Loyola University • New Orleans • Volume 97 • Issue 17 • February 1, 2019
THE MAROON FOR A GREATER LOYOLA
Fair Grounds goes wild Camels, ostriches and zebras raced the Fair Grounds' tracks By Andrew Lang awlang@my.loyno.edu @langand87
New Orleans Fair Grounds was filled with thousands of fans hotly anticipating a race of the world’s largest birds. Capable of speeds up to 40 mph in the wild, the ostriches were the finale of the exotic animals. Five birds darted down the track typically occupied by horses. Crashes took out two of the five competitors. As Flock Star Racer separated from the pack and held his lead by several lengths, jockey Jorge Mo n s e r a t e took his second win of the day, — the first
having been atop the camel Winsday. Rather than exclusively trotting out the horses, the Fair Grounds Race Course and Slots went wild and featured some abnormal offerings with three exotic animal races alongside nine thoroughbred horse races Saturday, Jan. 26. The unusual race offerings featured camels, zebras and ostriches. People came in droves to see the races. Between 12,000 to 15,000 people attended, according to Senior Director of Marketing Mark Connor’s estimate. While the usual bettors and spectators came out, this event was targeted at bringing in families and other people who weren’t usual attendees of the horse races, according to Conner. In an effort to do just that, the event also featured three inflatable bounce houses. There was no
“The zebras made me concerned for their species in the wild." — Lowell Smith Psychology junior
betting on the exotic animal races with the Fair Grounds, but the Fair Grounds did encourage “side bets.” It worked for psychology junior Lowell Smith, who won $5 in a bet with a friend. The zebra race ended up being the most chaotic, with three of the four racers crashing, which Smith thoroughly enjoyed. “The zebras made me concerned for their species in the wild,” Smith said. Former Loyola mass communication major Caleb Beck said the zebra race was his favorite of the three because of the chaos. “As much as I enjoyed (the ostrich race), the zebras was a s--- show that was dysfunc-
tional from the moment it started,” Beck said. Some families, however, left early, in part due to the chilly weather after the sun went down. It was close to 50 degrees, but felt colder with wind chill by 6:30 p.m., and the ostriches had yet to race. Brad Hayes, who came with his wife and two children, lamented they didn’t start the event at 12 p.m. like they start some races, but rather 3 p.m. “Now here we are at 6:30, 7 and we are all freezing our butts off. And it was a beautiful day, you know, and they could have run a little earlier,” Hayes said. Hayes also struggled to get his kids a good view due to the crowds. “With this last one, the zebras, we literally could not even see it, because the crowd was so huge and everyone was standing on the tables and standing on the rails,” Hayes said. “And, of course, they are like 3 feet tall and we were trying to lift them up and stuff, and w e literally could
not see a thing.” Fans came up with the names of the racers through a Facebook competition. Every single race featured an animal named with a joke about the missed call in the NFC championship between the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams. RefereeCatcher represented the camels, ImNotAnNFLRef represented the zebras and OstracizedNFLRefs represented the ostriches. Only one racer, Jermal Landry, went for the trifecta and rode on one of each animal. Landry ended up taking the victory riding ImNotAnNFLRef in the zebra race after being the only competitor not to wipe out. He said his winning strategy was to “hold on.”
Jorge Monserate riding the ostrich Flock Star Racer and Tavis Smith atop camel MikeMikeMikeWhatDayIsIt both participated in the exotic races at the Fair Grounds Race Course and Slots. The exotic races took place on Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. SINDEY OVROM/The Maroon.
Loyola's janitorial staff placed under new management By Emma Noble ennoble@my.loyno.edu
After spending six years on submarines for the United States Navy and 25 years traveling the country with his wife, John Andrews has joined Loyola's community as the new site manager of the school's custodial services. Andrews works for WFF Facility Services, Loyola's janitorial maintenence provider, as the director of custodial services. Andrews is in charge of ensuring clean interior spaces on campus and will also manage setup for various on-campus events. Although Andrews now calls the Crescent City "home," his experience reaches far beyond New Orleans, and even the U.S. Due to his wife's position as a government employee, Andrews has been able to travel across the country. He previously worked facility
maintenance for Jewish community centers and YMCAs in upstate New York for eight years. He then moved overseas to west Africa in 2010 to be a facility manager for the U.S. Embassy in Dakar, Senegal. In the six years following his move to Africa, Andrews worked as the operations and security manager for the International School of Dakar. "It was an incredible experience," Andrews said. "We took a place that was not in a good position, and we brought them up to become the highest-rated school in Africa. It was very rewarding." When asked how he found himself in this particular field, Andrews said he has always been good at fixing things and making processes work. Those skills led him to his current position at Loyola — a university Andrews said holds a special place in the hearts of those at WFF. "Our company, WFF, has man-
aged the custodial services on this campus for over 40 years," Andrews said. "They were our original client and we have grown immensely since then." Andrews said WFF now manages more than 42 universities across the United States. Outside of work, Andrews is an avid sportsman, spending much of his time hunting and fishing with his two dogs. When he isn't outdoors, he enjoys reading science-fiction novels and spending time with his wife. During his time at Loyola, Andrews said he hopes to achieve a higher level of customer satisfaction and provide the university with consistent and reliable service. "It's a dirty business," he joked, "but we are fully committed to giving Loyola the highest level of service that WFF is possible of putting forth."
John Andrews, the new WFF janatorial services manager at Loyola, smiles in the peace quad on Jan. 29, 2019. SHAMARIA BELL/The Maroon.
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news
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February 1, 2019 The Maroon
Children’s book drawn by student
news briefs Online spring enrollment was a ‘disappointment’ While the university is considering the introduction of online associate degrees, Loyola has been met with low online enrollment for the spring semester. Maria Calzada, interim provost, said the university was expecting 80 to 100 more students to enroll in online classes and programs in January of 2019. Calzada stated, during a Jan. 17 University Senate meeting, that the low enrollment was likely due to Loyola’s early return to classes after Winter break. “The January start, I would say, was a disappointment — we expected more students. Postmortem, if we had started a week later, it would have been a different story. I think we start too early in the spring semester. So that’s another thing we are looking at because that puts pressure on the budget,” Calzada said. Although this will impact the university’s revenues, Calzada said that the budget will remain stable. “The good news is that the financial impact has been mitigated by other factors, and we are still on track toward a balanced budget for fiscal year 2019.”
By Valerie Cronenbold vcronenb@my.loyno.edu
Paul Roach came to Loyola with hopes that his education would one day lead to a thriving art career. Little did he know that before earning his degree, he would be a published illustrator. Roach, design junior, created the drawings for “From A to Zoot,” a children’s book written by Margaret David Laborde and Rebecca Feeney Doherty, a local attorney and U.S. district judge respectively. “What they had written for the book actually matched my drawings, so they immediately decided they wanted me for the project,” Roach said about teaming up with Laborde and Doherty. “From A to Zoot” is an alphabet book released October 2018 by Mascot Publishing. Designed to teach children what each letter stands for, the book uses drawings to help young readers remember letters of the alphabet. It contains colors and images to “reinforce memory and counting,” according to Roach. While Roach said he is proud of his work, he considers himself to be more of a painter than an illustrator. “When I’m not in school, I’m either painting, designing or working on a solo show,” he said. As for the future? Roach said big plans lie ahead. His next project is a pop-up solo gallery show, which will include a live mural for Shuck Cancer — the name is a reference to shucking oysters — a cancer society organization that has teamed up with restaurant Superior Seafood. “My 10-year goal is to own a gallery warehouse, a space to create art in multiple cities,” Roach said.
SGA launches first homecoming in decades
Paul Roach, design junior, paints in his house on Jan. 24. Roach’s illustrative talents were recently published in the local children’s alphabet book “From A to Zoot” by Margaret David Laborde and Rebecca Feeney Doherty. SOPHIE WHITEHEAD / The Maroon.
To celebrate the women’s and men’s homecoming basketball games on Thursday, Feb. 14 at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. respectively, Loyola has launched a homecoming week complete with daily events and a homecoming court. Events like ‘Dunk for Donuts’ are expected to take place starting Feb. 11. Students will be able to vote for a homecoming king and queen at the entrance to the games.
Asante McGee discusses abuse and R. Kelly By Maia Moses mgmoses@my.loyno.edu
A national saga of sexual assault made its way onto Loyola’s campus Tuesday through a presentation to students by author Asante McGee. Student leaders of Loyola’s L.O.V.E. chapter — an organization with the mission of serving minority women on campus — hosted a conversation Jan. 29 with McGee, author of “No Longer Trapped in The Closet: The Asante McGee Story.” McGee’s book is an autobiography detailing her experiences of overcoming adversity, including what she describes as an abusive relationship with popular rhythm and blues artist R. Kelly. Kelly has been a prominent figure in national and international news in recent years following various allegations accusing him of sexually abusing underage women. Lifetime’s release in early January of the six-part documentary, “Surviving R. Kelly,” has resurfaced many of these allegations. McGee is one of Kelly’s accusers featured in the documentary.
McGee described her two-year relationship with R. Kelly as enticing at first. “From February all the way until May of 2016, he would fly me back and forth to different cities,” McGee said Tuesday. “He would buy me anything that I wanted — he bought me a Mercedes Benz, any kind of designer bags, shoes, whatever. It was no biggie to him. He always was so nice.” But after being forced to stay with Kelly in his mansion for three weeks, McGee began noticing changes. The mansion in which McGee stayed is the same house in which Kelly has been accused of sexually abusing women on a regular basis. “The ‘Black Room’ was the worst experience that I have ever had in the house,” McGee said. “The ‘Black Room’ is a room that R. Kelly would summon you to have sexual relations with him in, even if you did not want to be in the room. When you got into the ‘Black Room,’ just know that the unimaginable would happen. If you did not agree with it, he would make you feel like you needed to.”
McGee also said that after two weeks of her three-week stay with Kelly, she began to plot her escape. According to accusations from women Kelly abused, the singer allegedly held multiple women, some of whom were underage, hostage in the mansion. “It was not as easy as some people might think to escape,” McGee added. “We could not just walk out of the front door. There was security at the end of his driveway at all times. So, we could not go in or out of that driveway. Even when we would go places, we would be on the bus and with one of his staff members, so we could not just walk off of the bus.” McGee said she does not think Kelly needs to spend time in jail for his actions. Instead, she said, he should seek psychiatric evaluation for mental illness. “Today, I would just like for him to accept accountability for what he has done and to bring the girls back home,” she said. “He keeps saying that he is not holding anyone against their will and has even brought some of the girls out in public. If this is true, why not allow
Members of Loyola’s L.O.V.E. chapter pose with author Asante McGee on Jan. 29. McGee spoke about her experiences with R. Kelly and abuse. ROSHA’E GIBSON/ The Maroon.
some of these girls to contact their parents and let them know that they are okay? For me, it is not even about jail for him because he has a sickness. He needs to recognize that sickness and get the help that he needs to stop hurting and damaging women.” By speaking out against Kelly’s abuse, McGee said she hopes to expand her outreach and help other young women who are also victims
of abuse. “For me, this is about more than R. Kelly. Anyone can be abused and we should not be afraid to speak out,” McGee said. “There are serious red flags that need to be taken into consideration, not for the men that come into your life, but the trauma that you are taking into every situation and into every decision. Self care matters.”
February 1, 2019
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THE MAROON
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Theft 6200 BLOCK OF FRERET ST
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Simple Vehicle Burglary 1800 BLOCK OF ROBERT ST
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Simple Vehicle Burglary 5300 BLOCK OF PERRIER ST
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Simple Rape 6600 BLOCK OF WILLOW ST
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WORLDVIEW
February 1, 2019 The Maroon
Trump’s tweets fan the flames of wildfire crisis By Francesca Du Broca fdubroca@my.loyno.edu
California residents looking to rebuild after recent wildfires destroyed homes along the United States’ western coast may be at odds with statements made earlier in January by President Donald Trump. On Jan. 9, Trump took to Twitter threatening to cut Federal Emergency Management Agency’s assistance provided to California and placed blame for the crisis on the state’s government, citing improper forest management. In the tweet, Trump stated “billions of dollars” are given to California for the management of its forests and said that if those forests were properly managed, the state would not need continued support. A Dec. 2 article by NBC News, showed an estimated 57 percent of the state’s forests are controlled by the federal government. While the government was shutdown over border security issues, federal workers had to clear debris, trim away underbrush and monitor further forest fire outbreaks without pay, according to Fortune Media. Extreme weather has further complicated California’s rebuilding process. Local news station KTLA 5 reported Jan. 16 that residents of Ventura County, California, which was badly damaged by recent wildfires, had to evacuate the area due to flood advisories. Vanessa Saunders, a Loyola English professor from the San Francisco Bay area, said fires and extreme weather forced her aunt to evacuate her home. Saunders said the extreme weather also affected her mother.
A home burns through Paradise, California. California wildland managers announced a plan at a news conference.The effort would create a single environmental review process to cover vegetation reduction projects, field breaks and restoration projects. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
“Residents were having to wear masks over their faces due to the smoke,” Saunders said. “My mother couldn’t leave her house for a week.” The question many Americans might ask is whether the president has the executive power to make a direct funding decision for FEMA. The Heritage Foundation labels an executive order as a “written instruction that presidents use to work their will through the execu-
tive branch of government.” Christopher Brown, a 2016 graduate of Loyola’s College of Law, said Trump’s veto power is complicated. “Once he declared a state emergency, the president would not be able to withhold funds from that particular state,” Brown said. However, Brown added there is one catch the president could use to deflect FEMA funds from the Golden State.
“Trump could refuse to declare state emergencies in the future regarding California wildfires,” Brown said. This is not the first time the president has made threats to cut aid to the state of California. In November 2018, Trump tweeted that the deadly fires were the cause of poor management. “Remedy now, or no more Fed payments!” he tweeted.
The president’s comments have incurred backlash from Democratic and Republican politicians in the state, as well as members of the California Professional Firefighters Association. According to CBS News, the President of the Firefighters Association called Trump’s threat “a slap in the face” to men and women fighting the blazes.
Supreme Court allows the trans military ban By John Casey jecasey@my.loyno.edu
The Supreme Court of the United States voted on Tuesday, Jan. 22 to allow President Donald Trump’s transgender military ban to take effect, sending shock waves through the LGBT community. The 5-4 decision by the court would allow for the ban to go into action and for the lower courts to be able to hear the arguments against it. However, an injunction placed by a federal judge in Maryland continues to hold the policy from going into effect according to the American Civil Liberties Union. A justice department official says there are plans to dissolve this remaining injunction, however, the ACLU anticipates that the judge will likely side with the Supreme Court in allowing the case to be heard by lower courts, according to CNN. One transgender activist in New Orleans, who asked to be identified as A.J., has taken this case personally. A.J. served in the United States military from 2008 to 2010 before being discharged, and later came out as transgender in 2012. The decision by the Supreme Court troubles A.J., not just because of what they believe is a discriminatory practice, but because it alienates people who are fighting a much bigger fight. “You have people who put their
lives on the line, and even more so being strong enough to be themselves and that they know they’re doing something that not everybody agrees with but are proud to just be them,” said A.J. “Being yourself while being in the military is a true skill, and a lot of people can’t do that, and the fact that these people are strong enough to do that, that’s amazing. For them to be pinpointed as a waste of resources, a waste of personnel, that’s terrible.” The ban was first announced in a pair of tweets from the president in July 2017 before being officially enacted by the Department of Defense in 2018. In the tweets, Trump cited “tremendous medical costs and disruption” caused by transgender service members as motivators for his decision. Board President Dylan Waguespack of the Lousiana Transgender Advocates said they are extremely disappointed in the Supreme Court’s action. “Our position is that trans-people, should they choose the military as their career, should be allowed to serve,” Waguespack said. “We think that it is incredibly harmful to set up a system of discrimination where the military could discharge people just because of their gender identity with no relation to their ability to do the job.” The decision is not concrete on
the complete prohibition of transgender members of the military according to a implementation plan released by the White House. The implementation plan specifically targets individuals who are diagnosed with a condition known as gender dysphoria. The American Psychiatric Association defines gender dysphoria as a conflict between a person’s physical or assigned gender and the gender with which the person identifies. Individuals who are diagnosed with the condition and require surgery are prohibited from joining or continuing service in the military, but those who do not require treatment or surgery and are deemed deployable are allowed to serve according to a Department of Defense memo to the president. According to the Pentagon, there are roughly 8,980 transgender service members, of which 937 were diagnosed with gender dysphoria during the Obama administration. Efforts to counter the decision and put pressure on lawmakers to fight the transgender military ban are being led by LGBT associations like the Louisiana Transgender Advocates. “We’ll be writing to our members of congress to ask that they support a legislative fix to this issue and we will certainly be asking our membership across the state to take ac-
People stand on the steps of the Supreme Court at sunset in Washington. A sharply divided Supreme Court is allowing the Trump administration to go ahead with its plan to restrict military service by transgender men and women while court challenges continue. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)
tion as well,” said Waguespack. “A large portion of them are veterans or active service members, so we know that those folks will definitely make their voices heard.” Although A.J. is not one of the 1,500 members of the Louisiana Transgender Advocates, they too will be taking action of their own to fight the decision. “I try to go out and get involved in marches all the time, any time I am
able to go out and make my voice heard, I do,” said A.J. Waguespack’s hopes are high that the ban will ultimately falter in the courts “We are not happy with the decision. However, we are confident that the troops are going to be successful in the Supreme Court,” said Waguespack. “This ban will be overturned eventually.”
THE MAROON
February 1, 2019
C R O S S W O R D
Across 1 Information desk sign 6 Sits in a cellar, say 10 Chuckleheads 14 Yuletide name 15 Philanthropist Wallace 16 Grammy-winning rapper 17 Totally rad electric guitar performance? 19 Short copy? 20 Upper bod muscle 21 Poor Richard, really 22 Brusque 23 Emergency bucket on Dior’s boat? 27 Nonbeliever 29 Shoreline flood protection 30 Caper film event 31 Actor Danson 32 Dessert chain with Cotton Candy Freeze 36 Travel guide 37 Jib made of clothing labels? 41 SE state 42 “When all __ fails ... ” 44 “Let ‘er __!” 45 Zac of “Baywatch” 47 Error 49 Master piece? 51 Where to find more beach toys? 55 Expunge 56 Mahershala of “True Detective” 57 IMAX purchase 59 X-ray, Yankee, __ 60 Impressive New York zoo peacock display? 64 Phone button abbr. 65 X-ray units 66 Starbucks size 67 Double __ Oreos 68 “If you don’t mind?” 69 In other words, in Caesar’s words Down 1 “Crikey!” 2 Berth place 3 Healthy snack 4 Puts a cover on, as a bed
5 Jargon suffix 6 Astros’ MLB division 7 Really big 8 “The House With a Clock in Its Walls” director Roth 9 “On the Road” narrator 10 Secondary wager 11 Integra maker 12 “For every generation” soft drink 13 1943 penny metal 18 Hitting stat 22 Paramount Network, once 24 “Norma Rae” director 25 Writer’s block breakthrough 26 German wheels 27 Words of lament 28 Marsh duck 31 Cough syrup meas. 33 Actress who plays Kimmy Schmidt’s landlady
34 Allied group 35 Jerk 38 “Sunday Night Baseball” analyst, familiarly 39 One often taking a bow 40 Helen of Troy’s mother 43 Try to find oneself? 46 Made moth moves 48 Half and half 49 House speaker after Ryan 50 Neat as __ 51 Amazon founder 52 Blow one’s stack 53 Ivy in Conn. 54 Resistant to cold, as plants 58 Small songbirds 60 Parka sleeve 61 “Listen, ewe!” 62 Income tax Amendment 63 Hammered
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SPORTS
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4 cheer and dance events will be held at Loyola By Andres Fuentes aafuente@my.loyno.edu @af_nola
Music industry junior Beth Cohen has been a three-year member of the competitive dance team. She has also developed a passion for mixing music and DJs as “Lady Lavender. SIDNEY OVROM /The Maroon.
Beth Cohen shares a love of music and dance By Emma Ruby eeruby@my.loyno.edu @emmaeruby
Rap music, 90s R&B and “obnoxious” electronic dance music pulses from Beth Cohen’s room before every dance performance she has. In a whirl of red lipstick and mascara, she gets ready as diligently as possible while still racing the clock, counting down the minutes to call time. “Usually, I’m running a little late,” the music industry junior admits. After arriving to The Den, Cohen takes the time to warm up and stretch before tipoff. She jokes around with the other members of the dance team, bonding before game time. Cohen hypes up before the show with the last-minute jitters and the beginning rushes of adrenaline. Cohen has been a dancer since she turned two years old. She remembers her start in competitive dance as similar to the intensity depicted in the show “Dance Moms.” But with a figure-skating mom and a hockey-playing dad, Cohen says the fact that she’s a dancer, not an ice skater, was an accident. Regardless, it was dancing that Cohen was passionate about from a young age. Through the years of dancing, music worked itself into another love for Loyola’s newest musical talent. Cohen is a third-year veteran of Loyola’s dance team, but with a growing interest in music, she has also recently begun growing her brand as a DJ in New Orleans operating under the pseudonym Lady Lavender. “I think that dance gave me the foundation of appreciating so many different styles of music,” Cohen said. “Then in middle school and high school, I fell in love with going to concerts and going to festivals, because there was so much access growing up in Southern California. Just growing up around that drove
Cohen has been dancing since she was two-years-old and competes with Loyola’s dance team. SIDNEY OVROM /The Maroon.
me to having a big passion for music.” As a young dancer in Southern California, Cohen grew up studying jazz, hip-hop and contemporary styles. Then, at the age of 11, she began attending ballet school and dancing in multiple dance companies. “Ballet was never something I considered important or enjoyed, but when you’re in a ballet company you have to take classes almost every day,” Cohen said. “When I was in the company I danced about 30 hours a week, and I would say 20 of them were dedicated to strictly ballet.” Spending 30 hours a week staring at herself in the mirror was intense, Cohen said. While many girls would struggle under intense expectations of body image, Cohen said her parents raised her with a sense of deeply ingrained confidence that aided her through the experience. She did, however, have to slowly learn to love ballet through years of “The Nutcracker” performances and other right-of-passage endeavors. Although she no longer performs with a plethora of professional companies, the once bun-head ballerina still appreciates her time wearing tutus and pointe shoes. The expe-
riences and lessons she has learned have helped her perform halftime shows in front of Loyola fans. When she hits the floor, Cohen says that it’s the waiting that is the scariest part. However, when the dance routine actually starts she tries not to think at all. Relying on muscle memory and the eight-counts repeating in her head, Cohen says she almost blacks out every time she performs. “I know that if I’m as prepared as I need to be about something I don’t have to really think about it, it should just come naturally,” Cohen said. When the performance ends, Cohen’s first thought is to try and catch her breath. Her second thought is to see a video of the dance, nitpicking and looking for things to improve on. She has been a member of the Wolf Pack team since the team’s charter year, helping the program earn two-straight conference titles and is hopeful for a third one. Cohen now leads the young team as its captain and as a mentor to the freshman and sophomore dancers who look up to her. “When I was a freshman in high school, it was our first year of the competitive dance team, and when
I was a freshman at Loyola it was the first year of the competitive team,” Cohen said. “So it was rebuilding another program which I already had experience doing, so I felt ready for the challenge.” As the leader of her team, she hopes to set an example of how to devote oneself to the sport through her years of dancing experience. From early on in her life to her college career, Cohen sees dance as the true constant in her life amidst highs, lows and the cross-country move she made when coming to Loyola. “Dance is one thing that has always been there,” Cohen said. “No matter what city I move to, or what friends I had, or what was going on with family life, it was the one thing that I always had. It’s also what made me love music because when you train with all styles of dance you’re exposed to so much music.” When the dancing shoes and makeup come off, Cohen’s love of music stays within her as she trades the dance floor out with a pair of headphones and turntables. Cohen picked up DJ’ing casually in high school and has mixed for parties and friends throughout her last two years of college, but now she is beginning to try and build her brand as a professional. And while her love of music traveled around with her, her interest in mixing was solidified during an internship with WWOZ New Orleans 90.7 FM last semester. “I didn’t understand the extent and the importance of the musical history and culture of New Orleans, as well as the continuation of the traditional music, until my internship at WWOZ,” Cohen said. Her newfound appreciation of tones, rhythms and beats helped solidify her desire to pursue mixing as a career. However, the balance of dancing competitively for a collegiate team and growing a brand as a professional DJ, while also attending school and holding a job, is a recipe for “not a lot of sleep,” Cohen man-
ages to say with a smile. But music and dance are her passions and the junior manages to have the best of both worlds. Until March, the overlap of the end of basketball season and the dance team competition season will keep Cohen focused on dancing, but she says that the timing works out perfectly. “I’m hoping to slowly start getting to venues and start releasing more mixes and building my collection of music, and just improving my skills over these next three months as well,” Cohen said. Those three months will be “perfect timing” for Cohen, who plans to grow her brand in the city as a DJ As for the future, Cohen isn’t entirely sure of what’s to come, but she remains optimistic. “I still have a long way to go in understanding the music here, but that’s why I love living here,” Cohen said. “It gives me so much inspiration for what I want to do, and how I go about DJ’ing will definitely be influenced by my time in New Orleans and the music here.”
Cohen developed a deeper love of music after her internship at WWOZ FM New Orleans. SIDNEY OVROM/The Maroon.
For the first time in the school’s history, Southern States Athletic Conference cheer and dance teams will compete against one another in The Den, ultimately vying for the conference championship. “This is another step in the growth of these two programs,” Director of Athletics Brett Simpson said. “The progress from our cheer and dance teams has been fantastic in just the 2 1/2 years of existence. We’re excited to build upon our success last year, when our dance team qualified for nationals, and bring such a major event to our campus here in New Orleans.” Last year, Loyola’s dance program took home the conference crown for the second year in a row. The team went on to finish fourth at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Southeast Regional Meet and 11th in the national championship. The cheer team saw success as they finished third in the conference championship last year and 11th at the regional match. Both teams look to find similar success next week at Loyola. Dance teams from Brewton-Parker College and Martin Methodist College will face off against Loyola in a dual meet Feb. 1 starting at 10 a.m.
Cheer Team Roster JASMINE BEAN SAMANTHA CONWAY MIKAELA GOODE CHARDE’ JAQUOT ESAU JONES TRI LE WHITNEY MCBAY NYLA MOORE AVERY TELLAM ZACHARY TUJAGUE MADISON URAL MILAN WASHINGTON CASSIDY WELLS KRISTEN WILLIAMS
Loyola University New Orleans
Cheer & Dance
• • • • • • • • Feb.1 - 10.am. :
SSAC Dual Meet • Feb.1 - 12p.m. : Wolf Pack Invite • Feb.2 - 9a.m. : SSAC Championships • Feb.2 - 12p.m. : SSAC Dual Meet
Dance Team Roster
Events will be held at The Den
CEREYNA BOUGOUNEAU ELISABETH COHEN LILY DONEGAN Loyola will then open up for the Wolf Pack Invitational at 12 p.m. Brewton-Parker and Martin Methodist’s dance teams will again face Loyola. Then, cheer squads from Martin Methodist and Loyola are expected to compete against Bethel University, Point University and the University of Mobile. Loyola students and children under 10 may attend both matches for
free. All other attendees must purchase tickets, which will be sold for $10 at the door. The Southern States Athletic Conference Championships are expected to begin at 9 a.m. Feb. 2. Loyola’s dance team aims to defend its title against Brewton-Parker and Martin Methodist, while Loyola’s cheer team hopes to beat out the other conference teams for the first time since the team’s founding.
Loyola will host another dual meet at noon on Feb. 2, in which the Wolf Pack’s cheer and dance teams will compete against Bethel University. Tickets for Feb. 2 events will also be sold for $10, but children under 10 and the first 50 Loyola students to show will be admitted for free. All four conference events will be live-streamed at loyolawolfpack. com.
AVA GONZALEZ LAUREN KING ANA MARISTANY JILLIAN ODDO SOFIA RABASSA CHRISTIAN RILEY AMANDA RIVERS VALERIA SANTINI NIKKI STONE
Cheerleader and Senator-at-Large Kristen Williams is a voice on the sidelines and in SGA
By Vanessa Alvarado vnalvara@my.loyno.edu @VNAlvarado
Biology senior Kristen Williams has gotten the best of both worlds at Loyola, being a part of the Student Government Association and a cheerleader on Loyola’s competitive cheer team. Williams got involved with both organizations upon starting her education at Loyola. She became a member of First Year Council her freshman year, moved on to become a senator for the College of Arts and Sciences her sophomore year and currently serves as a sen-
ator-at-large the SGA senate. On top of her senatorial work, she still makes time to be a team leader on the sidelines of basketball and volleyball games as a member of the cheer team. Being active in school government and athletics might be daunting for incoming freshmen, but Williams had experience handling both activities while she was attending Dominican High School, where she served as captain of the cheer team and president of her school’s Student Ambassador’s Organization. “Cheerleading has been a part of my life for 10 years, so being able to start with Loyola’s competitive team from the ground up was an experience I felt was unique,” she said. “Similarly, SGA, specifically the legislative branch, really allows senators to make a difference and seek out changes that their constituents feel are necessary.” Her time with SGA has been filled with achievements as she has been a part of the team that initiated a waste disposal for pets outside of Carrollton Hall and advocated for outdoor picnic benches placed near Monroe Hall. “This semester, I am extremely excited to spearhead Loyola’s home-
coming game coming up on Feb. 14. Looking forward I hope to continue to push my committee members to accomplish as much as possible before our term ends,” she said. On the other side, Williams has found just as much joy and satisfaction cheering on Loyola’s sports teams in The Den. “When I was recruited, I knew being a part of the first team was important to me and would be an unforgettable experience. The bonds that I have created specifically with the original team members has stood out to me and will forever. Working with my team to overcome the many challenges that we face has helped me to grow, and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for our team as we continue to add talented cheerleaders,” she said. Being a part of the cheer team and SGA, along with the typical hustle and bustle of a college student, can be a lot for one person’s plate. However, for Williams, everything she does requires time management and self-motivation in order to keep her going. “I never want to feel burnt out, so sometimes this means I have to keep myself positive and remember to enjoy college while taking care of my responsibilities. I know my experiences will set me up to take on life, so the end goal always helps me stay on track,” she said. After her four years of being on the cheer team and SGA are fin-
ished, Williams hopes to leave behind her legacy. “I’m so grateful that I have been able to be a part of both organizations,” she said. “I can’t wait to watch Loyola to continue to grow through athletics as well as the Student Government Association. People that I have worked with through cheer and SGA inspire me daily and push me to do my best always. My teammates and fellow senators are why I love what I do.”
Biology senior Kristen Williams cheers at the women’s basketball game on Jan. 21 in The Den. ANDRES FUENTES/The Maroon.
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Life &Times
February 1, 2019 THE MAROON
Film • Arts • Food • Music • Leisure • Nightlife
Cinderella gets a New Orleans twist By Gracie Wise glwise@my.loyno.edu
Nearly everyone has heard of the “Cinderella story” in which Cinderella is mistreated by her stepmother, meets Prince Charming and loses one of her glass slippers. But what if she lived in the Roaring Twenties and attended a Mardi Gras ball in a shimmering flapper costume? Loyola Opera Theatre, which is part of Loyola’s School of Music and Fine Arts, kicked off the Mardi Gras season and their centennial year by bringing “Cendrillon” — French for “Cinderella” — to Louis J. Roussel Performance Hall on Friday, Jan. 18 and Sunday, Jan. 20. Different actors played a role each night. Composed by Jules Massenet, “Cendrillon” is similar to the beloved fairy tale, but without the pumpkin carriage and talking mice. Featuring colorful costumes, romantic duets, singing spirits and solid character profiles, the opera cast told the story of Cinderella, New Orleans style. “This is a masterful score, really one of Massenet’s greatest creations, with stunningly beautiful arias and romantic duets, and delicious comic scenes as well,” Carol Rausch, chorus and New Orleans Opera Association director, said. “The orchestration is exquisite and compliments the setting of the French text. We really experience the composer at the height of his powers.” According to a Loyola press release, the opera premiered at the Opéra-Comique in Paris in 1899 and later made its U.S. debut at the French Opera House in New Orleans. “Massenet’s choices for making the music absolutely match the dramatic situation are inspired,” stage director Rachel Harris said. The opera was about a young servant girl named Cendrillion who works for her snobby rich stepmother, Madame de la Haltière, and her spoiled stepsisters, Noémie and Dorothée. “Even though she has a difficult life, she doesn’t hold hatred in her heart,” performance, voice graduate student Quinn Rulison said about her character, Cendrillion. “She still loves her sisters even though they are selfish and nasty to her.” The opera was sung in French, but there were English supertitles above the stage so viewers could
The people of the court surround the prince as he mopes in his chambers. HANNAH RENTON/ The Maroon.
make out what was being said. “The music is immensely challenging,” Rulison said. “It is some of the most I have ever sang, but I could not have done the role without the help of Carol Rausch. I really loved working on this role dramatically and reaching new emotional levels that I haven’t reached before as a performer.” Rulison said that Cendrillion was her first leading romantic role, so it was much more emotionally engaging than any of the other roles she played in the past. “It took more commitment and vulnerability as a performer,” Rulison said. “It helped me grow so much as a performer.” Performance, voice graduate student Zara Zemmels played the role of Prince Charming in Friday night’s performance. She said that there were different ways the audience could analyze the prince’s character. “You can play him as a privileged, lonely jerk or a really genuine person who hasn’t been given the opportunity to do what he wants with his life,” Zemmels said. While the prince lives comfortably in his palace filled with diplomats and dictators, he’s a lonely guy who’s never had a romantic relationship, let alone a close friendship. According to Zemmels, she and Rausch came up with a good interpretation of the prince being frustrated and angry but eventually warming up after meeting Cendrillon and becoming a better person. “Some people may think you
can’t because he’s a prince, but everyone can relate to wanting love and feeling really lonely, and that’s what he’s going through, particularly at the beginning of the opera,” Zemmels said. The father-daughter relationship between Cendrillon and Pandolfe was also a powerful element. She is willing to sacrifice her happiness so her father can live a happier life, according to Rulison. This was shown when Cendrillon ran to die in the forest out of fear that she would burden her father with her own heartbreak. “I like that Cendrillon always puts others first and doesn’t resent those who have more than her, but instead is happy for them,” Rulison said. Putting on “Cendrillon” wasn’t easy, considering the budget. Fortunately, the Loyola Opera Theatre found a creative way to work around this. “We ended up doing the inside of the house and the outside of the house by being able to flip a set of doors around so that you could see that you were in the house in one direction and you could see that you were outside the house when you were facing the other direction,” Zemmels said. Another challenge was putting everything together and deciding how to portray the different elements of the opera to the stage. “There are so many elements to the show and so much magic that needs to be portrayed on the stage” Rulison said. “I think the cast and
Cendrillon stands alone in her room, dreaming of attending the ball and meeting her Prince Charming. HANNAH RENTON / The Maroon.
production team did an amazing job of bringing this to life, and our director, Rachel Harris, so beautifully dreamed up every element of the show.” Like Rulison, Zemmels gave credit to Rausch for making this produc-
tion a big success. “We had the right singers for it,” Zemmels said. “Carol Rausch, who picks the opera, is really brilliant at picking exactly what’s going to best showcase the talent that she has here.”
Review: ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ is a Wild West masterpiece By Sam Lucio salucio2@my.loyno.edu
Review: ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ is a Wild West masterpiece Sam Lucio (Section Editor) The latest movie from the famed Coen brothers, “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” is a Netflix exclusive that brings you on a journey through the Wild West. “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” is a compilation of six individual short stories set in the Wild West about a singing gunslinger, a bank robber, a
traveling entertainer, a crazy elderly prospector, a wagon train on the Oregon Trail and a pair of quirky bounty hunters. At the heart of the movie are the characters in each short story and Joel and Ethan Coen do a phenomenal job with storytelling and really make you connect with each character. Each character feels unique and no two stories are similar in tone, which helps paint a diverse world where every corner is explored. From the happy-go-lucky signing gunslinger Buster Scruggs, played by Tim Blake Nelson, to the stoic
performance of Liam Neeson in the traveling entertainer story, the charisma of James Franco as the bank robber and the loveable nature of Tom Waits as the prospector, the cast truly delivers a captivating performance. Another highlight of “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” is the creativity. Every shot is different and leaves you guessing with its originality. For instance, in the first story, Buster Scruggs is being held at gunpoint at a poker table in a saloon. To get out of this situation, he kicks one of the wooden planks in the table causing
the gunman to miss and shoot himself. This type of creativity continues throughout the movie’s short stories leaving you guessing what will happen next each time. The use of color is also done exceptionally well. Each story, for the most part, has its own color palette. For instance, Buster Scruggs’ story is predominantly yellow while the old prospector story has a lot of green and the traveling entertainer story uses blues and greens. This attention to detail elevates “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” to a level that most other movies tend to gloss over.
There is no dull moment in “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” and the short-story setup ensures it will hold your attention and interest throughout. I strongly recommend watching this movie for anyone wanting to watch something different, fresh and exciting. “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” is one of the better movies in my recent memory and it is surely one of the best movies to watch on Netflix right now. Rating: 9 out of 10
February 1, 2019
9
The Maroon
Wolf Pack Hall of Fame Inductee Amy Danielson, A’98, is the first soccer player to recieve the honor. Danielson embraces Athletic Director Brett Simpson during the halftime ceremony on Jan. 26. ROSHA’E GIBSON/The Maroon.
Hall of famers return to their alma mater By RoSha’e Gibson rlgibson@my.loyno.edu @RoRodagreat1
Achievements both in and out of the classroom have remained a staple for Loyola athletics, and the time came to honor those who have fulfilled the values of the program. The Loyola Wolf Pack held their annual Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Jan. 26 in between the men and women’s basketball games. More than 200 people filled the stands in The Den. Loyola alumni, staff and past inductees came to welcome the newest members of Loyola’s Hall of Fame: Amy Danielson, A’98, Garkeiva Council, A’12, Gina Gill, A’11, and the 1994-1995 men’s basketball team. Danielson was honored as one of the most successful and decorated women’s soccer players in Wolf Pack history. She holds the record for most career goals, 30, and ranks ahead of the next-best student-athlete by 17. “It’s truly an honor, but it was also a complete surprise,” Danielson said. As the first soccer athlete in the Hall of Fame, she credits the culture at Loyola as the reason why she was so successful. “I just wanted to go to school where I felt like a person, and Loyola gave that to me,” she said. “It allowed me to play soccer without dictating what I was doing day in and day out.” Council has her name in the basketball record books with some of the highest career totals in points, rebounds, assists and steals in school history. The former guard holds the Loyola record for highest scoring average in a season with 23.1 points per game. Council was proud of the honor but feels it isn’t an individual award. “It really feels surreal to say the least,” Council said. “But it’s like what I tell my teammates — it’s not an award for me, its an award for us, for teammates, for family and more importantly God.” Council gives credit to the people that surrounded her during her time as an athlete at Loyola, especially her family. “They were always my biggest support system, my cheerleaders,” she said. “My mom had kidney failure, and it never stopped her from raising three kids herself. My brother currently has cancer. He has three
Wolf Pack Hall of Fame inductee Amy Danielson, A’98, is the first soccer player to recieve the honor. Danielson embraces Athletic Director Brett Simpson during the halftime ceremony on Jan. 26. ROSHA’E GIBSON/The Maroon.
children, and he never makes an excuse. My twin sister has always had her foot on my back and my neck, so I could never make excuses with her.” Gill ranks high among Loyola volleyball players, finishing her collegiate career third in kills, third in total attacks. Her 1,593 career kills and 4,329 total attacks trail only two other hall of famers. The 1994-95 men’s basketball team featured three future hall of famers and an appearance in the national tournament — the first time a Wolf Pack basketball team had done so since Loyola won it all in 1945. Gerald Hernandez, head coach of the inducted basketball team, said that the induction is the greatest thing to happen to him in his 45year coaching career. “To be honored by Loyola, along with my players and my assistant coaches, is the biggest honor that I’ve ever had,” Hernandez said. Hernandez said that the greatest memory, in general, that he has is how many of his players actually love the game. “We had seven of them that actually went into coaching and there’s five of them that are still coaching 22 years later,” Hernandez said. Men’s basketball Head Coach Stacy Hollowell mentioned how pleasant it was to have the Loyola alumni present at the ceremony.
“It’s really nice to have the gym filled with our alum, and I thought we had great support tonight,” Hollowell said. “It was nice to see some familiar faces of people that came through.” Hollowell also praised the new
inductees on their most recent achievements. “That ’94-’95 team is a group of guys about the same age as me,” Hollowell said. “We came in the Metro New Orleans Area, and then to see Gina and Garkeiva be induct-
ed — they were here as student athletes when I was here so that was really a nice touch.”
New Hall of Fame inductees Gina Gill, A’11, (left), Garkeiva Council, A’12, (middle), and Amy Danielson, A’98, enjoy their induction into the Loyola Hall of Fame. The trio were honored on Jan. 26. ROSHA’E GIBSON/The Maroon.
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EDITORIAL
February 1, 2019 THE MAROON
OUR EDITORIAL
The majority opinion of our editorial board
HOWLS & GROWLS HOWL to Mardi Gras season GROWL to running out of Wolfbucks HOWL to king cake without the baby inside GROWL to accidentally choking on the baby HOWL to the emergency room doctors who extracted the baby GROWL to my hospital bills HOWL to Riley Katz, homecoming king Have a howl or growl? Tweet us at @loyola_maroon to be featured each Friday! In this Tuesday, March 27, 2018 file photo, plaintiff U.S. Army SSgt. Katie Schmid, center, listens to a speaker during a news conference following oral arguments in a case to block a transgender military ban at the U.S. Western District Federal Courthouse in Seattle. (Stephen Brashear/AP Images for Human Rights Campaign)
Trump’s trans military ban sets us further back from the goal of a united armed forces
The United States military, like the country itself, has a long history of policies based around bigotry. Still, the military has a similarly long history of overcoming bigotry in order to unify and strengthen the troops. Over the past 100 years, US citizens have slowly recognized the limitations we inflict upon ourselves when we categorically exclude minorities from combat and other societal aspects. Divided we fall, united we stand — the phrase echoed since a founding father wrote it in song — is applicable to the necessary cohesion of the United States military. In the American Revolutionary War and the American Civil War, women fought in the army disguised as men, performing military services in the name of their country. After World War II, the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act enabled women to serve as permanent, regular members of the military rather than only being able to serve as nurses or during a draft. While allowing women in the military had been taboo for an eternity, it’s clear that women were always ready to fight — and once they could, we became a stronger nation. During World War II, all able-bodied American men were equally subject to the draft, regardless of race. Ethnic minorities made up a large number of those enlisted and subsequently joined the “Greatest Generation”. Many African-Americans fought not only against facism abroad, but also in hopes of demonstrating their value as equal citizens back home. Japanese-Americans were initially barred from serving due to their heritage. Yet after pushing the administration, members
of the minority group — especially witnesses of Pearl Harbor living in Hawaii — volunteered in large numbers, eager to show their loyalty to the United States. After the war, it was clear that we were stronger united. Executive Order 9981 was issued in 1948 by President Truman; it abolished discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion or national orientation in the United States Armed Forces. This eventually ended segregation in the services. Decades later, in our modern frontier of civil rights, the “don’t ask don’t tell” policy that prohibited anyone who was openly gay from serving in the armed forces was repealed in 2011. Under the Obama administration in mid 2016, transgender personnel in the military were permitted to be open about their identities. Slowly, it seems, the United States military has become increasingly diverse and accepting of LGBTQ persons serving our country. And given the track history of our military overcoming xenophobic policies in favor of a more united American armed forces, it seemed that things would continue to integrate and improve. That is, until an early-morning tweet storm from a newly-in-office President Trump threatened trans military service. In July 2017, the president tweeted: “Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming … victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail.” Trump’s recent overturning of transgender integration in the military marked the first time a policy that eliminated bigotry was reversed.
We have a more than 70-year-old tradition of integration in our armed forces. President Trump’s reversal treads backward into this tradition, erasing progress we have taken to unite our nation through our military in a more representative, unified and cohesive manner. The claim that transgender personnel who serve “burden” the military with medical costs and “disruption” is a bigoted statement. It echoes sentiments made during World War II by congressional opponents of military integration, who argued that all races fighting alongside each other would harm morale and military preparedness. It echoes opponents of women in the military, such as retired Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin, who calls the integration of sexes a “social experiment” and an “unnecessary burden.” It echoes bigotry statements that have been made in the past, all of which we have attempted to overcome in favor of equality and unity. Any person who wants to serve in the United States military in order to protect our freedoms and liberties deserves equal rights. They deserve equal rights in their service and equal rights in society. With the repeal of transgender services in the armed forces, our president both impeded our societal progress in military integration and treaded backward. We the people should hope and vote for a future in which all persons who wish to serve our country have equal rights in doing so. If we want a more united country with a stronger military, our tradition of integration must not be halted here. We must continue to fight for progress, despite barriers imposed.
EDITORIAL BOARD Riley Katz
Editor-in-Chief
Madison McLoughlin Managing Editor for Print Anderson Leal
Managing Editor for Electronic Properties
Will Ingram
Maroon Minute Executive Producer
Ariel Landry
Design Chief
Cristian Orellana
Photo Editor
Rose Wagner Catie Sanders Tyler Wann Cody Downey Andres Fuentes
News Editor Life & Times Editor Wolf Editor Worldview Editor Sports Editor
Kaylie Saidin
Editorial Editor
Kaylie Saidin
Opinion Editor
India Yarborough Andrew Lang Erin Snodgrass Hannah Renton Anderson Leal
Copy Editor Copy Editor Senior Staff Writer Senior Staff Photographer Director of Public Relations
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.
OPINION
February 1, 2019 The Maroon
11
Does ‘snowflake’ rhetoric hold up under scrutiny? If you could have any restaurant on campus, what would it be?
JC CANICOSA Mass communication senior jccanico@my.loyno. edu
Not very. That’s not exactly a revelation though. Full disclaimer: This opinion piece isn’t intended to make any points politically left or right. This piece is intended solely to analyze how well “snowflake” or “social justice warrior” rhetoric holds up as legitimate political commentary and the validity of some of the arguments that this rhetoric tries to make. This piece also does not pretend to be the beginning and ending of this discussion. By all means, The Maroon has an entire rest of the semester’s worth of opinion section slots left. For those that have never heard the terms “snowflakes” and “social justice warriors,” they are pejoratives for individuals who promote socially-progressive views. The rhetoric is meant to be dismissive of those socially-progressive views by implying that those views are coming from a place of over-sensitivity, personal offense and a social justice warrior’s lack of understanding of “how the adult world works.” This, of course, is ad hominem. The “snowflake” rhetoric is attacking this idea of what the “social justice warrior” is like rather than the views of social progression themselves. By manufacturing a perception of socially progressive activism as privileged whining behind Twitter handles and picket signs, the arguments behind the over-sensitive and entitled social justice warrior become as disingenuous and entitled as the social justice warriors themselves. For example, when viral Fox News political commentator and former television host Tomi Lahren said, “If you spend more time occupying Wall Street than you do occupying a shower or a job, you might be a snowflake,” or “if you believe by virtue of being born, you are entitled to
LUKE WEYNAND Theater arts and musical theater freshman lwweynan@ my.loyno.edu
“Chipotle. It’s relatively fast, delicious and nutritious.”
Illustration by Ariel Landry
anything you don’t earn, you might be a snowflake.” She did not ever address the complex and nuanced arguments behind the socioeconomic ramifications of corporate influence on government or the pros and cons of social safety nets in her four-minute rant about “snowflakes.” She only attacks her idea of the kind of people she believes would occupy Wall Street or advocate for social safety nets. This is where we start to see how “snowflake” rhetoric falls apart. The actual content of arguments for or against social progressivism are never truly addressed. Books and hours of political commentary segments have been dedicated to attacking an idea of what a “social justice warrior” is rather than the subject matter of the argument itself. Unfortunately, the logical fallaciousness of “snowflake” rhetoric doesn’t end at the ad hominem. It’s also a straw man. In order to make the argument for dismissing social progressivism as privileged whining behind Twitter handles and picket signs, one set up a straw man about the motives of
the “social justice warrior” as over sensitivity, personal offense and the social justice warrior’s sense of entitlement. The fallacy of this thinking is in believing that the manufactured perception of an offended motive says anything about the validity of the argument itself. Again, the logically fallacious nature of “snowflake” rhetoric is not exactly a revelation to most. One might even wonder why someone would waste an entire opinion piece arguing such an obvious viewpoint. The reason I felt like this had to be said was because “snowflake” rhetoric isn’t only saved for internet trolls and Tomi Lahren. Legitimately very powerful and influential people use “snowflake” rhetoric under the guise of political commentary. For example, Sinclair broadcast stations are required to work “mustrun” political commentary segments into their local news broadcasts. So, in over 100 local news stations, rhetoric like this quote from political commentator Mark E. Hyman is something you would hear. “I’ve got a message for certain stu-
dents. Listen up, snowflake,” Hyman said. “Yes, I’m talking to you, the social justice warrior who whines for trigger warnings and safe spaces. Not grown-up enough to deal with the facts, then hunker down in your room and Snapchat the day away with other social justice warriors. College isn’t a babysitting service. It’s time to grow up, snowflake.” Like I said, many legitimately powerful and influential people are using an ad hominem attack in their arguments under the guise of political commentary, and it takes away from genuine political discourse. Because I am a huge proponent of political discourse, I believe in the marketplace of ideas, and that dissenting opinions and arguments are what is best for our democracy. We should be disagreeing and contradicting each other. It makes us grow, but using logical fallacies and misaimed insults absolutely undercuts that discourse and undercuts that marketplace of ideas among our electorate. You don’t need to trade insults or set up a straw man in order to make a conservative or liberal political argument.
Economics professor offers scholarship for libertarians WALTER BLOCK Professor of Economics wblock@loyno.edu
I have been a professor of economics at Loyola since 2001. During that time, I have had numerous excellent students, who were interested in my research projects: Austrian economics and libertarian theory. I have been lucky that many of these students, while still in high school, read my publications and listened to my speeches, some in person — for example at the Mises Institute — and others on the web. As a result, they enrolled at Loyola in order to study with me and my half-dozen fellow free-enterprise professors. This might not sound like all that
much, given that we have some 200 professors, but, believe me, Loyola New Orleans is a beacon of light as far as Rothbardianism and Misesianism are concerned. Next door at Tulane University, with a faculty almost five times our size, there are only two professors who fit this bill. And at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, more than five times our faculty size, there is not a single solitary professor who espouses such a political economic philosophy. Yes, we have numerous social justice warriors, Marxists, feminists, professors, as do virtually all universities. But, at least at Loyola, a student will be introduced to both sides of debatable issues, unlike at most universities. As well, with so many professors who appreciate economic freedom, there are many students who also do. According to research I have seen, one of the best predictors of student satisfaction is finding friends among the student
body. You will, here at Loyola. So, if you are a student at a junior or two-year university, which has no libertarian professors, and no students of this persuasion either, think of transferring to Loyola. If you are a high school student getting ready to apply to university, consider us. If you are a parent or grandparent of a college-age person, do consider suggesting that they apply for admission to Loyola, in order to study with me and my free-enterprise fellow colleagues. Just recently, a former student of mine has set up a Walter E. Block Scholarship. It is worth $25,000, for the next four years, for a total of $100,000. I am now able to disburse these funds to Loyola students who demonstrate an interest in private property, free markets and limited government. Make no mistake about this, Loyola’s tuition is very high. However, my school does give generous scholarships, based on
financial need, and also for other reasons. My scholarship money will be in addition to those funds, not a replacement for them. So, apply to Loyola, even if you thought our price tag was too high. With this scholarship money at my disposal, we can be financially competitive even with public universities. This Walter Block award is only for students who are supporters of the economics of free enterprise and libertarianism. Please provide me with evidence of your support for the free market philosophy: Books you have read on this subject? Book reports on them? Term papers on this subject? Leaders of this philosophy of private property rights and limited government by whom you have been influenced? Letters of reference attesting to such support. As an application, please write me a letter along these lines. You can reach me at wblock@loyno.edu.
Emily mccrory Philosophy sophomore ekmccror@my.loyno.edu
“Moe’s Mexican Bar and Grill. Wait! Can I change my answer? I want to change it to Waffle House. Because Waffle House.”
GRACE JINNAH Studio arts junior gtjinnah@my.loyno.edu
“Chic-Fil-A because of the delicious chicken nuggets.”
CODY DOWNEY Mass comunication junior cadowney@my.loyno. edu
“Anything fried chicken related.”
FRANK HIGGINBOTHAM Computer science game programming sophomore frhiggin@my.loyno.edu
“Panda Express. I’m a huge fan of Chinese food, and I eat it all the time.”
For suggestions on next week’s question, email letter@loyno.edu.
12
THE MAROON
Faculty and Staff
Catfish Friday returns to Loyola Friday, Jan. 10 in the Freret Room from 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM
$10.5o at the door or One meal Swipe The Freret Room is the former Faculty and Staff Dining Room Accepting Cash, Wolf Bucks and Credit Card
February 1, 2019