Pepperdine Graphic Special Edition: By the Numbers by PGM-PepperdineGraphicMedia

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Table of Contents Letter from the editor

News Statistics tell Pepperdine’s story

Pepp’s 2019 tax information reveals top-ten highest paid administrators

How COVID-19 affects Pepperdine, California and the world

Malibu by the numbers

‘It’s a valuable experience’: Going abroad changes students’ lives

Pepperdine students discuss politics, the election

Financial aid opens doors

Pepperdine makes forward progress in accepting the LGBTQ+ community

Pepperdine’s invisible students — the ones the data neglects

Students feel safe on campus and in Malibu despite crime

‘Something people don’t think happens’: Students and staff speak about sexual assault

Racial diversity reveals Pepperdine’s history of ongoing racial conflict

23 Perspectives

Long-term relationships thrive at Pepperdine

Visual arts by the numbers

Selflessness and empathy must overpower desensitization to bad news

Interest in Greek life stays strong during COVID-19

COVID-19 numbers in America demonstrate a need for action

Sports

It’s time to rethink Pepperdine’s religious framework

Pepperdine is not an accurate reflection of the world

Pepperdine must take further action to promote diversity

Life & Arts First-year students seek community while navigating online semester

The Pepper-‘fine’ mindset affects students’ mental health

Social media shapes Pepperdine influencers’ identities

Students engage with faith within Christian majority

Title IX and collegiate sports: Helpful or harmful?

Pepperdine Athletics: Waves stack up to larger SoCal schools

Division I teams at Pepperdine by participation

Pepperdine’s rankings among the WCC

College athletics win and lose big

What’s in a stat?: Quite a lot, actually

The Graphic at a glance

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0 1 9 2 Letter from the editor 6 Ma ke n a H ue y | Ma n agin g E dito r

I chose to attend Pepperdine because it felt like home, and when I think of Pepperdine, I think of the Graphic. Both have shown me the importance of numbers. Both have shown me the importance of truth.

Before setting foot on campus for the first time, many of us only knew about the University through its numbers: the undergraduate population, the student-faculty ratio, the national rankings. It was only our later experiences as Pepperdine students that gave these numbers meaning. During my time at Pepperdine, I have stood alongside the rest of the Graphic staff as we reported on the very events that threatened to destroy the place we call home. From the Borderline shooting to the Woolsey fire to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pepperdine community is no stranger to adversity. We cannot prevent these tragedies from occurring, but we can control how we react to them, and if one thing is certain, it is that stories â&#x20AC;&#x201D; like numbers â&#x20AC;&#x201D; are powerful. Journalism is objective, driven by facts. And yet, at the same time, it is a form of storytelling that enables us to more fully understand humanity â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the best parts, the worst parts and everything in between. More Americans than ever lack confidence in the media, but the news, as depressing and frightening as it may be, is absolutely vital. Without journalists, who would hold the government accountable, inform the public about the pandemic or share the stories others overlook? The truth is invaluable. In the era of COVID-19, surrounded by division, dehumanization and distrust of the media, we rely on numbers. Behind every number is truth. Behind every number is a story. It is only when we acknowledge that 832 first-years have yet to undergo the typical college experience, that 1 in 10 American college students is sexually assaulted, that 43% of the undergraduate population are students of color, that we can recognize the lived experiences, voices and faces behind them. The stories behind these numbers help us understand who we are and who we want to be. They have the ability to make us feel at home regardless of where we are. Although these numbers and these stories do not define or limit us, they tell us who we are so that we may become better. My hope is that by exploring the numbers of Pepperdine, Malibu and the world, as well as the deeper meaning behind them, this special edition will bring readers closer together in a time when they are far apart. From racial diversity and mental health to spirituality and Title IX, this is Pepperdine by the numbers.

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0 9 6 8 1 Contributors 2

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Managing Editor Makena Huey

Rowan Toke Sam Torre Justin Touhey Jessica Wang Addie Whiten Karl Winter Nicole Witt Grace Wood

Digital Editor Brianna Willis Copy Chief Bryant Loney News Editor Ashley Mowreader

Copy Editors Whitney Bussell Tiffany Hall Nicole Witt

Perspectives Editor Caroline Sharpless

Photo Editor Ali Levens

Life & Arts Editor Rowan Toke

Photographers Leah Bae Jaylene Ramli Charlotte Walker

Sports Editor Karl Winter Writers Sahej Bhasin Alexa Borstad Miles Campbell Emily Chase Annabelle Childers Cristobal Delgado Marisa Dragos Joshua Evans Taylor Gather Beth Gonzales Austin Hall Natalie Hardt Makena Huey Christin Karr Claire Lee Ali Levens Sofia Longo Kyle McCabe Ashley Mowreader AJ Muonagolu Paxton Ritchey Caroline Sharpless Emily Shaw

Art Editor Madeline Duvall Artists Ally Armstrong Leah Bae Gabriella DiGiovanni Samantha Miller Lead Designer Melissa Locke Designers Marisa Dragos Inez Kim Ali Levens Samantha Miller Jaylene Ramli Advisers Elizabeth Smith Courtenay Stallings

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News Statistics tell Pepperdine’s story KYLE MCCABE | STAFF WRITER Without the opportunity to tour campus in person, this year’s Pepperdine applicants will base their decisions on what they find online. Statistics help influence applicants’ views of the University, especially in comparison to other schools. Understanding Pepperdine by the numbers requires two different kinds of statistics — institutional and social. Institutional statistics include average test scores and class sizes, while social statistics include political affiliations and racial diversity. Some statistics fit in both categories, like the number of scholarship recipients. “I always thought Pepperdine was not that prestigious — just a private school in Malibu,” first-year student Chris Chang said. “I didn’t know it was this prestigious and highly ranked, so that caught my attention.” Institutional Statistics Of any group outside the Pepperdine community, applicants have the most interest in the University’s statistics. Students researching colleges compare statistics, institutional and social, among schools. Chang and fellow first-year student Daniel Hidalgo both said institutional statistics were their top considerations. “What I was looking at was the professor– student ratio,” Hidalgo said. “Thirteen to one at Pepperdine, which I thought was really amazing because that means professors can focus more on their students and give them the help they need.” U.S. News and World Report lists Pepperdine’s student–faculty ratio as 13:1 and states m mmm mmm mm mm m mmmm mmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmm m m m m m m mm m mm m m m m m

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It wasn’t really surprising that Pepperdine is ranked at the top... Christopher Hidalgo Senior

69.4% of classes have fewer than 20 students. The website takes these statistics into consideration when it ranks U.S. colleges every year, and Pepperdine landed at 49 on the list this year. Chang and Hidalgo said Pepperdine’s top50 ranking impressed them. “It wasn’t really surprising that Pepperdine is ranked at the top, among other schools nationally,” Hidalgo said. “It wasn’t surprising to me just because Pepperdine is an amazing school.” Mixed Statistics Websites like U.S. News and World Report use simultaneously institutional and social statistics to help applicants compare schools. Diversity statistics fall into both categories because while they describe the racial, ethnic and gender composition of the students, the University has some control over those percentages. Pepperdine aims to increase diversity among students, and it has accomplished this over the past few decades, according to the Office of Institutional Effectiveness. The OIE’s 2018–2019 Annual Diversity Report showed enrollment for Caucasian students fell between 1994 and 2018, while enrollment for Hispanic/Latinx, African American and Asian students increased. The diversity report from 2018 lists the undergraduate population as 63% Caucasian, 18% Hispanic, 14% Asian and 6% African American. It lists the 1994 demographics as 76% Caucasian, 10% Hispanic, 9% Asian and 5% African American. The increase in diversity shows the institutional control over enrollment, but current demographics describe the social reality of Pepperdine. The University has similar control over other statistics that mostly fall into the social category, like the demographics of Pepperdine’s International Programs. Pepperdine IP’s U.S. Study Abroad Reports for fall 2016 through summer 2019 show marginal changes in racial diversity among abroad participants. The share of participants from each class and the percentage of participants in each type of program — academic year, one semester, summer program, etc. — also remained consistent.

Over 800 American Pepperdine students went abroad each year, and the 2017–2018 and 2018–2019 reports stated over 150 international students studied abroad both years. Each year featured around 650 undergraduate participants, and Pepperdine’s undergraduate enrollment from 2017 was 3,368, meaning around 20% of undergraduates study abroad each year. Pepperdine does not track the number of LGBTQ+ students attending the University. Scholarship recipients may be the purest example of a both social and institutional statistic. According to the Office of Financial Assistance, 299 students received the Church of Christ scholarship this year. That scholarship is purely social, based on religious affiliation. Regents’ Scholars — like the 179 in 2019, according to the Dean’s Office — receive their scholarships at the discretion of the University based on their previous academic performances. The number of Regents’ scholarships and other grants Pepperdine awards represents institutional statistics. Social Statistics Few examples of social statistics exist because Pepperdine has so much control over the demographics of its student population. Between 220 and 240 students request academic or housing accessibility accommodations every semester, according to the Office of Student Accessibility. These students need any number of accommodations, from emotional support animals to note takers. The OIE Student Success Survey recorded students’ political affiliations. It found the largest percentage of Pepperdine undergraduates identify as “somewhat liberal,” followed by “moderate” and “somewhat conservative.” Each of Pepperdine’s schools had highest percentages in the “moderate” or “somewhat liberal” categories, except for the School of Public Policy, where the highest percentage was “very liberal,” despite the school having the highest percentage of “very conservative” students. The number of students requesting accommodations and students’ political affiliations describe Pepperdine by solely describing its students, not the institution. K YL E.J.M C C ABE@PEPPER DINE.EDU

INEZ KIM | DESIGN Assistant

News

Peppâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2019 tax Information revealS Top-ten highest paid administrators Ashley Mowreader | News Editor

Photos courtesy of Pepperdine University

ALi Levens | Photo Editor

News How COVID-19 affects Pepperdine, california and the world cristobal delgado | staff writer

ASHLEY MOWREADER | News EditoR Since Pepperdine University officially closed its campus in March, COVID-19 has spread over Los Angeles, the U.S. and the world. The University’s decision on whether to reopen in spring 2020 depends directly on the LA Department of Public Health and the COVID-19 case numbers. As of Nov. 1, Pepperdine reported 67 COVID-19 cases in the Pepperdine community, including students, faculty and staff. The locations of the cases range from LA to the rest of the world. Two faculty members, Professor Emeritus Wayne Strom and Professor James M. McGoldrick, died due to COVID-19 complications. Pepperdine’s primary sources of information on the number of cases are the sick individuals who directly contact the University; the administration catalogs and routinely updates the number of COVID-19 cases through its website. The University’s page includes a dashboard containing more detailed num-

bers as well as a series of infographics on the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S. The page reports that 45 of the COVID-19 cases are students and the other 22 are employees. The page also states 28 cases occurred on campus and 39 occurred off campus. “There’s nothing the state will allow us to do as far as reopening for higher ed,” said Jonathan Weber, Pepperdine’s director of Emergency Services. “LA County has told us that right now, we’re going to be online for a bit.” The University published a Restoration Plan outlining the actions Pepperdine has and will take to reduce the number of cases within the campus and community. This comprehensive plan of action delves into seven major topics, including testing, tracing and social distancing. One hundred thirty-nine student-athletes live on campus as of Oct. 24, said Kevin Wright, associate director of Athletics.

None of these athletes contracted COVID-19 during their stay at the Malibu campus. A track athlete tested positive in the Malibu area on Sept. 16; the University did not release a statement about the case to the Pepperdine community. Pepperdine will release their decision to open the Malibu Campus in January, according to an email by Seaver Dean Michael Feltner. At the moment, the State of California and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health precludes the University from opening up until case numbers decrease. Neighboring universities reported varying quantities of COVID-19 cases within their communities. Since March 16, 340 individuals reported positive COVID-19 diagnoses, according to the UCLA resource website. While USC does not publish the total number of cases within the community, it provides updates on the number of tests and weekly active cases on its campus. The week of Sept. 27,

five individuals tested positive. Both USC and UCLA have approximately 45,000 students each, as opposed to Pepperdine’s 8,000. Multiple universities across the U.S. reopened this fall to varying degrees of success. There is a clear distinction between large and small campuses, according to an article by TIME magazine. Universities with large campuses — like the University of Colorado, Boulder — have found it difficult to contain COVID-19 outbreaks regardless of their “robust plans” and safety protocols. Universities with smaller campuses have seen better results. For example, Middlebury College, which has approximately the same number of students as Pepperdine, reported two cases for the fall semester, according to the TIME article. The LA Department of Public Health regularly publishes precise, up-to-date COVID-19 statistics. As of Nov. 1, the Department of Public Health reported the city of Malibu has had 130 cases, translating to a case rate (number of cases per 100,000 residents) of 810. Further, the city saw three COVID-19 related deaths and has a death rate (number of deaths per 100,000 residents) of 23. On a larger scale, Los Angeles County has reported 291,508 laboratory-confirmed cases as of Nov. 1, according to the Department of Public Health. These have resulted in 6,683 deaths. The city with the most cases is currently Pomona, totaling 6,289. Glendale has had 182 deaths — the most deaths in a county. In late August, California Gov. Gavin Newsom released a new tier system that catalogs counties into four risk levels. The purple tier, called “widespread,” represents counties

with more than seven daily new cases per 100,000 residents and more than 8% positive tests out of all the tests performed in the past seven days. The counties with red and orange tiers contain four to seven daily new cases per 100,000 individuals and one to about four daily new cases per 100,000 individuals.

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There’s nothing the state will allow us to do as far as reopening for higher ed. LA County has told us that right now, we’re going to be online for a bit.

Jonathan Weber Director of Emergency Services

Finally, counties with less than one daily new case per 100,000 residents and less than 2% positive tests pertain to the yellow, or “minimal,” tier. The tiers define the extent to which the state allows a county to reopen. LA County remains in the purple tier. There have been 932,217 COVID-19 cases in the Golden State — 17,665 of which have resulted in deaths by Nov 1, according to an LA Times infographic. Nevertheless, the article notes, “State and local officials see signs of hope in recent drops in new cases in hospitalizations.” In terms of the United States as a whole, California ranks 33rd regarding cases per 100,000 people, according to a study by Statista. North Dakota is in first position with a case rate of 5,397 cases per hundred thousand people, and in the 50th place is Vermont, with a case rate of 343 per 100,000 people. On a global scale, the United States leads the charts both in confirmed total COVID-19 cases and total deaths with 9,170,430 and 230,811, respectively, as of Nov. 1, according to the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine. Following the U.S. in terms of cases are India with 8,184,082 cases, Brazil with 5,535,695 cases and Russia with 1,624,648 cases. Regarding total deaths, Brazil comes in second with 159,884 deaths, followed by India with 122,111 deaths. Johns Hopkins reported 46,360,945 global cases and 1,198,498 global deaths.

cristobal.delgado@PEPPERDINE.EDU

inez kim | Design Assistant

News

Malibu by the numbers marisa dragos | video producer

ali levens | photo editor ALI LEVENS | PHOTO EDITOR

News ‘It’s a valuable experience’: Going abroad changes students’ lives Studying abroad is a classic part of the Pepperdine experience, and about 80% of students participate in at least one studyabroad offering before graduation. The University markets International Programs to prospective students as a uniquely Pepperdine opportunity, but how many students actually go abroad? Who are they, why do they go, where do they stay and, most important, what does it mean to go abroad at Pepperdine? “We live in an increasingly globalized world,” said Beth Laux, executive director of International Programs. “Part of our role as educators is to help prepare students for that world, and study abroad is a key dimension in doing that.” Between fall 2018 and summer 2019, 1,047 Pepperdine students studied abroad — a roughly 7% increase in participants from the previous year. “We have such amazing students, and they’re so committed to international education,” Laux said. “It’s wonderful to get to work with students who are so passionate about these experiences.” Laux said Pepperdine offers students the chance to develop themselves across multiple disciplines by going abroad, providing them with plentiful opportunities for growth. “It’s not just about the academic experience or professional development,” Laux said. “We look at the whole range of experiences — personal, professional, academic, spiritual, cultura — and we weave them into one holistic experience.” The holistic nature of Pepperdine’s abroad programs sets them apart from other institutions’ programs, Laux said. “There’s a unique stamp on these experiences that you won’t find at every school,” Laux said. While study abroad programs are not solely academic experiences, the ability for students to participate in them often depends on their major or academic needs — something Pepperdine tries to accommodate, Laux said. “Pepperdine has developed programs that are strategically designed to help students progress toward graduation, which means these are more accessible programs than they are at most institutions,” Laux said. Laux said one of the most challenging as-

addison whiten | staff writer

inez kim | design assistant pects of executing Pepperdine’s abroad programs is the global scope. “Pepperdine’s model is very, very unique,” Laux said. “To have seven [abroad] campuses is really an outstanding achievement for any institution.” The support the International Programs department receives from Pepperdine administration and faculty helps the programs thrive, Laux said. “We have support all the way from the president on down for what we do, and that is truly a blessing for the students and for our programs,” Laux said. About 11% of all study-abroad participants

from fall 2016 to summer 2019 completed an International Program in Switzerland, making it the second-most popular country for students going abroad. Roughly 20% of students traveled to the United Kingdom to participate in a program in London or Edinburgh during that time, making it the most popular abroad destination. Junior Alicia Yu spent her sophomore year in Lausanne, Switzerland, and said it was an experience that changed her life. “Looking back from this perspective after I’ve gone abroad, it baffles me that this is not something most people get to do,” Yu said. Sophomore Katy Kulseth said she chose to

photo courtesy of karly kern

Summer in Spain | Senior Karly Kern (second from right) poses with her program cohort in El Retiro Park in Madrid, Spain, on May 22, 2019. Since the Madrid program requires students to speak only Spanish, Kern said she and her cohort grew close through navigating Spain together.

apply for the Lausanne program after meeting several people who had gone in years past. “The people who go to Lausanne are really passionate about it,” Kulseth said. Yu said her time in Switzerland and the educational field trips her cohort took to Tanzania and Morocco broadened her worldview and felt almost like an alternate reality compared to normal, daily life in the United States. About 30% of students who participated in an International Program sometime between fall 2016 through summer 2019 majored in Business, Marketing or comparable subjects, making it the most common category of majors for students going abroad. Yu said being a Business Administration major made the application process for going abroad much less stressful than it is for many majors, since business can be studied and applied anywhere. “Business is one of those majors where you can go to any location,” Yu said. “You get a different kind of global experience everywhere.” Many students go abroad during the academic year, as almost 44% of study abroad participants between fall 2018 and summer 2019 spent at least a full semester abroad. About 38% of students who went abroad during that time, however, participated in a summer program Senior Biology and Hispanic Studies double major Karly Kern completed the Spanish-intensive Madrid summer program immediately after her sophomore year and said

photo courtesy of katy kulseth Canceled Plans | Sophomores Kelli Brickner and Katy Kulseth hike at Seven Springs Resort on Oct. 3, in Champion, PA., where they live this semester after the University canceled their plans to go abroad to Lausanne. Kulseth said the time leading up to the announcement of the final decision was emotional and stressful. she chose not to do a traditional academic year program due to her graduation requirements. “Because I’m a double major, especially one in the sciences, it wasn’t really realistic,” Kern said. “It’s always possible, but for me, it wasn’t necessarily worth it to try to work my schedule out to be able to go during the academic year.” Kern said she believes prospective abroad students should consider veering from the more traditional academic year programs and give a fair chance to those that happen in the summer. “The full year — or even just an academic semester — is not for everybody, and the summer programs are a lot cooler than people give them credit for,” Kern said. “If you’re looking for a specialized experience, that’s what summer programs are all about.”

photo courtesy of karly kern A Family Abroad | Kern (middle) smiles with her “madre Tina” (left) and roommate Olivia Perez (right) from her homestay in Madrid on June 27, 2019. Kern said one of the best parts of the Madrid program was the homestay, as it greatly improved her Spanish, and she made meaningful connections with the family.

Kulseth planned to spend this year in Lausanne, but her experience will be shorter due to the program’s suspension this fall. She said waiting to hear a decision from the IP office this summer was emotional and draining, particularly given the value that Pepperdine places on completing an abroad program. “I was stressed out about the future and then stressed out about where I was going to live this semester and if I was going to be in Europe or California or at home, and now I’m on the East Coast,” Kulseth said. “The unknown of it all for most people is really stressful.” Kern said she feels sorry for the students who planned to go abroad and had their programs canceled, specifically since her time abroad taught her so much about herself and the world around her. “It’s a valuable experience to realize that the bubble you live in is just the bubble you live in,” Kern said. “There’s a whole other world out there that has history and has culture, both good and bad, and there are other people and other customs — and you should learn about those and learn how to respect those.” As the Office of International Programs continues to adapt and do its best to continue planning for the execution of future abroad programs, Laux said she wants students who go abroad to bring home with them a lifelong love for travel and international service. “It’s my hope that students truly see these programs as the starting point and not the finish line,” Laux said. “There’s a world of opportunities out there, from Fulbright to work experiences you could have abroad, mission experiences and volunteer opportunities. My hope is that our International Programs really inspire students to continue pursuing those opportunities throughout their lives.” ADDIE.WHITEN@PEPPERDINE.EDU

News pepperdine Students Discuss Politics, the election miles campbell | staff writer The U.S. presidential election tasked Pepperdine students with constructing their own political views and opinions prior to voting, and talking politics remains a challenge on campus. Pepperdine accommodates diverse political thought, with 69% of undergraduate students identifying their political views to be either “somewhat conservative,” “moderate” or “somewhat liberal,” according to political preference statistics from the Office of Institutional Effectiveness. Students still find it difficult, however, to express their beliefs to the fullest, specifically when their views might be met with controversy, according to the OIE. “Political dialogue is really important, especially on campus,” said junior Raymond Rider, president of the Young Americans for Liberty club. “People are sort of molding and forming their political views and beginning to put them into practice.” Political dialogue, while crucial to the understanding of different ideas, sometimes is suppressed on campus due to polarization and a lack of willingness to respect and listen to views from opposing sides. “We have multiple members who literally changed their major because they thought the faculty within their first desired major was too liberal,” said junior Spencer Lindquist, president of the Pepperdine College Republicans. “There is certainly a population who feels like they can’t speak their mind.” Pepperdine College Republicans is one of two active political groups on campus, the other being the Young Americans for Liberty club. The Pepperdine College Democrats club became inactive after the 2016–2017 academic year.

Junior Nicolas Armenta said he plans to reinstate the Pepperdine College Democrats because he agrees there is not an adequate opportunity for those students to express their political beliefs on campus. Armenta said he fears that students with strong political views differing from the University might be outcast. “I felt like there wasn’t a place for [Democrats] on campus,” Armenta said. “I felt like we didn’t have representation.” Despite serving as a community for students with similar mindsets to connect, political clubs on campus have contributed to tension among students in the past. One of the most recent instances was the Pepperdine College Republicans’ decision to bring Ben Shapiro, a conservative political commentator, onto campus in 2018. “We thought [Shapiro] could harm Pepperdine’s reputation because it looked like an endorsement of Shapiro’s views,” said alumnus Anthony Nabor (2019), founder of the Pepperdine College Democrats. “We also thought this could negatively impact students who would feel ostracized by such outward support of Shapiro’s ideas by their peers.” In 2017, when Shapiro came to campus, the political preference of undergraduate students was 7.9% “very conservative,” 20.2% “somewhat conservative,” 23.6% “moderate,” 24.8% “somewhat liberal,” 12.9% “very liberal” and 10.9% “no political preference,” according to OIE. Rider said he feels as if the tension among students has heightened due to the contentious nature of the presidential election. “It definitely does seem, especially with the upcoming elec-

ali levens| Photo editor

tion, that battle lines are drawn,” Rider said. “People are on one side or the other, and they’ve already decided, and there’s nothing that can change their mind.” Lindquist said he agrees the tensions of the election continue to produce a more fervent divide between political groups and less of a willingness to understand perspectives from dissenting sides. He noticed this trend on campus last year. “People seem more politically inclined and politically active,” Lindquist said. “It wasn’t in the spirit of openness or a spirit of sitting down together and speaking about issues — it was much more partisan.” Political division among students derives not from an unwillingness to have civil conversations but rather from fiery debates and a polarized political society, Nabor said. “It’s all about ‘my side winning’ rather than changing hearts and minds,” Nabor said. “I don’t necessarily think this is unique to Pepperdine; it’s more of a consequence of our national political discourse, which is more concerned with winning the argument than working toward a real solution.” Although the general outcome of national political discourse tends to be aggressive

during election seasons, Lindquist said he believes his peers at Pepperdine still maintain the qualities and education to hold civil and productive discussions. “It’s still possible at Pepperdine,” Lindquist said. “Our role is not only in facilitating that conversation but making sure everybody has a seat at the table.” Rider said he agrees students seem to generally be open to discussion, maintaining a willingness to talk about political issues. “There definitely is some closed-mindedness, but it’s few and far between,” Rider said. “Most people at Pepperdine are open-minded. I think they are interested in hearing views that differ from them.” Armenta said he hopes once the Pepperdine College Democrats club becomes reinstated, he and other members can engage in productive dialogue with members of the two other political clubs on campus. “It’s important to remind everybody that everyone wants the best for our country; it’s just about how we go about doing it,” Armenta said. “I think that is really powerful, and we need to build that back into the college campus.” M IL ES.C AM PBEL L @PEPPER DINE.EDU

News

Financial aid opens doors Annabelle childers | staff writer Strictly by the numbers, scholarships are an essential part of higher education. With Pepperdine student scholarships and grants totaling approximately $82,811,323 for the 2019–2020 academic year, financial aid has the power to pave the way to Malibu. The various scholarships at Pepperdine offer monetary benefits for students, but they also open doors to various communities throughout the University that enrich the Pepperdine experience. “The Regents’ Scholarship was definitely the thing that pushed me to come to California,” senior Morgan Clinton said. “I honestly wouldn’t have come to Pepperdine if it weren’t for it.” In making her college decision, Clinton said she felt torn between attending a university in her home state of Texas and making the leap to come to Pepperdine. After receiving the Regents’ Scholarship, Clinton joined the group of roughly 180 students in the program and quickly formed a core group of friends stemming from her placement in the DeBell first-year dorm. Clinton said she was grateful to live in a dorm with other Regents’ Scholars because many of the students came from similar families and socioeconomic backgrounds. “It instantly gives you a

chance to form a community with people you know are similar to you,” Clinton said. Pepperdine gives Regents’ Scholarships to the top 10% of each incoming class based on test scores and prior academic achievements. Clinton is now a leader on the Regents’ Scholars Student Board, running the board’s social media accounts and working with student outreach for Zoom event programming, such as trivia nights, games and discussion groups. “There have definitely been times where I’ve been more plugged into the Regents’ community than others, but I’m grateful that it’s always there for me to go to when I need it,” Clinton said. Regents’ Scholars are just one of the groups that make up the over 88% of students receiving financial assistance. In the 2020– 2021 academic year, Pepperdine also has a total of 299 Church of Christ Scholarship recipients. Pepperdine students who attended one of the churches of Christ prior to enrollment are eligible for the Christian Leadership Award, a scholarship of $5,000. CoC students can also apply for the Pepperdine Legacy Partners Helen Young Scholarship, which awards $5,000 scholarships annually to students

melissa locke | Lead designer

who actively attend a local CoC during their years at Pepperdine. The Office of Church Relations spearheads these scholarship efforts and is responsible for the creation of Won by One, an a cappella performing group that recruits Christian students to attend Pepperdine. The Won by One group consists of six members who have auditioned for the scholarship positions, including senior Rachel Higgins, who is also a recipient of the Christian Leadership Award. Higgins has sung for Won by One for her four years at Pepperdine, touring the United States with the group for six to eight weeks over the summer and singing twice per month for local churches throughout the school year. Like Clinton, receiving the scholarship helped Higgins make her college decision. “It was definitely the convincing factor,” Higgins said. “Once I knew I was in, that was my decision to come to Pepperdine.” Higgins said Won by One also helped with the development of her social and spiritual communities.

“The people in Won by One were the first people I met at Pepperdine, so the fact they were my first relationships was super impactful on who I hung out with and who I was spiritually connected to,” Higgins said. In addition to the community she has formed through the group, Higgins also said that Won by One has changed the way she views the University and her role in representing Pepperdine. “We definitely function with a mission,” Higgins said. “We’re ambassadors for the school and for Christ. We want to build people up wherever we go, and our music is our way of doing that. We just want to be lights to whomever we’re singing to and whomever we’re with.” Beyond the Regents’ Scholars Program and CoC scholarships, Pepperdine awards scholarships unique to students’ areas of study, such as Theatre and Music, and partners with the Posse Scholarship Program. Students also have the opportunity to apply for awards like the Faculty-Staff Scholarship once they’re on campus. ANNABEL L E.C HIL DER S@PEPPER DINE.EDU

News Pepperdine Makes Forward Progress In Accepting the LGBTQ+ Community Aj Muonagolu | Perspectives Assistant Editor With Crossroads Gender and Sexuality Alliance and the modifications in administrative statements surrounding sexual orientation, Pepperdine has made a plethora of changes to accommodate and show acceptance to the LGBTQ+ community. LGBTQ+ issues haven’t always been in the spotlight at Pepperdine, but with continuing social movements and student support, LGBTQ+ students organized an official club, improved administrative sentiments and sparked discussions in local media. “People are finally recognizing that a lot of groups have been treated awfully throughout history, and we’re tired, and I think seeing the change is just so amazing,” said senior Mary Buffaloe, president of Crossroads Gender and Sexuality Alliance. “It reminds me where we come from, and it makes me happy that we’re delivering on all of the effort that’s been done to get up here.” History of LGBTQ+ Recognition While students established Crossroads in 2016, Pepperdine did not accept LGBTQ+ organizations on campus prior to then. Before Crossroads, students founded GLEE in 2007 and ReachOut in 2011. Originally only listed as clubs for the Malibu community, the two organizations received no support from the administration, were barred from being Pepperdine affiliated and also could not receive funding. In 2011, ReachOut co-presidents also applied for official club recognition, but Pepperdine denied application. The University maintained views of maintaining the value that sexual intercourse is only between a man and a woman. Due to Pepperdine’s Church of Christ roots, the administration believed accepting an LGBTQ+ club would contradict that message, according to Graphic reporting in 2007.

The LGBTQ+ clubs that students founded didn’t promote any type of sexual behavior, however — just an outlet of acceptance at Pepperdine according to the previously mentioned Graphic reporting in 2007. After eight years of advocating, they gained more support and it finally happened: In September 2015, the administration allowed an LGBTQ+ organization on campus. Despite this victory for LGBTQ+ individuals, backlash ensued regarding LGBTQ+ individuals on campus. This past year, students publicly displayed anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments on the Freedom Wall. Students held varying opinions about whether Chick-fil-A should be allowed on campus, and it eventually spiraled into a discussion on the acceptance of LGBTQ+ individuals as a whole. Two-hundred and seven out of 275 students polled believe LGBTQ+ relationships should be accepted on campus, according to a February Graphic survey for the LGBTQ+ special edition. While there is some evidence students accept LGBTQ+ relationships, the Freedom Wall served as an eye-opener that Pepperdine still has room to grow regarding students’ attitudes toward LGBTQ+ individuals. LGBTQ+ student visibility increased over the past four years, which is evident in the Graphic’s coverage on LGBTQ+ related events. An arti-

cle in 2019 evaluated the Crossroads charter and how it was unfairly treated because the group couldn’t take political or social stances like other cultural clubs — a policy that administrators overturned last school year. Throughout Pepperdine, students have hosted discussions surrounding the interconnection between faith and LGBTQ+ orientation, marched for HIV/AIDS awareness and started their own convocation events. Current Numbers A popular myth is that one in 10 people identifies as part of the LGBTQ+ community; however, research from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law shows 11% of adults identify as LGBTQ+. Pepperdine community members come close to embodying this statistic. Throughout its history, the University has never recorded demographic percentages of sexual orientation in the same

way it tracks race or gender demographics. The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), however, provides a glimpse of the LGBTQ+ presence at Pepperdine. Of polled individuals on campus, 9% identified as part of the LGBTQ+ community, according to the NSSE, which had a 19% participation rate. Although the heterosexual population is the majority at 91%, there is a visible population of the LGBTQ+ community at Pepperdine. Regarding gender orientation, however, Pepperdine’s structure doesn’t allow for accurate tracking of data. Most of the demographics Pepperdine collects regards sex — male or female — and excludes gender, whether man, woman or nonbinary. While circumstances are changing for LGBTQ+ students, the Student Code of Conduct still maintains that heterosexual relationships in marriage are the gold standard.

“We believe that Scripture is the ultimate authority on how to conduct our lives and serves as a light to guide our way in a manner that honors God and others,” according to the code. “Our understanding of Scripture is that sexual activity is to be expressed only in a marriage between husband and wife.” Do Students Feel Comfortable at Pepperdine? Students acknowledge Pepperdine’s efforts to acknowledge LGBTQ+ individuals, and they describe some of the changes Pepperdine made as uplifting. “The biggest positive changes for LGBTQ+ people at Pepperdine were the school absolving its Title IX exemption and finally allowing the LGBTQ+ club to officially form on campus,” said alumni Quinn Mathys (2020), who served as the editor of PGM’s LGBTQ+ special edition. “Knowing I had somewhere to go to talk about my struggles on campus both on an official

and a peer level was empowering.” Furthermore, Pepperdine, in response to other minority voices, has started a Presidential Action and Advisory Team, which includes a member of the LGBTQ+ community at Pepperdine: senior Juan Carlos Hugues. The PAAT is a committee meant to evaluate issues students have expressed and compile and solutions and actions to President Jim Gash and the appointed vice president of student belonging. “President Gash has also included me in the PAAT committee and the Jericho Challenge, where the Pepperdine Community has gathered,” Hugues said. “He has not silenced my pleas for the greater inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community, and that is a good step forward.” The PAAT discusses a multitude of student recommendations to help LGBTQ+ students feel more comfortable, such as normalizing pronouns usage, training Housing and Residence Life for students exploring gender and sexual identity, inviting LGBTQ+ speakers for campus events and hiring longstanding professors who support the LGBTQ+ community. “There is definitely a tension at Pepperdine as we speak when it comes to LGBTQ+ inclusion,” Hugues said. “Even though I would like the University to affirm my sexuality fully, I understand for now I must settle for dialoguing.” AJ.M UONAGOL U@PEPPER DINE.EDU

ARTART BY BY MADELINE MADELINE DUVALL DUVALL

News

Pepperdine’s Invisible Students — The Ones the Data NeglectS Ashley Mowreader | News Editor

Pepperdine seems careful to maintain a pristine record on certain statistics — high grade-point averages, low crime rates, high International Programs participation rates and low dropout numbers. But some students slip through the cracks, unrepresented in the data and facing unique challenges because of it. Some students are categorized as 1% or 0% of Pepperdine’s student population based on their race, hometown or religion, while others are unaccounted for entirely because of their sexuality or gender identity. These invisible students, however, belong to the Pepperdine community and make waves in their own way. “I think we’ve yet to be recognized, especially with a lot of the severe damage that we’ve seen,” said senior and Crossroads President Mary Buffaloe, referencing homophobic slurs on the Freedom Wall. “It’s the kind of stuff I would love administration to ask about, but they have yet to ask, and that’s the biggest problem.” Racial Minorities Alaska Natives and Indigenous People have historically been the smallest student racial group, according to the Office of Institutional Effectiveness’ preliminary Annual Diversity Report for 2019. In fall 1988, out of 7,146 students enrolled at Pepperdine, only 49 identified as American Indian or Alaska Native — 0.68% of students. In fall 2018, out of 6,982 students, 27 identified as American Indian or Alaska Native — 0.38% of the student population. All other racial minorities at Pepperdine increased dramatically over the past 20 years — Hispanic and Latinx students especially, with a 225% change from 1998 to 2018. Indigenous representation, however, decreased 45% during that same time frame. The Office of Institutional Effectiveness did not denote whether any faculty or staff belong to the Indigenous community. Sophomore Sammie Wuensche and junior Jerry Calderon said they co-founded the Indigenous Peoples’ Club in fall 2020 in hopes of creating a communal space on campus for Indigenous students. “Indigenous presence at Pepperdine has been swept under the rug since 1937 and never addressed, so we felt it was time for Pepperdine to recognize and celebrate members of its student body who are a part of the heritage that made Pepperdine possible,” Wuensche said. To create a club that is part of Pepperdine’s Inter-club Council, members have to both write

a constitution and have a group of 20 individuals interested in the club, something that can be a challenge for identity groups with smaller populations on campus. Now, with recognition from ICC as an official club, the Indigenous People’s Club’s next goal is to find more Indigenous students to join their community, Wuensche said. Moving forward, Wuensche hopes to continue to promote Indigenous culture to all Pepperdine students by celebrating Native Heritage Month in November and going to a local powwow when classes are in person. Wuensche is Cherokee and Choctaw on her mother’s side and said her grandmother introduced her to her native culture. Her grandmother is a native artist who creates Indigenous art, including beading, painting, woodburning and other traditional practices. “I grew up spending time in her little workshop in her garage, just watching her paint pictures of Indigenous women riding on horses,” Wuensche said. “Since I was a toddler, I’ve just known that that was a part of my heritage, and I’ve been passionate about it.” In choosing where to go to college, Wuensche said Pepperdine’s small Indigenous population didn’t impact her decision, considering there is such little native representation nationally due to Indigenous populations decreasing. “I am the kind of person who, regardless of

ALI Levens | Photo editor

how many people are in a group that I identify with, is still going to choose to be a voice for that group regardless of their numbers,” Wuensche said. Pepperdine’s Malibu campus is on the land of the Chumash nation, a fact Pepperdine has begun to acknowledge in recent years. The Pepperdine Volunteer Center shared information about the Chumash tribe for Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Oct. 12, highlighting both Pepperdine’s recent removal of art recognizing Christopher Columbus and Spanish conquistadors from campus in 2015 and 2016, respectively. The Student Government Association passed Calderon’s resolution Oct. 14 to create a Chumash memorial on campus, though Calderon and SGA have not provided additional details on what the memorial will look like or where it will reside on campus. “We want Pepperdine to start caring about the land it’s on and recognize that,” Wuensche said. “This earth is God’s first, but there are people who came before you on this land, and it’s important we know who they were. IPC exists to celebrate that culture and give thanks to God and the natives before us who enabled us to be in a place where we can have a community that celebrates our heritage.” Hometown Minorities Of 3,448 fall 2019 Seaver students, three domestic students were the only students from their state. One student was from Vermont, one student was from North Dakota and one, senior Natalie Hardt, was from the Northern Mariana Islands. These three individuals are categorized as less than the first percentile; the OIE 2019 Fall Enrollment Census categorizes North Dakota, Vermont and the Northern Mariana Islands residents as 0.0% of the student population, a dramatic drop from California residents, who make up 53.8% of domestic student populations. “A lot of people who are only from California don’t understand what it’s like to be from somewhere else entirely,” Hardt said. Hardt, who also serves as one of the Graphic’s News assistants, was born in California, but her family moved to Saipan — the largest of the Marianas and the capital of the territory — when she was a year old. “It’s the most beautiful place — there are all these stunning views, and it has the best sunsets,” Hardt said. “I loved it growing up, but then as I got older, it started to seem too small.

It’s only 12 miles long, and there’s not that much to do on the island, so I was definitely ready to get somewhere that had more stuff going on.” Moving from Saipan to Malibu was an adjustment for several reasons, Hardt said. In Saipan, she was one of the few white students in her classes. Another challenge Hardt faces due to her home is travel. It takes 24 hours on multiple planes to get from Los Angeles to Saipan, Hardt said, because there are no direct flights between the two cities. Most Pepperdine students and professors are also unaware of Saipan or the Marianas entirely, Hardt said. “Every time I meet someone and they’re like, ‘Oh, where are you from?’ I’m like, ‘I’m from Saipan,’ and then they look blankly at me,” Hardt said. “And then I say, ‘It’s the U.S. territory next to Guam,’ which is something I’ve said a thousand times since I started attending Pepperdine.”

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I am the kind of person who, regardless of how many people are in a group that I identify with, is still going to choose to be a voice for that group regardless of their numbers. Sammie Wuensche Sophomore Unrecognized Student Groups While Pepperdine tracks comprehensive data on several demographic points, sexual orientation and gender identity are two features the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and other administrative organizations do not collect. Due to a lack of University acknowledgment, students belonging to the LGBTQ+ community on campus remain largely unrecognized and unrepresented. Pepperdine’s first official LGBTQ+ organization, Crossroads Gender and Sexuality Alliance, began in 2016 and serves as the only Pepper-

ALI Levens | Photo Editor

dine-sponsored group for LGBTQ+ students and allies on campus. Buffaloe said she joined Crossroads her first year in search of community. “I always knew when I would go to Crossroads, it was a community I felt loved by,” Buffaloe said. “I’ve stayed with it just because I want everyone else — all of the other people on our campus — to feel that same kind of support and love, especially because we are oftentimes ignored by administration. It’s important for us to have a place.” Junior HeeJoo Roh, who leads marketing for Crossroads, said she was aware of Pepperdine’s reputation for being anti-LGBTQ+ and therefore joined Crossroads her first year to have community and solidarity. One of the major challenges LGBTQ+ students face is the historical exclusion and persecution of the LGBTQ+ community in the church, specifically the churches of Christ, Buffaloe said. “It forces us to exist in this weird limbo where we’ll be in classes where professors just don’t believe we have a right to exist,” Buffaloe said. “One of the most interesting things about being queer in general is how you have other people who just look at you and say, ‘You don’t deserve to exist at all,’ and then they treat you accordingly.” Despite the University’s inclusion of Crossroads on campus, many structures on campus are designed for straight, cis-gendered students — Housing and Residence Life specifically. Housing can be a challenge for LGBTQ+ students, especially choosing roommates and living in a same-gendered space for those who do not identify with one gender, Buffaloe and Roh said. “With the way we do it at Pepperdine, you’re thrown into a room with someone you don’t necessarily know,” Buffaloe said. “I think — for most people — that can be something fun, but for a lot of minority students, it’s terrifying.”

During her sophomore year abroad, Buffaloe had a randomly assigned roommate and said she was afraid to live with someone homophobic who may physically harm her in her own room. “It ends up being this issue of safety more than anything,” Buffaloe said. “[LGBTQ+ students] go into these institutions where faculty and student prejudice always ends up being us as the butt of it, and so we end up not being safe at all and being in danger while we’re in a housing situation — and we shouldn’t be in danger.” Roh said she experienced a similar fear in selecting housing her first year, worried about Pepperdine’s reputation toward LGBTQ+ students and unsure she would be safe. Another challenge LGBTQ+ students face is reporting hate crimes or bigotry they experience on campus. Since changing its constitution, Crossroads leaders are able to advocate for students who face discrimination based on their gender or sexual identity, but there is no administrative process that allows for students to report discrimination anonymously that can result in disciplinary action. Students experiencing discrimination can report the incident anonymously to the Counseling Center or the Chaplain’s Office, according to Pepperdine’s Step UP! website, but neither office handles disciplinary action. The office of Title IX requires students to attach their name to a report, which, Buffaloe said, could be dangerous. “Even if I think of reporting, the mindset I go through is, ‘Well, if I choose to stay quiet, nothing’s going to happen; I don’t have to get involved in getting someone in trouble,’” Roh said. “That also encourages me to just stay quiet rather than report.”

ASHL EY.M OW R EADER @PEPPER DINE.EDU

News STUDENTS FEEL SAFE ON CAMPUS AND IN MALIBU DESPITE CRIME Grace Wood | ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Pepperdine University and the surrounding Malibu area both have a reputation for being secluded and safe. While overall crime rates at the University and in Malibu have fallen, certain crimes — such as burglary and weapons charges — have trended upward in recent years. In 2019, people in Malibu reported 1,128 crimes in the area, showing a decline in total reported crime since 2016, when they reported 1,224 crimes, according to the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station. The station’s crime and arrest reports from 2017 to 2019 show a different trend: In Malibu, reports of burglary and felony-level sex offenses have increased each year. Similarly, Pepperdine’s Department of Public Safety’s crime logs and annual Clery Act crime statistics show overall crime in the Pepperdine community is down, but crimes such as the possession of weapons and fondling have increased from 2016. “At Pepperdine, it’s harder to get away with stuff because everybody knows everybody,” sophomore Kelsey England said. On-Campus Versus Off-Campus Crime The Clery Act is a federal mandate requiring all colleges that participate in federal financial aid programs to document and disclose information about crimes on or near their respective campuses. The most recent Clery Act crime statistics available for Pepperdine report data gathered from 2016 to 2018. Despite the increases of some specific crimes within Pepperdine’s Malibu campus, England said she felt secure while living on campus as a first-year student. Because of the cancellation of her abroad program and campus closures, England and other sophomores chose to rent their first apartment in the area. “It’s like a little nest,” England said. “Pepperdine is a small community — if something happens, you probably know about it — versus a state school where there’s a lot more people and if something happens to one, unless you have friends that really care about you, no one would notice.” Senior Chadwick Brown said he feels like Pepperdine’s campus is a safe haven, but his trust in the safety of Malibu faltered in 2019. One night in September, a homeless woman — who was caught on security camera

footage — snuck inside Brown’s gated community, entered his home through an open door, found his keys and stole his vehicle. “I didn’t even get sad or anything because I thought it was a prank,” Brown said. The Los Angeles Police Department found Brown’s car three weeks later in Hollywood, though he said police did not check what the suspect left behind in his car. In the trunk and backseat, Brown found a machete, pornography, drug paraphernalia, stolen packages, a BMX bike and a diary that the woman and her partner left. While Brown said the break in and theft rattled him, he does not think the crime is indicative of Malibu as a whole. “I wrote it off as a freak accident, but I’m still more cautious about locking my doors, and I keep my key up in my room now,” Brown said. Malibu’s rate of motor vehicle theft has fallen over 42% since 2017, with 33 reported thefts that year, compared to 29 in 2018 and 19 in 2019. Pepperdine’s Clery Act crime statistics show low rates of vehicle theft, with one report in 2016, zero in 2017 and one in 2018. More common crimes on campus are hitand-run, non-injury car accidents, which consistently appear across campus crime logs from 2017 to 2019. Brown said while he is aware of people experiencing homelessness in Malibu, he does not usually feel afraid of them. England

Melissa Locke | Lead Designer said while she understands the struggles homeless people face, she still carries pepper spray while traveling alone in Malibu in case someone might approach her and the situation escalates. “It might put you in a dangerous situation if you don’t know how to approach it and if you do the wrong thing,” England said. Burglary and Theft When on campus, it’s common for students to leave laptops, backpacks or purses unattended at a study spot or classroom, England said. “I would definitely just leave my stuff in Payson if I had to run to the grocery store or something; I never was worried about people taking it,” England said. While burglary on campus is declining — with just five cases in 2018 compared to the previous year’s 14 — the Department of Public Safety’s crime logs show on-campus petty theft is a more common occurrence than one may think, with 22 reported thefts in 2019. Data shows burglary in Malibu, however, is on the rise. People in Malibu reported burglary 86 times to the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Department in 2019 — up from 74 reports in 2018 and 78 in 2017. England said she witnessed a man attempting to rob the Chevron

station in Malibu late at night and has felt afraid to get gas alone since the incident occurred. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m going to die,’” England said. “I just remember thinking, ‘This is not a safe place to be — I just need to put the gas in my car and get out of here.’” Rape and Sexual Assault Reports of rape in Malibu are lower than recent years, with five reported rapes in 2019 compared to 10 in 2018. Reports of felony-level sex offenses, however, jumped from two reports in 2018 to nine reports in 2019, according to the Lost Hill’s Sherriff’s Department crime and arrest reports. At Pepperdine, Clery crime statistics recorded two cases of rape in 2018, compared to zero cases in 2017, two cases in 2016 and zero cases of statutory rape over the three years. England said she feels less at risk for sexual assault on campus than she does traveling around the city of Malibu, especially after a random man near the Malibu Pier followed her and her friends back to their car during her first year at Pepperdine. “As a woman, it’s even more unfortunate,” England said. “If we want to go for a run at night, we feel like we can’t unless we’re in a group. But [Pepperdine] is the type of place where you’re not afraid to walk to your car at 11 at night and think, ‘Oh my gosh, am I going to get robbed?’” Cases of fondling, which the Clery Act defines as “the touching of the private body parts of another person for the purpose of sexual gratification, without the consent of

the victim, including instances where the victim is incapable of giving consent because of his/her age and/or because of his/ her temporary or permanent mental incapacity,” rose from zero cases from 2016 to 2017 to three cases in 2018. Several of England’s friends who attend Arizona State University receive alerts on their phone every time there is a reported sexual assault. England said she feels Pepperdine should address sexual violence in a similar manner so students are aware in real time and can take action to protect themselves. “That stuff is really helpful because it tells you what’s going on and to

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[Pepperdine] is the type of place where you’re not afraid to walk to your car at 11 at night and think, ‘Oh my gosh, am I going to get robbed?’

watch out, but I feel like Pepperdine doesn’t have that,” England said. “I feel like Pepperdine would rather just deal with it quietly.” In Malibu, the reports of criminal possession of a weapon have oscillated, ranging from 16 reports in 2017, nine in 2018 and 12 in 2019. Pepperdine Clery data shows disciplinary referrals related to weapons have risen, with three referrals in 2016, two in 2017 and five in 2018. The possession or use of any weapon, ranging from “firearms, air and spear guns, knives, martial arts weapons, bows and arrows, swords, paint/pellet guns, toys that replicate or could be mistaken for real guns, explosives of any type, ammunition, and dangerous chemicals” can result in disciplinary action, according to the Seaver College Standards of Conduct. In a world with an increasing number of school shootings and gun violence, England said she is more conscious of the possibility of an active shooter both on campus and in Malibu. Though she has not witnessed anyone on campus with more than a pocket knife on hand, England said she thinks about safety strategies while in places like Elkins Auditorium. “At Pepperdine, I definitely feel safer because when you have less population, it’s a less likely chance for something to occur,” England said. “But it is definitely something I’ve considered — where would I hide, where would I go? That’s something really scary and unique to our generation.”

Kelsey England Sophomore

Melissa Locke | Lead Designer

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News ‘Something People Don’t Think Happens’: Students and Staff Speak about Sexual Assault Makena huey | managing editor

melissa locke | lead designer One in 10. One in 10 of all college students experiences sexual assault, according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. Despite the efforts of Title IX, the Counseling Center, the Student Wellness Advisory Board and other campus organizations, student leaders said the overall awareness about the prevalence of and resources for sexual assault on campus is alarmingly low. “I definitely don’t think you can get through college without knowing someone or being a victim of sexual assault,” junior Ivy Leroux said. Awareness of Assault On Pepperdine’s Malibu campus, there were five sexual assaults in 2016, four in 2017 and two in 2018, according to the Annual Campus Safety and Fire Safety Report; these only include the incidents that Pepperdine deemed a crime after investigation. There were six sexual assaults reported in 2019, according to the Daily Crime Log and Fire Report. Based on these documents, rape and fondling were the two most common types of sexual assault on campus.

Seventy-five percent of Pepperdine students reported they do not feel adequately informed about sexual assault incidents, according to a fall 2019 Graphic survey of 45 responses. Senior Aine Jones, who serves as the co-president of SWAB’s Healthy Communities branch, said she believes there is a misconception that sexual assault does not occur on Pepperdine’s campus. This can result in blaming or disbelieving survivors and decreases the likelihood of reporting. “It’s hard to raise awareness for something people don’t think happens,” Jones said. Leroux, president and founder of the Feminist Club, echoed Jones’ statement and said the lack of clarity surrounding the definition of sexual assault increases its prevalence on campus, disempowering the survivors and empowering the perpetrator. “A lot of it happens because people are able to claim ignorance,” Leroux said. “One of the most important steps we can take to combat this is to draw actual lines and make sure people are aware of what sexual assault can entail.” Pepperdine’s Sexual Misconduct Policy defines sexual assault as “an offense classi-

fied as a forcible or non-forcible sex offense under the uniform crime reporting system of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.” This includes rape, sodomy, sexual assault with an object, fondling, incest and statutory rape. The Clery Act — which mandates all federally funded institutions of higher education to provide a daily crime log and an annual report of specified crimes — defines sexual assault as “any offense that meets the definition of rape, fondling, incest or statutory rape as used in the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting program.” Leroux said the disparity between the number of people she knows who have been sexually assaulted and the number of people she knows whose perpetrators were held accountable for sexual assault is disheartening and frightening. It is only when the Pepperdine community acknowledges that sexual assault occurs on campus that steps can be taken to end gender-based discrimination, said Stacey Lee, the Health, Wellness and Resilience Education Program coordinator and SWAB supervisor. “This does happen on our campus, and so many people are affected in our community

— we’re not exempt from it,” Lee said. “Once we help people to let that realization sink in, then we can talk about how to be active bystanders.” Impact of Identity Although sources emphasized people of all genders experience sexual assault, 23% of female undergraduates — compared to 5% of male undergraduates — experience sexual assault, according to RAINN. Certain behaviors like drinking alcohol can make women more vulnerable to those engaging in predatory action; however, Leroux said no one should attempt to justify the perpetrator’s actions. “We’re subconsciously shifting the blame onto the actions of the woman when she’s not the one who did anything wrong,” Leroux said. “She’s allowed to wear what she wants, she’s allowed to go where she wants, she’s allowed to drink what she wants — without having the effects of being sexually assaulted.” Leroux said the tendency to blame survivors instead of perpetrators has lasting effects on physical and mental health. “Society has put it in our head that it’s our responsibility to not be raped, which is ridiculous,” Leroux said. “There’s something to be said about us having to carry the burden of being sexually assaulted.” Jones also noted the everyday effect patriarchal belief systems have on her gender. “That can foster this fear in a way when you’re always taught you’re less than a man in every aspect,” Jones said. Over 90% of female Pepperdine students said they have felt unsafe because of their gender, while over 90% of male Pepperdine students said they have never felt unsafe because of their gender, according to a spring 2020 Currents survey of 221 responses. To stay safe, female students reported taking precautions ranging from carrying pepper spray and preparing to use keys as a weapon to never going anywhere alone at night and avoiding eye contact with strangers. “Instead of teaching us ‘don’t get raped,’ maybe we should change the conversation to ‘don’t rape,’” Lee said. “It should be framed inclusively: We should not commit acts of violence against anyone.” Sexual assault disproportionally impacts women of color, immigrant women, LGBTQIA+ women and disabled women, according to the National Organization for Women. Twenty-one percent of TGQN — or transgender, genderqueer and nonconform-

ing — college students have been sexually assaulted, compared to 18% of non-TGQN females and 4% of non-TGQN males, according to RAINN. A student’s cultural values can also impact the likelihood of reporting sexual assault, Lee said. “If you experience gender-based violence, you also have this barrier of the Pepperdine culture, but then now you have the barrier of your own culture to try to reconcile or even justify what has happened to you,” Lee said. La Shonda Coleman, Title IX coordinator for students, said students of all genders, national origins, religions, sexual orientations, races, ethnicities, ages and abilities are deserving of parity and impartiality when reporting an instance of sexual misconduct and should expect nothing less. She said the office of Title IX can only be helpful when its employees value the lived experiences and listen to the voices of those seeking assistance. “It is imperative we respond with a culturally responsive reply, recognizing there may be real or perceived barriers that person is experiencing in their outreach,” Coleman said. Reporting and Repercussions Following a sexual assault, survivors may experience feelings of shame or guilt, post-traumatic stress disorder, and anxiety and depression, said Sophia Fang, a staff therapist at the Counseling Center. In the days, weeks or even months after the incident, however, survivors are also left to figure out what to do. Leroux said she thinks the majority of students, including herself, are unaware of how

to report a sexual assault. According to the Graphic survey, 55% of students claimed they are unaware of the reporting process at Pepperdine. “If it’s already hard to come forward about that happening to you and be vulnerable in that way, then I would think it would be helpful to know the process,” Leroux said. Jones, a sexual assault survivor, said in her experience, the office of Title IX was a supportive and helpful resource, especially in teaching her how to cope. She said her experience reporting the assault to the Department of Public Safety, however, upset her. “I did not feel comfortable anymore,” Jones said. “I felt like it was not a safe space for me to share my story and to report. I definitely felt they were victim blaming me. […] My experience with DPS was not good for fostering a community where survivors can feel comfortable coming forward.” Direct0r of Public Safety Dawn Emrich wrote in an email that experts from organizations specializing in Title IX train all DPS sexual assault investigators to fairly summarize relevant evidence in investigation reports. Only 20% of college-age women report incidents of sexual assault to law enforcement, and only 16% of college-age female survivors receive assistance from a victim services agency, according to RAINN. Coleman said sexual assault is underreported on a national level and at Pepperdine. Students may be afraid of not being believed, getting their perpetrator in trouble or disrespecting their culture.

melissa locke | Lead designer

melissa locke | lead designer

melissa locke | lead designer “My deepest hope is that not one person in the community would experience interpersonal harm or sexual assault, and that should it happen, I would never want anyone to believe that in any way it was their fault,” Coleman said. Coleman said Title IX is dedicated to ensuring complainants as well as respondents understand their rights and options upon reporting. If students do not pursue a formal complaint, Coleman will provide them with supportive measures, and if they do pursue a formal complaint, she will provide them with the information necessary to initiate either an informal resolution process or a formal grievance process. One frequent critique is the reporting and investigative processes often require survivors to relive their experiences. Coleman said Pepperdine prioritizes a trauma-informed approach, which she views as absolutely crucial. “It goes beyond training,” Coleman said. “Embodying the spirit of that training is to do no harm — to ensure there is an awareness of the number of times someone is coming forward with a complaint.” Organizing Outreach Sources agreed engaging in ongoing and inclusive conversations about sexual assault at universities — whether that involves everyday interactions among students or campus-wide educational efforts — is invaluable.

Leroux created the Feminist Club to provide a safe space for survivors of sexual assault to speak about their experiences. Destigmatizing the topic can help end slut shaming, victim blaming and other aspects of rape culture that shift the focus from survivors, whose behaviors are often questioned, to perpetrators, whose behaviors are often dismissed. Jones said SWAB is taking advantage of the remote format this semester by aiming to educate proactively rather than retroactively when students return to campus. The Healthy Communities branch of SWAB partners with Title IX to provide students with educational resources and events, including Denim Day and Take Back the Night. SWAB recently planned an Instagram red-out campaign to raise awareness about red zones, or the first 6 to 10 weeks of the school year when sexual assault is most frequent, Jones said. In addition to providing confidential support for survivors, Fang said the Counseling Center offers sexual assault prevention workshops by request. It also partners with Title IX to hold Step Up!, Pepperdine’s bystander intervention program. Although many organizations and individuals strive to empower survivors to speak out about their experience, Fang said the focus should instead be on giving them a choice — the choice their perpetrators took away during the assault.

“We, of course, create a safe space for them to be able to share the experience and also respect their choice — either they choose to report or not,” Fang said. Therapists at the Counseling Center are responsible for knowing the available resources for sexual assault survivors as well as being respectful of how they can help victims feel safe, Fang said. She advises friends and peers of survivors to do the same. “If they don’t want help and they don’t want to talk about it, just let them know that you’re there for them — you’re there for them in whatever way they need,” Fang said. In the past, Title IX partnered with Housing and Residence Life to educate first-year students about sexual assault on campus. This semester, however, Coleman said the annual Title IX Talk — as well as the second Step Up! leadership cohort meetings — occurred over Zoom. “Although COVID has altered the way we were able to engage with our incoming students, it didn’t stop us,” Coleman said. “We worked diligently to create an online platform to educate all incoming students about sexual misconduct.” Coleman acknowledged there are no steps to guarantee protection from sexual assault but said she hopes community members will always recognize the dignity of every individual. “My goal is ultimately that all of our students are safe and free from any experience of sexual misconduct and gender-based violence,” Coleman said. “The way we can move toward realizing that goal of helping our community be safer is through prevention education and training.” Survivors of sexual assault can call the 24-hour National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 to connect with a trained staff member from a local sexual assault service.

M AK ENA.HUEY@PEPPER DINE.EDU

News

Racial Diversity Reveals Pepperdine’s History of Ongoing Racial Conflict Emily Shaw | Lead Reporter Ali Levens | Photo Editor More than 83 years ago, the first class at George Pepperdine College completed their first day of school in mid-September 1937. None of the 167 students were persons of color. In the school’s second year, at least one student of color, Ed Anderson, attended the school. Fast forward to the fall of 2019, and 43% of Pepperdine’s student population consisted of students of color, according to Pepperdine’s Office of Institutional Effectiveness’ Enrollment Census. Throughout the University’s history, Pepperdine has experienced significant changes in the racial diversity of its students and its surrounding community, which came with various points of racial conflict and struggles to confront and address them. Student demographics varied over the past 80 years with increases and drops in the number of students of color, especially surrounding the move to Malibu in 1972. Seven University presidents later, the Pepperdine community continues to wrestle with questions of diversity and inclusion. In the following reporting, all information preceding April 2003 — unless specified otherwise — comes from Dean Emeritus of Seaver College David Baird’s book “Quest for Distinction: Pepperdine University in the 20th Century,” detailing the complex history of the University. President Batsell Baxter (1937–1939): Pepperdine’s First Student(s) of Color

President Baxter, the first president of George Pepperdine College, along with founder George Pepperdine and Dean Hugh Tiner, led the University in including qualified students of color. This welcome, however, came with a caveat.

have a registered student of color until the fall of 1962, according to an article by The Christian Chronicle. President Hugh M. Tiner (1939–1957): The Student Body’s Change in Complexion Post–World War II Under Tiner’s time in office, the number of students of color had increased in response to the G.I. Bill after World War II. As the student population grew and became more diverse, tensions also arose. In 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the G.I. Bill into law at the conclusion of World War II, which funded veterans’ college education as well as housing and unemployment insurance. As a result of the bill, enrollment at Pepperdine more than doubled in 1948, with 45% of students being veterans. “The enrollment bubble generated by World War II veterans literally changed ALI LEVENS | Photo Editor the complexion of the student body,” -Baird wrote. When George Pepperdine College first opened In 1950, two Black students, Audrey Cloy and in the Vermont Knolls area of Los Angeles, the Edgar Mitchell, launched George Pepperdine Colcollege’s policy stated that students of color may lege’s first National Negro History Week, which attend classes with white students. included several discussions about issues that Students of color could not live on campus in pertained to Black people planned by social scithe same residence hall with white students until ence classes and displays of related material in 1944 — when this restriction no longer appeared the library. in the catalog. By 1956, men’s dormitory Baxter Hall housed Baird explained in his book this policy was 22 of the 110 Black students out of 1,100 total stu“exceptional” among Church of Christ colleges dents at George Pepperdine College, according to in the 1930s, which were all located in the South. Baird. Asian students made up another 8% — and For instance, Abilene Christian University, an- Hispanic students 2% — of total students. other Church of Christ college, in Texas, did not This shift in racial demographics, however,

was not without tension. In 1957, a skit in Spring Sing — similar to today’s Songfest in Malibu — depicted African people in a negative stereotype, which drew criticism from students. This resulted in an apology from the skit’s organizers. President M. Norvel Young (1957–1971): Racial Conflicts and the Tragedy of Larry Kimmons President Young’s time in office in the 1960s can be characterized by a significant increase in the number of Black students in response to the changing demographics of the surrounding LA community. Racial conflicts also occurred as tensions rose within and surrounding Pepperdine College’s campus. From 1960 to 1969, the ethnic diversity of Pepperdine students increased significantly, with Black students making up 17% of the student population in 1969, directly correlating with the increase of Black individuals in the surrounding community, according to Baird. This percentage surpassed neighboring schools’ — including UCLA, University of Southern California and Loyola Marymount University, whose Black student population were each around 2% — and was one of the highest in the nation for schools similar to Pepperdine, according to a report by the federal government, Baird wrote. From 1964 to 1965, persistent tension between police and residents and ongoing general dissatisfaction underlined multiple uproars across the nation; LA was no exception. In August of 1965, a rebellion took place in

the neighborhood of Watts in South LA just three miles away from George Pepperdine College. The arrest of a Black man named Marquette Frye prompted this uprising, according to Graphic 2016 alumna Berkley Mason’s “A Historical Analysis of Racial Tensions within the Pepperdine Community” article. A few years later, more civil unrest took place in response to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., on April 4, 1968. Numerous memorial services and discussions occurred on and off campus, propelling college administrators to make several promises: to recruit Black faculty; provide a Black history course; examine admission standards for Black students; review “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” on campus; engage more Black students in the college chapel series and officially recognize the Association for Black Students as a student organization. Dean of Students Jennings Davis also helped organize an off-campus event, “Operation Brotherhood,” which aimed to foster “racial harmony” in Churches of Christ and at Pepperdine College, according to Baird’s book. Davis noted instances of racism by the school in regards to hiring, conversation and fraternity and sorority process. Despite Davis’s and the administration’s efforts, racism persisted on campus. Pepperdine held a long-standing tradition of auctioning off the services of the homecoming court, rewarding the winning bidder with the ability to use the “slave” to complete various chores. The Associated Student Board, where Black students had representation, later abolished the tradition, according to Baird’s book. Another race-related controversy involved

ABS’s choice of speaker for a chapel event. Although the college chartered ABS, the Young administration and many white students made objections against the student organization’s choice of activist Walter Bremond — a well-known Black activist who worked for the U.S. Civil Rights Commission — as the chapel speaker. The college administrative committee eventually allowed Bremond to speak under the promise that he would not make any “inflammatory” comments, according the Baird’s book. Despite this promise, Bremond’s speech stated Black students should control the Vermont Avenue campus and referenced the LA police as “murdering pigs,” prompting at least 20 students to walk out, according to Baird’s book. Conflict between the Graphic and ABS also existed, creating growing tensions between the two student-run organizations. Due to an unknown conflict between the Graphic and ABS during an ABS meeting in 1968, the Graphic’s suspension of its Nov. 21 issue led to some Black students starting their own newspaper, the Black Graphic. Its first edition, published Nov. 25, called for a boycott of chapel services and also stated that Black students were “part of a racist institution with little or no voice,” according to Baird’s book. There are only two known editions of the Black Graphic, according to University Archives. Racial conflict escalated early the next year March 12, 1969. The college’s Chief Security Guard shot and killed Larry Kimmons, a Black student who attended Washington High School, igniting a protest among Black students

INEZ Kim | Design Assistant

on campus, according to Mason’s Graphic article. The ABS presented a list of 12 demands to the administration two days later, including hiring Black faculty and staff with the input of the ABS, so that the number of Black administrators and staff members would reflect the ratio of Black students. The ABS also demanded certain white racist faculty and staff members be dismissed and that the campus leader of SPONGE — Society for the Prevention of Negroes Getting Everything — would be expelled.

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We’re trying to change. Sometimes we change too slowly, but by and large, we have been successful. William Banowsky President (1971–1978) In response, Dean Davis identified 12 steps for the administration, which included hiring Black faculty and staff, enacting faculty racial sensitivity training, implementing better training for security officers and dismissing employees who exhibited racist attitudes and behaviors. Despite this, members of the board of trustees were more concerned with handling the crisis, believing that resolving the underlying racial issues is the responsibility of the church, not the college. They also decided to pay the legal fees of Charlie Lane, the DPS officer who killed Larry Kimmons. Trustees H.E. Acklin and Robert Jones said, “We should not follow the lead of some who would expend their energies in the missionary approach to solving the racial problems of the nation and, at the same time, lose sight of the fact that our primary purpose and goal is education in a Christian liberal arts college environment,” according to Baird. When Young addressed the community a

week after the killing of Kimmons, some Black students walked out of the chapel assembly due to their disapproval with how Pepperdine resolved the injustice. Most Black students at Pepperdine between 1969 and 1970 believed the school’s efforts in response to the tragedy of Kimmons had not gone far enough, according to Graphic 2018 alumna Rachel Ettlinger’s “From South LA to Malibu, the Effects Still Ripple” article. One Black student described Pepperdine as “a racist institution with a religious facade,” according to Baird’s book. Some students also recognized that the college was trying to take steps in the right direction with Young’s creation of a faculty–student committee that addressed racial issues and the college’s increasing involvement in the community surrounding campus. Young had announced to a select group of church individuals his vision for transitioning the LA campus to become a College of Urban Affairs at Pepperdine, as the liberal arts programs would eventually be built in the college’s second campus in Malibu instead. Hubert G. Locke, a Black minister in Churches of Christ, advised Young that this plan should make sure to “prevent the LA campus from becoming a ghetto college serving a ghetto community,” according to Baird’s book. Young never carried out the creation for a College of Urban Affairs. Six months after the Kimmons tragedy, Young appointed Calvin Bowers — a Black Church of Christ minister — as dean of ethnic studies at the LA campus. President William S. Banowsky (1971–1978): Administration Building Lockdown and The Move to Malibu During President Banowsky’s time in office in the 1970s, numerous incidents following the killing of Larry Kimmons and other racially charged events illustrated the problematic nature of the college’s standing in the surrounding Black community, propelling the college to consider relocation. In 1970, the Black Student Union circulated a “hate sheet” that advocated “getting guns and starting to shoot.” Two years later, a radio station in Berkeley, CA, received a note, presumably sent by the militant revolutionary organization the Symbionese Liberation Army, in an envelope also containing a .22-caliber bullet. The note, which authorities eventually deemed a hoax, demanded that if Pepperdine did not turn its Los Angeles campus over to the Black community for protective custody, the college would be responsible for compromising the safety of Patricia Hearst — infamous-

ly known for being arrested for serious crimes committed after the SLA abducted her. The general population also blamed incidents of crime on campus — including arson, burglary, bomb threats and physical and sexual assaults — on people from low-income communities. For instance, a white adolescent lit a series of fires, but the arson was initially attributed to Black individuals. These commonly placed accusations further illustrated the University’s problematic standing in the surrounding Black community. Black students at Pepperdine came together in protest when the college fired Ron Ellerbe, a 23-year-old Black employee. The firing was “without justification,” resulting in students “barricading” the administration building in December 1970, according to the BSU. According to an LA Times article by Lee Dye, Ellerbe criticized the Pepperdine administration, saying that “more should be done in the area of community relations, particularly among the Black people.”

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“We should not follow the lead of some who would expend their energies in the missionary approach to solving the racial problems of the nation and, at the same time, lose sight of the fact that our primary purpose and goal is education in a Christian liberal arts college environment,” H.E. Acklin Robert Jones 1969 Trustees

At the protest, the students also presented administration with a list of demands, which were listed in an LA Times article published Dec. 10, 1970, titled “BSU Protests Negroes’ Firing at Pepperdine.” “Efficient full-time counselors and tutors; two buildings to be dedicated to [Kimmons] who was killed two years ago; at least two mandatory ethnic studies classes for each student, and the immediate hiring of a Black financial official who would be more responsive to the financial needs of the Black students,” according to the list of demands. The Black students also requested a more ethnic curriculum and an “enlarged Black recruitment program”; Pepperdine, however, never fulfilled this request. Banowsky agreed with Ellerbe’s statement: “We’re trying to change. Sometimes we change too slowly, but by and large, we have been successful,” as quoted from the same LA Times article. In response to the racial tensions on and off campus, Provost James Wilburn and other administrators worked to try to appease the situation: They doubled the size of the college’s unarmed security force, adding more Black people to the staff; recruited and hired Black alumni as staff workers and appointed Black individuals to faculty positions; and recruited an Urban Board. The Urban Board included some notable Black civic leaders such as Jesse Jackson, jazz musician Lionel Hampton and LA Mayor Tom Bradley. Nonetheless, efforts satisfied neither the surrounding community nor Pepperdine’s Pepperdine began searching for a new campus and discussing whether to relocate the college in 1962, according to Baird’s book? -MH. “If it hadn’t been for race issues, Pepperdine would have never moved to Malibu. This is the heart of the matter,” Baird said in a 2016 interview with the Graphic. The relocation to Malibu in September 1972 is often viewed two ways: an instance of white flight or the University simply wanting to survive as an educational institution, according to Berkley’s article. The campus move not only changed the school’s location and surrounding community, but it also caused a significant drop in the number of students of color. Only 3.6% of Pepperdine’s first class on the Malibu campus were Black, as opposed to 18% on the Los Angeles campus, according to Baird’s book. President Howard A. White (1978–1985): The “Whitened” Student Body

The student population during President White’s time in office was largely white, especially compared with the demographics of the students at the LA campus. Although total enrollment increased throughout White’s time in office, the percentage of Black students fell from 4% to less than 3%; Hispanic students continued to make up

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From President White’s perspective, the maleness and whiteness of the Pepperdine University’s administration and faculty had little to do with gender or ethnic discrimination. The fundamental issue was whether the university would be Christian or not, which to him depended upon a relationship with Churches of Christ.” David Baird Dean Emeritus of Seaver College 4%, and Asian students increased one percentage point to 5% between 1983 and 1989. “From President White’s perspective, the maleness and whiteness of the Pepperdine University’s administration and faculty had little to do with gender or ethnic discrimination,” Baird wrote in his book. “The fundamental issue was whether the university would be Christian or not, which to him depended upon a relation-

ship with Churches of Christ.” President David Davenport (1985–2000): A Cultural Enrichment Initiative As the college’s percentage of students of color slowly increased, President Davenport established a new Cultural Enrichment Center. Filed in 1995, Pepperdine’s “Third-Year Interim Report” stated that the percentage of minority students increased from 14.3% to 21% between 1988 and 1994. That number grew to 22.6% in 1999, according to a later Pepperdine report sent to he Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges. In the fall of 1991, Pepperdine College received grants to fund a new Cultural Enrichment Center that would provide students of color with professional mentors providing social and academic support, as well as help all students become more culturally aware through events such as Rainbowfest. Rainbowfest celebrated the cultural contributions of diverse student groups on campus, as well as its visiting speakers, which included Maya Angelou in October 1992 and Carlos Fuentes in 1994. The CEC also sponsored activities that the Black Student Union organized during Black History Month. It is unknown when and why Pepperdine stopped organizing Rainbowfest. President Andrew K. Benton (2000–2019): More Racial Tensions and Struggle A new medium for expressing racist sentiments emerged when social media use grew during President Benton’s time in office. In his inaugural address Sept. 23, 2000, Benton identified five challenges of the University, one of which was strengthening the institution and its diversity by including more qualified women and racial and ethnic minorities to the faculty, staff and students. Under Benton’s administration, the University and the Inter-Club Council (ICC) also officially recognized many cultural student organizations. For example, the Panhellenic Association chartered the Tau Lambda chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, a historically African American sorority at Pepperdine in 2012, and the Interfraternity Council chartered the Upsilon Chi chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, a historically African American fraternity in February 2017. Other student clubs include Pakikisama: Pilipino American Student Association, founded in 2011, and Armenian Student Association, which ICC officially recognized in 2014. Between 2003 and 2019, the percentage

of students of color at Pepperdine grew from around 32% to 43%, according to the Office of Institutional Effectiveness Enrollment Census. Nonetheless, racial tensions persisted on campus. In April 2003, the University unveiled the Freedom Wall on campus, aiming to provide a forum for the voices of students. A sign posted on the Freedom Wall in January of 2004 read, “Join the White Student Union,” causing controversy among students and faculty. The sign also read in smaller print that it was not a genuine adve rtise me nt for a real club but rather the purpose of the sign was to raise a question about the fairness in the lack of club for white people. Social media also became a space some individuals used to express prejudiced sentiments when, in October 2015, users on campus posted racist remarks on the anonymous confession app Yik Yak. A month later, a group of students, known as Waves Against Ignorance, organized a peaceful sit-in on campus — sparked by the racist Yik Yak posts — to show solidarity with University of Missouri students who were demonstrating against racism on their own campus. Students involved in the sit-in called on the University to implement mandates they identified: cultural sensitivity and diversity training for all students, faculty and staff; permanent removal of the Christopher Columbus statue on campus and the wood-carved mural in the Waves Cafe; as well as the addition of a General Education requirement course focused on diversity and inclusion.

Benton addressed the University a week after the sit-in, where he said the racial profiling of some of the Malibu faculty had also been brought to his attention. “Change is hard, but it is necessary, or we are part of the problem,” Benton said. The racial conflicts were far from over, however, and real change on campus was yet to be seen. In February of 2016, a first-year male student posted a blackface image of a white student. In response, the administration sent a

fully aware of all of the details, we are pleased with the administration’s swift response to the bigotry.” Five months after the blackface incident, the Benton administration removed the woodcarved mural, which was one of the five demands listed from the student protest in November 2015. In an email to the Graphic, Vice President for Administration Phil Phillips wrote he supported Benton’s decision to remove the “conquest art” from Waves Cafe. Oct. 10, 2017, President Benton also announced the relocation of the Christopher Columbus statue from the Malibu campus to the Florence campus in response to another student protest on Columbus Day in 2016. In the same year, the University implemented a voluntary diversity training program for staff and faculty called Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity, or SEED. President Jim Gash (2019– Present): More Racial Tensions and Struggle

Seaver-wide email to students and faculty. “A full investigation is underway,” Dean of Seaver College Michael Feltner and Vice President for Student Life Mark Davis wrote in an email. “Any hateful, biased or disrespectful behavior will not be tolerated at Pepperdine.” BSA also released a statement to the Graphic in response to the incident. “As an organization, we are disgusted by the hateful blackface image,” Rahje Branch, vice president of membership of the Black Student Association, wrote. “Regardless of intent, the impact is hurtful and should not be tolerated under any circumstances. While we are not

President Gash’s presidency has so far been ALI LEVENS | Photo Editor characterized by two major events: the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter Movement and the COVID-19 pandemic. During the Presidential Selection Process in March 2019, many students on campus called for more diversity in Pepperdine leadership and staff to reflect the diversity of the students. The University’s administration since 1937 has been overwhelmingly white and male. Before the University announced Gash as the eighth president, an anonymous display posted on the Freedom Wall expressed some students’ belief that the all-white and majority-male candidate pool for the presidency lacked diversity. At the beginning of the following semester,

Gash assumed office Aug. 14, 2019. In Gash’s second semester as president, the University transitioned to remote learning due to COVID-19. After the end of the partially online semester, and as the COVID-19 pandemic raged on, protests against police brutality toward Black people erupted across the nation. News organizations across the nation reported May 25 the death of George Floyd — a Black man in Minneapolis, Minn., who died in police custody as a victim of police violence.

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The same students this University claims to care for are exhausted — tired of having to continually fight for our collective dignity at the very institution we attend. Seaver Clubs 2020 Five days later, Gash released a statement on the death of George Floyd, stating Pepperdine’s and his commitment to continue to listen and take action; however, students were unsatisfied with Gash’s initial reaction. In response to students’ frustration and disappointment toward Pepperdine, Gash held conversations with various Pepperdine community members. “There’s a lot of different roles that our president has, and chief among them is listening,” Gash said in an interview with the Graphic. On June 3, the Graphic posted an Instagram story asking the Pepperdine community to share opinions on what anti-racist action they want to see from Pepperdine. Some of the responses included cultural competency courses required of students, staff and faculty; more diverse voices in Pepperdine’s convocation series; and financial support from Pepperdine to its Black community mem-

bers through scholarship funds or by donating to a Black organization. Instagram user @moore_brittni commented on Pepperdine’s June 3 post, “Pepperdine has committed itself to diversity and inclusion, and by placing the primary work of ensuring the university is an inclusive environment onto us, it absolves leadership of that fundamental responsibility.” Many students took to social media and other online means to take on the responsibility of working toward an inclusive and diverse Pepperdine community. For example, the Instagram account @BlackAtPepperdine, which serves to document stories of racism at Pepperdine, uploaded its first post July 3. In a June 8 email to the Pepperdine community, Gash shared how he and the administration planned to work to address racial injustice and inequity, which included the addition of a Chief Diversity Officer position on the Pepperdine Steering team. According to the President’s Briefing on Sept. 23, the hiring for this position will occur early spring 2021. A cultural competency course in the General Education program is also in the process of approval at Seaver College. During the fall 2020 semester, a student of Cherokee and Choctaw descent and a Chumash student also founded an identity-based student organization in the fall of 2020 — the Indigenous People’s Club. On Sept. 29, Pepperdine Caruso Law announced guaranteed scholarships for students from historically Black colleges and universities to increase access to law school education for historically underserved student populations. In recent news, the School of Public Policy Dean shared a petition Oct. 12 against “far left indoctrinating” curriculum, specifically opposing The New York Times’ The 1619 Project curriculum on behalf of Pepperdine and its School of Public Policy, prompting controversy within the University community. This prompted a series of statements and responses from student groups, faculty organizations and clubs both in support of and against Peterson. At a President’s Briefing on Oct. 21, Gash addressed the controversy, and Peterson delivered an apology for and expressed his regret of the email. “Let me also acknowledge the pain, hurt and divisiveness experienced as a result of this,” Gash said at the briefing. “I am more committed than ever to fostering a strong sense of belonging in this community. It’s clear to me there’s more work to be done.” In an email to the Pepperdine community Oct. 28, Gash announced action steps his

Presidential Action Advisory Team proposed to promote inclusion and racial justice that are organized under seven areas: curriculum, hiring, diversity and inclusion education, environment/culture, Center for Diversity, Presidential Speaker Series and assessment. “In recent days, I’ve heard and seen many in our community in distress over recent events,” Gash wrote. “I want you to know that I hear you and I see you. As Provost Marrs said on Monday and as I have said previously — we reject all forms of racism in our community and stand united with our Black students, faculty, and staff.” A Pattern of Unfulfilled Calls to Action The discussion of inclusion, diversity and equity in Pepperdine’s curriculum and culture has been ongoing since the University’s conception. There has been a consistent call for action by students toward the administration over the course of Pepperdine’s history. Whether it be a mandated cultural competency or social justice course, financial support for Black students or more diversity within faculty, staff and students, students today are still asking for reform that students in 1970 — and possibly even further back — had asked from the institution. Although Pepperdine students themselves have fought to make the campus more inclusive, many of those calls to action for the Pepperdine administration still have yet to happen. “The same students this University claims to care for are exhausted — tired of having to continually fight for our collective dignity at the very institution we attend,” according to the Seaver student group’s Letter to the Editor after Dean Peterson’s email controversy.

EM ILY. SHAW @PEPPER DINE.EDU AL I.L EV ENS@PEPPER DINE.EDU

Perspectives

melissa Locke | Lead Designer

Selflessness and Empathy Must Overpower Desensitization to Bad News Caroline Sharpless | perspectives Editor Americans will remember 2020 as an election year like no other. Against historical precedent, the Republican-led senate spitefully confirmed a Supreme Court Justice days before the election, a candidate refused to say he’d facilitate a peaceful transfer of power should he lose and U.S. agencies found evidence of multiple countries attempting to interfere with election results. But the issue at the forefront should be the COVID-19 pandemic — the highly debated, majorly contested, disgustingly politicized catastrophe that has killed over 1.3 million people worldwide thus far. At least 247,142 Americans lost their lives because of the pandemic and the Trump administration’s poor leadership. This number is higher than the total number of Americans who

died during the Revolutionary War, Indian Wars, War of 1812, Mexican War, Spanish–American War, Korean War, Vietnam War, Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Iraq War and Afghanistan War combined — both in and out of combat — according to data from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Watson Institute at Brown University. Yet, many Americans, including many elected officials, refuse to listen to the experts and science to end the problem. Now, more than ever, we must pay attention to the mass death and injustice happening around the world — both related and unrelated to COVID-19. The U.S. no longer has the same sense of patriotism and camaraderie we once displayed in past times of national peril. The only solution is to prevent ourselves from ex-

periencing news fatigue, becoming desensitized to violence and losing touch of our humanity. Have We Become Desensitized Since Past National Crises? The events of Sept. 11, 2001, killed just under 3,000 Americans, and people still come together decades later to remember the lives lost — as they should. With the pandemic that killed 75 times as many Americans, however, civilians and politicians are more divided than ever. Despite decades of arguments on the effects of explicit or gory movies and violent video games, these alleged corruptors are likely not the primary cause of America’s newfound desensitization. Instead, smartphones and social media carry the burden.

Melissa Locke | Lead designer Thanks to exponentially advancing technology, Americans have immediate access to worldwide news. From push notifications to news apps to social media posts, headlines are inescapable. This makes people more informed on global issues but also prompts a much larger web of problems for everyone to worry about — possibly larger than any other generation in history. Between domestic crises — like increasing drug deaths, skyrocketing suicide rates and seemingly unstoppable police brutality — and foreign concerns — like the Yemen famine, internment camps in China and humanitarian attacks on Nigerians and Armenians — initiating social change is overwhelming. On the one hand, we cannot let grief consume us. It’s unhealthy to feel the pain of thou-

sands. But at the same time, we need to spend more than a few moments of thoughts and prayers on an issue. We need to address these problems rather than letting them simmer for years as we have with the opioid crisis, gun violence and suicide. Why Does Action Only Happen When There is a Foreign Enemy? It is convenient to get angry about an issue when there is a clear enemy but not when the problem lies with something we love. Following Sept. 11, there was swift action; the airline industry completely changed, the Bush Administration passed the invasive Patriot Act and the U.S. entered several new wars. Islamic terrorism was to blame, and most Americans were on board. When American policies and values like the Second Amendment, Christianity or police officers perpetrate the violence, action is not as easy and truth is clouded. Take the issue of gun control. The U.S. had more mass shootings than days in 2019, yet, politicians presented no plans to tighten the country’s lax gun control policies. In contrast, just one month after New Zealand’s first-ever mass shooting, parliament passed gun-control reform almost unanimously. In 1996, Australia responded the same way after its first mass shooting and hasn’t had any mass shootings since. Some states in America responded to school shootings by allowing teachers to bring guns to class, pushing even more guns into civilians’ hands. The U.S. tops the chart for countries with civilian gun owners with 120.5 firearms per 100 residents. The next closest countries on this list are Yemen and Serbia with 52.8 and 39.1 firearms per 100 residents. Many oppose gun restrictions, equating the right to bear arms with freedom and patriotism de-

spite the many un-American acts U.S. gun owners inflict on others. Meanwhile, the U.S.’ uncommonly relaxed rules do not include a federal mandate for background checks before purchasing. Across 36 states, there are no legal requirements for gun registration permits or licenses in order to purchase firearms, and in some states, people can buy guns at 18 — four years before they can consume alcohol. Countries like Japan — which has never had a school shooting

an instant and support their ban. Don’t Blame the Media, Blame the People Hogging Headlines This month, reports surged of China operating nearly 400 internment camps, detaining and abusing Muslims. Similarly, in the U.S., Immigration and Customs Enforcement cannot find the parents of 545 children after forcing them to separate from each other, according to

Now, more than ever, we must pay attention to the mass death and injustice happening around the world — both related and unrelated to COVID-19. Caroline Sharpless Perspectives Editor — require buyers to complete a firearm class, take a written exam and provide a doctor’s note proving mental fitness, among other safety precautions. Americans who truly support the safety and sanctity of others should have no qualms supporting government action to ensure gun owners are responsible enough for ownership. Similarly, Americans should realize they have no real need for military-grade weapons with the ability to kill multiple people in

The New York Times. Around the same time, a whistleblower accused ICE detention centers of performing mass hysterectomies on immigrant detainees. Many journalists and spectators alike are comparing China and ICE’s actions to the Holocaust. Unfortunately, these stories get lost in the chaos. People then accuse the media of distracting from these conflicts by spending too much time talking about the president or the pandemic.

The news media, however, is obligated to report on the actions of the president — especially when they directly challenge the behavior of all past presidents. Articles on foreign issues such as the ones in Nigeria or Yemen exist, but on-air stories are reserved for breaking news; Trump’s behavior is always breaking. If Trump did not want the press to stay focused on him, he would stop demanding attention by behaving in such an unpresidential manner. Instead, he ignores all precedents of how to lead the nation and goes on Fox News, Twitter and rally stages regularly to spew his opinions. This is a testament to the importance of electing stable politicians. Journalists spent much of the year — really, the last four years — covering Trump’s erratic behavior, from his outrageous tweets, his impeachable actions and his never-ending lies. The time spent documenting the completely preventable White House COVID-19 outbreak, for example, could have been spent educating Americans on the Nagorno–Karabakh conflict, which has displaced approximately 70,000–75,000 people in a matter of weeks. Other times, people read hard-hitting articles then write off the factual allegations as “fake news” for no reason other than personally disagreeing with the claims. This is something the president has done with many valid, reputable reports. Creating a distrust between the press and people is an ageold tactic of dictators — including Hitler. This constant denial of truth is one of the many factors that leave around 68% of Americans with “news fatigue,” or exhaustion from consuming news, according to Pew Research Center. Many people look back on the Holocaust and question how the world allowed Germany to commit such heinous acts. It is possible 1930s Germany looked how the world looks now with

too many other issues to watch, too much confusion regarding truth and too little people with strength left to care. Mass Death is Already Normalized — What Can Be Done Now? Statistics and numbers are the most effective way to show the severity of an issue, but the shock of new COVID-19 cases or people dead in ICE camps stings less every day. Perhaps this is because a life cannot be quantified. If journalists spent time detailing the lives of every American lost to COVID-19 — and if

Americans actually read it — maybe more people would be inclined to wear masks and take other measures to prevent the spread of the virus. But due to the sheer volume of problems and deaths in America, this is impossible. People should naturally feel enough empathy and concern for others to act in the interest of the greater good without a sob story. It’s exhausting to care about all the death and violence in the world, but we must. Start online fundraisers to raise money for the 24 million people seeking humanitarian aid in Yemen. Share suicide preven-

tion and mental health resources on social media to prevent a follower from being the one death predicted to occur from suicide every 20 seconds. Challenge the pharmaceutical industries responsible for the 72,000 Americans that drugs killed last year. Vote for stable politicians who don’t make approximately 50 false or misleading statements per day. Make sacrifices: Wear a mask even if it’s inconvenient and support gun control even if it means it will take longer for you to purchase a firearm. It is not selfish to ignore depressing headlines; in fact, doing

so is completely understandable. It is, however, unacceptable to stand by as thousands of innocent people die preventable deaths or suffer preventable harm. Dr. Anthony Fauci said it best: “Now is the time, if ever there was one, for us to care selflessly about one another.”

CAROLINE.SHARPLESS@pepperdine.edu

melissa Locke | Lead Designer

Perspectives

COVID-19 Numbers in America demonstrate a need For Action joshua evans | Staff writer

Inez Kim | Design Assistant There have been over 1,325,752 deaths globally from COVID-19 — 247,142 of which occurred in the U.S. Despite being the world’s wealthiest country, the U.S. leads the world in COVID-19 cases and deaths. The World Health Organization estimates the highly contagious virus has infected 10% of the world’s population already, but its spread is not equally distributed among nations. The U.S. is winning a race it should not be proud of. The U.S. needs to let go of its hubris in claiming the nation’s pandemic response is successful and instead learn from other countries that have been far more competent in subduing the pandemic. New Zealand and Tai-

wan report very few cases of COVID-19 because they have infection control measures that have prevented substantial community spread. Virus numbers remained low in Taiwan due to excellent contact tracing, screening of travelers and strict mask compliance. Earlier in the pandemic, New Zealand had 1,601 cases, but it had no new community cases Nov. 1, after a strict lockdown, social distancing requirements, travel restrictions and mask compliance. In contrast, since March, the U.S. has now reported 11,197,791 cases of COVID-19. The U.S. has 4% of the world’s population but over 25% of all global COVID-19 cases. America’s failure to control

the COVID-19 crisis is seen in the virus’ spread through the White House. In the first week of October, 34 people tested positive in President Donald Trump’s orbit — including the President himself. More people tested positive in President Trump’s White House that week than in the entire countries of Taiwan and New Zealand during the same time period. President Trump claims he is not afraid of COVID-19 after receiving experimental medications, such as Regeneron antibodies, that the average American cannot access. President Trump also said he does not think the country should be afraid of COVID-19 anymore. On Oct. 26, President

Trump’s White House Science Office even claimed one of the president’s top accomplishments is “ending the COVID-19 pandemic.” This false narrative that the pandemic is over is in stark contrast with the fact that COVID-19 numbers are rising in most states. On Nov. 13, the U.S. recorded 184,000 new cases — its highest number of cases in a single day. Some people falsely believe these increases are due to testing expansion. However, the U.S. is concurrently battling steep upward trends in hospitalization rates. In states such as Texas, some hospitals are overwhelmed with patients. In Utah, Wisconsin and Texas, hospitals are close to

capacity. On Oct. 25, El Paso hospitals reached 100% capacity; the region set up field hospitals and a curfew to cope with the COVID-19 patient surge. In Utah, some hospitals have begun discussing rationing care to focus greater resources on patients who are more likely to survive. The U.S. is struggling to control the virus because of the uncertainty surrounding the number of days someone is contagious and the unwillingness of many Americans to take simple measures to stop the spread, like wearing a mask when in public and quarantining if exposed to the virus. Length of contagion is a hotly debated topic that contributes to infection control issues. The Centers for Disease Con-

trol and Prevention stated if it has been 10 days since someone’s symptoms started and if the person has been at least 24 hours without a fever, the individual may stop self-isolating; some patients with severe COVID-19 symptoms may have to self-isolate up to 20 days after first symptoms appeared. President Trump is not taking the health threat of this virus seriously. He contributes to its spread through inadequate public health policies, underplaying the life-threatening risk of the virus and his own reckless behavior. He appeared maskless in public during the time period he might have been contagious and has mocked people who wear masks. Some state governors are also not practicing basic virus

protection measures. At a recent Trump rally in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis failed to wear a mask while high-fiving people in the crowd. The U.S. will not be able to get this pandemic under control until the president, Congress, state governors and the American public take the threat of this virus more seriously and fully support public health measures to contain the spread. The pandemic has directly impacted the Pepperdine community. Pepperdine’s Emeritus Professor of Law Jim McGoldrick and Emeritus Professor of Behavioral Science Wayne Strom both died from COVID-19. In the words of University President Jim Gash, these personal tragedies bring “into

sharp focus the heavy toll that this pandemic is having on human life.” The U.S. must prevent further deaths by joining countries like Germany, France, Belgium and the U.K., who have learned from New Zealand and Taiwan’s success and are now imposing new national restrictions to control the outbreak. With cases rising to alarming levels, the U.S. must exercise compassionate national and state leadership to slow the spread before more preventable deaths occur. A national mask mandate could save thousands of American lives.

Joshua.Evans@pepperdine.edu

Madeline Duvall | Art editor

Perspectives

It’s time to rethink Pepperdine’s religious framework Nicole Witt | Life & Arts Copy Editor Of the approximate 5,300 universities in the U.S., nearly 600 are Christian-affiliated institutions. This means about one in every 10 colleges in the U.S. is a Christian university. Pepperdine is one of these institutions, but it is unique in that it is specifically affiliated with the churches of Christ. Only 6% of students, however, are affiliated with this denomination, according to Pepperdine’s website. While religion plays a major role in American culture, a growing trend of religious skepticism rising in the U.S. leaves some Christian-affiliated schools with outdated structures and practices. In the coming years, Pepperdine should consider altering its policies that come with its Christian affiliation to improve the experience among its students. Forty-eight percent of college students surveyed at Pew Research Center said religion was “very important” in their lives. Still, religion trends overall are on the decline. The number of U.S. adults who described themselves as Christian when asked about their religion shrunk by 12% in the past 10 years, according to 2018 and 2019 telephone surveys. On the flip side, those who are not religiously affiliated — including those who identify as atheist and ag-

nostic — is now up 17% from 2009. If this declining trend continues, the U.S. will be majority non-Christian by 2035. While this might sound alarming to some Christians,

in China. If the number of Christians continues to decline in the U.S., Pepperdine could soon become predominantly non-religious. While some might assume Pepperdine

Pepperdine should rethink its Christian policies, especially since certain ones have already gotten the University into trouble with its students in the past. Nicole Witt Life & Arts Copy Editor the U.S. is only catching up to many other developed nations. Most nations with similar economic statuses to the U.S. have a much larger population of non-religious people than in the United States. In the U.K., 52% of the population is non-religious, and 67%

students have a skewed religious perspective, only 53% of Seaver students identify as Christian, according to Pepperdine’s “At a Glance” page. Surprisingly, the percentage of Christians at Pepperdine is actually lower than the percentage of college grad-

uates who identify as Christian from all U.S. universities. Sixty-six percent of U.S. college graduates identify with some sort of Christian faith — 13% higher than Pepperdine’s numbers, according to Pew Research Center. Further, the Christian population of Pepperdine is much lower than the total U.S. population, which totals a whopping 70.6%. Since only around half of the current student population identifies as Christian, it is essential for Pepperdine to find out why. The Pepperdine Board of Regents should consider how to shape the direction of their policies and determine which ones will best reflect the students who attend the University. Pepperdine does not require its students to be Christian; however, those who attend the University must complete a variety of Christian-centered requirements before graduating — attending weekly chapels and completing Religion courses. Students must study the Old and New Testament as well as an additional Christian course of their choice. It is possible that the reason why the number of Christians at Pepperdine is lower than other U.S. universities is because of these religious requirements. Studying the Bible and learning more about

MADELINE DUVALL | ART EDITOR Christianity could cause some students to realize they don’t agree with it. Religion courses might also make the Bible seem more like a textbook rather than God’s word, which could result in students becoming less inclined to read it on their own. Pepperdine should rethink its Christian policies, especially since certain ones have already gotten the University into trouble with its students in the past. In November 2019, the Freedom Wall was filled with anonymous notes both defending and denouncing bringing Chick-fil-A, an openly anti LGBTQ+ organization, to campus. This sparked

controversy over Pepperdine’s stance on LGBTQ+ issues. Further, 52% of students polled said they disagreed with the article in the Student Code of Conduct that states sexual relations are only acceptable between a married man and woman, according to a 2019 Graphic survey. If nothing else, Pepperdine couldmaintain its Christian foundation while modifying its religious requirements. For example, students have no say in two of the three required religion courses. Pepperdine could create a more flexible array of courses so students can choose aspects of faith they are more interested in learning about — or even provide the

option to take courses that teach a variety of religious world views other than Christianity. If students are picking religious classes more tailored to their specific interests, they will more likely enjoy what they are learning and want to continue to learn it outside of their classes. Pepperdine has a significant responsibility to understand the religious views of its students and how to better foster a community that is only 53% Christian. If religious trends continue to decline, then the University should eventually rethink its Christian affiliation altogether. nicole.witt@pepperdine.edu

Perspectives

Pepperdine is not an accurate reflection of the world Emily chase | staff writer

People attend college to prepare for the real world and to gain understanding on a global scale. Nonetheless, the statistical numbers of Pepperdine are slightly skewed when discussing prominent and universal issues. It begs the question: Is Pepperdine truly preparing students for the current climate and issue-prone society we live in? Pepperdine is but a small community in the grand scheme of things. Pepperdine is not fully representative of the world as a whole; it is ultimately just a bubble of warped data. The University has 7,961 students, merely .000001% of the world’s population. Therefore, no person can say Pepperdine is truly representative of the world as a whole. More specifically, issues at Pepperdine such as COVID-19 and mental health cannot provide a microscopic view of the world at large. Pepperdine students need to realize the effects of these issues differ greatly between them and others around the world. On the other hand, Pepperdine grapples with many of the same issues as the rest of the world. People across the globe are plagued with the effects of the pandemic, mental health, crime, racial tensions, diverging political opinions and many other problems — Pepperdine is no exception. COVID-19 numbers cannot be disputed. With 54.5 million cases globally, the world is wrestling with the spiraling health of its citizens. In spite

Madeline duvall | Art editorn of this, Pepperdine is hidden away in an ethereal beachside community. Consequently, as of Nov. 16, the University reported 77 total cases; 34 on campus and 43 off. Though this number may seem larger than expected, it is less than .01% of the entire Pepperdine community. With Pepperdine located in a somewhat isolated area, there is no way to fairly compare the global numbers with the college’s, as most students are likely not experiencing the chaos and destruction occurring in other parts of the globe. However, not all of the Pepperdine community resides on the Malibu campus. Another widespread pandemic is mental health. Thirteen percent of the world — or 987,220,000 people — suffer from mental health disturbances in 2020, medical professional Marissa Walsh said. In contrast, 44% of Pepper dine students the Graphic sur-

veryed answered yes to struggling with a mental health crisis while on campus. Of course the numbers will be inflated in a study such as this. College students struggle with mental health issues more than the average adult, so to say that Pepperdine is providing a reflection of the world’s mental health numbers is an overstatement. This inflation can give students a false sense of what is really going on numerically in the world and change their perception on the issue of mental health. Pepperdine is not a sample size of the world’s numbers — it is barely a minuscule slice. Earth has greater issues than Pepperdine could ever imagine or even begin to deal with. Pepperdine is a sequestered campus in a pristine coastal town within a bubble consisting of well-rounded college students who are mostly dealing with normal issues that every college-level young adult must

deal with. Pepperdine students need to see the bigger picture, observe the world around them and learn through experience. Students should use Pepperdine as a stepping stone into the gateway of true adulthood instead of exclusively relying on Pepperdine to illustrate what the real world is like. Quite simply, doing so would be irresponsible. Students must immerse themselves in settings located outside the campus borders and dip their toes into the choppy water of adulthood. Students should saturate themselves with the vast culture that is Los Angeles, break out of their comfort zone of Malibu and take a trip somewhere unknown. It could be as simple as getting in a car and driving wherever PCH leads, or getting an internship with a big-brand company that challenges them beyond all expectations. The minute numbers at Pepperdine cannot, have not and will not break students out of the bubble and prepare them for the intimidating whirlwind that is adulthood, so they must do this on their own. By breaking out of the Malibu bubble, students will be prepared to live a life of purpose, service and leadership with knowledge and consideration of the world around them.

EMILY.chase@pepperdine.edu

Perspectives

Pepperdine Must Take Further Action to Promote Diversity sahej basin | Staff Writer

Madeline Duvall | Art editor As the Pepperdine community remains uncertain regarding plans for the spring semester, students also question the Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitments to promoting diversity and equality. While Pepperdine has committed to fostering a unified

and diverse environment, more action must be taken to ensure students are heard in a predominately white university. Administrators must be willing to address concerns regarding racial inequality and implement new programs that appeal to all students from different back-

grounds. The University has remained in the shadows, failing to adequately respond to its lack of diversity. Diversity concerns stem from the past: When George Pepperdine College was founded in 1937, all of its 167 students

were white. Soon after, more students of color attended the University, but white students continued to dominate the school. In fall 2019, white students comprised 49% of Seaver Collegeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s student population, according to Seaver Collegeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Admission Fast Facts. Since the remaining percentage consists of several ethnic subdivisions that each account for less than 15%, white students dominate the total number of students. “African American enrollment increased until 2006, in which enrollment began to decline for both males and females,” according to Pepperdine’s Office of Institutional Effectiveness’ Annual Diversity Report. Even though diversity increased in small numbers among students, these increases are not substantial enough to claim Pepperdine is ethnically diverse. The white student population declined until 2014, when it simultaneously increased during the time in which the number of Black students enrolling decreased. Failing to encourage new methods of equality could result in students from certain ethnicities not feeling welcome at Pepperdine. Senior Manya Seth from New Delhi, India, said it was hard to find people to relate to at Pepperdine. “Being an international student is already a barrier when entering a new school in a different country,” Seth said. “But to be a Brown international student in a predominately white school makes it hard to communicate and relate to others.” Pepperdine’s students are not the only group lacking diversity, as its staff is also predominantly white. The OIE’s Annual Diversity Report found that in 2008, “88% of Pepperdine’s full-time instructional faculty were Caucasian/white, versus 78% in 2018.” “Having a diverse student body is one thing, but having diverse professors is another

important thing since you want them to understand our struggle of being students of color,” Seth said. Diversity in staff is critical because professors can better understand the struggles associated with being a student of color at Pepperdine. The Instagram account @blackatpepperdine highlights

nounced plans to expand efforts to address racial injustice and inequality in light of racist violence over the past several months. It seems Pepperdine is announcing these plans to simply fit in with the trends of combating racism toward people of color. These initiatives should not be intended to improve Pepperdine’s image but

Administrators must be willing to address concerns regarding racial inequality and implement new programs that appeal to all students from different backgrounds. Sahej Bhasin Staff Writer instances of professors discriminating against students of color at the University. A diverse faculty could make students feel more comfortable sharing ideas with their professors without fear of discrimination. Since professors have a significant impact on students’ education, they need to be both representative of the students and committed to racial equality. Pepperdine recently an-

to genuinely improve equality across Pepperdine’s community. Pepperdine must implement new strategies to appeal to students of color who wish to attend the University. These statistics may alarm students of color who may not feel well represented on campus. Recruiters should focus on targeting diverse communities around the world and offering new programs that foster com-

munity between students from different backgrounds. When analyzing Pepperdine’s history of racial conflicts, it is important for students to consider the administration’s response to these issues. The tragedy of Larry Kimmons’ murder and acts of discrimination documented on the Instagram account @blackatpepperdine are evidence of the University’s generational failure to condemn racism. This year and in the 1960s, Pepperdine demonstrated a despicable unwillingness to address serious issues concerning racism promptly and thoroughly. Stanford University, like other private institutions, has emphasized the importance of ethnically diverse students since its founding in 1891, when co-founder Jane Stanford’s mission was to “resist the tendency to the stratification of society, by keeping open an avenue.” The private university recently created the IDEAL project, which promises a more diverse experience, improving practices that foster inclusion and expanding opportunities to different communities around the world. Since Pepperdine has yet to deliver an inclusive space for all students, the University should implement similar strategies to promote equality. Moreover, these commitments should not be for the sake of publicity. Students of color are concerned about their lack of representation on campus; therefore, it is up to Pepperdine to ensure that all students feel welcome in an environment where diversity is not its strongest characteristic.

SAHEJ.BHASIN@pepperdine.edu

Life & Arts First-year students seek community while navigating online semester Sofia longo | life & arts assistant editor

photo courtesy of lidia qaladh photo courtesy of amani pearson

photo courtesy of hannah ethridge photo courtesy of ivan manriquez

New to Malibu | Biology major Lidia Qaladh (left) poses in her hometown of Arcadia, CA, for a Student Government Association photo this fall. Amani Pearson (right) smiles for her junior prom portrait in the spring of 2018 at Lakewood Country Club in Lakewood, Colo.

First-Year Faces| Communication Studies major Hannah Ethridge (left) poses with her varsity jacket to commemorate her high school graduation in May in Dallas, Texas. Political Science major Ivan Manriquez (right) enjoys a sunny October day in Morro Bay, CA.

First-year students are over halfway through navigating the first semester of Pepperdine remotely, and some are still struggling to connect with their class. Pepperdine’s enrollment rate dropped 3.5% in fall 2020 even though the University increased its admissions by 971 students. The biggest hurdle first-year students face this fall is building community. While some students have become involved at Pepperdine, others wait to participate in extracurriculars because of the online format. Campus involvement or not, students are ready to be on campus so they can truly connect with their classmates. “I wouldn’t really call it a community because, to me personally, calling it a community would mean that you have close friends,” first-year Lidia Qaladh said. First-Year Demographics Kristy Collins, dean of Enrollment Management at Pepperdine, wrote in an email Pepperdine increased its admissions to reach fall enrollment goals but was not specific with what the enrollment goals entailed and what influenced them. In fall 2019, Pepperdine admitted 4,241 students and enrolled 826 in comparison to the 5,212 students admitted and 832 enrolled for fall 2020. Collins said Pepperdine admitted some students from the waitlist for fall

2020, which accounted for a part of the admission increase. The University’s specific enrollment goals accounted for the rest of the increase. “Each year, we admit a different number of students based on enrollment targets,” Collins wrote in an email. “There can be significant fluctuations in the number of admitted students each year, based on a variety of reasons.” Even though Pepperdine’s enrollment rate decreased, the demographics of firstyear students remained similar. For both 2019 and 2020 admitted students, California, Texas, Colorado and Washington remained on the list of top-five states where students were from. The enrolled gender breakdown between males and females only changed by 1%, as males rose from 40% to 41% and females decreased from 60% to 59%. The top majors for the 2020 incoming class included Business Administration, Psychology and Biology. Campus Community and Involvement The online semester has caused a barrier for first-year students in connecting with each other, as many said they are unsure of their class demographics. Several first-year students said they feel partially or totally disconnected from their peers. Eighty percent of first-year students

polled revealed they felt only somewhat connected with their class, 33% of students answered they were not aware of their class demographics and 33% said they only knew their class to some extent, in an October Graphic survey of 24 students. Qaladh is from Arcadia, CA, and is majoring in Biology to become a pediatrician. She said building a community with her fellow classmates has been challenging despite her efforts to be involved. “It’s definitely made me feel excited to be on campus and to actually get to build that community with my professors and classmates,” Qaladh said. Qaladh is the freshman class president for the Student Government Association. She also works with Jumpstart, a volunteer organization that focuses on developing relationships with preschool children, and is a member of Beta Psi Omega, the professional science fraternity on campus. “[Getting involved] made talking to people easier and just connecting with them, even if it’s just over social media,” Qaladh said. First-year Amani Pearson said she has also gotten involved in the Pepperdine community this semester. She plans to become a physical therapist and is undecided about what she would like to major in. She is from Denver, Colo., and is a member of the Black Student Association and the Alpha Omega Westside

jaylene ramli | assistant photo editor Campus Ministry. “Especially as a freshman since I never knew anyone coming in — versus sophomores or juniors or seniors who made friends the previous years — [ joining] has definitely helped build friendships starting from nowhere,” Pearson said. Even with her campus involvement, Pearson said she doesn’t know much about her incoming class. From the students she has talked with, she feels the most are from California rather than out-of-state or international students. Pearson said it is important for first-year students to know who they are going to school with because they can better understand each other. Getting involved on campus, even online, helps to build this mutual community. “We can sympathize with each other better and grow those connections and work through our differences rather than avoid them or act like they’re not there,” Pearson said. Online Barriers On the other hand, for some students, becoming involved has proven difficult. Some don’t want to be spending more time on the computer or feel like they still are missing out because the experience is online. Ninety-two percent of students polled said they felt it has been harder to meet new people this semester; however, 54% said they were satisfied with their decision to attend

Pepperdine, in the Graphic survey. First-year Hannah Ethridge is from Dallas, Texas, and is majoring in Communication Studies. She said she plans to become an entrepreneur and create her own dance and fitness company in hopes of transforming it into a franchise. As a dancer, Ethridge wanted to join Dance in Flight but decided it would be too difficult rehearsing online at home with a house full of siblings. “It’s really sad because you’re going into your freshman year of college and you’re thinking, ‘I’m about to make all these new experiences [and] friends,’ but it was delayed,” Ethridge said. “It’s very hard to make connections.” Out of the five classes she is taking, Ethridge said she has made one good friend through a partner assignment. In another class, students created a group chat to help each other with homework and general questions. “That has broken down some of the barriers and gotten rid of some of the uncertainty between us,” Ethridge said. “It’s made the class more fun and exciting.” First-year Ivan Manriquez is a Political Science major from Fresno, CA, who said he hopes to attend law school. He also said he hasn’t gotten involved on campus yet because he feels a huge part is missing. Manriquez said his classmates look familiar from seeing their posts on the Pepperdine class of 2024 Instagram page, which is unaffiliated with the University, and the Malibu Reception app, which is a platform for first-year

students to connect. Qaladh and Ethridge also agreed the Instagram page helped form a perspective on who they are going to school with. “The idea of having a familiar face could mean that you know them, but I’ve only ever met three of them,” Manriquez said. “Everyone else is just a face on a screen.” Even though he hates being at home for the semester, Manriquez said he is still happy with his decision to attend Pepperdine because the energy he receives from his professors and peers is optimistic. “Even though we’re on a screen, I’m happy to be sharing a screen with these people,” Manriquez said.

sofia.longo@pepperdine.edu

Life & Arts

The Pepper-‘fine’ mindset affects students’ mental health alexa borstad | guest contributor

inez kim| design assistant Before COVID-19, colleges across the U.S. were already faced with rising levels of mental health challenges, according to Psychology Today, and Pepperdine is no exception. Despite exploring the backyards of celebrities or living out a real-life “Zoey 101” experience, many Pepperdine students struggle with their own mental health challenges. The three most difficult mental health experiences during the virtual semester have been loneliness, Zoom fatigue and depression and anxiety, according to an October Graphic survey of 25 Pepperdine students. “Coming into Pepperdine made me feel like I have to be all right, like I had to portray myself as, ‘I’m perfectly fine all the time,’” junior Sawa Yamakawa said. “My freshman year, I referred to Pepperdine as a ‘utopian dystopia.’” The Pepper-‘fine’ Mindset Many students refer to this phenomenon as the Pepper-“Fine” mindset. A colloquialism among students, the concept illustrates

students obsessed with portraying perfection, whether it be through attitude, appearance or social media. “There is this idea that you’re blessed to go to school in Malibu, but there can also be other underlying traumas that are happening at the same time in students’ personal lives,” said Emma Mattingly, senior and co-president of the Student Wellness Advisory Board. Although Pepperdine’s Malibu campus and its students often seem picture-perfect, this does not overshadow the growing rates of mental health issues among college students nationwide. Forty-four percent of those surveyed said they had experienced some form of a mental health crisis while on campus. Of those students who answered yes, 33% said the Pepperdine community did not know they suffered the crisis, according to the Graphic survey. “Pepperdine students are very driven,” said Stacey Lee Gobhir, the Health, Wellness & Resilience Education Program Coordinator. “I love that about them, but I wor-

ry about their mental, emotional, physical health because you can only be the best version of yourself if you take care of yourself.” Maintaining the Image While there are many positive aspects of social media, Mattingly said these platforms play a significant role in creating artificial pressures and unrealistic standards in students’ lives. “People have to put up this facade, or this alternate persona, to portray that everything’s fine, I’m good and my issues are not as bad as other people’s,” Mattingly said. “That’s not even just on Pepperdine campus — I think that happens everywhere.” Junior Mo Kay said social media and celebrity culture are other key contributors to the Pepper-“Fine” phenomenon. “I definitely see a difference between people from my high school that go to state schools or Midwest schools versus Pepperdine students’ Instagrams,” Kay said. “A lot of people are modeling their feeds off of celeb-

rities, and with the environment that we’re in, everyone is trying to show off that perfect sunset pic or a hike at the observatory.” Alumna, adjunct professor and on-campus yoga instructor Cecily Breeding (2010) said it is impossible for anyone to match their daily life to their social media projection. She said social media can become an undue burden for college students by creating negative mental feedback loops. Due to the virtual learning component of fall 2020, Gobhir said students need to pay attention to their mental diet — the consumption of different activities, images and thoughts — and limit their time on social media. “Being mindful of my mental diet allows me to realize when social media or the news is not serving me,” Gobhir said. “Social media is a serious, double-edged sword, and I feel like that has to be the largest factor for stress in college students.” Seeking Help The top presenting concerns for the 2019 –2020 academic year for Seaver undergraduate and graduate students were anxiety, general stress, academic stress, depression, career concerns and self-esteem, said Nivla Fitzpatrick, director of the Counseling Center. Fitzpatrick said while the Counseling Center’s attendance has been lower this semester due to state licensing restrictions, she expects a higher percentage of students will seek help and treatment from the various mental health resources upon the return to campus. Yamakawa, an international student ambassador, said international students in particular tend to struggle with seeking help for mental health-related issues. “Asian countries — we tend to avoid talking about mental health, because we grow up thinking that mental illness is a sign of weakness or something,” Yamakawa said. “It’s just rooted in our culture.” As an ambassador, Yamakawa said he hopes to encourage international students to take advantage of Pepperdine’s Counseling Center and other mental health resources. “It’s getting better because more conversations are being had among faculty and students,” Kay said. “Being a part of Gen Z, we’re very vocal about mental health on social media and in small friend groups because we’re growing up in a time where the conversation is expanding.” Although Fitzpatrick said word of mouth

was an important component of the Counseling Center’s success in an in-person environment, 60% of students polled were indifferent and 20% disagreed that the current mental health resources and information on Pepperdine’s website were helpful, according to the Graphic’s survey. Battling Loneliness Last year, 68% of Pepperdine students expressed they had “felt very lonely,” which was 3% higher than the national average, according to the National College Health Assessment Spring 2019 survey. Mattingly said Pepperdine’s abroad culture contributes to the high rates of loneliness on campus. Over 80% of Seaver students study abroad during their time at Pepperdine, making Pepperdine No. 2 in the nation for study abroad participation, according to Pepperdine’s website. “Taking a group during their second year of college and splitting them into so many different smaller groups definitely has an impact on the sense of loneliness at Pepperdine,” Mattingly said. Fitzpatrick said she believes Pepperdine students go through three different forms of the freshman year experience: the first on the Malibu campus, the second while abroad and the third being the readjustment to Malibu. Mattingly said the Student Wellness Advisory Board is continually trying to address Pepperdine’s loneliness problem, especially regarding the current virtual semester and the unforeseeable mode of instruction for future semesters. Moving Forward “I’m really optimistic because I feel like we’re being deprived of our nature to socialize,” Kay said. “Once we go back, everyone’s going to be eager to be back together, but some may be more reserved at first.” Despite never visiting Pepperdine’s campus and experiencing her first semester of Pepperdine online, first-year Anastasia Condolon said her first-year seminar class has weekly mental health check-ins and class discussions on how to be resilient during challenging times. Condolon said she is passionate about mental health and hopes to inspire others to seek happiness and feel comfortable in their own skin while at Pepperdine. While 89% of students are experiencing stress or anxiety as a result of COVID-19, two-thirds of students reported an increase

ally armstrong| Assistant art editor in supporting others with mental illnesses, according to a fall 2020 survey by Active Minds. “I definitely think we are moving in the right direction, and it’s really cool to see that students are coming into Pepperdine and knowing what they want to change about the climate of mental health,” Gobhir said. “Sometimes, it’s just peer-to-peer normalization, and those conversations are what really break down walls slowly but surely.” If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, call the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-2738255.

alexa.borstad@pepperdine.edu

Life & Arts Social media shapes Pepperdine influencers’ identities Rowan Toke | Life & Arts Editor Beth Gonzales | staff writer As Pepperdine social media influencers post their photoshoots, travel endeavors and brand deals, many said they gain an understanding of themselves through the art of the internet. Senior Integrated Marketing Communication major Hailey Serrano said she didn’t gain fame on TikTok until she started showing her true personality in her posts, which strengthened her self-confidence. “It’s going to sound so corny, but TikTok changed my life,” Serrano said. Confidence Serrano, who is from Montgomery, N.Y., said when she first downloaded TikTok, she focused on recreating TikTok dances, and she said she hid her individuality because she wasn’t comfortable being herself on the app. “One of the things that I’ve struggled with is being myself because I’m afraid that people are going to think my personality is annoying,” Serrano said. After months of posting videos without gaining followers, Serrano said she decided to commit to showing her authentic self. She started posting videos that combined acting, comedy and Christianity — three things she is passionate about — and quickly went viral. “[My TikTok is] spreading inspiration and happiness,” Serrano said. “It’s a little happy place.”

Before the fall 2020 semester, Serrano said she was focused on growing her following. Now, Serrano said she has 196.5K followers. Serrano said she pays less attention to her number of followers because of her classes at

pretty face,” Serrano said. Numbers

With the proximity of Pepperdine’s Malibu campus to Los Angeles, it is no surprise that some students who attend the University have large followings on social media platforms. Some of these students cite their status as influencers, and their large quantity of followers, as something that shaped their identity. Sophomore Screen Arts major Maddi Winter said it took her three years to find her niche on TikTok. She didn’t gain followers until she discovered her talent for animating using the paint tool on Adobe After Effects, and now she has an audience of 3.1 million users. “After the first video that I posted with paint, I just never wanted to stop,” Winter said. “I just kept going with it, and here I am right now.” Winter’s relationship with the numbers aspect of TikTok is different from Serrano’s. Unlike Serrano, Winter said checking her quantity of followers is not a routine activity for her. “Half the time, I don’t even notice, but my parents will text me and be like, ‘Happy 2.9 million,’” Winter said. Winter, however, said she madeline duvall | art editor bases the quality of her work too heavily on the number of Pepperdine. However, she is still aware of her ‘likes’ she receives. Her editing process often analytics, and her main goal is to expand. takes hours, with her longest edit time being “I think [my number of followers] means 30 hours for one video, and she said she bethe most to me because I started growing lieves the number of hours correlates to the when I started being myself as opposed to be- number of likes she receives. ing what I thought the world wanted — like a “I know that it’s supposed to be what

Photo Courtesy of hailey serrano Online Opportunities | Senior Hailey Serrano holds a Flyte Sport product, a faith-based sports brand she collaborates with. Serrano said she has 196.5k followers on TikTok. you want to post and what you’re passionate about, but if I don’t get like my regular amount of likes, I just assume that it’s not good content,” Winter said. Identity Even though she said gets nervous about what people think of her content when her engagement isn’t as high as usual, Winter said her relationship with her followers is more organic. Even so, her following on TikTok has shaped her identity, including changing her experiences and making her more secure in her interests. “I’d say the biggest thing that [my following] actually changed is that I’m just a lot more confident in who I am right now,” Winter said.

Photo Courtesy of Maddi winter Oceanside Smiles | Sophomore Maddi Winter smiles at a Florida beach in March. Winter said she frequently incorporates animation and dance in her TikToks.

Advertising major Chloe Boudames said she has a different perspective on how her social media presence shaped her identity. She started her Instagram profile when she was 15 and now has 43.6K followers. “It grew into people liking what I was posting and then me getting brand deals,” Boudames said. “It was snowballing.” Boudames, who is from Fremont, CA, has collaborated with over 400 companies, including Brandy Melville and Free People. She said these partnerships would not have been possible without her followers. Boudames said her popularity on social media helped shape her self-image. “[Social media] gave me confidence in my skills and abilities,” Boudames said. “It was a verification that I was actually good at what I loved doing.” Even though she is always focused on growing her platform, Boudames used to check her number of followers all the time when she was first growing; now she just checks once in a while. “No matter what your following size is, I think it’s always important to focus on your numbers,” Boudames said. Boudames said she believes her following on Instagram has changed how Pepperdine students view her, but she said identity and self-worth should not be derived from social media. Social media should only help strengthen identity and confidence. “I’ve always been a confident person, but it, in a way, verified it, like, ‘You are really good at making different outfits cool,’” Boudames said. Boudames said her following on Instagram has allowed her to accomplish many things, including creating her own magazine and getting invited to Coachella. She said she is most proud of her impact through social media, which still amazes her. “I find it crazy that so many people follow me and are fans of what I do,” Boudames wrote in a follow-up email. “Having my Instagram account has opened so many doors for me and has allowed me to do a lot of cool things that most people my age aren’t able to do.” Junior Venus Taillant-iles, Integrated Marketing Communication major, has 10K followers on Instagram and has a YouTube channel. She said she used to be much more diligent with checking her numbers every day but has become more lax on checking as she started to find interests in other aspects of her life. “I know a lot of people are trying to become influencers as a career, but I found a

photo Courtesy of Chloe boudames Picture Perfect | Senior Chloe Boudames poses during a Rag Doll Palace photoshoot in Los Angeles. Boudames said her Instagram presence has given her collaborations. passion for other things; it is more of a hobby,” Taillant-iles said. Even though she sometimes debates deleting her social media, Taillant-iles said she sees the value of having an Instagram account because it serves as a modern-day resume. She also said she appreciates meeting people online, as she is a transfer student and has never been on campus. “I have met a lot of friends through social media, and that is what I really value because friendships mean a lot to me,” Taillant-iles said. Taillant-iles said her following on Instagram has given her many opportunities, including sponsorship from SugarBearHair. “At the end of the day, it’s just more about what you actually experience,” Taillant-iles rowan.toke@pepperdine.edu said. beth.gonzales@pepperidne.edu

Photo Courtesy of venus Taillant-iles Smize | Junior Venus Taillant-iles relaxes at the Garza Blanca Resort in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, in June 2019. She posts lifestyle, travel and fashion pictures on Instagram.

Life & Arts Students engage with faith within Christian majority Ashley Mowreader | News Editor Sam torre | Life & Arts assistant

gabby digiovanni | artist Pepperdine, since its founding in 1937, has remained rooted in its Christian mission to hold students to high academic excellence and Christian values. Over the years, Pepperdine students and faculty have diversified in spiritual beliefs, creating more inclusive spaces for interfaith conversations. In Pepperdine’s At A Glance admission statistics, 53% of Seaver students identify as Christian and 40% do not identify with a religious group. For the remaining 7% of students, finding a supportive religious community can be a challenge, and some students said they find themselves pushed to reexamine their faith in a Christian context. “It’s a unique person who decides to come to a Christian University who’s not a Christian,” Chaplain Sara Barton said. “Usually they’re adventurous and open and many times well-traveled, and so they’re always very interesting people and really great conversation partners.” Church of Christ Roots George Pepperdine, the University’s founder, was a life-long Church of Christ member. When he founded the school in 1937, there were no official ties to the Churches of Christ. It wasn’t until William Banowsky served as Pepperdine’s president from 1968

to 1978 that much of the official ties grew between the University and the Churches of Christ, which included Pepperdine being recognized as a Church of Christ school. From 1998 to 2008, approximately 18% –20% of students were affiliated with the Churches of Christ, according to a 2018 article by the Graphic. The number of students has since diminished, with 11% of students affiliated with CoC in fall 2011 and 8% in 2019, according to the Office of Institutional Effectiveness’ Fall Enrollment Census. Pepperdine’s Focus on Interfaith Though Pepperdine is intimately connected to the Churches of Christ and the University Church of Christ church on the Malibu campus, Pepperdine also ministers to students outside the traditional CoC or Christian background. Barton is a leader in the Spiritual Life Division at Pepperdine, and she said her role is to tend to the spiritual life of the community and the lives of its individuals. “It’s extremely important to me that students of all faiths would feel comfortable to come to me as their chaplain,” Barton said. When having interfaith conversations, Barton said she works from her own faith background.

“My students who are of other faiths and are here at Pepperdine are in the minority, and they have taught me a lot about courage of conviction, of what it means to be a good listener in a place where you’re a minority, so I want to be a good listener back to them,” Barton said. One way she demonstrates this at Pepperdine is by using inclusive language when speaking at convocation or other Pepperdine spiritual life events, Barton said. “I don’t use the word ‘we’ in reference to a shared faith when I am speaking to a group of people who are not all Christians because that would not be respectful,” Barton said. The Chaplain’s Office has also aimed to create programming that allows for spiritual and interfaith discourse. One example is Table Talk events, which the Chaplain’s Office hosted for four years. The events took place in the Caf, with all tables arranged in a circle around a table of panelists who would discuss difficult subjects related to faith, including gender, sexuality and politics. Rabbi Ari Schwarzberg — Pepperdine’s rabbi in residence since 2016 — began working at Pepperdine after President Emeritus Andrew K. Benton conducted a student survey and found Jewish students were lacking support. Now, Schwarzberg works in association with the Diane and Guilford Glazer In-

stitute for Jewish Studies, providing weekly club convocation events and introductory levels of Judaisim programming. “The way I think about it is, ‘How can I introduce Judaism to Pepperdine students?’” Schwarzberg said. “Most of, but not all, the Jewish students that come to Pepperdine are not students that have a deep and extensive background in Judaism.” Schwarzberg said he teaches Jewish ideas in an interfaith context, focusing on Jewish ideals, texts and themes, and works as a liaison for students interested in Judaism.

“

It’s extremely important to me that students of all faiths would feel comfortable to come to me as their Chaplain. Sara Barton Chaplain “I have such respect for the Christian faith in general but certainly a lot of respect at Pepperdine, and I’m forever grateful that Pepperdine is open to having me as part of its staff,” Schwarzberg said. “It’s very helpful for students, whether they’re Jewish or not, to be involved in a Jewish conversation — either in contrast but much, much more often in comparison, with the Christian faith.” Student Perspectives Aaron Kramer, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, attended Pepperdine his first year in 2018 and is now on a mission trip, a tradition for young adults in his faith, with plans to return to Pepperdine after his mission. He said attending Pepperdine allowed him to see a different side of his faith. “Being a minority in terms of what I believed really helps me to reidentify and reevaluate the things I believed in and why I believe them,” Kramer said.

Kramer said he chose to attend Pepperdine because he wanted a deeper understanding of his personal faith. “I felt like if I went to an atmosphere that was predominantly already what I believed in then I would have to look back at myself and say, ‘Do I really actually believe these things or just because this is the atmosphere I have been in all my life?’” Kramer said. Amy Jicha, Interfaith Council president and third-year law student at the Caruso School of Law, is also a Christian. After attending public school for the majority of her educational career, she said she chose Pepperdine because it allowed her to tie her faith to law and have conversations with her faculty and peers about that intersection. “There is a unique partnership between the law and faith or religion because it’s almost obvious that a lot of where we get our ideas of justice, forgiveness and advocacy for others comes from either our personal beliefs or the system that we’ve grown up in,” Jircha said. In an October Graphic survey, Seaver students indicated a change between the faith they entered college with and their faith now. There was a 4% decrease in those who were members of the Church of Christ going from 44% to 40% of students surveyed. Additionally, there was an increase in students who stated they were now unsure about their faith. Impact of Convo and Religion Courses Survey respondents also indicated mixed feelings about the effects of convocation and their change in religious beliefs while at Pepperdine. Forty-eight percent of students polled said Pepperdine’s convocation classes have changed their view on spirituality, while 40% said their religious views remained unchanged. Kramer said he engaged in compelling religious conversations at Pepperdine in both convocation and his Religion classes, which allowed his faith to grow. “It allowed me to think critically about my beliefs and see other people’s views and appreciate other perspectives,” Kramer said. “It helped me become more compassionate and more understanding of other people’s views.” Unlike Kramer, junior Rachel Lando said convocation did not have a large impact on her faith; however, she has experienced spiritual growth through both the community and religion classes. “They challenge your faith, and they forced you to dive into your own research and come to your own conclusions,” Lando

said. “You’re at college by yourself here inthis new world, so developing a faith is something that was important for me to lean on.” Nearly 70% of students surveyed indicated they agreed that Pepperdine has impacted their religious beliefs, and 13% strongly agreed on this impact. However, only 47% of students stated Pepperdine affirmed their religious beliefs. Challenges of a Christian University While Pepperdine encourages students to explore their faith in whatever way they choose, students from a minority faith group face difficulties in practicing their religion. Schwarzberg said his biggest challenge in ministering to Jewish Pepperdine students has been finding them. Pepperdine does not share which students belong to specific religious groups. In the OIE’s 2019 Fall Enrollment Census, 169 students identified as part of the Jewish religious community, ranking fifth in student affiliations but falling at 3% of the total. Challenges for Jewish students at Pepperdine are more ceremonially rooted with a lack of a space to perform ritual activities — especially those tied to the Sabbath, Schwarzberg said. For Muslim students on campus, Barton said there have been challenges for them in practicing at Pepperdine. The now inactive Muslim Student Association had troubles getting started due to the small Muslim student population on campus and the number of members required to start the club. Muslims also practice Friday prayer, which can be difficult to attend in Malibu because there are few mosques in the area. Some groups lack an official community entirely, including Hindu, Buddhist, Orthodox Christian and Mormon students. Each of these groups represents only 1% of the student population on campus, according to an Office of Institutional Effectiveness census. “That’s a barrier — not being in a community, being in the Malibu community or being in the Pepperdine community where it might be a distance to have those [religious] experiences,” Barton said.

ASHL EY.M OW R EADER @PEPPER DINE.EDU SAM ANTHA.TOR R E@PEPPER DINE.EDU

Life & Arts Long-term relationships thrive at Pepperdine Christin Karr | Life & Arts Assistant Pepperdine is a unique environment for relationships given the Christian nature of the University that inspires serious, often life-long relationships among students. Many find Pepperdine conducive to longterm relationships, but Kelly Haer, director of Relationship IQ, said it’s not always conducive to casual dating. Haer said the smaller community of Pepperdine often creates a fishbowl effect where students feel they are being watched. This sense of scrutiny often makes casual dating a rarity. “In a Christian environment, people feel a greater sense of pressure with the ‘Ring by Spring’ culture — to be engaged by spring of senior year — and that can accelerate relationships,” Haer said. “You end up with an environment where you have fewer casual dating relationships and more serious, focused relationships.” Haer said she believes romantic relationships could be more challenging given Pepperdine’s small community. Chaplain Sara Barton wrote in an email that weddings are no longer permitted at Pepperdine as of 2019, but they used to be numerous. There were as many as 83 weddings at Pepperdine from 2001 to 2002. The number of yearly weddings on campus remained relatively stable until 2011, when they began to drop to an average of 13 weddings per year. Twelve percent of Seaver students polled said they met their significant other at Pepperdine with only 36% stating they were in a relationship, in an October Graphic survey with 25 participants. Thirty-two percent said they had marriage plans in the future, and 68% said they believed students met their significant others at Pepperdine. Alumna Elizabeth Hanley (2018) said she met her long-term boyfriend, alumnus Justin Lew (2018), while working as an intern

for Relationship IQ. Lew said before he met Hanley, he was quite pessimistic about relationships at Pepperdine. He worked closely with Hanley on Relationship IQ projects, which sparked his interest in creating a closer relationship with her. “There’s more to Elizabeth than I knew, and I wanted to know her more deeply than just the surface-level friendship,” Lew said. Hanley said she liked Lew, but she placed

said they were friends before they began dating for five years, and they married four years after graduation. “We just celebrated 17 years together this year,” Nicholas Sage said. “We have a son who’s going to be 14 this week, and then we have a daughter who’s 11.” Casey Sage said she and her husband are heavily involved in activities at their kids’ schools. They believe in strong family connections built through healthy relationships and involvement in family life. Junior Katie Thompson met her girlfriend — junior Samantha Miller, a staff artist for the Graphic — in sixth grade in McKinney, Texas, where they both grew up. Thompson said they became close friends throughout high school, and then senior year, they began dating. Miller said she originally started college at Brigham Young University as Thompson began at Pepperdine. “BYU is not welcoming of their LGBT community at all; it is in fact an expellable offense,” Miller said. Miller said the expellable offense of being LGBTQ+ at BYU was a deciding factor that led to Miller’s transfer to Pepperdine. She said she also wanted to be closer to Thompson, and her transfer to Leah bae | artist Pepperdine has only strengthened their relationship. him in the friend zone, turning him down “Everything’s been more conducive than when he asked her out. Despite not wanting BYU,” Thompson said. “It’s just a different to date him, she did want to remain friends. culture, and even if Pepperdine isn’t perfect “I was fine with that,” Lew said. “I actually as far as acceptance, I think we’ve had a lot wanted to get to know her even though she more anxiety with either of our families than wasn’t interested.” Pepperdine.” Hanley said as their friendship grew stronThompson said while Pepperdine has a ger, her resolve to keep him in the friend zone long way to go with acceptance of LGBTQ+ weakened and they eventually started dating. relationships, it has also made positive progThey have now been happily dating for three ress. Hanley said Pepperdine is such a loving years. Christian environment that it naturally beAlumni Nicholas (1999) and Casey (1999) comes favorable to all types of relationships. Sage met at Pepperdine in 1997. Casey Sage CHRISTIN.KARR@PEPPERDINE.EDU

Life & Arts

claire lee | staff writer

Ali Levens | Photo Editor

Life & Arts Interest in Greek life stays strong during COVID-19 Natalie Hardt | News Assistant Jessica Wang | Life & Arts Assistant

gabby digiovanni | artist With approximately 25% of students affiliated with Greek organizations, Greek life is one of the highlights of student life at Pepperdine. Pepperdine Greek organizations have a typical number of members this semester despite changes in the Recruitment process, dues and membership experience as a result of COVID-19. Panhellenic Conference sororities have an average-sized new member class, while fraternities delayed Recruitment to the spring. “We’re all yearning for any sense of normalcy,” Kappa Alpha Theta President Ally Richards said. “There’s something that feels normal for freshmen coming in about ‘I’m going to college. I’m going to rush a sorority.’”

Overview of Greek Life at Pepperdine Pepperdine has seven National Panhellenic Conference sororities, four Interfraternity Council fraternities and two historically Black National Pan-Hellenic Council organizations. Greek Life Adviser Allison Green said the number of students associated with Greek life has stayed consistent since 2015, with between 800–850 students, which breaks down to about 550–600 women in sororities and 250 men in fraternities. This semester, 783 students affiliate with Greek life — 573 women and 210 men. Junior Penny Devlin, executive vice president of the Pepperdine Panhellenic Council, said several students drop out of Greek life

anually. She said frequent reasons include time management issues or financial difficulties. Richards said two or three people may drop out of Theta in a typical year. If there is an unusually high number of people who drop, it signals a problem in the sorority or fraternity that must be addressed. Recruitment In Past Years Junior Josh Leow, IFC vice president of Recruitment and Marketing, said Recruitment is a big part of fraternity life and one of the highlights of the semester. Green said usually 150–200 potential new members sign up for IFC Recruitment and IFC typically extends 90–110 bids.

A lot of students attend IFC Recruitment to meet new people rather than with the intent of joining a fraternity, Green said. There is, however, only a small drop of around 10–20 PNMs once the more serious nights of Recruitment — such as interview night and preference night — occur. During Panhellenic Recruitment, about 270–300 PNMs typically sign up, with around 170 receiving bids. Green said the Panhellenic Council ensures there is an equitable number of new members across the seven sororities on campus. “[Parity is] one of our national values within the national Panhellenic Conference,” Green said. “We don’t think it is as fair for one chapter to be 120 and one chapter to be 50. So the whole process helps regulate numbers so everyone has a similar new member class size.” Generally, PNMs are predominantly firstyear students across both sororities and fraternities, Green said. She said in a typical year, there is usually a significant number of both sophomores and juniors and approximately one to four seniors. This semester, Green said, sororities extended bids to 115 first-year students, 29 sophomores, 30 juniors and one senior. Many first-year students admitted for the spring semester wait until their sophomore year to attend Recruitment, Green said. Sophomores who didn’t go abroad often attend recruitment to try to form new connections in Malibu. Juniors often rush after returning from abroad. Panhellenic Recruitment during COVID-19 This year, Green said 232 women signed up for Recruitment — significantly less than previous years. Richards said she was shocked by the number of people who signed up for Recruitment this year, considering the online format. She thinks the desire for community and the typical college experience motivated women to attend Recruitment. Green said she thinks the lack of in-person pre-Recruitment events and visual cues like tabling and posters contributed to the lower number of attendees. Additionally, fewer women joined Recruitment because there was a lack of social pressure from friends or suitemates. Retention throughout the process was, however, significantly higher than previous years: 175 women received bids of the 232 attendees — a number of bids on par with typ-

Melissa locke Locke|| lead melissa lead designer designer ical years that have higher initial attendance. Green said she thinks more women completed the Recruitment process because only those who were more serious about joining signed up for Recruitment. How COVID-19 Affects Greek Life IFC was beginning the process of bringing a new fraternity to campus in March, Leow said. It was, however, unable to follow through with its plans due to complications arising from COVID-19. Green said Greek life members pay two kinds of dues: local chapter dues and national dues to headquarters. Chapter dues are typically for chapter activities, apparel and operational costs, while national dues are

required to keep the chapter’s charter active. Green said most Greek organizations on campus have reduced local dues this year while keeping national dues the same to maintain their charters. Sigma Phi Epsilon President Misha Semenov said the lack of social events was a primary motivation behind SigEp reducing dues. “If [dues were] the same, then I honestly wouldn’t even be here right now,” Semenov said. “You take our formals, you take out date night, any merchandise, and the bro retreat is out of the question — there’s no point in paying however much we paid.” NATAL IE.HAR DT@PEPPER DINE.EDU JESSIC A.WANG@PEPPER DINE.EDU

Sports

Title IX and collegiate sports: Helpful or harmful? Taylor gather | staff writer

The creation of the Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 gave female collegiate athletes more opportunities to compete, matching their male counterparts. While this prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex by increasing the number of women playing at the intercollegiate level, its application may not truly level the playing field. “Though we still have a long way to go, Title IX has increased the involvement of women in sports,” freshman basketball player Isabel Montoya wrote in an email. “Every day is a battle when being an athlete. I wish we had more support, but I believe we are moving in the right direction from changing ‘female athlete’ to just an ‘athlete.’ That would be big.” Assistant Director of Athletics Roger Horne wrote in an email that all scholarships — except Men’s and Women’s Cross Country and Track and Women’s Swim and Dive — are fully funded. Women’s Cross Country and Track offers only 8% of a full scholarship total, Horne said, while Pepperdine uses designated scholarships from donors and therefore doesn’t have a set percentage for Swim and Dive. This, coupled with the department’s average spending per athlete, makes these two teams the most underfunded on campus. Title IX Background While Title IX is still highly debated, it has given female athletes the ability to compete in greater numbers since its creation 49 years ago. Former President Richard Nixon signed Title IX of the Education Amendments into law on June 23, 1972. The law states, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal finance assistance.”

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Though we still have a long way to go, Title IX has increased the involvement of women in sports. Every day is a battle when being an athlete. I wish we had more support, but I believe we are moving in the right direction from changing ‘female athlete’ to just an ‘athlete.’ Isabel Montoya Pepperdine Point Guard Since its inception, more women have received scholarship opportunities to pursue their sport, requiring schools to have the

same ratio of female student-athletes as female students. The amount of women competing at the collegiate level has increased 545% from 1972 to 2016, according to the Women’s Sports Foundation website. There are over 10,000 athletic scholarships awarded to female college athletes each year. Montoya wrote that Title IX not only tackles gender discrimination in sports but also gives athletes like herself more exposure on the court. “I think Title IX has definitely been effective in the women’s game of basketball,” Montoya wrote. “It has projected not only more opportunity, but more light for female athletes like myself. Though we still have a long way to go, Title IX has most definitely increased the involvement of women in sports. Without involvement, we can’t have recognition, which most definitely facilitates the empowerment of us females off the court.” Discrepancy and Application at Pepperdine Within Pepperdine Athletics, 17 teams are comprised of a total of 313 student-athletes, Horne wrote in an email. Athletics-related student aid for the 2018–2019 athletic year for men’s teams was $3,671,261 and women’s teams was $5,095,296, totaling $8,766,557. The Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act report also shows a total of 208 female student-athletes to the total of 152 male student-athletes for the 2018-2019 athletic year, according to Pepperdine’s most-recently published EADA. Along with a rise in women’s participation rates and scholarships, Title IX requires equal treatment of both male and female student-athletes. This is in regard to equipment and supplies, game and practice time scheduling, travel and daily allowance, access to tutoring, coaching, locker rooms, practice and competitive facilities, medical and miscellaneous services, housing and

Ali Ali Levens Levens || Photo Photo editor editor

dining facilities, publicity and promotions and support services and recruitment of student-athletes, according to the NCAA website. Montoya wrote she recounts when Coach Kristen Dowling offered her a spot on the team, which allowed her to not only continue playing basketball but take her education to the next level. “I didn’t say anything and Coach Kristen [Dowling] kept asking me, ‘Are you there?’ but I couldn’t speak because I was crying so much,” Montoya wrote. “It was a whirlwind of emotions. Grateful. Blessed. And honored. The coaches took a chance on me, and I’ll always be thankful for it. They changed my and my family’s life forever.” Although many women have benefited from Title IX law and accompanying policy, the debate to its true effectiveness is far from over. Gender discrimination among collegiate sports continues to run rampant on campuses nationwide, according to the Athletics Scholarships website. Despite female students making up 53% of the total population of Division I colleges, athletic departments spend only 36% of overall athletic operation budgets and 32%

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When I joined the team as a freshman, I was told the team previously was going to be cut and that our coach saved the program in exchange for no scholarship. Trinity Ishikawa Pepperdine Swimmer

of recruiting money on women. It is estimated that men receive $133 million more per year than women in athletic scholarships for Division I sports, according to the Athletic Scholarships website. Pepperdine is not exempt from these fallbacks. The 2018–2019 EADA shows higher recruiting expenses of $248,633 for men’s teams, while the women’s teams recruiting expenses totaled $150,078, despite having more female athletes. Pepperdine’s men’s teams also have greater total team expenses of over $9.6 million, more than the women’s total of about $8.6 million in team expenses. Student-athletes aren’t the only ones experiencing discrepancy in funding. Pepperdine’s men’s team head coaches make $621,240 more in total salary than women’s team coaches. Women’s team assistant coaches make even less than men’s team coaches, with over a $1 million total difference. There are eight head coaches for Pepperdine’s men’s teams who make about $193,000 on average. There are also eight head coaches for women’s teams who make $115,000 on average. The 13 men’s team assistant coaches make approximately $143,000 on average, while the 13 women’s teams assistant coaches make $64,000 on average. Title IX has not only impacted women’s athletics but can also be destructive to male student-athletes, according to the Growth Equation website. To accommodate Title IX’s requirement that the ratio of male to female student-athletes mirrors that of male to female students at the school, several schools find justification in cutting men’s programs. Schools also cut men’s programs for financial reasons, under the guise of Title IX’s equality guidelines, according to the Growth Equation website. Experience of an Underfunded Team at Pepperdine After the 2019–2020 investigation and eventual departure of former Women’s Swim and Dive Coach Joe Spahn, the team received more attention than ever, but it wasn’t enough to get the team fully-funded scholarships, senior swimmer Trinity Ishikawa said. Ishikawa swam as a Wave for the past three seasons. During her junior year, she earned All-Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive Conference First Team in the 400-yard

medley relay and 100-yard butterfly and second-team honors in the 100-yard backstroke and 200-yard backstroke. Ishikawa said while she was informed early that she would receive little scholarship money, she wanted to continue to compete at the collegiate level. “When I joined the team as a freshman, I was told the team previously was going to be cut and that our coach saved the program in exchange for no scholarship,” Ishikawa said. “I was already made aware that we weren’t receiving anything. That did kind of skew me into coming to the school, but I really wanted to stay in California.” Undeterred by the minimal financial aid, Ishikawa said many potential recruits choose not to attend Pepperdine because of the tuition price and scholarship. “It’s really discouraging to oncoming recruits,” Ishikawa said. “They decide not to come to Pepperdine because of the whole tuition thing and how they can’t really get any financial aid through athletics, because that’s what a lot of athletes rely on coming into any university.” While the team continues to persevere, Ishikawa said it’s disheartening to see the men’s teams get more amenities than she has received over the course of four years. “It’s really discouraging when you see a lot of the men’s teams have full rides and we have the same amount of people on our team; we work just as hard,” Ishikawa said. “Even in the treatment, especially after practices. We usually see a lot of teams getting food delivered or snacks after training, and I’ve never gotten that the entire time I’ve swam.” Ishikawa said she hopes Pepperdine Athletics will do their part in encouraging students to go to meets, like they do so with other teams on campus. “We’ve gotten more media attention this past year but obviously not for the right reasons,” Ishikawa said. “There are times even at Wednesday convo where they would say congrats to all these teams and just completely leave us out, leave golf out or the smaller teams out. Nothing is happening right now, but when we used to have meets on campus, it was just the team trying to get people to come to the pool.”

tayl or .gather @pepper dine.edu

Sports Pepperdine Athletics: Waves stack up to larger SoCal schools austin hall | staff writer Pepperdine Athletics stacks up admirably compared to conference schools and the most athletically talented in Southern California. To better understand the data taken from Pepperdine and various in-state schools, it’s important to break it down by category. The first category is athletic participation. This details number of teams and the number of student-athletes by sport and gender. This also includes scholarships given by the school. Second, there is coaching data and salaries: the number of coaches that schools employ per team and how much money they make on average. The last category is not a comparison but a look at Pepperdine’s international student-athlete numbers by sport and gender. Athletic Participation Pepperdine will be compared to the West Coast Conference’s Loyola Marymount University, The Big West’s University of California, Santa Barbara and University of Southern California from the Pac-12. Pepperdine has 313 students on active rosters. LMU, a WCC rival less than 20 miles from Pepperdine’s campus, has roughly 427 student-athletes. The number can’t be taken as exact for LMU or the three other schools, as the data is from 2018. LMU’s undergraduate enrollment does not explain their significantly higher number of student-athletes. While their 6,400 far exceeds Pepperdine’s 3,333, they roughly have the same number of teams. The Waves have eight men’s teams and nine women’s teams. The Lions have nine men’s teams and eleven women’s teams, offering men’s soccer, women’s softball and women’s rowing — none of which Pepperdine offers. These numbers are put into perspective when you look at USC. Their undergraduate total is over 20,000 and they had 623 student-athletes in 2018 — 300 or more in both men’s and women’s sports. Even with a larger school, USC’s number of student athletes is notable considering they have nine men’s teams and 12 women’s teams. The three women’s teams the Trojans offer that the Waves do not are rowing, lacrosse and water polo.

Ali Levens | Photo editor About a third of USC’s male student-athletes are on one team: football. In 2018, there were 107 players on their official roster. In 2020, the number is 113. UCSB also has a high numbers of student-athletes on their rosters, especially for a Big West university that doesn’t have a football team. UCSB’s undergraduate enrollment is 23,349. Other than Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and University of California Riverside, it’s the lowest in the Big West Conference by a sizable margin. Their athletics numbers are more comparable to USC’s than Pepperdine or LMU. They have roughly 569 student-athletes. There are 291 male athletes and 278 female athletes — the closest number of all four schools. Many schools have more female students and student-athletes due to the Title IX enrollment ratio that “protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance,” according to Allan Hancock College.

UCSB is the only team out of the four schools that has more male athletes than female, largely because they have one additional men’s team. Horne and the athletic department also provided scholarship information for all programs. The NCAA awards approximately $3.5 billion in national athletics scholarships each year. Pepperdine is fully funded in all sports except Men’s and Women’s Cross Country, which have 2.27 and 0.08 designated scholarships, respectively, and Women’s Swim and Dive. Swim and Dive’s scholarships come from donors and do not have a set percentage. Women’s Basketball has the most scholarships with 15 and Women’s Soccer has 14. Men’s Basketball headlines the male sports with 13 scholarships. Men’s Tennis, Golf, Volleyball and Water Polo all have 4.5 to divide as they see fit. To round out scholarships with the remaining women’s sports; Volleyball has 12, Tennis has eight, Golf has six.

Ali Levens | Photo editor

Between the four universities, Pepperdine, LMU and USC all have six full-time head coaches for male sports. UCSB is close with seven. Pepperdine also has six full-time female head coaches, while USC has five, and LMU and UCSB have four. Coaching Data and Salaries Salary is another part of the coach breakdown and further separates USC. The average salary for male head coaches is $193,000 at Pepperdine, $130,813 at LMU and $126,220 at UCSB. For the Trojans, it’s a different story, as the average salary for male head coaches is $1,116,669. It can be inferred the average is ramped up by USC’s head football and basketball coach: Clay Helton and Andy Enfield, respectively. As a private university, USC is not required to give official salaries of individual employees. A tax return from the 2017–2018 fiscal year showed that Helton made $3.2 million and Enfield made $2.8 million. Head coaches for women’s teams get paid less across the four schools. Pepperdine, LMU and UCSB have six males as head coaches of women’s teams while USC has eight. Pepperdine also has four women serving as the head coach for five women’s teams, as Sylvia Mosqueda coaches Women’s Cross Country and Women’s Track. USC and LMU have five and UCSB has four. Across the four schools, Mosqueda and Caryl Smith-Gilbert, the director of Track and Field at USC, are the only female head coaches of men’s teams. Mosqueda also coaches Pepperdine Men’s Cross Country and Track. The average salary of both men and women serving as head coaches for women’s teams is as follows: $157,268 at USC, $115,380 at Pepperdine, $79,966 at LMU and $73,007 at UCSB. The last look into Pepperdine Athletics is by nationality. Out of the 313 student-athletes, 28 are international, roughly 9%. This includes players born outside the U.S., but played some or all of their prep careers in the states. Women’s teams make up 13 of the international players, with Tennis having the most on the team with five out of nine. The NCAA estimates 20,000 international students-athletes currently competing for U.S. schools. For men’s sports, Tennis also has over half their roster from other countries, with seven of nine. Men’s Basketball is close behind, as five of their 16 players are international and all five are from different countries.

Ali Levens | Photo editor

A ustin. ha ll@ pe ppe r dine . e du

Sports karl winter | sports editor

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Sports College athletics win and lose big Justin touhey | sports assistant The Pepperdine University athletic department is composed of a few hundred student-athletes who compete in various sports, all with different financial means and expenses. The maintenance of Pepperdine Athletics costs a few million dollars per year, and each team has different financial resources. It is one of the largest costs Pepperdine undertakes per year. Pepperdine is a Division I institution that does not have football, so the biggest expense and potential source of revenue is the men’s basketball team. The total operating expenses of the men’s basketball team are $973,890, almost $600,000 more than any other athletic team at Pepperdine as of 2019, according to the Equity in Athletics Data Analysis report. The next most expensive sport is baseball, with its expenses reaching $376,866. The least-expensive sports are Men’s and Women’s Cross Country and Track, with its totaling operating expenses reaching $51,404. Pepperdine Athletics’ total revenue for all sports is $23,609,320, and Men’s and Women’s Basketball make up close to one fourth of that revenue. Recruiting expenses are $398,711, with the men’s recruiting at $248,633 and the women’s at $150,078. Pepperdine Athletics remains in compliance with Title IX and NCAA regulations by having the ratio of male and female student-athletes the same as the student population of males and females enrolled at Pepperdine, according to the NCAA. Pepperdine’s male student population is 42% and Pepperdine’s female student population is 58%, which is the same ratio for student-athletes in athletics. Women’s teams receive $5,095,296 in athletic-related student aid and the men’s teams receive $3,671,261.

Women’s sports at Pepperdine receive more funding because of Title IX, which measures individual athletes participation based on gender instead of the number of male and female teams at Pepperdine. The NCAA establishes a maximum number of scholarships for each sport. The scholarships vary in number and athletic aid depending on the institution. Programs are either fully funded, partially funded or receive no funding. “At Pepperdine, men’s and women’s basketball, women’s tennis, and women’s volleyball offer full scholarships. The remaining sports offer partial scholarships. All sports scholarships except men’s and women’s cross country/track and women’s swim and dive are fully funded,” wrote the Assistant Director of Athletics Roger Horne in an email. Inherent Value of Intercollegiate Athletics The value of a student-athlete not only enhances an institution’s ability to bring in revenue, but it can also offer an advantage when applying for jobs. Employers view college athletes to be goal-oriented, hardworking and self-confident, according to an article from USA Today. Student-athletes are also more likely to graduate from their institution than non-ath-

letes. The NCAA Division I graduation rate was 89% in 2019, which was the highest it has ever been, according to the NCAA. While the idea of playing the sport an athlete loves and receiving an education for a significant discount is appealing, the NCAA structure, from a business perspective, has changed dramatically from when it was founded in 1906. The NCAA is a non-profit its mission is to equip student-athletes to succeed in every area of life. The evolution of college sports from a small governing body to a corporate entity has been a slow but steady process. Amateurism and Intercollegiate Athletics as a Business College sports is now a multibillion-dollar business. Every year, the NCAA generates around $7.6 billion in revenue, according to an article from the Conversation. Broadcast rights and marketing deals have changed the dynamic of college sports, as more institutions can spend more money on athletic aid, facilities, recruits and travel expenses. The biggest televised college sporting event is the Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, known as March Madness. March Madness generates $821.4 million in

ali levens | photo editor

marketing and television rights and $129.4 million in championship ticket sales, according to an article from Zacks Investing. However, football garners more revenue than the next 35 other sports combined at Division I schools. On average, football brings in $31.9 million in revenue per year for the NCAA, while men’s basketball — the second-highest grossing sport — comes in second at $8.1 million per year for the NCAA. 65 of the 350 Division 1 schools in the NCAA are responsible for this revenue, which is fewer than 3% of Division I institutions. The 65 schools make this revenue from their men’s basketball and football programs. Schools like the University of Texas generated $182 million in 2016, and the top 20 programs in the NCAA have generated revenues over $100 million per year from 2016 to 2019. Despite these sums, the term “amateurism” defines student-athletes. While they are responsible for the product on the court or the field, they cannot profit off their talent or social status until they are out of the NCAA system. Multibillion-dollar corporations like apparel companies and broadcasting companies are stakeholders in the business of the NCAA. What happens in college sports affects their company’s operations and potential profit. Zion Williamson was the number one pick in the 2019 NBA draft, and he played one year of college basketball at Duke. In Duke’s game against the University of North Carolina, Williamson blew out his Nike shoe he was wearing. Later that day, Nike’s stock dropped, according to an article from the Conversation. Where the Money Goes Coaches are some of the highest paid officials in institutions, as some are signing multimillion-dollar contracts. The average institution salary per head coach for men’s teams at Pepperdine is $193,035, and for women’s teams it is about $115,380, according to the EADA. Assistant coaches for men’s teams is an average of $142,989, and for women’s teams it is $64,426. Coaches like Dabo Swinney of Clemson have massive salaries. Swinney, the head football coach, makes $9.3 million per year. Nick Saban of Alabama’s salary is $8.6 million. Facilities and recruiting are also big portions of athletic departments’ spending, especially as they become more lavish and sophisticated. In 2014, 48 schools combined for $772 million combined on athletic facilities, an 89%

increase from $408 million spent in 2004, adjusted for inflation. Those figures include annual debt payments, capital expenses and maintenance costs, according to an article from the Chicago Tribune. Football and basketball teams have practice facilities, professional-quality locker rooms, players’ lounges with high-definition televisions, video game systems and luxury suites to coax more money from boosters. During the 2018 fiscal year, public schools in the Southeastern Conference averaged more than $1.3 million in football recruiting costs, compared with public schools in the Big 12 ($961,981), ACC ($938,424), Big 10 ($855,437) and Pac-12 ($708,750), according to an article from the Courier Journal. Financial Impact of COVID-19 The expenses and revenue of college sports has continued to climb steadily over the last decade, but COVID-19 has put many institutions in jeopardy of losing millions of dollars in revenue due to canceled sporting events. The NCAA canceled all winter and spring sports in March. The men’s basketball tournament was a few weeks from beginning. The cancellation of this tournament cost the NCAA $375 million. The NCAA was set to distribute a total of $600 million to over 1,200 schools before the cancellations, but only distributed $225 million, according to an article from Market Watch. Because most institutions do not make a profit, this multimillion-dollar contribution from the NCAA helps many athletic departments operate. The West Coast Conference — in which Pepperdine competes — was looking forward to having three teams in the men’s tournament. The financial benefit for the conference would have been large because every time a team makes the tournament or advances a round, its conference earns a “unit” to be paid out among its members, according to an article from the LA Times. These “units” contribute to the operational budgets and provide an influx of money for the funding to athletic departments in the conference. With the NCAA Board of Governors voting to move the fall championships to the spring, institutions are starting to suffer financially. Since April, more than 250 teams in over two dozen sports have been eliminated across collegiate sports, affecting schools like Minnesota, Iowa, Connecticut and Dartmouth, according to an article from The New York Times. In July, Stanford announced it would be

cutting 11 varsity sports including men’s wrestling, which had just won a national championship the year before. They also announced that 20 coaches would lose their jobs. Student-athletes affected the most are the ones whose sport does not generate any revenue for the university such as track and field, swimming, wrestling and rowing, according to an article from USA Today. Small institutions are having a tough time, but they have been able to weather the storm because their budget is significantly smaller than those whose revenue depends on men’s basketball and football. Schools within the Power Five conferences — Pac-12, ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC — risk massive financial loss. Ohio State, home to one of the country’s premier football programs, has over 40,000 students and a 105,000-seat football stadium. While ticket and concession sales are important, the real money comes from its national broadcast agreements. Last year, the school brought in more than $45 million in revenue for its athletic programs, according to an article from MarketPlace. With the financial impact being so significant, institutions are desperate to forge ahead and have some type of fall sports season. Three of the Power 5 conferences — the Big 12, ACC and SEC — are having a fall season. The Big Ten and Pac-12 originally postponed but are making a schedule for fall competition to return by Thanksgiving, according to an article by CBS Sports. Positive COVID-19 tests are occurring in institutions all around the country. On Oct. 15, the No. 10 ranked Florida Gators put their football activities on hold after the school announced that the team had five new cases. They were scheduled to play LSU the weekend of Oct. 17, according to an article from ESPN. Conferences also plan to allow fans to come into the stadium in some capacity throughout the season. Most schools will allow the stadiums to be filled between 20 and 25% of normal capacity with COVID-19 guidelines and social distancing in place, according to an article from Sports Travel Magazine. The financial impact of COVID-19 on Pepperdine Athletics, other than the loss of NCAA money from March Madness, is not immediately known.

justin.touhey@Pepperdine.edu

Sports What’s in a stat?: Quite a lot, actually paxton ritchey | assistant sports editor Sports, and the athletes who play them, are associated with physical achievement — pushing their bodies to be faster, stronger and more skilled. But while tangible, raw physical talent will always be a big part of athletics, something else is now an equal part of an evolving sports world — numbers. There are obvious ways in which numbers affect sports. A team wins by scoring a higher number of points, and if they are losing, a lower number on the game clock means they’re less likely to come from behind. The higher number of home runs, touchdowns, or three-pointers a player has, the higher the number will be on the next contract they sign and so on. But the relationship between sports and numbers runs much deeper. Statistics: ‘An Obsession Toward Numbers Divisible by 10’ Athletes have always been measured by the big statistics, like touchdowns, home runs, three-pointers or goals. Fans hold a certain mystique about statistical leaders — even the most casual sports fans were following along when Barry Bonds became baseball’s all-time home run leader, or when Drew Brees overtook Peyton Manning in career passing yards and touchdowns. Consciously or subconsciously, there’s also an obsession with round numbers. In basketball, take the example of NBA point guard Russell Westbrook. In the 2016-2017 NBA season, on an Oklahoma City Thunder team reeling from the loss of Kevin Durant, Westbrook averaged 31.6 points, 10.4 assists and 10.7 rebounds. Westbrook became the second player in league history to finish a season averaging a triple-double — having all three numbers above the round number of 10. In a 2017 New Zealand Herald article, Kris Shannon wrote that if Westbrook recorded “30 points, 10 rebounds and 9.8 assists throughout the 82-game campaign — does that make the Oklahoma City guard’s achievements any less significant? The answer, on face value, is an obvious no [...] but considering the compulsive watch of Westbrook’s stat lines and our own shared experiences, there is certainly an obsession towards numbers divisible by 10.” On the back of that statistical anoma-

ali levens| photo editor ly, Westbrook ran away with the 2017 MVP award and received heavy praise in the media. However, as the novelty of that accomplishment faded, people started picking apart Westbrook’s flaws. Despite arguably equal or better numbers in 2018–2019 — 22.9 points, 10.7 assists and 11.1 rebounds — the same publications criticized Westbrook for his lack of efficiency, and the Thunder traded Westbrook to the Houston Rockets in a salary dump. Baseball is the king of round-number stats, so much that players who have passed a specific number are commonly referred to as being part of a club. In the early 2010s, baseball writers debated over whether to elect pitcher Bert Blyleven to the Hall of Fame. While Blyleven achieved election in 2011, many veteran writers opposed the move. Blyleven had a fantastic professional career. He has the fifth-most strikeouts in MLB history (3,701), and he won 287 games, good for 27th all time. So why did it take him so long to get in? He fell short of the round number 300, according to a 2011 article by David Schoenfield. “Blyleven suffered from the fact several of his contemporaries won 300-plus games,”

Schoenfield wrote. “Of course, hanging on to win 13 more games wouldn’t have changed his actual value, but it took writers a long time to realize that.” Analytics: The Math Behind the Results The revolution around analytics in sports is traditionally associated with “Moneyball,” the book and movie on the early-2000s Oakland Athletics. In 2020, analytics are a part of nearly every front office in every sport. While the “Moneyball” sabermetrics revolution of 15 years ago still holds up in today’s game, that spirit has been enhanced even further. Through the development of StatCast in all 30 Major League stadiums, any quantifiable measurement of any player or the baseball can be tracked, recorded and ranked, giving teams new sets of numbers that might catch their eye. One example of this is spin rate. Thanks to StatCast, teams could track a pitcher’s spin rate, or the number of times the ball spins on its way to home plate, measured in revolutions per minute. Teams soon found balls with a higher than average spin rate for a particular speed create more movement on the pitch. By using this data, along with

ali levens| photo editor other mathematical formulas, teams can nearly calculate how often a particular pitch will cause hitters to swing and miss. In the 2020 season, teams whose pitchers had a higher spin rate, in general, struck out more batters and allowed fewer home runs. To combat this, hitters are focusing on another number measured by StatCast — launch angle. The concept of launch angle is simple enough — the measurement of the angle at which the ball flies off the bat when it is hit — but its application has revolutionized the game.

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Groundballs are outs. If you see me hit a groundball, even if it’s a hit, I can tell you: It was an accident.

Josh Donaldson Minnesota Twins

Correctly deducing that they had a better chance of getting extra-base hits by hitting the ball in the air as opposed to on the ground, many hitters revamped their swings into a slightly uppercutting motion designed to lift the ball. Hitters such as Justin Turner, Josh Donaldson and Daniel Murphy went from parttime players to superstars after incorporating this change. In a 2017 Washington Post article about the then-new phenomenon, Donaldson said: “Groundballs are outs. If you see me hit a groundball, even if it’s a hit, I can tell you: It was an accident.” With more players swinging for the fences, more players are swinging and missing. “The Three True Outcomes” is a new term to describe the three possible results of an at-bats that only involve the pitcher and hitter (and not the defense) — a home run, a strikeout, and a walk. In 2020, thirty-six percent of all at-bats in the MLB season ended in one of these outcomes, a sign that the boom-or-bust trend in baseball is here to stay.

ali levens | photo editor position or performance. The NFL regulates its jersey numbers by position (e.g. 60–79 for offensive lineman, 10–19 and 80–89 for wide receivers), a rule that stemmed from officials needing to know who was eligible to catch the football. Originally in soccer, players’ position on the field mandated their jersey number. While there is no requirement anymore, many players follow the traditional numbering system: lethal wing players like Cristiano Ronaldo wear No. 7, and attacking geniuses like Lionel Messi wear No. 10. The No. 10 shirt, in particular, is considered a great honor to wear for any team. In Formula 1 auto racing, the championship-winning driver gets the option to change his car to No. 1 for the following season — a number that is otherwise forbidden in the sport. These days, sports are as much brains as they are brawn. From performance to projection to prestige, numbers are at the framework of nearly everything in the sports world.

Jerseys: A Story on a Shirt Often, players are just as identifiable by their number as by their last name. Some numbers — 23 in basketball or 99 in hockey — transcend entire sports. Infamously, former NFL receiver Chad Johnson legally changed his name to Chad Ochocinco in honor of the No. 85 he wore. In many sports, jersey numbers signal

pax ton.r itc hey@pepper dine.edu

makena huey | managing editor Established in 1937, the same year the community with accurate infor- lished to the diversity of the staff, this as George Pepperdine College, the mation and a public forum for discus- is the Graphic by the numbers. Graphic is committed to providing sion. From the number of stories pubM AK ENA.HUEY@PEPPER DINE.EDU

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“When you have mastered numbers, you will in fact no longer be reading numbers, any more than you read words when reading books. You will be reading meanings.” — Harold Geneen