Los Angeles Loyolan February 26th 2019

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Los Angeles LOYOLAN The

See the photo essay of the annual concert, After Sunset. Page 12

February 26, 2020

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98

| ISSUE 21

Student activists push for fossil fuel divestment Students are fighting against the use of tuition dollars in investment of fossil fuels. Sofia Hathorn News Editor

Students have revived a long fight against the University investing in fossil fuel companies. In the beginning of the spring semester, the environmental club EcoStudents and ASLMU formed a coalition called Divest LMU. The coalition aims to work with administration to develop a plan to divest from association with fossil fuels and encourage responsible investing, according to their Facebook page. There has been a wave of divestment activism on campuses across the nation. On Feb. 6., Georgetown University announced the divestment of their endowment in fossil fuels within the next 10 years. This came after an eight-year campaign from the student-led group GU Fossil Free, according to Georgetown’s paper The Hoya. Georgetown was the second Jesuit university to pledge to divest, after Seattle University, according to the National Catholic Reporter. The entire University of California system also decided to divest from

fossil fuels in September of 2019. Students and climate activists have been pushing for divestment from fossil fuels companies because of its environmental impact. Burning fossil fuels emits carbon and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which contributes to the warming of the global temperature, according to the UN. Divest LMU also focuses on the social justice side of the issue, as oil waste affects indigenous communities and fossil fuel production sites are often built on indigenous lands, such as the Dakota Access Pipeline, according to NPR. The money that is invested comes from the University’s endowment, which is made up of grants, student tuition and gifts, according to LMU. It is unknown what percentage of the endowment is invested in fossil fuels. A portion of the University’s money that is invested in fossil fuels is in commingled funds. Commingled funds are assets from multiple accounts that have been combined into one. This makes divestment more difficult for the University, as it cannot pull out the money from fossil fuel involved companies only, according to ASLMU President Ken Cavanaugh. See Divestment | Page 3

Lingdao program suspended due to coronavirus The fellows program sent student leaders to China every year. Haley LaHa

Asst. News Editor @LALoyolan

Since 2017, the Lingdao Fellows Program has aimed to cultivate global leaders through a week-long immersive study experience in Beijing, China in the summer and a global leadership course during the school year. This year, however, the program is being suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. Every year, 10 students are selected to participate in the program. The group is compiled of elected student leaders: the ASLMU President, the Editor-in-Chief of the Loyolan, the InterFraternity Council President, the Collegiate Panhellenic Council President, two co-chairs on the Service Organization Council, two representatives for the Communication and Fine Arts Student Council, the Residence Hall Association (RHA) President and an

intercultural facilitator from the Intercultural Facilitator Program. “We selected student leaders as the program participants because of the impact they would have on their student groups by applying and sharing what they learned abroad,” said Jennifer Belichesky, the associate dean of students and member of the Lingdao Fellows Program Team. In partnership with the Beijing Center, a Jesuit study abroad center, the cohort would attend lectures about China’s politics, history, culture and languages. The students would also visit historical sites such as Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Olympic Park and the Mutianyu Great Wall. In the fall semester following the trip, the students enroll in the EDLA 498: Engaging in Global Leadership course to further discuss and reflect on their experiences in China. The course focuses on developing global world views and intercultural leadership. At the end of the course each student, either individually or

with a partner, creates a final project to share how they plan to use what they learned in the program to contribute to a more inclusive and engaged campus. The Lingdao Fellows are then given the chance to showcase their final projects in the Lingdao Symposium. “Our final projects in the program were designed for us to incorporate our experiences into a tangible piece of work that could be taken on in our respective organizations on campus. These efforts are meant to promote the inclusivity of the international community and to provide spaces for cross-cultural exchange at LMU,” said Kylie Francisco, the RHA President who participated in the Lingdao Fellows Program this past year. Due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus, the program has been suspended for the next year. The faculty involved initially investigated going to another location, but there was much uncertainty with via Jacob Cornblatt where the virus would spread, The student leaders in the Lingdao fellows program pose during their time in China in 2019. The program was suspended for this according to Belichesky. See Lingdao| Page 3

year due do health concerns about the coronavirus.


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