Los Angeles Loyolan February 27th, 2014

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E. OM . H ICE UR YO R VO S. W U YO R NE U YO

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Los Angeles LOYOLAN

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Feb r

27, 2014 ry a u

The

Est. 1921

Student frustrated by DSS response Student persisted in long and lengthy pursuit of disability accommodations. Zaneta Pereira Editor In Chief @zanyzaneta

After 15 hours of continuous testing and evaluation over winter break, junior art history major Lauren Miller was presented with a report that she found hard to take in immediately. She had been diagnosed with a learning disability. Miller had been evaluated by the Help Group - UCLA Neuropsychology Program, and the report produced by the two program psychologists Ani Khatchadourian and Philip Levin laid out in meticulous detail their diagnosis of Miller with “a Specific Learning Disability in Reading, due to impaired comprehension skills and fluency.” According to the report, this disability is distinct from dyslexia and is “a separate subtype of reading disorder that is due to impairments in reading comprehension often associated with oral language skills and specific patterns of cognitive strengths and weaknesses.” Despite the evaluation confirming her own expectations, it took Miller some time to adjust to the fact that her lifelong struggles in the classroom now had a formal explanation. “It took me a minute to digest it, but then I was like, ‘Okay, this is what it is, now I have the proof that’s going to help me get the tools I need to improve at school,’” she said. However, after submitting her request for accommodations and the UCLA report to LMU’s Disability Support Services office (DSS) at the beginning of the Spring semester, Miller was surprised to be informed through a letter from Priscilla Levine, director of DSS, that “although your testing does show some processing limitations, in the absence of real life limitations, a disability cannot be established.” As a result, Miller’s request for the six academic accommodations recommended

by the UCLA report – extended time on exams, separate testing environment, use of computer and calculator, priority seating, permission to audio-record lecture and notetaking services – was not approved. According to Levine, in order for DSS to approve accommodations for a student, “There has to be a history of accommodation … [and] there has to be a discrepancy between their abilities versus their achievement.” Prior to her testing in December 2013, Miller had never been formally diagnosed with a learning disorder and thus did not have a history of accommodation during her secondary education. According to Miller, this was because “getting a test, like the one I did at UCLA was as expensive as it is today, which is $2,500.” Additionally, as a continuing student, 24-year-old Miller is several years older than the average LMU undergraduate student. As noted in the letter of appeal that Khatchadourian, the UCLA psychologist, wrote for her, Miller “comes from a generation of students with disabilities who did not routinely receive such accommodations through schools as has become legally mandated and implemented in more recent years, precluding her ability to provide documentation of history of accommodations.” DSS has a formal appeal process for students who are displeased with the decisions of the office. As Levine explained, “We never deny a student an accommodation; we send them a letter and in that letter we let them know that, at this time, documentation doesn’t support the request, but we would like you to provide us with so-and-so documentation and we’ll have it re-reviewed. And often times, in the re-review process, they receive the accommodation.” In the letter sent to Miller Levine asked that she provide DSS with “earlier academic records, including standardized test scores, that demonstrate you have been at a disadvantage. Reports from tutoring, high school transcripts or letters explaining unofficial accommodation would all be See DSS | Page 3

Career fair presents varied opportunities

Read one staffer’s reaction to a recently proposed law in Arizona.

Chris James uses his algorithm to predict Oscar winners.

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Caroline Burt | Loyolan

Senior political science major Nicole Zapata was one of many students to settle in at the William H. Hannon Library one evening this week. Various classes are finishing up with midterm exams and papers before Spring Break next week.

Kairos is ‘God’s time’ Last weekend, students got away to Lake Arrowhead for a spiritual retreat experience. News Editor

@aliswenson

The first floor of University Hall was bustling with students and company representatives Tuesday at Convo hour for Career Development Services’ Career Expo. All students were welcome to mingle with various companies in pursuit of job opportunities.

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Library packed in midst of midterms

Ali Swenson

Emilia Shelton | Loyolan

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In the heart of midterm season, many students are wondering if there are enough hours in the day to get everything done. However, 42 LMU students opted to forgo their cell phones, their campus obligations and their busy schedules last weekend to live on “God’s time” for two days, taking part in LMU’s 13th Kairos retreat. Thirty-five student participants and seven student leaders attended the retreat in Lake Arrowhead over the weekend, leaving Friday afternoon and returning Sunday. A peer-led program rooted in Ignatian spirituality and Catholicism, Kairos, which translates as “God’s time,” is meant for high school and college students. It intends for them to take time to focus on themselves, the other individuals alongside them and God. Five years ago, when he came to LMU, Director of Campus Ministry Fr. James Erps, S.J. brought Kairos to the University

because “he had seen how powerfully the retreat affects students,” according to Christine Nangle Koehl, director of the Kairos retreat program at LMU. Koehl elaborated on the connection between Campus Ministry and Kairos, saying “Kairos really encompasses the mission of Campus Ministry, which is to belong, to become and then most importantly, to believe. And it’s based on the spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola. And so it really serves students time and time again in profound, impactful and life-changing ways. “ Since Koehl took the job as retreat director four years ago, over 400 students have attended the retreat, and about 80 students have participated as leaders. Koehl explained the ways in which Kairos is distinct from the other retreats that LMU offers, such as the First Year Retreat and the Senior Retreat. “The retreat is a little bit different from other retreats because it really invites and provides students with space to be their truly authentic self,” said Koehl. “Students do tend to be more vulnerable on Kairos than other retreats.” The structure of Kairos is centered on a series of talks throughout the See Kairos | Page 2


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