VOL. 61 • NO. 12
tOVOlft MfiRYMOUNT UNIVERSITY
КОШУ
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O'Malley Issues Call For Sensitivity
University President Urges Students to
Create "Civil add Courteous Campus"
By Ray Watts
News Editor
» oicing a plea for a “civil and
courteous campus," Rev.
Thomas P. O’Malley S.J., President
of Loyola Marymount University, in
an exclusive interview with the
Loyolan , described his hope for
people to accept each other on
campus, and to quiet the racial
tensions which have been
especially evident this semester.
O’Malley stated, “We are more
diverse than any other Jesuit
University in the United States.
Thirty-eight percent of LMU stu¬
dents are classified ‘minority.’ The
way we are now is the way the U S.
is going to be.”
“It is enormously helpful to live in
such a diverse atmosphere,”
O’Malley continued. “There are
plenty of Southern California col¬
leges, public and private, without
this type of diversity. R I am not
intending to be critical of them, but
we have a tremendous opportunity
on this campus for learning.”
“Like all learning, you have to put
yourself out of the way to do it. At
this time, the Multi-Cultural Affairs
Committee and myself are working
on a statement against racism and
racial remarks. The committee is
chaired by Barbara Busse, Acting
Dean of the College of
Communication and Fine Arts, and
Fernando Moreno, Director of
Campus Ministry. We are hoping
that it will be out by Easter, "O'Malley
said.
He commented that he was not
familiar with the particulars of the
incidents in Hannon Apartments,
but that they are a sign of a larger
issue. “When there is such an
outpouring of feeling, it is clear that
there are problems. We all must
take a step back and examine what
is happening.”
He added, “There is much more
going on here than one incident
would explain.”
O’Malley commented that he
plans to deal with diversity in his
President’s Day address on Febru¬
ary 29. “l am focusing on the tenth
book of the Acts of the Apostles.
Luke makes it very clear that the
church found itself, to its amaze¬
ment, utterly open to all. It was no
longer just a Jewish preserve.”
The difficulty for non-minority
students to feel for the plight of
others was also touched upon:
“Some people have been so mis-
treated by the dominant society that
it is breathtaking. Sometimes, it is
not easy for 'white people’ to know
what it is like to be a part of one of
these groups.”
When asked about options for
learning, O’Malley remarked, “We
have been looking into options. The
Teach-ins, such as last year’s about
the Gulf War, are one. We are also
looking at possible programs during
Convocation Hour.”
He added, “People need to
challenge their ideas about other
people, and see what it is like on the
other side of the wall, to know where
the other person is coming from.”
“This is a deep-seated problem in
the United States and around the
world. But we are lucky to have the
opportunity to have dialogue about
the problem,” O’Malley said, “Many
nations are much more closed than
we are. We are still able to learn
from each other.”
Regarding the recent influx of
letters to the Loyolan regarding the
issue of race relations, O’Malley
commented, “It is much better that
things get out into the open, and
that they be said. They really reveal
to us the depth of feeling inherent in
this issue.”
“The letters were well-written, and
Photo courtesy of Public Relations
Rev. Thomas P. O'Malley , S.J., President of Loyola Marymount.
they are proof that there is some¬
thing else going on here,” said
O’Malley.
O’Malley said, “This is really not
a black and white issue. It is an
issue of courtesy, and of listening
to each other. Many things that are
said or done can be interpreted in
many different ways by many
different people.”
O’Malley concluded on a positive
note. “The most important thing to
keep in mind is that living in a multi¬
cultural community is an opportunity
for education, and for effective
learning. We sometimes have to
put our personal feelings out of the
way. However, we all must learn:
racism will not be tolerated on this
campus."
Sr. Mary Milligan To Be Interim Dean of College of Liberal Arts
Milligan To Focus on
Development of University
Core, Continued Growth
By Bruce Atwater
Staff Writer
F ollowing the announcement by
Fr. Anthony Brzoska, Dean of
the College of Liberal Arts, that he
wilf not be continuing as dean for
the 1 992-93 academic year, Sr.
Mary Milligan, R.S.H.M., has been
chosen to be the Acting Dean for
the interim period until a permanent
dean can be found.
Milligan will be the acting dean
for the Liberal Arts College only,
and will not assume Brzoska’s du¬
ties as the Dean of the Graduate
Programs. Brzoska will become an
assistant to the President of the
University and will act as an advisor
on issues of the nature of higher
education in the United States and
abroad.
Sr. Milligan first came to the Uni-
versity in 1986 as the University
Provost, a position created in 1973
when Marymount College joined
Loyola University, in order to en¬
sure that a Marymount sister had a
place on the President’s staff.
“The job was extraordinarily,
undefined and had few possibilities
for definition. It was a Vice
Presidential level position with few
specific responsibilities,” said
Milligan. The University Board of
Trustees, in response to Milligan’s
urging, did away with the position
all together. The position was
dissolved two years ago, at which
time Milligan took on a faculty ap¬
pointment in the Department of
Theology.
Two years ago, if she had been
offered the position of Dean, .said
Milligan, she would not have
accepted it because she had not
yet been involved in a department.
“The last two years in the Theology
Department have been very good.
I have some wonderful colleagues,
and I feel like a colleague to them.
After all, l am taking the position [as
the acting dean] as a faculty
member," said Milligan. Milligan
stated that she will continue to teach
one course during the time which
she will be dean.
When asked what her intentions
for her year in office were, she
indicated that first and foremost, “!
do not want the college to be on
hold for a year.” In order to create
as seamless a transfer as possible,
Milligan expresses an interest in
getting out to meet the chairs of the
departments, “One of the things 1
would like to do between now and
July is to get around and to meet
the chairs of each of the depart¬
ments. I know that we have a fine
group of chairs and I am very much
looking forward to working with
them, and the other deans.”
Milligan has a strong belief in the
importance of the College of .Lib¬
eral Arts. “The thing that interested
me in the job is that the College of
Liberal Arts is in many ways the
center of the University. The core
curriculum is the heart of a liberal
arts college, and much of the core
is centered in the college of liberal
arts,.” she said.
The continuing development of
the core curricujum and the
exploration of interdisciplinary
teaching methods are two areas
which Milligan feels are particularly
important, "I want to give as much
support and attention as I can to
the current Committee on Curricu¬
lum as well as encourage any type
of creative teaching to help students
make the connections between their
core subjects.”
Milligan commented that she be¬
lieves strongly that, “when revis¬
ing, creating and deciding on pro¬
grams, the bottom line is whether
or not it is good forthe students and
likewise, how can we best educate
our students.”
Milligan feels that filling the role
of dean will be an excellent way to
protect the interests and to serve
the needs of the students. “Some¬
times deans can become rather
removed from the students [be¬
cause of the enormous demands
placed on their time], and I hope
Sr. Mary Milligan will assume her post on July 7, 1992.
that by my continuing to teach I will
remain in touch with the students. I
will also try to keep the same open-
door policy which I have always
tried to maintain,” said Milligan.
When asked if she would be will¬
ing to accept the position of Liberal
Arts Dean permanently she replied,
“I said yes to the position for one
year, and it is currently my intention
to serve for one year. I think I will be
able to better answer the question in
six months. Come and talk to me
then.”
