Volume XLIII, Issue 3 | September 15, 2011 | pepperdine-graphic.com
INDEX DPS Reports..A2
Students armed with water guns take over Alumni Park.
Calendar........ A2 Editorial..........A6 Horoscopes....B2 Sports........... B10
»See B1
SGA faces unforseen election dilemma
Looking back, pushing forward
By AUBREY HOEPPNER COPY CHIEF
On-campus political pundits missed out on the full range of student election fodder this year due to an unusual turn of events in the student government races. Sophomores and seniors opened their ballots Wednesday to find them unusually empty. An apparent lack of interest in running for SGA has left the senior and sophomore classes with these holes on the ballots. The senior class had no official candidates for class president and two of the senate seats, and the sophomore class had no senatorial candidates. SGA faced an uncommon problem last week when too few students showed up at the election meeting Wednesday, Sept. 7, the deadline to turn in election packets. “We were shocked,” SGA President Mimi Rothfus said. “We don’t understand why this happened, because for two weeks before school started, the student executive board was meeting with students [and administrators], and we were encouraged.” Following the meeting, the E-board scoured the constitution for guidance or precedents. “We had no idea what to do in this circumstance, so we looked in the constitution and tried to do what was closest to it, and after that it was just an issue of fairness,” Rothfus said. Together with General Judicial Council Chair Matthew Hibbs, who is responsible for ensuring the constitutionality of SGA actions, the E-board decided to fill unclaimed seats by appointment. They cited the constitution’s instructions for filling vacant seats and a desire to treat the matter with fairness. The constitution provides appointment as the procedure for filling vacant seats, which is generally only an issue when an elected SGA member must step down due to probation or personal reasons. This election’s unclaimed seats were not technically vacant until the election closed at 8
»See SGA, A4
MARIA PRADA / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Pepperdine Commemorates: Alumni Park was the venue for Pepperdine’s 9/11 commemoration event, which included remarks by Pepperdine President Andrew K. Benton, Deena Burnett Bailey, and former Gov. Davis.
Malibu remembers By MADISON LEONARD ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
Veterans, current military officers, patriotic motorcyclists, state officials and Malibu locals stood among the nearly 3,000 waving flags on Alumni Park on Sunday to memorialize and honor the fallen heroes of 9/11. From the bagpipes playing “Amazing Grace” to the roaring military flyover, a strong spirit of national pride and remembrance made its presence known on campus throughout the day. Deena Burnett Bailey, the widow of Flight 93 hero and Pepperdine alumnus Tom Burnett, gave the main memorial address. She
shared her gratitude for the American people and their grateful hearts that had helped strengthen her family’s faith and courage during the tragedy of her husband’s heroic death. She emphasized that the crowd at Alumni Park was demonstrating the same strong American spirit epitomized 10 years ago in the heroism of Flight 93. “I couldn’t agree more with what my mom was speaking about today,” said Burnett’s daughter, Hallie. “We would not be the people we are today without the support of people across the country like the ones here today.” After a processional of military, fire and
»See A3 for more coverage of Sunday’s memorial events More than 1,000 bikers rode onto campus to commemorate 9/11 in the annual Ride to the Flags charity event. Widow Deena Burnett Bailey recounts her 9/11 experience and life without Flight 93 hero Tom Burnett.
»See 9/11, A3
Local surf community takes break for environment By MEAGAN MCCARTY STAFF WRITER
MEAGAN MCCARTY / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Hitting the waves: Celebrities caught some waves Saturday, Sept. 10, for environmental causes.
Does that look tasty to you? Reviews of local Malibu restaurants whet your appetite.
Pepperdine students will have a chance to be more involved with local beaches Saturday, by taking part in Heal the Bay Coastal Cleanup Day. Pepperdine’s Environmental Programs will be participating in the event by traveling to a site and helping clean up litter along the coast supporting various environmental foundations like the Surfrider Foundation. “Coastal Cleanup Day is the largest volunteer day on the planet; where thousands of people around the world help clean up their local beaches, parks, riverbanks and neighborhoods,” said senior Brittany Thompson, coordinator of Environmental Programs. The event is global, with more
It’s election time again at Pepperdine Read student reflections on SGA elections and their connections to real-world democracy.
than 60 sites in the Los Angeles area. Heal the Bay has placed Pepperdine volunteers at the Malibu Lagoon. Thompson estimates that around 60 students will participate in Coastal Cleanup Day, sponsored by Heal the Bay. The Surfrider Foundation will also take part in Coastal Cleanup Day. The foundation recently held its sixth annual Celebrity Expression Session Saturday, where celebrities hit the Malibu beaches for a good cause. Ten celebrity surfers joined the foundation at First Point, Surfrider Beach to catch some waves in support of the foundation by raising funds and awareness. These celebrities included popular film, music, and television stars Eric Avery, Eric Balfour, David Chokachi, Brian Geraghty, Gregory Harrison, Chad Lowe, John Slattery,
Jesse Spencer, Ross Thomas and Sam Trammell. For an hour, the celebrities rode the waves in free surf, collecting $300 for the foundation for each wave caught. The event also provided local residents a chance to see some of their favorite stars out on the waves, while supporting a good cause. The Surfrider Foundation will use this money to aid in its efforts of protecting the world’s oceans, beaches and waves. The foundation started when a few local surfers were worried about threats to their surf break, and today, the foundation is composed of more than 100 chapters worldwide. The foundation focuses on water quality, coastal preservation, beach access and special place protection. Through membership dues, contribu-
»See SURF, A4
The Waves of Malibu Fri. 2 ft @14s
Sat. 2 ft @14s
Sun. 2 ft @14s
Mon. 2.5 ft @19s
»PERSPECTIVES, A6
»L&A, B7
magicseaweed.com
NEWS
A2 Graphic
September 15, 2011
Doodles gone wild
A brief history of mascots By Edgar HErnandEz News editor
MEAGAN MCCARTY / stAFF PHOtOGRAPHER
Dance, Doodle, Dance: A doodle, a crossbreed between a purebred poodle and another purebred dog, dances the day away with its owner at the 10th Annual Southern California Doodle Romp. Malibu was host to the Doodle Romp on Saturday, Sept. 10, which consisted of contests for the doodles and a buffet lunch for the owners.
DPS REPORTS Weekly update from the Department of Public Safety
9/06/11 11:51 a.m. Assault – Simple, Not Aggravated Location: Cultural Arts Center Summary: A student reported physical altercation involving an ex-boyfriend. The LA County Sherriff’s Department responded to investigate. 9/06/11 12:08 p.m. Incident – Dumpster/Trash Can Fire Location: Graziadio Executive Center Summary: A Public Safety officer responded to a report of smoke coming from a trash dumpster. A staff member of FM&P had extinguished the flames prior to the arrival of Public Safety. The cause was determined to be a discarded cigarette. 9/06/11 2:40 p.m. Incident – Suspicious Person Location: Tyler Campus Center Summary: Four female students reported feeling uncomfortable because a visitor that was asking them repeated questions. Public Safety officers responded and escorted the individual off campus. 9/07/11 1:16 a.m. Code of Conduct – Possession of Alcohol/Drunk Location: Richard Rockwell Towers Summary: Public Safety responded to a report of an alcohol policy violation. Full and empty alcohol containers were found. 9/07/11 11:33 p.m. Service – Animal Call Location: Lovernich Seaver Apartments, A Block Summary: Public Safety officers responded to a report of a large dog roaming the campus and barking at students. Officers were unable to detain the dog, and Animal Control was notified. 9/08/11 8:57 a.m. Incident – Suspicious Person Location: Firestone Fieldhouse Summary: Public Safety responded to a report of a suspicious person. The individual turned out to be a relative of a faculty member walking through campus to exercise. 9/11/11 3:10 a.m. Patrol – Foot Patrol Location: Alumni Park Summary: A Public Safety officer reported a suspicious person near the 9/11 venue site. 9/11/11 12:52 p.m. Citizen – Complaint Location: Public Safety Office Summary: A student filed a complaint regarding phone service.
C A L E N D A R
News of the WORLD US poverty hits record high
According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2010 report, nearly one in six people live in poverty, in other words 46.2 million people. The poverty rate rose from 14.3 percent in 2009 to 15.1 percent.
Deadly Indian trains collide
A passenger train hit another in Chennai in Southern India on Tuesday. At least seven people have been killed and around 50 have been reported injured. The number of passengers remains unknown.
New camera detects lies
A team from the U.K. universities of Bradford and Aberystwyth has developed a new video camera system that is able to detect lies by analyzing facial expression. This research was conducted in affiliation with the U.K. Border Agency.
Intel and Google collaborate
Intel, the world’s largest chipmaker, has begun working with Google on improving the Android’s processors. It is hoped that the partnership will lead to the development of processors that require less power and emit less heat.
Troops enclose Kabul rebels
On Wednesday morning Afghani and international forces were closing in on the last of the insurgents in the building that housed the U.S. embassy and NATO headquarters. The attack occurred Tuesday in Kabul, and at least four policemen and two civilians have been killed. Reports compiled from BBC.com
Around the ’BU Malibu academics improve
Malibu public schools exceeded the state target score of 800 on the Academic Performance Index according to the Malibu Patch. The scores, based on standardized test performance, placed Malibu High above the state public school average.
Storm hospitalizes firefighters
Three Ventura County firefighters were hospitalized Tuesday when lighting struck within 50 feet of their location in the Los Padres National Forest. According to NBC Los Angeles the men were exhibiting symptoms including disorientation.
Malibu celebrates with music
Local restaurants will be holding performances all throughout next week, by both new talent as well as known artists, to celebrate the fourth annual Malibu Music Festival. The week culminates with the Malibu Music Awards on Saturday, Sept. 24.
Rare blue whales spotted in bay Over the past week blue whales have been spotted breaching in the Santa Monica Bay according to the Malibu Times. These endangered animals are about two to three miles off the coast, and have been seen swimming up to boats.
Cliffside offers intervention
The luxury rehabilitation center Cliffside Malibu, run by founder and CEO Richard Taite, now offers professional intervention services, as reported by PRWEB. Reports compiled from Malibu Patch, Malibu Times and NBC Los Angeles.
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Rock the Brock 6–7:30 p.m. Brock House
SGA Celebrates Constitution Day 11 a.m.–1 p.m. Waves Café
Heal the Bay Coastal Cleanup Day 8:30 a.m.–noon Malibu Lagoon
Monday State Department Presentation 12:30–1:30 p.m. School of Law Classroom D
http://seaver.pepperdine.edu/studentlife/calendar
It’s hard to imagine Pepperdine before we arrived. For some students it’s as simple as imagining Pepperdine without the renovations that were done to Joslyn Plaza. For others it’s a little more complicated. For example, imagine life without Willie the Wave. The quest to find the perfect Pepperdine mascot has been a long one full of high tides and low tides. Take, for instance, the time Willie was portrayed as a “large jug of water.” I imagine something like the Kool-Aid man except less lively. At another moment a student in a wet suit and goggles, not much of a wave there, portrayed Willie. Perhaps the darkest moment in Pepperdine mascot history was between 2003 and 2006 when Pepperdine didn’t actually have a mascot. Things were off to a bad start in 1937 when Pepperdine was founded with no mascot. It wasn’t until 1945 that the first mascot washed ashore in the form of Roland the Wave. His first appearance was in print in the Graphic. A traditional chant at games was: “Roll on you Waves! Roll on you Waves!” Roland’s short-lived relationship with Pepperdine ended suddenly in 1950. A more lively character replaced Roland. Joe the Pelican graced the Graphic accompanied by a plea to the student body to make him the new mascot. One week before that issue of the Graphic, Joe, a real, live sea bird had appeared in a Pepperdine T-shirt at a football game. Joe only made it through one year because of the expenses and troubles that Joe’s care required. In came Willie the Wave in 1952. The original concept of Willie the Wave was ditched, but with a change of location came a change of image for Willie. In 1972, when Pepperdine moved from Los Angeles to Malibu, the second edition of Willie the Wave was introduced. Common nicknames for Willie back then were “the fur ball,” “the hairy smurf ” and “old carpethead.” In 1992 yet another version of Willie was introduced. However, at the time it seemed like his latest makeover was going to be his last. In 1996 Willie thrown to the wayside to make way for an idea to better market Pepperdine sports. King Neptune made its first appearance in 1996 during “Midnight Madness.” Unfortunately, like his predecessors, King Neptune bit the dust in a fairly short time, 2003 to be exact. After all, a pagan god was not a becoming mascot for a Christian university. After three years of not having a mascot Pepperdine decided to try again. Willie the Wave was revamped and returned in 2006. Willie has been around for five years, and it’s safe to say that he is here to stay. However, having already been ditched once, with these things one never knows. One thing is for certain: The spirit of the student body will continue to evolve regardless of whether or not the mascot does. g
edgar.hernandez@pepperdine.edu
Corrections
•In the Sept. 8 issue, the department credited for organizing “Back to the ’Bu” was incorrectly identified. The Student Programming Board organized the event. •The movie shown at “The Return” was “Tangled.” “Kung Fu Panda 2” was never shown. •Also, in the Sept. 8 issue the priority application deadline was incorrect. The deadline is Monday, Sept. 26.
Wednesday Founder’s Day Chapel 10–10:55 a.m. Firestone Fieldhouse
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NEWS
September 15, 2011
Graphic
A3
Pepp hosts more than 1,400 riders for 9/11 By Edgar Hernandez News Editor
More than 1,000 motorcycles rolled onto Pepperdine’s campus Sunday, Sept. 11 to take part in the Ride to the Flags volunteer event, whose destination was Pepperdine’s memorial service held amid the Wave of Flags in Alumni Park. While the ride is free for motorcyclists, the event raises funds for charities through the donations of the riders. Funds from this year’s event will go to both the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund and Operation Gratitude. The bikers’ day was divided into three stages, beginning at a memorial service held at Point Mugu Naval Base in Ventura County. From Point Mugu, the bikers roared down Pacific Coast Highway to the Wave of the Flags display, which features 2,977 flags, one for each life lost in 9/11. Ride to the Flags, as well as Wave of Flags, was started in 2008 by Ryan Sawtelle while he was president of the College Republicans in his senior year at Pepperdine. It took Sawtelle 18 months of plan-
ning and fundraising to organize the first Wave of Flags in 2008. Unsatisfied with just putting flags up, Sawtelle believed more could be done with the event. Thus, Ride to the Flags was born. “So, in addition to putting the flags up so people won’t forget the enormity of that day, we can simultaneously raise funds for good causes,” Sawtelle said. Once at the flag display, many of the riders stayed for the memorial service. For the first time in the Ride’s four years, Pepperdine accommodated the riders by allowing them to park on University property. After the positive response by the first Wave of Flags, Pepperdine’s office of student activities absorbed the event in 2009. It remains a politically unaffiliated tribute, and many campus groups come together each year to put the flags up in Alumni Park. The Ride to the Flags, on the other hand, is not a Pepperdine event, and Sawtelle still orchestrates this charity ride, which saw more than 1,400 riders participating for the decennial anniversary of 9/11. Sawtelle seems happy to do so — he expressed excitement over the runaway success of the ride and sup-
ASHTON BOWLES / Assistant PHOTO EDITOR
Roll on: More than 1,400 riders cruise Seaver Drive on their way to the 9/11 memorial service in Alumni Park on Sunday.
port from the riders, which bodes well for future Rides. “We started with 230, which is a lot for a first-year ride. I think we’ll hit 2,000 in the next three years,” Sawtelle speculated.
Sawtelle said he thinks it’s important to have an event like this “so people can memorialize and never forget a day that should not be forgotten. The ride helps the bikers remember and all of the people that see us on the street remember,
too. I think it is also important to use this day as a reminder for the people we need to support — this charity ride does just that.” g
edgar.hernandez@pepperdine.edu
Widow of Flight 93 hero speaks on life after 9/11 Deena Burnett Bailey, widow of Pepp alum Tom Burnett, tells of her last conversation with Tom before he helped take United 93 back from terrorists. By Rachel Miller Copy Editor
“Even though it’s been 10 years, the conversations I had with Tom are just so strongly a part of my psyche,” said Deena Burnett Bailey, widow of United Flight 93 hero Tom Burnett. “I think about them driving down the road, they come to me as I drift off to sleep at night. It’s just something that never leaves me.” Burnett, an alumnus of Pepperdine’s Graziadio School of Business, spoke a few words to Bailey in their last conversation together, before his plane crashed into rural Pennsylvania. “Don’t worry,” he said, “we’re going to do something.” “Those last words, ‘do something,’ they were intended, not just for the people on Flight 93, but for our family specifically, and perhaps for all of us to take action — to not just be passive in seeing things that are wrong and not doing anything about them,” Bailey said. “It’s something that I say to my girls regularly, ‘Don’t be passive, stand up and do something.’” Bailey and Burnett had three daughters together. That fateful day 10 years ago began
as any other. Burnett was on a business ley explained. “It was a terrifying morntrip in New York, leaving his family an- ing. I just kept watching the clock, waitticipating his return. “My first memory of that day was the ing for him to call again, waiting for kids jumping on my bed. [My daughter] him to say that he was on the ground Anna Claire was going to preschool for and that he was OK.” But after going upstairs to change the first time,” Bailey recalled. After turning on the television, the clothes, Bailey came back to find a pofamily became concerned because of lice officer looking solemnly at her teletheir father’s location in New York. But vision. “When I came downstairs he was Deena continued to make breakfast as the family gathered around the table, standing at the bottom of the staircase looking up at me and I could watching each plane go tell by the look on his face that down. something was wrong,” Bailey The phones started said. ringing, first Bailey’s moth“He said, ‘I think I have er, and then Burnett’s. The bad news for you,’ and I third call was Burnett, who turned toward the television explained that hijackers and saw that another plane had already knifed a pashad crashed. I said, ‘Is that senger and taken over the Tom’s plane?’ He said, ‘I think plane. Bailey it is.’” “He was putting a plan Hero’s Widow Now, on the 10th antogether to take back the niversary of Sept. 11, Bailey plane and told me not to worry. There was a group of them, and explained that Burnett’s act, though hehe was going to do something,” Bailey roic, was not out of character. “After the last phone call, when all said. “He told me he was waiting until they were over a rural area to take back this was going on, my neighbor came the plane, and then he asked about the over, and I told her, ‘Well, Tom is taking over the plane. They’re putting a plan kids.” After the fourth phone call, a police- together to take the plane back,’ and she man, fireman and emergency aid trucks and I laughed because it was so typical, arrived at their house. The house was full it sounded like him.” “He was a leader,” Bailey said. “He alof people; all the while, Bailey was still ways ran the show, it didn’t matter what trying to get the kids ready for school. “It was a very chaotic morning,” Bai- it was. He just was always in charge of
9/11: tribute inspires From A1
law enforcement personnel, some of Pepperdine’s own student service members, Army ROTC cadets Sawyer Clark, Emily Frigo, Jeffrey Jarvi and Jonathan Lancaster performed the color guard presentation. Air Force ROTC members also attended the ceremony and were touched by the patriotic atmosphere of the speakers and crowd. “It really validates the reasons we serve,” said Cadet Lt. Col. John Garrison, a senior. “It’s such a great reinforcement to feel at times like this, that America stands behind you in your service.” “Days like today make me remember, among other reasons, why I joined the military in the first place,” said Cole Ryan, a sophomore Air Force ROTC cadet. Several California state officials also contributed to the remembrance, including LA County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, who presented a California state resolution honoring the heroism of Tom Burnett. Former California Gov. Gray Davis also addressed the audience about maintaining the “bright light of American resolve” and the importance of thanking service members for all that they do to protect our country. Following the memorial service, he reflected on the beauty of the ceremony and its surroundings.
“I’m so proud of Pepperdine for the ways it continues to honor the heroes of 9/11,” Davis said. “There is nothing more patriotic than an American flag, and just looking out on this site, it feels very close to God.” The flags drew many to the lawn with their striking display. Seaver graduate 2nd Lt. Col. Darren Cinatl (2011) said he was grateful for the flag display, along with the multitude of other events that took place Sunday, including the University Church of Christ services, the reading of the victims names, the film screening of “United 93” and the memorial service. “With this beautiful backdrop and the flags, it was a really inspiring day,” Cinatl said, “You could truly see Pepperdine’s honor to those who fell on 9/11 by the sheer number and quality of events that were put on today.” President Andrew K. Benton concluded the speaking at the service, sharing the exact words that he prepared for the Pepperdine community 10 years ago on the day of the tragedy. He reiterated the philosopher William James’ words, emphasizing that are a “twice-born people” because of 9/11, with the opportunity to have a deeper faith and obligation to keep the memory of those who died in their hearts. “That we may learn,” Benton said, “may we never forget.” g
madison.leonard@pepperdine.edu
everything, whether he was assigned to I think that I would be a very different person than I am today.” it or not, he just took over, always.” “[Now], I think that we’re much But that did not make him a “hero” more aware of our relationships and by his definition. “I don’t think he would have thought how life can change at a moment’s nohimself to be a hero, he just would have tice. Really, life is about not knowing what’s going to happen thought himself to be next and being able to a good citizen who adapt to the changes and was taking action, “[Tom] loved it here circumstances that ocbecause action was [at Pepperdine]; he cur,” Bailey said. called for,” Bailey said. thought it was beau“We have a much And that type of tiful.” stronger faith in God, take-action behavior —Deena Burnett Bailey and have really learned has largely shaped the Widow of Pepp Alum to rely on the strength way that the Burnett and the courage that are Bailey family has lived gained from our faith,” following the attacks. “On the backs of [my daughter’s] she continued. “And we have really bedroom doors, [there are posters],” opened ourselves up to the blessings Bailey explained. “They say, ‘Stand for that come every day. I remarried after something or you’ll fall for anything.’ the fifth anniversary. So we’ve grown in And I really think that that encompasses number, not just in this emotional cawhat he meant when he said, ‘We’re go- pacity.” As Bailey looked toward the flags ing to do something.’ You have to know waving on Alumni Park, she was rewhat you believe and fight for it.” Over the years, the Burnett family minded of Burnett’s time at Pepperdine. “I’m reminded of the time that Tom has learned to cherish one another every spent here as a graduate student, and day. “[Had the attacks not occurred] I meeting the families of the people he think we would probably be living in went through school with,” Bailey remiMinnesota. I think that he would still nisced. “There are very fond memories be in business,” Bailey said. “Most in coming back to Pepperdine, to Mallikely, he would be head of a company ibu. He loved it here; he thought it was somewhere. I think that the dreams and beautiful.” goals and hopes that we had as a family and as a wife and husband would have rachel.miller@pepperdine.edu been fulfilled instead of changed forever. g
“He w plan back told m
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NEWS
A4 Graphic
September 15, 2011
Use your head: Fans at fault for injuries The result is inevitable: Spectators get in- that the owner of the stadium was negligent because the net was insufficiently long and there jured. The question is, when the injury occurs, who were no warnings about the possibility of prois responsible? As with every legal question, the jectiles leaving the field. The court held the owner was not responsible real answer is, “It depends.” But, practically because the net protected the speaking, the spectator is. most dangerous area of the An owner of an arena spectator stands and the risk or stadium owes a duty Spectators are thought of a broken bat entering the to each patron to operate to assume ordinary and stands was well known. the premises with reasonThe court was holding able care. In the context foreseeable risks that comports with practical realof sporting events, this are inherent to the sport, ity and common sense. The duty is defined as a “lim- such as flying pucks, law must balance the safety ited duty.” Spectators are balls and broken bats... of the fans with the tradition thought to assume ordiand allure of attending a live nary and foreseeable risks sport. that are inherent to the Baseball patrons, for instance, want to be insport, such as flying pucks, balls and broken bats, while owners are required to protect spec- volved with the game in an intimate way, and tators in areas where these risks are most dan- even hope to come in contact with some projecgerous and most likely to occur, such as behind tile from the field, like a souvenir ball. We not home plate or behind the goal. only know about the risk of being in the stands Moreover, although fellow fans may heed a — we welcome it. warning call, none is required. The risk of injury Further, although owners are not required to from objects leaving the field or rink is consid- give warnings, most do. Just listen to the loudered obvious, and spectators are presumed to speaker at the beginning of the game, read the have known this condition existed before at- message on the Jumbotron, or read the fine print tending the game. language on the back of your ticket. The warnRecently, a young girl’s fingers were crushed ings are there. at a baseball game when a bat broke and a fragPlus, consider the practical effect of requiring ment of it curved around the protective netting individual warnings for each spectator. Patrons and hit her hands. In court, her family argued would quickly become fed up with a ticket seller
EDITOR’S NOTE This is part of a special series of pieces written by Pepperdine School of Law students. By Bradley Thomasma Graphic Contributor
“Heads up!” Most times, this phrase is hollered when it is too late to react to whatever is about to hit you. Although this warning may not always provide enough time to dodge the bullet, so to speak, it does serve as a cautionary reminder to the rules of liability during the situations when we tend to hear it most: at sporting events. Take baseball. It’s America’s favorite pastime. The smell of an oiled mitt, a Ball Park Frank, a chorus of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the seventh-inning stretch are all indelibly etched into the spirits of our nation’s sporting enthusiasts. Millions of fans flock to stadiums to celebrate the sport and to experience the action in person. Baseball, however, is a dangerous sport. Pitchers throw hardballs close to 100 mph, balls spray foul, bats break and fly into the stands, and players dive into the crowd to make a catch. Spectators, moreover, want to sit as close to the field as possible.
or other employee warning them that by entering the park that they could be hit by a flying ball or puck. As with all areas of the law, there are exceptions, of course. Fans assume ordinary risks, not extraordinary ones. For example, if an act by a player is intentional, we don’t say that it is part of the game. This is the case when an outfielder charges the stands and attacks a heckler. Or, for instance, in the all-too-memorable event at the Detroit Pistons arena, The Palace, in 2004. Pacers players rushed the seats to fight unruly Pistons fans. The circumstance in which the injury occurs also plays a role in whether it is ordinary and reasonably anticipated. Consider the difference between a fan hit by a baseball in the bleachers, and a fan hit by a baseball while away from the field ordering at a concession stand. The latter is more likely to recover for his injuries because one does not expect such an injury to occur. Owners owe duty of reasonable care to spectators attending sporting events, but this duty is limited. It reflects our human nature: We assume risks for greater enjoyment. So, the next time you’re at a ball game, instead of using your head to stop a ball, use your head to realize that one might be coming. Bring a mitt, order a frank and enjoy the game.
g
bradley.thomasma@pepperdine.edu
Students seek service beyond Step Forward Day By Genevieve Smith Photo Editor
Pepperdine University’s Step Forward Day is a 23-year tradition. At a school filled with service-minded students, the volunteer day gives them a sampling of the ties the school has made with its community, while fulfilling the expressed needs of non-profit organizations. One organization in particular has taken on as many as 200 Pepperdine volunteers at a time, as they have many jobs to fill. The Los Angeles Dream Center has put elbow grease into inspiring change in the community over the past 17 years. The brainchild of founder Matthew Barnett, the volunteer-driven organization aids in many ways as it offers shelter to victims of human trafficking, a residential rehabilitation center, accredited educational programs and generous weekend outreach projects. Volunteers flock from as far as New Zealand to lend a hand with the weekly Adopt-A-Block project, which attends to communities including Echo Park, Silverlake, Skid Row and South Central Los Angeles. The Dream Center ministry utilizes an average of 350 volunteers to help the homeless and needy of over 85 blocks, inspired by the question: “How can we serve you?” The project’s influence remains in these neighborhoods beyond each Saturday afternoon through the DC’s bus ministry program. Thousands of volunteers build relationships with the community through weekly in-home visits, focused on discovering the tangible and spiritual needs of each household. “You’re changing the atmosphere of a community,” said Jonathan Martinez, Adopt-a-Block program director, to Saturday’s volunteers. The center has tracked crime rates as they’ve dropped
17 percent over the past three years in the Rampart District, where the center is located. “We go out and love on people — that love promotes faith; that faith promotes hope. Then, [those in the community] realize they have a plan for their lives. They realize there’s school. They can leave their gangs and stop using drugs.” This presence is felt at Pueblo, a community of LA, where resident Ophelia Lewis said this past Saturday that Adopt-a-Block has “formed us into a community.” As its neighbors line up on the grass, teams of volunteers fill their bags with basic needs. “They give me soap and shampoo, and then they’re here next week,” resident Raymundo Sanchez said. Volunteers carry on organizing games for children and the elderly, cleaning up homes and knocking on doors to learn of the household needs, while they invite those living there to the Dream Center church. “They’re a gift to you, just as much as you’re a gift to them,” said Dr. Joi Carr, professor of Film Studies and English. She found the Dream Center through Step Forward Day, explaining, “I choose Dream Center every year because of that one-on-one contact. It’s all about the gift of humanity.” Last Saturday afternoon generated nearly 5,500 hours of service from approximately 1,400 Pepperdine students, much of it at the Dream Center. While Carr found a cause close to her heart though Step Forward Day, she hopes sign-ups at the Volunteer Center double. “We have a space on campus that is dedicated to do that. Utilize it,” Carr said.
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tions, grants and donations, the foundation has succeeded in 150 coastal victories thus far. These victories are decisions that are made in favor of the coastal environment that result in positive conservation outcomes. Some of the most notable victories the foundation has had are improving water quality at Nye Creek Beach, stopping a toll road that would destroy state park and damage surf at Trestles, stopping offshore oil drilling in the continental U.S. for the next seven years and legalizing surfing at four Chicago beaches. The foundation has several ways for community members to get involved. Being a surfer is not required to volunteer, and
Annie jeong / staff photographer
Above: Students from Chris Stivers’ freshman seminar class pull weeds in a garden for North Hollywood High School. Left: Ophelia Lewis, a resident of the Pueblo community, plays with fellow neighborhood child Annette.
genevieve.smith@pepperdine.edu
Surf: beaches cleaned From A1
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there is a local chapter, the West LA/Malibu chapter, which Pepperdine students can access. “The best way to help out is to get involved in the local chapter,” said Alexis Henry from the Surfrider Foundation. “Volunteers can help with beach cleanups and restoration projects.” To find a local chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, students can go to the foundation’s website at surfrider.org. Heal the Bay will take place Saturday, Sept. 17, from 9 a.m. to noon. Students can sign up through the Pepperdine volunteer center website by visiting the environmental justice page and registering under Coastal Cleanup Day. g
meagan.mccarty@pepperdine.edu
Genevieve smith / PHOTO EDITOR
SGA: ‘I feel confident that the right pople will be put in the positions’ From A1
a.m. today due to the possibility of successful write-in campaigns. The E-board will follow the constitutional procedure for filling vacant seats by appointment for any seats still unclaimed. The E-board has spent the past week thinking of students they would recommend to fill any vacancies. After the election, the members will vote to select an appointee for each vacancy. After being sworn in, the elected senate members must confirm the E-board’s appointments. Following the confirma-
tions, the appointees will be sworn in as well. Members will be sworn in and appointees confirmed at the SGA retreat this weekend. “I feel confident that the right people will be put in the positions. It’s not how I would have envisioned this week going, but we won’t let it make us start off on the wrong foot,” said Vice President of Administration Rachel O’Connor. O’Connor and Hibbs spearheaded election planning this year, and their efforts to advertise the races for interested candidates went beyond even what was done in previous years. “[The lack of candidates]
was troubling because we are so excited about the plans for the year,” O’Connor said. Another possible solution would have been to extend the deadline to turn in election packets, but the Eboard decided this would be unfair to the candidates who had turned in their packets on time. If the deadline had been extended, other students could have entered and run against those who had filed their materials according to the original deadline.
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aubrey.hoeppner@pepperdine.edu
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September 15, 2011
Israeli politician salutes Reagan
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need for freedom, Sharansky said he was fascinated that Reagan himself “spoke like a dissident.” Thanks to pressure from Reagan, the Soviet dissident, former Gulag prison- man who he described as the “leader of er and Israeli politician Natan Sharansky the free world,” Sharansky was released in spoke at the Faith and Public Policy Forum 1986 and immediately emigrated to Israel. hosted Tuesday by the PepperIn Israel, Sharansky became dine School of Public Policy in active in the integration of Socelebration of the Ronald Reaviet Jews, creating the Zionist gan centennial. Forum as well as co-founding Sharansky, the chair of the Peace Watch, a nonpartisan executive of the Jewish agency group dedicated to monitoring of Israel, had a moment before compliance to Israeli and Palesthe lecture to speak to the metinian Liberation Organization dia in the Reagan Presidential agreements. Library. Sharansky In 1996, he founded the Born in Ukraine, then a part Israeli Politician political party Yisrael BaAliya, of the Soviet Union, Sharansky which was established to accelwas a chess prodigy and aterate the absorption of Russian tended the Physical Technical Institute of immigrants into Israeli society. For the next Moscow before being denied a visa to leave decade, Sharansky served in various govthe Soviet Union for Israel. Sharansky ex- ernment positions, as minister of industry pressed Israel’s present-day “need to grow and trade, minister of the interior, minisstep-by-step as a society with a free econ- ter of housing and construction, minister omy, with education, with security forces without portfolio and deputy prime minfighting terrorism and political opulence” ister of Israel. His years of service earned to go into elections without being fear. him many honors, including the CongresDespite many groups on both sides of sional Gold Medal and the Presidential the Israeli-Palestinian conflict attempting Medal of Honor. to force new declarations of peace, SharanSharansky’s independent ideals and sky believes that patience will be the only longtime support of Reagan are now meway to truly accomplish it. morialized in the museum portion of the “Peace can’t be imposed. Peace can only Presidential Library, alongside other rebe built from the bottom up,” he said. cipients of the Ronald Reagan Freedom Sharansky also described his years in Award. Certain audio clips of Sharansky’s Soviet Russia as a political dissident and past speeches are presented in the “Voices human rights activist. After being accused of Freedom” area, and poignant quotes are of collaborating with the CIA and sen- written on the wall. tenced to 13 years in prison, Sharansky was One quote displayed in the museum encouraged to hear that Reagan was reject- particularly embodies Reagan’s impact on ing Soviet appeasement and choosing not Sharansky’s lifelong pursuit of liberation: to trust a government that didn’t trust in “All the resources of a superpower cannot its own people. isolate a man who hears the voice of freeWhile in the Gulag, Sharansky and dom, a voice heard from the very chamber other prisoners got a hold of the Pravda, of my soul.” the Soviet newspaper condemning Reagan for calling the U.S.S.R. an “evil empire.” That was the moment Sharansky was first inspired by Reagan. Honoring Reagan for transcending politics and having clarity about the human madison.leonard@pepperdine.edu Assistant News Editor
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Graduate program goes green through eLearning By Edgar Hernandez News Editor
Trying to stay ahead of the pack, Pepperdine’s Graziadio School of Business and Management announced the restructuring of its Master of Science in Organization Development (MSOD) program. The school seeks to recognize and incorporate into the classroom the impact that sustainability, globalization and technology have on organizations today. They are also working to incorporate eLearning courses and social media tools. Significant changes to the program include increased attention given to sustainability practices, recent advancements in neuroscience and an expansion of opportunities for fieldwork worldwide. “Our MSOD program reflects more than 35 years of experience in leading the way in educating change practitioners,” said Dr. Linda A. Livingstone, dean of Graziadio, in a press release. “And while the focus of the program remains on the development of both the organization and the individual, we’ve also stayed true to our pioneering spirit by reimaging a new curriculum that speaks to the complexity of today’s workplace.” Those complexities of today’s workplace can be well highlighted by the addition of eLearning courses. From a functional angle, the incorporation of eLearning helps the University accomplish its goals of sustainability. “We did this to reduce our, the University and our student’s, environmental footprint,” said Gordon Brooks, deputy director of the MSOD program. The addition of eLearning courses will decrease the amount of travel international students have to make. “By having fewer sessions and fewer times in airplanes, the program has always attracted students from across the globe, even more so now than in the past.”
The change will reduce the number of sessions the students attend in person from eight to six. The reduction will result in more time spent online, but less time traveling to and from sessions. Sessions are face-to-face, eight- to tenday learning experiences divided into three international locations and three California locations. The eLearning courses will take place in between face-to-face sessions and will cover the theory, history and context of the material covered in the sessions. Brooks assured that the eLearning experience will not be like that in other places. “It’s not going to be one of those static eLearning experiences where you log in and download stuff and respond to multiple choice,” Brooks said. Through the use of interactive threaded conversations, the MSOD program is aiming to humanize the virtual learning experience. “This is a capacity of imparting knowledge, communicating, trading information and learning, that the organizational world around the globe is already using,” Brooks said. As to what gives the MSOD program the edge over other programs in the nation, Brooks believes it’s the program’s “knowledge and experience in creating these richly applied learning experiences.” Furthermore, Brooks has identified the strong alumni network as the missing piece that other schools don’t have. “Our alumni are extremely committed to lifelong learning and to supporting the program. For almost 10 years, we have brought in alumni as adjunct faculty to service as coaches to learning teams.” The MSOD program will begin next Saturday, when they will have a live synchronous virtual experience that will connect all of the students. Each student will have an alumnus friend wherever they are geographically. g
edgar.hernandez@pepperdine.edu
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PERSPECTIVES September 15, 2011
Transfer provides new start
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By SIENNA JACKSON Hello, Pepperdine, I’m pleased to be here — a new transfer student excited to start her first year. It’s been a long time coming. From a very young age, I recognized that my mind was my single greatest asset in life. I knew that intelligence was a formidable tool that must be honed and sharpened to become deadly. So, I always took it for granted that I would go to college some day, that I would and could excel in academia and anything else I put my mind to, if only I were clever enough. That was the foundation of my lifetime prospectus, as a child. A fuzzy and illdefined projection of my own future, filled with the fruits of hard work and determination. Pepperdine was always a clearer detail in that future-image. For most of my life I’ve lived in Calabasas, in Malibu Canyon, and most of my childhood days were spent at the beach. Every time our family made the 10-minute drive to the shore, we cruised by the campus dominated by the edifice of the Phillips Theme Tower. “Look Sienna, there’s Pepperdine!” I can distinctly remember my mom saying. Being only 9 years old at the time, I would press my face unashamedly against the cool glass of the minivan window and stare up at this impressive school, nestled on a cliff by the sea. I was certain that someday I would enter that campus and walk up that hill, straight to that tower as a student on my journey to adulthood. I’ve always wondered, can you climb to the top of that tower? Are there stairs on the inside like the Statue of Liberty? Either way, Pepperdine was the image I carried throughout my formative years of what a university meant. When I pictured “university,” my mind conjured up images of sloping lawns and a sparkling ocean. It was an excellent motivator to work hard and excel in school. I started attending a local community college at 14, and now, at 18, here I am, with an associate’s degree in journalism under my belt as well as a clearer future-image than the one I had half my lifetime ago. Getting started here, after the whirlwind of NSO (“Excuse me, can you tell me where CBC is?” “Also, can you tell me what it stands for?” “Is everything here an acronym?”), my first impression was that the experience of being a student at Pepperdine was both alien and familiar, in ways that I haven’t honestly fleshed out in my own mind just yet. There will be time for that sort of introspection later; right now I’m more concerned with actually living my life as fully as I can, so it’ll be worth reflecting on in the future. Now, when I think about the future, I think in terms of the new horizons an education at Pepperdine will reveal to me. I feel as if a new chapter in my life has just begun, and with a little luck, a little drive, and a lot of cleverness and creativity, just about anything could happen, right? That feeling will wear off, I know. Once I get into the swing of life as one of the Waves, the new-experience glow will dim once my eyes adjust. That’s okay, though. That’s what adapting to a new environment is about: being at home in one’s new surroundings. For instance, does anyone at Pepperdine actually refer to him or herself as a “Wave?” I have no idea, but I’ll find out soon enough. Maybe I’ll look back at this column one day and smirk at my own faux pas. Whatever. What I do know, is that no matter what I get out of the experience of being here, the fact that I got here means the world. The little 9-year-old bookworm with frizzy hair and glasses that’s still with me is jumping for joy.
sienna.jackson@pepperdine.edu
LUKE RUEGGER / ART EDITOR
STAFF EDITORIAL
Renovation pros and cons give road map for future The Greek philosopher Heraclitus once said, “The only constant is change.” Whether we’re talking about haircuts, the Facebook layout or Pepperdine’s own campus, it’s something we all learn to live with. Students who returned to campus for fall 2009 were pleased with the new central campus area, especially after the construction nightmare from the previous year. This year when we all arrived, we were greeted with a brand-new HAWC. We appreciate the administration’s desire to improve student spaces and create an attractive on-campus environment. Knowing that one of the main motivations behind the HAWC renovation was to reinforce campus community, we offer our recommendations for maximizing the community potential of this space. We hope that the new design will not prove to be style over substance. The HAWC is the latest part of our campus to get a facelift as part of the attempts at keeping our “Most beautiful campus” title intact. Whether or not the new interior looks good is not in question, and we deeply appreciate that the Administration included students in the planning process. The student center was definitely in need of a change to keep up appearances. The problem is that now, it can feel more like a hotel lobby, than a student center. The new HAWC seems to be a bit smaller than the old design, due to the extension of the coffee shop on the second floor and offices on the first floor. Hopefully the coffee shop will provide good space for socializing and study groups, but we are concerned that the smaller space may
prohibit events like PIT, which tend to draw large audiences. Anyone who has been to a PIT show can tell you that there is no empty space in the HAWC on performance nights. Students are seated wall-to-wall and right up to the stage with little breathing room. Consider that if it was that bad before, how are they ever going to be able to fit everyone in there now? Squishing students into the now smaller HAWC would limit attendance, which would be antithetical to the renovation’s purpose. We suggest that coordinators of events like these be offered other, larger on-campus venues. Opening up Smothers or Elkins to PIT performances would allow more students to attend. The packing of students into the Sandbar for last Saturday night’s Coffee House was equally crowded. Students who go to these events often have to fight for space and struggle to enjoy the events to their fullest in the midst of the crowding. Overcrowding at community events is not just uncomfortable; it can be dangerous, too. Providing larger venues would eliminate safety concerns about following fire code. The former two pool tables and two pingpong tables have both been reduced to one each barring more than one group of students from their use simultaneously. The piano is nowhere to be seen either. Major universities routinely have a “student union” building reserved entirely for student recreational use. We do have our beloved HAWC, but alas, it is not our own. Sure, the university needs to put those offices somewhere, but it seems like every time more
QUESTION
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office space is needed, it comes at the expense of the students’ space. Once upon a time, there used to be a Lovernich common area, today, it’s better known as Special Programs. And now, after the renovations, there is even less community space for students outside of their dorms. Pepperdine is a small school, but not that small. For 3,000 undergraduate students, the HAWC and the Sandbar really are not cutting it. The best thing we see in this is the extended food area. The new mini-caf section opened Monday and appeared to be doing well. If the popularity of the HAWC Café takes off, we may see a rebirth of the space as a primarily culinary outlet. We are definitely all for having a greater diversity of food choices on campus, but the need for a recreational space will remain. New things are great, but if they take the place of something else, a substitute needs to be provided. The sense of community at Pepperdine is already loose enough. Our campus is secluded, and we don’t have easy access to the surrounding area like students at other schools do. Our athletics don’t draw massive crowds. Most of our interactions are with each other, here, in our self-contained campus. Pepperdine is a school that desperately needs a strong sense of community, and there are many students who work tirelessly to try and build one, but they can’t do it without a foundation, we need communal areas. We hope that as Pepperdine prepares for its next round of future additions they keep that in mind.
WEEK
“What do you look for in an SGA candidate?” “We need candidates that are ethical and dedicated.”
“Someone who can get things done.”
“Someone who’s compassionate and cares about everyone’s needs.
“A great smile.”
MIKE REID Freshman
GIFFORD TOMPKINS Sophomore
URI HONG Junior
CHRISTINE LIEWALD Senior
Executive Editor Scott Lawrence Managing Editor Zach Alfred Associate Editor Sonya Singh Online Managing Editor Jessica Abu-Ghattas News Editor Edgar Hernandez Assistant News Editor Madison Leonard News Assistant Caneel Anthony Sports Editor Albert Owusu Assistant Sports Editor Narinè Adamova Perspectives Editor Ian McDonald Assistant Perspectives Editor Taylor Harris Life & Arts Editor Nikki Torriente Assistant Life & Arts Editor Nathan Stringer Life & Arts Assistant Britt Kidd Design Editor Alexa Stoczko Section Designers Emily Branch Amy Cummins Kealy Jaynes Andrei Zamfir Photo Editor Genevieve Smith Assistant Photo Editor Ashton Bowles Staff Photographer Yixin Zhang Art Editor Luke Ruegger Assistant Art Editor Aaron Schott Copy Chief Aubrey Hoeppner Copy Editors Lindsay Jakows Rachel Miller Paulina Taylor Multimedia Producer Al Lai Sports Producer Richie Estrella Website Architect Jason Parham Advertising Operations Manager Greg Stevens Director of Student Journalism Elizabeth Smith Assistant Director of Journalism Courtenay Stallings
Mission Statement: The Graphic is an editorially independent weekly student newspaper for the greater Pepperdine community. It serves the community with news, opinion, contemporary information and a public forum for discussion. The Graphic strengthens students for purpose, service and leadership by developing their skills in writing, editing and publication production, by providing a vehicle to integrate and implement their liberal arts education, and by developing students’ critical thinking through independent editorial judgment. The Graphic participates in Pepperdine’s Christian mission and affirmations, especially the pursuit of truth, excellence and freedom in a context of public service. Although the Graphic reports about Pepperdine University and coordinates with curricula in journalism and other disciplines, it is a student and not a University publication. Views expressed are diverse and, of course, do not correspond to all views of any University board, administration, faculty, staff, student or other constituency.
September 15, 2011 »Spotlight on Service
PERSPECTIVES
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Know whom Debates lose entertainment value you serve By IAN MCDONALD
By LAUREN BURNHAM
“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art. ... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.” — C.S. Lewis A couple months ago, I mentioned to a long-time friend, Tyler from back home, that I had gone on a weekend-long mission trip to San Felipe, Mexico, with a group from Pepperdine during my spring break. We built a small home out of cinder block for a family there. Tyler was really excited because within the past couple years, he had gone to the exact same location and worked with the same church we had. He wanted to figure out if we had helped any of the people that he had come to know when he was there. He asked if I had met this name, or that name or maybe this other name. I didn’t recognize any of the names. Unfortunately, it wasn’t necessarily because my group worked with different people than he had. They could have been the same, they could have been different — I simply had no idea. It took Tyler’s questioning to make me realize that while I had driven all the way down to a town in Mexico, paid money to get there and to buy materials and labored for days on a house, I hadn’t even given much thought into who I was helping. It’s not that I should have pre-screened the recipients of the home to ensure that they were worthy of my help. That goes nearly without question, especially given that they had been selected in the context of a long-term relationship between the University Church and the church in San Felipe. I would never doubt that they were a good family in need of a good home, and I am more than glad to help whomever it is. But there’s something fake about sacrificing time and resources for someone, especially if you are doing it in person, without taking an interest in their humanity. It’s coldly ideological. Why didn’t you just send money instead? It will probably be more useful and efficient for the cause than trucking an indifferent person all the way to the site. This past weekend, my participation in Step Forward Day was marked by a different attitude. When my group arrived at Westside Food Bank in east Santa Monica, a woman welcomed us and assigned us a few manageable tasks as we expected she would. We divided the various projects among us and got down to work fairly quickly. However, one of the most memorable moments of the morning was when I started talking to the woman. I quickly learned that she was not a short-term employee or volunteer at the food bank. Rather, she had been working there for the past 12 years. Twelve years! That represents a rare degree of commitment, and I doubt she often gets recognition for it. I am sure she appreciated the help we gave her, but honestly, I’m sure she would have gotten the work done somehow. She usually does it without us, after all. In the midst of the hours I spent there, I am convinced that the only truly essential contribution I made was in those moments when I stopped to acknowledge her humanity and her unique story. If you agree that the general concept of service is to help people, then relating to these people and communicating with them is key for both practical and philosophical reasons. For one, you are bound to better understand how you can materially help them if you seek to understand their situation better. But on a deeper level, seeking to relate to them is the most meaningful action you can include in your service. No matter how much we try to eliminate material need and inequality from the world, it will still exist. There is only one type of injustice that we are totally capable of banishing, and that is the injustice of the belief that a person’s worth or importance can be determined by their life circumstances. Seek to understand and appreciate someone, and you weaken the damage that this wrong belief could to do them. Whatever service you do can be mightily empowered by a shot of cost-free humility. Whatever you do, make a genuine connection.
lauren.burnham@pepperdine.edu
Next year, we hit the dreaded 2012, and whether the world ends or not, it’s bound to be interesting. The Olympics may be in London, but the biggest rat race of them all will be on our side of the pond, in Washington D.C. The first primary voting is still five months away, but the slew of Republican candidates are already lacing up for the grueling journey ahead. Some have already quit, and others have jumped in late. But they’re all in this together now, and hilarity is about to ensue, or so I thought. I remember the lunacy of the primary lead-up in ’07 with fond recollection. I derived a lot of entertainment value out of the entire thing, imagining the candidates fighting each other as if in a Mario Kart race, with Romney, McCain and Huckabee tossing banana peels among themselves hoping to slip the others up, and Ron Paul in the back keeping his fingers crossed for a blue-spiked shell. Even with the Democrats, the Barack vs. Hilary boxing match with John Edwards and his $400 haircut insisting that
he was still relevant was really funny. As long as all these politicians were busy arguing, they weren’t actually doing anything to screw up the country. I could afford to sit back and laugh. This time around, I’m just a bit worried, and it’s not even the candidates who are really worrying me; it’s the audience. Last week, there were two debates within five days of each other, the first just up the road in Simi Valley and the second in Tampa Bay, Fla. On Wednesday I was only slightly paying attention when NBC News’ Brian Williams posed a question to Texas Gov. Rick Perry “Your state has executed 234 death row inmates, more than any other governor in modern times— ” to which the crowd applauded. A friend of mine tweeted, “What is this, the Roman Empire?” They enthusiastically cheered the deaths of 234 people, some of whom may not have deserved it. The point of the question was to ascertain whether Perry ever lost sleep wondering if he might have executed someone who was innocent. The question, while failing to mention the name of Cameron Todd Willingham, was clearly influenced by him. Willingham was executed Feb. 17, 2004, on evidence many experts believed to be faulty. When Perry refused to reopen the case
with the admittance of testimony that might have exonerated him, a fair amount of media attention followed. The following Sunday night, during Monday Night Football commercial breaks, I was checking out the Tampa debate when I got hit with another gem of audience participation. CNN’s Wolf Blitzer was asking Paul about a hypothetical situation in which a man without health insurance goes into a coma and needs medical care. When he arrived at the theoretical point and asked, “Are you saying that society should just let him die?” While Paul emphatically responded, “No,” a sizeable group of the audience interjected loudly with “Yeah!” Former Florida Rep. Alan Grayson agreed with the previous sentiment of my friend, saying, “Bread and circuses, without the bread.” Even Perry later said, “I was a bit taken aback by that myself.” For the second time that week, I felt extremely uncomfortable watching. The debates I used to laugh at were now deadly serious, emphasis on deadly. This was now twice that I had turned off the television unable to think of anything other than the bloodthirsty cries of the crowd. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t find a way to make this funny: my ultimate defense mechanism, and the only thing that allows me to tolerate
politics in the first place. It began to dawn on me that these primaries were not just political dog shows, but an interactive process. The people are equally involved as the politicians. As small as those groups of people might be, they were still represented enough to go on live television and momentarily hijack the proceedings. What were they even thinking? Were they? The scary part is that those people vote, and those people influence the candidates that want those votes. If this kind of thing continues to occur, it may become contagious. I’m not even all that upset that Republicans support capital punishment or oppose social safety nets (big surprises there), but the fact that a part of their base is actually energized by killing people disturbs me. I usually like to believe that those I disagree with are still good people with good intentions behind their beliefs, but I fail to see how there can be any good intentions behind these outbursts. Perhaps I just need to stop watching these debates. I may have to if I ever want to laugh again. I wonder if “How I Met Your Mother” is on?
ian.mcdonald@pepperdine.edu
LUKE RUEGGER / ART EDITOR
SGA elections train for democratic duty By HANNAH OAKS The SGA elections are over, everyone. This means the following: You recently received a boatload of Facebook invites to support certain peers in their campaigns for class president or senator; campus was plastered with various posters and fliers with witty slogans about the various candidates that are now droopy and wilted; you saw candidates and their close friends wearing homemade T-shirts advertising how awesome they are; and at the end of the whole shebang, you received a ballot via email by which you, hopefully, chose to vote. Good stuff. In a little while, the people you chose to elect will hold a town hall, which you will attend to get free stuff. You will give input on what you like and don’t like about Pepperdine, how to make it better, and later
on down the road cool stuff will happen like the HAWC getting updated. Awesome. And it’s as simple as that. Except that it’s not. SGA elections mimic a fantastic process that we often take for granted. In the upcoming year, political hopefuls will spend millions of dollars in the U.S. in their efforts to become the next leader of the free world. They will trash each other in outlandish commercials, post signs along the side of the road and call you at your home late at night. This is irritating for us as citizens and consuming for us as a society. This is also a big deal. Not only will massive amounts of resources be invested in the upcoming campaign, but huge future decisions will rest on it as well. In case you’ve been preoccupied recently with the cast of “Jersey Shore” going to Florence, I will catch you up. Our country is $14 trillion in debt. Our Social Security system is desperately struggling to keep up with the aging baby boomers. Our health care system is a huge, hot mess. Funding for education, the arts, and a dozen other public service
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 e-mailed to graphic@pepperdine.edu.
programs are being slashed left and right. And to top it all off, Donald Trump accused Obama of not being an American, which was funny, but really a waste of time and political effort. The point is, there is a lot riding on this next election and if you don’t know about it, you can’t make an educated vote, and if you don’t vote, then you can’t whine when it all goes down the drain. Back to the “Bu.” We are not trillions of dollars in debt, nor are we suffering from division. But there is still a lot going on here. Created as a small, faith-based university, we are faced with how Pepperdine will be defined during its next 75 years. We confront labels such as “trendiest” and “douchiest” and we are faced with the reality of being a service-oriented school located in an extremely materialistic location. And yet we also have the opportunity to further define what it means to be a Wave and a huge part of that is voting. The candidates you recently elected want to be a part of that. They want to be the voice of the students. I know because these candidates are my
peers, and I personally want to vouch for how awesome they are. So get to know them. Find out what they want to accomplish this year and how they plan to do that and hold them accountable to those goals. We are entrenched in a society that is slow to action, but quick to point fingers and complain about how we’re not getting what we’re entitled to. Unfortunately, that doesn’t get us anywhere. In light of this, I encourage you to stretch your voting experience a step further and get to know the presidential candidates for this country. Watch the news. Browse a discarded paper at Starbucks. Ask your Poli-Sci major friends. Be informed, because information is a privilege and you are blessed to have access to it. Then use it to make an informed decision because the election that will take place next year will have a huge impact on your future and if you don’t take part in it, you don’t get to complain later. Rock the vote (and take it a step further than Paris Hilton did and actually do it).
hannah.oaks@pepperdine.edu
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September 15, 2011
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LIFE & ARTS September 15, 2011
Photos By YIXIN ZHANG STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Soaked students wage ‘water war’ By SARAH RACKER STAFF WRITER
Water games and activities took over Alumni Park Friday, Sept. 9, including water guns, kiddies pools and water slides. Though the primary goal of the evening was to get wet, or in some cases, soaked many people were able to mingle and remain dry on the sidelines and enjoy volleyball with a beach ball or a game of football, while listening to the music provided by Power 106 FM. The event was generously hosted by the Student Programming Board
and Greek Life, as the joint event held the promising hope of more collaborative events. “The purpose of the event is to get the Greek community involved with the larger Pepperdine community,” said senior Bobby Hall, InterFraternity Council president. “The event is open to everyone, not just Greeks. This is our second year teaming up with the Student Programming Board, and it is a great way to start off the school year.” Although originally planned as a barbecue event, emergency D’Amore’s pizza was provided instead as backup. That too, however, quickly
disappeared into the crowd. “I don’t think the lack of a barbecue was a problem,” said junior Delta Gamma sorority member Lauren Herzog. “Most people didn’t even know about the food and just came for the Water Wars.” For some other attendees however, the lack of a barbecue was a minor disappointment to say the least. “The food was definitely going to be a plus,” freshman Carissa Heller said. “But I’m also interested to see how Greek Life can put on events and kick off the year.” The event was strongly advertised, and Water Wars was heavily publi-
cized as a Pepperdine community event, not just a Greek even. Yet it did act as an unofficial kickoff to the start of recruitment. “We hope that attendees see that Greek Life is not exclusive to only the Greek community,” Hall said. “It is also a great way for incoming freshmen to hang out with the Greek community before entering rush week.”
»See WATER WARS, B4
LIFE & ARTS
B2 Graphic
September 15, 2011
By NATHAN STRINGER
ASSISTANT LIFE & ARTS EDITOR
1821, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua all declared independence from Spain. Actually, that’s kind of anachronistic to say because these five nations didn’t distinguish themselves from each other then. No, inspired by the American, French and Haitian revolutions and taking advantage of a Napoleonic Wars-racked Spain, Spanish Central Americans, properly called criollos or creoles, jointly declared independence from Spain. And despite a brief, one year stint as part of the Mexican Empire, these same creoles met congressionally to form the United Provinces of Central America in 1823. Unfortunately, Central American liberals fought with Roman Catholic conservatives until dissolution 15 years later. The two blue stripes on the flag of that ill-fated nation, and on the flags of the five nations enumerated in the first sentence of this event, depict Central America’s prime location between two oceans. If the Central Americans had spent their time building a canal instead of fighting each other, they would have been too busy counting their money to split up.
1835, Charles Darwin set foot on the Galápagos Islands. Darwin was accompanying a British survey ship, the HMS Beagle, around the Southern Hemisphere, taking notes along the way. Darwin took great interest in the mockingbirds of the islands, noting how they differed from island to island and from those on the mainland. Darwin had read Harper Lee, however, and knew that it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird — but he wasn’t above killing tortoises. Giant tortoises were widely considered the best eating on the high seas, and sailors used tortoises’ urine and stored neck-water as a fresh water source. Darwin loved the taste of tortoise, too; but, if it’s any consolation, not as much as others: “The breastplate roasted (as the Gauchos do “carne con cuero”), with the flesh on it, is very good; and the young tortoises make excellent soup; but otherwise the meat to my taste is indifferent.” Those words come from Darwin’s journal about his voyage which he published in 1839. He never wrote again …
1894, Japanese forces bested the Chinese at the Battle of Pyongyang in Korea. This was part of the First SinoJapanese War, which newly modernized Japan won handily, embarrassing the Chinese Qing Dynasty. Ten years later, Russia tried to take Korea from Japan but was ultimately defeated, too. Japan officially annexed Korea in 1910 and controlled the peninsula until the end of World War II, which (spoiler alert) they lost. Then the USSR and U.S. split the peninsula atwo and fought the Korean War — accomplishing nothing, but killing or wounding six million people. Today, Pyongyang is the capital of North Korea and hosts a 105-story skyscraper called the Ryugyong Hotel. It was supposed to be completed in 1989, but new Egyptian investors promise it will be finished in 2012. Even though Kim Jong-il, who has $4 billion, is probably the only person in North Korea who could afford to stay there once it’s finished, because the average North Korean makes $2,000 a year.
1981, the Senate approved Sandra Day O’Connor for the U.S. Supreme Court with a margin of 99-0. Reagan had promised to appoint the first female justice to the Supreme Court if elected president, and he did. O’Connor, who had served in all three branches of Arizona state government, replaced Potter Stewart on the bench. (I can’t think of a more 20th-century American name than Potter Stewart. It reminds me of “It’s A Wonderful Life.”) O’Connor generally voted with the conservative bloc on decisions. Indeed, she ruled in favor of Bush in 2000’s “Bush v. Gore.” Nevertheless, she became more of a swing vote later in her tenure and liked to disagree with Clarence Thomas. She stepped down from the bench in 2006 at which point Samuel Alito, and not Harriet Miers, took her place. Since then, she’s received various accolades, chief of which is the Presidential Medal of Freedom Obama gave her in 2009. Now 81 years old, she lives in Arizona.
2008, Lehman Brothers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the largest bankruptcy in history. Lehman had over $600 billion in assets when it filed. (The second-largest bankruptcy filing ever came just 11 days later when $300 billion Washington Mutual folded.) Essentially, what did Lehman in was the whole subprime mortgage thing. Realtors convinced people to buy houses they couldn’t afford and then investors, Lehman included, bet on those people being able to afford said houses and pay their mortgages. Standard & Poor’s (S&P) was one of the credit ratings agencies who said mortgage-backed securities — investments relying on people being able to afford houses they couldn’t — were AAA. Since then, S&P’s been trying to salvage their credibility, downgrading European and American debt in turn. While S&P was responding in part to European pressure to downgrade the U.S. to AA+, they were acting ironically by disapproving of national debt they helped cause. The Great Recession rolls on. Let’s just hope it doesn’t take a world war to get out of it.
nathan.stringer@pepperdine.edu
Photo of the Week
QILONG ZHANG
A campus illuminated: Seaver campus glows under the Malibu night.
Want to show off your talent to the Pepperdine and Malibu community? Send in your photos that reflect what you see as the essence of Pepperdine, and get your photo featured in the Graphic or on the Graphic website. Email it to graphic@pepperdine.edu to enter.
VIRGO — Carry your backpack in front of you like you’re swaddling a newborn. Keep a doll poking out of your backpack, too. LIBRA — Reach for the stars, but beware: Many of them know how to file restraining orders. SCORPIO — Rent a tux or evening gown, go to the beach, and wait for Cancer to draw you. SAGITTARIUS — Buy an ionic bracelet and then test your balance by hopping around campus. CAPRICORN — Go to the gym and hold a mirror up to the mirror wall. Then, walk through it, “Inception” style. AQUARIUS — Make yourself appear smaller this week by wearing baggier clothes. You’ll have more pocket space. PISCES — Capricorn’s dreaming. Dunk her in water to wake her up.
ARIES — Upstage Virgo by throwing him a baby shower. Paint his dorm room the appropriate color for the child. TAURUS — Take a straw from the Caf and try some of the reclaimed water from the fountain in Joslyn Plaza. GEMINI — Whip your roommates into shape by posting old Tae Bo videos from YouTube on their Facebook walls. Put strobe lights in your room for double time. CANCER — Sit on the beach with your back to the water and draw pictures in the sand of the people you see. LEO — Paint your face gold and act like C-3PO. Pretend the mailbox by George Page is R2-D2.
A calendar to keep you entertained all week Friday, Sept. 16
Saturday, Sept. 17
Sunday, Sept. 18
Monday, Sept. 19
“The Lost Boys” and “The Goonies” Double Feature: 7 p.m. at the Downtown Independent Theater
Classical Guitar Master Class with Christopher Parkening: 2 p.m. in Raitt Recital Hall
“Wicked” the musical tickets go on sale for the Pantages Theatre: performance dates Nov. 30 through Dec. 16
Managing Stress Before Stress Manages You Convo: 1 p.m. in TCC 270 (reservation needed)
Heal the Bay Coastal Cleanup: 8:30 a.m. to noon at Malibu Lagoon (register online at the Volunteer Center through pepperdine.edu)
Bon Iver concert: 8 p.m. at Shrine Auditorium and Expo Center
Tuesday, Sept. 20 Wednesday, Sept. 21 Dev, The Cataracts, Starting Six, Benzi concert: 8 p.m. at The Roxy Theatre
W. David Baird Distinguished Lecture Series: 7 to 8:30 p.m. in Elkins Auditorium with Sheryl WuDunn
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LIFE & ARTS
September 15, 2011
Graphic
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The Bucket List By AUBREY HOEPPNER COPY CHIEF
Self-sufficiency takes backseat
Pandemic panic: Matt Damon, one of the many A-list actors part of the cast, plays Mitch Emhoff whose life gets turned upside down by the ‘Contagion.’
PHOTO COURTESY OF IMDB.COM
Star-studded cast gets lost in the sickness in ‘Contagion’ Rated: PG-13
Warner Bros. Pictures By JAY BOARDMAN STAFF WRITER
Mass pandemonium swept into theaters Friday with the release of the Warner Bros. thriller “Contagion.” “Contagion” is an intelligent film that presents its story in perhaps the most realistic way seen in filmmaking to date. There is absolutely no Hollywood fluff about it, which may turn some people off. The film seems to have no distinct genre or real purpose on the surface, but once the viewer digs a little deeper, they will find a very realistic depiction of something that could
Overview Release Date September 9, 2011
Starring
Matt Damon, Kate Winslet and Jude Law
Director
Steven Soderbergh
Genre
Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller
Runtime
1 hour 45 min
very conceivably happen in today’s world. Therein lies the horror. The true horror of “Contagion” is the realism of the events and plot in general. Director Steven Soderbergh’s thriller isn’t so thrilling until it has the chance to sink in. (“Contagion” is a fairly quiet film, but it’s a restless, disturbing quiet that causes more chills than comfort.) It’s the feeling you get in the middle of the dark woods when nothing makes a sound or the foreboding calm before the storm. The chilling realism is the strongest characteristic of the film, but given a little more thought, it’s easy to come to the conclusion that a virus outbreak of this magnitude is completely within the realm of possibility in today’s world. “Contagion” follows the path of an extremely infectious and deadly virus as it spreads throughout the major regions of the modern world. We see the progress of the disease from multiple points of view, including the head of the Center for Disease Control, Dr. Ellis Cheaver (Laurence Fishburne), patient zero, Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow) and later her husband, Mitch Emhoff (Matt Damon). The main character of the film, however, has absolutely no lines. (The virus.) The entire movie is centered on the disease turning its star-studded cast into supporting actors. Time is
denoted by captions from scene to scene and every time we are transported to a different city the caption is accompanied by a population figure for that city. These clever uses of captions add a chilling idea of just how much damage the disease can do and in how many places. The film’s disturbing realism, however, does not completely hide the lack of character development that ultimately leaves the viewer not caring what happens to the characters involved in the story. The film also seems to touch on many issues such as the injustice of giving privileges to the wealthy, the power afforded to unqualified loud mouths by social media and the increasing globalization of the modern world, but it never really spends enough time on any of these issues to make a clear, lasting impression upon the viewer. Although the calculating and scientific presentation of the film afford it a certain uniqueness, it also contributes to a sort of dissatisfied feeling. This scientific manner of presentation also serves to undermine the film’s attempts to delve into human emotion and make the viewer really care about the characters in the film and sympathize. However, “Contagion” still has its moments where human emotion
does take center stage and contributes flashes of drama in an otherwise steadily scientific story. One of the things that really keeps “Contagion” from greatness is the lack of a clear climax in the film. As a viewer, we are ushered through the film with a feeling of intensity that never really builds, but remains at a steady level, never reaching a peak. Ultimately, “Contagion” is a good film. (Good, but not great.) The film cannot seem to make up its mind on whether it wants to be a drama or a horror film. It makes a few suggestions about the human condition, but never really expands upon them to form an overall message. The plot is disconcerting in its realism and focus on how easy it is to catch an infectious disease, but that is about all it is in the end. The acting in the movie is very good and the script is fairly well written, but the focus on the disease doesn’t allow any of the Academy Award-nominated actors to really shine. They all seem to take a back seat to the intangible virus. All of these factors combine to make “Contagion” a good film that quite simply could have been great. It leaves the viewer wondering what exactly was the point of it all.
jay.boardman@pepperdine.edu
The Drums kick up the angst, create dynamic sound The Drums By HANNA HOUGLUM STAFF WRITER
Formed in 2006 in Brooklyn, N.Y., American indie pop band The Drums released their second album “Portamento” on Sept. 2, 2011, just a little over a year after their first full-length, self-titled album. Vocalist Jonathan Pierce, guitarist Jacob Graham, bassist Myles Matheny and drummer Connor Hanwick put this 12-track LP together. The entirety of the album has the stench of a man pleading for psychological dilemmas, but that is not to say that they do not pair their lyrics with amazingly catchy riffs and sounds similar to The Smiths’ gloom. Drawing away from the themes of their first album, The Drums’ angst is clearly drawn from girlfriends who have left, psycho ex-band members and emotional animosity. Pierce has been quoted that he wrote the lyrics for their first album as if he was a decade younger and that is what the true difference in the words between the two come from. It is safe to say that the opener of the album, “Book of Revelations,” jolts any listener to be intrigued by the songs to follow. The hoppy crash of guitar riffs, bustling bass and repeated clapping paired with the cooing of Pierce is undeniably catchy to any person in favor of hipster-esque indie rhythms. “Days,” the second track of the album, is lathered in oohs and ahs matched with self-pity lyrics and cries of what could have been. This track is strikingly similar to
Downtown (U.S.) Island/Moshi Moshi (U.K.)
anthems by indie rock wonders The Strokes and the leading cries by head honcho Julian Casablancas. Track three, “What You Were,” brings out the true poppy side that The Drums bleed out consistently in their music while adding in some bouncy house ’80s-style beats. This song precedes the album’s single “Money” better than any other song on the album would have. “Money” is a pessimistic anthem that swirls hints of Jacob Graham from The Smiths and Morrisey mixed in with a full-speed beat. Tracks four and five on “Portamento,” are in all honesty the two tracks on the album that would more than likely never make it on a good playlist. Titled “Hard to Love” and “I Don’t Know How To Love,” any non-tacky person would instantly realize that the names of these songs alone are rather nauseating. Needless to say, unless you are looking for ideal “wallowing in heartbroken self-pity” songs, these two tracks are best suited for the fast-forward button. “Searching for Heaven,” another song off the album, should be placed in the “wallowing in heartbroken self-pity” category, but the synth beats and shrill vocals are strangely appealing and entertaining. Hands down, the lyrics to this track are the whiniest and would compete with any other over-dramatic ballad, but everybody has their favorite “feel-sorryfor-yourself ” song and this could potentially be a new favorite. “Please Don’t Leave” is a revival track for the remainder of the LP. Granted the woeful lyrics still remain, but the appealing head-bob-
bing beats have returned. “If He Likes Him Let Him Do It” begins with some off kilter guitar strumming that carries on throughout the entirety of the three minutes and 51 seconds of the song. The song is reminiscent to a song that could potentially be played in a horror movie or on repeat in a haunted house. At one point it seems as if Pierce is making up his own version of a “do re mi” style of cooing. “In the Cold” is a slower, tender-hearted song that reveals a different side of The Drums than the rest of this album has portrayed. It is a positive alteration and a peaceful way to wind down the album. Though still lyrically heartbreaking, the song finally makes you want to reach out to Pierce rather than slap him out of his self-misery. There could not be a more appropriate ending to an album than a song titled “How it Ended.” This song gives the listener a slight feeling of hope for the future albums of The Drums to be less self-wallowing and bring back some joy into the lyrics. The Drums’ new album is a definite listen to for those feeling the less-than-pleasant side effects of the end of a relationship, whether it is a romantic or platonic one. But if you’re looking for something more optimistic, this album is not for you. Don’t be discouraged though; give it a listen and see what The Drums can do for you.
PHOTO COURTESY OF MYSPACE.COM
Key Facts
Band Members
Jonathan Pierce Jacob Graham Connor Hanwick
Hometown
New York, N.Y.
Genres
Pop, Post-punk.
Label
Downtown (U.S.) Island/ Moshi Moshi (U.K)
Currently on Tour Yes
Website
TheDRUMS.com
twitter.com/ thedrumsforever
I got a flat tire this week. At first, I was bummed because that meant I had to walk up to the CCB from Lovernich instead of driving. But then I realized that this was an opportunity to learn how to change a tire, something I have been told every woman should know how to do. So I set out to cross off this life bucket list item. Here are my instructions, in laywoman’s terms, for changing a tire without breaking a nail or a sweat. Note: If at any point you feel confused, lost, overwhelmed or insecure, call your father. He has probably been waiting since the day he found out he was having a girl to walk you through this over the phone. Step 1: Make sure the tire is actually flat. It would be a shame to waste effort changing a tire when all that’s needed is to put some air in it. If it is flat, then the bottom should look like it’s melting into the asphalt. To confirm the diagnosis, grab a tire pressure gage (the thing that looks kind of like a pen or an ear thermometer, depending on if it’s analog or digital). If it reads around zero, feel confident that this is an opportunity to learn something. Step 2: Check to see if you have a spare and a jack. I had never seen a spare tire in my car, so this was an important step for me. But, in fact, it was hidden in this discrete compartment underneath my trunk bed. I just had to pull up the felt and unscrew this little knob to open up the trap door over the spare. Most spares are smaller than a regular tire, but have faith in their ability. (You may hear a man refer to one as a “doughnut,” which I can only assume has to do with the resemblance to the chocolate cake variety; use this lingo to sound experienced.) A jack is the contraption that holds the car up so you can remove the offending wheel. Unless you have three arms and 60-inch biceps, this is an essential part of the process. Step 3: Go to the DPS office. Do not call them on the phone first. In your most innocent, damsel-in-distress voice, tell the officer at the window that you have a flat tire and need help. This step takes the most skill, because changing tires is not a service that DPS is technically obligated to provide for students. The window officer told me that it would be up to the on-call officer to decide whether or not he wanted to help me. This is why you should not call beforehand — it is too easy for the office attendant to say no over the phone. Helplessness comes through much stronger in person. So I produced an obviously forced but slightly nervous smile, smoothed my skirt and waited for the decider of tire fate to come forth. (At this point, some astute readers may have come to the judgmental conclusion that I did not really change my own tire. In a manner of speaking, they are technically correct. But I have been told that men like to feel helpful. With this in mind, how could I, in good conscience, deny a DPS officer the opportunity to fulfill this fundamental desire for helpfulness? I decided to take the high road and sacrifice some of my womanly independence for the sake of our dear public safety guardians.) In my case, the officer had no objection to coming to my rescue. I can’t guarantee that this will work for everyone; it really depends on how well you present yourself. Make sure to cover up any tattoos or intense battle scars before you go. These may be interpreted as false indicators of self-sufficiency, and your request may be denied. If you succeed in step 3, go on to step 4. If not, see the note above. Step 4: Accompany the officer to your car. Show him where the spare and jack are, and he will know what to do. If he starts explaining the process to you, act interested to demonstrate your appreciation. (If your father later tries to re-teach you, still act interested. It may cause a serious rift in your relationship if he finds out that someone else taught you to change a tire.) The officer who helped me deserves a whole box of real doughnuts for his helpfulness. He joked and smiled through the whole thing, despite the sweat dripping down his face and the grease all over his hands. Then he gave me instructions on how to safely put air in the spare. Step 5: Say thank you, and feel a false sense of accomplishment. Your tire is changed, and you have humbly given someone else the chance to use his skills in helping you. And that’s all there is to changing your first flat tire. The same method also works if your car needs a jump, with slight modifications to steps 1 and 2. If anyone else would like to feel helpful, my air conditioning is broken, and my throttle body needs to be cleaned out.
hanna.houglum@pepperdine.edu
aubrey.hoeppner@pepperdine.edu
LIFE & ARTS
B4 Graphic
September 15, 2011
Fresh rhythms bring new energy to first Coffee House of semester By Charmaine Cleveland Staff Writer
If you walked into the Sandbar on Saturday night, you would have found an unmistakable impression of your run-of-the-mill, LA coffee house. The lights were dimmed to set the mood and in the background, an acoustic guitar slowly played as students nonchalantly sipped from their cups. You probably think the venue was flooded with upturned mustaches, disinterested expressions and chords that were barely audible above the witty banter. You would be forced to sift through endless tables of tweed jackets, just to find coffee that was only served black and comes in flavors like “Indonesian cherry.” Wrong. The aesthetic appeal was all there, but the atmosphere was anything but dull. At the Sandbar the coffee comes with cream and cookies, lots of cookies. If the chords had ever been less than audible, it was only because of the level of excited cheers that followed the height of each song. At this Coffee House, students of all years gathered together to enjoy talent from Pepperdine’s community. If you’re a regular to Coffee House, you might have noticed a few changes this season. “I come here quite often,” junior Nduka Nwankwo said. “This year they’re incorporating more aspects of global music, pertaining to drums and rhythm. They’re launching a new start with the whole production in terms of vocal quality and visuals.”
Following that general theme were solo and group performances with pianos, violins and even a few electric guitars. Veterans of Pepperdine’s first fall Coffee House were no strangers on Saturday night either, as seniors dominated the spotlight. Senior performers Arthur Sanders and Patrick Chisum were two students familiar with the tradition. “I’m excited to perform,” Sanders said. “I probably won’t get to do something like this ever again.” As for Chisum, the fun lies in the relaxation. “It’s a good way to take a break from academics and get out of the lab. It’s kind of a hobby,” Chisum said. For other seniors like Francis Batac, the experience relates heavily with a connection to the music. “The performance itself depends on how I’m synchronized with the meaning of the song,” Batac said. “The coffee house is an outlet for expression.” “For me, [when I’m performing], it feels like 30 hours in a 15-minute set, but I can’t really quantify it because I think about it everyday,” Batac continued. The practice has paid off for many performers. Spectators were pleased and even surprised by the bustling groups in the Sandbar. Senior Nicolai Savaro was one of many students to notice the crowd. “I feel like it’s too small of a setting. We need to relocate to another spot, maybe Elkins or Smothers,” Savaro said. Many observers were in agreement with Savaro. The popularity of the show packed the Coffee House to its maximum capacity.
But the crowds were not a negative aspect for Savaro, who said he thrived in the unity of it all. “I want to make an effort to be with company and close friends. Music brings people together, it’s the musical mantra,” Savaro said. Pepperdine’s Coffee House would not be possible without some serious organization. Coffee House chairperson senior Peter Walton collaborated with sophomore and assistant chairperson Jessica Herrera to get the job done. The two worked closely with sound technician David Yoon to create the atmosphere they were hoping for. “It takes several weeks to prepare,” Walton said. “We have to look up and contact musicians we think students might like, set up our equipment needs and even book artists.” Spectators and performers alike appreciated the hard work with good food and friends. “I love the feeling of watching the artists and student performers,” Hererra said. “I have the opportunity to find the grace of God in something I really like. My mission is to bring out student talent on campus. It gives us a sense of pride, and it’s a great way to bring people together.” Whether you have a talent or just like good entertainment, head on over to the Sandbar for Coffee House next month. The next performances are Oct. 7 and Oct. 28. It might be dark, but you’ll find yourself in good company. Did I mention they have cookies?
Water Wars: ‘the people really make the event’ for innocent bystanders. Water balloons and water gun fights littered Alumni Park. “I came to rep the sorority,” said Delta “The best part was definitely ganging Gamma member, junior Jamie McAleney. up on friends with water guns,” McAleney “It seemed like a fun Greek event; plus I said. came last year, too. The Although the event repetition is good.” may not have played out “The best part was Although participaentirely as hoped or imagganging up on tion by those outside of ined, excitement is still Greek Life and those in- friends with water running high for Greek terested in it may have guns.” Recruitment week, which been minor, that didn’t began on Monday with —Jamie McAleney stop those attending the first Panhellenic event. Junior from enjoying the WaFraternity recruitment beter Wars activities themgins today and sorority reselves. cruitment begins Sept. 21. “My friends and I had a really fun time If nothing else, Water Wars provided a doing the obstacle courses,” Herzog said. chance for those involved or interested in “The people really make the event.” Greek life to get their feet wet for recruitThe Water Wars event provided partic- ment and a new year of Greek activities. ipants with the opportunity to soak their friends in more ways than one. Giant slides and obstacle course runs made competition run high, and kiddie pools were sarah.racker@pepperdine.edu frequent locations of dumping grounds From B1
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Yixin Zhang / staff photographer
Water gun frenzy: Super soakers and kiddie pools were provided for students to enjoy.
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Mallory Cummins/ Staff Photographer
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charmaine.cleveland@pepperdine.edu
Mallory Cummins/ Staff Photographer
Swashbuckle your way through International Talk Like A Pirate Day with this single’s guide By Nathan Stringer Assistant Life & Arts Editor
You’re single, and International Talk Like a Pirate Day is Monday. Founded by two Oregonian brigands — one’s married, one’s divorced — and popularized by humor writer Dave Barry, ITLAPD has taken on a life of its own. But merely talking like a pirate is the scallywag’s way of celebrating ITLAPD. Couples talk in cutesy voices to each other already. You must outdo them by proving you’re more dedicated to a parodic holiday than to any person. Here are a few other ways to celebrate ITLAPD and momentarily forget your aching loneliness. 1. Bury loose change in Alumni Park. Since you’re not paying to date anyone, you probably have a lot of loose change. Take a shovel to Pepperdine’s verdant hills and hide some of it. Draw crude maps in Microsoft Paint, print them off and scatter them around the field. No doubt, the rugby team will probably find your numismatic treasure. But while you’re in Alumni Park, don’t be tempted to swim with the sharks in that retention pond: You’ll get a staph infection. It’s funny that you think I’m kidding. If you’re dead set on taking a dip, you can… 2. Walk the plank at our swimming pool. The water polo team likes to practice here, and random Malibuites like to swim laps. Disrupt their healthy activity by binding your own hands as a symbol of your captivity to your own oppressive mind. Then, walk backwards off the diving board into the swimming pool. If you’re feeling impetuous, do a 180 at the end of the board and spar with those mental demons who sentenced you to death. Don’t let the lifeguard in the crow’s nest escape unscathed, either. Once you’ve freed yourself, set out on your own and… 3. Shipwreck your car somewhere on campus. Parking here is hard enough. Make it harder for everyone else by parking perpendicular instead of parallel to the other cars on Seaver Drive. Alternatively, parallel park in the perpendicular spaces in the Law or Firestone lots. Better yet, crash your car into the Sandbar and berate your crew for letting you run aground. Wait, you don’t have a crew? You mean, you’re so single you don’t even have anyone to carpool with? Walk into the Sandbar and move onto step four. 4. Combat scurvy at Jamba Juice. Pirates used to drink their rum with lime to combat scurvy, a vitamin C deficiency. Pepperdine’s a dry campus, but we do have fruit smoothies. Take over the line to the register — pirates don’t wait in lines! — and order a scurvy blaster. It’s on the secret menu. While you’re sipping away the spots on your skin, get on one of the computers in the Sandbar and —
Luke Ruegger / Art EDITOR
5. Read up on Somali pirates. Piracy’s not dead. In fact, it’s still killing people. Read some news stories about your fellows terrorizing cruise ships, those wretched love boats, and then engage in some piracy of your own. 6. Pirate “Pirates of the Caribbean.” Now, Tech Central caps illegal downloading on Pepperdine’s network. You’ll have to get around this by actually purchasing copies of the “Pirates” movies on the cheap off eBay and selling them in jewel cases out of a cardboard box. People will think you’re a really skilled pirate for making up DVD labels, but you’re really just gouging them on each sale. Take your extra money, go back to No. 1 and then move on to No. 7. 7. Celebrate Cornish nationalism. Robert Newton, the guy who played all your favorite pirates back in the ’50s, was from Cornwall, the southwest region of England. Further, many actual pirates came from the ports in the region. Even further, the Cornish flag is St. Piran’s — a white cross on a black plain. In short, the Cornish are real pirates. Surprisingly, one way to celebrate Cornish nationalism is by surfing. Cornwall is warmed by the Gulf Stream and is thus the only spot in England where you can surf. While you’re surfing here in Malibu, make sure to yell at swimmers who get in your way. Also, “accidentally” kick up sand at all the couples sharing towels on the beach. That’ll prove you’re well-adjusted and content with being single. When you return to campus… 8. Get a first mate. And since you can’t convince any people to hang around you, you’re going to have to buy a parrot. (You can’t keep a pet in the dorms, but that doesn’t mean you can’t keep a pet in your campus mailbox.) Consult your parrot for all your major decisions. Let his mimicry fool you into thinking you’re not alone in this world — even though you are.
g
nathan.stringer@pepperdine.edu
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LIFE & ARTS
September 15, 2011
Graphic
B5
Musicians take different spins on presenting new material By Sonya Singh Associate Editor
Remember the Mumford & Sons fever that swept Pepperdine last year, roundabout the time England’s folksy Fab Four graced California stages like Coachella? Maybe you’re one of the lucky ones who went. Not I. I would avert my gaze every time an ad for one of their shows popped up on Facebook, trying not to hurl the proverbial piggy bank at the wall to snag a ticket to one of their sold-out performances. And since I was already practicing restraint, I didn’t go online and look up a video of what I was missing. More on that in a second. When Mumford announced its June gig with Arcade Fire, Beirut and the Vaccines in Hyde Park, I was thrilled. As it turns out, I was going to be in London, fortunate enough to get an internship in the summer program. But then I saw the date and figured I’d have to skip it — really, who books Hyde Park on a Thursday afternoon? But my gracious supervisors at the music magazine I interned for practically laughed when I said I could stay in the office instead of going. Score. So, recuperating from a drizzly
Hard Rock Calling with the Killers in Hyde Park the week before (it’s very, very important to capitalize that “k” in “Killers”), I began to gear up for Arcade Fire, Mumford, et al in the park the following week. While I waited like a squirming child on her way to Disneyland, I tried to dodge the new Mumford & Sons material strewn about the Net to preserve the anticipation for my first Mumford show. Why, you ask, would I deny my ears great new tracks if they’re just sitting there for our enjoyment on YouTube? See, Mumford has been road-testing quite a few potential tracks from their sophomore album for some time now. The Killers, on the other hand, defied persistent rumors and played no new material from their forthcoming follow-up to 2008’s “Day & Age” at Hard Rock Calling. This got me thinking: who has the better approach? Surely there’s merit to both, but in
Need a little break from studying during the week? Well, here’s a fall TV guide for all the shows you should check out during prime-time hours . We’ve tried to make it as helpful as possible by even including the channels they’re on as well for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!
the age of YouTube, I’d say the Killers are right to keep their newest tracks under wraps. There’s something special about hearing albums in their entirety for the first time, as crafted by the artist. For this we give credit to the true Fab Four, the Beatles, and their 1967 album, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” frequently labeled the greatest album of all time because of its revolutionary introduction of the concept album. (I mean, it’s not because of “Good Morning Good Morning.”) The interactive experience of roadtesting also introduces the danger of letting the popularity of romping crowd favorites muscle out those tracks
Monday Mondays are usually those days you wish didn’t exist. But fear not! Now you can enjoy a little Monday night TV (aside from football). Steven Spielberg is producing a new show called “Terra Nova,” which premieres Sept. 26 at 8 p.m. on Fox. It’s about a family who travels back to the time of the dinos. Yes, you read correctly. Monday nights will feature some pretty (hopefully) cool dinosaur action a la Jurassic Park. Spielberg won’t let us down.
it takes several listens to warm up to, perhaps like Mumford’s “After the Storm.” Remember that one? Before Mumford fans string their bows with flaming arrows, let me clarify. I do enjoy how Courtesy of Facebook.com getting a new single and hearing new material live builds anticipation. But disjointed segments on YouTube are not the way to go, especially when bands have a ton of new material. You’re probably saying, “OK, idiot, just don’t look the songs up online. Problem solved!” Fair enough. But having new material online affects the artistic process regardless of whether all fans hear the material or not. It’s great that it works for Mumford, but Brandon Flowers of the Killers said he “used to ad-lib words at early Killers shows, as long as we had some kind of melody and an arrangement for
Tuesday Buffy Sommers has finally returned to the tube. Sadly, Sarah Michelle Gellar is not returning as her baddie, evil demon-vanquishing, slayer role, but she is going back to TV nonetheless. CW premiered “Ringer” on Tuesday at 9 p.m. The show follows Bridget (Gellar plays two twins in the show) who decides to impersonate her twin. Cue mysterious secrets and a dangerous life you never knew the other experienced on a day-to-day basis.
the song I’d just let it out, but then YouTube happened. You could kinda get away with it before but now it’s different.” And because we invariably splash new songs across YouTube (I’m guilty of this), little pockets of discovery are introduced prior to an album’s release, which dulls anticipation. And anticipation is an integral part of savoring a new album and identifying with it as a whole. It’s why we don’t start the meal with dessert, unless we’re dining on the Titanic. At the end of the day, I know I’ll still buy Mumford’s and the Killers’ albums, but I side with Brandon Flowers’ cautious approach on this one. I’m loving the mysterious anticipation for the new Killers record, and this summer’s reveal of new song “The Rising Tide” was a nice teaser. Having said that, hearing Mumford’s new material in London’s most famous park was like Christmas in June, and it’ll be agonizing to avoid listening to that new material again. But I promise you, delaying that gratification will be worth it. Instead, YouTube that dog running in his sleep. I promise you that’ll be worth it, too.
Wednesday Take the unconventional TV route, which means it’s time to veer away from the usual channels and head over to SyFy. “Ghost Hunters,” which is only a few episodes into its new season, follows Grant and Jason (and the rest of their awesome team) as they travel all over in search of haunted places. But don’t turn down the show just yet. These guys aren’t ghost chasers. They use logic to try to dispel what people report. New episodes begin at 9 p.m., but you might as well start with reruns.
g
sonya.singh@pepperdine.edu
Thursday Thursday marks the return of many prime-time shows. The new season of “The Vampire Diaries” begins tonight at 8 on the CW. Season three is opening up with a birthday, a rogue vampire and lots of confusion. Rest assured that this season will be even bigger (and more intense) than last season. Vampires not your thing? “The Office” premiere airs Nov. 3 on NBC at 9 p.m. Michael Scott has gone bye-bye and has been replaced. The first episode will decide the fate of Dunder Mifflin.
LIFE & ARTS
B6 Graphic Rogue Wave
September 15, 2011
»CROSSWORD PUZZLE
A pirate’s life for me DOWN 2 X marks it 3 Sparrow’s ship 4 Board who apply “R” ratings 6 Skull & crossbones banner 7 Sneaky Japanese foes 10 “Pirates” studio 12 Puppet pirates 15 Vitamin C deficiency 17 Depp alter ego 19 Has Pirate Party MEPs 22 Squelches music piracy 23 Bird’s perch 24 “Walk ____ ______!” 30 Legolas 32 Treasure, tooth color 33 Ship’s right 36 Peter Pan’s foe 37 Fishy maidens 38 Pirate’s favorite restaurant 39 Flies sail 42 Original music piracy program 43 Taxed, smuggled in 1700s 47 Ship’s left
By BEN HOLCOMB STAFF WRITER
Stumbling forward on Step Forward Day I think it’s safe to say by now that if you didn’t attend Step Forward Day on Saturday, you missed out on one of the most fulfilling days you could possibly experience during your brief stay on planet Earth; and that’s not hyperbolic language. (Side-note: Hyperbole would better explain the tone of those here at Pepperdine who speak about their semester class schedules. “It’s seriously the most bomb schedule ever, man. Like, if AKB found out about it, I feel like he’d call me into his office and reprimand me; it’s that good.” Or, “I think they, and I’m speaking literally here, gave me a schedule from the fourth or fifth rung of hell.”) I admit, initially I had my reservations. Sure, standing around the Smothers parking lot at 6:45 a.m. next to a table of stale bagels (stacked with the careful regard of a DEA agent conducting a search) is nowhere on my bucket list. Couple that with the fact that everyone looked like a family reunion straight out of MTV’s “Teen Mom” with their matching shirts, and you have the makings of a terrible day. But you would be wrong — very, very wrong. Step Forward Day was special. When else do you get to hang out with hundreds of kids your own age and help make the world a better place? All I could think about as the group boarded the school buses in pure jubilation was how much my friends sleeping at home were missing. What my group ended up accomplishing in four and a half hours is something I won’t soon forget. I healed the swollen ankle of an injured doe with the fabric of my T-shirt, and nursed it back to health with a bottle of Gatorade and a two-pack of Pop-Tarts. My friend David helped a woman in labor give birth to two sets of triplets (so … sixlets) after we convinced her she couldn’t make it to a hospital in time. We both then worked as a team to scale a two-story building and, through a makeshift, yet intricate, system of pulleys and levers, saved a 104-year-old woman from a flaming apartment. As we rappelled down the building, I talked a man off the third floor ledge and into a career in the culinary arts. And that was all just on our walk to registration. On the bus ride to our destination, someone near me saw what they could only describe as “a suspicious vehicle” on the side of the road, forced the driver to pull over, and then risked life and limb to stop a terror plot near the 101. As we were waiting for her to come back to the bus, a woman lost the handle of a baby carriage containing an infant and all his classmates. The stroller went careening into oncoming traffic, and, if it weren’t for the gallantry of Mitchell Snow, they would have been struck by a steamroller. But it was Step Forward Day, and Mitchell swooped them into safety at the very last second. When we finally arrived at our location, a novel idea came rushing into my head. I don’t want to put the cart before the horse here, and it’s not official yet, but I’m pretty sure I came up with a way to cure HIV/AIDS. Now call me crazy, but if we simply isolated the CD4 lymphocyte, then extracted the virus from the dormant cells without fully activating them throughout the immune system, we could wipe out the disease altogether. But what do I know? I’m just an English major. By the time I got off the phone with the Mayo Clinic, the group as a whole was ready to sand and apply primer to the offices of a self-help organization called SHARE. We did that for about four hours before heading back to Pepperdine for some In-N-Out Burger. Sure, not all of Step Forward Day was glamorous or exhilarating, but I would hate to know that feeling of waking up at 10:30 a.m. to an empty dorm hall and conscience riddled with the kind of guilt that lesser men have thrown themselves to the sea over. But that’s just me. Either way, there’s always next year. Until then, who says we can’t take small steps forward with every moment of our lives? The difference between the way the world is and the way the world should be is vast, too vast, in fact. As Mother Teresa once said, we all should hope to be “little pencils in the hand of a God writing a love letter to the world.”
william.holcomb@pepperdine.edu
ACROSS 1 Risqué navigational tool 5 Prosthetic limb 8 Modern pirate nation 9 Ocular fabric 11 Pirate drink 13 Fool’s gold 14 Three-cornered covering 15 Kitchen feature 16 Fecal shelf
18 Shoulder pet 20 Befell “HMS Bounty” 21 Spanish “Pirates” actress 25 American pirate, autograph 26 “___ ___, ___ ___, a pirate’s life for me!” 27 British “Pirates” actress 28 Paper navigators 29 Ship’s front 31 Edward Teach
34 Pirate code 35 Loot, popcorn 40 Stevenson’s classic 41 Ship’s back 44 Lost continent 45 Caribbean dead zone 46 Navigational lights 48 Less mighty than the pen 49 Infest waters, Discovery
See the pepperdine-graphic.com/life-arts for solutions to this week’s puzzle.
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Wikipedia has nearly four million English articles, and many of those are boring. Some, however, are surprising, amusing and downright interesting. Each week, we select a Wikipedia article that fulfills these criteria. Scan the barcode for a direct link to the page!
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Jolly_Roger This week, we’ve selected the Jolly Roger — that pirate flag. You may have gathered by now that Monday, Sept. 19, is International Talk Like A Pirate Day. You can’t well go into ITLAPD clueless about the history of pirate flags. Different pirates used different flags, and there are pictures of those flags on this page! Also, did you know that sailors and pilots like to pretend they’re pirates by employing pirate symbols? Do you remember the filename of the virus Jeff Goldblum uploaded to the alien mothership in “Independence Day?” Now you do.
Pop-UP For Students By Students! Lounge Submit Your Own Design for a Chance to Win a Big Prize!
Applications are at the Circ Desk and online at library.pepperdine.edu
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LIFE & ARTS
September 15, 2011
Graphic
B7
New to town? Explore downtown Santa Monica
NIKKI TORRIENTE / LIFE & ARTS EDITOR
By NIKKI TORRIENTE LIFE & ARTS EDITOR
Venturing off campus can be quite daunting for those unskilled in the navigation of Los Angeles. Unless you’re a LA native or a transplant Angelino who has learned the magic ways of the fast-paced city, it is easy to get overwhelmed with the magnitude of things to do and places to see in LA. To ease into the chaotic experience of exploring off campus, it’s best to start with a place that offers you everything you need in an easily accessible, close-to-campus (as close as you can get to the “island”) locale. And downtown Santa Monica is the best place to begin your long list of adventures off campus. Feeling the need to drop a little, well-earned cash? Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica is the perfect place. With a long strip of stores ranging from the designer — BCBG and GUESS are a few — to the more college friendly like Forever 21 and H&M, there is a store for you on the Promenade. There are more than 500 shops that will appeal to the shopper in everyone. Not interested in clothes? There are shoe stores, electronic and home stores, makeup stores and countless others. What makes shopping on Third Street even better is the newly built Santa Monica Place, located at the end of Third Street closest to the delicious Café Crepe. It is full of luxury stores such as Louis Vuitton and is also home to Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom.
Shopping not your thing, or wallet feeling a little light? The Santa Monica Pier is famous for its fun and sun. The pier is a great place to go with friends, especially when the weather is nice. With trapeze school, carnival games and rides, the pier offers something for everyone. If you’re looking for less of an adrenaline rush, the end of the pier makes for good fishing as well. Both the pier and Third Street Promenade house a variety of street performers ranging anywhere from musicians to dancers and the odd gold robot man every now and then. Some performers are definitely worth watching while others desire a speedier exit stage right. Either or, downtown Santa Monica has entertainment for everyone. Downtown Santa Monica is also known for its diverse food options. Interested in splurging a little on a meal? Head over to Il Fornaio on Ocean Avenue or BOA Steakhouse, both celebrity favorites. Looking to keep a meal on the cheaper side? Café Crepe cooks up hundreds of delicious sweet and savory crepes a day. Monsoon Café also offers a menu of delicious sushi that will be sure to keep to your budget. If a full meal is not on the menu for the day, downtown Santa Monica has the standard Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Starbucks, Jamba Juice and Pinkberry. To keep your outing low-key, try the beaches. With long stretches of golden sand and cool Californian waters, a day at the beach can never go wrong. Just be sure to bring sunscreen and some supplemental reading, and
you’re good to go. Downtown Santa Monica is also an exercise mecca. From long-distance runners practicing for an upcoming event, the Nike store holding exclusive runs and cyclists riding along the streets, Santa Monica brings out the athlete in everyone. Yoga studios often hold outside yoga classes on Third Street in between the rows of shops in the mornings for those looking for a change in scenery apart from studio walls. But then again, who needs extra exercise when walking is the only form of transportation once you’ve parked your car? Speaking of parking, with the addition of the new parking structure, parking is a tad easier. But beware the weekends. The later you go, the more difficult it may be to find parking. Plan your trip wisely. What rounds out the amazingness that is downtown Santa Monica is its Farmers’ Market. One of the biggest Farmers’ Markets in California, the market is open Wednesdays from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. With a plethora of colorful fruits, veggies and flowers from local growers set on selling good products, the Farmers’ Market is a great way to stock up on goodies for campus. Santa Monica is never a dull place. With countless things to see and do, it offers a nice change from campus. It even has a gorgeous view, just like the one Pepperdine students see every day. What could be better than that?
leticia.torriente@pepperdine.edu
Venture into Malibu, be rewarded with decadence By ALI VALACH STAFF WRITER
COURTESY OF MARMALADE CAFE
Looking for a restaurant that will make your taste buds buzz? Want a break from the monotony of food in the Caf? No need to stray far from campus for wonderful dining options that will ensure you get a delicious time off campus. Malibu has a slew of restaurants that will be sure to satisfy whatever you’re craving. The Marmalade Cafe is a spot students should definitely try, if they haven’t yet. They have a variety of options for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
COURTESY OF SAVORY
If you can think it, Marmalade most likely has it. If you’ve already missed breakfast or brunch, take a trip to Marmalade Cafe for lunch. They have wonderful lunch options including fresh and flavorful salads. The spinach salad with honey mustard dressing was bursting with flavor. Goat cheese fritters came on top, adding a special twist to the salad. Fritters are not typical on salads, and goat cheese fritters are something I had never tasted before. They were delightful, and definitely added that extra pizzazz to the salad. The salads are not only large in taste, but also in size, so the half order of salad is plenty filling. If you dine with several other people, consider sharing the warm artichoke spinach cheese dip. The dip is a great way to begin your meal at the Marmalade Cafe. The chef knows how to blend the ingredients together to create a perfectly creamy dip. Served steaming hot, the dip also comes with fresh tortilla chips. The crunch from the tortilla chips is the perfect addition to this delightful dip. The Marmalade Cafe offers so many different dishes that there is sure to be something to please everyone. Whether you’re in the mood for something on the lighter or healthier side or something a little more filling or carb-heavy, they are sure to have it. Stop by and dine at the Marmalade
Cafe if you’re looking for some good eat at Savory is indeed savory. All of food, friendly wait staff and prices that the dishes are gourmet, but are not will not empty out your wallet. over priced for the amount of food Another option is a restaurant you receive on the plate. The entrée located in the Point Dume shopping selection is not very extensive, but center called Savory. It is a wonderful it’s quality over quantity when it Italian restaurant that offers a variety comes to food. If you like chicken at of unique and delicious pizzas, all all, you must try the Jidori chicken baked on an incredible-tasting crust. breast. The chicken is locally raised In addition to pizza, and organic, and you there are many other can definitely taste the delectable dishes on difference. The meat Marmalade Cafe: the menu. is outrageously tender, 3894 S. Cross Creek Road Offers 20 percent discount to Starting off the and they cook it so Pepperdine students meal, the wait staff that it is still moist Monday through Thursday will serve a batch of and delicious. On the scrumptious bread. If plate, they also include Savory: you would like to try Burrata cheese, which 29169 Heathercliff Road one of their pizzas, enhances the flavor of but do not want pizza the chicken. Burrata as your main course, cheese is an Italian you can always share cheese that is soft, tena pizza as an appetizer. The pizza that der and creamy. This type of cheese includes baby spinach, goat cheese and forms a divine combination with the pine nuts is a must-try. The spinach tender chicken breast. subdues the goat cheese so that it is If you go with a group of people not too overpowering, and the pine and want to save some money, order nuts tie together the spinach and several pizzas to share among the table. cheese. All of the pizzas are made on Another way to make your dining exSavory’s homemade crust and they are perience more affordable is by dining fluffy, yet crispy. The crust is differfor lunch rather than dinner. Savory is ent than American-made pizza and is also open for lunch, and they still offer more true to the pizza crusts of Italy. If many delicious options, but you will you dine at Savory, you have to at least not have to pull as much money out of try a piece of their pizza; it is unlike your wallet. pizza anywhere else. alison.valach@pepperdine.edu Just like the name, everything you
B8
Graphic
September 15, 2011
SPORTS
September 15, 2011
Graphic
B9
Scoring: big hoop dreams lead to Malibu From B10
Then, Ochenje’s hopes came true, when athletics agents noticed his vast potential in basketball at one of his games. Out of the 200 players in the Academy, he became one of five chosen to play basketball in the United States. “When I told my dad about it, he was very excited for me and, at the same time, afraid. After all, he couldn’t know how it would [turn out] for me in a foreign country,” Ochenje said. “But I am glad he supported me in this uneasy decision.” A few months later, Ochenje found himself at the Covenant Christian Academy in Atlanta, Ga. After a semester, he transferred to Brehm Preparatory School in Carbondale, Ill., playing in the varsity league. During high school, Ochenje spent his summers playing with the Amateur Athletic Union teams: Team Odom and the Illinois Titans. It was throughout this time that he worked hard to become a college basketball player, traveling to places like Las Vegas, Orlando and Chicago. Ochenje received multiple offers from universities in various states, including Tennessee and Illinois, during
his senior year at Brehm. However, Pepperdine quickly became his top choice. “I grew up in a very religious family, so the fact that Pepperdine is a Christian university played a big role for me,” Ochenje said. “In addition, I like to enjoy the gorgeous ocean view every time I open my window.” In his free time, Ochenje loves to hang out with his friends, read books and watch the Waves home soccer games. “It is always fun to cheer for the Waves with my friends. Even though I still play soccer whenever I see a soccer ball, with my busy schedule, that doesn’t happen that often.” In the future, Ochenje plans to play basketball professionally and become a recognized athlete. Even though his major is still undeclared, he wants to pursue his bachelor’s degree and have a thriving business. “With God, impossibility shall be possible,” Ochenje said. “With hard work, dedication and determination, you really can become whatever you want to be in life.”
MARIA PRADA / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
narine.adamova@pepperdine.edu
Emmanuel Ochenje: After succeeding on the college level, Emmanuel aspires to play professionally and become an entrepeneur.
Matches prove tough in Ohio similar fashion to how it began the match, Staff Writer with a hard-fought fifth set; however, they did not hold as Michigan’s Claire McElBeginning its series of road trips in Dayheny put an end to it all with two kills ton, Ohio, the women’s volleyball team (6- (18-20). 3) competed in the Dayton Senior Kim Hill and freshman Marriott Flyer Classic SaturKate Messing finished the match day, Sept. 10. The team first with 18.5 points each, and sopholost to 20th-ranked Michimore Kellie Woolever had 25 digs. gan 3-2, and then beat 24thMichigan went on to defeat ranked Florida State 3-1. 23rd-ranked Dayton and claimed In the first game, the Lady first place in the tournament. Waves toughed out the loss to Coming off the loss to the Michigan, though they consolid Michigan team, the ladies tested Michigan throughout bounced back against Florida Messing the match. State. Freshman Stealing the last three The Waves nearly swept the points of the first match, the Seminoles, only losing a tight secWaves started with a close 32-30 win, yet ond set 23-25. on the second set Michigan went on a 7Allowing Florida State to score a gamepoint run to beat the waves 25-16. high six consecutive points in the second The third set brought hope as the Lady set, the Waves called a couple timeouts to Waves squeezed past with a 27-25 victory regain composure. ending with a kill by freshman SamanThe team then played strongly the rest tha Cash, but Michigan managed to pull of the match, winning its third and fourth through with another strong fourth set sets 25-18 and 25-23, respectively. (19-25). Hill managed to pull through with a The Waves fittingly ended the game in a team-high of 19 kills and 20 points, and
By AlyshA Tsuji
senior Lilla Frederick added 16.5 points and three service aces. “We really stepped up this weekend and took out teams people didn’t think we could beat,” Messing said. “We learned this past week that we can beat anyone. Our opponent’s rankings don’t matter to us.” Competing among ranked teams was just one of the key points of the tournament. On Sept. 10, senior Stevi Robinson also managed to break the school record for career digs. Robinson accumulated 15 digs throughout the Flyer Classic, bringing the record to 1,419. Next, the ladies travel to challenge 12th-ranked Hawaii in back-to-back away games in Honolulu Sept.16 and 17. “We want to make it to a top 25 ranking,” Messing said. “Hawaii is going to be a tough match-up, but we are ready for any challenges.”
SPOrtS eDitOr
The Big 12 Conference might not be so big anymore, though it has yet to be confirmed that Texas A&M is in full swing to become the newest member of the Southeastern Conference. The Big 12 has historically been compromised of 10 teams located in the central plains and Texas. Texas A&M and Oklahoma State have both been rumored to be leaving the conference for the past several months. However, the threat of lawsuits from Baylor, Iowa State and Kansas has kept rumors of the talks to a minimum. Schools like Baylor, Iowa State and Kansas have good reason to be worried about the action of their fellow Big 12 members, as the Big 12 recently signed a deal with Fox for an estimated $90 million over a period of 13 years, starting in 2012. Stacked upon this deal is a soon-to-be-expired joint deal with ABC and ESPN. After signing the now-pending Fox deal, Iowa began projects to expand the school. An estimated $40 million in bonds was taken out in anticipation of the contract; the money will be directed to building a new video board, football building and sports complex for track, soccer and softball. Unfortunately for the remaining Big 12 teams, Texas A&M’s withdrawal may put the deal in jeopardy. Kansas finds itself in a similar position, their fiscal budget having been set in anticipation of the revenue to come from the Fox contract. Missouri has put a hold on its major $160 million capital campaign until it is sure of the structure of the conferences. With multiple intermingled contracts and millions of dollars on the line, tension amongst the conferences is only growing. Though Texas’s withdrawal has left the Big 12 in an awkward position, even more
dampening to the conference is Oklahoma’s rejection of an invitation. The conference had hoped to absorb teams outside of Texas in order to avoid Texas football politics. However, Oklahoma’s rejection has resulted in a cannibalistic environment where Big 12 and Big East schools are attempting to bolster their conference through the absorption of different schools. A few months ago the biggest concern for the Big 12 was replacing its 10th team. Now up to four more teams could leave the conference. The five remaining teams could try to hold the conference together as well as the Big 12 money this would gaurentee the five their position in the BCS and automatic berth in the NCAA tournament for a two -year period. But that would leave the Big East with nine teams, three short of its total 12 and the Big 12, at five would be seven. If rumors are true, Kansas, Kansas State and the Oklahoma schools, in a worst-case scenario, will be able to find some sort of refuge within the Pac-12. Texas Tech and Texas A&M are in a precarious situation due to contracts and television deals. Texas’ only solace could be found in joining the ACC where layered contracts would allow them to hold on to their ESPN contracts and maintain their Longhorn Network. No matter how the situation solves itself Baylor and Iowa State are going to be stuck fending for themselves. In order to stay together they would have to opt out of the Big 12 and become minor players in the Big East, resulting in major loss in TV revenue for the Bears and Cyclones. “Who can you trust now ? It’s so unfortunate that it has come to this,” said an ESPN source with knowledge of Big 12’s situation. “Everyone is working independently. No one is being straight with anyone anymore.”
albert.owusu@pepperdine.edu
Thoughts, reflections and predictions from our staff on the world of sports.
ALBERT OWUSU
What happened to the days when boosters would meet players in dark corners and hand them car keys and shady envelopes? I’m all for honesty and open closets, but an Ohio State booster recently took responsibility for paying three Buckeyes players. Bobby DiGeronimo made it public that he was the one responsible for giving payments to Jordan Hall, Travis Howard, and Corey Brown. Obviously DiGeronimo doesn’t care and obviously the players don’t either.
NARINE ADAMOVA
Europe is being torn apart as the UEFA league tournament playoffs are in full swing. Being a fan of Real Madrid myself, I could not be more pleased by their outstanding success. And speaking of victories, I can’t avoid saying congratulations to Novak Djokovic, who shocked Rafael Nadal with his fantastic comeback in the final match of the tournament, winning his fourth major title and the 2011 U.S. Open.
alysha.tsuji@pepperdine.edu
Big 12 Conference in trouble By AlBERT OWusu
CALL ‘EM AS WE SEE ‘EM
ASK A WAVE What is the most common stereotype about your sport?
“Braided ponytails and soccer tan.”
“We only hang out with each other.”
“We all are very intelligent.”
CAROLYN DAPPER SOPHOMORE
SHAY COONEYWILLIAMS
ERIC KARCH
SOCCER
JUNIOR BASKETBALL
SOPHOMORE BASEBALL
“We all are ‘players.’”
“The loudest and the most international.”
“Great dancers.”
MORIBA DE FREITAS
DAVID SOFAER
JOEL LOPATA
SOPHOMORE TENNIS
SENIOR VOLLEYBALL
JUNIOR BASKETBALL
B10
SPORTS
September 15, 2011
»pepperdine-graphic.com/sports
hE runs ON BIG
drEams By NARiNE ADAMOVA aSSiStaNt SPOrtS eDitOr
When he began his career in basketball, many people said that he would not make it. However, “when you have a dream and work for it, the main thing is to not let anyone discourage you on the way,” said Emmanuel Ochenje, freshman basketball forward from Nigeria. For Ochenje, the path that brought him to Pepperdine was far from smooth. Despite being a freshman, Ochenje has learned what it means to work hard, as he has moved from playing on the open backyard courts in his native Illorum, Nigeria, to the internationally recognized basketball arenas in the United States. Like many other children in his hometown, Ochenje began his interest in athletics by playing soccer with his friends. It was not until middle school when, due to his height and physical abilities, he was advised to try basketball. And from the first moment Ochenje started playing, he said he fell in love with the game.
“Since I was 12, I was always asking my dad to buy me basketball shoes, but he wouldn’t do it because he did not take my interest in basketball seriously. I had to work at many different jobs, using each opportunity to earn enough money, so that it could help me to perform my game on a different level,” Ochenje said. As he spent time playing basketball with other barefooted friends on the open courts, Ochenje discovered for himself that the sport could be so much more than just a game, it could be his future. And he couldn’t imagine playing anywhere greater than in the homeland of basketball — the United States. As a young teen at the Basketball Academy in the capital city of Abuja, Nigeria, Ochenje was able to grow as an athlete, under the control of coaches and more experienced teammates.
»See SCORING, B9
MARIA PRADA / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Stadium proposals anticipate NFL football By AlBERT OWusu
mental nuts, the stadium is completely LEED certified (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design), meaning it abides by all the new green and recycling laws. Best of all, every single citizen of LA will have to contribute exactly $0 to the building of the stadium. Majestic, along with a slew of private investors, has been able to finance the entire project independently. Currently, Majestic is competing with another real estate firm over rights to build the stadium. Unfortunately for their rival AEG, several environmental issues have slowed down plans for their stadium next to the Los Angeles Convention Center. AEG also owns part of the STAPLES Center and their CEO, Philip Anschutz, is a partial owner of the Los Angeles Lakers. AEG’s planned stadium will cost roughly $1.2 billion and will be attached to the STAPLES Center. However, enviromentalists and concerned citizens fear the aftereffects of building the stadium in paticular: increased traffic congestion and the loss of natural environments in LA. Majestic’s early projections predict that the creation of a new stadium in LA will generate more than 18,000 jobs and will be completely tax-free. The project will generate over $330 million
SPOrtS eDitOr
Los Angeles is the city of dreams. However, one dream has eluded LA: an NFL team. Fortunately for those who dream of LA having its own football team and one day rising to acclaim with a Super Bowl title, this dream is getting closer. For the past several years two major companies AEG and Majestic Realty Co. have been in competition over who would build the proposed stadium. Currently the planning and development of the stadium is up in the air with both competitiors Majestic Realty Co. and AEG lobbying city legislators. If Majestic wins the chance to build the stadium, the Los Angeles stadium will cover more than 600 acres and be placed in the City of Industry, which is in the center of four different counties. The stadium would be within an hour of 15.5 million Angelinos and is being designed by the builders of the STAPLES Center. Majestic is following the successful NFL model by placing the stadium outside of the congestion of cities and in the suburbs. The stadium will be placed geographically the same distance from Hollywood as it is from Newport Beach. For all the environ-
COURTESY OF MAJESTIC’S
Majestic’s Stadium: In competition for the LA stadium design, Majestic Realty Co. proposed this design for the USA 2018 World Cup.
in wages annually for the region. “This is the best kind of action state government can create — action that cuts red tape, generates jobs, is environmentally friendly and brings a continued economic boost to California,” former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said.
Vice President of Majestic John Semcken says, “One out of every 19 people in the United States of America live within an hour drive. It’s a total California experience. One of the things you don’t have to do in Southern California is protect the fan from the weather. ” Pepperdine has already made an
SCOREBOARD Womenʼs Volleyball vs.
Michigan Florida State
Date
Score
Sept. 10 Sept. 10
W, 3-2 W, 3-1
Womenʼs Soccer vs.
Illinois LSU
Date
Sept. 9 Sept. 11
C.Record: 4-2 5-1
W, 4-2 T, 1-1
C.Record: 6-0-2
vs.
Loyola Marymount
Date
Sept. 9
Score
Sunday, Sept. 18
of Hawaii at 10 p.m.
for NorCal Tournament
Womenʼs Volleyball at the University Menʼs Water Polo Womenʼs Soccer
W,11-7
at Louisiana State
Saturday, Sept. 17
Menʼs Water Polo
in Stockton, Calif.,
Womenʼs Volleyball at the University C.Record: 6-0-1
albert.owusu@pepperdine.edu
Friday, Sept. 16
for NorCal Tournament
Menʼs Water Polo
NEXT UP ... University at 3 p.m.
Score
important contribution to the project, as one of the leaders on Majestic’s development team is Pepperdine alumnus John Wheeler, a 2005 graduate.
of Hawaii at 10 p.m.
in Stockton, Calif.,
Monday, Sept. 19 Womenʼs Golf Conference Challenge
in Vail, Colo., for Golfweek
Tuesday, Sept. 20
Womenʼs Golf Conference Challenge
in Vail, Colo., for Golfweek