Baseball Conference in FULL W
The Waves hosted the University of Nebraska on March 19 to conclude a two-game series at Eddy D. Field Stadium. Pepperdine dropped the matchup 4-11 and looks ahead to the start of conference play against the Gonzaga Bulldogs on March 21.
The motion to dismiss the four counts of murder against Fraser Michael Bohm in connection with the October 2023 PCH crash was denied March 17. The case, which involves the deaths of four Pepperdine students, is scheduled for a new hearing April 28.
The Student Government Association’s core values lie in serving the student body, however, the organization’s resources and outreach are lacking. Perspectives Staff Writer Cassandra Barron examines the accessibility of the Student Government Association on campus.
Throughout March, women across the United States celebrate Women’s History Month. Female members of the Pepperdine community view the month as a time to reflect, support and celebrate one another.
Design by Betsy Burrow | Creative Director
. . .
March 27
First Generation Spring Banquet
In honor of first-gen seniors, the Student Success Center is holding a spring banquet in the Drescher Villa Graziadio Executive Center.
March 29
Men’s Volleyball vs. UCLA Pepperdine’s Men’s Volleyball team is set to play UCLA on Saturday, Feb. 29 at 5:30 p.m., in Firestone Fieldhouse.
April 3
W. David Baird Lecture Series with Bill Weir Current CNN correspondent and anchor Bill Weir will speak on his experience in journalism and climate change. The talk will take place in Elkins on Thursday, April 3.
April
6
Women’s Tennis vs. Washington State Come cheer on the Women’s Tennis team as they play Washington State on Sunday, April 6 at noon, at the RalphsStraus Tennis Center.
Good News: Follow what fills your heart
Amanda Monahan Life & Arts Editor
When I first became a student journalist, I didn’t know what to expect. The opportunity to write was enough for me, let alone have my writing published and printed.
Yet, what I soon came to discover was the stigma that surrounds the world of journalism, both professionally and across college campuses. Readers accuse journalists of being biased, and writers are criticized for sharing the stories they are passionate about. I wondered if I would ever survive in a field like this.
But, I stuck with it, and the fulfillment I have received has continued to show me why I do what I do, each and every day.
For the last few days of spring break, several members of the Graphic staff, including myself, attended the Associate Collegiate Press’s National College Media Conference in Long Beach. The conference provided opportunities to learn from professionals, connect with other student journalists and members of our staff were fortunate enough to be keynote speakers and panelists.
As we attended various sessions and award shows, I came to notice something I had never felt before — an unwavering amount of sup-
& Arts
port, recognition and encouragement across the journalism community.
I have always felt like my work is important to me, whether it was sharing about first lady Joline Gash’s upbringing, giving Pepperdine parents a space to reflect on sending their kids off to college or shedding light on how our community was grappling with housing losses after the Palisades Fire. These stories and every story I’ve written mean so much to me, and giving people a platform to share their own story is something I hope to never lose touch with.
Although this fulfillment
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.”
and support comes from within my journalism community, what I’ve ultimately come to realize is the importance of following what makes your heart full, even if you might face some hurdles along the way. A bad review or a critical comment mean nothing compared to a life of fulfillment and purpose.
amanda.monahan@pepperdine.edu
peppgraphicmedia@gmail.com
peppgraphicadvertising@gmail.com
Members of the Graphic staff pose with a member of the Associated Collegiate Press (ACP) after winning first place for Best Newspaper/Newsmagazine at the ACP Conference in Long Beach on March 8. Life
Editor Amanda Monahan (third from right) said the conference was an experience to support and be supported by other student journalists.
Photo courtesy of Gabrielle Salgado
PCH crash murder dismissal denied
Mary Elisabeth Photo Editor
A new hearing is scheduled for April 28 in the ongoing case of Fraser Michael Bohm v. the People of the State of California.
Unlike the Jan. 31 hearing, both Bohm and his defense attorney, Michael Kraut, were in attendance for the March 17 proceedings, during which Kraut filed a motion seeking to dismiss the four counts of murder against his client.
In the courtroom, loved ones of the victims — including the parents of Niamh Rolston and Deslyn Williams — sat in the courtroom, along with Bridget Thompson, a close friend and roommate to three of the four victims. Bohm’s family and supporters were also there.
“The loss of my friends lives is just something that weighs on me every day,” Thompson said. “I just always want to give my utmost support to them.”
Kraut argued Bohm was unconstitutionally singled out for prosecution, stating his client is the first to be charged with murder despite being sober at the time of the crash and having a “perfect driving record” with no prior traffic violations or DUIs.
He alleged that Bohm was unfairly targeted due to community pressure and media scrutiny, as the murder charges were added five days after his initial arrest.
The prosecution opposed the motion, stating that the Equal Protection Clause has not been violated and that there has been no demonstrated unfairness in the case.
Judge Diego Edber ultimately denied the motion to drop the murder charges, ruling the defense failed to provide sufficient evidence or clearly identify any discriminatory effect.
It’s one step closer to the justice that I believe my friends should have.
Bridget
Thompson Friend of PCH Victims
Edber said the cases and evidence presented by the defense were not applicable, as Bohm was not similarly situated to the defendants in those cases.
Edber rejected the defense’s argument that the murder charges stemmed from “media scrutiny in an election year,” stating they failed to demonstrate any discriminatory offense or violation of the Equal Protection Clause. He dismissed the claims as hearsay.
Thompson said while there
by Betsy Burrow | Creative Director
was some relief, it’s impossible to truly feel happy, as nothing could bring her best friends back.
“I felt obviously a lot of relief,” Thompson said. “It’s one step closer to the justice that I believe my friends should have.”
Both parties were ordered to file a potential witness list and testimonies by April 21 to guide the court on what to expect for the upcoming hearing. Bohm is required to appear in court for the proceedings.
The charges against Bohm remain the same: four counts
of murder and four counts of vehicular manslaughter in the deaths of Asha Weir, Peyton Stewart, Niamh Rolston and Deslyn Williams. Authorities took Bohm into custody Oct. 24, 2023, a week after the fatal PCH crash that claimed the lives of the four Pepperdine students, according to the L.A. County Superior Court criminal case summary. The following day, during his arraignment, he entered a not-guilty plea and was released on Oct. 27, 2023, on a $4 million bond.
As previously reported by
the Graphic, Kraut has argued that his client was the target of road rage leading up to the crash, challenging the prosecution’s assertion that Bohm was driving 104 mph at the time of impact. Instead, Kraut claims Bohm had been traveling at 70 mph.
mary.caulfield@pepperdine.edu
Photo by Mary Elisabeth | Photo Editor
The L.A. County Superior Court will hold a hearing April 28, in the case of the October 2023 PCH crash that claimed the lives of four Pepperdine students. Fraser Michael Bohm and his attorney, Michael Kraut, appeared in court March 17, where a motion to dismiss the murder charges was denied.
Infographic
Students Remember Deslyn Williams
Jenna Parsio Guest Contributor
Editor’s Note: The Graphic chose to refer to Deslyn Williams by her first name only after her first reference. While the Graphic typically uses last names only after first reference, the Graphic chose to use Deslyn’s first name to remain consistent with how Deslyn was referred to in ongoing coverage of the October 2023 crash.
A memorial 5k for Deslyn Williams is becoming a new Alpha Phi tradition.
The second annual race took place Sunday, March 16, on the day after what would have been Deslyn’s 23rd birthday.
The event was held for the first time in 2024, where nearly 300 students and community members gathered to complete 3.1 miles in the girls’ honor.
Williams, one of four Pepperdine seniors who tragically lost their lives in the October 2023 crash on Pacific Coast Highway, was an avid runner. She had been training for a half marathon and had even started a running club within her sorority to encourage others to join her.
Her mother, Olive Williams,
shared stories of Deslyn’s childhood and her involvement in her middle school’s track & field team.
Olive Williams traveled from Georgia to attend the event and shared how fitting the tribute was for her daughter.
“Deslyn always loved running,” she said. “She would love this. If she was here watching, she would be so honored, so happy.”
Olive said Deslyn always had the perfect outfit for working out, whether it was a run or a walk.
Lauren Rocco, Pepperdine senior and Alpha Phi sister of Deslyn’s, played a key role in planning this event for the past two years.
Rocco customized medals for the event, partnered with Finished Results Timing, marked out the course, ensured runners had food and hydration at the event and more.
“It’s just really a special event because Deslyn is such a special person,” Rocco said.
The memorial run was made possible with support from sponsors, who provided food and hydration for the runners.
Rocco shared the desire
and importance of keeping the event going in the coming years.
“I think we definitely want it to become an annual thing,” Rocco said. “We could set a standard and build relationships with sponsors so they can count on us having it each year.”
The hope of the event becoming a Pepperdine tradition is also important to Deslyn’s loved ones.
“It will mean a whole lot to me, and her family, and everyone else,” Williams’ mother said.
The annual run serves not only as a tribute to Deslyn, but
also as a reminder of the closeknit community that continues to honor her legacy.
“It just shows the love you all have for Deslyn and all the other girls who passed away,” Williams said.
jenna.parsio@pepperdine.edu
Photos by Jenna Parsio | Guest Contributor
Deslyn Williams’ mother, Olive Williams, started the runners off at Deslyn’s 5k on March 16. Merchandise was available for purchase representing, “Deslyn’s Run Club.”
Medalists senior Lexie Deitemeyer (far left), senior Chloe Connor (left) and sophomore Hannah Bruner (far right) pose with Olive Williams March 16 at Alumni Park.
Deslyn’s mother, Olive Williams, hands a medal to sophomore Hannah Bruner after Deslyn’s 5k at Alumni Park on March 16.
SGA passes Climate Action Plan 8-3
Cassandra Barron Perspectives Staff Writer
On March 12, the Student Government Association passed a Climate Action Plan resolution at their weekly meeting. This Climate Action Plan called for the creation of a Pepperdine Sustainability Task Force and an adjustment to the university’s Sustainability Policy recognizing human-caused climate change.
On March 12, the Student Government Association (SGA) passed a Climate Action Plan Resolution.
Senior Class President Walden Hicks and Sophomore Class President Zayd Salahieh proposed Resolution #08-25, Pepperdine Climate Action Plan, to the SGA Senate.
Resolution #08-25 advocates for Pepperdine to create a Climate Action Plan (CAP) to acknowledge Pepperdine’s role in climate change. This plan entails meeting with administrators such as President Jim Gash and others to adjust the current sustainability policy at Pepperdine. The resolution also advocated for the creation of a Pepperdine Sustainability Task Force.
The resolution states, “Be it further resolved that
Pepperdine University is called on to partner extensively with student, faculty and administrative leaders across all its campuses to craft the Pepperdine Climate Action Plan.”
Hicks and Salahieh are advocating for a substantiation and proposed action plan with various initiatives regarding adjustments in energy use, increasing carpooling options for commuters and purchasing local food according to the resolution.
Resolution #08-25 includes research conducted by Hicks.
The study included 366 students, with 71% of students agreeing that Pepperdine should issue a statement acknowledging human-caused climate change.
Sophomore Sen. Charlie Leeds expressed concerns regarding potential increases in tuition.
“I notice already that this leads to a significant cost to the university,” Leed said. “My concern is that this might raise student tuition.”
Hicks said the resolution is mainly advocating for the creation of the Sustainability Task Force and does not specifically focus on tuition concerns.
“You make a good point, sustainability is all about tradeoffs,” Hicks said.
Sophomore Sen.
Katherine Hsu shared her concerns regarding the relevancy of the resolution.
“I do not think that climate change is the most pressing issue that our school is facing right now,” Hsu said.
First-year Sen. Jack Quigg seconded Resolution #08-25.
“We are here to advocate for students at the end of the day,” Quigg said. “If 71% of students believe that this is something that should be advocated for, I think we should keep that in mind when voting.”
Hsu continued to push against the resolution.
“They don’t need to address climate change in particular. I wouldn’t say it’s ridiculous, I would just say it’s unnecessary,” Hsu said.
Resolution #08-25 passed with eight in favor, three opposed and one abstaining.
Junior Sen. Julian Moghaddasi abstained. Senators Charlie Leeds, Katherine Hsu and Sarah Iglesias voted no on the resolution.
After the resolution passed,
Hicks and Salahieh said they will be reaching out to administrators to further discuss the resolution.
“I am just hoping it’s brought to the University’s attention that this is something that a significant amount of people on this campus want,” Salahieh said. “I want to leave this campus better than I found it.”
cassandra.barron@pepperdine.edu
B.A. program leans into serving others
Nina Fife Abroad Correspondent
The Buenos Aires International Program is unique in many different ways. It is the first and only program located in South America and the only one where students are given the unique opportunity to live with homestay families, according to Pepperdine Community’s website.
The program is located in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. The city is known as the dynamic metropolis of Argentina, and with over 10 million people in the capital and the Metropolitan Area, it is one of the 10 most populated cities in the world, according to Buenos Aires Ciudad’s website.
Harmony Hill-Weber, the program’s Student Affairs and Spiritual Life coordinator, said with how much the country gives to Pepperdine students, service becomes one of the program’s main focuses throughout each semester. The program especially leans into this in accordance with the university’s motto taken from Matthew 10:8, which reads, “Freely ye received, freely give,” according to the University.
“All the students are here in Buenos Aires and receiving so much from Argentina, from their homestays, from their travels around, and they’re learning so much,” Hill-Weber said. “It’s just such a beautiful way for students to be able to give back to Argentina.”
The program works directly with Hermanas Benedictinas, a monastery 2.5 blocks from the Buenos Aires campus in Belgrano. Aside from
making sandwiches and delivering them to this monastery every week to be given to Buenos Aires’ unhoused neighbors, the program also dedicated one of their Saturdays to helping fix up the monastery.
Students spent Feb. 22 painting the front gate of the property and sharing a meal with some of the nuns who work at Hermanas Benedictinas.
“We have pretty close ties to this place we’re serving,” sophomore major Nick Fieldhouse said. “So it’s been cool just to see where the sandwiches are going and just more ways to help out and serve there.”
Dina Vasquez, sophomore Psychology major and one of the Service Coordinator student workers in Buenos Aires this semester, said her favorite part about the day was getting to hang out with everyone else who also wanted to give back.
“Doing any activity in general with people allows you to bond, but especially doing service projects, you know those people have a heart to serve, and so you can kind of relate on that, and I think it’s like a really good community,” Vasquez said.
Fieldhouse and Vasquez both said they did not know that service was so heavily emphasized in the Buenos Aires program when deciding where they should spend their time abroad. However, it is an aspect of the program they have come to value immensely.
Students participate in service projects for a variety of reasons, but Fieldhouse said throughout all the opportunities he has been given since
The Buenos Aires International Program spent Feb. 22, volunteering at Benedictines, a monastery located 2.5 blocks from Pepperdine’s campus in Argentina. Students spent the day painting the front fence and sharing a meal with the nuns.
September, the service projects help him immerse himself into Buenos Aires a little more each time.
“They’ve been really cool experiences to get to experience a little bit of the culture of the city, but just serve the people of the city that’s been so important to me — that’s just so impactful to my overall experience here,” Fieldhouse said.
This sentiment is common among many students who come to Argentina. The opportunity to give back to their abroad community is what many stu-
dents seem to cherish the most about Buenos Aires, Hill-Weber said.
“What I find from our students is they feel more connected to Buenos Aires because they’re more connected to the people, and that so much has to do with the chances that we provide to give back,” Hill-Weber said.
nina.fife@pepperdine.edu
Photo by Cassandra Barron | Perspectives Staff Writer
SGA passed a Climate Action Plan Resolution during their weekly meeting in the TAC on March 12. The Senate discussed potential concerns regarding the resolution.
Photo courtesy of Harmony Hill-Weber
Fiber-glass blankets may be key in EV fire containment
Rachel Flynn Senior Reporter
In the aftermath of the Southern California Fires, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) removed 645 electric vehicle’s (EV) lithium-ion batteries during Phase 1 of the cleanup, Julia Giarmoleo, EPA press officer, wrote in a email to the Graphic on March 11.
The lithium-ion battery poses a unique danger because of its flammability and ability to reignite. However, there are new technologies to effectively combat EV fires and preventative measures vehicle operators can take to protect themselves and the community.
“We know that the lithium ion battery curve is just going up and up and up,” firefighter Chris Turner said.
Lithium-Ion Batteries
Bruce Dunn is a UCLA Material Science and Engineering professor who has spent 20 years studying electrochemical materials including lithium-ion batteries to better understand their complexities.
The lithium-ion battery consists of three properties including an anode, a cathode and an electrolyte that exists between the two electrodes, Dunn said. The electrolyte consists of an organic liquid that is highly flammable.
“That’s the source of the flammability problem,” Dunn said.
A First Responder’s Take
Jonathan Torres is a public information officer and engineer for the L.A. County Fire Department who was placed on the frontlines of the Hughes and Eaton Fires.
“I got bumped out to the Eaton maybe 30 to 40 minutes
after it started,” Torres said. “So I was first on scene as the PIO with the first oncoming chiefs and units that were there Jan. 7.”
Torres said that EV fires aren’t as frequent as other car fires, but they are extremely unpredictable. They pose a unique threat because of their stored energy battery pack that has a high likelihood of reignition.
This serves as a major concern for tow companies transporting the EVs to a tow yard because of the chance of the vehicle reigniting while in transport.
“They’re not the cars that Mom and Dad drove in the 80s and 90s,” Torres said. “These are sophisticated vehicles with these energy storage systems that didn’t exist or weren’t as mainstream as they are now.”
Torres said “deflagration” happens when the lithium-ion battery cells release a torch-like flame that can reach as high as 2 to 4 feet.
“That poses a very unique hazard for us, nothing like what we would see on an internal combustion engine,” Torres said.
Torres said that EVs are much more prevalent now than ever and that weighs heavily on his conscience. There is a greater probability now that the car accidents their department cleans up will involve an EV.
In fact, in L.A. there are over 431,000 electric vehicle operators as of 2024, according to the Los Angeles Daily News.
Ways to Extinguish EV Fires
When the electrolyte is exposed to heat and air it is subject to catching on fire, Dunn said. The way to stop lithium-ion fires is to first cut off the air supply.
When working to extinguish
a lithium-ion fire, Dunn said it’s difficult to lower the temperature but lower temperatures can help. Dunn said water is not the best practice for extinguishing a lithium-ion fire because the water reacts with the element.
One method the department uses at times to combat this risk is to allow the EVs to burn because that will eliminate the stranded energy, Torres said.
“I’ve seen a training where they submerged an EV and the battery pack and it is combusting under the water,” Torres said. “So that’s the type of stranded energy that we’re talking about, the ability to burn underwater.”
Dunn said an effective way to extinguish a lithium-ion battery fire is to smother it.
“If it’s a small laptop, put a blanket over it, that will work,” Dunn said.
That is essentially what firefighter Turner is doing on a larger scale by taking care of EV fires using a fire suppression blanket.
Cutting Edge Technology
Turner became a Wisconsin firefighter 31 years ago and continues to run a fire testing facility at the local technical college where various fire prevention tools are tested. When Brimstone Fire Protection approached Turner, he began testing their products on Teslas.
The American-made blanket consists of a woven fiberglass-based material with a silicone base fire protective coating on both sides so either side can be used in a fire, Turner said. The blanket must have a high enough quality so the fire isn’t able to burn through.
When the blanket is deployed over a vehicle on fire, it works to contain any flames or sparks released, Turner said.
As of now, Brimstone is selling these fire suppression blankets to fire departments across the nation, army bases, industrial settings and car manufacturers, Turner said.
On Brimstone’s website, 75 different fire departments are listed; the number is not
limited to this list as other departments purchase through distributors. Among this list are also government and aerospace agencies. It’s even NASA-tested and approved for space flight, according to the website.
The L.A. County Fire Department isn’t currently using fire suppression blankets and Torres said he hasn’t heard of them before, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be used in the future at some point.
Initially, Brimstone was a multi-use tool until the company received feedback from Turner and his fire department.
“None of us really wanted to have to hassle with decontaminating it and repackaging it after it had been used on an actual EV fire,” Turner said. “Plus, from my standpoint as a firefighter I don’t really want to be the person who goes ‘well I think it’s good for one more fire.’”
When it comes to disposing of a burned-up lithium-ion battery, there currently isn’t any legislation preventing disposing them in the trash, Turner said. Therefore, Brimstone is treating its blanket the same by advertising that it doesn’t require special disposal.
A drawback of the blanket is its weight, Turner said. The XL blanket that covers any large sized EV weighs nearly 100 pounds and when packaged up, the blanket is 25 by 33 feet.
This can pose a difficulty for firefighters who are already carrying multiple tools in their fire trucks, Turner said.
The blanket has a few key factors for easy accessibility, one being a strap that wraps around the vehicle to keep the blanket in place during high winds and while in transportation.
“We’re trying to get ahead of it and not just have one or two products but meet that entire space,” Turner said.
Preventative Measures
A few preventative measures
EV owners can take include taking care of the battery pack
by listening to manufacturer’s instructions and not making any modifications to the vehicle once it leaves the dealership, Torres said.
EV owners should also be careful not to subject their vehicles to extreme temperatures whether that be hot or cold. Torres also warned against using incorrect voltage, wattage-approved extension cords, splicing and overcharging.
“I know overcharging is a thing, leaving a lithium-ion powered phone, computer, car overcharging,” Torres said. “Continuing after a full charge does damage and can compromise your battery pack.”
EV owners should never allow the battery to fully charge and take care to not allow the battery to be depleted of charge either, Torres said.
Turner’s prescribed preventative measures include one for coastal areas. Avoid exposing lithium-ion batteries to saltwater intrusion because this is a dangerous mixture, Turner said. EV fires can ignite from saltwater intrusion.
Proper charging is another preventative measure that Turner recommends.
“What some of the manufacturers were hearing or learning was that people found out that if they put a wet rag and draped it over the charging plug it will fool the plug into thinking the batteries are cooler and it will charge it more quickly,” Turner said.
Actions like this can cause a fire and EV drivers should listen to their manufacturers’ charging recommendations, Turner said.
Photo by Liam Zieg | Currents Co-Photo Editor
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Phase 1 of the cleanup removes hazardous materials that included lithium-ion batteries found in electric vehicles. The EPA removed 645 lithium-ion batteries.
Photo by Liam Zieg | Currents Co-Photo Editor
A burned electric vehicle sits following the Southern California wildfires. The EPA’s Phase 1 removed such materials such as lithium-ion batteries.
Jesus Moves is Pepp’s first dance ministry
Triniti Gregg Guest Contributor
When words fall short, dance provides a way for students to express their faith.
Pepperdine has 95 active clubs on campus, including 11 Student-Led Ministries, according to Peppervine. Jesus Moves, the newest ministry, became official in January. It offers classes combining both physical motion and spiritual praise.
“Our mission is to minister the heart of the Lord through movement and creative expression,” said Swan Gerlach, senior and co-founder of Jesus Moves. “What we try to do is cultivate genuine, authentic worship, but through our physical bodies.”
Gerlach said a sermon at The Well spoke on the importance of Jesus being at the center of every part of our lives, inspiring her to do the same. After hearing that message, she said she knew she wanted God at the center of her own passion — dance.
She said it started as a random idea, but Gerlach felt reassured after talking to Drea Plascencia, co-founder of Jesus Moves. Plascencia supported the idea from the beginning
and not only shared a passion for dance but also had a background in dance ministry.
“God just happened to put all these little pieces together, and so we decided to make it official,” Gerlach said.
Pepperdine recognized Jesus Moves as a ministry through the same process as every other organized group in the Inter-Club Council, Gerlach said. Gerlach credits Nicole Son, student ministry program manager, for helping every step of the way.
“I shepherd and oversee the student-led ministry program as a whole like in a pastoral capacity,” Son said. “I serve as a mentor for leaders, and I’m a pastoral presence at their events.”
Growing Impact
Jesus Moves typically has about eight to 10 people in attendance, but they don’t have a set group of members at every event, Gerlach said. However, she said it has positively impacted their ministry because different people have experienced this new way of worship.
“I got really excited about it,” Son said. “From my understanding, Pepperdine has never had a dance ministry. And so I thought that it was just such a
unique need.”
Senior Xaree Reyes said she wanted to explore her faith and believes inviting Jesus into every space is very important.
“I didn’t think that it could be considered worship,” Reyes said. “Or that you could even organize something like that.”
Our mission is to minister the heart of the Lord through movement and creative expression.
Swan Gerlach Jesus Moves Co-founder
Reyes said she always loved to dance and continues her passion in college as a member of Pepperdine University’s Step Team. She said Jesus Moves is the perfect ministry to participate in to incorporate her faith into an extracurricular.
Finding God and Community
However, regardless of whether someone has dance experience or not, Jesus Moves ministers to everyone, Gerlach said.
“You can literally just jump up and down,” she said.
They are still in the process of developing their structure for Jesus Moves, Gerlach said. The group hosts worship nights every other week, and once a month, they have choreography nights. She said every meeting looks very different, but Christianity remains at the core.
“They shared a little like devotional before we started the class,” Reyes said. “And a little bit about the history — how David in the Bible danced for Jesus. So we’re kind of bringing back some of the things that you see in the past that we don’t often do now.”
The Jesus Moves ministry not only connects with God through dance and devotionals, but they also engage in prayer during their worship, Son said. They study the Bible together, reflecting on Jesus’ teachings and enriching their worship experience.
“I really encourage people to come,” Gerlach said. “If they
have ever felt any physicality in their worship, like, even just like raising your hands or moving your upper body, like, that’s something so natural, I think, for most people.”
It is special to have a tightknit group of believers to do life together, Son said. All three women said they expressed their gratitude for Jesus Moves not just for its movement aspect, but for the way it brings Christians together and allows them to express their faith.
“Worship is worship, and everyone can always give that to God,” Reyes said.
Upcoming Events
Jesus Moves will hold its next worship night called “Dance in the Garden” on Tuesday, March 25 from 6 to 7:30 p.m., at Alumni Park. The outdoor event will feature dance, food, fellowship and worship.
Photos courtesy of Megan Anderson
Natalia Grogan, Swan Gerlach and Andrea (Drea) Plascencia (top left photo in order from left to right) worship through dance, prayer and scripture readings on Alumni Park. Jesus Moves officially became Pepperdine’s first student-led dance ministry in January 2025.
Malibu preps for big land changes
Sydnie Nuss Guest Contributor
New developments are coming to Malibu’s five vacant parcels of land. From hiking trails to sports fields, the city is gearing up for a big change.
The land is spread between five distinct lots. The Malibu City Council split the project into two separate phases to engage with residents. Some locals and Malibu officials want to use the plots of land to make Malibu more family-oriented.
“If you build things that scream community like a community pool or a community center or a performing arts center, that means people will look at Malibu as a place to raise a family,” Malibu City Councilmember Haylynn Conrad said
Phase One
Malibu City Council members collected general feedback
from the community to envision future uses for the lands. They gathered insight through in-person meetings, pop-up events, city-created website forums and emails. Phase one concluded with a community survey via FlashVote.
Through the various distribution channels, the Malibu City Council received 723 suggestions. The city identified the 10 most frequent ideas to develop.
These suggestions concluded the community’s outreach and engagement program in September 2024. They presented a final report to the city council detailing their engagement efforts including the 10 developmental ideas to kick off phase two according to the Malibu Community Lands website.
Zoning Requirements and Preliminary Feasibility
During phase one, the city informed the public that three
of the lots have specific requirements for parking spaces. In accordance with the city’s agreement with L.A. Metro, the Triangle, Heathercliff and Loki (Chili Cook-Off) lots must accommodate 100-200 parking spaces, according to the Special Zoning Requirements section on the Malibu Community Lands website.
The developmental plans for the parking spaces are un-
Sydnie Nuss
known, according to a March 4 email from Matt Myerhoff, media information officer for the Malibu Community Lands Project.
“Development plans, including parking spaces, have not been determined at this time,” Myerhoff said.
Malibu performed a preliminary feasibility review of each parcel based on environmental health, geology and public works considerations. Due to geographical constraints, La Paz and Triangle have development limitations.
The spreadsheet from the Community Lands website, ‘Preliminary Departmental Submittal Requirements and Technical Feasibility of the 5 Vacant Lots’ shows the developments each land is capable of maintaining. La Paz and Triangle could allow for grass sports fields, open space or other developments such as bike trails. The three other lots can allow for a wider variety of developments such as an outdoor amphitheater, community center or other commercial uses.
Phase Two
Phase two involved taking the resident’s frequent suggestions from the various distribution channels and narrowing down preferences for development on the lands. Phase two showcased the types of uses Malibu residents want for the five parcels of land according to the Malibu Community Lands website. The city can start to develop the community lands based on the resident’s top suggestions.
Current Status
With ongoing fire recovery, the city’s efforts towards the land projects have ceased.
“The City has redirected efforts to respond to the 2024 Franklin Fire and 2025 Palisades Fire,” Myerhoff said. “At this time, the City is prioritizing recovery and rebuilding ef-
forts for those affected by the fires.”
The Council approved a phased approach for developing some of the parcels at the Oct. 28 City Council meeting. For the Heathercliff and Loki (Chili Cook-Off) lots the city is exploring a range of developmental options.
“The City will explore options for new soccer, baseball and softball fields as well as a multigenerational community center, including a pool, gymnasium, senior center and expanded library services,” Myerhoff said.
The Council authorized the developer of Cross Creek Ranch to work with staff to make a conceptual design for a performing center on the La Paz lot.
As for the Triangle and Trancas lots, the Council has not set a direction for the development of these lots.
Since the Oct. 28 meeting, no further progress has been made leaving people wondering what happened to the project.
“It would be great if we knew the status of it,” Conrad said.
While rebuilding and recovery is important for the residents of Malibu, some think that the city could be using their energy to work on multiple projects.
“I am very worried that the community lands are not going to be developed for a very long time,” Conrad said. “Because it does not seem like the city is capable of multitasking.”
Photo courtesy of Malibu Times
One of Malibu’s welcome signs prepares visitors for the city’s beautiful land. Malibu’s geographical location allows for a wide variety of development opportunities.
PERSPECTIVES
Staff Editorial: Variety is the key to finishing out strong
on the tasks themselves but on keeping ourselves healthy.
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.
Everything in college is a momentum game.
Papers and projects are easier when one is in the constructive zone of their mind. Classes and days go by quicker when they are packed and frenetic.
Pulling ourselves out of the pace does a bit of good every time, though. We welcome respites during the semester where we can breathe and gain perspective.
But, if we’re out of the game too long, the goings get choppy.
If we step out of our routines for a while, then getting back into them feels like a chore. Everything, from getting enough sleep to getting our brains out of relaxation mode, is difficult enough without looming projects, tests and class assignments.
And if there is jet lag involved, you may as well forget about your first week back from spring break.
So, when we are at our most lethargic after spring break, how do we get the momentum back that we need for all those projects?
The answer, in our opinion, is to treat yourself.
The focus we need to get through our tasks should not be
Health is subjective. We don’t think that getting enough sleep, drinking a lot of water, eating your fruits and veggies is unimportant. However, health is also more complex than lists of dos and don’ts.
In this final stretch, health is stamina. What does it take for an individual to keep going with an emotional and physical battery filled to at least 90%?
We are not here to sing some ancient song about getting eight hours of sleep and drinking enough water — while those are vital and should not be neglected by any means — at this point in the semester, we are willing to bet you have luckily found a system that works for you.
But systems become tired, boring and therefore, ineffective. Are you still at peak performance? If so, hats off to you, because we are not.
Within our routines, there is the pressure of responsibilities. In some ways, that’s useful, since it gives us time and helps us mentally prepare to get things done on our timeline.
But in routines, there is nothing really pushing us forward.
We have reached the point of the semester when it is time to do some jumping jacks, splash our faces with water and run up and down the street. We need a boost because the current routine is no longer working and our health is suffering from it.
So we have but one suggestion: variety.
Change all of it up. If you usually get five hours of sleep, try eight. If you normally study
in your bed, go to a desk in the library, or better yet, set up shop on your floor.
Maybe try putting down the book for one evening and go to bed early, go to a movie or the upcoming “Dance in Flight” show or hang out with friends. Waste some time.
You may find yourself being worlds more productive the next day because your battery is recharged to 100%, not just charged to 60 and then unplugged because that is “good enough.”
If you normally get Caf pizza for dinner, try something or anything else. A balanced meal is ideal but before jumping into a “balanced” meal that you do not enjoy, just try something else.
Being healthy involves living a life of nuance. Refreshment comes from the ebbs and flows, something only made possible through changing your scenery.
The truth is, our voyage to the end of the semester is not going to be smooth sailing. Things are going to go wrong; things are going to disrupt our schedules and mess us up. But maybe our schedules could use some disruption.
But on the other side, the sun is shining, and the light is always touching us even when it is cloudy and rainy. Enjoy the sunshine as it is here, enjoy the glimpses you see of it now and take time to decorate life with a variety of fun and healthy activities.
THE PGM STAFF
Managing Editor
Gabrielle Salgado
Associate Editor
Tony Gleason
Special Edition Editor
Eliot Cox
Currents Editor
Kylie Kowalski
Pixel Editor
Shalom Montgomery
DEI Editor
Ana Paula Ruiz
Advertising Team
Advertising Director: Kilian Pankowski
Sales Representative: Owen Mirka
Ad Coordinator: Eliana Trujillo
Senior Edition Team
Senior Edition Editor:
Carly Long
Senior Edition Designer: Denae Pitts
News Team News Editor: Ava Heinert
Assistant News Editors: Alicia Dofelmier
Chelsea
Perspectives
Sports Copy Editor: Lila Rendel
Life & Arts Copy Editor:
Photo Team Photo Editor:
Assistant Photo Editors: Riley Haywood
Colton Rubsamen
Guinevere Hesse Griffin Pilcher
Design Team
Creative Director: Betsy Burrow
Jonathan Jimenez
Art Team
Comic
Podcast
Graphic Staff
Art by Sarah Rietz | Art Editor
Opinion: Accessible menstrual products are
necessary
Cassandra Barron 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.
Contrary to popular belief, period poverty is not exclusive to low-income countries. People who menstruate in wealthy countries such as the United States also face challenges in obtaining menstrual products.
Nearly 16.9 million menstruating people live in poverty in the United States, according to estimations from the National Institution of Health.
Multiple severe and adverse mental health effects were associated with period poverty in college students in the United States, a study conducted in 2021 published in the BMC Women’s Health journal found. Of the students surveyed, 14.2% had experienced period poverty in the past year.
To reduce this inequity, Pepperdine
must address this issue.
In California, the Menstrual Equity for For All Act of 2021 (CA) -AB 367 passed, requiring public schools with grades 6-12, CSU’s and community college districts to provide free menstrual products in restrooms. Private institutions and the Regents of the University of California’s are encouraged to provide menstrual products as proposed by this bill.
In 2021, the Student Government Association passed Resolution #11S21 to implement complimentary menstrual product dispensers in public feminine-identifying and gender neutral restrooms.
The action plan calls to meet with the University Management Committee to discuss the implementation of this initiative after garnering support from the student body. 100% of the Senate passed the resolution.
In Spring 2022, SGA passed a general fund request of $2,264.75 to cover 41% of the costs to implement five menstrual product dispensers in restrooms across campus.
The menstrual product dispensers were not implemented into these five restrooms until the fall semester of 2024.
Although these initiatives and resolutions put in place by SGA are important and vital in advocating for students on campus, SGA should not be responsible for funding complimentary menstrual products. Since SGA receives funding from the Student Life Fee, through SGA-sponsored initiatives, students still pay for access to menstrual products.
Students should not be required to continuously advocate for access to basic tenets of health care. Instead, students should have the opportunity to focus their initiatives and energy on other issues on campus.
How many years and resolutions must pass before the university takes this issue seriously and supports its menstruating students equitably?
The university must implement a complimentary and maintained menstrual product program. Access to menstrual products is a dignified human right, and students at Pepperdine who menstruate deserve equitable access to basic forms of health care.
Opinion: Courage takes different forms
Alyssa Johnson 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.
On the VIA (Values in Action) Character Strengths and Virtues Test, one of the listed virtues is courage. I have taken this test in a few psychology courses, and while the ranking differs slightly every time, courage has always fallen low on the list for me.
This was not surprising or upsetting, since I have never considered myself a brave or courageous person. When I think of this quality, I think of people who climb mountains, speak to crowds or sacrifice themselves for who they love and what they believe in.
While I have a few good qualities, at least according to the VIA, courage is apparently not one of them. I expressed this to a relative who argued I did not need to be the kind of person who jumps to do impressive things, and generally I agree.
Certain situations call for people who will run into the line of fire, but there are other situations which call for lengthy consideration and patience. It would be nice if I knew I could face anything, but most of the time, I am grateful to be a more cautious person.
However, this particular conversation did challenge me to reconsider some of my ideas about what
courage is and how it is culturally defined.
It takes courage for a person to act in the moment. It also takes courage for a person to make it through the enduring, and sometimes permanent, challenges that come naturally throughout life.
In that sense, almost everybody expresses this characteristic in one way or another. Whether it is traditional or not, I think it would be unfair to say that bravery can only be reflected in the stereotypical fashion which the norm promotes.
I have several friends who do not fit the traditional mold of “brave people,” but they have consistently endured hardship with grace and determination.
My friends represent strength not for any external purposes but because it is inherent to who they are. Therefore, I think a slight reframing of courage would allow for its many varieties to be recognized.
There are also small ways in which a person can challenge themselves or face problems.
In that conversation with my relative, they pointed out that perhaps I have demonstrated courage at different points in my life.
Everything they said was true, but I brushed off their examples as unimpressive. I said that I got through various challenges because I had to, not because I was a strong or brave person.
In fairness, most of what I said was also true. Everybody has to face problems, some of them big and others small, but I have begun to realize that this does not diminish the impact of courage on people’s actions, including my own.
I am not interested in rejecting the typical definition of courage, but it would be beneficial to add a “yes, and…” Yes, courage that looks grand and impressive is good, and it should be celebrated. And, courage looks different for different people.
The small and steadfast ways humanity has endured for millions of life cycles, horrible and beautiful all at once, deserve as much celebration as anything.
| Comic Writer & Artist
Art by Sarah Rietz | Art Editor
Art by Sarah Rietz | Art Editor
Opinion: SGA culture at Pepperdine needs a change
Cassandra Barron Perspectives Staff Writer
On Feb. 26, Pepperdine’s Student Government Association (SGA) discussed the campus narrative surrounding transparency about funds and the budget at their weekly scheduled meeting. Regardless of the transparency issues SGA is facing, I believe that it is pertinent to examine issues related to the accessibility of the organization. Purpose, accessibility of SGA resources, communication and student involvement are key factors in this discussion.
Purpose
The purpose of SGA is to represent the student body according to the Preamble located in their Constitution.
However, I believe there may be a disconnect between the purpose of SGA and the way that students conceptualize the organization.
During my first year, I always counted on SGA to be handing out free shirts or tote bags at events or on main campus. I did not understand what the purpose of the organization was, nor was it ever described to me in detail.
According to the SGA meeting minutes and governing documents, the student body rarely utilizes the resolution resources offered to the student body.
Accessibility of Resources
SGA launched a new website a few months ago with updated information regarding resolutions, initiatives, Senate meeting minutes, programs and resources.
SGA has not advertised the website via email or social media, despite the large following the organization has online as well as its access to the entire student body’s email addresses.
SGA also offers a resolution resource. Students can write their own resolution utilizing a template according to the SGA resolution guide found on the SGA website.
However, many students do not know about this resource, and according to their governing documents, students who are not involved in SGA rarely craft their own resolutions.
SGA has a responsibility to perform more outreach and make this information more accessible to the wider student body.
According to the SGA Google Drive, the budget is not public information or accessible to the student body through any governing documents. The SGA Constitution does not state that the budget is public, and other organizations such as The Board and SWAB do not publish their budget either.
However, in light of recent contention and controversy surrounding the SGA budget on campus, SGA must take the steps necessary to restore
students’ trust. Publishing their budget may aid in altering the budget narrative on campus.
The SGA E-Board also offers office hours as a resource for students to ask questions. The office hours are linked in the SGA Google Drive, but not actively advertised on any social media platforms or via email.
Communication
Administrators and various campus organizations attend SGA meetings, according to the SGA meeting minutes. The information and resources that are included in these meetings are often not communicated or distributed to the student body.
On Oct. 30, President Jim Gash spoke at an SGA meeting to discuss the academic year’s theme, which is helpful for the student population to better understand the intention of the university’s president.
On Feb. 5, representatives from the Student Heath Center attended an SGA meeting. They shared information about resources on campus such as helpful information about Medical Now and Talk Now with SGA, which was recorded on the minutes.
However, this information was not communicated outside of the organization on any large platforms.
If SGA is meant to be an intermediary between the administration and the student body, the organization has a responsibility to communicate the accessibility of these resources on campus.
Student Involvement
Annually, SGA implements a student committees initiative to encourage student involvement.
This year, there were committees for DEI and
Alyssa Johnson Perspectives Editor
Foster
in Friendships
Hey Waves,
In recent years, discussions regarding “the loneliness epidemic” seem to be pervasive. A combination of social media’s rise, a global pandemic and hyper-individualism has cultivated tension in even the simplest of communications.
Accessibility, Parking and Construction, Sustainability and University Development.
The committees serve as an opportunity for students to get involved with various issues on campus and utilize their voices in making decisions or creating resolutions.
The students have a responsibility to utilize their voices and get involved.
Zayd Salahieh, SGA sophomore senator, presented resolution #01-S25 titled “SGA Podcast Tabling” this semester. The resolution passed with 100% of the Senate’s vote.
The resolution is intended to promote transparency and encourage discussion between the student body, administration and SGA. However, if this podcast is utilized next semester and onward, students have a responsibility to participate and ask questions.
The Future
If SGA desires more discussion between themselves and students, they must be more invitational to all students and strive to listen to the voices of its constituents. If students want their voices to be heard, they must participate in SGA committees and initiatives when possible.
The student body, the student government and the university’s administration have the opportunity to make this an effective and purposeful organization that carries out its mission of serving the students.
Established friendships are affected by rising anxieties about images and impressions. Long-term relationships are developed on a strict schedule, and phone calls made without a warning are practically a breach of etiquette.
This is not always a bad thing, as it is important to respect and value others’ time, as well as be intentional about one’s own. However, there may be a lot of value in encouraging a little more spontaneity, both personally and in friendships. Offering to make plans spurof-the-moment, or calling to quickly check in on old friends, may dissolve certain fears on either side of a relationship. Instead of preemptively protecting oneself from seeming “too much” or burdensome, it may be more generous to extend love and support without waiting for an invitation.
If nobody is willing to be the first to reach out, of course loneliness will continue to be a problem. Community is reciprocal, and a community that is completely reliant on careful planning and image maintenance cannot be a fully supportive one.
This is not universally applicable advice, and it is certainly important to have boundaries with close friends. However, I think loneliness can be countered by greater openness to other people, and both potential and established friendships are diminished by an excessive focus on what could go wrong.
With care,
Art by Cara Tang | Staff Artist
LIFE & ARTS
Women’s History Month creates space for reflection, support, celebration
Amanda Monahan Life & Arts Editor
Editor’s Note: The Graphic chose to refer to Deslyn Williams by her first name only after her first reference. While the Graphic typically uses last names only after first reference, the Graphic chose to use Deslyn’s first name to remain consistent with how Deslyn was referred to in ongoing coverage of the October 2023 crash.
The month of March, Women’s History Month, celebrates women for their beauty, strength and growth throughout history. In its 30th year of celebration in the United States, women across the Pepperdine community shared the importance of the women in their life.
Whether through sororities, campus clubs, sports teams or other groups, women at Pepperdine said they value the support they receive and give to other women on campus.
Senior Georgia Puckett said she is grateful to have grown up with her mom and older sister as role models. As she has grown into the young woman she is today, she realized the importance of having support from women present in her life, regardless of where that might come from.
“Whether it be a sports team or a sorority, they [women] impact your life so much more in ways that we might not see on a day-to-day basis, but in times where you really need it,” Puckett said. “I think that is what is so special is women understand other women in ways that no one else really will.”
A month dedicated to
offering women a space to be celebrated and supported can allow them to feel healthier mentally. Female members of the Pepperdine community said they view the month as a time to focus on their female friendships and support and praise one another.
Psychology Professor Jennifer Harriger said support can be productive for one’s positive mindsets and increased mental wellbeing, especially among women friendships and support systems.
“I think one of the factors that we know from research that’s related to more positive wellbeing or mental health is support, connection, having strong relationships,” Harriger said. “And so any time that a woman or a man can foster those relationships or feel a sense of connection, that is going to be productive.”
Women in Leadership
When she first arrived at Pepperdine, Puckett said she experienced a lot of culture shock and all the other fears that come with starting college. She joined Alpha Phi her first year, where she quickly grew a sisterhood with a group of women who were more than just classmates and roommates.
“Since I had grown up with such a strong connection to my females in my life and such an amazing opportunity to grow up surrounded by loving women, I knew I wanted to continue having women support me, no matter how far away from home I was,” Puckett said.
Puckett said she remembers Deslyn Williams, a beloved member of the Alpha Phi
sorority whose life was taken by the October 2023 PCH crash, as one of the first women at Pepperdine who took her “under her wing.” She served under Deslyn in helping to bring new members into the sorority, which ultimately led to her own leadership roles.
Her junior year, Puckett served as Alpha Phi’s vice president of new member education and membership experience, serving as a “mom figure” for the new women joining the sorority. Puckett said older members in the sorority inspired her to take on the role.
As she helped new members find their home and safe space within the sorority, Puckett emphasized the importance of having a space where women could support one another to be the best versions of themselves they could be, as women are not always granted those spaces.
“When you have environments like a sorority or a sports team, where your fundamental development is as a team or as a group, it’s so important for women to share what they’re thinking or share what they’re wanting to achieve with other women to help build up that mutual support and understanding,” Puckett said.
When she reflects upon her past four years at Pepperdine, Puckett said the unwavering support from her sorority sisters, on her good and bad days, stands out among everything else.
“After everything happened with us losing our four members last year, those women in Alpha Phi continue to support me and continue to uplift me,” Puckett said. “I think that
female friendships are so much more than just, you know, surface-level sorority types and everything.”
Women Break Barriers
First-year Mia Perry said she felt inspired to explore the world of gender studies and the issues women face today upon arriving to college.
“It’s something that is still an issue and an emerging issue, not only in the United States, but I’d say arguably more at like small, conservative schools like Pepperdine,” Perry said.
Perry joined Pepperdine’s Feminist Club last semester and hopes to add a Women’s and Gender Studies minor upon her return from studying abroad in Switzerland during her sophomore year. As a Biology major, she said she often reflects on the role of women in the field of health care.
“Women in different fields, like me going into health care, that wasn’t a very apparent thing 50 years ago, and women weren’t going to medical school,” Perry said.
Harriger’s research and experience in the field of psychology and gender is rooted in her experience as a college gymnast — many of her teammates struggled with issues related to body image, she said.
She has conducted studies about body image in children, the way men and women are treated differently in films, masculinity in animated children’s movies and more.
Beyond her role at Pepperdine, Harriger is also a mother of two daughters. As she raises them, she said she hopes she can foster an environment
which will allow them to grow into strong, independent women.
“I want my daughters to grow up to be strong leaders and to feel empowered,” Harriger said. “We buy a lot of, like, the bedtime stories for rebel girls, and there’s a lot of literature out there that celebrates women throughout history.”
Women As Role Models
Harriger said her daughters have several female role models, including Indiana Fever player Caitlin Clark and college students who attend their church, which she believes fosters a healthy environment for her daughters to see women who have grown up and possess the qualities she wants her daughters to have.
“Research shows that when kids have someone [they look up to], you know, representation matters,” Harriger said. “So if kids can look up to women and see, ‘Oh, it’s possible to do all of these things,’ then they’re more likely to want to go after something, whether it’s a career or being an advocate or whatever it is.”
A year and a half after her passing, Puckett said Deslyn is still the biggest role model in her life.
“I think Deslyn was a prime example of someone who poured so much into all of her friendships and all of her relationships,” Puckett said. I now live my life trying to emulate her radiance and her positivity into my life, even on my darkest days.”
Photo courtesy of Georgia Puckett
(Left to right) Destinee Cenita, Mireya Galacgac, Halia Hansen, Hannah Schendel, Georgia Puckett and Kylie Kowalski, Currents editor-in-chief, pose for their E-Board photo for Alpha Phi. Puckett said the sisterhood at Alpha Phi provides her with a community of women she feels grateful to look up to and support.
Businesses nagivate life post-fires
Karla Suzuki Life & Arts Assistant
The Malibu Country Mart is home to some of Malibu’s most popular shopping and dining spots. Restaurants within the shopping center are facing challenges after the L.A. County fires that began in December.
As road closures on PCH prevent the general public from entering Malibu, longer commutes pose detrimental challenges to businesses, Taverna Tony server Georgi Topovic said.
“It’s been very tough because PCH is closed and the Malibu Canyon is closed,” Topovic said. “We’re running with a skeleton crew right now, but trying to stay open so the locals can get their food.”
At the time of the interview with Topovic, city officials set temporary road closures in Malibu Canyon as a response to the National Weather Service’s flooding and debris flow watch. As of March 17, Malibu Canyon is open.
Taverna Tony
Taverna Tony, Malibu’s Greek dining spot, is going through a period of uncertainty as they wait out Malibu’s fire recovery process that left a big
dent on visitor and customer pace, said Olivia Sisino, Taverna Tony’s main host.
“It’s like a ghost town,” Sisino said.
Sisino said residents who come in and see the changes are now realizing the crisis that Malibu’s businesses are facing.
“I don’t think a lot of people know how bad it is,” Sisino said.
The post-fire pace is reminiscent of a post-pandemic Malibu, Topovic said.
“All the restaurants closed in one day,” Topovic said about the COVID-19 restrictions that hit Malibu in 2020.
The Woolsey Fire in 2018, the Franklin Fire in December and the January Palisades Fire are proof that in a few years, Malibu has seen fire strike its streets and businesses, leaving locals to constantly experience their city’s rebuilding.
“We’re a beach community — we shut down sometimes,” Topovic said.
Irv’s Burgers
Shift modifications on workers’ schedules come as result of the businesses’ response to the lack of customers said Tina Devare, a shift lead at Irv’s Burgers.
“After the fires happened, a lot of us were out of a job for
three weeks until we had to reopen up,” Devare said.
Residents have also had to adjust to the modified schedules of their favorite Malibu businesses.
“I used to go to Irv’s all the time,” sophomore Lala Freeman said. “After my late classes, I’d crave fries or a milkshake, but since their closing time changed, I never get there on time.”
The decreased staffing has also increased the workload, Devare said.
Sippin’ or soaked: Starbucks’ new cups stir debate
Alexa McGlathery Life & Arts Staff Writer
Starbucks’ latest eco-friendly move is leaving a bitter taste — not in the coffee, but in the cups.
On Feb. 11, Starbucks rolled out their new compostable drinkware, and Pepperdine students have mixed emotions.
“I honestly hate the new cups,” firstyear Annabelle Gentling said.
This initiative applies to 14 states, meaning all Starbucks drinks will be served in paper cups with lids, replacing the plastic ones used for years, accor-
California is one of the 14 states required to comply to the new regulations.
Student Reactions to the
Whether it’s hot coffee or a cold refresher, Starbucks now serves drinks in compostable pa-
Complaints are brewing about
everything from texture to durability, sparking debate over whether Starbucks’ green initiative is a step forward or a soggy mess.
“The cups are annoying for cold drinks,” Gentling said.
To combat sogginess, the Seaver campus Starbucks has begun to “double-cup” drinks, using two compostable cups to prevent leaks.
“They always double-cup the tea, and I find that really wasteful,” firstyear Reagan Augustine said.
Augustine is an avid tea drinker and consumes multiple cups daily. She finds Starbucks wasteful in the number of cups used to keep drinks from sagging.
Although the new cups have drawbacks, students appreciate their sustainability.
“I think the cups are really sustainable and good for the planet,” first-year Dani Dardano said. “I’ve wanted Starbucks to switch to sustainable cups all my life.”
Starbucks’ Goal
Starbucks aims for 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable packaging by 2030, according to its website.
The new fiber-based paper cups include a bioplastic liner, making them opaque compared to Starbucks’ origi-
“So many people can’t come to work,” Devare said.
“Now it’s like two people working a shift instead of like our normal three or four.”
One small setback can affect the entire productivity for the day, Devare said.
“Now it takes me an hour to get to work,” Devare said.
“With the extra hour wait, we take longer to open, set everything up, do cash and our sales have been down.”
Devare said marketing has become an essential strategy
for attracting customers and working back toward business as usual.
As businesses navigate the challenging times ahead, opening times are returning to their normal operating hours. Taverna Tony is open from 11:30 to 9 p.m. and Irv’s Burgers is open from 9 to 9 p.m.
karla.suzuki@pepperdine.edu
nal clear plastic cups.
Starbucks also offers a discount for customers who bring a reusable cup.
“They give you 25 cents off if you bring your own reusable cup,” Augustine said.
A common misconception is that customers must purchase a Starbucks-branded cup. However, any cup qualifies.
Pepperdine’s Role in Sustainability
Like Starbucks, Pepperdine promotes sustainability, with clearly labeled trash and recycling bins on campus.
Dardano hopes the new cups encourage students to be more mindful of waste disposal.
“We have compost bins all around campus,” Dardano said.
As a sustainability minor, Dardano emphasizes educating students on proper recycling and composting.
“I also see a lot of people with reusable water bottles, which is great,” Dardano said.
As Pepperdine continues promoting eco-friendly habits, Starbucks’ initiative aligns with broader sustainability efforts.
Through compostable cups or reusable alternatives, both Starbucks and Pepperdine encourage students to rethink their waste habits — one cup at a time.
Photo by Karla Suzuki | Life & Arts Assistant
Taverna Tony experiences a slow flow of customers March 13. The restaurant has lived through Malibu’s many unexpected slow periods, Taverna Tony server Georgi Topovic said.
Photos by Alexa McGlathery | Life & Arts Staff Writer Students pick up their orders from the Starbucks in Payson Library on March 11. Grande, venti and trenta-sized drinks are now being served in the compostable cups, whereas tall-sized drinks still get the original plastic cups.
ACU fraternity bikes 1,405 miles to Malibu
Rachel Flynn Senior Reporter
A group of 11 Gamma Sigma Phi fraternity brothers biked 1,405 miles from Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas to Pepperdine. The brothers left March 7, and arrived in Malibu the afternoon of March 12, where they were welcomed by over 400 Pepperdine students.
The fraternity’s alumni completed the journey once over 20 years ago, Abilene senior Jackson Kulp said. This year, a new group set out to face the daunting journey, encountering their fair share of hurdles in the form of flat tires and bad weather conditions. However, in the midst of difficulties, they leaned on their bond as they rode through desolate locations on the way to Malibu, Abilene senior Tanner Hill said.
“We really wanted to create a memory and a story for ourselves that was worth talking about for the rest of our lives,” Kulp said.
Mile 1,000
At mile 1,000, the Gamma Sigma Phi brothers were somewhere in between Palm Springs and Blythe, Abilene senior Ben Lancaster said.
The group of 11 brothers making the trek was filled with leaders. However, there is one whom the group have nicknamed “the ring leader,” and that is Abilene senior Samuel O’Quinn, Kulp said. O’Quinn organized the 1,405 mile ride from Abilene to Pepperdine.
“He’s a leader in everything he does,” Kulp said.
The brothers said they’ve never faced a journey like this before and consider themselves pretty novice riders. Some of the brothers began training in December, others not as often as them, Kulp said.
The brothers put Kulp in charge of training because he is a Kinesiology major, he said. They began biking 10 miles a week around Christmas and increased their mileage with each passing week until they hit 50-60 miles a week.
“We all just kind of had a quota to hit each week where
we would gun and go at our own pace,” Kulp said.
The fraternity is known for doing philanthropy events that are oftentimes extensive and long, Kulp said.
Groups of Gamma Sigma Phi brothers have played volleyball for 68 hours straight and even ran to Arkansas. Then, in 2003, a group of brothers decided to ride their bicycles from ACU to Pepperdine.
“So they did it that year [2003] and raised $5,000 for charity,” Kulp said.
O’Quinn began the conversation to bring the ride back with the current group of brothers, Kulp said.
“Let’s restart this conversation. Let’s talk to the guys who did it 20 years ago, and let’s make it happen again,” Kulp said.
The group contacted Abilene alum Chris Brewer, who was in charge of the trip’s logistics in 2003, Kulp said. Brewer gave them the ride template they created years earlier and pointers on how to make their ride smoother based on what the previous group had done.
Preparation included a big group call with Brewer and other alumni who explained how to use a two-van system for the journey, how to switch off riders and how to avoid the wind by staying close to the van, Lancaster said.
The brothers even had Abilene alumni join them along their route to take part. Abilene alum Andrew Kolp joined for 10 miles in Arizona and talked the brothers through the elevation part of the trek, Lancaster said.
The 1,405 mile journey was not made without its trials, Abilene senior Aidan Boisvert said.
“I’ve been personally cursed with being the guy who’s had the most difficult time on the bikes with popping the tires,” Boisvert said.
While biking on the highway and drafting behind the van to avoid the wind, Boisvert said he encountered a 2 to 3 inch bump in the road that sent him to the ground.
“I’m OK,” Boisvert said. “Helmets are good — wear them.”
The group also experienced
routing issues, Lancaster said. After spending some time on the highway biking alongside semi-trucks going 80 miles per hour, they decided to reroute taking neighborhood roads and dirt paths instead. At this point in the ride, over halfway to Malibu, the team said they had it down to a science.
“We’ve been kind of veering off using Google and Apple Maps satellite view, especially to see if, like, the roads are cement or paved or unpaved,” Lancaster said.
One of the biggest motivators for Kulp was the idea that “‘You’re only gonna be in college once,’” he said. “This is the time where you need to do these things that you won’t have the opportunity to do.”
The Brothers Show and Raise Support
The group of brothers raised money for the Greater Than Three Outreach and the Pepperdine Strong Fund.
Greater Than Three Outreach is an organization that works with people who have a spinal cord injury or other disabilities and works to improve their quality of life emotionally, socially and physically, according to their website.
Kulp met and began working with the founder, Heidi Wachtel, as a sophomore in college. When he heard Wachtel’s story of working through her disability using physical therapy after doctors told her she would never move again, Kulp said he was inspired.
“As someone who’s going to go into that career, I really latch on to that right because that inspires me to be good at what I do,” Kulp said.
The fraternity is also supporting the Pepperdine Strong Fund, which Pepperdine established to provide financial assistance to members of the Pepperdine community who were directly impacted by the Franklin and Palisades fires.
“Once we found out about the fires that broke out, I think our first instinct was saying, ‘We have to help in some way,’” Hill said. “The Pepperdine Strong Fund, like, was really just a decision we made out of our desire for this whole event to be something that serves the greater good.”
Rain or Shine, Pepp Meets Abilene at the Finish Line
The Student Government Association (SGA) planned a welcome party for the 11 Abilene bikers March 12, in the Chapel Lot. SGA President Myers Mentzer was in charge of planning the event in the midst of a rain storm Malibu was experiencing.
Mentzer said she began talking with Tyler Gaylor, Abilene’s SGA president of finance, in January about the ride. Mentzer said it was important to her to welcome the group and show them around Pepperdine.
“We want to make this like their grand finish line,” Mentzer said.
Bode Gwin and Ashton Perez were two of the Gamma Sigma Phi bikers welcomed at the finish line by the Pepperdine community. Biking the last leg of the journey, Perez and Gwin said they both encountered wind, rain and steep hills.
“We had to back it up for a sec,” Perez said. “The rain was too much. It was too dangerous to ride.”
Perez said he started off his portion of the ride listening to the Joe Rogan podcast before opting for the sounds of the ride itself.
“Enjoy listening to the wind, it’s actually really peaceful,” Perez said.
For the remainder of the ride, Perez said he relied on his faith for motivation.
“I was just praying with the Lord and just spending time with the Holy Spirit, just praying for the people around me, praying for the guys in the van,” Perez said.
Together, the Gamma Sigma Phi brothers raised $30,000
for the Greater Than Three Foundation and the Pepperdine Strong Fund.
From Bikers to Pickleball Players
The Gamma Sigma Phi brothers competed March 15, in a pickleball tournament organized by Michael Sugimoto, SGA’s executive vice president.
SGA created the event to show support for the Pepperdine community following the L.A. County wildfires while simultaneously raising money for the Pepperdine Strong Fund, Sugimoto said.
The date of the pickleball tournament was pushed back once SGA found out about the bikers coming from ACU,so they could participate, Sugimoto said.
“We reached out and told them about the tournament, and they were super excited and wanted to contribute,” Sugimoto said.
SGA encouraged anyone interested to play in the tournament and support the Pepperdine Strong Fund. Lancaster said all the brothers were excited to participate in the tournament and were confident they had some good players on their team.
The Gamma Sigma Phi brothers celebrate in the Chapel Parking Lot on March 12, after completing the 1,405 mile trek from Abilene, Texas all the way to Malibu in six days. Members of the Pepperdine community welcomed the riders to campus.
In the Chapel Parking Lot, the Pepperdine community welcomes the fraternity brothers March 12. Over 400 students attended the Abilene bikers’ welcome party.
Photos by Kasten Grimm | Staff Photographer
Pepp athletes navigate Palisades Fire
Tony Gleason Associate Editor & Social Media Manager
After sheltering in place with a large part of the Pepperdine community as they were surrounded by flames and no power for the Franklin Fire, many Pepperdine athletes found themselves in a similar situation during the Palisades Fire.
The Franklin Fire started Dec. 9, and was fully contained contained Dec. 18, while the Palisades Fire started Jan. 7, and was fully contained Jan. 31. During the Palisades over 100 Pepperdine athletes were on campus, in Malibu or elsewhere in the area.
“It definitely got really exhausting, and the uncertainty that it could happen another time after that was really worrisome to me and obviously my family too,” said Caroline Graham, Women’s Track senior mid-distance runner.
Evacuating their Homes
On Jan. 7, Women’s Basketball senior forward Maggie Vick said after returning to her off-campus apartment at Malibu Canyon Apartments in Calabasas, she saw the evacuation warnings were spreading and packed a bag of valuables just to be cautious.
Just as Vick was finishing up packing a go-bag, she said she lost power in her apartment, also causing her to lose cell service. Afterward, she drove up the road and after speaking with her dad, decided she would stay in a hotel where she ultimately stayed for a week.
“I was like, ‘I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep here [her apartment] knowing that even if I end up having to evacuate, I wouldn’t know — I would [have to] rely on somebody having to knock on my door,’” Vick said.
Emily Garrison, Women’s Swim and Dive sophomore flyer and individual medley, said her team went to Anaheim the
morning of Jan. 7, for a team retreat. The team tried to monitor what was happening but stuck with their plan of returning to Malibu later that day.
Garrison said some of her teammates were not able to go back to their homes, so every member of the team spent the night on campus just so they could all be together. They went to bed planning to practice the next day, but that was eventually cancelled.
“That next morning, they notified us that we wouldn’t be having swim for a lot of reasons, like air, power, etc.,” Garrison said. “And then later that day, they told us that we were just gonna evacuate, so then we left campus that next day.”
Multiple athletes said Pepperdine Athletics helped pay for the hotels athletes stayed in while they were displaced.
Competing in the Midst of Disaster
Women’s Basketball was in
the midst of conference play during the Palisades Fire, scheduled to play the University of Portland on Jan. 9, and Loyola Marymount University on Jan. 11, but both games were postponed, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
After staying in a hotel for a week, Vick said the team traveled for an away game against Saint Mary’s, and while basketball felt insignificant during this time, it did help take her mind off the current tragedy.
“That’s just how I treated it — it was an hour or two out of my day where I didn’t have to be sad or watch the news or see people’s houses burning,” Vick said. “I could just take a break from it for a minute.”
After evacuating, Garrison said the team stayed in a hotel in Fresno because the team had an away meet against California Sate University, Fresno on Jan. 10 and 11. After that meet ended, it was still unsafe to return to Malibu, so the team went to San Diego and stayed
in a hotel room there as they had a meet against the University of San Diego on Jan. 17.
While staying at hotels, Garrison said the team was still able to get some practice by using the pools at Fresno State and San Diego. One issue with this is that teams aren’t given the same access to facilities they would have if they were on campus.
“A lot of girls on our team have class conflicts anyway, and so they’d get their own pool time,” Garrison said. “Here at Pepperdine, that’s a lot easier to do, but when you’re asking strangers to help you, there might be only a two-hour block that they can give you.”
Pepperdine Women’s Track evacuated to the Holiday Express Inn in Simi Valley on Jan. 10, but before evacuating, Graham said the team had to run indoors on treadmills because the air quality was poor.
Graham said it was very difficult for the team to practice to the best of their abilities during this time.
“Even the air quality inside when we were running on the treadmills was just so bad,” Graham said. “And then when we were at Moore Park, our lungs were just working overtime when we were at school, so they were just trying to recover.”
Despite these conditions, Women’s Track competed Jan.17, in Washington, where Graham and sophomore distance runner Lizzy Crawford broke the school record for the 800-meter dash and 3,000-meter run, respectively, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Navigating Online Classes
Once classes started online for Pepperdine, many of the
athletes were still displaced, and since they were in a rush to evacuate, multiple athletes said their clothes and school supplies were limited.
Garrison said she didn’t have her laptop, so she had to attend Zoom classes through her phone.
“Online school is a lot easier to do when you have all your things with you and when you are at home, but we were with none of those things,” Garrison said. “And so the start to the semester was pretty hard for a lot of us who just didn’t have what we needed.”
Another difficulty Graham said came with online classes was spacing. In a hotel room, there isn’t a common room like there is in a dorm or apartment, so two people can’t be in separate rooms if they need to be in class at the same time.
Many of the athletes weren’t able to return to campus until the day before in-person classes started, multiple athletes said.
“It was just difficult because a lot of us are roommates with each other and live together, and so trying to find space to be able to focus on schoolwork and focus on class while we’re all living so close to each other was really difficult,” Graham said. “Because a lot of us needed to be in class at the same time.”
Photo by Emma Martinez | Senior Reporter
Smoke fills the sky over Pepperdine during the Palisades Fire on Jan. 9. The athletes who were on campus during the Palisades Fire had to evacuate to a hotel until it was safe to return to Malibu.
Women’s Basketball huddles in a game against Pacific University at Firestone Fieldhouse on Jan. 23. This game was the first game Women’s Basketball played at home since being displaced.
Photo by Colton Rubsamen | Assistant Photo Editor
Athletes describe recovery struggles
Haylie Ross Sports Staff Writer
Sports injuries can feel like looking up a narrow and winding staircase.
Pepperdine athletes who have walked through the struggle of recovery said they are asking themselves a similar question and advocating for the mental aspects of injury that accompany the physical.
Hannah Bruner, sophomore cross country and track athlete said her initial hurdle surrounding her injury was learning who she was outside of her sport.
“It’s easy to have a lot of your identity be connected to your sport,” Bruner said. “It causes you to question — ‘Who am I? What am I?’”
After the hike of recovery, athletes look back and reflect on some of the beautiful qualities injury recovery has to offer.
Progress Over Perfection
On an individual level, injured athletes are at risk for a variety of mental health issues, including clinical anxiety, disordered eating, depression and suicidal ideation according to the National Library of Medicine.
Pepperdine Athletic Counselor Devin Love-Winston said the mental health declinations for injured athletes are rooted in the idea that an injury can strip identity away for athletes.
“The mental health challenges stem from the sudden loss of their athletic role and their certainty about the future in sports performance,” Love-Winston said.
Senior shortstop Justin Rubin has dealt with this concept. Rubin said he was on track to get drafted to play professionally
until his shoulder dislocated.
“I was on track before the injury — so I was obviously devastated,” Rubin said.
Bruner injured her iliotibial band last year, and she knew the pain was persistent. Bruner said her mental health took a toll from the process as well.
“My mental health had ups and downs,” Bruner said. “But it can definitely be hard to be injured.”
When the progression of recovery has twists and turns, Bruner said it takes a toll on your mental health because it seems like it will never get better.
“My injury was just so nagging, and it wouldn’t go away,” Bruner said. “I felt like I was doing all the things I could possibly do, and nothing was changing.”
Isolation
Athletes compete together to achieve a common goal; when injured athletes can’t contribute to reaching that goal with their teammates, Bruner said that’s when the feelings of isolation start to set in.
Love-Winston said that when injuries start to isolate athletes from their teams, it is crucial to encourage them to stay involved.
“They work with their coaches to stay involved with their team and their activities just to stay connected,” Love-Winston said. “Because we recognize that when someone is injured, isolation can be a thing.”
Bruner said her injury forced her to miss out on common team experiences — and she felt the isolation sink in.
“I missed the indoor track season as well, which was really hard because I started feeling disconnected from my team,” Bruner said.
Rubin said a lot of the time, injuries are spontaneous and can cause a negative mindset.
“A lot of times, injuries are out of your control,” Rubin said. “So there’s definitely a period of ‘Why did this happen to me?’”
The Bright Side of Recovery
Bruner said injuries may be trials, but the strength it builds can be reflected on and appreciated.
Bruner said her first run back after her injury reminded her of the love she had for running and how grateful she was to be back at it.
Rubin said that after recovering from injury, one starts to grasp a more meaningful concept and keeps moving forward.
“You get a grasp on the bigger picture and that everything happens for a reason,” Rubin said.
Bruner said she attempted to see her injury as an opportunity to rest, a rare luxury for most collegiate athletes.
“Injury is a unique opportunity to just take a moment and breathe and find some sanity and find some moments where you get to enjoy something you
don’t normally get to,” Bruner said.
Injury recovery may have its ups and downs, but Rubin said it’s beneficial to try and think positively.
“There was definitely a period of feeling sorry for myself,” Rubin said. “But eventually, you snap out of it and try to put a positive spin on it.”
Photo courtesy of Hannah Bruner
Hannah Bruner, sophomore cross country and track athlete — recovers after a race at the University of California, San Diego on April 6. Bruner said her teammates are what fueled her love for the sport and got her through the challenges her injury posed.
Photo courtesy of Justin Rubin
Senior shortstop Justin Rubin takes the plate at Eddy D. Field Stadium on Feb. 15. Rubin became a designated hitter while recovering from a shoulder injury that mainly inhibited him from throwing and playing on defense.
Photo courtesy of Hannah Bruner Bruner takes the starting line at Stotsenberg Track on April 6. Bruner said during her semester abroad, it was very difficult dealing with recovery without the help and support of her teammates while she was across the globe.
Men’s Basketball completes season
Nick Charkhedian Assistant Sports Editor
When Director of Athletics Tanner Gardner appointed Ed Schilling as the head coach of Pepperdine’s Men’s Basketball program last April, the program was in a transitional period.
One of 14 players on the 2023-24 active roster would return the following year, and Pepperdine Athletics was preparing for Gardner to take the baton from Steve Potts as he prepared for retirement, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Schilling, who has a long coaching career in basketball, came from Grand Canyon University as an assistant coach and left a team that ended the 2023-24 season with a 30-5 record for the Waves, who finished the same season 1320, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
“We want to win in year one, but our goal is to win in the long term, not to win immediately,” Gardner said. “In order to do that, you need to focus more on culture building in the first place.”
Men’s Basketball tipped off the 2024-25 season with a slow start, a 2-6 record through their first 8 games. The team was able to turn it around and get three wins in a row, improving to 5-6, but during that time, Pepperdine experienced a natural disaster.
The Malibu area and Pepperdine were affected by the Franklin Fire on Dec. 10, following the second of those three wins. This fire would be the first of two that the team was affected by during the basketball season.
Men’s Basketball finished out the month of December with one more win and three losses. Their final loss of the
month was a close one, 89-82, against No. 19 Gonzaga University.
Pepperdine opened the new year with a win and a loss before Jan. 7, when the Palisades Fire broke out. The fire affected the basketball team, changing its regular operations and making it hard to focus on the season, said redshirt senior forward Boubacar Coulibaly.
Coulibaly said the difficulties caused by the fire, such as guys sleeping in the gym or being in a hotel and not being able to go to the gym.
“We’ve had our share of adversity, but we’re trying to lay a foundation for future success, and I think we’re doing that,” Schilling said.
Men’s Basketball returned to operations after the fire and lost their next three matchups, falling to an overall season record of 7-13.
Pepperdine followed up the three-game skid with two wins but then lost seven of their next eight, placing them at a season record of 10-19 and a conference record of 4-12.
“We just want to get better every day. This is one of those things that we know, it’s a long haul.”
Ed Schilling Men’s Basketball Head Coach
“We really built that relationship, a relationship based on trust, where he gave me full confidence,” Todorovic said. “Everything just falling in a place when you have a coach who gives you freedom and confidence.”
Schilling has also established a culture of faith for Men’s Basketball, Coulibaly said.
“This year, the culture is pretty different,” Coulibaly said. “We pray before and after every game — we do chapel.”
Coulibaly believes that this helped the team focus more and free their mind before they get into a game.
Men’s Basketball ended the 2024-25 regular season with a 10-21 record. Following the regular season the team had a run in the WCC Tournament, pulling off upsets through the first three rounds but ultimately exiting in the semi-final.
Both Gardner and Schilling said they have their eyes focused on long-term success rather than immediate success, especially in Schilling’s first year. One of the reasons Gardner hired Schilling was because of his ability to develop players.
“What Ed is best at is developing players,” Gardner said. “He is creating [a] culture of improvement where the guys that come in are getting better, and then the guys are increasingly playing better together over the years.”
Senior forward Stefan Todorovic, who transferred from the University of San Francisco, saw a jump in numbers from the previous season. Todorovic averaged 3.8 points per game for the Dons and improved to 18.3 points per game this season for the Waves while being second in points per game in the conference.
Schilling said he believes the success is going to come, and that Pepperdine is in it for the long haul.
“We just want to get better every day,” Schilling said. “This is one of those things that we know, it’s a long haul. We’re climbing the mountain, so to speak, and we just got to make steps every day.”
nareg.charkhedian@pepperdine.edu
Photo by Griffin Pilcher | Staff Photographer
Junior guard Moe Odum dribbles the ball up the court against Oregon State University on Feb. 20, at Firestone Fieldhouse. In Schilling’s first season as head coach, the team finished with a 10-21 record.
Photo courtesy of Pepperdine Athletics
Senior forward Stefan Todorovic drives into the paint against Loyola Marymount University on Feb. 11, at Firestone Fieldhouse. Todorovic started in all 35 games for the Waves this season and led the Waves in points per game.
Photo courtesy of Pepperdine Athletics Redshirt senior forward Boubacar Coulibaly dunks the ball against Loyola Marymount University on Feb. 11, at Firestone Fieldhouse. Coulibaly leads the Waves in total rebounds and blocks for the season.
Tassilo Schmid starts legacy as head coach
Megan Harkey Sports Staff Writer
Interim Head Coach Tassilo Schmid of the Pepperdine Women’s Tennis team has been coaching the team since Dec. 20, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Before his transition to the women’s side of the court, Schmid was an assistant coach for the Men’s Tennis team for seven years and was named ITA’s Regional Assistant Coach of the Year in 2021 and 2022, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
“The women’s team went through so much change,” Schmid said. “I think my first role was, honestly, to bring stability into this team and teach them what it means to you to play for Pepperdine.”
Despite the unexpected coaching change, as a head coach so far, Schmid has welcomed two new freshmen, including Anastasiia Grechkina and Sebastianna Scilipoti, and they’ve recently swept WCC weekly awards four times, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
“They have transformed themselves from being individuals to a team, and that’s what I’m super proud of,” Schmid said.
Before Pepperdine, Schmid was a volunteer assistant coach at Florida State University, where he helped the team reach the NCAA tournament three times, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Additionally, during his college career as a player, Schmid played under the previous women’s head coach, Per Nilsson, at Mississippi State.
“I really learned fast what it means to play for a team and basically giving more than you take,” Schmid said. “That was
Interim Head Coach Tassilo Schmid speaks with senior Savannah Broadus during a match at the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center on May 10, against University of Southern California. Schmid was named interim head coach after previous Head Coach Per Nilsson left the position.
a huge identity at Mississippi State, and that really helped me as a person and as a tennis player.”
As a Bulldog, he accumulated accolades, including reaching the second round of the 2015 NCAA tournament and being named the ITA Southern Region’s Most Improved Player the same year, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Schmid said he began his head coaching career at Florida State alongside Adam Schaechterle, the current Men’s Tennis Head Coach, who was also in the ACC at the time. During his time in Florida, Schmid helped the Seminoles go to the NCAA tournament three years in a row.
“[Schaechertle] is, in my opinion, one of the best head coaches in the country,” Schmid said.
During his time with the Waves men’s team, Schmid has been to the NCAA tourna-
ment three times and has been ranked in the Top 25 twice, according to Pepperdine Athletics. Now that he is on the women’s side for the first time, Schmid said he has grown with the differences between the two sports.
“The men’s side in general, it’s more transactional sometimes,” Schmid said. “I feel like on the women’s side, once the player trusts you, they will run through a wall for you.”
Schmid said these relationships are part of his coaching style. To him, relationships are more important than any trophy, and he wants to build them even though he did not recruit the players he has this year.
“I can pretty much tell him anything that I’m feeling or whatever’s on my mind, and I feel like that helps a lot when we get on court,” senior Savannah Broadus said.
In competition for the head coach position at Pepperdine, other coaches in the women’s circuit did not understand the hiring of a male assistant, but Schmid said he knows the Waves better than any Power 5 head coach.
“He deserves it the most because he also knows Pepperdine Tennis, which is very different than any other tennis program in the country,” Broadus said.
Women’s Tennis this season has been battling against Top 25 teams, including No. 11 Duke University with a final score of 3-4, No. 8 University of North Carolina (1-4), No. 2 Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (1-6), among others. They have held their position in the Top 30 with wins over the University of Southern California (4-2) and No. 72 University of California, Berkeley (5-2), but the younger team is still learning a lot under their new head coach.
“I think [we learned] consistency,” Schmid said. “There were certain players that had to make a choice on how they want to buy into this team.”
Off the court, Schmid is a reliable figure in the team’s lives, as he caters to what the players need in and out of practice.
“[Schmid] is always here for us,” sophomore Vivian Yang said. “He always listens. He always just tries to do his best to help us with our needs, wheth-
er that’s with rooms, with food, with things that we need.”
Schmid has made efforts to understand what each individual player needs, Yang said. While the freshmen need someone to talk to and build a deep connection with, Yang said that she needs someone who will get up early and work with her on anything.
“That just shows you how much they care,” Yang said. “I don’t care how fancy you say you’re going to do things, but when you show up, I think that’s a massive thing.”
With their WCC season coming up, the Waves are preparing for the conference in the same way they have prepared for Top 10 matchups.
“Every opponent has eight scholarships,” Schmid said. “They have a very good number one and a very good number six, so we cannot take anyone lightly.”
Women’s Tennis will play their first conference match with Schmid on March 23, against the University of Portland at the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center.
megan.harkey@pepperdine.edu
Photos courtesy of Tassilo Schmid
Schmid celebrates a point at the Hellman Tennis Center against the University of California, Berkeley on March 6. Schmid has led the team to six team wins so far this season.
Schmid with the women’s team after punching their ticket to the Indoor ITA National Championships on Jan. 25, at the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center. Schmid and the Waves won 4-1 against the University of Arizona.
Swim and Dive named CSCAA Scholar AllAmerica Team
For the 19th consecutive semester, the Pepperdine Women’s Swim and Dive team has once again proven that excellence extends beyond the pool.
The swim and dive team has been recognized by the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) as a Scholar All-America Team, an honor awarded to programs that achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. With an impressive 3.56 GPA for the Fall 2024 semester, the Waves continue to set the standard for academic and athletic achievement.
“This is an incredible honor, and it is no surprise that our women have earned this award,” Head Coach Ellie Monobe said. “Our women take immense pride in their pursuit of academic and athletic excellence.”
This recognition places Pepperdine among 781 teams from 459 institutions across the country that met the criteria for the award. The CSCAA, founded in 1922, is the nation’s first organization of college swim and dive coaches and is dedicated to advancing the sport while promoting academic success among student-athletes, according to the CSCAA.
With over 19,000 student-athletes included in this year’s recognition, Pepperdine’s continued excellence highlights the program’s commitment to balancing both rigorous competition and academic performance.
Earning this distinction for 19 consecutive semesters reflects not only the dedication of Pepperdine’s student-athletes
but also the culture instilled by the coaching staff. Monobe said academic success is just as important as performance in the pool.
“In most collegiate sports, you are forced to learn how to prioritize and manage your time,” Monobe said. “Because of the nature of our sport, we have very structured schedules and training plans that test their time management and organization skills weekly.”
The coaching staff ensures that student-athletes have the support they need to thrive academically. From structured study sessions to mentorship programs, the team prioritizes education alongside competition.
Monobe explained how all of her student athletes must attend study hall to help them adapt to the demands of balancing academics and athletics.
“You get these awards and the highest team GPA in the department through hard work and commitment. I think those values are crucial for any successful organization, much like our team and the legacy we are hoping to leave behind,” Monobe said.
For the student-athletes, maintaining a strong GPA while training at an elite level requires discipline, time management and support from teammates. Many swimmers credit their success to the strong sense of camaraderie within the team.
“We are all so close and have such good relationships, and we are always together, at the library or each other’s houses, studying together,” Junior free swimmer Anna Ryan said. We know each other’s schedules, so we check in regularly. We are
all aware of where people are in their classes, and if they need extra support, we are there to encourage them.”
Ryan emphasized that the team’s driven mindset is what fuels both their academic and athletic success.
“These are some of the most motivated people I have ever been around, and that reflects in the pool and outside of it,” said Ryan. “Everyone wants to be the best they can be.”
Pepperdine’s continued recognition as a Scholar All-America Team is a testament to the program’s ability to develop well-rounded student-athletes. By emphasizing the importance of academics alongside athletic achievement, the Waves demonstrate that success in one area does not have to come at the expense of the other.
For incoming student-athletes, balancing the demands of school and training can be a major adjustment. Ryan offered advice and emphasized the importance of asking for help and using the many resources available at Pepperdine.
“Organization and time management are crucial, but if you establish a routine, balancing everything is totally manageable,” Ryan said.
As the Waves prepare for the next phase of their season, their dedication to both academics and athletics remains unwavering. With 19 straight semesters of excellence behind them, the team looks ahead to continuing this proud tradition for years to come.
frankie.fernandez@pepperdine.edu
U p c o m i n g g a m e s . . .
March 21-23
Baseball vs. Gonzaga
Make sure to catch this homestand, the start of conference play for Pepperdine.
March 21-22
Men’s Volleyball vs. Menlo College Don’t miss Senior Day on March 22.
March 22
Women’s Beach Volleyball Asics Classic
The Waves take on Vanguard at 9 a.m. and Florida at 1 p.m.
March 23
Women’s Tennis vs. Portland Swing by to support the last Women’s Tennis home set until April 4.
Photo courtesy of Pepperdine Athletics
Members of the Women’s Swim and Dive team gather in a huddle after their last win over Azusa Pacific 184-116 on Jan. 24 and 25, at Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool. Assistant Coach Monique Demaisip highlights how important family is when it comes to winning.
Frankie Fernandez Sports Staff Writer
Mary Elisabeth | Photo Editor
Head Coach Ellie Monobe talks to her team Oct. 2, at the Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool during a team practice. Monobe has 19 wins since joining the team during the 2020-21 season.
Records shattered.
Pepperdine track breaks 16 school records
Gabrielle Salgado Managing Editor
Pepperdine Track is breaking school record after school record in both the indoor and outdoor seasons.
The team, consisting of mostly lower level students, has broken 16 school records this year — 12 from the women’s team and 4 from the men’s team, according to Pepperdine Athletics. The team said they are using each other as motivation to break more records.
“Being able to see the person you care for and train with every day achieve something so big for themselves and for us [the team] is really motivating,” said Daniel Whitaker, sophomore middle-distance runner.
The Starting Line
As the gun went off starting the women’s indoor season, the record-breaking trend began,
multiple track athletes said.
The women’s indoor season kicked off with senior Caroline Graham breaking the school record in the 800-meter dash and sophomore Lizzy Crawford breaking the record in the 3,000-meter run at the University of Washington Preview on Jan. 17, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
This meet was just the start of what would become a school record-breaking season.
“Indoor kicked us off to a really good spot, because we were all — the guys team, at least — was really intent on watching how the girls performed,” Whitaker said.
Crawford continued shattering records at the following meets — breaking the indoor 5,000-meter run school record Feb. 7, with a time of 17:25.81, according to Pepperdine Athletics. She broke her own record two weeks later with a time of 17:14.16. These records would set her up to
break an outdoor school record a month later.
“Over indoor season recently, I knew I had a chance of breaking 17 [minutes], but I unfortunately didn’t get to do it indoors, and that left me wanting to get more and to see me achieve breaking that 17-minute barrier as I cross the finish line,” Crawford said.
Passing the Baton
As the women’s indoor season concluded, the team broke five records at the 2025 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Indoor Track and Field Championships, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Sophomore Hannah Bruner started off the last day of the championship meet, breaking the record in the indoor mile with a time of 5:07.22.
“I had some good workouts leading up to that [the record], and I felt pretty confident, and my coach felt pretty confident
that I could get it,” Bruner said.
The indoor season finished strong, and the winning mentality passed onto the outdoor men’s and women’s teams.
Sophomore distance runner Gordy Nilsen shattered a five-year-old record in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 8:20.53 at the Westmont College Sunshine Open on Feb. 8, Nilsen said.
The 3,000-meter run is typically an indoor event, a season the men’s team does not participate in, Nilsen said. This event was held at an outdoor meet, giving Nilsen the chance to chase the record. With this in mind, he said he seized the opportunity.
“I really knew it was one shot, and I knew that I just wanted to capitalize on that opportunity,” Nilsen said.
“And I did, and I was very happy about it.”
The Kick
The motivation behind breaking records this season is each other, Nilsen, Crawford, Whitaker and Bruner said.
“I feel like people are almost training even harder in their event, because they’re like, ‘I want to get it close to school record.’” Nilsen said. “And even if they don’t reach the school record, they’re still getting a crazy, solid PR,” Nilsen said.
Other than pushing each other to break more records, the team is bonding more, multiple track athletes said.
“Our team bonding as a whole has just been off the charts compared to prior years,” Whitaker said. “I think as a team, we’re a lot closer than we used to be.”
Crawford said sheltering together during the Palisades Fire helped the women’s team strengthen its bond.
“We grew closer than we’d ever been before, and we’re now like a family,” Crawford said.
The team has also shifted their training model this season, practicing two to three times a day most days of the week, Whitaker said. In previous seasons, the team practiced once a day and lifted weights twice a week.
“We’re getting a really good job of taking care of ourselves throughout the day rather than just waking up at five in the morning, getting it done and then going on with the rest of our day,” Whitaker said. “It allows us to stay consistently focused on it without it being over taxing in one go.”
The Finish Line
Looking ahead, the team said they are hoping to continue breaking records for the rest of the season.
Aside from school records, personal records (PRs) are also looking to be broken.
“Even though we do have these records that are going down, we have just every single runner on our team that’s throwing down some kind of personal best at one race or another, in one distance or another, like everybody’s improving across the board,” Whitaker said.
The team will compete at the Bob Larsen Distance Carnival at UCLA on March 21. The team is looking to compete even faster and break personal records at that meet.
“It’s always a really fast race, so a lot of PRs are coming out of that,” Nilsen said.
Photo courtesy of Matt Burner
Sophomore Lizzy Crawford races at the Ben Brown Invite at California State University, Fullerton on March 7. Crawford shattered a 13-year-old record in the outdoor 3,000-meter run and holds the school record for the event in the indoor and outdoor season.