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New project aims to train 13 LMU women to run their first marathon. Page 12
October 23, 2019
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| ISSUE 9
University averages over $32,000 in student debt A new study shows debt figures for schools across the country. Sofia Hathorn and Grace McCauley Asst. News Editors @LALoyolan
In a recent study done by LendEDU, with lowest debt starting at one, LMU was ranked 547 out of 845 colleges and universities for student loan debt. The same study showed that the average amount of student debt for LMU students in 2018 was $32,262. Debt affects over half the student population at LMU, as 52% of students have some amount of debt, according to LendEDU. Eighty four percent of students receive some institutional gift aid, according to the LMU Financial Aid department. This gift aid totals $80 million per year, according to Thomas Gutto, director of transfer admission and enrollment services. This aid does not need to be paid back, but can come in amounts that do not cover the cost of attendance. The cost of attendance, according to LMU, is $63,777 per year, or $255,108 over four years. See Debt | Page 2
New resident Jesuit: from battle to the Bluff Father Reedy’s path to faith led to the Jesuits, theology and, ultimately, LMU. Kayan Tara
Managing Editor @LALoyolan
While on a guided missile cruiser in the Pacific Ocean during a training exercise, Fr. Brian Michael Reedy, S. J., took a phone call. Under “attack” from the opposite team in the exercise, he interviewed for a job in the LMU philosophy department. With incoming “torpedoes” to dodge and evade, Fr. Reedy was more surprised that the call did not drop during the interview more than anything else. “There were alarms going off,” he laughed. “Have you ever had an interview with someone on a guided missile cruiser before? That’s definitely a big no. I’ve never done that. It was very funny.” By all accounts, Fr. Reedy handled the pressure-packed situation just fine. He got the job. But Reedy's experience as a lieutenant of the United States Navy Chaplain Corps is just a facet of who he is. A California native, Reedy grew up an “Evangelical, nondenominational sort of Christian,” and always felt a strong tension between theology and science. He found
his interest in science and math heavily conflicting with his church. However, the moments he found to have deep devotional experiences were in his math and science classes. “The beauty of the universe and our ability to understand things is like a prayer to me,” Reedy said. Reedy experienced a calling from God at the age of 10 at summer camp. Reedy recalls running out into a forest, trying to run away from it, but the call followed him. “I left the church I was in and just ran out. I just felt a strong presence of God, in a sense of ... who you give your life to. And so I ran from it for a couple days until finally, back in one of the services again, I just kind of relaxed and just said, ‘Yes, yes I will.’ And then [I was] flooded with peace,” Reedy said. While many people expected him to want to be a pastor or a youth minister, Reedy always knew he wanted to teach. Reedy recalled immediately falling in love with the Society of Jesus when he first heard about them. “You can find a Jesuit who does almost anything,” Reedy stated. “There have been really astounding Jesuit scientists. And when I first saw a Jesuit standing there in a lab coat— you know, doing science—I was like ‘I wanna be that.’” Reedy was attracted to the Society of Jesus’ “solid base of a shared spirituality,”
Photo: Gloria Ndilula | Loyolan
Father Reedy is a resident Jesuit and a visiting assitant professor of philosophy. He is originally from Anaheim and has returned to California this semester to work at LMU.
and how they gave their members great freedom by letting them do interesting things. The Society of Jesus has five provinces within the United States, and Reedy, an Anaheim native, said it was an unexpected surprise to end up back in sunny California. “LMU was out of the blue. I didn’t expect it,” Reedy said. Reedy was instantly drawn to the love teachers at LMU have for their craft, the intimate nature of LMU's student population and the beautiful campus.
Reedy also loved that the University was supportive of his past in the Navy, wanting to use his skills and assets from those experiences at LMU in different capacities. When meeting with the philosophy department heads, Reedy admired that there were "opportunities for interdisciplinary work." Reedy said, “[LMU was the] only school that I was talking to that actually saw my [experience in the Navy] as a positive thing.” See Reedy | Page 2