Los Angeles LOYOLAN The
Incoming editor-in-chief Molly Box covers student marijuana culture and usage. Page 9
February 5, 2020
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New LGBTQ Living Learning Community to come to campus The new group will allow students to grow in the context of gender and sexual identity. Haley LaHa News Intern @LALoyolan
The Gender and Intersectional Identities Living Learning Community (LLC) will be located in one of the new pod-style residence halls currently being constructed on East Quad. The particular building has not been selected yet, but will begin in fall of 2020. The LLC aims to give students a greater understanding of gender and sexuality in their developing role as leaders through community building, discussions, reflection and experiences in the greater Los Angeles area. See LLC | Page 2
Clubs and orgs host first annual 'hackathon' Students get creative in a computer programming competition. Kennedi Hewitt News Intern @LALoyolan
LMU hosted its first annual 'hackathon' on Saturday, Feb. 1 in an effort to encourage students to apply their knowledge to computer programming. The event, which was open to all majors, was hosted by the following LMU chapters: Society of Women Engineers (SWE), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). “A hackathon is an event where a group of people (or 'hackers') form small teams and collaborate to build a minimum-viable product within a limited period of time," according to the LMUHacks website. Additionally, the hackathon welcomed sponsors from Tech Empower and Mozilla. The day began at 10 a.m. with an opening ceremony, followed by team building activities. Soon after, a series of workshops commenced which taught the student participants a variety of new skills. Throughout the day, the different teams created projects in the form of applications, websites and more.
The final projects were judged in five categories: Best Freshman/Transfer Student Hack, Most Creative Hack, Best Hack for Good, TechEmpower’s Best Overall Hack and Mozilla’s State of the Internet Hack.The judges included professors BJ Johnson, Andrew Forney, Jordan Freitas and the chair of the computer science department, Ray Toal, sponsor Bijan Marashi, alumni Jay Patel and Ryan Taus, and Teddy Chu and Kevin Metelus, both of whom are sponsors and alumni. One team, consisting of sophomore entrepreneurship major Briana King, sophomore electrical engineering major Alek Yegazarian and freshman civil engineer major Alghalia Abulhasan, focused their project on Spotify streams and using streams as a means of donating to charity. “The brainstorming was fun because we started out with a completely different idea, and then it went from one idea to another to the end product. It was also very interesting to learn how to create a website,” said Abulhasan. In one workshop, called the Basic Web Development Workshop, participants learned about web design. Yegazarian said, “I came here not really knowing HTML or knowing that it’s really like a language. But I got to work with it and that’s how we were building our web pages … It’s really cool –– I want to learn more.” See Hackathon | Page 2
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BURNING QUESTIONS
First hackathon aimed to empower students Hackathon from Page 1
This week, asst. news editor Sofia Hathorn sat down with Molly Jean Box, the incoming editor-in-chief of the Loyolan, to talk about her love for the paper and her role model.
As the day came to a close, the judges circulated throughout the classroom, examining each project. After the votes were submitted, the teams who won in each of the five categories were called up one by one and awarded their prizes. Prizes included headphone sets, Buddha boards, logic puzzles, Apple Watches, Amazon Echo Dots, gift bundles and an interview for Mozilla’s paid startup incubation with the senior vice president of future products.
What drew you to the Loyolan originally? I was the editor-in-chief of my high school’s newspaper, so I worked there for four years, [at] Fairview High School, [in] Boulder, Colorado. I always loved journalism and I always loved the newsroom. I think newsrooms are the greatest places on Earth. I think that they draw the craziest people, and the loudest, most opinionated, most fun and smart[est] people. I missed working in the newsroom and wanted to be in that environment again. Also, I loved the Loyolan and I wanted to contribute.
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“I hope [the hackathon] empowers the students with the tools and the mindsets that they need in order to succeed in their careers,” said lead organizer Adriana Donkers. “Now that they have projects under their belts, they can include it in résumés, they can talk about it in interviews and it looks really good to recruiters,” said Donkers. “We want the people competing to know that, no matter how little or how much coding experience you have, even with a day’s worth of preparation, how much you are capable of doing,” said Nico Raymundo, a junior computer science major and one of the organizers of the hackathon. While only in its first year, LMU’s hackathon drew a large crowd of students who all left the event having gained a new skillset, a new passion or a new project which they can further develop.
Why did you decide to apply for editor-in-chief?
I wanted to play a larger role in what the Loyolan was and what content we were producing and how we portrayed ourselves to the community. I wanted to serve this publication and serve my peers as much as possible, and I felt like the editor-in-chief position was the way that I could do that.
Who is your biggest role model?
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My biggest role model is my dad. He was the most hard-working person I knew, and he put everything he had into every job he did, no matter how big or small it was. I hope to do the same thing at this newspaper. No matter if it’s a tiny article or breaking news, or front page, it should all be taken care of with the same ... care and meticulousness that’s needed. [My father] taught me that. So I want to carry on his legacy in that way.
Want to read even more questions with Box? Check them out at laloyolan.com.
via LMU ACM
On the left, three of the Hackathon’s organizers pose, left to right: Maya Pegler-Gordon, Maddie Louis and Adriana Donkers, all junior computer science majors. On the right, participants underway with the Hackathon.
New LLC students will take gender and leadership classes LLC from Page 1
“The Gender and Intersectional Identities LLC was created to facilitate a specific space for students with an interest in developing their understanding of the complex ways gender and sexuality shape the world around them and their experience of the community,” said Lalo Moreno, director of LGBT Student Services and Intercultural Initiatives. Students in the LLC will live with others in the same program. With the help of faculty and staff, they will have family dinners and will be given off-campus service opportunities with Queer, Transgender and Intersex People of Color (QTIPOC) focused nonprofits around Los Angeles. Members of the community will also take two courses together during the year, one in each semester. The course in the fall will be on the psychology of gender and the spring course will be on queer leadership group methodologies. These
courses will be taught in partnership with the Ignatian Leadership Institute. “Students will engage with the various intersections of their multifaceted identities, thereby encouraging growth across campus, and increasing the awareness and meaningmaking behind our lived experiences,” said Moreno. “LMU will be able to provide additional space for these conversations to happen in all settings on campus only furthering our dedication to supporting the whole development of our students.”
"I think the new [LLC] will ... spread the understanding of gender and the effects it has on our everyday lives," said Eckerdt. This will be the ninth LLC on LMU’s campus. There are currently four LLCs in the first year
housing including First Gen Forever, Life Science Early Awareness Program (LEAP), Programming for an Engineering Education Community and the Transfer Living Learning Community. LMU offers four others for returning students in addition to the Gender and Leadership LLC, namely Vanier, Arrupe, the Honors Living Learning Community and the Academic Community of Excellence. “I think this new [Living Learning] Community will create a space at LMU where like-minded individuals can focus in on what is important to their community and how to spread the understanding of gender and the effects it has on our everyday lives,” said sophomore communication studies major Lauren Eckerdt. While LMU provides a variety of LLCs for students to live and take the same courses together, the Gender and Leadership Living Learning Community is unique in that it will focus on learning about gender and sexual identity.
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OPINION
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Fix our electoral distrust EDITORIAL STAFF Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Managing Editor News Editor Asst. News Editor Asst. News Editor Asst. News Editor News Intern News Intern Asst. Opinion Editor Asst. Opinion Editor Opinion Intern Opinion Intern Life+Arts Editor Life+Arts Intern Life+Arts Intern Life+Arts Intern Sports Editor Asst. Sports Editor Asst. Sports Editor Asst. Sports Editor Sports Intern Bluff Editor Bluff Intern Bluff Intern Copy Chief Copy Editor Copy Editor Copy Editor Copy Editor Copy Editor Copy Editor Copy Editor Digital Editor Asst. Digital Editor Asst. Digital Editor Asst. Digital Editor Digital Intern Design Editor Asst. Design Editor Asst. Design Editor Asst. Design Editor Design Intern Cartoon Editor Cartoonist Cartoonist Cartoonist Photo Editor Asst. Photo Editor Asst. Photo Editor Photo Intern Photo Intern Video Coordinator Video Producer Video Producer Video Producer Video Intern Video Intern Video Intern Video Freelancer
Jacob Cornblatt Shannon Tormey Kayan Tara Isabella Murillo Molly Jean Box Sofia Hathorn Grace McCauley Kennedi Hewitt Haley LaHa Cristobal Spielmann Alyssa Story Riley Hetherington Veronica Backer-Peral Sammi Su Francesca Bermudez Alicia Wensley Michael Carandang Miles Thomas Jameson O’Neil Alexander Hutton Nicholas Rossi Ellie Kinney Andrew Dazé Gabriella Jeakle Connor Rose Megan Leberknight Lucie Bolzan Carly Holm Caleb Sng Sara Romano Erin Ambrose Carrick Mahoney Antonia Abramowitz Jack Noble Adrian Leung Gigi Toma Anastasia Glushneva Allie King Jessie Glassberg Alena Copeland Aurora Schnurr Michaela Galeski Kate Leahy Christian Boggs Ellen Na Jacob Johanson Harrison Klein Alyssa Reece Maeve Sullivan Owen Markham Annie Kapila JP Shannon Maddie Cindrich Kayla Austefjord Austin Good Brooks Lalley Declan Tomlinson Joe Harrison Jason Keany Ellis Senger
After the disaster that was the Iowa caucuses, maybe the U.S. needs to evaluate how we conduct elections. The Iowa caucuses, arguably the most important day of the presidential primary election, were a complete and utter disaster for the Democratic Party last Monday night. Technical failures and inconsistent reporting led to a nearly 24-hour delay in the Iowa Democratic Party releasing the results of the caucuses, according to the Washington Post. Candidates publicly bashed the party for the mess. Sen. Bernie Sanders called them “negligent” and Sen. Elizabeth Warren told them to “get it together.” President Trump, of course, also weighed in on the night, calling it an “unmitigated disaster” on Twitter. Trump had a major win in Iowa over his two littleknown competitors, earning 97% of the vote, according to Politico. And although he made it through the night with little controversy, there is still much concern over Trump inviting foreign countries to interfere in our election. Additionally, Russian interference in the election (which would benefit Trump) is a major national security concern. Once the delays in Iowa began, many started forming conspiracy theories about the Democratic National Committee (DNC) attempting to sabotage the Sanders campaign. This came after news outlets reported that the campaigns of both former Vice President Joe Biden and Mayor Pete Buttigieg gave money to the company that created the problematic app at the center of the delays with the Iowa caucuses. These conspiracy theories, the Washington
“It is time to bring in independent election monitors from an international organization like the United Nations.”
Veronica Backer-Peral Opinion Intern @LALoyolan
BUSINESS STAFF Gia Lee Lauren Rechner Anika Hanson Hayden Regalado Jenna Nicotra
Distribution Manager Petros Hadjikyracou Distribution Intern Matthew Hendrickson Distribution Intern Mirabella Efstratis Student Media Coordinator Veronica Manz Director of Student Media Tom Nelson
LOYOLAN EDITORIAL POLICY The Los Angeles Loyolan, a student-run campus organization, publishes a weekly newspaper for the greater LMU community. The first copy is free of charge. Additional copies are $1 each. Paid, mailed subscriptions can be purchased through the Business department. The Loyolan accepts unsolicited letters from students, faculty, staff and alumni, and press releases from on-campus and offcampus organizations, but cannot guarantee publication. The Loyolan reserves the right to edit or reject all submissions, including advertisements, articles or other contributions it deems objectionable. The Loyolan does not print consecutive articles by the same author that repeat/refute the initial arguments. Opinions and ideas expressed in the Loyolan are those of individual authors, artists and student editors and are not those of Loyola Marymount University, its Board of Trustees, its student body or of newspaper advertisers. Board Editorials are unsigned and reflect the opinions of the Executive Editorial Board. Guest editorials are by invitation of the Executive Editorial Board and reflect the views of the author. All advertisements are subject to the current rates and policies in the most recent Advertising Rates and Information materials.
The Los Angeles Loyolan is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press and the California College Media Association.
Board Editorial Jacob Cornblatt Editor-in-Chief
Kayan Tara
Managing Editor
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Board Editorials represent the voice of the Loyolan. They are written in collaboration by the Executive Editorial Board.
Iowa is first, and our election is worse V for Vendetta
Business Manager Asst. Business Manager Business Intern Advertising Manager Ad Intern
Post compellingly argues, are baseless, but that doesn’t change the fact that there are serious problems with the current U.S. election system. That is why it is time to bring in independent election monitors from an international organization like the United Nations. As silly and hyperbolic as that may sound, this country needs it. As the past few years— and last Monday—have shown, the American public seems to be losing trust in the fairness and validity of our elections. When we begin questioning if a political party is rigging its elections, how can we trust any of the decisions they make when they are in office? Free and fair elections are a fundamental aspect of democracy and human rights for all people. When we lose faith in them, we lose faith in the success of the U.S. Observations from an independent group is a good idea if we want to coursecorrect our current situation. Many may argue that judges of this nature are only necessary in corrupt and newly established democracies and that putting them in the U.S. would look terrible on the world stage. To that, we say that saving democracy and restoring faith in our elections are more important than avoiding a PR problem. Additionally, we are not saying that the United States needs these judges, but rather should have them in order to prevent the situation from getting worse. In this case, it is better to be safe than sorry. Allowing an independent group of international election judges to monitor our elections would restore faith in the validity of elections and act as a preventative measure to avoid genuine challenges to U.S. democracy.
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rowing up in an immigrant household, I always had a general understanding of the United States—shoutout to my fifth grade map test—but I never really thought about any of the states in particular. It was only when I went to college that I began to learn. When someone said Idaho, it meant potatoes. Florida meant old people. Utah meant Mormons. Suddenly election season hit, and within days I learned a brand new definition: Iowa meant primary elections. And yet, this definition came with a looming realization — the outcome of the primary elections is fundamentally informed by the decision of a single, primarily white and rural state. Iowa owes this fame to its historical presidential nominating caucus, which kicks off the voting process for the primary election cycle. As a result, Iowa’s decision can be incredibly influential in deciding who is selected as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee. This is a system that needs to change. “[I don’t] feel particularly strongly
about the fact that Iowa holds the first primary election,” Claire Kosewic, a sophomore biology major, said. “Especially when you think about it, it’s weird. But since I live in California, which is such a blue state, I don’t focus too much on Iowa.” The precedent for Iowa voting first was established in 1972 when the Democratic Party decided to spread out the voting period and allow states with long and complex voting processes to start much earlier than the rest. Since then, candidates have focused a strong
portion of their campaign efforts on Iowa, knowing that this preliminary winner will undoubtedly receive more support and recognition during the remainder of the primary election period. In fact, one of the candidates who took advantage of this situation was Barack Obama, who famously and cleverly campaigned to nontraditional caucus-goers in Iowa to gain a lead over Hillary Clinton.
See Iowa Caucus | Page 5
Cartoon: Jacob Johanson | Loyolan
Iowa gets an unfair advantage when compared against other states in the primaries. It’s time that the primaries truly reflect the U.S. and change their order.
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California failed to solve its most pressing crisis Speck and Spielmann
Cristobal Spielmann
W
Asst. Opinion Editor @LALoyolan
hile many of us are tapped into the national politics of impeachment or the primaries, it’s important to look at our own state’s politics to see how relevant local issues are being royally screwed over. For the unaware, the California State Legislature killed Sen. Scott Wiener’s (D-San Francisco) Senate Bill 50 (SB-50) last Wednesday by a margin of three votes, with only three Republicans and 15 Democrats voting in favor of the measure that needed a simple majority of 21 votes to pass. In essence, this bill would have paved the way for upzoning in single-family neighborhoods in order to build more housing in previously zoned-off areas, especially those near public transit. This bill was very popular with California voters back in mid-2019; nearly 2/3 of over 1,000 polled supported the proposal, according to Lake Research Partners. It would’ve created a ton of high-density housing for a state that’s faced a massive homelessness crisis in recent years, a crisis so impactful that it’s affected the national average, as reported by The New York Times last year. There’s a lot to like about highdensity housing (HDH). A report from the Urban Land Institute that debunked many myths surrounding HDH also showed how it is more environmentally-friendly than low-density sprawl, reduces traffic congestion and can appeal to people of all economic backgrounds. California YIMBY (meaning “Yes In My Backyard,”) one of the major non-profit groups endorsing SB-50, also touted support for the bill from prominent environmental organizations like the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). It’s hard to argue with these benefits and backers, but many really want to try. The non-profit group Housing
is a Human Right called Wiener’s bill “trickle-down housing,” linking it to classism. Instead, the group supported rent-control measures, like the failed Prop 10 initiative from 2018, as an alternative approach. This is despite the repeated and longdocumented evidence of rent control actually leading to higher prices, more gentrification and, in the case of Proposition 10, hurting small businesses in single-family housing, according to a New York Times op-ed by Paul Krugman, an analysis from the Brookings Institution and a report by UC Berkeley Professor Emeritus Ken Rosen, respectively. So now, thanks to this misinformation and three crucial votes in the Senate, we’re back at square one, and the housing crisis isn’t any closer to getting solved. What other options are there? Contrary to the presumptions from one hate comment on my last article on housing, “moving [the homeless] somewhere else” is another shortsighted stance that ignores the reality of how cities actually work.
Economist Ed Glaeser wrote about Whether that’s the death of SB-50, the why cities have significantly more poor destruction of housing discrimination people and dilapidated housing in his laws or to even bigger problems, such as book, “Triumph of the City.” Glaeser the Trump administration’s expanded explains that many successful cities, travel ban demonizing immigrants or both in the U.S. and elsewhere, are going our increasingly polarizing divisions to attract poorer individuals because that continue to weaponize our own of the economic and infrastructural identities against us, the walls between opportunities that are otherwise not us are getting thicker. present in rural communities. To quote As I’ve mentioned previously, Glaeser from “Triumph” directly, “Cities homelessness is not a partisan topic and aren’t full of poor people because cities it’s difficult to find this issue getting make people poor, but because cities talked about in a presidential race. attract poor people with the prospect of Whether you’re a progressive Democrat, improving their lot in life.” a conservative Republican or something Unsurprisingly, Glaeser isn’t a fan else in between, people need housing. of “Not In My Backyard” folks, or Denying the opportunity to have a stable NIMBYs, as he wrote in a 2017 Wall home on the basis of ignorance isn’t Street Journal piece, in which he politics — it’s cowardice. praised fellow urbanist Richard Florida’s condemnation of what he calls “The New Urban Luddism.” To read more stories by Spielmann, go Cities like Los Angeles will always get to www.LALoyolan.com/opinion. bigger, and that’s a good thing. I want to live in an area that attracts new people rather than pushes them away. This is the opinion of Cristobal Spielmann, a But increasingly, it feels like we’re sophmore environmental science major from Brentwood, Tennessee. Tweet comments @LALoyolan, or email living in a world that’s driving each other editor@theloyolan.com. apart, and we are worse off because of it.
Iowa should not represent our nation Iowa from Page 4
However, this quirk in the presidential nomination process, though seemingly innocent, can have massive repercussions on the country’s ultimate victor. The reality of the situation is that Iowa is first and foremost white — it is approximately 85.3% white compared to the national statistic of 60.4%, according to the U.S. Census. As a result, candidates with
primarily African American or Hispanic support bases are automatically at a disadvantage. Some have even argued that the reason why candidates of color, such as Kamala Harris or Julián Castro, dropped out of the race so early is due to the barrier posed by Iowa. Aside from precedent and lack of public initiative, the main barrier to change is one simple question: if not Iowa,
who? After all, a national primary does not appear to be much better. With such a broad region in which to campaign, a national primary would inevitably give an advantage to incumbents and better known (or better funded) candidates with the means to reach a wide audience. With this system, it is likely that the 2008 Democratic presidential candidate would have been Hillary Clinton instead of Barack Obama. Recently, experts have begun to look into viable alternatives to both the Iowa primary system and a national primary. For instance, one option is a rotating primary, or one that allows states to decide when to hold their primary elections or caucuses so that Iowa is not
always overrepresented. On the other hand, one study proposes a unique solution: researchers used various indexes, including race, age, education and economic distribution, to determine which state is most representative of the entire country. The overall winner was Illinois, although Delaware, Virginia and Pennsylvania were not far behind. Although it is impossible to find a perfect state, changing the first primary to Illinois—or to a small group of states that closely represent the entire nation—would address many of the issues with the Iowa caucus, while still retaining many of the inherent benefits of a staggered primary. Candidates who aren’t as well known or who have less financial support would still be
able to focus on spreading their message to a small audience, but that audience would be as representative as possible of the ultimate population that the candidates are trying to win over. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee to promote fairness and equality in the electoral process. Reform to the order of state primaries is not only a feasible change, but one that is long overdue.
To read more stories by Backer-Peral, go to LALoyolan.com/opinion. This is the opinion of Veronica BackerPeral, a sophomore film and television production, history and computer science triple major from Pasadena, California. Tweet comments @LALoyolan or email editor@theloyolan.com.
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SFTV to take over Seaver curriculum Society is in need of more filmmakers and fewer doctors, writers and teachers. Gabi Jeakle Former Production Major
Cartoon: Ellen Na | Loyolan
The curriculum features detailed and complex interdisciplinary concepts and ideas.
It was announced this year that the School of Film and Television will be expanding its Westchester campus to accommodate a new pavilion. The construction of this pavilion has taken over most of what was formerly known as Alumni Mall and will be widespread until its completion in summer 2021. Several students have complained about the unsightly nuisance to the campus, labeling it as “hideous” and “disgusting.” “We understand it is frustrating. But this is for the good of the school,” said Mark Billing, a representative for SFTV. “And we have a few more surprises that I’m sure you’ll grow to love some day.” That’s right, the expansion doesn’t just stop at Alumni Mall. SFTV is taking over.
The Frank R. Seaver College of Science and Engineering (FRSCSE) announced plans to begin its transition into merging with SFTV. “It feels like a natural progression,” said Billing. “By transitioning basic S.T.E.M. classes to a curriculum with a film focus, we increase our chances of churning out the next Tarantino.” Bluff would like to clarify that this was meant as a good thing. The rollout will begin in fall 2020 with the replacement of Calculus II with Calculus, But For Movies. FRSCSE continued, “We also have plans for Physics, But For Movies, and Bio, But For Movies.” “It is an interdisciplinary experience. As a Jesuit school, we believe in the education of the whole person. That’s why we’re doing this.” Billing asked us to emphasize that the reason for this
expansion is NOT because they want to be better than USC. That has literally nothing to do with it. Why would you even assume that? The project will cost an estimated $4 billion. “I know what you’re thinking, but it’s actually pretty reasonable considering we will be revamping every building on campus to accommodate a soundstage.” Billing further states that after FRSCSE, SFTV will be absorbing all of BCLA.
Interested in writing for the Bluff? Email us at adaze@laloyolan.com
New housing converted to quarantine zone Move over “dad-bod at age 20” beverage ... there’s a new Corona in town. Connor Rose
Does Not Like Dorm Life
LMU is finalizing the construction of their podstyle dorms, a new form of housing that, contrary to early speculation, does not involve sleeping in pods. The buildings themselves consist of up to 19 interconnected rooms with a communal living space and kitchen. However, given the growing threat of the coronavirus, new measures had to be taken. The new housing pods will not only serve the purpose of housing, but also quarantine.
LMU has stated that, in the event that coronavirus finds its way to our campus, the new pods will be used to contain and quarantine students who contract the virus. The student community was notified through email. Many were angry that the email began with “dear First Name.” “We want to take as many precautions as we can,” said Ofer Reacter, a P-Safe representative in charge of the quarantine zone development. “You never know who could have it. Just this morning, I saw a kid coughing by U-Hall and we escorted him immediately to the pods.” It is noted that the student, Greg, was
coughing because he has asthma. Unfortunately, Greg was taken down by P-Safe before he was able to reach his inhaler. In the week following the school’s new procedures, 13 students have been sent to the pods out of fear that they may have the virus — but many don’t. “Yeah, the pods are dope and all,” said Vic Tim, a freshman who made the mistake of blowing his nose while walking by the Lair. “But I’m not really allowed to leave, so that’s kinda wack.” Tim stated that security guards prevent the quarantined students from leaving the pods. In addition, Tim also pointed out that the
security is “pretty dope” and “down with vaping.” If this is the procedure regarding how they would handle an outbreak, there is much left to be desired in terms of sanitation, preparation and intensity of response. Something people are interpreting as an incentive, however, is the lack of cost to live in the quarantine zone. “I mean, free housing is free housing, right?” asked Randy Randalman, a selfproclaimed “culinary bad boy” who recently bought a plane ticket to Wuhan, Hubei Province, China Cartoon: Camille Bautista | Loyolan in hopes of scoring free Both functional and fashionable, the housing next semester. Hazmat suit is the uniform of pod-style living. It works wonders against the cold.
The Bluff is a humorous and satirical section published in the Loyolan. All quotes attributed to real figures are completely fabricated; persons otherwise mentioned are completely fictional.
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Darn Things Kids SAy
HAND-EYE COORDINATION
By Ellen Na, cartoonist
By Jacob Johanson, cartoonist
By Sarah Cheung, cartoonist
Isn’t it Ironic
Check out more Loyolan cartoons online now! Visit LALoyolan.com/cartoons and catch up on your favorites!
editor’s pick Sororities welcome new members EDQ
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Photos: Maeve Sullivan | Loyolan
New members of sororities on campus pose with active members after recieving their bids on Jan. 27. There are seven Panhellenic sororities students could participate in recruitment to join.
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life+arts
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Behind the scenes of Hannon Library’s newest exhibit
Looking at LMU’s history through a social justice lens with history majors. Alicia Wensley Life+Arts Intern @LALoyolan
The spring 2020 William H. Hannon Library exhibition, “Promoting Social Justice? Using Public History to Complicate the University’s Narrative,” explores the LMU narrative by portraying times when the University has gone against their mission of promoting social justice. The exhibit seeks to prove that by critically thinking about the school’s history, we as members of the community can better live in accordance with LMU’s mission. The exhibit is located on the third floor of the William H. Hannon Library and was created and curated by students taking history professor Elizabeth Drummond’s class Telling History in Public during the Fall 2019 semester. On Jan. 30 at 5:30 p.m., the library hosted a panel and reception to celebrate the opening of the exhibit. The panel consisted of professor Drummond and three of her students from last semester — sophomore history major Lila Roades, junior history and English double major Lindsay McConnell and senior history major Samuel Johnston. The panel discussed the artifacts they researched, as well as the history behind them in relation to LMU and the broader historical context. They also discussed the semester-long project as a whole and their experiences setting up the exhibit.
Originally, the exhibit was supposed to be a one day pop-up that the students would curate. However, a different class (one was supposed to put up another exhibit) was unable to complete their gallery. This allowed Drummond’s class the opportunity to make a semester-long gallery. At first the class was nervous to do a semester-long exhibit that was drastically different from a one day pop-up, but with the support of one another and the library staff, the students were able to create it. According to Roades, they had to figure out how to display the artifacts differently once it turned into a gallery instead of a pop-up. They finally decided to group the artifacts by social justice issue. During the panel, Johnston talked about his artifact, which was a video interview between former dean of the Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts Father Michael Engh, and former president of Marymount College, Sister Raymunde McKay. Before Sister McKay became president, she was based in New York and worked at a grammar school. There, she taught Johnston’s grandmother and great aunt. So, this was not only a personal choice in his artifact, but also an important one due to the Marymount name and values being a core part of LMU’s identity. After the panel concluded, guests were invited into the reception hall to look around the exhibit and talk to the student curators. Senior history major Gail Garberg’s favorite part of the experience was seeing artifacts for the first time, from the special collections and described it like “being a kid in
Photos: JP Shannon | Loyolan
Visitors look at the exhibit in the Hannon Library. "Promoting Social Justice? Using Public History to Complicate the University’s Narrative” will be on display for the remainder of the semester.
the candy store.” The artifact Garberg researched for the exhibit was the Tower Yearbook controversy documents. Around the ‘60s and ‘70s, ASLMU was funding the yearbook, which went against social norms and received a lot of backlash. The shift of youth culture during this period helped shape student life and the student community today. Garberg talked about how LMU doesn’t really publicize the conflicts that have contributed to the formation of LMU’s history. When asked what she wanted people to take from the exhibit she replied, “I really hope that people
come and take it seriously, because it’s something me and my peers worked really hard on ... it got to the point where it wasn’t just required, it was something we wanted to do, something we were really passionate about … I really hope people come and learn something.” “Promoting Social Justice? Using Public History to Complicate the University’s Narrative” opened on Jan. 27 and is located on the third floor of the William H. Hannon Library at the Terrance L. Mahan, S.J. Gallery.
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StereoVision: the info hub for all things hip hop Meet LMU students Miles Hagan and Spencer Lobdell, the creators of StereoVision. Sammi Su
Life+Arts Editor @LALoyolan
In their freshman year, sophomore marketing majors Miles Hagan and Spencer Lobdell founded StereoVision, a hip-hop centric media company that specializes in hip-hop album updates, music video reviews and recommendation lists. The duo met in their freshman year when Hagan responded to Lobdell’s Snapchat story. Lobdell had shared that his review on a YNW Melly album, “Melly vs. Melvin" had been noticed by the artist’s team. They soon realized that they had the same views and interests in music. From there, StereoVision was born. StereoVision aims to “[conduct] interviews [in a] way that is more geared toward the artist," said Hagan. "We care about what the artist has to say ... [we want to] display what they want to say in the best way possible [to] mend that media-artist relationship.” Since starting the website, they have evolved their brand presence, covering concerts around L.A., sometimes reporting from the wings of the stage during concerts. Lobdell mentioned that one of his favorite experiences was when the duo went to 1TakeJay’s concert at the El Rey Theater. After the show, Lobdell had an exclusive interview with 1TakeJay. Lobdell said, “that was one of the first times where I felt that I was
dealing with industry people, and I had something to give … they were thankful we were there.” At the same show, Hagan had the opportunity to conduct an exclusive interview with AzChike. Reporting from backstage, Hagan commented, “We saw all the stuff [happening] backstage ... We saw [performers] getting ready while others were performing." Since launching the company, they have received industry endorsements and recognitions that motivate them to continue creating content. As their brand continues to grow, they’ve been reposted by and invited to do interviews with multiple artists. Their long-term goal is to gain “respect from the industry … [by becoming] a viable source,” according to Hagan. Lobdell said, “People have offered to pay us for playlisting, to put them on our playlists ... but we want to keep our integrity as a site that writes about what we truly like and what we truly think is quality. Turning down some [requests] that could [lessen financial] losses to keep the integrity [of the company] is hard sometimes … but it’s a process for the long-term [goal].” However, despite many setbacks, the ambitious team is ready to take on new challenges. In the foreseeable future, they would like to create content for “podcasts, YouTube, IGTV [and] make content more digestible on many different platforms,” said Hagan. Lobdell also mentioned that they want to strengthen their relationships with artists who align with their values and interests. They also plan to launch more
via Spencer Lobdell
Spencer Lobdell (bottom left) and Miles Hagan (bottom right) are the founders of StereoVision. They aim to become a top multi-media platform which covers trending hip-hop and R&B news.
merchandise and accessories to add to their brand’s collection. Both are grateful for all the friends that have supported them, and their team for working with them. StereoVision is currently looking for anyone interested in R&B, hip-hop, content creation, social media management and/or any form of
Alumna develops dash cam for iPhone Increase your road safety with the help of DUBL Drive. Michael Carandang Life+Arts Intern @LALoyolan
A new app called “DUBL Drive,” created in part by Brittany Jarocki (‘14), was recently released on Jan. 23. DUBL Drive is described by 9to5Mac.com as an app that turns an iPhone into “a dash cam with smart features like automatic recording based on heavy braking or impact.” The application automatically records the moment before, during and after a car crash. With mostly five star reviews and around 3,000 downloads in the first four days, Jarocki describes it as “a strong start” for the mobile application. Jarocki graduated from LMU with a Bachelor of Science in business administration, with an emphasis in finance. She is currently working as a wealth manager at The Wealth Strategies Group. However, during the weekends, she works at DUBL Development. Through all these accomplishments, she describes herself as “always a student, an entrepreneur and a creator.” DUBL Development is a small company that consists of six contributors. In this small entrepreneurship team, Jarocki describes herself as the one managing their social media presence. Since 2018, DUBL
DUBL Drive via Apple Store
Screenshots of DUBL Drive explain the app's functions. Jarocki ('14) and her team aims to provide an affordable and convenient dash cam app with this app.
Development has launched two applications: a social media app called DUBL and the smart dashcam app DUBL Drive. DUBL Drive is currently only available for the iPhone 11 and iPhone XS models. According to WCCFTech, the app records speed and GPS data while you’re on the road. The app uses both the front and back camera to record “a 30-second video when your car comes into impact with anything while moving over 10 miles per hour” or when it detects hard braking. The video data is then sent to a remote cloud storage location that can assist a driver later. The application requires a subscription fee of $2 a month to keep the lights running and pay for cloud storage. DUBL Drive provides a cheaper alternative for an expensive dual camera dash cam by using a user’s iPhone. Jarocki’s advice for students aspiring for success in the
entrepreneurial field was “to get involved in whatever you want to do.” She remembers how David Choi, a professor of entrepreneurship at LMU, provided many opportunities for students to engage with start-up companies. “You need money to start a company,” Jarocki said. “Learning about angel investors and asking for money is very important to those [wanting to be entrepreneurs].” Looking at the future for DUBL's development, Jarocki is "very optimistic in the long run.” However, in the short run, “they have a lot of work to do.” They want to get more users, add more features and start making money. If everything goes well, she hopes “DUBL will be in company cars and trucks.” Jarocki’s proud of the fact that even though DUBL is such a young company, they’ve accomplished a lot to get where they are today.
creative work to reach out to them via their Instagram page (@thestereovision) to join the team. Follow StereoVision on their Instagram (@thestereovision), Twitter (@stereovisionsv) or visit their website: www.thestereovision.com to read more.
Freshman Andrade makes early impact Inspired by her sister, the swimmer strives for excellence. Nick Rossi
Asst. Sports Editor @LALoyolan
In a difficult season for the team, freshman Kelli Andrade has been a bright spot for the women’s swimming team. On Nov. 2, during the Lions’ first home meet of the season, Andrade took home first place in the 100-meter breaststroke against the University of San Diego. Less than a week later, the freshman placed first again in the same event via LMU Athletics against Pepperdine. LMU freshman swimmer Kelli Andrade remains focused mid-breaststroke during a race. The breaststroke Andrade’s arrival at the remains her most valuable asset in competition. Bluff this season represents the culmination of a 12- Shelby competed in four years After picking up swimming this, we probably won’t win year swim career. Having of high school varsity swim through her sister, Andrade the meet.’ That race is when first stepped in the pool to and one season of NCAA has had an accomplished I dropped two seconds after compete at age 6, the sport competition for the Air Force career, although, like most, it three years.” has played a significant part Academy. Upon graduation, has not been without its share Andrade won the race and, of Andrade’s life. She first Shelby will be enlisting to serve of ups and downs. According in the process, set a school got into swimming through in the U.S. Space Force. to Andrade, there was a record in the 100-meter exposure from her older When asked about her period of three years during breaststroke. Andrade said the sister, Shelby Andrade. sister, Kelli touched upon her high school career where emotions of the event brought “I started swimming because how much she admires her her times remained stagnant. her to tears. of my sister,” said the freshman. and noted the large influence “In high school, I plateaued The 100-meter breaststroke “She actually got really into it she’s had on her life. “My for three years,” she said. “I did continues to be Andrade’s when she was young. She’s [four sister is the strongest, most not drop in my best event for primary event in the pool. years] older than me. I grew up inspirational person I know. three years. At a high school Although she says she enjoys going to practice with her.” She was so passionate in meet, it was coming down to the 100-meter fly more, the Kelli referenced her older swim, and that motivated me. the last points and my coach breaststroke continues to be sister as her biggest inspiration. I love my sister.” was like, ‘If you don’t win her most competitive stroke.
Speaking on the transition from high school to college, Andrade believes that she had a harder time adjusting outside of the pool than in it. Undergoing rigorous club swim training throughout high school, the freshman came into Division I well prepared for competition. Adjusting to the accelerated academics of LMU alongside swimming is what turned out to be the greater obstacle. “To be honest, school has made it really hard for me to train like I want to,” said Andrade. “In the beginning, I was really kind of upset I wasn’t able to train as much. I wasn’t able to feel as good because of less sleep and all my homework.” Despite these challenges, Andrade has still been a standout performer for the women’s swim team in her freshman season. She has proved that early on in her LMU career, her team can rely on her breaststroke to earn points during meets. Andrade and her teammates will close out their season next weekend at the Pacific Collegiate Swim Conference Championships, taking place Feb. 12-15.
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Grumbo has high hopes for 2020 The La Palma native looks to lead a young softball squad to another successful season. Ellie Kinney Sports Intern @LALoyolan
It is easy to tell that Molly Grumbo is a force to be reckoned with: she’s confident, passionate about the game and determined to lead her team to the top. Grumbo, a junior management major who plays catcher and outfielder, lives and breathes softball — and it has paid off. Leading the team in almost every offensive category last season, including batting average, hits, OPS and slugging percentage, Grumbo has been a major reason for the team’s success and has enjoyed every minute of it. “The main reason I love softball is because I’m able to be myself,” said Grumbo. “I’m able to have fun, laugh, meet a bunch of different people … it’s given me so many things and opened so many doors for me, I wouldn’t be who I am today without it.” Grumbo started playing softball at just 8 years old and committed to LMU a week before her junior year of high school started, and immediately knew from her first visit that this was where she wanted to play. “The people were so welcoming and felt like family,” Grumbo noted. “I really wanted to grow the LMU program, and [get it] on the map and be a top-25
Graphic: Alena Copeland | Loyolan
Molly Grumbo will lead the Lions at the catcher position, as pictured, as well as in the outfield. The junior believes the team has the ability to win the WCC this year.
program … I knew that I was a part of something bigger if I came here.” Coming off of two very successful seasons, including a historic 2018 postseason run that culminated in the Lions winning the National Invitational Softball Championship, Grumbo has complete confidence in this year’s young team to continue the success. “We’re so excited [about the season],” said Grumbo. “It’s a little bit nervewracking for the newbies the first couple games — you have cameras there, lights, everybody’s watching — but to take
those feelings and just have fun with it, and know it’s the game we’ve all been playing since we were 8 years old, there’s no better feeling.” The team will be missing some of its star players from last year, including Delanie Wisz, the home run-hitting junior infielder who transferred to the reigning NCAA D1 tournament champion UCLA this semester. As a catcher, Grumbo will particularly miss 2019 graduate Hannah Bandimere, the team’s star pitcher and the 2018 WCC Co-Pitcher of the Year. “Without Hannah I’m looking for
[junior RHP] Linnay Wilson to step up a lot,” said Grumbo. “She’s kind of been behind the shadow of Hannah and she’s embraced it. She’s gotten a lot of saves and she’s been able to be a relief pitcher, but I know she wants more and I definitely push her to have more.” Grumbo fiercely believes in her teammates and coaching staff, and knows that the Lions are more than capable of winning the WCC this year. “It’s going to take everybody believing in the same message, knowing that no one expects us to win,” said Grumbo. “It doesn’t matter what logo is on the other team ... we are LMU softball and we are winning the best way we know how.” As today is National Women in Sports Day, we celebrate both today’s female athletes and the ones who paved the way for them to have the opportunity to play. Grumbo has been inspired by many other softball players, but particularly by U.S. women’s soccer legends Mia Hamm and Abby Wambach, some of the first professional female athletes to become widely known and play under a national spotlight. “[Being a successful female athlete] is everything … to be able to represent my team in a positive way, to be a leader on my team and the campus and to be able to know that we can do it just as [well] as the guys, it’s an awesome feeling,” said Grumbo. LMU plays their first home tournament in three weeks, starting on Friday, Feb. 21.
Culo shows versatility and love of the game The Croatian proves to be a Swiss Army Knife on the court and the sand. Alex Hutton
Asst. Sports Editor @LALoyolan
Imagine if a middle linebacker converted to slot receiver. If a shooting guard moved to center in between seasons. If an enforcer became his team’s fastest-skating, highest-scoring forward. In a sense, that’s what Bo Čulo did when injuries to her teammates led her to play libero in 2019, despite being an outside hitter throughout her volleyball career. But the Bjelovar, Croatia native didn’t just play the position — she did something she had long hoped to do. “I always wanted to be a libero,” she said. “I just never got to do it. So with [my] coach telling me I was going to be a libero, I got really excited.” The senior’s ability to switch roles is all the more remarkable considering she didn’t even play competitively until she was 14, and only became familiar with it because her father made her older sisters take her to their practices.
“In the beginning, I wasn’t playing. And then I actually got interested [in playing] more intensely,” she recalled. “Then I moved to boarding school and a different city, and that’s when I actually started competing and training.” At school in Zagreb, 42 miles west of Bjelovar, Čulo put in work to make up for the experience gap between her and the players around her. She trained for up to six hours at a time — which made it tough to manage her schedule — but improved and held her own as she competed at the national and international levels. After high school, Čulo wanted to continue playing volleyball. However, she wasn’t ready to turn pro and thought it would be too difficult to play volleyball and study simultaneously at a European university. This made going to college in the United States the logical move and, during her recruitment, Florida State University (FSU) won her over. “I just talked to them the most,” she said. “I liked the school. It’s a beautiful campus. It was a good team … so I figured it was the right move to make.”
Upon arriving in Tallahassee, Čulo adjusted to American volleyball. She noticed differences in the game action between Europe and the United States and saw how American practices focused on team chemistry and play. Although she was on two NCAA Tournament teams with the Seminoles, Čulo never felt like she fit in at FSU. She heard about LMU from a teammate who played under head coach Aaron Mansfield during his time at Santa Clara. She reached out and quickly knew LMU would be good for her. “I liked the atmosphere … the people seemed down to earth,” she said. “They seemed very genuine, very humble. So that’s what I appreciated.” In her time at LMU, Čulo has been a part of some all-time great moments for the volleyball program, including an upset win over BYU, an NCAA Tournament appearance and a conference title for the beach team. “Winning [the] WCC Championship, and for the first time ever — that’s so big for our school and for our program,” she said. “And beating BYU, sweeping that
Graphic: Alena Copeland | Loyolan
Bo Culo has concluded her indoor college career. She played multiple positions and contributed to major moments for the Lions.
one on our own home court is just unreal.” On a personal level, Čulo finished third on the indoor team with 251 kills in 2018 as a hitter. And, of course, she showed off her adaptability this past season by swapping to a different position and proved to be a steadying force during an up-and-down Lions season.
Now that her collegiate indoor career is complete, Čulo is reflecting on her time with the Lions, but her main takeaways aren't about the volleyball court. “What stood out to me is how much I learned from the people out here,” she said. “They made me a better person. I couldn’t thank them enough [for] it. I will never forget that.”