Pepperdine Graphic 2-25-2021 by PGM-PepperdineGraphicMedia

THE PEPPERDINE GRAPHIC VOLUME L

ISSUE 12 |

February 25, 2021

pepperdine-graphic.com

Pepperdine Welcomes Students Back To Campus Ashley mowreader| News Editor

Social Media Distributes Information and Reactions Regarding Partial Campus Reopening Makena Huey| executive Editor

Campus Reopening Bursts Athletics Bubble Paxton Ritchey| sports Editor read all a3

News

What ’s AHE A D

Assistant Abby A5- Staff Editorial: A2- News Broadcast Black Wilt shares how she finds joy in the little things.

Pepperdine A4- The Volunteer Center

focuses on education in a remote semester.

the thewaves wavesreport report

L if e & A r t s

Pe r s pe ct iv e s B1-

culture, Black history and Black lives.

A7- International Programs need

more mental health resources.

Fri: Fri:3-5 1-2ftft

B2-

UP C O MING o n the g rap h

SP ORTS

Black Student Association alumna founds app to support Black businesses.

Volleyball sweeps B3- W. BYU in three,

Staff Writer Grace Wood analyzes complexities in ‘Hidden Figures.’

builds B4- Pepperdine new beach volleyball

Sat: SAT:3-5 1 ftft

T he g r ap hi c’s Ne ws P o d c ast

the first time in a decade.

courts on campus.

SUN: sun:1-2 3-5ftft

MON: Mon:1-22-4ftft

Reopening? Hosts Ivy Moore and Lindsey Sullivan cover the partial reopening of Malibu campus. Available anywhere you listen to podcasts.

TUES: Tue:1-2 3-4ftft

F E B R UA RY 2 5 , 2 0 2 1 | N E W S | P E P P E R DIN E G RA P H I C ME D I A

Finding Good News in Simplicity

THE DPS REPORTS Check out pepperdine.edu/publicsafety for the DPS Reports every week

No new crimes to report.

This week in SGA

a b by w i lt n e ws a s s i s tant

PRESIDENT’S BRIEFING & OTHER NEWS YOU MISSED The Mal i bu c a mpus par tial ly re ope n e d a nd will be avail a ble we e kdays f rom 7: 30 a. m. to 6:30 p.m. PST. a nd week ends from 8 a .m. to 5 p.m. P St. Al l i nd ivid ua ls c omin g to campus a re re quire d to f ill out P epper di n e ’s Da ily We lln e ss Check .

Li b r a r i e s o n t he M a li b u ca m p u s r e o p e ne d by r e s e rvat i o n at 2 5 % ca paci t y. S t u d e nt s, facu lt y a nd s ta ff m ay u s e s o m e o u t d o o r s p o r t s faci li t i e s fo r no n-co ntact s p o r t s a nd r e cr e at i o n at a m a xi m u m o f 2 5 % ca paci t y.

A rt d e sign , the atRE a rt stud ios, music prac tic e rooms a nd f ilm, vid e o a nd music prod uc tion s will be ava ila ble by re se rvation for e ligible stud e n ts in groups of f our or le ss.

THURS

MON

FRI

What: Love your body day four Where: Pepperdine SWAB Instagram Hosted by: SWAB and Pepperdine Counseling Center

What: Global Learning Week Trivia Night When: 6 P.M. PsT Hosted by: The Board

Pepperdine

TUES 2

What: Net impact: weekly networking when: 5 p.m. pst Hosted by: Pepperdine grazdio

Malibu

No events scheduled

California

SGA discussed virtual ID card possibility.

WED 3

What: Circle K first spring meeting When: 6 p.m. PST Hosted by: Circle K

United States

183 347 3.5M 28.3M two six 49k 503K cases

cases

deaths

subscribe to the pixel newsletter ABBY.WILT@PEPPERDINE.EDU

SGA has concerns about heavy class loads and absences during the pandemic.

v i r tu al e ve n ts f or the upc o min g w e e k

Covid-19 by the numbers

Throughout the past year, I’ve learned to appreciate all the little things in life — and that’s where my good news comes from. When all the headlines around me are negative, sad or scary, I decide to look at the little things in life that bring me joy and peace. For example, recently I have found joy in the fact that it is staying light longer. After a long winter of people complaining about how daylight saving ruined their lives on my Twitter feed, I was pleased when the sun decided to set a little later. The simple anticipation of a new season with new beginnings has kept me grounded in good news the past few weeks. Another example: I have recently been excited over the fact that I will never have to experience an awkward first day of college where I don’t know anybody. Thanks to Zoom, I have made friends and will recognize familiar faces on campus — at least from the waist up. This little perk of online school makes me appreciate the connection Zoom brings, and I am thankful that I took the time to realize that. Whether it’s a simple cup of coffee in the morning, FaceTiming friends or finishing a good book, the little things in my life bring me joy on a daily basis. When I was forced to slow down, I had to find beauty in the simplicity of my life, instead of always racing from one thing to the next to keep me occupied. There’s an analogy that I love called “Summit Fever.” Well, it’s not actually an analogy, it’s a real thing. Sometimes, hikers will be so anxious to get to the top of the mountain that they over-exert themselves on the way up. They race to the summit, out of breath, and then once they get there they realize they missed the best part — the journey. I think the same thing is true for our lives. If we are always racing to the top, or to the next thing, then we are going to miss the best parts — the simple parts of life. I understand that it sounds cliché to say it’s important to find the good in small interactions, but if we don’t appreciate the little things, then how do we know we’ll fully appreciate the big things? As life starts to get busier again, and we start moving forward toward normal life, I want to continue to practice gratitude and find joy in the simplicity of life. If you’ve been struggling to find some good news recently, I’d encourage you to slow down and take notice of the simple things that happen in your life that could bring you a little joy in the midst of an unprecedented time.

Tamie D aniel s was swo r n in as new j un io r c l as s s enat o r.

( Sca n a n d scr o l l t o t he bot t om of t he page )

@Peppnewswaves

F E B R UA RY 2 5 , 2 0 2 1 | N E W S | P E P P E R DINE G RA P H I C ME D I A

REOPENING FRO M A1

Ali Levens | Photo editor

Pepperdine Welcomes Students Back To Campus Ashley Mo w r eader New s Edi tor For the first time in almost a year, students gathered at Pepperdine’s Mullin Town Square, laughing, chatting and eating — a rare sign of the physical Pepperdine community. Pepperdine reopened for limited in-person activities Wednesday, Feb. 24, following a Public Relations email Tuesday, Feb. 23, announcing new LA County allowances for colleges and universities. Payson Library and Malibu campus’ outdoor spaces are now open to registered students, faculty and staff for the first time since campus closure in March 2020. “For me, it’s like a sense of hope,” said Connie Horton, vice president for Student Affairs. “To actually be here, it’s just even better, it’s just so great. It’s finally moving in the right direction.”

Pepperdine handed out free Chick-fil-A and burritos to students, faculty and staff on campus as a celebration and also as a sign that they are prepared for COVID-19 regulations and precautions, Horton said. “Even though this isn’t the big celebration yet, we wanted to say ‘welcome back students’ to the ones who are able to come,” Horton said. President Jim Gash installed a lamp on campus next to the statue of George Pepperdine last spring as a beacon of hope for students’ return to campus and Gash promised the lamp would stay lit until students came back. The lamp remained on today, because while students are allowed to come back for some activities, “we’re only kind of back,” Gash said. “Not everybody’s back and we’re not fully here on campus yet,” Gash said. “It continues to be

our priority — ensuring that every student who wants to come back on campus, and those who want to live on campus, are able to do so.” Junior Sydney Gates came on campus to study in Payson Library and said she felt safe coming back with the safety precautions in place. “I think it’s a really good time to open up because I know that a lot of people need a space to go right now,” Gates said. “Especially because Zoom is just so hard on students and creating an environment where they can learn and be back on campus and started to feel a little bit more normal, I think is a really good idea.” Library employees estimated around 45 students were studying in Payson at noon on Wednesday, with a student arriving about every minute. Students filled out an online reservation check-in form and could only sit in their reserved

areas of the library. The library provided hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes for students to wipe down their spots before and after their reservations, and students checked out upon departure. Junior Andrew Fest started working for the library Wednesday and served as a greeter and helped students check-in and orient themselves with the new library procedures. Fest shared hopes for a larger reopening later, with more student groups and activities happening on campus. “I’m just really looking forward to it all opening up more and more and more for sure,” Fest said. Gash said the University is going to continue to abide by national, state and county guidelines for reopening including social distancing and masking policies, but as COVID-19 case numbers continue to drop across California, administration remains hopeful

for larger allowances on campus. “I couldn’t be happier today,” Gash said. “I’m sure I will be happier when they fully release all of the restrictions, and I can take this [mask] off. But for right now, I want to just appreciate the joy that comes with seeing students back together on campus.” Seaver Dean Michael Feltner affirmed this partial reopening is a step in the right direction, but the University is hoping to stop stepping and start running, Feltner said. “You have to start somewhere and today we’re taking our first step toward what we all hope for and longed for and that’s to have everyone back in the fullness of Seaver college and Pepperdine University,” Feltner said.

ASHL EY.M OW R EADER @PEPPER DINE.EDU

Social media distributes information, student reactions regarding partial campus reopening M akena Huey Execu ti ve Editor Social media is at the forefront following Pepperdine’s Tuesday, Feb. 23 announcement of a partial campus reopening. Members of the Pepperdine community utilize the various platforms to distribute information and share reactions, continuing to build community virtually even as they are able to return to the Malibu campus. Due to improved COVID-19 rates in LA County, the LA Department of Public Health is permitting Pepperdine and other universities in the county to allow registered students, faculty and staff on campus for limited in-person activities starting Wednesday, Feb. 24, according to a Feb. 23, Public Relations email. “Social media has rapidly evolved in utility and importance as a result of the pandemic,” SGA President Chase Johnson wrote in an email. “It provides some level of continuity to our community but sometimes can negatively affect our mental health. The strengths and weaknesses of social media use are important.” University Communication Following the official Universi-

ty email Tuesday, Feb. 23, Pepperdine posted a similar announcement on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. As of Wednesday, Feb. 24, the Instagram post had over 2,000 likes and around 10 comments. Most of the feedback is positive, but several users have mentioned the last-minute nature of the announcement and the disappointment of students not living in the LA area. One user commented, “You need to open for all the students, not just a limited few,” while another commented, “Bummer for all the students stuck at home in different states without their friends. Only exciting for the students who are already better off because they are in Malibu with their peers.” Nate Ethell, director of Communications and Brand Development, said Pepperdine’s official and primary form of communication is email. In the past, Pepperdine tried to share announcements via email and social media simultaneously. However, after hearing the frustration of students who first learned that campus would be closed for the fall 2020 semester from Instagram due to delayed emails, the University now ensures that emails are delivered before an-

nouncements are posted on social media, Ethell said. The University uses Salesforce Marketing Cloud to email all students at the same time. The brief delay that some students experience is due to the nature of broadcast emails and is not in the University’s control, Ethell said. “Social media is meant to be a supplemental form of communication to amplify the official emails,” Ethell said. Ethell said University administrators are having regular conversations with LA County about the next steps for the Pepperdine community and will continue to update students via email and social media. “Our goal is to provide clear, transparent and prompt information,” Ethell said. Information from SGA Aside from official University announcements, one of the primary resources regarding the reopening is the Student Government Association’s social media posts, which condense lengthy updates into more concise, accessible information. “SGA’s primary objective is to bridge the information and communication gap between the student body and administration,”

Johnson wrote. “We’ve heard time and time again that students want a consistent pulse on decision-making.” SGA’s Monday, Feb. 22 Instagram post provided information that students “need to know,” including maximum capacities and safety guidelines. Most of the comments on the post were positive, expressing excitement and hope through the use of emojis. “From what I’ve seen, students are optimistic that we are moving in the right direction,” Johnson wrote. “There is excitement about the limited campus access that began today and renewed hope for even brighter days ahead.” One student, however, commented: “Why though? The majority of us won’t be able to get the vaccine until at least may so are they really going to bring thousands of unvaccinated students who haven’t seen each other in a year? That seems so stupid.” SGA’s Instagram bio contains links related to the reopening, including to the Daily Wellness Check and Payson Library reservations. Johnson wrote that he believes students value social media posts just as much as emails when it comes to Pepperdine-related news; representatives will continue

to answer students’ questions and share University updates while making an effort to engage students unable to visit campus. Social Media Reactions One day after Pepperdine posted a reel of the scenic bird’s-eyeview of campus, students took to various social media platforms to react to the news of the ability to return to campus after 11 months. Photos of Alumni Park and main campus flooded Instagram stories, and President Jim Gash posted a photo of himself welcoming Waves back to campus with free food. The majority of students posting on Twitter were most excited about the reopening of Payson Library. Pepperdine will continue to update community members regarding COVID-19 guidelines via email, social media and the emergency information page.

M AK ENA.HUEY@PEPPER DINE.EDU

Campus reopening Bursts athletics Bubble Paxt o n r it chley Spor ts Edi t or While Pepperdine’s recent reopening measures have been good news for students who have been waiting for nearly a year to set foot on campus, the news drew mixed reactions from athletes who have been using campus to quarantine and compete. For student-athletes, the opening of large areas of campus to the entire student population cuts down on areas they can go. Since NCAA competition resumed in late November, athletes have been under a strict lockdown, only coming on campus to practice or lift weights. With the threat of one positive test having the potential to derail a season for weeks at a time, athletes often avoid non-teammate friends and family while off-campus. This total separation will continue after the latest reopening measures that

opened libraries and study spaces. “We are following LA County guidelines and keeping our Student Athletes separated from the Pepperdine Student population while using library spaces,” wrote Assistant Director of Athletics Kevin Wright in an email to student-athletes Tuesday, Feb. 23. Per the email, student-athletes are the only group that can use the Drescher library, and will not have access to Payson or other main campus buildings. “To keep the team COVIDfree, it’s a sacrifice that’s worth being made,” junior swimmer Pia Anderson said. The severe COVID-19 protocols extend to games as well, as athletes are prohibited from sitting next to each other. Because these restrictions remain in place, the idea that everyday students can now mingle in Payson and main campus doesn’t sit well with some athletes.

“It’s a little hypocritical that our team gets tested frequently, but now all of [a] sudden any student can come onto campus using the ‘green dot?’” wrote an anonymous source in a text message to the Graphic. “The green dot doesn’t prove anything because the answers people put down don’t require any evidence of being safe/ healthy. But those of us who get tested and have proof of health aren’t allowed to be together?” Pepperdine baseball pitcher Michael Mahony said he wondered why parents of athletes still weren’t allowed on campus when students were. “They pay for us to come to Pepperdine and, for whatever reason, they aren’t allowed to come watch the games,” Mahony said. “But regular students, who are higher risk to health and safety, are allowed to come onto campus. That doesn’t make much sense at all.”

Some athletes welcome the addition of more people to campus. “I love the hustle and bustle of Pepperdine,” Anderson said. “I’m looking forward to seeing some familiar faces that aren’t on my team.” With swimming being a lower-contact sport than many others on campus, Anderson said their coaches told them to stay away from large gatherings of non-athletes but essentially are just trusting the swimmers to be smart. “We have been really fortunate to have not had any positive COVID-19 tests as a team this entire season,” Anderson said. “I think our coaches take that into account and know that we will continue to do what we’ve been doing to keep that trend going.” Still, another athlete who texted the Graphic described the fear of being “blamed” for ruining the season if they were the one to test positive, especially if the athlete

felt they were adhering to protocol. While Anderson said she had a “positive view” of other Pepperdine students and didn’t know of anyone who was being unsafe, she acknowledged the extra pressure that athletes are under. Anderson said a separate email that told athletes they “have an image and a duty to uphold” as representatives of Pepperdine but she believes that standard applies to other students. “I think students are really grateful to have the opportunity to be on campus,” Anderson said. “Athlete or not, I think everyone who is able to return will uphold their image and their duty to the school as well.”

PAX TON.R ITC HEY@PEPPER DINE.EDU

P E P P E R DINE GR A P HIC M E DIA | N E W S | F E B R U A RY 25 , 20 21

Pepperdine Volunteer Center focuses on education during remote semester Sam T o r re New s Ass i s tan t After the move to virtual volunteering, the Pepperdine Volunteer Center found new ways to both serve the area around the University and engage students within their communities at home. At the same time, the PVC transitioned from direct service to learning about the communities served. The PVC suspended service opportunities such as Project Serve for the year, and programs like Jumpstart are discovering ways to operate within a virtual setting. This allows the programs to evaluate how to best fit their communities. “Learning is the real key this year,” PVC Director Peter Thompson said. “And learning and serving are always tied together, but this year since serving looks different — engaging the community looks different — we’re really hoping that students are taking the chance to think about themselves, about the community, how to engage effectively and what they care about, what issues that are relevant and important to them.” The PVC Assesses Project Serve Project Serve is a service opportunity for students to spend spring break helping communities in need across the United States and abroad but was suspended for the 2020–2021 academic year. Team leaders on Project Serve are able to take a class through the nonprofit management minor, Thompson said. The PVC looked for a way to offer this class in a meaningful way with the spring break trip unable to happen, but ultimately suspended it. “We just know without the rootedness in the week of service and engagement, this class would not be as effective, and so we are taking a break this year from that class,” Thompson said. “But it’s still in the course catalog and we’ll still be bringing it up next year, and we’ll be revamping Project Serve.”

The PVC acknowledges the challenges that come with sending Pepperdine students to a community they are not familiar with, Thompson said. The PVC is stepping away from the traditional program and assessing the skills students need when participating in the program. “We can learn about historical narratives of different communities and different populations as you are immersed in that, in their community, in their setting and learn what’s happening there so that you’re, you get to again deepen your knowledge, deepen your commitment for justice and deepen your portfolio of how to make change happen,” Thompson said.

We tr y to have something that’s ongoing, that just engage[s] in your backyard, your community, your neighborhood, something that we know you can do so it’s an encouragement there. Peter Thompson Pepperdine volunteer center director PVC Focuses on Pathways To Service The PVC is centering on four areas of social justice issues, said senior Kayla Washington, a weekly service intern. Interns help the

four teams find service opportunities in their social justice area. The areas are, Washington said: All Ages and Abilities, which works with people with exceptional needs and provides resources to the elderly and younger students; Human Rights, which provides resources to marginalized communities; Sustainability, which focuses on environmental programming; and Education Equity, which works with students and English learners. Senior and Service Intern Konnor-Ashley Randlett said each of the four teams has five service members who strive to create a more holistic view of service. “We try to have something that’s ongoing, that just engage[s] in your backyard, your community, your neighborhood, something that we know you can do so it’s an encouragement there,” Thompson said. The PVC also partnered with Stanford University’s Haas Center for Public Service, Thompson said, and is highlighting six different ways to serve within different areas of their website. Direct service is most common within the PVC but there is also Philanthropy, Policy and Governance, Social Entrepreneurship and Corporate Responsibility, Community Mobilizing and Activism, and Community Engaged Learning and Research. The groups are creating a quiz where students can find out which of the six pathways fits them best, Randlett said. “We’re noticing that not everyone’s form is direct service,” Randlett said. “And it’s also very hard in a pandemic to have service opportunities.” The PVC tries to educate and connect people to different social justice opportunities, Randlett said. The goal for the teams is to make the PVC not only a place of direct service but also a place of change. “Education is a big part of service and activism, and we really want to be able to have a well-rounded view of service in the PVC and not just, like, ‘Oh, you

can go and do something and then you’re fine,’” Washington said. “’You don’t have to worry. You don’t have to do anything else you can only do it once and they’ll be fine,’ because all those aren’t true.” Jumpstart Volunteers Connect With Preschools Virtually Jumpstart is a national service project run through AmeriCorps, Jumpstart Coordinator Stacy Rouse said. The majority of the students in Jumpstart sign a contract with AmeriCorps for the year and receive an education award. Each year, there are 5 to 10 slots for students who do not contract with AmeriCorps but still participate in the same activities AmeriCorps students do. This semester, Jumpstart is over the usual recruitment level, Rouse said. There are a total of 89 students who are core members and team leaders and an additional six students who are office leaders. Office leaders are non-AmeriCorps students who do not work in the classroom but help with training and recruitment. This year, there are a total of 12 teams of students and 15 preschool classrooms, Rouse said. Jumpstart students work virtually, and 14 out of the 15 classrooms are virtual as well. Jumpstart was able to add more classrooms because of the virtual nature of the program. “I think jobs are needed this year, and a lot of jobs weren’t transferable into an online setting so Jumpstart being able to be online and being so flexible with time zones and in jobs and being hands-on, it was a good option,” Rouse said. Derek Pinto, senior Jumpstart intern and team leader, said he works with five core members twice a week. In his two classes, he has 20 preschoolers in total, and the team works to provide resources to the classroom and give the teachers a break. “We try to make it engaging and fitting with the teacher and their topics,” Pinto said. “We have our own curriculums but they,

the teams that we work with, have worked with us for a while so they kind of know. So we sometimes work with them based on what they’ve done in class.” In total, about 250 children between the ages of 3 to 5 utilize the Jumpstart program, Rouse said. Volunteers use asynchronous learning tools, such as pre-recorded videos and synchronous class time to provide a safe learning environment for the preschoolers. “They’re trying to be really visual and also just slow down and have it not have maybe so much quantity but keep the quality of a back and forth exchange between the students and the preschoolers,” Rouse said. In the synchronous meetings, volunteers focus their lessons and activities on the book of the week, teaching vocabulary from the book and emotional vocabulary in addition to reading comprehension, Pinto said. There are also centers such as a writing center, an art center and a center for dramatic play. This year, Jumpstart added a motion center to keep the preschoolers moving. “We try every time to be able to have something kinetic or kinesthetic in some way, where the kids can motion it out, or where they can enact it physically,” Rouse said. One of our centers is dramatic play, and so they try to do lots of imagination and pretending.” Some team members who know American Sign Language are incorporating movement through sign language lessons, Rouse said. This semester, Jumpstart is taking what it has learned about being virtual in the fall and incorporating creativity, Rouse said. “It’s exhausting for preschoolers and teachers and college students to be online and so I think the variety and the different energy kind of makes a difference,” Rouse said. “And helping the teachers, all of us are new at this so having that collaborative space to talk about what works and what we can help can hone our craft and learn.”

SAM .TOR R E@PEPPER DINE.EDU

SGA’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council seeks Seaver student input C lair e Lee Staf f W r i te r Pepperdine Student Government Association’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council is expanding its team to include more student voices this spring. Junior and SGA President Chase Johnson said SGA created the council in fall 2020 and is opening up the council to more students this spring. As of Feb. 12, the council has 21 members; students are able to join without having to run or be appointed. “The ultimate goal is for any student on campus to be able to come to a Pepperdine classroom and exist as somebody who is authentically themselves — somebody who’s not making the accommodations or stripping themselves of their cultural background, their heritage to fit a certain norm,” said Sierra Bell, senior and co-director of the DEI Council. Junior and co-director of the DEI Council Kenzi Bishara said his and Bell’s roles exist to highlight issues of racial contention to faculty and shape the community to be more representative, validating and affirming. “It’s hard being a Black student here because I feel like you’re almost left out here to dry and almost makes it feel like you’re playing the victim or you’re just amplifying issues beyond what they are,” Bishara said. “It leads to this dynamic where we feel as if our needs, our

concerns, our emotions aren’t being validated, which creates a lot of hurt.” On its website, the University has a statement about Pepperdine’s commitment to diversity; the University also provides students with opportunities to promote diversity and representation through clubs and organizations. While Pepperdine shows its support for diversity through such initiatives, students continue to express dissatisfaction with the slow progress as well as the need for more urgency and emphasis. “I have had a very difficult experience here as a Black student at Pepperdine and I’ll be totally upfront and candid about that,” Bishara said. “That’s the reality here, and I know that’s the reality for a lot of students.” The DEI Council facilitated two listening sessions in the fall of 2020 for Seaver students to directly speak with President Jim Gash through Zoom. “It was nice to have [the administration] there to kinda hear from us directly rather than through like other sources and just to actually hear our voices; that was really nice,” Bishara said. “Now it’s just a matter of what will be implemented in response to what was expressed.” Last semester, the Armenian Student Association and the DEI council worked together to legislate an SGA resolution that advocated for recognition of the conflict facing the Armenian community and

Photo courtesy of Sierra Bell Stronger Together |Student Government Association’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council holds its first meeting of the spring semester. The directors led the meeting, which brought both old and new members together for the first time. support from the Pepperdine community, Johnson said. SGA passed a similar resolution with ASA in March 2017, but Bell said action wasn’t enforced after the previous resolution. Due to the deeply personal and political events that the Pepperdine Armenian community faced in the fall, the DEI Council picked up where things were dropped in previous years. The council collaborated with ASA, emphasizing they cannot make a resolution in the best interest of a group they are not a part of. “We draft legislation that chang-

es how things happen at Pepperdine and that’s why it’s so important for us to connect with the people around us because we can’t serve anyone without knowing what they need,” Bell said. “These are big steps, and there’s opportunity here for actual change to be made. It just requires a substantial amount of togetherness for it to be taken seriously.” By working behind the scenes, Bell said she sees the people who care about these issues and are working to find solutions. “I also do really believe that we are a part of a school that’s gov-

erned by really well-intentioned people,” Bell said. The council meets every other week. If students are interested in joining, they can fill out an online form on SGA’s Linktree, Bell said. “We’re bringing our whole hearts to this, and I want to say that we, student body, we see you,” Bell said. “We’re coming with our own determination, we’re coming with our own senses of passion, we’re coming with our own life experience, we’re coming with education; a lot of it that Pepperdine has equipped us with and a lot that Pepperdine hasn’t.” C L AIR E.L EE@PEPPER DINE.EDU

FEBRUA RY 2 5 , 2 0 2 1 | PE RS PE C TIVE S | P E P P E R D I N E G RA P H I C ME D I A

PERSPECTIVES STAFF EDITORIAL

Broadcast Black culture, Black history and Black lives

riginally Negro History Week, President Gerald Ford announced Black History Month as a national observance in 1976. For many, it is a chance to take initiative to teach, appreciate and acknowledge Black American contributions to our nation. Black History Month is different this year. Due to the recent racial justice movement that took place last year after the murder of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and so many others, this February is special. It is not only a chance to remember the Black activists who have come before us, but also a time to remember Black people whose lives have been taken from us. Additionally, this month is a chance to address those around you who are engaging in conscious or subconscious racism. Once we all stand together and take action, change will come. Everyone should continue to maintain this movement by acknowledging the unique ways Black people interact in the world, participating in the fight against racism and continuing to perfect what it means to be an ally to the Black community. Unique Ways of Celebrating the Black Community Black History Month showcases the distinct and special ways Black people contribute to life in the United States. This ranges from hairstyles and fashion to every day mannerisms. For instance, Black people tend to have coarser hair, which comes with various styles. Some of these styles include braids, natural hair, afros and cornrows, all of which have ties to slavery. Even in slave times, for example, Black people found ways to salvage their history. Black people also create many of the style trends people in the United States love. Hoop earrings, the pairing of sneakers with an outfit, monochromatic color schemes — like the amazing look Michelle Obama rocked at the Inauguration — and nail styles are just a few of the trends today that were all staples of the Black community. Yet, despite being the trendsetters of the United States, many don't give Black people their deserved credit. Instead, cultural appropriation takes place, and white individuals take on the trends as if they were their own. Others can see examples of this with Black speech. While it can be referenced by the term

Ebonics, African-American Vernacular English is a valid English dialect with actual grammar rules. While sociologists and linguists continue to debate the origins, Black individuals clearly used AAVE during the slave trade, coming from West African dialects and Creole and Caribbean speaking mannerisms. Despite this language rising from the depths of an oppressed community, it's regarded as false, inaccurate or "ghetto." Yet the mainstream culture is now in love with AAVE and uses it whenever they can. This is evident through the addition of new words like "ain't" and the overuse of AAVE slang. Black people's history and Black lives are of constant creation. Their history in the United States began with others stripping them of their pasts, their lives and their identities. In return, the Black community created their own styles, cooking, mannerisms and dialect. Understanding that beauty and lifestyle — while understanding the nuances they have as individuals — is the crux to celebrating and appreciating Black history and Black people. Participating in the Fight Against Racism Now, people are hearing phrases such as "anti-racist" and "appropriation versus appreciation," but what does that mean and how does someone be anti-racist? First off, no one is an antiracist. In society, we like to add labels to things like saying, "I am a good person," but that isn't true. People make conscious efforts to do good things every day. Hence, we just say, "That's a good person," but in reality, we are describing this constant action — this constant state of being. This is what being anti-racist means. There are institutional issues within society that people can work to change. Institutional racism is a hotly debated topic when it's clear that racism is an institution in the United States. The real issue in this debate is that people get upset and confuse systematic and institutional. Institutional is essentially a broad sense of norms and beliefs, such as how Pepperdine is institutionally a Christian University. Systematic, on the other hand, refers to the actual current inner workings and procedures of an institution or organization.

*The Perspectives section is meant to showcase a variety of opinion and encourage discussion that is respectful and accurate.

MISSION STATEMENT

samantha miller | art assistant editor Nonetheless, when people — in most cases conservative — say systematic racism doesn't exist anymore, they are right. Jim Crow Laws have been abolished, but Black people aren't talking about systematic racism — they are talking about systemic racism. Systemic refers to something that is throughout an entire body or system which is why people use it interchangeably with institutional. However, like the game telephone, when someone tries to retell something, sometimes the meaning or the words get changed or are misunderstood. To be anti-racist, people must be aware of these minor details and work to outline the ways people perpetuate institutional racism. This goes back to understanding appropriation versus appreciation. Black language, styles and mannerisms are amazing and being aware of that is wonderful. But, if others continue to demonize Black people for having acrylic nails and having box braids, while white individuals are not demonized, then that is appropriation. This Black History Month, work on seeing through the deceptions of how others hide and dismiss racism. Continue to hold others accountable and choose to constantly and consistently be anti-racist. Be a Better Ally Now, what are more specific ways to help out? Saying a person is anti-racist is one thing, but what does it look like for the every day average person? Simple. Highlight Black voices. When someone who is Black is talking about their experience, make sure their voice is heard. Even when no one is around be, knowledgeable and talk about these issues. Even if someone doesn't know much, they should still talk and learn from others. Next, people can ask

questions. This doesn't mean asking one Black person everything about Black culture. It means trying to find suitable resources, whether it's through books, online resources or people who are comfortable talking about their experiences. People can also use their societal privilege. Everyone has some sort of advantage — whether educational or by being the racial majority — so go into those spaces where those benefits are most advantageous and speak, educate and show resources about the Black community. Honestly, there is no unilateral way to be an ally, just like there is no one way to be Black. All anyone has to do is support, appreciate and protect Black lives. At the end of the day, race is a part of life; no one needs to be color blind to it. Acknowledge it, be aware of its negative effect and minimize it. Only then can people shine and embrace the positive and amazing things that come with it, like a more inclusive nation. Black History Month is not only for Black People. Everyone can and should participate. Black people are found in almost every society, in every culture, all around the globe. In the United States, we can see the amalgamation of those people coming together to make a community, a culture and a way of life. It's Black History Month — and Black is Bold, Black is Brave, Black is Beautiful and Black is Beyond the Bonds of strife. Remember that.

“Pepperdine Graphic Media (PGM) is an editorially independent student news organization that focuses on Pepperdine University and the surrounding communities. PGM consists of the digital and print Graphic, a variety of special publications, GNews, Currents Magazine, social media platforms and an Advertising Department. These platforms serve the community with news, opinion, contemporary information and a public forum for discussion. PGM strengthens students for purpose, service and leadership by developing their skills in writing, editing and publication production, by providing a vehicle to integrate and implement their liberal arts education, and by developing students’ critical thinking through independent editorial judgment. PGM participates in Pepperdine’s Christian mission and affirmations, especially the pursuit of truth, excellence and freedom in a context of public service. Although PGM reports about Pepperdine University and coordinates with curricula in journalism and other disciplines, it is a student (not a University) news organization. Views expressed are diverse and, of course, do not correspond to all views of any University board, administration, faculty, staff, student or other constituency.”

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters to the Editor must bear the writer’s name, signature, class standing, major, address and phone number (except in some circumstances determined appropriate by the Graphic). Letters must be fewer than 300 words and will be edited for syntax, grammar and brevity. Letters can be mailed to student publications or emailed to peppgraphicmedia@gmail.com

Phone: 310-506-4311

Brianna Willis, Digital editor brianna.willis@pepperdine.edu Anitiz Muonagolu, Perspectives editor aj.muonagolu@pepperdine.edu

Address: Graphic Pepperdine University 24255 Pacific Coast Hwy. Malibu, CA 90263

STAFF LIST Executive Editor Makena Huey Managing Editor Rowan Toke Digital Editor Brianna Willis Copy Chief Tiffany Hall Pixel Editor Emily Shaw Video Producer Marisa Dragos Head Podcast Producer Kaelin Mendez Business Director Hadley Biggs Advertising Director Sahej Bhasin Photo Editor Allison Levens News Editor Ashley Mowreader News Assistant Editors Natalie Hardt Kyle McCabe

News Assistants Annabelle Childers Miles Cambell Reagan Phillips Samantha Torre Abby Wilt News Staff Writers Claire Lee Joseph Allgood Life & Arts Editor Sofia Longo Life & Arts Assistant Editor Beth Gonzales Life & Arts Assistants Harleen Chhabra Heath Slavens Life & Arts Staff Writers Lindsay Mase Addison Whiten Grace Wood Stella Zhang Xinyun Wang Life & Arts Copy Editor Yamillah Hurtado Perspectives Editor

Anitiz Muonagolu Perspectives Assistant Editors Christian Parham Sawa Yamakawa Perspectives Assistant Emily Chase Perspectives Staff Writers Sarah Best Joshua Evans Alice Han Bryant Yang Perspectives Copy Editor Ryan Bresingham Sports Editor Paxton Ritchey Sports Assistant Editor Justin Touhey Sports Assistant Camryn Jones Sports Staff Writers Austin Hall Karl Winter Calvin Wood Sports Copy Editor Alec Matulka

Art Editor Allyson Armstrong Art Assistant Editor Samantha Miller Staff Artists Leah Bae Madeline Duvall Autumn Hardwick Nicole Wong Brian Zhou Lead Designer Isabella Teague Life & Arts Design Assistant Nathan Huang Perspectives Design Assistant Rachel Marek Sports Design Assistant Lauren Kinder Staff Photographers Leah Bae Ashton Bell Ryan Brinkman Keonabelle Paniagua Head Podcast Producer Kaelin Mendez

Assistant Head Podcast Producer Anitiz Muonagolu Podcast Producers Ivy Moore Paxton Ritchey Lindsey Sullivan Emily Shaw Karl Winter Podcast Production Assistants Misha Semenov Celine Foreman Advertising Director Sahej Bhasin Advertising Representative Cristobal Delgado Marketing Coordinator Bryant Loney Social Team Claudia Hardianto Madilyn Henshaw Inez Kim Abby Wilt Karl Winter

FEBRUA RY 2 5 , 2 0 2 1 | PE RS PE C TIVE S | P E P P E R D I N E G RA P H I C ME D I A

Reclaim ALM — Asian Lives Matter

Anitiz Muonagolu Perspectives Editor

People love to say "All Lives Matter" but continue to ignore the plights of POC. The United States heard reports of elderly Asian Lives being attacked during Lunar New Year, but the nation doesn't always seem to acknowledge discrimination against the Asian community. Why does society overlook the Asian minority, and how can others support and promote their safety? It starts with understanding when the rise in Asian hate crimes began, then disbanding the model minority myth and finally highlighting the importance of Asian Lives. The surge of Asian-based hate crimes began at the start of the pandemic in 2020. Trump called the virus the "kung flu," and labeled China the cause of COVID-19. This statement shifted hate toward Asian Americans, especially those who are Chinese. In April, Asian Americans self-reported over 1,800 reports of hate crimes, according to Stop AAPI Hate. There was even a campaign with the hashtag #WashTheHate to talk

about and combat Asian discrimination, as explained in an April Graphic article. Yet, in the midst of the pandemic and the subsequent start of the BLM movement, focus on Asian Lives seemed to be lost. Asian Americans stepped up and supported the BLM movement even with the increase in hate crimes toward their own community. This begs the question: Why aren't more POC and Black individuals doing the same for the Asian Community? It may be because of the model minority myth. The model minority stereotype began toward the end of World War II when China partnered with the United States after the repealing of Executive Order 9066, which allowed for the legal internment of Japanese citizens in

America. To make amends with Asian citizens and to keep China as an ally, America shifted its public relationship with Chinese Americans through mainstream media and government propaganda, according to a historical overview by the University of Delaware. Nonetheless, the phrase "model minority" didn't get coined until the 1960s when the Chicano and Civil Rights movements were in full swing. In 1966, magazines posted the success of Japanese and Chinese Americans and labeled them the model minority, which was then used to disprove issues brought up by Civil and Chicano Rights leaders and activists, according to an article in the Community College Journal of Research and Practice. Even though the model

which results in some Asian students' learning disabilities remaining undiagnosed; and the ignorance toward work-place discrimination, according to a Wiley Online Library article. Simply put, POC need to support Asian Americans just as the Asian community did for the BLM Movement. Asian Americans aren't some model minority, nor are they a race that is free from racism and discrimination in America. People need to remember racism and discrimination Ally Armstrong |Art Editor aren't unilateral and they take specific shapes in minority myth does display different minority groups. Asian individuals in a Recognize that Asian positive light, its intention Americans are hurting, just is to diminish the existence like Black and other POC of racism and support the lives, and need support. status quo that perpetuates Obviously, those who white supremacy in are a part of the majority America. also need to be advocates Asian Americans are the and use their privilege to targets of the most nonspeak out on hate crimes white hate crimes at 25.5%, against all minority groups. compared to Black and But most importantly, all Hispanic individuals who minority groups need to only receive 1% and 18% support one another. respectively, according America doesn't favor to the National Center of any group that isn't in line Biotechnology Information. with its white narrative, That means POC are also and other minority groups targeting Asian Americans, hurting one another isn't which is ludicrous since all going to alleviate the pain minority groups suffer from any minority group is discrimination by the white already suffering. majority in America. The So if anyone ever says model minority myth causes ALM, tell them they are specific harms to the Asian right because Asian Lives American community, do Matter! such as ignoring the lowincome, Asian American community; higher expectations in education, AJ.M UONAGOL U@PEPPER DINE.EDU

Beyond the Trend — Advocate for Black people in daily life

Christian Parham P e r s p e c t i v e s A s s i s ta n t E d i t o r

On June 2, 2020, black squares flooded many people's Instagram feeds. These squares were part of the Blackout Tuesday movement. Beyond just a post, the black square signified one's solidarity and allyship with the Black community after the killing of innocent George Floyd on May 25, 2020. Seven months after Blackout Tuesday, the Black Lives Matter Movement is no longer trending on social media. Despite this, many people around the world aspire to stand with the Black community against racism. When people are no longer reminded of the importance and value of Black lives through social media posts and daily news, what are ways to consciously continue in allyship and being antiracist? To answer this question, it is important to understand what allyship is — the lifelong process of walking alongside marginalized individuals or groups and a commitment to empathizing, learning and supporting them. This highlights allyship as being continuous throughout one's life, meaning one never stops learning about how to better acknowledge and fight against injustices. One of the most important aspects of

allyship is humility. Humility is a reminder that it is OK to not get everything right and admit there is always something new to deepen your understanding of racial dynamics. By embarking on this journey, people challenge themselves to deconstruct narratives fed to them subconsciously since childhood. One can see this narrative when 65% of Black Americans experience people acting cautious around them, according to Pew Research Center. Throughout media forms, the racialization of crime reports subconsciously pushes this idea of Black people having criminal intent, beginning at a very young age. Alongside humility, part of allyship and being anti-racist is calling out derogatory remarks toward the Black diaspora. When you hear a family member or friend make a racist comment, question their intentions behind what they said. Where did they learn this from, and what are ways to challenge the narrative they believe? While addressing these comments may not change a person's heart, it could impact their thoughts moving forward — there is research to prove it. A 10 minute conversation encouraging people to actively understand the perspective of others can significantly reduce prejudice for at least three months, according to a Science study. Sometimes, these comments are made in ignorance rather than blatant disrespect and

Samantha Miller | Art Assistant Editor the person simply needs education. Anti-Blackness perpetuates American history, which intrinsically disenfranchises Black people. It takes effort and dedication to train one's mind to no longer subscribe to those beliefs. Additionally, amplifying Black voices is a significant way allies can foster equality within American society. Representation of Black voices is important in all areas, but specifically in media. Despite this, even in 2021, it is sorely lacking. By advocating for the inclusion of marginalized voices, it ensures the acknowledgement of the Black experience. To do this, one can support Black artists through buying their media and literature. With this support, cosumers signify to companies the importance of diverse perspectives to increase people’s understanding and awareness of societal issues. An example of Black media to support is the 2013 film "Fruitvale Station," written and

directed by Black filmmaker Ryan Coogler. A more recent example is 2020 film "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," which features Black writers and directors. If companies recognize people's desire to hear more Black voices, it will bolster efforts to recruit more Black people into their organizations. Another important part of allyship is continuing to spread awareness about issues affecting the Black community. For different people, this can take a variety of forms. Some may frequently post on social media about Black issues, while others may prefer to share with those belonging to their immediate social circle. Other ways could include sharing Black work or donating to organizations with a mission to advance Black people. Some great examples of organizations are the NAACP and the Equal Justice Initiative. No matter how it’s done, spreading awareness is deeply appreciated and necessary in continuing the work of being anti-racist.

Finally, allyship means celebrating Black history and achievements all year long. While February specifically is dedicated as Black History Month, there are other ways to celebrate it during one's daily life. One way could be watching documentaries that examine the experiences of Black Americans within history. A great starting point is "Freedom Riders," but there are countless others available to watch. Undoubtedly, the work of allyship and being anti-racist is incredibly challenging. By doing this work, there is a tangible way in which one can change the world by advocating for a more equal and just union.

C HR ISTIAN.PAR HAM @PEPPER DINE.EDU

FEBR UA RY 2 5 , 2 0 2 1 | PE RS PE C TIVE S | P E P P E R D I N E G RA P H I C ME D I A

Provide equal opportunities to students with foreign academic backgrounds

S awa ya m a k awa A s s i s ta n t P e r s p e c t i v e s Editor University education is expensive, which is why some students choose to graduate early or pursue a dual degree. These options, however, are privileges. At Pepperdine University, incoming Seaver students have the opportunity to waive some general education classes by transferring their universitylevel exam scores, including Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate. By submitting these scores, elligible students have flexibility in their schedules, whether it be adding a major, taking extra classes or graduating early. Yet, some students — mostly international — do not have the chance to take placement exams even if they wanted to simply because their high schools do not offer such programs. While students who attended American high schools or schools with Pepperdineapproved curriculum can benefit from their accredited classes, those who attended schools without these internationally recognized programs do not have the luxury of waiving courses. Inevitably, those unable to waive classes must plan their schedules to ensure all GE classes are taken before graduation, even if they have

taken similar college-level courses during high school. Junior Business Administration major Maneesh Tekwani graduated from a high school in Thailand that offered IB curriculum. Although Tekwani was able to transfer 12 units, including calculus, Tekwani still had to take a calculus class at Pepperdine, when students with AP credits did not. "I learned business application of calculus in the IB class. But, people who took AP Calculus were able to clear that class, and they didn't learn the business application," Tekwani said. Seaver College must recognize that by adopting a system that only benefits students who have access to specific resources, it is undermining the education international students receive at their home institutions. So, how can Pepperdine ensure equal opportunities for all students? There is a potential way to combat this problem: Implement Pepperdine-specific placement exams that are similar to the SAT Subject Tests. Before COVID-19 altered the admission processes such as adapting a test-optional policy and halting campus tours, Pepperdine required all applicants to submit their SAT or ACT scores. However, the Office of Admissions never considered the essay portion of both tests and the SAT Subject Tests as core components to measure student qualifications. Oftentimes, large research universities like Stanford University require SAT Subject Tests as a part of their admission material because

Nicole Wong |Staff Artist they serve as an indicator to determine whether a student qualifies for honors, specific majors or courses. In other cases, some universities use these scores to decide if a student can fulfill basic requirements or receive credit for introductory-level courses, according to College Board. Pepperdine does not have honor schools nor selective majors and courses, therefore it makes sense for Pepperdine to not require the subject tests as a part of college application. However, if SAT Subject Test scores are added onto a part of the admission material, it could help a lot of international students fulfill or receive credits for introductory GE classes. In the midst of the pandemic, however, everything is changing. College Board announced the termination of SAT Subject Tests as a respnse to COVID-19 on Jan. 19. The reason for discontinuation was also because College Board favored Advanced Placement

courses and exams over the subject tests. Both tests measured student performance on similar material. Unfortunately, as mentioned above, not all students have access to these resources. Therefore, just as how Pepperdine offers language placement exams, it should also offer similar exams for subjects like mathematics, sciences and arts for students who did not have the chance to take collegelevel classes at their high school. By offering such exams, not only can international students discover more educational opportunities but the school can recognize and pay respect to students’ educational accomplishments in their home countries. The GE curriculum at Pepperdine aims to provide "opportunities to explore cultures, values, and ideas that situate the student within the global community," according to Pepperdine's General Education Program overview. Perhaps these are some of the

qualities that international students are already equipped with just by simply being at Pepperdine. Coming into Pepperdine with extra college credits does not serve as a barometer to determine whether a student is more qualified than others. Similarly, it should not be the reason why students give up on pursuing a dual degree, an opportunity to study abroad or take an internship. International students make enough sacrifices when studying in the United States. Alongside domestic students, international students currently take classes in a different time-zone and in a foreign language. Perhaps Pepperdine should consider giving a more thorough look at international students’ academic achievements to recognize and grant equal opportunities.

SAWA.YAM AK AWA@PEPPER DINE.EDU

Pepperdine’s International Programs need more mental health resources

Alice Han s ta f f w r i t e r Deciding to participate in one of Pepperdine's international programs often requires a leap of faith. Unfortunately, taking that leap might result in some students falling into a bottomless depression in which their mental health slowly deteriorates. Despite the fact that many students continue to struggle with their mental health during their time abroad, Pepperdine provides limited resources for students. It is imperative for the University to address this issue without delay, especially when they are planning to resume their international programs this summer after a pandemic when many students' mental health have continued to decline. Students who might have considered themselves mentally fit may find themselves unable to handle high-stress situations often found in international programs due to their underdevelopment of emotional and cross-cultural coping skills, according to a Chubb study. For some, the separation from friends and family starts to become more pronounced once they start to settle in, as feelings of loneliness and anxiety may become more frequent. Oftentimes, the desire to quickly assimilate into the new culture weighs heavy on students' minds, especially when faced with discrimination. From culture shock to homesickness, there are numerous causes that induce

moments of stress and increased loneliness. Despite the fact that many students continue to struggle with their mental health during their time abroad, Pepperdine's resources remain lackluster. The only dependable support that the University provides is local counseling services that remain limited as students are expected to pay for their own counseling sessions after a brief trial, according to Pepperdine's International Programs website. Even these local counseling services remain flawed as language and differing cultural values can often result in miscommunication, hence complicating recommendations and diagnoses. "In London, I visited [our local therapist], Genevieve, three times, and it still wasn't enough," junior Tristan Furlong said. "I think the therapists they have working in the international programs have a really hard time understanding us. I think the University does not reach out enough to provide resources to struggling students." On the other hand, many students may find it difficult to turn to faculty or even peers for guidance as conversations regarding mental health are not only laced with vulnerability, but are often wrought with stigma associated with humiliation, selfcondemnation and weakness. Needless to say, there are not enough resources to help combat the mental health problems that abroad students continue to silently endure. The lack of Pepperdine's mental health resources, as a result, can often lead to devastating consequences for students. Students may start to have trouble sleeping, eating and experience a lack of energy

which can eventually lead to poor academic and social performance, according to a study from the Journal of International Studies. With easier access to alcohol due to lower drinking ages, some abroad students may resort to frequent drinking or even drug use to numb any indications of poor mental health and/or culture shock. Worst case scenario, suicidal thoughts may start to emerge as feelings of frustration and helplessness increase. The multitude of anxieties international programs can induce calls for Pepperdine to initiate more effective mental health support. Overall, a community approach would be most efficient and ideal for the college setting. During the beginning of an international program, the establishment of focus groups should be emphasized as students are more likely to confide in their peers rather than a faculty member. Additionally, study abroad programs should set aside a portion of a budget to fund and encourage random one-onone monthly outings between students. During their time abroad, students tend to cling to their regular clique rather than branch out, hence encouraging the growth of exclusivity rather than community. One-on-one outings, however, may allow students to broaden their social circle and support system. "We created the Buddy Break to pair individuals in the [London] house that we in SGA believed would find each other interesting," junior Brett Severin said. "The Buddy Break forced people to interact in a way they would not voluntarily, and ensured everyone was included. What we observed was way more

Nicole wong|staff Artist positive than I had anticipated. New friendships were formed and groups became less definitive." Weekly yoga, which is a mindfulness activity currently exclusive to the Buenos Aires program, may also foster healthy coping mechanisms among students. Professors should be encouraged to interweave well-being practices throughout their coursework or educational outings to help students anchor their minds throughout the program. It is also important to increase awareness concerning mental health even before the start of a student's study abroad experience by proactively sharing information with them regarding this subject. Although orientations for international programs may educate students about the physical dangers imminent throughout the experience, it is also noteworthy to further educate future study abroad students about the mental toll that the programs may inflict. Most importantly, it is critical for students to know that it is OK — and extremely encouraged — to reach out for help when necessary. Students themselves also remain responsible for observing

and maintaining their own mental health. Before committing to a study abroad program, students should willingly go through both a physical and mental health prescreening to ensure the nature of the specific program remains a good fit. It's also important for Pepperdine to take preventative safety measures by collaborating with both students and individuals working in the medical field. If students are undergoing therapeutic treatment with a professional, not only should they receive approval from their doctor prior to attending the program, but Pepperdine should also confirm and oversee that the student will continue to receive similar treatment during their time abroad. Overall, it largely falls upon Pepperdine to help secure the proper mental health resources for all international programs as every student deserves to receive an incredible study abroad experience without constantly shouldering the burden of poor mental health alone.

AL IC E.HAN@PEPPER DINE.EDU

FEBR UA RY 2 5 , 2 0 2 1 | PE RS PE C TIVE S | P E P P E R DI N E G RA P H I C ME D I A

Opinion: Students deserve an active response

tiffany hall copy chief

After a summer and fall full of promises to promote diversity and inclusion, upper administration needs to ensure their next move is appropriate. Pepperdine cannot truly be a home to all until campus no longer allows for a culture of complacency surrounding bigotry. Beginning with President Jim Gash's May 30 Instagram statement, the University has continued to revise its official commitment to diversity and inclusion. While several actionable items have been identified by the Presidential Action Advisory Team, the administration is only beginning to explore the idea of a bias reporting system. Amid promises from Gash and other faculty and staff members, students have witnessed the implementation of the proposed Presidential Speaker Series, received updates on the hiring of a Chief Diversity Officer and anticipated the revival of the Civil Rights Spring Break Trip. While all these initiatives somewhat address Pepperdine's historic dearth of intentionality in its relationship with its underrepresented students, they fail to advocate for these same students in an effective way when bias occurs. While its exact purpose can vary across institutions, a bias reporting system, in general terms, is an organized algorithm by which students can report instances of prejudice. Punishment of the perpetrator can be included in the process, but, as in the case of the University of Chicago's Bias Education and Support Team, support of the targeted student is of paramount importance. Pepperdine does not have such a system, but this reality might soon change. The Current Reality The University's Community website hosts a page educating readers on bias that highlights University of Arizona's Step Up! Program rhetoric, focusing on empowering the targeted individual and bystanders to stand up against acts of hatred. The site also provides contact information to "confidential reporting options," such as University Chaplin Sara Barton and the Counseling Center, as well as vaguely directing "students who have been subjected to discrimination, harassment, and/or retaliation, to contact the dean of their school." The page additionally refers students to the Wave Tip Line, Department of Public Safety's emergency number and the LiveSafe app, all of which DPS manages.

Madeline Duvall | staff artist To an outsider, this may present itself as a host of viable options for students to report bias — in reality, it is a little bit more complicated. The outlined reporting procedures are specifically related to discrimination, harassment and retaliation, said Seaver Dean Michael Feltner, which is a matter the University policy is "very clear on." This implies that any kind of bias not confined to these three categories doesn't have a formal reporting mechanism as of yet. Arguably, this is a significant problem on a campus known across different social media accounts for its numerous instances of bias. What's more, upper administration seems to agree. "We all agree (me, President Gash, Dean Davis, and many others) that the process needs a fresh look and a VERY CLEAR reporting mechanism and that the whole community is very informed about this," Vice President for Student Affairs Connie Horton wrote in a Feb. 9 email to the Graphic. The creation of a Seaver bias response system, however, is much in its infancy. Dean of Students Mark Davis will be guiding the University in its first steps toward a new future for reporting, Horton wrote. Davis wrote in a Feb. 10 email to the Graphic that he is in charge of initial research regarding the endeavor and is planning to present the final draft of a proposed bias response system to the newly hired Chief Diversity Officer. "This research includes benchmarking our peer schools, researching best practices, reviewing model policies, and creating a draft bias incident response plan for Pepperdine," Davis wrote. Good intentions are a great starting point, but Pepperdine administration must see them all the way through.

The Letter of the Law Whenever the topic of bias gets brought up, some of the first responses revolve around the First Amendment. This is also true of bias reporting systems. Pepperdine's own Discrimination and Harassment Policy protects students under the California Leonard Law, an educational code that states "no private postsecondary educational institution shall make or enforce a rule subjecting a student to disciplinary sanctions" in response to speech the First Amendment or California's Constitution outlines and protects. The Leonard Law on its own, however, is not a bad thing — it exists to protect a student's right to expression. It's the very law that protects writers’ freedom to publish the stories they are passionate about for the Graphic. Problems begin to arise when administrators from private universities hide behind this law to avoid instituting proper reporting channels. These pieces put together seemingly take the teeth out of any proposed Pepperdine bias response system, as students would be free from punishment by the Leonard Law if they choose to exercise their First Amendment right. Lawyer Brandi Aguillon agreed. But what does the law not protect? The First Amendment's intention is to protect citizens from punishment by their government, but not from the punishment of private institutions with set and agreed upon behavior guidelines, Aguillon said. "You do not have the right to say anything you want, anytime," Aguillon said. Thus, even if the Leonard Law establises protection for Seaver students from the administration, it only extends that far — to students, specifically regarding their speech.

Leonard Law does not inhibit the punishment of speech of any professors, faculty or staff on private campuses, Aguillon said. This means while other members of the Pepperdine community are free to say what they like, they are not free from the consequences the University deems fit. The Way Forward The University's Christian mission and the trust they have yet to gain from their marginalized students requires administrators to root out bias in all its forms. The most clear and obvious way to do this is by instituting a bias reporting system that follows the law while also leading with an approach focused on supporting the accosted individual. While the University has begun the process, there is still a long way to go. Firstly, Pepperdine should make a more clear pathway from report to actionable item. Other universities, such as the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Policy, delegate different types of bias to the departments that are best suited to carry out advocacy for the parties involved. This sort of administrative program creation falls directly in-line with the longawaited Chief Diversity Officer's responsibility to "plan, initiate, facilitate, and assess processes of institutional and organizational change to increase institutional capacity related to diversity and community belonging," according to the position profile. Secondly, accountability, where legally possible, should be exhausted at all costs. This includes acting upon reports regarding actions that are punishable notwithstanding the Leonard Law. Only when perpetrators are shown the consequences of their actions can the University truly uphold its

commitment to providing a place of belonging to the fullest extent. Next, those who submit reports should be provided with a wealth of readily available resources. It should not be the responsibility of the harassed, the oppressed or the marginalized student to have to wade through page after page on various websites to find the support they need. Ideally, this looks like a personalized response from a delegated team member with suggestions specific to the situation at hand. Lastly, Pepperdine needs to put more emphasis on the education of bias and discrimination as a part of this new initiative. It should not have to be the job of any one student to explain to their harasser why their actions are wrong. This could look like Student Affairs hosting community workshops or more course offerings that teach students the historic implications of bias and the tools to combat it. True change in culture can only come from an educated community and that is, after all, the point of a university in the first place — to educate. It's time for the attitude surrounding bias to change, and that starts with the successful implementation of a bias response system.

TIF FANY.HAL L @PEPPER DINE.EDU

FEBRUA RY 2 5 , 2 0 2 1 | PE RS PE C TIVE S | P E P P E R D I N E G RA P H I C ME D I A

Storming of Capitol Hill exposes hypocrisy in American politics Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6. Eventually, many of these demonstrators stormed the Capitol during the Electoral College vote. The Capitol police officers killed four demonstrators. One police officer lost his life and b r ya n t ya n g about 140 police officers s ta f f w r i t e r were injured in this incident. The storming of the Capitol led to the The responses to the resignations of multiple storming of Capitol government officials, Hill and other protests including Secretary show the inconsistency of Education Betsy of American politicians. DeVos and Secretary of To fix this problem, Transportation Elaine American voters and Chao. politicians should adopt Several well-known the methodology of politicians issued their transpositional thinking. statements about this American politicians storming. Senator Marco often support political Rubio, R-Fla., tweeted: movements overseas “There is nothing patriotic possibly because they about what is occurring on regard America as the Capitol Hill. This is 3rd pinnacle of democracy. world style anti-American When similar political anarchy.” movements happen Like the Republicans, in America, however, the Democrats also heavily American politicians have been self-contradictory. To condemned this incident avoid the self-contradiction through harsh rhetoric. For example, Senate Minority in politics, American politicians need to be more Leader Chuck Schumer, consistent with their moral D-N.Y., took to Twitter, calling the demonstrators standards. “rioters, insurrectionists, thugs, domestic terrorists.” Politicians from both parties condemned the protest in front of the Capitol but, in the spring of 2019, Hong Kong’s Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement won bipartisan People have support from American politicians. to face the Hong Kong's Secretary reality: The of Security John Lee proposed a bill that allows inconsistency foreign nations with of American extradition agreements with China to send politicians is criminal suspects from prevailing. Hong Kong to mainland China. This proposal bryant yang enraged many people staff writer in Hong Kong because adopting such a bill might Recently, the storming enlarge the power of of the Capitol exposed Beijing in Hong Kong. the hypocrisy and Eventually, Hong Kong’s inconsistency of some Legislative Council American politicians. aborted this proposal. After losing the 2020 Senator Marsha presidential election, Blackburn, R-Tenn., former President Donald referred to the Hong Kong Trump claimed the protestors as “freedom election was a fraud. fighters." To show support for Democratic Speaker Trump, his supporters Nancy Pelosi called the organized the "March to large demonstrations in Save America" protest Hong Kong 'a beautiful in front of the Capitol in

sight to behold,' according to Reuters. Like the storming of Capitol Hill, the protest in Hong Kong was not peaceful. The protestors blocked the Hong Kong metro, set a civilian on fire, stormed Hong Kong’s Legislative Council Complex and stabbed former Member of the Legislative Council Junius Ho. One might argue that the protest in Hong Kong deserves more sympathy because the demonstrators in Hong Kong were defending their city's autonomy since adopting the extradition bill might allow Beijing to intervene in Hong Kong's affairs. However, this argument does not stand because a good intention cannot justify bad consequences in politics, such as life-loss and disruption of civilian life. A consequence is the result of an action, but an intention is a type of wish. Since a wish cannot totally determine one’s action, one's good intention cannot justify the bad consequences that result from one’s action. Noble intentions cannot justify assault. Defending Hong Kong’s autonomy cannot be a reason for them to attack people who have different opinions. Similarly, some of the demonstrators at Capitol Hill claimed their intention was to ensure a fair election but wanting to ensure a fair election cannot be a reason to storm Capitol Hill. One might also argue that it is OK for America to support revolutions overseas because American democracy is inherently superior to other political systems. This argument does not stand either because American democracy is not inherently superior to other political systems and does not function well universally. Some countries, including Liberia, have a political ideology and system that are highly similar to that of America. But such ideology does not prevent Liberia from scoring very high in

the Fragile State Index and very low in gross domestic product per capita. On the contrary, China and Singapore are not democratic, but both have a fairly stable political situation and robust economy. China and Singapore show that lacking a democratic system doesn't bar a country from success. After reviewing the motivations behind American intervention in other countries' affairs, we can see that the reasons are not always legitimate. If American politicians are not always justified in intervening in other countries' affairs, why do they keep doing so? People have to face the reality: The inconsistency of American politicians is prevailing. The underlying reason for such inconsistency in America’s politics is rooted in two typical American values: pragmatism and individualism. In the 1870s, American philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce coined the term “pragmatism,” which would eventually become perhaps America’s most influential school of thought. Pragmatism is an approach that assesses the validity of theories or beliefs solely based on their practical usage. In other words, one can summarize the doctrine of pragmatism as “if something is useful, then it is good.” Another traditional American value causing inconsistency in American politics is individualism. The idea of individualism became prevalent in capitalist countries, including the United States, after the French political scientist Alexis de Tocqueville coined the term. Individualism is the theory that favors individual liberty over collective control. Since pragmatism and individualism are prevalent in American society, American politicians synthesize these two traditions and create a brand new moral code: If something is useful for me as an individual, then it is good. This new moral code penetrates every aspect

of American life, and its effects are especially obvious in politics. By using such a moral code, American politicians only evaluate political affairs based on their own interests, instead of objective facts. This way of evaluating political affairs causes them to be inconsistent in their policy-making process. Moreover, the harm of such a mentality is clear: Domestically, it enlarges the partisan division, while internationally it ostracizes America since having egocentric foreign policies could damage other countries’ interests and even threaten regional or global peace. To fix this problem in American politics, both American citizens and politicians must give facts more weight and adopt the methodology of transpositional consideration. Transpositional consideration is a methodology that promotes one trying to look at a situation from a different point of view. When one is using transpositional consideration, one should learn the situation and predict the possible reactions of one’s peers, while also minimizing the harm to all parties. In domestic politics, adopting this way of thinking will help American politicians avoid harmful partisan competition. Internationally, it can help America avoid hostile tensions with other countries.

BRYANT.YANG2 @PEPPER DINE.EDU

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

TO T H E GRAPHI C : S TUDENT RES P O N D S T O P ERS P EC T IVES P I E C E O N PE PPE R D I N E ’S R E L I GI O N GE S This letter is in response to the Graphic Op-ed published in November, "Rethink Pepperdine's Religious Framework," written by Nicole Witt. This piece encouraged Pepperdine to consider altering the academic religion requirements to make for a better discussion of faith on campus. Editor’s Note: Opinions expressed in letters to the editor are those of the author, and publication in the Graphic in no way represent an endorsement of any opinions published. This space is provided to allow public response and commentary on articles and issues which are covered by the Graphic and important to its readership.

Hello, I know the latest opinion piece is meant to make us think and we should take it with a grain of salt. However, I respectfully ask about these considerations. One of the main themes seemed to be that Pepperdine should adapt to our changing society following "The Wisdom of the Herd" idea. History shows that this does not lead to enlightenment, that it constantly fluctuates in a destabilizing fashion and finally, the school has a tradition of standing out for not following everyone else. I understand the appeal to tradition might be arguable. It is not fair to ask that Pepperdine change by applying statistics solely against Pepperdine. There seems to be a doctrine of proportionality that the author is relying on to advocate her

policies. However, consistency demands that said doctrine has to be applied everywhere, not selectively against Pepperdine. Therefore, I believe applying this doctrine of proportionality would suggest that other universities have to adapt to those statistics. And, just to be clear, I do not want the secular universities, whether public or private, to change. The point is, the author makes it perfectly clear that only half the population is Christian. However, it is obvious that the university system in this country is nowhere near 50% Christian affiliated. Therefore, it is unfair to ask a university that is a minority within American higher education, but within the majority of American social views, to change to serve these social views. Stated with all due respect, Alexander Dingman (2024)

A10

P E P P E R DINE GR A P HIC M E DIA | N E W S | F E B R U A RY 25 , 20 21

More students migrate to Malibu despite ongoing virtual format annab ell e c hilders new s ass i s tan t A first-year experience. A college community. A final track season. With the start of another online semester, students are hoping to salvage some of the experiences they’ve lost. Seaver Dean Michael Feltner’s Jan. 8 announcement outlined plans for an online start to the spring 2021 semester, prompting some students to pack their bags and move to Malibu, searching for housing near or on Pepperdine’s campus. “I came to visit my friends a few times that have apartments down here, and when you come down and visit and realize what you’re missing out on — that sense of community,” senior Cassidy Aberson said. The Numbers Pepperdine anticipates housing 300 students, comprised of athletes and hardship appeal applicants, on campus over the course of the spring semester, said Robin Gore, associate dean of Student Affairs and director of Housing Operations. This number is an increase from the 227 students who lived on campus during the fall 2020 semester. Of the 227 students who lived on campus in the fall semester, only 183 remained on campus for the spring, Gore said. Though 44 students did not return to campus for the spring semester, Gore said around 40 new students are now living on the Malibu campus after Housing and Residence Life grant-

ed their hardship appeals. For the spring 2021 semester, 468 students self-reported living within a 50-mile radius of the Malibu campus, said Stacy Montgomery, associate dean of Student Affairs for Transfers and Commuter Students. Pepperdine gradually allowed more students on campus throughout the fall semester as LA County loosened restrictions, Gore said. Pepperdine is still closely monitoring COVID-19 conditions in hopes more students can return later in the semester. Off-Campus Students First-year Annette Im moved to Malibu on Feb. 1, from her hometown of Dallas, Texas, after learning of Pepperdine’s decision to begin the spring semester virtually. Im said she always wanted to live in Malibu but hoped for a spring campus reopening. After the Jan. 8 announcement, Im began searching for housing options

and signed a four-month lease in Malibu with first-years Mary Paige Rowsey, Annie Leow and Nayeli Castillo. Alongside a desire to feel more plugged into the Pepperdine community, Im said she moved to Malibu for a better academic environment. “There are no distractions here because all my roommates are in classes and we do our own thing,” Im said. Many students also found housing in the off-campus community at Calamigos Ranch. Sam Rosenblad, one of the resident directors at Calamigos, said COVID-19 has sparked more student interest in the community. “In past years, we were at about 50 [students],” Rosenblad said. “This year, we are at about 80.” Rosenblad said students come to Calamigos Ranch to gain some semblance of the college atmosphere. He believes the housing facilitates a feeling of normalcy during the pandemic.

graphic by annabelle childers Calamigos Ranch has had a waiting list since the fall semester but was able to welcome 20 new students this spring, Rosenblad said. Calamigos rejected 30 or 40 students hoping to apply this spring due to space limitations. The Final Season

graphic by annabelle childers

Aberson is a Cross Country and Track athlete living at Calamigos Ranch. Aberson spent the fall semester in her hometown of Vacaville, CA but moved to Malibu after her coach said a track season would take place in the spring. Aberson said she decided to move to Malibu to run in her final track season and to spend her last semester of college with friends. “It’s different now that I’m down here,” Aberson said. “I can meet up with people safely, six feet

apart if I need to, and go over class stuff and study.” Aberson said she looked into living in Malibu Canyon Apartments, but the complex offered no lease options shorter than nine months. Aberson said Calamigos Ranch presented her with the option to sign a semester or monthto-month lease. “I feel like I’m actually going to Pepperdine now that I’m down here,” Aberson said.

ANNABEL L E.C HIL DER S@PEPPER DINE.EDU

President Gash preps the Brock House to be ‘party central’ for students soon natalie hardt a s si stant new s e dit or President Jim Gash and his family moved into the newly renovated Brock House in late September and look forward to hosting student events as soon as LA County health guidelines allow. The Brock House was built during the original Malibu campus construction in 1972 and did not undergo any extensive renovations until this project, said Ben Veenendal, associate vice president of Planning, Operations and Construction. As a result, systems and infrastructure required extensive updates and the construction team reworked the space to improve event functionality. “My plan, my desire, is for the Brock House to be a grand central station for things happening,” Gash said. “Joline and I, we just love being with students. And it’s always been that way and always will be that way. Hosting people in our home is one of our greatest pleasures.” Planning, Operations and Construction planned the Brock House renovation during President Andrew K. Benton’s tenure, with construction beginning in June 2019, Veenendal said. They completed interior renovations in September and exterior work in October. To better facilitate events held outside, Veenendal said the con-

struction team added direct bathroom access from the backyard, an accessible ramp at the main entrance and an accessible bathroom. They also made the entire perimeter of the property wheelchair-accessible — which also enables easier backyard access to caterers. Students called Benton the “Students’ President” and he hosted many student events at the house, such as the NSO-week President’s Reception for new students and Rock the Brock for departing seniors. Gash said he hopes to continue this legacy because he believes it is key to forming connections with students. “It’s really important for me for students to have a sense of belonging here at Pepperdine and the way that one does that is connectedness to other people — to fellow students, to faculty, to staff, to the administration,” Gash said. “I want people to feel like there’s something to do in Malibu on Friday and Saturday night.” Gash said he and his wife, Joline, hope to host a weekly worship gathering and game nights, as well as welcoming student groups, faculty and staff to hold other events at the Brock House. “It’s going to be party central Malibu,” Gash said. “Not party central in the way some people think of partying — but for social and spiritual life.”

Photo by ali levens New Renovations|The Brock House stands mid-renovation Aug. 16, 2020. President Jim Gash moved into the house in September and said he looks forward to hosting a variety of student events there. Events and gatherings at the Brock House are only one piece of Gash’s plan to improve student activities. Gash hopes to begin construction on the Mountain, a proposed student event and recreation center, to serve as a hub for student life. “The Mountain is this complex, this village, of vibrant social, spiritual, recreational [and] food life,” Gash said. “That’s coming. But until that comes, and in addition to it coming, we want to find ways for people to feel connected to each other.” Gash said the Brock House can

serve an important role in spiritual life, as he believes community is key to spiritual growth and development. Gash was able to host one reduced capacity, socially distanced worship event — The Gathering — last semester that was open only to students living on campus, he said. “It was one of those, ‘OK, finally we’re able to do something like this,’ but it left us wanting,” Gash said. “It was great for 25 people to be there but that’s not the kind of energy that can be developed through a larger group of folks. And being able to hug and high five.”

As soon as allowed by LA County regulations, Gash hopes to welcome students back to campus and to the Brock House. “I look forward to unmasked, unbridled worship and fellowship time together,” Gash said. “That’s what I’m most excited about.”

NATAL IE.HAR DT@PEPPER DINE.EDU

Febr uary 25, 2021

The Graphic

pepp e rd in e - g ra p h ic.co m

LIFE & ARTS

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY NATHAN HUANG

BSA makes virtual plans for spring B et h Go nzales Lif e & Ar ts As si sta n t E dit or Black Student Association continues to adjust to the online world for its members. With virtual programming, BSA aims to diversify and educate the Pepperdine community. Junior and Underclassmen Liaison Aniah Weaks said that BSA will host movie nights on Zoom, the Ubuntu event and virtual game nights this semester. The club has about 140 members, and its mission is to encourage unity, promote education and spread awareness surrounding Black cultures, Paige Singleton, junior BSA vice president, said. Through its many events and conversations, BSA helps educate students and faculty to grow spir-

itually and academically, while remaining culturally aware. “We really want to be a club that is respected and well-known amongst campus as a club that tries to unify as many people as possible during your time at Pepperdine,” Singleton said. Sophomore and Service and Spiritual Chair Naya Edwards said she believes BSA does its best to advocate for students who don’t have a platform to speak up. BSA is not just speaking about politics but about social issues that directly affect a college campus. “I think we’re very tactful about how we respond to situations,” Edwards said. “We take our time and evaluate the situation to make the best choice, not only for ourselves, because in the long run we’re not going to be

here, but we want to make a difference for students who are coming behind us.” Weaks said BSA usually holds events such as movie nights and game nights, and coordinates events with other Pepperdine organizations and clubs. The spiritual chair also plans Bible studies and engages the members in conversations that affect Black communities. “We all were able to have intentional conversations about certain topics, like about our childhood or things we are manifesting for our future,” Singleton said. Edwards created BSA movie nights where she picks movies relevant to the club’s conversations. She also cultivates and organizes small spiritual ‘Convo style’ group discussions. She said the conversations can range from

relationships with parents, interracial relationships or struggles within church and school. “Feel free to reach out; I’m not a priest or saint or anything, but it’s nothing to pray for somebody or just give them advice and be another ear for someone to talk to,” Edwards said. BSA started hosting Ubuntu on Tuesday, Feb. 23 to foster conversations. Ubuntu is a series of annual events for underclassmen to share and discuss their feelings. Students can talk about anything, whether it be dealing with online classes at home with their family, needing advice on friendships or trying to learn the ropes at Pepperdine. “It’s just an open space for [members] to be able to talk about whatever they want and to feel like they have other people

that they can relate to,” Weaks said. Weaks said Ubuntu means “a person is a person through other people” or “I am because you are.” Ubuntu is that idea of common humanity — the exact ideal that BSA aims to achieve through this event. “It has become a place for students to create connections and be able to learn and engage from each other,” Weaks said. Singleton said giving advice, career help or spiritual and emotional support is the main mission of BSA.

SE E B SA, B 2

Pepperdine alumna Olivia Robinson’s app helps users support Black-owned businesses Addiso n W hiten Staf f W r i te r Olivia Robinson began working on her app, BlackDollar, while she was a senior Integrated Marketing Communication student at Seaver College. She graduated from Pepperdine in spring 2020 and officially launched the app the following November. BlackDollar is an app that allows people to intentionally support Black-owned businesses through buying from them and using their services. The app shows users Black-owned businesses in their areas, and BlackDollar’s next phase will introduce the opportunity for customers to buy financial education resources in the app. “One of the biggest parts of BlackDollar is not just being committed to people buying from Black businesses and supporting the businesses, it’s also for people to gain financial and business literacy,” Robinson said. After learning about how economics is tied to liberation, access and opportunity, Robinson said she decided to use her new knowledge to create an app that could be used to help Blackowned businesses move toward economic liberation. “BlackDollar serves as a means for all people to help empower Black economics because that’s such a need for answering so many problems and so many needs when it comes to overall Black liberation,” Robinson said. Robinson said she had the idea for BlackDollar while she was a

student at Pepperdine, but saw it as a far-off project. Watching an app building webinar last spring helped her realize it was something she could actually do. “I really just decided to get to it,” Robinson said. “Let’s get to work. Let’s make this happen now. There’s really no need to be putting this off.” Robinson said her IMC background helped with the online marketing process –– a major factor in BlackDollar’s growth. “I really did a lot of planning around how it would be marketed and how as it grew, that would shape who all it is reaching,” Robinson said. Through research, Robinson said she learned that the app stores themselves, rather than social media, are the best place to market an app. Despite this, BlackDollar has also benefited from being marketed on social media. “Finding which areas to focus marketing efforts on was really important for my strategy,” Robinson said. While her marketing strategy was crucial to BlackDollar’s success, Robinson said the help she received from others with expertise in areas like app development and coding was just as important. “Because so many people believe in the mission, a lot of people have approached me with their help and their expertise, so that’s been extremely helpful,” Robinson said. “In pulling from all those things, from marketing to deciding direction and strategy, to using the resources available to me, including people, I really

began to know how BlackDollar would operate both now and going forward.” While there are similar apps to BlackDollar that connect people with local Black-owned businesses, Robinson said her main mission is not to compete with those companies. “If somebody is using another app or resource that’s helping them support Black businesses, then great,” Robinson said. “The goal is still being accomplished, because our goal isn’t necessarily for them to be using BlackDollar specifically, but to be supporting Black-owned businesses.” Robinson said the app currently serves multiple metropolitan areas, including the LA area, the Bay Area, Houston, Atlanta, Birmingham and more, with others on the way. While there are already many cities operating on BlackDollar, Black-owned businesses anywhere across the country can go live on the app if they submit a business intake form. Robinson said the features that make BlackDollar stand out among similar apps are its geolocation technology, which allows users to see the businesses closest to them, and its user-friendly design. “You don’t have to look at all of the businesses throughout the entire country,” Robinson said. “You can be located within a certain area and see the businesses surrounding you right now.” BlackDollar’s next new feature will be the addition of educational materials relating to finances for sale within the app, Robinson said.

“Very soon on BlackDollar, people will be able to buy digital products that will educate them on things related to financial literacy, business literacy, starting your own business or how to save money and how to build your credit,” Robinson said. This new phase of the app aims to expand how BlackDollar can help people and provide a path to economic liberation. “I’m so excited about it, and I think it will also be one of the biggest change makers with how BlackDollar can be helpful to everybody,” Robinson said.

ADDIE.W HITEN@PEPPER DINE.EDU

Photo courtesy of Blackdollar

Photo courtesy of Olivia Robinson Founder & CEO| Pepperdine alumna Olivia Robinson poses on the beach in Malibu to celebrate her spring 2020 graduation. Robinson said she began working on her app, BlackDollar, during her last semester at Pepperdine before officially launching it the following November.

FEBRUA RY 2 5 , 2 0 2 1 | L IFE A N D A RTS | P E P P E R D I N E G RA P H I C ME D I A

BSA: Club prioritizes virtual events while remote F R OM b 1 “A lot of tragedies have happened all around the world; this is a time that we needed a [physical] space to just be angry or sad or hurt, and we didn’t really have that,” Singleton said. Weaks said they have general meetings once a month and they were busy this month preparing for their BSA Bumble, a virtual dating night, which was held Feb. 15, where they partnered with other cultural clubs such as Latino/a/x Student Alliance. “[BSA Bumble] was a really fun event that helped me to meet and get to know people that I haven’t really had an opportunity to talk to, especially because we have been online,” Weaks said. Singleton said the board for BSA is filled with students involved in different activities at Pepperdine, so the club can impact as many parts of campus as possible. Singleton said they have a board member on the Graphic, Perspectives Editor Anitiz Muonagolu, and the board collectively has conversations with administration. They also team up with other cultural clubs for Instagram takeovers and events. “Through having events that are very inclusive, I think it creates a space for people to feel comfortable to come to us,” Singleton said. “I think that is why we can educate and spread awareness.” Singleton said many BSA events were hard to transfer to an online format, and that the in-person experience and overall harmony of the club is very important to members. “Members tend to gravitate toward one part of the library and so if you went to this space, you would have someone that you can talk to and relate to,” Single-

ton said. “I think with Zoom the biggest challenge is that we don’t have a physical space to be in and decompress.” Edwards said Zoom can be more challenging in terms of student attendance and participation. When students feel uncomfortable sharing in the online format, Edwards said she has topics ready, such as picking a song or scripture and discussing its relevance to their life. Julie Oni, BSA academic adviser and visiting english assistant professor, said a convenient aspect of Zoom is it is easy for event planning and there is no need to find a room on campus. However, a challenge is spreading the word. A lack of physical interaction necessitates club leaders spreading event awareness through social media and email. “I’ve been pleased to see a strong presence on social media with advertising events and presenting spotlights of Black faculty and staff, and a really big success last semester was the early rollout of the annual BSA T-shirt,” Oni said. “It was amazing to see how this simple solidarity item got so many students interested in joining.” BSA’s annual benefit usually includes members reflecting on their year, giving awards and celebrating the work they accomplished. This year, it is considering holding an online talent show or awards night. It is events like the annual benefit that hold significant weiht for its members, and cancelling is not an option. Singleton said these events contribute to their overall goal of fostering unity and educating everyone. “You’re coming to a school where, yes, we are predominantly white, but we still have so many different cultures represented,” Singleton said. “Sometimes it’s just people’s lack of knowledge

that can cause friction or tension.” Weaks said anyone of any culture is welcome and in a time of uncertainty, BSA’s main priority is to have people engaged and learning more about the Black community. Oni said she has learned so many things from BSA students, such as the tremendous opportunities available to them and the responsibility that is placed on them to speak out about social injustices on campus and nationally. “I hope to inspire them to acknowledge that this responsibility is one that will be expected of them as Black beings in America — not only now but also in the future — and it’s oftentimes not easy,” Oni said. “However, the possibility of making a change for the better is always worth its challenges.” Singleton said every member is dedicated to having panels, guest speakers and times of gathering for people to be held accountable and to create a safe haven for everyone at Pepperdine, whether online or in person. “You see many different people sitting at opposite sides of the room and there’s no sense of cohesion or unity,” Singleton said. “Yes, our skin color may be different. Yes, we come from many different backgrounds. Yes, we have different religious beliefs and etc., but the end goal is that we all go to Pepperdine. We’re accepted, committed and now we’re here.”

photos courtesy of paige singleton Forever Friends | (Above) BSA alumni Shanelle Wilkins, Kamryn Calhoun and Geonnie Wilson smile in the photo booth February 2019 after their talent show event. Students were able to sing, read poetry and more. (Below) BSA members team up with the Pepperdine Volunteer Center to help emphasize community on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2019. They collaborated with clubs such as LSA, Crossroads and Word Up.

B E T H .G O N Z A L E S @P E P P E RD I N E . E D U

Review: ‘Hidden Figures’ shares important journey of 3 female Black scientists despite over-simplification gr ac e w o od s taf f w r i te r “Hidden Figures” (2017) tells the true story of three brilliant Black female mathematicians — Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe) — who use their intellect to supersede both segregation and sexism at NASA and propel the United States in the Space Race that dominated the 1960s. “Hidden Figures” is a telling and motivating movie for anyone to watch in honor of Black History Month. The film, directed by Theodore Melfi, is loosely based on Margot Lee Shetterly’s novel by the same name. “Hidden Figures” features several other prominent actors in supporting roles, including Kevin Costner as Al Harrison, Jim Parsons as Paul Stafford, Kirsten Dunst as Vivian Mitchell and Mahershala Ali as Colonel Jim Johnson. While “Hidden Figures” introduces many important themes regarding racial injustice and gender inequality, it is apparent that Melfi’s goal was to tell a heartwarming story rather than a historically accurate one. Due to the creative liberties Melfi takes with the plot of “Hidden Figures,” it is hard to establish what Johnson’s actual experience at NASA was like versus what Melfi thought would make for an inspiring film. “Hidden Figures” highlights the story of Katherine Johnson, a girl from West Virginia whose teachers identify as a genius from an early age. After graduating from West Virginia State College at 18, Johnson becomes one of the first three Black students selected to study math in a graduate program at West Virginia University. Johnson goes on to work at the Langley Research Center for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, which later became NASA, in Virginia in their West Area Computing Unit, an all-women segregated group who, as human computers, complete intricate mathematical calculations by hand.

Here, Johnson works alongside Vaughan and Jackson. While all three women aspire to achieve higher-level positions within NACA, the barrier of racism prohibits them from being promoted. After recognizing Johnson’s immense talent for analytic geometry, her white supervisor, Mitchell, promotes her to join Al Harrison’s Space Task Group. The group is under immense pressure from the US government to put a man in space. As the first Black woman to join the Space Task Group, Johnson experiences abject racism and discrimination despite her critical contributions. In the film, her coworkers refuse to share the communal coffeemaker with her, and due to segregation, Johnson must walk over half a mile to use the closest restroom for women of color. In real life, however, Johnson has been quoted as saying that during her time at NASA, she just used the “whites only” restroom anyway. Additionally, NASA was officially desegregated in 1958 (the film takes place in 1961). While Melfi may have included this part of the story to shed light on the reality of segregation in other areas of the country at the time, the addition of this story line strays from what Johnson actually experienced at NASA. After successfully calculating the numbers needed to launch the astronaut John Glenn (Glen Powell) into space, Johnson is told she will no longer be needed in the Space Task Group. On the day of Glenn’s launch, the IBM computer makes an error only Johnson can solve; Harrison frantically calls her at the eleventh hour, and her last-minute calculations ensure that Glenn’s Friendship 7 mission launches and lands safely. While it is true that Johnson made hasty calculations to help the Friendship 7 get off the ground, in real life, Johnson was not actually invited into the control room to watch the launch like she did in the film. The end of the film provides a glimpse into what the real Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson went

on to accomplish. Johnson made vital calculations for the Apollo 11 and Space Shuttle missions, Vaughan continued to serve as NASA’s first Black supervisor and Jackson became NASA’s first Black woman engineer. In 2015, President Obama awarded Jackson the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In terms of subject matter and casting choices, “Hidden Figures” is excellent. The film sheds light on issues the Black community faces that are especially relevant today, including workplace discrimination and the experience of having accomplishments diminished in favor of their white counterparts. Additionally, Henson’s performance is exceptional and punctuates the film with moments of believable conviction and emotion. The score to this film is upbeat and lively, and it serves the plot well. By blending older tracks from Ray Charles, Miles Davis and The Miracles with fresh additions from Pharrell Williams, Mary J. Blige and Alicia Keys, the music provides timely emotional context to important scenes. Despite its many successes, “Hidden Figures” still falls short. It feels like Melfi was so dedicated to the feel-good nature of the storyline that some important struggles the main characters faces are quickly introduced and then readily glossed over, which doesn’t allow the audience to fully absorb the gravity of the racism and sexism that women like Johnson, Vaughan and Jackson experienced. A throwaway scene at the beginning of the film alluding to police brutality encapsulates this sentiment. In some instances, Harrison’s character alludes to a white savior complex. After Harrison confronts Johnson about her long bathroom breaks, she reveals to him the reason she takes so long is because of the distance she has to travel to the women of color’s restroom. This leads Harrison to literally smash down the “Colored Ladies Room” sign in the film, declaring “Here at NASA, we all pee the same color.” However, this

photo courtesy of 20th century studios Unstoppable | The “Hidden Figures” film poster depicts Janelle Monáe, Taraji P. Henson and Octavia Spencer portraying their respective roles as Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson and Dorothy Vaughan, who worked at NASA during the Space Race in the 1960s. “Hidden Figures” grossed $326 million worldwide. scene — along with the scene where Harrison allows Johnson into the control room to watch the Friendship 7 launch — never actually happened in real life. In fact, Al Harrison is not even a real person. Interestingly, Harrison’s character both diminishes and conflates Katherine Johnson’s experiences as a member of the Space Task Group. Melfi’s attempt to present such a clear-cut narrative, in which the white man creates a racist environment and then alleviates it,

takes away from the complicated real-life experiences of Black women at NASA. While “Hidden Figures” makes meaningful strides by telling an important and historically overlooked story, adhering with increased diligence to the experiences of the women who lived them would’ve made for a better, more well-rounded film. “Hidden Figures” is available on Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Hulu. GR AC E.W OOD@PEPPER DINE.EDU

Febr uary 25, 2021

The Graphic

pep p e rd in e - g ra p h ic.co m

SPORTS

Baseball battles, falls in opening series aust in hall staf f w r i te r Pepperdine Baseball came into the season with high expectations: It ended the year at No. 16 in the country, returning 31 of 35 players from the 2020 roster and adding a 12-man freshmen class. In the opening series against California Baptist University — 349 days since beating Michigan in the last game of 2020 before the COVID-19 sports shutdown — Pepperdine had bright moments but was outmatched in nearly every facet of the game, starting the season with a 1-2 record. “Our message has always been the same,” Head Coach Rick Hirtensteiner said. “Coming into this weekend I told them we can sweep CBU and it doesn’t mean we’re going to Omaha and we can get swept and it doesn’t mean our season’s over.” On Friday, Feb. 19 in Totnam Stadium, Riverside, CA, Pepperdine started redshirt freshman right-handed pitcher Trevor Hinkel in place of new ace and redshirt junior right-hander Cooper Chandler, who’s battling injury. After a groundout and a flyout, Hinkel surrendered a solo home run to put Pepperdine behind early 1-0. Hinkel settled in shortly after and gave up one more hit and zero runs while adding his first two collegiate strikeouts. Senior righthander Dane Morrow replaced him in the top of the fifth inning. Morrow struggled, giving up one run in the bottom of the sixth before getting out of the inning down 2-0. Pepperdine got on the board in the top of the seventh to make the score 2-1 off a groundout from freshman second baseman John Peck who scored fifth-year se-

nior right fielder Reese Alexiades. Alexiades was the only player in the first five of the Pepperdine lineup to secure a base hit. In the bottom of the seventh, Morrow gave up a base hit and walked another before sixth-year senior right-hander Michael Mahony replaced him. The veteran couldn’t undo the damage as both runners scored, making the score 4-1 before a strikeout, flyout and groundout. After a hitless inning for Pepperdine in the top of the eighth, the floodgates opened in CBU’s final two innings at-bat as they rattled off five unanswered runs at the expense of freshman and junior righthanders Dylan Schwartz and Tyler Murrah. The Lancers took game one 9-1. “There wasn’t any energy,” senior first baseman Justin Lutes said. “We came in thinking we could get an easy win and we got humbled by it. We got to the bus and knew we had to just hit the restart button.” In game two Saturday at Eddy D. Field Stadium in Malibu, the Pepperdine bats came out with a fire that was nonexistent the previous day. After a hitless first inning from each team, Lutes crushed a solo home run over the left field wall immediately followed by another solo shot from sophomore utility player Ryan Johnson. “He threw some good pitches at me,” Lutes said. “I had to sit on the slider he was throwing either soft and away or hard and in. I just had to find my approach and stick with the line drive. I got under it and found its way over.” Redshirt junior right-hander Gunnar Groen, who had a 2.57 ERA last season, started for Pepperdine. Groen notched seven strikeouts and gave up two earned

runs in 4.2/3 innings before sophomore left-hander Nathan Diamond relieved him. “This year, I realize my job is going to be to keep my team in every game and to put them in a better spot than we were last year,” Groen said. “Here the culture is to be competitive and test each other every day and to be better than we were the day before. The bats clicked today and everything else came together.” CBU was scoreless until tying the game 2-2 in the top of the fifth. The Pepperdine lineup quickly responded and rattled off six runs in the bottom of the fifth from graduate senior third basemen Aharon Modlin, who was hit by a pitch with loaded bases followed by a walk from Lutes. Alexiades singled through the right side before Johnson was walked with the bases loaded. Freshman outfielder Connor Bradshaw singled to left center to score Lutes and Peck hit a sacrifice fly that scored Alexiades to make it 8-2, a 6 run inning from the Waves. The Lancers answered with 3 runs in the seventh and 1 in the ninth to bring the score to 10-6. Junior right-hander Jack Baird closed the game before it got too close. Hirtensteiner, in his 23rd season, said he was happy with his team’s performance. “Well, we swung the bat better,” Hirtensteiner said, laughing. “We put a little more pressure on them. The two homers early were good and we eventually got their starter out. We never let them get comfortable.” Hirtensteiner said keys for the rubber match in Riverside were to throw more strikes out of the bullpen and not help the opposition by giving up any back-to-back walks. Junior right-hander Trevor Kni-

dane bruhahn| staff photographer Making Contact | Senior catcher Joe Caparis looks to square up a pitch from Cal Baptist’s Chris Burica during Saturday’s game at Eddy D. Field Stadium. skern started game three but didn’t play up to his 3.91 career ERA standard. In 2.2/3 innings, he gave up four hits, three walks and three runs on a three-run home run from junior outfielder Ulises Caballero to make it 3-0 in the second inning. After another run to make it 4-0, Trevor Franklin came in for Kniskern to get the Waves out of the third inning. Franklin surrendered one run in the bottom of the fourth inning to make it 5-0. Freshman right-hander Brandon Llewellyn replaced Franklin in the bottom of the fifth to make his collegiate debut, pitching 3.1/3 innings and securing seven strikeouts. The one earned run Llewellyn gave up was a triple in the bottom of the sixth

inning to bring the score to 6-2. CBU limited Pepperdine to three hits for the rest of the game and the Waves failed to manufacture another run. The Lancers won game three 6-2 and the series two to one. Pepperdine’s next game will be back in Malibu on Friday against the University of California, Santa Barbara.

AUSTIN.HAL L @PEPPER DINE.EDU

W. Volleyball sweeps No. 12 BYU ashley mo w r eader new s edi tor Pepperdine Women’s Volleyball swept No. 12 BYU at home, placing the Waves at number two in the West Coast Conference and ending a 10-year losing streak against the Cougars. The team moved to 7-0 for the season and won the three sets 2520, 25-16 and 25-19. The last time Pepperdine won against BYU was Oct. 20, 2011, in Provo and the last Malibu win was Oct. 8, 2011. “It’s awesome — we are speechless,” said senior outside hitter Shannon Scully. “We expected that we could do this, and we prepared for this all week, and just to see us play our best and come out with a win a sweep is just awesome. We’re really excited.” The Waves started the night strong and aggressive on offense, with junior outside hitter Rachel Ahrens earning the first kill of the night and junior libero Madison Shields slamming 2 aces in Pepperdine’s first 10 points. “I think we did a really good job of coming in really prepared,” sophomore setter Isabel Zelaya said. “We knew the game plan and we just played together.” BYU didn’t put up much of a defense, with the Waves offense at .349 hitting average for the match. Switching up the offensive attack, Zelaya set 43 assists for the match, running smart, quick plays out of the front and back row. “We’ve been working a lot of things and our auto-system hitting, man it showed tonight,” Head Coach Scott Wong said. The Waves kept a substantial

lead throughout the first set. The Cougars pushed back at match point, taking four points with Pepperdine still at 24, but the team rallied, ending the set with an exceptional dig from Shields and a smart tip by freshman opposite Emma Ammerman. The second set started strong with a kill from freshman middle blocker Meg Brown, who was named the WCC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. “Meg has been awesome,”Wong said. “She’s not only offensively — but as we saw with the Defensive Player of the Week — defensively as a blocker, she is stuffing balls and she’s reliable. She’s somebody that carries a big load for us as a freshman, and I am constantly amazed on how she approaches the game and how she wants to keep on pushing the limits on her own boundaries.” The two teams battled it out early in the second set, tying at 1010 as the Waves defense readjusted. After a Cougar service error, Ahrens dominated the court, slamming a kill, combing with senior middle Alli O’Hara for a double block and logging another kill to give Pepperdine momentum and a four-point lead that they extended for the rest of the set. In the third and final set, the score started tight at 3-3, but the Waves used their momentum to re-establish their lead and finish the night strong. Scully stepped up throughout the match, racking up 8 kills in the last set alone, ending the night with 18 kills and a .389 hitting average. “I think everyone was doing their job, which made it really easy

ali levens | Photo editor Sweet Set | Sophomore setter Isabel Zelaya (No. 2) prepares to play the ball to one of Pepperdine’s attacking options, including Alli O’Hara (right) and Shannon Scully (left, in white). Zelaya had 43 assists in the match, helping the Waves to a .349 average. for us to flow and you know, makes it easy for me to do my job, so I’m really happy,” Scully said. For the majority of the night, Pepperdine dominated with scrappy defensive plays and smartly placed balls, evading the Cougar block by making short tips and hard line drives. Ahrens demonstrated this best, alternating her swing throughout the night and racking up 14 kills with a .333 average for the match

and the honor of the final kill of the night. The Waves defense remained crucial in holding back Cougar attacks, with Shields leading in the back row and collecting 18 of the team’s 54 digs of the match. Pepperdine faces BYU again Wednesday, Feb. 24 in Firestone Fieldhouse at 7 p.m., PST, and the team is fired up for another round. “Our team goal this season is to win the WCC, so this is just anoth-

er step in the right direction,” Scully said. “We’re gonna enjoy this win tonight and come back ready to play tomorrow.”

ASHL EY.M OW R EADER @PEPPER DINE.EDU

PE P P E R DIN E GR A P H IC M E DIA | S PORTS | F E B RU A RY 25 , 20 21

ryan brinkman | Assistant Photo Editor Courtside View|The Pepperdine Beach Volleyball team gained three new practice courts near Drescher campus to practice on for the 2020-2021 season. The team used to use beach courts at Zuma Beach, but due to COVID-19 regulations had to adapt and build new facilities on campus.

Pepp builds new beach courts on Malibu campus C AMRY N JO N ES SP OR T S ASS I STAN T Six months ago, the Pepperdine Women’s Beach Volleyball team was unsure if it would have a place to practice. Ever since Pepperdine launched its women’s beach volleyball program in 2011, the team has practiced and played its home matches at Zuma Beach, about 10 minutes away from campus. When LA County removed all volleyball nets from the beaches in efforts to manage the spread of COVID-19, the program had constructed an innovative plan. Despite having two recreational sand volleyball courts located between first-year dorms, the program needed at least three collegiate level courts for its season.

The administration and coaches put their heads together and drafted a plan to use the space in Marie Canyon, which sits right above the new intramural field, to build the courts. Once this space was approved, the program needed to find the funds to make it possible. Pepperdine Athletics Director Steve Potts said the Women’s Beach Volleyball team was fortunate enough to have a significant gift from one of the parents of a player and few more donations from additional parents to raise funds needed for the courts to be built. After a six-week building process, the three sand courts were officially ready for use. Senior beach volleyball player Brooke Bauer said while the new courts are exciting, their mountainous location creates a different

playing experience than what the team is used to at Zuma Beach. “Playing at the beach is pretty different from playing on manmade courts,” Bauer said. “As a team, we have been getting ourselves acclimated to the new wind speeds, wind directions and the texture of new sand, but ultimately the courts aren’t too drastically different from what we are used to playing on.” Bauer said the team plans to take it in stride and embrace the conditions by strategically utilizing the natural elements for its advantage during home matches. When asked about the decision to construct the sand courts on campus, Potts said, “It was pretty simple; we didn’t have a place to practice or play.” Potts said COVID-19 put the

program’s dream of building on-campus courts into motion, but once Zuma Beach opens back up, they will return to playing matches there. “Once the team is no longer using these courts when things go back to normal in time, they will be open for the recreational use of students, with permission from the university and campus rec,” Potts said. Additionally, Potts said he hopes to find a space on campus to build five courts, restrooms and seating for fans to support the program. Players, especially graduating seniors like Bauer, are excited to play on-campus as they will be more connected than ever to Pepperdine while they play their matches.

“It’s both nostalgic and super cool that we get to finish it at Pepperdine, literally.”, Bauer said. The Women’s Beach Volleyball team’s morale has entirely shifted, as there was once a point when it was uncertain if its season would happen. Now, the team is excited to compete on-campus, for the first time in Pepperdine History. “We are so grateful, that’s the best word I can use,” Bauer said. There has not been an official name assigned to the sand volleyball courts, but the Waves are eager to host their first match on these courts Sunday, Feb. 28, against Stanford.

C AM RYN.JONES@PEPPER DINE.EDU

Water Polo caps off an undefeated weekend in dominating fashion just in T o uhley A ssi stant s por ts e d itor The No. 5 Pepperdine Men’s Water Polo team capped off an undefeated weekend over PCH cup rival No. 6 Loyola Marymount on Sunday at Raleigh Runnels Pool. The Waves were victorious 179, showcasing their strong defensive and offensive abilities against the Lions. The Waves were also victorious against No. 10 San Jose State 13-10 and 17-10 on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Head Coach Terry Schroeder credited the Waves’ great defensive play for the win. “I think this was definitely our best game defensively, and we had LMU very frustrated,” Schroeder said. “We watched video and when you can start to frustrate the other team with your defense, you start to open things up on the other end.” Schroeder said the defense improved significantly from their play against San Jose State earlier in the weekend. “Throughout the weekend we have gotten better each game,” Schroeder said. “Friday was kinda sloppy and we played well in the first half on Saturday. Today we strung together four good quarters, so it was a great team effort.” The Waves were lethal on offense and put on a clinic against the Lions throughout the game, and Pepperdine displayed its sharp shooting ability. Freshman center defender Nico Tierney was sensational on offense, as he had a career high five goals and was unstoppable throughout the game. “We have moving guys around the offense throughout the game trying to find open space and open

Keonabelle Paniagua | Staff photographer Going for the Kill | Junior attacker Curtis Jarvis attempts a shot on goal in the fourth quarter. Jarvis had four goals Sunday against the Loyola Marymount Lions. guys,” Tierney said. “The last few games we have been building as a team and creating open lanes to convert on offense at a much higher rate.” In addition to his stellar performance Sunday, Tierney scored three goals Friday and another Saturday, bringing his total to nine for the weekend. “Nico is a freshman, but he is finding his place and contributing to our team quickly,” Schroeder said. “He’s got potential to be a national team player.” Another player who was outstanding this past weekend was junior attacker Curtis Jarvis, who

notched four goals against LMU to go along with his five Saturday and two Friday against San Jose State. “We got a lot of guys involved and a lot of different guys scoring, so that is a good sign,” Jarvis said. “Our new guys and new freshmen are stepping up in a big way which will be great for us moving forward.” The young additions to Pepperdine’s team are mixing in well with the veteran talent that won the Golden Coast Tournament in the fall of 2019. “We have guys who have been around for a while and were part

of the team that finished third in the country,” Schroeder said. “We have a lot of young players and I think the potential for this team is really great.” Jarvis also said the team is getting better each game and their team chemistry is only going to improve throughout the season. One of the talented young players who played a major role in the team’s victory against LMU was sophomore goalie Kent Emden. After redshirt junior John Claude Marco’s starts against San Jose State on Friday and Saturday, the Waves started Emden in the cage for Sunday’s game against

the Lions. “We have two goalies who are coming off hip surgery and are continuing to heal,” Schroeder said. “Kent has been coming off strong and has been playing really well. He is feeling more comfortable in the cage and he has a bright future ahead of him.” Emden did not miss a beat coming off of Marco’s performance. The sophomore recorded 10 saves and did not allow a goal in the first 8 minutes of the game or in the third quarter. “We had a couple of really good shot blocks during this game, dropping back and helping each other out with communication,” Emden said. “We got tremendously better throughout the weekend and we had LMU on lockdown today.” Emden said veteran leadership from the team influenced his transitions, which has been pivotal in his early success. “Everyone has been supportive because at the end of the day we are all trying to make each other better,” Emden said. “We give feedback to one another and help out one another on both sides of the ball.” The Waves will host Air Force at Raleigh Runnels Pool this upcoming weekend on Feb. 27, and will then travel to LMU on Feb. 28.

JUSTIN.TOUHL EY@PEPPER DINE.EDU