The University named an interim museum director after parting ways with the director who curated the censored and shuttered exhibition. See NEWS | A3
Jim Gash has been president of Pepperdine University for six years, and his presidency has recently been extended. Perspectives Staff Writer Noah Burton argues Gash has had a net negative impact on the University and his tenure should not have been extended.
As fall arrives in Malibu, Pepperdine students find a way to celebrate the season, even though the weather hardly changes. They bring the spirit of autumn to Southern California.
With a new school year comes a new slate of athletesPepperdine Athletics continues to move in the right direction with the rise of these young stars.
Artist Sharon Chohi Kim uses artist Elana Mann’s sculptural instrument in part of a video installation formerly displayed at the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art.
Photo courtesy of Elana Mann
Photo by Melissa Houston | Photo Editor Design by Betsy Burrow | Creative Director
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Nov. 11
Men’s Basketball vs. Lincoln
Come cheer on Men’s Basketball as they compete against Lincoln. The game will be held at Firestone Fieldhouse at 6 p.m.
Nov.
11-15
‘The Good War’
‘The Good War’ will bring to life in-depth interviews from those who lived through World War I. The play will take place in Smothers Theatre from Nov. 11-15.
Nov.
15
Women’s Volleyball vs. Santa Clara
Come out and support Women’s Volleyball as they face off against Santa Clara. The game will be held at Firestone Fieldhouse at noon.
Nov.
18
President’s Speaker Series
Good News: Finding beauty in imperfections
Melissa Houston Photo Editor
For as long as I can remember, I have always lived in front of a camera. Whether it was through dance videos or just embracing my outgoing nature, my life has been a constant performance for the lens. But with this constant spotlight I put on myself also came an underlying pressure to follow a mold that the camera seemed to create.
It wasn’t just this expectation of perfection from myself, it was the feeling that my entire existence — like how I looked or interacted — was constantly under review and being critiqued. The worst part? The harshest critic was usually myself.
Even through all the pressure, I still had a love for creativity. From a young age, I found a passion for documenting my life through a lens that captured me in my truest form. As I made these videos, I realized what I loved was telling stories through it.
This passion brought me to where I am today, majoring in Journalism in college.
Photography has taught me to stop striving for perfection. It has shown me the true value in embracing what is real, and the moments that aren’t flawless but are meaningful. A camera to me now seems a tool for expression and not judgment. It is a way to capture life as it is: real. And it is no longer about fitting into the camera’s lens — it’s about finding the one that fits me. U p c o m i n g e v e n t s .
This upcoming President’s Speaker Series event will feature Andrzej Duda, the former president of Poland. The event will be held in the Surfboard Room at noon.
It wasn’t until I impulsively decided to take photos for the Graphic and started experimenting with photography that realization hit me: every single photo taken is a story told through a different perspective.
The photos I took all had
their slight imperfections, but that is what made them unique and beautiful. The Japanese philosophy known as “wabi-sabi”: is the essence of finding beauty in the imperfect and transient. Through the blurred edges, the soft focus and moments where things did not go as planned, the photo was made meaningful and beautiful.
Though I am still learning about wabi-sabi with every photo I take, there is something really empowering about adopting this mindset. My imperfections are part of what makes me real, and accept-
Caught you fizzin’!
“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.”
ing those imperfections has allowed me to live a life true to myself.
Photo Editor Melissa Houston gets ready for a dance recital in 2007. The moment reflects her early years of passion for performing, which would later inspire her career in journalism and photography.
Admin appoints new Weisman director, students protest after art censorship
Henry Adams News Editor
Less than a week after the University and former Museum Director Andrea Gyorody “mutually agreed” for Gyorody to step down, Pepperdine administration has named her replacement.
Lauren Cosentino, vice president for Advancement and chief development officer, announced the appointment of Dean of Libraries Mark Roosa as the new interim director for the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art in an Oct. 29 email to the Pepperdine community. The news comes three weeks after Cosentino shut down the Museum’s “Hold My Hand in Yours” exhibition after over a dozen artists withdrew due to Advancement censoring two pieces of art.
“We’re very excited to imagine the possibilities for the future, for new ways to collaborate across the University,” Roosa said. “Libraries and museums have an awful lot in common, and this is a great opportunity for us to forge a new direction and create an exciting place on campus for our community.”
Roosa will continue to serve as dean of libraries, where he reports to Provost Jay Brewster, a University spokesperson told the Graphic. In that role, which Roosa has held since 2004, he has overseen several art exhibitions and lectures, including in the gallery space on the second floor of Payson Library. Prior to Pepperdine, Roosa was the director for preservation at the Library of Congress, according to the Oct. 29 email.
Art Professor Ty Pownall said the Fine Arts Division plans to work with Roosa “as much as possible” to do what’s best for their students.
“We’ve had a long relationship with Mark working in the library on art exhibitions and lectures, and I hope that continues in a productive way,” Pownall said.
A University spokesperson said Roosa was unavailable for an interview. Through an emailed statement the spokesperson sent to the Graphic, Roosa said more details about the Museum’s upcoming exhibitions and programs would be shared in the coming months.
The Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts, which the Museum is structured under, will continue to report to Advancement.
Cosentino announced Roosa’s appointment minutes before this semester’s All Seaver Meeting, a regular meeting that includes all Seaver faculty and staff. Seaver Dean Lee Kats led the meeting, which included discussion of the recent Weisman censorship controversy, among other agenda items planned weeks in advance, Religion and Sustainability Professor Chris Doran said.
Doran, who serves as the president of the Seaver Faculty Senate (SFS) and Seaver Faculty Association (SFA), said he held a dialogue with Kats about the Weisman at the meeting.
“My primary goal at this point is to see to it that faculty and students have any necessary resources to complete learning/teaching and research objectives that might otherwise have been accomplished
via the previous exhibit,” Kats wrote in an Oct. 30 email to the Graphic.
At the All Seaver Meeting, Doran said Kats also spoke about Pepperdine’s drop in the U.S. News & World Report rankings, including how the Weisman controversy could affect the University’s future rankings. Several faculty Doran has spoken to believe the peer assessment factor in the rankings, which constitute 20% of the calculation, will be impacted by the Weisman censorship. Some faculty told Doran they had been asked about the controversy in specific detail at recent conferences, including non-art ones.
“I’m hearing from faculty who are going to meetings and talking to colleagues in other parts of the nation where this is the first thing that they’re asking about,” Doran said.
The SFS has distributed to faculty for a vote a statement condemning the censorship of the Weisman exhibit. The period for voting and comment will close Nov. 14.
During the All Seaver Meeting, a small protest planned by senior Art major Grace Bidewell and senior Art History major Sam Backus was held on top of the Black Family Plaza Classrooms (BPC). The students planned to protest directly in front of Elkins Auditorium, according to previous Graphic reporting, but met at the nearby area after the 2025 Pepperdine Honors event was held at their planned location.
Neither Bidewell nor Backus attended the protest, which was only advertised through word-of-mouth and an Oct. 24 email Backus sent to some students. Roughly a half-dozen students came to the morning protest, and some said they were initially confused about whether it was still planned due to a lack of concrete information beforehand.
Seaver faculty across different divisions stopped by the protest, which several Department of Public Safety (DPS) officers and vehicles surrounded. Doug Hurley and Brittany Skinner, associate deans of Student Affairs, and Maura Page, director of Residence Life, were also present. Hurley said he was there to support students and the right to free speech.
Junior Art major Adri Sahakian, a former Graphic staff writer, said she came to the protest to show support for the Art program and faculty at Pepperdine. The “Hold My
Hand in Yours” exhibition was her favorite she had seen at the Weisman.
“Art is supposed to lead into discussion, and it’s supposed to talk about what’s going on in the world,” Sahakian said.
“You’re not really supposed to censor art because it’s how the artist perceives the world and what they want to bring to the table. And so censoring that is kind of silencing their voice, basically.”
Junior Art History major Skylar Jennings said the controversy was “an embarrassment to the University” and asked if Pepperdine wanted to be known for censoring art.
“It’s not fair to pull a work for being too political after
making an appearance on Fox News,” Jennings said. “That just doesn’t make any sense. You can’t call anything you don’t like ‘too political’ and pull it for that reason alone.”
First-year Art major Jennifer Velazquez said the censorship made her more likely to transfer out of Pepperdine.
“If this had happened last year, I would not have chosen this school,” Velazquez said.
Photos by Melissa Houston | Photo Editor
The Weisman Museum remains empty Oct. 29. The Museum is closed, but workers have continued working their shifts.
Photo courtesy of Pepperdine University Dean of Libraries Mark Roosa is the new interim director of the Weisman Museum. Roosa now reports to both the provost and Advancement across his two roles.
Faculty and students gather at the Oct. 29 art censorship protest atop the Black Family Plaza Classrooms. A concurrent meeting for all Seaver faculty and staff was held in Elkins Auditorium.
Weisman Museum controversy timeline
Oct. 1
Lauren Cosentino, vice president for Advancement and chief development officer, visits Weisman and directs Museum Director Andrea Gyorody to shut off artist Elana Mann’s video installation.
Students host Angry Art Night, an event where students create protest art. Art handlers complete deinstallation of the exhibition.
13
15
Over 100 Seaver faculty attend an emergency Seaver Faculty Senate Zoom meeting to discuss the Weisman censorship controversy.
Artist Natalie Godinez, part of the Art Made Between Opposite Sides (AMBOS) nonprofit that has a sculpture in the exhibition, learns administrators requested an embroidery reading “ABOLISH ICE” and “SAVE THE CHILDREN” be hidden.
The Museum is closed for deinstallation all day; 11 additional artists have withdrawn from the show.
Cosentino and another administrator directly reach out to Mann and AMBOS for the first time, attempting to find a solution where plaques indicating the University does not necessarily endorse the art pieces would be placed. Deinstallation pauses once Gyorody is informed.
The solution is unsuccessful, leading Cosentino to shut down the exhibition altogether.
Oct. 4 & 5
Mann and AMBOS withdraw from the exhibition.
Pepperdine’s Fine Arts Division and the National Coalition Against Censorship each release statements criticizing the administration.
Oct. 19
Signs from Angry Art Night are posted on the Freedom Wall.
Gyorody resigns after she and the University “mutually agree” she should step down.
A small protest is held outside the fall All Seaver Meeting.
Cosentino announces the appointment of Dean of Libraries Mark Roosa as the interim director of the Museum in a campus-wide email.
The fall ‘25 semester introduced Late Night Lineup events as a way for students to come together and connect every Friday and Saturday evening.
Late Night Lineup events typically involve an activity, such as a movie night or minigolf tournament, paired with food. The events are open to all undergraduate students and aim to build community.
“The purpose of Late Night Lineup events is to foster a greater sense of community on campus,” said Paige Timbrook, a senior and intern for Late Night Activities. “These events boost the social atmosphere at Pepperdine and provide students with something to look forward to every weekend.”
As a student intern for these events, Timbrook said her duties involve greeting and checking in students, setting up the events and cleaning up after the events are over.
“Working at these events has given me the chance to develop my skills of creativity, problem solving and teamwork,” Timbrook said. “It is rewarding to see the events come to life and to watch students make memories.”
Sharon Beard, interim vice president for Student Affairs, said she first proposed the idea for the events. Beard hired Alumna Myers Mentzer (‘25), former Student Government Association president, to help bring these events to life.
““Myers is in charge of making sure these events run smoothly,” said Kianna Kotas, a junior and intern for Late Night Activities. “However, she is working out of Texas and not able to be physically present all of the time, so we have a variety of campus faculty lead the
different events, and we sometimes partner with the [Student Programming] Board, which is always a fun collaboration.”
Junior Sadie Lovett said these events are great for meeting people because it brings together students from different grades, majors and clubs. These events widen the circle of people students spend time with, which is a positive change.
“A fun memory that I have from these events is when I played cornhole with someone I had met that night, and
now we’re friends on campus,” Lovett said. “It’s so funny when I see him because each time we learn more ways that we’re oddly connected. At Pepperdine, you never just meet someone once.” Kotas said she enjoys working these events because she gets to meet lots of new people when checking students in.
“I get to form bonds with students who I wouldn’t have overlapped with,” Kotas said. “I also enjoy how these events provide food for the students and employees. It’s always a
nice treat when there is leftover food that I can bring back to my dorm.”
First-year Kaity Burke said she has attended a variety of these events, such as Canes and Cornhole, Starry Night Cinema, Wings and Wins and Howdy and Hang.
“I love just laughing with my friends and bonding with one another,” Burke said. “Obviously, the free food is a plus, but just being able to bond with my friends after the week is so fun because I get to see people I do not see as much, or I get to laugh with my roommate which are memories that I love.”
Lovett said she can already tell the difference that these events are making.
“Lots of Pepperdine students go home on the weekend, and I can already tell that these events are making more people stay,” Lovett said. “As a junior, I’ve seen Pepperdine before and after the introduction of Late Night Lineup, and I believe these community-building moments are a huge plus.”
alicia.dofelmier@pepperdine.edu
Malibu homeowners decide: sell or stay?
Emma Martinez Community Reporter
To sell or not to sell? That is the question for many Malibu beachfront homeowners after the Palisades Fire.
As of the week of Oct. 27, there are 78 projects under planning review with 95 rebuild applications approved by planning. In the building phase, there are 11 building permits issued, according to Malibu Rebuilds. Seven of those were approved since Oct. 22, but fireimpacted areas of Pacific Coast Highway are also lined with “For Sale” signs.
Chris Frost, broker associate at Sotheby’s International Realty, said the choice to sell instead of rebuild could come from issues unique to Malibu.
“They [Malibu homeowners] get into a choke point at geology and engineering,” Frost said. “If they’re not pushed through the [rebuild permit] system fairly fast, they start to back up, and that’s where the problem lies.”
To combat this issue, Abe Roy, Malibu’s former fire rebuild ambassador, spoke about a 10-day express lane permit review and approval process at the Oct. 28 Malibu City Council meeting. This process would streamline what has been a grueling task for Malibu homeowners.
The process has not been approved by the City yet, Councilmember Doug Stewart wrote in an Oct. 31 email to the Graphic. Roy said if approved, the process would aid in the goal of reaching 100 rebuild permits by the end of the year.
Streamlining the Permit Process
At the City Council meeting, Roy said his plan boils down to on-site action and a master checklist. Incorporating on-site action with homeowners will eliminate redundancies in the permit process.
“When you’re able to actually, physically be on-site, it’s a far more effective process to actually resolve issues [in] real time,” Roy said.
This would not only benefit the homeowners who hope to rebuild, Roy said.
“It’s going to reduce the burden of work that exists on the city,” Roy said.
Roy said the current process includes multiple City departments that individually provide corrections and review to the homeowner and design professionals application.
“This can become very difficult to manage,” Roy said. “You’re constantly battling these corrections and changes.”
Roy’s solution: consolidate all of the departmental review and correction into a master checklist.
“This would make life a lot easier for not only the design professionals, but in fact, would actually make life easier for the City reviewers as well,” Roy said.
Both of these aspects of the 10-day review and approval process would eliminate the redundancies of the process, Roy said.
Stewart wrote in an Oct. 31 email to the Graphic that he has read the proposal, but the matter should be discussed with Mayor Marianne Riggins for a more “consolidated” response.
For Sale signs line Pacific Coast Highway after the dust settles from the Palisades Fire on Oct. 26. Many people are selling their properties while others are attempting to rebuild.
The Graphic reached out to Riggins via email and did not receive a response.
The Future of Malibu’s Beachfront Properties
Roy said if this plan is approved, there is hope for permit approval to increase. Many homeowners decided not to pursue this path by selling, according to the LA Times.
Two New Zealand brothers bought $65 million worth of oceanfront property and real estate agents said they have seen an increase in interest from European, Canadian and Asian buyers. This has left locals worried about the identity of the city once rebuilding is in full swing, according to the LA Times.
Realtors are not involved in who the property goes to. Frost said his sellers can decide on which offers they go through, but the decision is based on numbers.
“It’s seldom that a seller knows who the buyer is, except on paper,” Frost said.
Frost said realtors typically want to keep sellers and buyers apart.
“You don’t know what a seller is going to say to a buyer, or how a buyer is going to strike the seller,” Frost said.
emma.martinez@pepperdine.edu
Photo courtesy of Da Eun Jang
Students play arcade games at Dave & Buster’s on Oct. 10. This outing was one of the activities offered over fall break for students who decided to stay on campus.
Photo by Emma Martinez | Community Reporter
Graziadio alumna unlocks key to social media success
Christine Park Staff Writer
Wrestling with the question of “How can innovative leaders use social media to tell their story and be a positive influence?”, Kristi Piehl (MSML ‘24), Pepperdine Graziadio Business School alumna, said she drew inspiration from a class assignment to release her book “Flip Your Script.” It provides tools that show readers how to control one’s own story in a digital world that continues to be influenced by artificial intelligence and polarization.
As CEO and founder of Media Minefield, a national award-winning PR agency in Minneapolis, Piehl draws on her skill as a storyteller to connect with leaders and entrepreneurs to help them build trust with their audience, bring authenticity through vulnerability and instill motivation into others, Piehl said.
“How do we motivate and encourage people just through telling our stories and our own personal experiences?” Piehl said. “Odds are, there’s someone out there who is walking a similar path who could learn.”
Drawing Inspiration From Charles Dickens
Piehl, an Emmy Award-winning broadcast news reporter, said she graduated from Bethel University with a degree in English Literature, which helped to shape her passion for storytelling. After a career in journalism, she furthered her education through Pepperdine’s Master of Science and Management Leadership program (MSML), where the initial vision of her book started to take shape.
“As I was going through my Pepperdine master’s program, I was again convinced and reminded that we need more business books written
by women,” Piehl said. “The majority of books written are written from a male perspective and are very separated between professional and personal.”
In a hybrid work environment where people bring the professional to the personal and vice versa, to pretend there is a line between them is not real, Piehl said. She brought all of this and applied it to an assignment from the managerial innovation and creativity class taught by Steve Ralph, practitioner of organization theory management at Graziadio.
Ralph said the exercise is meant to help students learn a tool called perspective shifting.
“It’s taking a challenge that you currently have, or you need some breakthrough idea, and you pick a character,” Ralph said. “It could be a fictional character, it could be a real character, past, present, and you look at your challenge through their lens and their perspective. It’s to generate new ideas.”
The challenge is to tackle how emerging leaders can use social media to tell a compelling story and create a positive impact, Piehl said. Utilizing her undergraduate English Literature degree, Charles Dickens became her chosen historical figure.
Looking to Scrooge from “A Christmas Carol,” Piehl said she was able to find her compelling concept, something she felt often lacked in many books written by other entrepreneurial leaders in the industry. The concept of looking through with a past, present and future lens created a personalized and professional story.
For example, Piehl said she draws connections between the past, present and future through her late grandmother’s old diaries. By drawing comparisons between events that took place in the 1970s and applying them to how they would look in the present or the
“Flip Your Script: Own your story & unlock the power of social media” released Oct. 14, equipping leaders with a playbook to grow their social media presence. Leaders can form personal and professional connections with an impactful digital legacy.
future, the tools she presents in her book are formed to teach how to take control of one’s own narrative.
“The internet is the keeper of our stories because someone can do an AI search or a Google search, social media search, and find things about us that maybe we want them to know, maybe we don’t want them to know,” Piehl said.
The Making of the Book
Alumna Lisa Valle (MSML ‘25), former classmate and recent graduate, said she was able to see Piehl’s early journey with the book come to life as they quickly became close friends together.
“Knowing who Kristi is from a PR perspective and what drives her business, clientele and coaching, the book is really that in book form,” Valle said. “I learned from her that everyone has a story, and just by sharing your story, you could impact somebody else’s life or give them different perspectives in getting to know you better.”
Once she had the vision, Piehl said she put in the work drafting the book, working on it on the side throughout her time at Graziadio. But after her son’s cancer diagnosis in January, she had to halt the process.
“I stopped writing the book, put it on pause, and then applied every single lesson in the book to my own story,” Piehl said. “There are pages in my own diary that talk about how applying those lessons to my own story really made a positive impact for good and how my social media community helped me.”
Social media can be a place of negativity, hate-filled judgement and polarization that prevents people from truly opening up and building a platform for themselves, Piehl said. Inspired by the podcast “Flip Your Script” she started in 2020, Piehl also used the title for the book, as the message aligned for both.
“We need to turn the page and flip the script of how we think about social media because for many people, social media is a dumpster fire right now,” Piehl said. “But social media at its best can be a place to build connection and trust and meaningful relationships in the future and the present.”
Navigating Authenticity vs. AI
With the rising trend of AI in various digital platforms, knowing how to effectively use AI as a tool to help curate
one’s digital platform can help prevent leaders from relying on it too heavily, Piehl said.
AI is very useful for gathering information and research and generating ideas, but it lacks the ability to know all your life experiences and understand the nuances of emotion, Piehl said. When people rely on AI to write stories, articles or social media content, it comes across as stale and doesn’t feel authentic and real.
“We need to have relationships with people to make connections, which means we have to be vulnerable,” Piehl said. “AI teaches people that you should show up as some sort of robot, the perfect version of yourself, which is social media at its worst. That isn’t content people want to see.”
Certain platforms — for example, LinkedIn — will flag AI content and not serve it on their algorithm, Piehl said. Therefore, to grow your digital platform, it’s important to post authentic content.
“Authenticity is telling your own life experiences and what’s happened to you in a way that is appropriate and meaningful for the audience,” Piehl said. “If you can show up and share your story, share your experiences with other people in a way that has context and meaning, now you can build connections with them and you can be authentic.”
Building Trust
To feel connected with an audience, trust has to be built, Piehl said. Connections can’t be built without vulnerability and authenticity.
“Leaders have to share credibility, their own unique thoughts, their expertise,” Piehl said. “What are you, in whenever I do a workshop with an executive team? Tell me what you’re an expert in.”
In a big company, the leadership team are experts in whatever role, Piehl said. For example, the HR professional is an expert in people, and the accountant is an expert in finance.
It’s important to establish credibility, to be able to show
up authentically and show a profile that is reflective of one’s own values, Piehl said. However, to put words around one of the hardest periods of her life was a bit more difficult.
Piehl said she knew she had to share a part of her perspective in going through with her son’s journey with cancer. There had to be other people who also were experiencing similar things and raising awareness meant helping a cause and raising money.
“I needed people who might hear about it,” Piehl said. “I have 40 employees. We have clients all over the country. I needed those folks to know that I was going to be able to show up and still run the company.”
It’s important to stay grounded in your own story, as we don’t have the right to share other people’s stories, Piehl said. She can only tell her own perspective of her son’s story, not anyone else’s.
“The point of the book is that social media can be a place of purpose and positivity as long as you show up to the platform thinking, ‘How can I help other people?’,” Piehl said. “And if you show up thinking, ‘How can I help someone else?’, you’re going to reap many professional personal rewards.”
The Book’s Mission
In honor of her commitment to raising awareness and money for the cause, Piehl is donating all the proceeds from the book to the Cancer and Blood Disorders Program at Children’s Minnesota.
Through these funds, families are able to receive the support that is needed in all different aspects of their necessity to receive optimal care for their own children’s battle with cancer, Piehl said. She set a commitment to raise at least $100,000 for the fund.
“Flip Your Script” released Oct. 14 and is available for purchase.
christine.park@pepperdine.edu
Photos courtesy of Media Minefield
Author and Graziadio Business School alumna Kristi Piehl (‘24) holds a copy of her new book, “Flip Your Script”.
PERSPECTIVES
Staff Editorial: Censorship goes against the core of journalism
Graphic Staff
Editor’s Note: PGM staff members decide on the topic of a staff ed together. The staff as a whole provides opinions and content included in this staff ed to provide thoughts about and shed light on solutions for happenings at Pepperdine.
In the wake of a censorship controversy surrounding the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, conversation around censorship has proliferated across campus. As student journalists, we understand the threat and consequences of censorship in society, most recently evident at fellow student newspaper the Indiana Daily Student (IDS).
Indiana University Bloomington (IUB) fired Jim Rodenbush, director of student media and adviser of the IDS, after Rodenbush refused the school’s orders to stop printing news coverage in their newspaper, according to the IDS. IUB then fully cut IDS’ Oct. 14 print, according to IDS’ Instagram.
Censorship is any suppression of expression, and what happened to the IDS is a textbook example. At IUB, the dean of the Media School enacted prior restraint — a form of censorship that takes place before publication — by defying the student newspaper’s editorial independence and telling students what they could and could not print.
As student journalists at
Pepperdine, we’re troubled when we see censorship applied by any university administration to a student newspaper.
The Graphic is an independent publication, and does not allow Pepperdine administrators — nor any other party outside the newsroom — to proofread stories nor otherwise control what is published. The only proofreading the Graphic allows is for sources to verify their own quotes for accuracy, but never for preference on inclusion.
Furthermore, while Pepperdine is a private university, California has the Leonard Law, which grants students at private universities First Amendment rights, including freedom of the press, according to California Legislative Information.
As journalists, we would not be doing our job if we allowed for our work to be censored.
The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) lists “seek truth and report it” and “act independently” among their code of ethics, according to their website. All Graphic staff members are required to read through this code of ethics and agree to uphold them.
Censorship directly goes against what it means to be a journalist. We cannot commit ourselves to being public servants if we allow anyone outside the newsroom to control what we publish. If we did, then we would not be acting in accordance with the SPJ code of ethics nor could we say for certain we are providing the public
with unbiased and accurate information. Instead, we would become a tool for someone else to use to push out information they want published and withhold information they want hidden away from the public.
Furthermore, the “chilling effect” is a phenomenon where individuals choose to censor themselves for fear of repercussion or harm. As student journalists, we commit to reporting the truth — even when it surrounds contentious topics — without fear of repercussions.
Censorship of journalism hurts everybody. If journalists are unable to commit to providing accurate and unbiased information, then that means the public isn’t being provided with the information they need. Thus, everyone is left to make decisions on incomplete stories and information.
The First Amendment is a gift not every country has. Countries that don’t have it are allowed to shut down newspapers that are too critical of the government, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. For the average citizen, the right to free speech allows people to not live in fear for simply voicing one’s beliefs. We at the Graphic are grateful we get to provide accurate and unbiased information and are committed to exercising our First Amendment rights.
THE PEPPERDINE GRAPHIC SENIOR LEADERS
Editor
Tony Gleason
Editor
Director
Editor
Editor
Editor
Alicia Dofelmier
Amanda Monahan
Nick Charkhedian
Henry Adams
Caitlin Murray
Haylie Ross
Nina Fife
Betsy Burrow
Melissa Houston
Cara Tang
Faith Siegel
Lauren Brown
Shalom Montgomery
Christine Park
Alyssa Williams
Jonathan Jimenez
Soliel Lara
THE PGM STAFF
Alicia Dofelmier
Emma Martinez
Oliver Evans
Christine Park
Alexa McGlathery
Nicolette Aramian
Jordan Baquiran
Catie Baur
Melissa Bustos
Scarlett Cain
London Friesen
Annslee Mitchell
Avery Pfeifer
Charlotte van Oosterom
Sophie Rogers
Cristal Soto
Mahali Kuzyk
Noah Burton
Karla Suzuki
Shane Stephens
Madison Chavez
Marcos Lizarraga
Amy Ruiz
Addison Thomas
Ava Walton
Alexa McGlathery
Alexis Scott
Gabby Sebastiani
Libby Hill
Isabella Pisciotta
Hannah Miller
Lila Rendel
Olivia Schneider
Griffin Pilcher
Katherine Lytle
Amelie Sears
Alayna Yared
Ava Anderson
Noelle Kim
Amanda Monahan
Ella Monte
Harley Wachter
Ava Anderson
Sofia Cifuentes
Samara Miller
Alicia Stadler Managing Editor
Raymond Sevier
Sydnie Nuss
Art by Cara Tang | Art Editor
Opinion: Consider attending Malibu Pacific Church
Caitlin Murray Perspectives Editor
Transparency Item: The Perspectives section of the Graphic is comprised of articles based on opinion. This is the opinion and perspective of the writer.
When I arrived at Pepperdine as a first-year student, I was immediately searching for a new home church. Coming from a family who attended church every Sunday, I was ready to take on the responsibility of getting myself to church each week.
After I attended Malibu Pacific Church (MPC), I knew that my search was over.
From the moment I stepped onto MPC’s campus, I could tell that they craft the church experience around connection, both with Jesus and with others.
The church’s mission is “to inspire people to explore faith and take a step with Jesus.” They want to create “a church FOR everybody and every story,” according to MPC’s website.
Andy VomSteeg is the pastor of Malibu Pacific Church. VomSteeg’s focus is central to the mission of the church. It is clear that MPC is much more than an hour-long sermon each Sunday.
MPC’s love for Malibu extends to
the Pepperdine community as well.
Spiritual enrichment is vital to wellbeing, and college is the perfect time to explore spirituality. VomSteeg said he recognizes this explorative process in students.
“It’s important for every Pepperdine student to go to church because you’re connecting to a God who made you and loves you, to connect you with other people and have good, healthy relationships and find your purpose,” VomSteeg said.
Since many college students are in their late teens and early twenties, VomSteeg said MPC expects college students to wrestle with finding their purpose and making faith-based decisions. They want to create an environment where both churched and unchurched people feel comfortable to explore faith.
“Every Sunday is somebody’s first Sunday,” VomSteeg said. “We want outsiders, somebody who’s never been to church, to feel welcome.”
As a volunteer, I see the behind-thescenes work that goes into each Sunday morning. While MPC makes Sunday morning look effortless, each piece of the service is planned intentionally.
“The sermon starts in the parking lot,” VomSteeg said. “The sermon is how we’re behaving, relating to one another.”
The way Christians treat others at
church can say more about Christianity than the sermon itself. MPC recognizes this and spends a considerable amount of time and energy crafting each step of a Sunday service, from the parking lot to the auditorium.
When someone walks into MPC for the first time, they will be greeted by members of the Guest Services team all the way from the parking lot to their seat. They will be presented with delicious coffee and doughnuts, inviting music and an applicable sermon.
While some may critique the ease and comfort of attending church every Sunday, that’s exactly what many people may need. MPC removes boundaries to experiencing Jesus.
MPC teaches how living a Christ-centered lifestyle will make your life better, happier and fuller. They do not discount the struggles of being a Christ follower. Instead, they recognize
Opinion: It’s OK not to know everything
Eva Shauriki Perspectives Staff Writer
Transparency Item: The Perspectives section of the Graphic is comprised of articles based on opinion. This is the opinion and perspective of the writer.
It feels good to have some kind of solid grip on things — whether it’s something small, like knowing what I’ll have for lunch in a few hours, or something bigger, like knowing what brings me joy. Having a handle on who I am or what my life looks like feels secure, comforting and effortless.
But life always finds a way to loosen that grip. The control I think I have starts slipping through my fingers, no matter how tight I hold on. It’s scary, uncomfortable and sometimes crushing.
The more I grow and the more I experience those times where my control is obsolete, the more I learn it’s OK not to know everything. In fact, it’s almost better.
Living without knowing is an inescapable piece of existence. Whether this is something that’s fortunate or unfortunate is dependent on how one decides to approach it. “Not knowing” might actually be the best place to live fully.
In my Foundations of Reasoning class, I learned the term cognitive miserliness. It’s essentially the tendency of our brains to conserve mental energy by jumping to conclusions and clinging to easy answers for hard situations, according to American Phsycology Association.
I concluded I am pretty guilty of this tendency. I try to rationalize things to seem much simpler than they are — a coping mechanism to facing problems head-on. I seek for any answer, even if it’s incomplete
or false, rather than sitting with uncertainty.
My ego has always loved jumping to conclusions because it felt good to believe I had all the answers — even when deep down I knew I didn’t. This illusion of knowledge convinced me knowing everything meant having control.
But now I see constant certainty is actually a barrier to acceptance and growth. The unknown is where the real learning happens.
“Being at ease with not knowing is crucial for answers to come to you,” spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle wrote in his book “The Power of Now.”
I used to think everything in life was linear — each event had a reason and explicit explanation. The saying “everything happens for a reason” frustrated me because it felt like a way to gloss over uncertainty or discomfort in a situation rather than facing it.
How could someone say that when, in my mind, no reason could possibly justify why something has happened? Like why do bad things happen to good people?
Why do tragedies strike without warning, tearing through lives that didn’t deserve it? Why do we lose people before we’re ready to? Why do some things have to hurt so bad?
I used to think if I could just find the reason behind certain things — some logical explanation — I could be at peace with them. But maybe the whole point isn’t finding the reason but instead letting go of the need to find one.
Some things don’t automatically come with answers, and trying to force them can often deepen the pain. Sometimes there’s no other choice but to trust meaning will form in its own time — even if it feels like that time will never come.
I’ve noticed that when I stop forcing everything
that despite the hardships of living a Christ-centered life, the end result is better.
From attending and serving at MPC, I have found peace, become more grateful and rediscovered positivity for my faith.
VomSteeg’s messages are the perfect start to my week every Sunday because I am always reminded that I am cared for and loved by God. Even when a sermon convicts me, rather than feeling guilt, I am inspired to implement a new strategy to strengthen my relationship with God.
If you are interested in exploring faith, I recommend taking a step with Jesus by giving MPC a try.
caitlin.murray@pepperdine.edu
to make sense — when I stop demanding that every event have a clear purpose — I feel freer.
It’s not that I stop caring, or feeling things deeply, it’s more that I find comfort in the lack of control that I have on the outcome of things that I was really never meant to control. There’s a peace within trusting a process instead of controlling it.
I learned how to find excitement in surrendering. Surrendering to discomfort, finding peace in the unknown.
If I knew everything there’d be no room to grow, to question, to see the other side of things. There’d be nothing else to learn — no surprises, no turning points, no moments that stop me in my tracks and remind me how big life really is.
Maybe the point of life isn’t to figure it all out — it’s to simply just live it, even when it doesn’t make sense. To embrace the uncertainty, to find meaning without needing explanation and to trust that sometimes not knowing is the answer.
eva.shauriki@pepperdine.edu
Art by Ava Anderson | Staff Artist & Design Assistant
Art by Skyler Luo | Staff Artist
Opinion: Jim Gash’s presidency should not have been extended
Transparency Item: The Perspectives section of the Graphic is comprised of articles based on opinion. This is the opinion and perspective of the writer.
On Aug. 4, Pepperdine University announced the Board of Regents unanimously voted to extend President Jim Gash’s term by five years.
Gash has been the president of Pepperdine for six years, and while some of the changes he brought to the University have been beneficial, other changes have been harmful to the community or Pepperdine’s image.
Concerns with Gash’s presidency for many are wide-ranging, but I see them as three main points: Pepperdine’s academic reputation, expression on campus and a clear political leaning. The net impact Gash has been negative, and his renewal was not a good decision.
One of the key metrics to measure the public face of a university is the U.S. News & World Report ranking. More than 50% of high school seniors refer to this when deciding what college to apply to, according to a 2024 poll by Art & Science Group.
Since Gash became the president, there has been stagnation and ranking drops for Pepperdine. One of the most significant drops was in 2023, when the ranking methodology changed, according to previous Graphic reporting.
This methodology change was to better reflect post-graduate outcomes and highlight an institution’s ability to help its students achieve socioeconomic mobility, according to Inside Higher Ed.
Pepperdine defended the drop in rankings by saying the University is performing well in other ranking metrics included in the report, according to a release by the Pepperdine Newsroom in 2023.
Despite this, Pepperdine has continued dropping in previously strong metrics, such as from 74 to 103 in Best Value Schools, changing from the 2025 to the 2026 rankings, according to previous Graphic reporting.
Pepperdine has also dropped in the peer reputation category, which is our academic quality assessed by the administrators of other institutions. This makes up 20% of the ranking, and in 2024, Pepperdine experienced a drop from 3.5 to 3.4 on a 1 to 5 scale, according to previous Graphic reporting.
The University has publicly ignored the decrease and failed to acknowledge the most recent drop in the rankings in its 2025 Pepperdine Newsroom report.
Ideally, Gash would publicly direct the University to do its best to understand what the cause of these drops in rankings truly is.
Since his tenure began, Gash has chosen a series of themes to guide each academic year, with last year’s theme being “Freedom.”
In 2016, with the inception of the label, Pepperdine was rated a “Warning” school in the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) free speech rankings, and as of
May 2025 is still considered a “Warning” school. Pepperdine’s ranking suggests its policies actively inhibit the right to free speech.
It is not Gash’s fault the University started as a “Warning” school when he began as president. Despite this, it is still within his capabilities to direct the President’s Office to address and potentially make changes so Pepperdine is no longer rated so poorly.
While many other religious and non-religious universities are also rated poorly, the importance of the FIRE rating is exacerbated by Gash’s choice to connect Pepperdine directly with the idea of freedom.
The value of this theme of “Freedom” is further questionable, considering how the university has approached expression on campus.
Last spring, a representative from Student Affairs requested censorship of the language the Gender and Sexuality Alliance was allowed to use for the naming of an event, according to previous Graphic reporting.
While Gash and the President’s Office are not directly responsible for the handling of this event, Gash could set a more inclusive standard for free expression on campus.
The University administration also recently shut down an exhibition at the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art. The administration directed the Weisman Museum to censor parts of two art pieces, due to their being “political in nature,” according to previous Graphic reporting.
This ultimately led to the closure of the exhibition, as artists pulled their pieces from the Museum in protest of the administration’s decision.
The content that was deemed “political in nature” included messaging such as “No aceptaremos una América racista” [in English: “We won’t accept a racist America”], “Say it loud, say it clear, immigrants are welcome here” and “SAVE THE CHILDREN” and “ABOLISH ICE,” referencing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to previous Graphic reporting.
Arguably, all art is inherently political, and more overtly political art is often intended to create discussion and express a diversity of ideas.
This event sets a terrifying precedent from Gash and his President’s Office and bodes poorly for expression issues on campus going forward.
Pepperdine has never explicitly expressed a political stance, including under Gash’s supervision.
Since becoming the University’s president, though, Gash has increasingly shifted toward a conservative political leaning. He has made several appearances on news and entertainment programs such as Fox News and written for publications like Newsweek.
In his writing for Newsweek, Gash wrote about the need to instill “foundational American values” into students through education — a call to action that feels strange considering Pepperdine is committed to “Christian values,” not explicitly American ones.
In that Newsweek op-ed, Gash even took a position against the student protests across the nation for nearly
two years in response to the United Nations-described Israeli government’s genocide of Palestinians. He also appeared on a Fox News segment that framed these protests as hateful, and defended his argument that universities should respond to these protests by focusing on American values, when he said, “We can’t just be passive and let the culture, let society tell us what we should be believing.”
Pepperdine claims Gash is committed to “diverse perspectives,” according to his renewal announcement. Despite this, Gash has appeared on Fox News multiple times within the past two years, a corporation well-known for having a right-wing bias, according to AllSides.
His political bias and influence does not end there. Under his guidance as president, Pepperdine has hosted several “thought leaders,” according to the renewal announcement. These have included Palmer Luckey, Jordan Peterson, Mike Pence, Robert George and Cornel West and more.
Despite it seeming like a large variety of speaker backgrounds, the majority of these guests have been right-wing political figures. Cornel West was the only self-described left-leaning speaker, and he was one of relatively few speakers who shared the stage during his appearance at Pepperdine, according to the President’s Speaker Series website.
The President’s Speaker Series — under which these speakers were brought to campus — is an initiative developed and brought to Pepperdine by Gash, according to previous Graphic reporting.
It seems a political agenda is being created by failing to present legitimately diverse perspectives.
Gash’s past relationship with the late Ken Starr also reflects badly on the University.
Starr served as the dean of the Caruso School of Law from 2004 to 2010, at the same time that Gash was Caruso’s associate dean for student life, according to previous Graphic reporting and the Pepperdine Magazine.
Starr is notable for many reasons due to his career in law and political associations.
Starr played a key role in the impeachment of President Bill Clinton through the Monica Lewinsky scandal, defended President Donald Trump in his first impeachment trial in 2020 and resigned as president of Baylor University due to mishandling of sexual
assault allegations between students, according to the Miller Center, PBS and NPR.
Starr also wrote a letter of support for convicted child molester Christopher Kloman, and Starr is perhaps most famous for playing a role in securing Jeffrey Epstein — a well-known child sex offender — a plea deal in 2008, according to PBS.
Most of these events happened after Starr was hired at the University, and Starr’s presence at Pepperdine was no fault of Gash’s.
Starr’s historical association with the University is problematic enough on its own, and Gash’s influence is making it worse.
Despite all of this widely available information about Starr and his negative public associations, Gash still oversaw the creation of the Ken Starr Institute for Faith, Law, and Public Service last year, according to the Pepperdine Newsroom.
Perhaps worse is the recent hiring of Johnnie Moore, the executive chairman of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The foundation has been criticized for its role in continuing the famine and genocide in Gaza, according to previous Graphic reporting.
In some ways, Gash has brought good to the University.
He expanded the RISE Institute, launched the Hub for Spiritual Life and is overseeing the construction of The Mountain at Mullin Park, all of which include helpful resources for students.
Most recently, Gash’s direction helped Pepperdine get recognized as a Research 2 (R2) University, a prestigious recognition that reflects a focus on research and advances Pepperdine’s image.
Despite this, his influence is vastly negative for the University. Continuous drops in rankings only reflect a declining state of the University, free expression is limited on campus and Gash has increased Pepperdine’s public political leaning.
Gash’s presidency extension should not have occurred, and I am worried about the future of the University under his continued guidance.
Noah Burton Perspectives Staff Writer
Art by Ava Anderson | Staff Artist & Design Assistant
Opinion: The Great Books program enriches its community
Mahali Kuzyk
Assistant Perspectives Editor
Transparency Item: The Perspectives section of the Graphic is comprised of articles based on opinion. This is the opinion and perspective of the writer.
The Great Books program is well known at Pepperdine.
Oftentimes, the class many first-years take for a convocation series credit becomes a beloved series of two or three years of the Great Books colloquium or minor.
Completing the Great Books program takes years of heavy reading, writing and discussion. Considering the workload, why is it that so many students choose, often with passionate conviction, to embrace the process?
Although I would have plenty to say about the program personally, I decided it would be fun to hear from a range of perspectives, both from students and professors, who have been touched by the Great Books Program. As expected of spending so much time with works from the greatest minds in literature, it is uncommon to find a student or professor who does not carry with them a lasting influence from Great Books.
For some students, there is a tangible positive effect on the paths toward their career. Senior Great Books student Sophia Burger, who is pursuing law school, wrote in a Sept. 22 email about the impact the program had on her internship at the Department of Justice.
“I was able to more easily write legal analysis and contribute to legal documents because of the academic writing skills I developed writing Great Books essays,” Burger wrote. “The process of
matching the facts of a particular situation or case to legal standards requires similar writing techniques to the Great Books essay, and I feel more confident to pursue law school because of my experience in the GB program.”
Great Books supports students in the process of entering their careers and contributing to those fields in a meaningful way. Possibly more enticing, however, is the way the program fosters curiosity.
We live in a world surrounded by mystery. Scientific discoveries are ever-expanding, spiritual truths are constantly debated and transformed and religions branch off and are occasionally newly created. There is much we simply do not know. To not be in a state of curiosity is to be sorely missing out on the abundance of mystery intrinsic to existing.
Senior Ashleigh Weinstock had a similar thing to say.
“In academia and in the modern world in general, there’s the urge to pursue rightness over curiosity,” Weinstock said. “And I think often in a classroom setting, questions in the same sense are used to display the rightness of one’s own opinion rather than to query what one believes or what the person that you’re talking to truly believes.”
Great Books provides a disruption to this pattern.
“I think that Great Books does a unique job of making students comfortable with not knowing the right answer and understanding that sometimes right answers don’t exist,” Weinstock said.
Great Books discussions have a unique capacity to take one’s mind on a journey that would be impossible to embark on alone. For me, this has
translated to investigating my spirituality farther than I could have otherwise.
John Kern, a professor of Religion and Great Books at Pepperdine, wrote about a similar idea in a Sept. 23 email.
“Great Books is a path of self-transcendence both for students and the faculty who guide them,” Kern wrote. “After all, to borrow Augustinian language, we are reading the books, but we are also being read by them and are invited to think deeper about ourselves and the world around us.”
Discussion provides a kind of wave of understanding the group rides together, embedded with occasional epiphanies.
“I can’t count how many class discussions became so saturated with meaning that we all lost track of time and discovered treasures in the text that none of us — myself included — could see on our own,” Kern wrote.
We have the opportunity at any point in time to pick up a book written by a person who has been through our struggles and overcame them, who has thought through issues we are trying to think through or has come up with
Opinion: It is important to remember the PCH crashes as time passes
Karla Suzuki Perspectives Staff Writer
Transparency Item: The Perspectives section of the Graphic is comprised of articles based on opinion. This is the opinion and perspective of the writer.
The California Highway 1, best known as Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), runs directly in front of Pepperdine’s campus. For many commuter students, faculty and staff, it is the most effective way of getting to school every day. I am one of those students. I drive through PCH twice a day, five days a week, and although it is a scenic and beautiful drive, there is not a single day that I am not reminded of its dangers.
The big trucks that carry construction materials, flashing signs indicating lane reductions, reduced speed limit signs and the Ghost Tire Memorial are all constant reminders that PCH is not just another highway, but a dangerous road undergoing constant repairs trying to make it safer for drivers.
The reality behind the scenic drive along PCH is a combination of heavy traffic, sharp curves and speeding. However, for Malibu residents and Pepperdine
students, PCH is both a lifeline and a threat, and it is our responsibility as members of the community to be conscious of the risks we face.
With just a few other alternative routes out of Malibu, PCH proved to be a lifeline locals took for granted after it closed down due to the Franklin and Palisades fires. PCH spans over 656 miles and runs all the way from Dana Point in Southern California to Leggett in Northern California, according to Visit California.
But in more cases than we would like to remember, PCH also proved to be a threat. Since 2010, the 21-mile Malibu section has witnessed 61 fatalities, a number that keeps rising every year, according to Los Angeles Times.
Many complain about construction or the approved speed-cameras program set to begin enforcement in November of 2025. We forget this is not simply an inconvenience, but every cone, barrier and camera are an attempt to make the dangerous highway we drive every day safer.
These measures are also lifelines because accidents on PCH are frequent, frightening and should not be forgotten.
More often than I’d like to admit, I too forget and
questions we would have never contrived ourselves. There are thousands of years of thought at our fingertips, of religion, philosophy and of accounts of the depths of the human experience.
A little over three years ago I sat down at the massive marble round table in Payson for my first day of Great Books, slightly nervous about getting enough participation points for the day, and probably fretting that I didn’t quite understand the text deeply enough. I didn’t expect Great Books to inspire me to switch my major to philosophy, or to spark what I hope is a lifelong obsession with chasing truth. What’s beautiful about it is that my story isn’t profoundly unique. As a pattern, most students don’t step out of the Great Books experience quite the same as they were before.
mahali.kuzyk@pepperdine.edu
Art by Sofia Cifuentes | Staff Artist
speed to class because I am running late or glance at my phone to change the song that is playing, but this temporary forgetfulness is dangerous. As students and members of the community, we are responsible for remembering the dangers that we face every time we get in our cars and drive through PCH. We need to slow down, respect speed limits and treat intersections and crosswalks like someone’s life depends on it, because it does.
The fight for a safer PCH is not recent. For decades, residents have advocated for safety measures to be taken and as we, students, make Malibu our temporary home, we need to advocate for them too.
Let’s remind ourselves that PCH is not just a beautiful drive, but a dangerous one too.
karla.suzuki@pepperdine.edu
Art by Ava Anderson | Staff Artist & Design Assistant
Opinion: Self-discipline builds confidence
Mahali Kuzyk Assistant Perspectives Editor
Transparency Item: The Perspectives section of the Graphic is comprised of articles based on opinion. This is the opinion and perspective of the writer.
Practicing self-discipline is an immediate switch between the mindset “I can’t” or “I don’t want to” to “I can, and I care about myself enough to make it happen.” Over time, that kind of care builds good habits. More interesting to me, though, is its direct effect on confidence, the kind that runs deep and doesn’t depend on outsourcing approval.
Possibly the biggest player in the byproduct of confidence is the message one sends to themselves in choosing discipline. In each action, whether it becomes a habit or not, there is a declaration of self-love attached. “I am worth the effort” is another way of saying “I love myself enough to go for it.”
When one chooses to get up early to move their body, study instead of scroll or save instead of splurge, they’re not just ticking boxes, they’re proving to themselves that they matter. They are showing their mind and body they’re someone who follows through and who believes they deserve a good life.
People sometimes equate discipline and self-denial. Although self-denial is an important aspect in discipline, discipline is more so about directing the self. Unhelpful or destructive actions are not just withheld, but replaced with actions that are aligned with what one knows is the better route for them. From this form of self-respect, confidence grows naturally.
Knowing one can trust themself to do what needs to be done is worth more than any perception of perfection, or having already achieved what is perceived to be a good quality, in my experience.
Confidence can seem like it is arbitrarily assigned to certain people at birth, and that it’s something some are just born with. On the other hand, some feel debilitatingly prone to
ACROSS: 2. A popular beverage made at orchards
4. Gobble gobble!
6. Filled with thanks 8. No shave...
1. Color that reminds you of fall 3. “Calabasas” comes from the Spanish word for...
5. Pepperdine’s only undefeated sport
7. These fall from trees
Iron + Oxygen =
self-loathing or a stark lack of confidence.
However, confidence can reliably be built in anyone. It is built by evidence of small wins, which is taken in pieces over time.
Every time one sticks to their word, whether it’s going to the gym, writing an essay with enough time to edit it or setting a personal boundary, one collects a little piece of proof that one can rely on themselves. That proof is powerful, and often overlooked.
Those moments start to pile up until a person knows by default that they can handle things. If I’ve seen myself do hard things before, the next challenge doesn’t shake me as much. In this way, self-discipline quietly trains confidence. It’s not a loud or immediately noticeable confidence, but it builds an internal trust that is completely independent from external validation or shaky circumstances.
When a parent enforces bedtime or healthy meals, it’s usually not because they enjoy exercising control over their child. It is out of love and a desire for their best.
Self-discipline is doing that for oneself. Setting boundaries and routines is form of caring about one’s own wellbeing. It’s more accurately looked at as gentle love and movement towards what is good than being “hard” on oneself.
When a person approaches discipline from love rather than pressure, it becomes a lot less about control and a lot more about care. One isn’t fighting themselves anymore, or swimming against the current, by changing habits and shifting away from immediate desires. One is supporting themselves, and in fact choosing what is better suited to their deeper desire anyway.
Through care for the self and an expression of love, one creates a life that feels intentional, fulfilling and speaks to their more profound desires.
Confidence based on looks or social prowess is fragile. Because of a baseline understanding of this fragility, people who become attached to this sort of confidence might also become attached to the fear of its frailty.
Confidence based on trust of the self excludes the fear aspect. This kind of confidence feels calm, it is the gentle understanding of one knowing they can carry their own weight in whatever situation they may find themselves, because they’ve proven it repeatedly to themselves.
Self-discipline affords a person a sense of freedom they might not have expected. It’s in the act of breaking away from being a slave to whims and mood.
Once one sees that they can rely on their own con sistency and care, confidence stops being something one chases and becomes something one carries.
Art by Sofia Cifuentes | Staff Artist mahali.kuzyk@pepperdine.edu
The Graphic
Sweaters under sunny skies:
Students find fall in a place that feels like summer
Annslee Mitchell Life & Arts Staff Writer
Students say Malibu does not have seasons. Living in constant, temperate 70-degree weather is its own version of paradise. But when October hits, students find themselves dripping with sweat under their thick sweaters and the leaves don’t change on the palm trees.
In a place where seasons barely shift, sophomore Emma Leyson said fall is less of an atmosphere and more of a mindset.
“I obviously love being by the beach,” Leyson said. “We are so lucky to go to school where we do because it’s constantly so beautiful. But I love autumn and I love when the leaves fall, so when they don’t, it’s a little sad.”
Decoration
Leyson said she loves decorating her dorm room for fall and Halloween.
“Whenever there’s a new season, I love to decorate,” Leyson said. “We have little pumpkins [in our dorm] and our soaps are pumpkin dispensers. I have little ghost decorations on my desk. I like to feel the holidays.”
Junior Elayna McClure is a Spiritual Life Advisor (SLA) in the Rockwell Towers dormitories. She said she embraces the fall season by arranging activities for the residents, such as the recent “Paint a Pumpkin” event and by decorating her room with pumpkins and lights.
“I have a warmer, darker light that I like turning on, and I turn on jazz music,” McClure said. “It’s very fall. I also have a ghost pillow and last year I had little fall leaf twinkly lights.”
“One [pumpkin] came from the Towers programming event, ‘Paint a Pumpkin,’” McClure said. “One of the other SLAs, Ellie, brought the pump-
those are from Trader Joe’s.”
Drinks
Like many students, McClure said she celebrates fall through the small comforts of the season.
“Obviously, I love all of the fall drinks at Starbucks,” McClure said. “The pumpkin chai is to die for.”
This opinion is common among Pepperdine students, Leyson said.
Leyson said she is a student worker at the Starbucks in Payson Library on Pepperdine’s main campus.
“I probably make like 70 pumpkin chais a day, at least,” Leyson said. “It’s so fun, though. I love when corporations do fun things for the holidays, so the pumpkin drinks are really fun.”
Leyson said most students order the iced pumpkin chai latte, even though it can be prepared hot.
“The iced version is just better,” Leyson said. “Plus, it doesn’t get too cold here. I really only want a hot coffee when it’s cold.”
Leyson said her favorite fall drink from Starbucks is a shaken espresso with pumpkin flavoring.
“Anything that says ‘pumpkin’ makes you feel the fall season,” Leyson said.
Fashion
Wearing fall clothes — such as flannels, boots and wool socks — is an autumn staple, but in the heat, dressing for
Design by Amanda Monahan | Currents Editor-in-Chief & Design Assistant
the season can be a challenge, McClure said.
“I wear sweaters, even if it’s really hot outside,” McClure said.
Senior Jace Evans said he likes to wear a mix of fall colors such as rust orange, dark maroon, sage green and brown to maintain the fall spirit. A longsleeve shirt and shorts combination is the best way to handle Malibu’s warm October days.
“My go-to outfit is definitely jeans, definitely Doc Martens and maybe a flannel or a sweater,” Evans said.
Evans said he enjoys wearing knitted sweaters, since it is not cold enough in Malibu for anything warmer. Still, it can be hard to find a balance between typical fall fashion and the warmth of Southern California.
“It makes me so mad because I want to wear long flannels,” Evans said. “I know I shouldn’t be complaining about the weather being 76 degrees, but I get so mad because I want to be able to wear layered and heavier clothes.”
Traditions
McClure said plenty of seasonal traditions help Pepperdine students to embrace the fall mood despite the surrounding beaches and palm trees.
“I like to paint my nails and watch the fall Hallmark movies,” McClure said.
Evans said he likes to drive through the Malibu Canyon to get away from the beach.
“Whenever I see the ocean, I think of summer — not so much of fall,” Evans said. “Through the canyon, you can see the leaves changing.
There’s also a Pumpkin Festival in Calabasas near Avalon that happens every year.”
Malibu Fall
Despite Malibu not being a typical autumn scene, McClure said she still notices a subtle shift in atmosphere to celebrate as October hits. She grew up in Colorado but still appreciates the autumn season in Malibu.
“I don’t hate fall in Malibu at all,” McClure said. “In the morning when it’s cold, I can wear my sweater, and then halfway through the day I can be a little bit warm in the sunshine.”
Students in Malibu still love the autumn mood — even when nature doesn’t cooperate.
annslee.mitchell@pepperdine.edu
Photo by Olivia Schneider | Assistant Photo Editor
Fall foliage spreads across Malibu despite a lack of chilly weather. Students said decorating their rooms helps supplement fall feels.
Photos by Melissa Houston | Photo Editor
Keeping ‘Our Girls’ light alive on campus
(’24) was the best friend and roommate of the four girls and has evolved into an advocate for her best friends. She said speaking up and sharing their stories displays the deepest form of love for her best friends.
Editor’s Note: The Graphic chose to refer to Asha Weir, Deslyn Williams, Niamh Rolston and Peyton Stewart as girls. While they all were over the age of 18, the Graphic chose to use the term girls because “our girls” is how the community has lovingly referred to them.
Even for those who never knew them, the legacies of Asha Weir, Deslyn Williams, Niamh Rolston and Peyton Stewart continue to ripple through campus life as a reminder that the four girls left an impact too deep to fade.
Although two years have passed since the tragic crash took the lives of our four girls, their lives and legacies should continue to live on in the memory and advocacy of Pepperdine students, whether they were on campus Oct. 17, 2023, or not.
Alumna Bridget Thompson
Thompson said the four girls are so important to her and they should continue to be so important to the Pepperdine community, no matter how many years pass.
“The students at Pepperdine should care just as much as anyone else because it could have been them, it could have been their best friends,” Thompson said.
Keeping ‘Our Girls’ Memory Alive on Campus
Through their outward expression, Thompson said the girls made a positive impact on everyone who had the pleasure of meeting them. She has kept her friends’ memory alive through personal stories and advocating for a safer Pacific Coast Highway (PCH).
While Thompson and other family and friends
continue to honor Asha, Deslyn, Niamh and Peyton, she said it is important for the Pepperdine community to do the same.
“They really symbolize what Pepperdine is and who the people at Pepperdine are,” Thompson said.
As time passes, students who were not on campus while the girls were often do not know the legacy and names of the girls, first-year Lola Herning said. Despite this, Herning was aware of the fatal crash.
“My mom was following the news really closely, and some [Pepperdine Cross-Country] teammates mentioned [the fatal crash] before,” Herning said. “That’s how I originally found out about it.”
Although she was familiar with the story of the crash, Herning said she didn’t know about the Four Lights Memorial behind Stauffer Chapel.
Herning said she wishes the University did more to inform incoming students about Asha, Deslyn, Niamh and Peyton’s legacy as well as general PCH safety.
“We, as a school, should
do more to remember and celebrate them,” Herning said.
In the process of the ongoing legal proceedings of Fraser Michael Bohm, who was driving the vehicle that ended the lives of the four girls, Thompson said it is important to keep the girls as the forefront of news coverage, instead of allowing Bohm to become the narrative.
“I never want the defendant [Bohm] or his attorney to be the headline,” Thompson said. “I want my friends to stay at the forefront. I know they could easily get lost behind everything and I won’t let that happen,”
Thompson said a way to keep the girls at the forefront is ensuring they are known within the Pepperdine and Malibu community.
How Pepperdine Honors ‘Our Girls’
The girls’ legacies are intertwined within quiet campus walks.
Pepperdine established the Four Light Memorial behind Stauffer Chapel in remembrance of the four girls. Each light is engraved with a plaque displaying their names and birthdays.
Thompson said she would frequently visit the memorial when she wanted to feel the presence of her best friends.
Since then, students have utilized the space as a beautiful sanctuary of prayer, studying or ever having a chat with a friend, Sophia Sullivan, Fraternity and Sorority Life coordinator, said.
On the two-year anniversary of the girls’ passing, Pepperdine Panhellenic offered an opportunity for students to drop flowers and card off onto the Four Lights.
“Although they might not
have been here, it’s important to know how deeply these girls affected Pepperdine and reflect on how they may have shaped their college experience without even knowing it,” Sullivan said.
There was also a memorial held by the Ghost Tires Memorial where the community could openly grieve and remember the girls together.
Solutions on What’s Next
In this crucial transition period where students who knew Asha, Deslyn, Niamh and Peyton graduate from the University, Thompson said it is critical that the Pepperdine community learns the legacies of the four girls.
With Pepperdine being on PCH, Thompson said the stories of the girls remain prevalent to everyone on campus.
“Reminding everybody of their names is important so that we can remember that their lives shouldn’t have been lost,” Thompson said.
Herning said she has some ideas for how the University can keep their memory alive with incoming students. Herning suggested the University informs students and families about the four women during New Student Orientation, or when parking passes are handed out.
“Maybe they have a little pamphlet or like a little message in there either or about the girls or safe driving in general,” Herning said.
Regarding PCH safety, the Malibu Planning Commission approved a plan allocating $55 million Nov. 3 to make safety improvements along PCH.
The sun shines on the four light posts at the Four Lights Memorial on Oct. 17. Each lantern has a plaque displaying the girls’ names and birthdays.
Haylie Ross Life & Arts Editor
The base of Niamh Rolston’s lantern is covered in flowers Oct. 17. Alumna Bridget Thompson (’24) said Niamh was a ray of sunshine.
Emma Martinez Community Reporter
Album Review: Tame Impala’s unexpected turn
Alexa McGlathery Assistant Life & Arts Editor
Transparency item: A review provides an informed and opinionated critique. These informed critiques are published to make a recommendation to readers. This review is the opinion of the writer.
Tame Impala, the project of Australian musician Kevin Parker, is taking a new direction with the release of his fifth studio album “Deadbeat.”
Known for groovy synths and swirling psychedelic pop, Parker softens his signature sound on this record, incorporating mellow guitar riffs and a more relaxed rhythm.
“Deadbeat” explores the tension between staying home in isolation and rejoining the world’s chaos and energy, according to Stereogum. The cover art, which is a portrait of Parker and his daughter, reinforces that personal touch, grounding Tame Impala’s usually larger-than-life sound in something more intimate and human.
Completely Unexpected
“Deadbeat” is completely unique and one of the most distinct releases in Tame
Impala’s catalog.
Parker takes a sharp turn on this record. Instead of the crisp, danceable grooves that define his past work, “Deadbeat” leans into a raw, minimalist sound that feels intentionally unrefined.
Parker, who often relies on digital tools like drum machines and keyboard-generated guitar effects to achieve his signature retro-futuristic tone, stripped things back this time.
On tracks like “No Reply” and “My Old Ways,” he swaps complex synth arrangements for a simple piano and a looser, more analog feel.
“All the drum machines are going through guitar amps,” and he “wanted to make a simple, shabby-sounding album,” Parker said in an interview with The New Yorker.
Reactions from fans and music critics have been mixed, saying this new sound is unimpressive and mediocre, according to Stereogum. Stereogum goes so far as to call it Tame Impala’s first album that doesn’t rock, not even slightly.
Unique Chords
Parker experiments with a series of fresh and unconventional chord progressions on “Deadbeat.”
While most pop songs are
written in a major key, which gives them a bright, upbeat sound, Parker leans into minor progressions to create a darker and more introspective feel.
The result is a moody and melancholic tone that showcases Parker’s ability to reimagine pop and highlights the album’s themes of isolation and reflection.
For example, in “No Reply,” the song roots around a B flat minor chord, which already gives a darker, more introspective tone, in comparison to a major key.
On “Obsolete,” the eighth track on the album, Parker closes the song with an interesting series of riffs, played by both a synth and an acoustic guitar. This closing to the song is extremely unique and is atypical for a guitar solo because instead of showcasing technical speed or skill, the guitar solo focuses on tone, layering and emotion.
Standout Tracks
One of the most notable tracks is “Loser.” “Loser” is a sad yet catchy ballad that laments Parker’s despair and tragedy, with lyrics such as “I’m a loser, babe / Do you wanna tear my heart out? / I’m a tragedy / Tryna figure my whole life out.” Parker reflects
on “genuine feelings of unworthiness” contrasted with the many awards he’s won for his records, according to Music Daily.
The most different, and arguably most confusing, track on the album is “Ethereal Connection.” This 8-minute house-inspired song stands out because it feels oddly out of place compared to the rest of the album.
While the track’s hypnotic rhythm is intriguing at first, its repetition becomes draining over time and it clashes with the emotional, melancholic tone that defines much of the
album. The album’s most popular — and catchiest — track is “Dracula,” which has racked up more than 46 million streams on Spotify, according to Kworb.
“Dracula” captures the same upbeat, groovy energy fans know from Parker’s earlier albums, like “The Slow Rush” and “Currents.”
It features a pulsing rhythm and haunting synths that make it stick in your head long after it ends.
alexa.mcglathery@pepperdine.edu
Students decide on Spotify vs. Apple Music
Avery Pfeifer Life & Arts Staff Writer
The long battle between Spotify and Apple Music gets tugged on daily, but who could be the final decision maker? College students.
Pepperdine students debate whether Spotify or Apple Music are better and what their favorite features are.
Spotify is my favorite streaming service I love all my different playlists.
Taylor Parnagian First-year
“Spotify is my favorite streaming service –– I love all my different playlists,” first-year Taylor Parnagian said.
Apple Music
First-year Allison Calvillo said she’s been an avid Apple Music user for years and would choose it over Spotify any day.
“You have a guarantee your music is straight from the artist, whereas with Spotify, random music can be uploaded,” Cavillo said.
Calvillo said she values the artist getting full recognition for their musical work, with no third party benefiting.
Spotify Aesthetic
Parnagian, who has used Spotify her whole life, said she tends to prefer Spotify’s looks and the unique features Apple Music lacks.
“Spotify’s the most up-to-date, aesthetic and easy to use,” Parnagian said.
Parnagian said Spotify has a better layout compared to Apple Music, with its darker features being more visually appealing.
“The aesthetic and easy navigation is why I use Spotify,” Parnagian said.
Though the popular opinion might be that Spotify looks better, Apple Music tends to be less confusing to Cavillo.
“Apple Music is much easier to use than Spotify,” Cavillo said. “With Spotify, I often got lost.”
Spotify Personalization
First-year Cienna Garcia said Spotify is accessible while also mentioning its unique personalized features she admires.
“[Spotify] gives customized playlists based on your liked songs, and it helps you discover new music you would like easily,” Garcia said.
Both Garcia and Parnagian said one of the biggest advantages of being in the streaming age of music is how accessible music is and how one can personalize their experience, and Spotify does a perfect job of it.
Apple Replay vs. Spotify Wrapped
A fan favorite among college students like Cavillo and Garcia, whether an Apple Music or Spotify user, is the
end-of-year Spotify Wrapped or Apple Replay, where each listener discovers their top songs, albums and top artist of the year.
“I still prefer Apple Music’s version of Spotify Wrapped and Drake was my top artist last year,” Cavillo said.
Cavillo said that although she’s a proud Apple Music user, Spotify Wrapped is the more well-known feature compared to Apple Replay.
“Spotify presents their Wrapped in a really fun and unique way. Spotify Wrapped is like an extra holiday –– my top artist was Deftones,”
Parnagian said.
Parnagian says her and her friends’ favorite holiday is the day Spotify Wrapped drops and they get to share who their top artist is and how many hours they listened to them.
“Spotify Wrapped has amazing marketing that makes you excited to see it every year,” Parnagian said.
avery.pfeifer@pepperdine.edu
Photo courtesy of Columbia Records
Students wrestle with feeling fulfilled
Sophie Rogers Life & Arts Staff Writer
Grappling with the constant urge to want more is something many students are trying to navigate. Fulfillment is the recipe for conquering that urge and enjoying the subtleties of life.
Students at Pepperdine said they wrestle with the ups and downs of wanting more, how Pepperdine’s culture affects their lives and how they ultimately find their fulfillment.
“Pepperdine is truly amazing,” sophomore Emma Hudelson said. “We are getting an amazing education, but in every aspect of my life, I feel like I am playing catch-up.”
The Ups and Downs of Wanting More
Coming to a school like Pepperdine is a blessing — the beautiful scenery, driven students, engaging professors and endless opportunities — but as with all things good, there is bad, Hudelson said.
“Wanting what we don’t have is something everyone feels,” Hudelson said. “If everybody were OK with where they’re at in life, we wouldn’t have goals or drive whatsoever.”
First-year Hope Hacker said being surrounded by people who are constantly striving for more pushes her to do better in almost every aspect of her life.
“When the people around you are put together, it kind of forces you to conform to what everyone else is doing,” Hacker said.
Hudelson said striving for more can be a great thing, but when people reach a point where they are never happy with what they have, it becomes damaging.
“Once people start to
chase superficial goals — like physical appearance — it becomes self-deprecating,” Hudelson said.
Other students think the idea of wanting what we don’t have is a direct result of Pepperdine’s student demographic and wealthy stereotype, Hacker said.
Malibu is a highly wealthy area. Sophomore Emery Arnold said this demographic makes it easier for people to come off as more put-together.
“Specifically with social media, it seems like everyone has it all together,” Arnold said. Arnold said when it feels like everyone has it all together, she turns to her friends to remind herself it’s OK to be imperfect.
“It’s really easy to stay true to yourself and be honest about the things you’re struggling with if you surround yourself with the right people,” Arnold said.
Pepperdine’s Culture
Multiple students said Pepperdine has a culture where people strive to be the best — sometimes at the expense of their own well-being.
“There is something for everyone here,” Arnold said. “It’s really easy to find yourself at a school that offers such a wide range of activities.”
Arnold said Pepperdine’s culture has dualities. In some areas, like extracurriculars, the culture excels and in others, it doesn’t — for example, socioeconomic status.
“Pepperdine culture is very hierarchical and focuses a lot on status and money,” Arnold said.
Hudelson said she felt the same type of hierarchical culture, which she wasn’t used to. The things that never mattered to her before suddenly became prevalent when she came to college.
“I grew up in a small beach town,” Hudelson said. “Appearances didn’t matter. Designer and luxury brands didn’t matter. Getting an A on every test you took didn’t matter, but here at Pepperdine, that all matters.”
Many students feel like the seemingly perfect culture of Pepperdine should be obvious when choosing to attend school in Malibu, Arnold said.
“We’re in such an expensive area and a lot of the students fit that demographic,” Arnold said.
Malibu is regarded as one of the most expensive places to live in LA County with a median home price of $4,115,000 according to Estate of Grace.
Arnold said this type of culture is expected in such a wealthy area and it was no surprise to her when she came to school here.
Hacker said she felt the same way. She said she grew
up in a culture very similar to Pepperdine. Even though she recognizes the issues with it, it did not come as a surprise.
Finding Fulfillment
When navigating artificial perfection, students find different ways to ground themselves and come back to reality.
Hacker said she grounds herself in her faith.
“One thing that really helps me is going to church,” Hacker said. “It’s a constant reminder that I should be grateful for what I have.”
Hacker said one of the biggest reasons people are never satisfied is that they are so focused on themselves and don’t think about others. She said she avoids falling into those habits and tries her best to have empathy for others all the time.
“Take a step back and look at the whole situation,” Hacker said. “Watch the people’s lives who have less than you and put yourself in their shoes or just show compassion to them.”
In combination with awareness of others’ situations, Arnold said she also needs to focus on the deep connections in her own life.
“I personally find fulfillment by spending time with quality friends, time with God, or time doing the things that make me happy,” Arnold said.
Arnold said she thinks that getting off the internet and spending time in reality brings her back to what really matters.
For Hudelson, personal fulfillment is what she chooses it to be. She said negative thoughts are a choice and can be fixed.
“People look at themselves and decide if they’re happy with what they see. If you’re not happy with what you see, you need to change something,” Hudelson said.
sophie.rogers@pepperdine.edu
Photo courtesy of Emery Arnold
Sophomore Emery Arnold swims in Hawai’i on July 10. Arnold said she loves being surrounded by the ocean
(From left to right) First-years Sage Owens, Hope Hacker, Josie Pascal and Layla Evers pose together Oct. 4. Hacker said she finds gratitude at Pepperdine when she does things with her friends like going off campus to grab dinner.
Photo courtesy of Hope Hacker
Men’s Basketball tips off 2025-26 season
With the 2025-26 season officially underway, the Pepperdine Men’s Basketball team is entering a defining chapter under second-year Head Coach Ed Schilling. With a roster built to fit his system and a returning core that includes leadership voices like redshirt junior guard David Mager, the Waves are focused on building something stronger and more sustainable.
Schilling said his expectations for the season go beyond just wins and losses — he’s focused on the team’s overall growth and development.
“The biggest thing for us is that we have constant improvement,” Schilling said. “My goal as a coach is for all of them to improve as the year goes along, that we finish the year significantly better than we started.”
It’s going to be a very fun team to watch and to get behind.
Ed Schilling Head Coach
That growth will be fueled by a roster Schilling said is more skilled and versatile than last season. After Schilling’s first year as head coach and assembling a team on short notice, the second-year coach has had the chance to recruit with purpose — and it shows.
“We have much more skill,” Schilling said. “We have guys that can play inside, that can play outside, that can post up. I think our skill level and our size are two of our better attributes.”
Building the Foundation
Much of the early-season
work has been about implementing a system, one that is complex by college basketball standards and demands discipline on both ends of the floor, Schilling said.
“We probably run a more intricate offense than most of those teams in college basketball,” Schilling said. “So there’s a whole lot to learn, especially our offense is very detailed, and it requires a lot of time.”
The Waves are also locking in defensively, aiming to complement their offense with a defensive structure that emphasizes effort, rotation and communication, Schilling said.
After enduring what Schilling described as an “extremely difficult” schedule last year, this season’s non-conference slate is more balanced and strategic. It includes a blend of high-profile matchups and games that will allow for deeper roster development, Schilling said.
“We have a very good spread of challenges from very elite to some non-DI’s where we’ll get a chance to look at the whole roster,” Schilling said. “Our schedule has much, much more continuity, and I also think there’s a nice spread of competition.”
Leading from Within
This season the team has added new players to its roster. This means returning players, such as Mager, have stepped into bigger leadership roles.
Mager said the transition from contributor to leader has been both intentional and organic for himself.
“I’ve taken on a bigger role coming into this year,” Mager said. “Definitely more of a leadership role, just like in practice helping out the younger guys. We have a wide variety of people from all over, so just being able to help those guys and make sure they know the plays and things like that.”
Mager’s experience is especially valuable as Pepperdine
integrates a roster with international flavor. But Mager said what stands out most to him isn’t where his teammates come from — it’s how well they’ve come together.
“The fact that we’re able to click the way we are is definitely really cool,” Mager said. “We do a lot more things off the court with each other which definitely helps with team chemistry.”
A Shared Goal
Mager said his main goal for this season was to win, which is a reflection of his team-first mentality.
“I just want to win and really just do whatever it takes to win, honestly,” Mager said.
Mager said his mindset is rooted in experience — specifically, the team’s run in last year’s West Coast Conference tournament, a stretch that still fuels Mager’s drive today.
“We ended up winning, I think, five in a row, and that kind of motivates me,” Mager said. “I want to get back to that point, and I also want to obviously get to March Madness.”
Mager said he hopes the
team can build the same momentum this season, with the ultimate goal of making a deep run in March Madness. The team chemistry this season is going to help with the way they play on the court.
Identity and Unity
If the Waves are to make another deep run or build a consistent winning culture, Schilling said it will come from how the team plays together, not just how they perform.
“I want us to have great unity and togetherness that we play together well at both ends of the court,” Schilling said.
“As much as anything, to see that unity and the camaraderie and how we share the basketball and how we help each other on defense.”
Mager said a similar statement when he described the team, specifically noting how unity and teamwork is going to be important to the team this season.
“Togetherness — we work well together on the court, and the team chemistry off the court is really good too,” Mager said.
Ready for the Challenge
With key matchups on the horizon — including a marquee non-conference test against UCLA and intense battles with Gonzaga — the Waves will be tested early and often. Through these games Mager said they’re leaning on preparation, resilience and each other.
There’s a lot of ups and downs, you know you’re gonna take a tough loss here and there and injuries sometimes pile up,” Mager said. “It’s just really about staying the course and trusting the process.”
For Schilling, he said part of that process involves bringing Pepperdine’s student body along for the journey.
“It’s going to be a very fun team to watch and to get behind,” Schilling said. “They play extremely hard. They’re good young men that I think will represent Pepperdine well. We hope that the student body can get behind them. I think they would have fun watching the growth with our team.”
ava.walton@pepperdine.edu
Photos by Ava Walton | Sports Staff Writer
Freshman guard Anto Balian (left), sophomore guard Styles Phipps (middle) and redshirt sophomore forward Pavle Stošic (right) play against each other during practice Oct. 21 in Firestone Fieldhouse. The Waves won their season opener against Life Pacific University on Nov. 3 88-80.
Ava Walton Sports Staff Writer
Head Coach Ed Schilling explains ways the team can improve during practice Oct. 21 in Firestone Fieldhouse. Last season, the team’s cumulative statistics for the season were 12-22 overall, 4-14 in-conference, 7-9 home, 2-11 away and 4-2 neutral.
New Waves hit Malibu for Women’s Hoops
Nina Fife Sports Editor
A new wave of Women’s Basketball has hit Malibu — literally. Pepperdine’s team consists of all brand new players, with 12 fresh faces representing the Waves on the court.
Head Coach Katie Faulkner is in her second full year leading Pepperdine’s team. After graduating 10 seniors last year, Faulkner said she knows what she wants her program to look like.
“We didn’t sell them banners, we didn’t sell them a trophy, we didn’t sell them a gym — we don’t even have a gym,” Faulkner said. “This was a basketball decision and a people decision. They are looking for leaders, they’re looking to be surrounded by people who are going to make them better and they want to be a part of building something and working for something.”
Leaning on Experience
Four of the new Waves are true freshmen, with the other eight having some collegiate court experience. Graduate guard Ivory Finley said she joined the Waves in search of an outlet that would support her growth after spending two seasons with Utah State.
“I wanted to be a part of a team that has a good culture, good foundation and to help rebuild this year and set a foundation for the players coming in and the players that continue to stay here and grow over the next four years,” Finley said.
Finley said she found these values in the squad she is surrounded with and the mentality all of them carry. In each of her teammates, she sees players that are willing to pour 110% into Pepperdine’s program.
Another one of the seasoned players who joined the Waves is graduate guard Meghan Fiso. In her sixth year of collegiate ball, Fiso is coming to Malibu after winning the 2025 Mountain West Conference
championship with the San Diego State Aztecs, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
“Bringing the tools that I’ve built throughout the years with me and pouring into the younger ones — being a leader and solid rock for them — has been the most important,” Fiso said.
Fiso and Finley aren’t the only beacons of experience younger players have to look up to. Pepperdine alumna Makena Mastora (‘25) is joining the staff as an assistant coach after being an integral part of the Waves’ 2024-25 squad, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
“It’s definitely one of those things I wasn’t planning for, but God works in the best ways,” Mastora said. “I’ve been a player for the past four years but learning to see what goes on on the other side has been pretty cool.”
Mastora even serves as a leader for the upperclassmen.
Finley said despite years of college basketball experience
under her belt, she is able to look to Mastora for more Pepperdine-specific guidance.
“We honestly lean on her a lot more than she probably thinks,” Finley said.
Fresh Waves
Pepperdine’s roster is balanced well with both young and experienced players representing the Waves this season. Each player brings a different skillset to the table, which is something Faulkner said her team benefits from.
“We have a lot of depth,” Faulkner said. “We share the ball really well and have a lot of weapons, and so that adds variety to the game.”
Although some of the freshmen players will still be adjusting to the collegiate basketball scene, Faulkner said she has no doubt her team will step up.
Freshman guard Seleh Harmon is a do-all player who said she’s ready to represent the Waves to the best of her ability.
“We’re coming in this with nothing to lose,” Harmon said. “We want to go out there and prove ourselves and put Pepperdine on the map. We want to prove that we can really compete and make a name for ourselves.”
The balance of younger players with seasoned veterans brings a determined culture to Malibu, Faulkner said. Whether they’re in their sixth year of college basketball or this will be their first time stepping onto an NCAA-sanctioned court, the Waves are ready to win.
“We have winners, and we have a bunch of kids who have that character, who are willing to give what it takes,” Faulkner said. “They’re not perfect, there’s a lot of yuck, but they’re willing to stick through it and learn from it.”
Team Chemistry
Putting together an entirely new squad comes with its challenges. The team was able to bond when they moved on campus early over the summer.
Faulkner said her players were able to treat the time together like summer camp, playing games and focusing on connection that would translate to on-the-court success.
“If you know each other off the court, it makes your relationship on the court 10 times better,” Finley said.
As the team began focusing on their competitive chemistry, Fiso said they kept their values at the core of every workout. This united mentality is what helped her win a championship last year.
“Our core values shape everything that we do,” Fiso said. “There’s never a day that we are not trying to practice out those core values on the court and off the court.”
There are four core values that serve as North stars for her team: deep connection, competition, growth and service. Faulkner said her team shows up every day in the relentless pursuit of success while staying rooted in these values.
With an entirely new roster, Fiso and Finley said the most important thing for their team is consistency.
“You have wins and losses but always bouncing back from those losses, and even learning from wins is important,” Finley said. “Not just thinking, ‘Oh, we’re good, and we can just coast from here’ — just always making sure that we’re leveling up each and every time.”
Fiso said leadership looks different for each player. While she agrees her team will succeed with consistency, she wants to bring that quality into her role as a leader. Whether that means showing up to practice daily or being an outlet for her teammates, Fiso always wants to be a resource for the new Waves.
“I try to be a calm amongst the chaos that basketball can sometimes bring,” Fiso said. “Being a calm person for us on the court as well as off the court has helped me be a leader for this team.”
After winning their season opener 84-70 against Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 4, the Waves will host Westmont College for their home opener Nov. 8 in Firestone Fieldhouse. Pepperdine will continue using these games to gear up for West Coast Conference play, which begins up north when the Waves face the Washington State Cougars on Dec. 28.
nina.fife@pepperdine.edu
Photos by Melissa Houston | Photo Editor
Graduate guard Ivory Finley runs out of the tunnel during Blue and Orange Madness in Firestone Fieldhouse on Oct. 3. Finley is one of the 12 fresh faces representing Pepperdine Women’s Basketball this year.
Junior forward Shorna Preston high-fives her teammates during Blue and Orange Madness in Firestone Fieldhouse on Oct. 3. Preston is one of seven international players joining the Waves this year.
Up and Comers Vol. 4: Fall stars rise
Shane Stephens Assistant Sports Editor
As the 2025 season is in full swing for the fall sports teams, a trio of “up and comers” have been making their impact. The highlighted athletes are Tristen Raymond, freshman Women’s Indoor Volleyball setter; Csanád Bella, freshman Men’s Water Polo utility; and Ariana Markey, freshman Women’s Soccer defender/attacker.
Each of these athletes has taken on a large role on their respective teams for Pepperdine. Raymond, Bella and Markey have contributed in different ways, from replacing graduating players to adjusting to new environments and levels of competition.
“I didn’t think I’d be living out my dream right now,” Raymond said. “I am, and I’m doing it with such amazing teammates and friends.”
Tristen Raymond: Filling in Big Shoes
Raymond is from Peoria, Ariz. and grew up playing all types of sports. Raymond said since both her parents were athletes, they were always supportive of her athletic goals.
“They just said, ‘Go where your heart is and play what you want to play,’” Raymond said. “Once I started volleyball, I knew I was not going to stop.”
With former setter Trinity Stanger graduating this past season, the Waves looked to fill a gap at one of the most important positions on the court. Raymond has stepped up to the role, appearing in all 82 sets in the season, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
“As an athlete, I just hope to improve my game by playing and using those years to grow,” Raymond said. “I want to be able to flow really well and stay consistent here.”
Raymond, a four-year varsity starter in high school, has already made her presence known on the court, being second in the team in digs and trailing junior setter Laine Briggs, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
As a freshman in a new environment, Raymond said she knew she belonged on this team right after their first match.
“During our first home match against UCLA, we came in wanting to win,” Raymond said. “I knew, ‘Wow, this is how college volleyball is, and this is where I want to be.’”
In the match against the Bruins, Raymond put up eight kills, 22 assists and nine digs, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Despite her success in the first match, Raymond said there is a lot of difficulty in running an offense on the court, especially as a freshman.
the start she knew she was meant to be a Wave.
“From the first game, even though it was tough, we bounced back,” Markey said. “Everybody was all in together, and I just felt a part of it, not just as an individual but as a team.”
Markey said the Pepperdine seniors have been a huge help in making the young players feel welcome on the team, uplifting them while also challenging them to be better.
“It’s been so inspiring to see the seniors here help us freshmen,” Markey said. “They challenge us to ultimately help us get better, and it’s not surprising how amazing this community is.”
Markey said what keeps her passion going is the drive to get better every day. Ultimately, being the best person she can be is one of the most important factors that goes into being an athlete.
However, Head Coach Scott Wong has been nothing less than supportive throughout the season, and her teammates have helped her improve day by day.
“[Wong] definitely had me step into a role I was ready for,” Raymond said. “Talking through it and discussing how the offense is going to run, I have so many amazing teammates that definitely got me through this year so far.”
Raymond said she hopes to potentially play overseas after college. She knows that’s still over three years in the future, but as long she keeps pushing herself, she knows she can do it.
“Just believe in yourself and know that you can push yourself to the limit,” Raymond said. “You just have to trust yourself to do it.”
Csanád Bella: Adjusting to the States
Born and raised in Budapest, Hungary, Bella won the 2024 U18 World Championship along with countless other awards in Europe. Bella said growing up as a swimmer and then playing for the Hungarian National Team had a huge effect on his life as a water polo player.
“It has a great influence on me,” Bella said. “I got determined to play this sport, and I got really good friends all dedicated to playing this sport.”
Bella has already made his impact for the Waves this season, appearing in 24 matches this season and scoring 19 goals, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
However, Bella said in his two months in the United States, it has not been an easy adjustment.
“I’ve been here for two months now, so I’m still getting used to everything here,” Bella said. “But, I think I started adjusting recently.”
Despite this, Bella said senior attacker Sandor Gal has been a huge help in growing as a player. Bella and Gal played together on the Hungarian team Ferencvarosi Torna Club for many years.
“[Gal]’s father was my driving instructor back in Hungary,” Bella said. “While I was learning how to drive, he showed me pictures of Pepperdine and life in the U.S., and I fell in love.”
Just believe in yourself and know that you can push yourself to the limit.You just have to trust yourself to do it.
Tristen Raymond Freshman
Bella said his connection with Gal, who he calls “Sasa,” has made him feel more comfortable both in the pool and living in the United States.
Bella said water polo is not only more difficult in the United States compared to Hungary, but there are also many differences that he is learning to adjust to.
“University life, it’s not that hard, but water polo, it’s been harder here,” Bella said. “It’s longer practices, and it’s just different.”
Bella said Head Coach Merrill Moses and his coaches from Hungary have been very helpful in the transition process, especially adjusting to the American water polo scene.
“[Moses] helped me a lot to get used to the whole environment,” Bella said. “My coaches back in Hungary helped me as well, since they promoted me to [Moses].”
Bella said he has not set up his future goals yet as a water polo player beyond college, opting to take it slow and enjoy his time as a Wave.
Ariana Markey: Stepping Up for the Waves
Markey said she is a Southern California native from Fullerton, playing varsity at Troy High School for three years and one year at Orange Lutheran High School.
In her one year at Orange Lutheran, she was named the 2025 Offensive MVP and 2025 all-conference, according to Pepperdine Athletics. Markey also represented the Philippines Women’s National Soccer Team in 2024 and 2025.
Markey said despite the similarities of collegiate and international soccer, when you play for a national team, you’re playing for the people.
“Representing a country is such another level, but it goes with so much love and passion for the people,” Markey said. “You’re representing something greater than yourself.”
Growing up, Markey said her inspirations, such as Michael Jordan, Serena Williams and her mother, encouraged her to keep pushing toward her goals as soccer player.
Coming to Pepperdine, Markey already had love for the school, and she said from
“Every day is just small, little wins to get to the place I want to be in life,” Markey said. “It’s about all progress, and my drive is being the best person I can be in God’s image.”
Markey has appeared in 16 matches this season, primarily as a defender, logging 850 total minutes, scoring one goal and assisting on three, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Markey said her coaches have helped her find her strengths and weaknesses, which help her be the best version of herself for the team.
“My coaches have helped me become vulnerable and honest with what it is I want in life,” Markey said. “They are able to look at my weaknesses and utilize them as my strengths, and I think that’s so important to have as a team.”
Markey said her goal during her time as a Wave is not only to become stronger, but to become a leader on the team and continue her impact as a soccer player beyond her college years.
“I hope that in the future, I can have a leadership role,” Markey said. “I have some big dreams of going pro and playing professionally around the world, but as any player, being the best version of myself and being somebody others can look up to as well.”
Ariana Markey, freshman Women’s Soccer defender (left), Tristen Raymond, freshman Women’s Indoor Volleyball setter (middle), and Csanád Bella, freshman Men’s Water Polo utility (right), are the featured “up and comers” for the fall 2025 athletic semester. All three of these young athletes said they are excited to make an impact in their time at Pepperdine.
Graphic by Shane Stephens | Assistant Sports Editor
Waves freshman guard prepares for ‘26 season
Nick Charkhedian Special Edition Editor
Anto Balian, Pepperdine Men’s Basketball freshman guard, is part of the new Waves’ look ahead of the 2025-26 season. Balian recently graduated from Rose & Alex Pilibos Armenian School and took his basketball journey to the next step: Pepperdine University.
Balian’s recent graduation from Rose & Alex Pilibos Armenian School marked the end of a long saga. Balian attended Pilibos from preschool to 12th grade and represented the basketball team from kindergarten until his high school graduation.
“From basically birth, I’ve had a basketball in my hand,” Balian said.
Armenians have a tradition called “agra hadig” or “atam hatik” that follows the arrival of an infant’s first tooth, according to the New York Times. Objects that represent different career options are placed in front of the infant, who then grabs the item as part of the celebration.
At the age of one, Balian grabbed a basketball. He said basketball has always been “in his DNA.”
“Basketball started with my life when I was little,” Balian said. “My dad was teaching me from a young age how to play the game, and eventually I fell in love with it, and now I get to play Division I ball.”
Balian was 13 when the COVID-19 pandemic started. He said he put in work every day during quarantine and emerged a level ahead of his peers.
From his freshman year until his senior year at Pilibos, Balian was a part of the Varsity Men’s Basketball team. In his freshman year, Balian averaged 18.4 points per game through 28 games. Balian’s stats took a jump in his sophomore year, when he averaged 27 points
per game and also went up in rebounds per game, from 5 in his freshman year to 8.9 in his sophomore year, according to Max Preps.
Along with improving on the stat sheet, Balian said he started to gain attention that took his game to the international level. At just 16 years old, Balian received a call up to the Armenian Men’s National Basketball team.
“Whenever I got called up to the Armenian Men’s National Team, Coach Rex [Kalamian] put faith in me to play against France, and that brought a spark in me that I can maybe make something out of this sport, and I could be good enough to play at the highest level,” Balian said.
In his junior year, Balian saw an increase in his points per game average, rebound per game average and assists per game average. Balian capitalized the season with a 51-point performance against Paraclete High School, according to Max Preps.
In Balian’s senior year at Pilibos, he saw an increase in his average points per game throughout the season, with 31.9 points per game, a stat that ranked No. 7 in the state of California while also ranking 15th in the state for field goals made, according to Max Preps. He started the season off with back-to-back 40-point performances and continued to dominate throughout the rest of the season, scoring under 20 points just once in a 35-point win.
Along with a standout senior campaign and the typical responsibilities of a high school senior, Balian had a choice to make: where he would continue his basketball journey beyond high school. Balian said he had been getting recruited as early as his sophomore year, but in his senior year, his future at Pepperdine started to come into fruition.
“Coach [Ed] Schilling, my head coach, came to one of my games and he was the first Division I coach to offer me a scholarship, and he put his faith in me and said that ‘We’re gonna offer you that scholarship,’ and I came on my official visit and I committed to Pepperdine,” Balian said.
Balian said he can’t explain how important it was to him to receive his offer the way he did. When Head Coach Ed Schilling gave him an official offer from Pepperdine, he did it in the office of Bailan’s high school head coach: his dad.
“For 18 years of my life,
I grew up in that office and Coach Schilling offered me in that office,” Balian said. “That was a feeling that you can’t you can’t replace.”
Schilling is now entering his second season as Pepperdine Men’s Basketball’s Head Coach. Schilling’s first season was capitalized by the Waves’ WCC run at the end of season.
With the current state of the transfer portal and the effect it’s had on college basketball, the Waves’ squad has gone through the turnover that’s typical of a college program nowadays. A majority of this year’s roster is new to Pepperdine, with Balian and fellow freshman guard Ty Virgil being the squad’s only true freshmen, Director of Athletics Tanner Gardner said.
Schilling said in this day and age, you don’t recruit many freshmen. He brought over Balian not only because he fit the school from an academic and spiritual standpoint but because he could also be a part of Pepperdine Men’s Basketball for a potential of four years.
“We felt like he’s a guy that could be a pillar for the program that’s not looking to leave after a year,” Schilling said.
Gardner described Balian as a friendly, affable person, and a great team guy who brings energy and positivity to the squad. Gardner said it was important for Pepperdine to get Balian for a number of reasons.
“We want to have more local talent on our roster, and so to be able to attract an athlete of
Anto’s caliber who is a local LA kid was significant,” Gardner said. “Then Anto is a great student. And so he really embodies the type of student athlete that we want here, someone that values their academics and their athletics.”
Balian has gained traction within his community, being a trailblazer among Armenian basketball players. He is the first basketball player from an Armenian school to receive a DI scholarship, according to CBS.
“Making it from my school is something that I will cherish for the rest of my life,” Balian said. “If I made it from another school, people will be like, ‘Oh, he did it from Sierra Canyon, or he did it from there,’ but my culture, my community, knows that I made it from home, wherever everyone else calls home. I made it from there.”
Pepperdine opened the season with an 88-80 win against Life Pacific University at Firestone Fieldhouse on Nov. 3. The Waves’ next matchup is an away trip to No. 12 UCLA on Nov. 7 at Pauley Pavilion.
“Honestly, as a freshman, my expectation is just do whatever I can to get on the court,” Balian said. “I’m excited because it’s a process. It’s a marathon, not a sprint,” Balian said.
Photo courtesy of Pepperdine Athletics
Photo by Melissa Houston | Photo Editor
Freshman guard Anto Bailan practices with the Pepperdine Men’s Basketball team in Firestone Fieldhouse. Bailian is one of two true freshmen on the Waves’ squad this year, coming to Malibu from Rose & Alex Pilibos Armenian School in Los Angeles.
Freshman guard Anto Balian celebrates during Blue and Orange Madness on Oct. 3 at Firestone Fieldhouse. Balian averaged 31.9 points per game during his senior year at Rose & Alex Pilibos Armenian School.
Basketball starts ‘25-26 season with wins
Photos by Olivia Schneider | Assistant Photo Editor
