The Los Angeles Loyolan, Volume 96, Issue 16 - January 17, 2018

<Li 7.018 / С <0 LOYOLAN www.LALOYOLAN.coi EST. 1921 Community responds to mudslides MUDSLIDE LIKELIHOOD fire perimefer 40-60% 20-40% 0-20% The likelihood of a debris flow is based on a peak 15-minute rainfall intensity of 24 mm/hr. MANDATORY EVACUATIONS VOLUNTARY EVACUATIONS 1 MILE Monecto Mud Slides Informafion compiled by Sami Leung. Inferim Newt Editor; Graphic by Diona Raynes | Loyolan Recent rain in the now bare Montecito hills caused a mudslide that has killed 20. Sami Leung Interim News Editor @LALoyolan Mudslides running through Montecito, California have killed at least 20 people, with four still missing, at the time of publication. “I do have friends there, one lost their house,” said Sarah Rasmussen, a sophomore screenwriting major. “I know two people that died, not personally, but it was one of my dad’s coworkers and his daughter. My dad is fine, he’s coping well, it was another surgeon who worked in the same building as he did.” The mudslides began Tuesday morning and destroyed an estimated 65 homes, according to CNN. About 1,400 people are without power and the freeway US 101 is currently blocked, with officials hoping to have it opened by next Monday, according to the L.A. Times. “The 101 has been closed and many people who have to go home to L.A. have to drive to the 5 and loop down, making the drive five hours instead of the normal two hours,” said Benjamin Lin, a junior actuary major at the University of California, Santa Barbara. According to Civil Engineering and Environmental Studies professor John Dorsey, the mudslides were caused by the heavy rain runoff. The Thomas Fire had previously destroyed the vegetation on the hillsides of Montecito, letting the rain mobilize the top layers of bare soil down to the houses below. “It’s so bizarre, you don’t ever think of a mudslide as being so harmful,” Rasmussen said. “With the fire, people get more apprehensive and anxious about dying from smoke, but you don’t expect people to die in a mudslide. People don’t realize how severe mudslides can be, at least I didn’t.” More rain fall is predicted by Thursday night, which could hamper recovery efforts, according to the L.A. Times. Although the expected rain level is far below what the area saw last week — between a tenth and two-tenths of an inch of rain — officials are worried how the landscape will further change. “I don’t see the weather system predicted for this weekend will be the heavy rain-maker that the last one was,” Dorsey said. “Forecastsfromthe National Weather Service indicate that if any rain does make it to Southern California, it will be light, and showery at best.” See Mudslides | Page 3 Small illnesses can Club rugby's Charlie quicky become worse if Briddle opens up about you ignore your health. comingto the U.S. Page 7 Page 20 VOLUME 96 | ISSUE 1 6 Recreational marijuana still prohibited Despite the legalization of marijuana in California, LMU’s policy remains the same. Kayan Tara Asst. News Editor @LALoyolan When Californian voters passed Proposition 64 on Nov. 8, 2016 by a margin of about 56 to 44 percent, California became the fifth state, along with Washington, D.C., in the United States to have approved legalized recreational marijuana. From Jan. 1, 2018 Californians were able to legally purchase recreational marijuana in stores and dispensaries. The implementation of the change to California law was anticipated since the November 2016 election. While twenty- eight states have legalized some form of medical marijuana, the drug remains illegal under U.S. federal law, therefore making the use of cannabis in any form still prohibited on LMU’s campus. “While California law has changed,” said Jeanne Ortiz, the dean of students and the vice president for student affairs, “it is essential for students to understand that there is no change in University policy regarding marijuana. The University has to comply with federal laws related to what has been defined in the statutes as illicit drugs.” The Federal Controlled Substances Act criminalizes possession and distribution of controlled substances, including marijuana. Thus, marijuana in any form is prohibited on all University property, leased buildings, housing, parking lots and at all University events, according to Ortiz. While California has changed its law on the use of cannabis, colleges have their own See Marijuana | Page 4 1 Д" ' " lll|w la 1 THC ‘ ^ « l ~ -Wi4 * 1 [ ‘ШЛЖ 1 Ik Emily Sullivan | Loyolan Esperer holds Annual Human Trafficking Awareness Week Esperer Service Organization will be holding a series of events this week to bring awareness to the issue of human trafficking and explore "the intersectionality of human trafficking with immigration", according to their Facebook page. The above picture features Uiualo Coleman, Jared Gencarella and Fatima Beck participating in a Silent Protest that took place from 12-3 p.m. in front of Hannon Library. There will also be a panel on Jan. 17 at 6 p.m. to discuss the impact of immigration on human trafficking, a documentary screening and discussion on Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. and a Benefit for Hope in Jan. 19 in UHALL 1000 at 7 p.m. Electrical system replacements result in power outages Power outages cause confusion on campus; facilities reports issues as being fixed. Sami Leung Interim News Editor @LALoyolan A series of power outages affected various resident halls and academic buildings on campus this past week. According to students in affected Tenderich hall, students were notified of the emergency maintenance and planned outage, after the power went out on Jan. 8 at 10:30 p.m. The power outages were caused by a deteriorated insulation cable along one of the underground voltage lines, creating an electrical arc in one of the utility vaults which caused a power outage in sections of Burns Fine Arts, according to Martin Alvarez, executive director of Facilities Management. Because of the extreme danger of electrical arcs, the section of Ignatian Circle between Burns Arts Center and McKay Hall, connecting Leavey Road and Loyola Blvd., was blocked off on the night of Jan. 8. To make repairs and ensure safety, there was an immediate shutoff of the power to Burns Fine Arts, Communication Arts, McKay Hall, Gersten Pavilion, Tenderich Hall and Leavey Center at 10:30 p.m., with power being restored at 1:00 a.m. An LMU community alert, received by students at 10:31 p.m. alerted of the outage. “Nobody knew what was going on. Sitting in the pitch black, silent and not moving, we heard screams from other apartments,” Jared Fembleaux, a sophomore screenwriting major and resident of Tenderich, said. “It was something you would expect out of a horror film. It wasn’t until a few minutes after the first of our group got the email explaining the power outage.” Around the same time, the transformer located in North Hall had an unforeseen failure. Temporary power was brought from a nearby building. “Even with our preventative maintenance and inspections, the transformer’s failure was unexpected,” Alvarez said. “We found nothing to suggest potential failure.” The power shutdowns on Jan. 9 affected Sullivan residence hall and other academic buildings, including Loyolan offices, and were due to “emergency repair to the electrical grid,” according to an email from Facilities Management. See Facilities | Page 3