Pepperdine Graphic 3-11-2021

THE PEPPERDINE GRAPHIC VOLUME L

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ISSUE 14 |

March 11, 2021

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pepperdine-graphic.com

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SHANGHAI CLOSED

News

Wh at ’s AH E AD

L if e & A r t s

Pe r s pe ct iv e s

this we e k o n the g rap h

SP ORTS

writer Alice Han B1Assistant Sam A2- News A7- Staff highlights fetishization Torre writes about the

Basketball Meet some of the B4- Men’s finishes their season at female singer-songwriters the WCC tournament in of Pepperdine. overtime.

A3- Pepperdine extends

Professor profile: B5- Women’s Volleyball Introducing defeats Gonzaga in communication professor back-to-back matches.

Diana Martinez.

good news that is a rainy day.

food provider contract with Sodexo.

the waves report

of Korean culture.

Editorial: A8- Staff Pepperdine needs to

B3-

remember non-Malibu students.

Fri: 3-5 1-2 ft

SAT: Sat: 3-5 1-2 ft

SUN: sun: 1-2 3-5ft ft

MON: Mon:2-4 2-4ft ft

The Graph hosts Lindsay Sullivan and Ivy Moore share another episode of The Graph.

Available anywhere you listen to podcasts.

TUES: Tue: 3-4 1-2 ft

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M A R C H 1 1 , 2 0 2 1 | N E W S | P E P P E R DINE GRA P H I C ME D I A

Good News: Rain, rain, come and stay

THE DPS REPORTS Check out pepperdine.edu/publicsafety for the DPS Reports every week

No new crimes to report.

This week in SGA

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S A M TO R RE n e ws a s s i s tant

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PRESIDENT’S BRIEFING & OTHER NEWS YOU MISSED Giv e2P ep p la ste d through mar ch 9 a nd 10 Th e Pe pper dine fund and s tude n t philanthr opy council e n co uraged students to give to de pa rtm ents at pe ppe rdine that impacted them.

Gra d uate Sc hool of E d uc ation a nd Psyc h ology to Host Wome n in Le a d e rsh ip E ve n t The event will take place Mar ch 11, at 5:30 P.M. P ST. It will featur e a dynamic panel of female leader s who will explor e their exper iences and per spectives to inspir e all gender s.

Pe p p e r d i ne p la ns t o k e e p s o d e xo a s t he m a i n fo o d p r ov i d e r t hr o u gh ju ly 2 0 2 2 P ep p erdi ne wi l l res u me t he requ es t f or p rop os al p roc es s f or a new l ong -t erm c ont rac t i n t he fal l of 2 02 1 .

THURS

MON

FRI

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What: Ra men noodles and Dis n e y Do o dles When: 7:30 p.m. P ST Hos ted By: The Boar d

What: March PIT show When: 7:30 P.M. PsT Hosted by: Pepperdine improv troupe

Pepperdine

TUES 16

What: Net impact: weekly networking when: 5 p.m. pst Hosted by: Pepperdine graziadio

Malibu

What: General meeting/ bible study when: 7 p.m. pst Hosted by: word Up

California

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SGA considers restructuring the senate to elect four seantors then designate a leader.

WED 17

What: first-gen career night When: 5 p.m. PST Hosted by: first wave program and student success center

United States

186 364 3.61M 29.2M two SEVEN 54k 527K cases

cases

cases

cases

deaths

deaths

deaths

deaths

subscribe to the pixel newsletter SAM.TORRE@PEPPERDINE.EDU

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April 7: optional interest meeting April 14: mandatory candidates meeting April 21: elections

v i r tu al e ve n ts f or the upc o m in g w e e k

Covid-19 by the numbers

It rained today.

I know rain is not something usually associated with happiness, but, personally, I have always loved the rain. There is something relaxing about listening to rainfall outside your house when you watch a comforting movie, read a good book or write a story for the newspaper.

I used to run track in high school, and while I was pretty average, I always had my best races when it would rain. Even now, I think a light, warm rain is the best time to go for a run. Even a cold rain is nice; you can’t feel the pain in your legs if they are frozen.

I also love my bright blue rain boots.

Like any self-respecting, sleep-deprived college student, I drink more coffee than is healthy.

When it rains, however, I exchange the coffee for a nice cup of green tea.

As I sit here, sipping tea and listening to the rain hit my patio, I acknowledge that there is another reason I am delighted about it raining today.

My family and I recently moved cross-country from a small town in Long Island, N.Y., to the suburbs outside of San Diego. Today was my first time seeing rain in my new house.

Moving from a town where there were 3 feet of snow and the average winter temperature rests somewhere in the 30-degree rangeto somewhere with palm trees and 80 degree days in February felt disorienting. It felt more like a sunny vacation than a new reality.

Believe me, I am not complaining. I definitely prefer the warm weather. Not needing to wear mittens and a hat every time I take my dog outside is fantastic.

The rain today, with gray skies and waving palm trees, made the environment outside my home feel more tangible. Humming along to my rainy day playlist, I watched the fat drops splatter against my window and felt completely relaxed.

Well, as relaxed as I could be with an English paper due in two days (wish me luck).

After it rains, the air smells and feels clean, and walking outside is a literal breath of fresh air. I like to think of it as nature’s reset button.

It also reminds me to reset and to take into consideration the stress I am carrying, and find ways to manage my stress.

Rain reminds me that there is a future. The muddy ground reminds me that the grass will be green and flowers can bloom and the questionable-looking bush in my backyard will grow.

It also reminds me that good things will come. There will be more rainy days, I will hand in my English paper and I will find some more fun songs for my playlist.

It rained today, and I cannot wait for the sun tomorrow.

S G A an no un c ed el ec t io n dat es f o r t he upc o min g year.

( Sca n a n d scr o l l t o t he bot t om of t he page )

@Peppnewswaves

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City holds meeting on homelessness c l air e lee s taf f w r i te r In a continued effort to address homelessness in Malibu, the Malibu City Council hosted a special virtual meeting Feb. 25, to discuss the city’s next steps in homelessness and follow up on their meeting on homelessness Jan. 29, 2020.

The council hosted the meeting to discuss homelessness in Malibu, including its impacts, measures being taken, ongoing and potential challenges and potential new measures according to the city’s press release. Although the city council and members of the community engaged in the fourhour meeting with presentations and discourse, they made no resolute actions. Instead, the council passed five motions with plans to reconvene in another special meeting.

“I want to be a model city and I want to do it right,” Mayor of Malibu Mikke Pierson said.

“I want to do something that — even though it’s difficult — we’re proud of what we’ve done right, and that would be my goal as a small city that does something while we wait for help that’ll come someday.”

Representatives from Malibu Public Safety, LA County Sheriff’s Department, The People Concern, Malibu Homelessness Working Group, Las Virgenes-Malibu Council of Governments and Supervisor Kuehl’s Office gave presentations, according to the Malibu’s website. The public also had time to comment during the virtual meeting.

The first motion called for more public outreach, including the use of a questionnaire.

“We need a way to connect with the city, with the citizens on this issue,” said Pierson during the meeting. “I think we need to explore ways for getting that public input, getting out to everybody,

and maybe we can have staff come back with ideas on that.”

Public Safety Manager Susan Dueñas said during an interview with the Graphic that public fear over safety and homelessness rose in past years, especially with recent encampment fires that occurred last fall.

“We’ve just reached a point where we need to brainstorm with the community other strategies that we can also fold into our efforts to help reduce the number of people on the streets but also really mitigate the safety impacts because it’s a real thing,” Dueñas said.

The second motion called for an exploration of joint efforts with other cities.

During an interview, Mayor Pro Tem Paul Grisanti said there are organizations in neighboring cities such as Santa Monica and Venice that have programs and services to support the homeless as well as sleeping locations. He brought up the possibility of partnering with these cities and their organizations.

“If we could work out some kind of partnership with them where we send them money and they’re able to rent a larger space and expand their program and support their increased staffings, that might be something that could work and be helpful to people,” Grisanti said.

Grisanti said if the city provided a shelter for people experiencing homelessness, there would be a lack of additional support services for them.

“One of the problems we have is if they come out here, and we take them in out here, we don’t have in place the different support things as employment and stuff like that,” Grisanti said. “There’s no density of work opportunities for them, for example, or mental health people who are working with them.”

The third motion called for

Interim City Attorney John Cotti and Councilmember Bruce Silverstein to examine the legality and feasibility of a camping ordinance link error.

The proposal is an attempt to amend Malibu’s existing No Camping Ordinance to make it constitutional and usable, Silverstein said during an interview with the Graphic.

The fourth motion called councilmembers to find a location for the potential idea of an Alternative Sleeping Location.

The ASL is another possible method that aims to handle the Martin v. Boise case, a ninth circuit court of appeals case in 2018, which impacts homelessness policies, Silverstein said.

“The ninth circuit’s the only circuit that has decided this issue and what they held in this Martin v. Boise case was that it, in their opinion, it violates the eighth amendment of the U.S. Constitution which is the cruel and unusual punishment provision,” Silverstein said. “[The ninth circuit] held that it violates [the eighth amendment] provision of the US Constitution to criminally punish somebody, merely for being homeless.”

The law prohibits punishing people from sleeping in public because all humans need to sleep, but the court explicitly noted the ruling does not apply to people who have access to a place to sleep and eat, Silverstein said.

Dueñas said the ninth circuit case left cities like Malibu without many choices but to provide an ASL. “If you don’t have an alternative sleeping location, if you don’t have somewhere else where they can sleep legally, you can’t punish them for sleeping,” Dueñas said.

“It’s part of this whole effort to decriminalize homelessness.”

The ASL has been a controversial topic to its potential impacts on the community, Dueñas said.

photo courtesy of City of Malibu Hope for the Homeless | The Malibu City Council gathers on a public Zoom for their special virtual meeting Feb. 25. They passed five motions related to homelessness and plan to reconvene in another special meeting.

“Everybody loves the idea [of ASLs], they just don’t want it in Malibu,” Dueñas said. “Everyone, on one hand, likes to say they’re very compassionate and they want to help people, but they have a really strong fear that if we do something in town, that one, it’ll attract more homeless people so we really won’t be solving our problem and two, it’ll probably impact their property values.”

Silverstein said the ASL’s location impacts its cost and effectiveness. ”Our property values are very expensive and therefore the cost of an ASL — when you think of the cost of the land it’s on — in Malibu is more than the cost of an ASL in Los Angeles,” Silverstein said.

“So you can help more people by taking the same exact dollar, whatever dollars you have to help.”

Pierson said during the meeting the only location he could think of and suggest for a potential ASL was the City Hall parking lot.

The council’s final motion was to present findings to staff and reconvene in a subsequent meeting.

The council is moving forward with hopes of improving Malibu’s homelessness issue along with pressure from the state of Califor-

nia, Grisanti said.

Malibu, along with various Pepperdine organizations and initiatives, has taken steps to help those experiencing homelessness.

The statistics have been slow to show the results or the problem is getting worse, Dueñas said.

Dueñas said although there have been 136 people who moved off the street and into permanent or supportive housing over the last couple of years, the number of people without housing and on the street has generally remained static over the past five years.

The city councilmembers would gladly hear public thoughts on this matter, which can be sent directly to their email addresses, Grisanti said.

“I really hope that at some point, brighter minds will get together and come up with real ways to actually have a positive impact on homelessness that aren’t occurring right now,” Pierson said.

“I know a lot of money is being spent and a lot of people are working hard on it. We’re falling further behind; so nothing against those efforts, but they’re not working.”

C L AIR E.L EE@PEPPER DINE.EDU

Admissions goes test-optional through 2023 ab by w ilt new s as si sta n t High school students spend months studying, preparing and practicing for the SAT and ACT standardized tests, sometimes several times. This year, their hard work didn’t pay off due to COVID-19 related testing cancellations.

As a result, several universities across the nation, including Pepperdine, transitioned to test-optional or test-blind admissions processes.

“A lot of schools are going to be very flexible when it comes to testing because they know that students aren’t able to access testing sites,” said Linh Snyder, college and career counselor at Malibu High School. “I would say moving forward there’s going to be a lot of changes not only in college admissions but also College Board who administers the SAT.” Without the requirement of test scores, many schools saw applicant numbers go up. Pepperdine’s applicant numbers for the upcoming academic year went up by about 3.3%, Director of Admissions Ashley Nguyen said.

With applicant numbers going up, so did many application-related anxieties. Michael Sugminto and Lydia Smith, early-decision

applicants and incoming firstyears, said they were nervous about submitting their applications without the test scores because they didn’t know if the application would accurately represent their abilities, and they didn’t have a clear measurement on whether or not they would be accepted.

Changing Testing Policies Several universities adopted a test-optional or a test-blind system for admissions applications this year. For test-optional applications, students can submit their scores if they would like. For test-blind applications, colleges do not want to see test scores at all. Pepperdine transitioned to a test-optional system, Nguyen said.

“There were many factors leading to that decision, but namely student access to testing was a big issue this year,” Nguyen said. “We will remain test-optional for two more years to include fall 2022 and fall 2023.”

Pepperdine wasn’t alone in its decision to go test-optional.

Nationwide, over 1,570 schools decided to take a test-optional approach, according to The National Center for Fair and Open Testing.

With the test-optional approach, colleges limit the criteria to judge an applicant on.

Pepperdine Admissions used to rate standardized tests as “important” in the decision process, out of a range of “not considered” to “very important,” according to the Office of Institutional Effectiveness Common Data Set for the 2019-2020 academic year.

The Admissions office also rates the rigor of secondary school record, GPA, application essay, extracurricular activities, talent/ ability, personal qualities and religious commitment as “very important.”

In the past, advisers used standardized tests for academic advising and placement purposes as well. For the SAT composite scores, 36% of admitted students scored 1400-1600, 48% scored 1200-1399, 15% scored 10001199 and 1% scored 800-999, showing the higher the standardized test score, the more likely the acceptance.

“Schools are going to put more of an emphasis on other things besides testing to evaluate for admissions [now],” Snyder said.

“So you are looking at the applicant as a whole, and how they can contribute to the school.”

For students who don’t naturally test well, this decision is an

advantage on the application, Snyder said.

“I hope that moving forward, they do give students the option of submitting their scores or not,” Snyder said. “For some students, testing creates a lot of anxiety for them.”

For the 2021-2022 academic year, 12,927 students applied to Seaver College and Admissions is finalizing admission decisions, Nguyen said. Schools across the country that took a test-optional approach are also seeing increased applications. For example, Harvard’s application rate went up 42% and the University of California, Los Angeles’ application rate went up 28%, Snyder said.

“We are grateful for our increase in application numbers because that means there is still strong interest and draw to Pepperdine,” Nguyen said.

Applying From a Student’s Perspective The decision to eliminate test scores draws mixed reviews from students in the middle of the application process. Sugimoto and Smith said they had mixed opinions about Pepperdine’s decision to go test-optional.

Sugimoto wasn’t able to take the SAT or ACT due to the can-

cellations, but Smith was able to take each test once.

“I didn’t have any choice, so I didn’t take it, which was kind of a bummer since I was studying for it,” Sugimoto said.

Sugimoto said he worried more about his acceptance to Pepperdine without test scores on his application.

“It [not submitting test scores] definitely affected what I focused on on the application itself,” Sugimoto said. “I wasn’t super confident on my essay so I was really banking on my extracurriculars. I think it would have given me a little more assurance.”

Smith said she went into both tests with the mindset that she would take them again, so she didn’t study. Therefore, she said that she didn’t feel like her test scores accurately represented her academic ability.

“I didn’t really get the chance to actually take it,” Smith said. “I didn’t want my scores hurting me and didn’t want to give conflicting information.”

Pepperdine sent out admission decisions for early applicants Jan. 10, and will send out decisions for regular admission April 1, for the 2021-2022 academic year.

ABBY.W ILT@PEPPER DINE.EDU

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Pepperdine Closes Shanghai, Program Alumni React

ASHLEY MOWREADER N E WS E D ITOR Pepperdine International Programs announced March 10, the permanent closure of the Shanghai program, eliminating one of Pepperdine’s seven academic year study abroad offerings.

Shanghai alumni reacted to the news of the suspension and the future of International Programs in Asia. Shanghai opened as an academic year program in fall 2008 and hosted hundreds of Pepperdine students over the program’s 12 year lifetime.

“I was devastated,” said senior Ellia Melin, 2019 academic year Shanghai participant. “I’m still devastated about it because I can’t imagine other people not having the opportunity to go there.”

The Loss of Shanghai The Shanghai program began in 2008 as a replacement for Pepperdine’s Hong Kong program, which ran from 2004 to 2007. Shanghai attracted students looking to study business, explore Asia, learn more about Chinese culture or pursue a different kind of study abroad experience.

The Shanghai program was the first IP location to be suspended in International Programs’ history in January 2020, due to COVID-19.

Over the remainder of 2020, the program’s suspension lengthened again and again through the 2022 academic year until the program’s closure.

Beth Laux, executive director of International Programs, said the decision to close Shanghai came after months of evaluation.

“The University evaluates international programs on a regular basis and that’s a good business practice, that’s a good educational practice,” Laux said. “It’s something that we’ve done for a long time and, as you can imagine, the circumstances that the University faces right now gave us an opportunity to really take a close look at our programs.”

The decision to close Shanghai, according to Seaver Dean Michael Feltner’s March 10 email, hinged mainly on the operational difficulties and decreased enrollment in the Shanghai program. Laux said

the two-year suspension of Shanghai was another consideration.

“One of the primary factors was making sure that when we did reopen sometime, we would be able to offer the same kind of experience that students have had in the past,” Laux said. “And the longer the program was closed, the more we realized we would have to rebuild to be able to do that.”

Senior Derek Pinto, a 2019 academic year participant, said the program closure comes at an insensitive time, given the rise of anti-Asian hate globally.

“With everything going on with Asian-American violence and Pepperdine talking about being more socially aware and stuff, it just didn’t seem like the right time to release this or to even go through with this at all,” Pinto said.

Shanghai Ambassador junior Bradford Holladay said he was greatly disappointed by the closure of the Shanghai program but that he trusts the judgment of the University and believes the decision was made with students’ best interests at heart.

While the closure of the program is disappointing for International Programs and Seaver staff, former program participants also mourned the loss of the program.

“Although I was there under a month before it was suspended, the Shanghai program arguably changed my life,” said junior Grant Richardson, a spring 2020 program participant.

Junior Mason Chin, a 2020 academic year participant, said one of his favorite aspects of the program was the tight-knit relationships in his cohort, which to him felt like a family.

“It was a really unique experience, getting able to be close with people on that level while sharing that experience of uncomfortability abroad,” Chin said.

Fall 2019 participant and junior Chris Nicolalde said losing the program as a physical place was devastating.

“It’s about the experiences you had there, the memories, and when you lose the place where your memories were made, it starts to make you do this weird mental check, ‘Where were those memories? Will they be remembered? Will we have a place to go back to say we were here or will things kind of move on?’” Nicolalde said.

The usually inactive 2019 Shanghai group chat was revived af-

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Thank you to all those who volunteered photos Mason Chin Derek Pinto Tyler Peyton Madison Petrilli ter hearing about the program closure, Pinto said. Shortly after hearing the news of the suspension, Shanghai alumni across years created a group chat to stay connected and mourn the loss of the program, Melin said.

The program alumni also hope to do something special for the Shanghai Director Charlie Engelmann and his program staff.

“We’re trying to work with IP to have them help us send something to the staff and the program director,” Melin said. “We’re just jumping in as fast as we can to show our appreciation for them because we’re just all in shock and disbelief that they canceled the program permanently.”

All Shanghai faculty formerly working for Pepperdine have found employment elsewhere, according to an October interview with Engelmann. Associate Director William Wu, Academic Assistant Mona Chen and Program Coordinator Gigi Zhang were working for Pepperdine in October and will stay on until the program’s closure July 31.

“We are very aware that this decision impacts our Shanghai team and their families and so the University is working very carefully to coordinate the closure and provide as much support as possible for our Shanghai team as they navigate this transition,” Laux said.

Engelmann and his staff are working on packing up the Jia, the program house, and sorting through the various memorabilia left by students.

“I have actually a drawer full of notes that students wrote to me — usually the end of the semester, end of the year — just thank you notes and memory notes,” Engelmann said.

In addition, Engelmann has a Rolodex of student notes gifted to him by a past cohort after Engelmann teased them for not knowing what a Rolodex was.

Engelmann did not share his future plans but said he will miss students and journeying with them in Shanghai, geographically, spiritually and emotionally.

“We often talk about the program being life-changing for students — and I think it is — it’s also life-changing for us as a staff and it’s been for me,” Engelmann said. “It’ll be almost eight years

Parecen Barimani Sam Finnegan Jiyao Li & past Graphic Staff

by the time I go back, and it’s been an incredible journey for me too.”

The Future of IP in Asia Looking forward, International Programs hopes to find a new location in Asia for a study abroad campus, Laux said.

The University considers multiple factors when choosing an International Programs location including availability of academic resources, cultural engagement opportunities, service learning, internship options as well as health and safety conditions, Laux said.

“There’s a lot of different variables that have to go into identifying a new site,” Laux said. “At this point, it’s really too early for us to speculate about where that evaluation will lead us, but we’re committed to having programming opportunities in Asia for students.”

Laux said she’s also unable to say whether or not the new Asia program will be an academic year or summer offering, as that also depends on the location’s features.

The Shanghai alumni shared their hopes for the new IP campus, their check-list includes an urban location with business opportunities and a central location for travel, but Chin said he anticipates the next location to be more Eurocentric.

“It’s probably going to look a lot more bougie-er when Pepperdine implements a new Asian program, it’s probably going to be more catered to that highlight vacation life rather than that nitty-gritty, getting in the dirt of Asia,” Chin said.

Whatever Pepperdine’s decision, Nicolalde said he hopes the University keeps Asia as an opportunity for study abroad.

“I think there’s real value there, not to mention — there’s significant concern about the world having a misunderstanding about the Asian-American community, especially post-coronavirus,” Nicolalde said. “I think the best way to fight a stereotype or a misunderstanding or lack of information is to give people the chance to see things by for themselves, first-person.”

ashl ey.m ow r eader @Pepper dine.edu

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Give2Pepp restrategizes for 2021, finds new avenues for students to give sam t o r re new s Ass i s tan t Pepperdine continues its tradition of Give2Pepp, a university-wide giving event that lasts 37 hours March 9 and 10. This year, however, Pepperdine Fund and Student Philanthropy Council pursue a different direction due to challenges students faced during COVID-19.

Traditionally during Give2Pepp, Pepperdine encourages students and alumni to give back to departments in Pepperdine that impacted them. This year, the Pepperdine Fund is spreading the word about the event through peer-to-peer interaction and social media rather than sending emails to students.

“This is the place for the student voice to count,” Director of Pepperdine Fund Cynthia Ware said. “Because if hundreds of students give to one thing it sends a powerful message.”

Pepperdine encourages students who decide to give to Pepp to donate money to their “Pepperdine Passion,” one place or department at Pepperdine that influenced them, said senior Brandon Easley, co-president of the SPC. Because students can choose which department to donate to, Ware said, student donations act as a way for students to “vote” on what program left the most impact on them.

“We’re not going with them and saying, ‘Hey we need X amount of money,’” Director of Seaver Associates Devon Ciby said. “For this project, we’re saying, ‘What was your Pepperdine passion, what are you passionate about?’”

Early End of Last Year’s Give2Pepp The SPC and Pepperdine Fund planned a variety of events to take place March 10-11, 2020. However, senior Charlotte Lang, co-president of the SPC, said Pepperdine called off the events the day of due to COVID-19 closing the Malibu campus.

“We started it at 11 o’clock in the morning as we always do the day before for 37 hours,” Ware said. “And at 6:30 p.m., we got the notice that we were shutting it down. So of course those numbers look totally different than any other year because the ‘day of’ didn’t happen.”

The Student Philanthropy Council Is Spreading the Word To spread the word about Give2Pepp, the SPC utilizes peer-topeer communication. Members reach out to friends and club leaders, Easley said, and the SPC is looking into social media giveaways.

“We’re trying to, essentially, not only raise encouragement on our page for Give2Pepp but also encourage people to use their own personal social media platforms to share it with their friends,” Easley said.

The SPC, Easley said, is encouraging students to give what they can.

“Not everybody is in an economic situation where they can give,” Easley said. “And normally we would use the ‘Donate $5 it’s just the cost of a cup of coffee,’ and those messages just aren’t working this year and they shouldn’t because people are in such different situations.”

In addition to peer-to-peer contact, the SPC is incentivizing students by hosting challenges, Lang said. One of the challenges is based on participation, where an anonymous donor will give money to a Pepperdine organization if 100% of that organization gives.

“It’s incentivized to give back to the same area in which [the students] are already giving back to through their donation,” Lang said. “So it’s still just more money to help Pepperdine students so we thought those challenges are really exciting.”

The fraternity fundraising program, Ciby said, is one of the newer scholarship programs at Pepperdine. Two months ago, the four Interfraternity Council fraternities

ally armstronG | Art Editor each began their own restricted endowment challenge. Additionally, an anonymous donor has pledged $10,000, which will be broken up between the fraternity with the most amount of donors receiving $5,000 and the fraternity with the most money raised receiving $5,000.

Lang said sororities do not have a version of this challenge, but the SPC is looking for ways to include them.

Pepperdine Fund Avoids Soliciting Students Ciby said he primarily works with alumni fundraising and, during Give2Pepp, works to bring in gifts of over $1,000 from alumni. This year, Pepperdine is not soliciting money from students, parents, faculty or staff through email but is instead encouraging them to spread news about Give2Pepp through word of mouth.

The University’s focus, this year, is on alumni.

The Pepperdine Fund’s primary goal is to keep students from feeling that it is necessary for them to give to the University, Ware

said. The Give2Pepp fundraising aims to provide for students, rather than taking money from them.

“We are all heartbroken over the complexities of the college experience since the pandemic started,” Ware said. “That being said, we’re in a unique conundrum because the students have been leading this event for the last couple of years.”

The Pepperdine Fund usually educates students about Give2Pepp at sporting events, Ware said, and would begin explaining the event to first-years during New Student Orientation. In addition to promotional materials, the fund would send out emails to the student body during the school year.

“We did not have those opportunities this year, that’s the very reason that we’re being careful not to solicit someone who really hasn’t had a chance to learn the why,” Ware said. “So if they get invited to be part of Give2Pepp, it will be because another student shared it with them.”

In a February 2020, anonymous, Graphic survey of 40 students, 65% of students surveyed marked that Pepperdine’s response to Black Lives Matter

has made them less inclined to donate this year, and 53% of students marked that Pepperdine’s response to COVID-19 has made them less inclined to donate.

“I feel like Pepperdine has been perfectly content in taking our money without being truly incentivized to find a solution to online school,” wrote an anonymous junior.

SPC Sets Goals for This Year Due to the nature of this year, Lang said the SPC has not set any firm goals for the upcoming Give2Pepp. Lang said she wants those who give to understand that their gifts both help Pepperdine programs and allow the University to increase its ranking.

“We’re just getting down to the gist of what Give2Pepp is about, why we give back to Pepperdine, and why we should be excited for that, and just having SPC members facilitate that while we are virtual,” Easley said.

SAM .TOR R E@PEPPER DINE.EDU

Sodexo to remain food provider through 2021-22 school year Natalie Hardt N ew s Ass i s tant E dit or Pepperdine was in the midst of selecting a food provider for 202021 when COVID-19 hit, delaying the Request for Proposal process and causing the University to extend its contract with Sodexo through July 2022.

Pepperdine Dining Services selected three finalists in February 2020 based on the RFP process: Bon Appétit, Chartwells and Sodexo. The University will redo the final stages of the RFP process in the fall, with these three finalists submitting updated RFP responses with any pandemic-related changes, said Nicolle Taylor, vice president and chief business officer at Pepperdine.

“It’s an exciting time,” Taylor said. “We are very appreciative of all that Sodexo has done during this time, and we look forward to them and Chartwells and Bon Appetit participating in this process as we get to dream about what food will look like for the next decade at Pepperdine.”

RFP Process To Continue The University decided to lengthen its contract with Sodexo during the spring of 2020 due to uncertainty surrounding the pandemic and the extensive familiarity Sodexo has with the University, Taylor said.

Pepperdine extended Sodexo’s contract for two years to allow for extensive lead time to make decisions before committing to a lengthy contract, Taylor said.

Since it was unknown how long COVID-19 would impact campus life and foodservice, they wanted to err on the side of caution when lengthening the contract.

“They are very knowledgeable about the campus and our needs and that seemed appropriate: to have a good knowledgeable partner solidified in a contract during this transition time,” Taylor said.

In the past, students criticized the lack of options, food quality and limited hours offered at Waves Cafe under the Sodexo contract.

The RFP process was nearly complete last spring, which is why the University decided to redo only a few elements and work with the then-selected finalists, Taylor said.

“This is one of those situations where these providers, of course, are going to have updated information about what their proposal will look like now, but they ostensibly are still cooking the same,” Taylor said. “Their own procedures, apart from what may have been changed by COVID, are the same.”

Taylor said Pepperdine will inform community members about dining changes and the continuation of the RFP process through a town hall or President’s Briefing in

the fall. Dining Services will also initiate new requests for community feedback.

“We will have new students who may have not had an opportunity to comment, and they will have a short amount of experience — they may only be here for a month or so — but we will reopen that for all faculty, staff and students,” Taylor said.

New taste tests are unlikely, Taylor said, since food quality and type are likely unchanged by the pandemic, and student tastings occurred past February.

COVID-19 Forces Dining Changes Dining Services made a number of adjustments to the dining experience for 2020-2021, such as only offering grab-and-go options and centralizing all dining through the Waves Cafe due to a reduced volume of students — with fewer than 100 people coming through daily, Taylor said.

Recently, the University initiated a soft rollout of GrubHub on campus, Taylor said. The mobile ordering system will allow students to order from any venue on campus using meal points and grab food from pick-up locations placed close to residence halls.

“We are trying to focus on minimizing lines [and] increasing the throughput so that people don’t have to wait a long time,” Taylor

file Photo by ali levens Sodexo to Stay| A student patiently waits for her plate at Waves Cafe during the 2016-2017 school year. The University was in the process of choosing a food provider for 2020-21 when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, so the postponed selection led Pepperdine to extend its contract with Sodexo through July 2022. said. “We’re thinking through all those things to try to make sure that the [dining] experience is a good one, even if it looks a little bit different.”

COVID-19 regulations require individually packaged grab-andgo items — while these are effective for reducing potential virus spread, the packaging raises sustainability concerns. Taylor said Sodexo addresses these diverse needs by using compostable, reusable or recyclable packaging, cups

and utensils when possible.

Pepperdine hopes to further reopen dining whenever allowed by LA County health regulations and has a multitude of different potential dining plans depending on allowances, both in the spring and next fall when more students are anticipated to return, Taylor said.

After Pepperdine completes the RFP process and selects a finalist, the selected food provider will take over in the summer of 2022.

NATAL IE.HAR DT@PEPPER DINE.EDU

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PERSPECTIVES Fetishization of Korean culture: What K-pop fails to reveal

alice hAN s ta f f w r i t e r

W

ith K-pop becoming a global phenomenon — thanks to the prominence of several Korean artists such as Psy and BTS — Korean culture has flourished in many industries. However, the ever-growing genre of music has also caused many individuals to essentially fetishize Korean culture — failing to look beyond K-pop's triumph and into the more tragic side of Korean culture.

Since its release in 2013, the song “Gangnam Style”

by Psy managed to turn the world's attention toward the realm of Korean pop or K-pop — allowing the genre to evolve and expand into an internationally diverse subculture.

K-pop captivated the world through its flashy choreographies, beautiful idols and harmonization of multiple genres.

With the rise of BTS’ popularity in 2017, K-pop essentially reached a fever pitch, allowing South Korean culture to take the world by storm.

Although K-pop has helped the world develop a greater appreciation for South Korean culture through the increase of Korean consumerism and tourism, it has also caused people to overly glamorize or even fetishize the culture.

Consequently, a new term has emerged from this newfound obsession — "Koreanboo" or "Kboo" — which is used to define someone who is obsessed with Korean culture.

There are numerous ways "Kboos" romanticize the culture — from deciding to pursue a "glamorous" life as a K-pop trainee to even denouncing their own cultures by culturally identifying as Korean and developing internalized racism toward their own cultures.

Those who continue to idolize and admire specific parts of Korean culture — from the mannerisms to the music — must be aware of the inequity that is not only lurking within the K-pop industry but Korean society overall.

For almost 2,000 years, Korean cultural values have re-

volved around the unforgiving philosophical beliefs of Confucianism — which, in purest form, emphasize absolute filial piety and strict discipline. The ultimate goal of this philosophy, however, is to transform or revolutionize society by cultivating order and achievement.

Over time, this bred the highly competitive nature of Korea. Today, an extreme and aggressive competitiveness continues to permeate both the country's academic system and workforce.

From a shockingly young age, a tremendous amount of strain is placed upon the shoulders of contemporary Koreans as the average student in Korea studies 12 to 16 hours a day. Some Korean parents indoctrinate their children to believe that the higher the level of education they receive, the higher the level of success they will achieve later in life.

With a rapidly growing population, there are not nearly enough jobs for college graduates as many companies have been raising educational and professional prerequisites.

This competitiveness fosters a significant rise in unemployment as government data show that one in every four Koreans between the ages 15 and 29 were unemployed due to the lack of jobs, according to a 2018 Reuters report.

Naturally, this competitiveness and hardship bleeds into the K-pop industry as the entertainment field becomes an oversaturated market.

To become a K-pop star, one must undergo several years of intensive training from a young age. Many trainees are forced to juggle training with school life by maintaining a certain weight, managing their public image and adopting a certain mannerism or "personality."

Unfortunately, despite undergoing years of rigorous training, a handful of trainees fail to debut and are often forgotten. Some decide to quit willingly, while others stagnate due to a "lack of talent" or popularity.

To overcome this hurdle, some K-pop trainees resort to prostitution to obtain job opportunities and media exposure to ensure their debuts.

Those who eventually debut under these conditions are forced to remain tight-lipped as K-pop idols. Female performers, especially, are often

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*The Perspectives section is meant to showcase a variety of opinion and encourage discussion that is respectful and accurate.

MISSION STATEMENT

ALLY ARMSTRONG | art editor sued for defamation when they later publicly accuse their companies of sexual violence.

There exists high levels of prejudice against Korean women, which makes it almost impossible for them to obtain justice or individualism. The country continues to strongly oppose feminism as part of Confucian values.

The large gender pay gap and the large number of Korean women who have received plastic surgery in order to secure a profession at times — in both the K-pop industry or regular corporate sector — by appealing to the country's unrealistic beauty standards demonstrate this.

Overall, the competitiveness and oppression that continue to govern Korea place it 10th in the world and first in Asia for the highest number of suicides that occur yearly, according to Voice of America.

Although Korea has managed to develop its economy immensely, its culture and standard of ethics have failed to keep pace with materialistic advancements. This is specifically proven through the country's treatment of foreigners.

Racism is still prevalent throughout the country as 7 out of 10 foreigners will experience some form of discrimination, according to the Korean Herald. Xenophobia and racism in Korean society are largely based off of stereotypes and a supremacist attitude, especially toward immigrants from a poorer country.

Blatant racism can also be spotted throughout the K-pop industry, especially through their appropriation of Black culture. K-pop idols are regularly excused when making racist statements or adopting blackface at times. Despite

K-pop producers receiving significant musical influence from Black culture, they often refuse to give credit to Black artists when they help produce a K-pop hit.

Although this problem calls for the enactment of an anti-discrimination law, there is no guarantee for justice as there is a high level of corruption within the Korean government.

An extreme, yet discreet hierarchy is engraved into the system, which only beckons the call for surreptitious “favors” and bribes. This can specifically be observed through the impeachment of former President Park Geunhye in 2017.

This incident is comparable to the 2019 Burning Sun scandal, where several K-pop idols were found guilty of procuring business partners through drug-peddling and sexual bribery.

One's fascination with K-pop can easily overshadow these incidents and flaws of Korean culture. It's important to remember that Korea is not a perfect country.

Rather than blindly worshipping the culture, people should try to see beyond the success of K-pop and the country’s triumphs by acknowledging the hardships K-pop idols are forced to endure offstage.

Be aware of the country’s shortcomings when learning more about its daily citizens' lives, and appreciate the country without fetishizing the culture.

“Pepperdine Graphic Media (PGM) is an editorially independent student news organization that focuses on Pepperdine University and the surrounding communities. PGM consists of the digital and print Graphic, a variety of special publications, GNews, Currents Magazine, social media platforms and an Advertising Department.

These platforms serve the community with news, opinion, contemporary information and a public forum for discussion. PGM strengthens students for purpose, service and leadership by developing their skills in writing, editing and publication production, by providing a vehicle to integrate and implement their liberal arts education, and by developing students’ critical thinking through independent editorial judgment. PGM participates in Pepperdine’s Christian mission and affirmations, especially the pursuit of truth, excellence and freedom in a context of public service. Although PGM reports about Pepperdine University and coordinates with curricula in journalism and other disciplines, it is a student (not a University) news organization. Views expressed are diverse and, of course, do not correspond to all views of any University board, administration, faculty, staff, student or other constituency.”

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters to the Editor must bear the writer’s name, signature, class standing, major, address and phone number (except in some circumstances determined appropriate by the Graphic). Letters must be fewer than 300 words and will be edited for syntax, grammar and brevity. Letters can be mailed to student publications or emailed to peppgraphicmedia@gmail.com

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STAFF LIST Executive Editor Makena Huey Managing Editor Rowan Toke Digital Editor Brianna Willis Copy Chief Tiffany Hall Pixel Editor Emily Shaw Video Producer Marisa Dragos Head Podcast Producer Kaelin Mendez Business Director Hadley Biggs Advertising Director Sahej Bhasin Photo Editor Allison Levens News Editor Ashley Mowreader News Assistant Editors

Natalie Hardt Kyle McCabe News Assistants Annabelle Childers Miles Cambell Reagan Phillips Samantha Torre Abby Wilt News Staff Writers Claire Lee Joseph Allgood Life & Arts Editor Sofia Longo Life & Arts Assistant Editor Beth Gonzales Life & Arts Assistants Harleen Chhabra Life & Arts Staff Writers Lindsay Mase Xinyun Wang Addison Whiten Grace Wood Stella Zhang

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Keonabelle Paniagua Head Podcast Producer Kaelin Mendez Assistant Head Podcast Producer Anitiz Muonagolu Podcast Producers Ivy Moore Paxton Ritchey Emily Shaw Lindsey Sullivan Karl Winter Podcast Production Assistants Celine Foreman Misha Semenov Marketing Coordinator Bryant Loney Social Team Claudia Hardianto Madilyn Henshaw Inez Kim Abby Wilt Karl Winter

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Christianity should prioritize racial reconciliation

Christian parham P e r s p e c t i v e s A s s i s ta n t E d i t o r Racial reckoning is a primary component of both 2020 and 2021. Racist attacks against Asian Americans and murders of Black Americans are pushing United States citizens to a necessary breaking point.

Many people across the United States came to understand the pain and perspective of POC through the increased attention to the systemic injustices minorities face.

Meanwhile, some people did not desire to grow in empathy and understanding toward POC. Sadly, within this second set of people are parts of the Christian church.

Christian denominations should serve as a refuge for all people, especially for the oppressed.

The church needs to make racial reconciliation — the facilitation of conversations and healing between two racial groups — a priority to ensure everyone feels welcome and supported.

In the translated Bible, Psalms 82:3 commands Christians to “Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and oppressed.”

This verse describes the responsibility of Christians to fight for those who are marginalized in any way.

In Isaiah 1:17, the Bible

Samantha miller| art assistant Editor commands Christians to "Learn to do right; seek justice, defend the oppressed, take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow."

Here, the Bible tells believers to actively fight against systems of oppression and search for justice.

There are numerous areas in society where someone can do this today, one example being virtually volunteering with the International Rescue Committee to help refugees.

The Christian church and its people need to advocate for justice for the oppressed, based on the contents of these verses.

Unfortunately, this hasn’t always been the case. In fact, some Christian preachers historically advocated against racial justice and led their churches to believe the same.

Presbyterian preacher James Henley Thornwell encouraged slavery and white supremacy as being biblically supported during

his sermon in 1861.

In 1961, Montgomery, Alabama’s most influential Baptist pastor, Henry Lyon Jr., argued he was in favor of racial separation within the church.

The Baptist and Presbyterian sects were not the only ones to deal with these racial issues in the church. Within the Catholic Church, the amount of times it was silent on slavery speaks volumes.

The Catholic Church verbally denounced slavery in 1890, but there wasn’t an official written condemnation until 1965, in a document titled "Gaudium et Spes." This written condemnation did not happen until nearly a hundred years after the abolition of slavery, making it feel less meaningful.

Today, most preachers aren’t spouting hateful rhetoric.

However, silence on racist events is just as hurtful, indicating a certain complicity and lack of support for

members of color.

By not saying anything, some Christian churches show they aren’t actively trying to “correct oppression," as seen in Isaiah 1:17.

Many churches argue talking about racial reconciliation will be too divisive and will drive people away from the church. But, with that argument in mind, wouldn’t silence drive away POC who are hurting and desperately need the support of their church family?

There are ways to tackle racial reconciliation that won’t divide a church family but rather unite them under a shared goal of equality for all God’s children.

The first way is to honor the perspective of POC within the church. Listen and hear their experiences and their frustrations with recent and past events.

Sometimes listening indicates solidarity in a way words cannot.

The second way is to acknowledge the racial injustices going on in the United States.

This doesn’t have to be a whole sermon, but even a simple “I see you. I support you. I stand with you,” would go far in validating the struggles of POC within the church.

Finally, a more outspoken preacher may consider challenging their congregation to search for ways God calls them to defend the oppressed.

For some, this may look like attending peaceful protests.

Meanwhile, others may prefer online donations to marginalized groups.

One great example of this is seen in the Orthodox Christian Church. To tackle the tricky conversation regarding racism in a biblical manner, six different members of the Orthodox Church — a member of the clergy, a police officer, a nurse practitioner, an ex-military, a home-schooling mother and a teacher — examined the book of Galatians together.

Over a total of six weeks, they each taught different lessons, explaining what Galatians could teach Americans about the sin of racism and how to tackle it.

These lessons were successful and displayed how people from wildly different walks of life can come together under God, equality and justice.

While the Christian church may have made mistakes regarding race in the past, it is never too late to change. These mistakes don't change the fact that the grace of God extends directly to the church. Now, it becomes its responsibility to use this grace to make a difference in the lives of its members of color.

C HR ISTIAN.PAR HAM @PEPPER DINE.EDU

The ‘tampon tax’ can provide benefits for women

B r ya n t Ya n g S ta f f W r i t e r

March 1 marked the beginning of Women's History Month. During Women's History Month, many social activists will speak on social problems, such as gender inequality in employment, domestic violence, sexual harassment and education for women. In recent years, abolishing the tax on menstrual products has also been a trending topic.

"The tampon tax" refers to the sales tax on tampons and other feminine hygiene products. Many people regard the tampon tax as unfair because the government gives tax cuts on some nonessential items such as food coloring, golf club memberships and donuts; but tampons, which are essential, do not have tax cuts in some states.

Further, 25 million women live in poverty in the United States, but food stamps do not cover period products. "Period poverty" — being unable to afford feminine hygiene products — already is a prevailing problem.

Presently, 33 states impose taxes on feminine hygiene products and many social activists claim the tampon tax not only creates a financial burden on the people who need tampons but is also sexist, discriminatory and unconstitutional.

Therefore, the government

autumn hardwick| Staff Artist should abolish the "tampon tax."

The movement to abolish the "tampon tax" seems to be an essential step toward equality because it aims to relieve people’s financial burdens.

In reality, this might not be the best solution because abolishing the "tampon tax" might not benefit the people who need tampons the most.

Cutting the tax does not guarantee a lower price because, in countries with a free-market economy, like the United States, the producers hold the ultimate pricing power.

Even if the government abolishes the "tampon tax," the manufacturers of tampons could raise their price to hold the overall price constant despite the decrease in taxation.

Hypothetically, the price of a pack of tampons is $10 — $4 for cost price, $4 for profit and $2 for tax. When the government abolishes the "tampon tax," the manufacturers could still keep the price at $10, $4 for cost and now $6 for profit. Therefore, abolishing the "tampon tax" could possibly increase the revenue of the tampon manufacturers and the people who need tampons might not receive many benefits from it.

The money from tampon sales would be better spent with the government's involvement. Theoretically, if the government doesn’t spend this money on the people in need, then it is negligent. Nonetheless, when a private company doesn’t spend this money on the people in need,

there is no way to hold this private company accountable.

Abolishing the "tampon tax" might not be the best idea, but this does not mean the government should be silent on this issue.

A possible solution is the government should keep collecting the "tampon tax" but only from the people who can afford it.

The government should offer free feminine hygiene products for school-age adolescents, tax-free feminine hygiene products for people with low income and regular price for those with high income. The government can check people’s eligibility and then issue them a card for buying tampons.

With the funds from the "tampon tax," the

government should create social programs that can benefit low-income people and utilize this money to promote reproductive health by providing free routine gynecological examinations and free or low-cost insurance to support gynecological health.

Keeping the "tampon tax" could help the government avoid having the one-size-fits-all type of policy on the people in need and also provide more social equity for the people who need more support.

BRYANT.YANG2 @PEPPER DINE.EDU

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Help keep campus COVID-19 free

S awa ya m a k awa P e r s p e c t i v e s A s s i s ta n t Editor Students used to hate the stairs to the CCB, but now they miss those "Stepperdine" days. Students used to complain about how the food at Pepperdine isn’t the best, but now they miss ordering the beef kabab and talking to Sammy at the HAWC at 1 a.m. These little moments are what make Pepperdine a home away from home for many students.

Unarguably, the essence of going to Pepperdine is actually attending Pepperdine and living in Malibu. With the University partially reopening, community members must be more cautious than ever.

Recognized as one of the most beautiful campuses by the Princeton Review, Pepperdine’s Malibu campus and its spectacular scenery are two of the University's biggest selling points. Due to this, many Pepperdine students take pride in the fact that they live in the ‘Bu. In March 2020, the Pepperdine administration made the difficult decision to suspend all in-person classes, ultimately sending students back to their home residences due to COVID-19.

Almost a year later, the Pepperdine community finally saw hope as Pepperdine announced the University's

partial reopening Feb. 19 via email.

In his Feb. 22 briefing, President Jim Gash said students and faculty are permitted to resume in-person activities in groups of up to 10 should they decide to abide by social distancing and masking regulations.

Pepperdine continues to utilize its Daily Wellness Check system to ensure the health of community members on campus. This system, also known as the "green dot," determines whether the users are COVID-19 free, and grants them access on the Malibu campus if they receive a "green dot."

As the Pepperdine community begins to see light at the end of the tunnel, community members must now begin preparing for the potential full reopening of the University in the near future.

Athletes and hardship appeal applicants are the only students living on campus.

Athletes must test negative for the COVID-19 test at least once every week to continue their training and matches. All on-campus students are given a single room and are prohibited from inviting outside guests to their living areas, according to the Pepperdine Housing and Residence Life website.

Despite these protocols, Pepperdine has seen 46 oncampus COVID-19 cases during the spring semester as of March 1.

The critical problem here is the possibility of rapid increase in COVID-19 cases when students return to campus and resume in-person classes.

The number of on-campus

Madeline duvall |Staff Artist cases indicates that the University must focus on minimizing the possibility of COVID-19 clusters on campus while utilizing the "green dot" system.

The "green dot" system seems very promising at decreasing the risk of bringing the virus onto campus, but it unfortunately fails to identify asymptomatic carriers.

Moreover, it does not trace student activity on campus.

Users could also easily downplay an exposure to the virus.

Additionally, some athletes on campus are expressing concerns regarding the "green dot" system and its inability to keep its users accountable.

Those unable to visit campus are sharing both excitement and irritations via social media.

Even Chick-fil-A made it onto campus before most of the students. To celebrate the partial reopening, President Jim Gash invited students to enjoy a free Chick-fil-A meal or burritos in Mullin Town

Square — a controversial incentive that could potentially defeat the purpose of social distancing protocols.

While the system may be flawed, the utmost priority is to maintain the safety and well-being of the Pepperdine community. Therefore, it comes down to the integrity of each individual. If students wish to resume classes on the Malibu campus, they must be mindful and respectful of other students' boundaries.

Getting vaccinated will help the community, but even the vaccination only serves as a temporary tool preventing the spread of the virus.

Continuing to live with the pandemic seems to be the only solution.

Adapting to an unfamiliar environment with strict regulations may be difficult.

But, being a Pepperdine student not on the Malibu campus is unquestionably more difficult.

As the University awaits further notices from LA County, the Pepperdine

community must learn to be comfortable with the uncomfortable.

If students want those Malibu days back, they need to accept the reality that the campus will not look like what it did before. Everyone needs to make compromises. Most importantly, everyone needs to respect each other on a deeper level.

Right now, the campus seems like a tourist attraction for those with the privilege of living in the Malibu area. The bottom line is this: Pepperdine is, and will always be, the home for all Waves.

There is certainly hope and light after such lonely pandemic times, but the journey to reopening has just begun. If Pepperdine truly values all of its students, the community must come together to ensure every student is able to return to campus by next fall — not just those who can enjoy President Gash's free Chick-fil-A. SAWA.YAM AK AWA@PEPPER DINE.EDU

Staff Ed: Pepperdine, remember your non-Malibu students What is the Pepperdine experience outside of Malibu, and what brings us together when we are geographically apart? Are we basing the Pepperdine brand off of being in Malibu, or are we confident enough in our University’s values to apply them everywhere that our community members are?

On Aug. 6, in a conversation with the Graphic marking the one-year anniversary of his presidency, President Jim Gash said he chose the theme “Belonging” for Pepperdine in the 2020-2021 academic year.

Gash said the theme involves belonging to the Pepperdine community, belonging to God and belonging to a common shared experience.

With Pepperdine community members apart from one another due to COVID-19, the idea of a shared Pepperdine experience has drastically transformed and might even seem impossible.

Despite Pepperdine’s efforts to foster “belonging” this year, some students struggle to feel like part of the Pepperdine community, especially as they experience hardships in their respective locations.

The partial reopening of campus has further illustrated the stark division between students who live in the Malibu area and those who don’t.

When Pepperdine partially reopened campus Feb. 24, students who visited campus received free Chick-fil-A and burritos, as well as goodie bags that included hand sanitizer, Pepperdine-branded face masks, tote bags and tape measures.

Administration members who were present on the reopening day acknowledged that not all students could be there for the event.

“Even though this isn’t the big celebration yet, we wanted to

say, ‘Welcome back students’ to the ones who are able to come,” Vice President for Student Affairs Connie Horton said Feb. 24.

For the students who were not able to come, the administration could've done more to extend the offering of community.

For instance, during the week of Feb. 15, students living in Texas and other Southern states experienced a historically devastating winter storm. While students faced widespread tap water difficulties and power and internet outages, they did not receive any individual outreach from the Student Care Team, which, according to its website, exists to “help students overcome adversities and thrive,” or other departments of the University administration.

Multiple students living in Texas confirmed with the Graphic via text that they did not hear anything from the Student Care Team or the University in regard to the hardships brought about by the storm. It’s clear that Pepperdine’s theme of belonging and the Student Care Team are not serving the purpose they claim.

While the Student Care Team welcomes students to contact them directly for potential support, we believe the pressure should not solely be placed on students in the midst of adversity to reach out for help. The administration has sufficient information to know which students are facing a snowstorm appearing all over the news. A personal email from administration to students saying that the whole University is thinking about them could've gone a long way.

During the remote period, the administration's communication to students has centered around

Autumn Hardwick|Staff Artist hopeful timelines to return to Malibu. However, the rush to return to normal overlooks the struggles many students are facing.

In a perfect world, all Pepperdine students would love to be on campus. The administration's desire to welcome students back in person is completely valid.

Many students often associate the Pepperdine experience with Malibu, and the University certainly uses our campus' beautiful landscape as a selling point to prospective students.

Due to a combination of economic, health and safety concerns, the current reality is living in Malibu is not possible for a large percentage of the student population, regardless of the status of campus, since housing remains closed.

Instead of measuring how back to normal Pepperdine is by how many students are in Malibu or on campus, the University should focus on extending Pepperdine’s community and values to where

students are currently living.

We’re not asking for equal treatment; we’re asking for equitable treatment. We’re not asking for a Chick-Fil-A sandwich to be mailed to those of us who live out-of-state when Malibu students get them.

We’re asking to be cared for and noticed on the same level as students arriving on the Malibu campus, relative to our own situations.

Moving forward, if Pepperdine claims to promote a shared University experience, then, using the Student Care Team, it should put the same effort into engaging with remote students as it did with students who were able to visit the Malibu campus.

"An email or a social media post or just something that let me know they cared about my welfare would have been nice," Life & Arts Staff Writer and Texas resident Addison Whiten wrote in a text message.

"Especially since right after it happened they flooded our emails and timelines with information about campus being

open again, which does not even matter to us right now."

Part of the responsibility should also be on professors to understand the unique situations each of their students are in and to be willing to be adaptable and reasonable. We’re thankful for the many professors who are already doing this, but some professors need more flexibility and empathy.

The University should celebrate the fact that a select number of students can visit campus, but it should remember Pepperdine is more than its Malibu campus and strive to make non-Malibu students feel like they still belong.

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LIFE & ARTS Female singer/songwriters speak out on their musical journeys B et h Go nzales L if e & Ar ts Ass i s tan t E dit or The next Joni Mitchell, the next top music journalist and the female Simon & Garfunkel are all creating and writing right here at Pepperdine. The Waves’ music scene is bursting with women who eagerly await finding their places in the music industry.

Pepperdine singer/songwriters, folk duos, future Broadway stars and accomplished violinists share their musical influences, new projects and views on what women bring to the sound of music.

“I think a lot of women are tell-

Photo courtesy of Alexa Birt Violin Virtuosa | Alexa Birt performs the first movement of Saint-Saëns’ violin concerto as a winner of the 2019 Thomas M. Osborn Concerto Competition. Birt said she hopes to mix her two loves of music and writing by finding a career in music journalism in the future.

ing really good stories right now in terms of female empowerment and just emphasizing the fact that women should be equally heard and equally listened to,” Cameron Davis, senior singer/songwriter said. “I feel like there are a lot of powerful women, right now, who are telling stories and taking ownership of their craft.”

Holly Jackson, first-year Musical Theatre and Film Studies major, said she is a singer dipping her toes in the classical/operatic vocal realm. She taught herself guitar and writes her own music.

“I just dove into the electric guitar, but I think I like acoustic more, because when I’m holding the guitar to my body I get to feel the vibrations of the music within me,” Jackson said. “It’s such a special moment because you’re becoming one with the music.”

Jackson’s female influences include Jazmine Sullivan, Janelle Monáe and Ariana Grande, because she said she likes their vocals and distinctive individual styles.

Her ultimate goal is to become a Broadway star or a TV or film actress. She said she grew up with influences such as “Phantom of the Opera” and “Mamma Mia!” She also participated in a production of “Grease” in high school and “Aladdin” at the Starlight Theatre in Kansas City, Mo., in February 2012.

“As soon as I stepped on stage for the first number ‘Arabian Nights,’ I was like, ‘This is where I belong and what I want to do for the rest of my career,’” Jackson said.

Senior Journalism major Lindsey Sullivan, who is the Currents

magazine editor and co-producer for “The Graph” podcast, said she is a singer and plays drums, guitar and piano. She grew up listening to many rock classics such as The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton and 3 Doors Down.

Sullivan said she didn’t start writing or sharing her music until she came to Pepperdine. It was when she joined Celebration Chapel and became friends with fellow musician, Davis, who lived in her first-year dorm.

“I feel like Pepperdine people are just musical, even people that say they aren’t, they can play the guitar,” Sullivan said. “I felt very welcomed and invited into that space to play music, so it was really college when I started sharing.”

Sullivan and Davis created Sweet Karine, an eclectic folk duo titled after a Lausanne international program administrator named Karine who the girls said they loved and felt connected to when they were abroad.

Davis is a singer/songwriter who plays guitar, piano and electric instruments such as groove boxes. She said she also produces music on Ableton and Pro-Tools and practices audio editing.

Growing up, Davis had strong musical influences in her household — she said her grandfather played guitar, her mom is a professional opera singer and her brother plays violin. She wrote her first song in sixth grade and now writes songs with Sullivan while they prepare to record an album.

Photo courtesy of Small Studio Sessions Singing in the Studio| Senior singer/songwriters Lindsey Sullivan (left) and Cameron Davis (right), editor in chief for Currents magazine and co-producer for “The Graph” podcast, perform their original songs for PGM’s podcast “Small Studio Sessions” in the KWVS studio in February 2020. They started a folk duo named Sweet Karine, and recording an album is their current focus.

Photo courtesy of holly jackson

A Pristine Performance | First-year Holly Jackson belts “New Girl In Town” during Stage Right Performing Art’s production of “Hairspray” in July 2017. Jackson said she used to participate in competitive dance and SEE Women in Music, B3 hopes to mix that into her love of theater.

Pepp DECA prepares students for working world G r ac e W o od Staf f w r i te r In January, junior International Business major Heather Chaffin started Pepperdine’s chapter of Distributive Education Clubs of America. DECA is a business organization designed to help high school and college students prepare for careers in finance, marketing, hospitality and management.

Pepperdine’s DECA chapter meets virtually every Monday at 7 p.m. PST. There are currently 17 members, and the organization is welcoming new members until March 1, 2021, and will start accepting members again next semester. While the club is business-oriented, it is open to students of all majors.

“I think everybody should join, because even if you’re not a business major, it just helps you gain a lot of confidence in your speaking ability, your persuasiveness, your creativity,” said Chaffin, president of DECA. “With everything being online, we’re hoping to provide an environment where we can grow together professionally and socially.”

DECA offers members the chance to compete each spring, where students can participate in either role-play or written challenges that involve analyzing case studies, creating business strategies, presenting potential business solutions to a panel of judges and more. DECA scheduled their competition virtually this year from April 17-21.

Chaffin participated in DECA for two years in high school,

where she successfully competed at both national and international DECA competitions. After starting her college career, Chaffin said she decided Pepperdine students would benefit from having their own DECA chapter.

“My goal was to always eventually bring it to Pepperdine, so I feel really blessed to be able to do that this year,” Chaffin said.

“I’m hoping that through DECA, a lot of our students will be able to have that confidence so that they’ll be ready in their future careers, or when they’re applying to internships and beyond.”

First-year International Studies major Raja Bella Hicks also participated in DECA in high school and felt excited to join Pepperdine’s developing chapter.

Though Hicks is not particularly interested in going into the business world, she said she thinks DECA will provide her with skills to be successful in any field.

“It’s a great place to grow yourself, regardless of what you want to do in the future,” Hicks said. “I want to be a better speaker, someone that’s more involved in the community and can effectively create presentations.”

Despite Hicks’ relative newness to the Pepperdine community, Chaffin asked her to serve on the DECA Executive Board as the vice president of competition due to her past DECA experience. As the vice president of ompetition, Hicks said she educates other members on the competition aspect of DECA, and helps them prepare to contend against other universities.

“DECA has pushed me to get

to know people [and] to be a part of the Board, even as a first-year and not knowing anybody,” Hicks said. “It’s been a really good experience to get yourself out there.”

Graduate student Aidan Murphy is working toward her MBA at Pepperdine. Despite going to school full-time and working fulltime as a business payroll tax analyst, Murphy said she wanted to join DECA to further develop her professional skills and connect to the Pepperdine community.

“A benefit of doing DECA as a graduate student is that it’s a lot of case studies and real-world application, and that’s a lot of what we do in graduate school — studying real-world problems and coming up with solutions,” Murphy said.

“It’s a good way to augment what we’re already doing in class.”

Murphy serves as the vice president of community service at DECA. Service is one of the main pillars of DECA’s mission, but it is up to each individual chapter to determine how it will best serve its community. Murphy said her main goal right now is to choose a platform and create a legacy project for the organization, so that Pepperdine DECA members can give back in the future.

While she wishes DECA could meet in person for the purpose of community-building, Murphy said the organization’s virtual existence makes it more accessible for her and others who don’t live in the Malibu area. While Murphy — who lives in Orange County, Calif. — has never visited the Malibu campus, the virtual format allows her to participate in both DECA and Delta Sigma Pi.

Leah Bae | Staff Artist “I’ve been taking full advantage of it,” Murphy said. “I just want people to know that when you’re in college, even during this time, it’s so important to take advantage of these opportunities, because these are not going to be things that are presented to you when you graduate.”

Going forward, Chaffin, Hicks and Murphy said they want to collaborate with other on-campus organizations like Alpha Kappa Psi and Delta Sigma Pi, as well as other DECA chapters, both high school and collegiate, in California.

Hicks said her biggest goal for the organization is to get the word out about DECA to the Pepper-

dine community. Chaffin said the organization uses Instagram to promote itself and recruit new members.

“We really want to just make a name for ourselves and get people involved,” Hicks said. “You don’t have to know anything about DECA to join DECA — anyone can be in it — everyone can learn and start from any level. It’s nothing that you need to know how to do already.”

For information about how to join DECA, email peppdeca@ gmail.com, visit DECA’s Peppervine page or follow DECA on Instagram @pepperdine_deca.

GR AC E.W OOD@PEPPER DINE.EDU

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Business-driven student dreams of working in the fashion industry k ay la k a h r l staf f wr i t e r

Fresh Faces features first-year and transfer students to unite Pepperdine students and build community, regardless of where they are.

Biology student makes the move from Thousand Oaks to Malibu addiso n w hitten s taf f w r i te r Thousand Oaks, Calif., is only about 20 miles from Malibu, but first-year Biology major Smayana Kurapati said it is the perfect distance to both grow at college and stay connected to her hometown.

Kurapati lives on campus in Malibu after applying for a housing waiver and participates in a few extracurricular activities, but said she still stays connected with her hometown by volunteering at a local clinic.

“It’s so important, especially going to school somewhere so close to where I grew up, to give back to the place that helped make me who I am,” Kurapati said.

Pepperdine’s location is one reason she enrolled at Seaver College, but she said the quality of the Biology program was perhaps her biggest motivation.

Kurapati said her love for science began in middle school. The field of biology in particular has always been interesting to her because of its potential for new discoveries, especially with undiscovered species and the parts of the ocean scientists haven’t reached yet.

“There’s so much unknown in front of our eyes and that’s what really drew me in,” Kurapati said.

While she hasn’t decided on a specific career path yet, Kurapati said she is considering doing research professionally or going into the medical field.

“I like the medical aspect because I love being with people and talking to people and getting to know them,” Kurapati said.

photo courtesy of smayana kurapati Malibu Movin’| First-year Smayana Kurapati smiles at her

high school, Westlake High School, in Thousand Oaks, Calif., in May. Kurapati said after beginning a remote year at Pepperdine, she is eager to experience normal life on campus.

“But also, research, scientific research especially, is such an important factor for our future.”

Kurapati is already getting involved at Pepperdine by joining Days for Girls and Gamma Phi Beta, but she said she plans on getting more involved when classes resume on campus.

“I’ve already made friends with people who aren’t even in my major, who I’ve never had a class with, and I feel like that’s such a big part of Pepperdine and its culture,” Kurapati said.

Kurapati said her cousin graduated from Pepperdine in 2020, and he enjoyed the community that exists on campus, which is an experience she looks forward to having for herself.

“He always talked about how you’ll see the same people every

day and you’ll create such good connections and relationships with these people because it’s such a tight-knit community and that allows you to get to know people better,” Kurapati said.

Even though she already feels like a part of the Pepperdine community, Kurapati said she is eager to get the typical experience of a student at Seaver College, especially after finishing her high school career remotely and not having the chance to tour Pepperdine before beginning her first year.

“I never really got the feel of a campus life,” Kurapati said. “I just want to see what it’s like.”

A D D I S O N .W H I T T E N @P E P P E RD I N E . E D U

First-year Ray Morris moved to Los Angeles in September and began pursuing her passion for business and creating a name for herself in the fashion industry.

Morris began juggling a modeling career, an internship with Summit One Source and a full-time class schedule — all while adjusting to living in a new environment 2,000 miles from her home state.

Before moving, Morris lived in Vestavia Hills, a small, southern town in Birmingham, Ala., but she said she dreamed of experiencing something new and different, outside of her home state.

“I really had a strong desire to get out and learn more — I just wanted to experience other things and cultures and more people, and I love the beach,” Morris said. “The beach is my happy place, so to be so close to it makes me so happy.”

Morris is an International Business major and she said she dreams of working in the fashion industry. Growing up, Morris watched her parents navigate the business world, which inspired her to follow in their footsteps and delve into that field.

Morris said she’s gained firsthand experience working in fashion through modeling with No Ties Model Management. Morris began her modeling career five years ago and she said she’s picked up many useful skills along the way.

“I picked up photography and hair and makeup and some of the business side of it, so I’m really interested to keep developing my passion in that and I could see myself going into high fashion branding,” Morris said.

After moving to Los Angeles, Morris said she began an internship with Summit One Source focusing on development in international and domestic partnerships. She’s currently working on a project that provides COVID-19 testing for the NCAA basketball bubbles.

While Morris successfully took advantage of the numerous business opportunities Los Angeles has to offer, she’s also learned to balance her workload and social life. Although Morris has not yet walked on campus as a student, she said she’s been able to meet a lot of new people through messaging other students in her Zoom classes.

“I have loved meeting everyone, even though it’s kind of weird messaging people on Zoom,” Morris said. “But just the friendships I’ve made in different classes, like my first-year seminar, it’s been really cool to just hear where everyone’s from in the introductions and see people are in China, Ireland, England or I’ve also had people in my classes from India. It’s just been

photos courtesy of ray morris Set on Malibu| First-year

Ray Morris rocks a Pepperdine T-shirt in Mount Laurel, Ala., after enrolling as a student in April. Morris said she fell in love with the Malibu campus during her first year of high school when her dad took her family on a trip to Los Angeles and San Diego.

Model Life| Morris pos-

es for a shoot with No Ties Model Management in Pacific Palisades, Calif., last October. Morris said she signed with No Ties Model Management in 2019. insane to just know that all these people are going to one school.”

Morris joined a sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma, and she said she’s loved being able to connect with her sorority sisters over Zoom and in her pledge class group chat.

Through attending Pepperdine and moving to Los Angeles, Morris said she’s learned invaluable life lessons. While she was nervous to move, she’s been able to build close friendships by staying true to herself.

“I think the biggest lesson I learned is just to be your genuine self. Be nice to everyone. There are so many incredible people here,” Morris said. “You never know who you’re going to meet. Don’t be nervous. There are so many people and so many friendships and so many opportunities. You just have to be open to them and be ready to experience California life.”

K AYL A.K AHR L @PEPPER DINE.EDU

Sports fan works toward his MBA, athletic career goals addiso n w hitten s taf f w r i te r Transfer student Jacob Piccuito tore his ACL during a rugby match in the spring of 2019 at Pepperdine. At the time, he was a student at Occidental College and a member of its club team.

Piccuito said after that experience, he never thought he would be a student at Pepperdine.

“I was like, ‘That was terrible, I never want to step foot on this campus again; I don’t want to go to the Zoey 101 university,’” Piccuito said.

Now, Piccuito is in his second semester of his junior year at Seaver College studying Business Administration, and he said he enjoys being a member of the Pepperdine community.

“After doing my research and kind of figuring stuff out, it was a great fit,” Piccuito said. “Once

you get to know some of the people, it’s really, really welcoming, so it was hard to say no.”

Piccuito chose to transfer to Pepperdine because of its accelerated five-year BS/MBA program. He said he has goals of working in the sports sector and his program allows him the space to take elective courses within the Sports Administration major to prepare for such a career.

“With the accelerated program, you can choose a concentration during your graduate year,” Piccuito said. “So I could do my undergrad in Business Admin, but do a speciality toward Media and Sports Management, so I might try to get into that.”

Piccuito aspires to be a sports agent or a general manager for a professional team, preferably in football or basketball, but he said he hasn’t made any concrete choices yet. His cur-

rent career goals are influenced by his lifelong love of sports.

“Growing up, I was kind of the awkward kid in class, and sports really just gave me a way out,” Piccuito said.

Originally from the Boston area, Piccuito said he has always been a fan of the city’s major professional teams across sports: the Boston Bruins, Boston Celtics and New England Patriots. Living in Southern California for a few years, however, has given him new teams to root for, like the LA Dodgers.

Piccuito wants to intern somewhere within the sports industry soon, but right now he said there aren’t many positions available in that sector.

“It’s kind of hard to find something in my field, because everything’s virtual,” Piccuito said. “People don’t want to do it. They think it’s not worth do-

ing because nothing is in person; it’s all over the computer.”

While he likes being a student at Pepperdine, Piccuito said completing his first year at Seaver College remotely has had its challenges, too.

“I would have loved to go to orientation in person to meet a bunch of people,” Piccuito said. “It’s really difficult.

I only know my roommate.”

Despite the physical disconnection between himself and his classmates, Piccuito said applying for a housing waiver and living on campus has helped him feel like a part of the community –– and the ocean views from his dorm in Drescher don’t hurt either.

“You can’t beat that,” Piccuito said. “I’m just living the life right now.”

ADDISON.W HITTEN@PEPPER DINE.EDU

photo courtesy of jacob piccuito World

Traveler| Junior transfer Jacob Piccuito smiles while wearing a New England Patriots shirt inside the Colosseum in Rome, Italy while on vacation in 2019.

Piccuito said he is a lifelong fan of the Patriots, and football is his favorite sport.

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MUSIC: Singer/songwriters share their musical paths FR OM b 1 Davis and Sullivan said they write and work on songs remotely and the process is smoother than they thought. They send each other incomplete voice memos of lyrics or instrumentals and work on it back and forth.

“I’ll be completely stuck when it comes to the bridge or the tambour, or ways of playing it rhythmically on the guitar, because she’s much better at that,” Davis said. “Then she’ll take it and make it so much better than I could have imagined.”

One of them will write a verse or two, maybe a chord or some lyrics, and then send it on. Sullivan said they do not begin writing a song with previously written music or lyrics. They will sit together and play a riff or progression many times and become inspired on the spot.

“There is literally no one else that I would trust, sharing something I’ve written with to that capacity, other than Cam,” Sullivan said. “She’s one of my closest friends and we have just always built the trust with each other in that capacity.”

Sullivan’s favorite lyric they wrote is from their song “Sweet (Cruel),” which is not available to stream yet, and it says, “Cruel love, what did I do to you?/ What did I do to make you so cold?/ Sweet love, you have a way of knowing/ You have a way of reading me.”

“It was based off a relationship of mine, but introspectively, it is almost how we can be so kind to ourselves but so cruel at the same time,” Sullivan said. “I think I struggle with that a lot — wanting to love myself, but then ruminating on every piece of evidence that contradicts that.”

Joni Mitchell’s lyricism heavily

Photo courtesy of Lindsey Sullivan Jamming Out | Senior singer/songwriters Cameron Davis (left) and Lindsey Sullivan (right), editor in chief for Currents magazine and co-producer for “The Graph” podcast, perform their original songs for PGM’s podcast “Small Studio Sessions” in February 2020. Their folk duo is named Sweet Karine. inspires Sullivan. As well as the three sister girl-group called The Staves, in particular their album “Good Women.” She said the album poses the question of what it means to be good women and how to proclaim that versus what society says.

Davis said one of her biggest influences is songwriter Adrianne Lenker, the brains behind the rock band Big Thief, as well as Florence Welsh from Florence and the Machine.

“I really love how a lot of [Welsh’s] stuff is more anthemic, really intense and kind of orchestral; there is just so much that goes into her music,” Davis said.

“Also so much soul.”

Over the years in music his-

tory, female musicians brought incredible amounts of inventive harmonies, melodies and intensely dynamic poetry to the scene. Davis said female artists contribute tremendous effort in emphasizing that women musicians should be taken just as seriously as men.

They are just as capable, talented and powerful.

“There are a lot of artists that come to mind whenever I talk about that — St. Vincent is one of them,” Davis said. “She is just really empowering and takes ownership of female sexuality and the intellectual capabilities of females.

That is one of the things that I think female musicians are bringing to the table.”

Birt said female musicians’ in-

nate ability to bring soul to the music is part of their success.

“Classical music, especially, is dominated by men like Bach, Brahms and Beethoven,” Birt said.

“That is good and fine because they wrote music that is foundational to classical education. But it’s important because women are naturally nurturing and caring, and music can be that special expression from the soul and women bring something different to the table innately.”

These women of Pepperdine help shape the modern music industry and have their own individual pieces of wisdom to share with the Pepperdine community. They said the future of music cannot stop the waves of female empow-

erment that are approaching.

Birt said she keeps going back to music because it is something that stays constant throughout her life.

Jackson’s advice to musicians is to remember that they can be their own obstacle, she said. Sullivan said she believes music is the universal language when things just can’t be explained in words.

“You can be so honest, but so hidden at the same time,” Sullivan said. “You can say what you need to say and get it off your chest, and make it more beautiful than where the idea originated from. And so that’s why I choose music.”

BETH.GONZAL ES@PEPPER DINE.EDU

Prof Profile: Comm prof says Pepp is her dream job Addiso n W hiten Staf f W r i te r Diana Martínez is an assistant professor of communication at Pepperdine, specializing in rhetorical studies. Martínez grew up in Southern California, completed her undergrad at California State University, Long Beach and then went on to earn a master’s degree from Syracuse University before finishing her education with a doctorate from The University of Texas at Austin. She said she loves how powerful communication can be and what it can accomplish.

Martínez entered college with plans to become an elementary school teacher, but now she can’t imagine not being a professor. She loves her students, and she loves Pepperdine.

Why did professor?

you become a

Diana Martínez: Becoming a professor, I think, was a vocation that I wouldn’t have known from the beginning, but I’m really glad that everything that happened led me to it. Now when I look back I’m like, ‘Of course I was going to be a professor,’ but had you asked me this question when I was a college student, I definitely wouldn’t have known how to answer it. I think that one of the reasons I became a professor was because I learned the statistics of Latina female faculty in higher education as professors, and I think at the time it was something like 3%. And so when I learned that number, there was always a reason that was kind of bigger than me. I was like, ‘Oh, I think that’s really important, I wish that I could make any kind of difference if it’s possible. Could I be someone that could enter in this profession?’ So there was a lot of questioning, a lot of doubt, a

Photo courtesy of Diana Martinez Play Time| Assistant Professor of Communication Diana Martinez and her children smile at a park in November in Camarillo, Calif. Martínez said she just had her son when Pepperdine hired her and he came to all her trainings. lot of soul searching, and I think I had to just inch forward with each of those doubts, pray with each of those doubts, talk to my family with each of them and just be OK with not knowing the answer. And now that I’m here I’m like, ‘Well, of course everything I was doing was leading to this.’ But it’s been quite a journey.

How did you end up at Pepp?

DM: I had actually thought about Pepperdine a lot before applying for my current position. For me, having gone to Cal State Long Beach and being in the Speech and Debate program, I heard about Pepperdine because I would see that school being represented in tournaments, but even

more so I loved the idea of putting together all of the aspects of who you are and being able to bring that into your vocation and into your work, and that being part of your life. I’ve always felt that Pepperdine was just a wonderful school. I’d never actually been up to Malibu from the part of Southern California where I’m from, but by the time I saw the position I was really excited to apply. It felt like applying for college: You know it’s going to be really competitive and you’re just going to try your best, but wow, it’s my dream job.

So when I learned that I had an interview, and then when I learned a little bit more about the position and about the University, the more I realized that it was my dream job and that I wanted to be there, and

so to be able to come here is wonderful.

Favorite part professor at

of being a Pepperdine?

DM: My favorite part is always the students. I feel like they give me hope for the future. They soak in the information, and you can just see those moments of, whether it’s cognitive dissonance or whether it’s completely accepting something that they might be reading, I think all of those moments are so productive. My favorite thing is when, let’s say I might have already read an article 10 times, but to see somebody read it for the first time and then have that moment of, ‘Oh wow, I’d never thought of something in this way,’

whether they agree with it or they disagree with it, whether it creates an emotional response or relates to an experience, it is those moments of engagement that really keep me engaged with my students. I might be reading an article for the first time, the 10th time, the 20th, whatever, but in those moments, I am able to learn something new about the subject, to see it in a new way to try to understand what it might mean for somebody who’s going through a particular experience. I know that we have a beautiful campus and there’s no denying that, but without our students? I mean, they’re the ones that make it brighter and even more beautiful.

ADDISON.W HITEN@PEPPER DINE.EDU

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Photos Courtesy of Moira Sweeney First Possession | Junior center Victor Ohia Obioha (right) wins the opening tip against Santa Clara University on Saturday, March 6. This tip began the Waves’ first game in the WCC Tournament where the Waves beat Santa Clara in the quarterfinals 78-70 and then lost to BYU in the semifinals 82-77.

Men’s basketball ends in overtime to end season Austin Hall Staff Writer Pepperdine's 2020-2021 season is over after a crushing overtime defeat by the BYU Cougars by a score of 82-77 on Monday, March 8.

The Waves began their stay in Las Vegas for the WCC Tournament on a high note with a 78-70 victory in the quarterfinals against Santa Clara University on Saturday.

Momentum carried over to the early portion of the BYU game, a clash of the second and third seeds in the WCC. Despite a venerable performance from the Waves and a heroic buzzer-beater from senior guard Colbey Ross to send the game into overtime, Pepperdine came up short and went home without getting a chance to knock off topranked Gonzaga in the WCC Championship.

"Give them a lot of credit," Head Coach Lorenzo Romar said. "They have great size, they're physical. The ball just didn't go in, we had good looks."

The Waves got off to a solid start Saturday against Santa Clara in a first half that saw four ties and eight lead changes.

Ross, who shot 4-for-9 in the first half and led all scorers with 13, consistently found his shot in isolation and the pick-and-roll.

Pepperdine led 40-35 at halftime. Junior forward Kessler Edwards and junior guard Jadé Smith were behind Ross with nine points apiece.

Pepperdine’s offense continued to be methodical to start the second half, scoring 30 points in the first 13 minutes compared to the Broncos’ 18. The score was 70-53 with fewer than seven minutes left in the game and it looked as if Pepperdine would run away with the victory.

Nonetheless, the Broncos stormed back with a 16-2 run in less than five minutes to make it 74-70 with 50 seconds left. Junior forward Guglielmo Caruso and senior forward Josep Vrankic helped orchestrate the scoring barrage. They finished with 16 and 15 points, respectively.

The Broncos were forced to

play the foul game, and Ross hit his last four attempts to help seal a 79-70 victory.

“We’re very pleased with the outcome,” Romar said Saturday.

“To come out here and open with a victory against Santa Clara is big, they’ve been playing good and very efficient basketball.”

Ross finished with 25 points and 12 assists, but perhaps the biggest feat was surpassing the late Hank Gathers for the alltime WCC Tournament scoring record.

Ross, who wasn’t aware that he broke the record until after the game, was elated.

“To be mentioned with a legend like that, it means a lot,” Ross said. “Playing for four years definitely helped, but it’s a crazy stat, and I’m blessed to be with a name like that.”

Less than 48 hours after the victory, Pepperdine had another dance with BYU. The Waves came into the semifinal 1-1 on the season against the Cougars, the most recent game being a 76-73 comeback win in Firestone Fieldhouse Jan. 27.

The teams were physical with one another from the start of the game resulting in a playoff feel fitting the month of March. The Pepperdine offense got off to one of their hottest starts of the season in their third game against the Cougars, shooting 9-for-12 with four threes to jump out a 23-11 lead with 11 minutes left in the half. Minutes later, their offense slowed and BYU battled back.

Before long the score was tied 3535 at the end of the first half.

While Ross was the standout through-and-through against the Broncos, he took a backseat to Edwards versus the Cougars. At the half, Edwards had 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting with 4 assists and 2 rebounds. Ross was limited to 6 points on 3-for-10 shooting with 4 turnovers and no assists.

The last time Ross went the entire first half with zero assists was a 66-59 loss to Pacific on Feb. 2, 2019.

A dunk from senior center Matt Haarms in BYU’s second offensive possession of the second half to gave BYU their first lead of the game. Pepperdine responded with back-to-back baskets to retake the lead, a lead they would

hold onto until 18 seconds left in regulation.

Pepperdine’s offense was fluid in the second half. BYU had opportunities to tie or retake the lead early, but multiple Waves stepped up to convert pivotal baskets. Smith had 15 points, 10 coming in the second half. All of sophomore guard Sedrick Altman’s eight points came in the latter period as well.

With 8:46 remaining, a basket from Altman gave Pepperdine a 10 point lead, 61-51. In eight minutes, BYU shrunk the Pepperdine lead down to one point, going on an 18-9 run to make it 70-69. Eight of BYU’s points came from Haarms; both in the paint and on the free-throw line.

With 18 seconds left, a giveand-go on the right wing gave BYU senior guard Alex Barcello the space for a baseline drive on which he converted a reverse layup to take the lead, 71-70.

“It’s not the first time Alex has done that,” BYU Head Coach Mark Pope said after the game.

“He snuck a basket against Pacific in a huge game for us, one that we had to gut-out.”

After a timeout, Altman took the ball down the length of the court and attempted a layup, but Haarms blocked it. After a quick foul with six seconds left, BYU sophomore guard Spencer Johnson went 1-for-2 at the free-throw line, giving Pepperdine a chance to win with a three or head to overtime with a 2-point basket.

As the clock winded down it was all Ross, pushing downcourt and separating from his defender with a head fake to give him enough space for a long 2-point jumper that rattled home. After draining the buzzer-beating shot, Ross turned to the BYU bench and yelled, “Let’s go. Let’s keep going.”

The Pepperdine bench erupted as the Waves had earned five minutes in an overtime period for a chance to play in the WCC Championship.

Pepperdine fell apart in overtime, shooting 1-for-7 from the field. With two minutes left, Haarms converted two free throws to make it 76-74, BYU. In back-to-back possessions where Ross didn’t touch the ball, junior guard Darryl Polk Jr. missed

two 3-pointers. Shortly after, the teams traded 2-for-2 trips at the line, Barcello for BYU and Edwards for Pepperdine to make it 78-76.

A turnover by Haarms with 30 seconds left gave Pepperdine the opportunity to tie or take the lead. An entry pass from Altman to Edwards was intercepted by Johnson, who tipped the ball towards the sideline before jumping to save it with a behind-the-back pass to junior guard Connor Harding.

The ball was immediately passed to Barcello, who was fouled with 16 seconds left. At the line, he gave his team a crucial four point lead.

“I saw that Spencer [Johnson] was worried about the right things,” Barcello said. “He had one thought in his mind and that was winning. That play won us the game.”

BYU thwarted Pepperdine’s last-second attempts and won 8277.

Foul calls plagued the second half and the extra period as both teams were in the double-bonus with 6:57 left in the game, meaning every defensive foul resulted in two free throws for the other team. There were 49 total personal fouls called in the game, a significant number of which were charges and other offensive fouls.

“This was my last chance on making the NCAA Tournament,” Ross said. “I wanted to do it for Coach Ro, my teammates and for Pepperdine. Tough night, the shots weren’t falling but you have to live with the result at the end of the day.”

BYU lost to Gonzaga 88-78 in the WCC Final. Gonzaga is the undisputed No. 1 seed in the country with a 26-0 record and will sit atop the West Region. NCAA Analyst Andy Katz projects BYU as No. 8 seed in the tournament.

Icey Ross | Senior guard Colbey Ross (No.4) shoots a three-pointer during monday’s game against BYU.

Boxing Out | Junior forward Kessler Edwards (No.15) prepares to go up for a rebound.

Swatted Away | Victor Ohia Obioha (in white) blocks a shot during Saturday’s game against Santa Clara.

AUSTIN.HALL@pepperdine.edu

B5

P E P P E R DINE GR A P HIC M E DIA | S PORTS | M A RCH 1 1 , 20 21

Pepperdine W. Basketball season concludes in Las Vegas just in t o uh ey s taf f w r i te r The Pepperdine Women’s Basketball team lost to Loyola Marymount University on March 4, in the first round of the West Coast Conference Tournament in Las Vegas by a score of 85-73.

The loss marks the end of the Waves’ season. They finished the season 5-18 with a 2-16 conference record.

“It was a different experience than I have had all year as we entered a bigger stage than we normally play,” freshman forward Kendyl Carson said. “We have not had that big of a stage this year due to COVID-19, so it was a nice experience to have the big cameras and bright lights on us.”

The Waves came into the game with a zone defense. Head Coach Kristen Dowling said she was hoping to limit the Lions ability to drive to the basket and get second chance points.

“We had two goals going into the game defensively, which were to protect the paint, and the other was to not give up offensive rebounds,” Dowling said. “Unfortunately, we got outrebounded and let them score a lot of points in the paint.”

LMU ended up scoring 26 points in the paint and had 11 second chance points.

The Waves leading scorer was junior guard Cheyenne Givens, who scored 17 points, and Carson also had a big game with 14 points.

Both players were strong forces in the paint for the Waves throughout the game.

The game started out well for the Waves, as they were in the lead after the first quarter 20-18 and only down by six points after the first half. They also shot 54% from the field before the break.

Nonetheless, the Waves’ mistakes on offense hindered their ability to build momentum and confidence. They committed 14 turnovers in the game, including 8 in the first half, and LMU scored 19 points off of those turnovers.

Unexpectedly, the strength of the Lions offense came from their 3-point shooting.

Both the Waves and Lions struggled from 3-point range throughout the season, as the Waves shot 33% and the Lions shot 32%, but the Lions caught fire from beyond the arc Thursday.

Senior guard Chelsey Gibbons set LMU’s all-time record for 3-pointers in a game, as she made eight in the game. LMU also was electric as a team from beyond the arc, as they shot 50% from the 3-point range, compared to Pepperdine only shooting 28% for the game.

Follow Trough | Freshman forward Jane Nwaba scores in the first round of the WCC Tournament against LMU. Nwaba came off the bench and went on to score four points in the game against the Lions

“We tried to adjust from our zone defense after Gibbons hit a few 3-pointers,” Carson said.

“There was not much we could do when she got hot, especially when we were trying to pack the paint when everyone else on LMU was driving to the basket.”

The Waves struggled to hit 3-pointers, only making one in the first half, compared to LMU’s five.

Senior forward Monique Andriuolo, who in her press conference said she has played her last game for Pepperdine, said the game changed in the third quarter once LMU gained momentum.

“LMU went on a really big run and I also think that we went away from what coach expects us to do,” Andriuolo said. “But I think as a whole, we tried to fight through the whole thing even though we were down.”

While the Waves’ season came to an end sooner than the team would have liked, there were positive takeaways throughout the game and season that show the Waves will be stronger next year.

Dowling said she was happy with Carson’s performance, as this is her first time playing in the conference tournament.

“I was encouraged by the play of Kendyl Carson, and you see that the future is bright,” Dowling said. “They continued to get better throughout the season and the better they played the better our team played.”

Carson echoed what her coach said about the potential improvement for a young Waves team.

“I think this year was a big growing season for us and we had a lot of freshmen and transfers who became more experienced throughout the season,” Carson said. “I think next season we will have a better understanding of how each of us plays. We can all play basketball well individually, but I think we can begin to create that connection which will be fun.”

J U S T I N .T O U H E Y @P E P P E RD I N E . E D U

phOTOS COURTESY OF morgan davenport Bright Future | Freshman forward Kendyl Carson taking a shot against Lmu in the first round of the WCC Championship. Carson contributed 14 points to Pepperdine’s final score against the Lions.

Senior Season| Senior center Tara Dusharm shoots in the first round of the WCC Tournament against LMU. The senior contributed 11 rebounds to Pepperdine’s effort against the Lions.

W. Volley beats Zags twice, improves to 9-1 in WCC play kar l w inter s taf f w r i t e r Pepperdine Women’s Volleyball showed few signs of overconfidence following a successful week, overwhelming WCC opponent Gonzaga 3-0 Friday and 3-2 Saturday at Firestone Fieldhouse.

Days earlier, the Waves swept No. 12 BYU at home, pushed the Cougars to five sets the following night, then traveled to No. 6 Baylor and battled the Bears to five sets as well. The team’s trip to Waco, Texas, did not affect its performance in a 25-14, 25-19, 25-20 defeat of the Zags on Friday, March 5.

“It could have been kind of a trap game for us, but we took care of business in practice when we got back from Baylor,” sophomore defensive specialist Kayla Joyce said following Friday’s victory. “That was really, really important in setting up today’s match.”

The Waves returned to Malibu as a national top-25 team for the first time since November 2012, earning the No. 25 spot in the American Volleyball Coaches Association rankings.

“I’m happy for our girls,” sixth-year Head Coach Scott Wong said. “They deserve the national ranking. They deserve everything they’ve earned this year.

It means a lot to the program in the growth of what we’ve accomplished over the last few years.”

The Bulldogs entered the doubleheader in Malibu with a 3-7 record, but the Waves took the numbers with a grain of salt.

In order to maintain sole possession of second place in the WCC standings, Pepperdine needed to defeat Gonzaga in both matches.

“Gonzaga’s record doesn’t reflect who they are as a team,” Wong said. “They’ve played some really good volleyball. I’m proud of our team for how they played and how they offensively attacked Gonzaga.”

In Friday’s sweep, the Waves put up staggering offensive numbers — each of the team’s primary pin hitters hit at least .400. Senior outside hitter Shannon Scully led the charge with 15 kills on a .469 hitting percentage, plus 9 digs.

Scully credited sophomore setter Isabel Zelaya, who entered the match leading the WCC in kills per set, for Pepperdine’s offensive output. Zelaya added 38 more assists along with 12 digs in the match, leading all players in both categories.

“Isa [Zelaya] and I have a great connection off the court and on the court,” Scully said. “Our whole team has been just like best friends, and I think that our connection off the court is showing on the court this year especially.”

Scully has found her rhythm as the season develops. After the first six WCC matches of the season, Scully averaged 3.04 kills per set.

In the most recent four WCC matches since she is averaging 4.25 kills per set, and her hitting percentage improved from .261 to .291.

Scully and freshman outside hitter Emma Ammerman led the Waves with five kills apiece in a

dominant first set victory Friday. Junior outside hitter Rachel Ahrens tallied three of her five service aces in the first set of the match, all coming during a service series that extended a 17-10 lead to 21-10.

Ammerman and Ahrens were the other two Pepp hitters who hit .400 or higher in the match.

In the second set, the Waves defense took over. While the offensive output dipped slightly from .357 to .300 from the first set to the second, the back row extended rallies and refused to allow the ball to touch the floor.

Gonzaga hit only .098 in the second set after hitting .216 in the first, and Pepp took the set 25-19.

Joyce and junior libero Madison Shields patrolled the back row and notched six and 12 digs in the match, respectively.

“We definitely have this bond on the court where we know exactly where we’re at and mentality to not let anything drop,” Joyce said.

Gonzaga jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the third set, but Pepperdine immediately responded with consecutive double blocks by Zelaya and freshman middle Meg Brown. Wong said the block was a facet that needed improvement following Friday’s match.

“Our blocking can get a little better,” Wong said. “I feel like our timing was a little off.”

Collectively, the Waves defense held the Zags to .032 hitting in the third set, pulling away to win 25-20 and sweep the match.

“Our floor defense is great,” Wong said. “We saw the tip, we

read it well. We took the ball and put it up in good positions.”

Joyce, a transfer from Chico State, has been a welcome addition to the starting lineup in recent matches. Following the graduation of four-year starting libero Hana Lishman, Wong has seen the development of the floor defense over the course of the first eleven games of the season.

“It’s been awesome to see that development because I feel like that has been a big development of our team — just not letting the ball hit the floor,” Wong said.

The Waves’ block came alive in Saturday’s five-set victory, registering 20 total blocks in a much tighter match. Senior middle Alli O’Harra led the team with six blocks. “[Assistant Coach] Steve [Astor] has been doing a great job of helping us with our blocking at practice and that’s something we’ve been really focusing on this year,” Scully said.

Ahrens smashed a career-high 27 kills Saturday afternoon to lead the Waves to a 25-14, 25-19, 22-25, 20-25, 15-5 victory.

Ahrens’ 37 kills on the week earned her WCC Offensive Player of the Week honors for the third time this season, while Shields’ defensive efforts garnered her third WCC Defensive Player of the Week of the season. The Waves swept the WCC awards for the second consecutive week.

As the team prepares for upcoming doubleheaders against Portland and Loyola Marymount, two teams below them in the WCC standings, the goal of

ali levens | photo editor Sophomore Standout| Sophomore defensive specialist Kayla Joyce celebrates a Pepperdine point during the Waves’ 3-0 victory over Gonzaga on Friday, March 5, at Firestone Fieldhouse. Joyce, a transfer from Chico State, recorded six digs in the win winning the program’s first WCC title since 2011 remains on their minds.

“Game by game, people are going to show up here and they’re going to give their best,” Joyce said. “We expect that and we’re ready for it.”

In Monday’s AVCA rankings, the Waves moved up one spot to No. 24 in the nation.

K AR L .W INTER @PEPPER DINE.EDU

B6

P E P P E R DINE GR A P HIC M E DIA | S PORTS | M A RCH 1 1 , 20 21

Anderson’s goal sinks San Francisco Paxt o n r it chey s por ts edi tor Pepperdine Women’s Soccer got all they could handle from the University of San Francisco, who forced Pepperdine to play a direct, physical game and went chance for chance with the Waves for much of the contest.

In the end, Pepperdine had the only two All-WCC players on the pitch, and that made the difference.

Senior forward Joelle Anderson, a 2019 first team all-conference selection and recent NWSL draftee, got on the other end of a pinpoint through ball from sophomore defender and fellow first-teamer Trinity Watson and buried a shot into the bottom left corner in the 69th minute. Pepperdine’s defense held for its second clean sheet in as many WCC matches, and the Waves came away with a 1-0 victory in Malibu on March 6. The win moves Pepperdine to 3-2, with a 2-0 conference record.

“I’m really happy with how we’re starting, just coming right out of the gate with two wins and two shutouts,” Anderson said. “I think we’re off to a really good start.”

Saturday’s win was not assured early in the game. San Francisco, who finished sixth in the WCC last season, forced Pepperdine to play a physical game, and the Waves struggled to build offensive momentum and retain possession.

“I thought we kind of played into their hands,” Head Coach Tim Ward said. “I can’t remember a team that was that tall and physical. They were tough and organized and hard to break down.”

That toughness manifested itself in the ninth minute, when Dons midfielder Ashley Humphrey and Waves senior forward Devyn Gilfoy clashed heads. Both players left the game and did not return.

dane bruhahn | staff photographer Quick Feet| Sophomore forward Shelby Little (No. 25) dribbles against two San Francisco defenders during the game Saturday, March 6. USF’s defense was staunch at first, but the Waves broke through to take a 1-0 victory.

San Francisco forward Kalena Teufel had the best chance in the early going, cutting inside from the left wing in the 13th minute and sending a shot just wide of goal.

Center backs Kenna Roth and Catherine Hill had an excellent day for the Dons, dominating in the air and shutting down Pepperdine’s attempts to go over the top.

“I think for us, it’s important to maintain our composure, keep the ball on the ground, and move it fast,” Anderson said. “It’s definitely a challenge, but I mean, it’s WCC soccer, and we’re going to see that every game, that grind.”

At the half, Pepperdine had four shots to the Dons’ three, but neither team managed a shot on goal.

Although San Francisco’s energy seemed to overwhelm the Waves at times in the first half, Ward said he believed his team would be in a good position after the break.

“The good news about collegiate soccer is in the second half, the game usually opens up. It’s really hard to maintain those levels of intensity for 90 minutes,” Ward said. “We started really brightly in the second half, we put the ball on the ground rather than in the air, started knocking it a little bit.”

Barrelled Up| Senior forward Calista Reyes (No. 10) makes a run down the right hand side of the pitch against San Francisco. The Waves attempted to play over the top early in the match, but found more success sending through balls on the ground.

Pepperdine started to find some cracks in the Dons armor as the second half got underway. In the 56th minute, Anderson controlled the ball with an excellent first touch and released freshman Tori Waldeck down the left side.

Waldeck got the ball to freshman Skylar Enge, who shot from the top of the penalty area and forced Dons goalkeeper Molly Eby into her first save.

A wild scramble in front of the Dons’ net in the 60th minute saw multiple USF defenders throw themselves in front of Pepperdine shots to prevent Eby from needing to make a save, and Enge and Anderson put additional shots on target in the 62nd minute.

The breakthrough seemed inevitable, and it finally came in the 69th minute. After making a defensive interception, Watson found herself in space and advanced the ball past midfield.

“I thought ‘You know what, I’m just gonna go for it,’” Watson said.

“Nothing bad can come from going forward. I look up, I dribble a little bit, and I see Joelle making a really good run through.”

Watson’s pass hit Anderson in stride, and the midfielder was able to slide the ball past Eby with her first touch. It was Anderson’s first goal of the season and the 22nd of her career.

Although Pepperdine got the goal, San Francisco had more counter punches left in them.

Clevely needed to save a fluttering shot by Maria Marlow in the 71st minute. A minute later, Kaylin Lunsford’s shot sailed past Clevely but hit the crossbar and bounced out.

Despite the brief scare, the Waves defense kept the ball out of the net the rest of the way and have yet to concede in WCC play. For her part in keeping the shutout and assisting the game-winning goal, Watson earned the WCC Defensive Player of the Week award, becoming the second consecutive Wave to win after Clevely took it home the week prior.

“Tim [Ward] says defense wins games,” Watson said. “Getting a shutout is huge.”

Still, Ward said the positive display from San Francisco shows the overall strength of the WCC that the Waves will have to contend with all spring.

“Our conference, I would argue, has got to be in the top five conferences in the country,” Ward said.

“So everybody in our conference is good. Traditionally, ourselves, BYU and Santa Clara have been representing [the WCC] in the postseason, but we’re a conference that I think soon will become a four, potentially a five-bid NCAA tournament conference.”

The Waves will travel to Stockton, Calif., on Saturday, March 13, to play Pacific. Although the Tigers finished last season 0-9 in the WCC, they have a first-year head coach in Ed Moore who hopes to revitalize the program.

“We will not be underestimating them at all,” Ward said.

PAX TON.R ITC HEY@PEPPER DINE.EDU

Spor ting ev en ts this week THU

FRI

SAT

SUN

11

12

13

14

Be ac h Vo ll e ybal l @ U C L A | 1 0 a.m. and 1 : 3 0 p. m .

S w i m a nd di ve p e p p e rdine d iving invit. | 10 A.M .

W o me n’ s t enni s vs. # 6 UCLA | 1 P.M.

M e n ’s Vo l l e y b a l l @ U C L A | 5 P.M.

W. vo l l e y ba l l @ Portlan d | 1 P. M.

B as e b a l l @ UC Davis | 2 : 30 p. m.

Me n ’ s t e n ni s vs. UC Irvin e | 2 : 30 P.M.

MON

TUE

15

16

Swi m a nd di ve

wom en’s te n n is

Men ’ s Golf

vs. biol a | 11 a.M.

@ USC | noon

Baseba l l

w. Vol l eyba ll

@ Va l spa r co l l eg i ate i n pa l m c i ty, fl a .

@ UC Davis | 11:30 A.m. and 2:30 p.m.

vs. cal poly | N o o n

wom e n’s soc ce r

@ UC davis | 1 P. M .

@ Pacif ic | 1 p.m.

w. vol l e yba l l @ Portl and | 1 p.M.

m e n’s vol l eyba l l vs. ucl a | 5 p.M.

Base ba l l

Men ’ s Golf @ Va l spa r co l l eg i ate i n pa l m c i ty, fl a .