The Los Angeles Loyolan, Volume 75, Issue 9 - October 30, 1996

аж Campus Life Election ‘96 1Ж Ншл International Fall Festival: Page 6 Get the Inside Scoop on ^111 I S f issues: II 1 1 У Page 16 Sports Women’s Soccer Wins Final Home Game: Page 26 Los A n g e l e s LOYOLAN October 30,1996 Loyola Marymount University Volume 75, No. 9 Prop. 209 Sparks Intense Discussion ■ Will the Initiative Actually Eliminate Gender and Racial Preferences? by Kristin Veitch Loyoian Section Editor Does Proposition 209 rein¬ sure civil rights or does it compromise equality?” With these words, moderator Dr. Mitchell Chang, Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, opened LMU’s panel discussion on the controversial Proposition, which voters will decide on in six days. Sponsored by California Women in Higher Education, Tuesday's panel addressed the statewide initiative which would eliminate preferences based on race, gender, and ethnicity in U - #2 - - Affirmative action is a policy that we really cannot afford to lose. — Dr. Abel Venezuela Prof, of Urban Planning at UCLA - 55 government hiring, contracting and college admissions. The purpose of the discus¬ sion, according to Dr. Nancy Jabbra, Chair of Women’s Studies and organizer of the panel, was to have an informa¬ tive presentation in order to educate students on the topic. Four speakers addressed the historical, legal and economic ramifications of Proposition 209. Dr. Marilyn Tobias, historian and author of books on higher education, began with an histor¬ ical overview of the struggle of women and minorities in higher education. According to Tobias, “Lingering patterns of sexism and racism for some women are points to consider as we direct attempts to dismantle affirma¬ tive action programs.” Dr. Abel Valenzuela, profes¬ sor of urban planning at UCLA, addressed the relation between labor markets, impoverished communities and affirmative action. Providing evidence of inequality in the present work¬ force, Valenzuela asserted, “Affirmative action, while not ideal in terms of dramatically improving the labor markets for women and minorities, is a poli¬ cy that we really cannot afford to lose.” The relationship between merit, family income, affirma¬ tive action and the SAT in col¬ lege admission was discussed by Dr. Joseph Merante, Associate Vice President of Admission and Financial Aid. He noted that academic success is best predict¬ ed by high school grades and family income. Merante expressed concern that affirma¬ tive action does not account for issues related to socio-economic status. The final speaker, Professor Ellen April of Loyola Law School, attempted to clarify the legal implications and ramifica¬ tions of Prop 209. According to April, the Proposition “gives individuals very broad rights too soon and is likely to open up more discrimination.” April added that the term “eliminat- Proposition: page 2 A Haunting Masquerade Ball 1|H 1 1 ШШЩ SCOTT GROLLER / LOYOLAN Students celebrated the spirit of Halloween as they donned freaky costumes for last weekend's Masquerade Ball See story, page 4. Chiapas Forum Explains Military Escalation in Mexico ■ Politics: Indigenous People of Mexico Rise Against the Mexican Government by Susan Myers Assistant News Editor The Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN), also known as the Zapatistas, declared war on the Mexican government on Jan. 1, 1994, and today, the army of citizens con¬ tinue their rebellion with a plea for help from other democratic countries. Adriana Manjarrez, who leads awareness expeditions to Chiapas and represents the Tonali Community Center, spoke Oct. 23 in Sullivan Lounge about the uprising of the indige¬ nous people of Chiapas, Mexico against the Mexican govern¬ ment. Manjarrez said the commu¬ nity center’s goal is to raise the United States’ awareness of the Mexican government’s treat¬ ment of the poor people of Mexico. The Zapatistas have formed a group to end authori¬ tarian party dictatorship in Mexico and have armed them¬ selves in civil self-defense. “Power is not something that the Zapatistas can just take. They must build their own democratic nation,’ said Manjarrez. Manjarrez wants students to be aware of the oppression of the Scholars Discuss Immigration at Workshop by Mike Johnsen Staff Writer Thousands of international students trav¬ el yearly to the United States to study at distinguished colleges and universities across the nation. But first they must pass through customs. On Friday Oct. 25 over 200 educa- £ £ tors and advisors of foreign scholars convened at LMU for an immigration workshop to exchange ideas and dis¬ cuss the latest Immigration Naturalization Service (INS) regula¬ tions affecting international students who study in the U.S. As the newly appointed representa- - tive to the Council of Advisors to Foreign Students and Scholars, International Services coordinator Les we were really blessed with a fine day, with the flags on display and nice weather. I think [the attendees] were very impressed,” commented Santos. Participants from all over California and as far as Nevada attended the day-long ^workshop sponsored by the Association of International Educators. Speeches were Educational institutions are an ideal place where international education can play a major role. — Dr. Joseph Jabbra Academic Vice President Santos was responsible for bringing the con¬ ference to LMU. “People were pleased, the turnout was bigger than we expected and given by immigration attorneys and U.S. government INS representatives to offer insight into various immigration issues and laws. A hot topic at the conference was a new lav/ that is to take effect on Jan. 1, 1997 which will require close tracking of all inter¬ national students in the U.S. When the law is imposed, the INS will be able to track each student’s location, academic status and disciplinary status at all times. The event came on the heels of the Fifth Annual International Friendship Day and capped off LMU’s year-long celebration of 40 years of Internationalism. Academic Vice President Dr. Joseph Jabbra remarked to those attending the con¬ ference, “Universities and educational institutions are an ideal place where interna¬ tional education can play a major role in order to bring people together, and you are in a very, very privileged posi¬ tion...! applaud what you’re doing on behalf of internationalism and international edu¬ cation.” JJ Zapatistas and the United States’ aid to the Mexican gov- ernment. The National Commission for Democracy in Mexico (NCD) sponsors public education programs, tours of Mexico, action alerts, advocacy campaigns and humanitarian aid for the people of Mexico. Anyone can help by being part of a coalition throughout the country to prevent the oppression of human rights of the native people of Mexico, said Manjarrez. “The Zapatista army was named for Emilio Zapata, the Mexican peasant leader mar¬ tyred in 1917 because of his insistence on the rights of the poor,” the NCD claims. There were numerous reasons for the establishment of this armed brigade. It started when the North American Free Trade Agreement of 1994 privatized lands and took them away from the indigenous people of Mexico, ending their occupation as farm¬ ers. Chiapas: page 4 INDEX News 1 Campus Life 6 Arts & Theater 10 Perspective 12 Elections Feature 16 Music 18 Film 22 Sports 26 Classified 29 On the We b : ww.lmu.edu/stuaff/loyolan.htm