Pepperdine Graphic 8-17-2020 Edition

THE PEPPERDINE GRAPHIC VOLUME L

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ISSUE 1 | August 17, 2020

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‘Out of Our Pattern Entirely’:

emily shaw | senior reporter Drive and Dine | A patron orders and picks up his food from inside his car at Broad Street Oyster Company’s recently opened drive-thru window. Malibu businesses adapted to county guidelines requiring contactless food service and limiting indoor seating.

Malibu Adapts to LA County COVID-19 Guidelines Emily Shaw S eni or R eporte r

Blanket and loungewear store Barefoot Dreams, among a few other new local businesses, didn’t exactly get the grand opening it planned for, delaying its launch in the midst of a pandemic.

Effective March 19, the Los Angeles County Health Office issued an order requiring the closure of non-essential retail businesses. A couple of months later, LA County Public Health officials announced the re-opening of a limited number of businesses and resources, including clothing stores, with appropriate precautions arranged.

Natalia Kosser, assistant manager of Barefoot Dreams, said the store had been set to open before the start of the pandemic but had to close down for a few months due to the spread of COVID-19.

“We weren’t sure how we were going to go about opening in April

and May when we were on lockdown,” Kosser said. “We weren’t sure what that would look like, but once we got into the store, we adjusted.”

On March 14, the City of Malibu declared a state of emergency, prompting local businesses, organizations and city resources to either close down completely or adjust to provide contactless service.

“Our local retailers have been devastated, same as in other cities across America and even the world,” Mayor of Malibu Mikke Pierson said. “Our local restaurants [are in] a really, really difficult situation, particularly when we were going through a phase of opening and closing businesses quickly due to the coronavirus.”

The City of Malibu relies on the LA County Health Department and its guidelines, which include mask wearing, social distancing, COVID-19 testing and protocols for businesses.

Pierson said it has been challenging to keep up with the uncertain changing state of the spread of the pandemic, even with his weekly calls with Barbara Ferrer, the LA County Health Director.

He has also begun discussions about issuing a mask ordinance specific to Malibu and believes the conversation is overdue.

“Talking with other cities nearby that have them, it’s just a stronger deterrent,” Pierson said. “You don’t write that many tickets; it’s more just trying to go to the next level and having people please wear masks because it’s the one thing that most of us know makes a huge difference in slowing down the spread of the virus.”

As both the mayor and a business coach, Pierson said he sees and understands the challenges that small businesses are confronted with during this time. One way he has tried to support businesses is by working with a group called

Change Reaction to provide 0% loans and other help to local businesses.

Barefoot Dreams

For recently opened Barefoot Dreams, using and practicing the various established safeguards in the store — including wearing masks, offering multiple hand sanitizer stations, steaming tried-on garments, allowing up to 50% store capacity, social distancing and remaining open for fewer hours from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. — has become the new normal.

Kosser said some people come into the store and shop because it is one of the few things they can go out and do.

“Our product is really appropriate for what we’re dealing with right now as far as being home all the time,” Kosser said. “We’re kind of not doing so terribly because this is what people are needing right

now.”

Regarding the future, Kosser said the store is taking it as it comes.

“It’s kind of hard to plan too far ahead right now, so it really is a day-to-day thing, but so far we’ve been able to stay open and operate with people just being cautious, wearing masks, distancing,” Kosser said. “We’re gonna stay open as long as we’re allowed.”

Food Services On March 16, the LA County Public Health Officer issued an order requiring the closure of bars and restaurants, except for food service pick-up and delivery.

As California transitioned to Stage 2 of reopening the state in early May, LA County officials announced that in-person dining in restaurants could resume with appropriate safeguards and protocols in place.

SE E M A L I B U, A4

Looking back — A year in review with Gash As hl ey mo w r eader new s edi tor On Aug. 1, 2019, President Jim Gash’s official first day of office, he and Chief of Staff Danny DeWalt began digging in Rho parking lot — the first symbolic dig of the future student recreation and event center, “The Mountain.”

On Aug. 6, 2020, one year later, I asked Gash what he had learned throughout his first atypical year of presidency. Gash responded by showing me the empty Malibu campus through his laptop webcam and said, “Campus is really, really lonely without students.”

Since March 2019, when the Presidential search committee finalized its decision and named Gash as Pepperdine’s eighth president, he has hit the ground running

with big dreams and bold plans for the University.

Though much of the past year was unpredictable and unprecedented, he continues to look forward and execute many of his original plans with hopes to help create a better Pepperdine.

Faith, Fundraising and Footprints Gash created three pillars of emphasis during his initial speech as President-elect: faith, fundraising and footprints.

“That goal of making faith a centerpiece is something that hasn’t wavered and won’t waver,” Gash said.

Faith, Gash said, is a foundational part of his life.

It is the reason he is at Pepperdine and continues to be involved in higher education at “an institution that helps

News

What ’s AHE A D

A3- Pepp students share their experiences testing positive for COVID-19.

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grow and instill faith in students,” he said.

Over the past year, Gash spoke at various convocation and celebration chapel events, hosted prayer events, chose Hillsong to perform at his inauguration and said he continues to put prayer at the forefront. He and DeWalt continue to kneel for prayer every morning, facing the Pacific Ocean between the cross on the Phillip Theme Tower, the cross on the chapel and the cross on the hill overlooking classes — and each President’s Briefing opens in prayer.

Fundraising, while second on his list but not in his priorities, Gash said, is about acquiring the resources needed.

“We need the opportunity to build the kind of institution we want, and that really starts with students,” Gash

said about creating more scholarships.

In his first 100 days of presidency, Gash toured the country, connecting with alumni and donors, asking them to continue investing in Pepperdine and its mission through giving. His fundraising campaign met almost all of its goals, falling just short of a second gift of $10 million by a single donor. Although the campaign ended early in March at seven-anda-half months when classes transitioned to online, the administration reached its goal of raising the most money in the history of Pepperdine during a single year.

“That’s part of the job of a president and advancement team — to tell the story of who we are and what’s important to us to inspire people who are fellow travelers to say, ‘You know what? I

L if e & A r t s

Pe r s pe ct iv e s Staff Editorial: Racism cannot be fought with performative activism.

Students question

B1- Students and faculty prepare for a full semester of remote learning.

administration’s B2- Fresh Faces: Read students A3- First-year A7- Pepp the stories of three decision to increase attend a six-week long online orientation in lieu of an in-person NSO experience.

the thewaves wavesreport report

tuition despite classes being online.

Mon: Fri:2-3 3-5ft ft

first-year students

Tues: Sat: 3-5 2-3ftft

ali levins | photo editor want to make that possible,’” he said.

Increasing the University’s footprint is more than just getting Pepperdine feet in every state and on every continent.

During his first year, the administration finalized the purchase of the new Swiss chateau in Vevay, Pepperdine became the first school to

SP ORTS

least 10 studentB7- At athletes will return to Pepp for their fifth and sixth years of NCAA eligibility.

SE E GA SH, A5

l is te n to ‘fac e to fac e ’ T he g r ap hi c’s Ne w P o d c ast

B8- The Waves Swim and

Dive team welcomes a new head coach from UC Santa Barbara.

sun: Wed:3-5 2-3ftft

partner formally with International Justice Mission, and plans to expand International Programs into the “developing world” are continuing, Gash said.

“It’s great to study in places of power, and we have study abroad opportunities

Mon: Thurs: 2-42-3 ft ft

Part 2 of the ‘Uproot’ segment discusses topics like mass incarceration and defunding the police with guests George Preston IV and Brykell Killingsworth.

Listen anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Tue: Fri:3-42-3ftft

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A UGUST 1 7 , 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:

49 1 two 2 Deaths

KNown Cases

Malibu:

3

90 4 Cases three Deaths

5

7/31/20 11:55 p.m.

Crime: Larceny/Theft Grand Theft of Property Location: Firestone Fieldhouse

1 6/20/20 6:16 p.m.

Crime: TrafficRelated - Reckless Driving Location: Seaver Drive

6/25/20 3:24 p.m.

Crime: Larceny/ Theft - Petty Theft Location: Lower Tennis Courts

cases

2

v i r tu al eve nts this ac adem ic w e e k

cases

US: 5.31M

4

7/15/20 10:24 p.m.

Crime: Larceny/Theft - Grand Theft of Property Location: Facilities Services

216,139 Deaths

5

6/17/20 1:08 p.m.

Crime: Larceny/Theft - Petty Theft Location: Seaver Academic Complex

Los angeles county:

5,057

3

MON

TUES

What: President’s Briefing When: 9 a.m.

Hosted by: President Gash

N o e ve nts sc he d ule d

17

18

WEDS 19

What: foundation wors hi p kickoff event Whe n: 10 a.m. hoste d by: Gus P eter s on

THURS 20

What: The gathering When: 7 p.m. hosted by: rachel collins

What: 19th amendment centennial lectur e by r ebecca boggs r obert s Whe n: 4:30 p.m. hoste d by: Jeffr ey bowen

170K Deaths

FRI 21

W hat: “ P u b l i c t ru s t ” f i l m s c reeni ng W he n: 2 p. m.

Ho s t e d by: B ryc e wal l gard W hat: Panhel l eni c “ Meet t he c hap t ers” ni g ht W he n: 5 p. m. ho s t e d by: panhel l eni c s orori t i es

SUMMER

Worldwide:

21M cases

762K

Deaths Malibu reopening phase:

3

Looking for more?

subscribe to the p(S cianxande ls c rolnletowthesbottom l e toftt hee rpage)

@Peppnewswaves

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A UGUST 1 7 , 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

Pepp Students Share Experiences Testing Positive for COVID-19 GR AC E W O O D A s s is tant New s Edit or Pepperdine students across the globe have felt the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. A particular group of students, however, has had the unique challenge of testing positive for the virus.

The University is aware of 49 cases of COVID-19 among students, faculty and staff in the Los Angeles area and beyond, according to Pepperdine’s COVID-19 University Updates page. Pepperdine obtained these positive test results through testing done at the Student Health Center before the campus closed, through self-reporting by those who were tested off-campus and by individuals who were not tested but could assume beyond a reasonable doubt that they had contracted the virus.

Junior Cameron Zohary learned he had contracted the virus after returning home to Virginia from the London program. While Zohary had some concerns about his own health given his preexisting asthma, he said his biggest concern was for the health of his family members, including his great aunt, grandmother and grandfather, whom he came into contact with before learning he had the virus.

“I wasn’t afraid for myself,” Zohary said. “I thought that I killed my grandparents.”

Zohary said none of his family members ever tested positive for COVID-19.

Still, he remained quarantined in his parents’ basement for the duration of his illness and strictly avoided contact with any family or friends.

“It’s feeling like you’re dangerous and everyone else is a glass house,” Zohary said. “I have a backyard at my house in Virginia, but I just didn’t want to go [outside]. I was

like, ‘What if my droplets fly to the neighbors?’ And so, I went outside probably once a week for, like, five seconds, just because of fear and anxiety.”

For Zohary, the symptoms manifested like a bad flu. He said on top of the usual cough he has due to asthma, he experienced a brief loss of appetite, some fatigue and dehydration.

While he said he wouldn’t wish the experience on anyone, he came out of it relatively unscathed.

“I was very lucky,” Zohary said. “We were expecting it to be much worse for me. […] I got diagnosed mid-March, and

by April 9, I was cleared.”

I think something that people in the U.S. should hear and take seriously is that it really is a communal effort. I think everybody has got to take it personally and see that it’s up to them.

RAICA KWIZERA, JUNIOR Zohary, however, said the pandemic has been hard on his family financially and the time spent in quarantine took a toll on his mental health. He said even after he had made a full recovery, he still had to reconcile that his life wouldn’t return to normal.

“Even though I was

over [COVID-19], I was still staying at home, not doing anything,” Zohary said. “I had a mental breakdown. I’m like, ‘I am that 20-year-old living in their mother’s basement.’”

As the pandemic swept through California in March, students had to tie up loose ends on the Malibu campus before being able to return to their homes. Junior Raica Kwizera was serving as an RA in White House when Pepperdine students learned the campus would close due to COVID-19.

“It was a matter of ignoring how I felt so I could figure out everybody else’s situation,” Kwizera said.

“When the announcement came, it was more of, ‘What are my residents going to do? How am I going to be a sense of comfort for them? How am I going to be there for them in this time?’ Figuring out what I was going to do came after.”

Kwizera said she learned she had contracted the virus upon landing in her home country of Rwanda. Although she was asymptomatic for the duration of her time in quarantine, which took place in a hospital in Kigali, she still was unable to see her family for over six weeks because her test results were continuously positive.

“I had [COVID-19] for 44 days, which was longer than anybody else [in Rwanda] at that point,” Kwizera said.

Kwizera continued to do her schoolwork while in the hospital and said her professors and classmates accommodated her unique circumstances.

She also said being in the hospital with other people dealing with COVID-19 helped her feel a sense of support and community during the trying time.

“I think mentally that helped — seeing people who are in the same situation as you,” Kwizera said.

“It was very hard with people outside of the facil-

Photo courtesy of Emily McNutt Mask On | Junior Emily McNutt poses with a face mask to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Both McNutt and her parents tested positive for COVID-19 earlier in the summer. ity constantly asking me, ‘How are you doing?’ But once you were there, you realize everybody is in the same situation, almost everybody is asymptomatic, you’re fine — it made the situation a lot better.”

After receiving two back-to-back negative tests, Kwizera was eventually able to reunite with her family, which she described as a surreal experience. She said that while the time spent in quarantine was difficult, she was grateful to be in Rwanda rather than in the U.S. and that her parents were still able to keep working.

“Even when I first found out that I had it, I was like, I’m so glad to have it here in Rwanda than in the U.S. because I know that there’s more of a set process, there’s not as many cases, there’s attention to details,” Kwizera said. “I think something that people in the U.S. should hear

and take seriously is that it really is a communal effort. I think everybody has got to take it personally and see that it’s up to them.”

Junior Emily McNutt discovered that she and her parents had contracted COVID-19 shortly after she returned home to Arizona from the Lausanne program. While all three of them experienced different symptoms, McNutt said her most notable symptoms were loss of taste and smell, headaches and body aches.

Like Zohary, McNutt said she mostly felt afraid for her parents’ health rather than her own.

“Both of my parents used to smoke, [and] they’re both over 50,” McNutt said. “That was sort of the bigger fear — not knowing when it was like, OK, they probably won’t get worse, not knowing when it was in the

clear. There was less of a personal fear but definitely a worry for my parents, which was crappy to also feel on top of already being sick.”

McNutt said her family felt fortunate to have been financially stable while in quarantine, despite having to stay in their house for over a month.

“We were in a privileged position that no one lost significant finances because of it,” McNutt said. “My dad already works from home, and my mom’s a teacher, so no one lost jobs or had serious hardships in that way. But we were out for five weeks, and if we were a family that needed someone to be working that whole time not in the house, that would have been devastating.”

An aspect of having COVID-19 that McNutt said surprised her was the fact that no one in her household ever ran a fever during their time spent in quarantine, which she said made her wary of the fact that many businesses and schools’ reopening plans are contingent upon temperature checks.

“A lot of reopening plans don’t take things into a strong consideration of how much reasonable interaction you have with another person in this setting, or how symptoms look differently for different people or that your symptoms can develop a little bit later than when you contracted it,” McNutt said.

Zohary said young people need to take COVID-19 more seriously and not think of themselves as immune to the virus solely because of their age.

“People are acknowledging the problem but thinking they’re invincible,” Zohary said. “Young people have this complex where they think nothing wrong can happen to them until they have it.”

GR AC E.W OOD@PEPPER DINE.EDU

New students plug into Pepp em ily mo r ton S taf f w r i t e r Typically a week filled with packed activities, New Student Orientation moved to a strictly virtual format in June 2020.

“Everything we did online was how it would be like if we did it in person,” Samson Lim, a senior orientation leader, said. “It was just spread out throughout the week.”

Orientation leaders based the new format on a six-week table, with sessions spread throughout June, July and August. NSO leaders made each session available on the Pepperdine app. To provide the most convenient schedule for all students, the NSO team recorded the sessions and students had the opportunity to watch them on their own.

“That was a convenience we wanted to give to parents and students,” Director of Student Activities Brittany Skinner said. “But I think the other side of that was that then less people felt the need to go to the live sessions.”

After meeting with other universities similar to Pepperdine, the NSO team faced two choices heading into the 2020–21 orientation.

The first option followed standard orientation, with students meeting on Zoom throughout the planned move-in week.

“Then we realized that’s not a good orientation — to have students sit for multiple days back to back,” Skinner said. “So we decided we’re going to do five weeks of virtual orientation. We were going to release videos and content and have live sessions every week.”

First-year Anna Johnson said the videos covered a good amount of material for how long they were.

Johnson watched the recorded videos and said she felt positive about her introduction to the Pepperdine community.

“I feel definitely more a part of [Pepperdine] than I did before but still not fully a part of it,” Johnson said. “I think with any virtual kind of thing you’re going to see that.”

While the sessions did allow for students to watch at a later time, the NSO team included additional

elements to engage live audiences.

Each live session ended with a Q&A, which was not available to the families that choose to watch the recorded sessions. One such session included a live game of Kahoot, an online trivia game, for students to participate.

This year, NSO focused on the core content students need to know to integrate into the Pepperdine community. Many new students, however, said they are missing out on the connections typically formed during NSO. “It’s going to be hard to feel connected,” Johnson said. Skinner and her team found that Johnson and other freshmen had a “hunger” for connections. They all expressed a desire to feel more connected to the community.

“It was important to us that they got connected with other students in their class and actually got to talk to them, meet with them,” Skinner said.

The NSO team plans to move forward with New Student Groups, a mentorship program to further help incoming students

I feel definitely more a part of [Pepperdine] than I did before but still not fully a part of it. I think with any kind of virtual thing you’re going to see that.

Anna Johnson, First-Year Student plug into their life at Pepperdine.

“A fourth of the students actually applied, which is pretty good on our part, I think, because the

views on the Zoom sessions have been pretty low,” Lim said. “So for them to be willing to take the initiative to meet with us and the special groups — it’s kind of cool.”

Lim said the mentorship program encourages newcomers to relate back to Pepperdine and gives them someone to rely on. The program spans over four weeks to the end of August and potentially further if students show interest.

Skinner said one of the most frequent critiques of NSO is that the days are too packed. In the future, the program may consider including more video presentations and allowing students to start absorbing the material before they come to campus.

“We’d have to really go through and say what would be more important and be more useful for the students to know ahead of time before they step foot on campus, and what would be important [to be] a face-to-face, in-person session or event or program,” Skinner said.

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 | A UG U S T 1 7 , 20 20

on-campus residency changes fall 2020 Addie W hit en New s As si stant With the announcement of a completely remote fall 2020 semester, most Pepperdine students faced the decision to stay home or find off-campus housing if possible. Some students, however, will still live on campus in Malibu this fall.

Campus housing is closed for the upcoming semester to Pepperdine students — except for around 150 students. About 5% of the typical on-campus student population will live in campus housing this fall, President Jim Gash said in the Aug. 11 President’s Briefing.

These students have exhibited hardships that qualify them for on-campus housing this semester, Director of Housing Operations Robin Gore said.

These difficulties include issues with international travel due to COVID-19, toxic home environments, immunocompromised family members in their households and homelessness.

In addition to students with hardships, some student-athletes plan to live on campus this fall. One such athlete is senior swim team member Audrey Camarillo, who is excited to return to a changed campus but anticipates the difficulties of doing so.

“The most challenging

part is going to be social distancing,” Camarillo said.

“You can’t have anyone in your apartment or your room, and [Pepperdine is] basically expecting us to be six feet away from anyone at any time. That’s really hard for me as an athlete, because I want to socialize with the other athletes and hang out with my team.”

In light of the pandemic, Housing and Residence Life staff have implemented new measures within campus housing to help mitigate the spread of the virus among those remaining on campus, including placing all students exclusively in apartment-style housing.

Gore said students will be staying alone in single rooms, so apartments normally housing four people will only be holding two to reduce contact between students. Custodial staff will clean students’ bathrooms twice per week, a task apartment residents are usually responsible for, as another new measure against virus spread.

Students are also to be provided with a “cleaning kit, so that they can clean on the days custodial services are not in their apartment spaces,” Gore said. These kits are to be used to sanitize high-touch points such as doorknobs, light switches, handles and anywhere else within the apartment that requires frequent sanitation.

KAYIU WONG | PGM ALUMNA Less-Populated Pepperdine | A usually crowded Seaver Drive sits almost empty as campus remains closed for the fall 2020 semester.

One fixture of on-campus housing is the Resident Advisor (RA). With a greatly reduced student population and the implementation of special measures against the spread of the virus, this position will be conducted much differently than it would be in a typical semester.

“We are not having any undergraduate RAs,” Gore

said. “We do have a number of graduate students who in the past have served as student affairs interns, and so they will be working as graduate Resident Assistants this fall.”

The number of RAs on staff this semester will be proportional to the on-campus student population, Gore said.

Gore also said many of the campus facilities normally frequented by students will be either completely restructured or closed to maintain social distance.

The Waves Cafe will be open three times per day, two hours for each meal, and it will serve only graband-go dining. Shuttle ser-

vices are still available to transport students back and forth between their apartments, and the cafeteria and both the TCC and TAC remain open. Outside of these two buildings, all main campus facilities are closed, but Gore said the library could open soon pending county approval.

ADDIE.W HITEN@PEPPER DINE.EDU

MALIBU: Businesses bounce back FR OM A 1

Shortly after, on July 1, the LA County Department of Public Health modified the Health Officer Order to require the closure of indoor, in-person dining due to the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths in LA County.

“Adjusting on the fly to having people pick up curbside, order online, etc. — some businesses are more able to do that than others, so there’s just no other way to look at it other than this has been tough,” Pierson said.

To help support local businesses during this time, the City of Malibu issued an emergency ordinance, proposed in early June, that offers a permit allowing for the expansion of outdoor dining.

Christopher Tompkins, owner of Broad Street Oyster Company, a catering and popup company turned seafood restaurant located in the Malibu Village, said he has not only been able to adjust quickly during the pandemic but has also opened up another business this summer.

Tompkins is the new owner, along with Max Gualtieri, of Joules and Watts Coffee, a pop-up coffee shop.

Broad Street Oyster Company has also opened fairly recently, celebrating its oneyear anniversary this past Independence Day, which is also when the pop-up coffee shop launched.

Tompkins said it feels like Broad Street Oyster Company has opened twice: once on its actual opening day and another time on March 16, when the restaurant had to close its dine-in service and figure out how to adapt.

“To say that everyone was terrified during those first couple of weeks, I think, is a bit of an understatement,” Tompkins said. “I know for a fact that I was nervous not only for my own safety, my employees’ safety but just the future of the business because it did feel like the world was ending.”

After March 16, the restaurant provided takeout service for its customers. Tompkins said its takeout revenue before then had accounted for only 1%, and now, it has become the business’s main source of revenue.

The restaurant also added a drive-thru service by moving its tiki bar around and opening some windows. “[The drive-thru] definitely carried us through May,” Tompkins said. “Then I think that when people were feeling a bit more comfortable with these new guidelines that were being put into place — social distanc-

ing, face masks, gloves — they were a bit more accepting of waiting in line with other people.”

By May, business had taken off and had in fact tripled from last year, especially with “local tourists” wanting to come to Malibu and eat by the ocean, Tompkins said.

In addition to wearing masks and gloves and social distancing, Tompkins said the restaurant also had to figure out how to provide as much outdoor seating as allowed when the city permitted outdoor dining, leading his team to rearrange the indoor dining space to be more functional.

Tompkins said implementing these changes was not a huge challenge for the restaurant, as it had adopted some of the guidelines of wearing masks and gloves and social distancing before it was officially required.

“You adapt to whatever’s thrown at you and you just deal with it, as simple as that sounds,” Tompkins said. “I have a family of employees that depend on this for a job and their livelihood. “[The restaurant is] like its own living, breathing thing, and if we want to survive, we just have to keep at it.”

On July 4, a line of mask-wearing, social distancing customers waited for the opening of Joules and Watts.

“It felt really great because we were celebrating our one-year anniversary in Malibu for Broad Street and the opening of something new, like this new life, and we’re just trying to build a community over there,” Tompkins said. “And we want to be a part of the Malibu community while also leaving our mark on it.”

Pepperdine’s Impact on Local Businesses and Organizations When Pepperdine had its last day of in-person classes March 13, and residential students moved out of their on-campus housing that weekend, students were sad and disappointed that they would be ending their spring semester early, Linn Griffin, bookkeeper for the University Church of Christ (UCC), wrote in an email.

UCC also held its last in-person service March 8, with about 75% of its congregation consisting of Pepperdine-related members, including students, faculty and staff, Griffin wrote.

“We were very sorry to see [the students] go,” Griffin wrote. “By March 15, we were meeting via Zoom; some students were able to join us virtually that day, and some continue to join us from afar each week.”

On May 27, LA County’s Revised Or-

der permitted in-person faith-based services with various safeguards in place, including a limited number of congregants. The July 1 modification of the LA County Health Officer Order then required the closure of all indoor activities.

For UCC staff, Griffin wrote they have found working remotely to be fairly easy.

“Our staff has worked to help some members who have had difficulty with their connection in order to make it easier for them to access church via Zoom on Sundays,” Griffin wrote.

With Pepperdine returning to online/remote instruction in the upcoming fall 2020 semester and a limited number of students allowed to live on campus, Malibu will lose business and engagement from its usual influx of Pepperdine students. UCC, however, plans to still hire students to work remotely this fall in its youth and campus ministry. “[Pepperdine’s online/remote mode of class instruction] will have a monstrous impact [on Malibu],” Pierson said. “Pepperdine’s been a part of Malibu for many, many years, so yeah, that’s a huge change — huge.”

Crowds of Visitors in Malibu Despite there being fewer Pepperdine students in Malibu this fall, Kosser and Pierson both said the city has been crowded by visitors trying to get away from other parts of California.

“I know a lot of people are coming into Malibu from the city and renting houses along the coast, so that’s helped our businesses too,” Kosser said.

Broad Street Oyster Company also noticed a boost in customers from out of town during this time. Tompkins said he believes the overall mentality of the consumer has changed over the last five months to wanting to find a sense of normalcy, and that could appear in the form of taking a drive to a restaurant and eating a lobster roll.

Although visitors have been helpful in providing more business, Pierson said Malibu also feels overwhelmed, dealing with a new level of crowds it’s never seen before.

The city has not been able to track the exact number of people coming in, but the large spike in visitors is obvious.

Pierson said he and other Malibu residents are concerned about visitors not observing COVID-19 safety guidelines while staying in the city.

“If I had to generalize, what I’ve seen is that most people in Malibu have done a very good job of social distancing and wearing

masks, but we don’t seem to see the same level of compliance or caring with people visiting,” Pierson said.

Especially on Memorial Day and weekends in general, Pierson said he thinks people felt an urge to release all their pent-up energy and anxiety from staying inside their homes for so long, so they would escape to Malibu.

“I understand and sympathize with it, but it created a very worrisome and scary situation for many of us in Malibu just to have tens of thousands of people descend on the city, and we just weren’t really prepared for it,” Pierson said.

Other beach cities have been met with similar crowd control challenges, leading to attempts to close beaches, trails and public accesses, particularly on days like July 4.

An unfortunate byproduct of this is even more frustration and stress for Malibu residents, especially senior citizens, Pierson said.

“Some of the public accesses have been closed for a while, and that’s impacting a number of seniors strongly,” Pierson said.

“I’ve noticed that’s been hard on some seniors from the emails I’m getting.”

Malibu also canceled Senior Center Programs on March 11 and eventually closed the Senior Center on March 18; however, the center also provides virtual programs.

“It’s certainly one of the tragedies of this pandemic,” Pierson said. “Our senior center is so vibrant, there are so many programs, and I love going down there when everyone’s there — it’s excellent.”

Pierson said Malibu is making preparations for how the Senior Center will reopen when it can, but there is no date at the moment. He predicts, by looking at the present state of COVID-19, the reopening will not occur for a while.

Department website, the City of Malibu has had 86 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and two people who have died from the virus.

“We’ve had two people who I know of that died in Malibu — one was a good friend of mine — from the coronavirus, so it’s serious, and protecting seniors and vulnerable populations is very important,” Pierson said.

Pierson said he is looking to figure out additional ways Malibu can support its students and schools to prepare for this upcoming fall, as he realizes the various difficulties parents, teachers and students are facing.

EM ILY.SHAW @PEPPER DINE.EDU

A UGUST 1 7 , 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

@BlackAtPepperdine exposes racism at Pepp um eesha D’Alwis New s as si stan t Garnering over 2,500 followers in just 5 weeks, the Instagram account @BlackAtPepperdine serves to document community stories of anti-Blackness and racism within Pepperdine’s campus.

On May 25, a few weeks before @BlackAtPepperdine was created, a 46-year-old Black man named George Floyd died during an arrest after allegedly passing a counterfeit $20 bill in Minneapolis. In response, people called for justice against police brutality as more than 140 protests rocked cities on a national scale. Meanwhile, Pepperdine community members called for a local response to the racial injustice found within Pepperdine’s campus.

“Anti-Blackness and racism [are] entwined in the fabric of the Black experience at Pepperdine,” said the owner(s) of the @BlackAtPepperdine Instagram account.

The owner(s) of the account, who remain unknown as of Aug. 14, said they are dedicated to amplifying the voices of current and past Black members of the Pepperdine community. They said they hoped to create an open platform for community

members to listen to, share and engage with the stories of racism and anti-Blackness on campus.

In a letter posted July 9, the owner(s) said any posts are “not [their] opinions” and that they will “never publicly voice [their] opinions on the platform.” Their main intention is to “amplify voices, not propose arguments” within the Pepperdine community. The owner(s) of the account declined an interview with the Graphic and said they are instead choosing to remain anonymous to uphold neutrality, confidentiality and their safety.

The owner(s) avoid adding captions to photos to uphold impartiality and all published content is at the discretion of the people who submit it to the account. If the name of an individual is submitted, it is not posted. These names are reported to the administration instead, according to the account. Only organization and group names are shared unless otherwise indicated. Names of faculty, staff and administrators are not made public either.

From the Athletics department to Housing and Residence Life and the classroom setting, community members submitted their experiences of racism and anti-Blackness with over

Anti-Blackness and racism [are] entertwined in the fabric of the Black experience at Pepperdine. @BlackAtPepperdine instagram account owner(s) 260 shared stories as of Aug. 13, some dating as far back as the Pepperdine Class of 2003.

A recent post published anonymously on @BlackAtPepperdine mentions President Jim Gash as the successful presidential candidate who “joked that he was basically an ‘African American’ because he holds dual citizenship in both the US and Uganda,” according to the post.

Photos courtesy of @BlackATPepperdine @BlackAtPepperdine posts anonymous submissions of anti-Black and racist experiences witnessed by Pepperdine community members.

Meanwhile, President Gash continued to post on his personal account, chronicling the growth of his avocado plant as a testament to his personal growth within his first year as president.

In response, community members shared frustrations due to a lack of response from Gash and the administration.

Student Kristopher Gordon commented on Gash’s recent Instagram post, writing, “Instead of focusing on an avocado plant’s

growth, you should instead read @blackatpepperdine’s posts, make systemic changes within the school and come back a year later to see if you have helped.

Specifically, you should read the submission of your repeated ‘signature phrase’ that you refer to yourself as an African-American because of your work in Uganda.

Shame on you.”

Student Monique Hampton also commented on the post.

She wrote, “@jim_gash literal-

A5

ly just posted celebrating 1 year of being president at @pepperdine...but can’t take the time to acknowledge his discriminatory language and the racism he encourages with his ‘jokes.’ Disgraceful.”

In response to the statement, Gash said, “As I shared at the recent President’s Briefing, the comment I made, repeating a joke by an Ugandan justice, was intended to be a lighthearted play on words about my still-pending potential citizenship in Uganda.

I also recognize that intent sometimes doesn’t match impact. I accept full responsibility for not realizing in advance that my attempt at humor might be offensive. If I had, I never would have said it. I am grateful to be a part of a Christian community that extends grace to one another as we continue to grow together.”

The University has not made an official comment on the @BlackAtPepperdine Instagram account.

UM EESHA.DALW IS@PEPPER DINE.EDU

GASH: Prez reflects on year one F R OM A 1

in places of power in [Washington,] D.C., and London, but it’s also in places of poverty,” Gash said.

He noted Pepperdine International Programs don’t have a permanent presence in Africa or South East Asia and those region are “high on thes list of places to consider,” but a new program remains a dream for now.

“Right now, it’s more of an idea and a conceptual hope, but it’s not imminent,” Gash said.

Building a New Pepperdine Among his plans to continue bettering Pepperdine through students and education, Gash said he’s looking to build some more structural changes as well.

The Mountain, a proposed student recreation and event center, is set to be built on the Rho parking lot near student housing. Gash said this plan is a few years out, meaning current students probably won’t get to enjoy their adventure in The Mountain during undergrad, but changes will be made in the meantime to accommodate the new building.

“If you take away the parking spaces from Rho parking lot, we’ve got a real problem,” Gash said jokingly. “We’ve already got parking challenges on campus. [...] We want to get rid of our parking problems once and for all at Pepperdine.”

A new parking area is underway behind the baseball field, Gash said, and while not having students on campus is not ideal for learning, it provides more opportunity for construction work to continue.

A new fitness center is also under construction next to Seaside Residence Hall. Construction around campus has been delayed due to COVID-19, but the fitness center should be finished in the next couple of weeks, Gash said.

Belonging Last year’s theme was “Together,” and for academic year 2020–

21, Pepperdine is emphasizing the idea of belonging.

“Our desire as an institution is to form a place where everyone belongs — [...] to feel like you belong to something bigger than yourself,” Gash said. “And that’s not just international — it’s local as well, and it’s community inside of Pepperdine.”

The theme “Belonging” ties in belonging to one another as a Pepperdine community, belonging to God, belonging to each other in a common humanity, a common faith, a common University and a common shared experience, Gash said.

With a remote fall semester, there will be new challenges with creating a sense of belonging among students, especially for firstyear and transfer students.

On Aug. 7, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Public Health provided restrictions and regulations for higher education that, at present, limit Pepperdine’s ability to provide in-person instruction.

“Our plan is that we’re able to open in the spring fully,” Gash said.

“Our hope is to be able to open in some way shape or form before then — whether it’s for additional students moving on campus when we’re allowed to have residential students, whether it’s people living in the nearby area and being able to do lots of things on campus.”

Relationships, Controversy & Diversity During the Presidential Selection Process in March 2019, the Freedom Wall bore the images of the past seven presidents and the five hopeful candidates, highlighting the lack of diversity in Pepperdine’s leadership. All of Pepperdine’s presidents were white men, and only one white woman was selected as a final candidate among four white men.

The Freedom Wall sparked a conversation about race and diversity at Pepperdine, and in response, Gash told the Graphic that diversity will be “very important” to him during his presidency and he wanted to create a diverse team to surround himself with. Gash said

he stands by those remarks today.

“There’s a lot of different roles that our president has, and chief among them is listening,” Gash said.

In response to the conversations held with different Pepperdine community members throughout his national tour, Gash created his “Steering Team” of 21 leaders — the five different school deans and other leaders on campus who help advise his decision making.

While the official announcement for the creation of a Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) came after the murder of George Floyd and the revival of the Black Lives Matter social movement, Gash traces his hopes for the position to his pre-presidential days.

“Before I became president, one of the things that I had wondered about was why Pepperdine did not have a Chief Diversity Officer,” Gash said.

He spoke with then-President Andrew K. Benton and his administration about why Pepperdine had yet to create this role and was met with encouragement from all parties. The issue, Gash said, lay within defining the role and job description, as there were various models used by other similar universities. COVID-19 derailed the process of finalizing a job description for a new Chief Diversity Officer as the administration needed to shift gears to address the growing pandemic.

Now the focus has readjusted back onto filling the role of a Chief Diversity Officer, and two committees have been created to finalize the job description and begin the search for Pepperdine’s first CDO. During his first year, Gash has seen his fair share of controversy, especially in the area of race and diversity. Students expressed frustration and disappointment toward Pepperdine, whether it be a lackluster response from the University in acknowledging Black Lives Matter or a repeated quip from Gash himself about his pending dual-citizenship in Uganda and the United States making him “African American.”

In response, Gash shared his passion for getting to know people and inviting them into conversa-

tion, as he believes in solving controversy with a relational focus. In his first 100 days, he had 100 meals with 100 faculty members, he met with each of the members for the Board of Regents and he hosted diversity dinners at Brock House with student leaders to listen to their stories and answer their questions.

“It’s about building relationships so that in hard times, you have trust,” he said. “And it’s my hope to continue to deepen relationships and build the trust.”

Presidency Amid a Pandemic The spread of COVID-19 dominated five-and-a-half out of Gash’s first 12 months as president. The first effects hit the Pepperdine Shanghai study-abroad program in late January, with the other five international campus locations going home over the course of the next two months — and finally, Malibu campus and the Washington, D.C., program transitioned to remote learning mid-March.

“Before he [Benton] left, he said, ‘Jim, you’re going to love this job, and you know why?’” Gash said, “’Because every day is different. Every day is different — you have no idea what’s happening tomorrow.’”

He said as soon as COVID-19 hit Shanghai and Pepperdine started evaluating the safety of students abroad, he talked to Benton and jokingly asked who he thought was going to win the 2020 Super Bowl, as obviously Benton was able to tell the future because he left Pepperdine before a pandemic hit.

Being President in the midst of a pandemic came with challenges, many of which stemmed from a lack of information or guidance from outside authorities, Gash said.

“So many times, we are information poor,” Gash said. “We don’t know what’s going to happen with the virus, we don’t know what the regulatory authorities are going to do. We don’t know when there’s going to be a vaccine. But we have consultants, and we have internal people who are giving us the best information available to us, and then we reason toward the decision that’s best for our community.”

While a large team, including the Disease Task Force and the Board of Regents, held strong roles in decision making for Pepperdine’s response to COVID-19, Gash said he wanted to stand behind and own the decisions of the University as President, personally signing many of the PR emails and other information sent out to the Pepperdine community.

“In the end, I’m the one who is accountable for the decision,” Gash said. “So that’s why I signed the vast majority of the memoranda that come out — and again, not taking credit for it, but it’s like, ‘OK, if you’ve got a challenge with it, then know that at the highest levels of Pepperdine’s leadership team, we own this.’”

While no one could have predicted the effects of the virus then, Gash said his proudest moment from his first year of presidency is not his own accomplishments but the attitude of the community.

“I would say the resilience of our students and the dedication of our faculty and staff — that’s what I’m most proud of,” Gash said. “This has not been what anybody expected, and I just feel like this is really disappointing for a lot of people.

And you know, just watching how people responded — I’m proud of this community.”

President Andrew K. Benton, known and beloved by the Pepperdine community, was affectionately called the “Students’ President.”

Gash said he hopes to live in that legacy.

“I don’t think there’s any better thing to be known for than being a Students’ President,” Gash said. “I would like to be someone who people think was fun as well and who was relationally connected to every aspect of the institution — faculty, staff, students, alumni, parents, donors — that relationships are the most important thing.”

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

The Graphic

PERSPECTIVES pepper di ne-g r aphi c.com

auGu s t 17 , 2 0 2 0

STAFF LIST

Madeline Duvall | Art Editor

STAFF EDITORIAL

Performative activism isn’t enough 2020 incited performative activism in a way many argue has not been seen in decades. The murder of George Floyd turned countless individuals into activists overnight, but unfortunately, this action ended just as quickly as it began.

Many people only spoke up or shared resources due to a desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval rather than a recognition of responsibility and a subsequent desire to be part of the solution.

As global citizens, however, we have a duty to do more than performative activism.

Social media is often more of a highlight reel than real life, so when Instagram became flooded with black squares for Blackout Tuesday on June 2, many questioned people’s intentions. Showing solidarity for the Black

community is important, but what effect does a black square actually have the next day, the next week or even the next month?

Police brutality and other forms of injustice are not new, and if you fail to implement your newfound education beyond your Instagram story, you are not a true ally. Longterm action is required for long-term change, so keep moving in the right direction. It is not easy, but it is much easier than a lifetime of experiencing injustice first hand.

Not all members of the Pepperdine community have participated in performative activism, but all must dedicate themselves to being the best allies they can be.

Following President Jim Gash’s initial statement on the death of George Floyd — which students

critiqued for many reasons, including its failure to use the word Black — Pepperdine then showed its support by posting a black square on Instagram for Blackout Tuesday.

Although the University undoubtedly had positive intentions, silencing social media channels does not make a lasting positive impact.

However, we must also give each other grace, understanding that achieving real change and addressing issues of systemic racism take time. We cannot make progress if we are not willing to make mistakes along the way, so understand that true activism requires vulnerability, humility and understanding. A true ally embraces being corrected because they are always wanting to learn and improve — a true ally isn’t perfect.

Pepperdine took a step

toward true activism in a June 8 email addressing racial injustice. It pledged to hire a Chief Diversity Officer, form a Presidential Action Advisory Team and strengthen relationships with students; the Graphic staff promises to hold the University accountable to these plans.

Being a true activist means finding what that looks like for you — whether it’s going out to protest, starting your own platform to share stories or activating your own social voice — you can make a difference.

Take action by donating to organizations, signing petitions and volunteering — rather than only reposting links.

Benjamin Franklin once said, “Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.”

Pepperdine is predomi-

THE 'BU YORKER

nantly composed of white, middle- and upper-class faculty, staff and students — many of whom are not directly affected by racism. If we are to uphold our mission statement as “a Christian university committed to the highest standards of academic excellence and Christian values, where students are strengthened for lives of purpose, service, and leadership,” we must devote ourselves to being agents of change, today and always, regardless of whether we are personally impacted.

This summer we gained awareness, but what about this fall? With the school year beginning, we will be busier, but that is not an excuse to let our steps forward become steps backward. We can’t let awareness be the final destination because the fight for justice is never over.

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

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M ANAG I NG ED I TO R M AK E N A H U E Y D I G I TAL ED I TO R B R IAN N A WIL L IS C O PY C HI EF B RYAN T L O N E Y NEW S ED I TO R AS H L E Y M O WR E AD E R NEW S ASS I STANT ED I TO R G R ACE WO O D NEW S AS SI S TANTS U M E E S H A D’ALWIS N ATAL IE H AR D T AD D IE WH ITE N S eni o r R ep o r ter E m ily S h aw L I FE & AR TS ED I TO R R O WAN TO K E L I FE & AR TS ASS I STANT ED I TO R S O F IA L O N G O L I FE & AR TS AS SI S TANTS AL E X A B O R S TAD CH R IS T IN K AR R L I FE & AR TS C O PY ED I TO R N ICO L E WIT T S P O R TS ED I TO R KAR L WIN T E R SP O R TS AS SI S TANT ED I TO R PAX TO N R ITCH E Y S P O R TS ASS I STANT J U S T IN T O U H E Y S P O R TS D ES I G N AS SI S TANT IN E Z K IM P ER SP EC TI V ES ED I TO R CAR O L IN E S H AR PL E S S P ER SP EC TI V ES ASS I STANT ED I TO R AJ M U O N AG O L U P ER S P EC TI V ES C O PY ED I TO R TIF FAN Y H AL L L EAD D ESI G NER M E L IS S A L O CK E HEAD P O D C AST P R O D U C ER KAE L IN M E N D E Z P O D C AST P R O D U C ER S IV Y M O O R E L IN D S E Y S U L L IVAN AR T ED I TO R M AD E L IN E D U VAL L AS SI S TANT AR T ED I TO R AL LY AR M S T R O N G AR TI S TS L E AH B AE GAB BY D IG IOVAN N I S AM AN TH A M IL L E R P HO TO ED I TO R AL I L E V E N S AS SI S TANT P HO TO ED I TO R J AY L E N E R AM L I P HO TO G R AP HER S CH AR L O T TE WAL K E R V I D EO P R O D U C ER M AR IS A D R AG O S P I X EL ED I TO R K IL E Y D IS TE L R ATH B U SI NESS D I R EC TO R H AD L E Y B IG G S ADV ER TI SI NG M ANAG ER PATR ICK H AR L E Y MISSION STATEMENT “Pepperdine Graphic Media (PGM) is an editorially independent student news organization that focuses on Pepperdine University and the surrounding communities. PGM consists of the digital and print Graphic, a variety of special publications, GNews, Currents Magazine, social media platforms and an Advertising Department. These platforms serve the community with news, opinion, contemporary information and a public forum for discussion.

PGM strengthens students for purpose, service and leadership by developing their skills in writing, editing and publication production, by providing a vehicle to integrate and implement their liberal arts education, and by developing students’ critical thinking through independent editorial judgment.

PGM participates in Pepperdine’s Christian mission and affirmations, especially the pursuit of truth, excellence and freedom in a context of public service. Although PGM reports about Pepperdine University and coordinates with curricula in journalism and other disciplines, it is a student (not a University) news organization.

Views expressed are diverse and, of course, do not correspond to all views of any University board, administration, faculty, staff, student or other constituency.”

AU GUST 1 7 , 2 0 2 0 | PE RS PE C TIVE S | P E P P E R DI N E G RA P H I C ME D I A

Seaver’s tuition raise reveals a disconnect

c ar o line Sharpless per s pe ct ive s E dit or As undergraduates gear up for another semester of online learning, one question lingers: Why is Seaver College increasing tuition?

Many students voiced their disdain on social media for the 3% increase, calling it immoral during a global crisis. Others insisted online learning is not equal to in-person instruction.

The culminating issue is Pepperdine’s inability to listen to students.

If Pepperdine truly prioritized students, it would reduce tuition or — at the very least — not impose an increase.

In an interview with the Graphic, Dean Micheal Feltner said although Seaver administration reconsidered the tuition increase, it ultimately decided it was still appropriate. Feltner cited the costly preparations needed to equip campus for an in-person, socially distanced semester and the high-quality experience students are to receive online.

These points are valid but fail to recognize that some students will never return to campus and reap the alleged benefits of campus changes.

“The University spent literally millions of dollars to prepare to deliver classes online and to prepare students to come back to campus,” Feltner said. “All of those things are going to benefit every Seaver College student in the future.”

Feltner also noted students can take up to four credits with an 86% tuition deduction in a shortened January semester.

“There’s a lot of different ways that colleges and universities can indicate care and concern for their students,” Feltner said. “Some have chosen to do that in the fall semester tuition, [and] we felt that the best response for us was to do that this special January term.”

It is hard to believe that implementing online instruction and preparing for a socially distanced semester cost comparable amounts of money.

The January term is a great opportunity but does not help seniors who will be at full-time status their second semester. Seaver could implement tuition raises but offer lower prices for seniors.

Pepperdine’s choice to pursue an in-person fall return was a gamble that students and families were not polled on.

Around the time of this decision, it was clear the Trump Administration was not going to enact the federal restrictions needed to control the COVID-19 pandemic long-term.

Other schools accepted the severity of the pandemic and acted quickly.

Instead, Pepperdine held onto false hope and poured students’ tuition money into COVID-proofing the campus, only to make a last-minute switch to online instruction.

Why not charge students for the campus upgrades once they are actually back on campus?

Madeline Duvall | Art Editor Further, why are Seaver students reaping the costs of these changes while some graduate students — who use the same campus — get up to 50% tuition cuts?

The debate on effectivity of online classes began in March when Pepperdine moved spring 2020 classes to online instruction.

A class-action lawsuit ensued, claiming Pepperdine’s prices were for a higher-quality experience than what students received.

Feltner said that though the fall 2020 semester will be different, students will still receive all the same benefits of a Pepperdine education.

“I don’t think it’s accurate to say that you’re not going to receive the resources and the opportunities [that you would] during a typical semester because we’re planning to deliver every program and club in the fall that we would deliver if students were on campus,” Feltner said.

Most students decide to enroll at Pepperdine — despite its premium prices — because of its stellar location, plentiful social activities and hands-on classes.

These benefits cannot be replicated during a pandemic — even if Pepperdine had gone forward with in-person, socially distanced instruction.

This debate should be about pandemic instruction versus pre-pandemic instruction, not online versus in person.

Before Pepperdine decided to move remote, organizations like Greek Life and the Career Coaching program had already announced all-online recruitment and events. The social perks students expected when they enrolled are not possible in a pandemic; therefore, the value automatically diminishes.

Sophomore Claire Copeland admitted she would rather take a semester off than pay more tuition for online learning, pointing out that making friends and being active in organizations is not the same over Zoom.

Students have the option to take the semester off, but they cannot cite the pandemic as a reason to have the $150 withdrawal fee waived, according to the Office of Student Information and Services.

Upper-level students cannot take community college classes for transfer credit, nor can they earn any of their final 28 credits from cheaper four-year universities.

This is not to say Pepperdine’s decision to hold the fall 2020 semester entirely online was a bad decision; it was poorly administered and disappointing, but it was the smartest, safest move.

That doesn’t mean it should still hold the same value, however; all pandemic instruction, regardless of delivery, should be cheaper.

The product changed, so the price should as well.

Sophomore Amalia Irodotou created a petition urging Pepperdine to decrease tuition, calling Seaver’s current pricing “cruel” and “tone-deaf.”

“I felt outraged by [the tuition increase],” Irodotou wrote in an email. “Clearly, discounting tuition is the moral thing to do as a ‘Christian’ university, but instead, [the administration is] choosing to profit from their students during a national pandemic.”

Even before the switch to online, 50% of the 66 students surveyed by the Graphic on July 9 agreed Pepperdine was prioritizing finances over students.

After 1,000+ students signed the petition, Irodotou said she realized the issue is about Pepperdine’s failure to listen to students.

Many students cited their low-income backgrounds, reliance on loans and loss of jobs as their reasons for signing.

The U.S. reported its worst fiscal period in history with a 32.9% GDP plunge.

As dependents, most students did not receive stimulus checks from the U.S. government, and record numbers of people filed for unemployment.

Between Pepperdine’s tuition increase and lack of decisive leadership, students rightly felt uncared for.

During President Jim Gash’s June 29 President’s Briefing, administrators responded to concerns about housing and the urgency needed to sign off-campus leases with a jocular demeanor.

A few weeks later, following International Program cancellations, administration encouraged students to sign leases for off-campus apartments.

As a result of Pepperdine’s indecisive leadership, many students are now stuck with rent more expensive than the predicted $5,000 listed on Pepperdine’s tuition breakdown.

Because of this international crisis, students are vulnerable, scared and pissed off.

If Pepperdine polled students on whether they believed converting campus for the possibility of an in-person semester was worth an increase in tuition, students would have no reason to be angry.

Unfortunately, Pepperdine did not ask the students what they wanted.

What happens now?

Feltner said it best: This is not an issue Pepperdine chose nor is it one that students chose.

Pepperdine is doing its best to deliver the experience that the administration assumes college students want.

In a pandemic as severe as COVID-19, what students truly want — the pre-2020 campus they signed up for — is out of the question.

Without a formal survey, there’s no way to know how students’ wants and needs have changed. Pepperdine needs to learn from this and include students in future decision-making processes.

For now, Seaver needs to hear students’ cries and reverse its tuition increase. If it doesn’t, students will forever remember Pepperdine as the institution that took advantage of them during a global crisis.

C AR OL INE.SHAR PL ESS@PEPPER DINE.EDU

President Gash, don’t claim to be African American “I’m grateful for the opportunity to share the stage with some fellow East Africans,” Gash said. “I’m actually in the process of getting my citizenship in Uganda. So I will be an African American.”

This statement not only belittles the Black experience and shows Anitiz Muonagolu ignorance on phrases denoting ethnicity, nationality and citizenship but P e r s p e c t i v e s A s s i s ta n t also demonstrates how far PepperEditor dine has to go in recognizing its poor The Black Lives Matter protests race relations. are empowering many civilians to Gash joking that he will be stand up to racial injustices even “African American” has been beyond police brutality. This movehearsay among students, but it was ment spread across the nation, and confirmed this summer when one Pepperdine is no exception.

Twitter user uploaded a video of the In the midst of what is perhaps a event. It has been retweeted 60 times second civil rights movement, Pepwith over 3,000 views. perdine’s president has come under In an interview with the Graphic, fire for racially insensitive comments Alumni Debate President Colette and boasting a white savior complex. Faulkner, who was present at the Students rallied to share expeevent, said the audience seemed to riences of racism on campus. The be uncomfortably “laughing at him central hub is the Instagram account and not with him,” though Dean @blackatpepperdine, which has Pete Peterson seemed to “find it posted over 250 stories collected hilarious.” from past and present Pepperdine In a February 2020 interview with students. the Graphic, Gash acknowledged the One post centers on President then-rumor that he had claimed he Jim Gash, who has done extensive “will be an African American.” legal work in Uganda. According to “It was an intended clever play on the post, Gash joked at a Pepperdine words regarding [pending] citizenSchool of Public Policy event — ship of a country in Africa and a iDebate Rwanda — in September country in North America,” Gash 2018 that he would become an Afri- said. “I’ve never claimed to be African American by obtaining Ugandan can American.” citizenship.

President Gash was interviewed

again this August to confirm he did not claim to suggest he will be African American.

“That is correct. I’ve never claimed to be African American,” Gash said. “[The statement] was in jest — a rhetorical quip.”

The video, however, clearly shows the opposite. This suggests Gash is unaware that the term African American represents a culture and not just a skin color — neither of which Gash should identify with.

African American is a term used by the Black community to go against derogatory terms; however, it does not apply to those who are purely citizens of an African country.

This rationale makes it seem like those who have no genetic or cultural heritage can join the Black community. Citizenship implies that a person holds the rights of a citizen, while ethnicity identifies a culture.

While Gash may be able to vote in future Ugandan elections, he is unable to experience the inequality that comes with being African American.

As Faulkner wrote in an email, Gash’s comment demonstrates “the White Savior Complex that Gash probably personally has but also the White Savior Complex that Pepperdine has.”

How can Gash and the Pepperdine community correct this wrong?

He should formally apologize for what he said, list all the times he said it and provide reparations.

Gash tried to address his comments in his Aug. 11 Presidential Briefing; however, he focused on his intent rather than his impact. He gave no apology.

If Gash is saddened by the racial hurt caused by his actions, he would apologize instead of defending himself. As a University figurehead, he needs to be cautious, but an explanation is not enough.

Furthermore, it’s past time to implement outward change throughout the Pepperdine community.

For example, the new President Action Advisory Team (PAAT) is creating a Chief Diversity Officer position, which is a step in the right direction. Moreover, the PAAT is reviewing suggestions for University improvements, ranging from “curriculum to training ideas to hiring practices,” said Vice President of Student Affairs and PAAT Member Connie Horton in an interview with the Graphic.

If President Gash — and more important, Pepperdine — wants to correct any injustices toward BIPOC, then it’s time to begin continuous action to improve race relations and remember to not “speak before thinking through the consequences,” as Gash said.

AJ.M UONAGOL U@PEPPER DINE.EDU

A7 Time to Be Intentional

claire lee s ta f f w r i t e r Were you devastated by the switch to online classes this fall? Instead of returning to Pepperdine’s beautiful Malibu campus, students will now have to spend the semester sitting in front of their laptop for at least 12 to 18 hours per week. Terrific.

Despite the challenges of virtual classes, an online semester comes with unexpected benefits — most notably newfound time.

Don’t believe me? Let’s do the math.

Everyone starts off with 24 hours in a day and ideally sleeps for eight hours to wake up fully rejuvenated.

If we subtract roughly three more hours for cooking, eating and post-meal cleanups — then another two more hours for essential exercise and hygienic routines — that leaves 55 precious hours from Monday to Friday to learn, explore, create and waste.

At home, students no longer have to circle around campus to frantically find parking before their next meeting or take a hike up the CCB stairs. They also won’t perform poorly on their exams as a result of spending too much time socializing — rather than studying — in Payson. For once, there will be time for an intentional routine.

After factoring out 18 hours of class time and 20 hours for a part-time job, students now have at least 17 hours each week to dive deeper into their studies, devote time to their relationships and even carry out a personal project.

With 17 hours, college students can virtually tutor students, network with professionals on LinkedIn or search for an internship that’s right for them. In 17 hours, they can binge an entire K-drama or a season on Netflix. With 17 hours, they can tidy up their homes, practice a new recipe or bring out an old instrument. After the semester is over, students will have invested a whopping 255 hours into whatever they committed to.

Of course, these suggestions aren’t to put pressure into doing, doing, doing.

Sometimes, relaxing with the people around you may be more productive than maxing out your to-do list.

The world will speed back up eventually — cherish the calm while you can.

Author Annie Dillard once said, “The way you live your days is the way you live your life.”

How will students live their days this semester?

We can’t always control our circumstances, but we can control how we react and adapt. This fall, students can dedicate themselves to things they’ve always wanted to do but never had the time for.

Finish that book, send that letter or start a new adventure. Life will come with all sorts of surprises, but it is up to us to decide whether we view the surprise as a curse or a blessing.

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

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Pepper-Dining in 2020–21: Sodexo is Back KAR L W INT ER s por ts edi tor The decision to determine Pepperdine’s longterm food service partner will have to wait at least another year, thanks to COVID-19.

Pepperdine will continue service with food provider Sodexo for the 2020–21 academic year, as the decision regarding a new long-term contract is delayed indefinitely due to the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic.

In February 2020, Pepperdine Dining Services limited the candidates in its Request for Proposal (RFP) process to three finalists: Bon Appetit, Chartwells and Sodexo.

“That was blood, sweat and tears into the RFP process, so for [the Dining Services RFP] team, it was a difficult decision, but I think it was the right one,” Nicolle Taylor, vice president and chief business officer at Pepperdine, said of the delay.

The proposals and presentations by the three finalists were complete in February, but the committee had not yet made its final decision when the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

“It would be difficult under those circumstances […] to make that sort of long-term commitment when we really didn’t understand at all what the future was going to look like, particularly within the next year,” Taylor said.

Additionally, Sodexo’s experience with Pepperdine’s emergency procedures allowed the school

Kayiu Wong | PGM Alumna Empty Chairs at Empty Tables | The Waves Cafe sits devoid of students after Pepp transitioned to online courses mid-March 2020 due to COVID-19. more flexibility to adapt to the ever-changing conditions that COVID-19 causes on campus.

“Familiarity with the campus and with our campus community is important in a crisis,” Taylor said.

Sodexo had a small trial run during the initial campus lockdown of spring 2020, in which the Waves Cafe and other Malibu campus cafeterias provided only prepackaged meals to the limited number of students remaining on campus.

“You can count on food service in the fall being graband-go — everything being individually portioned, no self-service, no buffet-style food,” Taylor said.

Pepperdine Dining Services brainstormed several new ways to distribute food during the fall 2020 semester: mobile ordering, food trucks and partnerships with local restaurants.

The mobile ordering

platform will direct students to a distribution point on the Malibu campus. The food trucks and restaurant service plans have since been put on hold indefinitely due to Pepperdine deciding to deliver all fall classes online.

“Meal service will be centralized out of the Waves Cafe,” Taylor said. “And of course we will continue to meet nutritional needs. […]

It will be good for you, certainly, but it will be a pareddown service.”

Initially, Pepperdine Dining hoped to reopen the cafeterias at Drescher Graduate Campus and the Caruso School of Law, as well as other on-campus options including Starbucks and the HAWC, in a modified form.

The plan indicated that Jamba Juice, Nature’s Edge and Cafe Fresca would be closed, but Jamba Juice and Nature’s Edge would serve as mobile order pickup or food distribution sites, and

the Cafe Fresca would be replaced by an outdoor food distribution site or a food truck.

Those possibilities have been scrapped for the time being. The Waves Cafe will be the only dining option on campus when the fall service program begins August 17, as the move-in process for students provided with exemptions to live on campus is scheduled to begin.

Taylor said a few additional options may be available to on-campus residents at some point in the fall semester: small food markets so students can cook in apartment-style housing, as well as other distribution points nearer to residence halls for food reserved through the mobile ordering service.

The potential mobile ordering platform would allow students, faculty and staff to browse menu options and collect their meal from a

certain distribution location at a certain time.

Of course, like anything else during the pandemic, these plans are fluid and subject to change.

One guarantee is that the cafeteria dining experience at Pepperdine will look far different in fall 2020, and likely spring 2020, than ever before.

The University is considering “limited or no indoor seating,” depending on guidance from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Taylor said. Conversely, outdoor seating, for dining and generally across campus, would increase.

Any form of self-service station, from toasters to soda dispensers, will be unavailable in the cafeterias.

“You’re going to be able to shop for what you want, [and] it’s also going to have some variety,” Taylor said. “[But] then it will also be limited because we’re only able to offer certain types of packaging and kinds of food.”

The ability of Pepperdine to provide on-campus resources depends on ever-changing guidance from state and county health officials. The University hopes to allow students who live off campus to visit campus to the greatest extent possible, but its decisions rely on this guidance, Taylor said.

“The only thing that the University is allowed to be open for is minimum basic operations that support distance learning and the limited students that we have on campus,” Taylor said.

If the state and Los An-

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geles County issue differing restrictions for universities or dining, Pepperdine will have to follow the more restrictive measures.

Pepperdine usually hosts close to 2,500 students living on campus but will have less than 10% of that number when online classes begin Aug. 17, Taylor said.

“We want to be able to give our students all the security and understanding to be able to make your decisions,” Taylor said. “And yet we’re on this fluctuating foundation because we don’t know what’s being allowed, and what’s being allowed tends to change pretty quickly.”

It is possible that Pepperdine Dining’s efforts to bring food trucks, restaurant service and other creative options to campus in 2020–21 will be realized in the spring semester, but those plans are rolled back for the near future.

Beyond the upcoming semester, Pepperdine intends to take up the RFP process again in the spring of 2021 and hopes to sign a new long-term contract in 2021.

“Our plan is to restart the RFP process and give the finalist competitors the opportunity to revise their bids based on what we believe will be the potential landscape for Dining Services going forward,” Taylor said.

Though the pandemic could delay the process further, the University will at least renegotiate with Sodexo again in advance of the expiration of the current agreement.

K AR L .W INTER @PEPPER DINE.EDU

Augus t 17, 2020

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LIFE & ARTS

New Pepp Feminist Club aims to ignite conversations Al exa Borstad li f e & Ar ts A ssista n t Beginnings Since her first year, President and Founder Ivy Leroux has kept the idea of forming a feminist club in the back of her mind.

“It didn’t seem that Pepperdine was doing anything huge to support its women on campus,” Leroux said.

Leroux, now a junior, said while Pepperdine’s socially conservative campus is not necessarily negative, she underwent many uncomfortable experiences solely at Pepperdine’s campus due to her choice of

Courtesy of Isabella Yeager BA Buddies | Co-Founder Cameron Zohary, President Ivy Leroux and Co-Founder Isabella Yeager pose for a photo during their stay at Pepperdine’s Buenos Aires program in fall 2019. They met through the program.

dress, oftentimes leaving her feeling sexualized.

As a result of the double standard she faced, as well as her experience co-running a feminist club in high school, Ivy said she felt compelled to create Pepperdine’s first feminist club, which she hopes will provide a safe space for conversation and awareness of women’s issues on campus.

Leroux met her future teammates Isabella Yeager and Claire Evans, the club’s vice president of finance and vice president of marketing, respectively, in her suite their first year. Yeager, however, said while attending Pepperdine’s Buenos Aires program, things finally came into place upon meeting fellow juniors Cameron Zohary and Lillian Annan, the club’s vice president of administration and vice president of operations, respectively.

Zohary said he believes Pepperdine needs to become more aware of the social climate and gender constructs on its campus. As a man, however, Zohary said he has not personally run into the same issues surrounding women on campus.

“A couple of my friends were actually sexually assaulted their freshman year at Pepperdine,” Zohary said.

Zohary said his friends never reported these incidents or spoke about these issues because of the minimal support offered on Pepperdine’s campus by their peers and faculty. Zohary said he believes these instances of sexual assault, coupled with women feeling uncomfortable or unsafe to tell administration, present a red flag that needs to be addressed.

The Mission Yeager said the club’s mission statement is to create a safe space for conversation and awareness, thereby promoting equality between the sexes on campus. To do this,

the club wants to break down the negative connotation of the term “feminism,” especially the combative connotation surrounding those who call themselves “feminists.”

The club was created to promote equality between the sexes on Pepperdine’s campus.

“I oftentimes feel that the term ‘feminism’ has become synonymous with the word ‘Nazi’ in today’s culture, which is extremely wrong,” Annan said. “We do not believe that women are superior to men at all.”

Zohary said negative stereotypes surrounding feminism usually prevent men from showing their support.

“Not all feminists are just like, ‘Women shouldn’t shave their armpits or we should all just burn bras in order to burn the patriarchy down,” Zohary said. “There are so many different types, and it’s so expansive.”

Annan said when discussing feminism, people should approach it with a more inclusive lens. Oftentimes, feminism is usually equated with ‘white feminism,’ which has drawn Annan away from it in the past due to a lack of intersectionality.

“If one women’s group isn’t being represented, then that is not true feminism,” Annan said.

The founders said there is no specific feminist archetype, making intersectionality a key foundation to the club’s overall structure and mission.

“Intersectionality is for all groups, women of all kinds and men too — men can be feminists too,” Leroux said. “Feminism can be known for shaming women of all groups. [Instead,] we simply want to give women the power to define themselves.”

Annan said the club hopes to attract male members by addressing some of the hardships men face.

Intersectionality is for all groups, women of all kinds and men too ­— men can be feminists too.

Feminsim can be known for shaming women of all groups.

Ivy Leroux, Feminist club founder “The patriarchal society has negative effects for both genders,” Annan said. “For men, men have a higher rate of suicide and are less likely to speak out in fear of being demasculinized. We want to work toward disabling that.”

SE E Fe m i n i st c l u b, B 5

Students and faculty prepare to Conquer virtual learning C hr ist in k arr Li f e & Ar ts Assista n t On July 22, Pepperdine announced that all courses for the fall 2020 semester will be delivered online. After previously planning for a partially in-person semester, predicted California ordinances finalized the decision to transition to remote learning.

Student and faculty reactions were mixed.

“Zoom is different,” Professor Jeffrey Schultz wrote in an email.

“Community is harder to come by when so many layers of technology are between us.”

Jeffrey Schultz wrote that his classes tend to be discussion-based and that the students usually lead the discussion.

“The rhythm and spontaneity of really great discussions require access to a lot of non-verbal cues that just don’t come across in video-conferencing,” Jeffrey Schultz wrote. “Zoom-based discussions have to be structured as Zoom-based discussions; the technology isn’t transparent; it dictates how things are done.”

Community is harder to come by when so many layers of technology are between us. jeffrey Schultz, professor

Jeffrey Schultz wrote that in his 15 years of online teaching experience, he has consistently had more issues with academic dishonesty than in his in-person classes. He knows other professors who’ve experienced the same problem, but students shared different concerns.

First-year Jackson Murrieta said his main concern is building connections and fostering a strong sense of community, which he believes is now more daunting.

“The personal connections and classroom experience will be less impactful [in an] online learning [format],” junior Michael Kadlick said.

Kadlick said he plans to make a concerted effort to engage in the Zoom class sessions not only for better retention but also to help foster a sense of community.

He said keeping in touch with friends could also help.

“Since I am a visual, interactive learner, online learning doesn’t really do a great job,” senior Sydney Schultz (no relation) said. “I lose the interaction, clues and sensory cues that I normally [would have], making it more difficult to [retain information].”

Sydney Schultz encountered numerous difficulties when the spring semester shifted online and expects similar results in the fall. She said she found online learning more challenging to engage with compared to in-person classes, which are held in an environment specifically designed for learning.

“I feel like I cannot just spend four hours studying as I could easily do at Pepperdine,” Sydney Schultz said.

Sydney Schultz said she is concerned about her family interrupting her Zoom classes and study sessions. She fears she will be unable to fully dedicate herself to her studies in remote learning due to familial obligations.

Madeline Duvall | Art Editor “Last semester seemed hard because nobody was prepared, but now both students and professors have had time to adjust, so time will tell [if we’re better prepared],” Sydney Schultz said.

Sophomore Justus Johnson said he predicted that taking a heavy course load was going to be difficult online.

“Pepperdine has posted a lot that they’ve claimed to prepare us for the same rigor of courses on campus, but I just don’t see [it],” Johnson said.

Jeffrey Schultz wrote that all the tutorials, workshops and classes faculty has access to helped prepare them for what is to come. There has been a free flow of information and communication in preparation for an online semester.

“I’ve had a number of discussions with people about course design and approaches to the online learning environment,” Jeffrey Schultz wrote. “A lot of

resources are available to faculty, both formally and informally.”

Kadlick said that following the school’s decision for an online semester, students should remain focused on their goals. Despite aspects of student lives that are out of their control, they should take note of what is in their control and do the best they can.

Johnson agreed with this sentiment.

“I think the best thing we can do is pace ourselves and work with ourselves; just be patient,” Johnson said.

Johnson said if someone knows they have a hard time getting up and going to class in-person, then taking a lighter course load would be a smart way to ensure a successful semester.

Murrieta said students should do their best to participate actively not only in class but also in extracurricular activities and clubs. He stressed the importance of connections with

students and faculty alike.

Sydney Schultz said students should designate a specific place in their home as the “school zone.” She knew she couldn’t effectively do homework in her bed so having a separate study space made a difference in her success for the spring semester.

“I hope all of us, students and faculty, can bring a spirit of mutual aid to the semester,” Jeffrey Schultz wrote. “We’re all going to have to help each other out in order to create the sorts of environments where real learning can take place. Understanding and grace and patience are going to be really important qualities for all of us to bring to the table this semester.”

C HR ISTIN.K AR R @PEPPER DINE.EDU

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First-years and transfers discuss their

Fresh Faces features first-year and transfer students in an effort to unite Pepperdine students, regardless of where they are.

Former athlete now sings and writes his happiness R o wa n to k e L i f e & Ar t s E d i t o r

Runner hopes to create opportunities in East Africa R owan toke Li f e & A rts E d itor After traveling to Rwanda on multiple mission trips with her church, first-year Skylar Davis said her goal in life is to help create job opportunities for the people in East Africa.

“So many of the poverty problems and the disease problems — it all stems from a lack of employment,” Davis said.

Courtesy of Skylar davis Planning Rwanda | First-year missionary Skylar Davis holds the Rwandan flag with outstretched arms. She participated in many mission trips to Rwanda throughout high school with her church.

An International Business major from Savannah, Georgia, Davis said she first heard about Pepperdine when Jeff Walling, Pepperdine’s director of the Youth Leadership Initiative, came to speak at her church. After seeing pictures of the campus, Davis thought Pepperdine was beautiful but far from home and expensive. She decided to look to God for guidance.

“From that point on, the more I prayed about where I should go to school, I just felt God point me to Pepperdine over and over,” Davis said.

Around the same time, one of her friends from church gave her President Jim Gash’s book, “Divine Collision.” Davis said she loved the story, and this coincidence reinforced her interest in Pepperdine.

Davis said she knew she wanted to go to a Christian university, but Pepperdine stood out more than all the others.

“At Pepperdine, you have amazing athletes,” Davis said. “You have really intelligent people and professors that just have such a great background and are very highly educated.”

While at Pepperdine, Davis said she hopes to form relationships with a variety of people, possibly through getting coffee with other students.

“I’m just excited to meet people from all kinds of different places,” Davis said.

Even though being online is not what Davis would have chosen, she said she is excited to get to know people virtually.

“I think it’ll make our time together more special once we can be on campus,” Davis said.

Davis said she is also looking forward to getting involved with campus ministry once students are back in Malibu. Davis is on the cross country team and hopes to take down her personal best times.

After traveling to Rwanda in high school, Davis says she knows she wants to participate in the East Africa summer program.

With her degree, Davis said she plans on starting a nonprofit organization in East Africa that employs the people there and does ministry work. She also plans on moving to East Africa after graduation.

“I just love the people and the culture there,” Davis said.

RO WA N .T O KE @P E P P E RD I N E . E D U

The summer of 2019 was filled with many changes for first-year Tylin Jarret.

“Last summer was a huge turning point for me,” Jarret said.

As a junior in high school, Jarret said he was forced to give up his dream of playing collegiate basketball due to injuries and coaching issues. This decision was difficult for Jarret, as he had played basketball nearly his whole life.

“I went through a lot of anxiety and a lot of depression — more anxiety than depression — but it was really tough,” Jarret said.

Jarret, who is from Van Nuys, California, said this turning point led him to discover his passion for singing and songwriting. He began writing songs on his own and decided that it was his calling.

“All my music and my lyrics — they’re coming straight from me because I want to help people that are going through some of the situations I [was],” Jarret said.

Jarret said he has always wanted to help other people and thinks music is a great way to do that while improving his own mental health.

“It’s awesome that I can do that through my music and just through writing these powerful statements and lyrics and just sharing my own experiences without feeling ashamed,” Jarret said.

During his senior year, Jarret said he had the opportunity to perform two songs during his high school’s World Music Day 2019 celebration. His performances can be watched on YouTube, with the first being at 54:29 and the second at 1:25:37.

Around the time Jarret was in the process of deciding to switch career paths, he said he attended a Pepperdine Summer Preview event. He signed up for the event before he started experiencing anxiety and depression, and he knew that he was not in a good place mentally to attend; he knew his presence would not be a good representation of who he is.

“I was legitimately scared to go because I just didn’t feel like myself,” Jarret said.

Once Jarret arrived at the event, however, he said he felt welcomed and as though things were going to get better.

“My mindset just changed,” Jarret said. “[I]t helped give me that spark of hope that I needed.”

Courtesy of Tylin jarret From Hoops to Hits | Jarret belts out a song during a performance in front of his high school peers, parents and faculty. After giving up his dream of playing professional basketball, Jarret dedicated himself to singing and songwriting.

After the Summer Preview event, Jarret said he knew he wanted to attend Pepperdine.

“I got to see the whole interior and I loved the whole feel of the campus, and everyone was just super welcoming,” Jarret said.

While at Pepperdine, Jarret said he hopes to attend as many events as possible. He was able to communicate with current students via Instagram, and they spoke highly of life on campus.

“I’m just super stoked to, you know, get involved in the campus experience,” Jarret said.

Jarret said he is also looking forward to joining a theater or choir group.

After Pepperdine, Jarret said he hopes to continue with his emotional growth and be a singer-songwriter and recording artist. “[I want to] take the things I’ve learned and just keep going forward in life because right now I’m on a good path,” Jarret said.

R OWAN.TOK E@PEPPER DINE.EDU

Screen Arts major hopes to direct happiness into people’s lives Rowan toke L ife & A rts E d itor Sophomore transfer student Alejandra Hurtado said she found comfort in watching TV shows and movies when she was young. Once she was older, she realized those forms of entertainment helped her, and she wanted to give people the same opportunity.

“I’ve always loved helping other people,” Hurtado said.

“I want to go out there and just be as helpful to as many people as I can, and I feel like I found that in the media industry with entertainment.”

Even though she loves many movies and TV shows, Hurtado said some of her favorite movies are “Clueless” and “Little Women.”

Hurtado, who is from south of Los Angeles in Lake Elsinore, California, said she began scheduling weekly time for relaxing and watching TV shows and movies in high school. Designating this time further emphasized how important forms of entertainment were to her.

“I feel like films and TV shows are such a great escape for people,” Hurtado said. “You can just enter a whole other world.”

Before transferring to Pepperdine, Hurtado said she was a Media Communication major at Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU), where she had the opportunity to direct a live talk show. Hurtado enrolled at Pepperdine as a Screen Arts major.

“I kind of just saw my future a little bit,” Hurtado said.

“I had a little glimpse of it, and I realized that this is what I really want to do with my life.”

With that experience, Hurtado said she decided she wanted to spread kindness while being in a director or producer position.

“I saw [that] the approach of offering my help and allowing them to know that I was there for them allowed the process of filming and everything to go way smoother,” Hurtado said.

Even though Pepperdine had been her dream school since she was very young, Hurtado said it took her a couple of weeks to make a decision once her transfer application was accepted. She ended up choosing Pepperdine

because she was drawn to the mission statement, the location and the strong Screen Arts program.

“It was just an opportunity I didn’t want to pass up,” Hurtado said.

While at Pepperdine, Hurtado said she wants to forge bonds with her professors and use them as resources, which is another reason she decided to transfer.

“I really just want to make connections with professors and then ask them questions about my future,” Hurtado said.

Hurtado said she also hopes to intern for ABC or another news network because she knows the media industry is considered intense.

“I’d like to see it for myself just because I know you can hear a lot from other people, but I feel like unless you experience it yourself, you can’t make your own judgments on anything,” Hurtado said.

Hurtado said she is interested in studying abroad with Pepperdine’s International Program and traveling throughout the United States, if possible.

Although Hurtado said she was excited to move to Malibu to start her first semester at Pepperdine, she understands why Pepperdine made the decision to go online.

“I’m just still happy that I’m going to my dream school and I’m still going to be learning at my dream school,” Hurtado said.

Hurtado said she thinks everything happens for a reason, and once she is on campus, she will make the most out of her time there.

After graduating from Pepperdine, Hurtado said she hopes to work as a director or producer for ABC, a sports broadcaster for ESPN or a media producer for New York Fashion Week. In any of these positions, she would bring entertainment and happiness to viewers.

“As I’ve gotten older, I realize how important it is in the world just to be helpful toward others,” Hurtado said.

“I felt like I found a place to be helpful and to just give others a place to escape in the media industry, and that’s really what I want to do.”

Action! | Hurtado views screens in PLNU’s Point TV Studio. She directed a film in the first-year film show titled “Studio 2043.”

RO WA N .T O KE @ PEPPER DINE.EDU

Courtesy of Alejandra Hurtado

Courtesy of Alejandra Hurtado

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dreams and what brought them to Pepp Faithful academic continues the Pepperdine family legacy So fia Long Li f e & Ar ts Assista n t e dit or When first applying to universities as a high school senior, first-year Jake Browne said Pepperdine was not his first choice, as he considered the university more of a backup school. However, his mindset began to change when he received rejections from big colleges. Even though it was disappointing, he felt like God had opened new doors and pointed him to Pepperdine.

Browne said he also has a family history of Pepperdine graduates, as his father went to Pepperdine School of Law. His grandfather and aunt also attended Pepperdine.

After touring the school with Ronald F. Phillips, who served as dean for Pepperdine Caruso School of Law for 27 years, and Keith Hinkle, the senior vice president for advancement and chief development officer at Pepperdine — Browne said his thoughts about Pepperdine solidified. They pitched to Browne why Pepperdine would be the best fit because of its unique blend of faith and academics.

“There are small schools that are Christian, but I don’t think their academics are necessarily what I was looking for,” Browne said. “Pepperdine seems to have that academic rigor but also a really strong faith background, which is really important to me.”

Browne is majoring in Business Administration and plans to pursue law school after. Vanderbilt Law School is a

top contender for law school after graduating from Pepperdine. He said he has already had experience in the courtroom, recently participating in an internship with the superior court judge in Pasadena.

Browne said his father runs a small law practice, and he is considering taking over the family business one day.

“I might go start up my defense attorney business,” Browne said. “I’ve always wanted to be a defense attorney.”

When Pepperdine announced online instruction for the fall, Browne said he was confused. He felt God had closed doors to other schools and left Pepperdine open, and then that door was eventually shut for him as well to go on campus. Even though he was disheartened at first, he now feels at peace with the decision.

Browne said he thought and prayed about the situation, hoping to understand the reason.

“It’s not a situation that any of us would have wanted to be in or would have hoped to be in at all, but I think that it’s important to stay through the hard times and to not necessarily bail off the ship as soon as things get tough,” Browne said.

S O F I A . L O N G @P E P P E RD I N E . E D U

Courtesy of jake Browne Batter Up | Browne swings through the plate during a high school baseball game. He played on the varsity team his senior year.

Writer aims to cast a spell on young readers Ro wa n To k e L ife & A r t s e d i t o r First-year Taryn Navia said she discovered her love for books when she first read J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series in third grade.

This love has influenced her life choices, including deciding to become an author and choosing to attend Pepperdine.

Navia, who is from Santa Clarita, California, said Pepperdine was her first choice because she was drawn to the Creative Writing program, which she is double majoring in along with Film.

“Not a lot of colleges have a Creative Writing major, and I heard that Pepperdine’s Creative Writing major was really good,” Navia said.

During a campus tour, Navia said she had the opportunity to speak to Professor John Struloeff, the director of Creative Writing, about the program.

“It just seemed really cool and inspiring,” Navia said. “I’m just trying to experience all kinds of opportunities.”

In addition to the Creative Writing program, Navia said she chose Pepperdine because of the International Programs. In an email, Navia wrote that she was interested in attending the Shanghai program.

Navia said another reason she enrolled at Pepperdine was because of its mission statement, which she said spoke to her.

“I wanted to be a part of that — just like building a sense of community and exploring your faith,” Navia said.

While at Pepperdine, Navia said she wants to be active in the community.

“I want to get really involved in the community there and join lots of clubs that do a lot of community service,” Navia said.

Like most students, Navia said Pepperdine is a beautiful campus that she has only heard good things about.

After graduating from Pepperdine, Navia said she hopes to remain connected to her alma mater.

“The alumni connection to Pepperdine is also really cool and inspiring,” Navia said.

Navia said that with her Creative Writing degree, she hopes to become a writer, probably for younger audiences.

“I want to, hopefully, give back and instill a love of reading in others, [...] like it was for me,” Navia said.

Navia, who graduated from high school while wearing a mask, said she is disappointed that Pepperdine is holding classes online

for the fall 2020 semester but understands that safety was the highest priority.

“I was really looking forward to [being on campus] and the social aspect, but at the same time, I know that they tried their best to keep it open for as long as possible,” Navia said.

She said she thinks Pepperdine made the safest choice.

“I think they did a good job of trying to open on campus but then ultimately making the decision that they felt [was] the safest,” Navia said.

R OWAN.TOK E@PEPPER DINE.EDU

Courtesy of taryn navia Page Turner | Bookworm Navia smiles with a book. She incorporated one of her intersts, reading, into her senior portraits.

Musician dreams of becoming a guitarist S o f i a Lo n g L i f e & Ar t s Assi stant e d i t o r

Courtesy of CHelsea Taura Giving Back | Fellow co-presidents and Taura (far right) stand behind their booth for the Latin American Student Association (LASA) at their high school club fair. Taura handed out pasteries and candy while encouraging fellow students to join.

Future traveler discusses how sports medicine and faith drew her to Pepp So fia L o ng Lif e & ar ts as si stan t First-year Chelsea Taura said she was most drawn to Pepperdine because the University aligned with all of her interests — human biology, travel and a Christian community.

Taura, a Sports Medicine major, said she is very interested in the human body. She said this major at Pepperdine is a great opportunity for her because it is more tailored to students who are interested in the human organism rather than just biology.

“As of right now, I’m not really sure [what I want to do],” Taura said.

“I really love anatomy and physiology, and this

seemed like the perfect major for that.”

Taura said her faith was an important aspect of her identity that also influenced her decision to attend Pepperdine. “[Pepperdine] being a Christian campus really just drew me to it and the community that you can form with other Christians and people of other religions to just be able to share the love of God,” she said.

Another opportunity Taura said stood out to her was Pepperdine’s internatioanl programs rested in the programs in Florence and London.

“I remember Pepperdine visited my school last fall and the representative explained all

the different campuses, and I [thought], ‘That’s so crazy how when you’re a sophomore, you can just go and study abroad,’” Taura said.

Taura said she was heavily involved in high school and plans to continue her involvement by joining clubs at Pepperdine.

“I haven’t seen the whole list of clubs, but I know there is a Latino Student Association and I was a part of something like that for Hispanic students at my school, so I think it’d be really cool to jump to the college community,” she said.

Taura was born in the San Fernando Valley but lives in Agoura Hills, which is only about a

30-minute drive to the Malibu campus. Even though she won’t be attending classes on campus, it has not stopped her from driving by her future home.

“When I first committed, I would always drive down by the beach, just to see it,” Taura said.

“I [thought], that’s so crazy. I’m really going to live in such a nice place.”

S O F I A . L O N G @P E P P E RD I N E . E D U

As a musician, first-year student Garrett Podgorski said he was drawn to Pepperdine because of its guitar program, which he believes is one of the best in the country in terms of classical guitar.

The Classical Guitar Performance major was born in Chicago, Illinois, but now lives in Burbank, California.

Podgorski said he has a personal connection to Pepperdine’s guitar program because his guitar teacher, Kevin Enstrom, is an adjunct professor at Pepperdine. “[Enstrom] was telling me about the program and I’ve kind of been involved ever since I was a freshman, so that was a big factor,” Podgorski said.

In high school, Podgorski said he dedicated himself to playing guitar. He competed in guitar competitions and even placed third in a competition hosted at Pepperdine. “[In] high school, [my mindset] was very much like ‘get down and practice,’ and I practiced four-to-five hours every day,” Podgorski said.

Podgorski said he plans to find a career in music as a performing guitarist, which involves session work and touring.

“I want to tour and try to play as much as I can,” Podgorski said.

Before learning classes were online, Podgorski said he did research about some of the clubs offered at Pepperdine to get involved on campus. Activities like surfing, spike ball and volunteering all piqued his interest.

“I really love surfing, so something involving that, [and] I wanted to do some ministry work as well, whether it’s Bible study or on- or off-campus work,” Podgorski said.

Pepperdine’s International Programs is also something Podgorski said he is interested in.

“I haven’t done too much research in the abroad programs, but there’s a trip to Spain I think

Courtesy of Garret Podgorski Strummin’ Away | Podgorski grasps his guitar for his album cover’s photoshoot in California. His album will debut within the next two months. with the guitar program that I want to do so bad,” Podgorski said.

Podgorski said the news of online classes came as a disappointment, especially since his major is one that requires a more handson teaching experience.

“I’m really, really bummed, and it sucks that it’s my freshman year that this is happening,” Podgorski said. “Also with guitar, it’s really hard to be online because there’s so much with being in person and hearing what the instrument sounds like.”

Despite this, Podgorski said he feels confident learning from online courses because of his extensive experience in playing guitar.

SOF IA.L ONG@PEPPER DINE.EDU

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AUGUST 1 7 , 2 0 2 0 | L IFE A N D A RTS | P E P P E R DI N E G RA P H I C ME D I A

Jonah Hill’s nostalgic ‘Mid90s’ film combines friendship and skateboarding B et h Gonzales S taf f writ e r A24, the production company that Daniel Katz, David Fenkel and John Hodges founded in New York in 2012, went from nameless to household in the cinema industry. In 2019, it managed to earn 25 Oscar nominations while producing over two dozen films that year.

The company originally produced the artisanal films that Hollywood usually disregards but eventually made its breakthrough by winning Best Picture in 2016 for its film “Moonlight.” After much buzz from the Sundance Film Festival and offbeat horror films such as “Hereditary,” A24 decided to partner with writer and director Jonah Hill to create the skateboarder’s dream that is “Mid90s.”

“Mid90s” begins with a young boy named Stevie (Sunny Suljic) ending a fistfight with his aggressive older brother (Lucas Hedges), then leaving his house to roam the streets of Los Angeles, only to stumble upon a skate shop. This skate shop is the hangout of four older boys (Olan Prenatt, Na-Kel Smith, Ryder McLaughlin and Gio Galicia) who happen to be best friends.

The boys are all skaters who have dropped out of school and struggle with drug and alcohol use, abusive families and more. Stevie is dealing with the pain caused by his mother and her revolving door of dates, leading him to bond with these boys as they take him under their wing.

The boys teach Stevie how to skateboard, which helps him forget his prob-

Photos Courtesy of A24 Hangin’ Out | (left) The official poster shows Stevie standing before a cloudy sky. The film is now available for streaming on Amazon Prime. (right) The skateboarders stay seated on the stairs of their favorite skate park after defying a policeman’s orders to leave. The older boys took Stevie under their wings and taught him how to skate. lems and teaches him how to get up after falling, literally and figuratively. These friends become mentors to Stevie, showing him to never give up and the consequences of what happens when he does.

This message compels the viewers to then look into their own lives and recognize how strong they can be.

This movie combines comedy and drama to create one of the best modern motion pictures. The cinematography of the gritty LA streets mixed with the idea of friendship between young adults trying to dodge the incorrect judgments of their life

gives this movie a warm, nostalgic feeling.

The accuracy of the skateboarding and the hip hop soundtrack truly makes this film feel close to home, like a love letter to many ’90s childhoods.

These inspirations led Hill to hire professional skater Na-Kel Smith to act for his first time in this feature film. The detailed scenes of skateboarding are entertaining for anyone, especially those doing kickflips of their own.

Although this film is about kids, it is not for them. The adult themes and vulgar language showcase the realities of

looking to one’s formulaic life and finding rejection. This feeling leads viewers to look within their community, just as Stevie did. These boys all have attributes in common: confused yet hopeful, crude yet naive. This coming-of-age story will have you rooting for teenagers, as you see parts of yourself within them.

“Mid90s” is available to stream now on Amazon Prime. For students who want to practice tricks like Stevie, Malibu just opened a new skate park located near Malibu Bluffs Park.

BETH.GONZAL ES@PEPPER DINE.EDU Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures

Justin Chai honors his father’s life through #LoveLikeJeff L indsey SUl livan P odcast P r oduce r

Many students recognize senior Justin Chai by the bright red hashtag #LoveLikeJeff printed on the front of a T-shirt he often wears. The hashtag can be spotted from the crowd as he leads worship for Celebration Chapel and Koinonia Campus Mission (KCM) or hosts a small group for his residents as a Spiritual Life Advisor (SLA).

For Chai, the meaning behind #LoveLikeJeff goes far beyond what could be written on a tee.

One Sunday morning in the fall of 2017, Chai’s first semester at Pepperdine, he said he received an unexpected call from his brother saying their father, Jeff Chai, had suddenly fallen unconscious and paramedics were taking care of him. Chai left church immediately and went home to find the paramedics driving his father to the ER. “I just remember seeing the scene — all the ambulances, all the paramedics, and I just fell to my knees and was like, ‘What?

What is happening?’” Chai said.

Though he was trying, Chai said his faith was rocky at the time — he wasn’t attending church consistently, but he had just returned from a KCM retreat two days before. It was there he heard the pastor speak about looking to God through suffering.

Photos Courtesy of justin chai Family Time | Justin’s parents embrace him at his high school graduation. Justin attended high school in Torrance, California.

“In that moment, I don’t know what got into me, but I was like, ‘We just need to pray; I don’t know what to do but pray,’” Chai said.

“We were just standing outside of the ER, and I sounded like a madman — I was just yelling at God.” Chai said he and his family waited in the hospital, praying for a miracle. After hours of attempting to revive him, the doctors finally pronounced Jeff Chai dead due to sudden cardiac arrest.

Unable to process the loss of his father, Chai said he remembered a journal entry he had written just days before his father’s death.

The spiritual high he experienced during the retreat suddenly disappeared as he began to mourn. “[In my journal] I was like, ‘God, I’ll do anything for you; you’re so good,’” Chai said. “I always look back, and literally the next day, I was like, ‘What just happened? [My dad] is gone and I don’t know what God is trying to do.’”

Finding God in Mourning For the first few months after his father’s death, Chai said he felt he was running from God, unable to pray or sing in worship. Consumed with bitterness, Chai attempted to fill the void he felt in his heart without God but said he was always left unsatisfied.

Chai said he then decided to use the emptiness he felt in his heart as a motivation to find answers and, ultimately, grow closer to God. “This is a moment where God broke me,” Chai said. “[He] was like, ‘You need to rebuild your faith on something stronger and really get to know me,’ and that’s what I did. I was hungry for answers — I needed to know more about this God.” After growing up in the church, Chai said he was finally forced to wrestle with his faith on his own by rediscovering the meaning of salvation and reintroducing himself to who God is.

“That’s when my love for Jesus and for God just grew exponentially, because how can I not love a person who died for my dad and died for me freely?” Chai said. “[God] didn’t expect anything from our lives, but we get to be in paradise with [Him] because of Jesus. I firmly believe that once you find out more about God and His character, it’s impossible not to love Him more.”

Celebrating Jeff | Friends and community members join Chai and his family for an annual tennis tournament in October 2019 to honor his father’s life and raise money for underprivileged tennis players.

The biggest transformation he experienced through it all, Chai said, is the realization that God gives His salvation freely to those who will receive it.

“That’s when a lot of stress, a lot of tension and bitterness toward God were relieved,” Chai said. “It made me realize that death is not the end — death is not something to fear — because this grace is free, and we’re going to be in paradise soon. It almost sounds weird, but I look forward to that moment; I look forward to seeing not only my earthly father but my Heavenly Father that day.”

Love Like Jeff — His Father’s Legacy Looking back, Chai said he is sure God showed him a glimpse of what His unconditional love looks like through his father, who was not only his mentor but his best friend.

Chai said his father carried a love and generosity that represents God’s character. His family created clothing with the hashtag #LoveLikeJeff as a way to remember him and testify to God’s faithfulness in their lives.

“We always get questions like, ‘What does that mean? Who is Jeff?’” Chai said. “We hope that those conversations can kind of spark something like, ‘This is my dad, but also this is the God we believe in, and this is who He is and what He has done for us.’”

Surrounded by Love

Sanchez said she was often humbled by Chai’s ability to encourage her even while he was mourning. “[Chai’s] faith shows his testimony — this part of his life where he relied on God completely through it all,” Sanchez said.

Over the past two years, Chai said he and his family have seen radical changes in their personal lives and relationships with one another.

“We were already super close before [my dad] passed, but now Walt Disney Studio Pictures we are so realCourtesy with eachofother,” The Heart of Motion It Chai said. “There’s nothing to hide in this family, and [my dad] is From this experience, Chai said still the glue that holds us togeth- his heart has grown for people er.” who don’t know Jesus.

Every year, Chai said he and his “I just want to spread this [gosfamily host a tennis tournament pel] and this great love to people to honor his father, who dedicat- because there are so many people ed over 25 years to the sport. The in this world that need it,” Chai tournament also serves as a fund- said. “I just want to let people raiser for underprivileged tennis know that there is hope in this players. In 2019 they hosted the world. There is truly a God who tournament in partnership with loves you and died for you.”

Compassion International.

With a smile, Chai said he and “To see how my dad’s name is his family’s continued hope is all still being remembered and used because of Jesus. to bless people is crazy to me,” “I’m at a place now where He is Chai said. my everything,” Chai said. “To see Emma Sanchez, senior and how God showed up in that moclose friend to Chai since their ment and in those dark times — I freshman year, said she looks up have no doubt that whatever hard to Chai and his family for their re- situation I go through, I know silience and faithfulness.

He’s going to be there, and I know “The way they spoke [about I can rely on Him.” God] was always fascinating to me because they weren’t angry with God or angry with the world,” Sanchez said. “At the funeral, you could see their pain, but you could also see their faith show completeL INDSEY.SUL L I@PEPPER DINE.EDU ly through the entire process.”

PEPP E R DINE GR A P HIC M E DIA | L IFE A N D A RTS | A U G U S T 1 7 , 20 20

International students face challenges Xiny un Jessie Wang S taf f W r i te r Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Pepperdine decided to hold the fall 2020 semester online.

International students, unlike students living in the United States, will face new challenges because of this decision.

“International students have to fight against distance: between time, place, people — and everything in the future is unknown,” graduate student Liuyi Jiang said.

One major problem affecting international students is obtaining all the materials needed to enter the U.S., including visas. First-year Yuka Shimazaki said visa reservations at the embassy are limited.

She checked the webpage often, and each time, the spots were full.

“First-year students from all over the world need visas before entering the U.S., and all of us will compete for visa interview appointments before coming to the U.S. next spring — and at this rate, we might not be able to secure a place,” Shimazaki said.

International students also struggle with certifications and plans. Jiang said she had to reschedule countless personal affairs for the fall, including booking her international student visa and plane ticket.

An additional problem for international students is what Shimazaki calls “the jet lag problem.”

Shimazaki said she now has to wake up early in the morning or stay awake until midnight to take online courses.

“We have to adjust our biological clock to fit in with Los Angeles time,” Shimazaki said.

In addition to the problem of different time zones, Shimazaki said she thinks learning efficiency

has declined due to the change in class format.

Shimazaki said both in-person and Zoom courses involve group discussions, but she found last semester that both students’ attitudes and participation differ online. In Zoom classrooms, she said she thinks students are more likely to converse about their daily life than they would in in-person classes.

Weina Li Chen, a professor at the Graduate School of Education and Psychology, said instructors need to develop more engaging techniques for online courses, such as group discussions or warm-up activities.

“After the courses moved to an online space this spring, it greatly impacted teaching,” Chen said. “A welcoming and connected learning environment is critical.”

Chen said she designed a warmup activity that allows students to introduce their surroundings and share their personalities and lives.

She asked students to choose three things in their room and explain how each represented themselves.

“Warm-up activities increase the social presence in this online space and therefore increase student engagement and a sense of togetherness,” Chen said.

Chen said she also invited students from other courses to be guest speakers, promoting cross-curricular learning and maintaining students’ interest.

Jiang said fall-semester courses are always hard for international students adjusting to living in a foreign country, but since international students cannot come to the U.S. this fall, they may face additional obstacles.

“The fall semester is all about learning to adapt to a new life,” Jiang said, adding that because of

Madeline duvall | art editor remote instruction, “We miss the transitional period.”

Angie Hoang, enrollment officer at the Graduate School of Education and Psychology, said international students may also face internet issues because some students require breaks to access the internet.

“If the WiFi or breaks do not work well and we don’t record the class, we might miss an important part of the course,” Shimazaki said.

Chen said online courses require teachers to master electronic devices. Graduate student Siqi Liu, however, said she worried about some professors’ capabilities in handling web-based tools; if professors cannot operate the electronic equipment well, the learn-

ing efficiency will decline.

Jiang said her Business Analytics program needs additional software to operate, and if the professor cannot use Zoom well, then the class would be a waste of time.

“In an instance of too many technical difficulties, some professors might not offer their courses live, or the seminar courses may turn into lectures,” Liu said.

Moving to an online classroom is a major challenge for Jiang’s program, she said, because students consequently lose chances to communicate face to face.

Jiang said most job interviews in her area ask applicants to explain and analyze a case in person.

She said students have already lost opportunities to speak in front of physical audiences, so more prac-

tice in this presentation style is essential considering the purpose of the classes.

International students also face the challenges of purchasing textbooks that are both expensive and primarily manufactured in the U.S., Jiang said.

“Some textbooks are not able be found in my home country, and so it is inconvenient for international students, who spend their first semester in their home country, to find these course materials,” Jiang said.

X INYUN.WANG@PEPPER DINE.EDU

Feminist Club: Launches during online classes

A Pepp First | The official logo for the Pepperdine Feminist Club. The group of juniors started this club afterr attending Pepperdine’s Buenos Aired program together, but are having to adjust their plans to being online.

FR OM B 1 Ultimately, the co-founders said the club aims to be inclusive to all — regardless of gender orientation or sexuality.

“We want to make an environment where all these groups feel included, welcome and most importantly, safe,” Zohary said.

not mean we are the ideal, perfect feminists,” Leroux said. “We want to mold our own views by opening up [meetings] for discussion and conversation on what is happening behind the scenes at Pepperdine.”

After posting about the club on his Instagram, Zohary said he has already received a wave of support from his friends.

“Women just want a space to use their voices in a space and community where they feel silenced,” Zohary said. “I hope that this space will give [them] an opportunity to use their voice in space that feels safe and inclusive where they haven’t before.”

Pepperdine students junior Lauren Whittington and sophomore D’Artagnon Fulton said they are excited and curious to see how the club affects Pepperdine’s campus for the better.

“I was shocked to learn that this club did not already exist on a female-majority campus,” said Whittington.

Fulton said by allowing students and faculty at Pepperdine to have these open and safe conversations, gaps between opposing belief systems may be bridged for the better.

“I consider myself extremely passionate about this issue because feminism is an important component of many modern social movements throughout the world,” Fulton said.

The founders said students who are interested in joining Pepperdine’s feminist club can follow @pepperdinefeministclub on Instagram or email them at pepperdinefeministclub@gmail.com.

Happenings and Community Response Due to Pepperdine’s decision to hold the fall 2020 semester online, the members said they are still transitioning their plans to an online format. As of now, the founders plan to hold bi-weekly meetings for members via Zoom.

“Just because we started the club does

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Seeking nominations for PGM’s Currents Magazine!

Do you know an individual in the Pepperdine community who deserves to be highlighted? Currents Magazine wants to hear their story! We will be profiling multiple individuals and groups in our upcoming issue — Humans of Pepperdine — in an effort to learn more about the individuals & groups in our Pepperdine community and the culture that encompasses our campus.

Click here to nominate someone: https://bit.ly/2CwtFy6

A L E X A . B O RS TA D @P E P P E RD I N E . E D U

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The Graphic

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SPORTS

no wcc play in fall 2020 Pepp Athletics forges ahead kar l w int er spor ts edi tor There will be no water polo, soccer or volleyball matches on Pepperdine’s Malibu campus in the remainder of 2020, but Pepperdine Athletics devised a plan that will bring its student-athletes back to training despite the lack of in-person classes.

The West Coast Conference (WCC) postponed fall sports seasons Thursday, which means Pepperdine Women’s Volleyball, Women’s Soccer and Men’s and Women’s Cross Country will not compete in conference play this fall. Hours later, NCAA President Mark Emmert announced that the NCAA would not host fall sports championships this fall.

The Golden Coast Conference, home of Pepperdine Men’s Water Polo, postponed its season to at least January 2021 in a July 31 announcement.

“This [WCC] decision, while devastating for our fall sports student-athletes, does offer the hope of competing in the spring of 2021,” Director of Athletics Steve Potts said in a Pepperdine Athletics release.

Nonetheless, Pepperdine Athletics staff and officials spent the summer creating a plan that would adhere to all COVID-19 restrictions and allow the Waves to return to training and eventually practice and competition.

The WCC did not prohibit schools from competing in non-conference competition in low-risk sports. It

also intends to hold a conference basketball season in the winter. Additionally, there may be opportunities for Pepperdine tennis players and golfers to compete in fall tournaments.

“We’ve had this plan that we’ve worked on for months,” Potts said. “Now we’re ready to try to implement it [and] see how we can make it better.”

Kevin Wright, assistant director of Athletics for sports medicine, and Dr. Gary Green, team physician for Pepperdine Athletics, masterminded the creation of the Pepperdine Athletics Return to Campus protocol. “[Wright and Green] came up with the phased approach based on guidance from the NCAA’s Resocialization of College Sport document, which continually gets updated,” Deputy Director of Athletics Karina Herold said.

Green is also the medical director for Major League Baseball, so his experience coordinating MLB’s return to play, in conjunction with the White House Coronavirus Task Force, provided invaluable information.

Pepperdine University’s housing, facilities and emergency operations teams worked closely with Pepperdine Athletics to meet the department’s unique needs and develop a plan that matched the University’s restoration plan.

“The University was heavily involved in not only the development of our plan but also the approval,” Potts said.

The 34-page Athletics

inez kim | sports design assistant Re-Entry Policies and Protocols document details campus re-entry protocol, isolation protocol in the event of a positive COVID-19 result, housing and athletic facility restrictions and, most important, a four-phase approach with the end goal of returning student-athletes to competition.

Once a student-athlete is tested for COVID-19 on campus, quarantines until their test result arrives and receives a negative test result, they can enter Phase I of the protocol — fitness progression training. This phase, which is intended to last two-to-four weeks, includes access to strength training coaches and outdoor strength and conditioning facilities but no group sessions or in-person meetings with other coaches.

Phases II and III, each of which are proposed to last one-to-two weeks, include skill instruction with one coach and then a return to full-team practices. Phase IV would indicate preparedness for team competition, though there are no team competitions currently on the horizon in fall 2020.

The return-to-campus protocol was first released

to student-athletes July 16, but the date on which Phase I can begin remains to be seen, as accessibility to campus has been delayed due to the lack of updated guidance from California and Los Angeles County public health officials.

California did not release COVID-19 prevention guidance specific to colleges and universities from mid-March until Aug. 7, putting schools in a precarious position regarding move-in policies.

Updated Los Angeles County guidance, which may be more restrictive, has yet to arrive.

“We’re in a difficult spot because we are in Los Angeles County, which is considered a hotspot,” Herold said.

Los Angeles County has more than 200,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and over 5,000 deaths, while the City of Malibu itself had only 86 cases and two deaths since testing began in April, as of Aug. 12.

Due to the delay between guidance documents, Pepperdine Athletics had no choice but to interpret the March guidance, which limited students on campuses to those who demonstrated a need to remain there, be-

yond the need to train for sports.

“Unless you had an extreme hardship, or you’re an essential employee, all campuses should remain closed,” Herold said.

The department informed student-athletes who were initially granted housing exemptions that they would have to fill out a hardship form if they were to be able to live on campus. Some student-athletes were granted another exemption to remain on campus, but not all.

“There were a number of student-athletes who had provided a hardship beyond just training, and those student-athletes were approved to still move in,” Herold said.

California released the new guidance for institutions of higher education mere hours after student-athletes were informed that they may not be able to live at Pepperdine.

The student-athletes who moved onto campus Aug. 12 were tested for COVID-19 upon arrival and placed in isolation housing until the test results arrive.

Pepperdine Athletics is using Vault Health saliva test kits, and the department also plans to test student-athletes and staff for antibodies during Phase I. Student-athletes who live off campus are not yet allowed to come to campus for training, meetings or even COVID-19 testing.

“As soon as we get word that the campus can open — not for classes but can open up a little bit more — then we’ll start Phase I,” Herold said.

Athletic trainers and sports performance staff have already taken at least one COVID-19 test, Herold said, in anticipation of the arrival of student-athletes.

Athletic facilities on campus remain closed until Pepperdine’s return-to-campus protocol goes into effect when Los Angeles County guidance is released and the department writes facility-specific COVID-19 prevention plans for every facility.

The 34-page Aug. 7 guidance also requires colleges and universities to provide “regular periodic COVID-19 testing of athletes and support staff,” which Potts said is possible at Pepperdine.

“That’s the plan,” Potts said. “The California state requirement there virtually mirrored the NCAA requirements, so we were bound to do that anyway.”

Once Phase I begins, Herold said the most disciplined teams will be the most successful in the age of COVID-19. She is confident that Pepperdine’s protocol prioritizes health and safety, but each student-athlete and staff member must buy in.

“All it takes is one person who has a lapse of judgment […] to potentially spread the virus among teammates or classmates,” Herold said.

“So what we’re asking of our student-athletes is to be diligent and to be disciplined. If we want to come together [...] and eventually compete together, we have to protect each other.”

K AR L .W INTER @PEPPER DINE.EDU

COVID-19 crippling NCAA finances aust in ha ll staf f w r i te r College athletic departments cut nearly 100 college sports programs due to financial reasons stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic that started in March.

Over two months later, dozens of programs from NCAA Division I, Division II, Division III and NAIA — all subsections of college sports — followed suit.

COVID-19 is also playing a part in the postponement of individual seasons and fall sports entirely.

Most notably, the University of Connecticut canceled its entire football season Aug. 9. On the same day, the Mid-American Conference (MAC) took a different approach and was the first conference to act on behalf of all the teams that it oversees, postponing not just football season but fall sports as a whole.

Less than 24 hours later, rumors surfaced that the Big Ten and Pac-12 were close behind them, leaving the other three Power 5 conferences (SEC, ACC, Big 12) of college sports with pressure to hold the sports in the spring.

While the focus will be on the student-athletes’ pending eligibility and scholarships, other repercussions lie in the universities themselves.

Professor John Watson oversees the Sport Administration major at Pepperdine and was director of

Athletics from 1998 to 2010. Wat- and women’s fencing, field hockey, son said that while pushing fall lightweight rowing, men’s rowing, sports to a later date is the safer coed and women’s sailing, squash, option, it will cost universities mil- synchronized swimming and wreslions of dollars. tling. Compared to the other pro“Universities will lose money grams, men’s volleyball is the most not just in revenue from sports out of place. but the expenses that go into takThe two-time national champiing care of students,” Watson said. ons (1997, 2010) posted a 122–75 “Our institution has spent millions record from 2011– 2017 before an of dollars in preparation for people abysmal 6–20 year in 2018 and a to return to campus. Then they had 6–11 start to last season before the to spend some more to prepare for COVID-19 spring sport shutdown. online learning. There are so many No other sport on Stanford’s cut behind-the-scenes costs in the pan- list posts a recognized national demic, and not having fall sports championship. will hurt the schools greatly.”

Stanford boasts a $27.7 billion The cancellation of March endowment, causing students to Madness resulted in a $600 million question the integrity of the Uniloss for the NCAA, which is spread versity’s priorities. While the numout across 1,200 athletics depart- ber is one of the biggest in the ments across the country. country, endowments are strucCOVID-19 isn’t just cancel- tured to fit a strict set of long-term ing fall sports or pushing certain guidelines and aren’t flexible for sports to the spring season, but the departments that lose money. disease is also playing a part in the Watson said that while the reaccuts of entire programs. On July 8, tions to the program cuts are natuStanford University eliminated 11 ral, Stanford Athletics is making a of its 36 programs. calculated decision that they see fit.

A statement released by Stan“Anybody who loses a job beford University President Marc cause of costs will typically find Tessier-Lavigne, Provost Persis other people they feel should be Drell and Director of Athletics Ber- terminated before themselves,” nard Muir, cited COVID-19 as the Watson said. “It seems like that’s source for an already troubling $12 the case here. While Stanford has million deficit to balloon in a mat- such a reputation of an elite athletic levens |experience staff writer ter of months, and theyali estimate and a quality education, that the deficit will be $25 million they have bills to pay. They have a at the start of the 2021 fiscal year. budget to follow and other prioriThe other 10 teams that Stan- ties that aren’t sports related.” ford chose to eliminate are men’s Watson said he believes the Uni-

versity went about the cuts in an acceptable fashion.

“When you look at Stanford, they did it the right way,” Watson said. “They gave the sports nearly two years before they end it. It’s not solely because of the virus, but they had a responsibility to the men and women to give them time to allow them to transfer or to stay at Stanford and graduate. I admire how they handled it.”

Watson was transparent when asked about his experience terminating a program as the athletic director.

“I had to, and it was awful,” Watson said. “The athletic department cut the women’s swim program.

And when we cut it, we said that we would honor the scholarships of all the players who could no longer compete. It was a heart-wrenching decision, but the reality was I had to balance the budget. That started with some athletics staff and led to the team.”

If Division I football is pushed back to the spring, it also pushes back an estimated average of $31.9 million per school that the University and athletic departments use accordingly. While Watson said the financial loss is significant, another problem lies inside the campus walls.

“Not everyone has the facilities that the Power 5 conference members have,” Watson said, adding, “Just think about Pepperdine: We have one Fieldhouse and four

Leah bae | Staff artist sports that would play there in the same season.”

Watson also brought up a concern in the biggest moneymaker for college athletics: TV contracts.

“Another factor is the competing interest of television time,” Watson said. “If a time slot is supposed to be dedicated to baseball, having football at the same time will dominate television rights. As far as the distribution of money, some shifts are going to be made that will hurt the sports.”

The WCC decided to postpone all fall sports Thursday. The statement included that the conference “strongly supports efforts to encourage the National College Athletic Association to conduct fall NCAA championships in the spring.”

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P E P P E R DIN E GR A P H IC M E DIA | S PORTS | A U G U S T 1 7 , 20 20

Spring sports athletes return for fifth and sixth years tay l o r gat her s taf f w r i ter At least 10 Pepperdine student-athletes decided to return to Malibu after COVID-19 interrupted their senior seasons. Meet five of them this week as they explain their decision to return.

When the NCAA canceled spring sports championships in March, it brought an abrupt end to the careers of many senior Pepperdine student-athletes.

Or so they initially thought.

The NCAA then announced that student-athletes would receive an additional season of competition and an extension of their period of eligibility, meaning these graduated seniors could return to play for a fifth year at Pepperdine — or in several of these cases, a sixth year.

“I didn’t think that I would have the opportunity to compete again,” said sixth-year senior Michael Mahoney. “When the NCAA allowed us to come back for another year, I found out I had just enough units left to be eligible. I’m so excited to be part of the 2021 team — we’re going to do something special this upcoming spring.”

There are several who graduated from undergraduate school but will take advantage of this additional eligibility and return to play for the Waves.

Michael Mahony, Baseball Graduate student Michael Mahony said he wanted 2020 to be the year where he got the ball rolling for Pepperdine’s Baseball team success — until it was cut short.

While Mahony approached the 2020 season as if it was his last, he said he didn’t want to leave on terms other than his own.

“I just didn’t feel right ending it on the way it ended last year, and I felt like I would regret not coming back and being part of a team and contribute to Pepperdine doing something great,” Mahony said.

Mahony is enrolled in four classes at the Caruso School of Law, making him eligible to compete in the spring.

In preparation for the upcoming season, Mahony said he spent much of his off-season resting his pitching arm.

“I have spent time working on improving my pitches and getting stronger by lifting whenever possible,” Mahony said.

Although the West Coast

NameFile | Position photos Back For More | Women’s Beach Volleyball Player Carly Skjodt (left) and Women’s Tennis Player Jessica Failla (right) are among the Waves athletes cashing in on their extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conference (WCC) announced they were postponing all fall competitions Aug. 13, Mahony said he has high hopes that he will be able to compete in the spring.

“One of our team’s mottos has always been focusing on controlling the ‘controllables,’” Mahony said. “This upcoming year, there are going to be many uncertainties that’s out of our control. [...] We are fully planning to compete in the spring and just focusing on the moment.”

Carly Skjodt, Women’s Beach Volleyball After playing indoor volleyball for four years at the University of Michigan, Skjodt is attending Pepperdine Graziadio Business School as a sixth-year student to compete in the spring. Skjodt arrived at Pepperdine in 2019 to compete in collegiate beach volleyball for the first time.

Once the season was canceled, Skjodt wrote that she has taken the opportunity to train as much as possible, following COVID-19 guidelines.

“I have been training back at home in Indianapolis,” Skjodt wrote in an email. “I have been doing at-home workouts and then getting together with some local beach volleyball players to train.”

Skjodt wrote that she’s not worried for the upcoming season, even amid the postponement of the fall season.

“I’m hopeful that things will start to improve shortly,” Skjodt wrote. “If not, everything happens for a reason, and all will work out as it’s supposed to.”

perdine’s Men’s Golf team in the spring, holding the No. 1 national ranking in both Golfstat and Golfweek/ Bushnell polls.

Feagler tied for eighth at the Southwestern Invitational — his last competition before the COVID-19 pandemic stopped all spring seasons from continuing. Feagler said the sudden stop to his season did not deter him from continuing to compete in the summer.

“I’ve played in three tournaments in the summer so far,” Feagler said. “I’m just trying to stay mentally sharp and physically sharp to get ready for tournaments in the fall if we do have them.”

Feagler said he hopes to continue last season’s success into the upcoming spring season.

“It’s the same goal we had last year — to win a national championship,” Feagler said.

“The goal is to get to NCAA, make a match, play and give it a run, like we were destined to do last year.”

Inspired by former teammate Sahith Theegala, Feagler said he hopes to be a big brother to the first-year players.

“I think this next year for me is just being like a big bro,” Feagler said. “Just being supportive and pushing

them.”

Jessica Failla, Women’s Tennis The unexpected end to her season did not stop sixth-year senior Jessica Failla from winning the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s National Summer Championship on Aug. 11.

Failla won the title over West Coast Conference competitor Solymar Colling from the University of San Diego.

Failla said she has continued to compete over the summer with COVID-19 modifications, including social distancing from her opponents during matches, changing tennis balls frequently and wiping down the scorecards and benches after every match.

“Those are just some of the changes they’ve implemented that have been super helpful,” Failla said. “It’s helpful, you know, still being able to play and knowing that you’re staying safe.”

Failla also competed and won three Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) sponsored tournaments: the 7K Red River Open, 10K South Dakota Adult Open and 7K Midland Scientific Firecracker Open.

Although Failla has been able to compete, she said that her hopes to play in the spring are for reasons beyond her individual game.

“I just really hope that it’s going to work out for [the team],” Failla said. “I feel like I’m so past the point of wanting to do well individually or wanting our team to do well. Honestly, I just want all of us to be together because I know we’re going to work super hard and give our best effort.”

With the uncertainties of spring season, Failla said she believes the new safety procedures will allow her to play for another season.

“To think that we could do all this training and not even have the opportunity to play is always in the back of my mind,” Failla said. “I’m really hoping that I get the chance to play more college tennis.”

Trevor Franklin, Men’s Baseball When fifth-year senior Trevor Franklin was prompted with the opportunity to continue his education and play baseball, he said he felt it was a circumstance he would regret passing up.

“We had a really good team last year, and [I] felt

like we have some unfinished business, so I made the decision to return,” Franklin said.

Following the protocols that the University set forth, Franklin said he has spent a lot of his time training whenever possible.

“We’ve been working out a lot,” Franklin said. “We have a gym off campus that we’ve been going to. We’ve just been trying to do everything we can to just be ready for when they tell us we’re allowed to go back.”

Franklin is a graduate student at the Caruso School of Law, allowing him to continue to compete for another season.

Franklin said as leader on the team, he aspires to not only compete for the national championship but lay the foundation for the next generation of Pepperdine baseball players.

Franklin said he hopes the team’s progress in preparation for spring season will not be deterred by COVID-19 restrictions.

“We have a really good team and we’re all a bunch of really good guys just trying to do good things for Pepperdine,” Franklin said. “[We] try to treat people the right way and win a lot of games.”

Clay Feagler, Men’s Golf Fifth-year senior Clay Feagler was a part of Pep-

ali levens | staff writer

File photos

Still Hungry | Men’s Golfer Clay Feagler (center) and Baseball pitchers Michael Mahony (left) and Trevor Franklin (right) compete last season. Both teams were in the top 20 nationally when the 2020 season shut down, and will be hoping to continue their success next season.

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P E P P E R DIN E GR A P H IC M E DIA | S PORTS | A U G U S T 1 7 , 20 20

Waves Swim and Dive hires new coach Paxt o n r it c hey s p or ts ass i s tant edit or The Pepperdine Women’s Swim and Dive program hired Ellie Monobe as its new head coach ahead of the 2020–2021 season. Monobe was most recently the associate head coach for both the men’s and women’s teams at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). She is the program’s fourth head coach in four years.

“This was my first interview for a head coaching role, and it was everything and more than I was anticipating,” Monobe said. “I was very impressed with how [Athletic Director] Steve Potts handled everything, and I felt an immediate connection with him and the rest of the staff.”

Potts announced the hire in a University statement.

“We are thrilled to welcome Ellie to the Pepperdine Athletics family,” Potts said. “Ellie brings incredible experiences, both as a student-athlete and as an accomplished coach, to her new role in leading our women’s swim and dive program. Her commitment to the overall development of each of the young women on our team and to building a strong team culture of trust and respect was the major factor in our decision.”

While Monobe is a firsttime head coach, she still brings an impressive resume to Malibu. As a student-athlete, she was on two national championship-winning teams at the University of California, Berkeley, includ-

ing one for which she served as a team captain. Her coaching career includes assistant stops at the University of Massachusetts and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).

In her four years with Santa Barbara, the men won two Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) conference titles, while the women came in second place three times.

Monobe said she sees a similar championship pedigree in the Waves swimmers, and she said she will seek to balance creating a long-term foundation with ensuring immediate success for the swimmers she is inheriting.

“Athletically, this group of women can win the championship,” Monobe said. “We want to reignite the team and then build something sustainable that they can be proud of for the long term.”

Monobe is the permanent replacement for Joe Spahn, who departed the University in January amid growing scrutiny and allegations of how he treated his swimmers. More immediately, Monobe replaces interim Head Coach Jana Vincent, who emerged from a volunteer coach at the start of the year to help the team finish a tumultuous season on a high note.

To give the team a larger input on who its next coach would be, Monobe interviewed with six members of the team once she established herself as a leading candidate, including junior Pia Anderson and senior Sammie Slater.

file photo

photo courtesy of ellie monobe

New Era | (left) Recent Pepperdine hire Ellie Monobe encourages the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos as she serves as associate head coach of the men’s and women’s programs. (right) Sophomore swimmer Caroline Anderson competes in a meet last season. Anderson will be among the returning Waves looking to turn over a new leaf under new Head Coach Monobe.

“After the challenging season we had last year, it was an unspoken assumption that we would have a female coach,” Anderson said.

Anderson said the swimmers asked Monobe about getting the team in Division I shape without causing injury, balancing academics with athletics, transforming the team culture and increasing accountability.

“As an assistant coach, I learned a lot about who I am and what kind of things I would want to do in my program,” Monobe said. “[I will be] setting a frame of very strong team culture, with academics as the number one priority and athletics closely behind.”

While Monobe relishes the chance to “be a conductor” and “mold things” to her preferences, she also said she would work with the team to implement culture and traditions.

“When the team doesn’t

buy it, things don’t work out,” Monobe said. “I definitely feel like this is going to be a collaboration.”

After the team interview, Anderson came away impressed with Monobe.

“Just by speaking with her, I personally was struck by how kind and approachable she was to talk to but also having an authoritative side, which I respect,” Anderson said.

Slater also said her first impressions of Monobe were “very warm.”

“She seemed excited to be a part of the team and knowledgable with a lot of experience at different programs,” Slater said. “That will be important, especially with how uncertain things will be.”

Monobe faces the obvious challenge of introducing herself to a new program during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has kept teams out of the pool and distanced at

their own homes.

“The pandemic brings another layer to this,” Monobe said. “There are so many unknowns, but I value this time as a chance to connect more than what we would previously do. Without training and the stress of in-person classes, we have a lot more time and flexibility to connect in that regard.

We can still do some great things. I’m not exactly sure what that’s going to look like, but neither do a lot of coaches.”

To get on the same page, the team will have weekly Zoom meetings and other virtual events, including Aug. 8, when Monobe addressed and met her new program in its entirety for the first time.

The team is anxious to get back in the pool for a potential season, but it is “all contingent upon LA County health officials as to what we are allowed to do as a university,” Slater said.

Monobe was complimentary of interim Head Coach Vincent, who Monobe said alerted her about the job position. It is not yet known if Vincent will remain with the team.

Vincent’s name has been removed from the team roster on the Pepperdine website.

“I hope she stays in some capacity,” Monobe said.

“She’s very important to this program.”

Vincent’s presence during a turbulent season also had a positive impact on the swimmers.

“Jana [Vincent] took us on when we were in a state of uncertainty,” Slater said.

“She brought a state of cohesion to the team. She was well liked by all the girls, myself included. If she could stay on, that would be great.”

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Governing bodies decide sports’ new normal just in t o uh ey s por ts ass i sta n t Athletes at every level are dealing with the uncertainty and reality that their sport could be canceled and their season over in an instant. Fans are not allowed to attend competitions, and injuries are no longer the primary reason why athletes might miss practices and games.

Every level of sport — from pros to college to high school — is handling the pandemic differently.

While each association wants to bring back its athletes, the necessary protocols are challenging and unique.

Many sports require physical contact, and social distancing is impossible on a court or a field. There is not a one-size-fits-all model for sports, and it could mean delayed, postponed or canceled seasons.

NCAA and NAIA Cancel Fall Championships The NCAA has announced that the 2020 fall championships will not take place, but there is a possibility for fall championships to take place in the spring of 2021, according to an article from ESPN. The NCAA previously stated that if the number of schools that are not playing fall sports dropped below 50%, then fall championships will not be played.

The decision does not affect FBS football, as the Football Bowl Subdivision sponsors their fall championships. The FBS includes the Power 5 conferences and other Division 1 conferences.

Of the Power 5 conferences, the Pac-12 and Big Ten have announced they will not play football this fall. The Big 12, SEC and ACC, however, intend to play football in some form this fall, according to an article from ESPN. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) moved its fall sports to the spring of 2021 after a vote on July 28, according to its website.

All athletes will receive their athletic aid or scholarship whether they opt out, participate or are unable to compete because their season is canceled.

Fall athletes will likely be given another season of eligibility if their season is canceled, though decisions on whether to provide scholarships for fifth- and sixth-year student-athletes would rest with individual schools and programs. After spring sports were canceled, the NCAA announced it would grant an additional year of eligibility.

Some State Associations Move High School Fall Sports to the Spring

director of communications for the NYSPHSAA. Washington and Virginia also voted to move their fall season until 2021. States such as Florida and South Carolina have delayed the start of their fall sports. States including Oklahoma and Nebraska are starting their fall sports as normal, according to an Aug. 7 MaxPreps.com article.

Nebraska said in its statement that it will continue to monitor the health and safety of its athletes and that modifications may be made, according to an article from News on Your Side.

Professional Leagues Return to Competition in Modified Form

For athletes in high school, the decision on fall sports is more comThe professional sports landplicated. The NCAA is the govern- scape has changed from its packed ing body for most college athletic stadiums and arenas seen on TV. programs; however, in high school, Professional sports are perhaps the each state association decides how easiest to monitor because of how its sports operate. There could be few athletes there are in each pro50 different decisions made that fessional league. dramatically affect high school The NBA made its return to sports. games July 30 with 33 teams afCalifornia decided to move back ter a four-month hiatus. The plan the start of fall sports until January, is to conclude the season Oct. 13 with two athletic seasons instead of with an NBA champion. The NBA three. created a “bubble” system in which “The CIF worked diligently to players and team officials — traincreate a season of sports calendar ers, coaches, staff — are living unthat offers an opportunity for as der strict rules and regulations at many student-athletes as possi- Walt Disney World in Lake Buena ble to compete in league, playoffs Vista, Florida. and championships competition,” Players arrived at the bubble wrote Rebecca Brutlag, the media in early July and were required to relations officer for the California practice social distancing and wear Interscholastic Federation. masks. If players were concerned New York is another state that about COVID-19, they were not decided to move its fall sports sea- required to go to Disney. son until the spring, beginning in If players test positive for March.

COVID-19, the NBA protocol calls “The decision was made by our for them to enter isolation housing officers and executive director, with immediately, test again and then input from the Task Force. We want exit isolation only once consecuto give NYSPHSAA [New York tive negative tests occur. To help State Public High School Athletic stop the potential spread, common Association] student-athletes the practices like hugs, high fives or staff hands writerare discouraged. opportunity to compete, ali in levens what- |licking ever form possible. The officers, As of Aug. 5, the NBA had no executive director and membership positive tests in three weeks, acof NYSPHSAA supported this de- cording to a USA Today article. cision,” wrote Chris Watson, the Major League Baseball has taken

ally armstrong | assistant art editor a different approach for its season.

There is no bubble for its players, with a 60-game season as opposed to the normal 162-game season. As with the NBA, players can opt out due to COVID-19 concerns.

Unfortunately for the MLB, two teams have had an outbreak: The St. Louis Cardinals had 13 players and staff test positive, and the Miami Marlins had 20 players and staff test positive. Both teams canceled multiple games in an already shortened season.

Due to the outbreak, MLB and its players association have implemented new safety protocols. Players and staff must wear face coverings everywhere except on the field, including the dugout and bullpen.

Other measures — like the home team providing outdoor covered spaces for rain delays and prohibiting athletes from going to large group gatherings — have also been put into effect, according to an article from CBS Sports.

The NFL started its training camp July 28, and there will be no preseason games. There is no bubble, and a player can opt out due to COVID-19 concerns and receive a $150,000 stipend.

After many NFL players said they were concerned about their safety, the NFL and its players association established new measures to help players minimize risk, as

stated in a Time article.

Players will be tested daily for the first two weeks of camp, and if the positive rate is below 5%, then testing will move to every other day, according to an article from NFL.com.

If players test positive for COVID-19 but are asymptomatic, they can return 10 days after the initial positive test or if they test negative consecutively within five days of the initial positive test.

Players will wear proximity recording devices during all team activities, such as practice, meals, films and games. The NFL has contracted with a national lab to handle all 32 teams so the league’s testing needs would not drain the local market, and players and staff can expect test results within 24 hours.

The NHL is playing this season in a bubble. The league resumed its season July 13 with 24 teams playing in Edmonton, Alberta, and Toronto, Ontario. Teams are limited to 52 people in their party, which includes players, coaches, trainers and security members.

The NHL has not had a positive test since restarting its season July 13, according to an article from ESPN.

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