VOL 61 • NO. 26
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MfiWMOUNT UNIVERSITY
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Racism Policy Focus of Heated Debate
Commemoration of Bill of
Rights Corresponds With
Debate on Racist Language
By Lynn Segas
Assistant News Editor
Boypla Marymount University
sponsored the second in a
series of debates to celebrate the
bicentennial of the Bill of Rights on
Wednesday, April 22. The focus of
this debate was the policy on racism
which has been developed by the
Multicultural Affairs Committee of
the University.
Dr. David Blake, Philosophy,
Frances Young, ASLMU President-
Elect, Dr. Phil Klinkner, Political
Science, George Morten, Black
Student Services, Dr. John Davis,
Sociology, Barbara Busse, Acting
Dean of the College of
Communications and Fine Arts and
Fernando Moreno, Campus Ministry
spoke about the process of
producing the policy statement
which they made available at their
presentation.
Klinkner acted as the mediator of
the presentation and opened the
talk by say ing, “The rights stated in
the Constitution are vague; the
United States has been fighting to
clarify them for years. LMU is
committed to recognizing and
addressing the problem of racism
and racial language that exists on
this campus."
Moreno began the presentation
by giving a history of the committees
which were formed to investigate
charges of racism onihis campus.
“The first Racial Investigative
Committee, which began in 1988-
89, was the impetus for this policy
statement. The report from that
committee, which reported their
findings, was taken to the Fr. James
Loughran’s office. Nothing was
publically responded to, although
the committee found several
obvious racist acts.”
'There were three examples of
racist acts illustrated in the report,”
Moreno continued. “They found
racist language spray painted on the
entrance to campus, faculty had
made degrading comments to
students, and three students were
shot at (off-campus). Thus, the
Multi-Cultural Affairs Committee
was formed in the Fall of 1989.”
Busse commented, “We are
trying to become a pluralistic
community which condemns
continued on page three
See Page Two For the
Policy Statement on Racism.
Annual Spring Chorale
Presents Modern Work
Oratorio Deals With Nazi
Persecution of Jews in WWI I
By Ray Watts
Ne ws Edito r
Я
he twenty-seventh annual
Spring Chorale will echo
through the Sacred Heart Chapel
on Friday, May 1. The Loyola
Mary mount University Choruses will
be performing two works by Ralph
Vaughan Williams, and a modern
oratorio by Sir Michael Tippett
entitled A Child of Our Time.
Sir Michael Tippett has written
that A Child of Our
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“arose out
of the general situation in Europe
before the second World War,” but
that the “the final jolt of composition
came from a particular political
event.”
That event was the assassination
of a German diplomat in Paris in
November, 1938, by a young Jew¬
ish refugee. Sheltered illegally by
an aunt and uncle, the young man
was refused official papers by
German authorities and was driven
to violence by his concern for his
mother, who had remained in
Germany and was a victim of Nazi
persecution. His killing of the
diplomat led to one of the most
ruthless of Nazi Germany's po¬
groms in which thousands of Jews
were slaughtered.
Dr. Halbert Blair, Director of the
University Choruses, said, “The
Tippett piece is very appropriate for
an audience today because it is
dealing with injustice, hatred,
prejudice and redemption.”
The piece features the entire
Choir, with four soloists, Dr. Bar¬
bara Dyer, soprano, Dr, Cheryl
Roach, mezzo soprano, Paul
Harms, tenor, and Timothy Blevens,
base.
Dyer and Roach are both
members of the LMU faculty. Harms
is a professional singer, and Blevens
is a graduate of LMU. He wilrsoon
graduate from Juliard in New York
City.
Blair said, “Thp piece is very
moving. It is a beautiful work for the
choir to sing and for the soloists.”
While the work is based on an
historical event, “I knew from the
start that the work itself had to be
continued on page four
Student Leaders Honored in Ceremony
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Annual Leadership md Academe Awtd
’£ Leadership Convocation on Friday*
Speaker Announced for
Next Week's Graduation
Rev. George Hunt, S.J., Editor-in-Chief of
America Magazine Selected to Speak
By Ray Watts
News Editor
Reverend George W. Hunt, S. J.,
Editor-in-Chief of America
magazine, has been selected as
the keynote speaker at this year’s
graduation ceremonies in Sunken
Gardens on Saturday, May 9.
Fr. Thomas O'Malley, S.J.,
President of Loyola Marymount
University said, “I am friends with
Fr. Hunt, and I think the students at
graduation will find the address
enjoyable. He is the editor of a
weekly editorial magazine, which
means that he is very well versed in
many different areas.”
He added, “He is very well-
connected. For example, he is vefy
good friends with Fay Vincent, the
Commissioner of major league
baseball. He is a tremendous
conversationalist, and is a delight
to have dinner with.”
Hunt is an expert in the works of
John Updike and John Cheever. In
1981, his book John Updike and
the Three Great Secret Things: Sex,
Religion and Art was honored as
“Book of the Year" by the
Conference on Christianity and
Literature, an affiliateof the Modern
Language Association. His latest
critical study, John Cheever: The
Hobgoblin Company of Love ,
published in 1983, was cited by
many reviewers as the finest work
on Cheever’s fiction.
Hunt is a graduate of Fordham
Preparatory School in the Bronx,
New York. He entered the Society
of Jesus in 1 954, and was ordained
to the priesthood on June 1 5, 1 967.
Photo Courtesy of America
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Fr. Hunt will give the keynote address at the May 9 festivities.
He received his A.B. and M.A.
degrees from Fordham University,
his Licentate in Philosophy and
Sacred Theology from Woodstock
College, and his Master’s Degree
in Sacred Theology from Yale
University. In 1 974, he was awarded
a Ph.D. from Syracuse University,
where he specialized in theology
and literature.
From 1961 until 1964, he taught
Latin, English and Religion at
Brooklyn Preparatory School. After
his ordination, he was an instructor
in theology at St. Peter's College,
Jersey City, from 1968 to 1970.
From 1 970 until 1 981 , he served in
the department of religious studies
at LeMoyne College in Syracuse,
New York, where he also served as
department chair for two years.
In June 1981 he joined the staff of
America, the Jesuit-edited weekly
journal of opinion, as the Literary
Editor. In the academic year 1983-
1 984, he took a leave from America
and occupied the Jesuit Chair at
continued on page four
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