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PEPPERDINE GRAPHIC MEDIA

Volume XLIII, Issue 16 | February 23, 2012 | pepperdine-graphic.com

» Joe Sever transforms football legacy to baseball success. SPORTS B8

Put it out

15.

HRL puts empty bed issue to rest

University considers tighter restrictions on smoking

By ANDREW KASSELMANN

been able to see what people liked about the new process and what can be changed for next year. The Last semester, Pepperdine ability to pick an exact room, as Housing had approximately 34 well as the discounts for seniors percent of its beds empty. Next and juniors were very popular. Yet semester, with new discounts for the housing office is working to juniors and seniors and a more find a way to make it easier for all personalized housing selection of the junior class to select housprocess, Housing has only 6 per- ing as well as a way to better adcent of its beds empty, according dress the housing selection process to Associate Dean of Housing and in light of RA and SLA selections. Residence Life Brian Dawson. There has been overwhelm“When I was trying to sell ing support for being able to pick the discounts an exact room. to the Board of That change to Regents,” Dawthe housing seWhere Upperclassmen son said, “I told lection process Will Be Living them that if they will be here to Juniors let me have the stay for the comlower rates, I ing years, Daw+ Seniors will fill the empson said. total in Towers ty spots. It seems “I liked being like it has been able to pick the Juniors working.” room I wanted, + Seniors The Housand I got to total in Lovernich ing Office relied room with the heavily on stupeople I wantJuniors dent feedback ed to, as well,” + Seniors when determinsophomore Stetotal in Drescher ing the changes ven Fleming, that it would said. “I also like Filling Up: There are 679 upperclassmake for housthat Towers is men who will be living on campus next year. ing in the comvery cheap next ing academic year.” year. After the According to recent Housing Placement Days Dawson, his strategy of reducing where juniors and seniors were rates to make Pepperdine more able to pick the exact rooms that comparable to off-campus housthey wanted, the Housing Office ing has also received positive feedhas received a lot of feedback as back. The discounts can be seen well. Most of it has been positive as especially large when compared Dawson said. to the 6.38 percent increase to “There have been 20 or more the room and board rate that was positive comments to every one announced on Feb. 10 in a letter negative comment, but I want to to the student body by Dean of hear the criticism too,” Dawson Seaver College Rick Marrs. said. “I want to continue to make The new, discounted rates the Housing experience better for also encompass an additional students.” month of room and board for the Through the positive feedback academic year. Students will be and the criticism, Dawson has »See HRL, A3 NEWS ASSISTANT

177 56 233 109 166 275 65 106 171

ALEXA STOCZKO / CREATIVE DIRECTOR

By WHITNEY IRICK NEWS ASSISTANT

The University Management Committee (UMC) is considering tightening its current regulations with regards to smoking cigarettes on campus. As early as fall 2012, Pepperdine could become a smokefree university. Although it would be referred to as a smoke-free campus, smoking

would be allowed in designated areas. If the UMC formally approves the policy change, smokers would have to adhere to stricter regulations. “It’s fundamentally an issue of public health. The university has a responsibility to maintain an environment that is safe and healthy for people that work here and for students that go to school here,” said Jay

»See SMOKE, A5

Marred vehicles magnify Malibu Inn marketing crusade By MARIELLA RUDI NEWS ASSISTANT

Last week after an unexpected rainfall, residents parked in Rho Parking Lot walked to their cars to discover a flyer promoting a Malibu Inn event stuck to their windows. When they attempted to remove the laminated, wet flyer from the glass, one half of the sticker remained glued to their window. A walk through Rho today reveals many drivers have yet to successfully peel or scratch off the white residue. An incident like this is not why Pepperdine dismissed Malibu Inn promoters from its campus with a cease-anddesist letter last November. “I can confirm that the Malibu Inn was contacted last Fall requesting it refrain from distributing promotional

INDEX DPS Reports..A2 Calendar........A2 Editorial..........A8 Horoscopes....B7 Sports............B10

material on campus,” wrote Senior Director of Public Affairs Jerry Derloshon. “A reply from Steven and Alexander Hakim respectfully noted our policy and said that at the time, the material in question was distributed by a third party without their knowledge.” The third party in that case was Sicky Dicky Productions, an event management and concert promotion company based at the Malibu Inn. But this time Diamond Lane Entertainment was held responsible for the flyers, attracting a negative response from both DPS and vehicle owners. Staff at the Inn directed calls and complaints to Matt Diamond, head of Diamond Lane Entertainment. The Inn has two primary promoters for their nighttime events, Sicky Dicky Productions and Diamond Lane Enter-

The Social Media Golden Rule The staff ed draws the line in online posts between revolutionary and hypercritical.

»PERSPECTIVES, A8

tainment. The two claim to be separate entities. In September they collaborated on one show. Diamond could not be reached for comment. Sicky Dicky formed in 2004, with Diamond as an original member of the crew. About a year after, he left the company to market in Los Angeles. He’s now returned under the Inn’s new ownership. “Sicky Dicky is an LLC,” said Skylar Peak, an ’04 alumnus who is set to run for Malibu City Council this year. “ I have no idea what Matt is as far as a legit business.” The Inn and co-founder of Sicky Dicky deny any involvement with the flyers. According to the co-manager of the Inn, no staff was involved or even aware that the promoter, Diamond

AUBREY HOEPPNER / NEWS EDITOR

Inn-cident: “Dirty Shwasted Love featuring Dirt Nasty” flyers from the Malibu Inn left a lasting impression on students’ vehicles unlucky enough to be in Rho Parking Lot.

Lane Entertainment, of the Feb. 10 event had placed flyers on campus cars. They also deny any letters being sent to the Inn in November.

Pepperdine Myths Debunked A look at commonly held views of Pepperdine.

“Basically it was a pretty certified letter that came to us, and it just said there was to be absolutely no promo-

»See INN, A4

The Waves of Malibu Fri. 1.5 ft @15s

Sat. 1 ft @14s

Sun. 1.5 ft @13s

Mon. 2 ft @14s

» L&A, B1 magicseaweed.com

payin on camp works. “W ber only An students. where stu “I hadn’t ha is going t replace m D off-camp “W them tha want to g off-camp D Malibu a “M houses in a sophom “A program entire cla Da at trying online. Th “I they wan student c Da the effort “W Dawson

NEWS

A2 Graphic

February 23, 2012

Polar Bear Plunge for Special Olympics SIENNA JACKSON COPY EDITOR

Cold War pt. II: China rises

BREE IRVIN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Take a plunge: Lauren Sleezer (center) and other Pepperdine volunteers took a Polar Plunge at Zuma Beach on Saturday to raise funds for Special Olympics Southern California.

DPS REPORTS Weekly update from the Department of Public Safety 2/13/12 2:07 p.m. Parking Related – Wheel Lock Location: Seaver Drive Summary: An unregistered vehicle with multiple unpaid parking citations was wheel locked for identification purposes. 2/13/12 9:31 p.m. Incidents – Person Acting Strangely Location: Drescher student housing apartments Summary: Public Safety officers responded to a report of a student that had taken too much prescription medication. Public Safety officers, Los Angeles County paramedics and Sheriff’s deputies responded. The student was transported to a nearby hospital for evaluation. 2/14/12 1:19 p.m. Traffic Related – Traffic Accident, Non-injury Location: Facilities Management and Planning Summary: University vehicle vs. parked University vehicle traffic collision. A University vehicle collided with a parked university vehicle while attempting to park. Minor damage to both vehicles was reported. 2/14/12 4:14 p.m. Crimes Fraud – Falsification of Records or Signatures Location: Tyler Campus Center Summary: A student reported receiving an email regarding tutoring a French high school student that appeared to be a money scam. 2/14/12 6:07 p.m. Incidents – Heat and smoke alarms Location: Drescher student housing apartments Summary: A fire alarm smoke detector activation; there was no fire. This was a local alarm that did not require the entire building to evacuate or a response from the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The cause was determined to be burning food in an oven. 2/15/12 11:37 a.m. Crimes – Vandalism Location: Pendleton Learning Center Summary: A staff member reported a large metal brass letter had been removed from a wall display in a lobby area. 2/19/12 1:01 a.m. Incidents – Alcohol Related – Drunk in Public Location: Rho Parking Lot Summary: Public Safety officers responded to investigate a report of alcoholic beverages in a student’s vehicle.

News of the WORLD

Around the ’BU

Greece agrees to new bailout

City Council debates begin

Cigarette sparks jail ﬁre

Published letter causes strife

Greece has averted a nightmare scenario by agreeing to a $170 billion bailout deal, Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos said. He also said the deal was probably the most important in Greece’s post-war history. Many citizens are angered by the decision and trade unions have scheduled strikes and protests for Wednesday.

According to officials, a discarded cigarette may be the cause of a prison fire in Honduras. The late-night fire broke out last week and killed at least 360 inmates. Firefighters say the death toll was high because they could not find guards who had the keys to the cells. President Porfirio Lobo has called for a “full and transparent” investigation.

B.A. train crash kills 49

Fourty-nine people have been killed and at least 600 injured in the worst train crash in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 40 years. “We assume that there was some fault in the brakes,” Transportation Secretary JP Schiavi said. No Pepperdine students were harmed.

Portuguese defy carnival ban

People in Portugal took to the streets this week to celebrate the traditional Shrove Tuesday carnival celebrations despite the carnival ban. Due to Portugal’s economic crisis, the government scrapped the Mardi Gras holiday and ordered people to work instead of celebrate. According to media reports, about half the country’s workers stayed at home. Reports compiled from BBC

The Great Malibu Debate takes place this Thursday, marking the first debate of the election. Candidates for the 2012 Malibu City Council race will share their ideas in regards to furthering the Malibu community. Open to the public, the debate will feature all seven candidates and will take place at 6 p.m. in City Hall’s Zuma Room.

A letter written by a woman named Dianne Bates appeared in the Malibu Surfside News. The letter questioned the “constant and ongoing ‘Emily Shane-ing.’” Several people are highly upset regarding the letter’s content and publication in the newspaper. The letter expressed Bates’ feeling that the media, council members and Shane’s family are overdoing the memorialization of Emily’s death in comparison with other lives lost in tragic accidents.

Local runs for Congress

Malibu’s representative in the state Assembly, Julia Brownley, announced that she will be running to represent California’s 26th Congressional District in Congress. The 59-year-old longtime Malibu politician will move to Oak Park, in the Ventura County district. Brownley has served on the state Assembly since 2006.

One dead in ﬁery crash

Last week a fatal car crash left one dead and nearly three acres of Malibu hillside in flames. The crash occurred near KananDume Road and is still under investigation. Reports compiled from Malibu Patch

Pepperdine University rests on a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean, a vast body of water that makes for a great view. But this seemingly tranquil expanse has become the principal stage for increasing tensions between two Pacific powers: the United States and China. Since China began its meteoric rise as an international economic power, it has also invested heavily in spreading its influence throughout the eastern Pacific. From here, China’s ascendency in the Pacific might seem like a distant concern, but it isn’t: China is our greatest economic competitor on the global stage, and decisions made in Beijing have a ripple effect on the American job market. China’s geopolitical expansions are setting the stage for future tensions that our generation will be left to deal with. The choices made by the People’s Republic of China paint a clear picture of their ambitions: Chinese currency is kept undervalued to stay competitive against the U.S. dollar; Chinese laborers are underpaid and overtaxed, a cheap workforce churning out cheap products, all leading to a GDP that outstrips those of the United States and Europe. China’s main goal is rapid expansion, and the government is pursuing it through every means available to them. But the United States has answered this Chinese expansion with an effort of its own: The Obama Administration has orchestrated a sweeping shift in foreign policy, taking the focus off of money pits in the Middle East and turning attention (and resources) to the China Problem. With the Pentagon’s new austerity budget, the United States will devote less of its time to interventions in troubled regions in favor of protecting the home front. Unlike the Middle East, the Pacific region is populated by stable, largely democratic nations. U.S. power there will rely less on our own investment, and more on strong relationships with other nations. In the Pacific theater, the United States has reached out to other Pacific nations, strengthening military ties and trade relationships, much to the consternation of Beijing. We’ve begun preliminary discussions with the Philippines, a nation that already hosts roughly 600 U.S. troops. 2,500 Marines will be stationed in Australia in a new U.S. base — an agreement that marks the first substantial expansion of American military presence in the Pacific since the Vietnam War. Beijing has met this affirmation of American power in the region with a statement of its own: China has invested heavily in modernizing its military, and deploying long-range aircraft and a more able deep-sea naval force. It is not just in military expansion that the United States and China have traded blows. President Obama has hit the Chinese where it truly hurts them, their wallets. In his last State of the Union Address, the president announced the creation of a Trade Enforcement Unit, tasked with investigating unfair trading practices, most particularly by China. The Senate has passed harsh trade legislation that will impose higher tariffs on some Chinese imports, punishment for China’s currency manipulation. And as the U.S. economy continues to regain strength, American manufacturers will once again become competitive on the global market. In a column in Foreign Policy, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asserted: “Beyond our borders, people are also wondering about America’s intentions — our willingness to remain engaged and to lead. In Asia, they ask whether we are really there to stay, whether we are likely to be distracted again by events elsewhere, whether we can make — and keep — credible economic and strategic commitments, and whether we can back those commitments with action. The answer is: We can, and we will.” Let’s hope so, because for us Americans the biggest issue in foreign policy — one that will decide not just our economic future, but our geopolitical one as well — lies just beyond the beach. 

sienna.jackson@pepperdine.edu

CALENDAR God in Business 8 p.m. PLC 125

Opera Program presents “Die Fledermaus” (“The Bat”) 7:30 p.m. Smothers Theatre

The CFA presents Jan Lisiecki, Piano 2 p.m. Raitt Recital Hall

Spring Break No Classes Meet Five Days

Portrait of Pepperdine Launch Party 4 p.m. Drescher Campus

NEWS

February 23, 2012

Graphic

Spoken word challenges, HRL: rooms fill quickly encourages listeners

where they want to go; if you don’t like it, don’t commit, but if you do like it, we need you to commit, just like you would if it were paying for nine months instead of eight, but off-campus housing.” Dawson also wants to find a way to imas a result, will no longer have to pay a per day prove the selection process for would-be jurate for staying on campus during breaks. This change was made to make Pepperdine hous- niors who are scattered between Malibu and ing more similar to how off-campus housing study abroad programs. “My major complaint about the housing works. “When you sign a contract for housing off- process, other than the drawing that randomly campus, you don’t get four months and then disadvantages some IP houses in major ways, is that RA/SLA hasn’t been take a break during December decided yet. That is going to only to come back for another “I think picking free up so much space,” said four months,” Dawson said. the order for Andy Krawtz, a sophomore Another change made to the different in the Heidelberg program. make housing at Pepperdine programs out of Dawson thought the sysmore like that found off-camtem this year was as fair as it pus has been less popular with a hat was the could have been. students. This year, the Housfairest and most “Although it is always ing Contract was binding for equitable thing hard when people get to the full amount of room and to do.” pick in front of you, I think board, unlike in previous years picking the order for the where students could cancel —Brian Dawson different programs out of a for a gradually increasing fee Assoc. Dean of Housing hat was the fairest and most many months after accepting equitable thing to do, but it the contract. This particular would be best if we were able to combine the change disappointed some students. “I signed a housing contract, but I didn’t entire class somehow,” Dawson said. Dawson also recognized the difficulty do it with a smile on my face. I felt forced to do it out of default because I hadn’t had time posed by the RA and SLA selections not havto look at other options. I think they should ing been made yet. He is looking at trying to definitely provide a way out of the contract, incorporate technology into the selection proespecially if there is going to be a waiting list cess in order to make picking housing more for people to get in. What’s wrong with drop- like picking classes online. This would also ping my on-campus housing if there’s some- enable the entire junior class to pick as one one to replace me?” junior Aaron Schott said. group, regardless of location. “I would like for students to be able to acDawson considered this change another attempt to make housing at Pepperdine more tually look at the exact plans of rooms online and click on the room that they want at their like a lease off campus. “When we had the sliding cancellation, randomly assigned time,” Dawson said. We students didn’t have choices. This year they are currently still looking for a program that did have choice, but we told them that if they does all of this. If a Pepperdine student can are not sure, they should not sign the con- design me one, I will pay for it.” andrew.kasselmann@pepperdine.edu tract,” he said. “We let students pick exactly From A1

By MELODY CHENG STAFF WRITER

A Night of Spoken Word, a convocation event starring sophomore Demi McCoy, tackled life’s questions and how to present those struggles back into the hands of God. Monday night’s student performances addressed self-esteem, goals, stress and loneliness through song and poetry. McCoy, Religion major, described the spiritual high that often comes after a night of praise and fellowship, but she warned the audience with her last poem, “Weary Spirit In Me,” that the walk with God is not just about the high and the next few hours or days after an inspirational event. McCoy said the walk with God is constant and always has room to grow, and the most important part about the event is “God. The Love of God.” The night consisted of students reciting poems, playing instruments and performing a cappella. The Fireside Room was filled with excited people cheering on the performers as each one shared their testimonies through their specific art. Senior Jamye Grant opened the evening with her poem “& I ate,” which described an inner spiritual battle. Grant gave comparisons between a Christian’s battle and “spiritual holocaust.” After freshman Nuriel Garrett sang along with her guitar and reminded the audience that “if they hate you, it’s all right.” The care-free song led into McCoy’s first piece titled “Maybe I Could.” This poem intended to inspire the listeners to stay true to who they are and to not be pressured into being what others want them to be like. “People tell me who I could be,” McCoy said, using this poem to describe her testimony of struggling with knowing that she can change into what others want her to be. McCoy’s next poem, “The Eye of a Needle” brought the audience to their feet. The poem posed the question of career versus faith, the constant battle between belief and worldly success. McCoy addressed the things students are often told such as “time is money” and that careers should come first so that they can support themselves and their future families. However, she later spoke against this idea. “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle

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NIKI BABIAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Spoken Word: Sophomore Demi McCoy addresses life’s struggles in verse.

than for the rich to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, so it’s time I let go of my financial worries and let God lead in the right direction,” McCoy said. The audience was further entertained by sophomores Nate Tinner and Rmani Crawford’s duet “Send Me.” Their performance spoke to the those that were blessed enough to have strength in their lives to speak up for the weak. The last few poems by McCoy and an a capella song sung by Marie Thomas encouraged the audience in. These poems, “Bullseye,” “Trust In God,” “Your Reflection” and “I am Women” were all very different poems in terms of rhythm and emotions. Thomas’ song, “Beauty, Recognition” reminded listeners that they are beautiful but also warned the beautiful to be humble. McCoy said “Bullseye” was inspired by the testimonies of friends.

“Trust in God” directly connected with many listeners. It was inspired by McCoy’s experience last May, when she was driving and saw a homeless man holding a sign saying “Trust In God.” “I was trying to figure out the future,” McCoy said. “God is always going to be with me.” She told students in the audience that God will write a resume they could never dream of. McCoy’s new CD, “Maybe I Could” is on sale for $10 on iTunes. The CD includes many of her spoken word poems, many of which were performed at the convocation event. All proceeds go towards the funds for her trip to Africa this coming summer.

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yayin.cheng@pepperdine.edu

Sexual content leads to senior show rejection By IAN MCDONALD ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

For the Pepperdine Theatre department, the show must go on, even when issues concerning what is appropriate for a student production cast doubt onto what that show might be. Senior Theatre major Jillian Dobbins recently experienced a hindrance on the way to completing her senior project when the play she had initially selected to produce, and received approval for, was rejected. “I spent seven months expecting to do one play, and then in four days had to find another one,” Dobbins said. “I was told on a Friday that I couldn’t do it, and my auditions were supposed to be the following Tuesday,” Dobbins said. Each spring, junior Theatre majors enrolled in the Directing II course compete to see who will get the opportunity to direct a student-produced show for their senior project in the coming year. Dobbins was chosen to direct, and her play of choice, “After the End” by Dennis Kelly, was approved by the faculty. “I knew the playwright, because I had seen a play of his called “Debris,” and it sounded like the play Jillian had proposed dealt with similar themes,” Professor Bradley Griffin said. “I felt like I had an understanding of what it was. I had an opportunity to read the scripts, but Jillian had described it, so I thought, ‘I think I know what this is,’ and the project was approved.” However, after examining the show with further scrutiny, the faculty decided that the play was irreconcilably inappropriate for Pepperdine’s standards. “Looking very specifically at the play, I realized, this is edgy, this is psychological, and it has some strong language in it, but it also contained several instances of nudity: male nudity and female nudity, and it has some very strong sexual content in it,” Griffin said. “For anything that we stage here, on the main stage or in the mini-theatre, one line that we as a faculty are not prepared to cross in any situation, is nudity on stage, and anything that is going to put our student performers into a position that would make them extremely vulnerable.” While a new play, “A Steady Rain” was chosen and is now slated to be performed in April, the incident raised questions regarding the show selection procedure and the Pepperdine standards of decency for Theatre students. The faculty expressed regrets at the manner in which the rejection occurred, but remained firm in their decision. “We should’ve looked into that more fully before we allowed the project to get to the point of getting ready for auditions and pro-

duction,” Griffin said. “We posted a public apology to Jillian on our callboard, where we owned up to our mistake. But, we still said we feel like we can’t allow this project to go forward, for the reasons that we had stated.” Dobbins insisted that while she respects the faculty’s decision, she did everything she could to make sure the potentially objectionable parts of the show were made known. Furthermore, Dobbins said she believes that the show could have been produced in a way that didn’t transgress any standards. Using discretionary staging, avoiding putting student actors in compromising positions would have been a technical issue. “I would like to think that the faculty would have enough faith in me to know that I would be able to mask it in a creative way — I wasn’t even considering nudity on stage at any point,” Dobbins said. While much of the buzz around the situation is due to the way it happened, beyond the procedural issues, questions about the University’s responses to more mature subject matter in plays remain. “The problem is that there isn’t actually a written code as to what is appropriate or not, and that’s something that needs to change, especially when they tell us we have the liberty to direct whatever we want,” Dobbins said. “There are obviously restrictions, but we have no real way of knowing what they are.” She expressed the hope that Pepperdine’s theatrical output would not remain limited to light subject matter, but would adapt to tackle tougher questions in their productions. “My question to Pepperdine would be, are we really that afraid of investigating the deeper, darker parts of human nature?” Dobbins said. “As an artist, and as an actress and as a director, I think that it’s necessary to investigate the darker parts of human nature and I don’t condone any of the acts in that play, but that’s a huge part of learning about human nature, is seeing it performed on stage.” Griffin acknowledged the predicament of trying to present modern drama in a way that fits with the University’s mission and values, and pointed to recent shows, “Proof ” and “Rabbit Hole” as successes in addressing darker subject matter. “When we talk about doing contemporary, as in late 20th, early 21st century plays, frequently, one of the things we have to think about, for the main stage, certainly, is language and content,” Griffin said. “We are trying to look at the whole story that’s being told, and ask ourselves, ‘is it a story that’s worth telling, and can we tell that story with integrity?’” 

ian.mcdonald@pepperdine.edu

NEWS

A4 Graphic

Project Exodus folds due to sustainability challenges By IAN MCDONALD ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

Alumni-founded nonprofit Project Exodus has announced it will be ending operations effective April 1. The organization, founded in 2009 by alumnus Mike Masten (’08) and then-student Blake McAllister (’11), has worked in and around the Los Angeles metro area fighting human trafficking. In an email to supporters and volunteers, Masten revealed that the organization would not be able to continue operating. “We found that inherent difficulties in running a volunteer investigative program, coupled with issues facing law enforcement and the justice system, have made the activities of Project Exodus unsustainable,” Masten said. “Faced with this truth, we understood with heavy hearts that the time had come for us to shut down.” The Project Exodus system was based around running a network of volunteers, including many Pepperdine students, working as investigators for brothels and other potential human trafficking sites. The volunteers would compile the information gathered into reports to be handed over to law enforcement in the hopes that they would be able to shut the target down, and create a case to take to court. Masten cited three issues behind the organization’s closing. The volunteer time requirement was extensive, and extremely specific training was required in order to get quality information. Most local law enforcement were vastly underequipped to deal with human trafficking, even with the added help from the Project Exodus reports. Furthermore, the inherent difficulties of getting a conviction for human trafficking make taking the cases to court difficult. “Even if law enforcement was able to build a case, the justice system was so

overcrowded that the prosecutors were extremely selective in the cases they were accepting. … They were really looking for cases where the women themselves would admit to being trafficking victims,” Masten said. “Very rarely will a victim actually come forward to admit that because of multiple fears of retaliation and punishment. Sometimes, the nature of the crime is that they don’t even realize that they’re vicMasten tims. They don’t Project Exodus know what huCo-founder man trafficking is, they wouldn’t identify themselves as being trafficked. It’s a very hard burden of proof to try and present.” While progress was made in refining the organization’s methods, the conclusion reached was that it would continue to be ineffective until structural changes in law enforcement and the criminal justice system were made. “Given these three main obstacles, we discovered that even if we were to perfect every single aspect of the investigations on our end, we were still facing a very unrealistic possibility of our cases going through,” Masten said. “We started Project Exodus in order to serve the Kingdom, and I think it’s clear that we’ve done a lot of good, but we’ve decided that our time and energy will see an even greater return if we invest it elsewhere,” McAllister said. The genesis of the organization came when Masten and McAllister wanted to find a way to get people involved in fighting human trafficking beyond just spreading awareness. “We wanted to create a system that allowed civilians, average everyday individuals, to try and get involved with the abolitionist movement,” Masten said. Added McAllister, “There were many

organizations that spread awareness but few that allowed you, as a volunteer, to be involved in the process of liberating victims.” The complementary goal of getting people directly involved was leading to the freedom of the victims. “Mike and I wanted to create a tangible, direct way for volunteers to fight the human trafficking industry,” McAllister said. “Education was certainly an important part of our vision (and something that we were quite successful at doing), but our main desire was to rescue victims of human trafficking.” Despite the closing of Project Exodus, their past four years of work will not be lost. All of the information gathered will be compiled into one large report on the illegal brothel network of Southern California and will be published for law enforcement use. “We had very tangible, undeniable evidence that these were brothels,” Masten said. “We had the most comprehensive database anywhere of the brothel network in Los Angeles. We almost have a public responsibility to let this information be known.” Coupled with a media campaign called “Brothel-Free SoCal,” they hope to continue finding new ways to fight human trafficking. Masten admitted that while taking down brothels was not as directed at freeing trafficking victims, he explained his theory that in getting brothels taken down, it would, by proxy, give more opportunities for human trafficking rings to be busted, and for victims to be rescued. “It’s the difference between fishing with a pole, versus fishing with a net.” Masten said. “If there is a crackdown on brothels then that would create a situation where if there are brothels participating in human trafficking, through this process victims would have that opportunity to get out.” 

ian.mcdonald@pepperdine.edu

February 23, 2012

Inn: campus residents frustrated by Malibu Inn advertisements lack of Pepperdine students involved in the Malibu nightlife.“It seems like the students would always go tion or marketing on their campus to Duke’s on Tuesday and then they of any kind; no flyers, no posters, no would come here.” said Hildebrand promoters oncampus talking to peo- of a time before the Inn closed. “This ple,” John Hildebrand, co-founder of isn’t how it is anymore. I’m curious to Sicky Dicky, told the Graphic in No- know why. Do the students feel not vember. “It said that if they kept see- welcome?” ing promotion on campus then they Hildebrand said Sicky Dicky was would have to take legal action.” in the dark with what next step they Peak called President Benton di- would take to promote their event to rectly and apologized, according to the students, an extremely large deHildebrand. mographic in Malibu. “I have learned the Inn placed The marred windows have not ads or flyers on necessarily given the windshields on Inn a bad reputation. “I give the Malibu campus which we Many students say Inn the stare down don’t allow,” Derthis will not prevent every time I pass loshon wrote in them from ever freNovember. “Skyquenting the Inn as it now.” lar is friends with customers, but none—Joe Malkiewicz President Benton theless, they were anFreshman and the two exgered. changed notes Freshman Joe about the flyers. Pepperdine does not Malkiewicz drove out of Rho Parking have a ‘stance’ on the Malibu Inn per Lot with a fresh seal of white residue se.” on his left window determined to Overall, Public Affairs maintains get rid of any trace. He walked out that the university and the Inn’s rela- of Taco Bell with a stack of napkins, tionship is a harmonious one. soap and a cup of water. The supplies Peak said he has been very stern affixed the adhesive to the window about what goes out to Pepperdine even more. At the gas station across since his immediate response to the the street, Malkiewicz “went to town” university’s letter. on the glass with both sides of the “We’ve patched that up,” said Hil- squeegee. Finally, resorting to picking debrand. “But now we have to be a lot at the white stickum with his finger more careful about how we promote. nails, Malkiewicz was able to clean I don’t know how we’re going to get parts of the sticker off. Pieces still around it. This was never really an is- remained in his window crevice that sue before the Inn closed.” will most likely never come out, acHildebrand said that the Inn never cording to Malkiewicz. technically told the promoters to go “I give the Malibu Inn the stare on campus and pass out flyers, but the down through my slightly blurred assumption that those most interested window every time I pass it now,” would be college students drew them Malkiewicz said. to campus. mariella.rudi-lopez@pepperdine.edu He further lamented the serious From A1

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NEWS

February 23, 2012

By ASHLEY THURMOND

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SGA funds housing, Payson aquarium

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This week the Student Government Association passed resolutions to allocate the budget to both Housing and Residence Life and Payson Library. After withstanding a round of amendments, the HRL Improvement Project Resolution received $8,000, and the second resolution funded a Payson Library project for $1,441.01. SGA’s remaining budget for the remainder of the academic year is $31,601. The members made elaborate arguments as the two-hour meeting was cut short before the entire agenda could play out. Members spent the time working to compromise on financeheavy resolutions proposed in the meeting yesterday, evaluating the budget while considering four resolutions. The negotiation surrounding the resolutions reflected SGA members’ attention to their overall budget. SGA was mindful to specify their financial and funding obligations for projects, so they maintain a stable budget for their seven remaining meetings. “Compared to last semester, we’ve –been cavalier with spending,” senior Sen. Jordan Womack said. “I’d like SGA to spend more of its funds on lasting legacies.” SGA came to a decision regarding the HRL Improvement Funding that President Mimi Rothfus had brought to the table last week. Senators moved to amend three lines of the resolution before passing it. Instead of granting $15,000 to HRL as the original resolution proposed, the senators moved to reduce the amount to $8,000. The number came from the amount that HRL set for the “bare bones” renovation — $10,000. As SGA passed a resolution last semester to fund $2,000 to HRL for this project, this additional $8,000 will fulfill the “bare bones” funding requirement. Dean of Housing and Resident Life Brian Dawson attended the meeting to take any questions, concerns and suggestions SGA had in regard to the housing improvements — Lover-

nich in particular. Dawson assured the group that this would cover the transformation of the area from an office space to a community living space, the Lovernich common area. “It will still be a beautiful place for you,” Dawson said. The amended resolution does not include any funding for exercise rooms in Rockwell Towers, as originally proposed. SGA decided to fund the initial $10,000 necessary to get the ball rolling on the Lover“Compared to nich common last semester, area project. we’ve been However, an cavalier with amendment spending. I’d was made by Rothfus to like SGA to prompt SGA spend more of to evaluate the its funds on lastbudget nearing legacies.” ing the close of the semester —Jordan Womack Senior, Senator and potentially fund more of the project. The second resolution passed was proclaimed to be “an extra thing to make [the library] special” by Rachel O’Connor, vice president of administration. This resolution gave $1,441.01 to Payson Library to fuel the Pop-Up Lounge project. These funds will be used for an aquarium to be installed in the Pop-Up Lounge. SGA denied two resolutions the senators believed failed to justify their requests for funding, including a $15,000 “Bon Voyage” freshmen class event and a $4,284 Capstone Research Policy Support resolution. SGA found the Capstone Research Policy Support resolution, authored by Executive Vice President Nico Gutierrez, would be viewed as academic preference and unfair. The resolution promoted financially aiding students who take a required business policy course. 

ashley.thurmond@pepperdine.edu

Smoke: student health prime concern for administration be taken. Disciplinary action could range from a warning to a fine. But, according to Brewster, the University is not interested in a heavyBrewster, associate provost and professor of Bi- handed policing effort. ology at Pepperdine. Brewster and the UMC Statistics show that smoking is a common met last week to discuss the possibility of tran- behavior among Pepperdine students. Twenty sitioning to a smoke-free campus. percent of males and 10 percent of females surCurrently, smoking inside any University- veyed reported that they had smoked recently. maintained building or vehicle is prohibited. Tobacco use among undergraduate students In conjunction with California law, it is il- increases during their four years at Pepperdine. legal to smoke within 20 feet of an entrance. These statistics are concerning because addicThe new policy would be an intermediate step tive behaviors are often established during the in smoking restriction. The long-term goal is college years. a completely smoke-free campus, but the ad“I definitely support this new policy because ministration understands that accomplishing it is exhausting dealing with secondhand smoke this is challenging. As a comall the time,” freshman Annie promise, smoking would be Jeong said. “One person smokallowed only in designated ing in a high traffic area affects smoking areas. so many people negatively.” “The preference “Right now, Pepperdine’s However, some students are in general we policy on smoking is pretty a little skeptical of the changes. had from feedpermissive. The new policy Freshman Elliott Bassile said he back was that would be more restrictive,” is already mindful to minimize we should go to Brewster said. The UMC is the impact of his smoking on seeking an open dialogue conothers. an intermediate cerning the issue and came to “I understand the health position, where this compromise after reviewconcerns and I would be fine as smoking areas ing feedback from students long as there are at least some are allowed and faculty. “The preference spots to smoke. But, one thing I in general we had from feeddo already is try to avoid people — limited but back was that we should go when I do smoke,” Bassile said. provided.” to an intermediate position, The data on the risks of sec—Jay Brewster where some smoking areas ondhand smoke reveal serious Associate Provost are allowed — limited but impacts on health. The U.S. Enprovided,” Brewster said. vironmental Protection Agency “The Case for a Smoke(EPA) has classified secondhand Free Campus,” a UMC report, identified con- smoke as a Group A carcinogen, meaning there cern for student health as a principle factor in is clear data that identifies these agents as a the discussion: “Motivated by concern for the cause of human cancers. The number of deaths student, it is the responsibility of University attributed to secondhand smoke is beginning governance to put policies in place that pro- to multiply. The Centers for Disease Control tect the health of students, and to generate a estimates that environmental (secondhand) respectful environment on campus.” smoke kills 46,000 people each year. The UMC, subcommittee and campus If this policy is implemented, the UMC planning committee are carefully mapping out will look at its effectiveness and at a later date areas that would accommodate smokers, yet are discuss the option of becoming completely not in high traffic areas. The designated smok- smoke-free like other colleges across the couning areas would most likely be on the periphery try. According to the American Nonsmokers’ of main campus. Rights Foundation, approximately 648 colEnforcement of the new policy would be lege and university campuses are 100 percent mainly peer enforced. This means that if some- smoke-free with no exemptions in the United one was violating the policy, another student States. could notify the Department of Public Safety whitney.irick@pepperdine.edu or the Dean’s Office and proper action could From A1

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NEWS

A6 Graphic

February 23, 2012

COURTESY OF RYAN DAPREMONT

Love, Joy, Peace Corps: Pepperdine alumni Ryan and Lindsey Dapremont pose with some of their Saramaccan students they serve.

Alumni couple serves in Suriname By RACHEL MILLER STAFF WRITER

It all started in 1960, when presidential candidate John F. Kennedy urged students at the University of Michigan to take their calls of service out into developing countries — to see the world, to serve their country and to work toward peace. His challenge of service brought forth the establishment of the international organization today known as the Peace Corps. Since its formation, more than 200,000 volunteers have taken Kennedy’s challenge to heart — including Pepperdine couple Ryan and Lindsay Dapremont. Having served in a volunteer capacity during their time at Pepperdine, the couple was already well acquainted with Matthew 10:8, “Freely ye received, freely give.” But after graduating and spending a few years in the work force, they decided to take their service overseas, and in 2010, they took a bold step and moved to Suriname, located in northern South America, to

begin their work. “Going into this experience as a couple has been a tremendous challenge for us but I’d say it has also been an equally tremendous blessing,” Ryan wrote in an email. “As we’ve dealt with the standard ups and downs of Peace Corps service, it’s been wonderful to know that my best friend is experiencing the same feelings right along side me.” The couple met in the summer of 2006, while working at Special Programs. Ryan was a Telecommunications major and Lindsay a double major in International Studies and Spanish. They later married in 2009, after graduating from Pepperdine in 2007. Since beginning work with the Peace Corps, the Dapremonts have been able to work on numerous projects including female empowerment camps for youth ages 12 to 15 and integrating into and working alongside locals. Though the work they have accomplished is concentrated, the impact on members of the local culture is immeasurable.

“There’s no doubt that we are making a difference and it’s not always necessarily through project work that we do so,” Ryan wrote. “Even just being a presence in someone’s life, allowing them to gain a better understanding about and appreciation for what an American is like makes a difference.” He continued, “When you layer that onto the various development projects, trainings, and capacity building exercises we have implemented during our time here, it’s clear that we are impacting people’s lives.” When reflecting on their most memorable experiences while in Suriname, Lindsay explained that while participating in empowerment camps, the couple has been able to share their relationship story with the Saramaccan people, as well as their views on marriage and gender roles. “Being careful not to impose our views on others, we simply demonstrate that various cultures and various couples choose their own relationship path, encouraging the girls to make positive decisions, whatever they might

choose.” Ryan added that participating in a local burial ceremony, in which only a select group of people are able to handle the funeral proceedings, made himself and Lindsay feel, for the first time, both accepted and “completely integrated into our community.” While the couple spoke positively about their time together in a volunteer capacity, they also explained that their shared service has brought both blessings and trials. “Serving in the Peace Corps as a couple has many advantages but there are also additional challenges,” Lindsay wrote. “We have a built in support system, which is invaluable during this often stressful and trying experience. However, learning the local language is more difficult with couples because we are not forced to speak it all of the time. Integration can be tricky because the local culture demands we both adhere to its gender roles and marriage model when ours is extremely dissimilar.” Collectively, the couple agrees that their experience with the Peace Corps

is one that has changed their lives and will be able to shape the lives of the Saramaccan people. “Our goal here isn’t to change the world,” Ryan wrote. “We do small projects with a small village in a small country knowing full well that we will likely never see the vast majority of the positive developments of our work. Our goal here, indeed the goal of all Peace Corps volunteers, is to plant seeds that will one day lead to sustainable development. It may take years or it may take decades, but the work we are doing here, the seeds we have planted, will undoubtedly bear fruit.” Lindsay wrote, “Perhaps the greatest gift is yet to come, however, when we re-integrate back into the U.S. Like all Peace Corps volunteers, we have each grown, changed and experienced things that are impossible to explain to people back home. It will be wonderfully comforting to have each other to understand what we have been through during our life abroad and to look forward to our life together in the future.” 

rachel.miller@pepperdine.edu

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NEWS

February 23, 2012

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Brosnan steals the Cinemagic show

Once such professional is Brosnan, who joined Pepperdine’s Center for Entertainment, Media and Culture to speak candidly with students in the LA area as well as several students from the Bond, James Bond, graced the halls of the Center for Communication and Republic of Ireland as well as Northern Business (CCB) yesterday morning to Ireland. Making their way across the Pond, lend his support to the third Cinemagic Los Angeles Film and Television Festi- these seven teenagers were selected to val for Young People, taking place Feb. represent Cinemagic in LA after par20-25 in various locations around Los ticipating in Cinemagic’s International Angeles. Yesterday, the place was Pep- Film Camp in Belfast last August, which perdine University and the man of the brought together hopeful moviemakers from around the globe and challenged hour was Pierce Brosnan. “I am delighted to be joining Cin- them to make a short film in five days. Filling the room to capacity, the stuemagic once again to share my experience in film and television with students dents listened eagerly to Brosnan’s story. from Ireland and Los Angeles,” Brosnan Born in the Irish countryside, the future said in a Cinemagic press release. “Cin- 007 lived there until his parents split emagic offers a unique educational and he moved to London was he was experience to students who might oth- 11. He left school at 15 — an action he erwise not receive the chance to learn did not condone for the students present — and survived in the big city beabout the entertainment industry.” A Malibu local born in Ireland, Bros- cause of his love and talent for artwork. His break into acting came from nan is a patron of Cinemagic, a youth director Joseph Sarfilm festival anchored in gent in the 1981 TV Belfast and Dublin. Acminiseries “Manions cording to its press re“You want to of America.” lease, the festival “gives have freedom “You meet many young people the opto find yourself people in life and they portunity to work with open doors in small others from different in the world ways, and he opened cultural backgrounds and and to have the door in a very big to create new channels of the security way,” Brosnan said of communication through and strength to Sargent, who was on the medium of film.” make a fool of the phone during this Brosnan’s involveportion of the event. ment was much appreciyourself.” “Is this the same ated. “And to hear some—Pierce Brosnan unknown Irish actor one like Pierce, who’s Actor that walked into my so humble and so kind, office in London and speak and inspire these knocked me out with kids is just an amazing opportunity,” said Joan Burney Keat- a great reading?” Sargent joked over the ings, chief executive of the international phone, excited at Brosnan’s success and time at Pepperdine. festival. Sargent’s work brought Brosnan to Students participate in workshops and Q-and-A sessions with profession- America, where his mid-1980s role in als to hone their filmmaking as well as “Remington Steele” launched his Amertheir interpersonal and intercultural ican career. Despite his passion for acting and understanding in the pursuit of their his career success, Brosnan didn’t always ambitions.

By SONYA SINGH EXECUTIVE EDITOR

KAYLA FERGUSON/ ONLINE CONTENT EDITOR

007: Pierce Brosnan visits Pepperdine to advise film students, some of whom traveled from Ireland for the Cinemagic film festival.

see himself as an actor. He was a natural painter, after all. “It was a great surprise to me that I wanted to be an actor because I was very shy as a young man,” Brosnan said to senior Theatre major Jamye Grant, who led a Q-and-A for a portion of the event. “And I had the arts. I was enjoying being an artist at that time; however, I had a great love of movies. I’d been asked to be in school plays, which I shunned. The dream was never really on the landscape.” After being exposed to acting at the behest of a friend in the late 1960s, “life changed on a dime.” The room full of students saw the turns his life took through the decades via clips from “Manions of America,” “Ghost Writer,” “Mrs. Doubtfire,” among other projects of his. But any discussion with Pierce Brosnan would be incomplete without mentioning his iconic portrayal of Ian Fleming’s suave

MI6 agent, James Bond. “The character of Bond was so deep in my psyche because of Connery [and Roger Moore] that it was difficult to find a place within the space and on the page,” Brosnan said. He was actually offered the role once and had to decline because of his contract with “Remington Steele.” Grant asked how he prepared for such a difficult, revered role when he could accept it the second time around. “I tried to make him as human as possible. I tried to make a place in my heart for him, to have blood in his veins and to have some kind of humanity. That’s what started me on the quest for his character,” Brosnan said. That, and preparation. Reading and studying the script, rereading Ian Fleming’s books, immersing yourself the role — this is the advice he offered the budding moviemakers. “You want to have freedom to find

yourself in the world and to have the security and strength to make a fool of yourself,” Brosnan said to the students about the acting process. He pointed to his “Mamma Mia” co-star Meryl Streep as one of the most exemplary actors to learn from today. “[For ‘Mamma Mia’] this woman came in and led a company of young actors and dancers and singers. And this woman was fearless. She’s incredible … and I think the same for any of her work; she experiments. You have to be open and show yourself.” Recalling old advice from Sargent, Brosnan said, “No matter how big you get and wherever you go, you’re always going to have to test for someone. As great as you think you are, maybe you’re not in another person’s eyes. They want you to show up, to meet you, talk to you. It’s a constant constructing and destroying of yourself, being an actor.” 

sonya.singh@pepperdine.edu

Guitar guru helps hone students’ string skills By ASHLEY THURMOND NEWS ASSISTANT

Since well-known professor and classical guitarist Christopher Parkening first arrived on Pepperdine campus back in 2002, he has held guitar master classes for Pepperdine and the local California community. This semester’s master class was held in Raitt Recital Hall last Saturday. The hall’s seats were practically full of auditors for the duration of the four-hour class, which proved to be a learning experience for both the audience and participants as Parkening gave a personalized, yet public lesson. Participants were able to come onstage and perform a piece or two they had been working on. Afterward, the audience offered rounds of applause. Along with compliments, Parkening offered each guitarist personal advice spanning sound, technique, power and more. “In the classical guitar world in recent years, there has been a growing trend to sacrifice the legacy of beauty, warmth and lyricism in favor of a colder, mechanistic, purely intellectual performance,” Parkening said. “It is my goal to pass on to my classical guitar students at Pepperdine the legacy left by the great Spanish guitarist Andres Segovia, who moved millions with his beautiful, lyrical playing.” Parkening is a distinguished professor of music at Pepperdine and continues to share his gift with his community here and beyond. “Professor Parkening is one of my idols,” Parkening’s sophomore student Kevin Enstrom said. “This master class is an amazing experience for us to get another take and more input on our performances. “You get a lot of answers, often the perfect answers to solidify your techniques and playing.” During the master class, Parkening spoke to guitarists aspiring to reach

their full potential, emphasizing various anecdotes and lessons he has learned throughout his own career. “Knowing how to practice is vital to your progress,” Parkening said. The audience played an interactive role in the presentation as active listeners, commentators and newcomers. The audience was a diverse crowd ranging from college students, some studying music, to community members out to hear great music and Parkening’s advice. Parkening continues to guide guitarists studying at Pepperdine as a music professor. “My mission at Pepperdine University is to help students pursue the highest levels of personal excellence in mastering the classical guitar with the ultimate purpose of inspiring them to use their unique talents to the best of their abilities for the glory of God,” Parkening said. “Mentoring my students at Pepperdine, and in a small way helping guide them in their careers, has been a joy and a truly rewarding experience.” First-year student Daniel Carter explained that he came to Pepperdine specifically to study with Parkening. “Studying with Parkening is an incredible opportunity,” Carter said. “He is extremely expressive, and his testimo-

ny as a Christian — putting excellence over perfection, playing music with a purpose — drew me to study with him.” Along with these classes, Parkening expanded the showcase and competition of aspiring classical guitarist program through the Parkening International Guitar Competition held on the Malibu campus. The master class also served as a screening process for guitarists interested in competing in Parkening’s own guitar competition this summer. “For this year’s competition, May 31 to June 2, we will have many of the greatest guitarists in the world, ages 30 years and under, assembled at Pepperdine University in Malibu competing for over $65,000 in prize money,” Parkening said. “Also, we have assembled a panel of internationally renowned judges.” Parkening offered advice to hopeful guitar competitors: “Take your piece on a year-long journey. You really get to know the piece this way.” Parkening’s fall 2012 master class will take place in the Raitt Recital Hall on Saturday, Sept. 22, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Submissions must be postmarked by Aug. 1. 

ashley.thurmond@pepperdine.edu

COURTESY OF MARK WESTLING

String Theory: The music department incorporates Spanish guitar into the curriculum.

RACHEL MILLER / PHOTO ASSISTANT

Guitar Master: Professor Christopher Parkening teaches at his master class Saturday.

PERSPECTIVES February 23, 2012

Graphic

MADISON LEONARD PERSPECTIVES EDITOR

Instead of 40 fat-free days, ‘Lent’a hand Welcome to Lent! This week begins the 40-day period of prayer, penance and sacrifice that leads up to the celebration of Easter. Catholics and Christians of many denominations around the world ate, drank and made merry this past Tuesday, then turned over on Ash Wednesday to begin the period of fasting. All over the world, there are pre-Lent festivities packed with exorbitant eating or wild festivities for Fat Tuesday. Polish Catholics celebrate “Paczki Day” by lining up outside of bakeries for pre-fast deep fried pastries called polonias. In the United Kingdom, “Shrove Tuesday” is celebrated by eating pancakes, another big calorie bang before the upcoming fast. (A small relief here as I realize that the United States is not the only country to base holidays around the consumption of unhealthy food.) And of course, one of the most famous Lent kick-offs is the Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans, which I think veered from any kind of religious foundation a long, long time ago. It doesn’t take more than a couple of minutes cruising online to find posts about the upcoming Lent season. Maybe friends are enjoying steak dinner finales before several bleak vegetarian weeks ahead. Others may be weighing in on how to survive the caffeine withdrawal once beloved coffee is out of the picture. My favorite Lent posts are the treasured farewells to the Facebook community, supposing that everyone else will miss, — let alone even notice — that person’s cyber absence as they log-out until Easter. Now, I don’t want to downplay the value of goal-making and self-control. There is something to be said about setting worthy goals with a time limit and publicized accountability. But something about moaning over ditching chocolate for a couple weeks to celebrate Christian dedication just doesn’t sit well. Perhaps it circles back to tags of Christian hypocrisy, with hung-over Mardi Gras veterans taking pew seats Wednesday morning to have ashes crossed on their foreheads. Maybe giving up Facebook or other unimportant vices for several weeks, only to return with a triumphant sigh, seems less than consequential compared to the sacrifice that Lent honors. But I don’t want to let my inner critical beast override the genuine goodness that I think exists at Lent’s core. Friends that attended Catholic high schools, reminded me that Lent was not only about giving up something — despite the relative triviality — but also incorporating acts of service. Sure, swearing off sweets is in essence self-serving and insignificant, but shifting focus to serving others could actually create some tangible good. Almsgiving, or charity, is the other half to the Lent process. According to religious tradition, the only effective way of removing a vice is to replace it by cultivating a virtue. Now, I hope you’re not visualizing me yelling at you from one of those awkward street corner ministries. My point here is not to preach — I’m anything but qualified to hand out that kind of advice — but instead, to point out the merits of a two-century old tradition that’s been recently spoiled by societal sabotages. The new norms paint Lent as a convenient post-New Years resolution dump, spring-cleaning or a pre-beach season fat flush. But if I’m beginning to understand the tradition more clearly, it was never the intention to spend several weeks on crazy binges then a “me”-focused makeover. Rather, time was set aside to refocus our gaze to those around us, and possibly heighten overall spiritual awareness. Whether or not you’ll be fasting over the next 40 days, maybe we could all use some refocusing on the greater needs that lie beyond ourselves. And our intake of sugary pastries. 

madison.leonard@pepperdine.edu

EMILY BRANCH / ART EDITOR

STAFF EDITORIAL

In a digital age, we implore you to think before you speak Beyond crushing student loan debt and a bleak job market, our generation faces another issue that threatens to characterize us: A crisis in communication. Or, the lack of professional restraint in how we express opinions when communicating digitally. We, the Digital Generation, are blessed with avenues of communication that our parents and grandparents used to read about in science fiction novels: We’re the socially networked, digitally streamed, hyperpublic generation, and everything we say or do can reach a potential audience of millions. Some members of our generation have taken advantage of our technological blessings: Think of the millions of young, tech savvy Egyptians, who used Twitter and Facebook to take down an authoritarian regime that had held their country in a stranglehold for decades. Think of the brave citizen journalists in Tunisia, Bahrain and Syria. The cyber dissidents of China. The list goes on. These people treat the Internet as a forum for elevated dialogue, a tool, a platform, an opportunity to make change and reach out to the world. The Internet is a medium of communication, just like a newspaper, television or book. But the Internet is capable of disseminating our messages to a much broader audience, more rapidly and efficiently than any other technology. Even though some members of our generation have made remarkable use of the Internet, a vast number of young people treat it as a toy and abuse its potential as a public forum. This is the problem our generation faces, especially here in the United

States. Because while other youth have made the Internet a place of elevated dialogue, it is constantly clogged and bombarded by inane chatter, vulgarity and ignorance, in the very same forums that can be employed in benefiting humanity. Think of every vapid status update on Twitter, every caps-locked screaming match on Facebook, every vile, anonymous comment on a blog or video you’ve ever seen. It has increasingly become the norm among our generation to either behave in this way when we go online, or to tolerate this behavior in others. Nowadays, it’s considered acceptable to share and expose every aspect of our private lives before a public audience, under the misconception that posting a revealing status on Facebook won’t come back to haunt us later. (Imagine being asked about that scathing breakup rant during your next job interview.) We are all guilty of tweeting meaningless, 140-character blurbs about our day under the misconception that people actually care about the latte we just bought at Starbucks, our opinion on morning traffic, or how bored we are. This sort of behavior online fuels the growing sense of need for constant validation from one’s peers. When people think of our generation online, this is what comes to their minds, not heroic freedom fighters speaking truth to power. This is not to say that social networking tools must be reserved for those global causes deemed revolutionary. Rather that everyday users of Facebook and Twitter might, on a smaller scale, consider who they aim

to impact with their words, and what the long-term benefits and implications of those words might be. The smallest things — like the Madonna halftime show — are enough to trigger a deluge of derogatory tweets, sneers and jeers from every corner. Everyone has an opinion: most negative, all trivial. Another mania begins to take shape in the minds of our digital generation: Our every opinion is vitally important, and everyone must hear it, instantly. Very rarely will you see a person staring at their screen, finger hovering over the ENTER key, thinking: Is this an appropriate thing to say? Do I want to be associated with this comment? Is this really important? This has become the youth culture online — only not just online. This digital environment is not separate from our real, offline, everyday lives. We are becoming increasingly tied to our digital selves; we leave a virtual footprint wherever we go. And everything we say and do online follows us forever, like bits and bytes of data hovering over our heads, accessible to anyone with Wi-Fi. Every potential employer will have trolled the Internet for signs of bad behavior before you ever walk into that big job interview. If your profile includes friends, and friends-of-friends, beware: What you say travels farther than you know. When people think of you, they don’t think of who you are in-person, but who you are online. So please, remember the old saying: think before you speak. It’s more important now than ever.

FACE OFF

“What inﬂuence do you think social media has on the way people present ideas online? Is the Internet good or evil?” AUSTIE MONTGOMERY Junior GOOD: “I think social media has had a positive eﬀect on how people express themselves because it raises greater awareness of various issues in an immediate way. Not only does social media help people to stay in contact with old friends and express opinions to the entirety of a friend group, it also allows users to reach people with shared interests whom they may not even know. The Internet is widely accessible and provides a rare forum where people can express ideas and opinions in their own words without restriction.”

SAMORI JOSEPH Junior EVIL: “I think social media often has a negative eﬀect on the way people express their ideas and opinions. The Internet has no verbal or social cues, so people can say whatever they want without the risk of immediate confrontation or consequences. People are more inclined to express negativity when there is no immediacy in how someone might respond. The freedom of the Internet prompts people to take a greater license in what they say and with how much authority they say it with.”

Executive Editor Sonya Singh Managing Editor Jessica Abu-Ghattas Creative Director Alexa Stoczko News Editor Aubrey Hoeppner Associate News Editor Ian McDonald News Assistants Whitney Irick Andrew Kasselmann Mariella Rudi Ashley Thurmond Sports Editor Narine Adamova Assistant Sports Editor Alysha Tsuji Sports Assistants Mariana Lizarzaburu DeAnJilo Platt-Friday Andy de Burgh Sidley Perspectives Editor Madison Leonard Assistant Perspectives Editor Grace Stearns Life & Arts Editor Edgar Hernandez Assistant Life & Arts Editor Benjamin Kryder Life & Arts Assistants Caneel Anthony Sarah Racker Section Designers Amy Cummins Mallory Cummins Nikki Torriente Garrison Wright Photo Editor Meagan McCarty Photo Assistant Rachel Miller Art Editor Emily Branch Assistant Art Editor James Chung Copy Editors Breanne DeMore Sienna Jackson Lindsay Jakows Kristina McClendon Brooklin Nash Online Managing Editor Al Lai Online Content Editor Kayla Ferguson Online Photo Editor Rebecca Herron PGM President Scott Lawrence 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.

PERSPECTIVES

February 23, 2012

Graphic

»Op-Ed

Birth control debates limit voices, choices The blind leading the blind

Spring break how- to: plan a staycation for one GRACE STEARNS

ASSISTANT PERSPECTIVES EDITOR

Dear Grace, I didn’t make any plans for spring break, and now it seems like everyone is doing something cool. What can I plan last minute? Spring Broke Remember that time right after Christmas vacation when you and all your friends were hanging out and someone started talking about spring break? “Guys,” you said, “Let’s do something totally epic.” Everyone nodded enthusiastically. Mexico was brought up. Vegas was suggested. Epic was not optional. Since it was barely even January and school was just starting, no plans were set in stone. Some mentioned Project Serve. Some said they’d have to talk to their parents. You suggested a Facebook group filled with ideas and epicness. You went home and made that Facebook group. Fast forward eight weeks and you remember. You wonder why no one ever posted on Facebook. You wonder if everyone just decided to go home. Your parents never even offered to fly you home. You realize spring break is just days, nay, hours away and you have yet to form any plans. You see some friends from that fateful night in January. They speak animatedly to each other. You are filled with suspicion. You seek answers. “So…what…like, what are you guys maybe up to for spring break?” Your paranoia is validated. They’re going to Hawaii. Together. With others. In a group. To have fun. In Hawaii. Sans you. Once you process the initial shock of blatant exclusion, it can be difficult to stifle the overwhelming sense of panic that may consume your senses. Not only have you been deliberately conspired against, you are now alone in conjuring up a series of activities that will last seven days in distracting you from the intense pain of realizing you have no friends. So, what’s a broke, friendless loser with an ample amount of free time to do for the vast expanse of availability that is Pepperdine’s spring break? No. 1 Spend the week experiencing hunger and homelessness. Here at Pepperdine, students seize any and every opportunity to take up arms against the vicious cycle of poverty. This spring break, do so not by volunteering, organizing food and clothing drives, or making a generous donation to a local charity. Instead, grab a sleeping bag, stock up on groceries homeless people can’t afford, grab your iPhone and set up camp outside the Sandbar to enjoy a week sleeping under the stars in the mild Malibu climate. I understand, however, how this activity might lose its appeal given the lack of a student audience to witness your selflessness or conversely mock you relentlessly for using a MacBook while lying in a sleeping bag on Joslyn Plaza. Your call. No. 2 Earn some extra cash. No flights booked? Stop by Jack in the Box and see if you can pick up the late shift. Earning $8 an hour for two nights in a row will help in your quest to amass enough wealth to ensure this spring break fandango won’t happen again. No. 3 Swim to Catalina. Rather than posting up in Towers or camping out on Joslyn Plaza, why not relive your abroad experience with a staycation at the local wonder that is Catalina Island? Sure, it’s not Santorini, but who’s to say it can’t be twice as charming? If exercise is what you’re looking for, rent a kayak and set out on a brisk eleven-hour voyage across the open waters of the Pacific. Don’t forget to pack your golf clubs; once you arrive you’ll be eager to jump in on activities designed for large families with small children. Nothing cures oppressive loneliness like throwing off the head count on a Groupon by putting in your name as a party of one. grace.stearns@pepperdine.edu 

LINDSAY JAKOWS STAFF WRITER

Amid intense debate over whether religiously affiliated institutions should be required to cover birth control through their insurance providers, Republicans are ignoring the individuals who are at risk of suffering real and tangible impacts from lack of access: virtually all (heterosexual) sexually active women. Figures show that women’s access to birth control is significantly restricted by high costs. A recent report from The Center for American Progress shows that the high costs of birth control (which can be more than $50 per month, even with insurance) have resulted in 50 percent of women who make less than $75,000 a year not using birth control as directed. For women without health insurance, birth control pills can cost as much as $850 a year. Aside from the costs to women, it is expensive

for insurers not to insure women. It saves costs for employers and insurance companies, too — a 2000 study by the National Business Group on Health shows that employers save 15 to 17 percent in pregnancy and birth-related costs by providing contraceptive coverage. Especially in such difficult economic times and with the rising costs of healthcare, women cannot afford such a burden on their own. Women in this position who choose not to adopt the highly sexist advice of Foster “Keep An Aspirin Between Your Knees” Friess, deserve to be aided in taking responsible measures to prevent pregnancy. And it is no coincidence that these Right-driven measures to control sexuality fall disproportionately on policing women’s bodies over those of men. Why hasn’t there been a campaign to stop health plans from covering Viagra for unmarried men? Furthermore, Congress must include women’s voices in this debate. Beyond the framing of the impact on religious institutions, this legislation has a real impact on the lives of individual women who have to live

with repercussions to their bodies and finances. California Republican Rep. Darrell Issa recently blocked the testimony of Sandra Fluke, a third-year law student at Georgetown, a Jesuit university, under the grounds that she was “unqualified.” Her proposed testimony told the story of a fellow student and friend who has a condition that requires her to take birth control to prevent ovarian cysts but was denied coverage. Consequently she developed an extremely painful cyst that had to be surgically removed (while paying out of pocket) and developed symptoms of early menopause which put her at risk of cancer, heart disease and osteoporosis. While she is not “better” than sexually active women for needing it for other reasons, there is certainly no compelling reason why the conscience of a religious administrator at Georgetown should be prioritized over alleviating such physical suffering. Likewise, an employer’s sense of morality should not be legally binding on its employees. In one employment-related 1990 Supreme Court case, conservative justice An-

tonin Scalia wrote: “We have never held that an individual’s religious beliefs excuse him from compliance with an otherwise valid law that the state is free to regulate.” An employer should never be able to police the options a woman has when she’s making an extremely personal decision of preventing an unwanted pregnancy. The right to contraception has been legally affirmed by a number of Supreme Court cases, and should apply to all women at an individual level regardless of where they are employed. Regardless of the moral beliefs of religious conservatives, the reality is that human beings are going to engage in sexual activity outside of marriage. Policies that restrict access to contraception will not result in the widespread adoption of strict traditional attitudes on sex, but will instead have devastating consequences. The Republican Party would do well to begin valuing reality, if not women voters.



lindsay.jakows@pepperdine.edu

Freedom of expression takes center stage ZACHARY TAYLOR STAFF WRITER

The theater faculty recently vetoed a monthsold decision to allow a student production of “After the End”— a show featuring sexual and profane situations. The faculty ruled that the show violated Pepperdine’s Christian mission and that another show must be chosen. Because of this decision, there has been a rather healthy amount of discussion among students regarding Pepperdine’s policy of censoring content. Pardon me if I seem to unduly focus on the Theatre Department, for I’m sure that this event is only one instance, in one department, in which Pepperdine’s code of ethics clashed with the students’ desires to express themselves in the creative arts. Nor do I think it will be an isolated incident. No, because of Pepperdine’s ambiguous, yet clearly conservative values, department heads will always be picky about the content that is displayed on their stages. And they have this right: to control, contain and censor material that they feel does not exude the “Pepperdine Mission.” It is not my intention to, say, “chastise” the Pepperdine’s faculty or Board of Regents, but instead to acknowledge the pitfalls and setbacks that this atmosphere creates. So I bet you are wondering, “Well, Zach, what are these so-called pitfalls? Why can’t these individuals just wait until post-grad to explore these off-limit realms?” My response to that would be: We have and we will, but we shouldn’t have to. Pepperdine is an academic institution whose credo is “the truth has nothing to fear from investigation.” It should do this in all its realms of academia, not just with the sciences but with the arts as well. By creating an atmosphere of censorship in plays and the visual arts, we are telling students that certain stories are worth telling and others should be hidden from view. I know the Theatre Department has been chastised by the upper echelons of Pepperdine administration for plays with unseemly language. Take for instance the rather recent production of “Rabbit Hole,” by David-Lindsey Abaire, which included some indelicate words that spurred certain administrators to leave during intermission. Yet, is this language not real? Is this not reflective of real life, real hurt, real anger? That we lash out, that we hurt others, that our words are at times harsher than our actions and that our actions can be ugly? My mother is devoutly Christian, but when she gets mad she curses like the dirtiest of sailors. Her faults make her human. To characterize her in any other manner would only do a disservice to her and everyone else watching. They cannot

GENEVIEVE SMITH/STAFF ARTIST

learn from her being perfect. We simply cannot be moved by characters that don’t exhibit realistic emotions or reactions. But to give Pepperdine credit where credit is due, “Rabbit Hole” made it to the stage, meaning it passed the complicated process and its merits eventually outweighed the occasional harsh language. Yet, there is an inconsistency in this choice. Drawing from past experience in the department, I conclude that Pepperdine will as a whole put up with productions with bloody violence and mild language, but anything sexual in nature is held at arms length. (Is Pepperdine ashamed of this aspect of humanity?) Following this logic, we should avoid all forms of expression that reveal the flaws and vulnerabilities of the human character. So should we not read Nathaniel Hawthorne’s infamous “The Scarlet Letter” because Hester is an adulterer? I doubt anyone, especially here at Pepperdine, would argue that we should not read the Bible because of its indelicate material. Meanwhile, as the Art Department is prohibited from sketching live nudes, pre-med students are allowed to study fully nude cadavers over in the Natural Science Division. But this is fitting, because it would be silly for them to go into their

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.

field of choice unprepared for what the job entails, which is working with the human body. (“Turn your head and cough.”) Yet, many art students express very similar sentiments of unpreparedness. It’s not my intention to pretentiously educate about the gloriousness of “the arts,” but simply to postulate that it doesn’t deserve the status of second-class citizen. Art is our soul trying to connect by any means possible. Whether it be singing at Coffee House or writing for the school newspaper, we want our voices heard. Are only opinions that coincide with the small group of individuals in some boardroom going to be allowed to be shared? If we don’t talk like them or have stories that are too real for them to want to see, do we not get to be heard? Every story deserves to be heard; every voice, even a whisper, has value. We must listen to them so that we might understand them; understand them so that we might better understand ourselves. We should be a light on the hill for our unabashed attempt to display the world as it is, not only as we would wish it. It is only when we face the evils within our world that we can face them and hope to change them. 

zachary.s.taylor@pepperdine.edu

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February 23, 2012

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LIFE & ARTS February 23, 2012

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Common myths about Pepperdine dispelled By EDGAR HERNANDEZ LIFE & ARTS EDITOR

Last summer, Pepperdine received some buzz after being featured in two different top 10 lists. One, by GQ, cited Pepperdine as one of the douchiest colleges in the country. While the other, by the Huffington Post, cited Pepperdine as one of the trendiest colleges in the country. At the same time, a couple of other lesser-known entities (mainly blogs) also featured Pepperdine on their lists. For some time now, Pepperdine has been included in top 10 lists that feature Pepperdine as one of the most prudish and sexually conservative university. The inaccuracy of the listed reasons Pepperdine makes it on these lists is worrisome. After yet another list commented on Pepperdine’s (non-existent) fence separating men and women dormitories, I decided to go on a hunt of other Pepperdine inaccuracies mentioned on the web and compiled a list of the most common.

No. 1 Everyone is Caucasian. The percentage of non-white students is a lot higher than most outsiders expect. Due to its location, a lot of people expect the student body to be composed of Caucasian students who love the beach. In “Top 10 Douchiest Colleges in America,” GQ suggested that a common Pepperdine student characteristic was “silken, natural, uniformly blond hair.” However, Pepperdine’s growing diversity can be seen in the freshman class. With 51 percent of the freshmen student body identifying as non-white, the growing diversity of the campus can be seen just by walking to main campus. No. 2 Everyone is wealthy. Location also plays a big factor in this misconception of Pepperdine. Located in Malibu and surrounded by so many Hollywood stars, it’s no surprise people might assume that only wealthy students come here. Besides that, there’s the slightly high price of tuition and housing. However, most would be surprised to know that at least 75 percent of the student body receives

some type of financial aid, whether it’s grants, scholarships, loans and/or Pepperdine or Federal Work Study. No. 3 There’s a fence dividing the men’s and the women’s dorms. This is one that popped up on several lists including the ones placing Pepperdine in the top 10 “Most Sexually Conservative” and “Most Prudish.” “At Pepperdine there is an expectation of sexual abstinence, which the college tries to facilitate by prohibiting its students from drinking alcohol and having a fence segregating the men’s and women’s dorm buildings,” said collegemagazine.com ranking Pepperdine No. 4 on their prude list. The truth is, there is no fence dividing the men’s and the women’s dorms. Dorms are single-sex, but only in Upper and Lower Dorm Road dorms, which are typically inhabited by freshmen or transfer students. Lovernich and Drescher have students of the opposite gender living next to each other literally a couple of steps away from each other’s doors. With the recent modifications being done to the housing system, some

dorms will be co-ed next year. No. 4 No members of the opposite sex are allowed in the dorms. “There are no members of the opposite sex allowed in the dorms,” said the same blog. This is an exaggeration of the visitation rule enforced in the dorms. Students of the opposite gender are not allowed to be in the dorm room between 1 a.m. and 10 a.m. and are not allowed to be in the dorm’s lobby after 2 a.m.. Really, any text asking you to come over after 1 a.m. is simply a booty call, therefore probably a bad idea. That rule is just helping you save face and avoid more awkward encounters with other people throughout campus. The rule applies throughout the entire year except for Hell Week. During this week before finals the dorm’s lobby becomes a 24hour study area where members of the opposite can study hard. No. 5 No dancing. While it is true that Pepperdine was behind the times when it came to the dancing scene (no dancing was allowed for quite some time), it was

in the late ‘80s that things changed for Pepperdine and the floodgates of body grinding were opened. One only needs to walk into the freshman dance during Frosh Follies to see that we are way beyond the point of not dancing. We’re now trying to conceive babies on the dance floor. No. 6 Students are not allowed to hold hands. This doesn’t even merit a rebuttal. All I have to say is that they should look at our hugging culture to see how we feel about body contact. No. 7 Everybody surfs. The school is located close to the beach, that’s true. Every student has a “Black cherry Toyota FJ Cruiser with a surf rack on top and a ‘Ride a Wave, Save a Soul’ bumper sticker on the back,” GQ joked when they ranked Pepperdine number five in their “Top 10 Douchiest Colleges.” However, it would be interesting to actually see how much of the student body frequently surfs or even goes to the beach. Although the beach is there, often

»See MYTHS, B5

Academy Award nominee shares stage with student By SARAH RACKER LIFE & ARTS ASSISTANT

Little-known to many Pepperdine students is a local stage company just north of Pepperdine on PCH. The Malibu Stage Company began in 1990 at Pepperdine’s own Smothers Theatre. Its current production, “Kimberly Akimbo,” opens today, featuring a Pepperdine sophomore and directed by an adjunct communication professor. “Kimberly Akimbo” is the story of a teenager with a rare disease that causes her to age four and a half times faster than normal. The play centers on the trials of Kimberly and her dysfunctional family, along with the complications of a first love. “It’s really about how short our lives are and how to make the most of that time,” said Tasha Ames, who plays con artist Aunt Debra. “It’s a kind of theatrical trick, portraying that concept through the lens of a 16-year-old played by an elderly woman.” Kimberly’s family is comprised of her hypochondriac mother and alcoholic father, and is strangely held together by her aunt, who also fails to pose a positive influence. Rather than accept her daughter’s fated early death, her mother projects every imaginable disease onto herself instead. Kimberly turns to her young Aunt Debra as a mother figure instead. “Her mother has worked for 16 years, her father drinks, and she’s just recently moved and really has no friends at school,” said Katharine Ross, who plays Kimberly. Ross has appeared in “The Graduate” (which got her an

RACHEL MILLER / PHOTO ASSISTANT

Young love: Aunt Debra (Tasha Ames) tries to negotiate with Kimberly (Katharine Ross) as Jeff (sophomore Breck Gallini) looks on.

Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress) and “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” “Her mother is always talking about dying, and drags disease onto herself with the vague hope that she might die of one of them,” Director Graeme Clifford said, “By doing this, she makes it easier for her to accept the fact that her daughter will die.” Kimberly is only 16 but because of her disease, she is near the end of her life expectancy and appears much older. Through it all, Kimberly is able to find

solace in a fellow classmate. “Kimberly is able to find happiness in her finals days in true love,” Breck Gallini, Pepperdine sophomore and theatre and television major said. Gallini plays Jeff, a nerdy and awkward 16-year-old in Kimberly’s biology class. The class is assigned to do a project on any disease, and after meeting Kimberly, Jeff is inspired to do his report on her disease. “For Jeff it’s [the disease] the thing about Kimberly that first attracts him

to her,” Ames said. “Her entire family does everything they can to pretend that she doesn’t have it, but Jeff is so fascinated by her disease.” Although Kimberly’s family has become accustomed to ignoring her disease, Jeff is drawn into her life and her unconventional family lifestyle. “She introduces me to this whole new world, when my world was so tiny to begin with,” Gallini said. “I’m kind of sucked into their family life.” As it turns out, Kimberly and Jeff have similar histories, with alcoholic

fathers and low-achieving relatives. “Jeff finds a sort of soulmate in Kimberly,” Clifford said. Clifford is on the board of directors of the Malibu Stage Company, and this is his third production there. His first was “Rabbit Hole” in 2009, which was written by the same playwright as “Kimberly Akimbo.” That is where he first met Ross and Ames. When slating this year’s productions with the board, Clifford collaborated with the two to select “Kimberly Akimbo.” To fill the role of Jeff, Clifford posted a notice in the backstage of Smothers for open auditions at the beginning of the school year, which is how Gallini got involved. “The sign read, ‘Seeking 16 year-old nerdy, unpopular high school kid,’ and I said, ‘Hey, that’s me,’” Gallini said. “Kimberly Akimbo” is Gallini’s first production with the Malibu Stage Company. Also working behind the scenes with lighting is Pepperdine alum Alex Montano, who graduated in 2009. Montano was a theatre arts, production and design major, and still works at the Center for the Arts from time to time. “It’s always a challenge working in a small room like at the Malibu Stage Company,” Montano said. “The action really has to draw people’s eyes more than just the lighting.” “Kimberly Akimbo,” will be playing at the Malibu Stage Company through March 18. Tickets are $25 general admission, but Pepperdine students who call the box office directly or present ID can purchase tickets for $10. 

sarah.racker@pepperdine.edu

LIFE & ARTS

B2 Graphic BRITT KIDD STAFF WRITER

February 23, 2012

‘Die Fledermaus’ ready to ﬂy By PAIGE WESLASKI STAFF WRITER

Think positive, feel better

Do you see the glass half full, rather than half empty? Do you see the large forest ahead, before the single tree? If you answered yes to both of these questions, you probably consider yourself to be an optimistic person. However, how hard did you have to stare at that glass to notice that it was half full? Or, how many bulldozers did you have to prevent knocking down that forest in order to make sure more than one tree was left standing? Being an optimistic person and seeing the silver lining in a situation should not be a difficult task that requires force and tension. Living life from an optimistic viewpoint does not require you to “solve” your entire life and battle issues that aren’t immediate in your life. In fact, putting up a fight or a battle to remain optimistic in a situation is a total paradox. Living a life full of optimism is easier and less emotionally taxing than living a life from a pessimistic perspective. With these three tips, you can empower yourself to live in the moment and live life beating to the “carpe diem” drum. No. 1: Have a little more faith. Whenever you must make a big decision, see this sense of responsibility as an opportunity instead of a burden. If you delay making a decision or taking charge of a situation because you can predict the many battles that will need to be fought as result, you will never get anything productive done. Instead of wasting time getting hung up on potential outcomes, take charge and have faith that everything will turn out the way God intended. As soon as you make the decision, there is really nothing else you can do to control the outcome. You cannot play God and fight through to ensure that everything goes your way. Just sit back, relax and have confidence in your decision. Now don’t get me wrong, you shouldn’t just sit back and forget about taking responsibility for your actions. You still have to walk the talk and follow through. But, instead of trying to control every moment, have faith and know that everything is in the hands of a greater power. No. 2: If you have a problem, resolve it and then move on. Often, it is easy to solve a problem and then get fixated on all the potential outcomes or resolutions that could have happened if you had done things differently. It is okay to recognize that you made a mistake (you are only human, you are allowed to do that), but to dwell on everything that went wrong or could have happened is unproductive and emotionally taxing. Hate to break it to you, but you are allowed to have learning experiences. You will make mistakes. It is how you handle these learning experiences and mistakes that will help you grow. If you get hung up on how horrible of a job you did, how will you ever improve or gain confidence in the future? The next time you make a decision or have to solve a problem, resolve it and then move on. You don’t have to forget about it, but you don’t have to dwell on it either. Save your time and your energy to focus on improving yourself in the future. No. 3: Enjoy the moments in between. Life can be busy, and you may feel as if you are jumping from task to task or from problem to problem. It is okay to lead a busy life, but be sure to find peace and enjoyment within each task before jumping to the next one. If you are concerned with completing or starting another task before finishing the one you are currently working on, you will most likely start stressing out or getting yourself anxious for the future. Instead, live in the present and take time to focus on one thing at a time. You will find more ease and enjoyment in accomplishing the task because you will not have a million other worries about future tasks on your mind. You are not a machine, so stop treating your mind as if it functions like one. Handle each task with ease and confidence before allowing yourself to mentally move on to the other one. When you live optimistically, you do not look out for potential issues that need to be fixed or prevented immediately. Find fulfillment in your responsibilities and have confidence that you do not need to control every moment of your life. With that burden lifted, you can enjoy life.

Famous singer Maria Callas once said: “An opera begins long before the curtain goes up.” This quote pertains perfectly to Pepperdine’s upcoming production of “Die Fledermaus,” since cast members of the opera have been working night and day since early last semester to give its audience a show to remember. “Die Fledermaus,” translated literally as “The Bat,” took the Smothers stage yesterday, and will run until Saturday, Feb. 25. The cast is made up entirely of Pepperdine students, many of whom are music majors who have dedicated their lives to the art of song. One of those performers is Kara Smoot, a senior vocal performance major playing the role of “Rosalinda.” Smoot says that, “Die Fledermaus is the perfect show for someone who has never seen an opera,” and that it will be “very entertaining.” The 19th century Strauss opera is a quick-witted story about romance, false identities, imprisonment, and lavish ballroom parties. “Die Fledermaus” is unique as an opera because of its comedic characters and clever dialogue along with the beautiful music. Since the music department has an abundance of talent and the opera only a minimal number of major roles, two groups of leads will be alternating performance dates, with the Orange cast performing Wednesday and Friday and the Blue cast performing Thursday and Saturday. The singers have been hard at work practicing their songs individually since mid-October, and they started staging each of the three acts in early December. Since December, the lead roles have been practicing together every day. Practices are typically very long, lasting from 6 until 10 every night, including weekends. But strenuous rehearsal is nothing new to these music students. This past summer, the Pepperdine music program performed a plethora of opera scenes together while in Heidelberg, Germany. Smoot herself sung the roles of Countess Almaviva in Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro” and Desdemona in “Otello.” This week, in her Malibu debut, Smoot’s favorite songs of the upcoming show will include the “Watch Duet” with the character Eisentein, which is in the second act, and her song “Czardas.” Smoot said she makes sure to get as much sleep as possible before each of her performances

BREE IRVIN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Curtains Up: Rosalinda (senior Kara Smoot) has a chat with Alfred (sophomore Johar Hernandez-Carr), a singing teacher, in the opera “Die Fledermaus,” which opened last night and runs until Saturday, Feb. 25.

to be well rested. She takes daily vitamins to stay healthy and drinks a large quantity of water and hot tea to ease her throat. Smoot also takes great care in protecting her voice by rarely speaking on show days so that she doesn’t overuse her voice before the performance. Like many other performers, Smoot mentally runs through her songs, staging, and dialogue as much as possible before the shows to avoid making mistakes. With months of preparation and a stacked double cast, this opera is sure to present the Pepperdine community with a show to remember. The twists and betrayals in the script are enough to keep any audience, young and old, on their toes. Tickets are available now in the Smothers Theater for $10 with a student ID. 

The Fine Art Division presents:

“Die Fledermaus” Show runs through Feb. 25 Tickets cost $10 with a student I.D.

paige.weslaski@pepperdine.edu

Who will snag Mr. Oscar this year? By EDGAR HERNANDEZ LIFE & ARTS EDITOR

For movie fans, the beginning of the year also marks the beginning of awards season.

The first show to kick of the season was the Critic’s Choice Awards on Jan. 12. In anticipation of the Oscars this Sunday Feb. 26, I have noticed six other award shows that have taken place and seem to follow a pattern.

Many consider the Oscars to be the last award show of the season, that is, unless the prestigious and much coveted MTV Movie Awards isn’t being considered on June 3. So far the results are as follows:

2012 Oscar Predictions Who will probably win?

Who should win?

Best Picture: “The Artist”

Best Picture: “The Descendants”

Best Actor in a Leading Role: George Clooney, “The Descendants”

Best Actor in a Leading Role: Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”

Best Actress in a Leading Role: Meryl Streep, “Iron Lady”

Best Actress in a Leading Role: Michelle Williams, “My Week With Marilyn”

Best Screenplay: Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris”

Best Screenplay: Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig “Bridesmaids”

Best Director: Michael Hazanavivius, “The Artist”

Best Director: Michael Hazanavivius, “The Artist” 

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brittany.kidd@pepperdine.edu

edgar.hernandez@pepperdine.edu

LIFE & ARTS

February 23, 2012

Graphic

‘Doctor Who’: A beginner’s guide to a timeless series By CANEEL ANTHONY LIFE & ARTS ASSISTANT

It is no secret that the British sci-fi series “Doctor Who” has gained a cult following on this side of the pond. Season six premiered on BBC America last April to a viewership of nearly 1.3 million, which blasted the show to the top of the charts as the station’s highest rated program to date, according to the Huffington Post. The television series first aired Nov. 23, 1963, and ran until 1989, when the show took a 16-year hiatus. In 2005, the series returned and has continued to break records –– not only the longest running science fiction series ever, but also the most successful, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. With production underway on season seven, here are a few terms that new “Doctor Who” fans need to know before the premiere this fall:

THE DOCTOR

The main character of the series. He travels throughout time and space on his TARDIS, saving the universe and making sure history follows its course. However, the line is often blurred between whether the Doctor is permitting these historical events to occur, or if the driving force is behind them. The last Time Lord from Gallifrey, he is on his 11th regeneration, and is currently played by actor Matt Smith.

THE TARDIS

The Doctor’s “spaceship” that allows him to travel throughout time and space. Although she (yes, the box has a gender) does not always take the Doctor to his desired destination, she takes him to where he needs to be, which is usually some sort of historical tipping point. On the outside, she appears to be a blue police box from the 1960s, but she is much bigger on the inside, to the infinite astonishment of the Doctor’s companions and friends.

TIME LORDS

develops a new exterior –– same person, different look. This makes them virtually immortal, unless they are killed before they have the chance to regenerate. The Doctor is the last of the Time Lords because his planet and his people were destroyed in a battle with the Daleks.

COMPANIONS

Those that travel with the Doctor, helping him save the universe and keeping him in check. Companions are usually human, and they hold him accountable for his actions when he succumbs to anger. Though they are a source of comfort for the Doctor, they are also a source of sadness because they cannot stay with him forever, a reminder of how alone he is. His true companion is the TARDIS.

DALEKS AND CYBERMEN

The nemeses of the Doctor. The Daleks are cyborgs bent on universal domination, and have been genetically mutated to only feel one emotion –– hate. Their sole purpose is to exterminate any non-Dalek life forms, making them the mortal enemies of the Doctor. What science fiction series would be complete without emotionless robots threatening human existence? These are the Cybermen, humans that have been turned into machines and wiped of their capability to feel any emotions. Though the Doctor tries to destroy them, these two adversaries are continuously popping up throughout time and space, making them his two most persistent foes.

THE SONIC SCREWDRIVER

The only “weapon” the Doctor ever carries. This tool allows him to open locks, scan life forms, hack into computer systems and many other functions. However, it does not work on wood and, ironically enough, can’t be used as a screwdriver.

People from Gallifrey, who have a human-like appearance, yet possess distinct features such as two hearts and the ability to regenerate. When a Time Lord is dying, it

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caneel.anthony@pepperdine.edu

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LIFE & ARTS

B4 Graphic JOSH DOWNS STAFF WRITER

Give us, us, The Freedom Wall By BENJAMIN KRYDER LIFE & ARTS ASSISTANT EDITOR

My life on the Z-list: Abolish chivalry

Hi. I can tell by your eye wrinkles and your barely noticeable upper lip hair, that you’ve had a busy couple of weeks (I have tiny high-definition cameras in the eyes of my above headshot). Do not fret. Valentine’s Day is over, and I would like to propose a toast to its survivors. Cheers to those who survived it and still have a significant other by means of a rose, a card or candy. Cheers to those who endured it and are still looking by means of chick flicks, tissues and candy. Cheers to those who thrived alone, watching in tender appreciation of others’ happiness. To all of you, we did it again, and we’ll do it again next year. God bless America. Unlike many other single people, I thoroughly enjoy Valentine’s Day. It makes me giddy to see government-mandated expression of affection. I am personally not plagued with the inability to express affection with nearly everyone, so I experience no envy or hatred in the observation of these rituals. Now, I’ve been studying movies such as “A Knights Tale,” “Sword in the Stone,” “Troy,” “A Kid in King Arthur’s Court,” “Dragon Tales” (TV) and “Timeline” for the last 22 years, ladies. I know a thing or three about chivalry. I understand that because of a slightly smaller stature, un-calloused palms and a great deal of hairspray, it would be absurd to expect women to fight their own dragons (fire breath + hairspray = hair disaster). Sure, “Xena: Warrior Princess,” “Lara Croft,” and “Murder She Wrote” all featured foxy female heroines, but they really only existed to fill a specific, unchartered niche of erotica. These female protagonists are extremely fun to watch, but if you think about it, you rarely find their motives to be men. Whereas men in many films are often climbing mountains, fighting witches, eating weird things and sweating — for the love of a woman. Women on the other hand, are often simply waiting for the man, or fighting their own battles for wildly unromantic reasons. Can you imagine a Disney movie that featured a woman fighting as hard for a man as the man fought for the same woman? Jafar would need another wizard hat, Ursula would need eight more legs, and Scar would need 10 more Whoopie Goldbergs to battle that kind of reciprocated romance. I’m not stupid. I realize that because women are smarter, they carry more books, and therefore cannot open their own doors. That because they’re too busy worrying about childbearing, they can’t worry about wearing a sweater in the cold. That because they only consumed a small chai tea and a pack of Splenda in the last 24 hours, that they are constantly faint enough to require the only chair in the room. That because they are constantly rushed by their impending menopause, they must be ushered to the front of every conceivable line. These societal structures were created in a time of rampant inequality. By adhering to them, we are validating the sexist constitutions of the past. Kindness is one thing, but altering basic behavior simply because of the existence of a woman in any given social situation is a manipulative lie. I am obviously single and occasionally lazy. I just think that there are so many better things that I can devote myself to than lying to a woman by changing my behavior and actions to woo them. Sure, I open the door for my girl friends. I also, offer my jacket, chair and anything else I can. But not because they are female and I think they deserve special treatment. I open the door for everyone in my life, male and female, because I care about them and I enjoy expressing that. My current relationship status clearly reflects that my method is flawed. However, I see no immediate logical or moral flaws in being completely honest and vulnerable with every person in my life, not adjusting my behavior for temporary approval. For the moment, I am deeply fulfilled by my friends and my teddy bear, Benjamin (who was kidnapped last week — contact me for more information). I am thrilled by the thought of romantically expressing my affection for someone, without fear of falling short of a self-painted portrait of myself. Until then, I get to wait and watch. 

joshua.downs@pepperdine.edu

February 23, 2012

In recent weeks, there has been considerable debate surrounding competing interpretations of civil and institutional rights here on campus. Plagued with intellectual anxiety concerning the conceptual battleground that has caught the pejorative attention of newspapers nationwide, I have often pondered — what if there were a forum on Pepperdine’s campus where anyone could write anything without fear of public backlash or administrative action? What if there was a medium for the voice of the people? What if there was a center for scholarly discourse and radical change? Quickly, I thought to myself — Ben, you fool. Enter the Freedom Wall to save the proverbial day. The Freedom Wall — mounted like a glorious Roman frieze in the damp grotto under the TCC — is a true masterpiece of libertarian triumph. Do we not realize how revolutionary this is? Apparently, at Pepperdine, we are not free to say whatever we want, wherever we want …unless you post it to the Freedom Wall — then you’re in the clear. It’s the exception to tyrannical censorship, the phenomenal manifestation of free will, the license to transform the world with a pen and paper. In the Freedom Wall, we have a voice. We are empowered. Reason shall triumph and goodness will prevail for we have a path to the light! Pepperdine, this is your soapbox. This is your ticket out of civic fear and oppressive bureaucracy.

Scribe your manifestos. Hammer your theses into the Wittenberg door. Truth has nothing to hide from inquiry, so inquire we shall! Free at last! Free at last! Free at last! Two bedroom apartment with titanium minifridge and ocean view for $2,500/ month. Oh what the f— have you seen this thing lately? I decided to stroll by the Freedom Wall expecting philosophic inspiration, expressions of contentious convictions and passionate advocacy. Instead, I found a bulletin board. Black Student Association meeting next Tuesday at 8 p.m. in the HAWC. Are you kidding me? Pepperdine, we are “free” to post descriptive informational facts wherever we want. The Freedom Wall was not mounted so you could spam us with your trivial news. It looks like a big, ugly tangible Facebook event wall. I remember when the Freedom Wall was a genuine resource for the discussion of human rights, theological doctrines, environmental issues, and questions of liberty. Now it’s the eyesore that is utterly ignored by everyone except for a certain few looking to push the next student coffeehouse. What are we to make of this academic entropy? From where comes this devolution of cognitive achievement into the primordial goop of shameless publicity? The Freedom Wall was created so we could publicly discuss things that really matter, and we bastardize its integrity with every poster advertising the “Wild at Heart” Club Convo. Honestly, I would rather the Freedom Wall be completely blank. I mean absolutely devoid of any content.

That’s it! I feel a moral compulsion to tear down these flashy nothings — these knives in the heart of truth itself. Like Christ fending off the usurers, let us overturn these tables of madness and begin anew — a tabula rasa for the cleansed Freedom Wall. What are we to do with this freedom, Pepperdine? Our destiny is in our hands. We can inundate the Freedom Wall with insightful fervor or we can bombard it with gas nonsense and ping-pong tournament details. By debasing a medium with such potential sanctity, we have tacitly enslaved ourselves to the shackles of stupidity and mindlessness. With every wilderness weekend flyer and Malibu Prudential realty advertisement, we spit upon the very essence of what it is to be free. Look, I’m not saying everyone needs to go out and write a dissertation on some moral issue just for the hell of it. I understand that not everyone engages their particular passions through dialectic and the written word. But at the least, don’t staple your crappy pamphlet to the wall we specifically designate for the championing of reason. Really this is about us, Pepperdine. One would think a Freedom Wall would be at least minimally representative of the intellectual zeitgeist of the university. Au contraire. At Pepperdine, the Freedom Wall is a mural of “Rush Sig Ep” posters, and guitar lesson advertisements. Well … I guess that seems about right.

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benjamin.kryder@pepperdine.edu

Difﬁcult but rewarding: Impress friends with stuffed peppers and rice for dinner By EDGAR HERNANDEZ LIFE & ARTS EDITOR

Another week, another dish. This week I tried to cook something less risky (remember that chicken can kill you) but a lot more complicated. When I called my mom to ask her how to cook stuffed peppers (chiles rellenos), she answered with, “Oh, you don’t want to do that,” and, “You’re going to get fatter from cooking all these foods all the time.” With a twice-bruised ego, I insisted that I did want to try the dish and that I couldn’t gain weight from all this cooking since I only do it once a week. After taking some aggressive notes in Spanish, I went to the grocery store to pick up the things needed. That’s right, I took notes in Spanish, my first language. As I’ve been cooking all these recipes that I often ate at home, I find that I’ve been cooking in Spanish, so to speak. By that I mean that most of my thought process about what I’m cooking happens in Spanish — even at the grocery store when I’m going through a mental note of what to get next. After previously attempting to find queso fresco at the local grocery store and being ridiculed by a Hispanic woman for asking if they had the cheese I needed, I decided to try the grocery store up the road. I walked around the display of cheeses located near the entrance and was disheartened when I didn’t see any. I thought I’d try looking in the aisles before I gave in to the fancy cheeses (I didn’t know how they would react with the peppers). Thankfully I was able to find the queso fresco in the dairy aisle. While there, I also picked up a container of sour cream, then went around the corner and got some eggs. I waddled over to the produce section and picked up two tomatoes, two onions and a bulb of garlic. Though a little more difficult to find, this store had pasilla peppers. Now, pasilla peppers are actually misnamed. An actual pasilla pepper is dried, long and narrow, while the pasilla that I used for the recipe are fresh and brownish. The name of the pepper changes within different regions of Mexico. In the United States the name pasilla for some reason stuck to the fresh pepper. An interesting note: When I asked my mother for the name of the type of pepper I needed, she completely forgot the name and just said, “You’ll know when you see it.” It was true. I knew what pepper it

was when I found it. While at the grocery store up the road, I also got some cooking oil, some chicken consome, two cans of tomato sauce and a bag of rice. Unfortunately, I had forgotten that I was going to need an electric eggbeater. I was not about to buy one, so I did the next best thing; I begged for one. A couple of text messages later and I was able to secure one for the evening. The actual cooking process sounds complex, but it’s actually quite simple. First I made the rice. This is the same rice that I made with the mole last week, and no, it wasn’t just a cop out. Spanish rice is the perfect side for Mexican food which relies on spices and is on the saltier side. The rice went through the same process. You put a spoonful in the pot and begin to cook some thinly sliced onion. Add a piece of garlic to the mix and let it sit until the onion starts to become transparent. Then you add a cup of rice. You stir it until the rice changes color so that it doesn’t burn and get stuck at the bottom of the pot. Once most of the rice has changed color, you add a can of tomato sauce and a spoonful of chicken consome. You stir that mixture for a while, then add about one cup and a half of water. Let the rice sit with a lid that is not completely over the pot until all the water evaporates. If you cover the entire pot with the lid you’ll cause a riot in the kitchen, and nobody wants a riot in the kitchen. This is where the fun starts. While the rice was cooking, I went ahead and started grilling the peppers. I simply placed two peppers on the stove and let them sit there. Is this a health or fire code violation? Maybe. But you know what they say. Grill the peppers until they are all a bit blackened. This doesn’t mean burn them all down (It’s not the SAC that we’re talking about), but just let them start to look like they are peeling. This means that you have to turn the pepper while it’s on the stove. Careful with this, I used my hand to do it (like my mother does) and a couple of times I was angered by the unpleasant burning sensation. Once the peppers are off the grill, put them in a plastic bag and close it. Let the plastic bag sit there for a while until the peppers cool down to a temperature that makes them manageable. While I waited, I had my assistant chop up some onion and some tomato for the sauce. In the

SONYA SINGH / EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Healthy, I think: Sour cream is a great side for stuffed pasilla peppers with queso fresco covered in a tomato and onion sauce accompanied with Spanish rice.

meantime I used the eggbeater and beat some eggs. First, I only beat the eggs white until they were fluffy, and then I add the yolk. Why? Because I was told to do it that way. I have no idea if it actually matters. After that I went back to the peppers. I opened the bag and started peeling off the burnt skin from the peppers. Don’t do this before — you need to take off your contacts because it will burn. You’ll literally feel how much the peppers burn on your skin. Once that task was done I opened the bell peppers in the middle by cutting a line with a knife. Then I filled each pepper with some queso fresco. To close the peppers and ensure that the cheese didn’t come out I used toothpicks. The best way to do this is to make sure that the toothpick goes in twice. Once they are secured, set the pan with oil. This time be generous with how much cooking oil you use. It has to be enough that a good portion of the pepper is in cooking oil. Once the cooking oil warms up you dip one of the peppers in the egg mix, make sure that it’s fully covered, then gently place it in the pan. Let it sit there for a little bit, until the egg cooks, then turn it around to let the other egg-covered side cook as well. You’ll want to place the peppers on paper towels to extract excess oil. Once you do that for all the peppers, you can make a sauce that will go over the peppers. To make this sauce you’ll use tomato, onion, half a can of tomato sauce and a spoonful of consome. I used the onion and tomato my assistant chopped and let them sit over some pam until the onion became transparent. Then I added the tomato sauce, a spoonful

of consome and a quarter cup of water. I stirred everything until boiling point. When serving the peppers and the rice, a good side to compliment both is sour cream. After not receiving any complaints of e-coli I was satisfied with the result of this dinner. 

edgar.hernandez@pepperdine.edu

Ingredients: 6 pasilla peppers 1 package of queso fresco 3 eggs Cooking oil Toothpicks 2 tomatoes 1/3 of an onion 1/2 a can of tomato sauce Thinly sliced pieces of onion 1 piece of garlic 1 cup of rice 1 can of tomato sauce 1 spoonful of chicken consome 1 1/2 cups of water

LIFE & ARTS

February 23, 2012

Graphic

Myths: A Dine with love at Olive & Fig chance to debunk rumors By ALIZABETH BLUMENFELD STAFF WRITER

From B1

times the beach is used to take photos of beautiful sunsets and flood Facebook with them. No. 8 Everybody is conservative. Due to its affiliation with the Church of Christ and its mission statement, a lot of people get the impression that Pepperdine is overwhelmingly conservative. “I always tell kids this about Pepperdine: they just started allowing men and women to dance with each other on campus about five or six years ago. That pretty much tells you where the Pepperdine administration is compared to other colleges and universities,” one very concerned parent posted on a college discussion forum. To that parent I say, look at myth No. 5. While it is true that the administration and some students are conservative, that does not mean that the entire University is. Take for example the current LGBT situation on campus. While the administration decided to deny Reach Out club status, there has been a number of students, alumni and faculty members that have shown support for Reach Out. No. 9 Everybody is affiliated with the Church of Christ and if you’re not they will convert you. For one thing, people outside of Pepperdine would be surprised to know how many students are not affiliated with the Churches of Christ. Take for example the freshman class. Only 13 percent of the class are Church of Christ while 16 percent are Catholic. In the same class 23 percent described themselves as an other kind of Christian and 16 percent were undecided. No. 10 Students have to attend Convo every day. If we did, I wouldn’t be here. There are Convos all throughout the semester and students are only required to attend fourteen each semester to get an A. Students can also choose to not attend Convo and get an F. Give me … an F.

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edgar.hernandez@pepperdine.edu

Valentine’s Day: a day every year full of tenderness, love, surprises and fine dining. All of these characteristics came true this year at the Fig & Olive. My sweet father made reservations for a lovely dinner for my roommate and me. Little did I know that when we arrived, my family would be seated at the table, waiting for our arrival, making this day so very special. After walking through the doors of this chic restaurant, the rich interior draws you in. It has an elegant and warm design with limestone stucco walls and fragrant rosemary and olive trees throughout the dimly lighted atmosphere. There is a long, white marble communal table and tasting bar that stretches across the room. It serves as an idyllic gathering place to eat meals with friends during the week. The main dining room is elegant with olive branches crafted in black wrought iron and lit with an abundant amount of candles. Diners can also view an open kitchen, which is illuminated by shelves of glowing olive oil bottles. Executive Chef Pascal Lorange strives to serve the best olive oils, flavors and cuisine from the Mediterranean regions of the South of France, Italy and Spain. His menu is created around carefully selected ingredients with exceptional tastes. Lorange began his career at a young age working alongside three-star Michelin Chef Georges Blanc in Vonnas, France. He continued to hone his craft around the world and is now serving as the mastermind behind Fig & Olive on Melrose. Fig & Olive offered a wonderful set menu for Valentine’s Day. The items my family, friend and I tasted included the Veal Carpaccio, Butternut Squash Soup, Organic Seared Salmon and a dessert trio of Melting Valrhona Chocolate Heart cake with ice cream and a Honey Lavender Madeleine. The Veal Carpaccio was sliced ever so thin and paired with a spicy mustard sauce. What a fabulous way to eat meat instead of being served as a thick 12-

ALIZABETH BLUMENFELD / STAFF WRITER

Presentation: The organic seared salmon is as tasteful as it is presentable at The Fig & Olive.

oz cut. The velvety spoonfuls of the butternut squash soup offered rustically pureed vegetables with fresh sage and an olive oil drizzle. However, the stand out dish that will keep me coming back to the Fig & Olive is the Organic Seared Salmon. It is topped with a delicate honey and red bell pepper sauce that you will want to consume by the bowlful. It is served on top of perfectly steamed asparagus, roasted heirloom potatoes and buttery celery root puree. The taste of the puree rivals any calorie packed mashed potato I have ever tasted. The evening ended with a fabulous assortment of sweets. The Chocolate Heart Cake is a decadent dessert for chocolate lovers. As soon as you cut into the cake with your fork, the warm moist center opens up and the heavenly

aroma awakens your taste buds with each bite. The sweet ice cream pairs nicely with the dark chocolate providing an a la mode experience with complimentary flavors. Lastly, the lavender Madeleine offered a lighter clean flavor that contrasted the richness of the chocolate cake. C’est magnifique! It is easy to see why Fig & Olive is such a hot spot from the East to West coast. Being in the heart of Beverly Hills, it has a wonderful style and offers a unique tasteful dining experience. Go and make your reservations for Valentine’s Day 2013 at Fig & Olive. Your loved one will be delighted.



alizabeth.blumenfeld@pepperdine.edu

VACATION PLAYLIST

Here are some tunes to keep you entertained this spring break. Whether you are on a cruise to Mexico, snowboarding on the mountains, or just relaxing with the parental units back home, these songs are bound to keep you relaxed. Artist: FUN. feat. Janelle Monae Song: “We Are Young”

Artist: Sleigh Bells Song: “Comeback Kids”

Artist: Santigold Song: “Disparate Youth”

Artist: Wiz Khalifa ft. Snoop Dogg Song: “French Inhale”

Artist: Lana Del Rey Song: “Video Games”

Artist: of Montreal Song: “Wintered Debts”

Artist: Feist Song: “A Commotion”

Artist: The Black Keys Song: “Lonely Boy”

Artist: Tennis Song: “Origins” Artist: Ana Tijoux Song: “Shock“

PSYCHOLOGICAL STUDY IS THE KEY. HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE IS WHAT TURNS IT.

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OUR UNIQUE COMBINATION OF WORLD-CLASS CURRICULUM AND UNRIVALED REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCE PREPARES YOU TO

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MASTER’S AND DOCTORAL AREAS OF STUDY Clinical Psychology Counseling Psychology Marital and Family Therapy Forensic Psychology Business and I/O Psychology

Applied Behavior Analysis School Psychology International Psychology Organizational Leadership

Scan here to request more information.

LIFE & ARTS

B6 Graphic

February 23, 2012

Rogue Wave

By BEN HOLCOMB STAFF WRITER

Sad Convos push us away I don’t know if I can do Wednesday morning convo anymore. Of course, it’s not really up to me. With five credits under my belt and limited free time, Wednesday morning is the only time I can put aside for against-your-will inspirational speeches. But I’m discouraged because these assemblies aren’t nearly as encouraging as they could be. As of late, convocation’s been darker than a submarine with electrical problems. I’ve walked into the last couple bobbing with enthusiasm, but I keep finding myself exiting the Fieldhouse with a heavy heart, questioning the point of it all. Last week was the final straw; the triple-threat trio. God bless her soul, but the speaker went into grave detail about a childhood consisting of her father’s suicide, her young brother’s death from leukemia and her other sibling’s brutal murder. When it was over, I looked around at my other classmates, all of whom seemed like they had just been kicked in the gut by a billy goat. Their faces were whiter than an albino with SPF45, as if they had just seen the Mickey mascot at Disneyland rip off his mask and light up a Swisher’s sweet. This cannot be the intended effect of the Convocation Series: students leaving every Wednesday wondering about the randomness of life, if they’re nothing but cogs in a vicious wheel that’s ever-turning, inattentive to their place among the whole, rolling along with the intentionality of a PLINKO game. How many times must we be subjugated to the “Sh-- Happens” speech before Pepperdine is assured that we are aware of our own blessedness? Now I’m a big fan of Sarah Jaggard. I am not in any way criticizing the overall messages of these talks. I only aim to shine light upon the fact that before they come to their triumphant moral platitudes, these speeches have me twitching in pain and whispering “I can’t do this anymore,” to those around me. I’m not convinced unconscionable tragedy is a prerequisite for worldly wisdom. Where are the people who’ve had it OK in life? Who grew up under average circumstances and went on to change the world? Where’s the guy who started TOMS Shoes, or the girl who took all of the blessings God gave her and provided villages in Haiti with water? Forget the long lines at the one exit door; people would be floating out of the rafter windows with these kinds of talks. Senior A.J. Hawks did a fantastic job a couple weeks ago of engaging us with a relatable topic, ending his speech with a biblical seed that could be applied at the Sodexo grill 20 minutes later, when dozens were weighing the pros and cons of having a meltdown over French toast. This is what we need. Convo is a recharge station for a student body running on fumes at the start of “hump-day.” We need to be injected with an energetic boost of positivity, not reminded that people get murdered or participated in the killing of millions of Jews. How else can one relate those stories to their lives besides reticently saying “My family’s never been run over by a bus or mauled by tigers, so I should stop complaining?” Convo has the unique ability to provide our student body an optimistic notion that can help us finish our week with fervor. College kids, more than anyone else, need concrete examples of people taking control of their own destiny, people who recognize problems and dedicate their lives to making a difference. It used to be widely accepted that a four-minute mile was impossible. Humans, for all their accomplishments, had limitations. One day Roger Bannister ran a mile in 3:59.4. Soon after, the sub fourminute mile became more commonplace than a celebrity meltdown on PCH. Yes, the world is full of tragedy. What we’re dying for is someone to show us that brick walls are nothing but smoke screens when you get close enough … that no abyss can conquer the spirit of a man willing to build a big enough bridge … that failure is a seven letter word meaning “not yet.” We’re dying for Roger Bannisters. 

william.holcomb@pepperdine.edu

COURTESY OF 20TH CENTURY FOX

Bromance: Best friends and CIA agents, Tuck Henson (Tom Hardy) and FDR Foster (Chris Pine) compete for the affection of Lauren Scott (Reese Witherspoon).

‘This Means War’ proves formula can work “This Means War”

By JOHN HAYS STAFF WRITER

This film is a perfect example of why I never rely on film critics opinions of films. Everything I heard before seeing this film had me thinking I was definitely walking into a stinker, but as the previews passed and the opening credits rolled “This Means War” actually turned out to exceed all my expectations. In retrospect, I’m kind of glad the critics hated it because it caught me totally off guard and made it that much more enjoyable. “This Means War” tells the story of two best friend CIA agents (Tom Hardy and Chris Pine) who accidently fall in love with the same girl,

Overview Release Date Feb. 17

Starring

Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Tom Hardy

Director

Joseph McGinty Nichol

Runtime

1 hr. 38 min.

Lauren Scott (Reese Witherspoon). After discovering their mutual love, instead of giving the girl up in order to salvage their friendship, the two pull out all the shots in order to win their girl over. We have all seen the action romantic comedy genre done well in the past with movies like “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” and we have also seen them fall terribly flat like in the case of the Tom Cruise/Cameron Diaz flop “Knight and Day.” “This Means War” definitely goes over the top with its un-believability and forced dialogue, but that is half the appeal. Aside from a few snickers and grins now and then, I rarely find myself uncontrollably laughing in a comedy. But this film had me laughing many times throughout. The pace and structure of the film was so predictable it was funny, which made the film relaxing and fun to watch. It doesn’t take any extra brainpower because it is so cleanly laid out in front of you. All the viewer needs to do is sit back, relax and enjoy. This approach to structuring the film relies on the performances of the actors and comedy within. Luckily both were done beautifully. The two main leading men, while playing totally opposite simple character archetypes, have

20th Century Fox

great chemistry between them, which makes the shots and comments they make at each other so much more relatable and satisfyingly funny. Most people wouldn’t peg Tom Hardy for a romantic comedy lead yet his seriousness and total devotion to the performance makes him likable. I was weary of Pine before the film, but what you get is a very mature take on a very immature character, which was very refreshing to see, and as always Reese Witherspoon delivers a quirky, yet still sexy leading performance. One thing I was not expecting was the “best friend” played by the comedian Chelsea Handler. While it was obvious she was not an “actress,” her foul-mouthed, sex-crazed comments were delivered perfectly and made for some of the funniest moments in the film. One thing that was upsetting was the end of the film. It was inevitable that the end would be offputting because of the fact only one man can get the girl. Despite that built-in structure flaw, the film deals with it very gracefully, which helps soften the blow of your favorite guy not winning in the end. Although the film basically revolves around two sexy dudes doing sexy spy things, which most women will eat up, guys will love the

Rated: PG-13

bromance in this film as well. There is something really satisfying about witnessing the camaraderie between teammates, and guys will love the action and brotherly love story told in this film. Pine and Hardy’s chemistry makes you believe they could be friends in real life. Their performances in scenes with each other are very relaxed and genuine. Although every scene was flashy and popped like a music video, McG’s directing comes across as very commercial with no real voice or uniqueness. Thankfully that aspect of the directing plays up the action and comedy and the film did not suffer because of it. This film is not perfect, but the audience must realize the overly predictable plot and single note characters are exactly what they are suppose to be. “This Means War” successfully put those ingredients together ending up with a great little comedy. If you are not willing to accept the fact that you aren’t watching “Citizen Kane” then be O.K. with knowing that this is not for you. For everyone else, I highly recommend “This Means War.”



john.hays@pepperdine.edu

‘Reign of Terror’ Sleigh Bells By HANNA HOUGLUM STAFF WRITER

Brooklyn, New York noise pop band Sleigh Bells has graced their fans with “Reign of Terror,” their latest LP released Feb. 21. This album is a mind-blower. That is the best way to describe this piece of art that encapsulates loud volume, head banging lyrics, body shaking beats and vocals that can make minds explode. Duo Derek Miller and Alexis Krauss are the beauty and beast behind Sleigh Bells. The pair met and formed the band in 2008, and no sooner released their selftitled EP, gaining fame almost immediately. After signing with N.E.E.T., who is behind M.I.A., Sleigh Bells switched over to being with Mom+Pop Music and have remained there ever since. In 2010, Sleigh Bells release their first full-length album “Treats” and performed at Goldenvoice’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts festival that same year. The band continued rising in the charts, gaining publicity by having their songs on shows such as “Gossip Girl” and “Skins” as well as multiple commercials. Sleigh Bells began tracking new

songs for their sophomore album in June 2011, claiming that fans would have to wait until early 2012 to hear the new masterpieces. However, on Dec. 2, 2011 a Vimeo video created by Sleigh Bells surfaced on the band’s website showcasing a teaser trailer for their new album revealing that the new album would be titled “Reign of Terror.” Two weeks later, the first single “Born to Lose” was released. “Reign of Terror” gets listeners jolted immediately with the first track “True Shred Guitar.” The moniker of the song fits the opener more than perfectly. Paired with the true shredding is demonsounding marching band style percussion and an Avril Lavigneesque rock voice. The song is not only exciting and intriguing, but defines what lies ahead in the following 10 songs. The single of the album, “Born to Lose” is a rant-sounding track with powerful beats and electronic based background sounds. Krauss’ voice is ethereal on this track paired against what sounds like a choir of disgruntled teenagers. The song is nothing short of extremely depressing with the opening lyrics

Mom+Pop, N.E.E.T. “Heard you say suicide in your sleep/ Just get on with it you were born to lose/ Will you hang like the moon from a rope in your room/ Oh you long for it, you were born to lose.” From deep and dark, Sleigh Bells enters into a pop punk song titled “Crush” where Krauss repeats over and over that she “got a crush on you.” Some may be disgruntled by the abrupt change in song topics, but others agree that it keeps listeners on their toes and makes the album applicable to a wide-range of fans. Released early on Spotify as well as through a Vimeo video, “Comeback Kid” is a song that keeps listeners dancing in their pants and pumped on the music flowing through their speakers. With the progression of songs on the LP, Sleigh Bells dominates on every single track. This album is the opposite of a sophomore slump for such a new band. Sleigh Bells slays beats and shreds guitars from beginning to end on “Reign of Terror.”



hanna.houglum@pepperdine.edu

COURTESY OF SLEIGH BELLS

Key Facts Band Members Derek E. Miller, Alexis Krauss

Genres

Noise Pop Power Pop Dance-Punk

Label

Mom+Pop N.E.E.T.

Website

www.reignofterror.tv

On Tour? Yes

LIFE & ARTS

February 23, 2012

Graphic

One Day More One Day More

DOWN 2 You could donate one 3 “Friends” spin-off 4 Fourth? primary color 5 Largest Greek island 6 Removed from throat 8 Italian mob island 9 Decorate tree 13 Two-part state 14 Dwarf past Neptune 15 After credits king 18 Cupcake topping 19 Unwanted “Phantom” character 20 Sundae cherry 22 Waiter’s cut 23 Angles form 180 24 Jerry’s nemesis, Kramer’s friend 26 Chinese dessert 28 Chinese island 30 Subcontinent’s island 33 African island 35 Date tagalong 36 Extra bike wheels 37 Constitutional additions 39 Southwest of LA 40 “Cheers” spin-off 41 50th state 43 CEO perk

8 9

26 27

33 34

37 38

39 40 41

42 43

45 46 47

See the pepperdine-graphic.com/life-arts for solutions to this week’s puzzle.

1 49th state ACROSS 6 Other �??Dark Knight�?� villain 7 Fourth, bastard utensil 10 Mario & Luigi�??s dinosaur 1 49thdozen state no. 11 Baker�??s 12 14th6state Other “Dark Knight” villain 16 President from Nov. to Jan. 7 Fourth, 17 Angles form 90bastard utensil 21 Ninth reindeer 10 Mario & Luigi’s dinosaur 22 Australian island 11 Baker’s dozentopping no. 25 Cupcake topping�??s 27 Fourth �??Indiana Jones�? 29 French island 31 Extra tax time 32 Salesman�??s cut 34 Forgotten NY borough 38 ??Shrek�?� chaperone 42 ??T2: _______ ____�? 44 Removed from colon 45 West of Britain 46 Stock payment 47 Motorcycle add-on 48 P.S.

Calendar Thursday, Feb. 23

Die Fledermaus 7:30 p.m. (Performance – Smothers) (Running through Saturday)

12 16 17 21 22 25 27

PISCES: Give it up. ARIES: Anxiety is the keystone to clemency. TAURUS: Yeah, you’re the only one who sees that. GEMINI: Virgo will outline your paper for a nickel. CANCER: She’s all you’ve got. LEO: Aries will forgive you. No problem. VIRGO: Start charging a penny per thought. LIBRA: Try speaking this spring break. SCORPIO: Oh, you’ve got this one in the bag. SAGITTARIUS: Don’t tussle with Taurus.

DOWN

ACROSS

AQUARIUS: You should let Public Safety know immediately.

You could donate one 14th state 32 ??Friends�?� spin-off29 French island 4 Fourth? primary President from Nov. to Jan. color31 Extra tax time 5 Largest Greek island Angles form 90 6 Removed from throat32 Salesman’s cut 8 Italian mob island 34 Forgotten NY borough Ninth reindeer 9 Decorate tree Australian island 38 “Shrek” chaperone 13 Two-part state 14 Dwarf past Neptune 42 “T2: _______ ____” Cupcake topping’s topping 15 After credits king Fourth “Indiana Jones” topping 44 Removed from colon 18 Cupcake 19 Unwanted �??Phantom�?� character 20 Sundae cherry 22 Waiter�??s cut 23 Angles form 180 24 Jerry�??s nemesis, Kramer�??s friend 26 Chinese dessert 28 Chinese island 30 Subcontinent�??s island 33 African island 35 Date tagalong 36 Extra bike wheels 37 Constitutional additions 39 Southwest of LA 40 ??Cheers�?� spin-off 41 50th state 43 CEO perk

45 West of Britain 46 Stock payment 47 Motorcycle add-on 48 P.S.

CAPRICORN: Aiming and timing are prerequisites for success.

g n i k par job of the week

Bad

One bad park job can lead to other bad park jobs, as evidence by the domino effect below found in the law school parking lot. Next time you’re walking down the road and see an awful parking job, take a photo and send it to us at graphic@pepperdine.edu.

Friday, Feb. 24 Die Antwoord 9 p.m.

(Concert – Club Nokia)

Saturday, Feb. 25

Lo Freakquency 8 p.m. (Concert – El Rey Theatre)

Sunday, Feb. 26

Jan Lisiecki 2 p.m. (Concert – Raitt Recital Hall)

Monday, Feb. 27 Jim Brickman 8 p.m. (Concert – Smothers)

Tuesday, Feb. 28

Check Yo Ponytail 2 9 p.m. (Concert – The Echoplex)

Wednesday, Feb. 29 Gonjasufi 10 p.m. (Concert – The Airliner)

IAN MCDONALD/ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

SOCIAL

MEDIA >> highlight OF THE

WEEK

Facebook feeds are being flooded by an article titled, “Despite Years of Sodomy and Scandal, Elite Pepperdine University Remains Steadfast in Banning Homosexuality,” from satirical website, christwire.org.

SPORTS

Graphic

February 23, 2012

Baseball: 4-1 record From B10

Top distinction: After earning All- WCC pre-season honors, junior Joe Sever is ready to show his best this season.

RACHEL MILLER / PHOTO ASSISTANT

Sever’s success inspired by family By NARINE ADAMOVA SPORTS EDITOR

If it wasn’t for his father’s dedication, second basemen junior Joe Sever may never have gotten as far in baseball as he has. During his Pepperdine career, Sever was ranked first among all West Coast Conference infielders with 58 double plays completed and 228 assists. He was also the Waves lone grand slam of 2011. For Sever, playing sports has been something that he has done since early childhood. “I grew up in a really sportsoriented family,” he confessed. “Since I was a kid, baseball and football were my two favorite things.” During his senior year in high school he was honored as the San Jose High School Athlete of the Year in 2009. He mentioned football as his second most favorite sport. “I loved football in high school, but after two years of playing both sports, I started focusing on baseball more.” High school proved to be only the beginning of Sever’s successful baseball career. Sever was one of three Waves who played almost every single game his freshman year. He led the team with a .310 batting average, 37 runs scored and three

triples while starting 54 games at second base. His contributions did not go unnoticed and he finished the season of his freshman year with the 2010 WCC Honorable Mention and selection to the AllFreshman team. Sever has been a San Francisco Giants fan since his early childhood. As the nephew of legendary Super Bowl-winning quarterback John Elway, Sever recalls “being in sports for his whole life.” Sever spent his last summer learning in the prestigious Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod League. “Going there and succeeding at the games gave me a lot of confidence I could feel that my level of play improved a lot,” he said. According to Sever, tournaments played at the Cape Cod League were the most memorable in his sports career. “I played in a big league in Massachusetts that is the highest talent for college baseball,” Sever said. The team started its season on Feb. 17 when Pepperdine shut out No. 19 Oklahoma (7-6). Sever said that he is excited about this season as it will offer many opportunities to show good game. “I think we started great. Coming out and taking two against Oklahoma was really important for us. They are a good team and they got a lot of recognition over

pre- season being top two in the country.” “It increased our confidence and proved that we can play with any team,” Sever said. “I would like to keep playing for as long as I can and make successful career in pro sport,” he said about his future plans. 

narine.adamova@pepperdine.edu

RACHEL MILLER / PHOTO ASSISTANT

Great beginning: Sever drove in two runs in the team’s recent win against Virginia Commonwealth University.

Starting pitcher Matt Maurer did not allow a run through his five innings of work and senior first baseman Miles Silverstein continued his hot streak hitting a home run in each of the VCU games. The Pepperdine baseball team gained momentum for those games after their impressive work against the Sooners — a series that saw exciting performances. Even in their 4-3 season opening loss to Oklahoma, the Waves’ young starters silenced any worries of a slow start with all three first years getting on base. This includes: center fielder Matt Gelalich (two hits), left fielder Bryan Langlois (one hit), catcher James Grandpre (one hit) and right fielder Aaron Brown (one hit & one RBI). The wins are a feat that Head Coach Steve Rodriguez acknowledged as “a carryover from their efforts during summer league.” The Waves took the momentum from that game and truly blossomed in their Saturday performance against Oklahoma. The team dominated the Sooners with a 10-0 victory. The hitting was strong, producing 14-hits lead by freshman Aaron Brown who had three hits and three RBIs and AllWCC pre-season team recipient Joe Sever who contributed three hits and two RBIs. Also notable was the performance of the pitching staff. The Wave’s pitchers performed phenomenally, led by one of last year’s WCC All-Freshman Team awardee, Scott Frazier. Frazier provided seven impressive innings of work with six strikeouts and a shutout

to that point in that game. For his performance the sophomore received WCC pitcher of the week honors. Frazier, who was pulled after seven innings can thank the relief work of junior Brian McIlhenny, and freshman Matt Snider who did not allow a hit for the remainder of the game and did not allow a run to score, making their Feb.18 victory the first shutout for the Waves since May 21, 2011, in a victory over Gonzaga. The Waves Sunday performance showed the team’s grit and fortitude. In addition to pulling off a colorful 80s throwback uniform look in honor of Pepperdine’s 75th anniversary, the Waves also dug themselves an early hole being down 3-1 after the first inning. The team was able to overcome this thanks to their bats producing 11 hits. Pepperdine had a big contribution from many starters, notably red-shirt freshman and left fielder Bryan Langlois who produced two RBIs on a home run, the first of the season for the Waves and also red-shirt senior and designated hitter Matt Forgatch provided help with a home run, with two hits, and one RBI. Despite all the positives there are still things for the Waves to improve upon. In pitching, starting pitcher Corey Miller admits, “It is important for [him] to keep the ball down when pitching.” Something Rodriguez also reiterated. The Waves have four more games at home with their next three against last year’s NCCA tournament participant Fresno State tomorrow at 2 pm. The Waves will then compete against cross-town foe USC in a one game matchup on Feb. 28 at home. 

deanjilo. platt-friday@pepperdine.edu

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL VILLA MALIBU AT 877-320-7470 OR VISIT US ON THE WEB AT VILLAMALIBULIVING.COM

SPORTS

February 23, 2012

Graphic

Injuries hurt basketball team CALL ‘EM AS WE SEE ‘EM

Thoughts, reflections and predictions from our staff on the world of sports.

By DEANJILO PLATT- FRIDAY SPORTS ASSISTANT

A lot of questions arose for the 2011-2012 season with the The Wave’s men’s basketball team. With new leadership at the helm in Head Coach Marty Wilson stepping in, the announcement that leading scorer Keion Bell would be transferring to the University of Missouri, and that the teams second leading scorer for the 2010-2011 season Lorne Jackson, would be out for the season after knee surgery, the Waves would be looking at an uphill battle for the entire season. Despite these obstacles the Waves got off to a pretty good start, winning their first Jackson two games of the season and getting off to Senior a 5-3 start for the season with two of those victories against an athletic University of Hawaii and an impressive victory on the road against Pac-12 participant Arizona State. A lot of this early season success can be attributed to veteran leadership from returning players like senior Taylor Darby who lead the team in scoring all year averaging 12 ppg and junior guard Joshua Lowery who increased most of his statistical categories from his last year. However, as the season grew on and injuries to players like senior guard Dane Suttle Jr., sophomore center Jan Maehlen, and forward Moriba De Freitas began to accumulate all within the first few weeks of the season the effects seemed to take its toll and the Waves season began to take a down spiral. The teams struggles reached an all time low during its eight game losing streak to start conference play. Despite the struggles it was very apparent that the Waves did not lack effort throughout their games as they continued to hustle and battle in every game it was obvious that something else was missing throughout the

season for the team. As senior guard Lorne Jackson admits “our team could of used another facilitator on the court, another veteran leader.” Guys like Lorne Jackson who would of been a returning starter and senior leader and forward Moriba De Freitas who could of brought depth to the Waves front court were truly missed throughout the season. Despite the adversities and struggles encountered throughout the season some positives did result. Young talent like Ramon Eaton and Jordan Baker, who may of received a lot more play time this season then they may of gotten had injuries not effect the team gained a lot of experience throughout the season. At times these young guys showed shades of brilliance and can be conDe Freitas fident that they will make a big impact next Junior season if they learn from the mistakes they made this season. However, as departing senior guard Lorne Jackson noted, “individual players have to have an identity of wanting to be the best.” It appears that is exactly what the team is deciding to do with returning players like Jan Maehlen admits that “he wants to build on some skills in order to have an impact next year.” With guys like Taylor Darby (leading scorer) and Corbin Moore (leading rebounder) leaving after this season every player on the team must takes on this mindset and works hard this offseason. If this is done and new recruits like Stacy Davis and Atif Russell can make some type of impact then the 2012-2013 season could be a very successful one for the Waves. The Waves will look to get their first season sweep of the season against the Santa Clara Broncos The team will then head to Las Vegas for the West Coast Conference tournament which starts on Feb. 23. Expect the Waves to be the No.7 or No.8 seed in the deanjilo.platt-friday@pepperdine.edu tournament. 

Beach Volleyball expects strong start By MARIANA LIZARZABURU SPORTS ASSISTANT

It has been a long time coming, but the much anticipated kick-off to the beach volleyball season is less than a month away. The schedule was officially released last week, and it shows the Waves are set to play against USC, Florida State and Long Beach State in a three-day tournament starting Friday, March 13. The schedule continues with the sand volleyball team playing on the road at Charleston in South Carolina, where they will face another set of three schools; Alabama-Birmingham on March 23, followed by the host Cougars, and finally Mercer. The reason behind all the traveling and playing away from home is simple: Pepperdine has committed to allow the team to play in various tournaments to see the different competition around the country. So far, only four schools in California are sponsoring sand volleyball, but the Waves will get a chance to host a home game in early April at Zuma beach. Junior transfer Summer Ross was added to the roster this semester. In her career, Ross has garnered quite a few accomplishments, winning both the FIVB Youth World Championship and the FIVB Ju-

nior World Championship in the same Doubles pairs will be placed in brackets year. She was also named USA Volleyball and compete in a single elimination conBeach Female Athlete of the Year in 2010. test until an overall winner is crowned. The season will conclude with the Joining Ross is junior Caitlin Racich, who became the first recipient of a beach AVCA National Championship on April volleyball scholarship last fall, as well as the 27-29 in Gulf Shores, Ala. As an emerging 14 members of the Wave’s 2011 indoor sport, the NCAA has decided not to sponsor a sand volleyball national championsquad. “As a team we expect to do very well ship in 2012. This leaves the competition this year. A lot of the players have experi- consisting of both a team championship, ence playing beach recreationally and with which will include the top four NCAA Summer Ross joining us, we’re going to be women’s sand teams, and a pairs championship, which will consist of an even strong team” juthe top-16 collegiate doubles nior Victoria Adelhelm “We’ve been teams. said. working really Still, the team is enthuBeing the new sport siastic of the competition to that it is, the Waves are hard and I think come. trying out various forit’s going to pay “We’ve been working mats of competition off for us.” really hard and I think it’s throughout the season going to pay off for us. All in order to see what —Victoria Adelhelm Junior, Sand Volleyball of the girls competed last seis the best fit for colmester on the Pepperdine inlegiate sand volleyball. door team and we’re coming In the plans is to play off a really strong season with dual matches, where 10 two-person teams (five from each school), a great finish. We’re all hoping to keep that battle against each other with each match momentum going towards the sand season worth one point. The overall dual match and be even more successful in Alabama is decided when one team secures three come April,” Adelhelm concluded. points. Similarly to tennis, sand volleyball mariana.lizarzaburu@pepperdine.edu will also play in individual tournaments. 

Tavakoli: ‘I learned in two hours’ From B10

“For the slacklines, it usually takes the average person around two weeks to master the balancing. I learned in two hours.” Now he goes to Santa Monica practically every Sunday, staying for the entire day. Tavakoli said he goes seven days a week and stays for 8 to 10 hours per day during the summer. He revealed how he has developed close bonds with fellow beach-goers who share the same passion for rings and slacklining that he has. “I love the community out there,” Tavakoli said. “They are really accepting of everyone, including newcomers. The more experienced people are more than happy to help you and guide you. They also give out pointers, and they’ll even hold your hand when you first start out on the slacklines. “In general, mostly everyone who slacklines and does the rings knows each other. We’re all friends. I’ve met the coolest people.” The crowd that participates in these sports involves a wide array of backgrounds and personalities, as Tavakoli himself demonstrates. He recently transferred to Pepperdine and is a Business major. He also works on campus as a computer technician. In high school, he said the only sport he did was track, yet now he swings from traveling rings, walks across slacklines and, this past summer, he picked up rock climbing and bouldering as hobbies. He

COURTESY OF TOD HILLMAN

Developing skills: Tavakoli improves his slacklining skills at Santa Monica Muscle Beach.

has had no prior training for any of them, and says that all it takes a lot of practice. While Tavakoli participates in such a variety of activities, he talks most passionately about slacklining, and explained why: “Being out on the slackline, in particular, is very relaxing,” Tavakoli said. “It feels like it’s just you and the line. It’s a lot of fun. I could talk about this stuff all day long.” Sometimes Tavakoli pulls out his slackline equipment from his Huber Eaton Hall dorm room, and sets up outside using two palm trees. Although he makes it appear easy, walking across the inch-wide

line four feet above the ground proves to be harder than it looks. “You just have to relax and concentrate on what’s in front of you,” Tavakoli said. Tavakoli said he did not know any slackliners when he first arrived at Pepperdine. He has successfully spread the word after being inspired by the abundance of students he has met at other schools, such as UCLA and UC Berkeley, that take part in slacklining. “I want to get more people from Pepperdine to come out with me on Sundays,” Tavakoli said. “Four or five guys bought equipment over winter break. It’s not just a guy’s sport either, though. I’ve met quite a few very talented girl slackliners.” Being elevated above the ground on a string can be intimidating to some, but it is actually a fairly safe sport, especially when the line is set up over sand at the beach, according to Tavakoli. “It’s one of the safest sports out there,” Tavakoli said. “If you set up over four feet it can get a little dangerous since the line can snap back if you fall off. Once I got a huge bruise across my back that way. The only major injuries people normally get are from falling the wrong way, but that’s the same as with any sport out there. “I really encourage people to get out there and give it a try. When I have my slackline set up outside my dorm, a lot of people stop and ask if they can try it. I think it’s a sport on the rise at Pepperdine.”



alysha.tsuji@pepperdine.edu

NARINE ADAMOVA

Family matters. Whether you are a professional athlete or an amateur, family is what brings you support and stability. Dallas Maverick’s Lamar Odom demonstrated this when he missed his team’s game to stay in LA with Khloe Kardashian for “family matters.” Another example is the New York’s star forward Amare Stoudemire who missed four games to stay in Florida with his family following his brother’s death. This goes to show that not all athletes are as self-absorbed as the media portrays them to be. While all eyes have been on Jeremy Lin, the Miami Heat have slipped under the radar. They’ve gone on an impressive seven-game winning streak, and dominated each game by a margin of 12 or more points. The run has even allowed them to move a game ahead of the Chicago Bulls to earn the spot as first place in the NBA. No one’s noticed. But tonight, the Heat play the Knicks, and people will definitely be paying attention.

ALYSHA TSUJI

MARIANA LIZARZABURU

Last Monday the New Jersey Nets put an end to the Knicks seven-game winning streak. It was a big game for the Knicks, who were welcoming back all-star Carmelo Anthony who missed several games due to a groin injury. Break out star Jeremy Lin couldn’t lead the team to success. Not even Beyonce and Jay-Z cheering from court side made it happen for the New Yorkers. Let’s hope this is a fluke in the Knicks stellar performance this season, and that they’ll bounce back in their game against the Atlanta Hawks.

ASK A WAVE Who is your celebrity crush?

“Ryan Reynolds”

“Chris Brown.”

“Jennifer Aniston.”

KATIE MESSING FRESHMAN VOLLEYBALL

JADE MCNORTON JUNIOR BASKEBALL

NICK CLAYTON SOPHOMORE RUGBY

“Adriana Lima.”

“Johny Depp.”

“Brooke Decker”

ANDREAS ADLER JUNIOR GOLF

ANDREA OATES SENIOR TENNIS

MATT TARANTINO FRESHMAN VOLLEYBALL

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B10

SPORTS

February 23, 2012

»pepperdine-graphic.com/sports

DBS Report

ANDY BURGH SIDLEY

SPORTS ASSISTANT

English teams fall down pecking order

COURTESY OF TOD HILLMAN

Odd hobby: Junior Ardavan Tavakoli has found a passion in unique sports like slacklining and rings. Every Sunday he goes to Santa Monica to practice.

Junior brings slacklines to Pepp By ALYSHA TSUJI

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

About nine miles from Pepperdine, just south of the Santa Monica Pier, sits the original Muscle Beach. Junior Ardavan Tavakoli is one of the 50-plus people who flock there on Sundays to work out on the traveling rings, and to set up slacklines. To some, these terms may sound foreign — traveling rings and slacklines — which is understandable,

since they have only recently begun to pick up in popularity. This year, during Super Bowl XLVI, slacklining took center stage when famous slackliner Andy Lewis performed a 30-second stint as a part of Madonna’s halftime performance. More than 110 million people were watching and the unique act created buzz. Slacklining involves a flat line tied between two posts, similar to a balance beam.

“Slacklining is not tightrope walking,” Tavakoli explained. “That is the most common misconception amongst people. With tightropes, the rope is tight, and with slacklines, the line is slack. It’s self-explanatory. “Slacklining is totally different. It’s much harder and more challenging because the tautness of the rope changes as you walk across, whereas with a tightrope, the tautness is constant.” In addition to slacklining, Ta-

vakoli also uses the traveling rings. They are comparable to monkey bars, in that one travels from ring to ring. Tavakoli started his Santa Monica Muscle Beach workouts about three years ago. He says his friend suggested the “sport” to him one day, knowing Tavakoli loves unique challenges. “I went out [to the beach], and immediately fell in love with the slacklines and rings,” Tavakoli said.

»See TAVAKOLI, B9

Baseball team opens with energetic start By DEANJILO PLATT- FRIDAY SPORTS ASSISTANT

The Pepperdine baseball team has started their season in championship-like form with a four-game win streak. The Waves opened up the season at Eddy D. Field Stadium taking two of three games in a series against the Oklahoma Sooners the then-No. 14 ranked team in the nation. The streak was highlighted by a 10-0 victory Saturday afternoon against the Sooners. The team followed that performance by taking care of business and sweeping the two-game series against the Virginia Commonwealth Rams. In their series against the Colonial Costal Association participant VCU, the Waves took their first series sweep of the season. The Waves were lead by a dominating eight-inning performance from pitcher Corey Miller and some healthy bat support from guys like junior short stop Zach Vincej who provided three hits on four at bats in a 6-1 game one victory over VCU. The very next day, yesterday, the Waves pitchers and batters came through again providing 11 runs and limiting VCU to two runs.

»See BASEBALL, B8

RACHEL MILLER / PHOTO ASSISTANT

Hot Start: Freshman infielder Drew Hacker helps Waves with run support in their victory over VCU yesterday.

SCOREBOARD Womenʼs Basketball vs.

Portland Gonzaga

Date

Feb. 16 Feb. 18

Score

L , 58-56 (OT) L, 66-40

Menʼs Basketball vs.

Seattle Portland

Baseball vs.

VCU VCU

Date

Feb. 16 Feb. 18

Date

Feb. 21 Feb. 22

Score

L, 81-70 W, 70-65

Score

W, 6-1 W, 11-2

In the 2006-2007 UEFA Champions League, three of the four semi-finalist teams were English (Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester United). As of today, only Chelsea and Arsenal remain in the first knockout round of the 2011-2012 Champions League. Liverpool and Tottenham didn’t qualify for the tournament. Manchester United were an absolute disgrace; they couldn’t qualify from a group that included football minnows FC Basel and Otelul Galati. Manchester City didn’t fare much better, as they were miserably knocked out of the Group of Death, which included Bayern Munich, Napoli and Villareal. Even Arsenal’s Champions League dream is all but over, after they were destroyed 4-0 by AC Milan in their first knockout game last week at the San Siro. The question we should be asking is how did English teams fall down the European pecking order in such a short amount of time? My personal theory is that while the quality of English teams has decreased, teams from other countries have improved. When Liverpool and AC Milan contested the 2007 Champions League Final, current European champions Barcelona were nowhere near as good as they are now. Barcelona’s attacking players Lionel Messi, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Pedro and Alexis Sanchez virtually cut through opposition defenses like hot knives through butter. Since 2007, other teams such as Bayern Munich, Porto, Lyon and Real Madrid have been improving at an alarming rate. World-class superstar Cristiano Ronaldo left Manchester United in 2009 to breathe new life into Real Madrid, who are now cruising ahead in the Spanish league (Ronaldo recently scored his sixth hat-trick of the season). Liverpool is partly to blame for the fall of English teams on the European scene. Their 2007 final appearance was the second of two finals appearances in the space of three years. They failed to qualify for the Champions League in 20092010, which ended with the departure of manager Rafael Benitez. As for Manchester United, once Cristiano Ronaldo left, they were never the same team again. Although wingers Nani and Antonio Valencia showed signs of promise, they could never fill the boots of the brilliant Ronaldo. Chelsea is another English team that has fallen far. It is incredible to think that they were one penalty kick away from winning the Champions League back in 2008 (John Terry — who I’ve previously discussed several times in the DBS report missed a penalty in a shootout against Manchester United in the final). Since then, the ageing spine of the team (Frank Lampard, John Terry, Ashley Cole and Didier Drogba) has become too old to compete at the highest level. Arsenal, on the other hand, has been an English team with a lot of promise — partly because of the brilliance of Robin Van Persie, who has been in fine scoring form. The Dutchman’s brilliant 2011 has given Arsenal fans a renewed sense of optimism. Will English teams continue to fall, or will they return to the summit of the European scene, as they were only a few years ago?

Record: 12-12 12-13

Record: 8-18 9-18

Record: 6-5 7-5



andrew.deburghsidley@pepperdine.edu

NEXT UP ... Thursday, Feb. 23

Saturday, Feb. 25

at 7 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 26

Menʼs Basketball at Santa Clara at 7 p.m. Baseball vs. Fresno State at 1 p.m. Menʼs Volleyball at Pacific at 7 p.m. Womenʼs Basketball vs. LMU

Friday, Feb. 24

Baseball vs. Fresno State at 2 p.m. Womenʼs Tennis vs. Boise State at 1:30 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 25

Womenʼs Basketball at 2 p.m.

Baseball vs. Fresno State at 1 p.m. Menʼs Tennis at Oklahoma at 9 a.m. Womenʼs Tennis vs. Arizona State at Noon

Monday, Feb. 27 vs. Saint Mary’s

Menʼs Golf vs. North Ranch Intercollegiate