Los Angeles Loyolan September 19 2018

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Our top tech reviewer takes a look at the new iPhones, and they are eXcessive.

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V O LU M E

Professor William D. Parham pushes to combat the taboo of mental health in NBA. Page 16

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takes health leave Beloved Jesuit Father Fulco hopes to return to full-time instruction.

Kayla Brogan News Editor @LALoyolan

Father William Fulco, a national endowment for the humanities professor of Ancient Mediterranean studies, Greek life advisor and member of the Society of Jesus has decided to take a paid health leave.

Father Fulco is currently battling Pulmonary Fibrosis, which, according to the Mayo Clinic, is a "lung disease that occurs when lung tissue becomes damaged and scarred." This condition makes breathing more difficult over time.

His leave began last week and his possible return date is currently unknown, pending his health improving.

"He has helped shape the lives of many members and his commitment to Sigma Phi Epsilon has truly been admirable," said Larry Daves, program coordinator for fraternity and sorority life. Daves described Father Fulco as one of the most invested on-campus advisors and was extremely thankful for his time and service to the sorority and fraternity community.

Classics and archaeology professor Matthew Dillon, who has worked with Father Fulco for over 20 years, described Fulco's influence on his career and the incredible amount of knowledge he has garnered from him. He explained how Fulco added the archeology program to the university, which was coupled with a "ready-made museum." The Archaeology Center's facility located in University Hall is home to a library and a small museum which "houses several specialized collections, notably ancient Egyptian and classical Greek and Roman artifacts," according to the Archeology Center's website.

Students are also enthusiastic to take Father Fulco's courses. His classes are the most popular, with waiting lists that are about two to three semesters long said Dill. His tremendous sense of humor coupled with his wealth of personal experience that he is willing to share with the community speaks to his compassionate and honest nature,

according to Dillon.

Most recently, Father Fulco was awarded the Sigma Phi Epsilon National Citation for Lifetime Achievement by LMU in 2011 and the BCLA Daum Professorship by LMU in 2013-2014. Prior to that, he was awarded five other honors according to his biography on the Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts Faculty website. He received his Ph.D. from Yale University.

"Father Fulco cares for his students deeply, both in and out of the classroom," said Grace McManus, an LMU marketing alumna ('18). She spoke of his special relationship with Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, which she believes speaks to his mentorship skills and caring personality.

Father Fulco was born in Los Angeles, California on Feb. 24, 1936. He entered the Jesuit order of Catholic priests on Aug. 14, 1954 and became an ordained Roman Catholic priest on June 6, 1966.

He is fluent in over nine languages and teaches seven different courses at LMU. To learn more about Father Fulco, please visit the Los Angeles Loyolan YouTube page for his 100 Lions episode.

More sex abuse allegations revealed against clergy Eight new investigations opened into the Catholic church, and survivors call for more. via LMU Mission and Ministry

Father William Fulco S.J.

Mass of the Holy Spirit

Emily Sullivan | Loyolan

Father José Badenes, S.J., (pictured above) was the homilist at the Mass.

The mass took place at the Sacred Heart Chapel on Thursday, Sept. 13.

Kellie Chudzinski Editor-in-Chief @LALoyolan

The Brooklyn Catholic diocese settled four sex abuse cases for a total of 27.5 million dollars on Tuesday, one of the largest settlements for Catholic sex abuse victims, the New York Times reported.

This settlement comes after a summer of revelations regarding the Catholic Church. Last month, the Pennsylvania grand jury released the report on their investigation into six of the state’s eight dioceses. Over 300 priests were identified in the report as having molested over 1,000 minors throughout the previous 70 years.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro explained the report and scandal as a problem of “systematic coverup[s] by senior church officials in Pennsylvania and at the Vatican.”

The report in August followed the May revelation that one of the highest ranking members of the Vatican, Cardinal George Pell, had charges of child sex abuse against him in his home country of Australia. Former Archbishop of Washington D.C., Fr. Theodore McCarrick, was accused of sexually harassing and abusing junior seminarians under his authority and two minors, Vox reported.

LMU theology professors Tracy Tiemeier and Cecilia Gonzalez-Andrieu said they believed that the investigations should be

supported as they would help us hold those responsible accountable.

Tiemeier said that although the Church has made changes to respond to past revelations, referring to the 2002 scandal and reforms that followed, these most recent investigations show that “structural changes to church governance and practice need to happen. Followers need to hold their leaders accountable and demand change.”

Missouri, New York, New Jersey, Kentucky, Wyoming, Nebraska and Illinois have since announced investigations into dioceses in their states. Other states, such Utah and Indiana, have begun to publicize incidents of sex abuse within their dioceses themselves.

The allegations and investigations that have come to light this year add to decades of allegations of sex abuse against the Church.

The height of allegations came in 2002 when the Boston Globe uncovered widespread child sex abuse by clergy members in the Boston area that had been covered up by the Church for decades. More than 70 priests were found to have committed child sex abuse acts. The investigation found a complex power system within the Church hierarchy that worked to keep allegations and scandals hidden, paid off victims and moved priests to different cities but never had them face legal consequences.

In a city that was almost half Catholic, police struggled going up against the Church.

Andrieu said that since the rise of #MeToo, we have become more aware of the widespread nature of sexual violence in our society. “When sex is used as a weapon of power against the See Catholic Church | Page 3

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NEWS

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Storm Florence hits east coast The tropical storm hit North and South Carolina, with at least 35 dead.

Kayan Tara

Asst. News Editor @LALoyolan

Waters keep rising as slowmoving Hurricane Florence continued westward, after already having caused destruction across several states. Florence was labeled a post-tropical cyclone at 5 a.m. on

Tuesday, Sept. 18, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm currently has a maximum sustained wind speed of 25 mph and is located 105 miles westnorthwest of New York City at the time of publication, as reported

by CBS News.

The hurricane lashed North and South Carolina with powerful winds and relentless rain, leaving 343,000 people without power in North Carolina and causing catastrophic flooding up to

approximately 40 inches of rainfall in certain regions, requiring well more than 1,000 rescuers, as reported by the New York Times.

The death toll is rising with at least 35 dead — 25 in North Carolina, 6 in South Carolina and 1 in Virginia at the time of publication, according to CBS News.

“As we get deeper in climate change, big tropical storms like hurricanes are predicted to become not only larger, but could result in more precipitation,

and possibly move slower due to changing pressure systems and wind patterns that steer these storms,” John Dorsey, chair of environmental science and professor of civil engineering, said.

“Well respected meteorologists and climate scientists believe that Hurricane Florence reflects the impact of human-caused climate change. There have been several recent papers indicating that the number of hurricanes has not increased so far, but we have been

seeing more intens[e] storms.”

The formation of a potential tropical cyclone packing 30 mph maximum sustained winds was announced by the National Weather Service on Aug. 3. The hurricane had rapidly intensified

by Sept. 9. into a major hurricane, prompting President Trump to approve an emergency declaration for both North and South Carolina in anticipation of the hurricane, See Hurricane | Page 4

PA prompts eight other state investigations Catholic Church from Page 1

vulnerable, it affects children, women and all who lack power,” Andrieu said. “What we need in the Catholic Church, and in all other institutions, is a culture of transparency and honesty.”

After the Globe’s report, the world and the Church tried to make reforms. In 2002, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops established the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, a set of procedures to handle sex abuse claims against clergy members. This created a “zero tolerance” policy for the accused. This charter required that allegations of child sex abuse be turned over to law enforcement, since previously the Church handled allegations internally and rarely sought law enforcement.

All but one diocese in the U.S. complies with the charter and submits annual audits.

Lincoln, Nebraska is the only diocese that does not follow the charter and is the only diocese in which abuse allegation rates have not declined. Nebraska dioceses are currently under investigation

in relation to child sex crimes, reported by Vox. Jesuits West, a regional province of an organization for Jesuits in America — with which LMU is affiliated — released a statement reinforcing the 2002 charter that required zero tolerance and law enforcement cooperation. In part, the statement said, “we know now that this behavior springs from illness worthy of treatment as a disease, requiring highly complex, specialized treatment, focused on behavioral change, accountability and relapse prevention.” The University of Scranton removed the name of two bishops from their university that were connected to the scandal.

LMU released a statement at the end of last month that shared the Jesuits West statement and called for support of victims and accountability for abusers and “those who protected them.”

With nine ongoing investigations in different states, victim organizations and other states are calling for and considering

opening more investigations.

Members of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) have been advocating for more investigations and have claimed that the number of priests accused of harming children is far higher than currently reported. NBC Bay Area reported that Catholic Church sex abuse survivors will be advocating for investigations with California lawmakers.

LMU’s Fr. Allen Deck said that he and others who have dedicated themselves to the Church are saddened, concerned and embarrassed by the allegations of abuse and cover-ups. He also said that he believed, among many factors, excluding women from leadership has allowed systematic issues to progress and that he believed the investigations were forcing the Church to look at leadership structure.

“We will not disappear. I think we might get stronger and more consistent with our faith,” Deck said. “But we have to get to work and develop more transparency, realism and accountability in how we proceed.”

via Josh Shapiro’s Twitter

PA Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced the grand jury’s findings.

As investigations continue, with communal, collaborative states, dioceses and the global and accountable ways of church will try to work through working together,” Andrieu continued allegations and may said. “If we could do that across again look for ways to reform. the world, we could change the “We need to dismantle the world for the better.” patriarchal structures that perpetuate cultures of secrecy Go to laloyolan.com to see Deck’s and abuse and replace these full statement to the Loyolan.

NEWS

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BURNING QUESTIONS

This week, Asst. News Editor Kayan Tara sat down with Aoife Tejada, a junior sociology major, whose ROAR Studios short film “Coming Out” was nominated for the College Media Association Pinnacle Award.

How did the idea for the sketch, “Coming Out,” come about?

1

I think every person who is in the entertainment industry or studying film/theater has at one point doubted themselves based on the notion that they will never get a job. I just felt as though there’s never been a situation where someone who has a major that is pushed for by parents, has actually been frowned upon, such as a business major.

Tell me more about your experience working at ROAR Studios.

2

At first, I was so nervous to start working there. Being a sociology major, I immediately felt inadequate compared to my talented coworkers. However, while ROAR is about creating the best content we can, it’s also about learning how to create the best content. I’ve learned so much at ROAR and I really feel like my content has gotten better over the years thanks to my outstanding coworkers.

Florence’s impact on students Hurricane from Page 3

according to CBS News.

Hurricanes that have become diffused, like Florence, have high-speed winds that slow down and spread out. This, along with rains during storms, causes problems, especially in inland areas, according to Eric Strauss, a professor of biology and executive director of the LMU Center for Urban Resilience.

“When the rain lands you want it to roll back out to the ocean as fast as it can,” Strauss said. “But if the storm surge is greater, it’s actually ... holding the water into the flooded areas so the water can’t escape as effectively; so that’s where the most damaging impacts [are, when talking about climate change that] people don’t think of.”

The latest mandatory evacuation order as of Monday, Sept. 17 has been issued to around 200,000 of the residents of the inland city of Fayetteville, North Carolina, where the Cape Fear River is experiencing a rapid rise in water levels, according to the Huffington Post.

“So far, my friends have notified me that they have not had school because their college campuses are trying to prepare. North Carolina is full of small towns, and people

will take care of each other down there,” Jennifer Chan, a senior film production major from North Carolina, said.

Numerous houses have lost power and certain areas are flooded with fallen trees and scattered debris, as reported by the New York Times. Thousands of residents are currently living in hurricane shelters, according to the Independent.

Several friends of Chan attending University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW) had to evacuate. “She also said that there’s a possibility that UNCW may not be able to finish out the semester due to devastation, but that’s just a rumor,” Chan continued.

The White House authorized disaster relief efforts via the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which will make funding available to those recovering from damage to their homes and businesses, according to the Independent.

“It’s very sad and scary to see how little is still intact in there,” Haley Smith, a junior dance major from, North Carolina, said. “It [has] impacted all of NC and SC and has really devastated Wilmington, which is an adorable small beach town ... so it’s going

to be a very long, difficult and expensive journey to fixing the coastal cities back up again.”

Smith’s sister, who lives near Raleigh, NC, lost power for around 10 hours, had to stay with friends and experienced really strong winds and heavy rain that knocked down trees all of Saturday, according to Smith.

Center for Urban Resilience director, Strauss likens people building construction close to the coastal margins to sitting one’s family in front of the bumper of their car, stating that when in a car one is protected by air bags and seat belts to lessen the impact of an accident. By building houses close to the coastal margins in the face of climate change, “people are directly in harm’s way,” according to Strauss.

“We have to ask ourselves the question, where is it appropriate for us to live on a changing earth?

To minimize the risk, should we actually allow houses to be [built there],” Strauss said. “Those are the questions we need to ask ourselves. As a society, we’re smart enough, capable enough and privileged enough to make those decisions and help those communities who are underserved and underprivileged to be able to make the right decisions.”

What do you hope to accomplish as director of spirit this year?

3

I am extremely excited because I am co-leading ASLMU’s fourth signature event, LMU Day. This will take place on Jan. 29, 2019 and will entail a giant tailgate with games, music, food, drinking (for those students of age) and so much more before the men’s basketball game against Pepperdine. We still have a long ways to go for this event to fulfill our vision, but we hope the student body is as excited as we are to have a big on-campus party celebrating LMU.

4

How can the LMU community continue to follow your story?

If anyone wants to find out more about the organizations I’m apart of you can follow @roarstudiosla, @myaslmu and @lmuaxo on Instagram ... oh, and @aoifetejada, of course!

WANT MORE ANSWERS?

Want to read even more questions with Tejada?

Check them out at laloyolan.com.

via Seymour Johnson Air Force Base

An airman holds an Air Force plane in place after redirecting over 50 aircrafts due to Hurricane Florence.

OPINION Sexual assault deserve

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With midterm elections just around the corner, the possible confirmation or rejection of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has garnered much attention and controversy.

The issues of Roe v. Wade, gun control and environmental conservation are often brought up in the conversation of his appointment. The recent breaking news of Christine Blasey Ford’s allegations of sexual assault further complicate the issue. As believers in truth and justice, we at the Loyolan will try to get to the facts of the accusation and the implications of a high-profile case like this.

The alleged victim, Christine Blasey Ford, is a married professor who teaches part-time at Stanford. Her story is that when she was 15 at a party in Montgomery County, Maryland, a drunken 17-year-old Kavanaugh pushed her into a bedroom and groped her until his drunken friend Mark Judge – a witness to the events – accidentally knocked him over and she escaped.

Since coming forward, Ford has faced several criticisms: that her accusations are a lie contrived to keep Kavanaugh from joining the Supreme Court, or that she is needlessly dramatizing high school events to ruin the reputation of a man for political reasons. Both Kavanaugh and Judge have rejected any possibility of the alleged assault, but experts say that her story is credible, not only despite, but because of the delayed reporting and unclear memories which fit within expectations for a victim recalling a teenage trauma.

The political timing of these accusations has already fired up both Democrats and Republicans, but the upcoming public hearing for Kavanaugh and Ford is about more than partisan politics. First and foremost, this is a case about sexual assault, and Ford needs to be respected and listened to, rather than berated for the particular circumstances of Kavanaugh’s current position. If her story is true, she deserves justice, compassion and validation, to show the world that drunken antics are never an excuse for assault.

The nature of this case also calls into question what standards we hold for political leaders like the members of the Supreme Court. Now a 53-yearold husband and a father of two daughters, the

laloyolan.com

victims be heard

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Board Editorial

Brett Kavanaugh of today may be nothing like the 17-year-old boy that allegedly assaulted Ford. The statute of limitations and lack of physical evidence means that Ford’s case has little possibility of legal prosecution against Kavanaugh, even if the events did occur as she claims. Can we as a country allow a man with a far-from-perfect past to rise to power if he claims to have changed for the better?

What could Kavanaugh say to defend his current reputation? Can we believe him or prove if he has changed for the better, or should his past crimes condemn future opportunities?

Allegations of assault against a Supreme Court nominee deserve to be thoroughly investigated, as to not to repeat the past. This case is important not just for how it may determine the possibility of Kavanaugh’s appointment to the court, but for the precedent it sets in handling cases of sexual assault and attempted rape from decades prior. Kavanaugh may have been young and drunk at the time, but it is the duty of the American legal system to send a message that assault is still a crime and . that the truth should come out.

If Kavanaugh is guilty, maybe he can merit forgiveness, but the accusations should never be swept under the rug to avoid controversy or to protect his reputation.

A man deserving of a good reputation should have the courage to help the victim find peace in a fair court of law, even if it means admitting that he was once less than deserving of a good reputation.

The issue of sexual assault is something that can affect all of us. For students on a college campus, we experience the “red zone,” a period of time at the beginning of the semester where underclassmen are most vulnerable to sexual assault — more than 50 percent of college sexual assaults occur during this time. LMU has a thorough process of educating students through LMU Cares, and helps in investigating cases and protecting the victims of sexual assault. However, we all have a responsibility to educate ourselves on the realities and consequences of sexual assault so we can really work toward prevention and culture change.

If you would like to see some condensed lists of Kavanaugh’s past history in a variety of different issues, check last week’s issue of the Loyolan or CNN.

“Allegations of assault against a Supreme Court nominee deserve to be thoroughly investigated, as to not repeat the past ”

Kellie Chudzinski Editor-in-Chief

Emily Rawson Managing Editor

Sami Leung

Managing Editor

Board Editorials represent the voice of the Loyolan. They are written in collaboration by the Executive Editorial Board.

There’s more to health than meets the eye Myers for Hire Alex Myers

Asst. Opinion Editor

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D

iet culture has always confused me. It’s focuses on appearance, but lacks an emphasis on the well being of a person, which is actually good health.

I’ve seen many of my friends and family try new fad diets with looks of despair on their faces, only to be led down a darker path of developing a self-deprecating mindset. We can’t help that diet culture surrounds us, whether it is evident when we’re talking to friends about how we want to look better or in how the media promotes being skinny as desirable.

Many dietitians define diet culture as a society that focuses on and values weight, shape and size over health and well-being.

I find it upsetting that many people are affected by diet culture and its emphasis on body image, as body dysmorphia affects one in 50 Americans, according to the International OCD Foundation.

Personally, I’ve struggled with my weight and body image from the time I was in middle school up to now, but I’ve learned how to maintain a healthy relationship with my body. It wasn’t easy figuring this out as I had to find the right resources to dispell myths about body image and health. A little background on me is that I lost nearly 30 lbs my freshman year of college in a very unhealthy way.

I set myself up to follow a strict diet while I would mentally torture myself for having the smallest amounts of food

Abby Pollak | Loyolan

Dieting to get that coveted skinny waist is not a good means of attaining a healthy body. that I actually enjoyed, like anything consisting of bread or sugar.

I developed a poor self-image while ignoring the bigger picture of what good health really means. Nutritional Journal, an academic journal has shown that pursuing weight loss can lead to unhealthy outcomes such as weight cycling and reducing bone mass, which increases the risk of osteoporosis. Not to mention that there are immense psychological risks in pursuing weight loss such as low selfesteem, eating disorders and anxiety about food. It took me a long time to teach myself more healthy eating habits and learn how to love my body. So, I want to share some tactics that I used to

separate myself from diet culture.

Firstly, lose the dream of being skinny because it’s not always a sign of good health. If health is your goal, then no dieting fad will ever help you achieve that. According to WedMd, while diet fads can help you lose weight quickly, they will not help you keep the weight off in the long term. Coming from someone who held himself to ridiculous standards for their body, the outcome doesn’t outweigh the consequences.

See Diet Culture | Page 6

OPINION

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Avoid fad diets: Focus on health, not a thin waist Diet Culture from Page 5

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information “calorie restriction and loss of muscle mass cause your body’s metabolism to slow down, making it easier to regain weight once you start eating normally again.” Science has shown that pursing weight loss only puts you in a worse position.

When I was measuring calories and eating less, it would decrease my energy levels during the day. I couldn’t focus in class because I’d fall asleep or I just wouldn’t have the mental energy to pay attention. I also became more anxious about food because I categorized food into good and bad categories.

So, then my second piece of advice would be to stop labeling foods good or bad. I hear the phrase “I ate so bad today.” thrown around all the time and I don’t think people understand what they’re really saying.

There is no moral implication to eating food you enjoy, but labeling food as good or bad causes people to find ways to punish themselves. This punishment can manifest as developing poor self-esteem and bad eating habits when in reality the body just wants

to give itself fuel to function.

Yes, eating a cucumber is way healthier compared to a bag of chips, but if you only have access to a bag of chips, don’t feel bad for eating it because it is not worth it.

Eating healthy can be difficult at times, especially when you’re a working student who doesn’t have the time to fully prepare healthy nutritious meals. I believe it’s better to eat the less

healthy option than to not eat at all. It’s not worth giving yourself a hard time every day for doing one of the most human things you can do: eating.

Lastly, surround yourself with people who support your decision in separating yourself from diet culture. In Los Angeles, it’s especially hard to find people who are not obsessed with their body image, but I promise there are people who truly don’t care

about those things and would support you in doing the same.

This doesn’t mean that you should drop all your friends who talk about dieting and losing weight, but instead open up dialogues with them on how you both can start speaking positively about your bodies.

Obviously, with what I have just said, it does not mean you should just stick to eating fried food every day in order to

love yourself. If you want to be healthy, do not set goals in terms of weight. Know that health is an overall sense of well being that can’t be solved with a thin waist, but instead a constant attempt to establish a better relationship between you and your body.

This is the opinion of Alex Myers, a senior French and philosophy major from Edmond, Oklahoma. Tweet comments @LALoyolan, or email jlee@theloyolan.com.

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THE STRUGGLE IS REAL

By Christian Boggs, Cartoon Editor

PIXELLANEOUS

2014 Classic!

By Hannah Kim (‘17), Staff Cartoonist

Check out more Loyolan cartoons online now!

Visit LALoyolan.com/cartoons and catch up on your favorites!

THE UNDECLAREDS

Loyola Marymount University

Resource Fair @

OPEN HOUSE for prospective undergraduate students

Sunday, October 7, 2018 2–3:30 p.m.

Showcase your club to prospective freshman on one of the biggest days of the year!

Register with Jonna German by Wednesday, September 26, 2018 Contact: jonna.german@lmu.edu (310) 338-6019

By Abby Pollak, Staff Cartoonist @LMUadmission

PHOTOGRAPHY

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This week in photos: Lions men’s and women’s soccer

Emily Sullivan | Loyolan

LMU men’s soccer suffered a 1-2 loss against Seattle University on Sept. 16. LMU women’s soccer also dropped their game against Texas Tech on Sept. 16 with a final score of 0-2.

life+arts Which Lair Marketplace restaurant are you?

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By L+A Staff Word around campus is that students are already becoming increasingly bored with the food options on campus. I find that this frustration is because students don’t know which Lair Marketplace restaurant is best for them. Take this test to find out where you should be eating.

What about your favorite ancient civilization?

1. Byzantium 2. Mayan 3. Egypt 4. Rome

What are you up to on a Saturday night?

1 Cozying up on the couch and watching a flick 2 Going out to a party with the group 3 Running along the Bluff reflecting on your week 4 Heading downtown to find some clubs

What’s your favorite hardware store?

Who was your teen heartthrob?

1. Robert Pattinson 2. Ryan Gosling 3. Harry Styles 4. Zac Efron

Favorite rainforest primate?

1 Ace: the logo always gets me 1. Golden Bamboo Lemur 2 Lowe’s: the blue building screams for me 2. Sumatran Orangutan 3 Orchard Supply Hardware: the atmosphere is homely 3. Spider Monkey 4 Home Depot: you can’t go wrong with those orange aprons

4. Mountain Gorilla

What’s your favorite 90's sitcom?

Favorite Loyolan Section?

1 “Full House”

1. The Bluff

2 “Seinfeld”

2. News

3 “Friends”

3. Life+Arts

4 “Fresh Prince of Bel Air”

4. Sports

If you answered mostly 1's, you're: Oodles You know what you're into and are unafraid to be yourself. You tend to be a bit of a perfectionist, so don't be afraid to cut loose and let your hair down.

If you answered mostly 2's, you're: Tres Habaneros You are the life of the party and surrounded by people who love you. Though you add spice to life, know when to take some time to cool down.

If you answered mostly 3's, you're: Natural's!

You're health-conscious and laid back. You probably own a pair of Birkenstocks (unironically) and have an abundance of succulents. While you love blaming all your problems on Mercury being in retrograde, horoscopes can only take you so far.

If you answered mostly 4's, you're: Original Burger Company You are rugged as heck, yet extremely patient. You're a great listener, but make sure you always have someone to return the favor.

Graphic: Allie Crawford | Loyolan

life+arts

laloyolan.com

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Gender roles in ‘A Simple Favor’ Just Jacob Jacob Cornblatt Life+Arts Editor @jacobcornblatt

T

he french-pop laced, self-proclaimed Hitchcockian thriller “A Simple Favor” released this week to a $16 million dollar opening and an answer to the movie’s nowfamous tagline: “What happened to Emily?”

Director Paul Feig is known for his feminist retellings of male-centric stories like “Bridesmaids,” a raunchy comedy led by women, “Spy,” a response to “James Bond” stories and “Ghostbusters,” a female retelling of a classic — and “A Simple Favor” is no exception. Feig made it clear on his press junkets that this movie is a classic noir story; this is not “Gone Girl,” but rather “The Third Man.” Despite having two women as the leads, Paul Feig’s newest film never completely patched the misogyny of the noir genre, instead, it confronted only the surface level problems of women in film (and therefore exposed deeper problems concerning the matter). Needless to say, some spoilers follow.

“A Simple Favor” begins with the bold and brash Emily (Blake Lively) going missing.

Stephanie (Anna Kendrick), Emily’s best friend, tells the audience of her mommyblog about the events leading up to Emily’s disappearance. Stephanie is a super mom — the do-gooder that all the other moms mock and envy — who was widowed when her husband and brother died in a car accident.

Emily is the opposite: a businesswoman who rarely has time for her kid. When their kids want to have a playdate, Emily and Stephanie are forced together and — with the help of a few drinks — become quick friends. One fateful day, Emily asks Stephanie to pick up her kid, but never comes to take him from

Stephanie. After three days of caring for her friend’s child, Stephanie begins to investigate Emily’s disappearance. A twisty-turny mystery commences.

From the setup, it’s clear where Feig’s feminist critique is headed — he’s going to ride against the cultural illusion of a white, upper-middle class duality where women can be either a “perfect” mother and wife or a hardworking businesswoman with no time for family. After all, those two characters arise constantly in studio films and bear little comparison to reality. Feig never discussed this, though. Not once did he confront the pseudo-duality.

There is a scene in which Stephanie conjures up a decadent meal for Sean, Emily’s husband (Henry Golding). He comes home from work to a set table with food covering every empty inch. He tells her that he’s “never come home to a set table before.” The dinner table is a representation of Stephanie’s place in her world. She doesn’t have a job (she survives off her deceased husband’s life insurance), so her life revolves around cooking, cleaning and vlogging. By cooking this meal, Stephanie knowingly shows Sean, in essence, what she can offer him — an action which begins their romantic relationship.

The dinner is clear commentary on what society expects women to do for the men in their lives, as well as one side of the aforementioned wife/businesswoman duality.

The problem is that Feig takes this dinner as nothing but a simple favor. During the finale of the film, Stephanie discovers that Sean never loved her, even though they now live together.

She proclaims, “But I cooked you dinner!”

In the film, the line sounds much less satirical than it does on paper. Anna Kendrick delivers it with genuine shock and dismay. Assuming the line is to be taken satirically, however, the commentary is too little too late. There is no other critique of

the dinner; Sean isn’t vilified or critiqued, and Stephanie accepts the role she initially has as wife/mother.

Emily here takes the role of the businesswoman. She’s the foul-mouthed, ambivalent mother who clearly has an alcohol problem. She’s a villain, a nuisance and — as the film makes clear — an awful wife. She’s distant, unfeminine and passive-aggressive.

Her wardrobe bursts with independence and dominance (underlying the fact that she sees raising a child as a burden rather than a blessing). For a variety of reasons of which all but one are unimportant to the topic, she leaves her life behind and goes into hiding.

(The one important reason is that Sean will claim four million dollars in life insurance, ridding her of all debts and ties to Sean.)

This femme fatale is ludic. As the film’s characters constantly remind us, her background is shady, and nobody should go digging into it. To the end, her transgressions (lighting a house on fire, running away from her families, killing her twin) all

portray a greedy character who disregards everything and everyone else in her life. The businesswoman trope transcends business: she only cares about her own well-being. She confirms the cultural view that a working woman is not a loving woman; a working woman cannot be a mother.

Some may claim that the lack of change in these women is the point of the film: by hyperbolizing the wife/businesswoman duality, Paul Feig points out the absurdity of these roles. I would buy this if the final moments didn’t confirm the roles. Emily ends up becoming a leader in jail, and Stephanie turns her vlogs into true crime stories. In the end, Stephanie is still a perfect mother/wife, and Emily is a businesswoman.

And yet we are supposed to look at their endings as humorous, not problematic.

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 Lionsgate

Anna Kendrick (left) and Blake Lively (right) star in “A Simple Favor,” which, for all of the fun it offers, promotes a problematic representation of women.

Interview: Q&A with Laser Squad Bravo Find out what’s really on the minds of LMU’s premier improv troupe.

Ally Boulas

Life+Arts Intern @AllyRoseReads

F

or one Thursday night each month, The Living Room is packed with students crowding in to watch one of LMU’s improv teams, Laser Squad Bravo (LSB). The shows are unpredictable, wild and sometimes a little weird — but always absolutely hilarious. I got

the opportunity to talk to five LSB members — junior screenwriting major Erik Charbonneau, junior film and television production major Ryan Hopkins, junior film and television production major Tristan Varma, junior screenwriting major Joey Capestany and senior psychology major Vivian Luther — to talk

comedy, magical creatures and their favorite moments on stage.

Ally Boulas (AB): Why should people come see LSB? Erik Charbonneau (EC): It’s fun, you are guaranteed to laugh (either at us or with us) and it’s free.

Tristan Varma (TV): Students who are seniors, when they first see us, always say they wish they had known about us earlier.

AB: Dogs or cats?

Ryan Hopkins (RH): Dogs, because cats are always looking at you like you’re embarrassing them in public.

Joey Capestany (JC): Nothing against cats, but dogs are A1 since Day 1. But my dog, Chance the Pupper, is the love of my life. He is a purebred corgi and he acts like a human. It’s legit crazy. He gets grumpy, happy, sad, excited and sleepy. He is just like having a child ,without all the annoying crying.

AB: What magical creature would best describe you?

JC: I really resonate with the satyr. They spent most of their time with the god of wine, Dionysus, and just chased nymphs around the forest all day long.

They are just hairy men with goat legs and according to Wikipedia, “permanent and exaggerated erections.”

AB: What was the weirdest/ funniest/best audience interaction you’ve had?

EC: Machu. Picchu.

TV: There’s this one guy who shouts Machu Picchu as a suggestion at literally every show.

AB: Favorite joke that a team

member made?

RH: My favorite joke that a team member made was Tristan’s 185 joke. The suggestion was “straight men” and his joke was something along the lines of “185 straight men walk into a bar. The bartender says, ‘I’m sorry but we don’t serve your kind here.’ The 185 men ask, ‘Why?’ To which the bartender replies, ‘I can’t watch everyone’s drinks all night.’”

AB: What’s your favorite improv game?

EC: There is a game called Heckler that we only play in practice on very rare occasions.

Two people do a dramatic scene and it is the rest of the team’s job to get them to break character by any means necessary. Whether it be yelling at them, cracking your own jokes or making fun of their Mossimo brand pants, it’s all fair game.

AB: What advice do you have for aspiring LSB members?

EC: Do not be intimidated and do not get discouraged. Most of the people who are on the team right now had to audition multiple times to get on. Do not overthink things and be present in a scene.

Making other people look good makes you look good!

AB: Any words of wisdom, in general?

JC: Stop wasting money on stuff you don’t need and start stealing.

You’d be surprised by the amount of free stuff you can obtain illegally.

LSB will be performing October 6 in the Living Room.

laloyolan.com Page 12

iPhone XS is only for eXtra people The new iPhone is out, but is it worth your entire year’s paycheck?

Amanda Nahin Flips Phone

The new iPhones are all looks and no substance.

I-Phone, you-phone, we all phone. And we all know about the new iPhones. You don’t have to be a Steve Jobs to have an opinion about these babies. Although we are all broke college students and some of us are probably still rocking our light blue 5Cs, we might as well dream about these unattainable devices.

Let’s break it down, nice and easy. There’s the iPhone XS, the iPhone XSMax and the iPhone XR. But, we’re not going to talk about the XR model, because it hasn’t changed at all except that

of mystical cults appearing, but their online marketability cannot be denied.

handler churches are featured on the app as Shiite mosques.

This PR problem doesn’t quite compare to the overabundance

loan for this phone, because the price for this sleek eXperince is just as eXtra as the phone itself.

Yep, it’s eXpenSive. You might as well drop out of college if you’re investing in one of these bad boys. The maX amount for this iPhone XSMax is $10,990.00.

That decimal point may be inaccurately placed, but who cares? You’re probably going to buy it anyway.

This phone is too pricey of an investment for virtually no good features — just like your eX. Maybe you’re better off not being a part of each other’s lives.

This phone is just as eXtra as that girl in your Econ class with the designer backpack, t-shirt, notebook and laptop case. Your flip-flops don’t need to be Prada and you can hold off on buying this iPhone product.

it comes in the same color scheme as the 5Cs did. So, if you want to break the bank to match your roomie who’s still holding onto their light blue babe, go for it!

These new phones have the largest displays ever. Well, it’s good news for those ladies and gents out there who want to see their selfies spread all over their screen. The only thing that is certain about these new phones is that they are eXceSsive. And, of course, the camera is eXtra too.

Yes, not only with these new iPhones will you have a massive screen but the XS model has an eXtra lenSe. The dual camera system is added just so that all the photography buffs out there can take double the definition pictures at the pool. They’re also supposedly water-proof, so why not try testing it out and drop it into the deep end?

I hope you can take out a side

Tinder inspires religious app SalvationHub A new app aims to better inspire people to find the church of their dreams.

Thomas Richmond

Open to Group Service In their quest to make the world smaller for those who can afford it, tech companies have taken away much of the stress of moving to a new city. Dispelling the old notion that to meet strangers with similar interests you have to physically seek them out, apps such as Tinder have proven a twoinch swipe is movement enough for a connection. This model is becoming so appealing even organized religions cannot resist the temptation.

The latest virtual spiritualmatchmaker SalvationHub has marched onto the scene, adopting Tinder’s model of users swiping for the most attractive ministry. Founder and CEO Jack Reinhard — formerly of the

experimental eSermon, where Sunday congregations remotely complete an online seminar in place of attending church — believes SalvationHub is exactly the direction mainstream religion should be heading to be more accessible.

“Our flock is the underserved market of urban tech-savvy millennials looking to improve their faith,” Reinhard said. “This may not be strictly orthodox, but it’s spreading faith far less lethally and less expensively than crusades.”

SalvationHub users are beginning to demand more out of their faith after using the app.

Betty Bridgeforth, a Lutheran from Chicago who moved to Los Angeles, said, “I used to think, ‘I don’t agree with what the pastor is preaching, whatever. Other people see me involved so I’m not a failure spiritually.’ But now I know I have more options, I can choose the church best for me. Now that’s a match made in heaven and the app store.”

SalvationHub’s mission statement may be taken from Ecclesiastes 10:2 (“...the heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left...”), but is not only for wandering Christians. There are also mosques and synagogues listed for Muslim and Jewish users.

“We are the only social media platform endorsed by the Vatican, the Rabbinical Assembly and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. If sign-up rates stay on track, we’ll soon encompass the same influential sphere as a small continent,” SalvationHub’s statement said.

Key limitations for SalvationHub is it is only functional in ethnically diverse population centers with openminded spiritual leaders willing to join the network. This has led to a disproportionate representation of sorts between traditionalists and more radical persuasions. So far, the same number of underground snake-

Christian Boggs | Loyolan

People are finding their one true pairing with this app for religions.

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.

laloyolan.com Page 14

Parham’s goal is to change the narrative Parham from Page 16

shared by many people in the country.

In 2001, the Center for Disease Control and Kaiser Permanente conducted the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study. According to their website, an ACE is emotional, physical and/ or sexual abuse along with challenges within the household such as the mother treated violently, household substance abuse, mental illness in the household, parental separation or divorce or a criminal household member. Neglect was considered both emotional and physical abuse. They found that two-thirds of the American public has h ad one to four ACEs. The study also found that people who have experienced ACEs have an increased risk of numerous negative consequences such as disease, disability, social problems and early death if left untreated.

Parham’s partner in creating the program is Keyon Dooling, a former NBA veteran who spent 13 years in the NBA. In May, he published an article detailing the sexual assault that he experienced when he was seven years old and the effect on his life afterward.

By the time Dooling was 13, he was drinking, smoking weed, riding in stolen cars and having sex with older girls.

“I was compensating for the anxiety and fear that I had to keep suppressed,” Dooling wrote. “I channeled all my rage and anger into sports. I had to show everybody that I was strong. That I was an alpha. That I was nobody to mess

with.”

After 25 years suppressing his feelings, all of the anxiety and fear came exploding out after a drunk man in Seattle grabbed Dooling’s butt in a bathroom stall. This incident caused all of Dooling’s packed-in anxiety, fear and rage to take over his body. It crippled him. Dooling then committed himself to a hospital where he received the help he needed.

“When we have diabetes, we go get treated,” Dooling wrote. “When we tear our ACL, we go get surgery. But if our heart is broken, or if our soul is hurting, what do we do? We just internalize it.

We become hard. We spend our whole lives running from the ghost. Until one day, it catches up to us.”

Parham attributed people’s habit of suppressing to the stigma against mental illness that has been created over the years — the stigma which leads people to believe that if you can’t suppress those anxious feelings then you are crazy or weak.

“I think that narrative needs to change,” Parham said. “I’m hoping not only to put a program in place but to change the narrative of the national conversation.”

SPORTS

Work ethic pays off for volleyball Volleyball from Page 16

strong start as well as her stellar play so far this season, Reid said, “I think we just have a solid team. Our passing has been amazing in serve receive, which is allowing me a lot of options offensively.

Our hitters are on fire, so I really can’t take a lot of credit because my teammates are making me look good.”

After a full season of building the team culture and style of play, second year Head Coach Aaron Mansfield has turned the team around — which went 16-13 a year ago — and led them to this hot start. Mansfield likes his teams to play at a fast pace and said that Reid has been instrumental in making this offense run the way Mansfield wants and believes will be most successful.

“We haven’t played against a setter that’s been better than Tess this whole year ... She has a really high volleyball IQ, she understands the game really well and we want to play with a lot of speed and you need a really accurate setter in order to play with speed and Tess locates the ball extremely well,” said Mansfield.

In speaking on Johnson’s play, Coach Mansfield noted that “she runs a little bit of an unorthodox set, but it allows her to hit sets from different parts of the court and as long as she stays patient in

the match, she’s gonna get a lot of good opportunities and she’s taken advantage of those opportunities right now.”

Johnson not only leads the team in hitting percentage, but is also the team leader in blocks per set with 0.65.

Mansfield spoke on the differences in the team’s play this season compared to last season, explaining that, “in any first year, you’re still gonna develop communication systems and volleyball systems and I think our team has a really good idea of what we’re trying to do now and what style of play we want them to play with and they are committed to that.”

Coach Mansfield attributed the team’s strong play to their work ethic. “It starts with our players’ commitment to showing up to practice every single day just to get better. We take a lot of pride in not just how hard we train but how smart we are with our training,” Mansfield said. “The players have a very good idea of what their roles are now ... It’s a big reason why we are playing a better brand of volleyball right now than we were in the preseason.”

The Lions’ next game will open up conference play, as they will go up against Gonzaga on Thursday in Spokane, Washington before heading to Portland to play the Pilots on Saturday. The Lions’ next home game at Gersten Pavilion will take place on Sept. 25 against San Diego.

Unleash Your Potential with Elizabeth Suárez A Conversation, Panel and Workshop with Speaker, Best-selling Author and Coach

September 25 | 6 p.m.

Life Sciences Auditorium The first 50 students and alumni to RSVP on Handshake will receive a signed copy of Elizabeth Suárez’s best-selling book, The Art of Getting Everything.

#UnleashYourPotential

Discover how to negotiate with the author of The Art of Getting Everything.

The Wharton School of Business alumna will share her journey through corporate America and will help women achieve their professional and personal success.

Student and alumni attendees will learn how to: • Demystify networking • Negotiate offers • Embrace your cultural background and identity • Remain true to yourself

Join us afterwards for a hosted reception with beverages and hors d’oeuvres in the foyer of the Life Sciences Building.

Charles Von der Ahe Building, Suite 135 careers.lmu.edu | careers@lmu.edu | 310-338-2871

Follow us on social media:

@lmucareers

7 p.m.—Panel of Executive Women Featuring:

Regional Account Executive at

Senior Risk Manager at

Director of Supply Chain Strategy at

Manager, Design & Technology at

SPORTS

SCORES UPDATE

VOLLEYBALL

LION

3-1 W

vs. Lamar

SPORTS

M WATER POLO

14-8 L

vs. UC LA

M SOCCER

2-1 L

vs. Seattle

W SOCCER

2-0 L

vs. Texas Tech

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

Page 16

LOS ANGELES LOYOLAN | September 19, 2018 | laloyolan.com

Professor pushes for mental wellness in NBA Parham named as first director of mental health & wellness of NBPA. Matt Rodriguez Sports Editor @LALoyolan

The person who will help lead the fight against mental illness in the NBA sits in University Hall 2120. Dr. William D. Parham is a professor in the counseling program and the interim associate dean of faculty at LMU, but most recently, he was chosen to serve as the first director of Mental Health and Wellness for the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA).

This year, the NBA and NBPA are looking to expand their mental health programs after several players have opened up about their mental health issues. Parham has been tasked with developing and managing a program for all NBPA members in order to help them with any mental health challenges they may have.

“You're not opening up Pandora's Box of troubles,” Parham said about sharing stories about issues such as depression and anxiety. “You are opening a treasure chest of talents and genius that has yet to be explored.”

According to Parham, everyone

has some sort of emotional baggage, including NBA players.

Even with such baggage, many still perform well enough to be in the NBA and even reach the Hall of Fame.

“It's not reasonable to think that if they start talking about their mental health and wellness issues somehow they're going to crumble,” Parham said. “I think even [with] the most elite athletes ... had they been

"You're not opening up Pandora's Box of troubles, you are opening a treasure chest of talents and genius that has yet to be explored." given permission to think about letting some of their challenges go, [that] would put them in a different perspective. My guess is that they would have performed even better than they [did]."

Parham said that the signs of mental illness have always been around, except they were not acknowledged and were dismissed.

“I think it's been minimized, it's been undersold, it has not been talked about,” Parham said.

“It's been intended [for men] to

Emily Sullivan | Loyolan

Dr. William D. Parham was selected as the director of Mental Health and Wellness of the National Basketball Players Association in May of 2018. He has since unveiled a four-part plan to change the stigma of mental health. keep it packed in and not exposed … We’re not simply talking about putting points on the scoreboard or a ball in the hoop — we're talking about someone’s life.”

After saying this, Parham reached over to his bookshelf above a bamboo tree. He grabbed a book titled "West by West: My Charmed Tormented Life." It details the life struggles of Jerry West, one of the early legends of the NBA. To this day, West

has spent most of his life either playing or managing in the NBA. He earned the nickname “The Logo,” as his figure has been used as the NBA’s logo for nearly 50 years.

In his book, he recounted the abusive childhood that he faced and revealed his lifelong battle with depression and self-esteem issues. He kept his troubles packed inside until he released his autobiography at 72 years old.

“Men are encouraged to keep it packed in,” Parham said. “Now when you add on the dimension of celebrity, they really are incentivized to keep their mouth shut, because if it comes out that they struggle with x, y and z they are liable to lose money, draft and all sorts of stuff.”

West was a victim of abuse as a child, an experience See Parham | Page 14

Volleyball has best season start since 2014 Coach Aaron Mansfield has led women's volleyball to 10-1 start.

Miles Thomas

Asst. Sports Editor @LALoyolan With the final 25th point being scored in the Lion’s favor during their most recent four-set victory against Lamar University, the LMU women’s volleyball team now has a 10-1 overall record, their best season start since 2014 when the team started 12-0. LMU is 5-0 in four-set matches this season.

Prior to their victory over Lamar, the Lions took down Southern Utah in four sets with both games being a part of the LMU/Long Beach state tournament. The team additionally went an undefeated 3-0 in the Kansas Invitational tournament a week prior.

The team is currently on a seven-game winning streak, with their one loss of the season coming from their game against then-No. 24 Cal Poly, who is now ranked at No. 15 in the country. That loss saw the match come down to a final fifth set to determine the winner.

Most players are returning from last season, with only former defensive specialist Kristen Castellanos ('18) and

via Loyolan Archives

Junior setter Tess Reid's (1) 12.98 assists per set leads the nation and her strong play has helped lead LMU volleyball to their best start since 2014. The Lions have won seven straight games and are off to their best start since 2014.

middle blocker Lindsay Carr (‘18) departing at the conclusion of last season. Castellanos has stayed close with the team, however, by currently serving as the team’s graduate assistant coach.

The Lions have added three new freshman players this season: middle blocker Ella Knowlton, defensive specialist Ella Boehle and outside hitter Emily Rohrer. Additionally, two transfer players were added to this season’s roster with junior outside hitter Bo Culo coming in from Florida State and sophomore setter Bailey Steger transferring from Holy Cross.

The Lions have started their season triumphantly by ranking second in the nation as a team in assists per set at 15.1, kills per set with 15.9 and hitting percentage at .315. Junior setter Tess Reid has led the charge in the team’s high assist total, as she individually leads all Division 1 players this season in assists per set with 12.98. Additionally, junior middle blocker Emma Johnson leads the nation in hitting percentage at .533. The team’s high kill count has been led by junior outside hitter Savannah Slattery with 4.0 kills per set and senior opposite Sara Kovac with 3.95 kills per set.

Commenting on the team’s See Volleyball | Page 14