W W W. L A L O Y O L A N . C O M
Los Angeles LOYOLAN The
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A rejected applicant goes on a salty social media spree. Yikes.
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Women’s basketball improves game from previous season.
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| ISSUE 23
Thomas Poon named as next provost Thomas Poon, professor of chemistry and acknowledged scientist, to succeed Hellige. Tor Marom
Editor-in-Chief @LALoyolan
Lauren Holmes | Loyolan
Thomas Poon will be succeeding Joseph Hellige on June 1 with President Synder’s support.
On Thursday, March 9, LMU President Snyder announced Thomas Poon to be the successor of Joseph Hellige as executive vice president and provost. The provost’s responsibilities involve leading the academic and student affairs divisions, which encompass athletics, enrollment management and educational and creative activities. Confidence in our new provost appears high. “He is an esteemed scholar, distinguished educator, and a proven academic leader who has a track record for inspiring innovation, social justice, and global imagination,” LMU President Timothy Law Snyder said. Poon is a professor of chemistry and served at Pitzer College as interim president, acting president and senior associate dean of faculty. Poon currently holds tenured positions at Pitzer, Claremont McKenna College and Scripps College. Poon is an acknowledged scientist, having received National Science Foundation grants for S-STEM research as well as other topics. As an administrator at Pitzer, Poon also led innovative initiatives surrounding study abroad programs and more. “Provost
Poon believes in experiential learning opportunities and has advocated for study abroad and community service programs,” Snyder added, “As an alumnus of Fairfield, a sibling Jesuit university, he shares our values and models the benefits of a Jesuit education for which we all strive.” President Snyder also holds high esteem for Poon’s creative teaching style. “Interestingly, Provost Poon composes and performs song parodies to welcome new students in his chemistry classes and to engage community members at events. We will be sure to utilize those skills!” Snyder himself is a bit of a campus celebrity for his musical exploits, namely the song “Uncle Wiggly” which many students have accessed on his Soundcloud. “I am honored to join LMU as I am inspired by its mission and values — an institution that educates with purpose and seeks transformative social change,” Poon said for an article on the LMU Newsroom website. Snyder is confident that Poon is well prepared to be a symbol of leadership on the Bluff. “[Poon’s] experience at Pitzer, Scripps, and Claremont McKenna highlights his commitment to developing transformative academic communities of intellectual rigor and inclusivity.” “[Poon] has consistently put concern for students at the center of his decisionmaking, and I am confident that his energy and collaborative style will accelerate LMU’s momentum as an institution with global, creative impact,” Snyder said. Poon will succeed Provost Hellige on June 1.
MEChA de LMU to hold annual high school conference on campus MEChA provides students with an opportunity to pursue higher education through conference. Isabella Murillo Asst. News Editor @LALoyolan
On Saturday, March 17, MEChA will be holding their Annual Raza High School Conference for local high school students on LMU’s campus. MEChA, which stands for Movimiento Estudiantil Chicana/o de Aztlán, organizes their yearly conference to give opportunities and guidance to local high school students. “This conference really aims to let marginalized students, particularly those of color, know that college is a very real possibility. It also provides them that space to see that students who look like them are currently attending college. Many of those students attending may not get these resources at their schools, so we want to ensure that they have access to these resources,” Chris Reynoso, a junior psychology Chicano/a studies major and External Chair and Vice President of MECha, said. MEChA de LMU was founded in
1968 with two very specific goals in mind: First, MEChA was to become organically tied to the everyday social and political life of the Mexican American communities with the aim of empowering and developing those communities. Second: MEChA was to become a permanent, wellorganized power block for the purpose of redirecting university attention and resources to the needs of MexicanAmerican students, educators and communities. “MEChA branches from the Chicano movement when college students sought their active role in the movement [...] to empower themselves and their communities through things like high school conferences to emphasize community outreach and the founding of an ethnic studies department.” Sofia Hernandez, a senior theology, Chicano/a studies and Spanish major Internal Chair of MEChA, said. With these goals in mind, MEChA started holding its Annual High School Conference. This conference will be the 20th annual and will have the theme “¡La Lucha Sigue!” (“The Fight Continues!”) The all-day event will include a keynote speaker, college mentors and several workshops related to social issues, culture, college preparedness, entertainment and more.
The keynote speaker this year is Dr. Alma Itze Flores. According to MEChA de LMU’s website, Flores was a firstgeneration college student and daughter of immigrant parents from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. She earned her B.A. in Sociology from UCLA and her M.A. in Education from the University of Texas,
Austin. Recently she received her Ph.D. in Education with a concentration in Race and Ethnic Studies from UCLA. Her research interests include the educational experiences of Mexicana/ Chicana first–generation college See MEChA | Page 3
via MEChA
MEChA will be hosting a conference for high school students to provide support and guidance.