Pepperdine Graphic 1-30-2020

THE PEPPERDINE GRAPHIC VOLUME XLIX

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ISSUE 12

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JaNUARY 30, 2020

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Pepperdine Suspends Shanghai Program’s Spring Semester as Coronavirus Spreads Jam es Moore New s edit or Students studying abroad with Pepperdine’s Shanghai international program return home this week amid growing concerns of Wuhan coronavirus.

Shanghai participants received an email from the office

of International Programs at 6:14 a.m. Wednesday morning (Shanghai time) informing them of the suspension of their program. Most students are currently out of the country for their one-week travel break that follows the Chinese New Year, according to the email.

Email to Shanghai program participants from Beth M.

Laux, Executive Director of International Programs, about the decision to suspend the program for the Spring 2020 semester “As always, the safety and well-being of our students is the University’s highest priority,” IP wrote in the email.

“Based on all information available to the University at this

time, including the spread of the coronavirus, related travel warnings from national and international organizations, academic programming needs, and our care for the student experience, the University has made the decision to suspend the Shanghai international

Kobe Bryant among nine dead in Calabasas helicopter crash K y le M c c a b e Ne ws Assi stant e d i t o r K a r l w i n te r Sp o r t s E d i t o r A us ti n H a ll Staf f wr i t e r Basketball fans around the world are mourning the death of former Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant. The 41-year-old NBA legend died Sunday morning in a helicopter crash, along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others.

The crash occurred at a remote hillside east of Las Virgenes Road in Calabasas shortly before 10 a.m., nine miles

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Major rebuilding milestone: first resident moves back home after Woolsey V er nie C ovarru bias New s a ssista n t Kay iu Wong di g i tal e d itor Inside one of Laurie Brennan’s bedrooms in her Malibu West home stands a rustic, solid iron bed.

“This is a big deal to me that this is here,” Brennan said as she joyfully jumped and sat on the bed.

Fifteen months ago, that bed was covered by ash and rubble of what little remained of Brennan’s Paseo Canyon home.

Brennan’s house was one of the 488 homes in Malibu destroyed in the Nov. 2018 Woolsey Fire.

For Brennan, her bed is a sign of resiliency.

“It survived the fire,” Brennan said. “I survived the fire.”

Not only is she now a Woolsey Fire survivor, but she is the first resident in the city to move back into her home after losing it in Woolsey.

For the past 15 months, the city has supported homeowners like Brennan who lost their properties to the nearly 100,000-acre fire.

Since receiving her permit to rebuild, Brennan has worked tirelessly to plan, construct and officially move in.

“It was unbelievable when I knew that I was literally here,” Brennan said. “I mean, there’ve been lots of happy tears. … I wasn’t quite prepared for how emotional it was going to be.”

Malibu leaders presented Brennan with her official certificate of occupancy Monday at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for her new house.

“The ribbon-cutting was like,

‘Wow, you’re really here — now you’re officially in your home,’” Brennan said. “I felt like I kind of moved in real slowly this week. I didn’t feel like I was officially here, and the ribbon-cutting finalized everything for me.”

City officials and Malibu residents gathered on the driveway of Brennan’s house to celebrate the completion of the city’s first owner-occupied home to be rebuilt.

“While the Woolsey Fire is a dark chapter in Malibu’s history, today is a moment of light for all of Malibu,” Malibu Mayor Karen Farrer said during the ceremony. “It is a turning point. Now we can start counting homes completed.”

Brennan originally moved into her home in Paseo Canyon in Malibu West just 10 months before Woolsey hit.

“I had literally the worst experience ever … lost all my children’s things, my mom and dad’s things,” Brennan shared with the crowd at the ceremony.

Now in her new home, Brennan displays her belongings that survived the fire. In her “grandbaby” room, a place designated for her four grandchildren, Brennan has a shelf of Beanie Babies that survived the fire and a playpen draped with blankets.

“This wall fell down, and it protected [the blankets],” Brennan said.

“This is what I raised my babies on, and they’re all there.”

As she walked around her home, Brennan lit up at the sight of her kitchen and the new appliances recently installed.

“One benefit of the fire is I have the kitchen of my dreams again,”

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Welcome Home | (top) The burned remains of Laurie Brennan’s Malibu home stand in ruins after the Woolsey Fire, which destroyed 488 houses in the city. (ottom) After 15 months of rebuilding, Brennan’s new house is one of the first homes to be completly rebuilt after the Nov. 2018 tragedy.

L if e & A r t s

“I don’t think there’s any reason for the student body to know the details of the impeachment.” “students and faculty have the privilege of looking at what [...] makes a positive contribution to the environment.”

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courtesy of laurie brennan

kayiu wong | digital editor

V E RN E T TA .COVA RRU B I A S @P E P P E RD I N E.EDU KA Y I U.W O N G @P E P P E RD I N E.EDU

Pe r s pe ct iv e s

The Eden House has lost many of its sustainabilty features since its opening in 2015.

thethe waves waves report report

Brennan said. “I’m a cook, so I like my kitchen.”

As she reflects back on her experiences over the past 15 months, Brennan says the community support throughout her rebuild is what touches her the most.

“I believe that God was in control and He blessed me with so many people who came into my life that I cannot believe,” Brennan said. “[The people who worked on my house] gave it their all. I actually had workers say, ‘I’m so honored — so happy that we could help you rebuild your house.’”

Of the 488 homes lost in Woolsey, 216 single family residences have been approved by the Planning Commission to be rebuilt or restored. The city has issued 59 building permits for property owners to start construction on their new homes.

Malibu leaders established Woolsey Fire recovery as the city’s second-highest priority for this year, following protecting public safety. City staff are continuing to reach out to homeowners on the road to recovery through workshops and a special walk-up fire rebuild counter at Malibu City Hall.

“For everybody who’s still rebuilding or who wants to start rebuilding, the city is here for you,” City Manager Reva Feldman said at Brennan’s ribbon-cutting ceremony. “I am here for you, and our staff is here to get you home again.”

SP ORTS

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Only 14 female-directed films have been nominated for Best Picture in the history of the Academy Awards.

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For the first time ever, Theta took first prize in the PUTYCD dance competition.

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Men’s Volleyball traveled to Long Beach to take on the defending national champions.

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Women’s Basketball fell to LMU at home in their only game of the week.

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Reporting Kobe: When the Graphic heard reports that Kobe Bryant had died in a fatal helicopter accident in Calabasas, five Graphic reporters immediately rushed to the scene.

Listen anywhere you listen to podcasts.

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Hey, Pepp, let’s talk k y l e mcca b e a s s i s ta n t n e ws e dit or The Graphic news team wants to hear from you.

As reporters, our job is to keep our community informed about local issues — from the exciting to the mundane. Local reporters are the ones who go to city hall and school board meetings, courtrooms, press conferences and anywhere else they need to go to cover their community.

Graphic journalists are no exception. We are at student government meetings, university events, the IP office, the Student Assistance Center, sporting events and wherever else there might be a story.

Just like local journalists, we cannot always be reporting on major news.

Sometimes you may read the headline and think, “This may be important to someone else, but I don’t care about it.” And that is fine.

One of our main goals is to tell the stories that people are interested in so we can answer the questions they have about Pepperdine, Malibu, Thousand Oaks, Calabasas, LA and all of California. That is why we are always open to story suggestions, tips and letters to the editor.

If there is something you think we should look into, we want to know it.

If we write something that piques your interest, we want to know that too. We can follow up on the story, dig deeper and give you the information you are looking for.

Our news team wants to have an open dialogue with our readers. We want to work with you to find stories that interest you.

If we publish a story that you absolutely hate — one so terrible and ugly that it hurts your eyes to look at it — then tell us. Write us an email. The Graphic puts the writer’s email at the bottom of every article. If that is too formal, direct message one of our reporters on Instagram or Twitter (or Facebook if you are weird).

We try to cover every part of Pepperdine. Although we are not a massive state school, enough happens here that we might miss something. If we do, we want our readers to let us know.

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

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This week In SGA

1/22/20 12:31 p.m.

Crime: Fire/Hazards - Brush Fire Location: Alumni Park

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1 1/24/20 5:01 p.m.

Crime: Vandalism Location: Phillips House

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1/25/20 5:23 a.m.

Crime: Alcohol Related/ Non-Criminal - Possession of Alcohol on Campus (Adult) Location: Krown Beta House

3 1/25/20 12:41 p.m.

Crime: Vandalism Location: Drescher Campus Parking Structure

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Passed a vote on sponsoring exam booklets for all students

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Discussed stipends for the entire Senate

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Discussed wages for the Executive Board

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1/27/20 9:59 a.m.

Crime: Vandalism Location: George Page Residential Lot

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UPCOMING EVENTS THIS SEMESTER What: me n’s basketball vs. pacific WheN: 1/ 3 0 Wher e: fir estone fieldh o us e

What: c200 women in leader ship confer ence Whe n : 2/4 whe re : smother s theatr e

Wh at: Dar wini an Existentialis m tal k Wh e N: 2/4 wh e re : ksc 13 0

W hat: Ex ec u t i ve S p eak er S eri es : Ros s P ol l ac k W he N: 2 / 5 w he r e : Wi l b u rn au di t ori u m

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W he N: 2 / 6 w he r e : L on v. s mi t h at ri u m

c onvo c re dit and other e ve nts thi s w e e k FRI

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What: c e l ebr ation chapel When: 10 a.m.

Wher e: Amphitheater

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What: spanish chapel When: 10:10 a.m.

Where: stauffer chapel

What: A r abic chapel When: 1 p.m.

Wher e: P LC 104

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Eden Project raises questions about Pepperdine’s sustainability Em ily Sh aw new s ass i sta n t When the Eden Project officially opened in September 2015, Pepperdine saw a bright future for its new sustainability residence, according to Chris Doran, founder and coordinator of the Sustainability minor. In the past three years, however, the project has encountered significant challenges and setbacks.

The Eden Project was a result from the Center for Sustainability and a committee of faculty, staff and students who submitted a grant proposal to the Waves of Innovation Committee. They were awarded the top prize of $150,000 to launch the Eden Project in 2014.

Doran, one of the lead stakeholders of the Eden Project, said as time went on, the Project failed to fulfill its original vision.

Doran wrote the Waves of Innovation grant proposal along with Rhiannon Bailard, the previous founding director at the Center for Sustainability. Doran said the current state of the Eden Project is nothing like what he and his colleague proposed.

“Frankly, I wish they would stop using the Eden Project designation because I don’t think it’s really being faithful to what the original project was supposed to be,” Doran said.

Originally a Residence for Sustainability Minors Doran said in the original proposal, the Eden Project was supposed to be a dorm for freshman or sophomore Sustainability minors; however, it now also includes transfer and sophomore students who are not.

Senior Buddy Kennedy is an SLA at Eden and the RA during the 2018–2019 school year. He wrote in an email that Eden was a transfer house then and is now a mix of sophomores and transfer students.

Director for the Center for Sustainability Camila Pupparo said when Eden first opened, the students self-selected to live there because of their interest in sustainability.

“It was still supposed to be freshmen or sophomores who were sustainability minors, and without Rhiannon or my approval, HRL decided to make it a transfer dorm,” Doran said.

Pupparo said as of fall 2018, students were no longer able to self-select Eden as a house, a step away from the original vision of being a residence for Sustainability minors. “[This] really stifled some of the momentum that we had because the original idea was to get a group of sustainability students living together and then allow them to foster a new type of community,” Doran said.

Maura Page, director of Residence Life, said the decision for Eden to not specifically house Sustainability minors occurred before she came to Pepperdine, so she doesn’t know why the change was made.

Pupparo said she thinks Eden became a non-Sustainability-minor house due to a high demand for student housing.

“Another challenge was just the reality that we needed to have that space be utilized for the entire student body,” Pupparo said. “So it wasn’t necessarily self-selected sustainability minded for students.”

Page confirmed that many of the original people from HRL involved with the Eden Project have left Pepperdine; therefore, it was difficult to help maintain the Eden Project.

Sustainability Features and Programming Kennedy said in a later interview that since its opening, the Eden Project’s many initial sustainability features have stopped working or have been removed due to a lack of functionality.

“The Eden House originally had a lot of really cool sustainability features, and then as the years went on, they started to be taken away either from lack of upkeep or lack of functionality,” Kennedy said.

Doran said the original plan was to use the information gained from the Eden Project to inform what features would be implemented in other residences.

Some of the features in the Eden Project included a water and energy usage tracking screen, compost pail, biofilter plant wall, organic vegetable garden, lower flow water heads, automatic lights and sinks, LED lighting, recycled carpeting and behavior campaigns that foster sustainability-aware students.

However, Eden no longer has a composter, a biofilter plant wall or a functioning garden, to name a few of the features that did not last.

“If you come into the lobby, there’re all these panels on the wall that tell what the Eden Project is about, and I’d say about half of them that are on the wall no longer exist,” Kennedy said.

Pupparo also spoke of a biofilter plant wall that was intended to purify the air in an organic way. However, it was difficult to maintain, as a student had to manually water the plants, and issues with irrigation came up.

“This is actually one of the perfect examples of something that was really great in theory, but in practice, it was really difficult to maintain,” Pupparo said.

Another feature was a touch screen that displayed all of the water and energy usage in the house and compared the data against Eden’s two neighboring dorms.

“At the time, they had multiple contests and incentives to get residents from all three dorms, not only Eden, to reduce their usage, and so that was successful,” Pupparo said.

The screen stopped working in 2018 when the neighboring dorms were demolished to make room for Seaside Residence Hall. Pupparo said the Center for Sustainability decided against installing new comparison meters in other dorms due to costs and ultimately decided to remove the screen.

Pupparo said she hopes to implement the screen feature in future construction projects because of how impactful it was when it was functioning in Eden. She also mentioned a few other successful features the project brought to light, including LED fixtures and induction cooktops.

“Eden was one of the first times that we tried our magnetic base technology on the cooktops, and that’s what you now find in Seaside,” Pupparo said. “[Induction stove tops] use an electromagnetic technology to heat the cookware and its contents without wasting energy heating

Photos By Milan Loiacono | Photo Editor

photos by milan loiacono | Photo editor

Pilot Project | A sign, located next to Seaside Residence Hall, marks the entrance to Eden House, currently housing transfer and sophomore students, who are not necessarily sustainability minors. the surface itself.”

Pupparo said these successful features were also implemented in Seaside.

Responsibility for Features Jolie Lowe, junior and coRA of Eden, said none of her residents are sustainability minors; however, they have been receptive to learning about the purpose of the house.

Lowe and her senior coRA Daniel Zarasua both said they have not heard from the Center for Sustainability or HRL regarding communications about sustainability efforts in the house.

“I kind of approached Eden as more of the transfer house rather than the sustainability house,” Zarasua said.

Page said the Eden House has informal sustainability programming through the RAs and SLAs. Last semester, Lowe planned a screening event of a documentary about sustainability and farming. This semester, Lowe said she and the rest of her triad are planning a compost bin building event for their residence.

Senior Lauren Lee was on the Eden triad from 2017 to 2019. In her two years, she said there were two sustainability representatives — students living in the house hired by the Center for Sustainability — who were responsible for promoting sustainability to residents and maintaining the sustainability features.

After the spring of 2018, Lee said there were no longer any sustainability representatives at the residence. However, Page said the Center for Sustainability provided the funding for sustainability leaders to live in Eden prior to 2018.

Pupparo said she thinks in the initial years of the Eden Project, when students could self-select in, the RAs and SLA recruited a resident to help maintain some of the features, like the garden or the plant wall. In later years, a student intern from the Center for Sustainability took care of the plant walls and other sustainability features, but the intern did not live in the dorm.

Prioritization of Sustainability at Pepperdine Lowe said it would demonstrate a care for sustainability if Pepperdine returned the Eden residence back to its sustainability focus.

“I don’t think it is a priority of Pepperdine’s to promote sustainability,” Lowe said. “I don’t think Pepperdine has made it a priority at all to

Hannah Lee | section designer continue [the Eden Project] or to demonstrate a commitment to sustainability in other areas.”

Doran agreed with Lowe, citing the dormitory’s carbon output as one of its larger footprints on campus.

“It’s sad considering the lack of sustainability program we have across the college to begin with — and particularly in housing,” Doran said. “I think it’s kind of sad that we don’t do that from lots of perspectives, but it’s particularly sad considering we were trying to move in that direction and the ball fell.”

Lee said she had a resident who transferred from another university who was surprised that the Eden Project was “Pepperdine’s most sustainable-type thing.”

“We think of Eden as the upgraded freshman house — it has all these cool features — and she’s like, ‘I had all of this in my regular dorm. [...]

This is kind of expected,’” Lee said.

Doran echoed Lee about how Pepperdine is behind in sustainable features in housing compared to other schools.

“We don’t have any programming to talk about energy reduction or food waste reduction or some of the other things that lots of schools in our area already are doing,” Doran said. “We’re just so far behind the rest of not just the schools in the LA area but around the country.”

Pupparo said she thinks a major reason why Pepperdine’s housing may not be up to date compared to other universities has to do with limited resources and how the campus was built in the 1970s.

“It’s easier said than done to retrofit all of the buildings on campus, and so it’s a slow process,” Pupparo said.

“I think it’s very important

to stay realistic and figure out, okay, what worked really well, what didn’t and how do we make that specific thing better.”

Future of Eden and Future Sustainability Projects Page said the future of Eden is limited, saying that eventually, Eden will no longer house students. Page would not give further details on her statement.

However, Page said in the near future, HRL is working with Connie Horton, Vice President for Student Affairs, and Pupparo on integrating a sustainability theme in the rest of the house to focus on increasing both personal and environmental awareness.

Pupparo said for the foreseeable future, Eden will stay as it is.

“Due to some upcoming campus improvements, just generally, we are not able to sort of focus any more resources into that specific

dorm right now,” Pupparo said.

Outside of the Eden House, Page said HRL partners with Facilities Services and the Center for Sustainability on various issues. One of the initiatives they have taken on is to divert waste during the student check-out process from landfills to more sustainable uses, such as donating or recycling them.

“The Salvation Army usually has been set up around campus, and they were able to weigh what they took last year was about 500 pounds that was diverted from landfills,” Page said.

Page said HRL welcomes initiatives and ideas that students want to have in their housing and residence life.

“Sustainability is important for all of us, and HRL cares about it,” Page said. “If there are things that [students would] like to see in their halls, we’d love to hear about it.”

EM ILY.C.SHAW @PEPPER DINE.EDU

Green Cooking | Eden House resident Nolan Ause cooks on the house’s induction cooktops.

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gabby digiovanni | artist

who are the board of regents? jam es moore new s editor Though Pepperdine University is a nonprofit institution, it is still a business — and like most other businesses, the university has a governing board responsible for its strategic planning and operations. While other schools may call this governing body the “board of trustees,” at Pepperdine it is called the “Board of Regents.”

Pepperdine’s Board is comprised of 34 members who meet quarterly in the Thornton Administrative Building (TAC) to make decisions on everything from tuition rates and professor contracts to managing the university’s $904-million endowment.

If students can hear the way Board members care, more than anything else, about our students and the impact of their decisions on our students, they’d be a little bit overwhelmed by the favor and support. dee anna smith, board chair “Unlike a commercial business, a university is not driving to optimize profit for their shareholders,” Board Chair Dee Anna Smith said.

“Pepperdine’s product is its students who are leaders and ready to excel in their fields,

and who have had an experience with their faith.”

As opposed to school administrators who are responsible for the day-to-day workings of the university, Smith said it is the responsibility of members of the Board of Regents to set the course on which administrators act.

“Technically, [President] Jim Gash reports to the Board of Regents,” Smith said. “So we function as governors, which is different than managers; our role is to give strategic high-level direction to the university and the senior leadership team.”

Quarterly Meetings Danny DeWalt, vice president and chief of staff of Pepperdine, works as the liaison between the Board of Regents and university administrators. DeWalt said the Board convenes for two days of meetings in the months of September, December, March and June to do their work for the year.

“The Board is broken up into committees; there’s eight or nine committees, each assigned to various aspects of the university,” DeWalt said. “Committees come in and meet on Monday, and they typically have a dinner on Monday night together — oftentimes bringing in students from the arts to play music or sing.”

On Tuesday morning, Board members reconvene in their committees to continue their work. DeWalt said these committee sessions are followed by a four-hour meeting among the entire Board of Regents.

“Dee Anna chairs the meeting, and the Board runs through the committee reports: what did the committees talk about? What actions did they take? What actions are they recommending that requires Board approval, and what important strategic topics are in front of us that need to be discussed and talked about for action and planning?” DeWalt said.

Keith Hinkle is the senior vice president for advancement and chief development officer at Pepperdine. Hinkle

said the Board of Regents makes decisions that have a direct effect on students.

“They’re in charge of hiring a new president and approving budgets for the university,” Hinkle said. “Any time there’s a rate of tuition increase, that’s the Board determining that rate of increase.”

Becoming a Regent Smith’s selection as Board chair occurred in the Fall of 2019, concurrent with the inauguration of President Jim Gash. Though her role as chair will not be effective until June, Smith said as she transitions to her new position, her goal is to build upon the success of the past administration by initiating a discussion about the Board’s selection process.

“With President Gash being a new president, and [me as] the new Board chair, we just don’t want to be assuming that what has always been done is perfect,” Smith said.

“What may have worked five years ago, or 10 years ago or 40 years ago, might not work today; so we’re taking a fresh look at the process by which we select Regents to ensure that it is relevant for Pepperdine today.”

Regents serve for threeyear terms, according to DeWalt. At the end of their term, some Regents may be welcomed back to another three-year bout on the Board.

DeWalt said there are no limits to the number of times a Regent can be renewed.

“We have Regents who have been on for decades — many, many, many terms,” DeWalt said. “We have others who come on for a threeyear term and then go off for a million different reasons, as you can imagine.”

Smith and DeWalt said one of the Board’s committees is responsible for recruiting new members.

Among the criteria for becoming a Regent are skill, experience and an affinity for the university.

“We are looking for Regents to have skill sets that are important when it comes to governance,” Smith said.

“And do they have a mission-

courtesy of the office of the president Head of the Board | Dee Anna Smith was selected as Board chair in the Fall of 2019. Her position will become effective June. al fit to Pepperdine — did they go to school here? Did their kids go to school here?

Are they inspired by the Christian mission?”

Another factor that comes into play when picking regents is fundraising expectations, including donations.

“The hope is that the Board is going to both financially support the university and help generate financial support for the university,” DeWalt said, referring to the Board’s ability to attract potential donors to the school.

Pepperdine’s Board of Regents website reveals a list of impressive resumes: from lawyers and executives of multinational corporations like Mrs. Smith and Brett Biggs, to those in the medical profession — like philanthropic dentist Marta B. Tooma.

The Board’s most recent addition, alumnus Alan Beard, is the cofounder of McBeard, an advertising agency based out of Los Angeles.

Smith spoke about balancing her busy schedule as CEO of Sarah Cannon with her responsibilities as chair of Pepperdine’s Board of Regents. To serve both positions, she said she has had to make sacrifices like leaving other boards she formerly

served on in Nashville.

“I do what I’m passionate about,” Smith said. “For me, personally, I knew that being a Regent was going to be lots and lots of hours, and so I just made that commitment. […] I said, ‘This is important to me.’”

Sacrifices are not hard to come by on the Board of Regents, according to Smith, especially since Board members are not compensated for their work.

“We do what we’re passionate about, we find a way to make it work and I think that’s what these Regents do because they’re doing this for love,” Smith said. “This is for love of Pepperdine.”

Why the Disconnect?

All of the sources involved with the Board of Regents acknowledged that many students feel a disconnect between their day-to-day lives and the decision making of the Board. Hinkle said this discrepancy is somewhat expected.

“Governing boards aren’t present in student bodies anywhere,” Hinkle said. “It’s not that abnormal that students feel this way.”

Smith said there are logistical challenges that prevent Board members from inter-

acting with students on a regular basis.

“I’m not walking around every day like President Gash, so obviously students won’t feel like they know me,” Smith said. “I don’t live on campus, and that’s just human nature — if you don’t see me, you don’t know me; that’s just our humanity.”

DeWalt said it is easy for students to simply view the Board as a monolithic body that controls the school, but the new Board has made it part of their agenda to be more involved in student life.

“I think the new Board really wants the students to understand who they are and what they’re up to,” DeWalt said. “There’s no secret — it’s just a matter of doing a better job communicating.”

Ultimately, the Board of Regents have the students’ best interests at heart, according to DeWalt.

“I wish every student could be the fly on the wall in a Board meeting,” DeWalt said. “If students can hear the way Board members care, more than anything else, about our students and the impact of their decisions on our students, they’d be a little bit overwhelmed by the favor and support that the students have from the Regents.”

JAM ES.M OOR E@PEPPER DINE.EDU

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First-gen students serve as mentors under new program v er nie c ovarru bias new s as si sta n t As the first person in his family to attend college, sophomore Jerry Calderon said he has continuously found himself unprepared for various aspects of university life. “[First-gen students are] so used to not knowing how to maneuver something,” Calderon said. “So when you’re in a system like higher education, you kind of expect that you don’t have what it takes.”

I think it’s important to break bread and have conversations with people to just really show that you are a listening ear. jerry calderon first wave ambassador To provide help for first generation college students like Jerry, the Student Success Center started the First Wave Ambassador program.

The program offers three $5,000 scholarships per year,

according to the Student Success Center website. The inaugural group members — Jerry Calderon, Shument Cheng and Courtney Pereida — began their term at the start of the 2019 fall semester. Their responsibilities include a minimum one hour of weekly mentorship, event planning, leadership training and participation on the First Wave Advisory Council.

Calderon said his college experience changed drastically after becoming involved with first-generation support organizations.

“I feel like a lot of first-generation students feel this specifically: where you’re a fish out of water, you’re going into a new environment and it’s difficult because you don’t really feel like you can blend in,” Calderon said.

“This program finally puts those barriers to rest.”

Founded in August 2018, the First Wave Program is a Student Success Center initiative that provides tools, resources and events to help first-generation students navigate the higher education system.

Nineteen percent of undergraduates are first-generation college students, according to the Pepperdine Admissions website. This includes students whose parents have not obtained a bachelor’s degree at a fouryear college or university.

“The ambassador program really helps bring together a sense of community and awareness among first-gen students,” First Wave Program Director Marissa Davis said. “We’re here to celebrate them. The fact that they’re here shows they

courtesy of the student success center ‘We Are First’ | Jerry Calderon (left) welcomes students to learn about the first-generation experience.

The ambassadors hosted a celebration on National First-Gen Day, Nov. 8, 2019. know how to persevere and overcome obstacles.”

The student ambassadors said they jumped at the opportunity to be a part of the scholarship program’s origins.

“Being a first-gen isn’t really talked about a lot on campus,” Cheng wrote in an email. “Being able to build a community and celebrate our first-gen background and achievements is everything I would have wanted as a lost freshman.”

The ambassadors hosted a gathering for National FirstGen Celebration Day on Nov. 8, 2019, and they plan to host several more events in the next few months. In March, first-gen alumni will speak at a panel where the ambassadors will act as moderators and all students are welcome to attend, Davis said.

“[The alumni panel] is really just to allow you to see a reflection of what you are going to be or what you could be,” Calderon said. “I think it’s a brilliant idea to bring in alumni who were once in our shoes and see how they defeated a lot of barriers that were against them and really became successful.”

Pereida said past events have helped raise awareness that she hopes to continue in her position as an ambassador.

“We met so many people who didn’t even know they were first-gen,” Pereida said.

“One definition that people always assume is ‘My parents didn’t go to college.’ But maybe your parents only went to community college and now you’re going to a four year.

Maybe you’re going to be the first one in your family to

graduate.”

The ambassadors said they hope to implement a club convo targeted toward freshmen this semester.

“We want to identify specific issues, show you that you’re not alone and connect it with a faith-based aspect so we can have the uplifting support to succeed and to carry on,” Calderon said.

Calderon said his experience with first-gen initiatives on campus has helped him to understand the importance of community-building.

“Everyone comes from such vast backgrounds,” Calderon said. “I think it’s important to break bread and have conversations with people to just really show that you are a listening ear. At the end of the day, everyone needs a listening ear.”

Working closely with

the First Wave Program, the First-Gen Club is a student-led organization that aims to unite the first-generation community at Pepperdine. The club hosts events ranging from informal meetings where students can share their experiences to visits from speakers who are experts in a particular field.

“We also do a senior night, which is our big event this semester,” Pereida said.

“We’re going to invite their families, give them an award and recognize everything they have done and their achievements.”

Applications for the 2020–21 First Wave Ambassador Program open Feb. 3.

Visit the Student Success Center’s website for more details.

V ER NETTA.C OVAR R UBIAS@PEPPER DINE.EDU

KOBE: Bryant among nine dead in Calabasas helicopter crash FR OM A 1 from Pepperdine’s Malibu campus. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash.

Los Angeles County Fire Department received a 911 call at 9:47 a.m., about a potential helicopter down and a brush fire, according to LACFD Chief Daryl Osby.

“Upon arrival, our firefighters discovered approximately a quarter-acre brushfire that resulted from a crash on the hillside,” Osby said in a press conference.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said the flight manifest indicated there were nine people aboard, refuting initial reports of only five casualties.

“The fact of the matter is that our paramedics did a search, and there were no survivors,” Osby said.

A memo from the NBA to its employees confirmed that Gianna also died in the crash, according to a tweet from Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix.

Bryant, Gianna and the other passengers were on their way to the Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, according to the New York Times.

Following the 911 call, Osby said the response time of authorities to the scene was eight minutes. LACFD’s initial response

was 15 first response vehicles and 56 personnel, and the team extinguished the brush fire in about one hour, according to Osby.

“The fire also included magnesium [from the helicopter], which is very hard for our firefighters to extinguish because magnesium reacts with oxygen and water,” Osby said.

Though the LA County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner has only positively identified four of the victims, reports confirm all nine passengers.

Longtime Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli was on board, the Orange County Register reported.

Altobelli’s brother Tony, Orange Coast College’s sports information director, told CNN that Altobelli’s wife Keri and daughter Alyssa also were among the crash victims. Alyssa Altobelli played for Bryant’s AAU basketball team with Gianna, called “The Mambas.”

Christina Mauser, a girls basketball coach from Costa Mesa, also died in the crash, according to a tweet from Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley and reported by CBSNews.

Payton Chester, another player on The Mambas, and her mother, Sarah Chester, died in the crash.

The last victim was the pilot, Ara Zobayan.

The helicopter involved in the crash was a Sikorsky S-76B. Bry-

ant had been known to use that model since his playing days to avoid sitting in traffic, according to Business Insider.

In a 2018 interview with Barstool Sports’ podcast, The Corp, Bryant explained that he used helicopters frequently so he could train and still be a present parent.

“I was sitting in traffic and I wound up missing the school play because I was sitting in traffic,” Bryant said. “I had to figure out a way where I could still train and focus on the craft, but still not compromise family time. So, that’s when I looked into helicopters ... to be able to get down and back in 15 minutes. So every chance I get to see them and spend time with them — even if it’s 20 minutes in the car — I want that.”

Kobe bought his helicopter before the Federal Aviation Administration required awareness and warning systems that warn pilots 10 or more seconds before a collision, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Shortly after the crash, fans gathered outside Staples Center in West LA, where Bryant played every home game of his 20-year NBA career. Officials asked the crowd to relocate due to the 2020 Grammy Awards, according to FoxLA. The crowd grew outside the arena and made memorials, chanting, “Let’s go, Kobe.”

Kobe’s death struck Pepperdine’s Sahith Theegala, a redshirt

ali levens | staff writer Saying Goodbye | A fan in a Kobe Bryant jersey consoles an emotional mourner near the crash site. senior on the golf team, who honored Kobe’s memory Tuesday at Pepperdine’s Southwestern Invitational in Westlake Village.

“It started with just writing, ‘24, eight, Mamba’ on my golf balls, but I have a jersey and I have a pair of Kobe shoes as well,” Theegala said. “It doesn’t seem like there’s a better way to pay respects to the man than to wear his jersey coming down the 18th hole.”

Theegala said he planned on donning Bryant’s No. 8 jersey no matter how well he played, but

the fact that he had the lead made his tribute perfect. “[Kobe] inspired me to kind of have that Mamba mentality as he did with, you know, millions of other people,” Theegala said. “I’d definitely say he’s my childhood ali levens | staff writer sport idol.”

The City of Calabasas designated the grass area near the basketball courts of Juan Bautista de Anza Park as the site to pay respects to Bryant.

AUSTIN.HAL L @PEPPER DINE.EDU K YL E.J.M C C ABE@PEPPER DINE.EDU K AR L .W INTER @PEPPER DINE.EDU

VIRUS: Pepperdine suspends spring Shanghai program F R OM A 1 program for the Spring 2020 semester.”

International programs instructed students to return home to their families at their permanent residences for the next two

weeks. The university will provide travel arrangements for students at no cost, and they will hold no remote classes during the two-week delay.

An email was sent to the entire Pepperdine community Tuesday afternoon, announcing the suspension.

Shanghai students will resume their classes with their cohort Feb. 17 on the Malibu campus, according to the email.

At the time of this reporting, there have been at least 4,600 confirmed cases of Wuhan coronavirus in mainland China, accord-

ing to CNN. The disease has spread to more than 17 countries and claimed the lives of at least 131 individuals. The L.A. Times reported that there have been two confirmed cases in Southern California in the last week.

J A ME S. MOOR E@PEPPER DINE.EDU

Hannah designer ali levenslee| |page news designer

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The Graphic

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PERSPECTIVES

STAFF LIST

Caitlin Roark | Assistant Art Editor

STAFF EDITORIAL

SGA should not keep students in the dark Pepperdine University explicitly affirms that “truth, having nothing to fear from investigation, must be pursued relentlessly in every discipline.” However, in recent weeks, the Student Government Association (SGA) fell short of the meaning of this quote, failing the institution and the students it is meant to serve and leaving its constituency in the dark.

SGA President Meredith McCune recently told the Graphic that neither student journalists nor the Pepperdine community need to know about the recent SGA impeachment.

“I don’t think there’s any reason for the student body to know the details of the impeachment …” McCune said during an SGA meeting. “I think it’s an issue of confidentiality and respect for everyone on SGA that that is kept within SGA and not broadcasted to the student body.”

McCune is not alone in her sentiment. With the exception of an anonymous source within SGA, all members refused to comment about an impeachment when the Graphic began its inves-

tigation.

Article 2 of the SGA Constitution states, “The authority of this organization [SGA] shall be granted by the Seaver College student body.”

The members are responsible for enhancing their fellow students’ “general good” and providing “quality representation.”

According to the governing documents that all SGA members swore an oath to uphold, their role is not only to serve the students but to present concerns of the constituency to other members of the association. However, SGA’s recent actions promote the idea that the Pepperdine community is no longer privy to such information even though it elects and pays for the association to represent them.

For the 2019–2020 school year, $63 of the $252 Campus Life Fee goes toward SGA, including each member’s stipend, according to a 2019 Graphic article.

If rumors of the impeachment and potential cover-up are true, then it not only exposes flaws within SGA’s promise to the people, but also the ability for Pep-

perdine to regulate transparency.

Article V of the SGA Constitution states that one of the Vice President of Administration’s duties is to “take complete and accurate minutes of all Senate and Executive Board meetings” and “publish and distribute minutes of the Senate within 24 hours of meeting.”

Despite this inclusion and the fact that the organization’s weekly meetings are open to the public, the minutes are not readily available online, and the Graphic only received them after continuous requests.

Furthermore, the impeachment vote is believed to have occurred Dec. 4, 2019. However, according to minutes shared with the Graphic, there was no record of a vote.

At this point in the timeline of the impeachment, some may be confused as to why PGM is still pursuing the story.

Journalism is the only profession mentioned in the U.S. Constitution for a reason: the press serves the public and protects democracy by acting as a watchdog, holding the government and any other powerful entity accountable.

As an editorially-independent news organization, Pepperdine Graphic Media’s code of conduct prohibits all staff members from also serving on SGA. This separation allows us to avoid conflicts of interest and to truly carry out our mission of pursuing the truth and maintaining transparency. PGM is dedicated to providing accurate accounts of news — even if that means publishing controversial information.

Unfortunately, we live in a world where most people don’t read or care about the news until it directly impacts them. But this does directly impact you, your money and your voice.

Just as the United States is experiencing its own political dissolution, Pepperdine is too.

The difference between these two entities is that one is following the democratic process of investigation. (Hint: this is not Pepperdine.)

While Pepperdine finds itself as a smaller governing body in comparison to our nation, we should hold the university’s Student Government Association to the same standard.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

THE 'BU YORKER

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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Madeline Duvall | Art Editor

ex ec u ti v e ed i to r C h a n n a Ste i n m e tz M anag i ng Ed i to r m a d e l e i n e ca r r d i g i tal ed i to r k ayi u w o n g c o py c hi ef B rya n t L o n e y c r eati v e d i r ec to r n ata l i e r u l o n New s Ed i to r James Moore Ass i stant new s ed i to r s K yl e M cC a b e l i n d se y su l l i va n New s as si s tants v e r n i e c ova r r u b i a s e m i ly sh aw L i fe & Ar ts Ed i to r Sava n n a h W e l c h as si s tant L i fe & ar ts ed i to r M a r i a B e l e n I tu r r a l d e L i fe & Ar ts as si s tant Lauren Chivers l i fe & ar ts c o py ed i to r G r ace W o o d S p o r ts Ed i to r K a r l W i n te r s p o r ts ass i stant Tayl o r Gath e r P er s p ec ti v es Ed i to r Ca m ryn G o r d o n P er sp ec ti v es ass i stant A n i ti z M u o n ag o l u P er s p ec ti v es c o py ed i to r ti ffa n y h a l l pag e d es i g ner s hannah lee Ali levens ellia melin Da n i e l l a Si n g l e te r ry p o d c as t P r o d u c er Kaelin mendez Ar t Ed i to r M a d e l i n e D u va l l as si s tant ar t ed i to r s A l ly A r m str o n g Ca i tl i n R oa r k ar ti s ts e l i z a b e th b r u m m e r ga b by d i g i ova n n i p ho to ed i to r m i l a n l o i ac o n o G New s p r o d u c er m a r i sa d r ag o s P i x el Ed i to r G i a n n i Co cc h e l l a p r o m o ti o ns d i r ec to r hadley biggs adv er ti si ng D i r ec to r so n i r u saga r a Adv er ti s i ng m anag er m aya m cd o w e l l Ad r ep r esentati v e b rya n m u n g u i a MISSION STATEMENT “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.”

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Demand Transparency in News anitiz muonagolu

C a m ry n G o r do n

P e r s p e c t i v e s A s s i s ta n t

In wake of Student Government Association’s (SGA) secret impeachment trial, it is time for Pepperdine to have a discussion on the right to information and the harms that arise when it is restricted.

SGA or any national political structure that refuses to share valued information with the public restricts the public’s knowledge on how to act on issues. This leads to greater political corruption and inhibits the press’ job to inform the public. The duty of officials and politicians is to maintain a level of transparency that allows for growth and accountability.

The questionable standpoints and justifications SGA makes for their actions are evident. For example, an anonymous source commented on the executive board’s secrecy by saying that “A goal of SGA is to remain [as] confidential as possible and balance that interest of being the students’ representatives, with also being made up of students,” as reported by the Graphic on Jan. 22.

The focus of an institution should be to remain transparent to promote the right to information and political accountability. Political transparency “is how much access to internally-held information citizens are entitled to; the scope, accuracy and timeliness of this information; and what citizens (as ‘outsiders’) can do if ‘insiders’ are not sufficiently forthcoming in providing such access,” as defined by the Annual Transparency Report.

Furthermore, the right to information isn’t just a privilege, but required by the government. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requires any government agency

Include social justice in the arts

p ersp ect iv es Edit or

Samantha Miller| Assistant Art Editor to give full or partial disclosure on any documentation requested in the United States.

This is true on an international level as well. India enacted The Right to Information Act 2005 on the basis to give the public power to check their government and the ability to combat corruption. Furthermore, American politics have publicized impeachment proceedings so that the nation is aware of the claim brought about a nationally voted official.

The public is entitled to the information and inner workings of their government since they are the focus of the government. When SGA or any national government withholds knowledge, the public is weakened and is unable to make informed decisions. This disrupts political accountability, defined by the The Journal of Politics in Latin America as “when citizens encounter evidence of policy successes and failures and accurately assign credit and blame for what they have observed.”

The loss of political accountability opens political establishments to more recurrent instances of cor-

ruption. This can be seen as bribery or retention of status, which has led to in many of the world’s largest corruption scandals.

In turn, this hurts media outlets which are meant to project the truth to the public. In the case of SGA, the whole campus could have been entirely unaware of impeachment proceedings if it had not been for an anonymous source who stepped forward. This could then lead to SGA repeating their questionable behavior.

Many countries that do restrict the right to information also restrict media and journalism. Nations such as North Korea, Eritrea and Turkmenistan heavily suppress public information, journalists and outside government media, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Journalists in Eritrea end up jailed for covering anti-government media such as protesting, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Moreover, all independent media has been shut down since 2001 and seven journalists have been imprisoned. Simply put, infringing on the right to information

can lead to infringement on the right to the press and the media.

Finally, how do we react as a nation or as Pepperdine students?

The public needs to hold officials accountable. First, start by seeing public officials and asking questions, or in this case, student representatives, and gather as much information as possible like attending public meetings and reading the minutes. Next, formulate opinions on what the community needs and information that supports those opinions.

Gather support for those ideas and then approach officials in power. Don’t forget to protest any uncovered injustices to improve the institution.

When those in power have the mindset “There are things the public shouldn’t know” it inevitably hurts and encourages less transparency to the public. Officials need to speak openly with their constituents and the public needs to focus on maintaining awareness on what their officials may withhold to ensure the protection of their own rights and privileges.

AJ.M UONAGOL U@PEPPER DINE.EDU

Time to practice mindful meat consumption

alex is scanlon staf f wr iter

The beautiful thing about entering a new year is having a clear starting point to evaluate personal health and eating habits. It can be easy to get bogged down by the defining labels of vegetarian, vegan, flexitarian, pescatarian, ketogenic, etc., when looking at global eating habits.

A 2008 study commissioned to RRC Associates by Vegetarian Times showed that 3.2% of U.S. adults follow a plant-based diet, while an additional 5.2% of people express an interest as more information has become available.

Pepperdine students and faculty have the privilege of looking at what fits their individual lifestyle and makes a positive contribution to the environment.

It is critical for the administration to assess the institution’s carbon footprint in the areas of student consumption so that they do not continue to disproportionately contribute emissions.

Meat production is objectively one of the largest contributors to carbon emissions.

“If cattle were their own nation, they would be the world’s third-largest emitter of greenhouse gasses,” notes Paul Hawken in his book “Drawdown.” These gasses then fill the atmosphere and create a greenhouse effect leading to a warming of the planet.

Smaller nations with minuscule carbon footprints are the first to become climate refugees and suffer losses from climate change because they do not have enough resources on their own to survive in their changing environment. The U.S. is the second-largest carbon emitter, yet vulnerable places like the Marshall Islands will be of the first civilizations to disappear.

The negative environmental impact alone is a strong enough reason to consider reducing consumption.

Caitlin Roark | Assistant Art Editor Alongside positive global effects, there are personal benefits to reducing meat consumption that lead to a healthier public such as less inflammation and lower cholesterol. If the thought of cutting out meat for the betterment of the environment and others sounds unreasonable, perhaps look inward and see the personal advantages of less meat.

While it’s great to think about the benefits that come from a healthy lifestyle change, it can be difficult to implement new ideas as college students. Luckily, the Waves Cafe offers vegetarian meals, and students can participate in Meatless Mondays.

Students can wait to eat their first piece of meat until dinner each day or embrace the natural proteins that come from beans and tofu.

There are many protein-rich alternatives available. It is not difficult to provide healthy alternatives if the administration is willing to do so. This campus must start acting with an interest in sustaining its environment through sustainable food choices in the Waves Cafe and

partnering with ethical food providers.

The most important step in moving toward meat reduction is being allowed to fail. There are barriers to accessibility, and it is important to recognize that not everyone has an array of food choices available to change their eating habits.

Students with meal points can strive to eat meatless one meal a day with a salad or a vegetable pizza in the Waves Cafe. Students living off-campus can set a goal to plan plant-based meals at home for dinner when they are home from a day of classes.

Pepperdine is currently looking for a new food company to partner with. The students can make their voices heard and call for an ethical and sustainable food provider.

We must remember the path to sustainability is not easy, but mindful meat consumption is a powerful first step in the right direction.

L EX I.SC ANL ON@PEPPER DINE.EDU

Pepperdine’s Center for the Arts previously produced “Ragtime,” a musical set in 19th-century New York where racism, prejudice, xenophobia and friendship drive conversations about social issues.

When Pepperdine students use creativity to initiate social change through the form of art, media and class curriculum, it allows the voices of social justice to echo through student work and initiate change.

The role of social justice is one that should not be reserved for or treated as private life, but given a space within the larger sphere of education.

Nonetheless, when social injustices are weaved into performance and conceptual art it allows vital voices to control how the stories and realities of marginalized communities are told and facilitate larger conversations.

While the performance of “Ragtime” erupted a controversy early into its tenure, it ultimately grew to facilitate a larger, unexpected conversation about racial tensions and relationships on campus.

The arts (performance and conceptual) are a form of message delivery that can be presented as a form of “protest,” according to a study from the University of Vermont.

Whether students and staff draw awareness to social justice campaigns like homophobia and ableism, or showcasing the history of racial injustice through performing arts, there is a conscious effort occurring here on campus that is transforming the lives of students.

The curricula of Pepperdine’s Performing Arts, overall, allow students to express the importance of social justice and themselves through poetry, photography, social action and so much more. The ability for students to express themselves through these mediums provides students new pathways for dialogue and understanding of the individual perceptions of social issues that their peers may hold.

When young people and students alike work to dismantle systems that have historically and disproportionately affected groups of people, it allows for valuable experiences and stories to be told.

As an institution that aspires to educate young people who will change the world, conversations that are often seen as controversial need to gain a permanent spot in campus arts. The power of storytelling that art provides emits a force of change due to its creative delivery.

The world is constantly beaten up by recurring histories of hate and prejudice.

To move forward the realities of people’s, experiences need to be told. The production of social justice as art is one of the most intentional and transformative ways of presenting messages of change to audiences.

When deciding to participate in, attend or watch exhibits and shows that aim to combat social injustices, be informed. One must remember that knowing about an issue and being knowledgeable of its effects is just the first step to being an agent of change. The next step is to do something about it.

Even so, take advantage of the opportunity to participate in or view works of art that challenge the norms of social injustices.

C AM RYN.GOR DON@PEPPER DINE.EDU

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Students with disabilities continue advocating lindsey sullivan ass i s tant news e dit or What began as a simple post on the Freedom Wall became an intense conversation between the university and one student’s open frustration with inaccessibility on campus.

Senior Mackenzie Mazen originally raised awareness with a post on the Freedom Wall in October about the issue of maintenance vehicles repeatedly parking in handicap spots.

“I’ve somehow become the patron saint for disabled people on campus,” Mazen said. “Which is a very big responsibility and somewhat terrifying, but also, I’ll do it if no one else can.”

Mazen has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which can make walking long distances difficult because her joints can dislocate easily due to a lack of collagen production, making accessible parking essential.

Parking is only one issue among many that Mazen and other students with disabilities face on a daily basis, including broken handicap door buttons, elevated door frames that make it difficult for those who use wheelchairs to get through and inaccessible elevators.

DPS responded to Mazen’s freedom wall post in October by conducting a meeting with her to discuss her comments. Since then, Mazen said the issue of Pepperdine vehicles parking in handicap spots has ceased.

Mazen said she received an invitation to attend Diversity Dinners with President

Jim Gash to discuss ways to improve inclusivity and accessibility on campus.

“I think my biggest gripe with it, and I voiced this at the last dinner, is that everyone in the room is a leader on campus or a change maker on campus and it’s kind of just an echo chamber,” Mazen said. “Administration just kind of sits there and listens, but I don’t know if they’re necessarily realizing the implications of what we’re saying.”

Mazen said the administration’s inaction has left her and others with disabilities feeling as if they have to constantly advocate for themselves.

“I don’t think the university is trying to intentionally harm people with disabilities,” Mazen said. “But it’s not necessarily about your intentions — it’s about how they are received — and as a person with a disability, I have not felt very well-received by the university.”

Students with disabilities also face more challenges than just accessibility to campus facilities. Amanda Cooper, a junior who has sensory neural hearing loss in both ears, said sometimes there is a gap between her official accommodations and her professors remembering to implement them.

“Even though I have an accommodation for captions in every video, professors don’t often remember that,” Cooper said. “Being someone who’s hard of hearing, the question is often, ‘Am I willing to disrupt the class to advocate for my own needs or should I sit back in silence

file photo by mackenzie mazen Speaking Up | Senior Mackenzie Mazen shared her experience as a student with disabilities on the Freedom Wall in October 2019. Mazen and other students continue to fight for a more accessible campus. and accommodate myself later?’”

While faculty can forget her accommodations, Cooper said students sometimes forget that having a disability is not her only personality trait.

“Once I tell people that I am hard of hearing, a lot of times, they’re surprised,” Cooper said. “Which can go either way for me, because on one hand, it means that I’ve been doing my job well of trying to just not let it bother my day to day life; but on the other hand, people being surprised kind of shows me how few people are aware of the intersection between disability and normal life.”

Cooper said at times when she is not wearing her hearing aids, people might snap or clap at her to get her attention.

“That can feel kind of derogatory, because you can always just address me like a

normal person,” Cooper said.

Despite these interactions with some, Cooper said many people she interacts with are more curious about her condition than judgmental.

“Just genuine curiosity is one of the best things for people [with disabilities], where they don’t feel judged, but they feel like people want to be welcomed into their experience and help them with that as well,” Cooper said.

Mazen said many students have rallied around her to support the changes she and others hope to see. She said she hopes she receives the same support from administration.

“I don’t want this to be a fight where it’s just us screaming into a void and no one is listening,” Mazen said.

“I want administration to understand it and to see that so many of the things that I bring up are very tangible and very easily fixable.”

Sandra Harrison, executive director for the Office of Student Accessibility (OSA), said OSA strongly supports construction for automatic doors at the entrances to the Thornton Administration Center and Student Assistance Center, shade coverings and benches for all shuttle stops, wheelchair access for shuttles, kitchenettes in first-year halls and enlarging the Waves Cafe to provide more options for dietary restrictions.

“More broadly, we’d love to see that all programs and classrooms ensure a sense of belonging for people with disabilities,” Harrison wrote in an email. “Each student with a disability faces unique barriers. We as a university are good, I think, at reducing and removing those barriers for an individual.”

Freshman Eden Mair, who, like Mazen, also has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome,

said she has received some unsupportive comments from other students and administration questioning the validity of her condition.

“I think there’re [almost] 200 students here who are registered with OSA who have disabilities, and they exist,” Mair said. “I think a lot of people in their daily life forget it, and when they do, their outward reaction can be negative.”

Mair said her biggest hope is to see increased visibility for the disabled community.

With the help of the Volunteer Center and the Office of Student Accessibility, Mazen will spearhead Disabilities Awareness Week beginning March 9. Programming will include activities such as a wheelchair simulation to raise awareness for the importance of accessibility on campus.

L INDSEY.SUL L IVAN@PEPPER DINE.EDU

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LIFE & ARTS pHOTOS BY Milan Loiacono | Photo editor Explosive Talent | Alpha Tau Omega and Kappa Alpha Theta pull out all the props and tricks during their dance performances at Psi U Think You Can Dance. The two Greek organizations also emphasized the importance of raising money and awareness for Psi U’s philanthrophy, Conquer Paralysis Now.

For First Time Ever, Theta Takes First Prize in PUTYCD Dance c ar o line sharp less sta ff write r

For the 13th consecutive year, Psi Upsilon hosts Psi U Think You Can Dance (PUTYCD), packing the Caf with students eager to cheer on their friends for charity.

This year, Psi Upsilon sold almost 500 tickets and raised $18,858 for its philanthropy, Conquer Paralysis Now (CPN), said Psi Upsilon’s President Morgan Ye. The organization works to cure paralysis by funding “scientific research, medical treatment, rehabilitation and technological advances.”

Its founder, Sam Schmidt, was a successful Indy 500 race car driver before a life-altering crash left him paralyzed. In the 20 years since, he has molded CPN into an international leading authority on spinal cord injury research and treatment.

Long before Schmidt’s work with CPN, he was a founding member of the Lambda Omega Sigma chapter at Pepperdine, which eventually became Psi Upsilon. With Schmidt’s help in 1983, Psi Upsilon became Pepperdine’s first Greek fraternity.

“We like to think this cause is closer to

our hearts than any other thing we could have chosen,” junior Gavin Duvall, Psi Upsilon’s philanthropy chair, said.

At the competition, stakes were high as sororities competed to dethrone Delta Gamma, whose wins span multiple years. Kappa Alpha Theta (Theta) ultimately came out as the winner of both the dance competition and overall philanthropy.

In total, Theta raised $7,825 for CPN. Junior Christina Stratton led the team, which practiced from 6 to 9 p.m., three days a week, since the start of the semester. Stratton, Theta’s chief external affairs officer, performed in PUTCYD the past three years, but this was her first time as the team’s choreographer.

“I grew up dancing 20-plus hours a week, and now, this is my only opportunity to perform, so I really do look forward to it every year,” Stratton said.

Theta has won the overall philanthropy competition for nine consecutive years but has never won the dance competition.

“Typically, we get second or third place,” Stratton said. “This year, I pulled out all of the stops to secure the win. We tried to find

crowd-pleasing music, do flips and tricks, incorporate the mission of CPN by dancing with chairs and even throwing confetti at the end.”

Despite Stratton’s determination to take home first prize at the dance competition, she said she was most concerned about Theta’s contribution to the philanthropy itself.

“The real purpose of this event was to raise money for CPN, so I was proud that all of the Thetas came together to raise money and awareness of the cause,” Stratton said.

Although Delta Gamma did not come out on top, the sorority still wowed the judges and won second place. Tri Delta placed in third.

In the fraternity category, Alpha Tau Omega (ATO) was victorious, winning the first place prize for the sixth year in a row.

“The whole thing truly was not about winning, it was about raising money for the organization,” ATO performer and junior Nick Donahue said.

Donahue said they were firm in “drilling” their freshman performers to be more concerned with raising awareness for the cause

and having fun than winning the dance. Second-place winners Alpha Phi Alpha “always love performing in PUTYCD,” junior Justus Bell, Alpha Phi Alpha social chair, said.

“It gives us a platform to display some of our culture since we’re new to campus, all while supporting a great cause,” said Bell.

Freshman Psi Upsilon member Christoff Schoeller named the event’s atmosphere, community and “close-to-home cause” as main contributors to its success.

“We sell out the Caf almost every year,” Schoeller said. “That’s just the best thing we can ask for!”

Schoeller also discussed the buzz among freshmen for the event, claiming PUTYCD is “all anyone is talking about.”

“I sold a ticket to a sophomore who said his biggest regret of his freshman year was not going to Psi U Think You Can Dance,” Schoeller said.

First-time attendee and Alpha Phi freshman Phoebe Mutlu weighed in, expressing how the competition was her “favorite philanthropy event yet.” Mutlu said she was surprised by everyone’s talent.

SE E DA N C E, B 2

Pepperdine IGNITE club attends Sundance Film Festival in Utah M ar ia B el en itu rralde Li f e and Ar ts assita n t e dit or On a seemingly ordinary Sunday evening, while most students were binge-watching their favorite Netflix show or getting ready for the week ahead, a group of 15 Pepperdine students volunteered at the exclusive screening of “Four Good Days” alongside Mila Kunis and Glenn Close as part of this year’s star-studded Sundance Film Festival.

The students, all members of Pepperdine’s IGNITE Club, will be in Park City, Utah, from Jan. 23 to Feb. 2, volunteering and participating at the festival. They will have the opportunity to see exclusive screenings and attend a variety of select programs and panels.

Pepperdine IGNITE’s founder, senior Bryan Munguia — who is an advertising representative for Pepperdine Graphic Media — said he started the club so those with a passion for film could come together and find their people.

Munguia, a lifetime film lover, took it upon himself to bring fellow cinephiles together.

“I always wondered why there was never a film club on campus,” Munguia said. “I wanted to build that foundation for students to come in and find their people.”

There’s so much purpose in it. There’s so much to learn and so many experiences to be had. reed campbell, Member of ignite and senior

English and Film Studies Prof.

Joi Carr, the club’s faculty advisor, said the Inter-Club Council and the Institute for Entertainment, Media, Sports and Culture (IEMSC) sponsor the club and that it has provided students with an opportunity for full immersion into the festival’s environment.

“Fifteen Seaver students were selected as IEMSC Sundance Fellows,” Carr wrote in an email. “They also have access to festival screening and high profile industry events and networking opportunities.”

The trip, Pepperdine IGNITE’s most anticipated event, is the club’s first major outing and has afforded members with an opportunity to network and work alongside the industry’s finest. It has also allowed students to see some of the most important independent films of the year, Munguia said.

The Sundance Film Festival is a platform for students to learn about the industry. In this annual event, filmmakers, storytellers and audiences gather in Utah for exclusive film screenings, performances, panel discussions and more. At its heart are independent films, in line with the Sundance Institute’s search for “new voices and fresh perspectives.”

Those attending the event are able to engage with prominent figures

and be present at exclusive screenings of highly-acclaimed work.

Senior Reed Campbell, member of IGNITE and fellow Sundance attendee, said the event has helped her meet people, network and further understand the business.

“There’s so much purpose in it,” Campbell said. “There’s so much to learn and so many experiences to be had.”

Munguia said it also provides for a new way to appreciate film.

“You recognize beyond the message,” Munguia said. “You see all the levels of the industry that took to make this like photography, performances, coloring or how well it’s edited.”

Munguia and Campbell said their fascination for the film industry solidified around their teenage years.

To this day, their passion remains unyielding.

“It was around high school when I started to realize how much of a unifying, community-building experience TV and film can be,” Campbell said. “I want to go specifically into the television industry because of the community it creates and what it can provide for people in their homes and lives.”

The Pepperdine IGNITE Club has allowed like-minded individuals to come together and build commu-

nity on campus.

“I feel like I’m in a community and group who has such similar interests as me, which is so special,” Munguia said.

So far, Munguia said, the group has been focusing their energy and resources on the much-anticipated trip to the festival, but they have big plans for the future.

“One of my personal goals is to bring the people that we’ve been meeting [at Sundance] to campus and create more networking opportunities with alumni that are plugged in across the industry so students can have mentors,” Munguia said. He also expressed his desire to hold on-campus screenings and events.

Munguia said the group is looking forward to participating in this week’s IGNITE events, where they will be attending special panels and unique screenings. “[Being a part of Sundance] has this great impact,” Munguia said.

“It makes you feel like you’re in the middle of something important.”

BEL EN.ITUR R AL DEC HIR ITOBOGA@PEPPER DINE.EDU

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Female directors left out of 2020 Oscar nominations nic o le witt s taf f write r No women are in the running for Best Director in the 2020 Academy Awards, even after a year filled with critically-acclaimed movies spearheaded by women. Movies like Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women,” Melina Matsoukas’ “Queen & Slim” and Lulu Wang’s “The Farewell” are just a start to the list of unrecognized female-directed films.

“Sadly, the lack of representation is a much deeper problem than just not having any female directors nominated,” junior film student Ali Winiesdorffer wrote in an email.

“Systematically, women in film often aren’t given the same opportunities as males.”

Many fans were outraged about Greta Gerwig not being nominated, as “Little Women” was nominated for six other categories, including Best Picture. Only 13 other female-directed films have been nominated for this title in the show’s history.

This issue is not new. Over the past 92 years of the Oscars, Kathryn Bigelow is the only woman ever to win the award for Best Director, with only five women who have been nominated in nearly a century since the awards have taken place.

While the Academy has taken steps to increase diversity, its majority is still comprised of Caucasian men.

Only 32% of the Academy is made up of women, and a smaller 16% is made up of people of color, according to CNBC. “Many organizations have a male-dominated membership who

tend to nominate people who make the kinds of movies they make or that appeal to them,” wrote Leslie Kreiner-Wilson, Professor and Director of the Master of Fine Arts Program in Writing for Screen and Television, in an email.

This representation illustrates the lack of diversity in the film industry. While the Oscars are the latest recipient of backlash, this is not the first time an awards show has failed to represent women.

In the 2019 Golden Globes, women were not only snubbed for Best Director, but for the Screenplay and Motion Picture categories as well.

“All of the directors nominated are extremely talented and deserve the nomination for their work, but they have been given so many more opportunities than many of their female counterparts,” Winiesdorffer wrote.

She added that films released by women tend to receive less recognition in the media.

“If we want this lack of recognition to change, which we should, we need to go deeper than just recognizing female talent and begin to encourage female directors from the start,” Winiesdorffer wrote.

Kreiner-Wilson wrote that encouraging female directors begins with encouraging equal representation from the start of the process.

“Martha Lauzen at the Center for the Study of Women in Film & Television does research in this area,” Kreiner-Wilson wrote. “[Lauzen] believes more women executives would hire more women directors.

There may also be a need for more

women in the nominating process for the various awards.”

A broader discussion can be had about the lack of racial diversity in critically-acclaimed movies.

Movements like the #OscarsSoWhite social media campaign in 2016 brought to light the lack of racial diversity in the award show and sparked some adjustments in the nominees for years after. Even though Hollywood has improved diversity on the screen, out of 20 nominated actors and actresses in the Oscars, only one person of color was nominated this year.

Junior Screen Arts major Rei Watanabe is involved in the film industry. She expressed her frustrations with the inadequate representation in Hollywood as someone who is predominately Japanese.

“So many of the casting calls I receive are calling especially for caucasian females even when the project seems like any ethnicity will do,” Watanabe wrote in an email.

Watanabe provided an alternative view to the recent Oscars controversy.

“Although I can see why having only male directors as nominees would spark some feminist speculation, I feel like the nominations aren’t necessarily biased,” Watanabe wrote. “From noticing the type of movies that typically get nominated, it comes as no surprise to me that films like ‘Joker’ and ‘1917’ are contenders, both of which happen to have male directors.”

While it is useful to respond to the absence of female representation in Hollywood, diversity is deficient across the board. Senior

courtesy of sony pictures Screen Arts major Orion Keen opened up about his views on how diversity in the film industry can be corrected.

“Both the issues of diversity and women are talked about a lot in Hollywood, but the issue is that it’s not just talking about the problem that fixes it — it’s actually taking action that makes the difference,” Keen wrote in an email.

So how can audiences help to support diversity in media and entertainment?

“The best way would be to support female storytellers in all roles of the filmmaking process,” Keen wrote. “There are really talented storytellers who just need to be given a chance.”

NIC OL E.W ITT@PEPPER DINE.EDU

DANCE: Psi U raises money to conquer paralysis

pHOTOS BY Milan Loiacono | Photo editor

FROM B1 “It was cool that everyone really made an effort for the event and raised money for a good cause,” Mutlu said.

PUTYCD is unique in its ability to get both Greek and non-Greek students involved.

Non-Greek organizations such as Dance in Flight and the Pepperdine Step Team were invited to perform.

Rachel Higgins, an unaffiliated junior, characterizes the event as a great opportunity for her to spend time with friends in and out of Greek life.

“I felt welcome at the event,” Higgins said.

“I don’t usually attend Greek philanthropies, but this is one I make an effort to come to.”

The Psi Upsilon men set the stage by performing the first dance of the night. With ev-

ery pop and lock, the crowd could feel their enthusiasm pulse through the room, Higgins said.

“PUTYCD is the closest thing to a good time you will ever find on campus,” said junior Connor Anthony, Psi Upsilon chapter historian and emcee of the event.

“It is an attempt to have a fun concert rather than demonstrate athletic feats,” Anthony said.

Both Anthony and Duvall attribute PUTYCD’s popularity on campus to its focus on entertaining attendees. Regardless of athletic ability or talent, students, faculty and alumni can enjoy the show.

“Everyone on and offstage is dancing — everyone’s having a good time,” Anthony said.

CA RO L I N E .S H A RP L E S S @P E P P E RD I N E . E D U

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros

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senior spotlight: colette faulkner debates in style Lau ren Chivers Life an d arts assista n t

Is there a certain section of the fashion industry you’re interested in?

Senior Colette Faulkner is frequently seen around campus with bright, eclectic outfits. With a passion for fashion, Faulkner said she hopes to pursue a career in the fashion industry after she graduates this spring. The Economics major sat down with the Graphic to talk about her Pepperdine experience just as she starts her final semester.

CF: For a buyer, the ideal company you’d want to be with would be like a high-end department store, like a Saks. So I think that would be the long-term goal. Or with a sustainable brand, that would be cool.

How did you establish that fashion was what you wanted to focus on, as opposed to another part of the commercial industry?

Can you describe the Pepperdine activities you have been involved in?

CF: I was looking at job postings, and I was looking at mainly ones that relate to economics like finance, analyst positions, but I thought, None of this speaks to me. Finance is kind of boring and terrible. So then I thought about what I actually enjoy but that I would have the skills to do but would also allow me to live, love and laugh. I said: fashion.

Colette Faulkner: I am the assistant director of Waves Debate. I’ve been on the team for three years. We compete in British Parliamentary debate. Basically there’re four teams, but there’re two sides. It’s a little complicated, but it’s fun.

You have 15 minutes to prepare your speech, so you get your topic 15 minutes before the round and then it’s go-time.

If there was one thing you could change about Pepperdine, what would you hope to change?

Have you traveled internationally through Pepperdine?

CF: Yes, I did the Jordan program. It was amazing. I would highly recommend it. Through debate, we’ve gone to Oxford, Kazakhstan, South Africa and Amsterdam — Canada as well — so a nice, wide range. What’s nice is that when you’re at these tournaments, it’s not just only Europeans if you’re in Europe; it’s usually people from a bunch of different countries, so it’s always very much an international experience.

Was there a specific class or professor who especially stood out to you?

CF: Timothy Lucas. He’s amazing. He has a way with numbers.

What are some lessons you’ve learned from being at Pepperdine?

CF: From my professors, I’ve learned to like math. In high school, I really hated it, but then I figured if I want to do economics, I’ve got to learn how to do math. I’ve learned how to become a woman in STEM. In high school, I thought I was going to be a lawyer … but I became an Economics major, and I realized if I wanted to do economics, I would need a lot of math, so I added a Math minor, and I said, ‘It’s time to take out my TI-84 and learn to like math.’ I learned

CF: It would be cool if we had AC in these dorms. Or if my sink didn’t fill with weird liquids.

How do you think Pepperdine as a university can improve moving forward?

courtesy of colette faulkner Fashion Forward | Colette Faulkner stands with her coffee in Washington D.C. Faulkner participated in a Waves Debate tournament trip to D.C. in November 2019. to appreciate math in a different way. Now I actually tutor it, so I guess you could say I’m kind of good at it.

What do you hope to be doing post-graduation?

CF: Originally, I thought I wanted to get a PhD in economics. Now I want to go into fashion. I would like to be a buyer — it’s both analytical and creative.

CF: I think Pepperdine does a pretty good job at ethnic diversity; if you walk around the campus, you see a lot of different faces. They could probably do a bit better at socio-economic diversity — you know, give out better scholarships.

Do you have any advice to younger students, possibly freshmen?

CF: I think my advice to freshmen would be to take time for yourself. Sometimes you don’t need to be around people constantly. Sometimes you just need you.

Last question: Favorite thing about Pepperdine?

CF: Whole Foods Night, when I got the free oat milk. Pepperdine provides us with so many exciting opportunities to find new things, such as oat milk.

L AUR EN.C HIV ER S@PEPPER DINE.EDU

Pepperdine’s SigEp sheds light on the benefits of brotherhood Nicole Witt sta ff Write r This past year has been a year of success for Pepperdine’s Sigma Phi Epsilon (SigEp).

They dominated the 2019 Pepperdine Greek Awards, taking home 10 of 13 possible categories. This sweeping victory encapsulated their achievements of the year, but it came as a result of years of high standards to which the fraternity has held itself.

“There’s a stigma around Greek life — that it’s all partying and things like that — when in reality, we’re doing things that no other organization on campus is providing to their members,” 2018–2019 SigEp President and senior Simon Pilato said.

Pilato said the members of SigEp care a lot, so it was easy to motivate them to work hard and accomplish the things that enabled them to win the awards.

Pilato conveyed how thrilled SigEp was to be honored.

“About 75% of our chapter was at our event and going crazy after every award,” Pilato said. “We were so excited and really proud of what we were able to accomplish.”

SigEp was not the only group who felt the energy. Gabby Veselik, a senior in Alpha Phi, also recognized SigEp’s elevated spirit on campus.

Every organization I was connected to was because of SigEp. [...]

It completely molded and shaped what I was able to do. simon pilato former sigep president and senior

“At the Greek Awards, SigEp had a huge presence and high energy,” Veselik said.

“Each time someone individually won an award or the chapter won an award, everyone would cheer super loud, and you can tell they were very proud of their achievements.”

The awards won included Fraternity of the Year, Chapter President of the Year, Chapter Management Award, Scholar of the Year and the Academic Success Award.

Pilato said the significance was less about the certificates themselves and more about what the awards represent. He said the programs SigEp set in place related to philanthropic efforts, academics and member developments were what propelled SigEp to receive their accomplishments.

Pilato accepted Chapter President of the Year, giving much of the credit to the eight other people supporting him on the executive board.

“In reality, they were the ones accomplishing so much, and I was just helping them do that,” Pilato said. “They made me look a whole lot better.”

The award is also a reflection of the fraternity’s investment in its members, Pilato said.

“Everything we do that we were awarded for, I think, is something that everyone should be looking for when they’re picking an organization to join,” Pilato said when considering if success draws people to a fraternity.

To be considered for a Greek award, organizations fill out a form that ensures they have met certain guidelines, one of them being GPA average. Former Director of Philanthropic Affairs and senior Max Rickard said one reason they have had success in recent years is due to high GPA averages from their new members. He also expressed that the participation and planning of events have gone up among their members.

Expounding on how SigEp’s are incentivized, Rickard explained that when a pledge joins SigEp, they start off as a Sigma, then become a Phi, and then an Epsilon.

“There’s that natural incentive of progressing further in the fraternity that other fraternities don’t have,” Rickard said.

2019 was also a successful year in terms of raising money and support for their philanthropy. SigEp’s national philanthropy is the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, a non-profit organization that helps mentor children to reach their full professional potential. Usually, they only donate to this organization, but this past year, they also partnered with The Boys and Girls Club of Malibu and End Allergies Together (E.A.T.).

courtesy of sigma phi epsilon

Philanthrophy Matters | Sigma Phi Epsilon members Max Rickard (left) and Jake Krum participate in Coastal Clean-Up Day. Sigma Phi Epsilon won 10 of 13 categories at the 2019 Pepperdine Greek Awards.

New philanthropy events, like the Super Smash Bros. tournament and the Mario Kart tournament, were created alongside their annual basketball tournament to support these other organizations. Rickard estimated that through these three events, SigEp raised around $11,000.

In addition to their philanthropy, SigEp annually attends the Malibu All Abilities Fair. Typically, at least 75% of the chapter volunteers to help children with special needs right down the road from Pepperdine, Rickard said.

Freshman Ryan Bresingham joined SigEp in the fall of 2019. Over the few months of being in the fraternity, he said he was able to build close connections to many people in his pledge class. He added the reason why he joined SigEp was because he felt comfortable with them during the rush process.

“You had to approach other frats, but at SigEp, they always approached me,” Bresingham said.

Bresingham said through his initiation process, SigEp emphasized three main virtues: sound mind, sound body and sound spirit. He explained that SigEp hosted what they called “sound mind nights” every Monday for the newly initiated.

“On those nights, we all came together and did our homework,” Bresingham said.

“It was a night we dedicated to school work, so it was making sure that, even though we were newly adjusting to college and this whole new environment, we were still staying on top of our academics.”

While the benefits of Greek Life can impact someone’s college years, many challenge the notion that there are lasting impacts to being a part of a brotherhood.

For Pilato, there are several.

“Every organization I was connected to was because of SigEp,” Pilato said. “It completely changed my college experience. It completely molded and shaped what I was able to do.”

He said if it were not for SigEp, he would not have gotten the job he has after graduation.

“My favorite part of being in SigEp is the diversity,” Justin Rorick, a junior in SigEp, said. “It has allowed me to surround myself with many people like myself and many others completely different, which has been my best learning experience at Pepperdine.”

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SPORTS

photos by karl winter | sports editor The Battle Will Be Legendary | Senior Noah Dyer prepares to serve during the second set Saturday at the Walter Pyramid. The Waves lost the match 3–1.

Men’s Volleyball succumbs to defending champions on the road in four sets

Courtesy of Pepperdine Athletics and Calvin Wood

kar l w inter s por ts edit or Playing in a hostile environment at the Walter Pyramid, a young Pepperdine Men’s Volleyball team gave the two-time defending national champions a run for their money. Passing and service woes ultimately cost the No. 9 Waves, who fell in four sets.

Undefeated No. 4 Long Beach State won their 45th-consecutive home match at the Pyramid, a streak which includes their defeat of Pepperdine in the 2019 national semifinals.

“I don’t think we had a difficult time playing here,” Head Coach David Hunt said. “We came out in set one [and] played well — just one or two plays didn’t go our way.”

In front of more than 1,800 fans, Pepperdine controlled much of the first set, but three kills and an ace by Long Beach junior outside hitter Ethan Siegfried ignited

a 6–1 run that gave his team a 22–20 lead. The Beach would take the set 25–23.

Siegfried is one of few returning rotation players for seventeenth-year Head Coach Alan Knipe, as Long Beach saw four All-Americans graduate following their second national title run.

Eleven different players saw the court for the Waves, who lost five starters from their 2019 team, which finished third in the nation. “[It was the] first time I got to play here, so I was pretty excited about it,” sophomore outside hitter Ben Weinberg said. “Last time we were here was the [NCAA] Championships last year.”

Weinberg led the young attacking group for the Waves, registering four kills and a solo block in the first set.

“We out-hit them [.345 to .250], and just a few transition plays didn’t go our way that would have changed set one,” Hunt said. “Set two, they made a few more plays

than us, and then set three, we won, so we easily could have been up 2–1.”

In the second set, redshirt freshman opposite Jacob Steele recorded five of his 12 kills and a block, and Pepperdine held a narrow 12–11 lead.

Steele and two other new starters, middle blockers JT Martin (redshirt freshman) and Austin Wilmot (redshirt junior transfer), each recorded three blocks in the match.

Unfortunately, the block and the Waves’ defense was not effective in the second set, as the Beach hit .458 in the set en route to a 25–18 set victory and a 2–0 lead in the match.

“Those guys did a nice job at the net,” Hunt said. “We just didn’t get the other team off the net enough to really exploit that.”

The Waves also committed four service errors in both the first and second sets, compared to only one in the third set, which the Waves would win.

“Our serve and pass game

can be a lot better,” senior outside hitter Noah Dyer said. “I think we attacked pretty well tonight, but if we’re passing and serving a lot better, we can stay in system a lot easier.”

Pepperdine’s service and serve-receive games were at their best in the third set, and the attackers gained rhythm as a result.

Dyer and Weinberg smashed six and five kills in the set, respectively, plus a block each, and the Waves took a set away from the Beach, 25–22.

“My thought going into [the third set] was ‘Nothing to lose,’” Weinberg said.

“We’re down two sets, I’m just gonna hit as hard as I can and see what we can do with that. … We had a pretty good set that set, and everybody fought pretty hard, and we swung pretty well.”

The attacking momentum did not carry into the fourth set, as the Waves hit only .094 in the set and the Beach closed the match with a 25–15

victory. Siegfried led all hitters with 15 kills on a .353 hitting percentage and 10 digs.

When the Waves trailed 8–3 in the final set, true freshman setter Joe Karlous entered for senior Rob Mullahey and played the remainder of the match.

Another true freshman, opposite Scott Solan, also got some playing time, appearing in three sets and recording two kills in the match.

“Even though the guys that we put out there to start — we give them latitude to go out there and compete — there’re a lot of guys who are chomping at the bit to play at every position,” Hunt said. “It’s always a work in progress, but the guys who are out there playing have earned it in practice, and I think that shows.”

Dyer was the only Wave who was on the court for every point of the match.

He and Weinberg combined for 25 kills and 14 digs in the match.

“We mess around a lot in

practice with different lineups and stuff like that. … We really have faith in everybody on our team to come in and contribute well,” Dyer said.

As the team develops in the practice gym, their schedule continues to send them on the road.

The Waves went 2–1 on an East Coast road trip prior to the Long Beach match, and following a week without games, they will travel to face Mountain Pacific Sports Federation foes No. 8 Stanford and No. 2 Brigham Young (BYU) on Feb. 6 and Feb. 8, respectively.

“Our league’s packed with good opponents,” Hunt said.

“Our focus is just getting better every day in practice so that, whoever we’re playing, we can play good volleyball.”

Pepperdine, now 3–2 on the season, finally plays back at Firestone Fieldhouse on Feb. 12 and 14 against conference opponents No. 14 Concordia-Irvine and Southern California, respectively.

K AR L .W INTER @PEPPER DINE.EDU

Netminders | (left) Redshirt junior middle blocker Austin Wilmot takes a swing off a Rob Mullahey set. Wilmot finished with eight kills on .500 hitting.

Courtesy of Pepperdine Athletics (right) Middle blocker J.T. Martin and opposite Jacob Steele, both redshirt freshmen, elevate for a block attempt in the second set.

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Swim and Dive round out regular season with victory over APU Ali L ev e ns Staf f W rite r In the wake of their recently departed head and assistant coaches, the Waves Swim and Dive team closed out their season by defeating the Azusa Pacific University Cougars, 166.5 to 124.5.

The Waves were under the leadership of interim Head Coach Jana Vincent on Senior Day. “Vincent is awesome,” junior Amy Griffin said. “She’s so encouraging, so positive, always uplifting us and just making everyone feel im-

portant and included.”

Swimmers said Vincent’s transition was mostly positive.

“I think she came in and was able to quickly unite us,” freshman Julianna Birlin said. “And although there may have been times when [we’re] divided, she reminded us why we swim.”

With an optimistic outlook on the meet, the team beat the Cougars in the majority of the events.

The 200-yard medley relay A Team — made up of Griffin and freshmen Caroline Eckel, Emily Morton and

Getting Hype | Interim Head Coach Jana Vincent flashes signals to swimmers Saturday.

Sarah Hamilton — captured the first gold of the day with a time of 1:48.17.

With a 1000-yard freestyle time of 11:17.62, sophomore Pia Anderson clocked in a full six seconds ahead of the second-place finisher, sophomore Lindsey Marian.

Two Waves closely finished first and second in the 200-yard freestyle: junior Sammie Slater (1:55.15) and freshman Nohea Lileikis (1:55.66).

The first-second pattern continued into the 100-yard backstroke with Eckel (59.30) and Birlin (1:00.90).

Senior Anna Riekhof grabbed the gold in the 100yard breaststroke, swimming a 1:08.34. Freshman Caroline Anderson followed it up with a 200-yard butterfly victory (2:10.25).

“I was just trying to stay relaxed the whole time because my flys felt awful recently,” Anderson said. “So I was just trying to stay smooth and get back to technical fly.”

Freshman Jasmine Williams and Griffin topped the other 10 competitors, swimming 24.92 and 24.97, respectively, in the 50-yard freestyle.

In the 100-yard freestyle,

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the Waves had the top six of 11 swimmers. Birlin flipped over to win it with a 53.66, with Slater closely behind with a 54.62.

Morton won the 200-yard backstroke by a six-second margin, coming in at a 2:06.10.

“Right now, I’m just trying to focus on having good times and swimming well and swimming for me and continuing to love swimming versus love winning,” Morton said.

The Waves and Cougars shared the 200-yard breaststroke title, with Riekhof and photos By ali levens| staff writer Amanda Anderson of APU each finishing with a 2:28.46. Finishing Strong | Anna Riekhof pulls her arms Pepperdine declared together in the 100-yard breaststroke. some of its swimmers as “exhibition,” so they were In the diving portion of “I’m excited to see everyswimming for time, but not the meet, sophomore Pauli- one go [for their] best times,” for a place or award. This oc- na Holmberg finished fifth Griffin said. “I’m really lookCourtesy Athletics curred for the 500-yard free- ofinPepperdine the 3-meter (192.05), and ing forward to the team atand Sheridan style, 100-yard butterfly and freshman Olivia Stotz fin- mosphere that we’re Davis going to 400-yard individual medley ished sixth (176.20). Holm- have there … and seeing all of races. berg moved up a placing our hard work pay off.”

Team A — consisting of in the 1-meter (229.45), and Athletics named PepperBirlin, Lileikis, Slater and Stotz remained in the same dine alumna Julianna Chan Griffin — got the final win in spot (190.10). as the assistant coach in the 400-yard freestyle relay, The Waves finish their January. The former Class of finishing with a 3:35.65. season at the PCSC Relays 2019 swimmer is the Com“The girls got up and at East Los Angeles College munications graduate assisraced hard, still a bit tired in Monterey Park, California, tant for the cross country, from winter training,” Vin- on Feb. 12–15. Last year, the track and swim teams. cent said. “They really got up Waves finished second with and stood up.”

1,198 points.

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photos courtesty of sarah otteman| pepperdine athletics Sand Sharks | (left) Senior Jordan Ferrari attacks a ball at the net. (right) Second-year Head Coach Marcio Sicoli has a laugh with his team in–between sets. (bottom right) Freshman Sutton Mactavish poses for her portrait at Zuma Beach.

Beach Volleyball prepares to win back WCC Tournament Title tay lo r gather As si stant s ports e d itor As the 2020 season approaches, Pepperdine Women’s Beach Volleyball team is more determined than ever.

The 2020 season kicks off Feb. 21 at Irvine Valley College, where the team will take on the Lasers. Waves Head Coach Marcio Sicoli carries high hopes for the upcoming season and has confidence is his players’ capabilities.

“We want to win them all but never forget our team pillars,” Sicoli said. “Number one is all of our kids are going to graduate. Number two is we are going to make them the best versions of themselves. Number three is coaching and practicing at a high level, and number four is preparing them for that next level. If that next level is professional [beach

volleyball], great, but if it’s just preparing them for life, we are going to be here for them too.”

In 2019, the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) ranked the Waves No. 7 with a record of 20–11, 10 of those wins being at home.

The Waves fell to the Loyola Marymount Lions in two out of three matches at the WCC Tournament, allowing the Lions to take home the WCC title. Pepperdine won the first match 3–2 but allowed the Lions to take home the win 3–1 and 3–2 in the other two matches.

“Last season, we got our trophy taken away,” senior captain Jordan Ferrari said.

“So we really want to reclaim that this year, and that’s something we’re really working toward bringing back to Pepperdine.”

In 2019, the Waves lost to both Louisiana State University 0–3 and University of Southern California 0–3 in the NCAA Championships.

“Some other stuff we are trying to improve upon from last year is working on our communication with each other and with coaches throughout the team,” Ferrari said.

This season, the Waves took on four new freshmen – Brigid Rasmussen, Mary Sinclair, Sutton Mactavish and Alisa Leads –as well as fifth-year Carly Skjodt to replace 2019 graduates Skylar Caputo, Nikki Lyons, Maddie Dilfer, Heidi Dyer and Jenna Tunnell.

“Our team is super cool in the fact that everyone has a big impact no matter what grade you’re in or what level of skill you’re at,” Ferrari said. “All the way from the freshmen to the fifth-years,

we need everyone.”

Mactavish, who’s paired with Skjodt, said she is eager for the upcoming season and to compete at the Division I level.

“My personal goal is to grow my confidence just because it’s my first year,” Mactavish said. “I’m a little nervous, but since my teammate is a fifth-year, she really helps me with that and is helping me grow as a player.

I’m just trying to grow my level of play and gain more confidence as a player at this high of a level.”

Pepperdine’s greatest rivals for the 2020 season team are West Coast teams, ranging from Loyola Marymount University to the University of Southern California.

Through practice during the season, Sicoli said he wants to accomplish the milestones that he and his

coaching staff have implemented into this year’s game plan.

“We decided to talk about milestones,” Sicoli said. “By February, we want to be 8–0.

We also want to win the WCC Championship. Another one is be the top team in the west. That’s who we are. These milestones are yearly-based.”

Whatever the outcome, the team’s motivation stems from enjoying themselves both on and off the court, Ferrari said.

“If we go in with the skills that we’ve been learning all year and have the time of our lives and just enjoy what we’re doing and play for each other, then the outcome will just go the way we want it,” Ferrari said.

“But we have to just focus on ourselves and not look at what [the opposition is] doing or what game plan

they have. We have our own game plan, and if we stick to that, I think we’ll be successful.”

The Waves take on Long Beach City College at home Feb. 25.

TAYL OR .GATHER @PEPPER DINE.EDU

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P E P P E R DINE GR A P HIC M E DIA | S PORTS | J A N U A RY 3 0 , 20 20

Waves roll above .500 with win over Portland paxt o n r itchey staf f w rit e r On the heels of a thrilling 90–86 overtime road victory against Santa Clara, Pepperdine Men’s Basketball defeated Portland 80–69 Saturday at Firestone Fieldhouse.

The two wins improved Pepperdine’s record to 11–10 with a 4–3 mark in West Coast Conference play that puts the Waves in a four-way tie for third place.

Pepperdine has now won four of their past five conference games, but Coach Lorenzo Romar said he saw a difference in his team’s performance this week.

“It’s true we’ve won four out of five, but I didn’t think we played right until the game against Santa Clara,” Romar said. “I thought tonight, for the most part, we came out and clicked again.

So we’re hoping that we’re turning the corner and playing better basketball.”

Against Santa Clara, junior guard Colbey Ross led the way with 24 points and nine assists. Senior forward Kameron Edwards added 21 points, along with 14 rebounds.

For the Broncos, the loss dropped them to 16–5 (4–3 WCC) and snapped what had been a 17-game home winning streak at the Leavey Center.

Despite leading by six at halftime, the Waves needed a putback from Edwards with 50 seconds left to tie the game and send it to overtime. In the extra period, Ross hit a key three-pointer and made game-sealing free throws to clinch the win.

Down to a seven-man

rotation due to injuries, the Waves had three players — Ross, Edwards and junior guard Skylar Chavez — play 40 or more minutes Thursday. But Edwards still said he was “feeling all right” afterward.

“I think, being a fifth-year senior, I’ve learned how to take care of my body a lot better,” Edwards said. “So [I’m feeling] better than I would be freshman year for sure.”

With Pepperdine taking the court less than 48 hours later against Portland, the Waves and Pilots were evenly matched at the start of the game. Two early Ross threes helped stake Pepperdine to an 8–4 lead, but Portland attacked with junior bigs Tahirou Diabate and Jacob Tryon, knotting the score at 20–20 with seven minutes left in the first half.

Then the Waves took control. Pepperdine went on a 13–0 run, punctuated by a three-point play off a jump shot from Ross. Many of Pepperdine’s points were sparked by sophomore guard Darryl Polk Jr., who ignited the Waves’ fast break with three first-half steals.

Polk Jr. said he definitely enjoys making those plays.

“It gets me going, and it gets the crowd going,” Polk Jr. said. “I love to see that.”

After a couple Portland buckets, Chavez scored eight straight points for the Waves to close out the half with Pepperdine up 41–24.

Edwards came out of the locker room on fire for Pepperdine, scoring the Waves’ first seven points after the break. Overall, 14 of Edwards’ 16 points came in the second

half.

“I think in the first half, I was just rushing a lot of shots,” Edwards said. “Second half, I came out a lot more composed. I’m glad I was able to recover.”

Pepperdine led by as many as 21 with 14 minutes left to play, but Diabate and sophomore guard Takiula Fahrensohn spearheaded an extended Pilots scoring run that cut the lead all the way down to eight.

Edwards explained the learning process the team is going through to keep their foot on the gas in the second half.

“I think [we have to] not get complacent,” Edwards said. “We’re still maturing as a team — we’re not that old of a team or anything like that. So we have to learn to come out and know that they’re going to give a good punch, and we have to be ready for it and be able to respond.”

The Waves did respond, leading by double digits the rest of the way until the final score of 80–69.

Chavez was the game’s leading scorer with 24 points, including five three-pointers.

Ross had his streak of five straight games with 20-plus points snapped, but he still had 12 points to go with seven rebounds and seven assists.

Polk Jr. filled the box score off the bench, contributing seven points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals.

“My role is to just do whatever I can for the team,” Polk Jr. said. “So we needed some assists at times, some steals, some defense, some rebounding, definitely. I take

Richard Photos

by Courtesy AlibyLevens | Asst.

Sports Editor photos paxton of ritchey | staffDavis writer Fire Away | (top) The Pepperdine bench reacts to a three-point shot in the first half of Saturday’s win at Firestone Fieldhouse. (bottom) Skylar Chavez attempts a three-pointer over Portland junior guard JoJo Walker.

Courtesy of Pepperdine Athletics

a lot of pride in doing the most I can.”

For Portland, Diabate had 25 points and seven rebounds, while Tryon finished with 15 points. Freshman guard Chase Adams added six assists.

The Waves have two road contests this week — against Brigham Young on Jan. 30 and Loyola Marymount on Feb. 1.

In terms of what he’s looking for from his team, Romar said the opponent doesn’t

and Sheridan Davis

matter to him.

“It’s no different if we’re playing No. 1 Gonzaga or a team nobody’s ever heard of,” Romar said. “We have to be our best.”

PAX TON.R ITC HEY@PEPPER DINE.EDU

Men’s Golf starts spring season with a victory aust i n hall s taf f writ e r After five top-five finishes in away tournaments during the fall season, Pepperdine Men’s Golf started the spring season with a signature victory.

Golfweek Magazine’s national preseason poll ranked the team No. 2 in the country. While the team had strong showings in all of their tournaments, they slipped in a couple of national rankings sites, including Golfweek’s current rankings and Golfstat.

Senior Clay Feagler played in three events and excelled in the Cullum Invitational, tying for second place with 13-under par.

Feagler said the team validated its high ranking and that the fall is a practice for the bigger tournaments later in the season.

“We think we lived up to the preseason expectations,” Feagler said.

“The fall season is really a warmup for us. It’s the spring is where the team really needs to perform, especially with the postseason, conference and National Championship tournament. We’ve stayed the course, and the team likes their chances going forward.”

The team finished eleventh in the NCAA Championship last season. Feagler said this year’s team is more talented than the last and that they expect to make a deeper run.

“We have so much more depth this year,” Feagler said. “Top to bottom, our guys are just stronger. We have two talented freshmen who will contribute. And getting Sahith [Theegala] back has been huge for the team as well — he’s already playing incredible.”

Theegala is a fifth-year senior who missed all of last season due to a triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) tear in his left wrist.

He said having to watch the entire season was difficult, but dedicating

the time has done wonders for his injury and his game.

“It was crazy because I had never gone more than a couple of months without playing a tournament,” Theegala said. “Last season, I went 10 months, which was a struggle. I got a ton of rehab and was able to get so healthy. Then I started to play with even less pain than before. It took four or five tournaments to get my feel, but I’m feeling really good going forward.”

Theegala getting in rhythm is paramount to the team. He is a twotime third-team All-American and West Coast Conference Co-Player of the Year with a career scoring average of 70.95, the best in Pepperdine history.

Frequenting the NCAA Championship and being an annual favorite to win the WCC has not always been the norm for Pepperdine Men’s Golf.

Theegala said the level that the team is playing is drastically different than his freshman season.

“When I came in five years ago, we were ranked around 100,” Theegala said. “I don’t think teams, even top-5 teams, have eight or nine guys who they can put in any lineup with

a chance to win the tournament. It makes the guys who don’t compete as much in the 6–9 spots work so much harder. It’s a real luxury for the team.”

To tee off the second part of the season, Pepperdine hosted the Southwestern Invitational at North Ranch Country Club in Westlake.

The team took a commanding lead the first day, and Pepperdine had the top score of three-under.

USC and Arizona State were a distant second and third with scores of four-over and eight-over, respectively.

Theegala was tied for second place with a score of four-under.

Other notable Waves after day one were junior Joey Vrzich in sixth place, sophomore Joe Highsmith tied for tenth and Feagler in twentieth.

Feagler said the team didn’t panic after taking the early lead.

“Playing at North Ranch — which is our home tournament — we have a really chill vibe,” Feagler said. “Even with a victory on the line, everyone just focused on their game.”

Midway through the second day of the tournament, Pepperdine

maintained their commanding lead of five-under with a 13-shot lead.

Theegala had an individual score of six-under.

After 15 holes of the final tournament round, USC’s Leon D’Souza stormed back and tied Theegala at 11-under with three holes to play.

D’Souza and Theegala continued dominance on the sixteenth hole, trading birdies. Theegala edged out D’Souza in the next two and won by a single shot.

Theegala said his week of practice leading up to the tournament got him ready for the contested finish.

“I played great all last week and had a great battle with D’Souza,” Theegala said. “I was glad I pulled out the individual victory, while paying respects to the G.O.A.T. [Greatest of All-Time].”

For his final putt, Theegala donned a blackout Lakers Kobe Bryant No.-8 jersey, based on the rumored-unreleased city edition jersey for the 2020 season.

“It was definitely an emotional moment,” Theegala said. “And we knew if we played well, nobody was going to catch us on the last day.”

For Theegala, it is his second Southwestern Invitational victory after winning as a junior two seasons ago. It is also his third victory in his last four starts. Theegala won the Australian Master of the Amateurs in March and the Mackenzie Invitational in October.

Pepperdine travels to the Amer Ari Invitational in Waikoloa, Hawaii, on Thursday, Feb. 6 for a three-day tournament.

AUSTIN.HAL L @PEPPER DINE.EDU

photos courtesy of roger horne | pepperdine athletics Who’s Your Caddy? | (left) Redshirt senior Sahith Theegala drives a ball during the Southwestern Invitational. (right) Senior Clay Feagler keeps an eye on his shot at North Ranch Country Club. The Waves won the tournament by 17 shots.