The Los Angeles Loyolan, Volume 76, Issue 10 - November 5, 1997

Features: Fright Night scares up trick or treaters Page 6 A & E: ‘Phantom’ : A ghost of its former glory Page 12 Sports: Sarah Noriega named WCC Player of the Week Page 15 Los Angeles LOYOLAN November 5,1997 Loyola Mar y m о i; n t U \ч v e r s i t y Volume 76, No. 9 The Band Played On... CHRiS MORRING / LOYOUN The Norteno Band Lucero Del Norte played at Convocation Hour yesterday for a M.E.Ch.A, cultural event. Prospective Students Discover What LMU Has to Offer by Jasmine Marshall News Editor Roy Rufo Staff Writer They came in throngs. The sun beat down fiercely, but for the thousands gathered for LMU’s fall open house, the day was filled with possibilities. Potential students and their parents were greeted by a bal¬ loon display on the flag poles at the entrance to the school spelling out LMU. Prospective students, par¬ ents, and other family members then heard a key note address from University President Rev. Thomas P. O’Malley, S.J. Then it was off to presentations by the four col¬ leges that make up the universi¬ ty, tours of want to go to,” continued Moffat. Responses such as Moffat’s reflect previous research con¬ ducted by LMU’s department of undergraduate admissions. Last year, an estimated 1,000 students attended the event with their parents. 52% of those students make up this years freshman class. At a presentation on the College of Liberal Arts, Charles Mason, an LMU admissions counselor, offered questions the standing-room-only crowd had concerning the admissions process. "February first will be our priority deadline this year,” “The experience of an LMU student is an amazing one, where you are challenged by the friends you make, the faculty, and your experiences.” — Laura Venlurini Psychology and Art History Major LMU’s facilities, and chances to get information on financial aid, study abroad, and ROTC. Melissa Moffat, a senior at Villa Park High School in Orange County said she came to open house because LMU has programs she’s interested in, particularly communications and business. “I looked at the college books, and LMU is ranked very highly,” she said. “LMU is definitely one of my top ten choices for the colleges I Mason said. “What we want to see from prospective students are advanced placement, hon¬ ors, and college prep courses on your transcript. The personal essay is not required, but it gives us a good idea of who you are when we are making our final decision. And finally, good GPAs and SAT scores, as well as two strong letters of recommen¬ dation are key to the admissions process here at LMU.” Senior Laura Venturini, who is double-majoring in psy¬ chology and art history, told per¬ spective students and their par¬ ents the unique quality of an LMU education is the personal attention given to a student. “From the first day I got to LMU with my parents and all my belongings for orientation, I knew I’d made the right deci¬ sion,” Venturini said. “Due to the sense of community at LMU the [transition to college] was easy. The experience of an LMU student is an amazing one, where you are constantly chal¬ lenged by the friends you make, the faculty, and your experi¬ ences.” D r . R e n e e Harrangue , chair of psychol¬ ogy, recounted how at a previ¬ ous open house, a mother looked at her and asked whether _ _ the hefty tuition price at LMU was worth the sacrifices her family would be forced to make for their daughter. “I told her ‘Absolutely,’” Harrangue said. “Four years later, by chance, she and I met again when her daughter was receiving her degree on graduation day. I asked her the same question she had asked me. ‘It was worth every cent,’ she told me.” "Cult" Harassment Reported on Campus ■ Religion: LMU responds to high- pressure groups by Jasmine Marshall News Editor The International Church of Christ, (ICC) a religious group that last year came under fire from university officials for recruiting students, is continu¬ ing their attempts to attract more members at Loyola Marymount University. Campus Ministry has posted flyers and handed out brochures educating students on “High Pressure Groups at LMU.” According to Sister Cecilia Magladry, C.S.J., an assistant chaplain in Campus Ministry, the brochures and fly¬ ers are aimed at the ICC and other religious, political, or ide¬ alistic groups that place unrea¬ sonable demands of time, money, and commitment from students. Although the Loyolan made numerous attempts to contact members of the ICC alleged to be involved in recruiting on campus, they were not available for comment at press time. “We’ve had one group in par¬ ticular targeting [LMU], trying to get more members for their group, and that’s the International Church of Christ,” Magladry said. She also noted this year she has received complaints from stu¬ dents targeted by the group. The ICC has been the sub¬ ject of intense nation wide scrutiny over the past year. The University of California at Irvine (UCI), UCLA, Occidental College, and USC have all reported problems with the ICC attempting to recruit students. The ICC’s ten-percent-plus growth rate places it among the fastest growing religious groups in North America. The ICC was started in 1979 by Kip McKean, in the Boston suburb of Lexington, Mass. McKean established his church along the lines of the indepen¬ dent Church of Christ, a legiti¬ mate non-affiliated Christian church. The group broke ties with McKean in 1987, advising Christians it considers McKean’s group “divisive, authoritarian, and dangerous.” By 1990, McKean had moved the group’s headquarters to Los Angeles, and the movement began to recruit heavily on Southern California college campuses. Magladry said people who don’t have information about the ICC are most vulnerable to their recruitment tactics. “Information is power, because their invitations seem innocu¬ ous. Typically, they will say something like, ‘Do you want to come to Bible study?’ And if you ask them for more information, they will be very vague.” First year student Laura Porizo has dealt first hand with the recruitment tactics of the ICC. She herself was recruited by them last week. “A friend I’d met in my counseling group invited me to an ‘after midterms’ get together at her house. While I was there, she and the people she lived with Cults* page 3 "Building Bridges in Black and Brown" Encourages Unify by Maisha Cannon Staff Writer In order to unite the Black and Hispanic communities in a common cause, LMU and the Los Angeles Archdiocesean Offices for African-American and Hispanic Ministries will host “Building Bridges in Black and Brown: A National Dialogue on African- American, Hispanic/Latino Relations.” Part of a nation¬ al effort to address tension between the African- American and Latino commu¬ nities, the last in a four part series of discussions will be on Friday and Saturday. Roberto Pina, a teacher at the Mexican-American Cultural Center convened the first conference in San Antonio. The second confer¬ ence, under the direction of Fr. Clarence Williams, Dialogue: page 3 wwwimuxdu/stuaff/loyolan 0