THE PEPPERDINE GRAPHIC VOLUME L |
ISSUE 9 | October 29, 2020
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AShley Mowreader |news Editor 9% Asian faculty, 7% Hispanic or Latinx faculty, 5% Black or African American faculty, 2% faculty of two or more races, 2% faculty whose race is unknown, 0% Hawaiian or Pacific Islander faculty and 0% “non-resident alien” faculty. “Unfortunately, we don’t have the number of faculty of color to keep up with this changing student body that we’re having at the university level,” said Roshawnda Derrick, assistant professor of Hispanic Studies. “Students are expecting more training in diversity, cultural competence, being global citizens — those are some of the things that we say that we promote — but we don’t actually have faculty of color who are representative of students in the same way.”
Gr ace wood As si stan t n e ws e d itor Editor’s Note: In referencing the sources’ races, Roshawnda Derrick prefers to be referred to as Black. David Holmes did not respond for comment but referred to himself as African American during the interview.
Why are There Less Faculty of Color at Pepperdine?
This year, Pepperdine University announced its recommitment to racial equality and increased diversity on campus, including the goal of building an ethnically diverse and gender-balanced faculty and administration. Data from the Office of Institutional Effectiveness’ 2019 fall semester census shows that white faculty comprise 76% of Seaver instructional faculty, compared to
David Holmes is the dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and an English professor at Lipscomb University. Holmes taught at Pepperdine for over 25 years and also served as associate dean for Curriculum and General Education before leaving in 2018. After beginning his career at Pepperdine in 1993, Holmes was the first African American tenured professor and the first African American
to be promoted to the associate dean level. One reason why people of color may not want to teach at Pepperdine is because the Church of Christ is primarily white, Holmes said. Data from Pew Research Center shows the Church of Christ’s members are 69% white, 16% Black, 10% Latinx, 4% mixed race and 1% Asian. Being in the minority within a Church of Christ university could pose challenges to the success of a person of color, Holmes said. “African Americans are a smaller demographic in Church of Christ schools, so they’re less likely to get promoted to full professor in administration,” Holmes said. “The issues are not only retention — and you should retain the faculty of color — but also, will they get tenure? And will they be promoted to the level of full professor or an administrator?” Holmes said while he feels Pepperdine needs to hire more faculty of color, he understands the University can only select from the professors available. In the 2014–2015 school year, 108,912 white people earned doctoral degrees, compared to 13,278 Black people, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. “Pepperdine’s challenge is a challenge
related to the history of racial discrimination,” Holmes said. “In other words, you don’t have enough people who are available, not only because they have to have that experience, but because historically, we have undereducated and marginalized our people of color.” Holmes said while he doesn’t think Pepperdine is consciously trying to exclude faculty of color from working at the University, the administration’s goal of diversity cannot be met until the University addresses its history of institutional racism is. “A place like Pepperdine — or any institution that has a history of racist practices and policies — has to ask itself: ‘Have I examined the old pipes of our practices and policies?’” Holmes said. Stanford University’s research on implicit bias “suggests that people can act on the basis of prejudice and stereotypes without intending to do so,” according to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Pepperdine Provost Rick Marrs said implicit bias is something he has to remain aware of, and fight through, when looking to hire new professors.
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IP preps chateau for future Lausanne participants Ashl ey Mo w r eader New s edi to r Chateau d’Hauteville, overlooking Lake Geneva near Vevey, Switzerland, housed the royal d’Hauteville family for almost three centuries. The future chateau residents, however, won’t be nobility but Pepperdine Lausanne program participants. Pepperdine finalized the chateau purchase Nov. 5, 2019 after the property went on the market in 2015 with an asking price of 60 million Swiss francs, around $66 million. International Programs plans to use the space as the Lausanne program facility, the IP European headquarters and an international conference center. The property is undergoing major renovations and will not be housing students until at least 2023, Pepperdine administrators said. “It’s a beautiful, beautiful estate,” said Lausanne Program Di-
rector Ezra Plank. “But it is several years out, and at this point, we’re just doing a lot of the dirty work.” In 2007, Pepperdine purchased the Maison du Lac, the current program facility for Lausanne, for 10.5 million francs — around $9.5 million at the time. Prior to the purchase, Lausanne participants shared the hotel with other guests, resulting in friction among its patrons, according to a Jan. 24, 2008 article by the Graphic. After the purchase and expansion, Lausanne became the largest study abroad program, housing around 70 students each semester. The Masion du Lac, built in the 1960s, needs major renovations to both utilities and building systems, making it more cost-effective for the University to purchase a new property entirely, wrote Executive Vice President Gary Hanson in an email. Pepperdine became “seriously interested” in the chateau in 2017 and began negotiations in 2018, Hanson wrote.
News
What ’s AHE A D
A3- Pepp students discuss their plans for the upcoming winter break.
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A4- The Lausanne
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International Program director shares changes to the city since March.
the thewaves wavesreport report
photo courtesy of riviera properties A New Home Abroad | The University is renovating Chateau d’Hauteville is being renovated for future Lausanne participants to move in beginning in 2023. These students formerly stayed in Maison du Lac. “After assessing more than 20 alternative sites in the region, we discovered the Chateau d’Hauteville,” Hanson wrote. “This property quickly rose above the rest, representing the promise of a location and facility better able to meet current and future undergraduate student needs while at the same time creating new possibilities for our graduate schools, conferences, partnerships and events.”
Hanson led the acquisition of the property for Pepperdine, and Riviera Properties Switzerland sold the property for the d’Hauteville family. Chateau d’Hauteville is an 18th-century castle from 1760, making it older than the United States as a country, Plank said. Built in the European style, the chateau property includes 67 acres of land, coach houses, a winepress,
Pe r s pe ct iv e s
L if e & A r t s
Staff Editorial: PGM staff express the importance of informed voting.
for the Arts B1- Center podcast provides new
Perspectives writers Caroline Sharpless and Emily Chase give opposing opinions on cancel culture.
B2- Fresh Faces: Hear the B5- A preview of this
thurs: Fri: 3-51 ft
stories of four firstyear students.
fri: Sat:1–2 3-5 ft ft
B4- Tennis player and
alumna Mayar Sharif has a historic professional career.
T he g r ap hi c’s Ne ws P o d c ast
year’s Pepperdine Men and Women’s basketball teams.
mon: sun: 3-5 1–2 ft ft
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l is te n to The Gr a ph
SP ORTS
way for students to experience art.
gardens, fountains, stables and a creek. Pepperdine owns the entirety of the property and its various elements — including farmland and vineyards, which are under long-term lease agreements with two farmers, helping to offset the property cost, Hanson wrote.
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Host Kaelin Mendez discusses the paranormal activity in Smothers Theatre. Avaliable on Spotify and SoundCloud
Tue: wed:1–2 3-4 ftft
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O C T O B E R 2 9, 2 0 2 0 | N E W S | P E P P E R DINE G RA P H I C ME D I A
Covid-19
THE DPS REPORTS
by the numbers
check out pepperdine.edu/publicsafety for the DPS Reports every week
Pepperdine Community:
63 1 2 two Deaths
2 10/24/20 7:20 p.m. Crime: Trespassing Location: Main Parking Lot
Known Cases
10/25/20 9:01 p.m. Crime: Larceny/Theft Petty Theft - Misc. Location: Facilities Services
1
Malibu:
112 Cases
three Deaths
3
Los angeles county:
PRESIDENT’S BRIEFING & OTHER NEWS YOU MISSED Car uso Sc hooL OF Law will hos t “Blac k Wome n a n d the l aw summit” Th e Car uso school of law will host its inaugur al “black women and the law S um mit” on Nov. 6, to educate a n d offer str ategies and s o lu tions for black women’s s uc cess in the legal field.
7,027
Deaths
U.S.:
8.85M cases
S GA cla s s p r e s i d e nt s ho s ti ng t o w n ha lls fo r s t u d e nt s S t u dent g overnment as s oc i at i on c l as s p res i dent s hel d or wi l l hol d t own hal l meet i ng s f or eac h c l as s t o gau g e s t u dent i nvolvement f or t hi s s emes t er and f u t u re s emes t ers.
v i r tu al eve n ts f or the upc om in g w e e k
302,077 cases
pe p p e r d i ne gr a z i a d i o la u nche s m a s t e r ’s o f s cie nc e i n b u s i ne s s gr azi adi o annou nc ed t he lau nc h of t he mas t er’s of sci enc e i n b u s i nes s p rog ram. the MS B p rog ram wi l l b e ope n f or ap p l i c at i ons f or fal l 2 02 1 on mal i b u c amp u s.
Howa rd A . White A wa rd For te ac h ing e xc e lle nc e 2020 winn e rs a n noun c e d P epper dine r ecogniz ed eight teacher s acr oss pepper dine’s five schools with the howar d a. white awar d for teaching excellence.
THURS 29
What: Zero-waste pumpkin carving When: 6:30 p.m. PDT hosted by: frn, green team and PVC What: the gathering When: 7 p.m. PDT hosted by: the well and celebration chapel
FRI 30
MON 2
What: halloween event When: 3 P.m. PDT Hosted by: chem club, physics/engineering club
What: Green team general meeting When: 6 p.m. PST Hosted by: green team
What: Fall bake-off When: 4 P.m. PDT Hosted by: nourish
What: brotherhood event — mnf When: 5 p.m. PST Hosted by: psi upsilon
TUES 3
What: election night watch party When: 6:45 P.m. PST Hosted by: pepperdine college republicans
WED 4
What: songfest 2021 group leader meeting When: 5 P.m. PST Hosted by: songfest What: avoid procrastination: learning skills workshop When: 6 P.m. PST Hosted by: student success center
What: KWVS Vinyl destination IV When: 7 P.m. PDT Hosted by: KWVS
week
227K Deaths Worldwide:
38.4M cases
1.17M
Deaths Malibu reopening phase:
3
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O C T O B E R 2 9, 2 0 2 0 | N E W S | P E P P E R DINE G RA P H I C ME D I A
Students prepare for a relaxing and productive winter break
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addie w hit en N ew s As si stant Nov. 24, the last official day of the fall 2020 semester, marks the conclusion to an abbreviated and unusual term for both students and faculty at Pepperdine. As the end of the semester approaches, some students prepare for a time of rest, while others get ready to take more classes or complete internships. No matter what individual plans students may have, every member of the Pepperdine community will anxiously await news about the spring semester and try to find ways to enjoy themselves in the midst of a pandemic this holiday season. “I’ll still enjoy it, but with coronavirus and living in California, there’s not much you can do,” first-year Alina Sanchez said. For first-years who have yet to physically meet their classmates, this remote semester has been socially difficult. Sanchez said she has made friends in some of her classes, but seeing each other virtually isn’t the same as hanging out in person. “I want to meet the people behind the Zoom screens,” Sanchez said. While she has yet to connect with classmates in Payson or on Alumni, Sanchez said she recently joined Gamma Phi Beta and plans to spend her free time over winter break traveling to see sorority sisters who live nearby in Calabasas. Sanchez also said while she would love to take a trip farther away from her home in Southern California, as the pandemic continues, she chooses to be cautious instead. “I’d be down to take a plane ride somewhere over break, but with coronavirus, you don’t know the risk or what’s going to happen,” Sanchez said. “I’d rather not take the risk.” According to an Oct. 21 Graphic survey of 37 students, about 49% of students polled will travel during winter break, with
Leah Bae | staff artist many respondents citing family holiday gatherings or simply needing to get out of the house as their reasons for doing so. About 38% of students polled plan to work over the break. One such student is senior Megan Thomas, who will continue working as part of an internship she began in August. Thomas said she is interning at El Rescate, a Los Angeles-based non-governmental organization that provides legal services to Central and South American immigrants. She is a Spanish minor, so she said the practice she gets at work over winter break will be invaluable for her. “It’s an entirely Spanish-speaking office, so that is sometimes a challenge, but also really good for me to keep up on practicing my Spanish,” Thomas said. Apart from improving her second language and providing academic credit, Thomas said her work will be great for her future as a law school student. Thomas plans to
Over Christmas break, I am hopefully going to focus on my business and knitting without having to worry about if I have assignments due. It’s going to be a lot less stressful. Kendall Ross senior
use her time off from work for the holidays to study for the LSAT as well as spend time with family at her home in Colorado. Another student who will be using the winter break to focus on professional development is senior Kendall Ross. Ross said since opening her online knitwear shop, I’d Knit That, she’s been looking forward to time spent solely on her craft. “Over Christmas break, I am hopefully going to just focus on my business and knitting without having to worry about if I have assignments due,” Ross said. “It’s going to be a lot less stressful.” Ross said the highlight of the upcoming break will be spending time away from her computer and Zoom — two stressors she’s ready to part with. “It’s a lot having to be on your computer all day — on top of asynchronous assignments and everything,” Ross said. “Not having to be sitting on my computer all day will be good.”
About 35% of students polled similarly do not plan on doing any studying or schoolwork during their
she has no plans. Despite this, Ross said she still believes the winter break will be a welcome time of rest and creative productivity after a whirlwind fall semester. “Even if I’m not traveling, it will be nice to not have things to do for a little bit — to have a couple of months where there aren’t people constantly expecting things from me,” Ross said.
I want to meet the people behind the Zoom screens ... I just want to see them and be able to hang out with them. Alina Sanchez First-Year break, according to the survey. Like Sanchez, Ross said while she would like to travel during the next few months,
ADDIE.W HITEN@PEPPER DINE.EDU
Student workers return to Malibu campus emily mo r ton s taf f w r i te r Seaver alumna Catherine Gibbs (2020) didn’t know when she would be able to return to work as a lifeguard at Pepperdine when the Malibu campus closed in March. But now she is one of the few on-campus workers allowed on to campus. Pepperdine limited the number of workers on the Malibu Campus only to essential workers. “It’s organized and very different,” Gibbs said. “Now I have to make sure teams are taken care of and following the safety precautions while also being safe in the pool.” While student-worker positions are limited on campus, the facilities department works every day to create a safe space for the on-campus residents. Facilities staff clean each occupied dorm, working twice a day on each suite that has two occupants. The workers wipe down high touch areas, such as light switches and couches in common areas, and they preform a deep clean of the bathroom.
Other on-campus workers include the Department of Public Safety and Student Health Center, according to Pepperdine’s Human Resources Department. The SHC operates during normal hours to accommodate regular testing of all on-campus residents and workers. Gibbs wasn’t considered an essential worker like the facilities staff, until athletics resumed team practices. Gibbs started working as a pool administrator this fall, helping to not only guard the pool but also to check temperatures and admit athletes into their workouts. “It’s little things I have to adjust to,” Gibbs said. “I know the pool, but it’s adjusting to the protocols.” Gibbs and her fellow employees wipe down tables and make sure athletes wear masks and stay six feet apart throughout their time on the pool deck. To gain access to campus, employees go through the same process as athletes, filling out a health screening every morning. “It’s nice to be back after six months of not working,” Gibbs said. Sophomore Alisha Harris wanted to continue her on-campus job. As a worker for Waves On Call, she
It’s little things I have to adjust to. I know the pool, but it’s adjusting to the protocols. Catherine Gibbs 202 Alumna and On-campus employee faced the decision of working from home or quit altogether. Harris said she chose to quit because she felt her job was more comfortable in an on-campus situation. “I was opposed to working from home because I felt weird about asking people to donate money on the phone,” Harris said. “What
if my parents walk in or I get distracted?” Harris said she finds it hard to be productive in her bedroom. But now that she has opted out of the program, Harris struggles to find a more consistent job away from the Malibu campus. At home, Harris works small odd jobs. She said she mostly house sits, making the money she normally would if she had an on-campus position. Unlike Harris and Gibbs, senior Matt Rosato still awaits an all-clear from Athletics before he can return to campus and resume working. Rosato works for the marketing division of the Athletics department. Athletics suspended his position when events stopped in the spring, though he said he hopes to be back on board when scheduled basketball games start in December. “I went from working 10 hours a week to doing little projects at home,” Rosato said. Similar to student-workers in the Athletics department, many on-campus jobs halted until students can return to campus. The Handshake portal showcases some
of the remote jobs offered to students, but Rosato feels there aren’t as many opportunities as there would have been had students returned to campus. Rosato expressed his interest to return when Athletics resume events. Other workers, like Rosato, need to explore housing options the upcoming months, as many student-workers will require on-campus housing. Athletics has yet to inform Rosato whether he will qualify for housing on campus if he is a student-worker. Rosato said he has no confirmation of when Athletics will allow student-workers to come back and help out with games.
EM ILY.M OR TON@PEPPER DINE.EDU
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P E P P E R DIN E GR A P H IC M E DIA | N E W S | O C T O B E R 29 , 20 20
Lausanne director provides an update on the program, city A s hl ey Mo w r eader New s Edi tor Ezra Plank, the Lausanne International Program director, misses many aspects about having students in Lausanne. Since sending the spring 2020 cohort home early due to COVID-19, Plank said he misses the classroom interaction, the energy in the facility, the relationships formed between students and especially the inner transformation he gets to witness throughout the year. “Saying goodbye to family is always hard,” Plank said. “When you have the entire program being suspended prematurely — for all that to be cut short [...] was incredibly difficult.” Plank shared his experiences living in Lausanne over the past seven months, from watching the students leave in March to prepping for the next program participants and bracing for a possible second lockdown in Switzerland. Plank is a Seaver graduate and an International Programs alumnus himself. The summer after graduating from Pepperdine, Plank began working in the Office of Convocation and Student Ministries, where he worked for the next seven years — developing the Spiritual Life Advisor position during his time. He left Pepperdine to begin graduate studies and earned a doctorate degree in church history. After receiving his doctorate, Plank heard about the opening of the Lausanne director position and has spent the past seven years living and teaching in Switzerland. “My homecoming to Pepperdine after being away at graduate school — it was a perfect confluence of so many realities for me,” Plank said. “I get to teach, I get to be involved in classrooms and academics, which I love. But I get to be involved in student formation — it’s bigger than that.” Like the other directors, Plank had never witnessed a program suspension before. For Lausanne, the suspension came shortly after the cohort returned from their Educational Field Trip to Tanzania. “For me, the writing was on the wall,” Plank said. “I knew if we had a student who was infected, it would spread to others, and they would all send it back home. I felt like the responsible thing was to make sure that we got flights and we could get students home.” Watching COVID-19 case numbers rise in Switzerland late February, Plank said he spoke with Beth Laux, executive director of International Programs, and Seaver Dean Michael Feltner to confirm students needed to go home. “It felt like someone kicked me in the stomach,” Plank said. “I pulled in my closest staff, and I said, ‘It is just a matter of time,’ and we began to weep.” This end of the semester atypical for Plank, as he was able to get to know so many students both during the academic year and the spring semester and he was expecting a hard goodbye in April, but watching it end prematurely was jarring.
“There was a sense of loss — a sense of mourning for what we know should have been,” Plank said. At that point in March, Plank and his program staff remained certain there would be a Lausanne summer program and continued to prepare both the program facility and the students for the experience amid COVID-19. Come April, that reality faded, Plank said. “There was a lot of disappointment,” Plank said. “We had been communicating with students, we’d been hyping them up, we’ve been preparing them so they would be ready for the experience, and then to say it’s not happening was incredibly disappointing for them. But all of this effort that we had put in was disappointing to lose.” The program continued to prepare for fall and for the EFT to Morocco, an annual tradition for the program, Plank said. The trip to Morocco is especially meaningful because of the amount of preparation that goes into both the students’ educational experience — readying them to engage in Islamic culture and to understand the political and educational systems — as well as the relationships Lausanne program staff members have built with partners in-country. “It’s almost like an annual pilgrimage for us to go to Morocco, to get to expose students to North Africa, to expose students to Islam,” Plank said. Once again, International Programs suspended fall 2020 programs in early July, dissipating Plank and his staff’s plans. “All of the details, all of the planning, all of the love and effort that we put in those ways, again, evaporated, and so this cycle has gone on,” Plank said. Seven months later, Plank said fatigue has set in both within himself and in the world at large. “When we went into lockdown — I mean, you probably saw it on your social media channels where people are like, I’m trying out this new recipe, I’m doing this craft, I’m doing excellent,” Plank said. “Everyone was productive and creative and telling everybody what they were doing, but now it’s just exhaustion as you plan for something and it doesn’t come about.” Switzerland saw a spike in COVID-19 cases in late March and early April but controlled the spread of the virus by summer. During this time, Lausanne shut down to only essential businesses such as grocery stores and hospitals, Plank said. Prohibited events included weddings, funerals and church services, and residents limited their social interactions. In June, the country began to reopen with looser restrictions, allowing for groups of up to five people to dine at restaurants or go to parks, Plank said. Since then, case numbers rose, and in October, the county saw a second wave of cases with 3,000 new cases on Oct. 21 alone. Plank said government officials leading the COVID-19 effort in Switzerland are moving the country into a
photo courtesy of ezra plank Family Field Trip| Lausanne Director Ezra Plank and his family smile in the Sahara Desert in Morocco. The Planks traveled to Morocco annually with the Lausanne program but did not this fall due to the program’s suspension. second lockdown and creating more restrictions. For Plank and his family, the first lockdown was difficult because he and his wife had to homeschool their three children for eight weeks on top of juggling their own jobs. “My wife would take the kids in the morning, I would take the kids in the afternoon, and then once they went to bed, we would both try to catch up on the work that we had lost during the day,” Plank said. “It made for a challenging time.” Now Plank said his family hopes schools will stay open during this second lockdown so they don’t have to do it all again. Throughout Lausanne, people have been intentional to wear their masks, Plank said, whether that’s running, sitting down at a restaurant or using public transportation. Hand sanitizer stations are plentiful, and many stores and restaurants check patrons’ temperatures prior to entering. “This is a wonderful part of being able to monitor the situation here; the Swiss government and its medical system is nearly second to none,” Plank said. “It gives us a lot of peace of mind, especially as we think about students coming here who we would be able to trace, we would be able to test — we would be able to isolate students in quarantine if needed.” The Lausanne faculty completed spring semester teaching remotely, with some able to come to the program facility — the Maison du Lac — to record lectures, but most remained at home due to COVID-19 precautions, Plank said. Half of the house staff remained employed in early spring, but after the suspension of fall semester, all staff transitioned to receiving federal unemployment for the time being, Plank said. The Lausanne program assistant directors and finance and Human Resources director continue to work, and much of Plank and his colleagues’ preparations have shifted to future projects, such as renovations of
the new program facility in Vevay — an 18th-century chateau and the surrounding grounds. “As we look toward the spring, our hope is that spring will run,” Plank said. “We’re planning for the spring semester — all of the details are in place if we need to do social distancing — to make sure the students who come have a wonderful ed-
ucational experience that’s safe and guarantees their safety in that way.” During this time without students, Plank said he has also reflected on the role of study abroad in higher education and how being exposed to different people, places and experiences than one’s own can broaden students’ knowledge of themselves and of others.
“I think that’s why, as International Programs directors, we love what we’re doing,” Plank said. “We see students come in September, we see them leave in April, and they’re different people. We love this transformative experience and the chance to be engaged in it with students.” ASHL EY.M OW R EADER @PEPPER DINE.EDU
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Gabby DiGiovanni | ARTist
S T A F F E D I T O R I A L Don’t forget to vote this week — in local elections, too With Election Day next week, many social media users are calling for their peers to vote in the presidential election. Amid the hype, however, voters should also take time to educate themselves on local elections. There are various ways to be an educated voter. One is by doing research. Learning about the bills and propositions on the ballot can lead people to vote for the results they want to see on the issues that matter to them. Another way to be an educated voter is by not necessarily voting by political party. People may end up voting for issues on positions that they do not stand for if they simply vote for one side. If voters do not agree with their political party’s stance on an
issue or candidate, they should vote against it. Voters have the ability to shape a city, a state and the nation to what they believe it should be outside of party politics; their votes and opinions matter. To make informed decisions, voters can take advantage of nonpartisan resources. To get an unbiased perspective, students should find sources run by third parties — not the candidate — that provide a holistic view of policies supported. Ballotpedia is a nonpartisan nonprofit that attempts to provide objective information on political candidates at both the local and national level. Users can also look up a sample ballot based on their address.
THE 'BU YORKER
For those voting in California, the voter guide the California Secretary of State provides is a nonpartisan source summarizing candidates and propositions as well as providing information on how to vote. Students living outside of California can utilize similar sources their states provide to learn more about who and what they will be voting for. Voters should also be aware of their rights. Voter Guide summarizes the 10 voter rights in California. For example, if an individual is in line when the polls close, they still have the right to vote. Another is the right to cast a secret ballot without any intimidation or influence from anyone else. Summaries of voter rights
in other states can be found through statewide and county governmental websites. Whether voting in person or by mail, voters should consider having notes with them from their research to help them make their final decisions. Even if voters live in a city other than their hometown and submit an absentee ballot, their votes will impact their family, friends and anyone else in the city and state they are from. These decisions will affect someone they know, if not themselves. Make sure to vote by Nov. 3.
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‘Cancel culture’ divides society and promotes hate
E m i ly C h a s e s ta f f w r i t e r Public humiliation and group shaming have progressed a long way from the tragically popularized Salem Witch Trials. With a huge surge in technology over the last hundred years, society discovered a new era of what is called cancel culture. Cancel culture is defined as “to stop giving support to that person” or company, “usually [...] due to the person in question having expressed an objectionable opinion,” according to Merriam-Webster. With this new term becoming a part of everyday vocabulary, many wonder what the long-term repercussions of this practice will be. Gen Z is leading the way in social change, activism and holding people responsible — but is this generation getting too carried away? Bullying and demonizing people online is a serious consequence in the world of social media. Some social media users go completely overboard with their
words in this, technological society, resorting to cyberbullying and becoming “angry by design,” according to researcher and author of the journal article, “Angry by design,” Luke Munn. Despite positive intentions to hold a person or company liable for their words, it can utterly destroy careers or businesses in question — from Kevin Hart in 2018 to the dinner-making staple of Uncle Ben’s rice this year. The cancellation of public figures and companies of typing in all caps and swearing in the comments section reverses neither words nor offenses done. These actions simply add to the toxicity of online culture. Shane Gillis of “Saturday Night Live” was fired in 2019 “after people unearthed old, offensive comments” Gillis had said while on the show, according to Dalvin Brown of USA Today. The backlash from the incident caused Gillis’ success to plummet and subsequently flatline. In most cases, once the initial information about a person’s mistakes is revealed, whoever may be in the hot seat typically comes out with an apology. This should be the end of the discussion. Yet nowadays, after an apology, there are people who turn to verbal brutality, completely ripping the alleged wrongdoer to shreds. This can become mental and emotional
MADELINE DUVALL| ART EDITOR bullying. When social media promotes people turning so quickly on one another, the actions serve as a catalyst in destroying and dividing society. The vile comments and actions, however, of public figures such as Roseanne Barr, J.K. Rowling and Matt Lauer — just to name a few — deserve the pain and misery the people on social media give. The anguish and suffering their actions cause provide an open symposium for hatred and future cancellation. Cancel culture acts as a barricade in the way of social change. There is a fine line between advocating for what is right and verbally assaulting people online for having
an unpopular opinion. Patrisse Cullors — the co-founder of the Black Lives Matter social movement — commented on social activism by saying it “isn’t going online and cussing people out. [...] Activism is hard work entailing sometimes boring meetings, strategy sessions, building a campaign and getting petitions signed.” Despite the hard work put into these movements, social media junkies can become confused when they’re passionate about a cause. Cancel culture causes unnecessary arguments and can draw focus away from the most important ideas of a movement. Between the twiddling thumbs
and harsh responses lies a valley of peace, a shallow land of listening and responding to others with decorum and a small crevice of social media where people can come together to discuss and direct their passion into a good cause. There must be a change in the mentality of cancel culture; it must become accountability culture. This change stimulates apologetic realizations and forgiveness. It uplifts the idea of learning from mistakes and making a longterm change for the better. It allows people who truly deserve the fallout of their actions to be condemned and people who are simply uneducated to learn and grow from what they did. Cancel culture may never be completely eliminated now that it has taken root in society, but as a global community, there is a responsibility to be more understanding of others and realize no person, company, organization or entity is perfect in everything they say and do. If no action is taken, cancel culture will continue to be a detriment to society and divide the world forever.
EM ILY.C HASE@PEPPER DINE.EDU
‘Cancel culture’ promotes equality and justice it mean or toxic, because it allegedly consists of mass-internet criticism of a person. Some are civil complaints while others are full-fledged cyberbully attacks, but either way, the sheer volume of posts is what inflicts turmoil on the person in question. People only become victims of cancel culture, however, after they victimize others. Those who face the brunt of the internet atc ar o l ine Sharpless tacks are often people in positions of power per spective s E dit or whose decisions either affect or influence mass groups of people. In 2020, it is common to see calls to When an individual becomes a celebrity, cancel ideas, companies or even people. Its politician or another powerful figure, they frequency prompted the term “cancel culautomatically become a role model — even ture.” The latest phenomenon people want if they don’t want to be. Though this is a big to cancel is cancel culture itself. responsibility, it comes highly rewarded. Celebrities only stay rich and famous if What is Cancel Culture? spectators show interest in them; without fans streaming their content, following By definition, “To cancel someone is to them on social media or attending their withdraw support,” according to Merrievents, their careers would tank. Taking exam-Webster Dictionary. tra care not to be blatantly racist, sexist and Many attack cancel culture for promothomophobic should come with the job. ing hate and division; however, the nature Perhaps fans should do more with their of cancel culture is to terminate malicious life than cyberstalking celebrities, yet our conduct. It is a way for people to hold oth- culture highly encourages constant media ers accountable and promote a more just, engagement. equal society. In the social media age, our culture To understand cancel culture, consider rewards those who post their lives online. the events that instigated it. Cancel culture Since careers are contingent on popularrose to popularity when those who grew up ity, the fans making those people famous watching the corruption of business execu- deserve a say in who those individuals are. tives in the 2008 housing market crash and It’s hypocritical to ask fans to only be vocal the misogyny and racism of entertainment about their love for a celebrity but not their moguls leading up to the #MeToo social concern for a figure’s poor behavior. movement became fed up with permitAdditionally, when fighting cancel ting people in power to negatively impact culture, many raise the highly misleading millions. The simultaneous advancement of question: Would you want your life to be social media allowed this agenda to take a ruined over a mistake you made when you widespread, prominent role in society. were a kid? Before the age of cancel culture, it used First, many canceled people are fully to be normal — and sometimes even engrown adults at the time of their digrescouraged — to tell women they could not sions, but even teenagers should know speak, tell LGBTQ+ people they were not better than to tweet highly offensive racial allowed or tell Latinos they did not belong slurs or sexually assault a coworker. in America. Cancel culture allows people to Often, being canceled does not ruin peofinally speak up and say, “Enough!” ple’s lives; Kevin Hart is a good example. Look at women, for instance. For centu- Over the course of his career, he made mulries, society forced women to sit back while tiple homophobic jokes, including telling men made the decisions. Over the past few an audience that his biggest fear is his son decades, social change allowed a good num- being gay. He then went on to say he would ber of women to finally climb to the top “break a dollhouse over his [son’s] head” if and get a seat at the table; however, many he saw him playing with it. are still treated in ways men never would Hart has also tweeted gay slurs. Despite be. Instead of sweeping their grievances many opportunities to apologize, Hart under the rug, the #TimesUp and #MeToo refused to say he was sorry until almost 10 movements propelled women to loudly de- years after his first controversial homophomand justice and recognition. This behavior bic joke. continued, forming what we now know as Though many canceled Hart, his career cancel culture. remains active. Since the controversy, he Social media users cancel celebrities for has starred in new movies, received his arrestable offenses, such as pedophilia or own Netflix docuseries and grown to 36.5 sexual assault, or in other cases shameful million total Twitter followers. acts like racism, homophobia, misogyny, Clearly, canceling celebrities has little workplace harassment or corruption. long-term effect; however, it could result in them righting their wrongs and becoming Why Do People Think We Should Canmore mindful of how they carry themselves cel “Cancel Culture”? as society’s role models. This, in turn, could influence the viewers of America to change Many oppose cancel culture, proclaiming their behavior for the better.
Madeline Duvall | Art Editor Cancellations Beyond the Rich and Famous
Do they deserve to be forgiven and allowed to resume with life as normal? Forgiveness is a pillar in our society, but Cancel culture gets tricky when it affects justice stands taller. Watch their behavior. If non-famous people — some point to this they are truly sorry and want to right their as a reason to end it. Without a security wrongs, they will go above and beyond to blanket of money and unwavering fans, it’s support and give back to the communities harder to bounce back from being canceled, they affected. If they do, then — depending especially if it results in losing a job. on the degree of their original discretion — Are fame and money the only factors they don’t always need to stay canceled. that require humans to be decent? Students should neither fear cancel Take Amy Cooper, the white woman culture nor use it irresponsibly. Do not who called the cops on Christian Cooper, attack a celebrity online for no reason. Get an unrelated Black man birdwatching in educated before posting; read unbiased, Central Park. After the internet labeled her credible reports with facts and evidence. as a racist, she lost her job. If mistreated or abused, students “I’m not sure someone’s life should shouldn’t feel scared to speak out against be defined by 60 seconds of poor judgtheir perpetrators. Posts calling out people ment,” Christian Cooper said on CBS This in the Pepperdine community on platforms Morning when asked about Amy Cooper’s like @blackatpepperdine are an amazing cancellation. example of how cancel culture creates posChristian Cooper has a point. Compaitive change. The platform allowed memnies should not refrain from hiring people bers of the Pepperdine community to open like Amy Cooper if she is open about her up about injustices people didn’t listen to actions and has tangible proof that she has before. Now, administration and students attempted to right the wrong. alike are more conscious of their behavior Unfortunately, we live in a historically and that of those around them. Accused unkind society. Amy Cooper’s call could organizations like Greek life and Pepperhave resulted in an innocent man’s arrest dine administration have since pledged to or death, considering police have shot black change. people for sleeping in their homes or playFor too long, people let closeted racing with toy guns. ists, casual homophobes and nonchalant misogynists rule society. Cancel culture So, How Should One Respond to Being is the modern way of saying enough is Canceled? enough. Those who want to make society a more equal and accepting place should be First, the canceled person should make allowed to comment on those who do not. a public apology that clearly states what If America ever wants to reverse the they did wrong, using specific language to irrevocable damage done to our country acknowledge the communities and people through centuries of prejudice and coraffected. If they did something anti-Black, ruption, people need to tell those who still they need to say so rather than use vague participate in discriminatory or corrupt phrases like “shameful words” or “horrible behavior that their behavior is no longer actions.” This confirms they understand the acceptable. impact of their actions and take full responsibility. But is an apology enough? Is it genuine? C AR OL INE.SHAR PL ESS@PEPPER DINE.EDU
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Ethnic Studies should be a general education requirement Institutions of higher education such as the California State University system, the largest public university system in the United States, and the University of Pittsburgh have implemented a mandatory course on anti-Black racism. While California State University plans Sahej Bhasin to fully implement this system in 2023, the University of Pittsburgh has already s ta f f w r i t e r established this requirement. With more companies moving toward “The courses should not be about mandatory diversity training, schools how terrible a group of people is for are following suit by requiring students excluding the others; it should be a posito complete ethnic studies courses to tive program,” Stivers said. graduate. Ethnic studies teach about Seaver College recently approved a the social, historical, racial and political cultural competency component to their events that shape society today through general education studies, which “draws specific analytical tools and approaches. upon the Christian tradition of engaging As Pepperdine commits to fostering difference and sharing within and across racial justice and equality, it is impercultures,” said Christopher Doran, a Samantha miller| ARtist ative it incorporates these studies into professor of Religion at Seaver College. the general education curriculum so today, as documented by the Instagram this magnificent variety, and the variety While this policy is still in the process of students can contextualize current racial account @blackatpepperdine, which is not there to distract us: It is there so becoming official, it is a stepping stone tensions and understand why they are describes encounters of racial discrimiour life can be rich,” Stivers said. to promoting an ethnic studies requireoccurring. nation that students experienced. Although Seaver College offers a ment at Pepperdine. While Pepperdine has committed Ethnic studies help students underminor in Ethnic Studies, it should focus It is imperative that Pepperdine to promoting racial equality, its history stand the grueling effects of racism toon making a specific general education requires its students to complete an concerning this issue has not been free day and in history by immersing themcourse from this minor a requirement, ethnic studies course to understand how from controversy. selves into other cultures. as it would support the initiative for people of color continue to face racial On March 12, 1969, a Pepperdine Communication Professor Chris anti-racism. Students who choose to add discrimination and find more ways to Department of Public Safety officer shot Stivers said he believes ethnic studies this minor to their degree learn to unwork toward promoting equality. and killed Larry Donnell Kimmons, a should be incorporated to help celebrate derstand the history of racism and apply Students can advocate for ethnic high school honors student who lived the different backgrounds that students that knowledge to communicate with studies by petitioning through the Stunear Pepperdine’s original campus in come from. diverse communities. These goals should dent Government Association. They can South Los Angeles. Shortly after Kim“It is human nature to push away or be aimed at all students across Seaver also write letters to the deans of Seaver mons’ death, Pepperdine announced dislike anyone that is not like us,” Stivers College and not exclusive to the ethnic College persuading them to consider the its plan to relocate its main campus to said. “We should not look at ethnic stud- studies minor. implementation of such a program. Malibu. ies asking, ‘How do we separate these Implementing ethnic studies as a genIf Pepperdine truly intends to create The decision to move the campus people?’” eral education requirement would allow a more equal society, it needs to teach from a predominantly Black neighborThe implementation of an ethnic students to be able to navigate through students how to counter racism. Requirhood to Malibu during the Watts riots studies requirement will allow stuissues concerning racism with proper ing one ethnic studies course is the least raised concerns with Black students and dents to understand the importance of approaches learned in their studies. Pepperdine can do to ensure future genstaff questioning the University’s inabili- strengthening the spirit of an ethnically “The focus should be about who is erations treat all races equally and to unty to address racial tensions. diverse community, as 49% of Seaver our neighbor,” Stivers said. “Most peoderstand the oppression people of color Kimmons’ death and the move to College’s population consists of white ple, regardless of their background, have have experienced. Without it, students Malibu marked a turning point in students. It will also help educate stugoodness at the root of their being.” may not understand racism’s impact on Pepperdine’s history, and past students dents on the effects of racism in history Recently, Gov. Gavin Newsom of the United States, further disconnecting accused the University of not addressthat can teach critical lessons regarding California signed a bill requiring all Pepperdine’s diverse community. ing campus concerns regarding race. intercultural communication. high school students to pass at least Such issues have also become prevalent “If we look out at the world, there is one ethnic studies course to graduate. SAHEJ.BHASINS@PEPPER DINE.EDU
Revamp racial sensitivity and diversity trainings
anit iz M uo nagolu p e rs p ecti ves As si sta n t E dit or When some hear the words diversity training, they expect a seminar about racism, white flight and anti-racism biases, but diversity training shouldn’t be a mere overview of racism. President Donald Trump’s executive order banned racial sensitivity training in federal workforces, saying it is un-American and discriminatory. The president is misguided in his assessment of diversity training’s flaws, but he isn’t wrong that there is a problem with it. Currently, racial sensitivity and diversity training is ineffective and doesn’t demonstrate how to pinpoint implicit bias in a specific field and how to overcome it. One issue with diversity
training is that it doesn’t last. For many, it is an unmemorable yearly seminar. For real change to happen in any workplace or environment, diversity training has to be frequent. This is also applicable to everyday learning, such as how individuals learn and react appropriately to societal norms. When people enjoy a show, they either clap and applaud or use more subtle clues such as staying quiet when people speak. As children, we learn these behaviors through repeated exposure and perhaps a gentle nudge from our parents. This aspect of learning behavior can be described as classical conditioning. Diversity training is no different than classical conditioning. If there is no repeated exposure, then people won’t adapt and respond correctly to the situations regarding race. Furthermore, diversity training can be too broad. For example, Pepperdine faculty and staff can voluntarily work in the Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity program. The
program holds multiple sessions throughout the year, which means the information is likely to stay in the minds of Pepperdine staff, but the content doesn’t focus on the specific issues at Seaver. The SEED program is meant to enlighten various groups of people on white privilege, oppression and systems of power, but those teachings don’t apply to more specific situations such as inequity in the classroom. While professors and faculty understand issues of white privilege and oppression, they aren’t actually learning how to directly combat the issues they face on campus. At a university, diversity training should address assumptions of student intelligence based on race, how to address racial groups and individual students and how to make all students comfortable while acknowledging deeply ingrained biases. This spans across all levels — not just professors or faculty but also administration and board members, who make decisions affecting everyone.
MADELINE DUVALL| ART EDITOR Effective diversity training is a necessity due to the varying ideologies, races and cultures in America and needs to be corrected at Pepperdine and across the nation. Putting more thought into training can be a simple fix. Organizations, schools and companies must implement mandatory, repetitive and specific diversity and racial sensitivity training that reflects the repeated racial issues
that appear in the workplace. Banning racial sensitivity training will not make institutions more equal and accepting. Instead, we must listen to those around us and be open to understanding the specific ways biases manifest so everyone can create better and more diverse environments.
AJ.M UONAGOL U@PEPPER DINE.EDU
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
T O T H E G R A PH I C: D E B A T E T E A M S P E A KS O N T HE I M P OR TANCE O F CR ITICIZING HIS TO RY Editor’s Note: Opinions expressed in letters to the editor are those of the author, and publication in the Graphic in no way represents an endorsement of any opinions published. This space is provided to allow public response and commentary on articles and issues which are covered by the Graphic and important to its readership. The Pepperdine Debate Team seeks to cultivate a space in which individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives can come together to debate ideas, foster civic engagement and nurture the robust type of discourse necessary for a healthy democracy. We believe we can only grow as individuals and as Christians when we invite ourselves into the tense space born of the friction of opposing, yet deeply held, beliefs and ideas. We wholeheartedly support educational projects that
seek to shed new light on our collective history, include marginalized voices in our understanding of our shared narratives and seek to actively listen and respond to those who lack power in any facet of society. Because we value critical inquiry, we do not accept that dominant, historically privileged or racially blind narratives are inherently accurate, valuable, complete or unharmful. We reject the idea that one narrative is the “True American” narrative and that dissenting voices should be labeled “radical,” “anti-American,” “Leftist” or “indoctrination.” We reject and disavow any communication that uses such uncritical, dangerous and anti-educational rhetoric. By its nature, debate creates a space for dissenting voices. We recognize that perspectives which call into question dominant cultural narratives can make some people uncomfortable. We hope, like debaters, people in the Pepperdine community will embrace that discomfort as
a means to realize larger truths rather than run into the more comfortable shelter of ignorance or denial that undermines democracy, inclusion, critical thought and personal or growth collective growth. Most importantly, we always affirm the humanity and value of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Pepperdine Debate Executive Board Chase Johnson Kendall Ross Hannah Kate Albach Tiffany Hall Samantha Miller Editor’s note: Tiffany Hall is Perspectives copy editor, and Samantha Miller is a staff artist for the Graphic
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faculty: pepperdine admin strives to support faculty of color FR OM A 1 “It’s very, very hard — if you’re not always thinking about it — that when you’re looking at candidates, the more people are like you, you just sort of have a tendency to think the more impressive they may be,” Marrs said.
dents evaluated the Black professors as being “significantly less competent and legitimate than their White and Asian counterparts.” Additionally, the students concluded Black and Asian professors “were judged to have significantly less interpersonal skills than White professors.”
Black Professors Face Barriers to Success Derrick said as a Black professor, she faces the added barrier of being held to different standards than her white counterparts. Derrick is the only Black professor in the International Studies and Language division at Seaver. “That’s the reality of the situation no one tells you when you’re a Black PhD student — the only one in your department, as usual — no one ever trained you for, that part of it that has to do with race,” Derrick said. “That has to do with the body that you come in, and how people are going to perceive that that has nothing to do with your training, your research, anything that you’re skilled in — it just doesn’t matter.” A 2010 study published in the Journal of Diversity in Higher Education echoed Derrick’s sentiments. Researchers gave high school students CVs for several professors, whom they had not yet met, of varying races, genders and academic disciplines. Researchers asked the students to examine the CVs and to then rank the professors based on their perceived competency, legitimacy and interpersonal abilities. The study found stu-
If we’re actually trying to create global citizens, let’s start at the university level instead of just sending people across the country for our study abroad experience. Let’s do that here. Roshawnda Derrick professor Holmes said during his time teaching at Pepperdine, he often incorporated teaching elements rooted in his experience preaching at and attending a predominantly Black church. Holmes used traditional call-and-response tactics to engage the class when he thought students were tired or confused, but he said someone unfamiliar with his culture could mis-
understand these strategies. “If you had a really strict supervisor looking at that, and they just passed by purely during the time I was doing that cultural exercise, they may think I was being either less than professional or not rigorous enough,” Holmes said. “They might judge my cultural practices outside of a larger context.” Derrick said when she finds herself in professional situations where she is the only Black person, she can feel pressured to educate others on the issues facing the Black community. “You don’t want to make it a race thing,” Derrick said. “You don’t want to have to advocate for yourself with people, but it’s the constant reality of everything that I do in this field — because I’m always the only one in the room with everybody else who’s not like me.” Asking faculty of color to serve on too many committees, especially diversity committees, may take time away from their academic pursuits, Marrs said. “If you’re a faculty member of color, if you’re not careful, you get pulled to be on a lot of committees,” Marrs said. “That’s good, but that takes time away from your scholarship. One of the things we’ve tried to do is to protect younger faculty, and faculty of color especially, to make sure they get their research agenda going so they can have a successful tenure review.” While race was not a determining factor in Holmes leaving Pepperdine, Holmes said he often experienced microaggressions and negative interactions with police with teaching in Malibu.
Holmes said Pepperdine should take these exchanges into consideration, especially regarding younger professors of color who have not been teaching as long as he has. “I know Pepperdine’s working on this; you have to be very careful about new faculty who are on the margins,” Holmes said. Pepperdine Aims to Hire More Faculty of Color Marrs said Pepperdine is working to make Seaver College more inclusive and wants to be sure professors of color are given equal consideration to white professors during the hiring process. “Because of our mission, we do tell search committees that for them to have a complete pool, every candidate pool should have a person of color, a woman, someone who’s from the Church of Christ,” Marrs said. “We tell them also that we want them to pick the very best candidate, but we’ve developed best practices for faculty hiring.” Marrs said one way Pepperdine hiring committees can recruit more professors of color is appealing to areas they might specialize in. “It’s not enough to simply say, ‘Hopefully, people will apply,’” Marrs said. “If you’re really wanting to fill particular areas in your division or department, you can put things like, ‘We especially encourage faculty members who are researching X, Y or Z,’ and those might be areas that are not exclusively — but that traditionally would be — research areas that the faculty of color or women might be researching.” An important distinction
to make, however, is that a person should not just be hired solely for the sake of diversity, Derrick said. “We have a rich, diverse group of folks here,” Derrick said. “And that should be seen, and I don’t think it’s often seen. But I don’t think that means just because one person of color applies to the job that they should automatically get it.” Making Pepperdine More Inclusive Marrs said the University wants to become a place where faculty of color feel cared about and important. Marrs said he is learning how to cultivate an inclusive culture at Seaver College by utilizing resources from the Education Advisory Board, a Washington, D.C.-based firm that guides educators toward best practices at their universities and hosts conferences every year. “One of the things we’ve been looking at is what they consider best practices for new faculty of color — how to help them become much more a part of the community and feel like they’re being supported,” Marrs said. Derrick said she is trying to help professors become more skilled at teaching to diverse classrooms and communicate better with each other by co-leading the Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity project. The SEED project teaches professors diversity training and appropriate and inclusive language to use in the classroom, among other practices, Derrick said. “We continue conversations about diversity, equity, inclusion, social justice, how
we can make Pepperdine a better place,” Derrick said. “One of the things that we’re talking about right now is how can we band together to show we’re supportive of this new chief diversity officer. That’s something we’re all really passionate about — making them know that they have a community, they have people who support them, that they have people whom they can ask questions about institutional knowledge.” The Importance of Diversifying Faculty Students feeling marginalized within the larger Pepperdine community can benefit from learning from a professor who identifies the same way that they do, Derrick said. “Most people have never seen a Black woman teaching a Spanish class,” Derrick said. “For people of color who are usually the minority in the situation, it is helpful just to see another face doing some of the things that you would like to do.” Derrick said Pepperdine doesn’t necessarily have to send its students abroad to help them become global citizens and prepare for life in the working world. “It’s just so important to have that diversity,” Derrick said. “If we’re actually trying to create global citizens, let’s start at the university level instead of just sending people across the country or to another country for our study abroad experience. Let’s do that here.”
GR AC E.W OOD@PEPPER DINE.EDU
CHATEAU: Lausanne program to make the move to Vevey F R OM A 1 The property’s two primary buildings are the chateau, which served as the main house for the d’Hauteville family, and an orangerie, which groundskeeper used to maintain the citrus plants on the estate, Plank said. Both the orangerie and the chateau need quite a bit of restoration, which administrators project to be complete by 2022 and 2023, respectively, Plank said. “With any old historic building like this, you have to build in time for unexpected things to come up,” Plank said. “When you open walls up, when you begin to take the roof off, you begin to see that things are different than you thought.” To transform the chateau into an International Program facility, the property will undergo major renovations, Hanson wrote. “The project consists of a complete replacement of all utilities with increased service supply, construction of student residence rooms, a commercial kitchen and community dining room, replacement of the roof and windows, new information technology infrastructure and restored facades, among other things,” Hanson wrote. Pepperdine administration hopes this new property will expand the University’s international footprint. “We are unaware of any other U.S. university in Switzerland having a physical presence like ours, and we believe it will open possibilities never before realized in Pepperdine’s international programs,” Hanson wrote. “All of this should significantly increase Pepperdine’s global presence and reputation.” AS HLEY. M O WR E A DE R @ P E P P E R DINE . E DU
photo courtesy of riviera properties Fancy Furnishing| The Chateau d’Hauteville will serve as the new Lausanne program facility. The chateau sits on a 67-acre property that includes fountains, gardens, stables, a winepress, stables and more. The new property will serve as the program facility for both the undergraduate and graduate students in Switzerland as well as the European International Programs headquarters.
October 29, 2020
The Graphic
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LIFE & ARTS
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Podcast provides new way to experience art c hr ist in kar r Lif e & ar ts ass i s tan t The “Centered on the Arts” podcast originally came to fruition when COVID-19 started affecting Pepperdine, said R.J. Morgan, the events coordinator and administrative assistant for Pepperdine’s Center for the Arts. It features a wide array of art mediums and their creators to foster a greater sense of community during the online semester. The podcast’s first episode was released June 29, and new episodes are released biweekly. The first episode introduces the CFA staff members. The podcast is available on every streaming platform, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Facebook. Morgan said he first came up with the idea for the podcast in a Zoom meeting, but didn’t mention anything to his team until a few days later in an email to Rebecca Carson, managing director of the Center for the Arts. “It’s a way to connect with each other,” Morgan said. “It just lets our people know that, ‘Hey, even though we can’t physically have you here, we’re still here for you.’” Carson said COVID-19 has impacted the arts at Pepperdine, canceling its performances last spring, and preventing any museum exhibitions or live per-
Photo courtesy of RJ MORGAN Zoom Time | Tyler Flynn (top left) interviews (clockwise from top right) Nic Few, KJ Powell and Jada Henry via Zoom on Sept. 3 for the “Centered on the Arts” podcast. The episode, released Sept. 22, discussed the virtual theater production “Polar Bears, Black Boys & and Prairies Fringed Orchids.” formances, which has been devastating for students and faculty. The podcast started as an effort to bridge that gap and connect with patrons. “The podcast is part of our ongoing digital initiatives to create ways to continue to engage with our patrons and the Pepperdine community and to show them that the arts are important,” said Tyler Flynn, marketing and publicity manager for the Center for the Arts. “Even though we’re not meeting in person, we’re still being creative and still coming up with interesting and unique content like we would for our mobile season.” Morgan said the podcast includes a behind-thescenes look at the arts, both within the Pepperdinecommunity and the profession-
al art world. It explores the production side of the arts to provide education on what the whole process entails. “Now you get to have the sit-down chat with the person and actually get to hear how things came to be,” Morgan said. “So you get a little more in-depth understanding.” Dani Lobello, director of production for the Center for the Arts, said the center’s plans were to use the podcast as both an engaging informational resource and a promotional tool for all types of art production. “We’re trying to maintain that idea of having a variety of guests come on,” Morgan said. “And it’s not just a variety of guests, but it’s a variety of the art that they’re talking about. [We’re] trying to make sure
gabby digiovanni| artist we hit as broad a media as we possibly can.” Carson said she gives full credit to Morgan as the primary creator of the podcast. It was his idea, and he works regularly on the production of it. Senior Mary Buffaloe also assists in the editing process. “We just really wanted to make sure everything was being well-rounded and we were getting not just the top number of things of what people think of as art but every aspect,” Flynn said. Flynn said every podcast episode is different in content, but each episode is framed around the person being interviewed. The sub-
ject matter the artist works with also plays into the content of the show. Flynn said the podcast hosts a variety of professional and student guests. A recent episode featured the theater production of “Polar Bears, Black Boys & Prairie Fringed Orchids,” where the host spoke with students Jada Henry and KJ Powell as well as Nic Few, professor of theatre, acting and directing, to discuss the production. “We discussed common themes in the play — racism, homosexuality and how to have a conversation about that,” junior student-actor KJ Powell said.
“Even if you don’t agree on certain topics, you still need to find commonalities and be able to respect the other person’s opinion.” Powell said his interview experience on the podcast was positive. He was able to discuss the challenges of putting on a performance virtually and the importance of communication in the play itself. First-year Garrett Podgorski was also a guest on the podcast. He said he was able to talk about how he became a musician, his path to Pepperdine and his future goals.
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New club hopes to create Spanish Community b et h g o nz a les s taf f w r i t e r
Pepperdinos Juntos is a new club that invites Spanish speakers and those interested in Spanish culture to apply the language in a casual environment while building community. Junior Biology major Nicholas Olson and junior History and Spanish major Aaron Ekenstam, who studied abroad together in Buenos Aires, started the club in the beginning of the fall semester. They said they wanted to create a space on campus where people could socialize in Spanish, retaining what they learned in class and abroad. “Our long-term goal was to establish this community of continuing to learn Spanish in a non-academic setting and get more Pepperdine students together in a unique way,” Ekenstam said. Ekenstam said he and Olson shared a suite their first year at Pepperdine and became friends but got close when they decided to travel abroad together. When they returned, they wanted to continue to speak the language every day and foster the skills they had been practicing for months in South America. Olson said starting a club on campus is an extensive process, including making a constitution, presenting a plan and having five to 10 students already interested in the club. Running a club during online learning was difficult due to the abrupt transition, which made it harder to have students interested and aware of the club, Olson said. “I feel like a lot of us are tired of looking at other screens, whether it be class or homework, so it’s hard to get people to log back into Zoom and go to another hourlong event,” Olson said. Despite having to conduct the club over Zoom, Olson said it is going well. They recruited some
former Buenos Aires students, new first-years and new members who attended Tide Pools at the start of the semester. Olson said the club meets every Wednesday, and the members discuss their day, play games such as charades and gain an understanding of Argentina’s culture — all in a completely Spanish-speaking setting. “Our original plan for in-person was to be sharing an Argentina drink called [yerba] mate — share a tea and just kind of talk for like an hour or so,” Olson said. “But then introducing Zoom, we talk about what’s been going on in Spanish and introduce vocabulary every once in a while.” The club focuses on students who want to speak Spanish for fun or learn new words, especially related to travel, medicine and items people might need in everyday life, Ekenstam said. “Whether or not you know Spanish, you are welcome to join,” Ekenstam said. “Of course, everyone has different levels, but we’ve been trying to accommodate all of these different levels, whether that means slowing it down or using translations from English to Spanish.” Madison Callahan, junior International Studies major and vice president of the club, said she has been working on Spanish since she was in preschool. She said learning a language in a classroom is needed for foundation, but utilizing the language in an everyday setting is what she finds most useful. “It is such a comfortable setting,” Callahan said. “You are literally with your friends. Just being able to talk about random things and help each other out is really beneficial.” Ekenstam took Spanish all four years before college and said he fell in love with the language when he visited Costa Rica and Mexico in high school. Olson said he was drawn to the
madeline duvall| art editor Buenos Aires program because of the cultural immersion and the homestay aspect — when his homestay mom would cook dinner and he would interact with his Argentinian family in Spanish. Junior Sports Medicine major Jacob Erbes, who runs the Instagram for Pepperdinos Juntos, said there are benefits and challenges of navigating a club during remote learning. “The advantage of doing this over Zoom is that literally anyone can come,” Erbes said. “One of the disadvantages is that it’s so much easier to do things when you can be personable with it.” Erbes said Spanish has been an important aspect of his life growing up in a largely Latinx population in Southern California; he has also always been fascinated with Spanish culture. Learning a new language creates new opportunities to meet people, Erbes said, including his
two next-door neighbors from Argentina with whom he became friends. “Language opens up a lot of doors for socializing because when you can communicate with somebody who knows a different language, that easily opens up twice as many people that you can talk to, and I think that’s so beautiful,” Erbes said. When students can return to campus, Erbes said he hopes the club will have fundraising events, coffee house events and mate nights, especially through the club’s sponsor Guayaki. Erbes is an “embajador,” or ambassador, for this company where he brings its mate to events and helps people understand the cultural tradition. Erbes said he wants members to immerse themselves in new cultures no matter where they stand in their bilingual education. The club will make Zoom breakout rooms based on competency lev-
els or activities as simple as talking about what they are having for dinner in Spanish. “I hope people gain more confidence in their ability to speak Spanish; that is something that comes with time, and once you are in a comfortable setting, it is a lot easier,” Callahan said. The presidents said they want to create a space at Pepperdine where the Spanish and Argentinian culture they learned from their experience in Buenos Aires can remain alive. “For me, it’s being able to acknowledge somebody for who they are, communicate with them effectively and make friends,” Erbes said. “That’s really what learning new languages is all about.” Olson said any students who want to learn Spanish should join Pepperdinos Juntos.
BETH.GONZAL ES@PEPPER DINE.EDU
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PEP P E R DIN E GR A P H IC M E DIA | L IFE A N D A RTS | O CT O B E R 29 , 20 20
Journalist explores her passion for writing sam torre L ife & A r ts assi stant
Fresh Faces features first-year and transfer students to unite Pepperdine students, regardless of where they are.
Photos Courtesy of robert emrich Music Man| Filmmaking first-year Robert Emrich holds up the final product of his band’s debut EP in July. His funk-rock band, Cheach Billin, recorded its first album, “Simple Songs,” last year.
Musician aspires to break into the film industry jessica wang li f e & ar ts assista n t As a child, first-year Robert Emrich said he was extremely farsighted, and his vision problems caused him to forgo sports and turn to other activities, such as karate, drumming and filmmaking. His interest in filmmaking started when he received his first camera for Christmas at the age of four. “What really attracted me to the idea of filming things is that I could go out and film the world around me and then watch those clips back on a big computer screen as many times as I wanted to — effectively create my own 20/20 vision,” Emrich said. In high school, Emrich participated in various music-related activities, such as marching band, drumline and orchestra. He said combining his various passions sparked the beginning of many film projects. Aside from film, Emrich said he’s also a big fan of music. In his senior year of high school, Emrich and seven of his friends formed Cheach Billin, a funk-rock band. The members performed three live shows before, and two virtual shows during, COVID-19. “The eight of us are also already close friends who just so happen to play the instruments we needed, so we all have this unbreakable chemistry between us that makes playing even more fun,” Emrich said. As a native Malibu resident, Emrich heard about Pepperdine all his life. He said he continued to hear about Pepperdine’s Fine Arts Division as he prepared for college. Emrich chose to become a Screen Arts major in the Communication Division rather than the Theatre and Screen Arts Major in the Theater Division. He said he did so because he doesn’t want to be an actor but is open to other opportunities, such as editing or working behind the camera. Although his high school went online for the spring semester of his senior year, Emrich said he still needed time to adjust to college being online. Now that it’s halfway through the semester, Emrich said he feels much
First-year Journalism major Yamillah Hurtado said she was indecisive when choosing her major until she joined Yearbook Club her senior year of high school. “I have always loved writing, so I was like, ‘What if I write for a living and be a journalist and work for a magazine?’” Hurtado said. “That just sparked my interest in journalism.” Hurtado said she applied to work in Yearbook Club her junior year of high school and was unsure whether she would be accepted because of her unfamiliarity with graphic design. In her senior year, Hurtado received her acceptance and joined the writing team. Hurtado began to interview students at concerts, games and club events. “I thought it was a lot of fun to just interview students around campus and write about them and certain events that were going on,” Hurtado said. As she began to take part in the yearbook, Hurtado said she started to contemplate pursuing a career in journalism. “I began researching schools and finding out about their journalism program, and seeing what they offered their students was really intriguing,” Hurtado said. “I was like, ‘OK, this could be a lot of fun.’” Hurtado said New Zealand’s radio host Zane Lowe and his interview series, “The Zane Lowe Interview Series,” where Lowe speaks to musicians and other artists, inspired her to explore journalism. What appealed to Hurtado was the one-on-one nature of these interviews. “Watching him is so mesmerizing — he’s just talking to these people and
Photo Courtesy of yamillah hurtado Future Journalist| First-year Yamillah Hurtado smiles during her dream vacation in Florence in 2018. Hurtado said she discovered her passion for writing in high school but realized she wanted to be a journalist after interviewing students for the yearbook. knowing them as actual people instead of these big stars,” Hurtado said. “And so I feel like that’s more of what I wanted — to just have really good conversations with amazing people.” Now, Hurtado writes multiple profiles for the fall 2020 edition of Currents magazine. She said she enjoys writing the profiles and is excited to expand her journalism background. “I just really want to be as involved as I can in the writing programs Pepperdine offers,” Hurtado said. In addition to Yearbook Club, Hurtado said she also was a part of her school’s choir program in high school. “I’ve always loved singing,” Hurtado said. “I don’t know if I’m good at it, but I love it. It brings me joy.” Hurtado said she joined the choir in ninth grade and continued with it all four years. In her junior year, she joined the school’s a cappella group. “It really allowed me to grow in my musical ability and just learn more on what singing actually is instead of just opening your mouth and letting out sound,” Hurtado said. “I was able
to learn musical techniques and the logistics.” In addition to journalism and music, Hurtado also hopes to study abroad through Pepperdine’s summer International Programs. Hurtado said she would be waiting for the summer of 2022 because of the uncertainty COVID-19 brings. As of now, her top choice is Buenos Aires, Argentina. “I was thinking Buenos Aires because a lot of the programs you have to learn the language before,” Hurtado said. “I’ve already learned [Spanish] in high school and throughout my life, so I want to stick with studying Spanish in college.” Hurtado said her goals for college are to succeed in school and to take in all that Pepperdine has to offer. “I’m really excited to just deepen my love for writing and to just know for sure that that is what I want to do,” Hurtado said. “And if not, I’m hoping that through Pepperdine professors, I’m able to find another passion.” SAM .TOR R E@PEPPER DINE.EDU
Future ambassador explores international fellowship S a m To r r e L ife & Ar t s assi stant
Man of Many Talents | Emrich plays the drums at his high school’s 2019 winter jazz band concert. He participated in band, drumline and orchestra throughout high schoool. more comfortable with remote learning. “The tension of online has kind of broken,” Emrich said. “It’s loosened to the point where I’m private chatting more people in my classes, and more people are reaching out to me on social media.” In regard to going abroad, Emrich’s first choice is Lausanne. When Pepperdine resumes on-campus instruction, Emrich said he also hopes to join KWVS Radio. “Being a DJ was always a dream job of mine since they don’t really exist anymore,” Emrich said. After college, Emrich said he dreams of working in the film industry. He said he understands the decision to pursue film can be a risky one, and despite those uncertainties, he has big ambitions of becoming a film director. Like most first-year students, Emrich said he hopes to create genuine connections with other students and truly experience student life at Pepperdine. “I’ve been exposed to [Pepperdine] my whole life being here, so I’ve always wanted to be a part of it,” Emrich said. J E S S I CA .WA N G @P E P P E RD I N E . E D U
First-year Hana Kim is an International Studies major with an emphasis in political science from Orange County, CA. Kim said she realized political science was something she wanted to pursue when researching for a speech competition her senior year of high school. “There are so many international issues that nobody knows about or nobody cares to resolve,” Kim said. “There’s a lot of tension in many countries, but people overlook that.” Kim said she was president of her high school’s Speech and Debate Club when an informational speech she gave inspired her to study international relations. Her topic was about the Japanese imperialism of Korea. “I was learning about this international conflict that I had no idea about even though it was such a huge event in world history,” Kim said. “This was also where my ancestors are from and where my family is from, and I had no idea.” Kim said her dream job would be to work as either a United Nations ambassador or an ambassador for the U.S., settling international issues similar to those between Korea and Japan. “I decided there are so many of these conflicts that are unresolved in this world,” Kim said. “If I can help resolve or be a part of the solution in any way, I want to be able to do that.” As an International Studies major, Kim said her high school advisers strongly recommended that she study abroad. This recommendation led her to Pepperdine. “I would love to study abroad in Korea, but IP doesn’t have a study abroad in Korea, unfortunately,” Kim said. Kim said she chose the D.C. + London Program because it fit her academic plan the best. She is planning to graduate in three years and found that London’s classes satisfied her requirements. In addition to International Programs, Kim said she is also applying for the Global Fellows Program. “It’s really good for those who want to go into positions of leadership, whether it be in politics or business,”
Photo Courtesy of hana kim Political Science Passion | Firstyear Hana Kim (fourth from left) poses outside with her debate team at the 34th-annual Stanford Invitational Speech and Debate tournament in early February. After giving an informational speech in high school, Kim said she was inspired to study international relations. Kim said. In addition to the Global Fellows program, Kim said she wants to take part in Pepperdine’s Model United Nations and some cultural clubs at Pepperdine. She is also planning to join the business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi when on campus. “I’m ready to be on campus, and when I’m on campus, I just want to have fun,” Kim said. “I haven’t been to the beach for so long.” While this first semester was not what she was expecting, Kim said she has enjoyed being home with her family. “Being home has given me a lot of time to self-reflect and to spiritually grow,” Kim said. Kim said her main goal for her time at Pepperdine is to enjoy college to the fullest extent. “I don’t want to have any regrets,” Kim said. “I want to take the classes that I want and still graduate in three years and be as involved on campus as I can. I don’t want to miss any more of my college experience.” SAM .TOR R E@PEPPER DINE.EDU
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PODCAST: The Arts and Students Engage F R OM B 1 “I started electric guitar when I was 9 years old,” Podgorski said. “I did a show called the ‘Randi Rhodes’ show where I performed in front of about 5,000 people with a bunch of rockstar legends. I also wrote my first instrumental-heavy metal album when I was 13 called ‘Limitless.’” Lobello said she interviewed Rebecca Carson for her hosting episode. The first episodes gave the staff an opportunity to introduce themselves, so hosting duties would not always fall Morgan. Lobello said the rotating schedule of podcast hosts allows for a lot of variable content. The different hosts often have their own take on interviews, which makes each show unique. “In the future, we might have students host,” Lobello said. “Some of our student workers would absolutely be able to do it. I know that we are doing an alumni month where I am interviewing former students, so you never know.” Flynn said the podcast’s audience is continually growing and has now reached international listeners. He said it’s been an overall positive experience creating the podcast. “We’ve always kind of wanted to have our own original content and show the community, like, ‘Hey we’re here. We exist, we’re doing cool and interesting things on campus,’” Flynn said. Flynn and Lobello said they hope the podcast will help spread the word about upcoming shows and presentations. The staff of the Center for the Arts pride
Courtesy of Kendall Ross
of universal music Photos COurtesyCourtesy of Pepperdine center for thegroup arts Joy Through Art| (Left) Staff members Rebecca Carson and Stewart O’Rourke chat with one another. Carson and O’Rourke said they enjoy seeing students participate in the arts at Pepperdine. (Right) Singer Darlene Love (left) and Rebecca Carson (right) pose together. Carson said she hopes the podcast can bring people joy. themselves on creating a helpful working environment where everyone is always willing to help each other, which Morgan said helped make the podcast a reality. “Doing a podcast is not the same as doing a live production, but it does help remind us why we do this, and just talking to artists has been so exciting too,” Carson said. Carson said she hopes the podcast will be a source of light and joy in listeners’ lives during the COVID-19 restrictions. “When I’m having a hard day, one of the things that’s always a motivator for me is music — just listening to great music,” Carson said. “I think we all understand that on some base level that just
being involved with the arts and exposing yourself to the arts as a way to sort of lift you up.” Morgan said they highlight the importance of the arts throughout the podcast. The podcast episodes are released biweekly and are easily accessible across multiple platforms. “The podcast helps remind us of this and just ways that we can all think about engaging in the arts in a small way in our day-to-day lives,” Carson said.
CH RI S T I N . KA RR@P E P P E RD I N E . E D U
Essay Winner: ‘Promised Land’ Touches Readers Juan C ar los Hugues G u est COntrib ut or Editor’s note: Juan Carlos Hugues won Pepperdine’s Latino/a/x Student Alliance “Speak your Heritage” essay competition. The following is the award-winning essay. When my family first arrived at the Memphis International Airport from Panamá on December 18th, 2004, I had no idea what awaited us in South Carolina. Having lived in Panamá for the first five years of my life, I had grown up envisioning the U.S. as the promised land, with skyscrapers and Disney amusement parks. Little did I know the calamities that I would endure growing up in the South. During my family’s first year in the U.S., my mother, a professional lawyer in Panamá, could not practice law or work in the United States, because our family visa only allowed the breadwinner of the house, my father, to work. Consequently, my mom on many occasions had to work under the table jobs as a waitress, peach picker, and in factories to sustain our family economically. In kindergarten class, I would hold my pee and even go thirsty throughout the day because a majority of the kids in class only spoke English. The worst news of all came when we learned that my premature little sister, Alexandria, had passed away in my mother’s womb, due to the doctor’s negligence and inadequate healthcare. Years later, when I would visit my extended family in Panamá during the summer break, I was shocked to see how much I had changed. Although in the U.S. I had the option of hot or cold water when showering, I did not have that luxury in Panamá. Consequently, I dreaded ice-cold showers at my tia’s house. I also felt out of place when my cousins criticized my accent and the feminine way I spoke Spanish. Even more difficult was realizing how cold the relationship with my grandparents had turned because of time and distance. For a long time, I detested being a first-generation Panamanian-American. Anytime anything unfortunate would happen in my life, I would condemn the place I was living in and swear that if I had only been raised completely Amer-
ican or completely Panamanian none of this would be happening to me. I would think, if only my parents had been born Americans, my youngest sister would have never passed away. If only my family would have stayed in Panamá, I would be the strong, stoic, stereotypical Latino man my extended family wanted me to be. Fortunately, through reading biographies of people like me who had dual identities, like Pauli Murray, I slowly began to shift my perspective. Today, I am thankful for the unique perspective growing up in two cultures has given me. Having my mom work without a “green card” allowed me to empathize and stand in solidarity with undocumented immigrants. Having struggled to ask for help in English inspired me to learn more languages, like French, to never miss an opportunity to help someone out or to make friends. Almost every week now I call my grandma and sometimes prank her by saying “Salut’’ and other phrases like that en français to show her how far I have come in my language speaking abilities. Lastly, seeing my mom practice immigration law and help LGBTQ+ asylum seekers and DACA recipients today is a source of inspiration for me as I consider graduate school. I now know that in order for me to know where I am going, I have to embrace all of the experiences that have molded my identity. So here it is: I am a born Panamanian that grew up in the South and is now a senior in college in Los Angeles. I like to watch movies in Spanish and have never attended an American football game. I have a sister I never got to meet but who taught me to take advantage of each opportunity life has to offer. Honoring my baby sister’s short life has taught me to live life to the fullest and remember that at the end of the day, I create my own promised land.
J U A N . H U G U E S @P E P P E RI D N E . E D U
Pepperdine Pride| The “Centered on the Arts” podcast logo shows Pepperdine colors, a microphone and a headphone. The Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts used the logo as promotional material for the podcast, which launched on June 29.
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SPORTS
Where are they now?: Mayar Sherif makes history Paxt o n R it c h ey A s s i stant S por ts E dit or Born in Egypt but growing up in Spain and spending two seasons at Fresno State, Mayar Sherif arrived at Pepperdine looking for the opportunity to take her game to the next level. Four years later, she’s a trailblazing professional coming off a breakout performance on one of the tennis world’s biggest stages. Although she only spent two years in Malibu, Sherif made a huge impact on the Pepperdine program. She is one of four Waves ever to reach an NCAA Singles Championship semifinal. She climbed to a top-10 ranking in singles, a No. 1 overall ranking in doubles, and a 33–9 career singles record at Pepperdine, including a 19–1 mark during her senior season. Since graduating in 2018, Sherif has represented Egypt successfully at the international level and worked her way up the world singles rankings. This September, she made the main draw of the French Open, becoming the first Egyptian woman ever to do so. In the fifth installment of the “Where Are They Now?” series featuring former Pepperdine student-athletes, the Graphic caught up with Sherif in Florida, her latest stop on tour while she continues the grind of being a top-200 tennis player working to reach more Grand Slams. Previous installments covered Stacy Davis, Kelley Larsen, Quincy McAfee and Dave Wieczorek. Although she is from a country that hasn’t produced any successful tennis exports, Sherif was born into a family passionate about the game. “My parents love tennis,” Sherif said. “They always watch tennis, so they basically got me into the sport. Then I fell in love with the sport, and it became my way of life.” Sherif has three sisters, all of whom play tennis at the national level. Sherif ’s older sister played college tennis at Fresno State, where Sherif played there with her for two seasons, then transferred to Pepperdine after her sister graduated. As a child, Sherif spent time living in Spain, home to some of the world’s great clay-court specialists like Rafael Nadal. Sherif said moving to college tennis, which plays exclusively on hard courts, helped her game become more well-rounded. “I grew up all my life playing on clay, so I had to adapt and develop my game for hard court,” Sherif said. “[Pepperdine Head Coach] Per [Nilsson] worked with me so much on my game and how to use my game to be a better player.” In just a little over a year and a half on the pro tour
Photos courtesy of mayar sherif Professional Attire| Sherif (left) looks toward her coaches box and celebrates during her French Open match against Karolina Pliskova in September. Pliskova’s high ranking enabled Sherif to play in a 15,000-seat stadium and for a worldwide television audience. Sherif (right) pumps her fist during a qualifying match for the French Open in September. Sherif needed to win three matches in four days to make it to the main draw of the event. full-time, Sherif has shot up the Women’s Tennis Association world rankings. At the end of October 2020, she ranked No. 164 in the world — a career high to date. On the International Tennis Federation circuit, which is the developmental series for the WTA, Sherif has already won eight singles tournament titles and six doubles tournament titles. But Sherif said the life of an ITF tennis player is physically, mentally and financially draining. “It’s tough out there,” Sherif said. “I think the tour is a bit not fair because when you come in with no points and no ranking, you have to spend a lot of money investing in yourself.” While Sherif gets to travel around the world to play in tournaments, it happens on her dime without an immediate return on investment. “You don’t really make money until the top 200, and you don’t get good money until the top 100,” Sherif said. “But to get to the top 200, you have to spend on accommodation, flight tickets, hotels, food, the salary of your coach, the salary of your fitness coach, the salary of your physio. Because I live in Spain instead of my home country, I have to rent an apartment, I have to buy a car. All of this is very expensive.” Sherif is one of the lucky ones — a player who has broken into the top 200 after just a year. But she had to take the leap of faith while not knowing when, or even if, that would ever happen. Sherif said it’s important to keep motivation up with tennis’ frustratingly streaky nature. “You’re traveling 25 to 35 weeks out of the year, and you might lose for five weeks in a row,” Sherif said. “You play at your best for three or four weeks out of the year.”
Fortunately for Sherif, her good run of play in 2020 coincided with the lead-up to the French Open, one of tennis’s four Grand Slams, along with the Australian Open, U.S. Open and Wimbledon. Since the other three Grand Slams take place on either hard courts or grass, the French Open is considered the premier clay-court tournament in the world. Sherif needed to compete in a qualifying tournament prior to the start of the main draw. She had to win three consecutive matches to obtain one of the 12 qualifier spots in the 128-player main draw. Sherif rolled through Maria Osorio Serrano, Caty McNally and Giulia Gatto-Monticone without dropping a set. “I had so much confidence after I qualified because I was playing better every match,” Sherif said. “It worked out for me so well.” Becoming the first-ever Egyptian woman to make a Grand Slam, Sherif faced Karolina Pliskova, the tournament’s No. 2 seed and a former world No. 1 who was ranked fourth in the world at the time. Sherif rode her qualifying momentum to take the first set in a tiebreak, but Pliskova rallied to take the next two sets and the match, 6–7 (9), 6–2, 6–4. “I was honestly in shock,” Sherif said. “I wasn’t playing my best. I believe I could’ve won that match. And at some point in the first set, I was like, ‘This is where the level is? This is the highest level?’ Because this girl is one of the best in the world, and I was so close to beating her when I had so many things to work on and so many ways to improve.” While Sherif said she had an amazing time at the French Open, it was just as significant for whom she got to share the experience
with. Because of Pliskova’s high ranking, Sherif played the match on Centre Court, the main arena at Roland Garros in Paris. Sherif ’s former Pepperdine doubles partner, Luisa Stefani, got to warm her up on the court before the game. Stefani does not play singles on the pro tour but has become an accomplished doubles player who made it to the round of 16 at this year’s French Open with partner Gabriella Dabrowski. Sherif ’s match with Pliskova had a big stage at Centre Court but an even larger one in Egypt. “Most of Egypt got up to watch that match,” Sherif said. “Some people left their work to watch it. When people were telling me those stories — I don’t know how to describe it. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to bring attention to tennis in Egypt.” After her French Open appearance, Sherif briefly returned to Egypt as a hero and appeared on a couple TV shows. Egyptian soccer player and Liverpool superstar Mo Salah shared multiple messages of support for Sherif on social media. Sherif said fans recognized her on the street in her home country. “People ask me to take pictures and get my signature,” Sherif said. “It’s such a good feeling to be the person who made the Egyptian population know about tennis, or that there’s someone out there playing tennis. People didn’t know tennis before I played that match.” While the fame is nice, Sherif said she is already back to work. She competed in ITF tournaments in Georgia and Florida in the past two weeks. She said she plans to represent Egypt at the international level in the Billie Jean King Cup, the women’s tennis’ international team competition previously known as the Fed Cup, which
New Path| Tennis legend Mayar Sherif poses at the net in her native Egypt earlier this year. After her unprecedented run to a tennis Grand Slam, Sherif has become a celebrity in her home country. she has done already. She is also on course to qualify for the 2021 Olympics, which would make her the first Egyptian female tennis player to compete there, too. Sherif said her immediate goals are to play more matches and improve. Next year, she’s shooting to move up in the rankings and return to more Grand Slams. “Right now, [I will] just play tournaments and en-
joy competing,” Sherif said. “All the world is stopped right now, and we’re so lucky to be able to compete. If next year gets back to normal, our goal is to reach the top 100.” PAX TON.R ITC HEY@PEPPER DINE.EDU
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Veteran men’s basketball primed for WCC breakout cerns and won’t be suiting paxt o n r it c hey a s si s tant spor ts e d itor up this season. After the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic robbed them of the chance to play postseason basketball for the first time in four years, Pepperdine Men’s Basketball is poised to return to those heights and beyond. The Waves return two players who won All-WCC awards last season in senior Colbey Ross, a two-time First Team selection, and junior Kessler Edwards, who made the second team in the 2019–2020 season, which Head Coach Lorenzo Romar said will be a huge benefit to this year’s team. “Now we have guys who are juniors and seniors that have been through it and are talented,” Romar said. “They’re surrounded by guys who are older, have been in our system for more than one year, [and] understand our philosophy. Hopefully, that will pay dividends for us.” Pepperdine will welcome back a host of other contributors, including Sedrick Altman, who made last year’s WCC All-Freshman Team, Darryl Polk Jr. and Victor Ohia Obioha. The Waves hope for a return to form from guards Jade Smith and Andre Ball, who were injured last season and utilized medical redshirts. The Waves lost only one player, longtime forward Kameron Edwards, to graduation. Forward Keith Smith and center Jackson Stormo both transferred away from Pepperdine. Sharpshooter Skylar Chavez chose to opt out due to COVID-19 con-
With a lot of minutes in the bigs rotation up for grabs, Romar said he hopes to replace Edwards with a variety of players. Romar said that Kene Chukwuka, a 6-foot-9-inch graduate transfer from the University of Pittsburgh, freshman Kendall Munson, a three-star forward from Seattle powerhouse Garfield High School and sophomore Jan Zidek would be candidates to play minutes in the post. Zidek said he was excited to get back on the court but had received no assurances about his role. “At the end, it’s the players who decide who plays,” Zidek said. “How you practice determines how many minutes you get.” Regardless, Zidek said his familiarity with the program would be an advantage for him. “I understand our philosophy more,” Zidek said. “I got even stronger during the summer, I’m growing, and I’m working on my game. I think I have a big opportunity to get a lot of minutes and help the team.” With not many roster spots opening up, Pepperdine only made one addition to the roster aside from Chukwuka and Munson — forward Robbie Heath, who led NCAA Division II in scoring last season. At this time, due to NCAA transfer rules, Heath is not eligible this year, but Romar said the team is applying for an exemption waiver so Heath can play without sitting out a year. Pepperdine ranks fourth
in the preseason WCC Coaches Poll, trailing only perennial powers Gonzaga, Brigham Young and Saint Mary’s. Ross and Edwards both made the 10-player preseason first team. The Waves were the only program to place multiple players on the team aside from Gonzaga, who was No. 2 in the nation when last season stopped. Ross said playing in the WCC, which cumulatively went 10-7 against Pac-12 opponents last year, means there are no easy nights. “Time in and time out, you’ve gotta bring it,” Ross said. “The WCC is no league where you can take a game off because every team is going to give you a game.” At this time, the only games on the schedule are the normal 16-game conference slate that the WCC announced Oct. 8. The Waves hope to independently arrange some non-conference games, but nothing is officially set up. “Unfortunately, it’s still in the process of being put together,” wrote Assistant Director of Athletics Roger Horne in an email. Zidek said the uncertainty in the schedule is difficult. “We don’t know if anything is happening or not, so you just have to live with whatever’s happening right now,” Zidek said. Last year, preseason polls also picked Pepperdine to finish fourth, but the Waves ended up in sixth place. Ross said this time around, the team will benefit from its experience. “Now we’re a veteran team,” Ross said. “Our guys, as a team and individually, understand how to win.”
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courtesy of ricky davis Masked Up | Head Coach Lorenzo Romar intently watches a bubble practice in Firestone Fieldhouse on Oct. 22. Romar and his staff needed to conduct most of their offseason training virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Any success the Waves have is likely to come with Ross at the center of it. Aside from being named to the all-conference preseason team, Ross was one of 15 names that Andy Katz, a writer for NCAA.com, put on his Bob Cousy Award watchlist for the best college point guard in the country. Romar said that Ross consistently proves himself against top competition, citing Ross’s 38-point performance against USC and games against other Power 5 schools. “He’s as good as any point guard in the country, no doubt about it,” Romar said. It’s shaping up to be another historic season for Ross, who became the program’s all-time assist leader late last season. Ross enters his senior season just 23 points behind Stacy Davis for the program’s all-time scoring record, and 10 made free throws away from be-
coming the all-time leader in that department. If Ross can maintain his current career averages of assists per game (6.6) and free-throw percentage (.847), those would also be program records. As he begins to evaluate his legacy at Pepperdine, Ross said he wants the Pepperdine community to remember him as a winner. Ross’s goal remains to take Pepperdine to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002. But he also said he wanted his off-court presence to mirror or surpass his contributions on court. “I want to be remembered as a great leader — a servant leader,” Ross said. “Someone who if guys need anything, they can reach out to me and I’m there. Something we focused on this summer is making it less about ‘me’ and more about ‘we’, and I think that’s so important for the team aspect.” Some of the inspiration for Ross’ mentality came
from previous generations of Waves, like Davis, former assists leader Jeremy Major and current graduate assistant Amadi Udenyi, who Ross said are “big brothers” for him. “They give me advice, they give me confidence and they help me learn the game,” Ross said. Pending the probable addition of some sort of non-conference season, the Waves are scheduled to open the season Dec. 31 against BYU in Malibu. The team hopes to play a full schedule, but Romar said he knows that’s far from a guarantee. “If one kid on any team tests positive, both teams have to be quarantined for two weeks,” Romar said. “That’s different. Those potential situations are the ones that could make things a lot more interesting.”
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Women’s basketball poised to return to the postseason just in t o uhey s por ts ass i s tant The West Coast Conference announced its women’s basketball conference schedule Oct. 7 as the Pepperdine Women’s Basketball team is scheduled to play its first conference game Dec. 28 against Portland. The team finished last season with a 16–15 record and an 8–10 conference record. The team went to the WCC tournament semifinals after beating Brigham Young and Saint Mary’s but eventually lost to San Diego. Monique Andriuolo, a senior forward on the team, said the team plans to build on the momentum from the 2020 campaign. “We have had a few changes in our team and a lot of new people,” Andriuolo said. “However, we have a few returners and the dynamic is still there for a successful team.” The team loses its captain and point guard in Barbara Sitanggan but returns several players, including Malia Bambrick, Jayda Ruffus-Milner, Jayla Ruffus-Milner and Mia Satie. Head Coach Kristen Dowling said she is grateful to be back for her second
pepperdine athletics Full Swing | Freshman Kendyl Carson scores a layup during a bubble practice in Firestone Fieldhouse on Oct. 9. season, especially with the circumstances surrounding COVID-19. The team is ranked seventh in the WCC coaches poll and returns a few starters. “We return three of our starters from last year, so we are returning a solid group and we are excited for the season,” Dowling said. “We have a combination of freshmen and transfers, and we had a strong finish. We feel like we have a lot to build on, so we are
hopeful about the season.” The team has been able to practice together over the last few weeks while following LA County guidelines and protocols for COVID-19. The team welcomes new freshmen and transfers who are eager to contribute to this season. Kendyl Carson, an incoming freshman from Juneau, Alaska, said the team is trying to keep the same feeling that the team had last year.
“I know they lost a lot of seniors, seven or eight of them,” Carson said. “We are still trying to keep the same philosophy as last year. We want to try and take what they learned and continue to grow and hopefully do better.” Isabel Montoya, another incoming freshman, said practices and workouts have been going well despite the unusual circumstances. “Practices and workouts have been taken more seriously,” Montoya said. “We are going harder because we are given less time. We understand as a team the restrictions and obstacles that are in our way, but we are still trying to thrive in these circumstances.” Despite both Carson and Montoya being freshmen, both said they hope to make an impact on the team this season. “For me, it is doing the little things, and I want to stay consistent with those,” Carson said. “There are goals for playing time, but we have certain standards on the team like communicating with my teammates and making sure everyone is working hard.” Montoya wants to help fill the void that Sitanggan left after graduating.
“I am coming in after a great point guard last year,” Montoya said. “This year I do not want to be the drop off. I want to fill whatever role the team needs me to do and succeed at it.” Andriuolo is looking to be one of the leaders this year as a senior, especially with a new team. “As a senior, I think I have a big leadership role, and I am ready to help the team in any way possible,” Andriuolo said. “Obviously it is important to keep doing the same things we did last year, and I want to improve my leadership by taking a few girls under my wing.” Andriuolo said the team hopes to advance further in the WCC tournament and make a run at qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. “Making the tournament is always our end goal, and it would be amazing to make it,” Andriuolo said. “It’s a goal that we all want to achieve, and we have the potential to do it.” Dowling’s said the mission as a coach is to take the program to new heights and focus on a championship mentality. “Our mission is to develop the whole person while competing for a champion-
ship,” Dowling said. “We finished in the top four last year and bring back three starters. We want to be playing in the postseason.” Montoya said that the incoming freshmen and transfers are focused on achieving that goal. “We have postseason aspirations beyond the WCC tournament now,” Montoya said. “We have the goal of making the NCAA Tournament, which means we have to handle business in the WCC.” Carson said the coaches have been emphasizing steady improvement every year. “Our coaches want us to be patient with the time that we have, and obviously we want a WCC title,” Carson said. “It is a big goal of ours to develop a tone on how we are going to play. We want to peak toward the end of the season while keeping the same consistency throughout the year. We want to make a statement against our competitors that we are here to win.”
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Women’s Soccer reloads for 2021 aust in ha ll s taf f w r i te r Pepperdine Women’s Soccer asserted dominance over the majority of the West Coast Conference for four seasons. Both 2016 and 2017 saw the Waves win the conference outright and make it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Waves took a slight step back and finished third in conference the past two years. The adjusted spring 2021 season is an ideal scenario for Pepperdine to return to the pinnacle of the WCC due to an experienced backline, talented group of juniors and an elite recruiting class. “This is one of the most talented recruiting classes this program has ever seen,” Head Coach Tim Ward said. “When you pair them with the depth that we already have and these upperclassmen who have played for a full two or three years, there’s a ton of excitement in this group of girls.” One of the most experienced players on the roster with all-conference accolades has yet to play a game in a Pepperdine uniform. Redshirt junior Kelsey Hill started in 38 matches for the Saint Mary’s Gaels. After her sophomore season, she left the school primarily due to coaching changes and the program lacking consistency. After sitting out the 2019 season per WCC transfer rules, Hill is poised for a breakout year and could play multiple positions, most likely defensive center-midfield or outside-back. Hill said she’s in a rare leadership role without ever having played a real game as a Wave. “The situation is strange, no doubt,” Hill said. “I only got to play one game in the spring, and it was after two full years at a similar school. I’m not a freshman but yet I want to prove myself.” Similar to the men’s and women’s volleyball teams, practices for soccer are split into groups. With 27 on the current roster, Ward splits them evenly three ways and shuffles the groups weekly with multiple players from each grade. As somebody who was forced to watch every minute of the past
kim | sports design assistant photosInez courtesy of pepperdine athletics Team 28 | (left) Senior defender Laura Ishikawa navigates an opponent in a Waves victory against San Diego State on Sept. 15, 2019. Ishikawa has played in 34 career games. (right) Head Coach Tim Ward talks to senior midfielder Madi Cook and alumna forward Hailey Stenberg on Tari Frahm Rokus Field on Aug. 25, 2019. season without ever stepping on the field, Hill says there’s a spark in this year’s group. “More than ever, we’re bought into our mission,” Hill said. “We weren’t on the field together for so long, and because of that we’re grateful and ready to be back. We have such a big senior class and freshman class, which is interesting.” Hill said she delivers an aggressive presence to the field and wants to be a vocal leader as well. “I like to bring a physical component,” Hill said. “I like to go up and win balls in the air and have great timing but also keep up with other people throughout the course of the game. I also love to stay positive and keep my team up during the game.” Ward said he thinks this year’s defense has the potential to match the energy of past groups. “When you think back to ’16 and ’17 when we won the WCC, we were built on a defensive block,” Ward said. “We had the ‘defense wins championships’ mentality, and we’re trying to keep that going here.” Another fourth-year defender with over 30 career starts is senior Laura Ishikawa. Ishikawa is one of three captains this year along with her roommates Emily Sample, who’s projected to play outside back with Ishikawa and Zoe Clevely, the oldest goalkeeper on the roster.
Ishikawa said the trio has adjusted well to being captains in the adjusted season. “It hasn’t been the easiest transition,” Ishikawa said. “I put a little too much pressure on myself, thinking I had to do everything perfectly. Emily is great at the planning aspect and keeping the team together while Zoe, who’s a goalie with her own responsibilities, still gets so much respect.” During their offseason work, Ishikawa said she noticed the stamina of the team seems higher than previous years. “Our fitness has gotten a lot better,” Ishikawa said. “Every year we put an emphasis on that. We’re able to run faster and run longer over the course of games, which is very helpful.” Ward, entering his 23rd season at the helm, said the postponement of the season put things into perspective. “First and foremost, we’re just thrilled to be out there,” Ward said. “It didn’t always look great, but hats off to President Gash and his staff for getting it done. Being able to train is a huge deal, and we’re honored to be doing it.” With a nine-player recruiting class, five third-year players who have played in 151 career games, a former SEC All-Freshman team transfer and an 11-player senior class, the roster is littered with talent and starting-caliber players. Team headliners include two
Last Line of Defense | Redshirt junior goalkeeper Zoe Clevely drop kicks in a victory over UC Riverside on Aug. 22, 2019. In her first year starting, Clevely went down with an injury early in the season but is expected to return to her starting spot. 2019 First-Team All WCC selections: senior forward Joelle Anderson and junior center-back Trinity Watson. Junior outside-back Izzy Nelson also has her fair share of recognition, as she was 2018 WCC Freshman of the Year and 2019 second-team all WCC. Ward said one of his biggest challenges is finding roles for as many of the players as he can. “There’s such a blend of experience and youth,” Ward said. “Our staff sits in the office, looks at the depth chart and we scratch our heads thinking, ‘Wow, we’re gonna have some really difficult decisions to make.’ And not just for the 11 starters but the five or six coming off the bench. It’s tough but a good problem to have.”
Ward said the abundance of talent cannot take away from the level of effort. “It’s a scary statement but the majority of the time we’re going to have more talent on the field than the opposition,” Ward said. “Even though we might have more talent, we still need to have more grit than everyone in front of us and be the hardest-working team on our schedule.” Women’s Soccer has a first allowable competition date of January 2021. The team confirmed will play all 11 WCC opponents and is looking to fill the rest of their schedule for an estimated 15 games. AUSTIN.HAL L @PEPPER DINE.EDU
Pepp athletes find community in the bubble tay lo r gat her s taf f w r i ter Like many first-year students, freshman cross country runner Nathaniel Lerch said he was excited to move away from his home in Clarion, Pa., and live a life of independence in California. Lerch said when he moved to Malibu on Aug. 11, he felt isolated more than independent. From weekly COVID-19 tests to socially distanced living conditions, he said his college experience thus far has been anything but normal. “Initially, we were really taken away by the lack of people here,” Lerch said. “Even in our own dorm building, we didn’t see anybody walking out or walking in. At first it was extremely deserted.” Since Pepperdine announced classes for fall 2020 would be online, approximately 200 student-athletes have lived in an almost empty campus. While the semester has looked differently than anticipated, Lerch said he is grateful to be in Malibu for his first semester of college. “I remind myself I’m lucky to be here and glad to be here,” Lerch said. “I have a team that I can count on, and they’re good friends.” Following Los Angeles County quarantine protocol requiring residents to social distance and wear face cov-
erings, Lerch said he has had to make more of an effort than he normally would to foster a sense of community on campus. “If you walk down to the cafeteria, you will not see a single soul until you get to the staff,” Lerch said. “It’s tough to meet new people. But you have to be really outgoing when you see somebody, because if you don’t, then that’s it — you missed your chance.” Sophomore volleyball player Aubrey Roberts, who was one of the first wave of athletes to move onto campus Aug. 12, echoed Lerch’s sentiments. Roberts said that though this is her second year living on campus, she must be proactive in seeing her friends on campus. “Since no one’s allowed in each other’s room, it kind of forces everyone to make that mutual effort to still hang out with people outside and following the rules,” Roberts said. “I’ve had to put in a lot of effort because if I’m not with my team, then I’m by myself. Everyone needs social interaction, especially now, so I’ve definitely had to think about it a lot more.” With access limited to only certain parts of campus, Roberts said her routine is pretty similar from day to day: practice, class, homework, rest and repeat. “Every day, the structure is the same,” Roberts said. “I like routine and I like the
jaylene ramli | assistant phot0 editor
courtesy of aubrey roberts
Ghost Town | (left) Freshmen Nate Lannen, Ryan Hemphill and Nathaniel Lerch do a shakeout run Oct. 27 at the Stotsenberg Track. The three runners are three of approximately 200 student-athletes who live on a nearly empty campus. (right) Sophomore Aubrey Roberts serves against San Diego in Oct. 2019 at Firestone Fieldhouse. Roberts said day-to-day routine in 2020 is similar: practice, class, homework, rest and repeat. structure, but there aren’t many outlying experiences or events. I’m just kind of going through it right now.” Since her initial move into Lovernich Apartments, Roberts said she has felt the atmosphere change as more and more athletes moved onto campus. “When everyone started joining I was like, ‘This what you do, this is how you deal with this,’” Roberts said. “[...] I just like being able to walk out of my dorm and have some sense of normalcy with somebody from another team or another person just walking by. I’m reminded that there are people here and I’m not just isolated by myself on this campus.” Like Roberts, Lerch said he has lived in solitude in his Lovernich suite since he moved in a little over two
months ago. Lerch said he combats feelings of loneliness by leaning on his faith. “During the day when you’re just sitting in your room and you don’t have a roommate — and you’ve been alone for 10 hours — it gets tough,” Lerch said. “You have to remind yourself that God is in control and if He wants you to be social, He will show you, or if you need to study, He’s going to want you to be in your room studying.” Despite a postponed fall sports season, Lerch said he looks forward to not only meeting other students and professors in person but also racing as a college athlete for the first time. “I’ve always wanted to run college cross country and college track because I hear it’s such a different
vibe,” Lerch said. “There’s a huge difference in level of competition. The level of the people you’re competing against are just insane compared to high school. I come from a pretty small town, so I was so excited for all this crazy competition — and hopefully the spring will allow that to happen.” While many athletes like Lerch are continuing to train for hopeful upcoming sea-
sons, Women’s Tennis and Men’s Golf have continued to compete in the fall thus far. Both Men’s and Women’s Basketball are slated to begin before New Year’s Day while other fall and winter sports will begin competition in December or January.
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