W W W. L A L O Y O L A N . C O M
Los Angeles LOYOLAN The
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The refugee who barely escaped Fadia Alhallak barely made it out of Syria alive during the civil war, escaping in 2012. Sydney Majd News Intern @LALoyolan
Glass shattered all around her, and her house shuddered as if it were in the epicenter of an earthquake. Except this was no earthquake — this was Damascus, Syria. Fadia Alhallak, senior animation major, experienced this chaos in 2012 when a government building was bombed by two and a half tons worth of explosives just a block away from her home in Syria. “I still remember the day when my family and I had realized that terrorists infiltrated our area and that nowhere was safe anymore,” Alhallak said. Alhallak lived in fear knowing that her neighborhood was a common target for terrorists. They constantly shot mortar shells near her home, killing many civilians. “I could hear the shooting and screaming from my window every single night,” said Alhallak. “I wasn’t able to fall sleep
Caroline Burt | Loyolan
After escaping Syria in 2012, Fadia Alhallak left everything behind to start a new life in America. The turmoil in Syria led her to art and her art led her to LMU. As a senior animation major, Alhallak hopes to use her art to promote peace. anymore, so I would just paint instead.” In 2013, Alhallak’s sister’s previous school, Al Zuhoor Elementary, was attacked by a group of terrorists who broke in and killed two innocent children. Fridays became the most common days
for these attacks, and schools were forced to shut down every Friday because it became too dangerous to leave the house. “Suddenly, our lives mattered just as much as a bunch of ants,” Alhallak said. “It felt pointless to just continue on living and
Georgetown University tries to confront slave-owning past of Maryland Jesuits Georgetown used the sale of slaves to pay off debts and is now trying to amend the past. Jackie Galvez
Asst. News Editor @LALoyolan
Georgetown University, a Jesuit school in Washington D.C., announced last Thursday, Sept. 1, that it plans to give priority admission to prospective students who are decedents of slaves owned by Maryland Jesuits. According to the Los Angeles Times, this movement was a part of the university’s efforts to compensate for using monetary profit from the sale of captive individuals to pay off the college’s debt in the mid-19th century.
John J. DeGioia, president of the university, issued a report explaining the college’s concerns surrounding the history of slave trade present at the school, as well as responses on how to best promote a sense of social justice amidst students and faculty alike. According to the report issued by the university, two priests who had previously served as presidents of Georgetown helped to arrange the sale of 272 enslaved persons for $115,000 in 1838, an amount that equates to approximately $3.3 million in today’s currency. Although Georgetown is not the only university to have benefited from the slave trade in the pre-Civil War era — in recent years Harvard University, Brown University, Columbia University and the University of Virginia have all acknowledged their financial ties to slave
sales — this sale in particular stands out due to its vast size and the tragedies that ensued when parents were separated from their young children as a result of the trade. In an effort to analyze the historical significance of this event as well as remedy any lingering negative outcomes that had arisen, DeGioia issued the creation of a committee titled the Working Group on Slavery, Memory and Reconciliation in September 2015. According to the Georgetown University website, the purpose of this group is to “make recommendations on how best to acknowledge and recognize Georgetown’s historical relationship with the institution of slavery, examine and interpret the history of certain sites on campus … [and] convene events and opportunities for See Georgetown | Page 4
Mr.TinDC via Flickr Creative Commons
Located in Washington D.C., Georgetown university will begin giving priority admission to students who are descendants of slaves sold by Maryland Jesuits.
postponing death when all you see is death, pain and suffering all around you.” Alhallak fought to come out of this cruelty alive; she knew that her time living in Syria was over. The violence had hit See Refugee | Page 3
Brightspace takes over Brightspace is being piloted this semester to help students organize their classes. Sami Leung News Intern @LALoyolan
Blackboard is becoming a thing of the past. At the start of this semester, students were confused to find that some of their courses were not listed on Blackboard, which has been previously LMU’s main learning management system (LMS). Rather, some courses were placed under Brightspace, a new LMS being piloted this year. MYLMU Connect is a tool recognized and used by almost everyone on LMU’s campus. Its introduction in 2000 marked LMU’s shift into the digital age, and its continuing evolution has highlighted the importance of using technology in conjunction with classroom lectures.Out of three LMS products introduced to students and faculty — Blackboard Ultra, Brightspace and Instructure Canvas — Brightspace was shown to have the highest rating of satisfaction. A study found on Finances Online shows that both Blackboard and Brightspace have high ratings of client satisfaction. Blackboard comes in with a score 95% approval while Brightspace soars at 98%. Brightspace also boasts more features than Blackboard, including mobile notifications, an instructional design wizard and a more user-centric design. For those who still have questions about the new LMS, all students who have a professor utilizing Brightspace have been enrolled in a brief tutorial to help make the transition as smooth as possible. For more information visit laloyolan.com