought viewers into the room with the lost souls.

As three individuals recently deemed “absent” (a euphemism created by Estelle for “dead”), Vincent, Inés and Estelle find themselves in a hell not of fire or physical torture but the hell that is “other people.”

Throughout the duration of Friday night’s performance, it became apparent that these three characters were brought together for a specific purpose: Each of them is concurrently drawn to and yet repulsed by

Liana Bandziulis | Loyolan

“No Exit” uses relationships to drive home the point “hell is other people,” as shown by Lacey Smith (left) and Adam Dlugolecki (right).

one another in a neverending cycle.

LMU senior theatre arts major Adam Dlugolecki plays the role of Vincent Cradeau, a journalist from France who is the first character to be escorted by valet Eric Reedy into the room in which he would be eternally trapped. Dlugolecki’s performance is captivating; being the first actor on stage, he certainly gets the audience members’ attention the moment he walks in the room. With a seemingly larger than life personality, Dlugolecki’s portrayal of Vincent Cradeau is impeccable.

Inés Serrano, played by freshman health and human sciences major Lacey Smith, is the second character to enter the room; she acts as the voice of reason for the group. The only character to seemingly acknowledge that she is an evil person, Inés remains honest about the deeds she has done as well as her true feelings for Estelle Delaunay.

Smith certainly embodies Sartre’s character of Inés Serrano.

Her projection and conviction remain constant as she makes the audience feel every emotion she felt on stage. Throughout the play, Smith’s manifestation of Inés grows before audience members’ eyes. While performing among an older cast, this freshman certainly holds her own on stage.

Seemingly fragile, blondehaired Estelle, played by sophomore theatre arts major Jessica Long, is the third character to enter the room. Estelle clings to the life of opulence she once had before she went “absent,” and this is ultimately her biggest downfall. Long proves to be a force yet to be reckoned from the moment she walks on the stage. Her character adds a sort of comedic relief while still carrying on with the dark story.

Liana Bandziulis | Loyolan

Jessica Long (left) and Lacey Smith (right) embody Sartre’s complex characters Estelle and Inés, respectively, in the Del Rey Player’s rendition of “No Exit.”

On the surface, Long’s character seems somewhat simple and easy to figure out; however, Long showed that there is much more to this complex character than meets the eye.

The tumultuous relationship among the three main characters makes clear Sartre’s idea that “hell is other people.” The actors certainly grow throughout the play, starting timid but quickly embracing their true characters. By the final scene of the play, the cast was fully submerged in the storyline and almost unrecognizable as students. They are phenomenal as they are able to captivate audiences with their broad range of emotion and chemistry with one another.

“No Exit” is an intriguing

play, sure to not leave any audience member underwhelmed.

The actors quickly whisk the audience away, bringing them into the room and onto their personal ride through hell.

Goosebumps ran up my spine as I could truly feel the pain and the torture that the characters experienced within the room together. With just two more showings, “No Exit” is a play that is not to be missed.

“No Exit” has two more shows: one on Dec. 8 and a special closing night performance Dec. 10 unofficially titled “No E(XXX)it.”

This is the opinion of Hayley Lobel, a sophomore communications studies major from Valencia, Calif. Please send comments to cjames@theloyolan.com.

LMU dancers explore Balinese culture Event Recap

By Maddie Flager Staff Writer

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semester’s worth of learning and practice culminated in “Ragu,” a Kreasi Penyalonarangan-type of Balinese dance drama put on by World Music Ensemble and the Department of Music at LMU. The event, held on Dec. 2 in Murphy Recital Hall, featured 11 LMU students enrolled in the world music ensemble class, two alums and a variety of skilled professionals brought in by Dr. Paul Humphreys, director of the Program for World Music.

Each semester, the program brings world-class artists to campus to give solo recitals, small ensemble recitals and master classes. It also gives LMU students the opportunity

to learn to play instruments from different cultures.

“In the fall we typically use Balinese instruments, and in the spring we use Ghanaian instruments,” Humphreys said. “[This performance] is the most ambitious program that we’ve undertaken in the history of World Music at LMU.” The 1 ½-hour production began with two strictly instrumental pieces, using a set of instruments commissioned from Indonesia, and then went into the dance drama in which musicians remained onstage, providing the intense music which was the backdrop for the entire show. Instruments included: a string instrument called a rebab, which adds a sweet quality to the sound; metallophones, which are keyed instruments made of bronze that give off a metal-

Liana Bandziulis | Loyolan

Visiting dancers rehearse the “Gajamina” routine as the LMU World Music students play the various metal instruments that make up the full“gamelan.”

lic, tin-like sound, and gongs, which are quite resonant and signal a moment of arrival in the piece.

Based on characters drawn from a Hindu epic and directed

by Tyler Yamin, a recent graduate of the Indonesian music and dance program at the California Institute of the Arts, the drama developed as a love story. The hero was expelled from his kingdom by the king for associating with the king’s daughter. His punishment was to bring back a mythical creature with the head of an elephant and the body of a fish.

Undeterred by the futility of the situation, he went on the search. In the production, the creature was played by two dancers who spent much of the play’s dance portion inside an elaborate costume.

The performance brought together a unique group of people. According to Humphreys, only about half of the student musicians are actually music majors.

“One is an art major, another is a film student, one is a political science [major],” Humphreys said. “People come from all walks of academic life in the University to play this music, and that’s something I am really happy about.”

“I heard [the group] last semester and thought, how often do you get to play Indonesian music?” said Albert Hickman, a sophomore music major. “I’ve never done anything like this before in my entire life, so having the opportunity to be able to do this, where every instrument has some crazy name I can’t pronounce – it’s a nice introduction into this whole new

Liana Bandziulis | Loyolan

The story of the event follows the hero who must find the“Gajamina”, a mythical beast with the head of an elephant, a body of a fish and the feet of a pig. world of music.”

The class has been studying these instruments and preparing for this show since September and worked with the dancers only a few weeks prior to the performance.

“I did [World Music] last year and wanted to do it again,” said sophomore music major Megan Fox. “It is really cool to learn about music from different cultures and see the differences there are. The best part is the community and the people you get to play with.”

Guest performers included dancers such as Nyoman Wenten, the director of World Music at the California Institute of Arts; Nanik Wenten, a distinguished dancer, choreographer and teacher, and Djoko Walujo, a Javanese musician. “[The Wentens] are worldclass artists,” Humphreys said. “Their colleague, Djoko

Walujo, is one of the most coveted teachers. We couldn’t be more proud that they are all joining us.”

Most of the audible parts of the show came from the musicians themselves. There was little dialogue in the drama, and much of what was said was not in English. However, the audience members, made up of students, faculty and other members of the greater LMU community, were able to follow along through the program, which gave detailed descriptions of each part of the show. The show culminated with a battle between good and evil, which is typical of this type of dance drama.

Next semester, World Music at LMU will be working with West African Ghanaian instruments, including three sets of drums, a pair of 14-key xylophones and traditional flutes.

Faith

December 6, 2012 Page 12

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Belief is unique; it’s what you make of it H

Being in college and growing older is about creating “our faith.”

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he last – and first – time I may have been to church of my own accord may or may not have been at some point during my freshman year.

The details, like the details of many Masses before this particular Mass, are hazy; m o t i v e s A Short Story for attending remain

By Joseph Demes u n c l e a r .

Opinion Editor I c h o o s e that turn of phrase – of my own accord – not cynically but, because I have to admit that, before arriving at LMU, I don’t think it ever was. I was baptized Catholic, educated in Catholic pedagogy and went to Mass every Sunday as far back as I can think to remember.

Soon enough, however, college came around, and the impetus to attend Mass and practice the faith I wasborn into and thoroughly steeped in, slipped away from me. It was not that I had been sheltered or not aware of other possibilities outside the one that had been chosen for me – which I, passively, chose to accept – or that I could not conceive my entering those possibilities. I think that, for so long, I simply became aware of the ease of not having to choose otherwise and

Liana Bandziulis | Loyolan

LMU’s Sacred Heart Chapel seats 1,000 and offers Mass every day and twice on Sundays. The LMU student Mass is Sunday nights at 8 p.m. However, Mass is not mandatory for LMU students. took advantage of that luxury.

Or, equally likely, it just seemed too daunting to abstain from or refuse the norm of a community that was almost entirely pervasive to my everyday goings-on.

It still is sometimes; there are days where I will feel out of place without putting on a collared shirt, for reasons unknown other than being so damn used to a kind of reassuring sensation from that collar. A kind of hand-on-the-back-of-yourneck comfort, if you will.

I mean to say that I began to realize, after waking up at my own leisure on Sundays, I felt that 18 years of supposedly earnest practice had really been more of a routine than anything else. For any of you

who still retain the faith of your upbringing, do not take that as a direct criticism. You all, most likely, have radically different conceptions of your personal faith experiences than I do. I mean to say that the sensation of praying began, for myself, to feel more like a thinking out loud within the space of my cranium – much like I do when I read to myself – and did not ‘feel’ like a a change of sensation, but rather an awareness of the sensation and what I rationalized that sensation as.

So, the question became: What do you have faith in when you begin to realize your faith was never your own? Is it ever, I wonder? When you think about the randomness of the denominations we are

born into and how we are raised based on that, are our faiths earnestly our own? And when you start to feel that and then get into the nitty-gritty of things like heaven and hell – of which I have serious philosophical qualms and ethical problems with, respectively – then, I think, the problem becomes having faith in the world you inhabit. Because now, as Hume might say, I can hold myself to the idea that the sun will rise tomorrow and that it will not with equal weight because the former is merely a repetition of habit engrained into the 21 years I have existed. (Though if I were a betting man, my money would be on the former.)

It’s not unlike, I think, the feeling of being asked: “What

country or Christian on the basis that all were ‘sacrilegious’ and ‘satanic’? Neither Halloween nor Martin Luther King, Jr. Day found their way onto my school’s calendar.

I began to understand. Each person had their quirks. Who was I to care? But then our religion classes became significantly darker than just equating a boy wizard to a demon.

I will never forget my fourth grade teacher’s description of the Rapture and how I could not sleep for quite some time after. She spoke in great detail of the torture and painful horrors that will supposedly befall the wicked, which were graphic enough that the whole idea seemed like a poorly written science fiction novel. (Apparently, credit cards will be obsolete and your bank account will be imprinted on your wrist with the number “666” displayed on your person, as you will be tied to your finances and money is evil. I am not making this up.)

What most disturbed me was the fact that she told us, with grave and unwavering certainty, who was going to be in heaven in eternal bliss and who would rot away on Earth in a God-forsaken, blistering state of endless torture. Only certain Protestants who believed in the “correct” teachings of God and acted in a good Christian manner would be saved, while Catholics, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, atheists, agnostics, dogs, cats, ponies and everyone else would waste away here.

I couldn’t get my mind off the idea of, my parents, my grandparents and myself roasting away together for eternity.

Over the years, I became more vocal, and so did my teachers. Perhaps what I learned most over the course of my elementary school education came from my seventh

grade Bible teacher, Mr. McLarty. On the first day of class, he said, “By the end of two weeks, I will be able to tell each and every one of you if you are going to go to heaven or hell.” He was right. Within two weeks, he made it very clear that I was to be damned to hell. “Catholics are evil and you are not to listen to their nonsense,” he said.

Perhaps most upsettingly was after Pope John Paul II died, Mr. McLarty got this evil little smile on his face as he bellowed from his podium in class, “The Pope is burning in hell right now, and Pope Benedict is the Antichrist himself.” McLarty was not an allegorical man either.

He set a date about six months from then for when the apocalypse would happen. In fact, my science teacher, my grammar teacher, my spelling and literature teacher and even the gym teacher each had a different date in mind. Let’s just say we weren’t supposed to make it past 2006 by the most optimistic estimates.

I remember coming home to my parents really distressed that, while the school was a private institution, they would be allowed to teach such things. My science textbook only taught creationism and the only time we were taught evolution was as a part of science camp; thinking of evolu-

tion disgraces God and will make you go to hell.

However, once again, I was told, “Get through.

You know what they are saying about you isn’t true.

People in life aren’t always going to be nice. You just have to learn to shake it off and move on.”

I still hold to that.

Coming from a small religious farm town to the city of L.A. meant I was being exposed to so many different groups of people that were nowhere near where I came from.

I’ll face it: As much as I saw the Catholic Church as a haven for my family and me and still go to Mass each Sunday, they are not blameless in chucking other traditions or groups under the bus as well. However, I learned in my Catholic after-school sessions to be a person who gives to those in need, to accept and love all and to be a shining example of what it means to be a good human being. Granted, I try and rarely succeed at even two-thirds of that at any given moment.

My basic point is that one’s religion should not be the only lens through which he or she sees life. No book is going to tell you with 100 percent certainty what is going to happen in the afterlife or if you will be on the good side or bad side.

You must have faith in what you believe and hold that true for yourself.

Don’t believe something just because it is what everyone subscribes to or you have been scared into it. In fact, if

are you going to do when you graduate? Got a job lined up?

Any grad schools on the horizon? What do you want to do with your major? How’s it knowing it’s your last year?”

(Insert the questionnaire version of the Apostles’ Creed, and you might see a parallel.)

And so what I do is list the possibilities. I say where I’m applying now and where I might later; I mention the one tentative, unpaid internship; I mention that I don’t have the time to really be writing what I want to be writing because, well, I have so many other things to write for so many other classes, and I just think to myself that it’s not my last year because there may be one after that, and after the next one, ad nauseam – barring spontaneous, tragic and untimely death and whatnot.

I take comfort now in that uncertainty. That sounds a bit contradictory, except for when I remember how ‘certain’ I felt about being Catholic. And then I think how much happier I am admitting to myself that I don’t know what’s going to happen next, in one year or after I die. But I’ll try earnestly. That must be a kind of faith, mustn’t it? To say “I don’t know” and go about your business neither reassured nor frightened, but just going about it. It becomes about making our faith, and not just taking the cards – or scriptures – we are told to believe in.

This is the opinion of Joe Demes, a senior English and philosophy double major from Clayton, Calif. Please send comments to jdemes@theloyolan.com.

Catholic connection in a sea of Protestantism Growing up Catholic in a Protestant education system can be difficult.

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or traditions based on the teachings of love, forgiveness and acceptance, there seems to be a whole lot of hypocrisy coming from behind the pulpit.

In every way, shape or form, each religion is not as different as radicals make it out to be.

Who cares if I can’t eat Chris Culture meat on a

By Christopher James few Fridays and believe A&E Editor that certain thin, tasteless wafers are the body of God? Up until the age of 13, I grew up around a multitude of people who cared quite a bit.

The strained relationship between Catholic and Protestant traditions is not highly publicized, but it can be very troublesome. I was raised a Catholic, however, since the local Catholic school was not exactly up to par in the department of curriculum. My parents bit the bullet and sent me to the Protestant private school in town.

Virtually everything I learned in Bible classes was the same as what I was learning in my after-school Catholicism classes. However, there were so many strange anomalies I never quite understood through my young eyes. Why did our school ban “Harry Potter,” “Pokémon,” “Pinocchio,” anything that was PG, everything on Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon and Disney Channel? All music that was not

you just can’t believe, don’t.

Religion is a personal matter that you alone make. There is no need to feel you have to convert nonbelievers or preach to the “unholy.” No one wants to be preached at or feel looked down upon because they aren’t scared of a hypothetical big man in the sky.

I am a Catholic because I want to be. If you are a Protestant, great. My dad’s side of the family is, and I love them all the same because frankly, it is not my business to judge whether they take wine with their communion or not. If you are agnostic, atheist, Mormon, Scientologist or of the Church of the Latter-day Dude (based off of “The Big Lebowski”), that’s great too. Just make sure it is your decision and yours alone.

And frankly, if Mr. McLarty ends up being right, I think I will much prefer my little hot tub in hell raising a glass of wine with my parents and grandparents than any pearly white gates that open for his fear-mongering friends.

Graphic: Joanie Payne | Loyolan This is the opinion of Christopher James, a junior screenwriting and business double major from Lodi, Calif. Please send comments to cjames@theloyolan.com.

To read Asst.

Managing Editor Dan Raffety’s coulmun about the Jesuit impact of LMU, visit the Faith Section of laloyolan.com.

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Ki ki ki

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Sports

December 6, 2012 Page 13

Santa: The ultimate overlooked athlete Sam Borsos shares why she thinks Santa can outperform any pro athlete.

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eBron James, Michael Phelps and Kerri Walsh are some of the most talented athletes in the world right now. They train yearround, compete in the Olympics and make a living off of their athletic abilities. Today, in the holiday spirit, I’d like to add another name to the list: Kris Kringle.

Yes, everySam’s Slam one, I’m going

By Sam Borsos to present my Asst. Sports Editor case as to why I think fat, jolly, old Santa Claus could take on these athletes any day in a competition. By the end of this article, you may have a very different perspective on the pudgy man who, in reality, is an athletic beast.

First of all, Santa may be on the heavy side, but there’s more to him than meets the eye in terms of strength. Let me break it down for you.

Let’s estimate that LeBron can bench press about 225 pounds. Sounds impressive, right? Well, let’s say that Santa has toy trucks and Barbies for all of the kids he visits, and carries about 50 of each toy in his bag at a time – his bag is pretty big. The average toy truck probably weighs about four pounds while the average Barbie weighs about

one. That means that Santa is lugging around 250 pounds of toys at a time. Not only that, but he carries them through blizzards, down treacherous chimneys and up icy roofs. If that’s not pure athleticism, I don’t know what is. I’m a little disappointed that our Olympic team didn’t put good ol’ Santa as our starting forward for the basketball games this past summer.

Now, let’s look at Santa’s eating habits compared to Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps. Everyone was fascinated when they first learned that the swimmer consumes about 12,000 calories per day, giving him the reputation of the ultimate calorie consumer. However, there’s one person who can out-eat him, and it’s not you during finals week. If you think about it, there’s about 100 calories in one Christmas cookie and with about 7 billion people in the world, maybe 1.5 billion households. If each family sets out three cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve, he will consume over 300 billion calories within one night. The scary part is, I didn’t even factor milk into the equation. I think at this point, we should all just hand over Phelps’ medals to their rightful, jolly owner.

Still not impressed by Santa’s physical skill set? Well, think about this. Kerri Walsh, one of the greatest volleyball players in the world, gets to compete in her sport in spandex and a sports bra for maximum movement. This allows her to dive for the ball in the sand and easily get vertical to

slam down a spike. Santa, on the other hand, does not rock that outfit, although you’re probably imagining it now. If you were going to climb down chimneys and travel around the world all night, would you want to be wearing a heavy cotton hat and big boots? Of course not, but Santa gets the job done even with this extra baggage. I say that instead of leaving Santa cookies out

for Christmas, what we really should do is set out some Nike running shoes, a festive sweatband and an eggnog protein shake.

So, next time you hear your friends talking about their favorite college or professional athlete, don’t hesitate to prove them all wrong with your new knowledge of the greatest athlete in the world. Even if Santa doesn’t dominate in physi-

cality, eating competitively and working against his heavy outerwear, he has the best sportsmanship a fan could ask for. Without getting anything in return, he not only performs best athletically, but he couldn’t be merrier about it.

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

details

S ports Stiles ‘goes above and beyond’ in first season

December 6, 2012 Page 14

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Stiles from Page 16

Steven Douglas | Loyolan

Under the new coaching staff, the Lions are starting the season well (5-5), needing only 4 more wins to surpass last season’s total of only eight wins.

“I have a lot of freedom in this style of play,” said Gomez. “They want us to push the ball as hard as we can, and we have had success this far into the season.”

When asked where she sees this team going by the end of the season, Stiles reiterated her hatred of losing.

“I want to win every single time we go out on the floor, and I truly believe we can,” said Stiles. “That being said, I would love a top-three finish in conference, but I’m shooting for us to win the conference. That’s my goal for this team.”

Stiles mentioned that all players on this team are considered freshmen because they all have to adapted to the

new system that Elliott has put in place, but she has been impressed with the response so far.

“The girls love to be coached, and that’s great when you’re on the bench. They have given it their all, and it makes it fun to coach them,” she said.

Other than basketball knowledge and offensive schemes, Stiles has been a support system for the women on the team, transcending the traditional role of an assistant coach and becoming a mentor and resource.

“My dad always said, ‘Know you’re the best, but never shout it out,’ to have that humility and quiet confidence about you,” said Stiles. “If I could shed one thing on this team, it would be to have confidence, but play with respect

and integrity.”

The players see the amount of dedication Stiles has given to the team. “She really cares about us,” Gomez said. “She goes above and beyond to make sure that we are better players, but most importantly, better people.”

Gomez, whose father is battling cancer, said that Stiles’ love and support has helped her get through such an emotional time in her and her family’s lives.

“She’s taught me that no matter what happens in life, no matter how bad it seems at the moment, to never give up.

She’s truly been an inspiration to me,” Gomez explained.

Stiles and the Lions will be back in action on Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. versus Pac-12 foe Oregon State.

Ireland’s 28 points pace Lions in OT win M. Bball from Page 16 “He made two huge free throws for us,” said Good. “He’s a great post defender and he didn’t get into early foul trouble like he normally does, so he was able to stay out there and be effective.”

Ireland, who scored 21 points (6 of 23 shooting) in the Lions’ previous two games, found his stroke, erupting for 28 points (11 for 22 from the field and 4 of 5 from 3-point range), dished out six assists and picked up four steals to lead the way for LMU. “I made my first shot and that really got my confidence going,” said Ireland. “I just have to trust my teammates, trust myself and be confident.”

Returning to the floor for LMU

was sophomore guard Bruce English, who hadn’t played in a game all season due to injury. The 6-foot1-inch guard came off the bench to score 10 points in his 2012-13 debut.

“Bruce English returned for us and played great,” said Good. “He was a huge lift. Having our roster at near full health is huge for us, especially on the road.”

Junior guard/forward Ayodeji Egbeyemi was the fourth Lion to reach double figures, finishing with 12 points (3 of 6 from deep) and also grabbed six rebounds. The Lions continued their barrage from deep, knocking down 14 of their 25 attempts (56 percent) and made 50 percent (32 of 64) of their free throws.

The Lumberjacks were paced by

their backcourt, led by freshman guard Dewayne Russell (23 points) and senior guard Gabe Rogers (22 points). Rogers, who was heavily scouted as a 3-point threat by LMU assistant coaches Myke Scholl and Jason Levy, managed to get off 15 attempts from downtown and converted six of them.

“Myke Scholl and Jason Levy do a phenomenal job. They spent so much time scouting this team, and what they found was that they play a three-guard lineup and like to shoot 3-pointers and our game plan was to limit that, but then we went out there and let [Rogers] get off 15 attempts. It’s just frustrating,” said Good.

The Lions will have two weeks off from game action, as their next

matchup is not until Wednesday, Dec. 19, when they host the University of Mississippi at 8 p.m. PST. The game will be nationally televised on ESPNU. “It’s finals right now, so we have

to make sure we take care of our finals,” said Hamilton. “Every day is an opportunity to get better. We just have to come in and do the work and become a better team by the time we play Ole Miss.”

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Lion Sports

WNBA player turns coach

December 6, 2012 Page 16

Lions need OT for win in Arizona

The men’s basketball team comes away with a close victory in a tight overtime game against NAU.

By Michael Goldsholl Staff Writer

back when I played professionally. These girls have made an impact on me.”

And she has done the same for the players on the team. Junior point guard Hazel Ramirez, who is in the midst of her breakout year, matching career high assists totals twice in three games this season, has only felt encouragement from Stiles.

“She keeps telling us to shoot, shoot, shoot,” said Ramirez. “It’s really nice having a coaching staff that is not worried about mistakes on the floor, but wants you to take every opportunity you can get and not hesitate.”

One of Stiles’ duties as an assistant coach is to help in the recruiting process, where her competitive nature comes out the most.

“She will be on recruiting trips and come back and say, ‘We are going to get her. I’m not going to lose her,’” said junior forward Melinda Gomez. “She honestly believes she can accomplish anything she sets her mind to, no matter the roadblock in her way. It really is quite incredible.”

Gomez has taken that approach and excelled on the court this season, giving big minutes for a team that has won four straight home games and has changed the culture of a team that only won eight games a year ago.

Despite blowing an 18-point second half lead, the men’s basketball team gritted out its fifth win of the season, narrowly escaping Flagstaff, Ariz. with an 92-86 victory over Northern Arizona University (NAU) last night.

The Lions (5-4) needed an additional five minutes of play, but they made good use of their time, stringing together consecutive victories for the first time all season and helping LMU Head Coach Max Good earn the 300th victory of his career.

“I could care less about that [milestone],” said Good. “I have no interest in talking about it. The team that played the best tonight did not win.”

The two teams traded extensive runs in the second half, as LMU opened the second half with a 12-0 run. However, NAU responded with a late push of its own, outscoring LMU 14-2 in a five-minute span. The Lumberjacks cut even deeper into the Lions’ lead, as they went on a critical 9-0 run to take the lead, 77-75, for the first time since the 14:40 mark of the first half.

“It’s all about having poise. When [big leads start to slip away], people start to panic,” said redshirt senior forward Ashley Hamilton, who fouled out in overtime, but scored 24 points (8 of 11 field goals) and grabbed six rebounds. “You just have to keep your poise and keep playing.

Fortunately, we didn’t lose, because we made a couple turnovers and they made shots. But we played hard and pulled it out.”

Trailing by three points with 31 seconds remaining, junior point guard Anthony Ireland nailed a 3-pointer to tie the game at 80, and the final possession of the game.

And although the Lumberjacks converted on eight of their last 10 field goal attempts in regulation, the LMU defense prevented NAU, which missed its last four free throws in regulation, from getting a shot off on the final possession, sending the game into overtime.

LMU controlled the final five minutes, outscoring NAU 12-6 and held them to one of 12 shooting in the extra period.

“We are not okay with this,” said first-year NAU Head Coach Jack Murphy in an interview on the NAU broadcast. “This is not acceptable. We can not be satisfied with this even though we fought hard down the stretch.”

Junior center Godwin Okonji was critical for the Lions in crunch time, as he converted on three of four free throws in the final 35 seconds to help LMU hold on for the victory. Okonji finished with seven points and a season-high nine rebounds.

See Stiles | Page 14

See M. Bball | Page 14

Steven Douglas | Loyolan

Jackie Stiles won the WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2001. She averaged 14.9 points per game for the Portland Fire, where she was drafted fourth overall out of Missouri State. She retired in 2006 due to injury. This is her first season on Head Coach Charity Elliott’s coaching staff.

SPORTS FEATURE

Women’s assistant Coach Jackie Stiles joins LMU after a career that included two years in the WNBA.

By Dan Raffety

Asst. Managing Editor

Competition and sports seem to go hand in hand. For women’s basketball Assistant Coach Jackie Stiles, it is a perfect match.

“I hate to lose,” said Stiles. “I absolutely hate it. I’m pretty easygoing off the court, but when I’m on the floor I get bug-eyed and say, ‘Let’s go.’”

Other than assisting Head Coach Charity Elliott in her first season at LMU, Stiles’ competitiveness may have developed from another career: as a WNBA player.

Drafted fourth overall in 2001 out of Missouri State, Stiles played for the Portland Fire and earned Rookie of the Year honors, averaging just shy of 15 points per game. She also made the WNBA AllStar team that same season.

The franchise went into bankruptcy and Stiles went back in the draft, this time being selected 14th overall by the

Los Angeles Sparks. But Stiles’ time in the league was cut short due to multiple injuries.

“I had 13 surgeries in my career,” said Stiles. “My body didn’t allow me to play basketball at that high of a level.”

Stiles made one final attempt to come back in 2006 in an Australian league, but ultimately retired due to injuries.

“I have been very blessed by this game,” said Stiles. “I’ve played in the highest level in the States and have had the opportunity to travel all around the world for the game that I love.”

When her career was cut short, she took to the business side of basketball, developing J. Stiles Total Training in Springfield, Mo., a training facility that specialized in personal training, basketball exercises and motivational speaking.

But her competitive nature never folded, and when she got a text from the recently-hired Elliott, she had to give LMU a look.

“I wasn’t going to move across the country unless the job was perfect,” said Stiles.

“LMU blew me away and I thought to myself, ‘This place sells itself to recruits. I just need to get them on campus.’”

Despite making half her previous paycheck, Stiles is simply happy being back on the floor. “The gym is my home. I have just as much enthusiasm [now] as I did ...

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL UPDATE UC SANTA BARBARA VS. LMU

The LMU women’s basketball team (5-5) could not handle the pace of the UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) Gauchos (3-5) Wednesday night in a 76-69 loss. The Lions trailed by as many as 19 points midway through the second half, despite three of the Lions finishing in double figures.

The Lions started out sluggish, down by double digits early in the first half and down 11 at the break.

The Gaucho lead was extended to 19 points with 9:45 to play, but LMU went on a 9-0 run to cut the lead to 10 with five and a half minutes to play. But LMU could not crack the

UC Santa Barbara code, however, and never threatened their lead.

LMU’s redshirt senior guard/ forward Alex Cowling led all scorers with 25 points, but only shot seven of 15 from the field and missed three free throws in 11 attempts. Junior point guard Hazel Ramirez added 12 points and sophomore guard Danielle Pruitt also chipped in with 14 points for the club. LMU shot 35 percent from the field, compared to UCSB’s 48 percent.

With less than two minutes to play, the Lions cut the lead to sin-

gle digits, but it was not enough to avoid defeat.

This loss meant that the Lions broke their four-game home winning streak and lost their second contest in a row after a defeat by No. 19 UCLA last Sunday.

The Lions will get some time off for finals week, but will be back in action Saturday, Dec. 15 when they take on Pac-12 rival Oregon State at 7 p.m. in Gersten Pavilion.

– Compiled by Dan Raffety, asst. managing editor Graphic: Joanie Payne | Loyolan

ALEX COWLING HAS BEEN LMU’S LEADING SCORER IN SEVEN OF THE TEAM’S TEN GAMES THIS SEASON