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A new app takes the hanger out of the morning commute.
Two freshman soccer players arrive at LMU from Iceland.
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SCOTUS nominee ends Senate hearing Kavanaugh is likely to be confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice by the end of the month. Sami Leung
Managing Editor @LALoyolan
Emily Sullivan | Loyolan
Victims of 9/11 remembered with Memorial on Lawton Plaza Seventeen years after the events of 9/11, LMU joined the nation in celebrating the lives lost during the attack with a display on Lawton Plaza. The Young Americans for Freedom club coordinated the display and assembled 2,997 flags to represent the victims and to remember those who were lost. Adam Duarte, president of the club said the display was to, “honor all those who died in the devastating terrorist attacks that shocked our nation.”
New top dog on campus hopes to help students SPS and residential life introduce Buster, an in residence therapy dog. Kayla Brogan News Editor @LALoyolan
A three-and-a-half-month-old golden doodle puppy that goes by the name of Buster is LMU’s newest Lion. Buster resides with Leavey 5’s Resident Minister Edward Siebert, who is Buster's primary caregiver. He will soon attend training to become LMU’s first full-time oncampus therapy dog. Buster was adopted a week before school started, and he cannot be trained until he is at least four months old. The training program is an intensive four to five week program where he will be away from campus. He will be trained by a company called IWorkDogs, who will be sending regular updates on his progress back to Siebert, which he hopes to share on Buster’s progress on his Instagram (@lmubuster.) Once his training is finished, he will return to campus where he will apply the skills he learned. Siebert will be trained to work with Buster and learn about the process of his training. Buster’s integration on-campus is expected to begin in the spring of 2019. Full integration will begin in the fall of 2019. Siebert hopes that Buster will also act as a school mascot. “I am a big fan, he reminds me of my dog who I had to say goodbye to after the summer,” said junior theatre major Sam Bribyl. After his interaction with Buster, Bribyl predicted that the rest of his day
was going to be even better. Buster’s disposition is even-tempered and consistently mellow, and as puppies do, he jumps and barks occasionally, but for the most part his demeanor is calm. His mother was a golden doodle and his father was a golden retriever, so he is expected to be a large dog, according to Siebert. “Coming from a stressful class and seeing a dog relieves any stress I had,” senior political science and French double major Anita Marks said. “Reactions are enthusiastically positive,” Director of Student Psychological Services Kristen Linden said. Siebert agreed that the campus reaction has been largely positive. Siebert explained how the dog’s training will also help to socialize Buster to ensure he is acclimated to various types of people, situations and noises that may occur on a college campus. Siebert wants people to know that if they are afraid of dogs, Buster is not going to run up to people and jump on them. He encourages students to get to know the gentle demeanor of Buster. “This was my first experience with Buster, and I think we are definitely going to need more puppies on campus,” senior animation major, Federica Cue said. She mentioned that the puppies that come during finals are a big help, but there needs to be some walking around — so accessibility is increased. Father Siebert hopes that Buster will help make students’ transition from home to campus life more manageable. “It is hard enough to leave your family, let alone your pet. It will be nice to have a connection for a lot of students who love dogs,” said Siebert. “Once he is trained, he will be available
at Student Psychological Services, and people can go in and see him and talk to him,” said Siebert. He mentioned that until it is formalized, individuals interested in meeting with Father Siebert and Buster can come to his office or Leavey 5, room 407 for “a visit and hello.” Follow Buster at @lmubuster for updates.
Brett Kavanaugh, a DC Circuit Court of Appeals judge and conservative, has been announced as President Donald Trump’s choice to replace retiring Justice, Anthony Kennedy. This will be Trump’s second Supreme Court nomination, with Justice Neil Gorsuch replacing the late Justice Antonin Scalia in April 2017. Kavanaugh was questioned by the Senate in a series of public and controversial hearings starting on Tuesday, Sept. 4 until Friday, Sept. 7, according to NPR — his confirmation vote will most likely take place on Sept. 20. One of the main goals of these hearings is to determine how the nominee interprets the Constitution and the consequences of that philosophy on certain issues, according to Kimberly West-Faulcon, the James P. Bradley chair in Constitutional Law and a law professor at Loyola Law School. “One aspect of those hearings that has changed over the last several decades is that they’ve been increasingly less useful in learning what a particular nominee political philosophy is,” West-Faulcon said. “That can include their approach to how they would interpret provisions in the Constitution. Many decades ago, it was much more common for nominees to be more open about that.” Kavanaugh is identified as an “originalist” or “textualist” which is the belief that the Constitutional text should be interpreted by its original meaning. A more liberal judge, a “non-originalist,” believes in a "living Constitution," where the Constitution should be interpreted in reflection to the context around it. “A judge should be vetted on the perspective See Kavanaugh | Page 2
Lauren Holmes | Loyolan
LMU's newest Lion is training to become a therapy dog for SPS. He will recieve formal training and is getting to know the campus community.
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Judge Kavanaugh’s controversial hearing Kavanaugh from Page 1
he views the law, not the way he would rule on individual cases or issues,” Adam Duarte, a senior economics major, said. “Judge Kavanaugh ought to be confirmed for his commitment to textual originalism, as what a judge should strive to look to. Any other type of judgment in pursuit of what we call ‘social justice’ would lead to the greatest of injustices. Confirm Kavanaugh.” Key issues that have come up in his appointment include his stance on Roe v. Wade, gun control and executive branch authority. Kavanaugh has said that he will hold with precedent, considering Roe v. Wade as “settled law,” according to CNN. Past cases of Kavanaugh’s have shown him arguing that the banning of semi-automatic rifles is unconstitutional, according to the Guardian, as well as writing that Obama-era net neutrality regulations were unlawful, violating of the First Amendment and that the FCC had overreached in issuing the regulation, according to CNN. In terms of the power of the executive branch, Kavanaugh did not answer a question on whether the Constitution would allow Trump to avoid Robert Mueller’s subpoena looking into Russian collusion, according to the New York Times. “Brett Kavanaugh is qualified,” Michael Genovese, a political
science professor, said. “[But] I would have serious problems with him because his conception of executive power is completely misguided and unconstitutional.” Austin Raymundo, a junior political science and economics double major, agreed, and believes that although it is likely that Kavanaugh will be confirmed, “I disagree with his political philosophy and disagree on issues such as whether or not the president ought to be investigated while in office.” Justices for the Supreme Court receive lifetime appointments and thus the process of vetting and confirmation can take weeks. The process begins with a presidential nomination. Although Kavanuagh was not on Trump’s original list, he was added in November 2017 and announced as the final choice on July 9. “Judge Kavanaugh has impeccable credentials, unsurpassed qualifications and a proven commitment to equal justice under the law,” Trump said in his announcement. The Se n a te Ju d iciary Committee, a smaller group within the Senate, then conducts a public hearing in which the nominee is “questioned and may give testimony about everything from [his/her] judicial philosophy to [his/her] stand on abortion,” according to the Huffington Post. Based on
these hearings, the committee will give their recommendation to the Senate to vote on. The current Senate is majority Republican (51 to 49). First, the Majority leader, Mitch McConnell, must achieve a unanimous consent to enter an “executive session” to vote on
it, or pass a motion — which takes 60 votes — to consider the candidate in a regular session of Congress. In either of the cases, the confirmation vote itself requires a simple majority of the senators present and voting. Gaby Menashe, a junior political science major, said, “my
deepest concern is that justices like Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Justice [Stephen] Breyer, they’re getting up there in age and as we’re losing these crucial votes, its concerning who they’re going to be replaced with.”
Office of Senator Chuck Grassley via Wikimedia Commons
Kavanaugh meeting with Senate Judiciary Committee, Chuck Grassley. Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings lasted four days and his confirmation vote for the Supreme Court is set for Sept. 20.
All you need to know about California’s general election California’s general state election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 6. Kayan Tara
Asst. News Editor @LALoyolan
The voter registration deadline for the Nov. 6 general election is Oct. 22. Californians can either register to vote online or postmark their vote. A new safety net for Californians who missed the Oct. 22 deadline allows people to “conditionally” register and vote at their county elections office after the 15day voter registration deadline. Vote-by-Mail Ballot Requests must arrive by Oct. 30, according to the California Secretary of States’ website. California’s general election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 6. Voters will elect the governor, secretary of state, attorney general, 20 even-numbered State Senate district members, 80 State Assembly members, 53 members to the United States House of Representatives and one member to the United States Senate, among other elected officials, according to the Sierra Sun Times. “Students will be impacted more by these decisions than anybody else because … they will live with the ramifications of this election for many, many more years than those of us who are much older,” Fernando Guerra, a professor of political science and Chicana/o — Latina/o Studies and director of the Center for the Study of Los Angeles, said.
“The voice[s] of young people are typically ignored because they don’t come out to vote. By increasing turnout you create, in future elected officials, more of a responsiveness to the issues of millennials and generation Z.” The results of the June 15 California primary elections put Democratic incumbent Dianne Feinstein at 44.2 percent for the United States Senate, a position she has held since 1993. Eleven Republicans, nine Democrats and 11 other candidates are running for her seat, as reported by the Washington Post. The race to replace Gov. Jerry Brown, a term-limited democratic governor of California since 2011, now has Lieutenant Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, in the lead as of the June 15 election. Newsom will be competing against Republican businessman and attorney John Cox, backed by President Donald Trump, along with 12 Democrats, four Republicans and 10 others candidates for governor of California, according to the Washington Post. “Young people are directly impacted by the decisions of their representatives for the rest of their lives,” said Alden Lundy, a junior political science major. “It’s important that you have a say on policies that you may not be a part of now but will greatly affect you later in life.” June’s primary election this year saw the highest rate of registered voters in the state of California in a non-presidential primary in over a decade. However, the turnout of voters under the age of 30 was still
disproportionately low, as reported by Capital Public Radio. According to Michael Genovese, a professor of political science and president of Global Policy Institute at LMU, with the growing budget crisis, as well as environmental concerns, millennials are going to be the ones affected in the long run. “If they don’t register it now, then they’ll wake up when the bill is turned over to them. That’s incredibly irresponsible of us to do that, [but millennials] sit back and take it. Don’t take it … 2018 is going to be a test,” said Genovese. “If young voters don’t come out in 2018, then when they get the bill they have no one to blame but themselves.” After Proposition 14 was passed in 2010, the state of California has used a nonpartisan blanket primary. Under this electoral system, all candidates run for the same elected office in the primary election regardless of political parties. Those candidates who receive the most votes in the primary elections compete in the general elections, according to the Nov. 6, 2018 Official Voter Information Guide. “There are all kinds of people speculating that there’s going to be an increase in millennial turn out. I hope so, not just because of the outcome, but because of what it says about democracy,” Genovese said. “It’s your responsibility, it’s your government. When you’re 20 years old it may seem [like] you have little power [but] the more you get involved, the more people pay attention to you.”
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How LMU approaches the “red zone” The first four months of school is a dangerous time for campus sexual assault. Isabella Murillo News Intern @LALoyolan
The period between students’ arrival on campus in late August and Thanksgiving has been identified by the Department of Justice as the time a student is most likely to be sexually assaulted, also known as “the red zone.” The majority of assaults in the red zone happen on Saturday and Sunday mornings between midnight and 6 a.m. Twenty-three percent of undergraduate women and 5.4 percent of undergraduate men experience sexual assault. Underclassmen are especially vulnerable, as sexual assaults are more likely to occur during students’ freshman or sophomore years, according to
Briana Maturi, director of LMU Campus Awareness Resource Education Services (LMU CARES). Her program hopes to be a leader in changing sexual misconduct on college campuses. “[Knowing sexual assault statistics] is an opportunity to both educate and empower students with this information so that hopefully our campus can be a leader and change those types of national statistics,” said Maturi. She said that it’s part of the reason LMU CARES takes the education of its students so seriously and requires that all students partake in the LMU CARES program. While sexual assault and consent are already complicated issues, California’s affirmative consent law is another aspect of sexual assault that is discussed with students. Affirmative consent can come in the form of a state law, like it does in New York and California, or a university’s policy, that requires
students give explicit verbal or physical consent before every step of sexual relations. “[Affirmative consent] basically means that virtually every sexually active student in the country where there’s affirmative consent has committed sexual assault as it’s defined by colleges,” professor of political science Evan Gerstmann said. Senate Bill 967, which passed California’s affirmative consent laws, has been the standard for all California colleges since September 2014. While some people see this emphasis on consent as beneficial to students who look for clear signs that sexual activity is happening between two consenting adults, opponents think the law asks too much of college students. “One of the problems of affirmative consent is they’re very different from how people actually engage in sexual conduct, including students,” Gerstmann said. “I mean there’s
lots of empirical research that indicates that.” LMU’s incoming students learn about affirmative consent during LMU CARES’ code certified workshop, but Maturi said its education on consent is more focused on the University’s policies than on state laws. Maturi explained how LMU is trying to implement education on sexual assault as much as possible. “We [have] education on multiple levels: LMU requires all incoming students, freshmen and transfers, to complete the LMU CARES education regarding consent and bystander intervention, but also, we provide ongoing education for students, whether it be through classrooms, registered student organizations, sororities and fraternities, service organizations or athletic teams,” Maturi said. The University also provides a number of resources to those affected by sexual assault.
These students will be directed to a student affairs’ resource administrator (SARA). The SARA has the responsibility of helping the student through the process of reporting the incident to LMU and helping them with any assistance they might need; whether it be academic assistance, residential assistance or work study. Student Psychological Services also steps in to provide the students with counseling. “Whether it be through consent or hookup culture or bystander intervention, really we’re not just doing education just to check a compliance box,” Maturi said. A comprehensive and robust education on topics covered in LMU CARES will open up “learning opportunities through their entire time on campus so that we can really truly look at prevention and culture change,” she said.
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Social Justice tour: South L.A.
via Nate Sessoms Southern California Library Director led a discussion with the group on the media’s roles in portraying communities of color. Multiple times for discussion was held during the tours. major and the tour was a part of Cooke explained the LMU offered a tour into BCLA Dean Dr. Robbin Crabtree. perceptions of the community. The tour was open to all students, The library was one of the an assignment for her FYS class, importance of getting into the city to expose Lions to but it was part of an assignment in highlights for senior Milagro Latino L.A. She stated that the these communities and getting diversity beyond the Bluff classes such as First Year Seminar JeanMarie-Tucker, who joined the social justice aspect was a highlight familiar with the broader (FYS): Latino L.A., The Cross and tour to see L.A. from a different for her. Sessoms spoke on that. context of South L.A. “People the Lynching Tree, Poverty & viewpoint. “I wanted to see different “Today’s tour was also an often look at communities Jermaine Johnson II Place and In Search of a Way. people’s perspectives on the places effort to move our conversations like South L.A. as simply Sports intern “One of the goals for the OBSS that I’ve grown up seeing,” she said. beyond service,” said Sessoms. lower income communities of @LALoyolan was to get students off the Bluff The health and human sciences “It’s important that we are, color, but we don’t consider providing some of the underlying issues To help LMU students, faculty and out into communities to major gew up not too far from the simultaneously, and administrators better connect better understand community library near Crenshaw and Slauson, exposure to and engaging in such as divestment from the with and understand nearby dynamics,” said Sessoms. “You yet this was her first time going. “I dialogues about the systems communities, lack of tax communities, the Office of Black can get an outstanding education never knew it was right there so it and catalysts for oppression and dollars and the moving out of marginalization at the local, businesses,” Cooke said. Student Services (OBSS) and at LMU, but if you’re coming to was really interesting to see that.” Something that surprised national and global scales.” Tying Cooke also explained the Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts Los Angeles, you do yourself a (BCLA) collaborated to host one of great disservice if you don’t take JeanMarie-Tucker was seeing the the trip back to LMU’s mission, he significance of these tours for several Social Justice Community advantage of the diversity and all area transform throughout the said, “This is an essential step in people outside of the community years. “With different changes the journey to becoming men and to better understand the Tours around Los Angeles on that [the city] has to offer.” The bus tour started in front happening such as the gentrification women for and with others.” perspective from within. “[It’s Saturday, Sept. 18. Next, the tour headed to the important] to get other folks out This tour was led by Dr. Nate of University Hall, and then of Inglewood, it’s crazy being as Sessoms, director of OBSS, and began its trip through Inglewood. young as I am yet remembering the Watts Towers. This was a quick there to see the diversity that stop that allowed students to actually exists in communities Dr. Deanna Cooke, director Cooke and Sessoms acted as tour differences so much,” she said. Offering a different perspective explore the on-site arts center, and to get to an understanding of of Engaged Learning, BCLA. guides throughout the trip. They Faculty members in attendance highlighted different issues within was first-year student Lucie Everett and learn about the importance where issues come from.” More Social Justice Tours of included Dr. Kim Harris in the the communities, such as negative from the Bay Area. “It was a really of that landmark. Finally, the Department of Theological Studies perceptions and gentrification. The good opportunity for people not bus made its last stop in Leimert L.A. will be held in the future. For and Dr. Jennifer Williams in the bus drove past The Forum and made from L.A., like myself, to get to know Park. Students explored the more information, students can Department of African American its way to the Southern California L.A.,” she said. “I think one really cultural shops nearby and had contact the Department of Ethnic Studies. Administrators included Library. There, students engaged in good aspect was that people from an impromptu lunch break at and Intercultural Services (EIS) at Dr. Roberta Espinonza, Vice Provost a dialogue led by Library Director the community were explaining the Hot and Cool Café where they eis@lmu.edu, or Deanna Cooke at were greeted by the shop’s deanna.cooke@lmu.edu. for Global Local Initiatives, and Yusef Omowale on the media’s issues they were facing.” role in the creation of negative Everett is an undeclared BCLA owner, Tony Jolly.
Continuing the conversation: Caged Children Past and Present Rioting Robyn
Robyn De Leon
Social Justice Editor
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@LALoyolan
f it’s not already known to the audience, it should be acknowledged that the United States has been detaining and separating families since it was established as a country, but what’s more surprising is that detaining and separating families was not something President Donald Trump started (although one could argue that he popularized it). Associate Professor and Chair of Women’s and Gender Studies Traci Voyles contextualized child separation throughout the Caged Children: Past and Present panel held last Thursday. Voyles pointed out that even before its founding, America was responsible for separating the families of Native Americans as new Americans took over land. Detainment was also something that has been occurring even throughout the Obama Administration. However, one of the differences in the situation is that President Donald Trump implied through the “zero tolerance
policy” that resources would be implemented to prosecute every “illegal” immigrant that crosses the border, whereas the Obama administration and even the Bush administration did not have specific policies that enforced this practice, according to Vox and Factcheck.org respectively. The Trump administration also has made it a standard practice to separate families, whereas under the Obama administration it was only enforced in specific cases where perhaps adults traveling with children are trafficking drugs between countries, suspected of child trafficking or other threatening concerns, according to Factcheck.org. The Caged Children panel entailed a roundtable of professors from different disciplines unpacking the ideas behind the phenomenon of detaining children in the United States. The topics covered and questions asked further developed the issue from a sensationalized situation on social media into a serious moral questioning of the foundation of the “American Way.” Even though the panel unpacked and clarified a lot of what was obscure to the general public, it
also encouraged new thoughts and questions which deepen the search for justice in regards to this situation. It particularly piqued my personal interest in the historical construct of borders, trends of detainment throughout American history and the power of family. In American history, colonizers have used borders and military influence over territories as tools
fair consultation of the people who resided in those spaces. This goes to prove that sometimes people cross borders and sometimes borders cross people. Why is the detainment of children still being practiced if we are supposedly a progressive country that accepts the diversity of America and is no longer (directly) motivated to assimilate? Professor Voyles helped me digest this question after the panel by concluding that “if you want to control a population, if you want to inflict fear in a population, getting their children is one of the best ways to do it.” What about in the cases now? Can the same comparison be made? In the detainment of immigrant children, what is the goal? What position in this situation do these children play? My theory is that the separation of families and detainment of children is to put fear into families who are considering immigration to the United States in order to portray America as an environment just as dangerous as the environments these families are attempting to flee. This is done for the greater goal of the
“If you want to control a population, if you want to inflict fear in a population, getting their children is one of the best ways to do it.” to enforce and control groups they encountered. It first started with the Native Americans by driving out tribes with the empty promises of maintaining reservations through peace treaties, a weak and insincere attempt to display respect and harmony. The influence of borders also continued throughout the acquisition of Oregon country, Texas, New Mexico, California and other territories during the era of the Mexican-American war, when land was being taken and sold or gifted and received without the
white nationalist movement of “maintaining” a homogeneous nation even though America has never actually been one. This sort of thought process is evidence of how strong white nationalism has gotten since the introduction of the Trump administration to empower this sort of narrative. Now I understand that there are less profound reasons for the placement of borders and the practice of detainment as modes of national safety. However, these rebuttals are often being utilized as a means to excuse the horrors of the realities that traumatic separations induce to prevent from digging more into the issue and really understanding the core of it all. You hear stories of children being reunited with their parents and feeling so estranged and traumatized that they don’t even recognize them. At this point, this is no longer an issue with our borders, but an issue with our sense of humanity.
This is the opinion of Robyn De Leon, a freshman economics and English major from Thousand Oaks, California. Tweet comments @LALoyolan, or email bdeleon6@ This version of the article has been edited for length. To read the rest, visit laloyolan.com.
OPINION Don’t let scandal shy you
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Catholics across the country, and even the world, again have to confront the news of the decades of sexual abuse by bishops and priests in several Pennsylvania dioceses — over 15 years after the 2002 sex abuse scandal. The repeated scandals have continued to reverberate across the Church, affecting the faith of everyday congregants and encouraging a call for the resignation of Pope Francis, a reform-minded man who was previously well-liked and is historically the first bishop of Rome from the Americas and the first Jesuit Pope. Regardless of our own individual religious or secular identities, we as students, faculty and staff at LMU have chosen to be a part of LMU’s Jesuit and Catholic tradition, and scandals affect the whole community. While we all may not necessarily believe in the “God” or a “god,” we do all have faith that a better world can exist, and that if we form ourselves as men and women with and for others, then we can help create that world. As student journalists at the Loyolan, we believe that we can help create that better world by investigating the tough and relevant topics, so that we can bring horrific abuses, like those recently uncovered in Pennsylvania, to the light of day. Our duty is not to excuse or condemn the Church in this time, but to encourage that justified criticism of the Church be shared and the facts laid bare to encourage change and growth. We want to bring relevant discussions resulting from this scandal to light so that the LMU community can better understand and perhaps even act to influence the future of the Catholic tradition. With mounting evidence to support Pope Francis’ innocence indicating that the cries for Francis’ resignation result more from fractures within the
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Church, we ought to consider Francis’ claims for why such abuses have continued to occur, even after the 2002 scandal. In his open letter to the world in response to the recent abuse, Pope Francis suggests that an impersonal clerical structure encouraged the abuse of power as it allowed men to act “without memory, without faces, without bodies” and without consequences for their actions. Ancient as the Church is, its hierarchical structure reflects medieval monarchies more than modern democracies, because each bishop has “absolute power and is not accountable to anyone.” When issues with bishops do arise, they have traditionally been handled by the Church, and behind closed doors. Even in individual parishes, priests may exercise an excessive amount of control over finances as opposed to the parish council. To enable a better future for a faith that many know and love, the Catholic Church has to prioritize the victims and build more checks and balances into their power structure. Better oversight of bishops, a hierarchical system that refrains from placing so much power in the hands of individual men and more opportunities for victims to speak up in a publicly transparent environment is necessary for progress to be made. To be truly transparent about the years of known abuses that have occurred will certainly open a lot of deep wounds and expose Church members to the justified anger felt by many Catholic parishioners, but that anger needs to be expressed. Rather than hiding from or overlooking an anger that Catholics are justified in feeling, the Church has to face these confrontations and make the appropriate adjustments so that its members feel loved and listened to again.
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Baudler fights for Indigenous Rights Eva Baudler, as told to Alex Myers Asst. Opinion Editor @LALoyolan
Indigenous people have been forgotten throughout history, and yet the survivors today still stand resilient in America to keep their presence known and to fight for their rights. According to the National Congress of American Indians, the total Native American population is 2.9 million or about 0.9 percent of the US population. While the population is small, the statistics of violence against their communities is immense. The organization reported that the rate of aggravated assault among American Indians is roughly twice that of the country as a whole (600.2 per 100,000 versus 323.6 per 100,000). Also, American Indian youth have the highest rate of suicide among all ethnic groups in the U.S. and is the second-leading cause of death for Native youth aged 15-24. Eva Baudler, junior English and history double major, shared her experience with her summer internship at Honor the Earth. Her quirky and bright heart lit the air as she explained to me that she expected an internship consisting of simple paperwork. The organization is a non-profit founded to raise awareness and financial support for Indigenous environmental justice through art. Laughing to herself, she told me that she experienced the opposite when she arrived at the White Earth reservation in Minnesota. When she met Winona LaDuke, the head of the organization, she threw Baudler straight into manual labor side by side with the Indigenous community on the reservation. Before going into her full experience she gave me full context of the issues that Indigenous people are facing today. With pipelines being built in the middle
of reservations, many took to protesting, but rejected the label of being a protestor and called themselves water protectors instead. The word takes away the colonizer connotations when in reality Indigenous people are just protecting their land and way of life. Honor the Earth uses artwork such as handmade beadwork and sewing made by Indigenous women to help raise money for the reservation. The art also acts as a form of therapy for Indigenous women as Eva explained to me that they have experienced many forms of abuse and trauma. Baudler’s main struggle with grasping Indigenous peoples’ struggles was the fact that their voices were not heard. For her, this is her chance to tell the story of many Indigenous peoples’ struggles.
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ndigenous peoples’ voices are being ignored. Women go missing and police reports aren’t filed for months; while on the other hand, we can see mass news coverage on white people who go missing. The government and media never give attention to Natives. There are large statistics being ignored about Native people as well. All statistics about the American public are amplified on reservations. We have shirt sizes that went up to 5XL because obesity and diabetes were rampant, along with alcoholism. There were so many strong and powerful women running this organization and there were a lot of men too who were helping with hard work, but the women were the brains of the operation. It was very common for Indigenous women to go missing and never have any news coverage at all. It’s awful because people were not able to find closure for their loved ones. They don’t receive support from the predominantly white towns outside of the reservation either as they’re usually given the cold
Jason Munoz | Loyolan
Baudler learned about the realities on Native American reservations over summer. shoulder. I remember when I was walking in a restaurant with Winona and we were immediately stared at. People moved closer to our table to confront us and show microaggressive signs. It gave me a look into how Indigenous have to navigate their lives on a daily basis. When I was in Minnesota, I realized that the service I was doing came from a place of privilege because I was doing it as a choice. I would eventually return to my privileged college life where I could choose where I dedicate my time to, but for these people, it’s their life. They were simply satisfied with a couple of meals a day and spending time with loved ones.
See Eva Baudler | Page 6
OPINION
laloyolan.com Page 6
Student rebuttal: ln-N-Out political donations No, donations are certainly condonement Jack Attack Jackson Palen Contributor
L
@ jackpalen_
ast Monday, I did not realize that I would become a Loyolan contributor — but sometimes inspiration comes suddenly and ferociously, like the controversy that has followed the now widely-publicized $25,000 donation made by our beloved In-N-Out Burger to the California Republican Party. Since last week, liberals have been calling for a boycott, and conservatives have been calling B.S. Some have acutely noted that In-N-Out has donated to liberal organizations in the past, and some have made more incoherent contributions to our national dialogue, like, “political donations don’t equal allegiance.” It is the latter of the statements, which I read in the Loyolan, that will be addressed here. Looking at this argument through an apolitical lense reveals weak thinking. Providing monetary contributions to a cause is condonement of the cause. Sure, “allegiance” has a connotation of longterm support, but whether it be shortterm or long-term, a donation is support. Suggesting otherwise is irresponsible and counterproductive. Additionally, the author of the article states that because the burger chain has
Indigenous Eva Baudler from Page 5
The kind of life away from all of the superficiality and complaining forced me to check my privilege as I watched these people who knew their limits fight the impossible every day. Many Indigenous people revert to drug use to cope with their stressful and traumafilled lives. One particular boy I met lost his mother in February due to an overdose. The reason that she became addicted was that a white drug dealer from a larger city came to the reservation to capitalize on the Native Americans’ vulnerability to addiction. This dealer did not get caught until half a year later when the police finally got around to serving the kid’s mother justice. What’s worse is that the kid would selfharm with rocks in front of her grave to cope with her death. He blamed himself for his mother’s passing because he thought that he could actually break the cycles of trauma and addiction that he witnessed on the reservation. This trauma has been passed down from generation to generation while the government has stood there and done nothing, which they have gotten used to while still persevering. I saw a lot of high school dropouts and children who were experiencing teen pregnancy. Many of them grew up way too quick and in return they experienced a lot of depression, anxiety and some reverted to self-harming and suicide. They had no one to talk to because of the poor medical resources and all of these atrocities are not being addressed by our government. I felt like I was living in a third world country at times due to the lack of basic necessities. For example, Winona LaDuke’s own land was harmed by water that was contaminated with arsenic from the pipelines, which causes her food supply
not “obstructed the progress of the state or caused any ethical violations,” it should be spared from a boycott. Fear of obstructing “the progress of the State” is an unAmerican philosophy. What if the State’s progress is unethical? Would obstruction of the state be bad? The author reminds us that no rules “forbid” an organization from “associating” with a political party. This is a reference to Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the landmark Supreme Court case that hit us all with a double whammy: Corporations are people and donations are exercises of free speech. Sure, no rules forbid an organization from associating with a political party, but this should not be relevant. First, the article— until this point—suggests that donations are not association. Second, whether or not an action follows set rules is not the only standard by which an opinion is formed. For this to be a standard, it must be assumed that the rules are fair (?), which is almost always a dangerous assumption. Lastly, the article wrongly suggests that political donations are “justified” by the demographic identifiers of the one making the donation. Financially supporting the Republican Party is not justified by being conservative or religious, it is explained by one’s alleged conservatism and piety. Words have meaning; a justification proves an action to be right or reasonable. Xenophobia never justified supporting the German Socialist Party of the ‘30s, it simply explained it.
voices
and
to get poisoned. Children and adults were all using the same contaminated water and they had no choice because the next town with clean water was 30 minutes to an hour away. The access to clean water, food and healthcare are unfortunately beyond Native people’s control because the Minnesota government does nothing to help. That’s why people on the reservation took things into their own hands with their organization. They reached out to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission and were
their
Abby Pollak | Loyolan
Patronizing In-N-Out is supporting their causes because it’s “your” money being donated. Boycott In-N-Out if you’d like or continue getting those neapolitan shakes and animalstyle fries. Whatever you do, be honest with the situation. The money In-N-Out made off of you will most likely go toward keeping our Congress red in November. And yes, you are allowed to have an opinion about that. Political unrest in our nation is not bad; our national story began with it. Human rights were secured through it. An American is unafraid of it. Do not discount a boycott
struggles
denied any assistance to help protect their land against the pipelines being built. The PUC didn’t stand up for Indigenous peoples rights and took the side of the oil company Enbridge ,who was building pipelines on their land. Even though there were years of research put into these pipelines claiming that there was a 70 percent chance of them collapsing and contaminating the Ojibwe food, animal sanctuaries and land, they still went through. It was neglect, which is deeprooted in our history from
via Eva Baudler
Art like this was made on the reservation and sold offsite to help support the people living on the White Earth Reservation.
need
without thinking critically first, and do not be convinced that critical thinking is overrated. This is just another episode of American energy exploding and building up to a climax of better ideals and — God willing — better thinking. This is the opinion of Jackson Pallen, a sophomore international relations major from Nashville, Tennessee. Tweet comments @LALoyolan, or email jlee@theloyolan. com.
to
the moment Columbus set foot on this continent. Sadly, some states still celebrate Columbus Day. Native Americans are still being pushed to the edges of society today as more and more pipelines are being built that are destroying the little land that they have left. They have their own established nations, and are very self-sufficient as they hunt, fish and recycle. They love this earth because it gave them everything and when pipelines are constructed in the middle of their lands, it destroys their way of life. I encourage LMU students to do more research on Native Americans. They’re not people of the past, they are still here and very much present in a lot of the movements that we see today. Indigenous women are apart of the ‘me too’ movement and are also leading environmental movements. One of the things I learned
be
heard
on the reservation was an Ojibwe prophecy called the Seventh Fire which represents the fact that people now need to consider their actions because there will be generations after us who will live on this earth. It shows in the way that younger people today are trying to undo the damages that the older generations did to the environment. Millennials are now even more present in politics as they are starting grassroots movements to enact change in their own communities, and LMU students can do the same if they wish to see change.
We encourage you to check out the rest of this article at laloyolan.com This is the opinion of Alex Myers, a senior French and philosophy major from Edmond, Oklahoma. Tweet comments @LALoyolan, or email jlee@theloyolan.com.
life+arts
READ THE
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BEHIND THE BLOCKBUSTER
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We all love going to the movies and eating way too much popcorn, but as the weather gets colder, stay in and read the stories that inspired your favorite film or series. …† ‡�
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THE UNDECLAREDS
UNNECESSARY JAPES
By Abby Pollak, Staff Cartoonist
2017 Cartoon by Cameron Woodard, Staff Cartoonist
• Find jobs and internships across all fields. • Learn what employers are looking for. • Develop your professional image. • Complimentary LinkedIn photobooth. Students from all class years, as well as alumni, are welcome. Professional attire is recommended. “Beach Cities Health District attends LMU career fairs each season because of the quality of the students we encounter. We are always glad to welcome LMU students and alumni into our pool of talent.” -Kate A. Ekman Purpose and Engagement Coordinator Beach Cities Health District
Download ‘Career Fair Plus’ in the app store. Learn more at careers.lmu.edu/careerexpo. Stay updated and share experiences using: #lmucareerexpo Join us on:
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Meet Fallapalooza’s opener, TWAANKALU Always Ally Alexandra Boulas Life+Arts Intern @allyrosereads
S
tevie Johnson, a senior film and television production major from Augusta, Georgia, had an excellent week. After performing under his stage name TWAANKALU at MANE Entertainment’s Singer-Songwriter Competition, he was named the winning musician who will open for Jeremih at Fallapalooza. But Stevie’s not resting on his laurels just yet — he’s got his sights set on taking the music industry by storm. He sat down for an interview where he told me about his musical plans, his biggest influences and what makes his sound so special. AB: How are you feeling? SJ: I’m feeling pretty good, I’m super excited. It just seems like I won the competition and life’s been moving really fast. I’ve been planning this for a very long time,
and it’s very beautiful to see all of the stuff that I’ve been trying to do come to fruition, you know? It’s like I had plans to be an artist and put myself out there like that and it’s finally happening. AB: So you say that this has been in the cards for you for a while now, that this is something you’ve been planning. How long have you wanted to be a musician? SJ: I got into making music probably in April of my sophomore year. I went through personal issues — I was feeling very anxious and very antsy and just struggling with those issues and realized that a constant was music. And so at that point in time I had just begun rapping a little bit, and trying to sing —not really that well, you know? A friend actually told me that LMU offers 1-credit vocal lessons and I was like, “oh that’s interesting.” So I started actually singing for the first time in August and September of last year. And something that I acknowledge to my friends was that I set this goal to try to put myself out there, and [winning the competition] was
via Charlie Ozburn
Under the stage name TWAANKALU, Stevie Johnson, a senior film production major, will open for Jerimih at ASLMU’s Fallapalooza.
almost one year to the day that I started singing. AB: Who do you think, artistically, has been a big influence on your sound? SJ: Most definitely Pharrell Williams. Pharrell is my favorite artist hands down. I just love his sound, it’s a very timeless sound in my opinion. More than that, just his energy and his willingness to put himself out there wholeheartedly and without any kind of inhibition. And so I feel, like I was saying along with all the anxiety issues, like music actually helped a lot with confidence — creative confidence and also personal confidence. And so Pharrell kind of paved the way for that for me. For sure, Travis Scott. I look up to him because he’s a cool dude, his aesthetic is interesting and he’s somebody who pays really close attention to finding a niche for your vocal process, like a lot of people don’t really do that or they just imitate someone else. They either have a really boring sound, or they just try to copy somebody else directly. You can say so much with just how you sound and that affects people. How somebody says something, the energy behind it, how it sounds, how it bounces off a space in a room and how it really affects you in that regard overpowers the words they say most of the time. [Also] James Brown. The godfather of soul. Big influence in his stage presence and the energy that he puts into his music, and the funk that he made, [it lasts] over decades, you know? Like the bounce that he sings with is something that’s very inspirational to me. AB: So you really value individuality, and the courage of artists to be completely themselves in their music. How do you translate
that individuality into your own stuff? SJ: First and foremost, the subject matter. The two songs I performed at the competition, the second one was about a breakup with a girl that I was with for a significant period of time and my feelings processing that afterwards. The first song was about my feelings for a very close friend, actually, that I could never find the way to tell her, and so that pent up emotion inside of me came out in song. I’m very interested in pushing the barrier sonically. I love where hip hop is, and I love where R&B is right now, especially with R&B making a resurgence. But I feel like a lot of times with music — especially in hip hop — people can be scared to push the envelope because a lot of times pushing the envelope is considered weird. And I’ve noticed, everything’s weird until it blows up, and then it’s cool and it’s imitable. AB: I know some artists have little quirks and rituals they have to do before a show; do you have any pre-performance rituals? SJ: Raspberries. Raspberries and tea, most definitely. And recently, this semester, I’m taking this yoga class, and through breathing, I’m realizing that I’m trying to put my entire life on the rhythm of my breath. So just getting my breathing right, and just sitting and reflecting on the experiences that have brought me to the point at which I am before the performance: relationship-wise, school-wise, and just personally and remembering where I came from and what I’m going for. Just getting warmed up mentally. I like to listen to music from my favorite artists — like R&B singers, the greats from the ‘90s, you know, people whose artistry I wanna achieve, other rap songs that are
high energy and singing over that — placing myself in that song and kind of feeling it. Once I’m warmed up vocally I get into my stuff. I like to do that because I think it’s a very good practice to put your music in line with the people that you aspire to be like. Almost like a musical ancestry. Like passing that down, really putting yourself there. We’re trying to articulate a story with our voice. AB: So what do you see in the next year for your music? What are your plans? SJ: That’s the question, isn’t it? Honestly, I can tell that this is going to be a big year. I couldn’t sing a year and a half ago, and I said I was going to figure out how to sing, and here I am. I said I was going to open up for Fallapalooza, and I’m here. I realize that I’m a hard worker and I realize that I’m blessed and that I have talent, and that I’ve been blessed with many opportunities to showcase that talent, and so why can’t I continue to make goals for myself and why can’t I continue to achieve those goals? There’s nothing stopping me. I see myself releasing my first song really soon, actually. AB: How are you planning to celebrate, any big plans? SJ: I don’t know, my friends have been asking me that too. My friends took me out to get steaks at Ruth’s Chris, it was fantastic. I feel like I might just put my nose to the grindstone and keep working and once I achieve everything, then I’ll have a proper celebration. Be sure to see TWAANKALU perform at Fallapalooza, and follow him on Instagram (@twaankalu) to keep up with his music releases.
To read the full interview, visit laloyolan.com/life_and_arts.
Alumna premieres film on Lifetime Just Jacob Jacob Cornblatt Life+Arts Editor @jacobcornblatt
C
hristina Welsh, an LMU alumna, has proven herself in the entertainment industry as a talented writer and personality. After graduating with a double major in communication arts (now film production) and English in 1985, Welsh wove through an abundance of entertainment jobs, and now, later this year, has a film debuting on Lifetime. “Believe Me: the Lisa McVey Story” follows the true story of the titular Lisa McVey, a 17-year-old girl who was abducted by serial killer Bobby Joe Long in 1984. McVey legendarily escaped Long and assisted in his arrest, all while battling her own personal history of sexual abuse. “I was just astonished by what I read,” said Welsh. “She basically stopped a serial killer who was on the loose for six months … she did in six days what the police department couldn’t do in six months.” Welsh became involved in telling McVey’s story when Cineflix reached out to her agents — she was being tapped to adapt the event into a film for Lifetime. However, this was far from her first writing gig. The alumna’s career kicked off in 1998
when she sold a pitch to Disney, a project that opened the doors to her membership in the Writer’s Guild of America. From there, Welsh worked as an on-air personality for an L.A. radio station and as a co-writer and performer for theater productions. “I always knew I wanted to be a screenwriter,” she said, “it just took me a little extra time to get there — to find and develop my voice.” In the early 2000s, Welsh wrote “If Only,” which would star Jennifer Love Hewitt and Tom Wilkinson. It released internationally in 2004 and earned shining reviews from critics and audiences alike. Then, in the early 2010s, she wrote “Addicted,” an adaptation of a 1998 novel by Zane. “It did very well — it had the highest per-screen average of any film when it opened,” Welsh said. Welsh was known to Lifetime because of her aforementioned films and a pilot she sold them earlier in her career. “The network is great to work with,” she said. “There are really smart people there who know their audience, and that helps.” The screenwriter credits her success to her tenacity and resilience. “I’ve been asked many times how I broke into the business,” she said, “and I always reply with ‘Which time?’ You can feel out as often as you feel in.” She noted that one of the most important things in working in entertainment is “not taking rejection personally, knowing that it’s going to be
part of the process.” The best advice she ever received she accredited to the late Ben Abbene, a professor Welsh fondly remembers. He told her to “develop [her] own voice and be true to it.” “That’s great advice for young writers,” she said. “No one else can write like you … tell the stories you want to tell in your own inimitable way.” Welsh is proof of what perseverance
can do. She knew what she wanted to say and what stories she wanted to tell, so she never stopped working at them. “There is no one path. Everyone’s journey is different. And each experience can help your writing,” she said. “Believe Me,” premieres Sept. 30. This is the opinion of Jacob Cornblatt, a sophomore film production major from Gaithersburg, MD. Tweet comments to @JacobCornblatt or email comments to jcornblatt@theloyolan.com.
via Lifetime
A still from Lifetime’s upcoming film “Believe Me: The Lisa McVey Story,” which is written by LMU alumna Christina Walsh (‘85).
laloyolan.com Page 10
New app delivers take-out to drivers
Drivers stuck in rush hour traffic can now enjoy their meal. Sami Leung Commuter digester
Los Angeles is known for its terrible traffic. Drivers can find themselves stuck in traffic for hours with only playlists and rumbling tummies to keep them company. However, a new app called “CommutersDigest” is aiming to bring caloric comfort to these frustrated commuters. Simply download the app, available on Apple and Android operating systems, and bask in the ease of getting food delivered to you wherever you are. There is no end to the restaurants available to you, from fast food favorites like Taco Bell and McDonalds or, for more selective eaters, esteemed restaurants like Chick-fil-A and InN-Out are also available.
“The app is so easy, you just put in your order, your freeway and your license plate and they deliver it right to you,” Megan Morris, a junior communication studies major, said. “They just walk right up to your window. You’re usually not moving much anyways.” Schelon Schmusk, the founder of CommutersDigest, said he hopes that this new app will ease the anger of the commute and reduce the number of traffic accidents and mental breakdowns that happen during your average rush hour. “CommutersDigest is the new age of food delivery apps,” Schmusk said. “Forget Tapingo, forget Grubhub—this is the future.” The app is free to download, though delivery fees depend on the freeway you’re on and whether you’re near LAX. “This app has changed my life,” Jack Jorris, a senior nutrition major, said. “No more hungry commutes. No more hangry outbursts. I think CommutersDigest is an essential app for any driver in L.A., along with Tapingo and YikYak.”
Another satisfied CommutersDigest customer who still didn’t tip.
The haunting story of the abandoned Drollinger car
Honk, honk, who’s there? That creepy car in Drolly is ready to tell its tale. Amanda Nahin Ghost Writer Does your car have a name? Perhaps Katie or Darren? Well, this is the story of the car whose name has long been forgotten. This is the story of Sandra, or as you know her, “that abandoned car in Drollinger.” How long has Sandra been sitting in that parking spot? As of next week, it will be her 20year spot-iversary. Sandra has called parking space 76 home for longer than some of you have been alive. But why does she sit there unmoved? Why is she not bothered by all the
profanities disrespectful vandals have written on her back? Don’t the disturbingly graphic vulgar images drawn onto her dusty physique plague her? There have been many stories told about Sandra. Perhaps that she is the home to mice who like to party. Or maybe she is just a part of LMU parking messing with students who can never get spaces in Drolly because they despise us. But Sandra is so much more than what she appears to be. Sandra is not a forgotten car — she is a monument. Sandra sits strong now for 20 years as a memorial. She is the car that once belonged to a former Rains resident. A resident who you may very well be acquainted with: the Rains ghost. This is the ghost of a girl who
died in 1998 in Rains residence hall. Just like Sandra, the ghost that haunts Rains has a multitude of stories associated with her. No one truly knows how the Rains ghost died, just as no one truly knows why Sandra continues to sit in Drollinger. The only thing that is certain is that these two haunting entities are intertwined for eternity. Perhaps the car doesn’t creep you out, but the ghost of Rains is claimed to have “wild brown hair and glowing eyes,” according to a Loyolan article from 2013. Although the car can’t fight you for defacing its body, the ghost will haunt you. This unnamed female ghost takes pride in her named female car, and will avenge anyone who draws phallic images on her ride.
Careful not to wander too close — there are sensitive car alarms.
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.
SPORTS
laloyolan.com Page 11
Nike makes noise with new campaign Nike ad featuring Colin Kaepernick sparks controversy. Jeramaine Johnson II Sports Intern @LALoyolan
Nike’s 30th anniversary for their “Just Do It” slogan was met with mixed support and backlash after the multi-billiondollar company unveiled an ad campaign centered around NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick. With the controversy surrounding Kaepernick due to his protest of social injustice by kneeling during the national anthem prior to the start of his games, the ad was seen as a bold move by the company. On Sept. 3, Kaepernick tweeted the picture unveiling the campaign the day before Nike displayed a billboard above their store in San Francisco’s Union Square featuring the former 49ers quarterback. Nike also paid to have the full commercial air on NBC during the third quarter of the NFL’s first game of the season on Sept. 6. According to the 16th annual Forbes Global 2000 list released in June 2018, Nike is the world’s third largest retailer focused on clothing, shoes and accessories. Nike is not shy about pushing the envelope socially. However, this is not the first time a Nike ad has featured social commentary. In February 2017, the company featured several
prominent black athletes in an ad on social equality. Going back even further, Nike featured an ad written by women, for women titled “If You Let Me Play Sports” in August 1995. Ultimately, some view money as the primary goal of the campaign. This was the point made by Jemele Hill, senior correspondent and columnist for ESPN’s website “The Undefeated.” In a piece titled, “Nike’s ad featuring Colin Kaepernick isn’t risky at all; it’s business,” she wrote, “It would be naïve to see Nike expanding its business relationship with Kaepernick as a symbol that it isn’t afraid of backlash or Donald Trump.” Two days after the campaign was announced, President Donald Trump posted on Twitter about the ad. He tweeted, “Nike is getting absolutely killed with anger and boycotts.” Nike did indeed receive some backlash. Videos surfaced around social media of people burning their Nike gear, and the phrase #BoycottNikebegan to trend. LMU’s Student Veteran Organization’s President Courtney Broughton deemed those actions as unnecessary. “It’s false outrage for people who just want to show that their [side] is mad,” she said. “They paid for that stuff anyway, it’s a dumb thing to do.”
Broughton is a junior marketing major who served in the Air Force for five years, following in the footsteps of both her father and grandfather. She found the ad to be rather touching. “It made me cry,” she said. “I get where he’s coming from and it makes me sad that he’s had to deal with everything he’s gone through [because of his protest].” Broughton hopes the ad can spark a more nuanced conversation about issues going on in this country. She also believes that Nike’s sales will be fine after the ad, especially since they are a global company. LMU finance professor David Moore echoes this sentiment. “Only two of Nike’s 12 biggest market cities are in the U.S.,” Moore said. “A few people on Twitter burning their Nikes or cutting the swoosh off their stuff isn’t going to
affect the company.” Moore believes that Nike is targeting millennials since they are buying Nike’s stock at a growing rate. “I think that’s the group Nike is focused on, and [millennials] tend to side with Kaepernick,” he explained. “Nike has a lot of data, people who study where their growth is and examine where their cash flows are coming from. They would not have done this if it were not good for shareholders.” While Nike’s shares did drop nearly three percent a day after the ad was released, financial news website Bloomberg stated that the media exposure from the campaign is valued at over $163 million. This was reported hours before the ad initially aired on NBC during the NFL season opener. Ciara Linnane, a corporate and investing editor for the financial information
website “Market Watch,” reported that Nike’s online sales jumped 31 percent after they unveiled the campaign. LMU sports marketing professor Kimberly Rohm said she believes that the new campaign will help Nike reach new levels. “Before [the campaign], I always felt like ‘Just Do It’ seemed to be really aggressive and competitive,” Rohm said. “But now I look at it in a different light because of the way they’ve introduced it again, it seems more for the good.” Rohm has worked in the sports marketing industry for over 20 years and she praises Nike’s recent efforts. “What better way to make a huge impact than to take someone like that who is controversial and make it inspire people to want to stand up and speak for themselves and others,” Rohm said.
SPORTS
SCORES UPDATE 3-1 W
VOLLEYBALL
LION
vs. Kansas
SPORTS
M WATER POLO
10-8 L
vs. UC Irvine
M SOCCER
3-1 L
vs. Long Island
W SOCCER
0-0 T
vs. DePaul
Follow us on Twitter @laloyolan for up-to-date scores.
Page 12
LOS ANGELES LOYOLAN | September 12, 2018 | laloyolan.com
Freshman Icelandic duo reunite at LMU First year Icelandic duo ready for new challenges in collegiate soccer. Miles Thomas
Asst. Sports Editor @LALoyolan Traveling more than 4,000 miles away from home, men’s soccer players, Bjarki Ragnar and Isak Helgason, went from training in the snow to competing in sunny Los Angeles. The two first-years stand out from the large 15 person first-year class on the men’s soccer team by being the only players on the entire team that are arriving to LMU directly from another country. Reykjavík is the capital city of Iceland, as well as home to both Ragnar and Helgason. Both of them grew up soccer fans — Helgason a fan of Manchester United and Ragnar an Arsenal fan. Despite attending different schools until high school, Ragnar and Helgason became familiar with one another by playing soccer together throughout much of their youth. Soccer, according to both of them, is one of the only sports people in Iceland play and is the most popular. As Helgason said, “You can’t do anything else other than play soccer. There’s no field for baseball or football or anything like that. It just comes down to soccer.” Coming to LMU together was preceded by a process involving agencies, offers from multiple schools and each deciding where to play collegiate soccer. Ragnar spoke about his decision to come
to LMU; he said, “The campus is beautiful. All the facilities and the things we have for training and stuff like that is top notch. It was an easy choice for both of us, I think.” As both athletes have moved to Los Angeles from Iceland, they face adjustments and challenges derived from being so far from home. Getting used to the traffic, time zone difference and a new language, while also missing friends, family and food from Iceland has been tough. Both Ragnar and Helgason pointed out that, compared to Icelandic hot dogs, the American hot dogs are “no good." The two players have also noticed differences in NCAA soccer players compared to those back home in Iceland. Helgason said that “players here are more physical and stronger; [they have a] different mentality. At home they are more technical; they are better with the ball.” Both players would agree that soccer is more difficult here due to the little familiarity they have with their opponents, whereas in Iceland, they knew every person on the other teams. NCAAstyle substitutions were also something the Icelandic players had to adjust to. “It has taken a long time to get used to it, the way they play, all the rules, the substitutions are different,” Ragnar said. “In Iceland, you just pick the starting lineup and they play the first 70 minutes to 80 minutes. Then, you make three changes at most. Sometimes, you don’t make any
Alex Farrell | Loyolan
Bjarki Ragnar (left) and Isak Helgason (right) begin their first year playing soccer at LMU after moving to Los Angeles from Iceland. changes to the lineup.” However, despite the adjustments that both players had to make, they have found living in Los Angeles to be a great fit for them and are big fans of the people, In-N-Out Burger and the weather. “For all Icelanders, if you told them to picture perfect weather all year round, they would probably pick this climate. Being in 25-18 degrees Celsius — I don’t know Fahrenheit yet — but to be in that weather every day is like winning the lottery...Here, you wake up every day and the sky is beautiful,” Ragnar said. “I feel like it could have been harder [to adjust]. The city [of Los Angeles] is great. Everyone here is so friendly and nice.” The sun and clear skies are a far cry from what both players are used to at home. Helgason described his training at home; he said, “I’m
going to be training in the freezing cold. I’m training in snow and ice, my toes are freezing.” Apart from the new weather, new teammates and new city, the Icelanders also have to get used to speaking more English and having all their classes taught in English. Ragnar and Helgason have been learning to speak English since before they were 10 years old, a skill that is greatly coveted back home in Iceland. Both first-years are business majors, Ragnar an AIMS major and Helgason a business marketing major. “One of the reasons for going to LMU and going to America for college is getting a hold of English. If you know perfect English in Iceland, it is a huge advantage for business and stuff like that. To be able to speak naturally and inform people [in English] is important,” said Ragnar.
As the season continues, the two are excited to travel to various cities and landmarks across the United States, as well as to watch LeBron James and Zlatan Ibrahimovic play in Los Angeles for their respective teams. Ragnar and Helgason greatly encourage everyone to visit Iceland, highlighting its beauty and it being a straight flight. Even though neither player has scored a goal for the Lions yet in their young careers, the Icelandic duo will look to make an impact as the season continues for the Lions, currently sitting with an overall record of 1-4. Helgason said, “It wasn’t an easy decision, it is a major decision. You have to pick the perfect school and I think we have done that."