Maroon Nov. 11, 2022 Issue

Sodexo workers move to unionize

By Maria DiFelice mldifeli@my.loyno.edu

Samantha Henry said that they feel like they have the weight of the world on their shoulders, trying to work enough to survive. Henry has been working for Sodexo at Loyola since 2017 and is the dining room lead in the university dining hall, the Orleans Room. Henry said that, in the five years that they have worked for the Sodexo at Loyola, they have only gotten a $1.95 raise and, with the rising cost of life, Henry is now working an other job on their days off to make ends meet.

When Henry picks up extra work on the weekends, they said it’s “just for me to have some (money) … not extra money but to have money to do what I want to do outside of what I need to do.”

Henry said that they need better working conditions on campus, includ ing more staffing to make their job better. Henry added that they have difficulty completing their assigned job because they have to fill other positions that are left open because of short staffing. Henry has since decided to unionize in order to address these issues.

Jacqueline Harrison said she has been working at Sodexo at Loyola for ten plus years and is now a team lead. She said she is in support of a union be cause she wants to see a change in pay and the way everyone is treated. Harri son said that the newly hired people are starting at a rate of pay that is close to the people like her who have been working for 10 plus years. She is also in support because of permanent healthcare. Harri son explained how Sodexo is a seasonal job making it hard to pay for healthcare during the off season in the summer time. She explained how some people don’t have the money to be able to pay for their health care in the summertime and go without it for that period of time.

“Some people have two jobs… in or der to make ends meet in some kind of way to pay for medical and medical in surance,” she said.

In Loyola’s 2019 tax form they stated that they paid Sodexo $8,432,021.

UNITE HERE!, is an organization that helps workers for companies such as Sodexo unionize, and has been helping Sodexo workers on Loyola’s campus, like Henry, advocate for fair treatment in their work environment. Everett Hackett, a researcher with UNITE HERE!, said that their goal is to help workers, like the ones at Sodexo, unionize. According to Hackett, the organization has already helped unionize those working at Wil liam and Mary University in Virginia, Clark University in Massachusetts, and the Sisters of Maryknoll in New York.

“Cafeteria workers at a majority of Je suit campuses across the country have a union – like at Georgetown, USF, and U Seattle. As union workers, they collec tively bargain for benefits like affordable or free healthcare, pensions, higher wag es, and more,” Hackett said.

According to Hackett, a committee of worker leaders have been working quiet

New Orleanians fight for equitable housing

ford, ‘’ Upshaw said.

The Louisiana Fair Housing Ac tion Center is a 25-year-old civil rights, nonprofit organization based in New Orleans that was founded to help stop housing discrimination and segregation within New Orleans and the state of Lou isiana, said Maxwell Ciardullo, director of policy and communications at the

“We know that our laws in Louisiana are so lopsided and they favor landlords,

The majority of renters in New Orle ans have to deal with lots of health and safety violations, Ciardullo said.

The New Orleans city council unan imously passed a right-to-counsel or dinance in May 2022, according to the national low income housing coalition. The ordinance states that “it is the pol icy of the City of New Orleans that ten ants facing an eviction from their home shall have right to legal representation in eviction proceedings and the City shall provide such legal representation to ten ants to assist in the fair administration of

Before this ordinance was passed, only six percent of renters in New Orle ans had access to attorneys in eviction court, Ciardullo said.

This ordinance is a major milestone for renters in New Orleans, and the first step to continual change within the city,

Mia Day performs at The Mushroom

Nursing students get new simulation lab

'Above and beyond'

Scholarship offered to Loyola's environmental justice scholars through the Entergy Charitable Foundation

By Alexandrea Martinez aymartin@my.loyno.edu

Loyola’s newly developed Environ mental Justice Scholars Program recent ly announced five outstanding students on campus who will be receiving sti pends for their work in environmental justice.

The stipends are given to those who are chosen after submitting their work to a contest, which requires each student to submit the results of a community en gagement program. Students can work on environmental issues research, com munity service, or both, as a part of their submissions.

The program is working with the En tergy Charitable Foundation, which has been supporting environmental studies at Loyola for about fifteen years, in order to fund the stipends, according to Aimee Thomas, an assistant professor of biolo gy at the school.

Students said they have the freedom to decide how to utilize their funds, and students so far have said they are plan ning on using the money for household necessities, paying tuition, and starting a pet service business.

Students have to be majoring or mi noring in environmental studies in order

to apply, with a minimum GPA of 2.75. They also had to submit a proposal by September, according to Thomas.

The five final students chosen to re ceive the 2022-2023 award were Katie Buc, Faythe Endres, Robert Moreau, Taiyah Murphy, and Jacqueline Mutter, according to a Loyola press release. The projects they will be working on will pos itively impact New Orleans and expand knowledge in their fields, Thomas said.

Buc said she believes her study on lit ter is important because New Orleans is one in the top five of the most polluted cities in the United States, and it is im portant to inform people about it and most importantly, to make a change, she said.

Murphy, an environmental studies ju nior and first-generation college student, said that she is using the funding to ed ucate people on the ways that they can help the environment.

“There are many ways people can ad vocate for the environment and social justice in general,” Murphy said. “Every thing that happens to the environment directly affects humans. This is why the program aims to give students at Loyola, and New Orleans citizens in general, the resources to obtain information about the many environmental issues that our

city is facing and how to resolve them."

Jacqueline Mutter, a Loyola environ mental studies freshman, said that her project ended up being much bigger than anticipated.

“What initially intrigued me was the concept of the interconnectedness be tween spirituality, healing, and the envi ronment,” Mutter said.

Moreau, a Loyola environmental studies freshman, said that he will work on a farm as part of his project, where he will gain knowledge and experience in gardening in order to pass it down to others.

“Growing our food can decrease many nutritional issues. The United States outsources a lot of its food, and ev ery single part of growing food is essen tial to our health. These new practices and habits are something I can influence in our community,” he said.

Endres, a Loyola environmental sci ences major, said that she is glad to have the funds to support her hands-on proj ect related to art and design.

“I think it’s important to the com munity because I would just hope that others can see both the collective action and the technical benefits of a project because there’s definitely something in creating a sense of communal pride and

optimism,” Endres said.

Students have the option to be guided by Thomas or to work with an organiza tion to complete their projects. Thomas said that, to her, offering this opportunity to students and giving back to the com munity means everything. She said that this program aligns with both Jesuit edu cation in serving others.

“I helped them partner with organi zations that would help them fulfill their interests. Instead of having jobs not re lated to environmental justice, they get to have hands on at a job that supports their passion,” Thomas said. “Our mis sion is to allow students to engage and study above and beyond the classroom, which is one of the main reasons stu dents decide to come to Loyola.”

New nursing simulations lab opens

By Ashley Jean-Louis ajeanlou@my.loyno.edu

Loyola and Ochsner have created a new state-of-the-art simulations lab for nursing students on campus this se mester after two years of planning, ac cording to Dr. Cherie Burke, department head of the School of Nursing.

The lab opened in August of 2022, at the start of the fall semester, Burke said. Since it opened, sophomore and junior nursing students have been able to use the simulation lab to practice clinicals. Clinicals are where nurses work with patients while being supervised, accord ing to Burke.

The new lab will be accessible for nursing students unlike the years before. Last year, when the simulation lab was at Ochsner, the nursing students would use the simulation lab for four hours a week. This year, the juniors are utilizing the space in eight-hour days for eight weeks, Burke said.

Grace LaLomia, a junior nursing stu dent at Loyola, said she is glad to see the new addition to the program.

“I think it will help everyone grow. It is a great resource to have right here on campus,” LaLomia said.

The simulation lab is equipped with new medical tools such as high and low fidelity mannequins that have pulses. Before working in clinicals with real pa tients, nursing students are now able to get experience with these tools, accord ing to Burke.

The $1.9 million simulation lab will be a great recruitment tool for the nurs ing department, according to Burke, since most nursing programs have a simulation lab on campus.

Loyola’s new lab will “elevate Loyola to that next level with our competitors,” Burke said.

“We are like kids at Christmas every time we go over there,” she added.

UNION: Sodexo

workers move to unionize

from page 1

According to both Butler and Ault man’Moore, Loyola officials have not been helpful in this process and have discouraged students from getting in volved.

Loyola didn’t immediately respond to multiple calls from a reporter at The Maroon.

“You have to be paying people like a living wage even though I know it's more than the minimum federal wage,” Ault man’moore said.

Rob Heidingsfelder, director of Loyola’s Sodexo operations, said he does not know if he is in support of the union because he doesn’t know much about it. He also said that he does not know what is going on with the greater unionizing efforts because most of the work that is being done is done on a corporate level and not on a local level.

According to Heidingsfelder, this situ ation is out of his control, but he said that the business on campus will continue to operate normally one way or another.

“On that end is what they do on that end, but it doesn't really affect, you know, my position here,” Heidingsfelder said. “We still operate, you know, we still open it. We still close.”

A couple sits in the grass, enjoying the sunshine and nice weather last year. Entergy’s Charitable Foundation recently funded a scholarship for Loyola’s Environmental Justice Scholars, designed to help these students fund projects that will protect and preserve the environment the couple enjoys. Gabrielle Korein/ The Maroon. Continued

STAFF

S. CARROLLTON

CLAIBORNEAVE

CRIME MAP

FRERET ST

ST. CHARLES AVE

AVE BROADWAY ST TULANE LOYOLA

LEAKEAVE

Assistant Editors: Taylor Pittman, Maria DiFelice, Kloe Witt, Matthew Richards, Veronica Offner, Ella Cheramie

Associate Producer for Maroon Minute: Chloe Caudle

Digital Team: Bella Kelley, Alexis Parrino, Sophie Bornefeld, Abigail Schmidt, Monica Basilio, Addison Laird, Arianna D’Antonio, Maria DiFelice, Ashley Jean-Louis

Staff Writers and Photographers: Maggie Lewis, Kloe Witt, Abby Barlow, Michael Lardizibal,

NASHVILLE AVE JEFFERSON AVE

NAPOLEONAVE

Theft Biever Hall Nov. 2 8:57 p.m.

Vehicle Burglary

800 Block of Broadway St Nov. 3 4:45 a.m.

400 Block of Audubon St Nov. 2 10:00 p.m.

400 Block of Walnut St Nov. 2 12:39 p.m.

PARKAUDUBON MAGAZINE ST

Nadir Benslimane, Violet Bucaro, Sophia Maxim, Piper Demman, Margo Weese, Jenna DeLucia, Sydney Piglia

Distribution Manager: Jackie Galli

Auxiliary Support: Cristo Dulom Adviser: Michael Giusti

CONTACT US

Main Office (504) 865-3535

Business Office/Advertising (504) 865-3536 Adviser’s Office (504) 865-3295 Correspondence maroon@loyno.edu

Letters to the editor letter@loyno.edu Advertising ads@loyno.edu Website www.loyolamaroon.com Twitter @loyola_maroon

Facebook The Maroon Instagram @loyola_maroon

Our office is in the Communications/Music Complex, Room 328.

Send mail to: The Maroon, Loyola University, Campus Box 64, 6363 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans, LA 70118

The Maroon is published every Friday. Unless otherwise noted, all content is copyrighted by The Maroon. All rights reserved. First copy free to students, faculty and staff. Every additional copy is $1.00. The Maroon is printed on 30 percent postconsumer recycled content.

Activists fight environmental racism

By Kloe Witt kgwitt@my.loyno.edu

The Greenfield Louisiana Project has begun to construct a grain elevator in Wallace, Louisiana that Jo Banner, co-di rector of the Descendants Project, said is an act of environmental racism.

The Descendants Project is an organi zation founded by Jo Banner and her sis ter, Joy Banner. The organization began with the intent of preserving slave de scendants’ history in their city. However, soon after they began their work, they heard about the grain terminal where the elevator would be built and began advocating against the construction.

“It would destroy our community. There’s no way we could live next to it. There is no way we could live through the construction of it,” Jo Banner said.

A grain elevator is a large storage fa cility for grains to harvest and prepare for shipment. These elevators are large, most ranging from seventy to one hun dred feet tall. They hold a lot of dust and metal, which is a cause for concern of residents living near one.

Jo Banner said she’s concerned for the effects, as dust and metal will be in the air and have the potential to harm resi dents.

“This is the purest form of environ mental racism that you can find and it’s happening right here in Wallace, and it needs to be addressed,” Jo Banner said.

The effects of the elevator's construc tion is one of the major concerns for the parish, she said.

The zone in which the elevator is be ing built is also under question. Although the area is listed as heavy industry land, the Descendants Project has found evi dence that this isn’t actually true.

“Maps of the parish, zoning lands, and other documents are showing that it’s actually residential land, but our parish

is still saying that it’s heavy industry,” she said.

This same land that is listed as heavy industry was extorted by former St. John parish president Lester Millet, Jr. He coerced the planning commission into illegally zoning the land as heavy indus try, when it was previously listed as resi dential, according to information shared on the Descendants Project’s website. Millet was caught by the FBI and spent five years in prison, although the area remained listed as heavy industry, the website says.

“Even if it was heavy industry, our community falls well within the 2000

foot distance requirement around the property, so either way, the export facil ity should not be there,” she said.

This has helped with the organiza tion's files on a civil lawsuit, with support from the parish judge, Haston Lewis Jr.

Loyola professor and director of en vironmental communications, Robert Thomas, said that the people of Wallace are at the heart of this issue.

“They are very concerned about how it’s going to impact their lives, property values, health, and their culture. And that’s the essence of what we are gonna watch play out,” Thomas said.

Thomas said grain elevators can

cause catastrophic damage in some ex treme cases..

“If you look back over the history of grain elevators, you’ll find that every now and again, there are these terrible explo sions,” he said. “When that happens, it’s a tragedy. It can kill people and destroy property.”

Thomas said he understands the fear these communities are having over the elevator.

“It is a terrible thing for communities to have to deal with because of the fears and anxieties. And again, not trusting the businesses,” Thomas said.

Jo Banner said she is disgusted that

this is still happening in the United States.

“It’s revolting that Black communi ties are put under this type of terror and threat. And that after all these years we have a government that would support action that would keep us out of our own government,” Jo Banner said.

Environmentalists weigh in on Mississippi River's low levels

By Macie Batson mmbatson@my.loyno.edu

With temperatures rising due to cli mate change and a severe drought af fecting the country, the mighty Missis sippi River's water level is at its lowest in a decade, forcing numerous parishes including Orleans to declare a state of emergency.

In addition to severe drought condi tions in several states, sea levels are ris ing along the coasts. These factors trace back to the climate crisis, which is caus ing salt water from the Gulf of Mexico to wedge into the river. This directly affects several parishes' water supply, rendering it practically undrinkable.

While the U.S. Army Corps of En gineers has already begun looking for solutions, such as dredging an "under water sill" across the bed of the Missis sippi River to prevent a thrust of salt water from entering from the Gulf of Mexico, environmentalists and climate activists believe that the real solution is to slow down the long-term effects of cli mate change before it's too late.

Veronica Del Bianco, an environmen tal program professor at Loyola, said that lower than average rainfall for months on end is the main cause for this crisis.

“The river needs rain to replenish, and I'm not talking about rain here, like we had on Saturday,” Del Bianco said. “The Mississippi River is fed by tributaries across 31 states, and parts of Canada, and it’s precipitation there that affects

water levels down here.”

These low water levels are causing barges, cruise ships, and cargo ships to bottom out in the river, making it practi cally impossible for them to reach their destinations.

More navigation restrictions imposed by the U.S. Coast Guard as a result of these incidents have farmers, river pi lots, chemical plants, and many others concerned about their income and employment. Some rely solely on these waterways to trans port more than 500 million tons of cargo each year, which also includes a majority of the country's food supply. As a result, barge and cruise ship traffic is congested.

Craig Hood, director of the Envi ronment Program at Loyola, said that the entire climate system has been dis turbed by things like fossil fuels, which is why the country has been experiencing this drought. He also said that, as a result of the disruption in the climate system, the accumulation of rain received last winter was minimal due to the heavy and fast rainfall.

“It’s important to understand these connections of climate change and its effects on the land, water, and all of the other things we depend upon,” Hood said.

Hood said he wants students to rec

ognize how essential the Mississippi River is to all of its bordering states, and that without it, there would be little to no economy.

“Most people don’t understand that the river is everything,” Hood said. “New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and all of the busi nesses in between would not exist with out the Mississippi.”

Local climate activist Malik Rahim said he believes that saving the environ ment is the biggest issue mankind has ever faced and that the low levels of the river may give some time for the Gulf of Mexico to heal from pollution.

“So goes the Gulf, so goes America. And so goes America, so goes life as we know it. You cannot think about saving the gulf without thinking about the Mississippi River,” Rahim said.

Del Bianco said that while currently there is no real way to solve the econom ic and climate issues we are facing, there are ways we can help mitigate it, one of them being to go out and vote.

“I encourage everyone to research their candidates and their positions on issues related to water boards, energy production, and consumption, particu larly within their own home state,” Del Bianco said.

Biology junior Isabella Ramos agreed with experts that things can change in

A barge on the Mississippi in the Greater New Orleans area shows the devastating low levels of the river. Experts at Loyola and beyond weighed in on why the levels are low.

Ecoi Lewis/The Maroon

this approach, but few people are ready to pay the price.

“Why would oil tycoons switch to having wind farms in the middle of the ocean instead of oil rigs when they make so much money?” Ramos said.

Ramos said she feels like some pol iticians are too caught up in their own regimes to care about or even want the change.

“Politicians have to support the oil industry in order to get money for their campaigns, and that’s why so many of

them claim (climate) change isn’t even real,” Ramos said. “Climate change is real and it’s here – just look at the Mississip pi.”

“Politicians have to support the oil industry in order to get money for their campaigns, and that’s why so many of them claim (climate) change isn’t even real,” Ramos said. “Climate change is real and it’s here – just look at the Mississip pi.”

A sign designed by supporters of the Descendants Project demonstrates the concern for a clean environment. The project has raised concerns about the construction of a new grain elevator in Wallace, Louisiana. Courtesy of the Descendants Project.

“Most people don't understand that the river is everything.”

— Craig Hood Director of the Environment Program

The Chicken Parmesan from Adolfo's Restaurant on Frenchmen Street. The combination of the homemade pasta, thin and crispy chicken, and fresh parmesan is the perfect meal before a night out.

The Peach Cobbler from the Peach Cob bler Factory in the Bywater. From a cherry cobbler, to a sweet potato cobbler, the variety of options will leave you extremely indecisive.

The Weekend Howl Foods to Eat Booze to Drink

The Rita Hayworth from the Hot Tin Bar downtown. Made with chiles, lime, apri cots, and tequila it's a refreshing yet spicy cocktail for that special moment.

The Gentle Sage from Copper Vine. Locat ed on 1001 Poydras St, this drink will keep you happy and mellow with highlights of sage, lemon, grapefruit over gin.

DJ Pauly D live at The Metropolitan on Friday, Nov. 11. Catch the Jersey Shore's finest and dance all night long.

The Soul Rebels at Les Bons Temps Roulez on Nov.12, 2022. The Mardi Gras in spired soft rock and funk band will sweep you off your feet.

Shows to See Culture

JAMFEST 2022 festival at Press Street Station in the Marigny area. Enjoy some delicious street food, music, and a never ending art market in one of New Orleans most beautiful neighborhoods.

33rd New Orleans Film Festival, held from November 3rd-13th. Showcasing over 117 films, the festival celebrates some of the best local and international films.

Mia Day performs in-store at The Mushroom

By Macie Batson mmbatson@my.loyno.edu

Mia Day arrived in New Orleans for the first time as a freshman at Loyola, but she has rapidly carved out a name for herself both inside and outside of the university.

So much so that when it came to deciding who would perform the first in-store show for Loyola's marketing class at The Mushroom, the tucked away record store and smoke shop above col lege kids' beloved bar The Boot, music department’s visiting professor John McHue said Day was the obvious choice.

The indie-folk singer-songwriter took The Mushroom’s stage on Tuesday, Oct. 25, performing a 30-minute set that in cluded two unreleased tracks from her

sophomore album, which will be re leased in the spring of 2023. The perfor mance was a part of the music industry department’s marketing class, where students represent their peers to mimic a music industry experience.

“I never would’ve pictured myself playing here,” Day said. “It’s chaotic, and that's what I love about it.”

Day's first job was in a record store back home in Seattle, Washington, which influenced her decision to work at the White Roach record store Uptown on Magazine Street after relocating to New Orleans.

“Record stores have a really special place in my heart,” Day said.

Day also hosted her first album re lease inside her local Seattle record shop in 2018 and said she was overjoyed to

have the opportunity of playing at an other.

McHue said Day was the ideal candi date for the marketing class' first in-store performance, because of her ability to connect with her audience through her voice, songs, and overall style.

“Mia is a super talented artist who has built up a nice fan base at Loyola,” McHue said. “I knew that Mia had worked in a record store in Seattle, so I thought she would be perfect for our inclass promotion.”

McHue's expertise in the record in dustry, as well as his work with indie labels such as A&M Records, Elektra Records, and Jive Records, led him to want to educate the class on the value of in-store performances in the music industry.

“This was how most records were launched, with acoustic performances to get the artist's fans excited,” McHue said. “The fact that it feels like a lost chapter in our business is weird to me.”

To publicize the event, students were in charge of designing fliers and posting on social media.

McHue said that in addition to a ra dio interview, the marketing students created a blog about the in-store event. McHue said that this helped to empha size that while marketing a show, it is essential to have as many impressions as possible to create awareness for an event.

“We look forward to doing more instores with our Loyola music students and having our music business students market those in-stores,” McHue said.

LUCAP encourages student action in New Orleans community

By Sydney Piglia sydneypiglia@gmail.com

From feeding homeless and low-in come people on the third Saturday of ev ery month at Crescent City Cafe, to help ing rebuild homes in St. Bernard and Orleans parish through the St. Bernard Project, the Loyola University Commu nity Action Program volunteers do it all, said the program’s president, Shelbi Bias.

The Loyola University Community Action Program is a student-run and organized volunteer organization that has been part of the Loyola community for 40 years. They give students oppor tunities to impact the local community through service, Bias said.

“The best part of working with LUCAP is being able to make an impact in the community because small waves can lead to big changes,” Bias said.

Volunteers are connected directly to the community surrounding Loyola and immersing themselves in the New Orle ans culture, she said.

“Being able to not only bring aware ness to Loyola students, many of which

come from various cities, states, and countries is helpful, but to also have a hand in making improvements (feeding the hungry, rebuilding homes, decorat ing rain barrels) on these issues is also helpful,” Bias said.

Volunteer coordinator Jai Shy, a ju nior majoring in sociology, has been volunteering with LUCAP since their freshman year and has especially en joyed being able to walk dogs with the New Orleans Animal Rescue.

“My experience has been very re warding. I believe it is very important to give back in any capacity and LUCAP is connected with ways to serve the com munity,” Shy said.

Besides connecting students with serving the community, LUCAP also connects students with each other. Feel ings of loneliness are especially common now after not only a long pandemic, but a growing societal push for hyper-inde pendence. According from a VICE arti cle from earlier this year, “30% of young people say they don’t know how to make new friends and they’ve never felt more alone.”

LUCAP helps students make direct connections with those they serve. Pro grams like Cafe Con Ingles, which has students teach English, or Joy Relief which provides help to victims of hur ricanes give students those face-to-face relations that can often be hard to make.

Students interested in volunteering with the Loyola University Community Action Program can sign up for various events through the link in their Insta gram. Students can find an event perfect for them and get involved with a cause they care about, Bias said.

Shy said volunteers learn “the value of giving back,” which can give students a break from the stress of academic life.

“Get involved with LUCAP and live the Jesuit values we all hold dear to our heart,” Shy said.

Jacinta Bacot (left) and Brashanda McCoy (right) paint a home for the Saint Bernard Project initiative on Oct. 1st, 2022. The Saint Bernard Project is a disaster relief nonprofit organization. Jacob L'Hommedieu/The Maroon

Senior Mia Day performs at record store and smoke shop, The Mushroom. Day's performance was planned by Loyola marketing students. Abigail Schmidt/The Maroon

Volleyball celebrates senior weekend

By Matthew Richards mlricha2@my.loyno.edu

The Loyola volleyball team celebrated its four senior members over the week end after the team won two games at home, closing out its regular season with a win.

This year’s four seniors, Gracie Bailey, Dallis Brown, Brittany Cooper, and Re becca LaCour have led the Wolf Pack to a 22-10 record, winning 11 of their last 12 games for their regular season.

“This team is special and I’m so glad to share these accomplishments and con tinue to reach our goals with these girls,” said setter Gracie Bailey.

Bailey’s teammate, Cooper, said the season has been the best one yet.

“It’s a little bittersweet that it’s my se nior season,” said outside hitter Brittany Cooper. “The team dynamic is like some thing I’ve never seen before. You can tell that every one of us has bought into each other, our coaches, and the game. We are an unbreakable family.”

The bond the seniors have formed is a special one, Brown added.

“We call ourselves the ‘Fab Four,’” she said. “And it’s really awesome that we get to celebrate both our athletic and academic accomplishments during this time.”

LaCour said that though her time at

Loyola has been shorter than her fellow seniors after she transferred to play vol leyball for the Wolf Pack, she still feels just as connected and supported by her teammates and coaches.

“Loyola has given me the chance to be successful in both volleyball and nursing school in the city I love and grew up in, which I’m so grateful for,” she said.

Head volleyball coach Jesse Zabal was particularly proud of the resilience and toughness shown by the Class of 2023 as they faced challenges off the court as well.

“This senior class is incredibly spe cial,” Zabal said. “They’ve really been through the wringer. The spring semes

Baseball welcomes a new coach

By Kloe Witt kgwitt@my.loyno.edu

Loyola Wolf Pack baseball welcomed a new face to the team with assistant coach, Ryan Hanson, this season.

Hanson said he is excited about his position after learning of head baseball coach Jeremiah Kennedy’s success over the last three years.

“We have a really good group that has a foundation with Coach Kennedy, and I just want to be a small piece that helps contribute to that,” Hanson said. “The foundation has been laid. They have a great program. I’m just coming in and filling in the role that they need.”

Ryan Hanson has had an extensive coaching career all over the United

States, from Massachusetts to Alaska. He played professionally for several years with a short halt for injury before receiv ing his masters in coaching and continu ing his career at Loyola.

Last season, the baseball team ranked 23rd in the college world series, almost making it to the playoffs. Although win ning would be a great goal for the team to achieve, Hanson said it isn’t the most important thing for him this year.

“The cliche is, we wanna go and win a college world series,” he said. “But my job and my goal is to help them reach their own levels of personal success, to maxi mize their potential and make them feel good about themselves whenever they step on the field.”

Becoming a part of a team that alrady has a strong foundation isn’t easy, Han son said, but he added that the baseball team is filled with good players who have been quick to make him feel welcome.

“They’re just good human beings and good people, and they’re accountable, responsible, and respectful. They made me feel like a part of the team immedi ately, and that’s probably our biggest strength,” Hanson said.

As the season progresses, Hanson said he is hoping he will be the last piece the team needs to reach their ultimate goal of going to the world series.

“It’s just easy for me to come in and be a small puzzle piece to help somehow,'' he said.

ter of their freshman year was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and then, when they were finally able to re turn and play, they had to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. But since day one, they’ve been leaders on and off the court and I’m deeply grateful for their contributions to the program.”

The team hopes to carry their mo mentum into the SSAC Conference Tournament which starts on Nov. 9 in Montgomery, Alabama and the NAIA National Tournament, which begins on Nov. 19.

“We are approaching the conference tournament ready for battle,” Cooper said. “We’ve put in the work every day

WHAT YOU MISSED

Swim goes to Mississippi

The women's team won host ing Millsaps 115-93, and the men's team lost 89-88.

Cannady receives player of the week

Women's basketball senior Sandra Cannady was named SSAC Player of the Week after leading the last two games.

and know we have what it takes to win. Our trust in our values of commitment, confidence, selflessness, accountability, adaptability, and family will be crucial to our success, and I know we’re all itching to bring home the title.”

WHAT'S UP NEXT

NOV. 11 AT 1:30 P.M. Volleyball at Life University

NOV. 12 AT 6 P.M.

Men's basketball vs South ern University at New Orleans

NOV 14 AT 7 P.M.

Men's basketball at South ern Miss University

NOV. 16 AT 5:30 P.M. Women's basketball at Dillard University

The volleyball team celebrated their seniors on Saturday, Nov. 5. The four players were presented with framed jerseys and got to raise a banner to commemorate their season. Courtesy of Wolf Pack Athletics

MADDY TURNED HATE INTO HOPEAND STARTED A MOVEMENT

Maddy Park Founder, @CafeMaddyCab

Teenage vaping is an epidemic

Violet Bucaro Journalism Sophomore

Around 30% of young people smoke every day. 55% of purchased vapes are disposable vapes, and can cost between $10-40 and last a week. A monthly fee of $160 can add up to $2,000 a year.

Disposable vapes aren’t disposable though. Lithium-ion batteries expose toxic waste into the environment. Dis posables are toxic to the environment and the lungs. But this information doesn't matter. Kids want their vapes. In retrospect, 14.1% (2.14 million) of high school students and 30% of high school seniors in America have reported vap ing.

Advertisement is a culprit to the frightening trajectory of the teenage va ping epidemic. Vapes are decorated in eye candy, with some even going as far as featuring teens' favorite TV shows like Rick and Morty and The Simpsons. TV shows depicting vaping teens like Eu phoria, Big Mouth, and 13 Reasons Why have also helped to popularize it. Kids' favorite characters vape, so they think they should, too. Over the last few years new alluring flavors were manufactured.

Flavors like unicorn, candy, gummy bear, strawberry banana, grape, Crème Brûlée, and mixed berry sway kids into nicotine addiction. Cotton candy sounds harmless, right?

Not quite. Heavy metals have been detected including nickel, tin, and lead. Most stores sell fake vapes, without la bels. Therefore, anything can be in them. Who knows what they are made of?

Even formaldehyde was found in nic otine vape solutions. Kids and teenagers may not realize what is causing them

breathing problems, wheezing, or irritat ed skin and. They are blindsided, and big corporations profit off of it.

It has become socially accepted to ask strangers to hit their vape. Illnesses and bacteria can be spread through sharing vapes. Kids may feel pressured to share with others, or they may feel they will be unscathed when sharing with an inno cent friend.

There is a myth that vaping helps anx iety when in reality, studies found it can increase anxiety. A study found that va pers and smokers are nearly 35% more likely to have heart attacks and 55% more likely to experience depression and anxiety than non-smokers.

People become fiercely addicted to vaping and try to quit by smoking ciga rettes. Unfortunately, cigarettes are not any healthier. Some research has shown that vaping can increase use rather than help people quit cigarettes. Which is worse?

Some people trying to replace cig

arettes with vaping end up using both.

Cigarettes are made up of at least 7,000 chemicals, and vapes can have over 2,000. Vapes were intended to help peo ple stop smoking, but people can vape, or at least secretly vape, anywhere. So can vaping cause people to become more addicted to nicotine?

There are real solutions. You can quit

smoking with smoking sensation treat ments, aroma therapy, nicotine pouches, patches, gum, mints, exercise, acupunc ture, and even hypnosis. It may be easi er to quit now than to live with the side effects and die early. Get help today. Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW.

What LGBTQ+ reps mean for future generations

tion showcased in media, the idea of bi sexuality being a “phase” or “confusion” would decrease and would be replaced by support and although some might have questions, they would mean it with the purpose of wanting to understand better rather than coming across as judg mental.

Earlier this month, the New York

For me, as a bisexual woman, this also made me have bittersweet feelings. This new generation of children that

sively use they/them pronouns. Anoth er example is the preschool television series “Blue’s Clues'' where last summer they showcased a video of a “Pride Pa rade'' that showcased different exam ples of LGBTQ+ families. It featured a song that was sung by the famous drag star Nina West. It goes to show how far we have come when it comes to repre sentation.

Once again, I never saw this represen

For me, it means that this new gener ation will have a much better under standing when it comes to the LGBTQ+ community. These children will not see these topics as some form of ‘taboo’ and will be much more accepting. Because these children will have a much better understanding, they will now know who exactly they might be. They might not have the same doubts I (and many oth ers) have had.

understand more about different sexu alities and gender identities that exist in our society. I wish I had this represen tation when I was a child. It would have helped me understand that my sexuali ty is perfectly normal. I bet many other members of the LGBTQ+ community feel the same way.

It would have been amazing for gays and lesbians to understand that feel ing attraction toward the same gender

Gabriela Santos Mass Communication Freshman

Nadir Benslimane/The Maroon

Margo Weese/The Maroon

HOWLS & GROWLS

HOWL

parm

CourtesyofUNITEHERELocal23 andAkilahToney

2019 for their services. While the lump sum is for more than paying its employ ees, Sodexo is paying only $13.75 per hour for some people who have held their jobs at Loyola for more than 20 years.

People who work for Sodexo on cam pus deserve better for all they do, and we should be the ones who help them.

Earlier this semester, a small group of Sodexo workers made their efforts to unionize public, and now is our chance to support them. The unionization came about in order to advocate for better wag es and working hours.

The history of unionization in the Unit ed States is one of class conflict, workers’ rights, and occasional bloodshed.

While the hope is that violence will not erupt at any point, it is important to recognize history and what has been won through these efforts. Staples of life, like weekend holidays and federal minimum wages, are some of the most prominent victories afforded to us by those who fought for unionization in the past.

A student advocacy group already

efforts, but more can always be done. In fact, more should be done.

So, what can us students do to help the Sodexo workers in their efforts to unionize? For starters, we need to be loud. Unionizing is a process that has always faced hardship, with extreme ex amples being seen in large corporations like Walmart, Amazon, and Tesla. But if we, the people who actually benefit from the service of the Sodexo workers, make it clear that we are in support of the union, change could really happen – sooner than later.

We could also help by petitioning Loyola to side with those who work for Sodexo. If Loyola were to put in a good word for the rights of the workers to unionize, then there would be an even greater chance that we could help bring about this important change.

That being said, students have said they’ve been discouraged from support ing the union and told that it is not a student issue, but rather a workers’

But if we don’t do anything, we would be contributing to ignoring the voices of thousands of workers who have fought the same fight and came out the other side with even less rights than before. None of our efforts are guaranteed to work out for the better.

But wouldn’t it be better to fight? To stand tall and strive for something more? Because that’s what it means to be peo ple for others, as the Jesuits say. To give and not to count the costs and to fight and not to heed the wounds. Yes, there’s a chance of coming up short, but to simply do nothing because of that chance would be more of a waste than to put forth effort in the first place.

It’s time to throw our hats in the ring to help the people who have done so much for us.

EDITORIAL BOARD

Gabriella Killett Editor-in-Chief

Jackie Galli Managing Editor for Print

Domonique Tolliver Managing Editor for Digital

Devin Cruice Maroon Minute Executive Producer

Dajah Saul Social Media Coordinator

Patrick Hamilton Design Chief

Gabrielle Korein Photo Editor

Ava Acharya News Editor

Sofia Luciano Life & Times Editor

Arianna D'Antonio Worldview Editor

Abigail Schmidt Sports Editor

Jacob L'Hommedieu Opinion and Editorial Editor

Mia Oliva Reviews Editor

Maleigh Crespo Equity & Inclusion Officer

Macie Batson Senior Staff Writer

Anna Hummel Senior Staff Photographer

EDITORIAL POLICY

The editorial on this page represents the majority opinions of The Maroon’s editorial board and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Loyola University. Letters and columns reflect the opinions of the authors and not necessarily those of The Maroon’s editorial board.

The Maroon does not represent the opinion of administration, staff and/or faculty members of Loyola.

Letters are subject to editing for length, grammar and style. Please limit submissions to 400 words. Submissions are due no later than 4 p.m. the Sunday before publication.

Please send all submissions —

The Maroon, 6363 St. Charles Ave., Box 64, New Orleans, LA 70118.

Email us your letters — letter@ loyno.edu.

Submissions may also be made online at www.loyolamaroon.com.

to democracy GROWL to unfair labor practices

HOWL to egg

GROWL to adulting HOWL to new leadership GROWL to climate change HOWL to honey bean GROWL to loose toenails

Heather Rabassa Copy Editor

PatrickHamilton/TheMaroon

The time has come to help Sodexo workers in the efforts to unionize