Los Angeles Loyolan January 31st 2018

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‘New Threads’ LMU’s Asst. Director of exhibit challenges Media Relations Erika conventions by using Johnson shares stories yarn for art. from her NBA days. Page 10 Page 14

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Line shuttle L.A. Archbishop Green service to end in May receives degree Commuters who use the shuttle report frustration with the permanent closure. Kayan Tara

Asst. News Editor @LALoyolan

Jason Munoz | Loyolan

Archbishop José H. Gomez was honored by President Timothy Snyder (left) and Paul Viviano, board chair of LMU’s Board of Trustees (right) on Tuesday night.

The LMU bus shuttle that provides transportation for LMU community members between campus and the Aviation/LAX Station on the Green Line will permanently stop operation at the end of May. Resources supporting the shuttle will be repurposed to support a new shuttle line beginning in June that will connect the Westchester campus to LMU’s new Playa Vista facility, according to an email from the University to regular riders of shuttle. Commuters using the LMU shuttle are being offered a 100 percent subsidized Santa Monica Big Blue Bus tap card which will enable them to get from the Aviation/ LAX station to LMU, according to the email. While University officials told the Loyolan that “roughly 30 students, faculty and staff ride the shuttle daily,” regular users of the shuttle service dispute that claim. According to Jayne A. Mas, the assistant director at the Student Health Services (SHS) and a daily shuttle user, the number is closer to 67. Regular shuttle riders said that they compiled a list of those who ride on a

regular basis, which prompted Patty Castañeda, the safety and compliance investigator at LMU, to question the original number of 30 provided by Parking and Transportation. Castañeda believes the University’s count excluded contract employees who work for Sodexo and Ricoh. Riders of the LMU shuttle were emailed about two on-campus “Town Hall” meetings earlier this month, hosted by Parking and Transportation, to discuss the elimination of the Green Line shuttle service. A Loyolan reporter who requested to attend the first of those meetings was turned away despite their designation as “Town Halls.” Mas said that several riders expressed their discontent about the ending of the service at those meetings. Castañeda told the Loyolan that she felt communication between the riders of the shuttle and Parking and Transportation has been “extremely lacking and some riders are still finding out from other riders, not Parking and Transportation, that [the shuttle] will discontinue.” Castañeda also said that at the first meeting, Gary Bolton — director of Parking and Transportation and Mike Wong, LMU’s Associate Vice President of Administrative Services — stated that Parking and Transportation paid $115,000 per year for the shuttle, but the $300,000 per year cost of the new Silicon Beach campus shuttle created a budget issue. See Metro | Page 3

Snyder presents Archbishop Gomez with honorary degree Archbishop Gomez was given an honorary Doctor of Human Letters degree from LMU. Kayla Brogan

Asst. News Editor @LALoyolan

José H. Gomez, the archbishop of Los Angeles, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Loyola Marymount University. The award is in recognition of his “dedication to social justice and the future of Catholic education,” according to a press release from LMU. President Timothy Snyder introduced Archbishop Gomez and presented him with the honorary degree. Archbishop Gomez spoke about his background as an immigrant and the value of education. The event also included a panel consisting of Dr. Jeanne Ortiz, Dean of Students, Dr. John Sebastian, vice president for mission and ministry, and Archbishop Gomez that discussed the role of the Catholic University in the 21st century. LMU chose to award the archbishop due to his commitment to carrying out LMU’s highest values and dedication to public service. He is a founder and member of the Catholic Association of Latino Leaders. He “plays a leading role in the Catholic Church’s efforts to promote immigration reform, and advocates for the leadership of Hispanics and women in the church,” according to the event’s press release. “As a Mexican immigrant with a high profile in the religious and civic communities at a time of rising

nationalism and racism, he is uniquely suited to be a voice for the voiceless,” said Fr. Allan Deck, rector of the LMU Jesuit community and scholar of pastoral theology and Latino studies. Father Deck added that the archbishop has also been a leader in the pro-life movement. “Among the bishops, he has pioneered the conviction that comprehensive immigration reform is a decidedly pro-life issue … ” Gomez stated that he hopes to add balance to the “hierarchy of values” that he believes have misdirected the pro-life movement, Fr. Gomez said. Archbishop Gomez served as the vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and oversees the nation’s largest Catholic archdiocese. The ceremony was held in University Hall’s Ahmanson Auditorium on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. “As a Latino, Archbishop Gomez is thus tied to the earliest history of Catholicism in what is now the U.S. He writes and speaks much about this history, which is important for us to recover, as we both critique, celebrate and tackle the challenges of our present reality,” said Cecilia Gonzalez-Andrieu, associate professor theological studies. She said that we must embrace the history the archbishop makes present to us. “He is someone who champions human rights and takes our experiences here to the world giving us visibility,” GonzalezAndrieu said. “And calling attention to what the Christian Gospel requires of us as we protect the most vulnerable. I am delighted that we are honoring our Archbishop’s work this way.” See Archbishop | Page 2

via Alex Kirby

Rajiv Uttamchandani was one guest speaker at this year’s Advocacy Teach-in on Saturday.

Advocacy Teach-in challenges students to think globally Guest speakers and workshops pushed students to advocate for social justice issues. Sami Leung

Interim News Editor @LALoyolan

Opening with a video detailing graphic information about the abuse of Rohingya women, guest speaker Rajiv Uttamchandani challenged his audience to “focus on the solution, not the problem” at the annual Advocacy Teach-in on Saturday morning. Uttamchandani, an astrophysicist and Founder and Chairman

of the International STEM Society for Human Rights, spoke passionately to students in the Life Science auditorium on human rights abuses happening around the world, especially gender basedviolence. The International STEM Society for Human Rights aimed to use modern science and technology to address human rights issues. Uttamchandani said he was inspired to pursue solutions for social justice after seeing needless violent acts committed against women and children in India, his native country. “When you talk about technology and science, you think about what we’re able to achieve,” said Uttamchandani. See Advocacy | Page 3


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