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Chronic Illness Group celebrates 10 years of student support LMU’s Chronic Illness Group hits 10 years, and is still one of the few groups of its kinds. Olivia Round Managing Editor @LALoyolan
With the start of the new semester, LMU’s campus has seen students walking quickly from class to work to meetings, stopping in their paths only long enough to say a quick hello to friends they haven’t seen in a while. Schedules are exchanged, plans to meet up are shared and complaints about homework are already on the tips of everyone’s tongues. But for some students, coming back to school means more than just earlier mornings and busier social schedules. It means having to navigate an environment that was not necessarily built for their success. For Samantha Geier, a senior environmental science major, this means everything —from getting dressed to filling gas in her car to rolling around campus to cooking a meal—can pose extra challenges. Geier was diagnosed with spina bifida, which she says “primarily affects the function/strength of [her] legs.” As a result, she almost exclusively uses her wheelchair to get around. While this can cause some physical obstacles, like having to go out of her way to use a ramp into a building, Geier also has to account for chronic pain management which “is another factor that can slow [her] down sometimes and is less predictable than accessibility.” For Alexa Buerger (‘17), who was diagnosed with Celiac disease her freshman year at LMU, one of the biggest challenges of a chronic illness is adjusting to having
What is a chronic illness? A chronic disease is one lasting three months or more, by the definition of the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics. Chronic diseases generally cannot be prevented by vaccines or cured by medication, nor do they just disappear.
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LMU women’s basketball in 2nd after 3-1 WCC start. Page 16
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Senate resolution to increase diversity efforts A new ASLMU resolution will allocate $2,000 a year for “undeserved communities.” Kellie Chudzinski Editor-in-Chief @LALoyolan
Examples of Chronic Illnesses
Arthritis Asthma Celiac Disease Crohn’s Disease
Cystic Fibrosis Depression Diabetes EDS
Epilepsy Heart Disease HIV/AIDS IBS Lupus Multiple Sclerosis Schizophrenia Ulcerative Colitis
“Overall, I hope we can move towards creating an open dialogue about chronic illnesses/disabilities so that students, faculty, and staff are more comfortable asking questions and therefore become more aware of their impact.” Samantha Geier, senior environmental science major Information compiled by Olivia Round, Interim Managing Editor; Graphic by Diana Raynes | Loyolan
your “energy levels, mood and quality of sleep at the whim of your illness.” Managing the stress of her disease quickly became the most difficult part. Buerger explained that while many students could pull all-nighters, and eat anything they wanted to keep focus on school, her situation was different.
“I was a full time student and worked 20 hours a week as a personal trainer until I graduated — if I dared sacrifice a sense of balance I was sure to pay for it, and my body would begin to shut down,” said Buerger. “So in a sense this was the See Chronic | Page 3
Last semester, the ASLMU Senate passed a resolution “in support of increasing diversity efforts at LMU” following a controversial Snapchat that circulated on campus, the organization said. The resolution, that passed Thursday, Dec. 14, will designate $2,000 to pay for the transportation of students from “underserved communities” to campus, from ASLMU University Affairs budget. The resolution stated that the views expressed in the Snapchat photo to be different from ASLMU and recognized that the Snapchat is not an isolated incident. It also cited other instances of discrimination on campus that had been “rooted in racism and classism.” The Snapchat depicted children on a campus visit with MEChA and referred to them as “lower socioeconomic” minorities that LMU would admit later through affirmative action. Students have alleged that former Senator at Large Katie Porter is responsible for the photo. Porter resigned from her position on the senate on Dec. 13, and had previously denied claims she created the Snapchat during the ASLMU senate meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 6. Senator At Large Melissa Cedillo and Chair of University Affairs Christopher See Resolution | Page 3