Pepperdine Graphic 2-20-2020

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THE PEPPERDINE GRAPHIC VOLUME XLIX

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ISSUE 15 |

February 20, 2020

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pepperdine-graphic.com

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Milan loiacono | Photo Editor Night Crime | A transient man broke into the apartment of a Pepperdine student at the Malibu Canyon Village Apartments (“The Stinkies”) and sexually assaulted her. The suspect, who has since been apprehended, climbed into the complex through a hole in the fence and entered the apartment. L indsey Su llivan ASS I S TA N T N e wS E D ITOR A transient man accused of breaking into a student’s off-campus apartment was arrested Wednesday, Feb. 19, on suspicion of sexual assault with intent to commit a sex crime. The LA County Sheriff’s Department arrested Matthew Fairchild, 34, near the 19100 block of PCH on Wednesday morning. He is being held on $1 million bail. At the time of the incident, the suspect appeared to be intoxicated and was hovering over the student’s bed when she awoke to him poking at her side around 4 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8. The student, who wishes to remain anonymous, lives in the Malibu Canyon Village apartment complex, home to other Pepperdine students and commonly known as “The Stinkies.” The complex is less than a mile

from campus and is guarded by a security gate and 24/7 security cameras. The suspect has a history with the criminal justice system. In July 2018, Fairchild was arrested and pled nolo contendere for counts of assault, meaning Fairchild conceded the charge without admitting guilt. In May 2018, Fairchild was arrested on a count prohibiting sitting or lying in downtown Santa Monica at night, a count from which he was later dismissed. The student said she was alone the night of the break-in, leaving her apartment’s front door unlocked for her roommate. “It was absolutely terrifying,” the student said. “In the situation, I completely froze. I couldn’t scream or anything — I also didn’t want to set him off; I didn’t know what he was there for or what he was capable of.” The student said she was unable to speak in her state of shock but pointed to the bedroom door. The man ran out of the apart-

ment, apologizing and explaining that he was drunk and in need of help. Camera footage captured the transient man sneaking through a hole in the barbed wire fence surrounding the outer portion of the complex. It also caught the man attempting and failing to enter several other apartments before entering the student’s apartment. The student contacted police the day of the break-in. She said one of the most troubling parts of the situation was the dissatisfaction she felt with the police’s efforts to ensure her safety. “They kind of brushed it off and were like, ‘What do you want us to do about it?’” the student said. “They said that since there was no sign of a disturbance, and [the intruder] was nice about it and wasn’t very violent, that there was really not a whole lot they could do about it.” The student said she wishes there had

been a female police officer present during the initial investigation and questioning. “It seemed like the officers weren’t fully grasping the fear and trauma that can occur,” the student said. “Especially when you are someone [like me] who absolutely cannot fight back and is caught in a really vulnerable position, such as sleeping in your own bed. I can’t help but think that maybe a woman would have made sure to be more diligent with the process.” Apartment management has since fixed the hole in the fence where the suspect entered. Several other transient people — who allegedly live in a field behind the apartment — had access to the inside of the complex through the broken fence. “It’s been really, really frustrating, but I’m just glad that nothing more severe happened and that this can be a learning experience,

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Student Loneliness Taskforce addresses rising feelings of isolation on campus Emily shaw N e ws A ssista n t Across the nation, loneliness has become increasingly apparent among college students, and schools have been working to address the issue. Pepperdine is no exception. According to a National College Health Assessment Spring 2019 survey, 68% of Pepperdine student expressed they had “felt very lonely,” which is 3% higher than the national average. In response to this concerning statistic, Connie Horton, vice president for Student Affairs, started the Student Loneliness and Community Task Force, among other task forces, in the 2018–2019 school year to confront this issue. “[Loneliness at Pepperdine] is not markedly higher [than the national average],” Horton said, “but it is higher, and that’s not who we want to be.” Horton said these task forces aim to bring together full-time professional staff in Stu-

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dent Affairs across departments and levels to tackle various challenges and propose ideas. “The idea is there’s some sort of steady challenges that we deal with as a community at Pepperdine, that student affairs is involved with, that I wanted to get some creative thinking going on,” Horton said. Lucy Man, co-chair of the Student Loneliness and Community Task Force, said the goal for the task force this year is to learn more about loneliness and community specifically at Pepperdine. Natalie Hagedorn, administrative coordinator for the Student Care Team, Title IX and Operations Planning and Assessment, is also co-chair of the task force. Hagedorn said the task force last year identified two different dimensions to loneliness they found on campus: social loneliness, which is feeling disconnected due to having a lack of friends or people one can go to; and emotional loneliness, which is having

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News

Pe r s pe ct iv e s

68% of Pepperdine student express they feel “very lonely.” 3% higher than the national average.

When you read a Graphic article, a great deal of thought and care has gone on behind the scenes.

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Pepperdine, adjunct A5- If Pepperdine does not B2A5- At professors earn an draw a line for sexaverage salary of $24,068.

thethe waves waves report report

Gabby DiGiovanni | Staff artist

traffickers or impeached presidents, who will they draw a line for?

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L if e & A r t s

SP ORTS

The city’s annual film festival brings independent filmmakers and moviegoers to Malibu.

Men’s Volleyball won two home matches, beating Concordia-Irvine in five and sweeping USC.

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this we e k o n the g rap h T he g r ap hi c’s Ne ws P o d c ast

Basketball split Pepperdine’s newest B4- Men’s two home games in an fraternity on campus exciting week. highlights professional and community goals for science majors.

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A Crime at Stinkies Lindsey Sullivan reports on the arrest of a man suspectd of assaulting a Pepperdine student just miles from campus. Available anywhere you listen to podcasts.

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