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Life+Arts Editor Chelsea Chenelle examines media portrayals of rape.

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LMU coaches take the spotlight. See who’s leading each team of Lions.

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Campus Students dance reFLEXIVEly combats sexual assault The LMUCares campaign aims to localize national dialogue about on-campus sexual assault. Zaneta Pereira Editor in Chief @zanyzaneta

Talia Baugnon | Loyolan

Nine student pieces were shown at this weekend’s “reFLEXIVE,” the final dance show of the year. One of the pieces, “Refugium,” featured sophomore dance and psychology double major Sarina Ramirez-Ortiz (above). For more on the show, turn to Page 10.

As April – National Sexual Assault Awareness Month – draws to a close, the national conversation about sexual assault on university campuses, specifically about university policies in place to deal with such cases, continues to dominate the headlines. Last Wednesday, students at Brown University circulated a petition asking the school “to revise its sexual assault policies with more stringent penalties,” according to an April 24 Brown Daily Herald article. Earlier in the month, the Harvard Crimson reported that undergraduate students had “filed a complaint against Harvard with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, alleging that the College’s sexual assault policies violate Title IX” in their April 3 article “Undergraduates Challenge College’s Sexual Assault Policy Under Title IX.” See Assault | Page 4

Adams to serve as 2014 valedictorian The international student and screenwriting major will speak during Commencement. Amanda Lopez Asst. News Editor @amandalo_

Philippa Adams, a senior screenwriting major, is making history as the first international student to be selected as LMU’s valedictorian. She’s had quite a journey since coming from China to England and finally to LMU – and she’s eager to share that journey with the graduating class on May 10. Kevin Halladay-Glynn When Adams found Philippa Adams out she’d been chosen to be the Class of 2014 valedictorian, she was shocked. “But after the shock wore off,” she said, “it was more just extreme gratitude that I had been picked.” “Since I am not American and have come from so far away, LMU was kind of one big unexpected journey for me that I did not imagine,” she continued. “So to be able to talk about what I have learned in front of all these people ... I just felt a lot of gratitude for the opportunity.” Adams was named valedictorian after undergoing a thorough selection process. All graduating seniors with a GPA of 3.7 or higher were invited to apply to be valedictorian through an email sent out earlier this semester. The pool of eligible

students was asked to write a four-minute speech and complete an online application. From this group, seven finalists were chosen. Each read his or her speech to a committee of faculty, students and university administrators, who ultimately chose Adams as valedictorian. The news was announced to the University on April 24 at the Academic Awards Convocation. While Adams was stunned that she had been chosen this year, those closest to her were proud, but not the least bit surprised she had been selected. “I was so happy for Philippa when I heard that she was the 2014 valedictorian. She’s worked so hard here at LMU and truly deserves this honor,” said Adams’ roommate, junior biology major Katherine Wikholm. One of Adams’ screenwriting professors, Jeff Phillips, expressed his excitement for her. “A valedictorian is someone who excels beyond mere grades. It’s an award that speaks to a well-rounded person, someone whose success reflects upon not only herself, but the University at large,” he said. “That’s an apt description of Philippa. She strives to improve herself, get the most out of life and in the process makes the world a better place. I’m a better person for knowing her.” Chan Lu, Adams’ Chinese language professor agreed on why she makes for a standout valedictorian. “Her academic grades are good enough for this,” she explained. “I think she represents what an ideal student should be: She is always sincerely interested in learning. When she identifies issues that matter to her, she goes out to explore it and find answers to her questions. She is focused. She See Valedictorian | Page 2

Women’s water polo wins first GCC tourney

Emma Spiekerman | Loyolan

The women’s water polo team won the inaugural Golden Coast Conference (GCC) tournament Saturday after three days of competition. This win could allow the Lions to earn a bid for the NCAA Tournament. For more on the win, turn to Page 13.

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LMU names its first international valedictorian

Kevin Halladay-Glynn | Loyolan

Philippa Adams, who is a screenwriting major and international student in the University Honors program, was chosen out of 60 applicants to be this year’s valedictorian. Valedictorian from Page 1

does not go out and do a thousand different things just to make her résumé look good. She knows what she wants and she pursues just those things.” Adams grew up in China, but attended an art school in England for her first year of college. Although she thought the school in England was fantastic and loved her professors, she did not feel it was a place she could truly call home.

She was interested in studying film production at the time, so she decided to look into schools in the Los Angeles area. Though hesitant at first, Adams finally decided on LMU because of how friendly everyone she spoke with was. After taking a beginning screenwriting course, she realized screenwriting was her true calling. During her time at LMU, Adams has been involved in multiple areas of student life. She is a graduating member of Gryphon Circle service organization, an Honors

student, a member of a Christian Life Community group and an oncampus employee as a studentcoordinator at International Outreach. Of all the things she has learned at LMU, Adams said the most important insight she gained was that “things do not always go according to plan, but that is not the worst thing that can happen to you.” “Sometimes what your head wants, what you dream for yourself, and what your heart wants

in the face of that can be different,” she said. “You have to decide which one you want to listen to.” As for her future, Adams is currently job hunting and plans to stay in Los Angeles. Currently, there are several careers that she sees herself pursuing. She would either like to write for a television drama, write as a screenwriter for Chinese and U.S. co-productions or work as an animation writer. Wherever she ends up, Adams has two fans who are excited to watch as she transitions into a new chap-

ter in her life: her parents. “She has matured and grown in confidence considerably, and developed into a caring, well-rounded young woman who is always up for a new challenge,” her father Mick Adams said. “In her time at LMU, she has developed a very strong bond with and affection for the University and its ethos. The speech that she plans will undoubtedly be from her heart, and truly reflect the gratitude that she feels for having had the opportunity to spend time at LMU.”

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BURNING QUESTIONS

This issue, News This issue, Managing Intern Kelsey Mangan Editor Dan Raffety sits down with withHead junior sits down communication studies Coach Max Good, major Hill headKristina coach of the to talk about her dog LMU’s men’s basketball show career. team to talk about the

Julia Sacco @_juliasacco_

How long have you been participating in dog shows? I’ve been showing since I was 9 years old. So, about 13 years.

How did you first get involved in submitting your dog into dog shows?

I used to ride horses, and then I was in a horseback riding accident. That was when I was 9 and my mom got me a puppy because I fractured both my legs. Basically, I got a puppy that was show quality and then its breeders wanted us to show her, and I started traveling with the handler that we hired to show her. Then, when I was all better and healed, I wanted to finish showing her. My first dog show weekend, I won with her and she was the champion.

What is it like to participate in the competitions?

Robbin Crabtree will continue to uphold Jesuit values at LMU. Asst. News Editor

upcoming season.

New BCLA dean hopes to further develop Core

Because I’m considered almost on the professional level, when I would travel and show dogs, I would travel with anywhere from eight to 10 client dogs – which are the dogs I was hired to show for other people. My day would start around 5 a.m. getting all the dogs out of their pins and exercising them. I would bathe and groom them and showing would start at 8 a.m., so it would run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. I would be showing different dogs and going to different breeds.

Did you have to do a lot of preparation before each show?

Yeah, in daily maintenance of the dogs. I had a kennel at my house and we had a staff of people that would help us. But for me, personally, my parents weren’t involved in it so it was all on me. So I would come home from school and meet with my tutors to make sure I was on track with all my schoolwork for two hours, then I would spend my time grooming the dogs and practicing.

Has there been anything strange for you about participating?

Definitely. Dog people are weird. But I feel like I turned out relatively normal for being in that environment. You have your different types of people and it’s funny that, depending on what the breed is, it’s so true that people match their dogs. If you go to a dog show, you notice that poodle people look like poodles and the sporting dogs people are way more athletic. It’s really interesting.

What’s your favorite part about showing dogs?

I’ve been able to represent the United States four times in world dog shows. I’ve been able to be places that I’d never go visit. And I’ve gotten to meet really cool people, so it’s been a really cool life adventure that I’ve been on. When I tell people I show dogs, they don’t really get it, but it’s been like my whole life. Then I came to college and I realized that there’s more to life than just showing dogs.

Want to read more MORE questions with Kristina? them out at QUESTIONS Check laloyolan.com.

Robbin Crabtree, the newly selected dean of the Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts (BCLA), is making the leap from one Jesuit university to another. The former dean of Fairfield University in Connecticut will continue her career in higher education when she joins LMU via LMU Newsroom this fall. Robbin Crabtree Crabtree will begin her tenure on Aug. 1, and is looking forward to seeing what the school and students have to offer. “I am very excited about the variety of academic programs in BCLA,” Crabtree said. “The faculty has high standards for excellence and is clearly invested in the University.” At Fairfield, Crabtree served as the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, with an emphasis in interdisciplinary and community work. She said she’s not only prepared to carry out the values and mission of Jesuit education, but also to share her passion for liberal arts. She’s known for her work in gender studies, intercultural communications and international environmental education, which allows her to work collaboratively and successfully in a diverse setting. “My emphasis has been on faculty development and mentoring for success, program improvement through assessment and periodic review, enhancing student advising and engagement and prudent resource management in what have been challenging economic years,” Crabtree said. LMU’s Executive Vice President

and Provost Joseph Hellige said he believes that Crabtree will be an excellent addition to the LMU community and BCLA as she has the experience necessary for the position in Jesuit higher education. “By all accounts, she has done an outstanding job as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Fairfield University for the last six years, working collaboratively with faculty, staff and students to create innovative new programs and initiatives,” Hellige said. Hellige acknowledged Crabtree’s many accomplishments, but also added that those were just a few of the many qualifications that made her stand out among the other candidates for the position. “The fact that she has served so successfully as liberal arts dean at a similar university, her success in recruiting, mentoring and retaining students, faculty and staff from diverse backgrounds and her proven ability to work collaboratively with faculty colleagues, consulting appropriately yet willing and able to be decisive when she needs to be,” Hellige said when asked to name a few of her attributes. Crabtree’s experience and leadership within higher education makes her a natural addition to the LMU and BCLA faculty. In her previous tenure at Fairfield, she developed an understanding of the potential issues facing higher education and maintaining the relevance of liberal arts studies. “She talked a little bit about how the demographics of students are changing and affordability issues for institutions like us that are committed to small class sizes and personal attention to students,” Hellige said. “[She] did a number of things that actually start preparing liberal arts students, from the time they arrive at a university, to start thinking about what’s going to come next.” Although Crabtree has spent much of her career building a professional and personal identity within the context of the Jesuit

education values and ideals, she has received criticism for her previous work. The Cardinal Newman Society indicated their concern that she “worked on the Advisory Board and Media Relations Committee of Planned Parenthood of Putnam County, Indiana from 1991 to 1993” in an article published on their website. However, LMU’s Vice President for Mission and Ministry, Father Robert Caro, S.J., called the details “misleading.” According to the Cardinal Newman Society, an email from Caro was sent out to alumni, parents and concerned friends that said, “She was not an employee of the [Planned Parenthood] clinic but served only as an outside communications consultant.” Caro continued to defend Crabtree’s work with a pro-choice political action community as a “brief association with two small community organizations from as far back as 20-plus years ago.” Despite past criticisms, University administrators are confident in Crabtree’s plans to further the new Core curriculum in collaboration with the other deans, while also developing new innovative courses within BCLA. “The BCLA strategic plan is very aspirational, and articulates many, many goals. I look forward to working with the faculty to develop frameworks for prioritizing, animating and implementing those goals,” Crabtree said. “I also want to hear from students and get them involved in appropriate ways.” Above all else, Crabtree considers one of the most important parts of her new role to be her fresh and discerning viewpoint. “It’s always helpful when someone comes in with experience at other universities, as this brings a fresh eye to goals and challenges along with examples of how things have been achieved elsewhere,” Crabtree said. “I hope I can be a positive force in helping BCLA reach its goals.”

news

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Sexual assault procedures in place at LMU Assault from Page 1

On the West Coast, University of Southern California and Occidental College have both been dealing with the legal repercussions of underreporting sexual assaults on their campuses since the fall of 2013. According to the National Sexual Assault Awareness Month’s website, the goal of the month is “to raise public awareness about sexual violence and to educate communities and individuals on how to prevent sexual violence.” At LMU, various campus groups have come together to launch and support the LMUCares campaign with a similar goal in mind. LMUCares is intended to serve as “a one-stop portal, if you will, that students can go to if they need any information about the University’s support, resources, policies or protocols in any issue of sexual or interpersonal misconduct,” said Briana Maturi, special assistant in the office of the senior vice president for Student Affairs and coordinator of the Healthy Relationships Initiative. The campaign provided resources and information online at lmu.edu/cares, in addition to sponsoring “The Clothesline Project” on Alumni Mall and hosting a “Stilettos and Self Defense” workshop. Because of the conversation surrounding inadequate sexual assault policies at other universities, officials from the three major departments that deal with reported cases of sexual assault on campus – the Department of Public Safety (DPS), Judicial Affairs and Student Life – discussed the policies and protocols in place at LMU. When a student reports an incident of sexual assault to DPS, before information is collected “the first thing we do is make sure their support system is in place,” Assistant Chief of DPS Patricia Coffelt said. The support system is typically a Residence Life representative who is there to support the student through the DPS process. “Residence Life will be there to really be that support to the student, to make sure that they are getting connected with whatever resources they need for the next step,” Maturi said. This process entails taking a statement, gathering facts and, often, the publishing of a report that a sexual assault occurred. DPS

Chief Hampton Cantrell explained that this is not out of disrespect for a student’s privacy, but because “we have a responsibility to notify the campus community if we believe that a sexual assault occurred and that there is a possible safety concern. That is a [Jeanne] Cleary [Act] requirement of us, but we would do it anyway.” Because sexual assault is a felony crime, the Los Angeles Police Department is also notified, as per legal requirements. Both Cantrell and Coffelt agreed that chronic underreporting of sexual assaults on university campuses is a key issue. Cantrell explained that “a lot of the education and awareness pieces are about encouraging victims to come forward and report these incidents, and the feeling is that if the process is frightening, if it’s too difficult, if it appears to be unfair, that victims are not going to come forward. They won’t report, they won’t feel comfortable and so a lot of the work being done is to clarify the process, to make it easier to report.”

“I think that LMU is a community,” Piumetti said. “I think that we’re a community of accountability.” As a result, a key goal of DPS and LMUCares is to increase students’ familiarity with the processes in place at LMU. Intake and investigation are the responsibilities of DPS, after which Judicial Affairs deals with the incident. Chief Judicial Officer Francesca Piumetti said she understands the judicial process can be “confusing.” As a result, she stressed that in cases of interpersonal and sexual misconduct – dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, sexual harassment and sexual assault – all parties involved are assigned both a Student Affairs Resource Administrator (SARA) and a judicial advisor. The role of a SARA is to serve as “a neutral person to pull the student in and say, ‘Here are all of your resources. First and foremost, you don’t need to tell me anything, but I’m here to provide services to you,’” Piumetti explained, noting that the student is not required to talk or even meet with the SARA and, in such cases, the SARA simply sends the students all pertinent resources.

The judicial advisor, on the other hand, focuses on guiding students through the judicial process. Ultimately, Piumetti stressed the aim of providing such services is because “what’s really important in these situations is that the student understands that there are resources both on campus and off campus that they can look into whenever they’re ready to look into them.” In terms of the judicial process at LMU, cases of sexual assault are handled by two judicial officers – one male and one female – and cases will vary significantly from case to case based on who will be asked to talk to Judicial Affairs, apart from both the complainant and respondent. In all cases, however, Piumetti noted that “the complainant will never have to confront the respondent in the process.” This investigation will be separate from any LAPD efforts, and will always aim to be as sensitive as the student wishes. However, in cases where a student reports an incident but doesn’t name a perpetrator, Judicial Affairs believes “it is important that the student remain in control and that they can tell us whatever they are ready to tell us, absolutely. But we have a responsibility to make sure that we’re looking into things,” Piumetti said. Judicial Affairs will reach a decision on the incident. This decision may be appealed by either party and, if there is an appeal, it will be heard by the Student Conduct Committee, which is made up of faculty, staff and students. “I think that LMU is a community; I think that we’re a community of accountability and I think that it’s absolutely critical that students understand that it’s a violation of the student conduct code. And, if in fact students are found responsible, they’re held accountable and that there’s a process in place and there are resources in place and LMU’s a place where you can go and report this and feel as though it’s a community that responds to this issue,” said Piumetti. This sentiment was echoed by Coffelt, who wanted students to know that DPS is “just as much interested in their well-being as anyone on campus. That we really are here to take care for them and it’s always, for us, about safety – that’s our focus.” According to Maturi, the aim of the LMUCares website, which

Information via LMU Sexual Assault Resources and Reporting; Graphic: Mo Haley | Loyolan

they hope to develop into an app shortly, is to make a difficult period a little easier in order “to not feel like students have to memorize [resources], but to know that LMUCares is a resource that is out there for them, they can go straight to that website, they can read that information.” “We want students to be aware, we want students to come forward and we want students to understand what’s available to them. We want students to report [and] to understand what that means,” Piumetti said, summing up the overall goals of LMUCares in regard to Sexual Assault Awareness Month. But at LMU, this campaign is not just about the month of April. “For us, we are constantly thinking about sexual assault and awareness, prevention, education and training.

We want [prevention] to be going on in every corner of the campus. We want student leaders to be aware. We want students that want to be a part of organizations to be aware,” said Piumetti. Sexual assault cases are difficult, and everyone involved in dealing with them at LMU recognizes that fact. Despite this, the University’s aim is to provide help and resources and assist wherever possible. “If you’ve experienced something like a sex offense, we all understand that we can’t put you back together right away, but we can take the facts and perhaps assist in pointing you to the places where you can get the resources that will perhaps assist you in a recovery,” Coffelt said. – Additional reporting by Ali Swenson, News editor.

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Clinton pregnancy announcement exposes unhealthy stereotypes LION

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hen Chelsea Clinton and her husband All this fuss is over news that directly affects Marc Mezvinsky announced recently Hillary’s daughter, not Hillary herself. As that they are expecting a baby, it Callie Beusman said in an article published by should have been a joyous occasion for the Jezebel, “Asking whether a woman’s devotion family with very few implications for the to her career compromises her role as a mother public, if any. Instead, critics have found an is insulting. Asking whether it compromises opportunity to apply outdated stereotypes to her role as a grandmother is daft.” Hillary Rodham Clinton’s political career. In our modern world, it is troubling that Specifically, critics allege that if Hillary these concerns are arising at all. Mitt Romney, chooses to run for president in 2016, being the GOP candidate in the 2012 presidential a grandmother will be a distraction during election, is a grandfather to 23 children. her campaign, making her a Two of them were even born less viable candidate. Public during his campaign. Despite Regardless of your discourse has transformed this views on Hillary or her this fact, Romney’s role as happy moment into another a grandfather was never chance to criticize Hillary politics, these attacks questioned or regarded by the are representative for something completely media as something that could unrelated to her leadership of poor politics, poor disqualify him or compromise experience and abilities. his campaign. journalism and poor Throughout Hillary’s career Hopefully, the stereotypes judgment in general. faced by women in leadership as a politician, she has been scrutinized for numerous roles are not as common at things that do not directly relate to her ability LMU as they are off the Bluff. The student to be an effective leader. Regardless of one’s body recently elected its second all-female views on Hillary or her politics, these attacks ASLMU president-vice president ticket. are representative of poor politics, poor Although this may reflect demographics on journalism and poor judgment in general. campus – female students outnumber male As reported in the April 22 Guardian article students by a wide margin – women being “Chelsea Clinton’s pregnancy gives birth elected bodes well for the future. to new conspiracies,” Charlie Rose, David As Hillary herself said at the No Ceilings Gregory and the Christian Science Monitor event where Chelsea announced her have all questioned how being a grandmother pregnancy, “Even in the course of my life, I’ve will impact Hillary’s presidential nomination seen a lot of progress, but I want to see us keep chances. While reporting Chelsea’s moving, and certainly for future generations announcement, USA Today also wrote, “It’s as well, so that maybe our grandchild will not unclear how Chelsea’s pregnancy will affect have to be worried about some of the things Hillary Clinton, who is considering a race for that young women and young men worry president in 2016.” about today.”

Unpaid internships are worth it Kellyn It Kellyn Kawaguchi Copy Editor

@LALoyolan

o one’s holding up signs that say “will work for free,” but maybe it’s because we’re already doing just that. Internships are a great foundation for the professional world and many college students invest hours outside of school to work for companies without pay. But what if the opportunity to have an internship was retracted? In an article published by the Los Angeles Times on April 6, 2014, “Lawsuit challenges a Hollywood pillar: Unpaid internships,” a suit filed by interns from the 2010 film “Black Swan” demands pay, damages and a ban against the use of future unpaid interns at Fox Entertainment Group. This class action, if successful, has the potential to drastically alter the film industry and its reliance on the labor provided by unpaid internships. As a current intern, this article caught my attention. My internship is unpaid, but in exchange, I receive class credit through the Writing Intern in Media course with Evelyn McDonnell, professor of English here at LMU. Although I’m interning in the field of journalism, not film, I can understand the frustration that one of the lead plaintiffs from the article, Eric Glatt, feels. Who wouldn’t want to be paid for any type of work? But while I understand Glatt’s frustration, I don’t share it. And it’s probably because, despite both of us not getting paid at our internships, we had distinctly different experiences. I intern for L.A. Weekly as one of several interns. The internships are split up by section: music, arts, food, news and calendar. I’m currently positioned as the calendar intern,

and my job has had me consistently writing pieces for print and online publication every week. I also work directly with my editor, who has genuinely mentored me throughout my internship. Based on group meetings in McDonnell’s course, some students have shared fantastic stories from their internships, while others are not as satisfied with their work experiences.

Those who are happy tend to be utilizing their skills, not running menial errands for bosses. The Los Angeles Times article went on to explain that “in Hollywood, interns fetch cappuccinos, read scripts, answer phones and even top off talent agents’ gas tanks. The sometimes demeaning tasks are a part of a business culture that puts a premium on newcomers paying their dues.” Glatt, who left his $95,000 a year desk job to fetch items such as a hypoallergenic pillow and “the perfect scented candle” for famous director Darren Aronofsky, doesn’t believe Georgia Henderson | Loyolan

doing work without pay is worth the association that his internship affords him. In Glatt’s case, maybe it isn’t. But there are some things money can’t buy. An internship is designed to provide you with work experience in a professional environment so that you can further develop your skills in that field. It also gives you the opportunity to see if you actually like the work you’re doing. And what better way to discover that than to try the work without any reward but raw experience? When I first began studying journalism, I wanted to add a certificate onto my diploma. I developed a greater interest in it after working for the Loyolan, and despite working without pay at L.A. Weekly, I am surprisingly passionate about my time there. I never expected an internship to be one of my college highlights, but it has become exactly that. My experience at L.A. Weekly has been nothing but positive, which has made me realize more than just a possible career. Having an internship that equips you with a real understanding of what a future career could be like is invaluable — it’s proof that there are organizations that want you to be your absolute best simply because it benefits everyone involved. These are the companies and people we, as young adults, should strive to work with because when you surround yourself with likeminded, passionate individuals, you’re bettering yourself not just as a professional, but also as a whole person. Some would say money makes the world go round, but I believe it’s genuine passion that makes heads turn. Whether you’re receiving a paycheck or not, make sure they’re looking at you for the best reasons. This is the opinion of Kellyn Kawaguchi a senior English major from Irvine, Calif. Tweet comments to @LoyolanOpinion, or email kkawaguchi@theloyolan.com.

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Escalation problems continue escalating Sydney Stuart Contributor

@LoyolanOpinion

asic laws of physics state that an object in motion stays in motion. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the escalators in University Hall. These past few weeks, tension has heightened among students as they struggled to navigate the escalator obstacle course running between U-Hall’s four floors. Almost everyday students are greeted by signs informing them that one or more of the various escalators is ‘out of order’ and under repair. The first instance of the simultaneous breaking down of multiple escalators appeared to be an unfortunate yet atypical accident. Escalators don’t normally break all at the same time. Most likely, each escalator failure is an isolated incident, so if one breaks, it’s not indicative that another one is soon to follow. Considering the heavy foot traffic U-Hall endures on the average school day, I don’t find it surprising that an escalator breaks every now and then. Yet, multiple escalators have broken down during the same period of time. This is not a one time thing; this has become a daily occurrence. And I have to admit, having several escalators between multiple floors breakdown and undergo repair every day of the week is a tad inconvenient.

I’m not the only one who is upset over the stationary escalators. It seems that everyone is buzzing about them. Though not physically moving, the broken escalators have risen to somewhat of a celeb status in the creation of their own twitter page, @UHallEscalators. A majority of its tweets are directed towards answering the question “Are the Uhall escalators on?” The answers always remain the same: “Nope,” “Still broken,” and my personal favorite, “Lol, no way.” I’ve also overheard several students, all during separate conversations, essentially make the same frustrated comment, “I pay thousands of dollars to go here, $700 for parking, and they can’t even afford escalators that work?” I get it. When escalators break, they’re reduced to nothing more than really awkward staircases. They’re stationary, meaning they don’t move. Which then means I have to. That’s so unfair. Does LMU understand how difficult it is to physically walk up and down stairs? I came here to learn, not to exercise. Never mind that there are alternative escalators, elevators and staircases in U-Hall that I could easily take to get to class on time. My only real options for going up or down are the escalators near the fourth floor entrance. And due to the (now daily) human traffic jam, I’m consistently late to all my classes. Granted, if everyone headed off to class three hours early, this whole issue could be avoided. Can’t be late if you’re three hours early, right? It probably takes two minutes max to

Sydney Stuart | Loyolan

walk up or down an escalator in the heaviest of foot traffic; three hours is ample time. I wonder why more people don’t do that? Does LMU understand how precious my time is? Those two minutes I lose navigating the escalators could go towards doing something productive, like watching squirrels run around or complaining about Sodexo. In all honesty, what I think is worse than a few broken escalators is the attitude students have

adopted as a result. LMU is a small university, but size doesn’t guarantee efficiency 100 percent of the time. Eventually, things are going to break, food might not taste as great and people won’t be happy. What goes up must come down; it’s unfortunate, but that’s the reality of life. Yes, you pay a lot of money to go here. No, the escalators probably shouldn’t break as much as they do. But just because things aren’t always perfect and running smoothly doesn’t mean that LMU doesn’t

care or isn’t a nice place to live. Additionally, every time there’s a broken escalator, LMU sends mechanics to fix it. LMU acknowledges the problem and tries to resolve it. Clearly, LMU cares. Perhaps it’s time students averted their attention to more moving matters than a set of broken escalators. This is the opinion of Sydney Stuart, a freshman film production major from Bellevue, Wash. Tweet comments to @LoyolanOpinion, or email dfeldman@theloyolan.com.

opinion

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LMU panel questions NSA wiretapping Savor the Awkward George Gerro Staff Writer

@LoyolanOpinion

t doesn’t bother me that the United States National Security Agency (NSA) probably has a record of all my phone calls, text messages and emails in their database. I’m willing to sacrifice some privacy for safety. In fact, if I could sacrifice all of my privacy to prevent one terrorist attack, I would do it. Unfortunately, the NSA hasn’t produced solid evidence that their “dragnet” programs, the activities exposed by Edward Snowden, have been the primary cause of detection of pending terrorist attacks. LMU hosted a panel discussion on the NSA last Thursday in Ahmanson Auditorium. Gabe Rottman from the American Civil Liberties Union conceded that the NSA has probably been “acting in good faith.” However, he also warned that the metadata collected by the NSA can be very easily misused by a later presidential administration. What is metadata you ask? It’s data about data – who I called, when and where I called from and how long we talked. So if I called Alcoholics Anonymous, for example, the government would have records indicating that. In fact, they have all of your phone records for the past five years. Dr. John Eastman, a supporter of the NSA, conceded that the NSA has violated the law 2,776 times, an

Josh Kuroda | Loyolan

At an LMU panel on April 24 in Ahmanson Auditorium, Gabe Rottman from the ACLU (left to right), journalist Julia Angwin and Chapman Univeristy professor Dr. John Eastman debated questionable NSA activity. “unbelievably low” number. Keep in mind this number excludes the collection of data on American citizens. Not only is data collection on you and me not technically “spying,” but the NSA can just have their British counterpart, the Government Communications Head Quarters, collect data on us with less restrictions. Few know the full extent to which the NSA is watching us. All I know is that Edward Snowden threw away his well-paying job in Hawaii for a life running from the most powerful modern day government to expose what he felt were unconscionable activities of our government.

I recommend reading his interviews. He strikes me as a reasonable man who believes he made the right decision. Surprisingly enough, he won’t answer some questions, saying that the American journalists he’s working with should “decide whether or not the public value of this information outweighs the sort of reputational cost to the officials that ordered the surveillance” of politicians in Germany. That brings me to my next point. If the NSA was wiretapping the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, for about 10 years, what does that have to do with terrorism? I think it has to do with power.

The United States is at the top of the food chain, and while I like being here, at what cost are we trying to maintain that control? Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) enables the NSA to perform warrantless collections of data through a program called PRISM. Powerpoint slides were leaked, showing that Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Youtube, Skype, AOL and Apple are all sources of data for PRISM’s data collection. In the past, when the government had reasonable cause to believe that someone was engaged in illegal activities, they went to court to obtain

a tailored warrant. This system, in the spirit of our system of checks and balances, is too slow for the NSA. They need immediate access to information to effectively thwart terrorist threats. I’m cool with that, but I’m not cool with the deception. According to a Bloomberg article, it’s likely that the NSA knew about the Heartbleed bug for two years, and instead of fixing it, they added it as “a basic part of the agency’s toolkit for stealing account passwords and other common tasks.” But they deny knowing about it. Reuters also found that “227 arrests” were made through investigations that began with NSA tip offs to local police. That’s OK as well. What’s not OK is the fact that they instructed law enforcement agencies to build their own cases without mention of how these investigations were first started – wiretaps. Fifty-four terrorist attacks were supposedly thwarted because of NSA dragnet programs; however, Julia Angwin from the Wall Street Journal says that number should be just one – a case where money was being wired to a terrorist organization. I acknowledge that protecting us is the government’s primary purpose, but the NSA has ways of ethically defending the nation. I see a contradiction between the behavior of the NSA, and the top three core values on their website: lawfulness, honesty and integrity. This is the opinion of George Gerro a sophomore economics major from Burbank, Calif. Tweet comments to @LoyolanOpinion, or email dfeldman@theloyolan.com.

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Kingdom Animania

By Lauren Kisich, contributing cartoonist

PIXELLANEOUS

Signs of Improvement By Georgia Henderson, cartoon editor

By Hannah Kim, staff cartoonist

life+arts

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Talia Baugnon | Loyolan

Student dance show ‘reFLEXIVE’ showcases student stories via choreography

This weekend, LMU’s dance majors performed in the final show of the year, “reFLEXIVE,” an evening of student-choreographed concert dance. “Every piece in the concert has been worked on over the course of a year or the semester and is presented to a panel for adjudication,” explained Samantha Whidby, LMU alumni and production manager of “reFLEXIVE.” There were a total of nine student pieces, concluding with a final piece choreographed by

the chair of LMU’s dance department. With a wide variety of styles featured throughout the night, students offered a load of improvisation and creative freedom. Most of the pieces were choreographed from personal events, as junior dance major Chloe Lafleur explained,“We are putting true, heartfelt stories together that have a deep representation of ourselves on stage.” - Cameron Tagge, asst. Life+Arts editor

‘Inner Scapes/Inner Spaces’ exhibition opens The annual senior thesis show features beautiful artwork inspired by pain and hardship. Ivetta Babadjanian Life+Arts Asst. @LoyolanArts

he annual senior thesis art exhibition opened April 23 with a reception held for the artists who contributed to this year’s show, “Inner Scapes/ Inner Spaces” at LMU’s Thomas P. Kelly Student Art Gallery. The event offered wine and cheese as artists posed for photos by their artwork. The gallery features works across various mediums, including photography, mixedmedia, painting and installation art. The exhibition, according to the Facebook page, is described as “the juxtaposition of the interiors of the physical and mental worlds.” The exhibition will remain on display until May 10, and is open Monday through Friday from 12-5 p.m. and on weekends from 12-4 p.m. There are various different kinds of artwork featured in the gallery, yet many have a unifying theme of overcoming pain or obstacles in life. “My pieces are from more of an emotional perspective. Whenever I start to draw I think of how I feel internally and I tend to reflect that externally,” said senior studio arts and art history double major Holly Shaw. One of her woodcut works on display, “A Sound Mind,” instills a sense of chaos and was inspired by her brother who deals with mental illness. It is easy for Shaw to translate her ideas onto paper, but the difficulty lies in making sure the dimensions translate to wood in addition to having to create it backwards. “Everyone hates wood because it is so hard to carve, but that’s what I love about it,” said Shaw. Senior graphic design major Quinci Camille Thomas used photography to provide perspective on the misconceptions tied to addiction. “I watch the show ‘Intervention’

a lot, and oftentimes, they come from the point of view of ‘You’re sick so we’re going to fix you.’ The people they interview are so messed up they can’t defend themselves, and I wanted to show that they might see things differently,” said Thomas. She took various high quality shots of objects that are linked to different kinds of addiction and distorted the coloring with the use of Photoshop. She also used captions which were placed next to each photo handwritten by someone who deals with the addiction represented. It took Thomas time to earn the trust of those who contributed their thoughts on their own addictions to use as part of her project. However, it paid off as the overall product provided insight into how we judge those who live with dependence. The most intriguing of all was the fact that something as dark and life-altering as addiction could be depicted with beauty in art. Senior photography major Sammi Trauben used those categorized as homeless in Venice Beach as her subjects. She was able to tell the story of a people who are often overlooked through strategically taken photographs with quotes or brief descriptions of their lives. “It is a little intimidating to walk up to a group of people you don’t know, and sometimes they didn’t want anything to do with me,” said Trauben. “But most of the time people were receptive and willing to talk to me since they are ignored daily and sometimes even have things thrown at them.” It was amazing to gain insight on the people you may walk by on the street without realizing they too have a story that lies in pain. Take your mind off of finals and celebrate the hard work of fellow LMU students. The beauty in the artwork presented at the gallery goes beyond face value, as each artist was able to personify a message that went beyond their projects. This is the opinion of Chelsea Chenelle, a junior art history major from San Diego, Calif. Tweet comments to @ LoyolanArts, or email cchenelle@theloyolan.com.

Emilia Shelton | Loyolan

The annual senior studio arts exhibition opened Wednesday, April 23. Titled “Inner Scapes/ Inner Spaces,” the show features art dealing with issues of life obstacles and emotional pain.

life+arts

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What we say when we OK rape scenes acted, talked, walked, thought. Walking to my house from my car was no longer a no-brainer – I would panic at every sound, Chelsea Chenelle every shadow. Life+Arts Editor When I watch a movie or @LoyolanArts TV show, hoping to feel that rigger warning: sexual abuse, escape or catharsis, and am then rape, violence against children, confronted with images of sexual violence, I am deeply, deeply anti-LGBTQ. The idea of “trigger warnings” disturbed. Last week’s “Game of Thrones” has made a splash on the Internet – some people see them episode presented one of these as trivial, others see them as moments. A moment that made saving one the pain of reliving me stop and wonder – when we traumatic histories. They help us depict acts of sexual violence, to sift through content, choosing are the cinematic gains, if any, what and what not to read, more important than the safety listen to or watch. They provide and comfort of the viewer? Or victims with a choice: continue are we simply sanctioning these reading and potentially reopen heinous actions by allowing the old wounds, or close your Safari characters we create perform window and turn your attention them, graphically, on screen. Relying on rape scenes to be to something else. But real life doesn’t come with trigger emotionally compelling rather than using dialogue alluding to it warnings. Whenever I watch a film or reiterates the hypermasculinity turn on my TV, I am looking to pervasive in film. Art is more be entertained. I revel in the important than a woman’s escape it provides. I secretly humanity and agency. We want root for America’s anti-hero to see the suffering, not hear the Don Draper. I hope Joaquin victim. That isn’t to say rape shouldn’t Phoenix’s relationship with an artificial intelligence ends well. be addressed in media. In fact, But I also am there for the ride. one thing that helped me to start I’m happy to cry alongside Ewan the recovery process following McGreggor when Nicole Kidman my experience was reading dies. I sit, emotionally drained, about the experiences of others. having lived the experiences of And yet, something about seeing teenagers in “Perks of Being a the fear in an actor’s eyes as he Wallflower.” I am not afraid to be or she realizes the inevitability of their fate in a rape scene has emotionally tested by media. What I am afraid of is rape never stopped sending shivers of hate and fear and vulnerability scenes. Sexual violence is very real throughout my whole body. While “Game of Thrones” for me. My own rape drove me out of my first college and the might be the most recent city I thought I was supposed to example, it is certainly not live in forever. It challenged my the only one. Two Academy notion of self, identity, purpose Award nominated films, “12 and meaning. It changed how I Years a Slave” and “The Wolf

Chenelle Nº5

Flickr Creative Commons

The recent rape scene in HBO’s wildly popular “Game of Thrones” generated controversy, leading to a public discussion about the use of sexual violence in film. However, it is not the first time the violent crime has been shown. Of Wall Street,” feature scenes showing men ruthlessly forcing themselves on women. Despite the almost dichotomous contexts of these scenes – slavery versus hyper-wealth – they tell a similar story: We care more about pushing film to its limits than how we are portraying gender and violence in film. Of course, I do not speak for all survivors. For some, these visual confrontations may be

healing in the way the written word has been for me. Others might remain unaffected, able to separate reality and the drama of the silverscreen. Perhaps I’m just overly-sensitive. But from where I stand, no good can come from these dramatized versions of the worst moment of my life. Life doesn’t come with trigger warnings, and I’m not suggesting it should. I like not knowing what to expect when I watch a movie. I

love the excitement, the drama and sitting uncomfortably on the edge of my seat. But I think the inclusion of sexual violence speaks to how we treat women – expendable canvases in a maledominated industry. This is the opinion of Chelsea Chenelle, a junior art history major from San Diego, Calif. Tweet comments to @LoyolanArts, or email cchenelle@theloyolan.com.

life+arts Lavigne’s ‘Hello Kitty’ creates ignorance

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Kellyn It Kellyn Kawaguchi Copy Editor

@LALoyolan

here’s something about the contrast of a black leather corset paired with candy colored frills against a background of expressionless Asian women that just completely arrests your attention. Throw in some punchy dubstep along with Japanese phrases, and suddenly the word “racist” is being flung about. That’s right, we’ve got another racially controversial music video. If you don’t know what I’m referring to, pop-rock singer Avril Lavigne released the music video for her song “Hello Kitty” last Tuesday, April 22. The track has been labeled by Billboard as “the weakest song on Avril Lavigne’s fifth studio album, a grating earworm,” and was met with critical backlash from the general public. I watched the music video for “Hello Kitty” in shock as Lavigne danced around in a giant tutu bedazzled with cupcakes, ate sushi and waved to adoring fans whilst being followed by a small flock of seemingly identical Asian backup dancers. Because all of that is just so ‘kawaii,’ a term used to describe something cute in Japanese. But you know what’s not cute? The cultural appropriation of a culture because of an individual’s ignorance. While many news organizations

via YouTube

Punk-pop princess Avril Lavigne is back and causing her usual ruckus. Her new music video for her song, “Hello Kitty,” piggy backs on the cultural appropriation of Japanese ‘kawaii’ culture. Many have deemed the video racist, bringing the politics of culture and power back into the public discourse. such as CNN and ABC News have called into question whether or not the video is racist, Lavigne, 29, took to her Twitter account to defend herself: “RACIST??? LOLOLOL!!! I love Japanese culture and I spend half of my time in Japan. I flew to Tokyo to shoot this video…”

In the article “Avril Lavigne Says Her ‘Hello Kitty’ Video Is Not Racist” by ABC News, her rep explained, “the video is an homage to all the things she loves about Japan.” Those specific things being “food, fashion, fun!” I agree with Lavigne and her “camp.” The singer isn’t racist. This is a woman who claims to love Japanese culture and wants to celebrate it publicly. However, when you fail to understand the true culture you claim to adore, you’re perpetuating not just your own ignorance, but also the stereotypes that falsely portray that culture. Simply put, ignorance is what makes her video racist. And Lavigne isn’t the only one who’s made things complicated; she’s just the most recent example of a long list of Hollywood stars who believe that cultural appropriation, or the implementation of certain aspects of a culture by a different cultural group, is embracing a culture, not hurting it.

Hollaback to 2004 when Gwen Stefani hired Maya Chino, Jennifer Kita, Rino Nakasone Razalan and Mayuko Kitayama as the Harajuku Girls. These backup dancers were nicknamed after her album “Love. Angel. Music. Baby.” In 2005, Asian-American entertainer and author Margaret Cho likened the act to a minstrel show in a blog post titled “Harajuku Girls” where she recognized it as a backhanded positive for AsianAmericans in the media: “At least it is a measure of visibility, which is much better than invisibility. I am so sick of not existing, that I would settle for following any white person around with an umbrella just so I could say I was there.” It saddens me to see Lavigne, who I consider a talented singer, abandon her own unique image to adopt Stefani’s appropriation of the Japanese culture, and it frightens me to know this type of racism is practically trending in Hollywood. From Miley Cyrus’ 2013 musi-

cal act at the Video Music Awards and the controversial use of black women as props, to Katy Perry’s 2013 performance at the American Music Awards and her inappropriate mishmash of multiple Asian cultures – don’t even get me started on Day Above Ground’s “Asian Girlz” – to Selena Gomez’s consistent reference to Hindu culture while performing “Come & Get It,” it’s clear that these performers believe featuring selective aspects of a culture in their performance art is completely acceptable. And while there is nothing wrong with wanting to explore another culture, it’s important that we do it the right way: by recognizing what’s respectful and what’s not before we ourselves create a culture that breeds ignorance. This is the opinion of Kellyn Kawaguchi a senior English major from Irvine, Calif. Tweet comments to @LoyolanOpinion, or email kkawaguchi@theloyolan.com.

Host your event at Tower Pizza!

Great food! Great location! Great times! Perfect for club, sorority, fraternity and work events!

LION SPORTS

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America has a fat chance to win World Cup Sully Speaks Jack Sullivan

Interim Sports Editor @JackSull2

he Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup is the world’s largest single sporting event. It generates millions of dollars in revenue and is the biggest spectacle that takes place every four years. This June, the tournament begins in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, and there are a number of possibilities for how the tournament could end. Will the Brazilians win their record sixth World Cup on their own home turf? Will the Italians tie Brazil with an unexpected victory? Will the Spaniards win their second consecutive tournament and continue their reign as the world’s best team? Can another European power, such as Germany or the Netherlands, rise to the challenge? Or will the Americans stun the world and win the 2014 FIFA World Cup? Any of these could reasonably happen – except for the last one. That’s the conventional wisdom of the world is at least. The United States has never finished better than third, when they played in the first World Cup in 1930. This is the seventh consecutive tournament that the United States has qualified for, and in the previous six the team has never done better than the quarterfinals, including a dead last finish in the 1998 World Cup. This year is not looking much better, since the U.S. is in this year’s “Group of Death.” Dubbed as the toughest group

in the tournament, the U.S. has been given a brutal path to victory. The United States men’s national team (USMNT) will face Germany, Portugal and Ghana. Germany is currently the second-ranked team in the world. With players like Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mesut Ozil to lead the way, the Germans should have plenty of firepower to put the ball in the back of the net. They are considered the heavy favorites to win the pool and are virtually guaranteed to advance to the second round. Portugal has a similar advantage. Currently ranked third in the world, the team has Cristiano Ronaldo, this year’s recipient of the FIFA Ballon d’Or, an award given to the best soccer player in the world. The title was formally held by Argentina’s Lionel Messi for four straight years. With the scoring ability of Ronaldo, plus the defensive prowess of players such as Pepe, Portugal will be tough to beat. Unlike Portugal and Germany, Ghana is not a high ranking team and is the weakest team that the United States will be playing, currently coming in at 38th in the world. African countries have historically not done well in the tournament and it should not be much of an issue for the United States to compete with them. But recent history is on the side of the Ghanian squad. The United States has faced Ghana in both of the last two FIFA World Cups. In 2006, the United States and Ghana played each other in the last game of the group play round. Ghana took out the Americans 2-1 and sealed their fate; they failed to move forward in the tournament. The win also helped Ghana move on and prevent the Czech Republic, the number two team in the world

at the time, from advancing. In 2010, the United States had a chance at redemption as they faced Ghana in the second round, but again fell short. These losses could be psychologically detrimental to the American squad and may cause them to lose yet another match to the African nation. With a player like Kevin-Prince Boateng, it is quite possible that the United States will not be capable of keeping up with Ghana. Even if the United States advances past the group round, they will likely be the second team out of Group G. This means that they would have to play the top team out of Group H, which is likely going to be Belgium. Belgium is the 12th-ranked team in the world, just ahead of the Americans at 13th. The two teams played last May when the Belgians won 4-2 on American soil. The Americans were unable to keep up with the superior Belgian players. Though this FIFA World Cup will be a long road for the Americans, they do have some bright spots on their team. Jozy Altidore has been the biggest scoring threat for the Yanks. He had a five-game scoring streak last summer, breaking his 18-month dry spell, and has continued his momentum since then. Michael Bradley is a top-notch midfielder who can hold his own against any international player. Clint Dempsey has great experience playing abroad and will be looking to use his skills to help out the Americans. Games can also be won and lost on the back of a goalkeeper and, thankfully, the Americans have a great one – Tim Howard. The starter for Everton Football Club has been with the USMNT since 2002 and has made 90 appearances for

Associated Press

American manager Jurgen Klinsmann faces an uphill battle in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The Americans will have to face the second, third and 38th ranked teams: Germany, Portugal and Ghana, respectively. his country. Howard is leading his Everton squad in their great run as they are currently fifth in the Barclays Premier League and looks to continue his stellar play for the Americans. The Americans have also been playing better since Jurgen Klinsmann took over as the head coach. They are currently 267-10 under Klinsmann and have been steadily improving for the past three years. The United States may be in a dire, seemingly hopeless situation, but the team has pulled through in tough situations before. Even the last World Cup shows the greatness of the squad. With their tournament hopes on the line, Landon Donovan scored

a last minute goal against Algeria to help the USA advance to the second round. America takes great pride in its sports, which is one of the reasons why, as a country, we do so well in both the summer and winter Olympics. It’s about time that the Yanks pull a victory out of the greatest tournament in the world. Will it happen this year? Probably not. But don’t give up on the USMNT just yet. They may surprise us. This is the opinion of Jack Sullivan, a sophomore communication studies major from Las Vegas, Nev. Tweet comments to @LoyolanSports, or email jsullivan@theloyolan.com.

Women’s water polo takes GCC tourney The Lions hosted and won the inaugural GCC Championships. Kassi Stephenson Asst. Sports Editor @ksteph17

It was an action-packed weekend for the LMU women’s water polo team. The ladies played three passionate matches in the Golden Coast Conference (GCC) Championship tournament that took place this past weekend. It was hosted for the first time ever by our very own Lions at the Burns Aquatics Center. The team had its work cut out for it, playing three matches against some tough competition. Their talent and unyielding determination earned them victories in all three, as well as the 2014 GCC Championship title. Thursday’s game kicked off the GCC Championships for LMU, in which they defeated Fresno Pacific University in a blowout. The game marked the Lions’ 14th straight season of accomplishing 20 wins, and the team is now 22-12 overall this season. It also displayed senior driver Alexandra Honny in full force, who came out strong with five goals in the first quarter and scored six total in the game. Honny was awarded first-team All GCC a week prior and

stands as the leading scorer in the league. Their offensive game as a whole was on fire; five other players scored at least two goals. Sophomore two meter Erin Byrne was one of these players, scoring three times in the game. The match ended in a 19-6 blowout in favor of the Lions. LMU then advanced onto the semifinal game against No. 6 team Santa Clara University (SCU) on Friday. Once again, Honny was a leading scorer with three goals, and sophomore utility Ivana Castro was right with her, earning three as well. Coming from behind, junior driver Laura Lopez scored to tie the game 8-8, and Castro scored the 9-8 tiebreaker. Junior utility Mackenzie Beck scored goal number 10 in the fourth quarter to give the Lions some leeway. SCU scored with 27 seconds left to bring it to a close one-point difference game. But the Lions were able to run down the clock, and soon the buzzer sounded, leaving the Lions with an exciting 10-9 victory. On Saturday, the team took on the No. 1 ranked team of San Diego State University (SDSU) in what turned into a nail-biting, edge-ofyour-seat, triple overtime game. The Aztecs came out strong in the first quarter, gaining a quick 2-0 lead. The Lions swiftly came back to have a 5-4 advantage going into

Emma Spiekerman | Loyolan

Junior driver Laura Lopez was a force to be reckoned with in the Golden Coast Conference Championship match against San Diego State University this Saturday. Lopez scored the game-tying goal in the fourth as well as netting a goal in the first period of overtime. Lopez had six goals for the tournament, four of which came in the fourth. the half. Castro scored in the third quarter to bring the Lions up two points, but SDSU came back with two more goals to tie the game at 6-6 early in the third. With about four minutes left in the third quarter, sophomore utility Bridgette Alvarez scored to make it 7-6 and the Lions held this advantage into the final quarter of the game. Lopez then broke the tie in the fourth quarter to give the Lions an 8-7 advantage. With a final effort

from the Aztecs the fourth quarter ended 8-8. The game went into first overtime. Both teams scored, with SDSU’s Carina Carballo getting the first goal. With the clock running down to the last second, Lopez tossed in a goal to tie it at 9-9. In second overtime, no teams were able to get the ball in the net, so it came down to sudden death in triple overtime. With just 57 seconds left on the clock, sophomore driver Danielle

Johnson threw the ball into the net. In that moment, the Lions achieved a 10-9 victory against SDSU, their 10th conference title since 2001, and the proud honor of being named the 2014 GCC champions. The lady Lions are not done quite yet. Pulling off three crushing victories in this weekend’s GCC Championship earned them a spot in the NCAA Championships, which will begin on May 9, with times and locations to be announced.

LMU Coaches

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BURNING QUESTIONS

The Gathers-Kimble era

How did you end up at LMU?

Prior coming to LMU I was working for the Springfield Armor for the D-league team there. Basically I was looking for the next opportunity and Ben Rosenfeld who was a friend of mine from UMass [University of Massachusetts] was the director of basketball operations for the men’s basketball team. They lost their strength coach, and he hit me up asking if I’d be interested in the position. I was drawn to it, and it was [in] Los Angeles, [so] I sent my stuff in, got the interview and got the job. It was a good opportunity to work in a collegiate setting with basketball programs.

What is your favorite part of this job?

The student-athletes. I mean, it’s very easy to come in to work and be excited with what you’re doing when you’re working with such great kids. It’s a job where no matter how early or how often, I’m never dragging to be here.

What motivated you to get involved with the broadcasting team for men’s basketball?

That was another Ben Rosenfeld thing, man. It was his idea initially. People would say I’m pretty clever and quick-witted, and so he thought it’d be a great idea for me to get on the radio. At first I was like, ‘You’re joking.’ But he said I’d be awesome at it. And it was like an excuse for me to find another way to get on the road. At the time I wasn’t traveling with the basketball team for every road trip.

What is your biggest advice for incoming freshman for them to succeed?

Honestly, the thing that freshmen struggle with coming in and participating in Division I program is the conditioning piece of it and also the flexibility piece of it, if you’re talking about just [the] physical. The other thing is understanding how to be coachable.

Who is the strongest athlete you’ve ever coached in this weight room?

Hopefully this year we change things, and I have a new answer for you every year. But, [redshirt senior forward] Alex Osborne is one of the strongest kids I’ve ever coached. When I came in, he was already a machine, and he was able to improve on that a little bit, but he’s just a freak of nature. On the girl’s side, [junior forward] Emily Ben-Jumbo is just a very physical, physical girl. She came in a little hesitant about lifting weights, but now she is completely dialed in and loves it.

In regards to the men’s basketball coaching transition that occurred, what was that like for you?

It’s part of college sports. The coaching carousel – you see it every year at the end of the year. It’s happened with me a few times. As a student athlete I was a walk-on at UMass and I walked on under Steve Lappas and then Travis Ford came on. So it was like I had to prove myself all over again with this new group of people who didn’t know me. It’s the same thing now as a professional. [It’s] just a different thing, I’m not playing basketball anymore, I’m coaching athletes. It’s always tough emotionally, because I’m really close with a lot of people on that staff. But at the end of the day I have to be professional and I’m here for the studentathletes, number one.