The future of journalism lives here.
PEPPERDINE GRAPHIC MEDIA
Volume XLIII, Issue 8 | November 3, 2011 | pepperdine-graphic.com
INDEX DPS Reports..A2
Big changes are coming to the way the Pepperdine community connects. Check next week’s Graphic for the inside scoop.
Calendar........ A2 Editorial..........A6 Horoscopes....B2 Sports.............B8
Sudden deaths shock locale
Pi Phis get pied for charity
By EDGAR HERNANDEZ NEWS EDITOR
A 17-year-old high school student was the third young man to die in a span of six days, leaving a community in shock and wondering why. The most recent incident, believed to be a suicide, follows another alleged suicide and a suspected case of fatal alcohol poisoning. According to the Malibu Patch website, on Monday the student from Agoura High School allegedly drove his car off Piuma Road, and the car burst into flames, triggering a small brushfire. The young man was pronounced dead at the scene, and the fire was extinguished less than an hour later by the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The incident is being investigated as a suicide. Sgt. Daniel Nagelmann from the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station told Malibu Patch that the student sent out a mass text to fellow classmates saying goodbye and notifying them of where they could find his body. The day before that, Sunday, Oct. 30, Griffen Kramer, a student Thousand Oaks High, was found dead after spending the night at a friend’s house in Thousand Oaks. Kramer, 18, was a backup quarterback for his high school football team and the son of former NFL quarterback Erik Kramer. Although the cause of death is believed to be alcohol poisoning, Sgt. Vivian Mays from the LA County Sheriff’s Department at the Lost Hills Station told Malibu Patch, “It appeared Kramer might have had some kind of pre-existing medical condition; however, sheriff’s officials declined to comment on the possibility of alcohol poisoning, saying it was too early to pinpoint the cause.” Five days before that, Tuesday, Oct. 25, a 21-year-old man reportedly jumped 100 feet to his death off the Ridge Dam at Malibu Creek, located three miles inland from PCH. Mays told Malibu Patch that “there was a text message to a friend and a note left in [his] car. He was upset about his grades.” It was reported that another young man was spotted on the ledge around 5 p.m. Authorities said he was a friend of the victim looking for him after he received the text. The three deaths of young men in such a short period of time comes as a shock to the community. Several community members took to their Web browsers and voiced their opinions and concerns on Malibu Patch. “Maybe as a community we don’t need to allow another bar opening up in T.O. — Especially a ‘Hooters’ which appears to be designed to attract the younger males of our community,” one user said in response to an article about Kramer. Other community members expressed interest in coming together as a community: “Another tragedy in our community. I feel helpless and sad. There must be something we can do. I would like to meet with students, parents and teachers to figure out how and what we can do, as a community, to help our children. Who is interested?” Along with candlelight vigils, Facebook groups and Tumblr pages in memory of the three victims have been created.
Pie a Pi Phi: The sorority hosted their annual “Pie with the Pi Phis” philanthropy yesterday evening in the Caf. The event featured a variety of baked goods homemade by the sorority members, and event attendees could pay for the opportunity to throw a pie at the face of a sorority sister. The Caf was overflowing with participants, and the Facebook event page had 347 RSVPs. STEPHANIE NELSON / CONTRIBUTOR
A history of LGBT struggle on campus 1998
Pepperdine hosts a seminar about the morality of homosexuality.
2002 Los Angeles Times reports Pepperdine student Justin Emerick’s position as secretary of a gaystraight alliance made up of Pepperdine students, but unaffiliated with the University, prevents his participation in a
mission trip. Though the mission trip was not affiliated with Pepperdine, University administrators reportedly told Emerick that they supported the decision.
2003
In response to student attempts to found a Gay and Lesbian Student Association (GLSA), Pepperdine enacts a policy stating: “Pepperdine
University affirms that sexual relationships are designed by God to be expressed solely within a marriage between husband and wife. Sexual relations of any kind outside the confines of marriage are inconsistent with the teaching of Scripture. ... therefore, as a matter of moral and faith witness, all members of the university are expected to avoid such conduct themselves and to refrain from encouraging it in others. ... Sexual misconduct,
depending on the facts and circumstances of each case, may result in disciplinary action.”
Else), a group of LGBT students from Pepperdine, is discouraged from applying for official recognition or endorsement.
2004 2008 “Students against Homophobia” is not allowed to hold an event on campus for the Day of Tolerance.
School of Law Professor Richard Peterson defends his participation in the “Yes on Prop 8” campaign.
2007 2010 Malibu GLEE (Gays, Lesbians and Everybody
The Western Association of Schools and Col-
leges (WASC) report expressed the team’s fear of Pepperdine developing a “don’t ask, don’t tell” atmosphere. The Building Bridges committee meets for the first time.
2011
Building Bridges, along with Campus Ministry, hosts an event encouraging LGBT students to share their stories in public.
As Reach OUT prepares application, Dean Davis clarifies University policy By JESSICA ABU-GHATTAS ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR
Leaders of Reach OUT, an unofficial organization supporting LGBT students, are preparing to apply for recognition in the InterClub Council (ICC). Meanwhile, the Office of Student Affairs has made efforts to address Pepperdine’s LGBT community — including meeting with Reach OUT. But what makes this club different from the others to apply for club membership in the past? According to Mark Davis, dean
edgar.hernandez@pepperdine.edu
Where are the new places to be on campus? Secret spots are revealed on campus to those adventurous enough to explore.
» L&A, B1
of Student Affairs, the University must respect the values it has historically held, including the affirmation that sexual relationships are reserved for man and wife. The issue with “official recognition” in the University’s eyes, said Davis, is that it implies endorsement. Davis argued that Reach Out is recognized at Pepperdine, but not endorsed. Although the group is allowed to meet on campus, without ICC membership Reach OUT cannot hold events on campus unless another student group sponsors it. “We want to create an environ-
ment where everyone can express their opinion,” Davis said. Davis said he admires that nongay Pepperdine students have the ability to say, “I’m not sure if I agree with what you’re doing, but you’re my friend. I love you.” The Building Bridges Committee is composed of about 20 members including Chaplain Dave Lemley, Director of Convocation Sarah Jaggard, Housing and Residence Life, University Church ministers, students from the School of Law, SGA President Mimi Rothfus and Executive Vice President Nico
Is US policy in the Arab world effective? It’s been a busy week in the Middle East. Our columnists give their input on the Iraq pullout and Palestinian statehood.
Gutierrez, and LGBT students and their supporters. The committee meets once weekly to discuss how to improve the campus environment for LGBT students. One of its initiatives includes clarifying University policies regarding interpersonal relationships in the next school year’s Student Handbook, specifically the sexual relationship clause. Davis said this may include a Frequently Asked Questions section in addition to establishing a “biased incident report protocol.”
»See A8 for Q&A
The Waves of Malibu Fri. 3 ft @18s
Sat. 4 ft @17s
Sun. 4 ft @16s
Mon. 4 ft @16s
»PERSPECTIVES, A7 magicseaweed.com
NEWS
A2 Graphic
November 3, 2011
Food truck brings fusion food
Campaign has high hopes By Edgar HErnandEz News editor
GENEVIEVE SMITH / PHOTO EDITOR
Order to go: The American Marketing Association hosted a fundraiser Wednesday, by bring a Mexican-Asian fusion food truck to campus. The truck sold food ranging from Korean barbecue to tacos and burritos. Almost $200 was raised, all of which will go to the Malibu Labor Exchange.
DPS REPORTS Weekly update from the Department of Public Safety 10/24/11 11:01 a.m. Traffic – Vehicle Accident, Non-Injury Location: Banowsky Boulevard Summary: A student was driving eastbound and sideswiped two unattended parked cars after being startled by a spider near their face. Minor damage was reported. 10/24/11 9:08 p.m. Larceny – Petty Theft Location: Hall 7 – James W. Fifield Summary: A student reported that $880 was stolen from a wallet that was in an unlocked dorm room while the student was taking a shower. 10/25/11 7:26 a.m. Parking Wheel Lock Location: Banowsky Boulevard Summary: An unregistered vehicle with multiple unpaid citations was wheel-locked for identification purposes. 10/25/11 11:28 p.m. Larceny – Petty Theft Location: Hall 11 – Joseph H. Pengilly Summary: A student reported that a volleyball set was stolen from the Stotsenberg track field. 10/26/11 1:12 p.m. Code of Conduct – Conduct Violation Location: CCB lot Summary: A student was instructed by a Public Safety officer not to ride their motorcycle without a helmet. A few minutes later the student returned to the parking lot and was observed riding without a helmet. 10/26/11 6:00 p.m. Code of Conduct – Possession of Alcohol/Drunk Location: Drescher Student Housing Apartments Summary: A Public Safety officer responded to a report of multiple bottles of alcohol in a student’s living area. 10/27/11 8:04 p.m. Drugs – Possession of Marijuana Location: Lovernich Student Apartments, A Block Summary: A Public Safety officer responded to a report of marijuana and drug paraphernalia in a student’s room. 10/28/11 12:26 p.m. Assigned to FM&P to handle Location: Drescher Campus Parking Structure Summary: A contractor flooded a nearby storage room while replacing a fire pump. FM&P responded to assist with the cleanup. Minor damage was reported.
News of the WORLD
Around the ’BU
Israel to increase construction
Body found on Westward Beach
The Israeli government announced its plan to accelerate settlement construction Tuesday. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu called for the construction of around 2,000 housing units in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israel has also said it will freeze the fund transfer to the Palestinian Authority. This announcement occurred after UNESCO approved Palestine’s membership.
Greece to hold debt referendum
Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou received unanimous cabinet support for his plan to hold a referendum on the EU debt rescue package. Papandreou believes that the austerity measures required by the package need the consent of the Greek people. Stock markets worldwide plunged at this announcement.
Herman Cain denies charges
Two female restaurant employees accused Herman Cain of sexual harassment in the 1990s. Though it was reported that a settlement had been reached in exchange for their silence and departure from the National Restaurant Association, Cain originally denied being aware of it. He also maintains that he is not aware of the second harassment case.
Debit card fees canceled
Bank of America announced on Tuesday that it was abandoning its planned $5 debit card fee after growing consumer anger and the threat of business loss. JP Morgan Chase and Wells Fargo also canceled their debit card fees.
An unidentified man was found dead on Monday afternoon at Westward Beach. The white male was determined to be in his 50s. The man’s forehead was injured, but the cause of death has not yet been determined according to Malibu Patch.
Local school burglarized
Six computers were stolen from Point Dume Marine Science Elementary School on Sunday morning. The police responded to an alarm that was set off at about 5 a.m., according to Malibu Patch. The computers were worth between $1,500 and $1,800 each.
Wildfires blamed on companies
The Consumer Protection and Safety Division of the California Public Utilities Commission announced that Southern California Edison and four telephone companies are responsible for the Malibu Canyon wildfires of 2007. The blaze was started when three top-heavy electrical poles snapped during heavy winds due to their excess weight. The commission recommended Oct. 21 that they be fined more than $99 million, according to the Malibu Times.
Daylight Saving Time ends
Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday. Clocks need to be turned back one hour at 2 a.m. Nov. 6.
Shark dies after release to wild
A great white shark that was caught near Marina del Rey spent 55 days in an open sea exhibition and two weeks in a Malibu holding pen before dying soon after being released, according to Malibu Patch.
A big university project that many students may not know about is The Campaign for Pepperdine: Changing Lives. The campaign officially kicked off May 14, at the 35th annual Pepperdine Associates dinner. At least 900 people gathered at the JW Marriott in Los Angeles for the kick-off event. As of Sept. 30, the campaign had raised $270 million. The campaign has several goals, among which are to strengthen the University’s reputation “as a preeminent, global Christian university, known for its integration of faith and learning,” as stated in a press release by the University. The campaign hopes to raise $450 million, all of which would go to “four priorities focusing on student-centered initiatives across Pepperdine’s five schools.” The campaign is the largest and most ambitious fundraising campaign in the University’s history. These four priorities are: advancement of knowledge through scholarship and other means, honoring of the University’s heritage of faith, building community, and promoting a sense of global understanding and respect for diversity. If the $450 is reached, a plan breaking the money down already exists. Student support would receive $82 million, academic support would receive $170 million, campus and facility enhancements would receive $150 million, and $48 would be used for annual giving. The money raised would be broken down into different areas. If the goal is reached, $50 million would go to scholarships and fellowships while $10 million would be used for student loan forgiveness to help students that choose to work in public service. Furthermore, $170 million would be used to expand Pepperdine’s academic offerings and fund 19 new endowed teaching chairs and seven new professorships. The campaign hopes to honor the University’s heritage of faith by funding initiatives that specifically related to faith. Resources would be given to the Center for Faith and Learning, service-learning internships and opportunities for service around the world. In terms of community, one of the main goals of the campaign is to conduct some renovations of the Malibu campus. These renovations include places for students to rendezvous, relax and study. Residential and recreational facilities would be expanded, and academic and community areas would be upgraded. These projects include a new center for athletics, the addition of a junior residence hall and renovations to Payson Library. Lastly, to promote a sense of understanding, Pepperdine wants to increase student participation in national and international service projects. The University hopes to accomplish this by strengthening recruiting efforts internationally, attracting more students with diverse backgrounds and bringing in more students from the nation’s inner cities. In a press release, President Andrew K. Benton expressed optimism about the campaign. “Over seven decades and with 90,000 graduates, our posture has always leaned forward, eyeing the horizon, looking for opportunities to better serve the world through each class of students and each generation of leaders we produce. Today, we step out with resolve to fulfill what we believe has been Pepperdine’s call since its founding: to positively change the life of each student in ways that are deep, wide and everlasting. Our aspirations, detailed in this document, deserve measurable impact — local, global, personal, eternal.” For the next two weeks we will explore these four priorities that the University has outlined and how they will change the student experience. g
C A L E N D A R
Thursday
Hiking With Heart Service leadership convo 7 p.m. AC 263
Friday
“Clubbing in the Sahara” Charity Dance 9 p.m.–1 a.m. Waves Cafe
Saturday
Crescent Classic: Philanthropy by Gamma Phi Beta Noon Alumni Park
www.seaver.pepperdine.edu/studentlife/calendar
Monday
Delta Delta Delta CoffeeHouse 8–11 p.m. Sandbar
edgar.hernandez@pepperdine.edu
Wednesday
Hiking at Malibu Creek State Park 10 a.m.–1 p.m. Malibu Creek State Park
t H n w f a C i l i w
t u I p
l w e t a o C i d c d a 2 t a f b t e a
f
S c r M u h v a
l C t a p M t b t t v
a u m t b m t t
1
y
e
NEWS
November 3, 2011
Graphic
Accounting team advances to top 10 By Caroline Webster Staff Writer
GENEVIEVE SMITH / PHOTO EDITOR
QA
Working Away: Kari Enge was recently hired as the new director of the ICA office and looks forward to working with the community.
ICA Director & Kari Enge with
By Madison Leonard Assistant News Editor
It’s not just the recent renovations that have changed the atmosphere in the HAWC. This fall, there is an important new staff member adding to the fresh vibe within student affairs. One of those new faces is Kari Enge, who has been selected as the director of Intercultural Affairs. Coming from a wide background focusing on many areas of collegiate life, Enge looks forward to growing Pepperdine’s intercultural competence and getting to work directly with students. Graphic: Tell us about your educational background and how you ended up being chosen as the new director of Intercultural Affairs (ICA) here at Pepperdine. Enge: I was born and raised in Portland, Ore., then moved to Massachusetts when I was 13 years old, and that’s how I ended up doing my undergraduate education at UMS Amherst. I then worked for about three years in the Student Activities office at MIT before moving out here to California for my Master’s degree at USC in 2004. I also worked full time as a resident director and as a disabilities services counselor, and then decided to get my doctoral degree in higher education and administration, and stayed from 2006 to 2010, where I worked full time transitioning from residential life into alumni affairs, where I worked for a little over four years with a black alumni association before I walked in 2010. So I was trying to find a position that encompassed my entire skill set, from student and alumni affairs to disability services, and this was it. G: What specific goals do you have for ICA this year?
E: I want to create some effective and strategic programs around building intercultural competency and community among students and foster diversity education for staff and faculty. Two of my main passions are leadership development and mentoring, which I don’t know if those two things have been a large part of this office in the past. Since I only have about six months left until graduation, I’m already looking forward to the next calendar year to create a leadership development conference out of this office, as well as a mentoring program that sort of matches up students based on their interests to alumni that can facilitate and be a vehicle of transition from college to life after college. A lot has already been done under the previous leadership in regards to student groups, which has grown from four to now 16 student groups. I’m blessed to step into these big shoes, which I’m more than prepared to fill because my absolute passion is working with students. G: The topic of diversity holds a lot of weight on this campus, especially in regard to student representation. Have you experienced challenges with the diversity atmosphere thus far here at Pepperdine? E: Every institution has their struggles with creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for everyone. Diversity, to me, is not just race and ethnicity. It includes walks of life, abilities, all of that. I don’t think Pepperdine is much different than other universities in trying to achieve the state where diversity is a part of the fabric instead of something so rudimentary like, “Oh, did we add that diversity part in there?” I think as people, faculty, staff and students, grow to be more aware of what it means to be interculturally
competent, it will become a more organic part of the process, of curriculum, the way we speak, the things we advocate for as a university. From the students I’ve already worked with, you guys are all so involved, and so passionate about everything you put your hands on, that it really makes my job easy. One of the sad things is that a lot of the students that I’ve been working with are seniors, so I’m boo-hooing already. So part of what we’re doing in this office is helping that passion that’s wrapped up in the seniors to fall naturally to the younger members. G: There’s no better way to help students get to know you than knowing about some of your favorite things. E: My favorite movie is “Sound of Music,” I just love it! In terms of music, I listen to a lot of gospel, so I’d have to go with “The Best in Me” by Marvin Saap. And favorite food? Cookies, I’m a sweet tooth. I’d rather be stuck on an island with cookies than real food. And when I’m not working, I could easily be found at the movie theater or renting a movie. Also, I love to read. I have a lot of different spiritual books. I’m a huge Joyce Meyer fan and Max Lucado. I know it sounds boring, but I’m just a really casual person. G: Is there anything else you would like students to know about you? E: I want all students to know that this office is open for every single student. I want this office to be one where every student with a need can come to. And the need doesn’t have to focus around diversity or multicultural interests. I just love to mentor, I love to advise, and my door is always open. g
madison.leonard@pepperdine.edu
Alumnus to talk MANA
large corporations that can only cover around 10 percent of the world need, to a Assistant News Editor larger awareness that could hopefully conquer the full 100 percent of hunger needs. On Monday at 8 p.m. in Elkins, 2010 “MANA started out very professional, Seaver alumnus Alex Cox will revisit but the ‘Mannabago’ is much more grasscampus to lead a convo event as the reproots and is a really great way to reach out resentative of the non-profit organization to people and make it fun,” Cox said. MANA, a group that utilizes ready-toHe explained that instead of throwing use therapeutic food to help reduce the fax at people they wanted harmful effects of seto take a more inviting and vere acute malnutrition “MANA was the educational approach. around the world. first time that I really The therapeutic food is After spending the designed especially for the last year teaching in believed in somemalnourished, especially China, Cox was con- thing.” children up to the age of 6 tacted by the individuwhose malnutrition can be —Alex Cox als for whom he had Pepperdine ‘10 especially damaging during previously interned at those critical years of brain MANA and was offered development. The product the position to drive a 1971 Winnebago is a unique blend of peanut butter and bus around the U.S. to raise awareness of fortified milk to provide an important and the effects of malnutrition as well as to sell portable protein source for the kids. the therapeutic food for distribution in de“If we can get children’s brains to developing countries. velop as a result of good nutrition, then we Cox explained that MANA, while still believe it will play a part in the developa non-profit organization, is constructed ment of countries,” Cox said. The counusing a business model because of the tries that MANA’s product is being sent to multiple contracts with larger organizainclude Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Guatetions like UNICEF and WorldVision that mala and North Korea. buy the therapeutic food to distribute in Cox himself never imagined working malnourished areas. But the idea to drive for a nonprofit, but he recognizes and rethe Winnebago bus came about to help spects the tangible effects of this organizatransition from selling the product to only tion’s work.
By Madison Leonard
“I never really had a dream to work for a nonprofit, because they have always seemed so vague. I’m all about causes and social justice, but especially at Pepperdine, we were just so saturated with those vague causes,” Cox said. “MANA was the first time that I really believed in something. It’s an actual product that really works. It takes six weeks. A child takes it hours from death, and then six weeks later, that child is totally healthy.” Cox and fellow Mannabago driver and Harding University graduate Mark Slagle will be presenting the organization as well as showing a 15-minute film about the MANA organization for convocation credit Monday at 8 p.m. in Elkins. Cox expressed their down-to-earth qualities as representatives of the well-structured organization. “We’re not the brains, we’re not smart enough for this very technical product. Part of our excitement is that we’re working with very smart people that have been appointed by the U.N. Therapeutic food is not just some young guys that went to some country who saw a need and started something that’s all passion and no business behind it. It’s a very developed organization.”
g
madison.leonard@pepperdine.edu
A3
The CCB Waves, a team of four Pepperdine seniors — Andrew Murray, Meghann Smith, Katharine Wright and Taylor Smith — placed among the top 10 teams in the 2011 American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Accounting Competition. “All three Pepperdine groups that entered the competition had excellent ideas, and I am so proud that one of our groups has been selected in the top 10. All of our accounting students are very hardworking and dedicated,” Professor Carolyn Galantine said. “Dr. Marilyn Misch does an exceptional job as the director of the accounting major.” Pepperdine is in the running against nine other undergraduate programs, including the University of Missouri, North Carolina State University, Saint Anselm College, Belmont University and the University of Texas at Dallas. “Each one of the four students in the semi-finals is very knowledgeable, and I am hopeful that they will be in the final three,” Galantine said. The competition is comprised of three rounds structured to emulate the stages of a business proposal which includes: 1) the 214 participating teams were asked to write a 750-word summary outlining certain fraud risks relating to a fictional case study involving business expansion into foreign countries 2) then, the competition was narrowed down to 10 teams, who were given the task of producing an additional, longer memo and video response elaborating on their original proposal 3) finally, the top three teams will be flown to Washington, D.C., to present their ideas to the AICPA board of directors. Responses are judged on content, clarity and creativity. The first-place winners receive a
$10,000 prize. While students competing in 2010 were faced with the challenge of proposing sustainability to real clients, while this year’s focus is on fraud and forensic skills in theoretical major overseas expansions. Each team is allowed four members, and an optional faculty adviser. The four students were introduced to the competition in Galantine’s auditing course, which requires students to analyze a case study and produce both a paper and video for 10 percent of their final grade. The day before the semester started, Galantine received an email notifying her of AICPA’s annual competition. Three teams of four students from Galantine’s class chose to enter the competition. The team, led by Murray, chose one another after having worked together in previous accounting classes. Three members of the team had completed audit internships this past summer. All four of the students are under contract for accounting jobs post graduation. “We were all interested in taking on a challenge and thought this case would test our abilities and allow us to benchmark ourselves against other students,” wrote the team in an email. “In order to prepare, we conducted a lot of research into various regulatory issues such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the U.K. Bribery Act. Once we got a better understanding of the relevant issues, we met multiple times to prepare.” The competition requires students to write a 1500-word memo expanding on the issues covered in the original paper and prepare a video that supports the assertions made within the additional memo. The team plans to make use of social media to obtain votes. The team’s video will be available on www.ThisWayToCPA. com from Nov. 14 through 21 for public voting. g
caroline.webster@pepperdine.edu
Smartphone app provides discounts for Pepp students By Edgar Hernandez News Editor
It pays to be a Pepperdine student. Many businesses around the community offer student discounts to Waves, but many students don’t know about them. Now there’s app for that. The discounts, offered at more than 30 businesses, include places like restaurants, spas and clothing stores. Discounts are all made available with a student ID. Every year SGA pays the Students Savings Corps to put together all the discounts available to students on www.studentsavingsclub.com. This year a new step has been taken to ensure that students are taking advantage of the opportunities available. Vidappe, a free app for smartphones, was created earlier this year to channel all of those offers and notify phone users about them. “This is a very useful remindertype tool for people, and the students would like this quite a bit,” app creator Star Li said. “If people were made aware of this, I think everyone would be very pleasantly surprised to discover just what their student ID can do for them.” Li, a 2010 graduate from Cornell University, created the app because she wanted to consolidate all of the information on dis-
counts into a mobile app. The app can be downloaded for free. The user must make an account to access Pepperdinespecific information. The app will use the smartphone’s GPS system to start looking for offers. The settings can be adjusted so that when a nearby location offers discounts to Pepperdine students, the app will send an alert to the user. For example, as a Pepperdine student drives down PCH a message like “15 percent off at Crumbs Bake Shop a block away thanks to your Pepperdine student ID” will pop up. Besides organizing the available discounts for Pepperdine students, Vidappe organizes the discounts for 170 other organizations all over the country. The app can show deals available to people that are a part of numerous organizations. For example if a Pepperdine student is a member of KCRW and has an American Express card, the app will display deals available for members of all three organizations. The app for the iPhone and Android are both available for free.
g
edgar.hernandez@pepperdine.edu
NEWS
A4 Graphic
November 3, 2011
New club seeks healthy minds By caneel anTHonY NeWS aSSiStaNt
A new organization called Active Minds has arrived at Pepperdine to promote discussion and remove the taboo against mental disorders. Active Minds is a nonprofit organization that aims to eliminate prejudice regarding mental disorders on college campuses, educate students about mental health and encourage them to seek help whenever it is needed. Alison Malmon originally started the club in 2001 at the University of Pennsylvania. The idea began to spread quickly across the United States, and in 2003 it was officially established as a nonprofit. The Pepperdine chapter was founded by co-presidents Elizabeth Coe and Mia Longo, along with five other Seaver students. “As a Psychology major, I recognize how some people view mental disorders and problems in a negative way, attaching a stigma to mental issues. In my opinion, Active Minds is the perfect tool for erasing that stigma,” Longo said. “Speaking for the other co-founders as well, I think we were all inspired by the potential that we saw in this organization to really impact Pepperdine for the better, by starting a much-needed conversation about the somewhat taboo topic of mental health,” Coe added. The co-presidents agree that Active Minds fulfills an important need on campus. “As busy college students, we often don’t recognize how important mental health is and put it on the back burner,” Longo said. “Just like at any other college campus, stu-
dents at Pepperdine struggle with depression, loneliness and other feelings that may be difficult to talk about. We as students tend to be really good at hiding these things in order to focus on our daily activities. However, evading the issue doesn’t solve it,” Coe said. Active Minds will be holding events in partnership with the Counseling Center throughout the year; however, it is important to remember that they are two independent entities. Active Minds is a student-run national organization and strives to be independent of University counseling centers, Longo specified. Nevertheless, Active Minds cannot offer peer-counseling services, and Coe believes that a close relationship with the Counseling Center is important to better serve the Pepperdine community. On Nov. 1 the two will be tabling together for Depression Screening Day, and they plan to do so for other awareness weeks throughout the year. Active Minds hopes to promote discussion between peers and to equip students not only to be able to support each other, but to recognize when it may be time to seek help. “We hope that even just our presence as a club will incite a change in attitude on campus by showing that we will no longer allow mental health issues at Pepperdine to be ignored or hidden,” Coe said. “By promoting mental health, we believe we are better equipping students to do the many things they are already doing.”
g
caneel.anthony@pepperdine.edu
Wellness Expo brings relaxation to students and staff members By caneel anTHonY NeWS aSSiStaNt
CALIFORNIA LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY Business | Education | Psychology Public Policy and Administration We are small enough to provide a welcoming atmosphere and large enough to offer a quality educational experience. Our students represent more than 20 countries and 33 faith backgrounds. Become part of the CLU Family.
View a complete list of graduate programs here!
CLU has consistently been named a “Top 20 Western Regional University” by U.S. News & World Report.
Master’s and Doctoral Programs • Flexible MBA • Economics • Online MBA • Counseling and Guidance • Counseling (MFT) and Clinical Psychology • Information Systems and Technology • Computer Science • Public Policy and Administration • Educational Leadership and Teacher Education • Special Education
Now Accepting Applications for 2012.
1.888.CLU-GRAD | www.callutheran.edu/graduate THREE CONVENIENT LOCATIONS: THOUSAND OAKS, OXNARD AND WOODLAND HILLS
Wellness is essential for success at work, in school or any endeavor, not only to prevent sickness, but also to enjoy adequate energy and a healthy mind. The University showed commitment to health yesterday, in hosting the Lifestyle & Wellness Expo. Employees and students alike could learn about various fitness and health opportunities. The expo, which took place in the Waves Cafe, attracted a large crowd of employees, professors and students. The tables were home to big-name companies and organizations, as well as some local businesses and practices. This was the 10th annual wellness exposition, which is put on by the Pepperdine Human Resources Department. “Pepperdine makes wellness a priority because it is the right thing to do,” said Angie Pedersen, Wellness Program specialist. “We have built high-quality programs, including this health and lifestyle expo into our wellness programming.” Kaiser Permanente, Costco and 5-hour ENERGY were all present, offering information, samples and discounted deals to interested attendees. The American Diabetic Association also had a stand and was there to inform the community about the causes and dangers of Type 2 diabetes. There were also tables hosting massage therapists, life insurance agents and dentists. “We want to give our employees an opportunity to speak with benefit vendors faceto-face and at the same time expose them to other health-related services and topics,” Pedersen said. The event also had a strong local presence. The Biggest Loser Resort, located in Malibu, held a raffle for one free week, being advertised by their first season trainer Bob Harper. Many representatives from holistic centers in Malibu also tabled at the exposition. Malibu Healing Center’s Mana, a transpersonal hypnotherapist, offered intuitive energy healing as a spiritual life mentor. The Center also had a table presenting the other wellness opportunities they provide, from massages and pilates, to emotional acupuncture. Lauren Freiman of Malibu Acupuncture and Herbs offered samples of one of her tea mixtures. Pepperdine’s involvement with the Malibu
YIXIn ZhanG / stAff PHotoGrAPHer
Relax in the Caf: Students enjoyed massage as a part of the Health and Wellness Expo yesterday.
community was highlighted by some of the appearances at the exposition. The 5 Point Yoga studio, who is located in the Malibu Country Mart, was offering special discounts to Pepperdine students. An instructor from the studio also holds at class at the University every Sunday. Meals on Wheels also had a table at the event. Richard Cupp, the John W. Wade professor at the School of Law, has served on the board of directors of the non-profit since 2009. The organization’s Malibu chapter also gets their meals from Pepperdine and Sodexo, according to the representative. They wished to show their appreciation for the support the University has offered them. Human Resources also added a new component to the Lifestyle & Wellness Expo this year. “We offered free biometric screenings to any faculty or staff member. The screenings included total cholesterol, glucose, BMI, height and weight ratio, and blood pressure,” Pedersen said. Mental, physical and spiritual health specialists were all present. The Lifestyle & Wellness Expo offered all members of Pepperdine the chance to explore the many opportunities that Malibu and Southern California have to offer.
g
caneel.anthony@pepperdine.edu
C H
u
NEWS
November 3, 2011
Courtesy of Ron hall
Celebrating: School of Public Policy Dean James R. Wilburn was honored with a dinner at the Beverly Hills Hotel for his work at Pepperdine. WIlburn’s career at Pepperdine began in 1971 as a history professor.
Wilburn honored for 40 years in academics By Rachel Miller Copy Editor
A simple photograph was the talk of the night. A woman standing in front of a small building, Decker Canyon School. She taught all her students in one little schoolhouse. Harriet Wilburn was her name. The year was 1915. This photo sits on the desk of School of Public Policy Dean James R. Wilburn, representing the spirit and tenacity of his grandmother, a spirit that runs in the family. Jon Kemp, class of 1994, spoke of this photograph’s relevance to the celebration. “I prefer to think of Jim like the woman in the photo, like a pioneer. He never sought to enrich himself, but build a place for others. He fought hard to make this country and university a better place.” Thursday, Oct. 27, at the Beverly Hills Hotel, Wilburn’s four-decade-long academic career was honored, along with his service and dedication to the University. The event, “Past, Present & Future,” included a reception, followed by a dinner with remarks by numerous friends and colleagues of Wilburn. “He might have become a full-time university professor and scholar, or he could have become a minister if he’d chosen to do so,” President Andrew K. Benton said. “He also could have had a fine career in politics, but instead, Jim chose to forego other options and to pursue a career at George Pepperdine College. Pepperdine has been changed forever because of his presence.” In 1971 Wilburn came to GPC as a history professor. He later worked his way into administration, as he became the provost and then the vice president for University Affairs. At that point, he decided to return to school to earn his MBA at the then School of Business Management, today known as the Graziadio School. His role as dean of the business school
was announced at his graduation ceremony in 1982. He held this position for 12 years. Plans were announced at his inauguration to build, above Pepperdine’s law school, a graduate campus, Drescher, which now houses three of the five University schools. Wilburn has held the role as dean of Pepperdine’s School of Public Policy since 1996, when the program first began. Along with his academic endeavors, Wilburn holds a chairman position in the U.S. Committee to Assist Russian Reform, and he is a member of the European Parliament Industrial Council. Admiration for Wilburn radiated from attendees at his event. Alumnus Jon Kemp gave many remarks and heart-warming insights into Wilburn’s career and personality throughout the evening. “He is known by his infectious laugh and he has a great sense of humor. I have never met an individual that is more humble.” After a short video, honoring Wilburn’s career and the president’s message, honoree Wilburn addressed his audience. “Every table here tonight has stories that have enriched my life,” Wilburn said. “When I look back, I think of the people I was with [in my career].” He spoke of a hike he took the morning of the event, in which he reached a point among the bluffs and he looked back on Pepperdine in admiration, a university he was instrumental in relocating to its Malibu campus. Near the close of the event, it was announced that Wilburn will be honored, as his name will be given to the largest lecture hall of the graduate school, the James R. Wilburn Auditorium. Along with Wilburn’s emphasis on future possibilities during his time at Pepperdine, Keith McFarland, in the video presentation, spoke of Wilburn’s potential to further enhance the University. “It’s not what has he done for Pepperdine, but what will he do?” g
rachel.miller@pepperdine.edu
Lagoon revamp passes By Hanna Houglum Staff Writer
The long-awaited verdict about what to do with the Malibu Lagoon has officially been decided, but the controversy still rages. On Thursday, Oct. 27, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Ernest Goldsmith gave the stalled Malibu Lagoon Restoration and Enhancement Plan the green light to begin the bulldozing and revamping. After issuing a stay on the project in May as the result of a lawsuit from the Wetlands Defense Fund, Access For All, and the Coastal Law Enforcement Action Network to stop the Malibu Lagoon restoration project. Goldsmith took these past months to review the arguments made by these environmental groups. The Wetlands Defense Funds’ leader, Marcia Hanscom expressed that man-made creations of wetlands could more than likely worsen the ecosystem rather than restoring it. According to local news website Malibu Patch, Goldsmith said, “The Coastal Commission properly analyzed all feasible alternatives to the project and chose the one that was least damaging to achieve the goals.” This $7 million project has been in the works for more than a decade. Senior Samantha Roesler, who spent last summer researching the Malibu Lagoon Restoration with Professor Dorothy Andreas said, “This project has been under review so many times and for so many years that I believe that the judge made a logical and rational decision.” It has been decided that the project will break ground in June 2012, a year later than originally planned. The restoration plan will involve temporarily draining a 12-acre portion of the wetland in Malibu Lagoon State Beach.
Simultaneously, the project will bulldoze out sediment to plant new banks with indigenous plants to improve the health of the ecosystem, as well as the water circulation. The ruling on Thursday was in favor of the state and consisted of more than three hours of arguments. The multimillion-dollar plot will reconstruct the three channels into one broader waterway that scientists and ecological experts theorize will create improved water flow while also providing habitat for a greater variety of species of birds and marine life. A bridge pathway to Surfrider Beach will be taken out to make way for the new wider channel, and a second entrance to the beach will be made bigger. Lastly, there is a plan to add picnic tables and bird watching areas. Notable environmental groups such as Heal the Bay and the Surfrider Foundation believe the restoration project will be beneficial for the ecosystem in the long run and have backed the plan to restore from the start. However, even after all of this time and consideration on this Restoration, many environmentalists and Malibu citizens are still discontented. Hanscom, a writer, naturalist and environmental activist, helped environmentalists win the battle to save a major portion of the Ballona Wetlands back in the 1990s. Hanscom has been a firm believer that this plan is much too extreme, and she has been backed by many locals, especially those who have an emotional connection to the lagoon itself. Work to reverse the decision is already in the process. The project’s late start date still leaves the question of whether the opposition will be able to come back and refute the verdict. g
hanna.houglum@pepperdine.edu
Graphic
A5
A6
PERSPECTIVES November 3, 2011
Graphic
ROB BERTRAM STAFF WRITER
Fair tax falls flat
GOP candidates Rick Perry and Herman Cain both preach that the United States must cut spending and impose flat taxes. They believe that they have the solution to balance America’s budget and secure a financially stable future that embraces economic freedom and equality. Because the majority of taxes are taken from the rich, much tax revenue would be lost. These candidates make a mistake in losing tax income through their flat tax rates prior to giving a plan as to how they will adequately cut spending to accommodate for their plans. The inherent problem of a flat tax is that it would earn a much lower amount of income and could shift much of the tax burden to lower and middle class Americans. This is a problem. According to the Heritage Foundation, in 2008 the top 1 percent paid 38 percent of America’s income tax while the top 10 percent as a whole paid 71 percent. This contrasts sharply with the 3 percent paid by the bottom 50 percent. Due to the nature of a progressive tax, ordered by tax as a percentage of income, it makes sense that higher income families can produce much more wealth at a lower percent. The tax rate would have to be much higher than 35 percent on a poorer family to get even close to matching the income that would be raised from a rich family at the same rate. Of course, these short-sighted plans obviously do not propose raising the taxes on the poor. Rick Perry’s plan intends to essentially cap taxes at 20 percent for all citizens with those currently being taxed less keeping their current percentage. Herman Cain’s “9-9-9” plan would lower everyone’s income tax to 9 percent while supposedly making up for the losses in a 9 percent corporate tax and a 9 percent national sales tax. It does not take much math that to realize that this loss of income would be catastrophic without drastic and grossly unrealistic sudden spending cuts. These plans do not provide a way to balance the budget; they simply would make it dramatically worse. Furthermore, ABC News reports that these tax plans would primarily help the wealthy who are thriving. According to a study done by the Congressional Budget Office, the wealth of the top 1 percent, the most wealthy, has grown 275 percent. This contrasts with the next 20 percent who grew only 64 percent. The divide widens even more with the bottom 20 percent, who only grew 18 percent. If anything, the rich should receive more taxes due to their huge amount of growth, in order to take the burden off of the poorer who are lagging behind economically. A flat tax simply does not make sense when the rich are growing wildly wealthier while the middle class and poor suffer under the weight of a suffering economy. So why are flat taxes appealing to conservatives? Their reasoning is often that if we apply additional tax burdens on the rich, they will not invest in the lower classes of society and create wealth. The simple fact of the matter is that even with current taxes, much of the money being earned by the wealthy is not trickling down like they would assume. Sure, we need to cut spending, and if possible, cut taxes. In our current situation, there is nothing wrong with taxing those who are growing at a far higher rate financially than those who are struggling. it’s certainly the obvious answer. Supporters of Cain’s and Perry’s tax plans grossly miscalculate the effects. Nothing good will come of a plan that will inevitably result in an inadequate tax base prior to cutting spending when we are already drowning in debt.
robert.bertram@pepperdine.edu
STAFF EDITORIAL
LUKE RUEGGER / ART EDITOR
Reach OUT or just out of luck, administrators must decide The voice of Reach OUT leadership has been loud and clear this semester. They have brought a resolution for recognition before SGA and made movements toward applying for ICC membership. This membership, if approved, would mark the first clear policy stance by Seaver College on an LGBT group. The voice of the administration, however, has been neither loud nor clear on this subject. This uncertainty only hurts Pepperdine’s reputation and students. The administration needs to make a strong decision about an LGBT group and about its foundational guiding principles. The status of an LGBT group has been debated for over a decade on campus, but there has been no policy issued regarding this status. The University faces pressure from the Church of Christ community to deny the group University support because it could conflict with conservative Christian values. The academic community exerts its own pressure, through rankings and reports that criticize Pepperdine for its conservatism and threaten the University’s reputation if it does not move to a more liberal position. An ambiguous position doesn’t help LGBT students either. Current students are caught in limbo, unsure of where the University draws a line on activities that may or may not violate policy. Gay prospective students cannot assess whether they will be satisfied with the level of freedom granted to them at Pepperdine. Even the Graphic staff isn’t in total agreement as to what course of action to take, so we understand this is a difficult decision. But it’s not
our decision to make. Pepperdine policy makers need to stop wading in ambiguity and form an actual policy that makes their position clear. The uncertainty damages the University’s reputation on both conservative and liberal sides. Trying to hold both positions isn’t true to either. This discussion isn’t just about Reach OUT. Pepperdine is at a pivotal moment in deciding whether it will follow tradition or adapt to modern culture. The University was founded on the notion that faith is tied to academic excellence and that the two can and should coexist. It has retained the Church of Christ affiliation for 75 years, but religious groups have criticized Pepperdine for being too liberal for much of this history. One the other hand, secular academics often see Pepperdine as far too conservative and unwilling to adapt. Caught between the two, the University appears to be experiencing an identity crisis of sorts, trying to figure out how far the religious affiliation really goes. Does Pepperdine want to emulate Notre Dame, or do they want to look more like Wheaton? Our status as a “Christian university” is not in question. What that label entails is. Sometimes the Christian heritage gets minimized in the presentation of information to prospective students. This might be done, presumably, to avoid alienating applicants who are not interested in a strongly religious school. Those who want a highly religious experience already know what they’re getting into. It is not unheard of for a freshman to say he had no idea Pepperdine was “so Christian” until he arrived for orientation. Ad-
QUESTION
ditionally, some students and faculty joke about University morality-based rules, as if they exist only in writing and have no substance. The goal has always been to integrate faith and learning and so distinguish Pepperdine from other institutions that choose one or the other. The administration’s interest in upholding the faith tradition is clear in the copious references to our mission statement and George Pepperdine’s vision for the school as an institution that would educate according to a Christian worldview. It also has an interest in achieving high status among the academic community, which benefits students and alumni by increasing the value of their degrees. So, is it possible to teach with faith in mind, yet allow students the ability to decide what that faith means for them in their personal lives? The reality is Pepperdine may give up some prestige from the secular academic community if it adheres strictly to its faith tradition. But, if Pepperdine moves too far away from the faith tradition, it could lose respect in the Christian community. Which sacrifice are administrators willing to make? Which reputation is more important? In refraining from taking a strong stance either way, Pepperdine attempts to please both, but they please neither. It alienates and confuses both. Whatever they decide, they must realize that the Christian vision lends itself to an environment of love and respect for every student regardless. Ultimately, this is a question of integrity. They need to pick a side, be transparent about the decision and stick to it.
OF THE
WEEK
“What were your expectations about Pepperdine’s religious nature?” “My expectations were met. They don’t shove it down your throat, but it’s present.”
WINSTON RANDOLPH Freshman
“Before I came, I thought that everyone would be a Christian here, but I found it beneficial that some aren’t.”
ERICA HOWERTON Sophomore
“It’s more balanced than I expected, but I like that.”
MITCHELL SNOW Junior
“Coming from Oklahoma, I thought it would be a lot stricter than it is. Pepperdine gives you a chance to question your faith.”
RACHELLE JENSEN Senior
Executive Editor Scott Lawrence Managing Editor Zach Alfred Associate Editor Sonya Singh Online Managing Editor Jessica Abu-Ghattas News Editor Edgar Hernandez Assistant News Editor Madison Leonard News Assistant Caneel Anthony Sports Editor Albert Owusu Assistant Sports Editor Nariné Adamova Perspectives Editor Ian McDonald Assistant Perspectives Editor Taylor Harris Life & Arts Editor Nikki Torriente Assistant Life & Arts Editor Nathan Stringer Life & Arts Assistant Britt Kidd Design Editor Alexa Stoczko Section Designers Emily Branch Amy Cummins Kealy Jaynes Andrei Zamfir Photo Editor Genevieve Smith Assistant Photo Editor Ashton Bowles Staff Photographer Yixin Zhang Art Editor Luke Ruegger Assistant Art Editor Aaron Schott Copy Chief Aubrey Hoeppner Copy Editors Lindsay Jakows Rachel Miller Paulina Taylor Multimedia Producer Al Lai Sports Producer Richie Estrella Website Architect Jason Parham Advertising Operations Manager Greg Stevens Director of Student Journalism Elizabeth Smith Assistant Director of Journalism Courtenay Stallings
Mission Statement: The Graphic is an editorially independent weekly student newspaper for the greater Pepperdine community. It serves the community with news, opinion, contemporary information and a public forum for discussion. The Graphic 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. The Graphic participates in Pepperdine’s Christian mission and affirmations, especially the pursuit of truth, excellence and freedom in a context of public service. Although the Graphic reports about Pepperdine University and coordinates with curricula in journalism and other disciplines, it is a student and not a University publication. Views expressed are diverse and, of course, do not correspond to all views of any University board, administration, faculty, staff, student or other constituency.
a w t m C y p n w i a o o
S P t s a M t C i
b e h l c S P d t g
C t m D d b t t t t a p
r p h d
f S N “ f a t 1
r e r p o
PERSPECTIVES
November 3, 2011
Graphic
Kim Kardashian kills marriage IAN MCDONALD PERSPECTIVES EDITOR
The first week of school, I wrote that I wouldn’t write about Kim Kardashian. I lied. But, you know who else lied? Kim Kardashian, when she said, “Till death do us part.” After a whopping 72 days, Kardashian and NBA star Kris Humphries are getting a divorce. This should surprise no one. This is America, where divorces are given out like Halloween candy, and celebrities collect them like Pokemon cards. Under normal circumstances, my policy is not to care, (which by and large, I don’t) but for some reason, I’m angry about this one and now I really want to know what’s becoming of marriages in America. Now, if there is one thing I hate, it’s celebrity gossip. If there are two things I hate, they’re celebrity gossip and celebrity gossip about faux-celebrities. Kim Kardashian is part of that uniquely 21st century breed of people famous simply for being famous. To be fair, she’s not quite Paris Hilton: She owns a chain of clothing stores with her sisters (who do most of the work). But, beyond that, she’s only famous for having a reality TV show, and that only exists by virtue of
her family’s residual fame from her father being O.J. Simpson’s lawyer. When I first heard of the show, my only thought was how similar their name was to the “Cardassians” from Star Trek. If she weren’t so astoundingly attractive, I wouldn’t even acknowledge her existence. So, what makes this divorce special and worthy of my interest? Obviously, I could make fun of its laughable duration, even by Hollywood standards. But what really irks me about this divorce is the wedding that preceded it. Reportedly, the Kardashian-Humphries nuptials cost $10 million. All of it, from the dress to the diamond, was covered, free of charge. Why? The entire oppulent affair was filmed and broadcast to millions of people in a two-part special on E!. Not only did she get a free wedding out of it, but she actually made $18 million (or enough to buy Jay-Z’s stake in the New Jersey Nets and become her husband’s new boss). She was paid more to be in her own wedding than what the average family will make in about 300 years (Pretty solid 1 percent status). You can do the math, or if you’re a humanities major like me, at least you can connect the dots. Someone makes $18 million from a wedding only to call it off less than three months later. Everyone makes mistakes. Not everyone profits handsomely off them. The only people to make more money off wholesale failure were invest-
ment bank CEOs (Definitely 1 percent). Did I mention this is her second marriage? The first lasted four years, a veritable lifetime in comparison to the current one. Either her first marriage was not all that bad for the majority of it, or she sat on the deck watching the Titanic sink for a pretty long time. This time around, just to be safe, she’s jumping ship while still in sight of land. I can’t really say for certain that their “irreconcilable differences” are actually as bad as claimed, but it feels slightly like they didn’t even try. I’m not against divorce for the right reasons, but what should be a final measure, today looks more like a reset button. Turn to the person nearest you. If you both get married (not to each other), odds are that one of you will get divorced. What does this say about us when we suck so much at commitment? The basic social unit and paragon of stability is failing: Between 40 and 50 percent of marriages in any given year will end. It really doesn’t help that this divorce culture is self-perpetuating. We put no real mental effort into thinking about whether or not we’re ready for a lifelong commitment and then just blow it off when it doesn’t work out. Then, because so many people get divorced, it’s not uncommon to put even less thought into your marriage because, hey, the first one’s just practice right? No, no it’s not, and that mindset is messing us up.
A7
Don’t forget that this doesn’t just affect adults. The National Marriage Project at Rutgers University estimates that 37 percent of children grow up with divorced or separated parents. Luckily, Kardashian has no offspring to be scarred by her parents’ split. Not every broken family is so lucky. Children need stability, and they’re probably not going to get it living in different homes on the weekends and having to decide which parent they love more. So forget gay marriage; the real threat to family values is the crumbling consistency of straight marriage. Any “sanctity” left isn’t going to survive to the end of the decade if we keep on keeping up with Kardashian. It’s bad enough among the famous, but this trickles into the lives of normal people, too. Like Ani DiFranco said, “Art may imitate life, but life imitates TV.” Please, to all those students on the “ring before spring” track (I know you’re out there), really think about what you’re getting into, and think about what the consequences of failure will be. Your mistakes could be the ones that keep this problem running into the future. The only way to fix this is to take marriage a lot more seriously than we have been and get over get over our collective commitment phobia when things go sour. And above all, stop watching reality television.
ian.mcdonald@pepperdine.edu
America overreacts to UNESCO Palestine vote ZACH ALFRED MANAGING EDITOR
As little kids, its easy to brush it off as nothing when your friends are mean while at the same time exaggerating those negative actions of other classmates. When I was little and my friend Carl would hit me, we would usually yell a little bit and then get back to playing Legos or Super Nintendo, as if nothing had ever happened. However, when my friend Matt and I would get into a fight in elementary school, it usually ended with a trip to the principal’s office and a black eye or a bruise for one or both of us. Israel, obviously, is America’s Carl. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama often find themselves “disappointed” with illegal settlement construction, but soon after, all is forgotten and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu comes to the U.S. and addresses a joint session of Congress, getting 29 standing ovations in a single speech. At the same time, America lately has been treating Palestine a lot like Matt, except that Palestine doesn’t exactly have the resources to fight back, or the lobbyists (see: AIPAC) to take away campaign financing when the United States decides to screw them. And Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas didn’t get any standing ovations during the speech to the Congress that he never got to give. On Monday, the nations of UNESCO voted 107-14, with 52 abstentions, to admit Palestine as a member. Immediately following the vote, the State Department announced that, due to a decades-old legal requirement, it would be withholding a $60 million payment that was due this month to the organization that promotes literacy and education programs in Afghanistan, supports the advancement of women and girls around the world and makes efforts to protect free speech worldwide. If the vote and the subsequent U.S. reaction say anything, it is that U.S. policy toward the Arab-Israeli conflict has become decidedly one-sided and destructive to the peace process. As Matthew Lee, a correspondent for the Associated Press, pointed out to State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland after the vote on Monday, “This was not particularly a banner day for U.S. diplomacy. If you count the abstentions, 159 countries did not vote the way [the United States] did. Only 13 did.” In response to questioning from him regarding why the United States considers the action so detrimental, Nuland replied that the vote was “regrettable, premature, and undermines the prospect of getting where we want to go.”
So the United States immediately punished not only Palestine, but also the entire international community for failing to bow under U.S. pressure. Because the U.S. deemed the action “regrettable” and “premature,” we took away 22 percent of UNESCO’s operating budget. At the same time, in response to the Palestinian Authority’s statehood bid at the United Nations, Israel has refused to pay the Palestinian Authority $81 million in tax revenues that the Israeli government collected for it. That money was never Israel’s and was always supposed to belong to Palestine, but Israel is still refusing to hand it over. On top of this, Netanyahu’s government announced that it would be expediting the construction of 2,000 more planned settlement homes in East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank. The Obama administration and past administrations have almost universally condemned the building and expansion of settlements, yet have failed to ever successfully halt settlement expansion, outside of a 10-month freeze that expired in September 2010. So, the United States punishes Palestine harshly for taking the largely symbolic step of joining UNESCO. But what does the Obama administration do when Israel unilaterally damages the peace process by building settlements in the territory (aka the West Bank) that is supposed to one day become Palestine? Well, when a 10-month settlement freeze was about to expire last September, Obama offered the Israeli military $1.8 billion worth of fighter jets to extend the freeze by 90 days. Yes, America, apparently a 90-day break in a settlement process that is 44 years old is worth $1.8 billion of your money. Funny thing is, Netanyahu rejected the deal and new settlement construction began almost immediately after the initial 10-month freeze expired. I guess Israel really needs your money. If the United States truly wants to play the role of mediator in the ArabIsraeli conflict and maintain its leadership status internationally, the Obama administration must begin treating both the Israelis and the Palestinians as equal partners in peace. The administration cannot continue its policy of punishing the Palestinians for going against its wishes, while maintaining the policy of rewarding Israel financially for not disobeying and offering nothing but empty rhetoric when they do.
zachary.alfred@pepperdine.edu
AARON SCHOTT / ASSISTANT ART EDITOR
Iraq is over, Mid-East mission is not SIENNA JACKSON STAFF WRITER
While the economy remains Obama’s weakness going into the 2012 presidential race, his foreign policies have not only measured up to his campaign promises, they’ve exceeded them. Examples of this include Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, Anwar alAwlaki in Yemen, Col. Muammar Qaddafi just last week (turns out Obama’s “leading from behind” strategy was more brilliant than his detractors asserted), the long awaited withdrawal of American troops from Iraq and a planned withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2014. These military successes, paired with a renewed emphasis on intelligence and drone warfare, have characterized Obama’s war doctrine as subtle yet brutally effective on the world stage. Ironic, considering that the Republican Party’s favorite criticism of Obama in 2008 was for his lack of foreign policy chops. That eight-year quagmire of Iraq will officially be drawing to a close no later than the end of December, to the Pentagon’s dismay and the weary relief of the American military. But even though this scheduled
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters to the Editor must bear the writerʼs name, signature, class standing, major, address and phone number. 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 graphic@pepperdine.edu.
withdrawal was inevitable, the Pentagon and members of the intelligence community have put forward a response plan: installation of a new troop presence in the Persian Gulf. This new alternative measure to sustained troop presence in Iraq is Washington’s answer to an increasingly unstable Islamic Republic of Iran, which has not only increased its nuclear program, but also the aggressiveness of its rhetoric against the United States and the West. The plans have been fiercely debated in Washington for the past few months, and have taken on a new urgency since the announcement of troop withdrawal from Iraq. As part of the Pentagon’s alternative, combat troops will be stationed in Kuwait and station American warships in international waters in the Persian Gulf. Another important element of this new strategy is to form closer military ties to the six nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) — Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. The size of this new troop presence is likely to be announced in the coming days; though military officials in Washington have indicated that this new military presence in the Persian Gulf will be in accordance with the current trend in Obama’s foreign politics. “We are kind of thinking of going
back to the way it was before we had a big ‘boots on the ground’ presence,” Maj. Gen. Karl R. Horst told The New York Times on Saturday. “I think it is healthy. I think it is efficient. I think it is practical.” This reshuffling of U.S. military forces will have to be done with an acute awareness of cuts in defense budgeting and continuing economic woes at home, but the importance of commitment to the region, and the promise of a closer alliance with the GCC outweigh those concerns. For Iran, a power that has grown more aggressive since the fall of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, the pullout of American troops from that country will be seen as a strategic opportunity. The Iranian nuclear program has been accelerating in spite of the imposition of numerous U.N. sanctions, and regional powers have grown nervous in an already dangerous region. While Republicans are critical over the withdrawal of troops from Iraq, the move was necessary and long overdue. Continuing the policies of the last eight years cannot be sustained. This new alliance in the Persian Gulf has the potential to be a strong player in the region and an indispensable asset to American security interests without risking American lives and treasure with a large military boot print.
sienna.jackson@pepperdine.edu
CONTACT US Graphic Pepperdine University 24255 Pacific Coast Hwy. Malibu, CA 90263 310-506-4311 graphic@pepperdine.edu graphicadvertising@pepperdine.edu
A8
NEWS
Graphic
Where are they going? By CANEEL ANTHONY NEWS ASSISTANT
November 3, 2011
[Project] [Serve 2012]
•Community Development Camden, N.J. – 18 people This inner-city mission trip works with children and teens to improve academics, promote spiritual growth and provide positive role models. Miami, Fla. – Nine people The team will be working with DOOR (Discovering Opportunities for Outreach and Reflection) on multiple services projects throughout the city, including serving food at the homeless shelter and sorting donated clothing. The Apache Nation in San Carlos, Ariz. – 11 people The students will be working on the San Carlos Apache Reservation with the Boys & Girls Club with children and teens of all ages. •Medical Clinic Observation Honduras – 14 people The team will be working at the Predisan Health Center, observing and helping with clinic building projects. •Tornado Cleanup Alabama – 11 people The Alabama team will be working with Citi Impact on tornado clean up. •Education Antigua, Guatemala – 12 people The students attending this program will be teaching and constructing latrines at two rural Christian schools. Monte Cristo, Dominican Republic – 42 people The team will be teaching English and working with children at the Hope of a Child Orphanage. New York, N.Y. – 14 people The team will be working in the South Bronx tutoring children and helping public school teachers. Huehuetanango, Guatemala – 18 people The students will be working with the Fundacion Salvacion orphanage, with the children and with the community. Fiji – 14 people The Fiji team will be working on multiple projects, from education to heath and medicine.
Q&A
LUKE RUEGGER / PHOTO EDITOR
•Hunger & Homelessness Seattle, Wash. – 12 people The Seattle team will be working with Union Gospel Mission in several areas, from drug recovery to transitional housing and education. Las Vegas, Nev. – Nine people
2.9% 2.4%
1.7%
1.6%
Bisexual
National
Pepperdine
National
Pepperdine
National
Pepperdine
0.9%
Gay/Lesbian
Unsure
National College Health Assessment Survey 2009: The data above reflect the results of the 2009 survey, which is conducted every two years and is self-reported by students. The 2011 national data are expected to be released this month.
From A1
Graphic: What is the official stance, if any, of Student Affairs/the University on a gay-straight alliance such as Reach OUT on campus? Davis: As a private, Christian university, Pepperdine has taken the approach that official recognition is only given to student organizations that clearly support the Christian mission and the policies contained in the Student Handbook. For example, while we welcome students to attend Pepperdine from all backgrounds, most people understand why we don’t officially recognize a student organization that has a goal — stated or unstated — to endorse atheism. Our affirmation statement declares that
•Ministry Costa Rica – 11 people The team will be working with the Abraham Project in a day care center, and offering support to single mothers. Puerto Rico – 16 people The Puerto Rico team will be working in the Patillas highlands,
researching sustainable economic use of rainforest land. Los Angeles – 8 people The students will be going through “Urban Ministry Boot Camp,” working with community clean up, foster care intervention and food distribution.
Graphic interviews Dean Mark Davis
2009 National Survey Results 2.9%
•HIV/AIDS Services Washington, D.C. – 12 people The team will be providing meals and groceries for people who live with HIV/AIDS, and other life-challenging illnesses.
“God Is,” and so we promote this position. Pepperdine also affirms that sexual relationships were designed by God to be expressed solely within a marriage between husband and wife, and so we endorse this traditional sexual ethic. G: What are some of the challenges of officially recognizing a group like Reach OUT at Pepperdine? D: The challenge with recognizing an LGBT student organization is definition. Sexual orientation is complex, multidimensional concept that includes interrelated dimensions such as attraction, behavior and identity. So one of the challenges with officially recognizing a student organization re-
lated to sexual orientation is knowing what the University is recognizing or what the group is promoting. A related challenge is that official recognition implies endorsement of a position, and it includes University funding. Regardless of the student organization name or purpose statement, giving official recognition to an LGBT group will signal to some that Pepperdine no longer affirms the traditional sexual ethic and is using its resources to support a position inconsistent with our Christian heritage. At the same time, I’m concerned that not officially recognizing a LGBT student group could leave the impression that we don’t care about our LGBT students. While there is disagreement on the complex moral issue, we need to make it clear that disagreement is no excuse for the poor treatment of any member of our community. Pepperdine respects everyone’s right to form his or her opinion and recognizes that there are members of our community who do not agree with the traditional sexual ethic. Regardless of one’s viewpoint, Pepperdine affirms the dignity and worth of every person and seeks to create a campus culture where each person is treated with love and respect. The topic of homosexuality is emotionally charged because it touches our lives in so many ways, including our relationships with friends and family and our cherished religious beliefs. I am saddened by the hateful language, the judgmental comments, and the overall lack of respect that is shown to people on all sides of this debate. While the debate should be “over” on the individual worth and dignity
of every human being, we need more tions raised last year from our dialogue thoughtful dialogue on God’s design with LGBT students. Ultimately, our for sexual relationships how people work will be incorporated into the decide what’s right and wrong, and Student Handbook. the role of the Bible in making these decisions. G: Who is ultimately responsible We also need to be able to disagree for making the final decision? D: Whenever Student Activities on religious teachings without condemning the other person to hell or has any questions about a student organization application, it is forwarded labeling someone a bigot just because we don’t share the same viewpoint. In through the supervisory chain for review. Issues that impact the identity of this time of heightened sensitivities, we need people who the school and relationships with constituents can express their convictions with are ultimately reviewed “We need more by the senior administracivility. In Richard thoughtful dialogue Mouw’s book, “Untion. on God’s design for common Decency: Christian Civility in sexual relationships, G: How does the how people decide University address an Uncivil World,” Dr. Mouw reminds criticism from WASC what’s right and as well as national us that “convicted wrong.” civility” is the key publications in relation —Mark Davis Dean of Student Affairs to Pepperdine not recfor survival in this ognizing a gay straight pluralistic age. alliance on campus? I am looking D: WASC has a long forward to the exhistory of respecting the uniqueness citing dialogues we have planned over of each school’s mission and heritage. the course of this year through the “Building Bridges” group that includes In its recent site visit report, after noting that some in our community feel the leaders of Reach OUT as well as other students, faculty and staff. Our unease in speaking about sexual origoal is to help us come to a greater un- entation, WASC recommended: “The derstanding and appreciation for each University should continue its good other’s beliefs and common humanity. work in diversity, support it spiritually The group will be making recomand financially, and recognize openly mendations on additional educational the importance of campus climate and programs, support/discussion groups, the quality of the educational experiand changes to our harassment policy ence to all students.” We fully agree to make it clearer that Pepperdine will with this statement and are dedicated not tolerate the harassment of any of to maintaining a Christian learning our community members, including community where everyone is treated students who identify as LGBT. We with dignity and respect. will also work together to review a new jessica.abughattas@pepperdine.edu set of FAQs based on common ques
B1
LIFE & ARTS ] t e hideaways r c e around campus S p o provide escape [t November 3, 2011
The Top of the Drescher Parking Garage
The Turnaround by Graziadio The Dusty Path between Heroes Garden and the Soccer Field
By NATHAN STRINGER
ASSISTANT LIFE & ARTS EDITOR
The Malibubble can be claustrophobic. With only two Starbucks to choose from and only one Jack in the Box to resort to, the “city” can feel a little small at times. Many choose to go elsewhere for fun, but you don’t even have to leave campus to do that! Don’t worry: That exclamation mark wasn’t serious. I’m just saying that if you have the right people, any place, even places on campus, can be enjoyable. So, in the interest of saving gas and enabling lethargy, here are places to hang out on campus that aren’t the Sandbar or the HAWC. They’re best enjoyed at night with a few close friends.
The Patio outside the Law School Caf
The Parking Lot between the Track and the Baseball Field
The Bridge over the Stairs to Firestone The Corners of Payson The Patio off of the Caf’s Outside Seating
The Compass behind Stauffer Chapel
The Outskirts of Alumni Park
LIFE & ARTS
B2 Graphic
November 3, 2011
By nATHAn sTrinGer
aSSiStaNt Life & artS editor
1838, “The Times of India,” the most popular English daily newspaper, was founded. The paper was first printed while the British controlled India and was originally called “The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce.” A lower-middle-class Brit, Robert Knight, pioneered the publication and set his paper apart from the pack. In 1857, Indians revolted against the British, and most papers ran pro-British stories — except for Knight. He criticized the East India Company’s leadership, drawing Anglo ire, but Indian favor. By 1861, he had merged the paper with his “Bombay Standard,” gotten connected with the Reuters news service and renamed the paper “The Times of India.” He used his paper to continue to criticize the British raj. Covering more than just Bollywood gossip, “The Times” today boasts the largest English readership in the world. Its sister website is the most visited newspaper website, even ahead of “The New York Times.” (Though, admittedly, that website is mostly Bollywood gossip.) Unlike many English-language newspapers, including the London “Times,” “The Times of India” is not owned by Rupert Murdoch … yet.
1933, British composer John Barry was born. Barry scored “The Lion in Winter,” “Howard the Duck” and “Dances with Wolves,” but he was best known for his soundtracks to the James Bond movies. Some people, including John Barry, say he wrote the “James Bond Theme.” But I’m not saying that, because Monty Norman has sued people who say that for libel and has won. But John Barry did write the scores for 11 Bond movies. He helped write classics like “Goldfinger,” “Diamonds are Forever” and “A View to a Kill.” That classic, brassy James Bond sound comes from Barry’s roots in jazz and big band music and has been sampled by everyone from Dr. Dre and the Wu-Tang Clan to Fatboy Slim and Kanye West. Barry died of a heart attack in January, and the Royal College of Music held a memorial concert for him in the Royal Albert Hall in June. You can go on YouTube for videos of that concert, including one of a performance of the “James Bond Theme.” But I don’t know why they performed that, because Monty Norman wrote it.
1957, Russian dog Laika orbited Earth. Now, Laika means “Barker.” This stray dog’s other names weren’t much better though. She was called Kudryavka (“Little Curly”), Zhuchka (“Little Bug”), and Limonchik (“Little Lemon”). And, since she was launched with Sputnik 2, Americans called her Muttnik. Laika, or whatever you want to call her, was trained with two other dogs, but ultimately chosen by the Soviets to be the first rocket dog, burning out (her) fuse out their alone. She went up in Sputnik 2 to see if animals could survive space flight. And even though she didn’t survive — in fact, the Soviets expected her to die — she paved the way for human spaceflight. The Soviets claimed her oxygen ran out, but she really died from overheating. The Americans and Soviets didn’t really care at the time, but the British, who like animals more than people, did. British animal groups called for a moment of silence and protests at Soviet embassies. In the end, the Russians made up for killing Laika by building her a little rocket dog monument.
1969, President Richard Nixon spoke to the “silent majority” in an address about the Vietnam War. Now, Nixon did many wonderful things for this country, but he did not coin this phrase. In the 19th century, the silent majority referred to the many dead who, despite claims to the contrary, usually can’t speak. Other writers invoked the term, too, but referred instead to the non-politically active living. John F. Kennedy wrote about the silent majority in his 1955 book “Profiles in Courage,” and a few months before Nixon gave his silent majority speech, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew used the phrase. When Nixon used it, he was referring to the many Americans who weren’t actively protesting the Vietnam War. He wanted “peace with honor” in Vietnam and not immediate withdrawal. Appealing to the silent majority boosted his approval ratings and allowed him the illusion of peace with honor. The Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda has a wall dedicated to the silent majority speech and praises it as a deft rhetorical tool and political move. But the silent majority of people weren’t so silent during Watergate.
1979, Nazis and Klansmen killed Communists — in North Carolina. No, this wasn’t some pirates v. ninjas Internet battle. This was real life. The Communists had been trying to organize workers in the area, but had crossed paths with the Klan. The Communists had disrupted a showing of the KKK klassic “Birth of a Nation” and then organized a “Death to the Klan March” in a Greensboro housing project. They didn’t exactly have the permission of the mostly black residents, and they challenged the Klan to show themselves. Courageously, the Klan teamed up with some American Nazis and gained information from the police to disrupt the protest. When the Communists began attacking the Nazi and Klan cars, the whities opened fire, killing five and injuring 11 more. Local news cameras recorded most of this conflict — you can find it on YouTube — and criminal and civil suits followed. The Klansmen and Nazis were acquitted by all-white juries in the former, but they lost the latter. And that’s good, because a hefty fine is a just punishment for murder. g
nathan.stringer@pepperdine.edu
Photo of the Week SCORPIO — Don’t be a quit- ARIES — Start playing hop-
Paradise pier: Clouds reflect off the glittering waters of Malibu, creating an idyllic ocean shore scene.
MARIESA SHORT, sENIor
Want to show off your talent to the Pepperdine and Malibu community? Send in your photos that reflect the lens through which you see the world, and get your photo featured in the Graphic or on the Graphic website. Email it to graphic@pepperdine.edu to enter.
ter. Smoking’s never killed
scotch on the CCB stairs.
anyone …
TAURUS — Let Capricorn
SAGITTARIUS — Share your
edit your next paper.
problems with Gemini. You
GEMINI — Start blogging.
can trust him.
CANCER — Tell Sagittarius
CAPRICORN — Try rac-
about Gemini’s new blog.
ing paper boats in the pool
LEO — Don’t eat with Pi-
while the water polo team
sces.
is practicing.
VIRGO — I bet you can take
AQUARIUS — Take yoga
Aquarius in a fight.
classes for self-defense.
LIBRA — Stand your
PISCES — Write a bucket
ground on the CCB stairs
list you can complete with
and offer Scorpio a bubble
an order at KFC.
gum cigarette.
A calendar to keep you entertained all week Thursday, Nov. 3
Friday, Nov. 4
Saturday, Nov. 5
Sunday, Nov. 6
Monday, Nov. 7
Tuesday, Nov. 8
HRL presents Global Justice Coffeehouse: 8:30 p.m. in the Sandbar
The Board presents Battle of the Bands: 7:30 p.m. – 10 p.m. in the Amphitheater
Sicky Dicky presents Jonny Come Lately: 10 p.m. – midnight at the Malibu Inn ($5 cover cost with Pepperdine I.D.; $10 cost without)
SAO presents Hang 10 Dinners: 5 p.m., location TBA
Food For Thought: How to Fuel Your Body: 9 p.m. – 10 p.m. in PLC 125
Thrice concert with LA Dispute, O’Brother & Moving Mountains: 7:30 p.m. at the Mayan Theater (tickets cost $22)
D
1
LIFE & ARTS
November 3, 2011
Graphic
B3
The Bucket List By Aubrey Hoeppner Copy Chief
Break out of the fog
Journalist on a mission: Johnny Depp’s character, Paul Kemp, works on an assignment in Hunter S. Thompson’s book-turned-film, “The Rum Diary.”
IMAGE Courtesy of Facebook
Depp indulges in Thompson’s wild character “The Rum Diary” By Alex Wilson Staff Writer
A booze-soaked trip into vacation destination Puerto Rico turns into a vacation filled with romance, violent beatings and pure ruthlessness for Johnny Depp in his newly released film, “The Rum Diary.” Depp portrays Paul Kemp, the literary incarnation of Hunter S. Thompson in his book “The Rum Diary.” Having acted in such Hollywood folly as “The Tourist,” Depp is financially allowed to act in independents like “The Rum Diary,” based on
Overview Release Date October 28
Starring
Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, Aaron Eckhart
Director
Bruce Robinson
Runtime 2 hr
Thompson’s novel. Thompson, coincidentally, was a dear friend of Depp’s. Terry Gilliam’s 1998 iconic film “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” stars Depp as another incarnation of Thompson searching for the American dream. “Rum Diary” is a bit of a watered down version of “Fear and Loathing,” yet still as poignant in its exploration of the American dream and the provocative and outlandish mind of Thompson. “The Rum Diary” is not as scandalous as “Fear and Loathing,” but it is not exactly family friendly either. With excessive alcohol abuse mixed with ’60s fashion and slang, the film is a testament to a time and place sealed in history. Though Depp is certainly too old to be a young journalist looking for himself and the American dream, he pulls the part off well and doesn’t just merely mimic Thompson, but plays a real live character who we are blessed to see unfold. Depp enters the world where excesses and greed that characterize vacation resorts and corporate domination
Rated: R
FilmDistrict of exotic places like Puerto Rico were an integral part of society. Not exactly offensive, it presents a crude and realistic drawing of a perverted American dream and the ugly aftermath of its consequences. Thompson’s distinct voice resonates beautifully through Depp’s impersonation. The film opens with Kemp hung over in a hotel, not quite as over-the-top hysterical as, “The Hangover” but certainly funny in its own right and much darker. Depp shows up to his new job at a newspaper in Puerto Rico a day late with a fake resume and does not start off on the right foot. Writing horoscopes and frequenting the bowling alleys, Thompson’s voice shines through as the “Fear and Loathing”-style voice-over is utilized to let the narrative speak volumes and aid in his quest to find humor and intrigue playing the Thompson-esque Kemp. Kemp experiences a revelation as he moves through his new space, realizing the madness of greed and
capitalism and its effects on such an exotic and naive locale as Puerto Rico. It is the millionaire PR man who propels Kemp on his journey when he hires Kemp to write a series of stories propagating a new set of hotels that will be built on an island for the greedy bankers and other unapologetic commie-fearing, Nixon-loving, fat cats. Kemp is thrown and tossed around on anyone’s will but his own, until he ends up on his own with the cruel realization that he hates Puerto Rico and everyone in it, loves Heard’s seductive character and wants a bit of revenge on all who have wronged him. With fast cars, booze and a mad ingestion of an unknown hallucinogens, the film bears the title of being a bit more nostalgic than it is compelling. Certainly thrilling and funny, the film is merely a “Fear and Loathing”lite, and less exciting for non-Thompson readers experiencing his voice for the first time. g
alexander.wilson@pepperdine.edu
‘Mylo Xyloto’ Coldplay By Ian McDonald Perspectives Editor
The definition of “Mylo Xyloto,” the world may never know, but what is known is that the album is about graffiti and the kids who make it. Messages of angst, ennui and loneliness abound. Mixed with singer Chris Martin’s characteristic vision of a bright future, they create a story of perseverance and hope against a hopeless world. After the success of “Viva La Vida,” and its larger-than-life subject matter, Coldplay decided to tone things down. This album is simpler, and more personal: It’s about teenagers, and their problems. Coldplay loves to shake things up, crafting new aesthetics for each release, yet maintaining original style. “Mylo Xyloto” pulls this off fairly well, creating a solid electro/acoustic vibe, but some of this album is just lackluster and not up to what they’re capable of. Unfortunately, Coldplay has fallen into the “repeat stuff” school of song writing. Both main singles, “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall” and “Paradise,” are repetitive ad nauseum. “Major Minus” is five lines packed into three and a half minutes. Martin’s profuse utilization of “ooh” and “whoa” as a vocal filler would be unforgivable if he weren’t so good at it. The singles aren’t great. They’re easy to remember, and people can sing them loudly in their cars. Ob-
viously, any successful pop single will fit the criteria, but Coldplay, is better than this. “Paradise,” for all its faults, is a fantastic piece of music. Beyond the incessant repetition it does have some gems. This ode to escapism pulls its staying power from the more “epic” musical elements; sweeping strings, grand piano blasts and other sonic landscaping courtesy of producer Brian Eno. “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall,” the second single, is fresh and exciting, lead by synths and guitar solos. With the exception of the sappy title and its oversaturation of the track, the lyrical presence is engaging and clever. This song deals with introverted sadness and a depressed optimist’s fight against alienation and despair. Its biggest victory is not making that sound melodramatic. The titular chorus is annoying, but overall this song is not as bad as its name would have fans believe. The best songs on this album are the ones not getting radio play. “Hurts like Heaven” is a great album opener. It sets the pace and tone for the album in a way that leaves you excited to hear the rest. “Princess of China,” the third single, outdoes its predecessors in lyrical quality, and Rihanna’s guest appearance adds vocal diversity. “Charlie Brown” is by far the best song on the album. It’s dynamic, it’s anthemic: It’s everything we love about Coldplay reinvented
Parlophone/Capitol Records for “Mylo Xyloto.” It stays true to their style but fits it into the unmistakable angsty yet optimistic youth theme. As the track winds down, the music goes from fast and driving to slow and pensive, adding an entirely new dimension. The flawless transition into the piano interlude is striking in its rich simplicity. It’s the musical equivalent of a twist ending. It’s moments like these, the juxtaposition of the loud with the soft, the grandiose with the humble, that really make Coldplay as good as they are. “Don’t Let it Break Your Heart” is unfortunately hidden toward the end of the album, leaving it to be missed by the casual listener. While it’s not quite as original or true-to-theme as others, it stands as a distillation of pure Coldplay wonder. After wading through the rest of the album, the song is a reminder why Coldplay is popular in the first place. Like most of their albums, “Mylo Xyloto” has some astonishing tracks; however, its concept wasn’t enough to hold it together as a cohesive whole; the good songs can be enjoyed independently of each other, and the rest is easily skippable. This album is certainly not the best they’ve released, but even mediocre Coldplay is something on a different level.
Photo Courtesy of Myspace.com
Key Facts Band Members Chris Martin Jonny Buckland Guy Berryman Will Champion
Hometown London, England
Genres Alternative Rock Electro Rock
Label Parlophone/Capitol Records
Currently on Tour No
Awards Won 6 Brit Awards 4 MTV VMAs 7 Grammy Awards
Website coldplay.com
g
ian.mcdonald@pepperdine.edu
One recent morning, I mustered the consciousness to pull myself out of bed and go to Heroes Garden to wait for the sunrise. Early-rising friends had recommended this as a beautiful way to start a day, but I was skeptical of anything requiring alertness before dawn. As it turned out, the sun never showed up; instead, a chance encounter sparked a moment of inspiration. The fortunate placement of Daylight Saving Time this week meant that the sun was scheduled to rise at 7:14 a.m., a manageable time even for me. As I should have expected, however, I struggled to appreciate the decision at the time. My thought pattern was a disorganized, disgruntled stream: What am I doing up so early? It’s cold outside. I hate the cold. I should have brought socks. Who knew my roommates were all up at this time? I shouldn’t have listened to those friends who told me this was a great idea. They’re the friends who exercise all the time. I don’t really know where I fit in with them. At least I didn’t hit any deer on my drive up here without contacts in. Compounding my grouchiness was the fog caking Heroes Garden, obscuring any view of the sun. The scheduled time came and went without a visible ray of light, and around 7:30 I curled up on a bench and pulled my hood tighter as dew drops plopped onto my head from the branch above. There was probably some life metaphor between the fog and sun, but I was too groggy to see it. I closed my eyes and mentally searched the day’s agenda for time slots where a nap could fit between homework and meetings. As the clouds held their ground around the garden, a man in business clothes came up the walkway and crossed the stone to look for the sun over the edge of the pool. His polished shoes and confident demeanor made it clear that he saw many more sunrises than I did. He rested at the edge of the terrace and then turned back after concluding, as I had, that its morning performance had been canceled. This guy probably eats Monday mornings for breakfast, I thought. He’s probably been awake long enough that he’s on his way to grab a mid-morning snack to refuel after all his pre-dawn productivity. My flannel pajama pants had pretty much ruled out any networking opportunity between us, but as he turned back I sat up to assert an appearance of dignity. He smiled and approached me — shivering, unshowered, comingdown-with-a-cold, sleep-deprived me. “Are you waiting for the sunrise?” he asked, in what sounded like a slight Irish accent. “I was, yeah,” came my inspired reply. “I think you may have missed the sunrise,” he said. “But maybe you’ll find the sun appearing.” And with a knowing smile, he walked away. Until this moment, I had been unaware that anonymous wise men strolled the campus early in the morning, doling out encouragement to bleary-eyed students. My only prior experience with sunrises at Pepperdine has been after occasional all-nighters. Maybe I’ve been missing other things while I’m hitting the snooze. Does coffee taste better in the morning? Does the air smell sweeter? Does President Benton give wee-hour golf cart rides? Will I suddenly inherit a bank of calligraphy-worthy one-liners to toss out to other early-morning friends? Even though I didn’t actually see the show I got up for, this experience alone is almost enough to make an early riser out of me (though the golf cart rides would really push me over the edge). To my mysterious advisoer, thank you for bringing wonder and light to my haze. Wisdom seems to hide itself in the most unexpected places at Pepperdine. As you said, sometimes the sun must be found, and not merely waited for. g
aubrey.hoeppner@pepperdine.edu
LIFE & ARTS
B4 Graphic Rogue Wave
November 3, 2011
»CROSSWORD PUZZLE
Rebel, Rebel
By BEN HOLCOMB
DOWN 1 Wrote 95 theses 2 Tasty 1676 rebellion 3 “We’re Not Gonna Take It” band 5 Utopic grunge band 6 ‘I threw it on the _______!” 7 V’s bald girlfriend 9 Danced through ’20s 11 1979 revolution 15 Hate taxes, love Palin 18 1787 rebellion 20 Rebels w/o a cause 21 Sat at front of bus 24 Rebel against parents 25 Black supremacist 28 Kills Smith 29 Mel’s Scottish film 32 Latino labor leader 33 “Fight For Your Right” band 34 Rebelled against Spain, U.S. 36 “My Generation” band 37 French stormed the ________ 38 We left here in ’73 40 Pink Floyd’s epic
STAFF WRITER
Commit to a name, stop indecision Anybody noticed the HAWC cafeteria thingy is called the “TBNL Cafe (To-BeNamed-Later)?” What’s up with that? I don’t know about you, but to me, when you build yourself an eatery, naming it would seemingly be among the first things on your to-do list. Let’s face it, people aren’t leaving hospitals with babies named TBD or N/A. In fact, they’re not allowed to — it’s literally against the law. So how come these same regulations don’t apply to school dining halls and bistros? It’s just lazy. Now, I love Pepperdine. Heck, I’d take a bullet for this school (no, I wouldn’t). But somebody ought to say something. What does it say about our university’s creative ingenuity when our tour guides are bringing families into the HAWC to show them the TBNL Cafe? And — just a quick aside — by naming that place the TBNL Cafe, that’s effectively contradicting the very essence of its title. It doesn’t need to be named later … if that’s its name now. You may view me as a complainer, but I’m not the only one. A couple of weeks ago, I initiated the Island Oasis SB3X Smoothie Machine Revolution of 2011, and our pina colada-craving voices were heard. I am proud to announce, a mere three to four weeks later, that our beloved machine will be coming back in early January, just in time to quell the cold beverage craze that most certainly will be occurring around that time. So it can be done. Change is possible. You just have to believe … and possibly stand up at random times and places to wave your arms like they’re angel wings (tests still inconclusive). My fear is that weeks or months will pass without a permanent name change being implemented at the TBNL cafe In the blink of an eye, our children and grandchildren, all of course future Pepperdine students, will be hover-boarding to the HAWC years down the line to grab a bite to eat at the TBNL cafe. We must do everything in our power, now, to avoid this fate. We are all terminators in this scenario, except instead of being dropped somewhere naked in the past, we are all fully clothed and in the present moment. But forget that analogy. The point I mean to make is that, whether we like it or not, another revolution has sprung itself upon us. And yes, you may not have even known the last one ended (or existed), but it did, and so does this one. The HAWC Cafe Naming Revolution of 2011 is gaining momentum, and pretty soon we’ll all have to choose sides. I don’t want anybody to lose their lives for this cause, but if that’s what it takes, then so be it. Now our best point of recourse moving forward is to get behind one name and bombard the staff members of the TBNL Cafe with requests for the switch. If we all submit a bunch of different names, we will seem discordant, and will indubitably fail. Thankfully, I think I’ve found a name we could all get behind. Initially calling it the Howard A. White Buffet sounded like the obvious decision, but then I realized that guy has like 40 buildings named after him so I ditched that idea. I then tried to make something work with WHITEcap, but that proved futile. Hours spent fiddling with the term “undertow” also brought with it insignificant results. And that’s when I came up with this: The Undulation Station. How is this not already the name? It’s punny, it rhymes, it has a word synonymous with our mascot in it, and it even makes sense … sort of. You guys, this is our moment. Forget the fact that I’ve said this tons of times before. We can be the group that changed this school for the better, that led the charge to have the TBNL Cafe renamed The Undulation Station. The moment is now. Whose side are you on? If you’re still undecided, try to think about your children and grandchildren on hoverboards at the Undulation Station. It’s a beautiful sight.
william.holcomb@pepperdine.edu
See the pepperdine-graphic.com/life-arts for solutions to this week’s puzzle.
ACROSS 4 Currently occupied 8 Palestinian uprising 10 1858 rebellion 12 1989 revolution, fabric 13 Fasted, won independence 14 Tea Party city 16 ______ Against the Machine 17 Muse’s latest album 19 Maritime rebellion
22 23 26 27 30 31 33 35 39 41
Make love, not war Rebel ironically 1776 revolution Seceded U.S. first Death Star enemies “Rebellion (Lies)” band “For What It’s Worth” band Cuban revolutionary Torn down in 1989 1790s alcoholic rebellion
42 43 44 45 46 47 48
Rebelled poetically Kevin Bacon dancing film West Asian season Red-gloved Chinese rebellion Fought Emperor Meiji Confederate general Texans remember it
P
K t y u
S o I i t s Th w r r g
i
Spotlight: Professor infuses art and language passions in classes By CORINA MUN STAFF WRITER
WIKI
OF THE WEEK
Wikipedia has nearly four million English articles, and many of those are boring. Some, however, are surprising, amusing and downright interesting. Each week, we select a Wikipedia article that fulfills these criteria. Scan the barcode for a direct link to the page!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Reptilians The world is run by 12-foot tall reptiles. At least, that’s what reptilian conspiracy theorists believe. Apparently, reptilians drink blood and shape shift. British writer David Icke believes they’re from the Alpha Dracocnis star system and now live in underground bases. This conspiracy theory has actually gained some traction. Not only is it the premise of the ABC show “V,” but just this year, comedian Louis CK asked Donald Rumsfeld if he and Dick Cheney were “lizard people who enjoyed the taste of human flesh.” Rumsfeld did not answer.
At first glance, art professor Kristen Chiem’s occupation and the fact that she was born and bred in Southern California seem to make her background obvious; since Los Angeles is a center for art, it’s logical that her career pathway stemmed directly from where she grew up. It comes as an unexpected yet enthralling surprise to hear completely otherwise. Though she was raised not too far from Pepperdine, in Orange County, Chiem traveled 3,000 miles after high school and attended Middlebury College, a small liberal arts school in Vermont. She originally planned to go to law school with an English major, but her plans changed after she took a couple of required courses during her first semester of college in order to complete her general education requirements. Upon venturing into a Chinese language class as well as an art history class, her interest in both subjects melded together when she discovered that her Chinese professor collected Chinese paintings. After being exposed to what would be one of her greatest passions, she wound up studying abroad in China her junior year, spending her time studying Mandarin and researching for her senior thesis on contemporary Chinese painting. She even returned to China after graduating. Chiem may have taken a completely unexpected road, but her initial interests that led her to choose English as a major actually played a role in shaping her career as well. Her love for research and for writing led to her acceptance to Harvard University as well as UCLA, where she earned her master’s degree and her doctoral degree, respectively. As a part of the Fulbright Fellowship at UCLA, she took the opportunity to work in the National Palace Museum in Taiwan. As she
MARIA PRADA / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
All about the art: Professor Chiem takes her love of art and the Chinese language and brings passion to class.
was exposed to ancient cultural artworks, Chiem realized the importance of her study abroad experience. “I realized the significance of art as an expression of humanity, ” Chiem said. This very discovery of art and expression translates to her own students here at Pepperdine. When she first began teaching on this campus about three years ago, Chiem only taught an art history course on Chinese painting —but just like the rest of her story, she did not stick with merely the usual topics. Now she teaches all sorts of art, Western and non-Western. Chiem said she takes joy in the fact that she has the chance to teach and work with a plethora of students and especially appreciates “those who are interested in exploring how art and culture relate to their everyday lives,” which turns out to be similar to her own perspective as she studied abroad. Acknowledging that nearby LA boasts countless museums and other cultural resources, Chiem said she “enjoys witnessing [her] students grow by engaging with their visual world,” as this interaction nurtures the idea of “thinking deeply about the ways in which [meaning is created] in our lives.” She has been able to take from art not only commendable degrees
and study-abroad experiences, but also a fresh perspective and a life stance, which is much more of a feat. With such an intentional, passionate viewpoint on the subject matter she teaches, it comes as no surprise that her students fully enjoy all of the courses that she offers. While her concentration may be on art when she works, she loves to exercise in her free time. She fits right in with the active Malibu lifestyle as she loves hikes, trail runs and spin cycling. Chiem said she always has energy to burn off. She loves to cook with her husband, whether they experiment with recipes or share recipes with family and friends. Of course, Chiem says her most recent passion is her 7-month-old son. It can’t be denied that Chiem’s occupation was unexpected. From the unanticipated interest in the arts — inspired by a G.E. course, no less — to an experience at an impressive Taiwanese museum, the twists and turns in Chiem’s journey double as blessings as well. Students can find Chiem in AMB 307 during her office hours or register for any of her classes offered, including Chinese painting, non-Western art and art appreciation.
corina.mun@pepperdine.edu
1
R
LIFE & ARTS
November 3, 2011
Graphic
B5
Slow down and start living; Show a little kindness to others BRITT KIDD LIFE & ARTS ASSISTANT
As the Halloween sugar coma fades away and we prepare to “fall back” an hour, the holiday season rapidly approaches and we make our way into the second week of November. With Thanksgiving only three weeks away, the crazy retail hoopla of the holiday season nears closer and people prepare their wallets for what’s up ahead. But isn’t the holiday season really about giving thanks and giving back? Last time I checked, there was no price tag attached to showing appreciation and sharing kindness with others. Before the retail circus begins, start rejoicing in the true meaning of the holiday season with two simple but
fixated on getting to my destination that I have not even noticed the ocean, the sunset, the clouds or the green hills surrounding me. Is this any way to live life? Are my personal responsibilities and stresses so important that I must ignore God’s creation and the others sharing His creation with me? Although it sounds ridiculous, I often need this smack-in-the-face reality check because I can become so engrossed with my personal daily tasks that I am completely oblivious to my surroundings. I must remind myself that no task is too great for God to handle. The next time you feel yourself slipping back into that point A to point B mindset just stop, take a moment to breathe in, and enjoy the world around you. Life is short and can quickly pass you by if you don’t take the moments to appreciate the beauty around you.
sweet and free tips. First tip: Enjoy the moments and the beauty between point A and point B. As students’ schedules get busier, homework and exams seem never ending, work loads get more demanding, and sleeping hours get trimmed — life becomes “point A” to “point B”-oriented. When life gets jam-packed with responsibilities, it seems as if days are lived to get from class to class, to finish project to project, to take exam to exam and to take care of responsibility to responsibility. It is easy to feel like a hamster spinning on a wheel, going round and round in a monotonous circle that never ends. When I find myself living my days with this point A to point B mentality, I am so fixated on driving to work on time or hiking up the CCB stairs quickly that I am completely oblivious to the beauty and nature around me. I’ve had days when I have been so
Second tip: Ask someone, friend or stranger, “How are you?” and actually mean it. The question “How are you?” is so overused that it gets rolled into a casual greeting said countless times throughout the day. But what does it really mean? Do people actually answer honestly or even care to listen to the answer? As mentioned before, life’s tasks can become so overwhelming that we can become consumed in our own responsibilities and completely ignore the other individuals with whom we share the planet. Often I must remind myself that I cannot do life all by myself, but I need to rely on the comfort and support of others as well as offer my comfort and support in return. Sometimes it actually catches me off guard when someone genuinely asks me, “How are you?” and they linger around past the typical two-second greeting period because they actually want to know what I am doing and
how I feel. This simple act of kindness and caring can make a big difference during my stressful days. Everyone wants to be listened to and cared about, and taking the time out of your day to ask someone how they are and be genuine about the feeling behind the inquiry can make a big impact. Remember, you never know how much stress or anxiety someone may actually be going through. But by giving a few minutes of your time and acknowledging another person’s wellbeing, you can shed a positive light on his or her otherwise hectic day. Appreciating life’s simple gifts and sharing positive words with others are two free ways to start rejoicing in the holiday season. After all, there shouldn’t be a special season for being kind: Giving back and conveying gratitude are two overlooked and underappreciated year-round expressions.
brittany.kidd@pepperdine.edu
Professors pool resources to save grunion By ELIJAH SIMS STAFF WRITER
If you’ve met Professor of Biology Karen Martin, chances are that she’s told you about the grunion. And if you’ve seen the grunion, chances are you understand why. The grunion is a fish native to Southern California, a phenomenon only enjoyed in our corner of the world. It might sound crazy for a fish to beach itself, but these fish are born to do just that. At high tide they can be found scattered across the coastline mating. There, in the sand, these fish out of water lay their eggs. The young are carried back out into the ocean with the receding tide, and so goes the life of a grunion. Martin has been following the grunion for years.
“It’s that whole fish out of water thing,” Martin said with a smile, when asked about her fascination with such a strange fish. After studying the tadpole, another fish that has been known to leave the water from time to time, during her doctoral research at UCLA, Martin moved to Malibu and has become a leading voice in studying, protecting and enjoying the miracle of the grunion. According to Martin, Southern California beach-goers and even beach cleaners are endangering the animal’s existence. Certain machines, such as ones that plow sand on the beach, are known to reduce the number of eggs that are able to hatch. And more than that, there is a grunion-hunting season during which beach-goers are legally allowed to catch the fish. “There’s not really a good reason
ANNIE JEONG/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Faculty collaborators: Dr. Murrie and Dr. Martin band together for a documentary about the SoCal grunion.
for people to be catching the grunion,” Martin said, when asked about such hunting policies. Regarding the future of the grunion, Martin is optimistic. “I hope [they do not become extinct]. I think we’ve got a lot of aware-
Wait will be worth it for new Fiona Apple By SONYA SINGH ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Forget Carmen San Diego. Where in the world is Fiona Apple? It’s been six years since the release of “Extraordinary Machine,” an album Rolling Stone counted among the top 50 albums of the entire decade. Since then, the soulful singer has blended into the crowd better than a hipster at a Death Cab for Cutie concert. Even when Billboard announced a new album would drop in spring 2011, the season silently sailed by, music-less. When she and her producer, Jon Brion, contributed a track to this summer’s star-studded tribute album, “Rave On Buddy Holly,” I exclaimed, “She’s alive!” Clearly, I hadn’t done my due diligence before lamenting her absence, because I recently learned that she’s been right here in Los Angeles, occasionally contributing to benefit concerts, collaborating with other artists and discreetly playing Club Largo every now and then. I may sit here and champion Fiona Apple’s brilliance, but I don’t beg you to agree. I’ve known some who are glad she has fallen off the map, and they’ve got sound reasons. Many remember her as an overly poetic, whiny teenage girl full of angst who achieved success with other overly poetic, whiny teenage girls full of angst with her first album, 1996’s “Tidal.” (This is true.) Released when she was 19, this album was a commercial success, though Apple’s aversion to commercial success saw her railing on MTV when she won Best New Artist at the 1997 MTV Awards. Several magazines labeled the outburst ridiculous and ungrateful (also true). Still, her jazzy style and musicality were undeniably
beyond her years, if unpolished. Strangely, anyone I know who wrote off Apple after hearing her music and witnessing such behavior over the years knew nothing about her. A quick skim of her Wikipedia page reveals, most notably, that Apple was raped by a stranger at age 12. In the years following this trauma, she withdrew, experienced violent dreams and sunk into a severe depression. In a 1998 interview with Rolling Stone, she admitted the rumors of an eating disorder were true, which frustrated her because assumptions of anorexia were in fact untrue. “For me it wasn’t about getting thin,” Apple said. “It was about getting rid of the bait attached to my body.” So, yeah, I think some of her issues can be viewed with a bit more compassion. When her second album, 1999’s “When the Pawn,” was unveiled with a 90-word album title, eyes rolled. The title was a poem she wrote in response to negative press in Spin magazine, beginning with the line “When the pawn hits the conflicts he thinks like a king.” Rolling Stone parodied the poem, calling it, “When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks Oh the Hell with It.” However, the album garnered even more critical acclaim than her first album. Although it was an RIAA-certified platinum album, its commercial success did not live up to her debut, a certified three-time platinum record in the U.S. After a tour in 2000, in which she melted down on stage in New York, Apple considered retiring from music. She collaborated with Johnny Cash twice during this downtime, which might be the perfect way to spend a hiatus. But in her weekly lunch with friend and producer Jon Brion,
ness now. We’ve worked with a lot of beaches, and now there are rules in place to protect the grunion.” Martin hasn’t been working with beach maintenance crews alone. Many locals are volunteering to help protect these next-door neighbors. Humans need to know where the grunions have laid their eggs during their mating season so that we can be especially careful about protecting those areas of beach. Unfortunately, this can happen all along the coast, and we cannot know for sure where to expect it. So Martin and other scientists in her field have created a way for everyone to help. Volunteer crews are sent along the coast at night, on the look-out for new mating sites. “I’m always amazed at how many people love the grunion,” Martin said about the large number of people that volunteer. And should you or anyone else see grun-
ions on the shore, you can go to grunion.org to report the sighting. But raising awareness about the grunions’ near-endangerment hasn’t stopped here for Martin and her colleagues. They have created a short documentary that has shown at film festivals around the world. Michael Murrie, professor of journalism, was the director of photography on the film. The film has screened on Seaver campus before, and Martin would love for it to be shown again. She hopes that the video can be eventually shown in local aquariums. National Geographic has even taken notice of Martin’s work. “It was great to work with them [on a TV spot about the grunion],” Martin said. “They’re very fun people, and they take the animals of the world very seriously.” The video is on video.nationalgeographic.com.
aaron.sims@pepperdine.edu
» Beatnik Coffeehouse
COURTESY OF FIONA-APPLE.COM
he convinced her to record an album of her own again. Thank you, Jon. Her third album, full of sardonic wit and new perspective, showed us an artistic evolution from her days as a teenage provocateur who felt like a “Criminal” needing punishment to a sophisticated, polished 28-year-old confidently heralding a “Better Version of Me.” Her elastic contralto voice carries the structurally solid album with heart-rending charm. “In a genre hardly noted for springing surprises on its listeners,” the Guardian wrote, “Extraordinary Machine sounds like a real achievement: however torturous the gestation, it seems worthwhile.” Sure, people still scoffed because she uses words like “stentorian” in her lyrics, but would we rather she wake up and brush her teeth with a bottle of Jack? explain what days of the week follow Friday? No, Apple’s insights have always belied her age, even back in her college days. I hope she hasn’t decided to end her recording career on the high note that was “Extraordinary Machine.” For now, I’ll give Billboard the benefit of the doubt and say there is indeed a new album coming. If Fiona Apple has taught us anything, it’s patience. And a little angst. But mostly patience.
sonya.singh@pepperdine.edu
SHELBY PARSONS / CONTRIBUTOR
Cool cats: Nevin James and Ethan Long took to the Coffeehouse stage to perform an original piece.
»Go online for the full story and more photos
contemporary crafts market
www.CraftSource.org november 4 — 6, 2011 santa monica civic auditorium 1855 Main st. (at pico blvd.) HoURs: 10 aM to 6 pM daily
admission $8, age 12 & under free information: (310) 285-3655 redeem this ad for $3 off each admission, you and one guest. (can be applied to admissions only, no cash value)
FASHION by
barbara poole
B6
SPORTS
Graphic
November 3, 2011
Spreading his wings: Water polo goalie Bence Valics leaps into action to protect the Waves’ net. Valics averaged 8.09 saves per game last season.
COurtesy of Bence Valics
Valics: ‘My parents were my motivation’ From B8
in Hungary, he was exposed to a unique opportunity and took it as a blessing and source of motivation. “My team and I got better and better and at practice. We would see those guys up there,” Valics said. “They were from the Hungarian National Team, some of the top water polo players in the world. “The thing that I wanted was right in front of me; I’d just have to work hard for it.” Ranked No. 2 in the Division 1 Conference last year, he averaged 8.09 saves per game. And last year as a true freshman, Valics stopped a grand total of 170 shots during a series of 21 games. Last year, Valics led the Waves with 54 steals. In the world of academia, Valics has gone above and beyond to overcome the disadvantage of reading and writing in his non-native tongue. As an international student, Valics often has to spend more time studying than many of his other teammates, but he always gets the job done. Upon arriving at Pepperdine, Valics knew no one, and as the only
Hungarian native on campus, he still deals with the culture shock. Valics quickly began to meet new people and make friends through his teammates. Valics’ love for water polo and an education is what lead him to Pepperdine University. “My parents were my motivation to play water polo. … I just want to do what they did,” Valics said. Both of his parents played professional volleyball in Hungary. At age 10, his parents suggested that Valics pursue water polo. “At the time, water polo was not that big,” Valics said. Soon however, the program received sponsorship and the sport skyrocketed in popularity in Hungary. The first two years of Valics’ water polo training involved solely swimming. He began playing games at age 12 and went on to become one of Hungary’s great water polo players. Between the ages of 15 and 18, Valics and his team won three Hungarian Junior Championships in a row. Today, Valics has traveled thousands of miles away from home to continue developing as a water polo player, while also continuing to learn. “This is the best thing you get to
experience as a person, doing things on your own,” Valics said. “Real life started for me when I decided to come here.” Valics lives a busy life that includes hours of class every morning, practices every afternoon, and trying to find time to study, “Water polo and studying are my main activities.” “I am very health-conscious,” Valics said. He believes that taking care of his health and body now will not only keep him in shape and ready for water polo, but will also be a significant benefit to him in the far future. “I am trying to avoid fast food,” Valics said, something the average college student rarely says. The health watch seems to be working out, given that Valics is prospering on the team. Unlike when Valics began playing at age 12, today the pressure is on and high for goalies as shooters get smarter and goalies must adapt. According to Valics, there is a lot of potential on this year’s water polo team. As the team heads into their end-of-the-season tournament, Valics is excited and preparing diligently with the team. Regarding Valics’ future plans, he
is again happy to have options. One of his options is to go to graduate school somewhere within the U.S. He also is contemplating returning to Hungary and pursuing his water polo career as a goalie. “For a goalie, it is about experience,” Valics said. And Valics surely is gaining experience as a member of Pepperdine’s team and is looking toward the future with an open mind. Valics returns home to Hungary twice a year. This summer, Valics played with the team where his roots in the sport of water polo were planted. “It was fun to play with many of my best friends again,” he said. He is a remarkably talented athlete and a person full of “passion” and “determination” assistant coach Gary O’Brien said. These qualities fuel the courage that he exhibits both in and out of the pool.
g
ashley.thurmond@pepperdine.edu
W
COurtesy of Bence Valics
N t A Luxury Leasing Community in Malibu with all the comforts of home: •Close to campus
•Resort-Style Swimming Pool •Poolside Cabanas and Outdoor BBQ •24-Hour Fitness Center •Tennis and Basketball Courts
•$2,500 security deposit; $500 referral fee •Free summer storage •Short term leases to match school year •Exceptional level of personal service •24-hour emergency maintenance
6487 Cavalleri Rd., Malibu, CA 90265 For more information, please call Villa Malibu at 877-281-0872 or visit us on the web at VillaMalibuLiving.com
SPORTS
November 3, 2011
Graphic
B7
Volleyball continues dominance By NARINE ADAMOVA ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
The Waves outplayed Portland in their last home game/ games of the season Saturday. At the action-packed game in the Firestone Fieldhouse, Pepperdine won with the scores 25-18, 25-14 and 25-13 in three straight sets. Senior Stevi Robinson resisted powerful attacks from the opponents’ side, making it difficult for them to score. She made three service aces against Portland, averaging 17 digs in the game. Freshman Michaela Christiansen made two impressive attacks at the end of the second set making the score 25-14. Freshman Katie Messing resisted five out of seven kills in the
second set. In the third set, senior Lilla Frederick managed to take the lead and performed several brilliant attacks. She led the game with nine kills total. Christiansen’s serve gave the Waves an advantage of 10 points that led the team closer to the victory. The team shows significant improvement with each game in the Flyer Classic tournaments by winning 13 games out of 16. No. 18 Pepperdine is playing against Santa Clara today, as one of the six concluding games before the NCAA tournament.
g
narine.adamova@pepperdine.edu
Freshman Samanatha Chase leaps into action: The Waves’ superior offense lead them to victory in their weekend games.
World Cup deals finalized By ALBERT OWUSU SPORTS EDITOR
When you say “World Cup,” and “FIFA,” what else comes to mind but ESPN? However, very soon this relationship may cease to exist. Although ESPN had already paid FIFA an estimated $425 million for the 2010-2014 tournaments the rights to the 2015-2022 tournaments last Friday were sold to North American broadcasters Fox and Telemundo for $1.2 billion. The deal would include rights for the men’s World Cup in ‘18 and ‘22 as well as the women’s World Cup in ‘15 and ‘22 and all the Under-20 and Under-17 matches. Fox won the English-language rights for the tournaments and outbid the incumbent ESPN and NBC, while Telemundo won the rights for the Span-
ish-language deal outbidding another incumbent, Univision. The World Cup will now be added to a collection of Fox soccer shows that include the UEFA Champions League, the English Premier League and Italy’s Serie A. Fox released a statement shortly after news of the deal broke. “We are truly honored for FIFA to award the Fox Sports Media Group these extremely important rights,” said Fox Sports chairman David Hill. “The FIFA World Cup and Women’s World Cup are two of the world’s biggest competitions. It is our privilege to be entrusted with these rights in the United States from 2015 through 2022.” Although historically the deal has gone to ESPN, the heavy broadcasting bids eventually seemed unfeasible for the company. The company released a statement say-
Na: ‘I want to grow up’ From B8
happened to pick it up as a sport.” Since then, Na has put in solid hours to improve, often logging in eight to 10 hours of practice a day at home. During the season the team travels often. This season alone they have already been to four different states: Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada and Texas. None of the traveling is easy to handle. “Golf travels the most out of any sport, with most tournaments spanning over the course of five school days,” Na said. “Doing homework on the road is stressful, but it teaches time management. “I think it makes us [players] more well-rounded people, and I get a lot out of it.” Not only was Na greeted with the tough reality of balancing life as a student-athlete at Pepperdine, but, on a lighter note, she reunited with longtime friend, Danielle Kang, whom she had met previously in junior tournaments. Kang left Pepperdine after two years to pursue a professional golf career. When asked if she would follow in the footsteps of her friend, Na replied, “Definitely not. I want to get my degree. I want to graduate, and I want to have the full college experience. There is no reason for me to rush. “I would like to mature, make friends and develop my game more with my coaches. I want to grow up before I go on tour.” “She has to listen to Christian music before she tees off,” said teammate and best friend senior Kaitlin Drolson. “She likes to have a specific breakfast, she has to talk with her mom before she tees off, and she has to have a cross on her somewhere.” Along with her routines, Na’s favorite golfers also reflect her personality. She contemplated for a while, but eventually chose Phil Mickelson and Korean golf prodigy Nayeon Choi. “They have great composures and work hard,” Na said. “They always keep smiles on their faces, and that’s how I want to play.” Drolson affirmed her teammate’s upbeat charisma. “Grace is a one-of-a-kind with a fun and outgoing personality,” Drolson said. “She is such a loving person and friend. She is so positive and always has a smile on her face, which is really helpful in a team.” The Lady Waves play next in the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge, a local tournament held in Palos Verdes in February.
g
alysha.tsuji@pepperdine.edu
ing their bidding was aggressive while remaining prudent from a business perspective. Fox Soccer is available in 40 million American households while ESPN and ESPN2 are available in around 99 million. Most of the profits FIFA earns from the tournaments come from broadcasting, sponsorship and marketing deals. FIFA reported roughly $2.4 billion in broadcast sales worldwide during the 2010 tournament. Current estimates for the 2014 tournament are roughly $3.2 billion, while revenue being raised for the tournaments in 2018-2022 has reached the $1.7 billion mark. Russia is scheduled to host the 2018 World Cup, and Qatar was selected to host the 2022 World Cup.
g
albert.owusu@pepperdine.edu
Water polo struggles By ALYSHA TSUJI
team on Sunday,” Milcovich said. STAFF WRITER “He brings a lot of energy.” In addition to being a man A pair of overtime losses to Long down, the Waves followed the same Beach State and UC Santa Barbara pattern of a weak second half against shadowed the men’s water polo team the No. 5-ranked Gauchos. (12-9, 2-4) this weekend. The Waves UC Santa Barbara took them fell 14-12 and 16-15, respectively. down early on in the first quarter (3“We scored enough goals to 0), but the team managed to make a win in both games,” attacker senior comeback in their high point of the Andrew Milcovich said. “We just weekend. couldn’t find a defenThe Waves went sive rhythm.” on a 7-1 run from “We have all the On Saturday the the end of the first team hopes to defeat tools to execute quarter that carried No. 2-ranked Uni- and perform. We into the second quarversity of Southern just need to find ter to snag a 7-4 lead. California. Last year However it was not our defensive the Waves lost a tight enough as the Gau7-6 battle against the identity.” chos owned the secthree-time national ond half 8-5 to tie up —Andrew Milcovich champion Trojans. Senior the game, and then “USC is a very overtook the Waves disciplined program and it’s been a in overtime 4-3. while since we’ve beaten them,” Mil“For some reason we can’t focus covich said. “We have all the tools to at the end of the game,” goalkeeper execute and perform. We just need sophomore Bence Valics said. “We to find our defensive identity.” made mental mistakes in crucial Defensive consistency proved to situations at the end of the game, be the key weakness contributing which enabled them to beat us even to the team’s losses, and something though we were dominating in the they will undoubtedly work on in first and second quarters.” preparation for Saturday. Despite the teams difficulties, The Waves only gave up two according to Milcovich, attacker goals in the first half against the No. junior Collin Carroll, Hewko and 9-ranked 49ers, but then allowed 12 Cooper stood out in the two matchgoals in the second half. es. Despite the flood of goals the “Luke is our only true freshman, Waves allowed, they fought back and he had a breakout weekend,” with the same intensity. The 49- Milcovich said. “He is going to be ers netted a whopping five goals in an outstanding player in the future.” the fourth quarter, and the Waves The team has lost four of their tomatched them. tal five overtime games this season, Attacker sophomore Nick Coo- but they have gained valuable lesper tied up the game with two sec- sons from the heartbreaking losses. onds left to carry his team into over“We have to learn how to beat time (10-10), but they could not teams in the first four quarters, inhold on and were outscored 4-2 in stead of hoping for overtime wins,” the extra period. Valics said. “When we are up by two Utility player freshman Luke or three goals we still need to stay Hewko and Cooper scored three focused and treat the game as if the goals a piece in the tough loss. score is 0-0.” On another note, key player seThe Waves are in the hunt for nior Nate Castillo broke his thumb the playoffs, according to Milcovin the first quarter of the game and ich. They have two MPSF games was unable to play the following day remaining, as they face USC in an against UC Santa Barbara. away game Saturday and UCLA at “Nate getting injured hurt our home Nov. 12. g
alysha.tsuji@pepperdine.edu
COurtesy Of TOM OUiMeT
CALL ‘EM AS WE SEE ‘EM Thoughts, reflections and predictions from our staff on the world of sports.
Finally, estranged Dodgers owner Frank McCourt has agreed to sell the team. Estimates have the team’s value ranging from $800 million to even $ 1 billion. Mark Cuban has been mentioned as a potential buyer for the team. Though the MLB currently bans public ownership there has been some interest among Angelenos to purchase the team as a city.
ALBERT OWUSU
Who, among former NASCAR drivers, could be expected to get in trouble again? Obviously, it would be someone like notoriously famous Jeremy Mayfield. Barred from the association since 2009 for a failed drug test, he was arrested at his western North Carolina home and charged with possession of methamphetamine. It seems that people quit sports, but not old habits.
NARINE ADAMOVA
ASK A WAVE
What is your special talent?
“I can slit my tongue.”
LYNN WILLIAMS FRESHMAN SOCCER
“I make gourmet meals.”
JONATHAN RAHAEUSER JUNIOR CROSS-COUNTRY
“I make the best smoothie at Malibu Yo.”
DANIEL MOSS SENIOR TENNIS
“I disappear when I turn sideways.”
JENSON TURNER SENIOR TENNIS
“Acting, I was in ‘The Benchwarmers.’”
JON MOSCOT JUNIOR BASEBALL
“Being a diva.”
GINGER JACOBSEN FRESHMAN SWIMMING
4 Clean 250cc Honda Scooters for sale. No hill on campus too steep for these guys! (Even with another student riding behind you) Pictures and more information is available at: http://ventura.craigslist.org/mcy/2626162510.html
B8
SPORTS
November 3, 2011
»pepperdine-graphic.com/sports
REPPIN’
Pepperdine defeats USC and prepares for weekend tournament By ALBERT OWUSU SPORTS EDITOR
aleXanDeR DRUMMOnD/ stAff PHOtOGrAPHer
Waves sprint towards the goal: The Waves’ rush toward victory in their conference defeating USC in Friday’s match.
Soccer heads to top of NCAA By NARINE ADAMOVA ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
The Pepperdine women’s soccer team defeated Portland in a home game Sunday. The No. 3 Waves managed to gain an additional last-minute score after senior Lauren Cole netted a goal by a penalty kick. The game started by a vicious attack from the opponent’s side and in the 13th minute as Pilot’s Michaela Capella scored in the Waves’ net. After several attacks, freshman Lynn Williams managed to tie in the 46th minute. The Waves got a chance to kick a penalty in the 43rd minute after the opponent faulted on junior Michelle Manning. Cole netted the goal, and it brought the Waves ahead into a 2-1 advantage over the Pilots. In the second half, seniors Myriah Stockman and Cole showed outstanding performances by creating several scoring moments for the team on the 50th and 58th minutes. The Pilots had to retreat back under the row of attacks by the Waves. With much resistance in defense, Pepperdine finished the game by adding a 14th victory this season. “The game was a big win for us. freshman Lynn Williams said, “Portland is a good team, and to beat them coming off a loss from Santa Clara lifts our spirits. It shows that we are mental tough, and that we will not give up on our dreams of being WCC champs, but even more NCAA champions.” The game served as a good turn back on track for the Waves, after the last game at Santa Clara that resulted in their first lose of the season. No. 3 Pepperdine was defeated by No. 10 Santa Clara with a score of 1-0 Monday, Oct. 28. The team will return to action tomorrow, the last game of their regular season against San Francisco.
narine.adamova@pepperdine.edu
By ASHLEY THURMOND STAFF WRITER
Hungarian native Bence Valics is an athlete who seems to be undaunted by a challenge. In addition to being the goalie for Pepperdine’s No. 6-ranked men’s water polo team, Valics has displayed courage by facing and overcoming language and cultural barriers while handling the course load of his challenging classes. Just as Valics stands ready to defend the Pepperdine goal, fend-
ing off shots while maneuvering within the resistance of the water, he also has learned to step up to personal obstacles and succeed with zealous determination. “Back home, when I had a bad day or game, it was easier to deal with those problems because my family and friends were there,” Valics said. “Now it is harder because those people aren’t here. “So, I deal with these [problems] on my own, and it makes me stronger. “I know what I want. I know
vs.
Gonzaga Portland
Date
Oct. 27 Oct. 29
Score
W, 3-0 W, 3-0
Menʼs Water Polo vs.
Long Beach State UCSB
Date
Oct. 29 Oct. 30
Score
Womenʼs Soccer vs.
Santa Clara Portland
Date
Oct. 28 Oct. 30
Score
L, 14-12 L, 16-15
W, 1-0 W, 2-1
C.Record: 15-5 16-5
By ALYSHA TSUJI STAFF WRITER
Na swings: Pepperdine seems to be a good fit.
“What year are you?” is an easy question any college student can answer with ease, but for 18-year-old golfer Grace Na, it is actually quite complicated. Na graduated from Almaeda High School in December 2010 and enrolled at Pepperdine in January 2011 for the spring semester. As a result, Pepperdine labels her as a sophomore even though this is her first full year of school and her first full year competing on the golf team. “When I first started I wasn’t even a legal adult,” Na said. In the process Na lost a year of NCAA golf eligibility, but apparently it has not fazed her. She has dominated thus far in her golf career.
11-9 11-10
12-0-4 13-0-4
»See VALICS, B6
On Oct. 24, Na tied the NCAA record with a 9-under 63 in the first round of the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown at the Boulder Creek Golf Club. The women’s golf team ended up grasping second in the tournament, and Na stole first place with a career-best 7-under 209 — her second collegiate first-place finish. Last season, in her first semester playing for the school, Na managed to snag the Player and Freshman of the Year Awards in addition to being named to the All-WCC first team. Na’s impressive track record does not seem as surprising, considering she picked up a club at the age of 7. “My dad was a big golfer,” Na said. “It was really a coincidence that he loves golf, and I
»See NA, B7
Sunday, Nov. 6
Friday, Nov. 4
Womenʼs Soccer vs. San Francisco at 3 p.m.
Womenʼs Tennis
vs. Mission Hills Desert
Saturday, Nov. 5 Womenʼs Soccer 3 p.m.
C.Record:
ing soon: Stay home and play water polo in Hungary or go to the states and play in college. However, Valics is one that “likes to give himself options in life,” so he took matters into his own hands. He emailed the Pepperdine water polo coach expressing desire to play for the team. “I believe I made a rational decision,” Valics said. Getting to such a prestigious level of play is not easy. Valics noted that when he started to play
NEXT UP ... Classic
C.Record:
my goals, and I do everything to achieve them,” Valics said. One of his first goals was to simultaneously pursue an education and play the sport he loved. When he realized he could not do both in his home country of Hungary, he looked at the U.S. “When I was in high school, I knew that I wanted to study at a university,” Valics said. In Eger, Hungary, Valics had been playing with the senior water polo team for two years when he knew a major life choice was com-
Na swings as a Wave
SCOREBOARD Womenʼs Volleyball
albert.owusu@pepperdine.edu
Valics swims in new waters
asHTOn BOWles/ AssIstANt PHOtO eDItOr
g
Pepperdine’s pack pulled off another impressive performance this weekend, beating USC 21-19. Though the undefeated Waves expected to defeat USC, they were surprised at how close USC managed to make the game. Senior Dalton Egger and junior Takuto Suzuki both scored spectacular tries. Although USC started the match with an early try due to the talents of rising star Suzuki, the Waves were able to quickly tie the game. Suzuki, during an impressive show of athleticism, managed to cut through USC’s backline and dash toward the trie zone. Building off of the momentum of his junior teammate Egger managed to dash past most of USC’s backline for a singlehanded trie. “ I saw a gap, and I had to take it, and next thing I know I was past one dude then the next and then I had scored,” Egger said. USC was able to return the favor and scored on the Waves near the end of the second half. However, the
strength of the Waves’ backline was able to resist the Trojans’ press. The game was settled at a final score of 21-19. Rugby continues off of an impressive last season and preseason. Though their conference has been restructured, the team’s performance doesn’t seem to have been affected. The team’s B-side also managed to defeat USC, with the pack and the backline held together strongly. The team plays in a tournament this Saturday and expects to finish amongst the top tier. “Last year we went into the tournament undersized in numbers and we won the whole thing. This year we have more athletes and depth in our roster,” senior Orlandon Sweeney said. The team is confident now with its new depth and size in their charts their future in this conference is guaranteed.
vs. San Francisco at
Womenʼs Tennis vs. Mission Hills Desert
Classic Day One
Menʼs Basketball vs. Occidental 7 p.m. Menʼs Water Polo at USC at 1 p.m.
Womenʼs Tennis vs. Mission Hills Desert Classic Day Two
Monday, Nov. 7
Womenʼs Tennis vs. Mission Hills Desert Classic Day Three
Menʼs Tennis Championship Day Four
vs. USTA/ITA Indoor National