Los Angeles Loyolan February 19th 2020

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Sophomore Sean-Ryan Petersen has been cast in Cartoon Network's latest show.

February 19, 2020

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| ISSUE 20

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Honoring the legacy of CSA founder Pam Rector In her 22 years at the University, Rector inspired change and action.

Molly Jean Box Editor-in-Chief @LALoyolan

“She was a force in our community,” said Patrick Furlong, longtime colleague and friend of Pam Rector, director of the Center for Service and Action (CSA), who passed away on Feb. 15.

Rector was a deeply involved and gracious member of our community, whose influence extends beyond her work at CSA. “She had this incredible reach and influence on so many of us and mentored us, myself included,” said Furlong. As the associate director for CSA and an LMU alumnus, he was able to witness Rector’s impact firsthand. According to Furlong, Rector’s deep care for people, both within and outside the community, will be what is missed most about her.

“And that’s what hurts the most.

People won’t get to see that in its full effect. We thought she was going to get healthy and we’d get to have that again. Not having that feels like a loss,” said Furlong.

via Patrick Furlong

Pam Rector, the director of CSA, next to Anthony Garrison-Engbrecht, her former colleague who donated a kidney to Rector in January.

In 2018, Anthony Garrison-Engbrecht, former colleague of Rector’s, learned that his friend and mentor was in need of a kidney transplant. He had been made

aware of the situation through a post made by Rector’s daughter, Grace.

“I remember Pam’s daughter as a kid walking around in her Girl Scout

uniform selling cookies in her wagon.

So when Grace posted ... that [Rector] needed a kidney … I called Grace and said I’m happy to get tested and find out if we’re a match.”

On Jan. 21, Garrison-Engbrecht donated his kidney. According to him, it was the least he could do for the woman who did so much. “For me it was just giving an organ, she gave her life to this.” Regardless of the outcome, Garrison-Engbrecht said he would do it again.

Rector served this campus for 22 years, during which she founded CSA — an implementation into our community that revolutionized “how LMU shares our mission with the world and ensures that our students become for and with others,” according to President Timothy Law Snyder, Ph.D. in the message from the president.

Rector’s service and impact have been recognized through multiple awards and honors including the Madonna Della Strada Award from the Los Angeles Regional Council of the Ignatian Volunteer Corps and the Barbara Bonney Staff Award for professional excellence.

The accolades are a testament to Rector's dedication to do whatever needed to be done.

See Rector | Page 2

Three new living communities coming fall 2020 The communities will be located in the new residence halls and available only for returning students.

Haley LaHa

Asst. News Editor @LALoyolan

While the Loyolan has previously reported on the new Gender and Intersectional Identities Living Learning Community (LLC), there are another three new living communities being introduced in fall 2020: the Arrupe LLC, Entrepreneurship: Innovating for Resilient Communities, and Vanier. All four living communities are for returning students and will be located in the new podstyle residence halls constructed in the East Quad.

Named after Father Pedro Arrupe, S.J., and rooted in Ignatian values, the Arrupe LLC encompasses LMU’s multifaceted mission to promote faith and justice in an intentional and relational way. It embraces the education of the whole person through a curricular and co-curricular experience offering both academic and service opportunities to encourage students to become more involved with the community around them in their development as Ignatian leaders. “[This LLC is about] forming Ignatian leaders who have compassionate minds and intelligent hearts to embrace their vocations of being a person who is for and with others,” said Father Marc Reeves, S.J., associate vice president for mission and ministry, director of catholic studies and director of the Arrupe LLC. “This is a way of inviting the students to move beyond the words of our mission statement and have an opportunity to experience it first hand, living it out in ways they probably already are, but maybe in more intentional conscious ways.”

Students in the program will take a class together in the fall and in the spring. These courses will fulfill some of the University’s core curriculum, particularly covering the Faith and Reason and Ethics and Justice core Integrations requirements. Both classes will be tailored specifically for the cohort in the program.

It is anticipated that many of the participants of the LLC will already be involved in service through Greek life, service organizations or another one of the many service opportunities offered by LMU. If a student is not part of an active service program, they will be encouraged to become involved with one of the community partnerships sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange, the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary or the Society of Jesus. However, other service opportunities not sponsored by such partnerships will not necessarily be excluded, according to Father Reeves.

“Living-Learning Communities, especially Arrupe, offer a wonderful atmosphere for a certain important value or goal to become a tangible reality, in the hope of impacting others and planting a seed of growing towards a more holistic life,” said Mikaela Adams, a freshman management and theology double major, who is interested in applying to Arrupe.

The Arrupe LLC is open to all students as long as the LMU registrar’s office identifies them as a sophomore or junior in the next academic year who hasn’t taken the specific core courses. There was a soft deadline for applications on Feb. 14.

The Entrepreneurship: Innovating for Resilient Communities living community will immerse students in both the LMU College of Business Administration and the LMU Center for Urban Resilience. Through both academic and project-based opportunities, students will address topics such as water security, food security, green infrastructure, biodiversity, human mobility, social inequity

and economic stability in discussion of how to produce sustainable communities in an entrepreneurial setting.

“It’s a different type of lifestyle, starting your own company, going to school and working on a startup, and we wanted to foster a community where those people who want to pursue that kind of lifestyle could be together and feel a sense of community and help each other now and in the future,” said Darlene Fukuji, the associate director of LMU's Fred Kiesner Center for Entrepreneurship. “We also wanted to create more engagement with our students to solve some of our world’s biggest problems.”

The LLC is open to rising sophomores, juniors and seniors of all majors. In the fall semester, students will take a specially tailored course consisting of an introduction to entrepreneurship with components from the Center for Urban Resilience (CURes). The spring semester will be more focused on project-based learning and social entrepreneurship.

Through various projects, students will be able to develop their own ideas and structure for potential entrepreneurial proposals. The program will be forming partnerships with various companies in Los Angeles with which students also have the ability to make connections, build relationships and discuss ideas.

“I know LMU students care. They’re very serviceoriented, they care about the community, they care about the environment, they care about making the world a better place and it’s going to be empowering when you know the technical side of things and gain the experience and street cred for doing it,” said Fukuji.

The Vanier living community has a different structure than any of the other communities. It is not considered an LLC because it is not attached to specific academic courses that the students in the program will take together.

See Communities | Page 2

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Student communities In Memoriam: The Rev. in new pod-style halls Patrick J. Cahalan, S.J. Communities from Page 1

The program is a revitalized version of the McCarthy Experience in Service and Action (MESA), keeping the core service components of the MESA program, but placing more emphasis on community, according to Chelsea Brown, the assistant director for student engagement in the Center for Service and Action (CSA).

Brown is also the program director for the Vanier Community and CSA House.

Vanier aims to build community among the students and encourage them to be people with and for others. Students will participate in service opportunities through community partnerships around Los Angeles and engage in a five-module learning program that focuses on social justice and change. This fivemodule program will focus on topics such as power and privilege, conceptualizing social justice, conflict and social justice, social change methods and political process and policy.

The community is named after Jean Vanier, who developed L’Arche communities, inclusive communities for people with and without intellectual disabilities. Another main

aspect of the program in addition to the service and learning aspects will emphasize and embrace the notion of community and helping students find a place where they feel they belong.

“We want [the students] to be doing consistent service at a placement around Los Angeles, but we also want to honor the fact that they’re living in the same space, they’re sharing their kitchen, living area, all of that. So part of the educational component for me is also teaching students what it is to live in a community,” said Brown.

The long term goal of Vanier is that it becomes a multi-year program. The first year will be solely service-based, with the students engaging in 30 hours of community service and learning the five-piece module on social justice. At the end of the year, students will be offered an option to apply for a second year in the community. Ideally they will have invested in specific organizations or placements in Los Angeles and will be able to do an advocacy project surrounding their service.

The applications for Vanier and Arrupe are still open for prospective students. More information regarding all four living communities can be found on LMU’s main website.

Cahalan devoted his career to supporting Jesuit education.

Sofia Hathorn News Editor @LALoyolan

The emeritus chancellor of the University, the Rev. Patrick J. Cahalan, S.J., passed away on Feb. 14. He was 86 years old.

Father Cahalan had been with LMU since 1997. In 1999, he established the Chancellor Scholarship for students who attended Jesuit high schools.

Donations are open to be made to this scholarship in his honor.

Cahalan was also involved in the acquisition of University Hall. Additionally, he helped fund scholarships for students to study abroad in Ireland.

“Father Cahalan’s devotion to education and his deep faith invigorated his bold leadership, which helped transform our university,” said President Timothy Law Snyder, Ph.D in a statement.

Cahalan was deeply involved with education in California for many years.

He was the assistant dean of students of Loyola University, president and rector of Loyola High School of Los Angeles, the executive vice president of Loyola High School and later the president and treasurer.

He was associate chancellor and chancellor of LMU in 1997 and 2002, respectively.

Mass for Cahalan will be held at the Sacred Heart Chapel on Saturday, March 7, at 11 a.m. A reception

via LMU This Week

Cahalan was known for his devotion to education and bold leadership.

will follow in the sculpture garden.

Students and faculty remember Pam Rector’s life Rector from Page 1

“She was always a woman with a plan who knew how to get things done, and Lord help those who were standing in her way,” said Tom Nelson, director of student media.

Furlong does not want Rector’s legacy to be forgotten, though it is hard to imagine it ever could. “Pam founded CSA, and I think that can get lost because it’s been 20 years. But she was the founding director of this place. So much that has come from CSA that students just take as part of the fabric of our culture—from alternative breaks to El Espejo to other things— she was the one that brought [those] up.”

The Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Feb. 24 at 2 p.m. in Sacred Heart Chapel in honor of Rector and her legacy. For those looking to honor her further, CSA and Homeboy Industries, two organizations that Rector was deeply involved in, are accepting donations.

Rector will forever be remembered in this community and outside of it as a person that served for and with others. “Pam was a force.

She still is a force. If we can embody that we will have lived good lives,” said GarrisonEngbrecht.

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We need to be responsible allies

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ast week, retired NBA star Dwyane Wade opened up to the public about his 12-yearold daughter Zaya who recently came out as transgender. Wade appeared on the Ellen Degeneres Show to discuss how he and his wife, Gabrielle Union, reacted to Zaya’s coming out. “We are proud parents of a child in the LGBTQ+ community and we’re proud allies as well,” said Wade.

We should learn from the Wade family and their constant support of their child opening up about a topic that still is commonly rejected across the United States. The backlash the family has received raises questions about the future for transgender youth.

When will we universally reject transphobia and heteronormativity?

In November, Union posted a picture showcasing her and her family on Thanksgiving.

Though the picture was met with much positivity and support, some online commenters attacked Zaya’s manicured nails and cropped shirt, according to CBS News.

The attacks on the 12-year-old and her parents speak to a larger issue we face as a nation. LGBTQ+ youth disproportionally face homelessness because of a lack of acceptance from their families and the abuse they face from coming out, with up to 40% of homeless youth identifying within the community, according to a 2012 Center for American Progress report.

Being a responsible ally to those who are LGBTQ+ is part of ensuring a safe future for children like Zaya. An ally refers to a cisgender

and/or straight person who actively engages in support of the LGBTQ+ community. Being a responsible ally means acknowledging the entire spectrum of gender and sexuality, including its fluidity. Educating yourself on LGBTQ+ issues is also important in becoming an ally. Becoming an informed ally can include, but is not limited to, actively supporting your LGBTQ+ friends, being aware of people’s pronouns and always recognizing and using your privilege for good.

We recognize that we are coming from a place of privilege. As student journalists we believe in giving voice to the issues that face our world and our student population.

Like the Wade family, we need to be united, welcoming and accepting of how people choose to identify themselves.

We must work to create a more equitable future for all. This future of acceptance is one where people similar to Zaya who want to come out are not faced with the fear of rejection and possible abuse that trans people face today.

LMU is unique in that it offers a variety of outlets for LGBTQ+ students and other students looking for ways to participate actively in allyship on campus. LGBT Student Servics (LGBTSS), located in Malone 211, offers support for students who identify within the community and allies. Other clubs on campus include the Gender-Sexuality Alliance and Queer Film Club.

“Becoming an informed ally can mean actively supporting your LGBTQ+ friends, being aware of people’s pronouns and always using your privilege for good.”

Board Editorial Molly Jean Box Editor-in-Chief

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Miles Thomas

Asst. Managing Editor

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Too much information leads to misinformation V for Vendetta Veronica Backer-Peral Opinion Intern @LALoyolan

D

uring a philosophical conversation about life—the kind that only comes about when one is procrastinating for a midterm—I suddenly came to the stunning realization that I am of the last generation that remembers life before the smartphone. When I got my first neon blue Virgin mobile flip phone, I thought I was the luckiest kid in the world.

A couple of years ago, my then 11 year-old brother got an iPhone, and the worst part is that he was expecting it. After all, his friends had gotten one the year earlier.

Despite the absurd speed at which technology was moving, one thing everyone seemed to agree on was very positive — as the internet and mobile technology grew, so did access to information. And access to seemingly infinite information appeared to promise a new age where ignorance and lies were a thing of the past.

It turns out that we got one

part right: access to information has grown exponentially in the past few years, but the other assumption—the assumption that the information boom was something positive — well, we might have to reconsider that one.

Nowadays, we have an abundance of information available. I can check the news on my phone, my watch, my laptop or on the TV in the LMU Starbucks that is always playing, but no one seems to be watching. On Instagram, I can find Brad from philosophy’s second cousin’s girlfriend in a minute. Now with Snap Maps on Snapchat, I can probably even find where she lives.

Since 2010, the amount of data created worldwide has risen from two zetabytes to 175 predicted for 2025. That’s 175 sextillion bytes, or 175 trillion multiplied by a billion.

The issue is not necessarily that young people don’t want to stay up to date on this abundance of information that exists. In fact, new studies show that young Americans are increasingly downloading credible news apps, according to Harvard’s NiemanLab. However, that’s about as deep as their relationship goes. Instead, the same study points to the fact that

Cartoon: Sarah Cheung | Loyolan

We zoom in on information we already agree with, and ultimately become more informed because of it.

these same people spend minimal time on news applications in comparison to social media — where millenials and Gen Z get a majority of their information.

However, the problem with social media is that rather than encouraging users to explore different opinions and perspectives, it encourages them to surround themselves with information that they already side with. In fact, social media creates a “spiral of silence” that encourages people to share only those opinions that they believe others will agree with, essentially disincentivizing actual conversation or debate, according to a Pew Research Center study.

“I get my news from a mixture of social media,” sophomore computer science major Booker Martin explained. “I think I’m probably more exposed to media that is similar to what I already believe, especially since my

circle of friends on social media generally have similar views as me, so those views are reinforced.”

One effect of this is apparent in the growth of populism as an international phenomenon. The more people find themselves in bubbles of like-minded people, the more likely they are to develop increasingly radical versions of their pre-existing views. This is commonly known as groupthink.

As a result, social media provides the perfect breeding ground for left and right-wing populist figures to spread their ideas and gain mass popular support, according to the Guardian. This is evident not only in the United States, but across the world.

Populist leaders, from Maduro in Venezuela to Duterte in the Philippines, are increasingly gaining traction.

However, even if you aren’t necessarily using mass information productively, others

are. The Cambridge Analytica scandal in the aftermath of President Trump’s election revealed the extent to which individuals’ information can be used against them. Cambridge Analytica harvested mass amounts of data from Facebook that could later be sold to political campaigns, such as the Trump campaign, in order to create targeted ads for different groups.

Mass information is incredibly effective in manipulating crowds, but it’s also incredibly ineffective in motivating people to actually explore different and unique points of view. Maybe, access to information is not the endall cure-all to ignorance that we might have hoped it could be.

This is the opinion of Veronica BackerPeral, sophomore film and television production, computer science and history triple major from Pasadena, California.

Tweet comments @LALoyolan or email astory@theloyolan.com.

Cartoon: Hanah Kim | Loyolan

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Buster exposed: University service dog trained to scam Some consider dogs to be man’s best friend. But buster is no friend.

In fact, he’s a thief.

Gabi Jeakle

Emotional Support Person

Buster: the unofficial mascot of Student Psychological Services. The puffball that brings so much joy to campus. He’s adorable, so of course you don’t mind that he eats the occasional thumbtack, or snags your OneCard while you wait to see the therapist.

Buster has been spotted chewing on textbooks, worksheets and a plethora of school supplies.

A recent, official statement from the LMU CARES office claimed that “Buster is just a dog. He has not been trained for

any unsavory reasons. Any chewing of personal property is merely him being a dog. Which is what he is: a normal dog.”

What’s so strange about that?

In a bizarre and shocking turn of events, the Bluff has uncovered a secret behind the seemingly normal canine.

A source has revealed that Buster has been specially trained to eat valuable, but replaceable, office supplies.

“I was part of the team that trained him. We called ourselves the Bad Boys,” said our source. “We were told to do whatever it takes. We’d praise him for eating shoes, paper and garbage. When he chewed on a toy, we would take it away and chastise him.”

Why train a dog to eat cheap plastic supplies, you may ask?

“The goal was simple: make money.

We were stealing right in front of them.

Under the guise of a furry face, no one cared that they had to pay $20 for a new OneCard, or get a new textbook.”

The plan has worked. The OneCard office has reported a 300% growth in replacements since the plan has been in place. The bookstore now has what they call a “Buster Room” filled with supplies that he has been trained to chew.

“We’re really pushing the products the Bad Boys used to train him,” said Clifford Jones, a sophomore bookstore employee. “It’s been a huge moneymaker. We might have enough to build another School of Film and Television building. Or at the very least buy another dog.”

Cartoon: Jacob Johanson | Loyolan

Buster flaunts a first year student’s OneCard nabbed from their backpack.

By Jacob Johanson, cartoonist

HAND-EYE COORDINATION

Isn’t it Ironic

By Sarah Cheung, cartoonist

The Bluff is a humorous and satirical section published in the Loyolan. All quotes attributed to real figures are completely fabricated; persons otherwise mentioned are completely fictional.

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life+arts

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The Recording Academy highlights Concert Choir LMU choir calls for wider representation of women in the music industry.

Francesca Bermudez Asst. Life+Arts Editor @LALoyolan

The Recording Academy released a video on Feb. 7 showcasing the talented women of LMU’s choir. The video was made in partnership with She Is The Music, an initiative introduced by singer Alicia Keys at Billboard’s Women in Music 2018.

I had the chance to talk with performer Ashley Salisbury, a freshman mechanical engineering major, about her experience working on the project.

According to a study conducted

by USC Annenberg, just over 2% of pop music was produced by women between 2012-2019. The video Salisbury is featured in highlights this disparity, illustrated by the female performers gradually sitting down until only one is left singing. It sends a powerful message as the women sing out, “This goes out to the underdog.

Keep on keeping at what you love.”

The video was released in support of the #WomenInTheMix movement, and features performers singing an arrangement of Alicia Keys’ “Underdog” in an effort to promote gender equality in the music industry.

Francesca Bermudez (F.B.): How does it feel knowing that so many people have now been able

to hear the LMU choir after the Democratic debate performance and this new video?

Ashley Salisbury (A.S.): It’s awesome. Both events were amazing ways to end my first semester and start my second semester at LMU. I’m so grateful for the opportunities and our director, T.J. Harper, for helping us perform our best. Both experiences were amazing and I’m so lucky I got to be a part of them.

F.B.: How did you find out you were able to perform in this project?

A.S.: Dr. Harper told us about the opportunity at the first Concert Choir rehearsal of the year. Everyone was super eager to get involved for such an amazing message and to be a part of a professional shoot.

F.B.: What was the filming experience like?

A.S.: The filming experience was unreal. Audio and video recording happened over two days. The first day, we recorded our voices in Murphy Recital Hall and tried on clothes for the video. The next day, we met up at a studio and spent all day filming. It was super fun to go through hair and makeup and to have a professional performing experience.

F.B.: What does this project mean to you? Is there anything you hope people will take away from the video?

A.S.: This project is so important, because it highlights the lack of female representation in the music industry.

There is currently a lot of conversation

via @LMUChoirs Instagram

The women of LMU’s Concert Choir getting in their positions to perform at the studio. The performers filmed all day after getting their hair and makeup done.

about representation in STEM fields, for example, but this project [is] spreading the word about women in the arts. I hope women feel empowered by the video to pursue their dreams,

but [the video is] also a harsh reminder of the current reality of the field.

Support the Concert Choir by watching the video on www.billboard.com.

life+arts

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Global Citizen Day brings cultures together The event promotes inclusivity and offers opportunities to learn about the global community.

Sammi Su

Life+Arts Editor @sammi_susu

The fourth annual Global Citizen Day aims to inform and engage students about international cultural groups, study abroad programs and career opportunities that are available on campus, according to Csilla Samay, the assistant dean for international students and initiatives.

"The purpose of this event is for students to build their global awareness … and prepare to be globally engaged citizens as they get off the Bluff and create the world in which we want to live," she said. Global Citizen Day was held on Tuesday, Feb. 11 on Lawton Plaza. It involved various student-run cultural organizations, the modern languages and international relations major departments, the Office for International Students and Scholars (OISS) and eight other LMU departments.

At the event, students checked in and received a custom Global Citizen Day passport. If they visited 10 booths, they would receive a voucher for the food trucks and free T-shirt. Some of the booths present included the Center for Asian Business, the Office of National & International Fellowships (ONIF) and Sigma Tau Delta (the English honor society). Student-run cultural clubs such as the Latino Student Union and African Student Association Dance Team performed on the stage throughout the event.

The event also had a Virtual Reality (VR) booth that allowed students to see what the home cities of some of our international students resembled. Senior political science major Tygre PatchellEvans, an international student from Canada, commented that she found the VR booth interesting and that filling out the passport was a cute concept.

As the senator for international students for ASLMU, sophomore film, television and media studies and screenwriting double major Kelly Lu was a strong advocate for this event.

An international student herself, Lu wanted students to be “more understanding to other cultures and [develop an] interest to learn more about other countries … I think it’s good to know each other … to dispel discrimination and understand each other better.”

According to Samay, the long row of flags from various countries that surrounded the event represented a portion of the international student body present at LMU. She said that the University currently has 92 countries represented and that this group of international students is a vital part of our community. “More than ever, we need to better understand each other. That’s growing more and more important with every day as the world continues to be impacted by this … lack of understanding of other [cultures],” said Samay. “I think with LMU’s growing diversity of all kinds, it’s important to support this growth of diversity and this promotion of opening our minds and hearts to go beyond our borders.”

Photos: Annie Kapila | Loyolan

Student performers from the Latino Student Union (top and bottom right) and student presenters from the Chinese Students and Scholars Association (bottom left) shared their cultural traditions.

Sophomore voice actor joins Cartoon Network After 11 years, Petersen lands a major role at his dream company.

Sammi Su

Life+Arts Editor @sammi_susu

Sophomore psychology major Sean-Ryan Petersen is a fulltime student and professional voice actor. He recently landed a role as Valentino, the halfbrother of Victor in the Cartoon Network animated series “Victor and Valentino.” Last week, I got to ask him about his experiences as a voice actor and what advice he may have to offer others also pursuing a career in the arts.

Sammi Su (S.S.): I heard that you’ve recently landed a role in “Victor and Valentino.”

Could you introduce us to your character?

Sean-Ryan Petersen (S.P.): Valentino is the half-brother of Victor. It’s a running joke in the studio how similar we are. Every episode, the writing gets a little more meshed with my humor ...

The creator [of the show] plays Victor, and we’re always finding out about new stuff about each other.

S.S.: How did you get started in the industry?

S.P.: It was about 11 years ago.

I was watching the Saturday morning cartoons, and I told my

mom that I wanted to be a voice actor ... I got into the industry in my first year; I got a dub project for PBS called “Dive Olly Dive!” From there, I got a web series about Martha Stewart’s childhood, and I played her guy best friend named Kevin ... I got into the industry with the intent of being a voice actor, hopefully one day working for Cartoon Network as I do now.

S.S.: What’s the most exciting thing that you’ve experienced as a voice actor?

S.P.: Getting the [role of Valentino] for sure. It was a very abnormal, quick process by comparison to most main character castings … but besides that, it was [surreal to hear] that my 10-year goal … [of] working for the network [that] I’ve always wanted to work for on a new and original show that looked and seemed incredible … I don’t really know how to describe the feeling. I always felt happy randomly for the next two weeks … and it always brought a smile to my face whenever I [thought ] about it.

SS: What is the biggest challenge that you’ve faced in your time as a voice actor?

S.P.: You’re going to hear “no” a lot and that’s fine — that’s just how this industry is. You can’t get every job you audition for ... The biggest challenge is just making sure you know that … [and] are able to move past that.

[If] you let every single time you’re told, "Oh sorry, we want

Cartoon: Camille Bautista

Petersen (right) with his character, Valentino (left). Petersen shares his creative process and experiences in bringing life to his character.

a different direction," bog you down, you’re not going to be ready [when] that perfect role for you comes along.

SS: What is it like balancing schoolwork while playing such a major role in the show?

S.P.: It’s a delicate balance, but the good news is we work once a week, usually. I just have to make sure when I’m scheduling classes to not have anything on a Tuesday. Other than that, a lot of audition preparation … I actually manage [the schoolwork] very well I think.

S.S.: Do you have advice for aspiring voice actors?

S.P.: Always be willing to learn, but I think that applies to most industries. Specifically

for this one, always be doing something, [whether it’s] going to a class [to expand your vocal range], watching TV, playing games or watching anime [to learn] voices and that’s how you get cast. You need to be diverse and you need to be able to play any range of characters from a dragon that has the voice of a mouse to a mouse that sounds like a dragon.

“Victor and Valentino” is available to watch for free on www.cartoonnetwork.com/ video/victor-and-valentino/.

The show will return to finish its second season in March, so stay tuned.

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SPORTS

Page 11

The Dodgers are gambling on Betts Rossi Possi

Nick Rossi

Asst. Sports Editor @LALoyolan

L

ast week, one of the biggest trades in recent Major League Baseball (MLB) history played out as the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired outfielder Mookie Betts and starting pitcher David Price from the Boston Red Sox. For the Dodgers, this represents one final push to win a World Series in their current era of success.

In a single deal, the Dodgers received both the 2018 MVP and the 2012 Cy Young Award winner. In return for their two stars, the Red Sox were sent three of L.A.’s most promising prospects.

Outfielder Alex Verdugo had his breakout season last year, batting .294 and recording 44 runs batted in (RBIs) in his first full MLB campaign. The two other prospects heading east are minor league players Jeter Downs and Connor Wong. For two of MLB’s biggest clubs, this trade represents a facelift of both franchise’s personnel and a reshaping of their hopes for the upcoming season.

With this trade now completed, the Dodgers hope that Betts will be the final missing piece of their World Series puzzle. A seventh championship title has eluded the franchise since the Dodgers last won the game’s premier series in 1988. Over the next three decades, Dodger fans became accustomed to heartbreak and frustration. The team

would not even play in another World Series until 2017.

In a now-infamous series, the Dodgers came up short against the Houston Astros in a seven game tug of war between the two clubs. Just one win shy of a title in 2017, the Dodgers booked another ticket to the World Series in 2018 where they faced the Red Sox. However, this year’s series did not play out as competitively.

Los Angeles was outmatched by the Betts-led Red Sox, only managing to grab one game in the series as Boston claimed yet another title in addition to their previous eight.

Last season may have been one of the most disappointing in club history. In a dominant regular season, the Dodgers won 106 games and secured the first seed in the National League playoffs. It all came crashing down in a five-game divisional round loss against the wildcard Washington Nationals.

The past three seasons have been a roller coaster ride for the Dodgers.

They have played as a truly great baseball team for long stretches of this time frame. But when it has mattered most for the club in the postseason, they always seem to find a way to come up short. The trade for Betts and Price represents the latest attempt by the organization to claim its elusive prize of a World Series title.

Joining L.A.’s other biggest star and last season’s National League MVP in Cody Bellinger, Betts will now become part of the best outfields in Major League Baseball Dodger

Graphic : Alexandra Christophilis | Loyolan

Mookie Betts had a productive 2019 offensively. The Dodgers will rely on him to replicate this performance and contribute to a postseason run this upcoming season.

Stadium. The Dodgers will now feature two former MVPs regularly playing alongside one another. It is only the 10th time in baseball history that a team has featured two MVP award holders in the same outfield. If both players can remain healthy and hit their stride, it is scary to think how good this duo could become for the Dodgers in 2020.

However, there is one important caveat to the Bellinger-Betts duo — both players have one year left on their contracts. After 2020, both players have the potential to leave L.A. and sign with another team.

Considering the stardom of each

player and how much money they would demand for long-term deals, it is hard to imagine the Dodgers signing both to extended contracts.

Betts is not guaranteed to stay with the team past one year. The Dodgers have one shot in 2020 to capture lightning in a bottle and break their World Series curse. Most get the feeling that if it does not happen this year for L.A., it will not happen again anytime soon. Either way, one thing is for sure — it will be really fun to watch.

This is the opinion of Nick Rossi, a junior AIMS major from Orange, California. Tweet comments to @LALoyolan or email comments to ahutton@theloyolan.com.

SCORES UPDATE

W W W. L A L O Y O L A N . C O M

4-3 L

Baseball

vs. Washington

6-5 W

Softball

vs. Hawaii

W. Tennis

4-2 W

M. Basketball

LION SPORTS

SPORTS

vs. Utah 65-59 W at Santa Clara

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February 19, 2020

Page 12

Basketball teams prepare for final stretch Growth of young players has at -3.3), three-point defense (ninth been the key to up-and-down at 33.5%) and defensive rebounding seasons for both sets of Lions. percentage (eighth at 66.5%). Those Alex Hutton Sports Editor @LALoyolan

Both the LMU men’s and women’s basketball teams have experienced their fair share of struggles in 2019-2020 as they go through a period of rebuilding.

However, both programs hope to use the last stint of the season to improve.

Each team currently sits below .500, with the men at 9-17 and the women at 7-20. However, the similarities don’t stop at the standings. Both are dealing with a lot of roster turnover and are heavy on young players — the women’s roster features six freshmen and the men’s roster has seven. As a result, women’s head coach Charity Elliott and men’s head coach Mike Dunlap have to give significant minutes to inexperienced players.

“This was a game where literally we’re playing three or four freshmen the entire game,” Elliott said after the women lost to Pepperdine on Saturday, Feb. 15.

“Right now, it’s about, are we fighting and competing?”

The women's team is currently on a seven-game losing streak. The Lions sit near the bottom of the West Coast Conference (WCC) in categories that often reflect a team’s maturity, such as turnover margin (ninth in the conference

facets of the game have been a contributor to losses that dropped LMU to ninth in the WCC. “We’ll do something great and then we’ll have a silly turnover or we’ll do something great and miss a layup,” Elliott said. “We’re making progress. It just isn’t showing up on the scoreboard right now.”

At the same time, the Lions are trying to recognize the positives that come out of a season like this. The young players are getting experience and an opportunity to develop.

“Just them gaining experience and seeing what this season is and seeing how our conference is, it's opening their eyes a lot,” junior forward Jasmine Jones said.

The men's team has a similar story.

Preseason projected starters Joe Quintana, Dameane Douglas and Mattias Markusson have not played this season, meaning the freshmen have played far more minutes than expected.

The Lions are eighth in the WCC and have occasionally struggled to close games or play a full 40 minutes.

“We have lapses in the second half,” Dunlap said. “I want to shrink those lapses and continue to get better.”

In spite of this, the team has shown promise for the future. They took nationally recognized programs Nevada and Colorado to the wire and

Photo: Maeve Sullivan | Loyolan

Photo: JP Shannon | Loyolan

Women's basketball forward Jasmine Jones (20) and men's basketball guard/ forward Eli Scott (0) have both emerged as veteran leaders on young squads.

have kept games close against some of the WCC’s best.

“We take good things out of the game,” said freshman forward Keli Leaupepe.

“But we don’t finish it off very well.”

Individual players have stepped up, led by guard/forward Eli Scott.

The junior leads LMU in a variety of stats, including points, rebounds and assists. He has also impressed Dunlap with his maturity.

Leaupepe has been another bright spot, scoring inside and outside and averaging 7.3 points per game on nearly 40% three-point shooting.

“He’s getting better every game. I think he’s one of the better freshmen in the league,” Dunlap said of the Australian.

“He’s a pretty special player.”

Both teams are focusing on the end of the season and the conference tournament. Elliott summed up the shared mentality of the two programs when discussing her own unit.

“These freshmen are getting a tremendous amount of experience," she said. “We weren't expecting it to be quite the rebuilding year that it is, but … we're going to keep pushing and we're going to keep trying to get better.”

Softball coach expects success this season Strinz-Ward is confident that her team can win their first WCC title.

Ellie Kinney

Asst. Sports Editor @LALoyolan

It’s finally softball season again, and fifth-year head coach Sami Strinz-Ward has her eye on the prize: a West Coast Conference (WCC) trophy.

As LMU softball prepares to play their first home tournament this weekend, Strinz-Ward is confident in her team’s ability to have another successful year and finally clinch the conference championship for the first time since joining the WCC. After back-to-back years of finishing second in the conference, there’s no question about it; she wants to win the whole thing this time.

The Lions are coming off two very successful seasons, including a prestigious National Invitational Softball Championship (NISC) win in 2018. Last year they posted an impressive 40-21 overall record (11-4 WCC) and won the NISC regional

championship. The key to keeping the strong momentum this year will not just be the success of individual players, but the team maintaining their close bonds with each other.

“This team is unlike any team I’ve ever coached in that the chemistry they have together is not forced, it’s real,” Strinz-Ward noted.

“You can just really feel that they care about each other a lot, and they care about the team as a whole … one of our core values is ‘put us first,’ and they’re really buying into that, so I think that this is going to be a really pivotal year to get us over the top.”

The Lions have been stuck behind a BYU team that has dominated the conference for over a decade, winning 11 straight WCC championships.

While the Cougars certainly pose a challenge, Strinz-Ward has no doubt that her team can overthrow them this year.

“I think we have a lot of time to get everything ironed out that we need to, but it’s just going to [take] competing every single pitch,” said Strinz-Ward. “BYU stumbles, and we stumbled last year too, otherwise we would’ve

had [the WCC], so we’ve just got to take care of business no matter what the other team’s jersey says.”

Strinz-Ward knows how talented her LMU squad is.

She believes that if they stay consistent and play the way she knows they can, the Lions will hold their own with the best teams in the country.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s BYU, doesn’t matter if it’s UCLA, doesn’t matter if it’s LSU in two weekends or Michigan,” said Strinz-Ward. “It doesn’t matter, we’ve just got to do what we do.”

The coaching staff has a young team to work with this season, with 11 freshmen and just one senior on the roster. For Strinz-Ward, the priority is giving her new players ample playing time so that they feel comfortable competing at this new level.

“I think [the freshmen] are doing a really nice job of stepping up overall,” said Strinz-Ward. “They just need experience to learn and grow and trust themselves, but I think they’re doing a good job and we’re just going to get better. The present’s bright

Photo via LMU Athletics

Coach Sami Strinz-Ward celebrates LMU's victory in the 2019 NISC regional championship. She has even higher hopes for this season.

and the future’s bright, so we’re in a good spot.”

The team plays its first game at Smith Field this weekend, and the team is looking forward to competing in front of a home crowd. However, Strinz-Ward assured that the team is just excited to play in general.

“We do so much practicing that the reward of playing is

always great for them,” said Strinz-Ward. “It’s always nice to be at home; this is our home field advantage … I know they’re excited to play at [Smith Field], but they’re just excited to play, period."

The LMU Tournament begins on Friday at 8 a.m., where the Lions will face Sacramento State.