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Los Angeles LOYOLAN The
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April 2 5,
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Following the green line shuttle closure commuters see effects. Page 7
V O LU M E
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A tragic goldfish mystery solved. The culprit? One hungry roommate. Page 12
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28
LMU works on new branding initiative To ref lect LMU’s vision and ambitions, a new brand focus will launch in 2019. Sami Leung
Managing Editor @LALoyolan
Tanabe says goodbye to his fellow Lions Alex Farrell | Loyolan
Outgoing ASLMU President Hayden Tanabe reflects and reminisces on his time at LMU. Sami Leung
Managing Editor @LALoyolan
Hayden Tanabe, a senior business management major, is a well-recognized name across campus. From his freshman year as Del Rey South Residence Hall Association president, his sophomore and junior years as RHA president and his senior year as ASLMU student body president, Tanabe has held multiple influential positions with “immutable joy,” as described by President Timothy Snyder. As Tanabe prepares to leave the bluff, Loyolan Managing Editor Sami Leung sat down with him for one last interview to reflect on his time as president and his plans for after graduation. Sami Leung (SL): You mentioned in your campaign and in various appearances that you’ve wanted to be ASLMU president since the beginning of your collegiate career. Why was that such an important goal for you? Hayden Tanabe (HT): Transitioning out of my senior year of high school, I was really involved. I was our senior class president, I was on this youth council for the city of Torrance, where I’m from, that advised our Torrance City Council on matters pertaining to the youth of Torrance. I was very into student government. The reason why I chose to attend LMU is because I wanted to get involved in a large scale right away. I knew that once I had committed to an institution that I just wanted to take it and run with it and try to, in a way, recreate my high school experience, but also be mindful that in the collegiate setting it’d
be much different. I knew that I wanted that additional responsibility of leaving this institution better than we found it, and I knew that being ASLMU president during my senior year would be the way to do that. That’s why I committed to that the first day of my freshman year. SL: What is it like to walk through campus knowing that you’re so well known? Do you ever feel like you have to act a certain way when talking to people? HT: Because this is my last interview, I’ll say yes. Absolutely. Life in the fishbowl is a fascinating thing, and I’ve always joked about this for so long, about what that concept is even before being president, just being classic, typical Hayden. I would say that with ASLMU president, it’s been magnified. It’s been interesting because I’m not a rare case at this institution. We come here because it’s smaller, you get to know people on a much more personal level. As ASLMU president, and even being RHA president the past two years before that, the leadership positions that I’ve had on this campus have allowed for that name to face recognition, and I guess the banners on Lincoln and everything else that they’ve posted my face on as well, but it’s an interesting experience. I think it’s as close to becoming a ‘celebrity’ that I’ll ever become in my life, and it’s been a lot of fun. But definitely in terms of the way that you’re talking to people and engaging, I want to do my best to make sure this university is always represented the best. If I have that additional responsibility of being that one out of 6,300 students that represents our student body to either President Snyder or our Board of Trustees, that I assume that responsibility with grace and poise to make sure that everyone is well represented, and that exists on the personal level of the relationships between my peers and [me]. See Tanabe | Page 3
In his very first convocation address, LMU President Timothy Snyder spoke about global imagination and banishing the idea of LMU being “the best-kept secret on the hill.” Keeping true to his word, Snyder and LMU’s marketing and communications (MarComm) team began gathering the pieces in 2016 of what would become a never done before initiative to create a comprehensive, inspirational LMU brand, according to John Kiralla, the vice president of LMU’s marketing and communications. “LMU has never had a brand strategy before, so this is an exciting opportunity for us to shape our story, thereby evolving external perceptions to reflect our vision and ambitions,” said Kiralla. Kiralla stressed the difference between the temporary nature of a marketing campaign, such as the street banners lining the roads in and around LMU, and the more permanent nature of a brand. While LMU’s MarComm continues to work on and research for the development of the brand, they are also actively working to make LMU more visible through marketing campaigns such as the University of Silicon Beach and buying digital ads in public locations, according to LMU’s brand development page. “A brand is what we stand for in the hearts and minds of the people we are trying to reach, influence and move to action. They create emotional connections and inspire
loyalty ... a well-formed brand has an essence that doesn’t change,” according to an LMU “Branding 101” video. The first phase of the branding process began in 2016 with a series of market research studies alongside LMU’s brand development partner, SimpsonScarborough, who was chosen after interviews with marketing companies from across the country and has worked specifically with other higher education institutions, such as Fordham and Santa Clara University. “I think that sending out the survey to students in regards to rebranding our school is a great way to get our input and get us involved,” Priscilla Law, a junior marketing major, said. “However, I do think that our rebranding still needs to reflect and incorporate our Jesuit and Catholic values.” One survey was sent to 75,000 recipients, the largest study in LMU history. The most recent development, a creative survey sent out to students, faculty, staff, alumni and prospective students to help “finalize a creative direction,” according to Brand Manager Katie Jones. The surveys asked students about what gave them pride about LMU, what frustrated them about LMU and what were LMU’s strengths and weaknesses. “I’m happy that LMU is making a conscious effort to streamline their image,” Natalie Godby, a sophomore marketing major, said. “We’re not a traditional college, and I think there are so many strengths in showcasing that through a thoughtful aesthetic and brand.” The brand will be centered around LMU’s strongest faculty and academic programs while still featuring LMU’s student and alumni outcomes, overall student experience, global reach and impact, diversity and campus landscape, according to Kiralla. See Branding | Page 2
Emily Sullivan | Loyolan
LMU hosts preview day for incoming students Nana Safi (pictured above), a sophmore psychology major and tour guide, speaks to her tour group during Preview Day. Students and their parents gathered all over the University on Preview Day to learn more about everything the campus has to offer. The all-day event on April 22 included campus tours, two separate seminars discussing financial aid, booths for on-campus activities, a welcome address from President Snyder and the gathering of each separate college with a welcome from their respective deans. For more information regarding preview day, check out the graphic on page 2.