February 2024

The Panther

The Panther

Chapman reveals recent university feats, upcoming campus projects in State of the University address

New networking website available to aid Chapman students in their career journeys

On Feb. 9, President Daniele Struppa reflected on previous feats and announced new projects, including the creation of the Doy B. Henley School of Management. Emi

By Kiana Kalahele, News Editor

Chapman University President Daniele Struppa celebrated recent accomplishments for the newest 2023 to 2028 strategic plan, “Our Path to Greatness,” highlighted upcoming projects for the university and ended with a special announcement at the annual 2024 State of the University address on Feb. 9.

The annual State of the University address, which is held in-person at the Musco Center for the Arts, serves as an update to the campus community on

Chapman’s latest achievements over the past year and what it has in store for its future.

Struppa’s 2024 address emphasized the success of the first year of “Our Path to Greatness”, Chapman’s top employers for 2024 and various updates regarding INSPIRE, the university’s newest giving campaign, which was initially announced at the 2023 address.

The address also showcased Chapman’s commitment to becoming a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). As of fall 2023,

19% of Chapman students identify as Hispanic/Latino, according to the presentation shown at the address.

With those achievements in mind, Struppa continued his presentation by talking about various accomplishments within each of the five strategic priorities in the new strategic plan.

For academic excellence, Struppa focused on ways to promote student success at the university, announcing a target retention rate of 93% and a target graduation rate of 89%

The Panther Network launched on Jan. 29 to help connect students with job opportunities and Chapman alumni.

By Natalie Paul, Assistant News Editor

An email sent to the Chapman community on Jan. 22 by the Career and Professional Development department detailed that a new networking website would become available to students soon. The website, called The Panther Network, was launched on Jan. 29 for students and alumni to connect with one another.

In addition to networking and mentoring, students are able to look at different possible career paths as well as find job and internship opportunities on the site. The goal of the website is to help students transition from the classroom to their desired career of choice.

The Panther Network is exclusively offered to the Chapman community and helps connect current students to over 50,000 Chapman alumni.

To sign up, students must go to The Panther Network website and sign in with their Chapman email address. They are then asked to click on a series of interests that they have in order to help connect mentors and students through common interests. The final step of signing up is when the student is asked what they hope to get out of their experience on the website. The more a student fills out their profile, the better The Panther Network will be able to match a student to possible career paths and alumni.

Jennifer Kim, the associate vice president of Chapman’s Career and Professional Development department, shared her thoughts on how students can best take advantage of the new networking website.

“We encourage students to absorb everything they can learn from our alumni members,” Kim told The Panther. “From graduation to your first job, networking leads to increased opportunities and it is one of the most effective ways to find a job.”

One notable feature of the website is the Read P4

From undeclared to film major at Chapman Dodge

By Anastasia Kuplinova, Video & Podcast Editor, & Justin Yoon, Podcast Editor

In this episode, we sit down with Lauren Besso to discuss her experience of being undecided/ undeclared in college and how she ultimately ended up double-majoring at Chapman University. The trio dives into the challenges of choosing a major and the pressure that comes with such a decision. Lauren shares her personal journey of self-discovery and offers valuable tips on how to navigate the process of choosing a major. Whether you’re currently undecided or simply looking for guidance on this topic, this episode is sure to provide you with valuable insights!

Chapman’s Hilbert Museum prepares for its grand re-opening with new facilities, amenities

On Feb. 23, the Hilbert Museum of California Art reopened its doors to the public after over two years of renovations and expansions.

By Alexandra Der Boghosian, News Staff Writer

Chapman University’s Hilbert Museum of California Art will be hosting its grand opening on Feb. 23 after over two years of construction. After announcing in 2022 that the museum would be undergoing renovations, they have since expanded their location at 167 N. Atchison Street in the city of Orange, making space for more art, exhibitions and newly added sculptures, with a total of 26 galleries.

Hilbert Museum Director Mary Platt explained how she is anticipating opening day as the process has been “hectic and busy,” especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, where majority of the meetings were held through Zoom.

“For the grand opening, we are going to have nine exhibitions,” Platt told The Panther. “The main building is mainly going to be for rotating exhibitions, and the other building, the north building, will mostly showcase the permanent collections. But, we have so many pieces (in) the collection that we will be rotating that one too.”

Chapman’s College of Performing Arts, the museum created a deal that would allow them to utilize the old dance center, which will now serve as the new north building. The new changes also include a unique mosaic that was previously on display outside of a building in Santa Monica.

The founders of the museum, Mark and Janet Hilbert, have been collecting art and sculptures since 1992 when they moved to Palm Springs. Since then, the Hilberts have collected more than 5,000 pieces of art, with a majority of them being California art pieces.

“We’re really excited to see how much we can add to the campus.”

The museum hosted a private dinner for the Hilbert family and their friends on Feb. 17, and a private grand reopening will take place at the museum grounds on Feb. 22.

-Mary Platt

“All during the pandemic, when everything was shut down, I was coming in here, to my office, and we were having Zoom meetings to pick an architect and work with them to decide on a plan with the construction,” Platt said.

From P1

Chapman reveals recent university feats, upcoming campus projects in State of the University address

By Kiana Kalahele, News Editor

for undergraduate students.

“One thing that we know is that the success of the student is very strongly correlated to whether they feel that they’re part of a community,” Struppa said. “In some cases, the community is going to be a fraternity or a sorority, a club, a student’s major or athletics — it’s not the same for everybody. But, the point is to try and find ways for students to feel supported so that when they encounter the unavoidable challenges, they will be able to have the strength to rise above them.”

Along with undergraduate target rates, Struppa announced the launch of the Atlas Early Arrival program for exploratory majors, formerly known as undeclared majors. The reorganization of academic advising for students was also revealed at the address, meaning that students will now have dedicated advisors that are specific to their major.

For the strategic priority on organizational excellence, Struppa focused on introducing as well as promoting five staff members into administrative roles to serve the Chapman community: Garrett Ashley, Brenda Rushforth, Thomas Piechota, Brad Petitfils and Innokentiy Maslennikov. According to Struppa, all five faculty members will support staff and administrators to help aid them in delivering a consistently outstanding university experience.

At the address, various campus projects were also highlighted for the fourth strategic priority, including the opening of the Sandi Simon Center for Dance and awards the center has received so far, the grand reopening of the Hilbert Museum on Feb. 23 and the opening of a Campus Center at Chapman’s Rinker campus in Irvine. The finalized construction of the Killefer School, which will house the university’s Institute for Quantum Studies starting in early 2025, was another project that was highlighted.

The new museum will be located right across from the Orange Metrolink Station and will include a cafe and an outdoor courtyard. Planted right in the middle of the courtyard is a California olive tree. Eventually, the courtyard will have seating for students and staff to enjoy as well, though a date has not been set.

Since its opening in 2016, the Hilbert Museum has displayed “one of the largest collections of California art,” according to the museum’s website. That year, it was just the main building. Now, the newly renovated museum includes the main building, as well as a new north building. By working with

Exhibitions like the radio wall and historic Disney art are displayed in the newly added north building. Platt emphasized the importance of adding a local touch to the museum by including local Orange County artists and history.

“We’re really excited to see how much we can add to the campus,” Platt told The Panther.

The Hilbert Museum will be open to the public starting Feb. 23, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Admission to the museum is free, though reservations are recommended. Reservations can be made through the museum’s website.

The general public will be able to access the museum starting Feb. 23.

Struppa also alluded to other campus projects that will be implemented in the upcoming year, including the new Chapman Court apartment complex, which will open in fall 2024, as well as the Philosopher’s Walk and the Cypress Street Arts Corridor, which will undergo their pre-design phases later this year. According to Struppa, the Philosopher’s Walk will be an east-to-west corridor and the Cypress Street Arts Corridor will run from north to south, with the goal of connecting all portions of Chapman’s campus together.

To view this year’s State of the University address, a link to the full presentation can be found online.

Emily Paris

$3 million gift marks bright future for Chapman’s innovative MPP program

In addition to the $3 million gift from Parker S. Kennedy, three Chapman professors have been given endowed chairs to further shape the prospective future of the MPP program. (From left) Marco Panza, Andrew Jordan and Ahmed Sebbar stand next to unveiled busts.

By Brandon S. Leonard, News Staff Writer

On Jan. 31, three Chapman University professors were given a chair in the university’s new Mathematics, Philosophy and Physics (MPP) program. Chairs are honorary positions established by the donations that may allow more scholarships and other benefits to be leveraged for the MPP program. The endowments were paired with a $3 million gift from Chapman Board of Trustees Chair Parker S. Kennedy.

The first chair donated was the Daniele C. Struppa Chair in Mathematics, granted to Ahmed Sebbar, a professor in the Schmid College of Science and Technology.

“Receiving this endowment and the Daniele C. Struppa Chair in Mathematics is a great honor and at the same time a big encouragement for me,” Sebbar told The Panther. “I am happy and remain humble.”

The second chair was the Kennedy Chair in Philosophy, granted to Marco Panza, another Schmid College professor who teaches both philosophy and mathematics. Panza is the program director and co-founder of the MPP program.

“I consider it a great honor,” Panza said. “I’m fully grateful to Parker Kennedy and to the leadership of Chapman University and Schmid College for giving me this honor. But, I’m also worried since I’m not sure I’ll be able to live up to it. What I’m sure of is that living up to it would mean using the (material and symbolic) advantages of this honor for the intellectual growth of the Chapman community. It is not what it’ll do for me that will count, but what it’ll be able to do for Chapman: for contributing to make it a great and prestigious university.”

The final chair was the Kennedy Chair in Physics given to Andrew Jordan, the co-director of the Institute for Quantum Studies and a physics professor at Chapman.

“I want to thank Mr. Kennedy for the very generous donation and President Struppa for his leadership, vision and for valuing the importance of physics,” Jordan. “And, (thank you) to our great university administration for supporting our work. It is a great honor.”

The $3 million donation from Kennedy comes as part of a larger gift he is bestowing to the university, totaling $15 million. The majority of the proceeds, $11 million in total, went to the Fowler School of Law, while an extra million was donated to Chapman Athletics on Oct. 20 of last year.

“(The MPP program) is a unique program,” Jordan told The Panther. “I know of nothing else like it in the world. The intentional interdisciplinary in the formation of students will add breadth to their education while still keeping the intensive discipline-specific nature of their research and dissertation.”

The MPP program is a three-year-long research doctoral program that confers the equivalent of a Ph.D. degree. Intended for post-master’s education, it focuses on the connections between mathematics, philosophy and physics. In turn, it focuses not only on all three of these subjects, but also how they connect with and influence each other.

Students who successfully complete the MPP program will be awarded a Doctor of Science degree, which is recognized as a Ph.D. equivalent in academia and in the job sector. The overall workload is 54 credits, but it is still relatively small due to the program’s unique structure of combining three different disciplines.

“The endowed chairs and the gift for student support will give lasting stability to the program,” Jordan said. “It is a critical next step for Chapman to grow and mature its graduate education and research efforts, and this gift will greatly boost that project.”

Chapman scientists discover ways to utilize artificial intelligence to create new drugs

With the help of AI programs like ChatGPT, Chapman scientists were able to develop a program to create drug candidates for multiple diseases.

By Natalie Paul, Assistant News Editor

Artificial intelligence (AI) programs have seen a rise in popularity over the past few years to help people with tasks, such as answering questions on endless topics. Now, Chapman scientists are using similar principles to those of the AI program ChatGPT to help them design new medicine.

To make new synthetic drugs in the present day, advanced technology is used to make sure that the correct properties and characteristics are used. This is known as “de novo drug design,” and it is a process that can be very expensive and time-consuming, according to the National Library of Medicine.

Dony Ang is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate at Chapman majoring in the computational data science program. Ang was the principal investigator for this research, put the program together and explained how he thought of the idea.

“The research was born when I was playing around with ChatGPT and tried to learn the mechanics behind it,” Ang told The Panther. “There was a sudden thought that came to my mind: ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if we could just put our DNA and protein sequences of the disease that we’re suffering from into something like ChatGPT, and it could generate the most effective medications for us almost instantly?’”

A Feb. 7 university press release detailed how this kind of research is highly beneficial to the scientific community.

“The end result can generate countless unique molecular structures that follow essential chemical and biological constraints and effectively bind to their targets — promising to vastly accelerate the process of identifying viable drug candidates for a wide range of diseases at a fraction of the cost,” the press release stated.

With the help of fellow Chapman scientists Hagop S. Atamian and Cyril Rakovski, they created their own generative AI model called drugAI, which is an AI program that can create novel drugs at a higher speed and accuracy within a few hours on a laptop.

They explained their research in a paper published Jan. 27 titled “De Novo Drug Design using Transformer-based Machine Translation and Reinforcement Learning of Adaptive Monte-Carlo Tree Search,” which was submitted to the science journal Pharmaceuticals.

This is not the only instance of AI being used to help aid scientific research; in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the scientific community has increasingly turned to AI as a tool to help become more prepared for future potential outbreaks.

Atamian, an assistant professor in biological sciences at Chapman, was approached by Ang to help aid him in his research on drug design using AI. He explained more about the goal of the research that they conducted.

“The goal was to learn from the remarkable success of language models like ChatGPT and adapt these same principles that make ChatGPT so powerful and apply them to drug design, with the ultimate aim of combating diseases,” Atamian said.

Photo courtesy of Adam Hemmingway

A new skatepark dropping into the City of Orange ignites excitement among Chapman skateboarders

Chapman skateboarders have high hopes as to how the new skatepark could impact the skating community in Orange.

By Laila Freeman, Managing Editor

Jack Sundblad

Anew skatepark is coming to the Grijalva Park Sports Center in Orange. On Nov. 22, the City of Orange announced the new concrete skatepark project, designed by Grindline Skateparks. This project is in the design phase, but has been anticipated by the community.

Chapman Skate Club founders Aidan Decremer and Caleb Lachelt shared their thoughts on the new skatepark coming to Orange and the city’s skating scene.

Lachelt, the club’s president and a senior with a self-designed major that combines aspects of sociology, environmental studies and photography, used to frequent Ponderosa Skatepark before his shoulder injury due to its close proximity to Chapman. He mentioned that every skatepark he goes to in the area is super crowded and teeming with talent.

Decremer is a senior communication studies major who typically skates at Manzanita Skatepark in Anaheim. He is “pretty stoked” about the new park and thinks it’s “really huge for the community.”

Lachelt thinks the upcoming skatepark will “strengthen” the current skate scene in Orange.

“Maybe people who kind of gave it up because it was too much trouble to skateboard, it would revive their interest in it because it’s more accessible,” Lachelt said. “It would probably introduce it to new people, like in that neighborhood and in the surrounding community. So, I think it would bring more people to the sport, at least in Orange, for sure.”

Currently, Chapman’s Skate Club meets every Friday at 4 p.m. to skate in front of Beckman.

“It’s been a great way to see familiar faces coming out more and more,” Decremer said. “Just starting that growth in the community and to see people improve, it’s a great thing.”

He wants the club and Chapman’s skating com-

munity to take advantage of the skatepark once it’s complete.

“I just think coming here as a freshman during COVID-19 with little friends — hard to meet new people — I think skateboarding really helped me get out of my shell,” Decremer said. “And not only learn the area just by skating around and seeing what’s out there, but (also) meet cool characters and start building that funny community.”

Lachelt hopes the new skatepark will reverse the stigma surrounding skaters, such as assumptions that they do drugs and engage in disruptive behaviors.

“Some of the nicest, most inclusive, most non-judgmental people I’ve met are skateboarders,” Lachelt said. “And my main group of friends that skateboard are straight-edge, meaning they don’t do any drugs or alcohol or anything. And I just feel like it’s not even really correlated at all. I hope the general public’s perception shifts a little bit just to see it as another really cool sport.”

Lachelt continued: “And also just more generally, I hope it’s more appreciated because just going out and doing something active is just undeniably amazing for your physical and mental health, and it also teaches you so many great lessons — just that you have to fall and keep going. And also, if you want to be good at something, you just have to start going out and doing it, practicing it and you can make whatever you want to happen, happen. You just have to start and do it every day. I think that’s really applicable for normal life.”

A community input meeting is taking place on Feb. 22 at the Grijalva Park Sports Center. To receive updates on the skatepark project, the City of Orange recommends emailing csinfo@cityoforange.org.

New networking website available to aid Chapman students in their career journeys

By Natalie Paul, Assistant News Editor

‘Career Pathways’ tab. In Jerry Price’s weekly email announcement from Feb. 5, he explains more about what students can expect from this system.

“The ‘Career Pathways’ feature in The Panther Network allows you to discover career opportunities if you are unsure of what you want to do after graduation,” Price wrote. “This feature provides position overviews, a ‘favorite’ button that allows you to explore various fields and opportunities to apply for positions in your field of interest.”

Although The Panther Network shares some traits with other sites, such as LinkedIn and Handshake, there are some notable differences.

“Every member of The Panther Network is a member of the Chapman community,” Kim said. “This shared identity and experience helps create

“Every member of The Panther Network is a member of the Chapman community. This shared identity and experience helps create a safe environment for students to reach out to alumni for career guidance and insights.”

- Jennifer Kim

a safe environment for students to reach out to alumni for career guidance and insights.”

However, as the knowledge of this website is still spreading, many students have expressed interest in looking into what The Panther Network has to offer.

Junior psychology major Kaylee Scott spoke with The Panther regarding her thoughts on the new website.

“I have not heard about The Panther Network, but it seems like a good platform to connect with other Chapman students, especially with the strong alumni network that the school has,” Scott told The Panther. “I will definitely be looking into using it.”

Analysis | How Trump’s eligibility issues are playing out in each state

Former president Donald Trump has been disqualified from the primary presidential ballots in Colorado.

By Jiya Kathuria, Politics Staff Writer Sukhman Sahota

Donald Trump is facing multiple incriminating charges in the Georgia election interference case against him — and now his legal team is switching sides.

Following Trump’s unsuccessful attempt at reelection in 2020, it is alleged that the former president conspired to tamper with the election results, specifically in Georgia. After a narrow loss, a new state law required a hand recount of the votes. The uncounted ballots changed the margin of Trump’s loss but still left Biden leading in the state. Trump and 18 of his allies were then accused of engaging in criminal activity in an attempt to overturn the election results.

But now, his accomplices are turning on him.

“The common practice in a case like this is, you start at the bottom and work up,” Chapman law professor Denis Binder told The Panther. “So you get those at the bottom to flip, and then you hope to build a case as you go farther up the ladder. And, the whole goal here is to get Trump.”

The prosecution team on the case were aiming to crack Trump’s inner circle. Once they got the first one, more began to follow.

Trump supporter Scott Hall was the first co-defendant to plead guilty on Sept. 29. He was facing seven felony charges for interfering with voting equipment and data in Georgia. The plea deal included a $5,000 fine, 200 hours of community service and a written apology to Georgia residents.

Soon after Hall came Trump’s lawyer Sidney Powell on Oct. 19, just four days before her trial would’ve started. She was sentenced to six years of probation and a $6,000 fine, and she was also ordered to give Georgia residents a written apology. Powell had been one of the most vocal election fraud believers, giving several public speeches where she conspired about Trump’s loss.

The next day, fellow Trump lawyer Kenneth Chesebro also pleaded guilty. He would’ve gone to trial the next week alongside Powell, facing seven criminal charges, but he only pleaded guilty to one charge of conspiracy under his plea deal. He also gets to keep his law license under this deal, whereas some of the other charges would have resulted in him losing it. Chesebro faces five years of probation.

to cover up hush payments made during a sex scandal. He faces 34 charges in this case.

Most recently, a third lawyer took a plea deal on Oct. 24. Jenna Ellis pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting false statements and writings after continuously supporting Trump in his accusations of election fraud. She was sentenced to five years of probation, a $5,000 fee and 100 hours of community service and, like Powell and Hall, must write an apology letter to Georgia.

“Since they pled guilty, they’re stuck with that,” Binder said. “They’re stuck now, it doesn’t matter what happens to Trump. If they pleaded guilty, that’s it. And, if they have to testify in any of the cases, the fact that they pleaded guilty can be used against them.”

The prosecution team striking up plea bargains with defendants can be harmful to the case against Trump and the other 14 co-defendants. All four of the allies who took the deal also agreed that they would hand over any and all documents related to the case, and they will also be inclined to testify against any of the defendants.

Trump is also facing legal consequences in New York for falsifying documents

In Florida, he has 37 charges against him, all relating to the classified documents he illegally took home with him to Mar-a-Lago, his Florida home, following the end of his presidency in 2021.

On a federal level, Trump is also being charged on four counts for his involvement with Jan. 6 and the attack on the Capitol.

But, the Georgia case may be the most damaging.

19 people in total are listed on the indictment. Trump faces the most charges of any other defendant in the case. Some of the charges being held against him are for falsified documents, soliciting public officers, influencing witnesses and election fraud.

“I think it was mainly a targeted attack. (Judge Tanya Chutkan) went there knowing that she wanted to look for something in particular, instead of looking at the case as a whole. I think she was just looking at ways that she could scare Trump’s attorneys and indict him as soon as possible,” Sisk said.

The case is set to go to trial on March 4 of next year.

Video | Multi Paradox | Chapman Institute of Quantum Studies

By Anastasia Kuplinova, Video & Podcast Editor

Have you ever wondered if the multiverse we see in movies is actually possible? This physics documentary explores the concept of multiple universes and the scientific theories behind them.

Join Dr. Jeff Tollaksen (Chapman professor and co-director of Institute of Quantum Studies) and Cai Waegell (postdoctoral fellow with the Chapman Institute for Quantum Studies and postdoctoral research assistant) as they examine the possibility of multiple realities and the implications they could have on our understanding of the universe. Get ready to have your mind blown by the mysteries of the multiverse!

Analysis | Will the 2024 election be a 2020 rematch?

As 2024 is underway, along with the countdown to November’s presidential election, citizens are weighing their options while Biden tries to step up his campaign.

By Nicole Kavros, Politics Editor

With election season just around the corner, Biden and Trump are looking to be the likely candidates for the ballot — again.

President Joe Biden is eager to extend his time in the White House for another term, but even those within his own party aren’t as ecstatic about his reelection. According to a poll average by RealClearPolitics, Trump is leading over Biden by almost two points. This leaves Biden and his trusted campaign managers in need of a good strategy to successfully beat his opponent.

Biden’s time in office has come with no shortage of controversy. His age has drawn hesitation from both Democrats and Republicans. Age has played far less of a role in the public’s opinion of Trump, who is only four years younger than his opponent at age 77.

The economy is another area of concern among voters, who are less than content with Biden’s handle on inflation.

Polls from FiveThirtyEight show Biden having a disapproval rate of 56% and an approval rate of only 40%. With these numbers, Biden is coming up with new methods to use in his campaign.

This time around, Biden’s campaign is taking an approach that focuses heavily on Trump’s inability to be president, rather than highlighting Biden’s ability to do so. At a speech given on the eve of the anniversary of the Jan. 6 attacks, Biden called out Trump.

Biden was resorting to “pathetic fearmongering.”

Despite Trump’s ongoing legal issues, the polls are suggesting that his campaign is nearly unaffected, if not aided by the controversies.

Trump’s disapproval rate measures close to Biden’s at roughly 58%, according to FiveThirtyEight. His approval numbers are also similar to his adversary at 39%.

Both candidates face a significantly greater amount of disapproval than the contrary. Similar to the 2020 election, it’s a face-off of who is the most popular out of the unpopular options.

While Biden is banking on voters feeling residual vexation against Trump, the former president has campaign strategies of his own.

Financially, Biden has the money to continue his fight against Trump. Filings from the Federal Election Commission stated that Biden ended last year with about $46 million for his campaign, while Trump had $33 million. This might also be due to the fact that Trump’s political action committees have spent around $50 million on legal fees.

“Trump’s disapproval rate measures close to Biden’s at roughly 58%, according to FiveThirtyEight. His approval numbers are also similar to his adversary at 39%.”

Trump is still determined to take down his biggest competitor, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley. Haley has remained determined despite Trump’s lead, but RealClearPolitics has most recently reported her trailing behind the former president in the polls by almost 58 points.

Purple Flag commemorative exhibit honors

unhoused Orange County residents who died in 2022

Chapman’s Homeless Policy Practicum united with other university organizations to support the installation of an on-campus exhibit showcasing a visual depiction of unhoused individuals in Orange County who lost their lives.

By Grace Song, Guest Contributor

Chapman University supported the installation of a Purple Flag exhibit on Atallah Piazza to showcase the 495 unhoused Orange County residents who died in 2022. Each purple flag represents 10 individuals who died in 2022 without a stable residence.

In 2022, at least 430 unhoused residents in OC died. According to the 2022 Point in Time Summary, an annual report tracking homelessness in the county, 3,057 individuals are unsheltered. According to the data, 300 are persons aged 62 and older, 145 are veterans and 109 are transitional-aged youth between 18 and 24 years old.

The Purple Flag exhibit, held on Dec. 5, 2023, was brought to the university through a collaboration of a local volunteer coalition called Housing is a Human Right Orange County, along with the Nonviolent Social Change course held by Chapman’s Peace Studies Department and the Homeless Policy Practicum, a clinical course at the Fowler School of Law.

The exhibit was co-sponsored by six law student organizations: the Veterans Advocacy Law Society, the Public Interest Law Foundation, the Chapman Women Lawyers Association, the International Law Society, the Environment Law Society and the Animal Legal Defense Fund.

Homeless Policy Practicum Professor Wendy Seiden said that the epidemic of homelessness can end if everyone can make a meaningful contribution to combat homelessness.

“The fact that almost 500 Orange County residents died while unhoused in 2022 is unconscionable -- and worse that (the) numbers only increased in 2023,” Seiden said. “But what I really want folks to realize is that we can do something about it. Housing should be a human right, and we are not helpless to just let this happen. We can change the script and change the outcome.”

She also said that in order to combat homelessness, the issue needs to be understood and viewed from a humanitarian and fiscal perspective.

“We need to look at this issue holistically from both a humanitarian and fiscal point of view. Orange County residents are most often unhoused because of job loss, health issues, lack of family support, eviction and, as research has shown, the high price of housing,” Seiden said.

“Whether democracy is still America’s sacred cause is the most urgent question of our time. And it’s what the 2024 election is all about,” Biden said at the Jan. 5 speech. “The choice is clear. Donald Trump’s campaign is about him. Not America, not you.”

Trump responded to Biden’s speech soon after at a campaign event in Iowa, where he claimed that

In the Democratic party, Biden leads by over 60 points in the polls. Without any close competition, it seems that Biden and Trump could be going for a second round in this election.

Information on upcoming primaries, which will be March 5 for California, can be found on the U.S. Vote Foundation website.

Elliot Mathis, a junior peace studies and psychology double major, learned about the Purple Flag Exhibit through the Nonviolent Social Change class. While doing an activism project on foster care youth, she decided to contribute to the Purple Flag exhibit when learning about the overlap between foster care and homelessness.

“I think the purple heart flag commemorative, just especially for the students walking by, can be kind of a visual representation of ‘Dang, this is our community, and there’s lives being lost within our community literally down the street,’” said Mathis, who is minoring in sociology.

Photo collage by Emily Paris

Playwrights’ Arena uplifts minority narratives in new production ‘Three’

By Nicholas De Lucca, Features & Entertainment Editor

When Jon Lawrence Rivera came to the United States in 1979 from the Philippines, his family settled in their first apartment one block away from The Cast Theater in Hollywood. When Rivera could afford it, he would walk over and purchase a ticket to see a play. When he couldn’t afford it, Rivera would stand outside, listening to the music permeate through the thin layer of plaster, and imagine the full performance beyond the walls.

ent days in four different eras of American history — the end of World War II, the AIDS epidemic, days after the Oklahoma City bombing and the present. Salamone spoke with The Panther about his admiration for “The Three Sisters” and the impact he hopes his rendition will have on viewers.

“I feel like as an artist, the way that I can really get people to understand each other is to present plays that would reflect those stories.”

Theater was always in the equation for Rivera, but as his passion blossomed, he grew disheartened at the lack of people on stage who looked like him.

- Jon Lawrence Rivera

“Everywhere I went, I realized that I wasn’t being represented on any of those stages,” Rivera told The Panther. “It was predominately white, and a lot of the plays were very white-centric. When it was time for me to create my own theater in 1992, I was very determined that it would reflect the city of Los Angeles by doing diverse work, by presenting diverse stories and uplifting BIPOC (black, indigenous and people of color) narratives … all of the stuff that, at the time, was not being presented in public.”

Rivera’s efforts culminated in the creation of Playwrights’ Arena — a theater focused on highlighting original and reimagined material written exclusively by Los Angeles talent with an emphasis on diversity and inclusion. Their latest piece is “Three,” a queer meditation on Anton Chekov’s “The Three Sisters,” penned by playwright Nick Salamone.

With a diverse cast of ten actors, Salamone’s piece captures the Prozorov family on four differ-

“‘The Three Sisters’ really speaks to what happens when you lose meaning and purpose in your life, how you try to keep that going and how you go forward without it. We decided to explore it and came up with (‘Three’),” Salamone said. “I hope people are self-reflective about what’s possible in their lives. I want people to think, ‘No matter how much I’ve settled, tomorrow I can change this. I can say wait, life is worth living.’”

At the time of the theater’s opening in 1992, the city of Los Angeles was undergoing riots after four Los Angeles Police Department officers were acquitted on excessive force charges that injured activist Rodney King. Rivera recalls walking out of a rehearsal, seeing the city on

fire and pondering how he could help make a difference.

“I realized that my advocacy is through my art,” Rivera said. “I feel like as an artist, the way that I can really get people to understand each other is to present plays that would reflect those stories… I’m always consciously trying to look at the materials that speak to what is happening socially, that really could make an impact.”

One of the ways in which Playwrights’ Arena promotes inclusion is through its casting process, which avoids the underlying subjectivity of colorblind casting and commits to placing BIPOC and LGBT actors in roles they may not typically see themselves in. Salamone told The Panther the Arena casts for “the embodiment of the roles” and explained that their process helps create an opportunity to inspire future lovers of theater.

“(Rivera) and I both feel like the theater we do should be reflective of the audience,” Salamone said. “Whenever we undertake a new project, that’s foremost in our minds. Yes, I think theatrical and artistic truths are universal, but the people in the audience, especially people who have not seen themselves, need to see themselves on stage. If you want theater to live and thrive and you want the audience to respond, they have to see themselves.”

Rivera and Salamone have teamed up in the past as a director-writer team on productions such as “Billy Boy” in 2017 and “Helen” in 2012. Rivera also served as a producer on Salamone’s play “Moscow,” which focuses on three gay men trapped in a theater with only a copy of Chekov’s “The Three Sisters.” The duo knows each other’s mannerisms so well that they can convey a message through a look across the theater.

Playwrights’ Arena held previews of “Three” on Feb. 15, 16 and 17, and the play’s opening night was on Feb. 18. Regular performances will occur on Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays at 8 p.m., as well as Sundays at 7 p.m until March 18. Tickets range from $20 - $39 with select PayWhat-You-Choose seats available at select performances. All performances will be held at the Los Angeles LGBT Center.

Contact playwrightsarenala@gmail.com if you want like to get involved.

Artistic director Jon Lawrence Rivera and playwright Nick Salamone sat down with The Panther to discuss the mission of the Playwrights’ Arena theater and their new play ‘Three’ — a queer, American reimagining of Anton Chekov’s ‘The Three Sisters.’

Photos Courtesy of Playwrights’ Arena and Zev Rose Wolley

‘Smoothie Bowl Girl’ Nicole Renard takes her TikTok creations to ‘Next Level Chef’

The Chapman alumna talks about her passion for baking, which led to her cooking for Chapman students in Randall Dining Hall and appearing in chef Gordon Ramsay’s new season of ‘Next Level Chef,’ airing exclusively on Fox.

By Taylor Bazella, Assistant Features & Entertainment Editor

With a bag of frozen cherries, some carefully cut pineapple cubes and a generous sprinkle of crunchy chia seeds, anyone can make their own version of a smoothie bowl. But only one content creator has been dubbed the “Smoothie Bowl Girl.”

Television and broadcast journalist Nicole Renard, who graduated from Chapman in 2017, earned the moniker over the COVID-19 pandemic after surpassing over two million TikTok followers, thanks to her mastery of themed fruity designs and her ability to find the perfect smoothie base consistency.

“I think a lot of people got on TikTok and were trying to make food from home, and so it was (the) right place (and) right-time and my videos blew up,” Renard told The Panther. “Before I knew it, people were calling me the Smoothie Bowl Girl, and I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, I just started doing this a couple weeks ago.’ I started making smoothie bowls every single day, and I love them. It’s been so fun. I’ve done a Disney Princess series and a Taylor Swift album cover series. I feel like the possibilities are endless.”

28, 2024, and Renard auditioned to be on Gordan Ramsey’s show, “New Level Chef.”

“I met with the casting producer, and I had an audition call and honestly did not think anything of it because I don’t really consider myself a chef,” Renard said. “I don’t have any formal training. I never went to culinary school. I really don’t have any kitch-

en experience… and so I just felt very unqualified.”

“When I’m cooking at home, I’m just kind of taking my time and doing what I need to mostly for the shots,” Renard said. “Cooking for videos is so much different than cooking in general. So when I was competing, I wasn’t focused on looking at the camera and explaining what I was doing. I was just laser-focused on getting these dishes done in sometimes under 20 minutes, which is a whole different ball game.”

When asked about advice she would give for aspiring chefs, Renard emphasized the importance of just being brave enough to start, as well as having the passion and courage to keep going, even when it seems impossible.

Renard has always loved to cook, especially when it comes to baking. As a kid, Renard would spend afternoons baking brownies and cookies with her mother. After the rise of Pinterest, Renard scavenged the site for recipes, which opened her up to a whole new world of ovenly creations. Fast forward to Jan.

To her surprise, Renard was informed months later that they wanted her on the show. She was “thrown straight into the deep end” and had to adjust very quickly to learning new skills and techniques.

But as an avid content creator on social media — which requires meticulous planning for every shot — the jump to fast-paced cooking challenges on “Next Level Chef” forced Renard to be quick on her feet.

“Sometimes taking the first step is the hardest, and once you just put yourself out there and go for it, you’ll figure it out along the way,” Renard said. “I, by no means, was perfect on that show. I made so many mistakes, and my dishes weren’t as good as some of the other chefs, but I learned so much just because I decided to go for it. I did so many things I never thought I could do, and it really built my confidence and gave me the courage to do the next thing. So if you can find that courage to just take the first step, I think that will help to take the pressure off of feeling like you have to be perfect before you start.”

Renard’s season of “Next Level Chef” can be found on Hulu. Her content can be found on her Instagram account, @nicole_thenomad.

Chapman professor keeps food fraud off shelves

Associate professor Rosalee Hellberg, who is also the associate program director of food science, conducts studies to detect mislabeling on seafood products and develop food safety practices to detect pathogens. She runs Chapman’s Food Protection Lab, which offers unique research opportunities to students interested in food fraud and food safety.

By Nicholas De Lucca, Features & Entertainment Editor

How does a customer know with certainty that the Italian Olive Oil they purchased was actually made in Italy? How can one be sure canned tuna isn’t actually tilapia or the freshsqueezed labeled orange juice isn’t watered down? Every day in grocery stores around the nation, consumers place their trust in the fact that product labels are telling the truth.

Rosalee Hellberg, Chapman’s associate program director of food science, specializes in food safety and food fraud, working to ensure that the food on the shelves aren’t deceiving buyers for economic gain.

“Food safety really affects our everyday lives, and food fraud also affects a lot of the food supply, but people are less aware of it. It’s any time food is intentionally misrepresented,” said Hellberg, who is also an associate professor at the university. “For example, if the label declares one thing, but the food actually contains something else, then there’s fraud happening. Basically, it’s a criminal activity. Someone’s out to make money, and they’re going to call something saffron, when actually, it’s a lower quality product.”

Hellberg started and has overseen the Food Protection Lab since coming to Chapman in 2012. The lab is dedicated to applying rapid methods for the detection of food fraud and food contaminants. In several cases, the lab has worked alongside the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and provided them with their results — occasionally sparking them to pursue investigations. Studies conducted by the Food Protection Lab are available to view on their

website.

Although Hellberg finds joy in using bioluminescence for rapid detection of pathogens and using DNA barcoding to detect food fraud in seafood, she told The Panther that her favorite part of research is helping her students grow.

“Over the years, I’ve learned that it’s one of my favorite parts of the job — mentoring students in the laboratory,” Hellberg said. “It’s so nice to see them go from when they first come into the lab and they don’t know a lot of the techniques, to coming out with a publication and being very confident in their skills. It’s very rewarding to see.”

In the lab’s most recent study, Hellberg and her students investigated “short-weighting” in frozen shrimp packages. After analyzing 106 frozen shrimp samples from Orange County stores, they concluded that one-third were mislabeled and/or weighted less than the advertised label, one-fourth contained too much ice and one-fifth were different species of shrimp than advertised.

Hailing from Astoria, Oregon, Hellberg graduated from Lewis and Clark College with a bachelor’s in biochemistry in 2002. She moved back home and mowed lawns for the local school district before accepting a lab technician position at a food science lab.

Hellberg went on to earn a master’s and a doctoral degree in food science and technology, specializing in seafood safety and fish labeling. She then became a postdoctoral fellow and went on to work for the FDA. However, with all her time dedicated to research, she sought a change of pace.

“As I started working more in research, it didn’t feel very balanced to just (conduct) research all the time. You’re using one part of the brain, and it feels like it gets overworked,” Hellberg said. “You start obsessing about all of your research projects… Once I started teaching, I realized how much I enjoyed it. It’s one of those things where I never knew how much I would like it until I started doing it… They complement each other very well.”

Her Food Protection Lab students have ended up at companies such as Impossible Foods, Village Green Foods, Sovereign Flavors and Blommer Chocolate Company. 2023 alumna McKenna Rivers, who received her master’s in food science, served as a lead student investigator on Hellberg’s shrimp project for her thesis and now works as a quality analyst for Chipotle. Rivers told The Panther that Hellberg inspired her to pursue her career and even become an educator. Rivers has gone on to teach biology and food science courses at Chapman.

“She is one of my biggest inspirations, especially coming out of Chapman,” Rivers said. “She’s a really big advocate for her students and her thesis advisees as well, just making sure they’re represented and making sure that we’re properly trained. She’s helped organize and helped us get involved in certain things… She’s just been phenomenal. She’s really given me a lot of opportunities to not only grow in my research but (also) grow as a researcher and grow as myself.”

Photo collage by Emily Paris, photos courtesy of Nicole Renard

TikTok hears sounds of silence after Universal Music Group pulls music from app

After UMG removed the music of all its artists from TikTok, users and creators have noticed a massive change in their user experience.

By Molly Rose Freeman, Features & Entertainment Writer

Tiktokers everywhere are begging Universal Music Group (UMG) to “Please don’t stop the music!” On Feb. 1, UMG pulled all of its music catalog from TikTok, resulting in millions of videos containing the music being muted.

Chapman University instructional assistant professor Travis Bartosh, who is also the faculty advisor for Chapman Radio, explained why this is such a difficult issue.

“Music law and music rights and music catalogs are just insanely complicated,” Bartosh said. “It seems like it’s always changing and always shifting… Like two years ago, there was a new music catalog that came out called the Global Music Rights catalog, and a lot of it had to do with payment. These artists were complaining that they weren’t getting paid enough so they joined this other music catalog.”

There have been back-and-forth talks between the two companies for years, starting with some of the major record labels asking UMG to share more of its income with their artists. So far, UMG has taken to the strategy of outright removal, meaning artists like Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande and The Weeknd are now off-limits to TikTok users. Whether Sony and Warner Music — the two other major music labels — will follow suit remains to be seen.

was attempting to “...bully (UMG) into accepting a deal worth less than the previous deal…” and only accounts for about 1% of the label’s revenue. They also pointed out the issue of TikTok encouraging users to take part in AI music creation.

In their response, TikTok framed UMG’s actions as “self-serving” and as a result of “greed”. The argument was made that their app “...serves as a free promotional and discovery vehicle for (UMG’s) talent”.

Photo Collage by Emily Paris

said Synnes, a junior majoring in public relations and advertising. “Any time I go to make a TikTok, especially if I’m just looking for background music for a talking TikTok, I always see what’s trending. So I definitely threw a couple of songs that were UMG — such as (Ariana Grande’s) ‘yes, and?’ — in the back of some videos. I just recently went back on and looked, and they’re all muted now.”

Actor and lifestyle TikToker Jonathan Tysor, a Chapman screenwriting alumnus who graduated this past year, has also seen a slight change in terms of his own videos. However, the content creator noted that smaller artists are the ones receiving the short end of the stick.

There have been conflicting statements about why UMG ultimately made the decision to remove their music, with the UMG open letter stating that TikTok

Naturally, many TikTok users have noticed a negative impact on their viewing experience as an immediate result of the music removal. But the influencers and content creators have arguably been hit the hardest. Chapman student Cora Synnes, a lifestyle YouTuber and TikToker, spoke to The Panther about how her content has been affected.

“I think one of the best ways to get people to see your content is by using new songs that are trending,”

“It’s crazy because it’s not just these big artists that are with Universal Music Group because Universal Music Group has got these smaller labels,” Tysor said. “(UMG) is this giant corporation, so it’s not just affecting Taylor Swift; it’s also affecting these other artists that could really use TikTok as a platform to promote their own music. It really sucks for everyone involved.”

It remains to be seen whether UMG will keep their music off of TikTok or engage in negotiations about improved royalties for their artists. For now, content creators will have to pivot to utilize new music — the major trend right now being royalty free music — app users will continue with an altered user experience, and smaller musicians will fight for increased compensation.

Review|‘The Sweet East’ is an intimate epoch of oddities and Americana

Cinematographer Sean Price Williams’ directorial debut takes a bleak look into the more unique pockets of American culture through a grubby aesthetic and an elusive protagonist.

By Nicholas De Lucca, Features and Entertainment Editor

Ironically titled “The Sweet East,” the minds behind this 104-minute, spellbinding romp seem to reflect upon their grand ole country — and all the little freaks that reside within its Northeastern parts — with a sour taste in their mouths. There is little that is fond or sentimental or sugary-sweet about their vision of America. It’s a grimy, disorienting blender of genre and medium that pulls no punches as it carousels through zeitgeists and ideologies.

Guided by the blasé Lillian (Talia Ryder), our journey begins on a high school trip to Washington, D.C., where a gaggle of sexually liberated seniors seem far more concerned with exploring each other’s bodies than their nation’s history. After stumbling into a mass shooting at a bar/pizza joint — brought to life by MTV’s Andy Milonakis reenacting Pizzagate — Lillian loses her phone and reaches safety with the help of punk anarchist group leader Caleb (Earl Cave).

And that’s just the catalyst into an intimate epoch traversing the more extreme pockets of Americana. Come for the supporting cast of rising stars (Ryder, Cave, Jacob Elordi, Ayo Edebiri, Simon Rex, Jeremy O. Harris, Rish Shah), stay for a scholarly neo-nazi, loquacious movie directors, an EDM-loving cult and a penis overrun with dozens of piercings. I’ll let you mix and match who belongs to what.

Leading the charge is acclaimed cinematographer Sean Price Williams, who juggles camera duties with the role of debut director. His handheld, out-of-focus and grainy imagery, accompanied by a claustrophobic production design and wacky score, makes for a truly unique aesthetic that isn’t always the easiest to sit back, relax and enjoy. The lack of conventions

keeps you on your toes and forces you to expect the unexpected. Williams isn’t afraid to throw curveballs that take shape in the form of musical numbers, bursts of animation and puppets.

Williams’ direction works hand-in-hand with film critic Nick Pinkerton’s script, where words are bountiful and everybody has an observation to make about America. They love it. They hate it. Everything in between.

A knock on the film has been the lack of stance taken by Pinkerton. With so many observations on display, there are no claims made, profundities expelled or sympathies given by the end of the film except the words “Everything will happen.” But I found the down-the-middle, nihilistic approach refreshing. I felt a stance taken would have altered the tones of each chapter and disrupted the immersive chaos.

The protagonist, Lillian, is an unusual one. She’s nonchalant. She’s lackadaisical. She’s an enigma. She shrugs her shoulders and delves into the next adventure with fluidity and carelessness. She listens to the eccentric characters around her spew fun facts, and like a sponge, she absorbs them. She’ll listen to someone spill their love for the works of Edgar Allen Poe, and in the following step of her journey, will tell the next kook that she studied Victorian-era poetry in college. There’s little truth to her as she continuously puts on different personas.

Lillian feels like a Gen-Z stand-in — a part of a frustrated generation who inherited a decaying world with shootings, global warming, impossible debt and mass hysteria, and in response, simply doesn’t care anymore. What’s left to do, except follow the yellow brick road and see where it takes her? Ryder plays

Lillian with perfection, although, I did wish for an iota more motivation behind her character.

Each member of the supporting cast delivers and shines in their segments. In a contemporary world characterized only by vapes and an occasional cell phone, they embody different times, ideas and movements that help the story feel timeless. As many of them rise the ranks in popular culture, I admire that figures such as Elordi and Edebiri are still willing to commit to low-budget independent films where they can tackle more peculiar roles that flex their range.

While a majority of the film manages to keep up its vigorous pace, the third act loses a bit of steam. After what could have been the climax, the film meanders and dips a little too deep into surrealism. The could-have-been climax relinquishes any narrative throughlines, making the final act feel like a long walk in the woods with no end in sight. And suddenly, it ends.

On top of the structural choices, some of the more unorthodox creative choices took me out of the film instead of further immersing me. Specifically, the score, which utilizes an abundance of strange noises like a cuckoo clock, drew me out of the verisimilitude. Regardless, I can’t help but admire that a film utilized cuckoo clocks in its score.

“The Sweet East” feels like a movie that will be appreciated in years to come. Loaded with humor, wit and oddity, there’s much to enjoy in this promising debut from both Williams and Pinkerton, but also plenty to be weirded out by. This film causes as much anxiety as I’m sure the high school field trip chaperones felt when they lost Lillian. Maybe do a better head count next time?

Chapman men’s basketball team is learning what it takes to win

By Caleb Otte, Sports Staff Writer

To achieve your season-long goals, you must have good and precise preparation; the preseason and first few games of the year set the tone for how the season will go. Chapman’s men’s basketball team has been entrenched in their own preparation over the past few months, and now, they are starting to put the practice into play.

McKelary Robertson, a senior business management major, says he believes the hard work the team displays in practice is helping them progress as a unit.

“This team can be great if we buy into each other and do the little things,” Robertson told The Panther. “A lot of wins and losses come down to the boring stuff like defensive rotations, rebounding (and) running the lanes hard on breaks. Most of these things aren’t going to end up on a stat sheet but are a necessary component of all great teams.”

Basketball is a very complex sport with many intricacies, but a lot of the time, it is those minute details that make the difference in any game. Robertson, currently averaging the second-most points per game on the team, talks about the momentum the squad is building in the early season.

“There will be ups and downs all year, especially in the beginning,” Robertson said. “I do believe we’re on the right track now and have been playing our best basketball so far this season.”

ing from threepoint range. The 6’3’’ guard helps stretch opponents out on the offensive end, but he also averages the most steals on the team currently. His ability to impact the game on both ends of the floor is invaluable to Chapman because they can have one player performing multiple jobs on the court.

Chapman also has good playmaking in the form of Cruz Billings, a sophomore business administration major. He averages the most assists on the team and is always looking to pass to his teammates. That kind of leadership is what could propel the men’s basketball team towards their dreams.

“Our main goal as a team is to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament.”

-McKelary Robertson

Chapman has had success in the early season as they are beginning to put all the puzzle pieces together in the correct order. Every unit of the team is important, but of course, certain players have a larger impact on winning.

Blakely Stoughton, a junior business administration major, has been lights out shoot-

as nine different players have averaged over ten minutes. Chapman has options for any scenario, which makes them a dangerous opponent.

Billings says that having a team filled with players who can step in and play their role is important.

Chapman men’s basketball wants to impose their will on opponents, playing their style in an unflinching manner, according to Billings.

“The motto for our team this season is just to go out and play our brand of basketball,” Billings said. “We want to play fast and push the pace from start to finish.”

Robertson, a starting guard for Chapman, provides dynamism for the team by scoring from all three levels: around the basket, mid-range and three-point range.

The team’s lineup is very deep so far this year

“When it comes to the makeup of our team, we are really deep from top to bottom,” Billings told The Panther. “We have a lot of guys who are very capable of making an impact on the floor whenever their number is called. I think the next step for us to elevate our greatness would just be to keep playing our roles to the best of our abilities.”

It can sometimes be hard as an athlete to not know how big of a role you’ll be playing in any given game. However, the current rotation is working for the men’s basketball program. That’s because the team is building their chemistry, according to Robertson.

“As a team, we’re building chemistry in a multitude of ways,” Robertson said. “I would say it comes mostly from experience and time playing with each other.”

While the season is still young, Chapman has their goals set at lofty heights. Robertson explains what the team wants to accomplish.

“Our main goal as a team is to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament,” Robertson said. “Other milestones would be nice as well, but ultimately, winning the championship is the main goal.”

One of the hardest parts of building a winning team is finding balance in the squad. Currently, Chapman is allowing their team to learn through playing, and in doing so, they’re setting themselves up for success down the line.

Photos courtesy of Larry Newman

Pictured: starting guard McKelary Robertson (top)

The team is growing their chemistry on the court as the games come thick and fast.

Fresh face, fresh approach: Interim head coach revamps women’s lacrosse team

By Sofia Youngs, Sports Staff Writer

Delaney Benson attended Fort Lewis College, a respected NCAA Division II (D2) institution nestled in the picturesque town of Durango, Colorado. There, she pursued a rigorous academic and athletic schedule, earning a bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology in 2020.

Benson’s passion for sports and dedication to her field of study were evident throughout her college years. She excelled both on and off the field, balancing her coursework with intense training sessions and competitions. Her hard work and talent did not go unnoticed, as she was soon offered the opportunity to play for the Israel National Team.

“I went on my birthright and was recruited by a [lacrosse] team in Israel,” Benson said.

Joining the Israel National Team marked a significant milestone in Benson’s career. It was a chance to showcase her skills on an international stage and to represent her heritage in a sport she loved.

The pinnacle of Benson’s burgeoning career came when she competed at the Women’s World Championship in 2022. This prestigious event brought together the best players from around the globe, each vying for the coveted title and the chance to be recognized as the world’s finest. For Benson, participating in the World Championship was not just about competing; it was about proving to herself and to the world that her dedication to her sport could propel her to the highest levels of athletic achievement.

Following her participation in the World Cup, Benson dedicated the ensuing year and a half to nurturing the growth of lacrosse among young girls throughout Israel. With a newfound passion for spreading her love of the game, she embarked on a mission to introduce the sport to a demographic eager for new athletic pursuits. In recognition of her commitment and the impact of her outreach efforts, Benson was appointed as a program director for Israel Lacrosse Association’s (ILA) youth programs.

“I feel like I landed my dream job. It’s a dream come true. I’ve loved this sport my entire life, and now I can bring the love to a group of such talented girls”

-Delaney Benson

“I went to elementary, middle and high schools and introduced them to the sport and recruited them to play,” Benson said.

her own performance as well.

Benson’s work with the ILA became a cornerstone of the country’s efforts to promote lacrosse as a sport that offers more than just physical benefits. It became a vehicle for empowering young women, fostering a sense of community and building the foundation for future generations of lacrosse players in Israel.

In the summer of 2022, Benson returned to the United States and worked as the assistant head coach at the College of Wooster, ending with a solid 11-5 overall record. Shortly after Benson left, she was hired at Chapman University to become the interim head coach for the lacrosse team.

“Some of (Benson’s) goals for the season and team is to continue to elevate (the) team,” said senior psychology major Olivia Ng, the team’s captain and midfielder. I firmly believe that this team has what it takes, and our coach is so energizing and motivating to push us in the same direction.”

Despite being Benson’s first head coaching job, she’s not only hopeful for her team’s performance, but also

“My vision for this team is to get to the top of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) conference in the next couple years,” Benson said. “There’s lots to work on, but the potential is there.”

Arianna Corarrubias, a freshman writing for film and television major who plays defense on the team, admires how Benson curates her practices.

“Practices are filled with high energy, positive attitude and an excitement to get to work that’s contagious among athletes,” Corarrubias told The Panther. “Coach Benson has been an amazing addition to the Chapman sports community. She coaches with intention, purpose and puts an emphasis on goal setting.”

Her training sessions are not only physically demanding, but also intellectually stimulating, encouraging players to think critically about their roles, strategies and the dynamics of the game.

Olivia Holmes, an attacker on the team, emphasizes her love for the sport and Benson’s coaching.

“She brings an energy that makes me excited to play and excited for the future of lacrosse at Chapman,” said Holmes, who is a freshman majoring in writing for film and television.

As the season approaches, the impact of Benson’s leadership is already evident. The team has shown significant improvements in their cohesion, strategic execution and overall performance in pre-season matches. Her ability to inspire, coupled with her tactical skillset, has transformed the team’s outlook. There’s a palpable sense of optimism and a shared belief in their ability to overcome challenges and achieve greatness.

“I feel like I landed my dream job,” Benson told The Panther. “It’s a dream come true. I’ve loved this sport my entire life, and now I can bring the love to a group of such talented girls.”

Photos courtesy of Chapman Athletics

Delaney Benson has been chosen as the interim head coach for Chapman’s women’s lacrosse program for the spring 2024 season.