The Los Angeles Loyolan, Volume 75, Issue 10 - November 6, 1996

СТИВ Campus Life LMU Student Wakes Art & Theater Modigliani Captures *4lr Up From Three Month the Loneliness of Coma: Page 6 1 г Talent: Page 16 Wg - Sports Cross Country competes in WCC Championship: Page 20 L о s A n g e l e s LOYOLAN November 6, 1996 Loyola Mary mount University Volume 75, No. 10 Activists Voice Concern Over Wetlands by Jasmine Marshall Staff Writer A1 PHIL RAJEWSK! / LOYOLAN Ruth Lansford and Melvin Nutter of The Friends of the Ballona Wetlands speak in favor of the Playa Vista Restoration Plan. heated discussion about the future Lof the nearby Ballona Wetlands erupted into a charged debate on Tuesday, Oct. 29 at a forum hosted by ASLMU, the Rainbow Club and LMU’s chapter of the Sierra Club. The debate centered around the proposed Playa Vista project. The development’s controversial master plan calls for building 13,000 condo¬ miniums, 32,460 square feet of office space and 750 hotel rooms in addition to the state-of-the-art DreamWorks, SKG studios. Representatives of several environ¬ mental groups were present for the discussion, including The Friends of the Ballona Wetlands (FBW), Ballona Valley Preservation League, Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club, Ballona Land Trust, and Ballona Wetlands Action League. One of the major issues discussed was the legal settlement between FBW Students to Initiate Hunger Strike ■ Thirteen-day Fast will be Held to Raise Food and Money for Homeless as Well as Consciousness by Mia K. Shanley News Editor At the age of 16, he lived on the streets, slept in doorways and ate out of trash cans. Now, Daniel Chapin, a senior at LMU, hopes to make the LMU community aware of the problem of homelessness in Los Angeles. On Nov. 16, Chapin and three other LMU stu¬ dents will go on a hunger strike to raise awareness about the plight of homeless. Chapin is encouraging students to take a step but of their lives and think about the homeless situation. “It’s important as we’re preparing to be with families over the holidays to remember, those who don’t have that chance.” The students will not eat for 13 days and will drink only water until $500 is raised for outside homeless organiza¬ tions. The fast will begin Nov. 16 with a meditation at 1 p.m. at the bluff. Chapin said his inspiration comes from his late friend Mitch Schneider, an advocate for the homeless in Washington D.C. He noted, "I am invit¬ ing LMU students to meditate on the plight of the homeless.” _ _ _ INDEX News Campus Life Film Perspective ] Music 1 Art & Theater ] Sports л Classified I О ,j_ t h e W e b : www, lmu.edu/stuaff/loyolan.htm The students are a part of the Community Coalition for the Prevention of Homelessness which serves to promote awareness of those who are living in the streets. This objective is pursued through the hunger fast, education, canned food drives, and food distribution. Chapin said he hopes to encourage involvement in the LMU community. “I want students to be aware of the problem by actively partaking in prayer and med¬ itation to remember the homeless. Sometimes it just takes a more drastic measure for people to notice,” Chapin noted. The group is encouraging the LMU community to get involved by donating baked or canned goods, tax-deductible money and Lucky’s turkey tokens to their efforts. The fast will continue until the total goods donated equal $500. All donations will be presented to St. Monica’s Church in Santa Monica. Other organizations sponsoring the pro¬ gram include St. Joseph’s Church in Venice, the Alliance for Survival, the Hard Times publication, and the Community for Creative Nonviolence in Washington D.C. The four students will prepare their Hunger: page 2 and the contracting firm, Maguire Thomas Partners (MTP), which may create a partial restoration of the wet¬ lands. MTP was invited to speak at the forum, but declined to attend due to pending litigation. Doug Gardener, pro¬ ject manager for Playa Vista, explained, “Although we declined to participate in U — - - — - This is the largest pro¬ posed development in the history of Los Angeles. — Bruce Robertson Chair of Ballona Valley Preservation League - - 55 this forum because of the litigation, we offered to come and speak at LMU at any time and speak to the student body.” Under the terms of the legal settle¬ ment between MTP and FBW, MTP would stipulate $12.5 million for the restoration of 280 acres of wetlands. The restoration would include building tidal planes, a salt water marsh and “Riparian Corridor,” a freshwater chan¬ nel to be located just beneath the Westchester bluffs. Ruth Lansford, president of FBW, opened the debate by arguing in favor of settling with MTP to preserve what can be salvaged in the wetlands. “We have been involved in fighting for restoration of the wetlands for over 20 years. Now it is time for us to be realistic and save what we can of the wetlands. The settlement with MTP gives us the opportunity to accomplish this,” noted Lansford. Ballona: page 4 Car Accident Claims Life of International Student Peter Chan by Jennifer D’Andrea Managing Editor Che Ho “Peter” Chan came to the United States in search of an educa¬ tion, leaving his family in Hong Kong behind. He ventured to Loyola Marymount where he quickly made friends and became involved in the com¬ munity. But tragically, Peter Chan’s life has been cut short just before the culmi¬ nation of his college education. Chan, 20, was fatally injured in an automobile accident on Thursday, Oct. 24. According to Chan’s friend and roommate, Simon Yuen, Chan was about to make a left turn on Lincoln Blvd. from Manchester Blvd. when a car heading down Manchester rammed into Chan’s car at approximately 40 to 60 miles per hour, forcing Chan’s car down Lincoln Blvd. According to Yuen, there were no skid marks on the pavement, indicating that the car that struck Chan did not attempt to stop. The person driving the vehicle that collided with Chan’s was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs, Yuen SIMON YUEN Peter Chan , pictured this summer in Hong Kong. noted. Chan was immediately rushed to Daniel Freeman Hospital in critical con¬ dition and later transferred to UCLA Medical Center where he died on Sunday, Oct. 27. “We will really miss Peter,” Yuen, Chan’s friend since their first year at LMU, grieved, “I’ve been through a lot with him. He was more than a good friend, he was sort of like my brother. He was a genuinely nice guy and that’s real¬ ly, really hard to find these days. My days at Loyola would never have been the same without Peter.” Chan, an accounting major, came to the United States and LMU as a first- year student in 1993 from Hong Kong. “As a professional in the field, this is my worst nightmare,” commented Les Santos, Director of the Office ' of International Students and Scholars. “It’s a heavy burden [for me] to see an international student die here in the United States.” Santos explained that in his seven years as Director of the Office of International Students and Scholars, this is the first time he has had to deal with the death of an international student. “I feel very sad for family and friends that are left behind. This is a painful Chan: page 4