December 1, 2011

thur fri

sat

sun

64˚- 49˚ 63˚- 49˚ 58˚- 47˚ 59˚- 44˚

ESTABLISHED 1921 December 1, 2011 Volume 90, Issue 21 Your Home. Your Voice. Your Newspaper.

Loyola Marymount University

Debate team keeps winning reputation

www.laloyolan.com

Waitlist system disappoints some students

LMU defeats Ivy League competitors in international tournament.

Associate Registrar says students have yet to fully utilize new registration feature.

By Brigette Scobas

By Angelica Cadiente Public Editor

Asst. News Editor

“It’s a really strange hobby … [and one] that takes up a lot of time,” said Loyola Law School student Dearbhail O’Crowley regarding her involvement with the award-winning LMU debate team.

But O’Crowley, along with the 15 other members of the LMU debate squad comprised of undergraduate and graduate students, said that does not let that hold them back from their passion for debating, especially after a semester full of notable rankings at a variety of tournaments in the United States and Europe.

Visiting professor of communication studies J.J. Rodriguez has coached speech and debate for 12 years. His involvement with the LMU debate team began in 2007, and Rodriguez says that he has since seen the team continue to achieve success.

“Loyola debate has ranked among the most successful programs in the country for nearly half a century and among the best programs in the world for several years. This season has been particularly remarkable,” Rodriguez said.

The LMU debate team takes part in three different types of policy debate, posting winning records in all three policy debate formats, including American Parliamentary Debate Association, British or World Parliamentary Style and National Debate Tournament.

This is O’Crowley’s first semester at LMU. She is an international student from Ireland, who came to the University on a debate scholarship before even realizing the strength of the team as a whole. “They’re certainly one of the best American schools [and] probably the third in

See Debate | Page 4

Kensie La’anyane | Loyolan

Graduate law student Dearbhail O’Crowley (above) left her home country of Ireland to attend LMU on a debate scholarship.

Monika Kim | Loyolan

High winds cause campus-wide power outage At approximately 7:10 p.m. last night, a power outage occurred across campus due to high winds. The glass windows in Pereira Hall’s entrance shattered because of the wind (pictured above). The Department of Public Safety sent updates to the community throughout the night. At approximately 8:15 p.m. the power was restored. For the full story, turn to Page 2.

Students discuss need for LMU transparency Junior Alex Quintana seeks support from campus leaders to place a student on the Board of Trustees.

By Tierney Finster News Editor

According to the University’s centennial webpage, “The goal of the centennial is to celebrate LMU’s past and project a clear vision of its future.” However, this year of celebration has left some students asking for a clearer vision of LMU’s current financial and administrative practices, and for some students, this means attempting to acquire student representation on the Board of Trustees.

“One hundred years. We have made it this far. … I have not met an LMU student who does not love [the University], but to a certain degree there are two cultures here at LMU,” said junior business major Alex Quintana.

“There’s a culture that students create for themselves through [involvement in] certain organizations and participation in oncampus events, and then there is a separate administration which we don’t really partake in.”

Quintana acknowledges the University’s attempt to involve students in the making of important decisions but believes the current system is doing so in an “inadequate” fashion.

He believes that the University’s operations need to be clearer to students and more student representation is needed in LMU’s executive decision-making.

“Currently, transparency is an issue that is at the top of the lists of concerns of most

SHOULD GRAPHIC LABELS BE PLACED ON CIGARETTE PACKS? Two opinion columnist debate new FDA proposals.

Opinion, Page 7

students I speak to, including organization leaders and certain ASLMU senators,” Quintana said.

ASLMU Director of Intercultural Affairs Sean Krimmel and ASLMU Senator Corey Meador, a senior screenwriting major, agreed that there could be a greater degree of transparency in LMU’s affairs in some ways.

Krimmel and Meador met with a representative from the Controller’s Office to discuss LMU’s financial practices this year but acknowledged that their opportunity was very rare.

See Transparency | Page 3

Kensie La’anyane | Loyolan

Junior business major Alex Quintana wants a student representative on the board of trustees. He is also president of the College Democrats at LMU.

Index Classifieds.............................5 Opinion...............................6 A&E.....................................9 Sports..............................16

The next issue of the Loyolan will be printed on December 8, 2011.

As LMU finds itself more than halfway through the advanced registration season, many students may already find themselves through with the anxiety associated with registering for classes. However, the worry that comes with not being able to register for a particular class or getting enough credits to qualify for full-time student status is an issue that persists for some.

Hoping to alleviate some of this stress, LMU announced and implemented a new waitlist feature to go along with hundreds of courses [see “Registrar adds waitlist feature,” in the Nov. 7, 2011 issue of the Loyolan]. According to Robert Nitsos, the associate university registrar for Student Records Systems, there are over 400 undergraduate and graduate-level courses with waitlists.

Those courses are spread across all colleges and various departments.

Nitsos added, “It was purposefully limited to a smaller number of courses because this is the first time we’re doing it, and we want to make sure everything is going to work out.”

The various colleges then decided which courses to offer waitlists for, and the Office of the Registrar made the waitlist feature available to those courses.

Though students were notified of the waitlist feature on Nov. 9 via a campus-wide email from the Office of the Registrar, it does not appear that this new feature is being utilized by many students. As of Nov. 29, only 16 courses out of the 400 had active waitlists. In addition to that, only approximately 30 to 40 students were actively on a waitlist.

Nitsos suggested that the low numbers could be a result of the possibility that “the courses haven’t filled up enough to where we need a waitlist yet.” He also added that “maybe later in the week or next week, we’ll really see some more use of it. I expect that you’ll start seeing messages go out more frequently once advanced registration is completed and through the holiday break up through that first week of class as students are really trying to get into the sections they want.”

Before the implementation of LMU’s waitlist feature, some students found themselves using a third-party website, GetThatClass.com, which offered a similar service of notifying a student via text message and email if a closed course reopened. However, during this registration season,

See Registration| Page 4

THE PERSONAL SIDE OF AIDS “Stages of AIDS” weaves in personal testimonies from members of the LMU community.

A&E, Page 9

December 1, 2011 Page 2

News

www.laloyolan.com

LMU experiences campus-wide power outage Strong winds lead to a loss of power, fallen trees and broken glass on campus.

By Tierney Finster News Editor

It was an average Wednesday night at LMU. Many students sat in their evening classes, some studied in the William H. Hannon Library and others spent time in their dorm rooms, among other activities. At approximately 7:10 p.m., these activities were disrupted by a campuswide power outage.

The Department of Public Safety (DPS) informed the community of the power outage in an emergency alert text message around 7:43 p.m. last night.

According to the KPCC 89.3 website, the power was also lost at the nearby Los Angeles International Airport, and parts of Westchester, Playa del Rey and Venice. The Los Angeles Times warned community members in their online blog post titled “80 mph Santa Ana winds possible as fire conditions turn ‘explosive’” and that power lines were likely to be taken down by yesterday’s strong winds.

These weather conditions also caused Pereira Hall’s glass entryway to shatter, resulting in minor injuries to two LMU students. According to Mauricio Gutierrez of Facilities Management confirmed that the University already has the replacement materials, but that they “won’t be up until tomorrow.”

DPS Chief of Public Safety Hampton Cantrell said that DPS is currently “in the process of damage assessment,” and noted that a fallen tree in front of McKay Hall is also

considered a key site of damage.

Resident Director Jennifer Lindberg told Loyolan reporters that a student was trapped in the Leavey 5 elevator for at least half an hour during the outage. The Loyolan hasdnot received further information about this student at the time of publication.

Many students working on William H. Hannon Library computers lost their work when the electricity was lost.

“I was on the second floor, and I could hear people from the first floor yelling about losing their work,” said sophomore psychology major Julia Ritchey.

The library implemented a mandatory evacuation soon after the outage in order to prevent the looting of books, according to library staff.

Sophomore screenwriting major Carl Duff “walked into Russian class expecting a three-hour talk about the upcoming final.” Although Duff admitsed that his “heart lifted” when the lights went off, and class was cancelled, he was upset at the University’s lack of adequate preparation.

“There was no procedure to follow or secondary location for the class. Even if it’s only once in a while, missing class due to a lack of emergency preparation by the University seems like a waste of students’ money,” Duff explained.

Despite this claim, Cantrell insisted that Public Safety did “have contingency plans in place,” and was “mindful of the possibility of a power outage.”

Public Safety handled a similar situation when the power went out on campus for roughly three and a half hours in March.

Kevin Hansen, a 2014 M.B.A.

candidate, appeared gleeful as he exited his class in Hilton Center around 8 p.m. last night.

“I had to start paying attention [in class] when I realized that the lights had gone out. Everyone started bailing, so it was time to go,” Hansen said.

Kristen Green, a senior political science major and resident adviser (R.A.) in Rains Hall, also remained optimistic during the power outage. She believes that the the situation had a positive effect on her residents.

“People are using it as a time to bond with their neighbors. Many are doing homework in their hallways, and the front lobby is filled with others playing games,” Green said.

Other students used the power outage as a chance to play with illuminated Star Wars-inspired lightsabers.

“The powers out – what better time to play with lightsabers?” said senior history major Jordan Honold. “It’s unfortunate [and] it’s unfair, but we’ll make the best of what nature gives us.”

The power returned to campus at approximately 8:15 p.m. last night, making this semester’s power outage about two hours shorter thanthe one in March.

“Power is restoring and systems are coming back online. University officials are still monitoring the situation,” DPS told the community in an alert messagea at approximately 8:29 p.m. last night.

Roughly an hour later, DPS advised students to “remain cautious when moving about campus,” and warned students to “be mindful of falling debris.”

- Additional reporting by the Loyolan staff

Monika Kim | Loyolan

Last night’s wind storm downed a tree near McKay Residence Hall. The tree blocked access to the building’s side entrance and crushed the two stair railings.

Michael Goldsholl | Loyolan

Students played with lightsabers on O’Malley Lawn in an effort to amuse themselves during last night’s power outage.

Devin Sixt | Loyolan

ASLMU hosts annual Christmas Tree Lighting LMU’s annual holiday celebration on Tuesday night in Regents Terrace featured horse-drawn carriage rides, free mugs and hot chocolate, fake snow, and an appearance

by Santa Claus. For more photos of the event, visit www. laloyolan.com.

For the Record In the Nov. 21 issue of the Loyolan, the article “Freshman begins LMU career after spending 20 years in prison” stated that Francisco “Franky” Carillo has received $100 for every day he was in prison. He actually has not yet received the money.

News

www.laloyolan.com

December 1, 2011 Page 3

Students seek representation on University’s Board of Trustees Transparency from Page 1 “[It] was great. But it took me e-mailing and contacting the person throughout the [course of the] summer to make it happen.

I had the time to do that, but the average student doesn’t,” Krimmel explained.

Although supportive of a more transparent LMU, Krimmel and Meador both acknowledged that it makes sense for certain parts of the University’s affairs not to be public.

Krimmel explained that exposing University spending practices would also disclose the salaries of many professors and faculty members, which could lead students to judge professors unfairly in light of their pay.

Krimmel emphasized that, despite these concerns, a greater level of transparency in LMU’s financial practices should be achieved.

“Do we need to know all the numbers? No. But can we know the process, who is on these boards, the contacts? Yes. That could be on a handout,” Krimmel said.

Quintana believes the best way to achieve a greater level of transparency overall is to attain a greater level of student representation at the higher tiers of University decision-making.

Quintana asserts LMU’s Strategic Planning Committee is one such vehicle of decision making that should incorporate more student input. The committee works to shape a vision for the University’s future.

According to the LMU website, the preparation of the Strategic

?

?

Plan document “was designed to be inclusive and transparent.”

However, in the “White Papers,” working documents created by the committee, the group acknowledges that at the time the first draft was completed, they had “not had enough student involvement.” In an effort to remedy this, however, the committee made future plans to “have a group of students weigh in on the Strategic Plan document before it is finalized.”

The Strategic Planning Committee created a series of open forums to discuss the draft of the Strategic Plan with current LMU students in order to receive feedback, but Quintana and a small “coalition” of students that he is currently working with believes that this series of actions demonstrates a larger issue with the way the administration involves students in its processes.

“The White Papers mention a misunderstanding of student values and of what students want here at LMU and a lack of [student] representation.

This committee works to create LMU’s future. ...

Students are the main contributors to the way that LMU functions, so this [misunderstanding and lack of representation] don’t make sense to me and other students that I have spoken to,” Quintana said.

Thus, Quintana is currently attempting to partner with other organizations to implement greater student representation on important University committees.

“Our primary objective is to get an LMU student on the Board of

Trustees. We think that it is the most important place for students to be, primarily because it is the highest level of discussion,” Quintana said.

ASLMU President Art Flores holds an ex-officio position on the Board of Trustees, meaning that he can sit in on meetings and send representatives to sub-committee meetings, but he does not have voting privileges.

Junior biology major and ASLMU Senator Al Liceaga doesn’t think this type of student representation is sufficient.

“I don’t think that’s enough.

That’s not an actual vote. A lot of the administrators don’t think that it’s necessary to have a student with a vote [on the Board of the Trustees], but I think that students want it, students need it, and that’s it’s going to happen sooner or later,” he said.

Krimmel believes that students may not be utilizing Flores’s position on the Board of Trustees to the fullest degree.

“Art sits on a lot of committees.

That’s the student voice. But I don’t know if students necessarily know that they can go to him for that. So there’s an issue in communication there,” Krimmel stated.

Kathleen H. Aikenhead, the chair of LMU’s Board of Trustees and William H. Hannon Foundation president, said that having a student on the Board of Trustees is “not a common practice among universities” and that “membership on the Board of Trustees is a privilege reserved for those who have significant experience and connections.”

Have a story idea for News?

Email News Editor Tierney Finster

?

at

tfinster@theloyolan.com

??

?

Zaneta Pereira | Loyolan

Daniel Besharat, a junior political science major, plans to keep the moustache he grew during his participation in Movember until he gets bored of it and wants to change his style.

11 Burning Questions with a man with a mo’

This issue, Centennial Intern Zaneta Pereira talks to Daniel Besharat, a junior political science major, about Movember and other moustache-related miscellany.

1. So is the moustache a Movember thing or a lifestyle choice?

I had a goatee two weeks before November when one of my [Kappa Sigma] fraternity brothers from the University of North Carolina told me that he was making a team for Movember to raise awareness for prostate cancer. I’d never actually rocked the ‘stache solo, I always had a beard or something with it because I wasn’t confident enough. It takes some confidence to have one.

2. Can you describe Movember in a sentence?

A month where men wear a moustache in order to raise awareness for prostate cancer.

3. Why should guys participate in Movember?

Guys should participate in Movember because men need to be aware of the fact that prostate cancer is one of the deadliest diseases for men, and no man wants to lose his balls.

4. What have you learned from growing a moustache?

What I’ve learned from growing a moustache is that it takes discipline because a lot of the time your moustache won’t want to cooperate with you. So it takes discipline, and it takes confidence because a lot of people will trash on you because they’re just not fans of facial hair. There are a lot of people who aren’t fans of facial hair – but I think that’s just because they can’t grow facial hair. It also takes dedication. In fact, dedication’s the biggest thing because a lot of people just give up halfway.

5. What does your moustache style say about your personality?

I try to have my moustache perfect because if I don’t have a good-looking one, it’s just a waste of time. A well-groomed moustache says a lot about your character. It shows that you want to present yourself as a fine gentleman.

6. Cracked.com published an article saying that the handlebar is the number one moustache style that must be stopped. Do you think there are any styles that have to go?

Yeah. The handlebar moustache is not a moustache because it connects to the sides of your mouth, and a moustache is only on your upper lip – it looks like a half-assed goatee. Also, no one rocks the Hitler-stache anymore, and a thin moustache – the one that’s just a thin line over the lip – I don’t like that.

7. What or who was your inspiration for your facial hair?

I got most of my influence from the ‘40s and Western movies.

No one really has those badass moustaches that cowboys used to have, those moustaches that Italian Renaissance men or French Renaissance men had, and I just feel like it just died, and I wanted to bring it back for myself.

8. As Movember draws to an end, will you be parting with your moustache?

I’ll keep it for a while until I get bored of it. What’s going to get difficult is when I can’t tame it anymore – but I’ll try my best.

9. So if the moustache is such a magnificent art form why don’t you sport one all year?

I don’t have one all year because I always like to change my look. Sometimes I’ll have the beard – sometimes I’ll have a goatee or chops. It usually depends on my mood, though I have really grown to have a liking for the moustache.

10. It was once reported that John Newcomb’s moustache was insured for $13 million. How much do you think yours is worth?

His was insured because he had so many contracts because of his moustache – I don’t really have that. I do get a lot of compliments though, and those compliments are worth a million dollars.

11. A man with a moustache is clearly a unique breed.

What does one get him for the holiday season?

The only thing I would really want is a comb, which I already have – you know, those really thin ones? A lot of people use moustache wax, but I don’t. I haven’t even tried it, but maybe that’s something to think about.

News

December 1, 2011 Page 4

www.laloyolan.com

Debate team finishes semester with high ranks Debate from Page 1 the [United] States [after Yale and Harvard],” said O’Crowley.

Last year LMU beat Harvard in a tournament, and this year, at a British Parliamentary Cambridge Union Invitational over the Nov. 18 weekend, LMU was the only American team to get past the quarter-finals, with both Yale and Harvard teams dropping in the middle of the tournament.

O’Crowley, along with philosophy graduate student James Kilcup, finished second place in the final round of that tournament.

“Cambridge can be somewhat intimidating because you are going up against teams from Oxford, Cambridge, Yale and Sydney, [which are some of] the best schools from around the world,” said Kilcup. “[British Parliamentary] is a really weird form of debate because you only find out 15 minutes before you speak what you have to talk about,” said O’Crowley, in reference to the Cambridge tournament. “We read a lot of newspapers, and I think you have to have a really good general knowledge. I think sometimes you forget just how good your general knowledge is until you play stupid games like ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.’”

While O’Crowley and Kilcup were debating in Cambridge, members of the debate team

were also debating at a UC Davis tournament. Several members placed, with sophomore political science major Krikor Kouyoumdjian and philosophy graduate student Bryant Lin winning first place in the final round and freshman philosophy major Brandon Cating and freshman sociology major Brittany McKinley winning the Novice Championships. Alexis Pierce, a junior political science and communication studies double major, was recognized as the Top Novice Speaker.

O’Crowley said, “The novices are fantastic, which I really think highlights LMU’s atmosphere. ... They seem to be much more comfortable because LMU’s environment is great ,and J.J. is a fantastic coach.”

Continuing with the streak of high rankings and wins, National Debate Tournament Debaters James Mollison, a senior philosophy major, and Jack Ewing, a junior communication studies major, ranked number one in many tournaments throughout the United States. This team, as previously mentioned in “Debate students forfeit competition,” an article in the Oct. 10 issue of the Loyolan, was undefeated until the final round of the Oct. 1-3 Henry Clay Debates hosted by the University of Kentucky, where the duo forfeited and “chose to speak openly about racism and identity to the

judges.” They have also been ranked as No. 1 in the nation according to debaterresults.com.

“Four different pairs of students earned our top-four ranks in competition this season,” said Rodriguez. “Put another way, we can cut our top debaters and still beat the best teams in the United States. I am confident that we will end this season with another national title.”

“The fact that Loyola has a debate team that they can be really proud of [and] that reflects how good our faculty are, how bright and well informed the students are here, is a really important thing and something the University should be proud of. If anything I would hope people would be more aware of that,” said Kilcup.

Rodriguez is proud of his team and said, “I cannot imagine another group of students who I would want to work with in my final season. They really are as good as it gets.”

“The debate team is more representative of what this University is about than, say, athletics. … The fact that we are able to recruit a 6-foot8 [inch] dude who can dunk doesn’t necessarily mean we are a great University, it just means we recruited a guy who is 6-foot-8 [inches] who can dunk. But when our students compete against Harvard [or] Yale and beat them, [go] up

GetThatClass.com discontinued Registration from Page 1 GetThatClass.com has been unreliable, available at some points but not others. At the time of publication, GetThatClass.com states that for LMU, this service is “discontinued yet again.”

And though the website offers users the opportunity to “send angry emails to LMU’s [Chief Information Officer],” Nitsos assures that LMU “is not affiliated with [GetThatClass. com]” and there is “no agreement with that website.” According to Nitsos, the discontinuation of that service was not made

by LMU administration. It is possible that some courses may not need waitlists yet. However, many other courses are still filling up and do not have the

waitlist option. Lee Andrews, a junior business major said that “for all of the classes that I couldn’t get, it said that either the waitlist was full or that there wasn’t a waitlist available for that class.” Andrews, who had used GetThatClass.com in the past, said that the LMU waitlist system could be improved.

Andrews said he did not like how there was no way of knowing how many spaces were available for a class. “I had no idea if there were three people waiting for that class or 50 people,” he said.

According to Nitsos, though full classes are still a problem for many, there have not been many technical issues with the waitlist system for those who had the opportunity to use it.

However, according to a survey

Out of

223

students surveyed…

61%

difficulty while registering

for spring

semester classes

44% 29% 12% 8% 7%

experienced a lack of available classes had incorrect holds or restrictions on their accounts experienced Internet connectivity lag at registration time experienced other problems felt a lack of interest for the courses offered

Data collected by Kasey Eggert, Melanie Bolanos, Chris James Graphic by Dol-Anne Asiru | Loyolan

conducted by the Loyolan, students encountered difficulties associated with other aspects of registration like available classes and incorrect holds (see graphic below).

Nitsos states that “a number of courses have had students come off the waitlist and register for classes, so the system is working. … Students are using it, and we haven’t received any complaints yet.”

Nitsos hopes that “if [the waitlist system] goes well for this spring registration, which it has been so far, … it would become more widespread in subsequent terms.” The decision to implement the feature for summer 2012 has not yet been made, but according to Nitsos, it will be implemented for fall 2012 registration.

against Oxford and beat them or [go] to Cambridge and [make] it to finals, reflects positive things about the University,” said Kilcup.

Practicing approximately eight hours a week with Rodriguez and spending “quite a lot of time in really bad hotels in weird places,” according to O’Crowley, has built team camaraderie and has taught debaters to

rely on their teammates to continue bringing back those distinguished rankings.

Rodriguez, Kilcup and O’Crowley all agree that LMU’s debate team has been successful this semester and hope to continue their victorious rankings.

“I’d be very surprised if Loyola didn’t dominate for the next couple of years,” said O’Crowley.

Dearbhail O’Crowley

The debate team, made up of undergraduate and graduate students, celebrated a successful weekend after a tournament at Claremont College.

www.laloyolan.com

News

December 1, 2011 Page 5

Class helps first-gen students transition to LMU LMU offers First to Go class to first-generation college students.

By Margo Jasukaitis Asst. News Editor

As registration continues, students continue to look for a variety of classes to fill their schedule for the coming semester. One class many students may not have heard of, however, is a one-unit course geared toward first-generation college students.

“A first gen[eration] is someone from a family where neither parent has a four-year degree in the United States,” said La’Tonya Rease Miles, the director of the Academic Resource Center.

The one-unit course is part of LMU’s First To Go Program, a community that organizes programming and provides support to first-generation college students at LMU. According to Marisa Cervantes, a sophomore sociology and Spanish double major, and one of the student cofacilitators of the course, the class is open to “first-gen freshman students. … [It] focuses on some of the obstacles that many first-gen students at LMU face.”

The First To Go Program, which originally found footing on LMU’s campus just last year, according to Rease Miles, provides firstgeneration students with a variety of resources and opportunities intended to both facilitate their transition to life at LMU as well as address any unique concerns they may have. In addition to offering the one-unit course, First to Go also pairs each of its freshman

first-generation college students with a mentor in the University faculty or staff who was also the first in his or her family to go to college.

In addition to receiving a mentor who is a member of LMU’s faculty or staff, first-generation students who enroll in the First To Go’s one-unit course are partnered with a peer mentor.

“The mentors are upperclassmen first-gen students who have been available to the student for any type of advice,” said Cervantes. She continued to say the program is intended to “create a bigger network of people [firstgeneration] students can turn to for help with transitioning to LMU.” According to Miles, the problems first-generation students face are unique from those encountered by students who are the children of parents who graduated college. “[If you’re a first-generation student,] you’re feeling you’re not just going to college for yourself. You’re going for your family, community, your neighborhood.

There might be a fear of messing up, choosing the wrong major or something like that,” she said.

Rease Miles continued to explain that due to the unique nature of the college experience, First to Go also strives to make sure students’ families understand what the student is experiencing as well.

According to Rease Miles, the program was inspired by a conversation she had with a student a couple years ago. “It started from a conversation I had with a student, Ezel Sanchez. I think she was a freshman at the time.

I asked her how she was liking

LMU and she said, ‘It’s great, but I wish LMU had something for first-generation students.’ I mentioned it to my boss and she said, ‘You should start a program,’ and here we are.”

While First To Go is still finding ways to identify first-generation students, the program currently reaches out to many students based on a list and data obtained from the University Undergraduate Admissions Office.

“During the summer before I came to LMU, I received an email from La’Tonya [Rease Miles] informing me about the program,” said Cervantes. “I knew that I really wanted to be a part of [it].

It would provide me with many resources to aid in my transition to college,” she said.

Cervantes, who is now one of the co-facilitators of First To Go’s one-unit course for freshmen, credits First to Go with playing

an integral role in shaping her college experience.

“I have made some of my best friends through [First To Go] and have gotten my jobs, mentors and so many more opportunities through it. Co-facilitating the course has been such a fulfilling experience because I can see the change that the students are undergoing,” she said.

Cervantes is just one member of the First to Go community that expressed her deep gratitude to the program for providing her with a worthwhile experience at LMU. According to a testimonial from senior political science major Kelly Velasquez on First To Go’s website, “First To Go has been my favorite involvement on campus. My mentors are amazing. ...

Any question about LMU, course work, living situations and even personal affairs, my mentors have

answered for me. Without First To Go my LMU experience would not be the same.”

Other universities have also contacted Rease Miles about the program. “DePaul [University] and Syracuse [University] are modeling their First To Go programs after ours,” she said.

Overall, Rease Miles feels First to Go is a positive and necessary addition to LMU’s campus community.

“The first-generation experience is very hidden at LMU,” said Rease Miles. “Obviously we’re a campus that is very supportive and small, so it’s hard to fall through the cracks, but I think there might be an assumption that everyone comes from similar backgrounds. Being first-gen is something unique. I think it’s important to highlight students that might otherwise be marginalized.”

La’Tonya Rease Miles

First-generation college students at LMU participate in First To Go, a program intended to help first-generation students transition to college life, according to Academic Resource Director La’Tonya Rease Miles.

La’Tonya Rease Miles

Academic Resource Center Director La’Tonya Rease Miles (third from right) emphasizes the significance of being a first-generation college student and encourages them to partake in the First To Go program.

Employment Baby sitter Looking for an occasional, evenings and emergencies sitter. Please call or text (310) 431-8124

For Rent room available $525 to share/$950 for private bedroom, utilities included.

Large living room, hardwood floors, balcony, new kitchen.

Small dog OK. Playa Del Rey off Falmouth/Redlands. (781) 454-7040 Room For Rent $650 - Looking for a nice female to rent a room in my home located in Culver City (6 miles from LMU). Wi-Fi and utilities included. Contact Naomi @ (310) 490-5033.

Classifieds

Room for Rent Room for Rent in Westchester Who: You! What: Room for rent in a house in Westchester close to campus When: Immediate vacancy Why: Because it’s a new semester and you’re tired of driving to campus and sleeping on your friend’s couch Rent is $950/ month. Includes all utilities.

Washer Dryer in unit, big backyard Call for more information (503) 799-1040.

Opinion Student Editorials and Perspectives

December 1, 2011 Page 6

Board Editorial

Rule of Thumb

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

Laura Riparbelli Managing Editor

Kenzie O’Keefe Editor in Chief

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

Basketball is back!

Angelica Cadiente Public Editor

Santa Claus is apparently making his rounds multiple times in 2011, as a slough of holiday basketball cheer is in store for the upcoming weeks. On Saturday, Nov. 26, it was announced that a tentative agreement between team owners and the National Basketball Players Association had been reached, which is expected to end the lockout that began in June. The season is set to begin on Christmas Day, and assuming all goes well in the final discussions, teams will play a shortened 66-game schedule that will span from Dec. 25, 2011 to April 28, 2012.

Michael Goldsholl Asst. Managing Editor | Sports Editor

Debate team ranks against Ivy League contenders

W

ith a little looking, Lions can certainly find ways to be excited about wins or achievements made by students who compete as representatives of LMU. Students are rightfully elated when the men’s basketball team wins against a ranked team [see “Lions move to 2-0 vs. Top 25 teams,” Page 16]. Surely the hard work of those players deserves to be recognized.

There’s another LMU team that’s raking in the wins. Unlike the basketball team, they even beat Harvard University [see “Debate team keeps winning reputation,” Page 1]. This team competes in tournaments overseas, going up against universities like Oxford and Cambridge, and it brings home titles and championships. The Loyolan believes it’s about time students get excited about its achievements on a widespread level.

LMU’s debate team is a rare asset. Not very many universities can boast of a team that can be considered a serious national and international contender. Debater and graduate philosophy student James Kilcup stated, in the above mentioned article, that “when our students compete against Harvard [or] Yale and beat them, [go] up against Oxford and beat them or [go] to

Cambridge and [make] it to finals, it reflects positive things about the University.”

The Loyolan certainly agrees with Kilcup’s sentiments. The fact that our students are going up against Ivy League schools and showing they have the caliber and skill to succeed is surely something the University should celebrate. Being skilled at debating showcases talents of a different kind.

It involves having general knowledge of a variety of topics, being able to think quickly and having the ability to formulate a strong, logical argument.

The debate team’s success speaks volumes about LMU as an intellectual community.

Academic rigor has been questioned at LMU in the past, and the University was ranked 19th by the Princeton Review on a list of colleges where students study the least [see “Not just a bunch of smiling slackers,” Sept.

8]. However, achievements like the ones made by the debate team show that there is a thriving academic, intellectual aspect to LMU where knowledge and logical discourse take center stage.

The debate team’s achievements are certainly worth the acclaim. Instances like this give Lions yet another reason to be proud of the University.

More like Macabre Friday

K

urt Vonnegut once said, “The insane, on occasion, are not without their charms.” Yet I fail to see any charm in hauling one’s ass to the nearest mall in the dead of night or camping out in lines for days just to go shopping.

Still, Black Friday has been perpetuated as a common ritual and right of passage amongst Don’t Quote American shoppers, and while Me I have never

By Joseph Demes undergone this Asst. Opinion Editor baptism by fire, I don’t foresee myself doing so willingly any time soon.

I don’t, however, have a problem with the idea of Black Friday.

At a basic level, it promotes consumer spending, the foundation of a healthy economy. According to “It’s Black Friday: Spend for your soul,” by James Livingston in the LA Times on Nov. 25, more spending is good for the economy our country currently finds itself in. In an age where we can produce more goods than necessary, spending is the major way to keep surplus production from becoming worthless. If that means knocking down prices every so often so that an equilibrium of production and consumption can be achieved, then Black Friday is necessary.

It is not practical to live in a recession and not spend, because that only perpetuates a negative economy. The problem that Livingston notes in his argument is “that while we can produce far more goods than we need, we don’t know how to consume or distribute them rationally, let alone equitably.” Livingston is correct in saying that the problem is not knowing how to spread goods evenly to consumers, and this has been reflected in the recent behavior of

some shoppers.

Take, for example, the woman at a Wal-Mart in Porter Ranch, which is only 30 miles from LMU. According to multiple Times articles, “Early-bird Black Friday turns ugly with ‘shopping rage’ incident,” on Nov. 25, and “WalMart pepper-spray attack caused ‘total pandemonium,’ says LAPD,” on Nov. 29, she decided to whip out her pepper spray in the electronics department and point it in other shoppers’ faces, like a 10-yearold with silly string at a birthday party. A portion of the store was forced to evacuate the building, and approximately 20 shoppers were treated for injuries.

While the article did not elaborate on why she resorted to such methods, it is possible (and I would argue more than likely) that this less-than-sane shopper got a little too heated over video games that were marked down 50 percent. Since when do doorbuster deals validate injuring other shoppers for the sake of one’s own profit? Since when does buying things matter this much? But, the customer is not completely at fault here.

Some stores, such as Target and Toys “R” Us, extended store hours, opening earlier than midnight to accommodate customers’ shopping experience. Apparently that worked out fantastically, considering the Wal-Mart in Porter Ranch decided to open its doors at 10 p.m. rather than the usual midnight unveiling. This has created a divison between those with the desire to avoid waiting out into the early morning hours for the sales and those who see this even earlier opening as an infringement on workers and the time they get to spend with their families during the holidays. Again, the issue is a me versus them situation, what I want versus what is best for everyone. As the woman with pepper spray demonstrated, it appears the “I’s” have it.

Now, the question of overproduction that Livingston raises

is problematic in itself, as Annie Leonard and Rick Ridgeway also note in their Times collaboration on Nov. 25, “Stuffing ourselves on Black Friday.” They raise the concern that groups like the Global Footprint Network endorse, that overproduction and consumption of goods exceeds the earth’s ability to produce and re-consume such resources, at an alarming rate of “135 percent above the capacity of our planet.” This naturally points fingers in the direction of Black Friday, which capitalizes on a willingness to ignore such statistics in order to gain profit and please the consumer, but that would generalize every Black Friday shopper as someone who spends unnecessarily and for things they do not need, which cannot be true in every case. But again, the sale itself is not what is the problem.

It is the behavior of the consumers and the producers that raises cause for criticism. Stores promote a fear in shoppers that whatever it is they want will not be there for them if they do not act quickly, and in turn shoppers go into fightor-flight mode.

The Black Friday shopping mentality is, as Livingston puts it, a moral problem: How do we ethically consume in an age where there is more than enough to go around, but not enough seats at the table? It seems, then, that the goal should not be to spend wildly since things cost less, but to buy what one needs because of reduced prices. In turn, shoppers should not be hell-bent on being first in line or pepper spraying other shoppers out of the competition.

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

Interested in another spin on Black Friday? Check out A&E Intern Jackie Fischer’s article, online at www.laloyolan.com.

www.laloyolan.com

Another reason to like “Harry Potter” more than “Twlight” The Twilight series should consider attaching a disclaimer to its tagline as moviegoers across the nation have reportedly been suffering seizures from the vampire love saga’s newest installment, “Breaking Dawn – Part One.” According to a Nov. 25 article by ABCnews. com’s Kevin Dolak, “The in-theater seizures, also known as photosensitive epilepsy, are thought to be a result of the bright flashing of red, black and white during the film’s nerve-wracking scene.” Numerous instances have been reported since the film’s release on Friday, Nov. 18.

Loyola Marymount University

Loyolan Staff

Kenzie O’Keefe Laura Riparbelli Angelica Cadiente Michael Goldsholl Tierney Finster Margo Jasukaitis Monika Kim Brigette Scobas Christopher James Zaneta Pereira Kim Tran Anna-Michelle Escher Joseph Demes Amanda Kotch Kevin O’Keeffe Luisa Barron Amy Lee Jackie Fischer Michael Goldsholl John Wilkinson Dan Raffety Kayla Begg Katherine Douthit Hailey Hannan Emma Movsesian Lucy Olson Emily Rome Emily Wallace Dol-Anne Asiru Alberto Gonzalez Jackson Turcotte Kasey Eggert Melanie Bolanos Kellie Rowan Jay Lee Casey Kidwell Thomas Finnigan Kirsten Dornbush Michael Giuntini Jennifer Bruner Andrew Sabatine Amber Yin Erin Mallea Isabella Cunningham Brianna Schachtell Tom Nelson

Loyolan Editorial Policy

Editor in Chief Managing Editor Public Editor Assistant Managing Editor News Editor Assistant News Editor Assistant News Editor Assistant News Editor News Intern Centennial Intern Opinion Editor Assistant Opinion Editor Assistant Opinion Editor Opinion Intern A&E Editor Assistant A&E Editor Assistant A&E Editor A&E Intern Sports Editor Assistant Sports Editor Assistant Sports Editor Copy Editor Copy Editor Copy Editor Copy Editor Copy Editor Copy Editor Copy Editor Design Editor Design Specialist Cartoonist Multimedia Intern Multimedia Intern Photo Editor Assistant Online Editor Online Intern Business Director Assistant Business Director Assistant Business Director Business Intern Director of Marketing Ad Sales Representative Ad Designer Advertising Intern Advertising Intern Director of Student Media

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.

The Los Angeles Loyolan is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press and the California College Media Association.

www.laloyolan.com

Opinion

December 1, 2011 Page 7

FDA cigarette labels:good or gross?

Effective and protected F or decades throughout art and film, cigarette smoking has been portrayed glamorously. Think: Audrey Hepburn and James Dean, “Mad Men” and vodka commercials. Through the media, cigarette smoking has been continually associated with seduction and sexuality. Now that we no longer live in the 1920s, we a r e t ho r o u g h ly aware of the dangerous and fatal side effects of smoking, as well as the inevitable link that smoking has to lung cancer and heart disease. The U.S. Food and Till the AM Drug Administration

By Anna-Michelle (FDA) was trying to Escher portray smoking realistically in June 2011 Asst. Opinion Editor when nine new health warning photos were designed to go on cigarette packs.

A vicious battle over the First Amendment is occurring between the FDA and tobacco companies. The government is seeking to require disturbing smoking-related images to be printed on cigarette packs as an attempt to reduce tobacco sales. Tobacco companies filed a suit claiming that this requirement was a violation of their First Amendment right to free speech.

According to a Aug. 17 LA Times article, “Cigarette label rules: Legitimate warning or ‘compelled speech’?” by Melissa Healy, General Counsel Martin L. Holton described the graphic warnings as, “nonfactual cartoon images and controversial photographs that have been technologically manipulated to maximize an emotional response from viewers. … [The FDA is] essentially turning our cigarette packs into mini-billboards for the government’s anti-smoking message.”

Five of the six major tobacco companies argued that these disturbing labels that pictured tracheostomy tubes and cancerous mouths prevented people from purchasing their products. The pictures, as well as the Surgeon General’s Warning labels, overpowered the brand label on the cigarette packages. This suit was based on the claim of compelled speech, meaning that placing graphic labels on cigarette packs compelled consumers to not buy them. Technically, there is an economic demand for cigarettes, and tobacco companies are businesses that have the right to distribute their brand without interference from the FDA. In other words, we don’t see pictures of obese children on a McDonald’s Happy Meal carton.

But where do ethics step in? When does it matter that 443,000 deaths annually occur from cigarette smoking, and that “more deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by all deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides and murders combined?,” as stated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. The phrase, “tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States,” is something familiar to many of Americans.

What the FDA was trying to do by manufacturing these anti-smoking labels was to take strategical action to prevent the leading cause of death in the country.

One out of five Americans die every year due to cigarette smoking, according to the

F

Too far, too graphic

or once, I’m siding with the cigarette companies.

A man blowing cigarette smoke through a tracheotomy hole in his throat, a corpse with post-autopsy staples in his chest, a woman sobbing and a premature newborn in an incubator are just a few of the graphic, full-color images the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is working to make a fixture on tobacco products in the next year.

The images would be accompanied by blunt textual warnings such Over a Glass as “Smoking can kill

By Amanda Kotch you” or “Cigarettes cause cancer,” as well as the Opinion Intern telephone number to the FDA’s “quit smoking” hotline.

The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009 granted the FDA the ability to put its own regulations on tobacco products.

A year after the act was implemented, the FDA announced that by fall 2012 all tobacco companies would be required to display these shocki n g new lab els on their products, which would cover half of all cigarette packages, as well as a minimum of 20 percent of all tobacco an emotional level. This advertisements. was in order to have Any American citipeople gain a closer zen who hasn’t been (and more accurate) stuck in a bomb shelassociation between ter his or her entire smoking and gruesome life, à la “Blast from death instead of an inacthe Past,” knows that curate relation between smoking is harmful to smoking and sexualone’s health, and I am in ity that is seen so often full support of the governthroughout the media. ment’s desire to educate the If the public can see glorified public on the dangers tobacco bloody car crashes and twisted products present. But the FDA’s promurder scenes on crime shows, posed new warning labels have crossed we can certainly handle the pica fine line between factually informtures on cigarette labels. Movies ing the consumer of the dangers of like “Supersize Me” aim to a product and using a product as expose the public to the toxa platform to promote their own icity that fast food really ideology. is. In drivers’ education U.S. District Judge Richard classes, graphic car acciLeon agrees. Last Monday, Leon dents are shown to stuIan Zell | Loyolan granted a temporary injunction, dents in order to persuade them to drive safely and attentively. blocking implementation of the images, to Behind this “compelled speech” controversy the five of six major tobacco companies who of grotesque cigarette package labels is the sued the U.S. government over the graphic intent to prevent nicotine addiction, combat warning labels, citing a violation of their First a substance that is universally known to kill Amendment rights.

As reported in the Aug. 17 LA Times article people and, in the end, to save lives. However, the result of this First Amendment battle was “Cigarette label rules: Legitimate warning or just another victory for tobacco companies ‘compelled speech?’” by Melissa Healy, “More and one more step in the direction of their specifically, the tobacco companies called the multi-billion dollar profit at the expense of requirement an unconstitutional case of ‘compelled speech’ that the First Amendment to America’s health. the U.S. Constitution prohibits.” The government cannot compel a group or individual to This is the opinion of Anna-Michelle Escher, a junior communication studies major from Stanford, Calif. Please speak a message, and courts have often made it clear that compelled speech is just as much send comments to aescher@theloyolan.com.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It is clear why the FDA tried to take a stand.

These drastic measures of labeling cigarette packs with graphic images were implemented by the FDA in an effort to change the way people think about smoking. The hazardous effects of smoking have clearly been underestimated throughout the years, and few strategies have been effective in combating the epidemic of nicotine addiction. A poignant image of a fetus killed due to a mother’s addiction may not even be enough to stop a person from purchasing a pack of cigarettes at the gas station. However, they will slide their credit card with a whole lot of guilt and self-loathing. And that’s the first step.

All the time, we learn about the power of persuasion. Pathos, in the art of rhetoric, is persuasion based on emotion that a person can evoke from an audience. The graphic pictures that were printed on cigarette packs were examples of pathos – they were an advertised attempt to touch consumers on

in violation of the law as prohibited speech.

For almost half a century, the Surgeon General’s Warning has been printed on every package of cigarettes produced in the U.S. Tobacco companies adopted the warning labels years back with little protest. While these warnings may not have been ideal in the minds of the cigarette makers, they were in fact legal and necessary. Over the past half a century, the government has explicitly warned people of the harmful effects of smoking. The public is aware of the dangers of cigarettes, the tobacco companies are aware of the dangers of cigarettes and, up until now, no legal challenge has been filed against the presence of warning labels on products.

Notably because these images selected by the FDA push for emotional appeal, whereas the current warning provides factual information.

James Wheaton, a First Amendment expert who teaches at UC Berkeley, has stated, “You can’t force a company to carry the government’s opinion on an issue. ... These images are clearly not limited to a statement of fact. They’re designed to evoke an emotional response,” as reported in Healy’s LA Times article.

In the Nov. 13 Boston Globe article, “We can still breathe deep in free speech,” columnist Jeff Jacoby recounts, “FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg told reporters that with the new warnings in place, ‘every single pack of cigarettes in our country will in effect become a mini-billboard.’’’ Through communicating this “mini-billboard” idea, the FDA has inadvertently backed up Leon’s ruling that the labels are a product of compelled speech, and their implementation would be in violation of the First Amendment.

There is no longer a debate over whether smoking is harmful to your health. But regardless of the dangers the product may present, tobacco companies still have the right to produce and distribute cigarettes. Unless the government decides to shut down the tobacco industry completely, which is unlikely to happen anytime soon with the amount of money involved, there will be a limit on how far it can regulate a legal product.

If the government is so adamant about the use of these emotionally charged images to convey a message, then why not apply them to other areas as well? Why not photographs of childhood obesity on the side of a McDonald’s Happy Meal, or clogged arteries hanging up in doughnut shops? Why aren’t images of drunk driving accidents splayed across the handles of alcohol that make their way through college parties each and every weekend?

Because all of these products are legal, plain and simple. Fast food companies display calorie content in stores and on packaging, alcohol companies display government warnings on the side of every can or bottle produced and tobacco companies have the Surgeon General’s Warning printed big and bold on the side of each package of cigarettes.

As long as these labels are present and providing factual information to the public, the government has no place using emotional images purposefully selected to promote their own message. These are legal corporations selling legal products. So if you choose to ignore the health risks in favor of lighting up, go ahead. America does, after all, claim to be a free country.

This is the opinion of Amanda Kotch, a sophomore art history major from Huntington Beach, Calif. Please send comments to akotch@theloyolan.com.

December 1, 2011 Page 8

O pinion Letters to the Editor

Re:“Ecstasy at LMU,”(Nov, 21. 2011, Page 1) Dear Editor, Are you really condoning the use of ecstasy? Are you really discrediting all assertions proving its detrimental effects on mental and physical health because one study concludes, “users did not show signs of cognitive impairment?”You didn’t provide any sources for this, nor did you quote anything from the study. In fact, I just checked NIDA’s website, which specifically states the opposite of everything you stated in the article that was referenced.

I’ve been to raves. I’ve researched how the drug works, and I understand this delusion of a“culture.”Are you saying you cannot stereotype dubstep enthusiasts and bead-wearers as ecstasy users?

I’ve seen countless kids whose bodies can’t comprehend how the drug works, thus dropping to the floor, having seizures, heart attacks, blackouts, dehydration and so on.

And if ecstasy isn’t a synthesized, false happiness, gateway drug leading to much more harmful drugs I’ve seen consumed at raves (such as 2C-B, 2C-E, DMT, ketamine meth), then I don’t know what is.There are so many synthetic drugs being produced without proper testing, you could never know what you are actually taking when buying pills at a rave. Not to mention that most ecstasy pills are cut with amphetamines, stimulants and psychedelics. The probability of injecting multiple chemicals into your body when taking“ecstasy”is high.

And even if you say ecstasy has no physical risks (despite the number of which I’ve listed above), I’ve seen first-hand the emotional and psychological degradation of good friends due to addiction. Many have suffered from depression, delusions, hallucinations, dementia, HPPD [hallucinogen persisting perception disorder] and schizophrenia.

Don’t try and erroneously convince the student body that there are no risks in ecstasy. Anyone who can say ecstasy isn’t harmful is only in complete denial, giving in to an escapist lifestyle from what is more important in life.

Re: “Ecstasy at LMU,” (Nov. 21, 2011, Page 1) Dear Editor The Nov. 21 issue of the Loyolan featured an article about ecstasy use at LMU and its role in campus social life.

The justifications for using MDMA by the “female sophomore who has taken 60 pills” were both depressing and hilarious (not in that order). The one that especially got me was the person who said alcohol’s effects were worse that MDMA’s effects, in her experience. Are we really comparing alcohol and ecstasy? While alcohol is bad for your body after years of abuse, ecstasy is bad for your brain after only one use. Aside from the “female sophomore who has taken 60 pills” and the off-campus student drug dealer, I think we can agree that the brain is more important than your liver.

Other than that, I thought the article was very well written and presented, especially in addressing the tie to social situations. The fact that many students feel the need to resort to drugs in order to fit in shows a lack of backbone, if I may be so critical. I personally do not want to be a slave to drugs, which is why I have chosen to be clear-headed and deal with my problems rather than cover them up with things that are inevitably harmful.

Kristin Holmbeck Senior mathematics major

www.laloyolan.com

Re: “Lifelong married love,”(Nov. 21, 2011, Page 5) Dear Editor, Mr. Kenneth Vlahos argues against gay marriage. I do not find his discourse convincing or logical. First, he agrees with Dr. Roback Morse: “Marriage … cannot be whatever we want it to be. The state cannot dictate what marriage is.” Later, however, commenting on the inherent exclusivity of marriage he writes: “The government has the right to label things that are inherently different as different.”

Clearly, Mr. Vlahos believes in government intervention when it supports his point of view but does not see a role for the government when it contradicts his ideas. Another point: procreation is not what defines marriage between a man and a woman, or we would be quickly dissolving childless straight marriages.

We don’t, because we recognize the fact that it is the commitment of two people to a life-long relationship that matters and is beneficial to all. The example of prohibiting polygamous or underage marriages does not work either. The reason why we prohibit those is the protection of, respectively, women and children. Unlike homosexuals, they are victims in such relationships.

Lastly, are straight couples going to take their unions less seriously because gays are allowed to commit to each other in the same way and under the same name?

Limiting homosexuals to civil unions, effectively branding that kind of commitment as less valid than the “sacred”straight marriage, is wrong.

The only solid argument against homosexual marriage would be religious. Without making it, Mr. Vlahos writes: “Marriage … cannot be changed or altered.”

Well, with all due respect, many things throughout history were deemed unchangeable and yet, thankfully, we the people changed them.

Wojciech Kocyan Assistant professor, department of Music

Cullan Shewfelt Junior creative writing and recording arts double major

We’d Like To Hear From You: Loyolan Letters Policy

Letters@theloyolan.com The Loyolan welcomes letters to the editor. All submissions must include the author’s first and last name, phone number, email address and year in school or relation to the University (i.e. alumnus, professor, etc.). Submissions should be typed and no more than 300 words.

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

www.laloyolan.com

December 1, 2011 Page 9

‘Stages of AIDS’ uses words from LMU community as documentary theater Theater Preview

By Luisa Barron Asst. A&E Editor

L

MU’s annual performance fundraiser for AIDS, “Stages of AIDS,” will take the form of documentary theater this year, with words taken from personal stories about AIDS told by those in the LMU community.

Director and part-time theatre arts professor Carolyn Almos interviewed a great variety of people, including students, faculty, alumni and staff, to “try to get every aspect of the community,” she said.

Instead of a normally structured fictional play, the performance will have students saying the unchanged words from the interviews and even performing them in the same cadence and tone as the original speaker. Those interviewed will remain anonymous. “It’s interesting, because the actor doesn’t get to make up their own character like they normally would. They’re trying to really recreate that person, [whether it’s] a person 50 years older than them, or a man or a woman,” Almos said.

Several in the cast remarked upon the challenges of performing as a real person, not someone they could characterize in whatever way they choose. Megan Patsel, a cast member and sophomore theatre arts major, said,

Loyolan Archives

This year’s production of “Stages of AIDS” differs from last year’s (pictured above) as this year, cast members will be performing with material gathered from interviews with LMU community members.

“The rehearsal process was a lot of working on getting the dialects, body language and speech patterns of these people. We got voice-altered recordings of them so we could get their speech patterns down. We all play multiple characters, so we had to work on making them all distinct to an audience.”

The cast also believed it was rewarding to work with this material. “Being in the show has been an amazing experience. It’s unlike any other show I’ve ever done because everything that we say on stage was said by a real person,” said freshman theatre arts and dance double major Jessica Long.

The production also included influence from outside of LMU. Through the NPR program Radio Diaries, Almos found Thembi Ngubane, a South African woman who at age 19 recorded a year in her life as a woman with AIDS living in poverty. Various cast members will be performing her words throughout the pro-

duction, weaving her story in with those taken from the LMU community. “[By including Ngubane’s story,] I sort of wanted to have that sense of, ‘We’re not so different from her. We all have common human experiences,’” Almos said.

Despite the heaviness of the subject matter, those involved expressed how rewarding the experience has been. Sophomore Kelly Kawaguchi became involved after hearing about the production in Almos’s “Beginning Acting” class. “I’ve always been a fan of going outside of your comfort zone, because when you take risks like that, you tend to grow from the experience. I think it’s awesome when something actually happens as a result of your risk-taking,” she said.

According to Almos, the performance should be compelling, especially considering most of the material was generated from the daily experiences of community members.

“I think it should be engaging and have a little humor, despite the subject matter,” she said.

“Everyone that’s involved is great, and I’m really excited to see how everything plays out.

Pun intended,” Kawaguchi said.

“Stages of AIDS” will be performed this Saturday, Dec. 3 at Strub Theatre at 8 p.m.

There is no admission fee, but donations will be accepted to benefit Ngubane’s family.

Alberto Gonzalez | Loyolan

December 1, 2011 Page 10

Arts & Entertainment

A California ‘Dream’ for Thanksgiving Katy Perry wows her hometown crowd with strong vocals and her signature spectacle.

I

t can be said that Nov. 22 is a significant date for me.

Many Americans remember it as the fateful day in 1963 when our 35th President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. For me it’s memorable as my birthday.

(I am currently running in second place behind “those born on Sept. 11” in the contest for most dubious birth date.) As It’s K-OK!

By Kevin O’Keeffe of last week, I’ll remember A&E Editor Nov. 22 for an entirely different reason – it was the day I learned that Katy Perry puts on one hell of a show.

I was lucky enough to get four tickets to the final North American date of Perry’s California Dreams 2011 Tour, held at the Staples Center with opening act and LMU favorite Ellie Goulding. Since it was my birthday, as well as my last night before heading back home for Thanksgiving break, I thought the concert would be a fun way to celebrate. However, I can’t say I was expecting too much. Perry, known best for frothy pop jams like “California Gurls” and “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.),” isn’t exactly famous for a killer voice like Adele’s or incredible showmanship like Lady Gaga’s.

Turns out, you can never judge an artist before you see them live.

Perry put on the show of a lifetime, simultaneously fun and energetic while never overwhelming.

Throughout the set, she displayed an impeccable sense of showmanship and theatricality while backing it up with an impressive set of pipes. Whether she was changing outfits over 10 times during “Hot N Cold” while still keeping the melody or strumming her guitar or singing a contemplative “Thinking of You” on a cotton candy cloud hovering above her audience (it makes sense in context), Perry was constantly entertaining and never boring.

The whole show was tied together with a narrative about Perry and her cat, Kitty Purry, stumbling into the strange land of Candyfornia and attempting to find the hunky baker’s boy (again, totally makes sense in context). Perry used pre-taped bits for exposition and kept the story going throughout her performances. No matter how absurd the plot twist, such as being transformed into a cat, Perry committed herself to all the shenanigans and costume changes the story offered.

Perry wasted no time getting to her biggest hits, beginning with last year’s anthem “Teenage Dream” and quickly moving on to other total jams like “E.T.” and “Waking Up in Vegas.” It’s easy to forget exactly how prolific Perry has been

in a very short career, but even the minor hits managed to launch the audience into sheer glee.

The show really took off, however, when Perry took it to a much slower place. Her performance of “Not Like the Movies,” an immensely personal song for me, was one of the best birthday gifts I could have received. She was understated and lilting in her tone throughout the entire performance and I’m not ashamed to admit I was moved to a few tears. New single “The One That Got Away” was performed in a similarly minimalistic fashion and was equally lovely.

Even more than her voice, it was Perry herself that was so damn impressive. Small gestures like going out into the audience and taking a picture with an audience participant onstage showed exactly how much she loves her fans. She doesn’t see them as an army of “little monsters” like a certain other pop star. She sees them as her equals.

Additionally surprising was Perry’s smart, funny rapport with her audience and her quick wit.

The singer has a great sense of humor, which might explain why she’s been tapped to host a future episode of “Saturday Night Live.”

Such comedic bits as describing how girls spy on their boyfriends (“Boys, we do go through your phones, and if we’re not doing that, then we’re going through your emails”) or lamenting the death of old social media sites (“Back in the days of MySpace, may it rest in peace”) were made all the funnier thanks to her impeccable sense of timing.

Goulding, the opening act who replaced the previously announced Jessie J, held her own with an acoustic set displaying her unique tone and incredible drumming skills. (Hire Goulding for your next party – she does her own percussion!) Her biggest hit, “Lights,” didn’t sound anywhere near as good live, but other songs like “The Writer” and her cover of “Your Song” were simply sublime.

The show was, start to finish, an absolute ball. Perry performed for two hours straight with no breaks except for costume changes, and she kept the energy up throughout.

It was easy to tell it was her last show – she put her whole heart into it for her hometown crowd. As she performed her encore, “California Gurls,” the first song I heard when I came to Los Angeles for orientation the summer before freshman year, I realized that, without knowing it, Perry had become one of my favorite artists, someone whose songs are often very special to me. This show only solidified my love for her. It was truly the perfect birthday present.

This is the opinion of Kevin O’Keeffe, a sophomore screenwriting major from Austin, Texas. Please send comments to kokeeffe@ theloyolan.com.

Associated Press

Katy Perry performs her hit single “Waking Up in Vegas” while wearing a signature out-there outfit on her 2011 California Dreams Tour.

LION

www.laloyolan.com

Street Style

Dakota Jablon

Sophomore sociology & political science double major What are your favorite accessories for winter?

“I love scarves, tights and chunky sweaters. I also love boots. My favorite pair lace up and go up to my knees.”

How would you describe your style?

“I try to wear comfortable clothes that are cute. I get inspiration from magazines and my sister. I really look up to her for style.”

Sweater: Free People Tank: James Perse Tights: Topshop Boots: ECCO Bracelet: Tiffany & Co. Rings: XIV Karats, Ltd.

Amy Lee | Loyolan

Amy Lee | Loyolan

www.laloyolan.com

Arts & Entertainment

December 1, 2011 Page 11

Benefit concert tells Christmas story through music Concert Preview

By Raeesah Reese Staff Writer

T

he Benefit Choral Concert will help to usher in the winter season’s holiday spirit when it debuts tomorrow Dec. 2 at 8 p.m. The event, directed by Chair of the

Department of Music and Director of Choral Activities Dr. Mary Breden, will be held in Redondo Beach at St. Lawrence Martyr Church.

Dr. Breden is the sole organizer for the event, and she will conduct the Women’s Chorus, Concert Choir and Consort Singers. The choruses will each perform music of the Christ-

mas holiday with specific pieces including Benjamin Britten’s “Ceremony of Carols,� and John Rutter’s arrangement of “Go Tell It on the Mountain.� “The concert will feature a variety of pieces that deal with the story of Christmas. The pieces will not all necessarily be famous carols, but they will be festive pieces of the season,�

Breden said.

Breden first conceived the idea for the Benefit Choral Concert as a way to fund a scholarship for graduating eighth graders from St. Lawrence Martyr School. The scholarship is made possible by a freewill offering that takes place at the event. “The scholarship was established by my sister and me in my family’s name when my parents passed away,� Breden said.

Breden stated that in addition to being a charitable event, the show is also a “preview of the big Christmas Gala [Concert] in December,� she added.

The Benefit Choral Concert will feature most of the same content as the Christmas Gala Concert that will take place the following week on Dec. 8 and 10 at Sacred Heart Chapel. Breden believes that it is a great opportunity for promotion of the larger show as well as an

opportunity for the choruses to showcase their work. “This will be the first formal presentation of the semester by all three of the choruses in which they will get to experience the culmination of all of their hard work,� Breden said.

Breden believes the hard work of the choruses will contribute to a worthy cause, as the event will use music in an effort to serve those who will benefit from the scholarship, but also students who participate in the event. “As a department, we share music in order to enrich the lives of others and contribute to our students’ education of the whole person,� Breden said.

Breden encourages LMU students to attend the concert, as it “will give them the chance to see the work of their peers, as well as the chance to participate in LMU’s long tradition of choral presentation.�

The Benefit Choral Concert Where St. Lawrence Martyr Church in Redondo Beach

When Friday, Dec. 2 at 8 p.m.

Alberto Gonzalez | Loyolan

Copyright 2010 Puzzlejunction.com

Difficulty: Easy

December 1, 2011 Page 12

Arts & Entertainment

www.laloyolan.com

Faculty dance recital delivers diversity Dance Preview

By Khayla Golucke Staff Writer

A

fter a long semester of endless rehearsals and preparation, the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance is ready to give LMU its own special gift just in time for the holidays: the annual winter dance concert, “An Evening of Concert Dance: The Faculty Dance Concert.” As per over 35 years of tradition, the concert will feature an eclectic mix of pieces choreographed by full-time faculty, as well as guests from the L.A. area and beyond.

At the helm this year is firsttime director Damon Rago, who is also in the midst of his first year as co-chair of the department. According to Rago, the established structure of the concert was not one he intended to change from his new position, but wanted to build on it instead.

“It’s been really exciting,” Rago said. “I’ve had the opportunity to make my own choices on which choreographers to bring in. We always support our faculty because they are people that we know will give us great choreographic pieces. It’s also exciting and important to keep new voices and ideas happening in our concerts.

So while one half of the concert will be composed of pieces from our full-time faculty, the other half of the show will have fresh work from guests, allowing us to present work from choreogra-

Rose Eizhenbam

The annual Faculty Dance Concert (pictured above in 2008) will take place next week and will be headed by first-time director Damon Rago. phers around the city.”

These guests include LMU alumna Laila Abdullah, who has choreographed a unique AfroCaribbean piece, modern choreographers Kevin Williamson and Keith Johnson, contemporary choreographers Mike Esperanza and New York City-based Lauren Adams, and hip-hop choreographer Tony Czar. Dancers were first exposed to these guests during a weeklong dance workshop before school started, when

Czar and Adams gave them a professional-style audition to determine who would perform their respective pieces in the concert.

Freshman dance major Melissa Hart, one of the dancers selected to perform in Czar’s piece during the workshop, says she has spent countless hours rehearsing.

“I was kind of shocked [I was picked],” Hart said. “I was equally as excited knowing that I was going to be working with such an inspirational and fascinating cho-

reographer.”

Rago explained that studio rehearsals started immediately after auditions, during the first few weeks of school, and stage rehearsals began at the end of November. For those dancers who are in more than one piece, such as Hart, rehearsals consumed a lot of their free time.

“Tony’s piece is rehearsed on Monday nights for either an hour or two. Kevin’s has been every Saturday morning for four

hours,” Hart said. “The amount of work and time that goes into all of the pieces in the show truly shines through [in] the amazing performances.”

For Rago, all the time spent preparing for these shows has been well worth it, as he is excited for the reactions of those in the LMU community.

“It’s exciting to me that we are going to be able to show the audience the overall diversity and greatness of our program,” Rago said. “I want the audience to be challenged by our performances physically, socially, intellectually, psychologically and emotionally.

The concert will change their notion of what dance is and their perception of what’s physically possible. I still find myself watching the dancers and asking, ‘How did they do that?’”

The diversity that Rago speaks of will definitely be an overarching theme of the show, he said, as audience members can also expect to see a senior jazz piece choreographed by Assistant Professor Paige Porter, contemporary pieces by professional dancer Lillian Barbeito and Scott Heinzerling, both faculty members as well, and a modern piece by Holly Johnston, assistant professor of theatre arts and dance.

Concerts will takes place from Dec. 6 through Dec. 10 at 8 p.m. each night in the Strub Theatre.

Tickets are $10 for students or $15 general admission and are available through the Central Ticket Agency at (310) 338-7588.

Orchestra to ring in the holiday

The LMU Chamber Orchestra is performing a variety of classical music just in time for the holiday season. LMU students can take a break from the stress of finals and enjoy a relaxing evening of live music on Saturday, Dec. 3 at 8 p.m.

Seventeen classical musicians are set to perform at the event in Murphy Recital Hall in the Burns Fine Art Building. This diverse selection will display the musical talent of LMU students that have worked all semester for the concert.

“It gives the LMU community an opportunity to enjoy some beautiful works by famous composers,” said Romina Huerta, senior communication studies and music double major.

“I’m really proud of this program. We have great players this year, and it speaks well for the school. We hope [the concert] inspires more students to join,” explained Frances Moore, director of the LMU Chamber Orchestra.

The show is free and open to the community. For tickets, contact the Central Ticket Agency at (310) 338-7588.

- Kelsey Herman, Contributor

Do you want to write for A&E? Have an article idea?

Contact Kevin O’Keeffe kokeeffe@ theloyolan.com

www.laloyolan.com

Sports

Lions travel to New Mexico in search of second victory W. Bball from Page 16 “We’re really young – we have nine freshmen and sophomores on the team, who are young to the college game,” said Cowling. “When you don’t execute your offense, teams are going to pounce on you. So, that’s just something we have to learn. …We’re running new offenses for the whole team too, so this is something we all have to get used to and get used to each other – I think we’re getting a lot better,” she added.

Cowling’s 17-point outing came in the second game of the DoubleTree Westside Los Angeles Thanksgiving Classic, which was hosted by the Lions at Gersten Pavilion on the Friday and Saturday following Thanksgiving.

In the team’s first tournament game against Youngstown State University, Cowling posted 18 points and 17 rebounds, but the Lions could not escape with a win, falling by 14 points, 64-50.

Sophomore guard Hazel Ramirez displayed improved play as well in the Lions’ lone victory, breaking double-digit scoring for the first time this season, as she notched 11 points in 31 minutes of play.

“We just have to memorize the plays, and games go by and we’re progressing and learning and understanding how to execute [our offense] more,” said Ramirez. “We’re doing a great job. We just have to execute.

Devin Sixt| Loyolan

Freshman forward Emily Ben-Jumbo scored four points in the Lions’ threepoint victory over the University of Wyoming last Saturday.

The main thing is our defense because it helps our offensive be effective.”

Aside from focusing on their offensive execution, the Lions will also place a strong emphasis on the other side of the ball when they take on the Lobos, who are 2-4 through six games this season. Wilhoit praised her team for its defensive effort in the final minutes of play against Wyoming, which allowed the Lions to hold on for the close win.

“I think that’s where we won the game. The offense kept us in the game, but that was what put us over the edge, was playing the last two defensive possessions. It was the most impressed that I’ve been with our defense the entire year,” said Wilhoit.

After tonight’s game, LMU will return to Los Angeles, Calif. for a seven-game home stand, which begins on Sunday, Dec. 4, when the Lions will host UCLA at 5 p.m.

December 1, 2011 Page 13

December 1, 2011 Page 14

Sports

www.laloyolan.com

Autobiography exudes Shaq’s personality Two Plus the Foul from Page 16 “Shaq Uncut: My Story,” coauthored with bestselling sports writer Jackie MacMullan, reminded everyone that the “Big Fella’s” contributions to hoops over the last two decades won’t be remembered or measured in just points, rebounds and championships – but by the words, drama (for better and for worse) and entertaining antics of one of the hardwood’s most dominant players of all time.

Before diving into the book, it’s tough to know what to expect. Was O’Neal’s writing going to be as difficult to decipher as his post-game mumble – or would the-soon-to-be Dr. Shaq (no joke – he’s actually working towards his Ph.D in Human Resource Development., which he’s expected to receive in March 2012 from Barry University School of Education) surprise everyone with eloquently composed sentences and vocabulary that would make an SAT writer blush?

While he is certainly no Ernest Hemingway, he most definitely didn’t need to be. His story is gripping enough in its own right – touching on nearly every aspect of his career – from his little-publicized childhood to his infamous feud with former superstar teammate Kobe Bryant to a humbling end in Boston.

While O’Neal has established himself as one of the most polarizing figures in basketball history, the book reveals that much of his life (at least, prior to his time in the NBA) was very underwhelmed by the media. While any basketball card can tell you he was born in Newark, N.J. and went to high school in San Antonio, Texas, not even his Wikipedia profile will tell you that he spent a great portion of his early life living on a military base in Germany, where he was actually cut from his high school’s basketball team during his freshman year of high school (á la Michael Jordan).

Aside from being a class clown who got into his fair share of troubles as a youth – including an altercation during his preteen years where he nearly killed another kid – O’Neal touches a lot on his relationship with his stepfather Philip Harrison, who use to give him “ass whuppings” for punishment as a child. Although this may not be a part of popular parenting culture in present day, this was the early ‘80s, and even though Harrison used to physically beat his stepson, O’Neal views them as beneficial to his personal growth. “I swear, if he hadn’t I’d probably be in jail right now – or worse,” writes O’Neal. “Without my father staying on me, I never would have become Shaq or “The Diesel” or any of those other crazy names I’ve invented for myself.”

Let’s get one thing straight: Those hoping to read a public bashing of Bryant (with juicer details to boot) will be thoroughly disappointed by the book. Disregard everything you’ve heard people say about O’Neal ragging on his former teammate in this book, because he does nothing of the sort. Sure, he touches on Kobe’s immaturity and the ego battles they experienced during the dynamic duo’s time together in L.A., but since when is that news to anyone ? O’Neal does acknowledge contributing to the flames during their run together.

And that was definitely one of the more surprising (albeit, refreshing) things to hear come out of “The Big Fella’s” mouth.

And although he may not lament how his tenure with the purple and gold ended, he still maintains one mentality that’s difficult for anyone to disagree with: “If Kobe doesn’t ever want to talk to me again, I can live with that.

But he knows and I know that won’t erase the greatest one-two punch of our time.”

In fact, O’Neal arguably offers more scorn towards the media (and rightfully so) than anyone

Associated Press

Shaquille O’Neal (right) and Kobe Bryant (left) had their fair share of differences during their time while playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, but they still recognize each other as great players. O’Neal writes,“If Kobe doesn’t ever want to talk to me again, I can live with that. But he knows and I know that won’t erase the greatest one-two punch of our time.” else – taking shots at former ESPN reporter Jim Gray and Los Angeles Times reporter T.J. Simers – when speaking of what transpired between him, Bryant and the Lakers during his final year with the franchise.

While on the outside, O’Neal’s time in Miami, playing with the Heat might have appeared fine and dandy (there’s no way the team was going to let the media create a soap opera again), the dynamics behind the scenes in Miami were not so hot. O’Neal talks about then-Head Coach and nowTeam President Pat Riley in a less than flattering manner. O’Neal “didn’t want to refer to Miami as a jail,” but notes that “everyone was walking around on eggshells” in fear of doing something wrong to displease Riley.

For departing from one of the worst clashes of the alpha dogs in sports history and coming into a seemingly much better situation in Miami – things soured pretty

Men stop streaking Billikens M. Bball from Page 16 enough clip to hold Saint Louis at bay and cruise to the 75-68 final.

The Billikens used hot 3-point shooting to build a first-half lead; five of their seven buckets in the first half were from long range. Midway through the opening half, Saint Louis looked like it might pull away during a 14-3 run spanning from the 10:45 mark to 4:27 that included back-to-back 3-pointers from junior forward Cody Ellis.

Ellis led the Billikens with 18 points while redshirt junior guard Kwamain Mitchell and senior forward Brian Conklin were both in double digits with 13 points a piece.

Sophomore forward Dwayne Evans and sophomore guard Jordair Jett each added eight points of their own.

However, the end of that run allowed LMU to make a run of its own.

LMU’s defense forced turnovers on four consecutive Saint Louis possessions, while the offense cut the 12-point lead to just four at the half.

Kevin Laughlin | Loyolan

Redshirt junior Jarred DuBois had 16 points and four rebounds while playing a team-high 36 minutes in the Lions’ win on Tuesday night.

“Defensively we were very good,” LMU Head Coach Max Good said.

“What we convinced our guys we’ve got to do is play through everything.

We just keep grinding.”

LMU continued the run to begin the half and took back the lead after a little more than three minutes on back-to-back 3-pointers by Ireland and DuBois. The two teams were back-and-forth for most of the second half, before LMU began to pull away in the game’s final seven minutes.

The crowd exploded at the 4:45 mark when LMU stretched the lead to eight on a two-handed slam by sophomore forward Godwin Okonji.

Ireland drove down the lane, drawing the attention of the collapsing defense before dishing to the waiting Okonji who rose up and finished thunderously, making the score 6054.

After shooting just over 32 percent in the first half, LMU shot almost 62 percent from the floor in the second half en route to the victory.

LMU made seven of 13 3-pointers in the contest as well as 24 of 30 free throws.

The Lions’ defense forced the Billikens to make 15 turnovers, which turned into a 18-8 LMU advantage in points off turnovers.

“I give a lot of credit to our coaching staff. … They work so hard scouting for us, and they give us the right tools in being prepared when we go out on the floor,” Ireland said.

LMU returns to action tomorrow when they begin hosting the Doubletree Los Angeles Westside Centennial Classic. The three-day tournament features Columbia University, North Texas University and La Sierra University. LMU takes on Columbia tomorrow at 7 p.m in Gersten Pavilion.

quickly down in South Beach, ultimately ending up in another O’Neal deal. This time he was off to Phoenix to run with Steve Nash and the Suns.

O’Neal gives off the feel that his final three stints in Phoenix, Cleveland and Boston (he refers to playing for the Celtics as one of the great honors of his career) were somewhat humbling for the entertainment polymath. He acknowledges having to take on lesser roles and offer his services in ways that were best for the team – not just the “Big Aristotle’s” benefit. While he may have arrived at this revelation a little later than his former teams might have hoped, it’s better to be late than never, right?

The book is everything you would expect from O’Neal: a lot of humor mixed with some absurdity coming from someone who isn’t afraid to say things how they actually are. Among the expected wild and crazy antics of O’Neal are also a few elements that came across as

shocking – especially that O’Neal is not a drinker and has never done drugs. For someone who has been so prevalent in the media’s eye, those aspects would seemingly just go along with the territory.

For fans of basketball or just sports fans in general, “Shaq Uncut: My Story” is definitely a book worth giving a read. Its 281 pages make for a quick read, and O’Neal’s story sheds light on aspects of his life and career that many would not know or expect.

While O’Neal’s retirement might have been slightly overdue, NBA basketball will not be the same without one of the game’s all-time greats. Even with all of the talent bursting onto the hoops scene, it’s tough to imagine anyone ever comparing to the 7-foot-1- inch, 325-pound, self-proclaimed Most Dominant Ever.

This is the opinion of Michael Goldsholl.

Please send comments to mgoldsholl@ theloyolan.com.

In t o th n as In tive to Un

www.laloyolan.com

Sports

December 1, 2011 Page 15

Positive chemistry providing results Wilks World from Page 16 Anyone who has watched UCLA since that opening game has seen a perfect example of the effect that intangibles like togetherness and camaraderie can have. The Bruins had that preseason ranking for a reason: They are immensely talented. As the season has progressed though, they have shown little ability to play as a unit and perform at their talent level.

On the flip side, LMU has managed to do what they so frustratingly could not last year: Put together a 40-minute effort that reflects its talent. Senior LaRon Armstead said the coaching staff tells the Lions to “play every second half like it is the last 20 minutes of their lives.” Armstead scored 14 points in the second half Tuesday, keying the Lions’ victory and notching a career high.

While they can’t quite put their finger on it, the players recognize the shift in attitude.

“We’re so much more together and cohesive as a unit,” said sophomore guard Anthony Ireland after recording 17 points in the win.

“It’s a totally opposite team. We’re so together; we’re just a family it feels like. Everybody holds each other accountable; everybody has each other’s backs. Last year it wasn’t like that, just every man for himself, go out and play. This year it’s much better.”

The Lions are still without the injured Viney and Hamilton, two major scoring threats. The idea of adding them into a lineup that has competed so hard against ranked

opponents is mouth-watering for Lions’ fans.

In the past, faced with a 12-point deficit late in the first half against a ranked team, LMU would have folded. The Gersten faithful have seen enough blowout losses to know what that looks like. On Tuesday, however, the Lions banded together and climbed back into the game before eventually earning the seven-point win with good defense and refreshingly solid free-throw shooting.

Armstead, the guy who is “real cool off the court” and “always laughing” according to Ireland, provided the Lions a boost with his big performance. However, Armstead acknowledged that while this is a “very big win” the Lions need to bring the same effort against everybody, “if they’re ranked or aren’t ranked, we still need to win.”

If the Lions can do that, they will warrant some faith from the fans and prove that their three-game win streak is not an aberration of early-season scheduling. As the season continues, that togetherness will continue to be tested. But on Tuesday night, against one of the hottest teams in the country, the Lions held strong.

A couple more performances like Tuesday night’s and maybe it’ll be time for LMU fans to stop thinking all ranked teams that lose to the Lions are overrated, and instead realize we may have all underrated this team.

This is the opinion of John Wilkinson.

Please send comments to jwilkinson@ theloyolan.com.

Associated Press

Former Lion drafted to join new MLS franchise LMU men’s soccer alumnus Bobby Burling ‘06 (above in blue) was selected by the Montreal Impact in last week’s Major League Soccer (MLS) Expansion Draft. The expansion franchise will join MLS next season. Burling was one of 10 players that Montreal selected from other MLS teams to start their roster. Burling has spent six seasons in MLS, split between the San José Earthquakes and Chivas USA. While at LMU from 2003-06, Burling was a three-time All-West Coast Conference selection as well as the 2006 LMU Male Athlete of the Year.

L ion Sports Lions move to 2-0 vs. Top 25 teams

December 1, 2011 Page 16

www.laloyolan.com

The Lions improve their record to 4-2 by knocking off No. 23 Saint Louis University on Saturday.

Men’s basketball sees the benefits of strong chemistry in its early season upsets.

T

By John Wilkinson Asst. Sports Editor For the second time in its first six games, LMU met a team ranked in the nation’s Top 25. For the second time, LMU played the role of underdog to perfection, using hot shooting and a balanced attack to hand the No. 23 Saint Louis University Billikens their first loss of the season, 7568, on Tuesday night.

“This is a very big win for us,” senior forward LaRon Armstead said. “More importantly, we need to win the games against teams that aren’t ranked. That’s where we need to be more consistent. It doesn’t matter if they’re ranked or aren’t ranked, we still need to win, especially when they come into our house.”

Armstead came off the bench and recorded a career-high 22 points to lead all scorers. Armstead shot 5-9 from the field and 10-10 from the free-throw line, many of those coming down the stretch to seal the victory. He also pulled down a teamhigh five rebounds.

“I try to set an example for the guys who aren’t starting. … You still have to come in and play hard. Play like you are a starter,” Armstead said. “I just wanted to come off the bench and bring energy to my team.”

LMU’s primary backcourt duo of sophomore guard Anthony Ireland and redshirt junior guard Jarred DuBois both finished in double digits as well, scoring 17 and 16 points, respectively.

Saint Louis came into Gersten Pavilion riding a six-game win streak and fresh off taking the title at the 76 Classic tournament in Anaheim, Calif. Tuesday’s contest was Saint Louis’s fourth game in six days.

The back-breaking series for the Billikens came in the game’s final two and a half minutes when LMU scored as the shot clock expired on consecutive possessions. Working with a lead, Ireland milked the entire shot clock before driving into the lane, stopping, pump faking, contorting his body and getting the shot to fall both times, giving LMU a 68-60 lead with 1:06 left.

LMU took care of business in the final minute, making its free throws at a strong

See M. Bball | Page 14

Associated Press

Sophomore guard Ayodeji Egbeyemi (center) and freshman guard Bruce English (left) celebrate while sophomore guard Anthony Ireland (right) looks on, following the Lions’ 75-68 upset of No. 23 Saint Louis University on Tuesday.

here was not much for LMU fans to dislike on Tuesday night at Gersten Pavilion.

Despite falling behind in the first half, the Lions fought their way back to a convincing win, 75-68, over the nationallyranked Saint Louis University Billikens which had not yet lost a game. The Lions played good defense, won the rebounding battle, made their free throws and got impressive scoring even without redshirt senior forward Drew Wilks World Viney or redshirt juBy John Wilkinson nior forward Ashley Hamilton.

Asst. Sports Editor The only thing that seemed off was students chanting “overrated” at the Billikens as LMU iced the victory in the final minutes. It’s a chant that suggests the opponent is just as lowly as your opinion of your own squad, and they clearly do not deserve a ranking.

For a team that has won four of its six games, including two over ranked teams (even if UCLA has shown it clearly shouldn’t have been ranked at the time), it is a chant that does a disservice to the product being put forth on the court.

This, however, is not a knock against the fans – expectations are justifiably low.

Loyal LMU fans have had their hopes dashed plenty of times, and the support has shown improvement this year, despite this minor gripe. The student contingent has seemed stronger and louder in the early part of the season.

There was a moment in the second half where the student section engaged the opposite bleachers in a call and response of “Go Lions.” There was no prompting by cheerleaders, no faux enthusiasm or prompting from the ridiculous but well-meaning cowbell people. It was pure team spirit.

For the Lions on the court, it seems that the biggest difference is an indescribable but completely genuine sense of camaraderie.

A game doesn’t go by without hearing the Lions mention their “togetherness.”

See Wilks World | Page 15

Women on the road again Shaq tells

all in‘Shaq Uncut’ story

The Lions look to win consecutive games for the first time this season.

By Michael Goldsholl Asst. Managing Editor | Sports Editor

The women’s basketball team seeks its second win of the season tonight as it takes on the University of New Mexico at 6 p.m. in Albuquerque, N.M. Sitting at 1-5 on the young season, the Lions come into the matchup on the heels of their first victory in 201112, as they knocked out the University of Wyoming 57-54 last Saturday, Nov. 26.

“I think leaving practice [Wednesday, Nov. 30] we had our best practice of the year,” said Head Coach Julie Wilhoit.

While the Lobos showcase a roster that senior writer for GoLobos.com Richard Stevens says should “have enough healthy bodies to start five Lobos against Loyola [Marymount University],” the Lions won’t take their opponent lightly.

“They are a good team, no matter who is injured,” said redshirt junior forward Alex Cowling. “We are going to have to take advantage of them playing with less people when we can run nine-deep. We just have to keep running and keep getting fresh bodies in there so we can run.”

In the team’s recent win over Wyo-

Fifteen-time All-Star Shaquille O’Neal recounts his life and career in a recently released autobiography.

I

Devin Sixt | Loyolan

Sophomore guard Hazel Ramirez (above) broke double-digit scoring for the first time this season in the Lions’ 57-54 win over the University of Wyoming, scoring 11 points in the win. ming, the Lions held on for a threepoint victory and Cowling continued to pace LMU offensively, totaling 17 points while pulling down 11 rebounds. However, while Cowling has

carried much of the scoring load for the Lions this season, she touched on the team’s improved offensive execution.

See W. Bball | Page 13

t doesn’t get much bigger than Shaquille O’Neal. Three hundred and twenty five pounds of brute strength (with some Big Macs here and there) spread over 85 inches of height, helped power the man with more recognizable nicknames than mythological deities, to over 28,500 points, 13,000 rebounds, four NBA championships and three Finals MVP awards over his illustrious 18-year career.

Following a disappointing careerTwo Plus the Foul ending run with

By Michael Goldsholl the Boston Celtics, the 15-time all-star Asst. Managing Editor | center called it quits Sports Editor this past summer, hanging up his size-23 Dunkman shoes for good. However, O’Neal’s recently released autobiography,

See Two Plus the Foul | Page 14