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LOYOLAN
VOL. 73 • NO. 25 LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY April 26, 1 995
Student Leaders Honored at Awards Convocations
University Selects Valedictorian, Scholar of
the Year, Marian and Ignatian Award Winners
Photo By James Keane
Jose Marcelino, Ignatian Award Winner; Mario Lara, Valedictorian;
Michelle Ferritto, Marian Award; Steve Vrooman, Scholar of the Year.
By Kent Jancarik
Assistant News Editor
Last week marked the annual
academic awards and service
and leadership awards convoca¬
tions, held to honor academic ex¬
cellence and commitment to ser¬
vice and leadership. Fr. Thomas P.
O’Malley, S.J. and Dr. Joseph
Jabbra presided over the academic
awards convocation, held last
Thursday, April 20. Among the
awards presented were University
Scholar of the Year, the Ignatian
Award, Valedictorian, and Marian
Award, as well as 24 Presidential
Citations.
Steven Vrooman received Uni¬
versity Scholar of the Year, while
Mario Lara was named Valedicto¬
rian. Jose Marcelino received the
Ignatian Award, while Michelle
Ferritto captured the Marian Award.
Marcelino expressed his excite¬
ment at his selection for the Ignatian
Award. “Out of all my years at
LMU, I was most extremely pleased
to receive this award and be ac¬
knowledged for my service to LMU,”
Marcelino said.
Presidential citations were
awarded to: Bruce Atwater, Erin
Bright, Antonio Brown, Albert
Cortez, Lainy Dickson, Torey
Favarote, Michelle Ferritto, Victoria
Heilbron, Peter Kelly, Jonathan
Ко,
David Larios, Denise Lee, Jose
Marcelino, Jennifer Markham,
Kevin Marstall, Grace Martin, Tif¬
fany McLeod, Kristina Nylander,
Judeth Petix, Jenny Shearer, Wade
Smith, Patrick Walsh, Jennifer
Werner, and Eric Young.
College Scholar awards were
awarded to students in each of the
four colleges. College Scholar
Awardees were Steven Vrooman
for Liberal Arts, Theresa Mack for
Business Administration, Justin
Eugene Dominick and Adam Toal
for Science and Engineering, and
Lisa Cole in Communication and
Fine Arts.
Political Science professor Dr.
Michael A. Genovese received the
Fritz B. Burns Distinguished Teach¬
ing Award, which recognizes a ca¬
reer of work in both teaching and
scholarship. Genovese, the third
recipient of the Burns award, ex-
continued on page three
“I was most extremely pleased to receive this
award and be acknowledged for my service to
LMU” — Jose Marcelino, Ignatian Award Winner
Air Force Undersecretary to Speak at Commencement
Rudy De Leon to Address
Undergraduates on May 13
By Jeff Kearns
Staff Writer
Under Secretary of the U.S. Air
Force Rudy de Leon will be
commencement speaker at Loyola
Marymount’s 83rd annual com¬
mencement exercises at 10 a.m.,
May 13, in the Sunken Gardens.
Marymount alumnus, graduating in
1974 with a degree in History. Prior
to serving in his present position,
he served as the special assistant
to the secretary and deputy secre¬
tary of defense, De Leon attended
the Executive Program in National
and International Security Affairs
at the John F. Kennedy School of
Government at Harvard University.
“I think de Leon will have a good message for
students in this day and age. He is still in tune with
the young people.”— Fr. Richard Robin, S.J.
In addition, J. Terrence Lanni,
Chair of the Loyola Marymount
Board of T rustees, will address the
graduate commencement on Sun¬
day, May 14.
De Leon himself is a Loyola
In 1 985, he became a staff member
of the Committee on Armed Ser¬
vices of the U.S. House of Repre¬
sentatives, later becoming staff di¬
rector of the same committee.
“He’s the highest-ranking gradu¬
Photo Courtesy of AFROTC
Rudy de Leon, Undersecretary of the Air Force, posing with LMU AFROTC
officers earlier this semester.
ate of LMU in the administration,
and he hasn’t even been indicted!”
joked Fr. Donald P. Merrifield, S.J.,
University Chancellor. “There
hasn’t even been a taint on his
reputation.
“De Leon is a very attractive per¬
sonality, and we’re very happy to
have him speak.”
“De Leon is a graduate who has
done very well in his career after
Loyola Marymount,” commented Fr.
Richerd Robin, S.J., Assistant to
the President. “He appreciates
greatly the education and experi¬
ence he received here, and loves
Loyola Marymount.
continued on page five
Alpha Sigma Nu Initiates 79 New Members
Jesuit Honor Society Recognizes Students
for Academic, Extracurricular Achievements
By Josephine De Felice
Assistant News Editor
On Saturday, April 22, student
nominees were honored by
initiation into Alpha Sigma Nu, the
Jesuit Honor Society. Approxi¬
mately eighty students from LMU
and Loyola Law School gathered
for evening events with family and
loved ones for one of the highest
honors a Jesuit University student
can receive.
Students are selected for mem¬
bership into Alpha Sigma Nu based
on faculty recommendations fol¬
lowed by selection committee
evaluations. No application pro¬
cess is required and selections are
made strictly on recommendations
and student evaluations of scholar¬
ship and service. “Alpha Sigma Nu
is the highest honor a Jesuit Uni¬
versity can give its students,” com¬
mented Alpha Sigma Nu faculty
advisor Fr. Michael O’Sullivan, S.J.
“Students in the honor society have
done very well academically and
have demonstrated great ability to
serve others.”
Students are then sent a nomi¬
nation letter, and “acceptance of
this nomination symbolizes a con¬
tinuing commitment to scholarship,
service, and loyalty, “ noted James
Rosenberg, Alpha Sigma Nu Presi¬
dent.
The evening began with a mass
at5:00p.m. in Sacred Heart Chapel
with the initiation ceremony follow¬
ing in St. Robert’s Auditorium. Fac¬
ulty, administration, and students
with family and friends then gath¬
ered in the Lion’s Lair for hors
d’oeuvres and cocktails from an
open bar. A dinner followed in the
Terrace Room, converted into a
banquet room and dance hall until
midnight.
‘The initiation ceremony was a
lot of fun,” said Fr. O’Sullivan. “It’s
continued on page three
“Alpha Sigma Nu is the highest honor
a Jesuit University can give its
students —Fr. Mike O’Sullivan, S.J.
Campus
Life
Sigma Tau Delta Holds
Annual Banquet
•page 9
Perspective
From The Lion’s
Mouth: An Invitation
•page 14
Arts &
Entertainment
[ Three New Movies
Reviewed
•page 18
Sports
Bench-Clearing
Brawl!
•page 22
