Los Angeles Loyolan February 8th 2017

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In this political climate, it might be a good idea to take a break.

Should medical marijuana still be considered an illegal substance in the NFL?

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Student Workers Program at LMU struggles with new payment system LMU has changed its financial policy for the Student Workers, leaving them searching for aid.

Sami Leung

Asst. News Editor @LALoyolan

The Student Workers Program, a group made up of 24 working class LMU students

to help them pay their tuition, has recently gone through several changes in its payment system that has some of its members calling on the University to help.

Kayla Hampton, a junior psychology and dance double major, is Student Worker General, which requires her to run events, keep track of the Student Workers’ hours, schedule jobs, plan their group’s retreats and other administrative jobs.

According to Hampton, the students who

applied and were admitted into the program in previous years were paid a scholarship in the beginning of the year with the assumption that the students would show up to mandatory jobs when required. When attendance at those mandatory jobs began to decline, LMU changed the scholarship so that students are only paid for events they work at.

The award amount remains the same, but it is now more in the students’ hands: They can make their full award by doing mandatory and

Jason Munoz | Loyolan

Sofia Hernandez, pictured above, is part of the LMU Student Workers Program and has worked for this program for four years.

Executive order hits home with students The recent travel ban has affected LMU international students.

Justine Biondi

Asst. News Editor @LALoyolan

LMU has taken several steps to support its international community as President Trump’s travel ban affects LMU international students and continues to halt their ability in exiting and re-entering the country.

On Jan. 27, Trump signed an executive order banning citizens from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia and Libya from entering the U.S. for at least 90 days and placed a ban on Syrian refugees indefinitely. It also bans refugees entirely from entering the U.S. for 120 days and gives priority admission to refugee Syrian Christians, which is less than one percent of the 12,600 Syrians granted refugee status last year, according to the Central Intelligence Agency World Fact Book.

According to Politico magazine, there has not been a terrorism-related death caused by foreign operatives coming into the country since 9/11. Every terrorism-related attack in the U.S. since 9/11 has been caused by American citizens and green card holders.

President Snyder, along with Dean of Students Jeanne Ortiz and the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) have made several efforts to ease the fears of international students and show support

during this time of uncertainty.

“When the dignity and freedom of any member of the LMU community is compromised, we are all diminished,” President Snyder wrote in an email to the Loyolan. “As I learned of the executive order and its impacts, I grew concerned for our LMU students and families. [...] Our international students interconnect us with our global society, personify our global aspirations and enrich our diverse, inclusive academic community. Our Catholic, Jesuit and Marymount education is based upon intellectual discovery and learning encounters with one another in a global context.”

OISS also sent out an email to all international LMU students last week, recommending that citizens of the countries listed in the executive order, even those who hold a valid visa and dual-national passports, do not travel outside the U.S. during the 90day ban. The email further recommends that U.S. permanent residents also refrain from traveling outside the country, since entry into the U.S. for green card holders will be determined case by case.

Along with the email, OISS reached out via phone to all students directly affected by this ban and referred students who have questions or concerns to an immigration attorney trusted by the University.

The Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership (MSL) and the Muslim Student Association (MSA) also hosted a Friday Prayer last week for the Muslim students on campus, followed See Travel Ban| Page 4

volunteer events, or only go to the mandatory events and not earn as much money.

“It really built in me this sense of work ethic,” Hampton said. “I really feel like I could do just about anything. Also, I really think its a family. You have those people that you can build lifelong relationships with. But when we go to jobs, we’re about work.”

However, Ramona Sandoval, a senior political science major, believes the new system unfairly decreases their financial aid package.

The announcement of the scholarship change came after several students of the program, including Sandoval, reached out to LMU for a moderator to supervise and support their program.

“As one of the main people who requested a new moderator I deeply regret my decision to reach out to the University for additional support,” Sandoval said. “Not only were we assigned a moderator with even more on her plate but our $8,600 scholarships were taken away 19 days before our first payments.”

Student workers are required to work in the recycling center for 20 hours a week their freshman year in addition to working mandatory events such as graduation.

Founded in 1957 by Joseph Brovetil, the program is only available to students who qualify for the Pell Grant.

With the LMU Scholarship Initiative surpassing its $100 million goal for needbased scholarships by an extra $3 million, some students in the program believe that See Student Workers | Page 3

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Fordham vetoes Students for Justice in Palestine Fordham vetoed a club proposal for Palestinian organization.

Isabel Ngo

Managing Editor @LALoyolan

Fordham University Dean of Students Keith Eldredge vetoed the official club recognition of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the Jesuit university. This decision, made on Dec. 22, 2016, reversed the approval of the SJP by Fordham’s United Student Government (USG) in November. Since then, students have protested Eldredge’s ban, gaining the support of organizations Palestine Legal and the Center for Constitutional Rights.

Eldredge said that the proposed SJP club constitution promoted polarization rather than dialogue in its purpose. He cited the call for “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions of Israel” as specific barriers to the Jesuit university’s mission of “mutual learning and understanding,” according to a redacted version of Eldredge’s email which was released on Inside Higher Ed. LMU English professor Holli Levitsky agreed with Eldredge’s decision. Levitsky, who is also the director of the Jewish studies program, referred to Eldredge’s explanation in the email.

“Fordham University absolutely has the right to restrict student

groups, whose sole purpose is to advocate for the ‘political goals of a specific group, and against a specific country, when these goals clearly conflict with and run contrary to the mission and values of the university,’” Levitsky said in an email to the Loyolan.

Fordham students who oppose Eldredge’s decision have called it censorship and violation of free speech and academic freedom. Ahmad Awad, president of Fordham SJP and recent graduate, said that it went against Title VI of the federal Civil Rights Act. “This experience has underscored how difficult it is to talk about Palestinian freedom in America without facing serious suppression,” Awad wrote in a New York Daily News article. He explained the importance SJP had for him and that his relatives had “been forced to live under Israeli military rule for decades.”

Palestine Legal’s Jan. 17 letter to Fordham supported SJP’s formation and reminded the university of the violations of Title VI. “A university may lose its federal funding if it treats a student differently because of his/her national origin, resulting in a denial of a student’s educational activities,” the letter read.

The USG application process for SJP had been delayed and postponed for a period much longer than other club approval timelines at Fordham, as reported in the Palestine Legal letter and Awad’s article.

“It took 12 months of what Palestine Legal and CCR allege were

via Wikimedia Commons

The Students for Justice in Palestine organization at Fordam University remains strong despite University’s veto. ‘delays,’ ‘interrogations,’ and ‘railroading’ for the USG Senate to hold the vote,” according to the Fordham Observer.

The United Student Government at Fordham met and discussed with the Jewish Student Organization of the university during SJP’s club approval process. Dorothy Wenzel, the director of the Office of Student Involvement, advised with Jewish faculty members before the approval of Students for Justice in Palestine was vetoed. In addition, “a number of

faculty members had come to [intended SJP faculty advisor Glenn Hendler] to ‘express worry,’” the Fordham Observer reported.

Najwa Al-Qattan, an associate professor of history and modern Middle Eastern history at LMU, disagreed with Fordham’s decision to veto the approval of SJP. “I find Fordham’s decision very problematic: first, it equates criticism of Israeli occupation policies of settlement, evictions, and violence with racism,” Al-Qattan said in an

email. “Underlying this equation is the dangerous and erroneous assumption that criticism of Israel is the same as anti-Semitic speech.”

Al-Qattan also explained that the social and historic complexity of the Palestine/Israel conflict should encourage and necessitate open and free speech on college campuses.

“I think that the group should not have been denied, unless they had already acted in a radical way, for example making anti-Semitic remarks or promoting intolerance See Palestine | Page 3

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BURNING QUESTIONS

This week, News Editor Bri Ortiz sat down withManaging Jessica This issue, Swift, a junior Editor Dan Raffety women’s sits downand withgender Head studies major who Coach Max Good, deals with Lyme head coach of the disease.

LMU’s men’s basketball team to talk about the upcoming season.

When were you diagnosed with Lyme disease? Do you remember where you were when you received this news?

1

I was diagnosed with Lyme disease when I was a freshman in high school. When I received the news I was visiting a speciality doctor’s office in San Francisco.

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What is Lyme disease to you?

Lyme disease is an autoimmune disease that literally attacks your body. It’s commonly known as a tick-borne illness. It causes a plethora of various neurological and physical symptoms and can also mask itself as other illnesses. Lyme disease is all over the world and in my opinion, is a silent epidemic.

3

What have you been doing or using to help treat this?

I go to a holistic doctor who I see about once a month to treat my individual symptoms. I also have a disciplined schedule consisting of a clean diet (like no gluten or grains, no night shade vegetables and no shellfish, amongst others), large amounts of scheduled natural supplements (around 30 to 40) dispersed throughout the day and which are specified to symptoms per doctor visits and apply detox therapies like using infrared saunas.

I also do activities that calm the nervous system like yoga and meditation, and I also make sure to get a full eight hours of sleep.

4

Does this sometimes affect your performance in school? If so, how do you get through it?

Totally! I mainly try to avoid things during the semester that will trigger symptoms and I also bring some of my supplements with me to class that I know will provide support in case I do get symptoms. I also try to maintain good communication with my professors regarding my symptoms.

Do you have a general health tip about anything for us?

5

One major tip would be to always remember to detoxify your body. Everyday we build up toxins that attack your immune system. One great tip I love to recommend is Epsom salt baths, which can physically remove toxins from your body and also soothe your mind. Another great tip is activated charcoal, which helps with food rancidity (of course always consult your doctor first).

Who inspires you the most?

6

Probably my mom because of her strength and openness to the world.

MORE QUESTIONS

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LMU changes student worker program scholarship Student Workers from Page 1

some of that money should be allocated towards the Student Workers Program.

“What’s most frustrating about the ‘need-based scholarship’ is that the Student Workers is a group that is ‘needbased’,” said Sofia Hernandez, senior theology, Chicana studies and Spanish major and Student Worker. “So, when there are initiatives that not only meet but surpass a goal, then funds should be allocated to those need-based students. What I argue is that the Student Worker Program, under the division of Student Affairs — which was a category that was fundraised for — should receive some funding allocation for our need-based scholarships.”

The previous Student Worker Scholarship for year-round working totaled $8,600, with freshman starting off working at about $13 an hour, in addition to a housing award and meal plan award.

“A lot of us, the crew, would really benefit from the extra help,” said Hampton. “The flip side of the program is that we have the opportunity to work but it also takes away from things that you could be doing.

A scholarship would benefit a lot of the students, to help us pay off tuition faster and free us up to do

other activities.”

According to Sandoval, the program originally placed a 20-hour working limit on the students to ensure they would have time to be involved in extracurricular activities. Now, there is no limit to the amount of hours a student can work and the freshmen are offered smaller packages than have been offered in the past.

“We now have to work significantly more hours a week to barely, and many times unsuccessfully, make ends meet,” said Sandoval. “Freshmen are the ones suffering the most.

They are paid $3 less an hour by LMU than the rest of us. I am confident that I would not have been able to accept the financial aid package they were offered which also leads me to conclude

Palestine from Page 2

“The students satisfactorily followed Student Leadership and Development’s organization registration process and the group was registered,” Rocheleau said.

Students for Justice in Palestine was formed at LMU after alumni Alex Abbasi (‘13) and Ra’eesah Reese (‘14) returned from an Alternative Break trip to Israel in the summer of 2012. However, Abbasi, who is Palestinian-American, “was denied entry [into Israel] altogether and had to fly home,” Al-Qattan recalled.

SJP at LMU was established in part because Abbasi sought to educate the LMU community about the conflict in Israel with interfaith values in mind. He had organized a group of 14 students and faculty of Israeli, Palestinian, Muslim, Jewish and Christian background for the planned trip.

Speaking on the Palestine Awareness Week, “Our post trip action necessitated something large scale to get the message out about this issue,” SJP founding member Linda Tenerowicz (‘14) said in a previously published Loyolan article.

“After SJP was founded, a chapter of Students Supporting Israel was also established

of others’ views or be overly disruptive of campus life.”

LMU had its own officially approved Students for Justice in Palestine social justice club.

According to past Student Affairs records, LMU SJP “committed to the promotion of human rights, communal liberation and empowerment, and social and economic justice for the Palestinian people.”

Although the club has no longer been active since its former president graduated, there was a general positive reception to the events that LMU SJP organized on campus.

Rich Rocheleau, associate vice president for student life at LMU, was working with Student Affairs at the time LMU SJP was formed in fall 2012. In an email to the Loyolan, Rocheleau said that Palestine Awareness Week, which took place in March 2014, “resulted in a good amount of dialogue among interested students at that time. Students had the opportunity to learn about the issues.”

Unlike the difficult approval process at Fordham, LMU’s SJP was approved after it followed the standards and requirements of the Student Leadership and Development office.

that this program will no longer serve students from the working class.”

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on campus, with the hope of presenting a different point of view and of being able to engage in conversation with others like SJP,” Markowitz stated. “LMU is becoming increasingly more globally and politically aware, and it makes sense that there should be groups that reflect the diverse views on our campus.”

Several interfaith and intercultural organizations as well as students and faculty have signed a petition in solidarity with SJP at Fordham.

These include national Jewish Voice for Peace chapters and Showing Up for Racial Justice chapters. While waiting on possible updates of Eldredge’s veto of official club approval, Fordham’s SJP “will continue to meet, continue to organize, and continue to educate ourselves and other students,” according to its Facebook page.

Additional reporting by Jackie Galvez, managing editor.

NEWS

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Uber’s lack of protest against Trump causes boycott A #DeleteUber trend brings losses to the commonly used app.

Julia Campion

Asst. News Editor @LALoyolan

Protestors have launched a viral boycott campaign against Uber, as CEO Travis Kalanick was a member of President Trump’s economic advisory council and did not immediately denounce Trump’s executive order banning immigrants and refugees from Muslim countries.

On Saturday, Jan. 28, the Taxi Workers’ Alliance, a nonprofit union that represents more than 50,000 drivers in New York City, stood by those affected by the travel ban by voicing their opposition to Trump’s policies at the John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) by stopping servicing rides to people from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The hashtag #DeleteUber began trending when Uber did not do the same, and instead enacted surge pricing, which is an increase in price when the ride-sharing service is in higher demand. This caused outrage to people participating in protests at airports due to their assumptions that this would result in Uber profiting

off the protesting cab drivers and increase in Uber customers.

“I use Uber very frequently and was genuinely concerned and confused when I saw the hashtag about deleting Uber on Twitter,” Allyson Frazier, a sophomore psychology major, said. “Without looking too much into it, I saw that it involved the CEO’s involvement with Trump’s economic council and deleted the app.”

Uber posted a tweet that same day stating that they had shut down their surge pricing near JFK. However, this did little to mitigate the damage. Since the #DeleteUber protest began, over 200,000 customers have deleted their accounts, according to the N.Y. Times. Lyft surpassed Uber in daily downloads on the App Store for the first time, according to the Guardian.

“I can’t speak on the affected usage of the app overall, but I do know that me as well as all of my fellow protesters were picked up by Lyfts, not Ubers, those nights. As soon as the article came out, I deleted the app and set up a Lyft account,” Blake Colton, a sophomore biology major, said about his experience at the protest at Los Angeles International Airport on Jan. 28. “I think that it is so easy for individuals, especially on this campus, to feel as though they can’t do anything to help the cause, and while I wish I saw

many more Lions were at the protests, I think deleting Uber and boycotting other unjust companies is a very easy and tangible thing for everyone to do.”

In an email to his staff on Jan. 28, Kalanick stated, “This ban will impact many innocent people — an issue that I will raise this coming Friday when I go to Washington for President Trump’s first business advisory group meeting.”

This email was also shared on Facebook on the same night as the airport protests.

On Feb. 2, Kalanick wrote to the Uber staff stating

that he removed himself from the council. He also called the executive order an “unjust immigration ban” and announced his creation of a $3 million “legal defense fund” to assist affected drivers.

“I think it was a greedy move for Uber to take advantage of this political happening that is a negative outcome for so many people and making it a positive thing for themselves.

I understand from a business perspective why they would do that, but morally I don’t agree with their decision,” said Katie Calo, a sophomore English and

communication studies doublemajor. “That being said, I’m a college student living in L.A. with no car and Uber is my only means of transportation — obviously I like paying less money, but the reasons behind it feel wrong. In light of my discomfort in how they handled this and how it makes me feel, I’ll probably switch to Lyft.”

There have since been protests in Oakland, New Orleans, Seattle and Hoboken, New Jersey. Other protests called “UberRidesWithHate” have also begun to rise in popularity.

via Flickr Creative Commons

Uber has experienced a decrease in downloads and usage of the app since its lack of protest against Trump’s ban.

Travel ban affects international students Travel ban from Page 1

by a gathering hosted by OISS and Ethnic and Intercultural Services (EIS). This event allowed students to have an open discussion on the Muslim ban as well as any other student concerns.

According to President Snyder, the travel, refugee and immigration ban has impacted the LMU community, including students and families from all over the world.

“LMU has a small number of students, undergraduate and graduate, from the seven countries specified in the executive order,” President Snyder said. “While the order impacts each individual differently, it separates our international students and scholars from beloved, supporting family members by restricting their freedom of movement.”

The executive order has also sparked uncertainty and fear throughout the LMU community, especially among international students.

“As an international student from Indonesia, I do feel kind of terrified, seeing that I did grow up in a country with the highest Muslim population, though I am not Muslim myself,” senior sociology major, Conchita Widjojo, said.

“I planned a trip to Costa Rica for spring break this year, and this was very far in advance.

Now with this travel ban, I feel scared that I won’t be able

to enter the U.S. after. I know Indonesia is not listed in the seven countries in the ban, but it’s still something I’m scared of — like I’m walking on eggshells or something.”

International students at LMU do not feel safe traveling outside the U.S., even if their country of origin is not among those listed on the ban.

“As a student on a visa, it feels really limiting to know that if I were to leave the country, there is a chance I may not be able to enter, for any kind of reason,” Widjojo said. “But it’s also kind of scary that to be able to stay in the country, at least to finish some of my career goals, I wouldn’t be able to go anywhere.”

Junior accounting major Soraya Fernandes Inácio understands the dangers that war poses. Her home country of Angola in Southern Africa recently got out of a civil war in 2002.

“It’s natural that people go somewhere looking for better conditions. No one likes to live in a place where there’s war.

Believe me, I know about it,” Inácio said. “I get the intention [of the ban] — to protect us from attacks, etcetera; but not everyone is the same, and many people from those countries may have helped us grow culturally and economically.”

Even though Angola and Indonesia are not listed in the seven countries specified in Trump’s immigration ban,

students still fear President Trump’s threats of exclusivity and vetting.

“I actually fear that one day I cannot go home for holidays and come back because they blocked the entrance from people of my country,” Inácio said. “In my case, I am just here trying to have a better education. But I believe some people are trying to also get better lives.”

Federal Judge James Robart of Washington state ordered to suspend key parts of the travel ban, and Attorney General of Washington state, Bob Ferguson, and Attorney General of Minnesota, Lori

Swanson, filed a lawsuit on Friday against the ban.

Three judges on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals will decide whether the travel ban should remain suspended this week. Ultimately, the case is predicted to end up at the U.S. Supreme Court, according to CNN. “Our community remains united in support of our international students and scholars, and I am confident that, despite short-term setbacks, our values and vision of global imagination will prevail — and thrive,” President Snyder said.

Bri Ortiz | Loyolan

LMU has advised some of its international students to not venture outside the country during Trump’s restriction.

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Black history is American history

February marks the beginning of Black History Month in the United States, and there have already been several misinformed opinions and posts about its significance. On Feb. 1, Vice President Mike Pence tweeted “As #BlackHistoryMonth begins, we remember when Pres. Lincoln submitted the 13th Amendment, ending slavery, to the states #NationalFreedomDay.” What’s problematic is that Pence chose to spotlight a white person’s contribution during Black History Month. Pence also tweeted briefly about civil rights leader Dorothy Height being featured on the U.S. Postal Service’s Black Heritage Stamp series and about Trump’s presidential proclamation of National African American History Month. However, these examples fail to focus specifically on African American achievements.

On the other hand, some argue that there shouldn’t be a Black History Month at all.

Some celebrities, such as Morgan Freeman, have argued that black history should not be contained to one month; it shouldn’t be highlighted only in February and then ignored for the rest of the year. And they’re right. The history and experience of African Americans in the United States is not merely black history — it’s American history and should be treated as such.

In an essay titled “On Racism and White Privilege,” Jennifer Holladay points out that when white people look at textbooks and national monuments, they see people who look like them being honored and represented. This national consciousness reinforces the belief that white people are mainly responsible for what “makes America great.” However, this is a false and harmful concept that Americans still grasp at. After all, many continue to fanatically support actions to build President Trump’s infamous wall.

If we don’t educate our children on the diverse and multi-dimensional histories of our founders and leaders who aren’t white, then we run the risk of raising future Trumps. This ignorant generation will believe that in order to “make America great again”

LION

SPORTS we need to “make America white again.”

However, America was neither white nor European to begin with. We would not be where we are today if we hadn’t taken this land from the Native Americans and built this country on the backs of black slaves, Chinese American railroad laborers and Latino farmers, among others. Non-white minority groups have often contributed more physical labor, time and innovation in developing this nation than their white counterparts, and their histories are continuously overlooked.

In order to rectify this situation, we must reform our education curriculum. Typical textbooks don’t even come close to covering the diversity of this nation’s history. If you analyze how black history is portrayed in American textbooks, you’ll find that it’s limited to three sections: slavery, the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement.

This is according to a Guardian article on the National United States History Content Standards for Grades 5-12. When we write history books, we also decide whose stories are important enough to tell. If we don’t make history representative of our entire population, children will learn that history is just a white story with a few minority movements sprinkled in. This distorts reality, which is a huge problem since the children of today are more diverse than ever: 50.2 percent of children born in 2015 were minorities. We need to teach these children that they are not a footnote in an otherwise white narrative.

The lack of comprehensive education is reflective of a bigger, more terrifying movement: white supremacy. Those who prefer the term “alt-right” are denying their racist and white supremacist views.

The increasingly xenophobic and racist attitudes and rhetoric in the U.S. is cause for great concern.

We must actively reexamine the significance of Black History Month and other efforts like it such as National Hispanic Heritage month, and what those represent for many communities of color, otherwise this country is more likely to be made bitter and hateful than great again.

“Children will learn that history is just a white story with a few minority movements...”

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OPINION

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Taking a break from politics can be healthy Cup of Joe Joseph Bellavia Asst. Opinion Editor @LALoyolan

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here is so much that I could write about today. I could write about the rioting that took place at Berkeley this past week. I could talk about immigration issues in America.

I could even talk about Trump calling any negative polls “fake news.” But I don’t want to do that. Frankly, I’m a little tired of complaining about everything in my writing.

Political writing is primarily what I’ve done at the Loyolan for the past semester. It started off easy. I mostly found myself criticizing the political figures I didn’t like, which unfortunately happened to be almost everyone in Washington. But then it got a bit difficult having to form an opinion on all of these major events and having to turn them into words. It almost made me begin to dislike something that I have always been deeply interested in.

This may not apply to everyone, but so many college students are consumed by the political climate of America right now. The issue is that there is only so much politics that we, as human beings, can handle.

There is nothing wrong with being informed; however, we

via Wikimedia Commons

Even Barack Obama realizes how beneficial it is to step away from politics and put your mind toward other things. should not devote all of our time to it. If there is one thing I know about politics, it’s that it can turn people bitter. Opinionated people can become even more opinionated and less friendly when dealing with the other side of the spectrum. That is normal, though. I have experienced it myself. Sure, we may not mean to do it, but when all of what we consume is “Trump this” and “Trump that,” there really is no way around it.

So, it may be helpful to just

stay away from all of it for just a week or so. Try to find something that fills the void.

Go to a movie, or maybe start a new TV show. Do something that lets you clear your mind or fill it with something different.

Find anything that keeps you away from all of the sometimessenseless arguing. It can be stressful and unhealthy to be wrapped up in it 24/7.

I’m taking a photography course that involves me going out and taking upwards of 250

photos every week. I have to log every single photo before I even take it. At first, I thought this was quite annoying. I just wanted to take the pictures quickly so that I could get the results. But then I started listening to my professor.

I started to understand why she wanted us to do our projects this way. She wanted us to slow down and enjoy our work. She wanted us to take our time.

And so, I did. I spent hours just taking photos and writing down what I had done. In this time, I

wasn’t worried about politics or policies. I didn’t really care so much about what the next few years would look like. Not at that moment. At that moment, I was just relaxed.

That may scare people a little bit. The thought of not caring about what the world will look like might sound insane to some people, but I don’t think it is.

I’ve found this last year to be one of the most difficult in my life.

Between school, politics and my personal life, I’ve dealt with a lot of stress. And I can honestly say that most of that stress came from politics. Arguing, writing, just thinking about it stressed me out, and I’ve come to realize that we may all need moments like this. We all need a break, a time where we can just tune the outside world out for a bit.

These issues that we are so passionate and worried about are important, though. I’m not writing this to say that they’re not. I’m writing this to say that we all need a break at some point. We can’t let this one thing dominate our lives. It’s not worth it, it’s not healthy, and to be honest, it’s nice to just take some time for ourselves every once in awhile.

This is the opinion of Joseph Bellavia, a sophomore screenwriting major from Monmouth Beach, New Jersey. Tweet comments to @LALoyolan, or email mgaydos@theloyolan.com.

OPINION

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My experience as a minority on LMU’s campus Right Side View Zachary Hayes Contributor @LALoyolan

B

Loyolan Archives

Stifling intellectual diversity on campus is a dangerous road to go down, and we need to make sure all voices are heard. the situation from a variety of values and ethics.” Because there is support people who might disagree no visible ideological disagreement with their liberal views. This is perspectives: liberal, more liberal a glaring contradiction of their and most liberal. That’s right – with regard to the issues, people assume that everyone else not one of the professors provided tolerant and inclusive message and thinks the same way. The result reveals that they don’t practice a conservative perspective on Trump and why some people is that college campuses isolate what they preach.

One example of this neglect of might actually support his policies. themselves in bubbles detached Such a lack of viewpoint from reality. conservative views was a recent In addition, lack of viewpoint Pizza and Politics event on Donald diversity on college campuses is Trump held in the campus political extremely dangerous because it diversity encourages radicalism. science village in January. Three encourages groupthink, defined Because students are led to believe that no alternative views exist, it prominent professors engaged by Merriam-Webster as “a pattern in a panel discussion about the of thought characterized by self- is a major shock to their system deception, forced manufacture of when someone dares to voice implications of Trump’s recent inauguration and analyzed consent, and conformity to group disagreement. This environment

O

W

This is the opinion of Zachary Hayes, a senior political science major from Los Angeles, California. Tweet comments to @LALoyolan, or email mgaydos@theloyolan.com

RK

eing a minority at LMU is extremely difficult. Every day, I get the impression that the majority of students and even the faculty do not care about my interests. The atmosphere of hostility is quite palpable.

The expected response to this implicit condemnation would be to demand a safe space in which to express my grievances. The only problem is that I am a different kind of minority: a conservative Republican.

My description of myself as a minority may come as a surprise to many readers because I do not fit into any of the normal categories.

I am a white, straight male; why would anyone pity me?

LMU, like most universities, claims to value diversity of all kinds. To this end, it has announced solidarity with African American, Hispanic, Muslim, LGBTQ+ and undocumented students on various occasions. There is just one category not included in this broad span: conservatives.

The administrators who run this University have neglected to

makes college campuses extremely conducive to the formation of intolerant leftist radical groups who cannot accept challenges to their established orthodoxy.

This danger was made clear at UC Berkeley on Feb. 1, when militant left-wingers reacted fiercely to the planned speech of libertarian provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos on campus. In the face of massive pressure, administrators canceled the speech. However, the activists rioted anyway, starting fires and causing thousands of dollars in property damage to the university.

Don’t get me wrong, I value the time I’ve spent at LMU and will become a proud alum once I graduate in May. Still, administrators must be cognizant of the dangerous path down which groupthink leads. While the incident at UC Berkeley was an extreme case, LMU still suffers severely from this condition.

The only way to cure it is for the University administrators and professors to take a look in the mirror and ask themselves whether or not they are truly promoting diversity for everyone.

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healthy living

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You can’t always put your health on the sideline A Sam Dunk Samantha Davis

Asst. Opinion Editor @LALoyolan

I

’ve always been self-conscious of the way I look. Once I quit playing water polo in high school, I started working out on my own, doing pilates and going to the YMCA in order to stay in shape. I even started doing group exercise classes with my friends, one of which was kickboxing.

It was in one of my kickboxing classes that I injured myself, only I didn’t know it. After class one night, I felt like I had pulled a muscle in my left leg. I didn’t think much of it — I thought pulled muscles were just things you had to deal with. That was December 2014.

But my pulled muscle never went away. Still, I didn’t think much of it, as it didn’t get in my way. When I left for college in August 2015, it was still there.

As my first semester of college progressed, it became more and more of a problem. When I came home for winter break, a year later, I thought about going to my family’s orthopedic surgeon, but couldn’t find the time. During my spring semester, it became so bad I couldn’t sit for extended periods of time without being extremely uncomfortable. When I came home for spring break, I couldn’t make an appointment

Emily Noriega | Loyolan

Even though it can be easy to get sidetracked, your physical health should always be a top priority. with my doctor, and it got progressively worse. I went from being uncomfortable to being in excruciating pain whenever I had to sit for longer than 30 minutes.

As soon as I finished my year at Colorado University Boulder and moved back to L.A., the first thing I did was make an appointment with my doctor.

On June 23, 2016, a year and a half after I injured myself, I finally found out what my pulled muscle really was. It was a sciatica, or a herniated disc on a nerve in my lower spine.

The first thing I asked was if I’d need surgery. My doctor referred me to a spine specialist

in Marina Del Rey, who I made an appointment with immediately.

The first appointment they had was on July 11, my 19th birthday.

That was also the day I found out I’d need surgery as soon as possible. Not exactly the best birthday present, right?

On July 26, I had surgery. A lumbar microdiscectomy, if we’re being technical. To say that it was the hardest experience of my life would be a huge understatement. The surgery itself was scary and anxietyinducing but was nothing compared to recovering. The day after surgery I felt fine, mostly because I still had a ridiculous

amount of Dilaudid in my system. But when I woke up the next morning, I felt paralyzed.

My lower back was in so much pain that I couldn’t move my hips at all. I had to call my parents at five in the morning and ask them to come upstairs and carry me out of bed just so I could go to the bathroom. It’s jarring to go from being completely able bodied and independent to not being able to even walk on your own. To make matters worse, I couldn’t take the common opiate pain medications like Percocet without throwing up uncontrollably. I had to take Advil while I waited for a prescription for a non-opiate

pain medication.

Eventually, I started to recover from the surgery. I was ready to start at LMU a month later, but that isn’t to say recovery didn’t make it significantly harder. I wasn’t allowed to bend over. I couldn’t lift or carry anything over eight pounds, couldn’t run, couldn’t carry a laptop in my backpack, couldn’t dance at parties (the real tragedy) and had to go to physical therapy three times a week all while trying to get a perfect GPA and working at the Loyolan, among other activities. I was constantly thinking about my back — during class, when I was with my friends, at parties, at work. It made everything more difficult.

The moral of the story: Don’t put your health on the sideline.

If I had seen a doctor earlier, I would’ve been able to fix it with physical therapy. Because I waited so long to get treatment, my injury had become so severe that I couldn’t have fixed it without surgery.

I often brush it off and joke about it, saying things like, “At least I have a cool scar!” or “Now I get to tell people I had spine surgery at 19 years old!”

But if I could’ve avoided surgery, I would’ve done it in a heartbeat.

This is the opinion of Samantha Davis, a sophomore philosophy major from La Cañada Flintridge, California. Tweet comments to @LALoyolan, or email mgaydos@theloyolan.com.

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LMU health center works to cover all students LMU’s health center offers students full service and insurance.

Jaqueline McCool Asst. News Editor @LALoyolan

LMU’s Student Health Services prides itself in being a full-service medical office, even offering its own health insurance plan.

Dan Hyslop, medical director at, said students should “always start at Student Health Services.

We offer all the services of a general physician and most of the services of an urgent care.”

LMU’s insurance plan is automatically billed to all students’ accounts, and a portion is required if the student is enrolled in more than seven units. Although accident insurance through the University cannot be waived, the premium insurance can be with proof of an alternative comprehensive plan.

Hyslop said options are available for students who cannot afford healthcare, but that students must be insured to some capacity.

Students who cannot purchase the school health insurance or are not covered under a parent plan are recommended to enroll in Covered California, the administered insurance exchange under the Affordable Care Act. For students struggling to get covered, Hyslop recommends, “Those students should look

for an individual policy on the Covered California website. Low and no income individuals are given a premium support to help cover the cost of the policy.”

Ellery Simpson, a junior theatre arts major, is an international student with diabetes, and says the health office has been imperative to her success at LMU. Simpson chose to stay on her own insurance policy, because she felt the international insurance was more comprehensive than what was offered through the University.

However, having an international plan has been difficult for Simpson.

“For me, being Canadian, it can be really hard to not be on the school’s health insurance plan, as I have to go to them and request my papers to then send to my insurance to get everything covered,” Simpson said.

However, Simpson thinks SHS has been helpful and beneficial to her health at LMU. Doctors at the health center helped Simpson manage her diabetes, referring her to specialists outside of campus, and visiting her in the hospital when her health worsened.

Jayne Mas, assistant director of SHS and nurse practitioner, explained that students do not need to show healthcare verification to get an appointment or upon entering the health center. Instead student accounts are billed and itemized receipts must be obtained in order to submit to insurance companies.

“There is no charge for

The Beauty of Mindfulness Mindfulness is just as important as eating healthy or exercising.

Emily Moore Contributor

@LALoyolan

When people think of health, they automatically think of green juices and intense workouts. But what about the health of your mental state? Have you checked up on that lately?

We tend to get so caught up in our physical state of health, that the mental side of health goes unnoticed. With a rapidly changing society and buzzing information at our fingertips, it is hard to bring attention to this very moment in time. Let’s talk about the beauty of mindfulness.

Mindfulness is a form of meditation in which humans are able to connect with life, the earth and those around them by being aware of the here and now with an open-mind. The best thing about mindfulness is that it can be practiced anytime and anywhere.

With mindfulness comes an unending list of mental improvements: a balanced work life, immense increased amount of gratitude, relaxation, eagerness for life, deeper connection to the earth, a sense of grounding and self-compassion.

Mindfulness is not a talent or skill, but rather an adopted attitude and outlook. Gratitude journaling, stretching, hikes, breathing exercises and simply sitting still — with no distractions like phones — are tactics that can help induce the mindful state. The ability to connect with simple interactions in life will transform the health and well-being of your mental state.

It is through mindfulness that we are "doing" less and "being" more. After all we are all human beings — we are here to simply "be." Create healthy new habits and utilize the power of mindfulness for self-compassion and a wholesome mind.

This is the opinion of Emily Moore, a senior communication studies major from Woodland Hills, California. Tweet comments to @ LALoyolan, or email editor@theloyolan. com.

Lauren Holmes | Loyolan

The health center at LMU provides students with necessary appointments, medicine and health guidance. the healthcare providers’ professional services and SHS does not bill health insurance plans,” said Mas. “Therefore students do not need to show proof of insurance at the time of their visit.”

The LMU health insurance plan is only available to students enrolled in the University, and ends upon graduation. LMU provides its coverage through Aetna.

James Olsen (16’) graduated last spring and did not realize his health insurance through the University would not carry over until the next enrollment

period. This left Olsen without insurance for a period of time, because as Olsen said, a majority of carriers begin enrollment in the new year.

“Aetna automatically cut off my insurance in May after seeing I graduated and didn’t send a notice of termination or anything,” Olsen said. “I was under the belief that I still had a policy when I went into the doctor’s office [and] I ended up having to pay out of pocket for my visit and my prescription since they said I wasn’t on the Aetna insurance anymore.”

Mas was sure to remind

students that the health center is not an emergency service center.

While they are full service, emergency situations should be taken off campus. However, the Department of Public Safety as well as SHS can assist with transportation and contacting local emergency services.

The SHS portal is where students can make appointments, communicate with staff and view lab results.

The portal can be accessed through my.lmu.edu and selecting the “My Health” tab.

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Gym buff assumed dead after lack of social media posts Constant gym—goer must be dead because he hasn’t posted.

Sami Leung Bluff Editor

A popular gym guru with the username of @checkthisbod69 on Instagram has been presumed dead by his 4,000 followers after two straight days of social media silence. The bro, whose real name is Chad Brad, has been known to post upwards of five times an hour, always with the hashtag #bangbangtheycanthang or #grindin.

Brad was formerly a student at LMU before dropping out to live in Playa Vista and pursue his dream of being an Instafamous celebrity and model, according to one of his videos on his YouTube channel.

“Chad Brad is such an inspiration and an icon in the fitness community,” Charlie Frast, a freshman political science major, said. “I really hope he’s okay, but his lack of social media means he’s probably dead. I checked his Snapchat, two Instagrams, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and even his Tumblr. Nothing.”

Brad’s frequent posts include pictures of him without a shirt on in the bathroom, posing with various weight machines, or short video collaborations with other aspiring fitness buffs—a series he calls “The Chad Squat Squad.”

Brad was also reported missing by his gym, 25 Hour Fitness.

“It’s really unlike him to not come in to the gym at least twice a day,” blushing employee, Maggie

Mikey Barreto | Loyolan

Former LMU student turned fitness model worries fans with his absence. lowers have already begun posting Bell, said. “I see him in the mornheartfelt farewell messages on his ings and apparently he comes later at night as well. If you find him, Facebook page such as, “I’ll do 20 extra squats in memory of you, bro” tell him Maggie from the gym has been really worried about him.” or “Please don’t be dead! -Maggie.”

The LAPD advises Brad’s followers to Although not officially recorded not give up hope and continue to refresh as missing by the Los Angeles Pohis social media profiles for signs of life. lice Department (LAPD), his fol-

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.

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SOCIAL JUSTICE

‘Gag Rule’ blocks foreign NGOs funding Pro-life and pro-choice proponents at odds over Mexico City Policy.

Karis Addo-Quaye Social Justice Editor

By the end of his first day in office, President Donald Trump and his administration reinstated what many pro-choice activists consider to be the first of an anticipated slew of pro-life legislation – The Mexico City Policy.

The policy has expanded upon preexisting legislation that required foreign NGOs to use their own separate funds for any abortionrelated activity, which include lobbying for or actively providing educational resources about abortion as a method of family planning. Whereas before such clinics could still receive U.S. federal funding for their non-abortion related services, foreign NGOs providing any abortion related resources at all will now be refused funding entirely, even for their nonabortion related services.

Initially mandated by former President Ronald Reagan in 1984, the policy has been reinstated and rescinded through various executive memorandums over the past 32 years with only 17 total years of actually being in effect. As of Jan. 23, the Mexico City Policy now excludes all sources of funding from the U.S. Global Health Initiative.

This includes the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Defense (DOD) and finally the United States Agency for International Development

(USAID) which provides assistance for programs and initiatives targeting everything from HIV/ AIDS to malaria to maternal and child health care. Additionally, U.S. NGOs, while not necessarily limited themselves, are also blocked from providing assistance to any foreign NGOs with abortion related services. Furthermore, the policy now includes the Kemp-Kasten Amendment of 1985, which blocks U.S. funding toward programs involved in specifically coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization. In the past, this measure had always been considered distinct and enacted separately from the Mexico City Policy.

Proponents of the policy include Steven H. Aden, a senior counsel at the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a conservative Christian non-profit that asserts “the [United States’] legal system, which was built on a moral and Christian foundation, [has] been steadily moving against religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and marriage and family.” Aden has defended the reinstatement of the Mexico City Policy, saying, “American taxpayer dollars have many good uses, but paying for elective abortions overseas is not and never has been one of them.”

Further attempts to pass prolife legislation on the domestic front is likely ahead. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan recently announced that defunding Planned Parenthood nationally will likely be on the agenda alongside the current administration’s attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. This plan follows an earlier amendment to the Mexico City Policy: the Hyde Amendment of 1975, which blocked low-income Medicaid recipients

from receiving financial assistance for abortion services, excluding instances of rape, incest or endangerment to the mother’s life.

Reactions to these measures have been swift. Opponents have pointed to the many problematic and potentially dangerous consequences posed by what they call the “Global Gag Rule,” in reference to the Mexico City Policy. Pro-choice advocates and lawmakers on both sides have expressed their concern, pointing to the defunding of nonabortion related health care and educational services many of these NGOs provide. Many also point to increased cases of unsafe illegal abortions – and abortions in general – which corresponded to the times the policy has been reinstated in the past. Opponents assert that this indicates the policy’s ineffectiveness at reducing abortion rates and that such a restriction in accessibility to regulated and legal abortion services will simply push more women seeking an abortion to pursue unsafe and potentially deadly illegal alternatives instead.

The United Press International (UPI) highlighted Kenya, a country with low access to contraceptives, as an example of this phenomenon.

According to UPI, Kenya would lose about $3 million in funds from USAID that would otherwise go toward providing contraceptives to patients and training more health care workers. Organizations like USAID service around 75,000 women from rural communities in the region.

“Other organizations that rely heavily on U.S. funding — which last year totaled over $600 million for international family planning and reproductive health services — will have to choose between shutting up about abortion or

shutting down some of their other aid-funded programs,” the UPI said on its website.

Planned Parenthood has been on the national and international forefront of opposing these efforts to defund facilities. The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) operates through 65,000 service points in 172 countries, delivering sexual and reproductive health services to over 89 million people toward the goal of “[enabling] services and champion[ing] sexual and reproductive health and rights for all, especially the under-served,” according to the IPPF’s mission statement.

They joined 140 organizations — including Amnesty USA, Catholics for Choice, Feminist Majority and Save the Children – to stand up for the protection and enhancement of the “lives of women, men and young people throughout the Americas and Caribbean and to refuse to sign a policy denying human rights and putting women’s lives at risk,” according to a statement released by the organization on Jan. 23.

The statement goes on to address the inequality and ineffectiveness of the Global Gag Rule, saying it restricts women’s basic rights to autonomy as well as their ability to access family planning services, especially those with less socioeconomic resources.

“Evidence has shown that the Global Gag Rule has not reduced the incidence of abortion; rather, by eliminating access to contraception, it has led to more unintended pregnancies and more unsafe abortions,” the statement said.

“The bottom line is that women’s lives should not be a casualty of partisan politics.”

Doctors Without Borders has also released a public statement emphasizing an increased vulnerability to HIV transmission for women and their children unable to access “specific and targeted [health] services.”

Closer to home, the House’s call to defund Planned Parenthood along with the Affordable Care Act has California legislatures concerned about potentially losing up to $260 million in federal funding for the state’s Planned Parenthood organizations. Such loss of funding will impact the nearly one million patients in the state, almost 90 percent of whom are low-income and receiving some form of care subsidized by federal Medicaid funds, according to the L.A. Times.

Brian Johnston, chairman for the California ProLife Council and a state affiliate of the National Right to Life committee, views efforts to defund Planned Parenthood “as both a fiscal responsibility and as a measure toward stopping abortions.” This is despite the fact that 98 percent of Planned Parenthood services are nonabortion, according to KCRA. However, a 2015 survey by the Public Policy Institute of California shows that “nearly 70 percent of respondents believed the government should not restrict access to abortion,” according to the L.A. Times. Pro-choice advocates on the international, national and local level will continue to carefully scrutinize and passionately respond to the prolife legislation and activities of the current administration regarding healthcare – especially with issues of reproductive health – in the weeks, months and years to come.

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Leave 2008 behind and embrace your body Cory’s Content

Cory Hutchinson

Asst. Life+Arts Editor @LALoyolan

L

ast week, I received my paycheck and immediately deposited it so I could go online shopping at ASOS. If you don’t know what ASOS is, it’s an online British fashion retailer with trendy and affordable merchandise — but beware, you will end up buying something.

I’ve been on this website many times, and I’ve ordered from them enough to have half of my closest dedicated to their brand; however, I noticed something last week that I’d never caught before.

While scrolling through what’s new in the men’s section, I noticed the ASOS PLUS collection. Now, I know I didn’t just miss it before, because I’ve combed through hundreds of pages of clothes and never seen this pop up. I looked at the men’s section tab and noticed that a plus size category was added in bold font — similar to the bolded Tall section and the ASOS A-List section. I decided to take a look at the ASOS PLUS collection because I wanted to see what their perception of plus size was as a European company — their body type norms are quite different from ours, or so you would think.

While looking through everything, I realized that their norms were actually pretty similar to what the body norm is in U.S. fashion. I was slightly disturbed by the difference in the models for the different sections on ASOS. Under the men’s section for standard sizes, the models are mainly white, have six-packs and pouty faces.

Also, there are so many models because there are so many different styles to photograph.

Yet, under the plus size section, there were only a few models, and the majority of them were black, none of whom were making the typical pouty faces. The models

Kevin Chan | Loyolan

While body positivity is more widely acknowledged today, many companies in the fashion and modeling industries can’t capture the realistic body. for this collection seemed to be So if they can embrace it, why I want to convey here. Be like get ahead. Let’s throw away this embracing their personalities can’t the fashion industry? I these incredible models who’re idea that shaming is necessary in and having fun, contrary to understand there’s a sexual having fun and actually smiling. order to put people in their place, the standard models, and appeal to a guy having abs and This mindset would change the or that it’s vain to take pride in that’s something that needs to looking at the camera with a industry and our perceptions of how you look, and let’s embrace be embraced. Aside from the face that displays attitude, but the standard body. who we are because it really is obvious racial issue here, the fashion should be fun and for Even if the goal isn’t to change worth it. It doesn’t matter what difference in attitudes of the the people. Personally, I think the industry, why wouldn’t you number or size you are, and it standard and plus size models it would be interesting to have want to show people that you doesn’t matter what other people show that there is a huge divide models react to what they wear feel great? Society has a problem are going to think, it just matters in the perception of plus size and when they’re in a photoshoot and with encouraging body positivity how you feel in what you wear. “normal” people. The standard that’s what the company uses to and showing emotions, but models are obviously showcased sell the product. Imagine a model that’s something that needs to go This is the opinion of Cory Hutchinson, a as the ideal. wearing a shirt that’s incredibly because it’s so 2008. The world is freshman sociology major from Palm Desert, California. Tweet comments to @LALoyolan Now, I understand that the ugly and looking at the camera changing every day and we need or email comments to tmarom@theloyolan. fashion and modeling industries laughing at how ridiculous they to keep up — in fact, we need to com. aren’t going to change overnight, look. Now, I might not buy that but I believe this is something that shirt, but I’d have a lot more needs some attention. We should respect for the company and the be encouraging the fashion and industry itself. modeling industries to capture Going back to the plus size genuine reactions and realistic models on ASOS who looked like expectations. This is the only they were embracing who they way that we can embrace who we are; that’s something I think we are so that we aren’t trying to live all could use in today’s world. up to unrealistic societal body- If wearing a certain article of centric expectations. clothing makes you feel really Why do we, as a global good, show it. Don’t downplay community, keep normalizing how you feel or shrug it off as what models, and therefore just another outfit, strut down people, should look like? There the street and smile because are so many different types of you feel good – imagine that bodies that are embraced, and I’m really excitedly yelling this these types vary by culture. to you because that’s the tone

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Kristen Stewart roasts Trump on ‘SNL’ Eye of the Tygre

Tygre Patchell-Evans Life+Arts Intern @LALoyolan

L

ast week Kristen Stewart hosted “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) and delivered a not-so-subtle roast of President Donald Trump, with a particularly snarky response to Trump’s Twitter opinions about Stewart’s love life. The episode has been gaining a lot of attention, in part due to Stewart’s comment in her opening monologue that she’s “like so gay, dude.” The comment was given an extra punch being that in the Twilight-era in 2012, Trump tweeted repeatedly about his desire for Robert Pattinson to dump Stewart. While these tweets were not at all out of character for Trump, Stewart turned the events back on him both by suggesting Trump himself liked Pattison and by boldly stating that Trump wouldn’t like her now since she is openly gay.

She furthered her point through the Totino’s sketch which started as an infomerciallike advertisement, but quickly turned into a montage of SNL cast member Vanessa Bayer and Stewart making out. SNL has a tradition of airing a faux Totino’s commercial each year around the Super Bowl, which usually comments on the common sexist assumption that football is for men. This year the joke was taken a step farther in Bayer claiming she had never had a name and then subsequently flaking on her

Well known for her role in the Twilight Saga, Kristen Stewart hosted SNL last Saturday. duties as a housewife to partake in the montage with Stewart.

The episode continued by reprimanding seemingly every decision Trump has made in the past week, and there have been a lot. As was pointed out in the “Weekend Update on Donald Trump’s Executive Orders,” Trump had signed 18 executive orders in 12 days, which Michael Che likened to “gut renovating the country like it’s a crack house on ‘Flip or Flop.’” Another sketch mimicked a tutorial of how to enter the country but interrupted

it with side commentary on how the instructions will be changed by the travel ban. The “Welcome Video PSA” began by saying the instructions did not pertain to “Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and maybe Australia” — the Muslim countries which Che pointed out don’t have Trump hotels (plus Australia). The SNL team suggested that for Trump the block is “just foreplay,” alluding to his sexual assault allegations.

One of the best sketches of the night had to be the “Oval Office

Cold Open” which portrayed Assistant to the President and Chief Strategist Steve Bannon as the grim reaper, egging on Trump (played by Alec Baldwin) as he called foreign governments.

The first three calls which Trump made to Australia, Mexico and Germany all ended with him saying “prepare to go to war.”

Within the calls, many relevant issues were brought up, such as Trump refusing to accept refugees, the fake Bowling Green Massacre (the one made up by Kellyanne Conway) and Trump

trying to get Mexico to pay for the border wall. Baldwin enacted a blatant comparison of Trump to Adolf Hitler by announcing that he planned to write a book called “My Struggle” which of course translates in German to the name of Hitler’s infamous autobiography, “Mein Kampf.”

The sketch also suggested that Bannon was pulling the strings in the Oval Office by having Trump move to the secondary desk so that Bannon could take his place.

I thoroughly enjoyed this episode of SNL. It was packed with high quality comedy with every word taking a jab at someone. Whether or not people agree with the critique of the Trump administration, the episode certainly left an impression. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer responded to a sketch in which Melissa McCarthy played him by saying that McCarthy “could dial back” a bit, though he still did say it was funny. There were many more hilarious sketches such as the “Sean Spicer Press Conference,” “Celebrity Family Feud: Super Bowl Edition” and “Dry Fridays and Meet Cute.” A last notable mention, in case you aren’t yet intrigued enough, goes to Stewart dropping the F-word during her opening monologue, which slipped past censors. If you missed this week’s episode you can watch the highlights on the NBC website and check out what you think of the sketches roasting Trump hosted by Stewart.

This is the opinion of Tygre PatchellEvans, a freshman communications major from Victoria, Canadad. Tweet comments to @LALoyolan or email comments to tmarom@theloyolan.com.

life+arts

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The burden of carrying a negative body image Taykin’ It Easy Taylor Gage

Asst. Life+Arts Editor @LALoyolan

L

et’s talk about body image, brought to light by LMU’s Body Image Awareness Month, but ever present in today’s society. Or, let’s try to talk about it at least.

I say try because, well, it’s complicated. There are so many factors that play into how you or anyone else sees their body, and how they believe others to see them. I was in first grade when I first started caring about my weight. I was even younger when I started to care if I was pretty.

There is one day that stands out in first grade that will always resonate with me; it was so sad.

I threw a tantrum that made me late for school because I didn’t want to wear the uniform I was given. I just didn’t think it looked as good on me as it did on my peers. I couldn’t shake the feeling that others would notice.

I was 6 years old, but I remember clearly looking in the mirror, seeing the stockings stretched tight over my chubby little thighs and the plaid dress that bunched around the middle instead of hanging over my tummy. Who really knows what exactly set me off that day, or why I had already developed the irrational desire to have a conventionally attractive figure so young, but it stayed with me.

Perhaps it’s because even as children, we are praised for our looks. I am guilty of it now as an adult, calling kids cute, telling them their long hair is pretty or their new monster truck shirt is rad. We constantly reinforce the perception that our worth is in part determined by what we look like or what we wear – and for me and probably other kids, that became a very dangerous ideal long after it was first introduced.

As a high schooler, this nagging discomfort with my body followed me. We wrote letters as freshmen to be put in a time capsule for our senior selves to dig up before graduation. The organizers of this capsule said to write personal things, things that would jog your memory to back when you were just starting high school. They said to write your goals and some facts about yourself.

The first thing I wrote at the top of the page were my measurements — size 6, 5-foot2, 115 pounds — and a note that said “Don’t you dare gain the Freshman 15.” This, of course, I forgot about, until May 2015 when we dug up our capsule.

Those words stung as the most horrific insult to myself even

after those four years, especially after I’d gained more than 15 pounds and was still struggling with how I felt about myself.

It sounds like maybe I’m playing the victim here, when obviously I did that particular harm to myself — I am very aware. I truly believe we are all victims of body image issues.

There have been countless times where my feelings about my body have hurt not only me but those around me as well. For example, by comparing myself to my peers, I unfairly judge them for their appearances and place worth on their looks. I unknowingly, unconsciously even, pick and choose parts of people I like and build them up, which in turn puts all others down.

While a lot of my body image experience has centered around my weight, there’s so many pressures to it. It’s often overlooked, but how we feel about our ethnicity is just as important as how we feel about our figure, especially as children.

Growing up in a rural small town, I was constantly reminded that I was different. The standard of beauty was always whitewashed, an image I could only ever get to halfway. When straight hair was in and blue eyes were beautiful, there was little I could do to achieve that specific look.

As an artist, even then, I would draw little white girls in white houses with blonde hair and little waists. Back then, I wanted to grow up to be a fashion designer.

I would design fashion with only

Taylor Gage | Loyolan

those girls in mind, because for some reason that’s all I knew to be good and beautiful and “instyle.”

Again, we are all victims here.

The more we reblog Beyoncé’s consistently whitewashed image in the media, or see People’s “Most Beautiful” woman be a beautiful skinny blue-eyed white

woman once again, the more we straighten our natural hair because we’re ashamed of our frizz, or drop hundreds of dollars buying clothes we pretend to like, the more damage we do.

When we put ourselves down, call ourselves fat for having thicker thighs or our skin gross because we have a little acne or our stretch marks ugly, the more we are hurting, belittling and insulting those with similar features, similar struggles and alternative beauty.

I’m not saying that I have a solution; I myself know that I still struggle daily to align how I want to look with how I actually look, by reprogramming myself to see real true beauty and not the beauty that’s been force fed and taught to me my whole life.

I still accidentally call myself fat or have an off day — I know. But I also know that body insecurity is a man-made (and woman-made) problem.

We all play a part, and if we all individually decide to be better, we all benefit. We have to stop being that little girl who designs clothes that won’t ever even fit her, and start being the people who assign beauty and worth to everyone.

This is the opinion of Taylor Gage, a sophomore studio arts major from Napa Valley, California. Tweet comments to @LALoyolan or email comments to tmarom@theloyolan.com.

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The future of weed in the NFL Medical Marijuana from Page 20

halted research. The American Medical Association has called for further adequate and well-controlled studies of marijuana and related cannabinoids, urging the federal government to review marijuana’s status under the CSA with the goal of facilitating the conduct of clinical research and development of cannabinoid-based medicines.

Third, the fear of abuse is controlled under the current TUE mechanism. As such, the benefit to players in pain, coupled with the possibility that the medicinal use of marijuana may, in fact, decrease the use of opioid painkillers, outweighs any cost to the league to include it as a TUE. Finally, as of 2015, researchers concluded that marijuana is a form of medicine, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association. For these and other reasons it is likely that marijuana will be legalized, in some form, nationwide in short order. Depriving a man of the most effective medical treatment for a legitimate medical need, when it is otherwise available to him under the law, through the coercion of limiting his ability to complete his life’s work is simply not just.

While it is likely that the NFL may have to rethink the inclusion of marijuana on the banned substances list, here, the call is to provide an interim measure to help players with legitimate medical needs while the debate continues on the legal, ethical and sport-specific effects of removing the ban on, or altering the regulation of, marijuana use by athletes. Based

upon the current state of science and U.S. law, it is incredibly inconsistent to severely sanction a pained athlete without an alternative medical option, for using marijuana medicinally inside of the law without the option of a TUE. Additionally, it is a severe miscarriage of justice to suspend a disease-plagued player for almost a full season for the legal use of marijuana as prescribed by his physician, while a player convicted of domestic violence — former Ravens running back Ray Rice — was caught on video, yet only received a two-game punishment.

Nonetheless, there is hope, as the NFL Players’ Association (NFLPA) recently announced that it intends to propose a less punitive approach to recreational marijuana use among players. As the NFLPA negotiates updates to its collective bargaining agreement with the league, it will likely seek changes to the NFL’s drug policy in the wake of the growing legal acceptance of marijuana across the nation, coupled with player outcry for the ability to use marijuana to treat pain from football-related injuries. While it may be too little too late for Henderson, unless his suspension is enjoined during the negotiation process, there is a glimmer of hope that logic will prevail. At a minimum, medical marijuana should be included as a substance that can be employed in the case of medical necessity under the TUE currently in place.

This is the opinion of Lynell Davis, a bioethics graduate student from Redondo Beach, California. Tweet comments to @LoyolanSports, or email rhartnett@ theloyolan.com.

SPORTS

SPORTS

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SPORTS

SCORES UPDATE M. BBALL

LION

74-64 L

W. BBALL

at USF

SPORTS

W. WPOLO

9-7 L at UC Davis

79-72 L

vs. USF

M. TENNIS

4-2 W at Army

Follow us on Twitter @loyolansports for up-to-date scores.

Page 20

LOS ANGELES LOYOLAN | February 8, 2017 | laloyolan.com

Women’s water polo seeks GCC supremacy Big Time Timmy Jim Tim De Vries

Asst. Sports Editor @LoyolanSports

T

he LMU women’s water polo team — currently ranked No. 20 in the nation — is back in the water for the 2017 season. Once again, the Lions will look to compete for the Golden Coast Conference (GCC) Championship, one of the more competitive conferences in the country.

Last season, the Lions finished third in the GCC with a 4-3 conference record (1115) overall. In the preseason GCC coaches poll, LMU is projected to finish third once again. Despite these projections, Head Coach Kyle Witt and company have their sights set on winning the conference.

The University of the Pacific received seven first-place votes in the poll, falling just one vote shy of taking the top spot.

San Diego State University received the other vote, coming in second in the polls, followed by the Lions in third. LMU plays both teams consecutively at the end of March, meaning they’ll have a chance to either greatly increase or decrease their chances of reaching their ultimate goal of winning the conference.

So far, LMU has a record of 2-4, with all four losses coming this past weekend at the Stanford Invitational against ranked teams, including No. 1 Stanford University. Before the tournament, the Lions easily dispatched non-conference opponents Whittier and Pomona-Pitzer by a combined score of 33-12.

LMU returns with a stable of experienced players, which gives the team continuity. This means strategy, substitutions and team chemistry should already be established; however it’s still too early in the season to tell.

Sophomore driver Hana Vilanova will be a focal point of the Lions’ offense this

Caroline Burt | Loyolan

The Lions once again face one of the most difficult schedules in the nation. This past weekend alone, LMU faced No. 1 Stanford, No. 6-ranked UC Davis, No. 8 Hawaii and No. 18 UC Davis. LMU begins GCC play on March 24 against Fresno Pacific University. season after a breakout freshman year.

Last season, Vilanova tied for the team lead with 40 goals, as she played all 27 games last season. She also added 22 assists and 33 steals, both good for second place on last year’s team.

Vilanova will be flanked by senior driver Caitlin Schaffer and senior utility Kiana Etrata. Last year, Schaffer added 27 goals and 14 assists, and finished with a team-high 55 steals. Against Whittier this season, Schaffer scored a careerhigh seven goals, tied for second-most in school history. Etrata has played in 79 games over the last three seasons for LMU, posting 20 goals, 68 assists and 60 steals.

The goalkeeper position will certainly be one to keep an eye on this season for LMU. Last season as a freshman, sophomore goalkeeper Sky Flores started all 27 games

for the Lions, allowing an average of 8.8 goals per game. While it doesn’t show in the overall statistics, Flores played the hero in numerous close games last season, coming with save after save in the closing minutes. On one hand, Flores has earned every right to the position.

On the other hand, junior goalkeeper Claire Wright returns to the Lions’ roster in 2017. Wright played collegiately for LMU during the 2013 and 2014 seasons, before a three-year stint as part of the Canadian National Team’s program. In 116 quarters for LMU in 2014, Wright recorded 273 saves, including 12 in the GCC championship game. In 2013 as a true freshman, she gave up just 184, an average of 7.75 per game.

For Witt, having two talented goalkeepers is a great problem to have.

What makes it difficult is that both players deserve to be in the pool. It will be interesting to see how he manages the two as the season progresses.

Because of the nature of the conference and Witt’s willingness to play against the best teams in the nation, LMU once again faces one of the toughest schedules in the country. If they can get to the other side with a winning record, they’ll be in great shape come postseason. For now, the team has lost four straight, and will be looking to right the ship and start the climb towards GCC supremacy. They’ll have a chance to do so this weekend, Feb. 11, at the UC San Diego Triton Invitational.

This is the opinion of Tim De Vries, a sophomore engineering major from Lake Oswego, Oregon. Tweet comments to @LoyolanSports, or email rhartnett@ theloyolan.com.

Medical marijuna punishment fails to fit the crime Bioethics for Jocks

Lynell Davis Contributor

C

alifornia, the first state to legalize medical marijuana, did so more than 20 years ago, and as of the Nov. 8 elections has joined states such as Oregon and Washington in legalizing it for recreational use. As stated by the National Conference of State Legislatures, marijuana is now legal for medicinal purposes in 28 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico, and is legal for recreational use in several states.

Irrespective of the legality of marijuana for medicinal uses in more than half of the country, and the growing trend towards permitting its recreational use, U.S. professional sport continues to use drug testing for marijuana to impose draconian punishments on athletes.

As of late, the National Football League (NFL), which has shown a bizarre pattern of punishing debatable rule violations with totalitarian zeal, has allowed criminals to play — and has gotten it wrong, again, according to Law Street Media.

Each NFL team plays 16 games in 17 weeks during the regular season. If one truly understands football, it is clear that each player is a cog in what must be a well-oiled machine to reach the post season, and ultimately win Super Bowls. When a team loses a player, it alters the proper functioning of the team. When a player is suspended, his pursuit of a life-long dream — a dream with an expiration date — is deferred.

Recently, Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson was issued a 10-game

suspension, resulting in a total suspension of 14 games, simply because he needs medical marijuana. Despite his being in a state that legalized the use of medical marijuana in 2014 (New York), and his use being for the purpose of treating his Crohn’s disease — a debilitating disease that can lead to life-threatening complications with no known cure — Henderson has been deprived of the ability to go to his office: the football field. He uses marijuana, under the supervision of a licensed physician, to treat his pain from two intestinal surgeries related to Crohn’s. He is medically unable to take other pain killers, so marijuana is his only option, according to CBS News.

While the NFL’s policy regarding “substances of abuse” includes a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE), permitting the use of otherwise banned substances to treat “an appropriately diagnosed medical problem,” marijuana is excluded. Thus, a player, like Henderson, must either live in pain, or violate the NFL’s policy.

The presence of marijuana on the banned substances lists of the NFL and other sports organizations has resulted in a robust legal and ethical debate. Whether or not sports should continue to ban marijuana is the central issue, but there is an interim need for a TUE for players like Henderson. The NFL, like other professional sports leagues, permits the use of substances with proven performance enhancing effects under its TUE, as well as the use of alcohol. Marijuana is conspicuously absent from substances that the NFL allows under its TUE. While the larger issue remains whether or not marijuana should be removed from banned substances lists of U.S. sports, here the inquiry is whether it is ethical to prohibit its use for a legitimate medical purpose as a TUE. The purpose of a TUE is to balance the legitimate medical need of the athlete against

via Flickr Creative Commons

Medical marijuana should be reconsidered by National Football League as a Therapeutic Use Exemption. The NFL suspends players for the use of the drug medicinally. the sport’s interest in preventing abuse of illegal and/or performance enhancing substances. As such, organizations such as the World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) have contrived well-defined and restricted conditions to enable athletes to take necessary medication.

This is perplexing, especially in the context of the NFL where many players suffer not only from conditions such as Crohn’s, but chronic pain associated with playing a physical contact sport. Many players are forced to use chemical painkillers — predominately opioids — to manage their symptoms. Such medications carry a number of side effects, mainly addiction. The TUE for marijuana may be a way to reduce the use of more harmful pain management methods. The TUE provides a ready-made system of checks and balances to protect against abuses, yet the league continues to force players to choose between

living in pain or playing football.

Some may argue that such an interim provision is inappropriate, clinging to the fact that marijuana remains illegal under federal law.

Such an organization may also take position that there is uncertainty regarding the efficacy and dosing of marijuana, and a lack of research to support many anecdotal claims regarding medicinal uses of marijuana. However, those in favor, which include retired NFL players, can refute such claims.

First, the federal government has essentially taken the position insofar as the states may implement appropriate procedures to control the sale and use of marijuana — the federal government will not interfere.

Second, while marijuana has historically been used medicinally and studied extensively, of late, its classification under the 1970 Controlled Substances Act (CSA) has effectively See Medical Marijuana | Page 18