Los Angeles Loyolan November 7th 2018

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Los Angeles LOYOLAN The

V O LU M E 9 7 ISSUE 11 LMU's basketball teams are gearing up for the upcoming season. For full coverage and player features see pages 15-20.

EST. 1921

N O V E M B E R 7, 2 0 1 8

Democrats flip House, lose Senate The blue wave did not appear in voting as expected, as Republicans keep key seats.

Kellie Chudzinski Editor-in-Chief @LALoyolan

Democrats have taken the House of Representatives from Republican control, picking up at least 26 seats. The Republicans kept hold of the Senate, winning key races, earning a seat and leaving them with a 51 seat majority.

The Democrats needed to pick up at least 23 new seats in the House of Representatives to gain a majority, while control of the Senate balanced on close races in Tennessee, Texas, Nevada, North Dakota and Missouri. Democrats needed to defend all 25 Democratic seats up and get two more seats to win a majority in the Senate.

Many key races Democrats tried to flip, including Governorships and Senate seats, flipped or stayed red. Incumbent Democratic Florida Senator Bill Nelson lost to Florida Governor Rick Scott, Georgia’s Republican Secretary of State Brian Kemp beat Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams and Republican incumbent Texas Senator Ted Cruz beat Democratic candidate Beto O’Rourke.

As of Tuesday morning, 33 million people had voted either by mail or in-person, as reported by CNN, an increase of 11 million people from 2014 early voting. Thirtythree states have surpassed their 2014 early voting numbers, with Florida, Texas and Tennessee seeing almost doubled See Election | Page 3

Psychological Trump attempts to redefine gender support after natural disasters Bradley Smith, a mental health professional, assisted in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence.

Kayan Tara

Asst. News Editor @LALoyolan

Bradley Smith, director of special programs in Student Affairs, was one of over 3,500 Red Cross volunteers deployed to North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence.

When one thinks of the devastation caused by natural disasters, not many imagine the mental and emotional trauma caused that can take years to recover from.

The slow-moving yet ferocious nature of Hurricane Florence caused life-threatening and long-term damage, according to The New York Times.

Because he was a licensed professional clinical counselor, Smith responded to the urgent national call from Red Cross asking for licensed mental health professionals to assist victims of Hurricane Florence — he volunteered from Oct. 7 to Oct. 16 of this year. Smith is also a board-certified alcohol and other drug counselor, as well as LMU’s substance use disorders response specialist.

See Bradley Smith| Page 2

Campus responds by providing support to transgender and gender non-binary students.

Molly Box

Asst. News Editor @LALoyolan

The Trump administration released a memo on Oct. 21 to the New York Times describing their consideration of defining gender as dictated by genitalia at birth.

The proposed policies would counteract decisions previously made by the Obama administration that federally recognized preferred gender identity in prisons, schools, universities and homeless shelters, easing legal definitions of sex and gender. The LMU community’s response

was largely against this proposed policy.

“The Trump/Pence administration’s threat to amend Title IX is not just another of the regime’s rolling back of civil rights, but is, in my opinion, unconstitutional,” Danielle Borgia, senior lecturer in women's and gender studies, said.

Title IX, according to the NCAA, protects people from discrimination based on sex in programs and organizations that receive Federal financial assistance.

According to the New York Times, the policy change would attempt to establish a legal definition of sex as either male or female and inalterable under Title IX. Those who identify as transgender or genderqueer would not be federally recognized and would not qualify for the protections provided by Title IX. Though no final decision has been made, if the

legislation was to pass, it would negate federal recognition of 1.4 million Americans who identify as something other than the gender they were assigned at birth.

“Their goal is to restore every bit of the White supremacist capitalist patriarchy our country has started to dismantle in the last 100 years,” Borgia said. “I am terribly frightened by how much they have been allowed to accomplish in only two years.”

Amy Woodson-Boulton, history professor, shared similar views on how the proposed policy could invalidate the work of preceding activists. Woodson-Boulton said that the efforts of gay and trans rights activists in the past helped to undo ideals that linked gender identity and sexuality to biological sex, and this policy would disregard all of it.

See Trans Rights | Page 2

NEWS

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Poon discusses his upcoming convocation speech The provost will cover various interdisciplinary initiatives for students and faculty.

Austin Woods News Intern @LALoyolan

via Loyola Marymount University | Facebook

Provost and Executive Vice President Poon will be giving his speech for convocation next week.

Last year, during Poon’s first convocation, he introduced himself in a video playing the ukulele.

Provost Thomas Poon will be trying to get students excited in his convocation address. According to the provost, convocations at LMU serve many purposes, from welcoming a particular group of community members to conveying some sort of message or lesson. This year’s convocation will serve to update attendees on certain initiatives and why they should be excited about them.

In a recent press release from LMU This Week, it was announced that Executive Vice President and Provost of LMU Dr. Thomas Poon will be giving the 2018 convocation address to the LMU community members next week.

“Last year, my convocation served to introduce myself to the community and

provide my vision for particular areas under my purview,” Poon said. “It was primarily for faculty and staff. This year, I plan to provide updates on various initiatives at LMU, and I want to also speak to students and get them excited about the directions that LMU will be going.”

Specifically, Poon will touch on LMU’s growing enrollment numbers, strategic plans for the near future and certain initiatives and organizational changes among various facets of LMU. “My goal is to help the community to see that positive change is afoot at LMU,” Poon said. “The message will be that LMU cannot succeed in its ambitions without the help of all constituencies, from students to faculty to staff to alumni and so many others.”

To supplement his speech, the provost is preparing a slide presentation. This visual component will serve to convey empirical information regarding the initiatives covered in the speech. “I have a great team who has helped me by gathering data and reporting out on successes in their areas,” Poon said.

See Convocation | Page 3

Community reacts to proposed policy concerning transgender rights Trans Rights from Page 1

“Those essentialist ideas are pernicious,” Woodson Boulton said. “[they] helped to justify discrimination and inequality and [they] were based on outmoded and ideologically-driven science.”

According to the New York Times, the proposed policy is being spearheaded by the Department of Health and Human Services.

The department’s motivation behind the policy is key government agencies “[needing] to adopt an explicit and uniform definition of gender.” They also argue that the term “sex” was never intended to include homosexuality and gender identity in the eyes of the federal government.

Jenica Garcia, sophomore animation major and president of Transcendence, LMU’s club for transgender and gender non-conforming students, said that receiving news of the Trump administration’s memo was “devastating.”

“The fact that they are confusing gender identity with sex is mind-boggling,”

Garcia said. “They are not taking into consideration so many people in this country. If [the legislation] were to go through, then gender is going to be based on what’s biological, on what’s between your legs.”

Under the proposed policy, according to Insider Higher Ed, the legal definition of sex would be “a person’s status as male or female based on immutable biological traits identifiable by or before birth. The sex listed on a person’s birth certificate, as originally issued, shall constitute definitive proof of a person’s sex unless rebutted by reliable genetic evidence.”

Lauren Moreno, director of LGBT Student Services (LGBTSS), said that the proposed definition will have a negative impact on the transgender community at LMU as it would hinder resources that ensure legal protection and health care for students.

“Mental health and physical wellbeing are primary concerns [for which] transgender people seek legal advocacy,

specifically protections that address bias and hate from Title IX,” Moreno said.

In support of the transgender and gender non-binary community at LMU, an email was sent to students on behalf of LGBTSS and Interculturalism. In the email, the proposed legislation was described as “inherently triggering to our trans community.”

As for the general effect the news had on students, the email said that “thus far students are doing ok, but many are struggling with their validity and value of safety and protection which is greatly impacting their mental health.” The email sent provided students with materials for more information on the specifics of the proposed legislation.

Transcendence is also offering support to students. In addition to their weekly meetings available to transgender and nonbinary students as a safe space to process the news, a demonstration is being held Thursday, Nov. 8 at 1 p.m. on Alumni Mall.

Garcia said that the day after the news was released of the Trump administration’s intentions, they went to Moreno to discuss a demonstration in response to provide context, draw awareness, educate and inform allies. Garcia will introduce and close the event, and three people who identify within the LGBTQ+ community are going to speak to rally support.

“This is something that happened,” Garcia said. “We need to acknowledge it.”

Moreno said that it is a critical time to educate the community on how decisions like these made by the federal government will affect their peers.

“I think it’s important to keep in mind, learn [about] and support those who are different from us and build empathy for each other,” Moreno said. They also said that the way to build that alliance begins with understanding how federal decisions impact everyone.

“Though it’s devastating news, we can fight against this,” Garcia said.

Providing psychological aid during natural disasters Bradley Smith from Page 1

Beginning most of his days in North Carolina at 7 a.m. and working until 7 p.m., Smith was placed in one of the five shelters in North Carolina Disaster Response (DR) 6, a four-county area including Pender, Brunswick, New Hanover and Bladen counties. Smith was among over 100 people residing in a high school gymnasium-turnedshelter on cots.

Smith treated people who were experiencing complex mental and medical syndromes and living in hurricane shelters with no chance of returning to their homes. With businesses and schools closed, there was a lot of boredom and anxiety among those living in the shelters. Smith documented about 40 “clinically significant contacts” per day, meaning cases of trauma per day.

“Most of the people who remained in the shelter were marginalized and underserved before the disaster,” Smith said. “My work was largely limited to an approach known as Psychological First Aid: creating a compassionate presence, listening, ensuring fundamental safety, meeting basic needs, building coping skills — and, from a sheer tactical standpoint, ending the conversation. There was just too much need.”

With the aftermath of Hurricane Florence and the incoming impact of Hurricane Michael four days later, the scale of need, according to Smith, was extremely profound. Hurricane Florence left numerous houses without power, with flooding, fallen trees and scattered debris everywhere, as reported by the New York Times. Thousands of residents did not have homes to go back to, having to live in hurricane shelters, according to the Independent.

Smith explained that, while there are many people impacted in tremendous ways, many had the social mobility, resources and families to help them recover.

Smith, however, met with senior citizens who had completely lost their homes, as well as economically challenged people, who had been living in trailers and low-lying areas prior to the storm, left with no home and no resources to help them.

One-fourth of the people who Smith regularly counseled were also Red Cross volunteers, including bus drivers, kitchen staff, security and overnight responders.

These volunteers who fatigued, exhausted and dealing with a great deal of stress working 12-hour shifts—sometimes longer—not including the commute to and from the locations at which they

were volunteering.

Smith described the shelters as a “simmering low level emergency room” where people were living in very close quarters to one another. The grace of the victims and the level of volunteering from the Red Cross staff were two of the most significant impacts of his experience.

“I witnessed countless acts of extraordinary kindness and compassion — not just by first responders, but also among the shelter residents themselves. I often say to our students: ‘It is not service if it is convenient,’” Smith said in a Q&A with LMU This Week.

Prior to the minimum deployment time of nine days that Smith volunteered, he had five hours of online training and one hour of admin work to do at Red Cross’ Los Angeles headquarters before being put on a plane to North Carolina just three days later.

“In all chaotic settings, there were people who just seem to have this extraordinary grace,” Smith said. “These were people who tended to not be on the fortunate side of life but nonetheless had such love and compassion and wisdom. And [they] were real modifiers in the culture of [chaos in the shelters].”

via Bradley Smith

Temporary cots were laid out for Hurricane Florence victims throughout the high school gymnasium-turned-hurricane shelter.

via Bradley Smith

Bradley Smith on duty at the hurricane shelter in North Carolina.

NEWS

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Students share voting struggles

BURNING QUESTIONS

This week, Asst. News Editor Isabella Murillo sat down with Brooke Duplantier, a senior political science and English double major who works at LMU’s food pantry and is president of the Oxfam club.

What is your role with the food pantry?

I am the food pantry coordinator. I have been for two years now and [it is] my second year working with the pantry. Basically, that just means I manage the food pantry, day to day, taking inventory [and] putting in new stock. I do a lot of food runs for the pantry where I actually go out with my own car and buy a bunch of food for the pantry from our monetary donations. I reach out to new donors to try to get grants and funding. I do marketing. [I] pretty much cover all areas of the pantry.

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Why was the food pantry started?

The food pantry is for any undergraduate or graduate students.

Although, we don’t keep track of who goes into it. It’s for anyone who has to struggle between buying food and buying books [and] for anyone really just struggling to put a meal into their stomach. It was started kind of in recognition of the fact that college students also struggle with things like hunger, and being able to find food and provide food for themselves. Often it’s not something that’s really talked about in our community because a lot of people still assume that we’re dependent on parents.

LMU is such a wealthy school that we often forget that a lot of students are on financial aid [or] scholarships and might not have the means to be providing food on top of that.

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What is your role in the Oxfam club?

I’m what they call a change leader. So Oxfam America—that’s the global organization—they establish college chapters across the country and then they pick change leaders. You have to apply to be a change leader and then they train you on how to lead the Oxfam club. I’m the president this year.

What are your plans for after college?

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I’m applying for postgrad programs in hunger studies, shocker.

I really want to learn more about the cultural side of food as in restaurants and what does it mean, what’s your identity or what it means when you’re displaced and you don’t have access to food — those kinds of things. I’m also applying to service opportunities involving food where we basically start gardens [and] teach classes. So any of those things would be amazing to do.

Want to read even more questions with Duplantier?

Check them out at laloyolan.com.

Election from Page 1

numbers. Young voters and women were a larger portion of early voting than they were in 2014.

More people voted early in Texas this year, 4.9 million, than in the entire state in 2014, 4.7 million.

“It’s my first opportunity to vote, so I really wanted to do it, no matter what,” John Mulliken, a freshman entrepreneurship major, said.

Freshman entrepreneurship major Nick Auchincloss said that he thought the Democrats would take control of the Senate because of the opposition to Trump they were putting up.

“I voted because I feel a civic duty to do so,” Auchincloss said. “Americans who vote are generally more patriotic because they believe their opinion matters. And it does.”

Before Tuesday, 40 percent of 18 to 29 year olds said they

would vote in the election, as reported by NPR. As of the Loyolan’s production deadline, 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday night, the share of young voters counted was 13 percent of all voters, compared to the same age group’s 11 percent share in 2014.

Jackie Galvez, senior biology major, voted this year because she felt a civic duty and explained why she thought youth turnout may be low.

“A lot of people that are younger, especially lower Gen Z and later end of millenials, think that our voices don’t really matter,” Galvez said. “But I think we have the amazing potential to make a really big difference.”

Students that the Loyolan talked to cited a lack of time as their primary reason for not voting.

Peter Cardosi, a freshman economics major from Oregon,

did not vote because he felt that he was not knowledgeable on the candidates or ballot measures and said that he believed it would take days of research to make an informed decision.

“I have no clue who [the candidates] are. I just didn’t do research I guess,” Cardosi said.

“You can’t absorb every idea about what these people could do or what the laws could do in a convenient amount of time.”

Historically, the president’s party loses an average of 25 seats during the midterms, according to Gallup Poll.

“I don’t really [have hopes about the outcome] because I forgot to do the research for that,” Melanie Hayashida, a freshman liberal studies major, said.

Poon to discuss new initiatives Convocation from Page 2

This year’s speech will differ from previous convocation speeches in some ways, according to Poon. “There won’t be a ukulele performance at the end,” he said. “There’s just no way I can ever top last year’s song." Additionally, he plans on further engaging his audience to increase participation during this year's address.

Poon emphasized that both staff and students should be excited about the address.

"Students will come away learning about some new initiatives that they can benefit from and partake in,” he said.

In addition to anticipating the level of community engagement from faculty and students surrounding this event, he is looking forward to simply

giving his presentation. “I’m excited because I haven’t had the opportunity to teach a class yet at LMU, so these types of presentations are the closest I get to teaching,” he said.

The convocation address will be delivered on Monday, Nov. 12 at 11:30 a.m. in the Life Sciences Building Auditorium.

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Birthright citizenship: students respond to Trump’s remark

Jason Munoz | Loyolan

Previously, students had protested in support of immigrants and undocumented students in a demonstration organized by MEChA de LMU and ASLMU in September, 2017.

Trump’s birthright announcement concerns LMU students.

Isabella Lucero

Social Justice Intern @LALoyolan

Last week, President Trump discussed the possibility of preparing an executive order that could get rid of birthright citizenship in the United States for babies born to noncitizens. This would take away the citizenship of millions of individuals born in the U.S. from families who immigrated to this country.

Ele Klick, a sophomore screenwriting major, said, “Trump is making a terrible decision that will impact the lives of millions. [Trump] is violating [constitutional] rights, and that should not be tolerated.”

The 14th amendment states “all persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan said he supports the 14th amendment and changing birthright citizenship

would be a “very lengthy constitutional process.”

Camila De Pierola, a junior psychology major and RESILIENCE president, gave her input on Trump’s proposal.

“I think Trump’s plan to end birthright citizenship is completely ridiculous [and] that no one in the United States can claim to be a citizen by blood except for the Native Americans,” De Pierola stated.

“Trump’s agenda to suddenly limit American citizenship to those currently in the U.S. is strictly based on his push for an ethnic cleansing of the U.S.” During an interview with Axios, Trump claimed that “[The U.S.] is the only country in the world where a person comes in and has a baby and the baby is essentially a citizen of the United States for 85 years, with all of those benefits.”

However, according to the Center for Immigration Studies, “30 of the world’s 194 countries grant automatic citizenship to children born to illegal aliens,” which includes both Canada and the U.S. If Trump moves forward with this executive order, it could impact the lives of millions of U.S. citizens today,

as approximately “300,000 to 400,000 children are born to illegal immigrants in the United States” every year, according to the Center for Immigration Studies.

Andy Perez, a sophomore civil engineering major and the finance chair for MEChA de LMU, said, “I don’t approve [of the executive order] because if it is approved, I would no longer be a U.S. citizen.”

If the executive order gets approved, the lives of students on the Bluff could be heavily impacted as those who were born with rights of citizenship will have them revoked.

Trump and his officials, such as Michael Anton, have said the courts have never discussed birthright citizenship in relationship to children of immigrants. While judges such as, James C. Ho, appointed by Trump, said the U.S. has an obligation to follow all laws and apply laws to foreign visitors.

“The fact that anyone of color, [specifically] Latinos that were born in the U.S., are continuously harassed and questioned about their citizenship speaks to Trump’s rhetoric of who is actually viewed as an American citizen,” De Pierola said.

OPINION

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Everyone deserves a vote

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Millions of Americans went to the polls and sent in ballots for yesterday’s election. While many may be pleased with the results that came in last night as we saw some of the expected blue wave democrats pushed for, our work is not done.

We have excluded citizens from our elections since the founding of this country; this injustice continues, it happened in this election and it must end. As citizens, we should fight for everyone to be a participant in our democracy, and that requires changing our system and laws.

We restrict prisoners and those with felony convictions from voting, and there has been an increase in voter ID restrictions in the last decade — which have primarily affected minority voters.

In 13 states, felons lose their voting right indefinitely; in 21 states, felons lose their voting rights while incarcerated and while on parole and/ or probation; 14 states reinstate voting rights after time is served. Maine and Vermont remain pillars of what our system should be, with felons in those states maintaining their voting rights. The midterms also saw Florida restoring the voting rights of ex-felons, giving 1.4 million people the right to vote — more than any act since the Voting Rights Act. Thirty-three states now have some sort of voter ID requirement. The gap between Conservative and Liberal turnout more than doubles with voter ID laws from 7 percent to 20 percent in places that have ID laws. These requirements target racial and ethnic minorities as they are less likely to have a valid photo ID. White voter turnout is largely unaffected by voter ID laws, while Hispanic voter turnout is the most affected. In states with strict voter ID laws, Hispanic turnout is 7 percent lower in general elections, according to a study by the Washington Post. Minority voters overwhelmingly lean democratic.

The closing of polling stations, purging of

voters from voter rolls and redrawing of districts disproportionately affects minority voters. This year in North Dakota, the state that does not have a method to register voters, put a voter ID law in place that required a residential address after the primaries. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said the late minute decision targeted Native Americans and may cause confusion among voters who did not need this form of identification to vote just a few months ago. Yet the law stayed in place, and disproportionately affected Native Americans in the state, since most live on reservations and have P.O. boxes. The candidate for Governor and Secretary of State in Georgia, Brian Kemp, has removed more than 1.5 million voters from the electoral rolls since 2012 — most of whom were black voters, according to progressive.org, and were removed from the roll for discrepancies as small as a one letter typo. The state—that has a history of voter suppression—closed 10 polling locations that primarily serve black voters.

Those of us who voted this year got to be a part of democracy. But democracy is not simple, it is not easy and we need to work to have the best version of democracy we can have. A true democracy allows everyone to have a voice.

We must continue to push for change in between elections. Every two years we have the opportunity to hold our congressional representatives responsible for their actions — and for their votes. If they are making laws we disagree with or are not trying to change existing problematic laws, we must push them to enact change. Our representatives from the state to federal level are supposed to represent the views of the people. Those in Congress and the senate were (and are) ignoring the will of the majority of the people. Yesterday we saw them thrown out and we must continue to hold them accountable with our votes.

“We need to work to have the best version of democracy.”

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Board Editorial Kellie Chudzinski Editor-in-Chief

Sami Leung

Managing Editor

Emily Rawson Managing Editor

Xochitl Pasten Managing Editor

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

OPINION

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The president can’t change the Constitution Don’t be bail on Palen Jackson Palen Contributor

@LALoyolan

In an effort to mobilize his antiimmigration base, President Donald Trump sat down with news website Axios to announce an executive order to nullify birthright citizenship — the guarantee of citizenship for all born in this country. Citizenship at birth has been seen as a constitutional guarantee since the validation of the 14th Amendment in 1868, and—unfortunately for Mr. Trump—his plan to dismantle it literally cannot happen.

Talks of limiting birthright citizenship have become increasingly widespread among the political right. This past July, Michael Anton, the former Spokesman of the President’s National Security Council, wrote an opinion piece in The Washington Post that foreshadowed Trump’s recent statement. Anton argued that the 14th Amendment has been intentionally misinterpreted to give citizenship to children of illegal immigrants, calling it “the most urgent constitutional challenge of our time.” The senator who authored the amendment over 100 years ago stated that its purpose is to grant citizenship to all except “the families of ambassadors.”

Anton knew this and changed the quote to paint a different picture.

President Trump has now stepped up as the next to take on birthright citizenship.

His suggestion irresponsibly ignores the implications of such a move. Citizen

status is less binary than politicians lead us to believe. Simply ending birthright citizenship will affect lawful permanent residents, asylum seekers and international students. Assuming the motive behind Mr. Trump’s plan would be to discourage illegal immigration, it seems strange to target children and rule-followers.

Can we even take this seriously? In his interview with Axios, Mr. Trump falsely claimed that the U.S. is the only nation to guarantee birthright citizenship. In

actuality, more than 30 other countries do the same, according to World Atlas.

Trump called it “ridiculous” and spent some time trying to explain that he can change the writing and interpretation of the 14th amendment. This too, is false.

The president lies and lacks basic understanding of his executive role. The only two avenues to amending the Constitution are both legislative: one at the federal level and the other at the state level. Mr. Trump’s suggestion that he, as the chief executive,

via Wikimedia Commons

Trump’s intentional misinterpretation of the 14th Amendment shows his disdain for immigrants.

can formally change the 14th amendment or our understanding of it is delusional.

Mr. Trump has been adamantly spouting political gibberish especially over the past several weeks in an effort to energize his base. This past month, he falsely suggested that the Democratic Party is somehow responsible for a migrant caravan traveling in Central America, according to the Times. Last week, he promised a tax cut “of about 10 percent” to “middle-income people” if the Republicans keep congress, but, according to the Times, no one but the president knows the details of this tax cut.

The wave of conversation against birthright citizenship rests on the presumption that immigration, legal or illegal, is bad. Why else would our government attempt to punish those coming here legally? If we want to have an effective conversation about immigration, we must first make reasonable distinctions instead of assuming all immigrants are here illegally, taking your tax money. Michael Anton and Donald Trump are not a part of this effective conversation. Immigration makes America special; without it our country would not be what it is today. Mr. Trump’s sudden crusade against birthright citizenship should not be taken seriously.

His statement was made mindlessly in hopes that some would react by voting red on the Nov. 6. I hope that we can take our current president’s statements for what it is: nonsense.

This is the opinion of Jackson Palen, a sophomore international relations major from Nashville, Tennessee.

Tweet comments @LALoyolan, or email jlee@ theloyolan.com.

OPINION

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Air cigarettes: There are no butts about it Ditch the tobackie, COPD is so wacky.

Andrew Dazé Behind the Times Out of the north entrance of U-Hall, take a right and turn the corner to find the secret hideout for the neo-hipsters of LMU. Recognizable by their futuristic fashion and avant-avant-garde demeanor, this group of students has been the secret force in setting the status quo for years on campus.

Just recently, they’ve come forward to end what they had hoped was a trend.

Julie Goffreid, one of the hipsters, said, “Man, oh woman, we thought these JUULs would have come and gone by now. Initially we thought promoting the USB-shaped electronic cigarette would be a

humorous aesthetic, but we couldn’t have predicted that this stuff would actually stick. We’re really sorry.”

JUULs have been reaching teenagers and underaged students at alarming rates. The group of influencers decided a healthier alternative was necessary.

The tribunal of cool has spoken and it is agreed that “air cigarettes” are the new hottest way to excuse yourself from an occasion or uncomfortable situation. Goffreid continued, “One of the coolest guys in the group, Lyle Drangle, gave me the idea when he was practicing his brand new air guitar routine for next year’s air guitar world championship.”

According to Goffreid, Drangle needed a breather between his practicing and another neo-hipster jokingly put his fingers together as if he were holding a cigarette and offered it to Lyle. “I put it up to my

mouth and inhaled to go along with the joke,” Lyle Drangle recalled.

“What surprised me was the sheer satisfaction found when I did so.”

With its main ingredient being oxygen wrapped in a thin roll of imagination, air cigarettes have quickly become the must-have finger accessory. It leaves you with a fresh healthy feeling, unlike the faux head-high of JUULs or the oldschool lung pain of cigarettes. The most attractive part of changing your smoking habits is the cost. Air cigarettes are free and they come in all shapes and sizes.

“I really like this fad and I hope it sticks around for a while,” said Goffreid. Next time you’re out or on a lunch break and someone asks you to bum a cigarette or to hit the JUUL, let them in on the newest trend and hold your fingers out to them. Offer them your pinched fingers and some air.”

Abby Pollak | Loyolan

The first non-polaroid picture of neo-hipsters. They are demonstrating the proper technique for air cigarette smoking.

Earbuds banned, relationship numbers rise Looking for love? It’s time to drop those earbuds.

television schedule disrupted.

“I got really fed up when my shows kept being interrupted by all these smiling people in suits, looking smug while they gave boring speeches and had balloons cascade over them,” she said. “Aren’t things structured around popular demand so this doesn’t happen? I know I didn’t vote for them to be on TV taking up all the attention. Who the

sent to abandoned buildings. The boxes were definitely picked clean, though. Must be a thousand people walking around falsely claiming they voted.”

Some people have tried to keep midterms off their mind entirely.

Freshman finance major Tammy Monoyo is the rare student living in complete ignorance, only knowing Tuesday night for having her

for the students not already in relationships at the start of the experiment, 87 percent of them now are. It turns out actually being open to talking to people might lead you to meet someone you like!

Senior psychology major Cathryn Cuffington, who helped begin the research project, did so because she found it frustrating that she could never talk to the people around her. Their hearing was already occupied by Airpods.

“I would try to say hi to somebody, or talk to somebody about their band T-shirt, or just ask a question, and nobody would ever hear me. It was like I was talking to nothing,” Cuffington said. “So eventually I just gave up. If someone’s got earbuds in, I don’t even attempt to talk to them anymore.”

Cuffington’s partner who helped to begin the project, Alicia Dater, is also a senior psychology major. “We thought,

Studies by the LMU psychology department have shown that there is a negative correlation between wearing earbuds and finding romantic relationships.

In non-scientific terms? Drop those ‘buds — it’s cuffing season.

As part of a behavioral experiment by LMU’s psychology department, every psych student was asked to eliminate earbuds from their usage for the entire month of October. The results were astonishing: 74 percent more students already in a relationship remained in that same relationship for the duration of the month, compared to students who continued to use earbuds. And, the kicker:

Jordan Boaz ‘Buds Dropped

Gabrielle Ouellette | Loyolan

Students on LMU’s campus have given up earbuds in hopes of finding relationships: and it worked.

you know, maybe there was some sort of correlation between earbuds and friendships, or earbuds and relationships,” she said. “We wanted to conduct some sort of experiment to see if our annoyance toward earbuds held any scientific basis. Turns out, it does.”

Though the study is over, those who participated have vowed to never go back. “I can listen to music at home,” said research participant Brent Smooch, a sophomore business major. “But when I’m out? That’s meetingpeople time. This month I met my girlfriend and made a heaping handful of awesome new friends.

I’d like to keep this up.”

If you’re looking for a partner, now you know how to find one.

Although the psych majors beat you to it—so not many of them are still available—you’ve still got the rest of the school to choose from.

Just another Tuesday for half the country

It is our constitutional right not to exercise our constitutional freedoms.

Thomas Richmond Keep Hope Alive

The 2018 midterm elections proved truly historic, with many close elections raising previously unseen levels of voter turnout.

News outlets nationwide, including this one, are certain to dedicate coverage over the coming months to obsessively analyzing the results and making predictions for 2020.

Not to brag about the Bluff taking the future more seriously than anyone else, but we’ve hired a prophet to read the entrails of sacrificed animals to confirm our polling data.

What lessons should political strategists learn to again inspire the truly celebratory one-intwo democratic participation rate for future elections? Think tanks are coming around from having celebrities urge political

participation to embrace the strategy of saturating citizens with extreme partisan hypotheticals, while threatening possible voter suppression. Charles Long of the think tank MoreVote said,“As my Pa used to say about feeding stubborn horses: if they don’t like carrots, only give them carrots. Nothing like fear makes one appreciate the flaws they’re given.”

Voting fever has not been felt universally, as many nonparticipants have had to move their apathetic stances underground to avoid being bombarded about all the ways this country is going to hell. Now, they can breathe a big sigh of relief that they overcame any public pressures to be civically active. Few understand the courage it takes to let one’s political statement be a lack of a statement.

Holly Deffner, a merchant for the black market of “I Voted” paraphernalia, said, “I’ve never received so many orders by customers concerned about preserving their anonymity. At least a dozen shipments were

hell are these people anyway?”

Ever the patient viewer, Monoyo expected she can wait up to two years to warm up to constantly seeing these people in the media.

If they don’t prove themselves to her by then, she’s going to pick up the remote and change channels.

She said, “That’s the only way the system will change. Anyway, why was everyone so excited yesterday?”

Ellen Na | Loyolan

Congressional results.. congressional results...what else is on? A non-voter channel surfs on election night.

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.

laloyolan.com Page 9

CHARACTERS WITH CHARACTER

THE UNDECLAREDS

Darn Things Kids SAy

By Gabrielle Ouellette, Cartoon Intern

By Abby Pollak, Staff Cartoonist

By Ellen Na, Cartoon Intern

Check out more Loyolan cartoons online now!

Visit LALoyolan.com/ cartoons and catch up on your favorites!

life+arts

laloyolan.com Page 12

The Paul A. Grosch Lecture Series presents

ILLUSIONS OF TRUST The Psychology of Professional Skepticism featuring

Dr. Toby Groves

Social cognitive scientist, speaker and writer Dr. Groves will discuss a revolutionary approach to skepticism that enhances professional reasoning and judgment as well as the surprising psychology and invisible influences that impact skeptical judgment. Attendees will learn how judgment can be refined by turning the lens of skepticism back on yourself, recognizing and adapting your approach to achieve the best results.

Thursday, November 15 7:15 p.m. | Hilton 100

life+arts Playa opens its doors for annual event laloyolan.com

Page 13

Totally Troy Troy Salmans Life+Arts Intern @salmansta12

L

MU’s School of Film and Television will hold its annual Film Outside the Frame festival this Sunday, Nov. 11. In the past, Film Outside the Frame has been formatted as more of any old awards show, rather than a festival. This year, everything is different.

The Executive Producer of Film Outside the Frame, Jared Nigro, is “thrilled to evolve Film Outside the Frame from an awards ceremony to an interactive film festival and awards ceremony,” Nigro said. “The body of work being presented this year feels very fresh and exciting just like the new campus, so why not have form follow function?”

Here is all the information you will need before attending the event this weekend: Where?

Silicon beach opens up to faculty, students, alumni and creative supporters as the festival will be held at the brand new Playa Vista Campus. A world seemingly far from our home on the bluff, the extension of campus opened just a few months ago. The festival will provide the opportunity to explore the state of the art film facilities and equipment the new campus has to offer.

When?

Beginning at noon on Sunday, nominee screenings will be held throughout the campus in a unique film festival format. The opportunity to showcase student’s work prior to the awards ceremony is exciting for the festival and students alike.

Loyolan Archives

This year’s Film Outside the Frame serves as both a film festival and an open house to the Playa Vista campus, which just opened this semester.

A brief hour long reception from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. will provide a break between screenings and awards. Finally, at 4:30 p.m., the 2018 nominees will be awarded in categories like Best Picture, Best Director, Best Documentary, Best Cinematography and many more.

How? Getting down to Playa Vista is easy. Whether you’re driving, Ubering or biking, it is less than

three miles away. Also, two shuttles will be running from University Hall this Sunday only. Parking on the main campus is free on the weekends, so take advantage.

Why? On the festivals brand new format, SFTV’s Academic Affairs Associate Timothy O’Neill said, “It will be a looser, more open festival atmosphere — we also want it to be a kind of ‘open house’ for those who

haven’t made it down and explored the [Playa Vista] campus.”

But more importantly, this festival is a chance to support fellow students, friends and filmmakers who spend countless hours learning, creating and producing each and every day. Those nominated are truly the future of filmmaking. With the renowned reputation of LMU’s SFTV and the school as a whole, the Film Outside the Frame festival is an

inside look at the next generation of filmmakers.

Make sure to RSVP online.

However, seating, like all SFTV events, will be first-come firstserved until the venue is full.

This is the opinion of Troy Salmans, a freshman film and television studies major from Boston, MA. Tweet comments to @ salmansta12 or email comments to jcornblatt@theloyolan.com.

SFTV Women’s Society fights gender inequality Cormac ‘n Cheese Cormac Dolezal Life+Arts Intern @cormacdolezal

I

t is extremely apparent that the gender inequality within the film industry is in dire need of repair, and LMU’s School of Film and Television (SFTV) Women’s Society is doing everything in their power to change that.

According to Celluloid Ceiling, a yearly report from San Diego State Univeristy women only made up 12 percent of the behind-the-scenes jobs in the top 250 films of 2017. That number is absolutely staggering.

The same report goes on to say that 88 percent of these films had no female directors, 83 percent had no female writers and 96 percent had no female cinematographers.

The SFTV Women’s Society is a student run organization that strives to not only fix the gender inequality in the film industry, but to fix the gender inequality within LMU’s own film school. By offering support and education from industry professionals, the SFTV’s Women’s Society hopes to help the young women of LMU to find successful paths within the entertainment industry.

SFTV Women’s Society mission is as follows: “To build a strong community of women within the School of Film and Television, to inspire participation and ambition within its members and to create opportunities to act on that ambition, and to learn from those who have already made their way through networking and events with professional filmmakers.”

With these words in mind, SFTV Women’s

Society hopes to create a group of strong and confident women who have the resources to allow them to be successful in the entertainment industry. One of the ways they achieve this is by directly connecting current LMU students with alumnae that have already started their careers in the industry.

On Saturday, Nov. 17, SFTV Women’s Society will be hosting the Foot in the Door Alumnae Panel. The event will consist of a panel discussion of recent LMU graduates and a speed dating event. Participants will learn about how to navigate the

entertainment industry and secure entry level positions fresh out of film school. The event is for members only, so that is only a greater reason to become part of the group.

Lucille Brillhart, a second year graduate student majoring in writing and producing for television, got involved with the group last year and is now the vice president of the organization. “It’s a great community for women in film to come together to express their ideas and experiences in this industry.

It’s always great to be with your peers and learn how they’ve navigated work, school

and life,” Brillhart said.

Overall, the SFTV Women’s Society organization is doing great work at a time when it’s never been more important for women to be making films. On their Facebook page, you can find more information about the organization as a whole, the people that are involved and future networking events.

This is the opinion of Cormac Dolezal, a sophomore film and television production major from Woodsbury, MN. Tweet comments to @cormacdolezal or email comments to jcornblatt@theloyolan.com.

via SFTV Women’s Society on Facebook

SFTV Women’s Society, along with fighting for women in film, attends networking events such as Wrap Women. Pictured is President Cierra Lockett and member Marion Arrou-Vignod, third year Writing and Producing for Television majors.

life+arts

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Californians vote on daylight savings time Sweet Caroline Caroline Iglesias Life+Arts Intern @urban_cuban

I

magine not having to worry about getting an hour more or an hour less of sleep. Imagine

never having to think about being too early or too late because you forgot to adjust your clock. The practice of daylight saving time (DST) should continue in the state of California or not has finally become a proposition on the ballot. DST has been the discourse of the decade and was finally settled on Nov. 6, should the federal government make a change.

DST is the practice of setting your clock forward one hour from the standard time during the summer months and back one hour during the fall months.

The purpose of this process is to maximize the availability of natural daylight.

“Personally for me, coming from Washington where it is very dark in the mornings and I used to

via Karlis Dambrans

Proposition 7, voted on yesterday, weighed in on the issue of whether or not California should continue to follow daylight savings time. Currently, Arizona and Hawaii are the only two states that don’t follow DST.

have to walk to school in the dark, I like daylight savings because that was scary and I didn’t like [the dark],” said Shaye Gill, a sophomore political science major. For me, it hasn’t made much of a difference here in L.A. It made a lot more of a difference in Washington.”

This process was originally proposed in the United States

by Benjamin Franklin. He had the idea that if civilians woke up earlier and better utilized natural daylight to perform their agricultural work, or just work in general, then they would waste fewer candles.

Today, the idea of DST is considered outdated and is used to reduce the amount of energy used for artificial lighting after the sun has set. However, as this practice is only explicitly relevant for farmers, discord arises between them and city folk.

People who are not farmers claim that this practice is outdated and using it to save energy has proven unsuccessful.

“I think the time change is really annoying because when the sun sets at 5:00 p.m. you have five more hours until regular sleeping time,” said Chase Lasken, freshman film and television production major. “I’m a golfer, so I like to go out and I like to have time outside. So to have that time cut short really sucks. ” Others are creatures of habit and object to change. “My stance on DST is we’ve had it for this long, so I don’t see any need to change or disrupt anything,”

said Vanessa Valasco, a freshman communication studies and political science double major.

“If it’s not broken, why fix it? The way we have it now, we’re able to function. We have bigger issues and problems to focus on.”

Arizona and Hawaii left the outdated tactic of DST back in the late ‘60s when the states realized it was in their favor to do so. In Hawaii, the sun rises and sets at about the same time every day, so practicing DST would not be the most practical way to live. Arizona followed in Hawaii’s footsteps soon after it decided to abandon the law of DST in 1968. The two states have stated nothing but positive feedback since then.

Proposition 7 proposes that California put an end to adjusting clocks for DST. The proposition would grant Californians the power to decide to repeal the Daylight Saving Time Act of 1949, or keep it as is. If this proposition passes, there is still a long road ahead for repealing DST, so make sure your voice is heard on this particular issue.

This is the opinion of Caroline Iglesias, a sophomore communication studies and political science major from Riverside, CA..

Tweet comments to @urban_cuban or email comments to jcornblatt@ theloyolan.com.

BASKETBALL

laloyolan.com Page 15

Sisters reflect on LMU basketball careers Inseparable senior guards Andee and Bianca Velasco help each other through times of triumph and tragedy.

Miles Thomas

Asst. Sports Editor @LALoyolan

“I really loved [basketball] when I was younger and I think it’s stayed with me all the way to this point,” said Andee.

“The love of the game is actually what keeps us grinding and going. Especially these last four years, through everything.”

The sisters have also battled through hardships off the court during their four years at LMU. During their sophomore years, their mother, Lisa Velasco, was diagnosed with

pancreatic cancer and passed away from the disease in April of 2017.

“I can just look over and just kind of get that comforting smile. That’s the best part for me.”

Born 14 months apart, senior women’s basketball guards Andee and Bianca Velasco’s close bond as sisters growing up together led to Andee and Bianca said that they found and developed a them finding a shared love for basketball. This certain strength throughout that difficult time. The two of love for each other and the sport has defined them believe the experience with their mother and family their relationship through college and bring has kept them grounded and reminded them that they them together as a family. always have one another.

Although not true biological twin sisters, the “We are all each other has,” said Bianca. “Blood two of them have always seen each other as is thicker than water. No one understands my twins. The sisters have always done everything pain like Andee does.” together. They have lived together their entire Through this difficult situation, the sisters lives, share a car and have consistently been had support from not only each other, teammates on the basketball court. Their but also their teammates. With a roster of passion for playing together started in their mostly returning players from last season, youth with a competitive sibling rivalry the team served as additional family for that pushed both of them to higher levels the sisters to bond and grow with. “The of play. Knowing each other’s strengths courage, faith and strength that Andee and weaknesses has helped them improve and Bianca have shown over the past year as players on the court and become better is nothing short of miraculous,” said head teammates for each other. They want to use coach Charity Elliott as reported by LMU their rivalry as a way to help each other in Lions. Dealing with this tragic event while practice rather than letting it divide them. focusing on basketball demonstrated the “We definitely have that competitive drive strength of the sisters, as their mother in both of us,” said Bianca. “We always want supported them and came to every game. to beat each other, but it’s never out of spite or They want to continue to play for her and anger … We push each other to be better and via LMU Marketing and Communications for each other. it’s always fun doing it.”

Senior guards Andee Velasco (left) and Bianca Velasco (right) enter their last season The support of their teammates came Their competitive drive is part of what playing basketball at LMU. from understanding one another, good led them to loving the game — the communication and being on two of them continue to disagree the same page both mentally and on who is the better one-on-one emotionally. It also gave them the player. Andee, the elder sister, strength to succeed and continue to developed a love for the game play, which has allowed the team to first due to her close relationship become a stronger and closer family. with their older brother who “That really drew our team introduced her to basketball. Her closer to us. I personally view my quick attraction and quick grasp teammates as my sisters,” said of the game pushed her to keep Bianca. “I think we all have a really holding onto it throughout her life. good relationship and a good bond, Andee’s love for the game, which and it makes us really strong on and started even before high school off the court.” eventually found its way to Bianca.

The sisters mentioned how well • Daytime and evening programs Bianca would find her passion they and their teammates get for the game of basketball at a • Offered in Westwood and DTLA along. They know how to treat each later stage in her life compared to other, what upsets one another Andee, who truly loved basketball • Taught by Judges, Attorneys, and what makes each other better before even starting high school. and Legal Professionals as they embark on the upcoming Both sisters attended Mater • ABA-Approved Paralegal Program basketball season.

“Both the ups and downs have • Financial Aid Available taught us a lot of lessons and how to react to certain situations,” said Andee. “We’ve come a long way and I think this year we’re the strongest we’ve been, and I think that’ll help us this season in our play.”

Their close relationship extends off the court and toward their future, following their collegiate basketball careers. Both business entrepreneurship majors, the duo plan on opening a business together in the beauty industry.

They currently live together, as they have for their whole lives and do not plan on that changing anytime Dei High School in Santa Ana soon. Through good games and bad California and said that they games, difficult personal events enjoyed basketball more because and the challenges that come with they played it together. Andee was being student-athletes, the sisters’ home-schooled and repeated the APPLICATION comfort in each other and special eighth grade, to heal from growth DEADLINE connection have given them the spurt related injuries and be in the JANUARY 3 encouragement to keep going. same year as her sister, ESPNW Paralegals may not provide legal services directly “I can just look over and just kind to the public, except as permitted by law. reported in 2014. This would lead of get that comforting smile,” said them to come to LMU, where Bianca. “That’s the best part for me.” they continue to play basketball together and keep intact their 20253-18 unbreakable bond.

Start Your Legal Career in Under 1 Year

“The love of the game is actually what keeps us grinding and going. Especially these last four years, through everything.”

Find Out More uclaextension.edu/paralegal

laloyolan.com Page 16

BASKETBALL

Basketball unites once distant stepsisters Once strangers, now step sisters Alford and Green develop chemistry on and off the court.

Jameson O’Neil Sports Intern @LALoyolan

After spending so much time together on and off the court, many teammates call each other family. For women’s basketball players Gabby Green and Bree Alford, the word family is no exaggeration. Green, a redshirt senior guard from Oakland, and Alford, a redshirt senior forward from Walnut Creek, are stepsisters.

In 2009, Lisa Alford and Will Green met at their daughters’ local basketball tournament and started dating soon after.

Following the tournament, however, Gabby and Bree knew only that the other one existed. Although their parents were dating, the children were not close and would see each other only when faced against the other in the occasional tournament.

Alford said that they did not know of their parents’ bond until long after that 2009 tournament.

“We didn’t really say that we were sisters at first. We were just kind-of like ‘Oh, this is Bree,’ and ‘I’m Gabby.’”

small Catholic high school, so that [type of environment] was a better fit for me anyway,” Green said. “Cal was really overwhelming and just really a big shock.

I was able to get away with a lot of stuff.”

As for why she chose LMU, Green’s family played a large role. “When I was first coming here, [Bree and I] weren’t really that close, so I just asked her a little bit, like ‘Hey, how do you like it?’” said Green. “She said she liked it and our parents already knew the coaches, so it was a pretty natural fit.”

It was after Green’s arrival that the two truly began to feel like sisters, spending time with each other on the court as well as, by choice, off the court.

“We started talking and being together once I transferred here,” said Green. “That’s when we got close.”

Since Green transferred, the pair have grown closer and even moved in together.

“We basically do everything together,” Green said.

The two have learned to appreciate how much it means to have a family member at their school and on their team.

“I have somebody that always has my back in a full family form,” said Green. “No matter what, we’re going to be together.”

The sisters also help each other when needed, offering one another life advice.

“She teaches me to be a little more patient and not so quick to just snap on people, and just to relax a little more,” said Green.

“She told me I need to be tougher,” said Alford.

“That’s what she taught

“Yeah, we knew of each other, we played against each other, but we didn’t really know that our parents were dating until the end of high school, like junior or senior year,” she said Green attended Saint Mary’s College High School in Berkeley, California while Alford attended Miramonte High School in Orinda, California. Though their parents solidified their relationship during the children’s high school years, the girls led their lives separate from each other.

“We weren’t really close,” said Green. “We didn’t hang out so we were never together.”

The two did not immediately see each other as family, either.

“We didn’t really say that we were sisters at first,” said Green. “We were just kind of like ‘Oh, this is Bree,’ and ‘I’m Gabby.’”

Any possibility for the two to form a close bond seemed impossible, as the women went off to different universities after high school. Alford continued her basketball career at LMU while Green headed off to University of California, Berkeley (Cal) to do the same.

After Green’s sophomore year, however, she transferred to LMU. There were multiple reasons via LMU Marketing and Communications for Green’s desire to transfer.

Redshirt senior forward Bree Alford pictured above.

“School-wise, I went to a

me. [Now] I’m more toughskinned.”

Green’s arrival to the program had a significant impact on the team as well. “When she came here, she definitely played the game for everyone,” said Alford.

goals this year. “[I’m focusing on] being more aggressive on offense and actually being a scorer and not just the girl that rebounds.”

As for Green’s improvements, she said, “I don’t want to be super good at one thing and okay at [another] thing. I just want to be solid all around, from scoring to rebounds, to assists and

via LMU Marketing and Communications

Redshirt senior guard Gabby Green pictured above.

“We never had a point guard like her.

When she came out here, it brought more people into the game, and she got more people involved, which made everyone else step up.”

Green, who averaged 13 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 3.2 steals per game last season, was voted to the All-

“ [Now] I have somebody that always has my back in a full family form ... No matter what, we’re going to be together.”

WCC Preseason women’s basketball team by the WCC coaches. Last season, she earned All-WCC First Team honors and won WCC Newcomer of the Year.

Green said she feels more comfortable playing for LMU, in part due to the change in her responsibilities on the court.

“I think I was struggling a lot [at Cal] because I wasn’t in the natural role that I usually am,” said Green. “In high school I played a big role, and coming back to being in a big role [at LMU] works well.”

Alford had a successful season herself, earning All-WCC Honorable Mention last season and averaging 7.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.

Both players have big individual expectations for this upcoming season as the team hopes to improve upon their strong 19-11 season last winter.

“I’m working on not just being a rebounder,” said Alford on her personal

steals.”

Like many sisters, the two will have the occasional disagreement—basketball related or not—but the two are not emotionally affected for very long.

“What’s good about our relationship is that if we do get mad at each other, it’s really quick,” said Alford. “We get mad, but we can’t really be mad at each other, because we’re also best friends.”

And these best friends are going to have to work hard to compete in a highly competitive and accomplished WCC “This is a big year for us,” said Green.

“We can definitely take over the WCC this season.”

If the Lions want to achieve that heavy task, they are going to have to start performing strongly right away. The team has some new players who will have to quickly fit in as well as returning players who will play larger roles this season.

“We just need to build more chemistry,” said Green. “This is a really exciting year, but [the team] has to start meshing kind of quick. I think that’s the hardest part right now for us.”

In their first regular season game against UCLA, Green proved to be the offensive leader for the Lions, scoring a game-high 25 points, including 15 in the third quarter, to go with seven rebounds and four assists.

After struggling with her shot in the first half, she got to the basket repeatedly in the third for a series of layups and also made a three-pointer. Alford fouled out with 11.9 seconds remaining in the game, but not before scoring seven points to go with a team-high nine rebounds. Those seven points included a putback with less than two minutes remaining which extended the Lions’ lead to four.

BASKETBALL

laloyolan.com Page 17

Elliotts find balance in love and basketball Women’s basketball coaches balance 20 year marriage with coaching.

Cori Carpenter Sports Intern @LALoyolan

There is a unique bond on the women’s basketball team and it isn’t amongst the players; it’s between the coaches. Head Coach Charity Elliott and Assistant Coach Chris Elliott have been married for 20 years and coaching alongside each other for 17.

Chris described the beginning of their joint coaching career as a little rocky. “At first, we would kind of lock horns, [because] she has her opinion and I have my opinion,” said Chris. “But she’s the boss. Once you realize that I’m just the assistant and not the husband, and that I do what she says, once you iron out those things early on, it’s been fantastic.”

Charity agreed with her husband and added that his understanding of their power dynamic on the court has made their marriage and careers successful.

“It wouldn’t work unless he was really okay with me having to make the decisions when it comes to basketball and our team,” said Charity.

Basketball has been a big part of the lives and marriage of Charity and Chris Elliott for nearly two

decades. Both coaches agreed that basketball is their passion and that coaching is what they describe as their calling. Charity emphasized that basketball, the University and the team are what her and her husband invested their lives into and what became their family.

However, separating work from marriage and navigating the boundaries of when it’s time to switch from one to the other is a consistent process for the Elliotts.

“When you’re doing it together and you’ve been married for so long, you have to take care of both, especially the marriage because that comes first,” Chris said.

With their years of experience, this process has become a lot easier, but both Charity and Chris said they are still managing.

When describing the early process of balancing the two dynamics, Charity mentioned that learning how to navigate through emotional, competitive times was significant.

Both coaches embarked on a

"When you’re doing it together and you’ve been married for so long, you have to take care of both, especially the marriage because that comes first."

long coaching career together at Cal Baptist, Portland State and UC San Diego before coming to LMU six years ago. Last year, they helped guide the Lions to one of their most successful seasons yet with a 20-11 overall record and 11-7 in conference.

Before taking the job as head coach, Charity knew from previous opportunities that restarting at a new university would be difficult.

“To think about starting somewhere else is daunting and we’ve been through that,” said Charity. “We know how hard it is, so we want to build something here at LMU that is special.”

Chris shared the same sentiments as his wife.

“I think a lot of people don’t realize how hard it really is and how much time it takes to turn a program around,” said Chris.

“We’ve given everything to it, so now we’re ready to see what we’ve been working for. These are the fruits of our labor and, like she said, we absolutely love this team and it’s what we’ve worked for.”

The Elliots said that they both love LMU and the city of Los Angeles, and now both of them get to see their hard work pay off in front of them as the 2018-2019 season arrives. After ending a successful season last year, both coaches are excited via LMU Athletics to see this upcoming season unfold.

Coach Chris Elliott pictured above.

Charity said that her goal is to see her players be victorious on the court and have an even better season than last year.

“We have so many returners so we just want

“To think about starting somewhere

else

is

daunting ... We want to build something here at LMU that is special.”

to build on the success we had last year,” said Charity. “We want to end better than we ended last year; we feel like we can win a championship and that’s what we want to do.

So [we go] day by day and we do what we need to do today to get better.”

Chris has an equally optimistic view of the upcoming season, and he said that he is also ready to have a more successful season than last year.

“It’s hard not to be excited just because we finally have a group that we’ve been waiting to put together,” said Chris. “We never really predict because we don’t know what’s going to happen but we’re very excited just to have everybody back and we’re ready to get going,” Now entering their seventh season coaching at LMU, the

via LMU Athletics

Coach Charity Elliott pictured above.

Elliotts and the Lions are ready to continue their streak of winning seasons. The team opened their season at Gersten Pavilion against UCLA on Tuesday, Nov. 6.

The LMU women’s basketball team started strong in their first regular season game of the season defeating UCLA, 6963. Both teams struggled to hit jumpers and both shot under 40 percent from the field.

The Lions outscored the Bruins in both halves, grabbed 25 offensive rebounds, forced 18 UCLA turnovers, and dished out 18 assists to help key the win.

“I really want them to look back having enjoyed their experience and be lifelong Lions,” said Charity. “Part of that is being successful on the floor and that’s what we want to continue doing.”

laloyolan.com Page 18

BASKETBALL Q&A With the basketball season approaching, LMU women’s basketball head coach Charity Elliott is entering her seventh season with the Lions. Elliot posted her most successful season last year (19-11, 11-7 WCC), finishing the year tied with BYU in third place in the WCC. Loyolan Sports Intern Armen Shrikian sat down with Elliott to talk about the upcoming season.

with Charity Elliott

Armen Shrikian (AS): What are your goals for the team heading into this season?

Charity Elliott (CE): Well, we have a lot of returners, so we have very high expectations, you know. We've set some goals, but the most important thing is that we just come out every day and we work on the day-to-day tasks, which is come out, bring energy, work hard, execution, details.

So that's really more of what we are focusing on and when we do that, our long-term goals will come and they'll happen. So we talk about them, but we focus more on what do we do today.

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AS: Who are some of the new players, either freshmen or transfers, that you believe Lion fans will be excited to see?

CE: Naomi Yim, our freshman point guard. She's really dynamic. She's kind of flashy and really an exciting player to watch. There's going to be some familiar faces [mixed with] new [faces] with some of our [sophomores] who didn't play as much as we are expecting from them this year. I think the fans are going to be excited to see how deep and fun we are to watch.

AS: Last season you posted your most successful season at LMU so far. How do you plan to continue to build off of that momentum?

CE: Yeah, I mean, we scratched and clawed our way and have moved up every year in the standings. Now it’s just the next step. And it's so nice having so many returners. They know what it means to compete at this level and they know how hard they have to go, you know. We're going to control the things that we can control and then see what happens,you know.

Information compiled by Armen Shrikian, Sports Intern; Graphic by Diana Raynes| Loyolan; Photo via LMU Athletics

Q&A

with Mike Dunlap

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LMU men’s basketball head coach Mike Dunlap is entering his fifth season since returning to LMU. Dunlap, an LMU graduate, is attempting to return the program to its previous heights, while developing young student-athletes on and off the court. Loyolan Sports Intern Armen Shrikian sat down with Dunlap to discuss this year's team.

Armen Shrikian (AS): What are your goals heading into this upcoming season?

Mike Dunlap (MD): Well there are just the basketball goals of playing as a team, meaning playing with the pass and having team defense so that we can keep our opponents' field goal percentage below 42 percent.

AS: How do you develop chemistry within the team?

MD: Well going to Australia is a huge building block on chemistry and socially we do a lot of things together. We do a lot of service in the community. We just got done with a clinic at the YMCA down the street. Also, we do bring outside people in to work with our team. So, it's just a number of things.

AS: Who are some of the new players that Lions' fans will be excited to see?

MD: You bet, we have three new players, as mentioned, Jordan Bell is a transfer and he's got three years left and he transferred out of Northridge. We've got Ivan, and Ivan is out of Bulgaria, and he's a 6'7" shooter. He can handle the ball; he's just a dimensionless player who is 18 years old and teething right now. Then you got Dameane Douglas out of Fresno, and he's a heck of a defender. He's a slasher, a tremendous offensive rebounder and his athleticism helps us move up and down the floor.

Information compiled by Armen Shrikian, Sports Intern; Graphic by Diana Raynes | Loyolan; Photo via LMU Marketing and Communications

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Information Compiled by Matthew Rodriguez, Sports Editor; Graphic Jessica Glassberg | Loyolan

BASKETBALL

laloyolan.com Page 19

Scott finds family both inside and outside of LMU A man of few words, sophomore forward Eli Scott opens up about his life as the fourth Ball brother and fighting for team success.

Alex Hutton Sports Intern @LALoyolan

It’s a few days before the $1.6 billion Mega Millions jackpot, and Eli Scott has one thing on his mind: if a friend buys you the winning ticket, how much do you owe them?

Ten million dollars, comes one suggestion. Scott, a sophomore forward on the LMU men’s basketball team, is in disbelief.

“No, man,” Scott said. “A car, maybe a watch. That’s it.”

He’s laughing throughout this discussion, but when he and the rest of the team get on the court­it’s all business. In his first year, Scott posted one of the best freshman seasons in LMU men’s basketball history, averaging 12.6 points and a teamhigh 7.3 rebounds per game in 31 games, including 20 starts.

However the team struggled at times, posting an 11-20 overall record, a 5-13 conference record and finishing eighth out of 10 teams in the West Coast Conference. Scott could be poised for a breakout season this year, but he remained focused on the team over his personal success.

“Just win games, really,” he said when asked about his personal goals for the upcoming year. “Just win games, get yourself out there ... [We’re] just trying to win as many games as we possibly can [and] put a show on for the fans,” he said.

Scott seems to have a good time talking about this, but it becomes clear that there’s one thing he doesn’t like to talk about: himself.

“There’s nothing I could tell you about me that’s hidden,” Scott said. “I’m a pretty straightforward person.”

He might say this, but Scott’s life and backstory are fascinating, particularly to basketball fans. And there’s no better example of this than his relationship with the Ball family: parents LaVar and Tina, and sons Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo. All five are basketball players, and the three children have played professionally at various levels. Lonzo is now with Los Angeles Lakers. Scott met the family at a young age while he lived in West Covina, C.A, and they were a part of one another’s lives as they journeyed to high school, college and professional basketball. Scott recalled being competitive with the family.

“It was [a] pretty even competition,” Scott said. “We’d always be split up two-on-two and we’d go back and forth.”

As Scott and the Ball brothers grew up together, they became increasingly intertwined in their personal and basketball lives, spending a lot of time together and frequently playing on the same basketball teams. Scott

moved from West Covina to live with the family during his high school years so he could attend Chino Hills High School, a public high school in San Bernardino County, with the brothers. This was undoubtedly a difficult decision to make, but it was one that paid off dramatically. Scott and the Balls dominated in the Chino Hills starting lineup, with the Huskies frequently scoring over 100 points in their games and posting an undefeated 35-0 record en route to the

“They’re all my brothers. We all hang out. We all crack jokes all day.

We’re just a good group of guys that like to hang out and have fun.”

California state championship and the No. 1 ranking in the country. According to LMU Athletics, Scott achieved numerous individual accomplishments, earning all-league, all-region and allstate honors in both his junior and senior years.

Scott was right in the middle of the team’s triumphs and the Ball family’s rise to fame. These successes were

tremendously beneficial to him on a professional level. He gained increased national exposure and became more than just a blip on the recruiting radar of college coaches. He, in large part, credits the Ball family for this.

“They basically taught me everything I know, and helped me get to where I am today,” Scott said.

He knows that he will always be connected to the family simply because of where he attended high school, but he said that it is something he is comfortable with at this point in his life.

“You kind of get used to it,” Scott said. “That’s what comes with knowing people like that, people of that stature. People are going to ask about them.”

Now that Scott is at LMU, he is hoping to become his own, unique basketball player. However, he noted that this naturally happened when he went to college, and he didn’t need to take any active steps to change anything.

“Once I came to college, I was by myself,” he said. “They weren’t here, obviously, so I kind of just became my own person.”

Scott also didn’t need to look very far if he was missing the sense of family he had with the Balls.

He views the LMU basketball team as an extension of his family, and he and his teammates help each other stay relaxed and comfortable.

“They’re all my brothers,” Scott said. “We all hang out. We all crack jokes all day. We’re just a good group of guys that like to hang out and have fun.”

Just a brief observation of Scott off the court made this abundantly clear. He can frequently be seen hanging out with teammates on the LMU campus, sharing meals, trading laughs and generally having a good time.

Scott has taken a remarkable journey to reach where he is today, but it is just getting started. And regardless of whether it involves the Ball family, he will have one heck of a story to tell.

Just don’t expect him to feel comfortable talking about it.

via LMU Marketing and Communications

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