The Los Angeles Loyolan, Volume 76, Issue 15 - January 28, 1998

Theater students act up in spring productions Features, Page 8 Hawke and Paltrow don’t meet our film critic’s ‘Expectations’ A&E, Page 13 Sarah Noriega named Volleyball All-American Sports, Page 16 ■w* L о s A n g e l e s ""4^ LOYOLAN January 28,1998 Loyola M a r y м о и n t L n i v e r s i t y Volume 76, No. 1 5 Playa Vista Project Temporarily Halted ■ Environment: State Senator Hayden announces court injunction against wetlands development. by Jasmine Marshall News Editor Choosing the LMU bluffs and their view of the Ballona wetlands as a backdrop, California State Senator Tom Hayden (D-Santa Monica) announced plans to seek a court injunction against further development of the wetlands for the Dreamworks/ Playa Vista Project on Monday, Jan. 26. Later that day, US Court Judge Ronald Lew granted a tempo¬ rary restraining order against further bulldozing of the wet¬ lands until a hearing to deter¬ mine the lawsuit on Feb. 4. As a condition of the order, Lew stip¬ ulated that the plaintiffs post a $50,000 bond in order for the injunction to be released. The lawsuit, filed by Lawyers for Wetlands Action Network, the California Public Interest Research Group, and Southwest Center for Biological Diversity, names ten species on the federal endangered species list that enjoy protected status under the Endangered Species Act. “Today is a significant day,” Hayden told those assembled. “We have first rate environmen¬ tal lawyers in court to gain a temporary restraining order which will stop the bulldozing of the wetlands.” Hayden went on to charge that Maguire Thomas Partners used predictions of heavy rain resulting from El Nino as an excuse to begin bulldozing the wetlands, including five acres of willows and freshwater pools which are home to endangered songbirds and marine wildlife. The lawsuit lists violations of the Endangered Species Act and the Administrative Procedures Act including the following: failure of the Army Corps of Engineers and Fish & Wildlife Service to undertake formal consultation to Playa Vista’s effects on threatened species, as well as failure to reinstate consultation after new information revealed the devel¬ opment may affect listed species not previously considered. Also noted was failure to protect the endangered Southwestern Fly Catcher, a songbird inhabiting the wetlands, along with nine other endangered species. “Looking at what the devel¬ opers have done in light of the central law, it is basically akin CHERYLL PALLACIO / LOYOLAN Author Mari Nana-Ama Danquah chose LMU to introduce her new book, “Willow Weep for Me: A Black Woman’s Journey Through Depression DENISE ESPINOZA / LOYOLAN State Senator Tom Hayden speaks against further development of the Ballona wetlands. to destroying evidence in a crim¬ inal case,” Hayden charged. Marcia Hanscom, executive director of the Wetlands Actions Network, the main plaintiff of the lawsuit, condemned Steven Spielberg and his partners at Dreamworks/SKG for their plans to build a state of the art movie studio on the wetlands as part of the Playa Vista Project. “We hope, with this lawsuit, that Steven Spielberg will final¬ ly get the message that his cho¬ sen site for DreamWorks’ new studio is not only wrong for Los Angeles, it’s wrong for the plan¬ et. We are extremely disappoint¬ ed that Spielberg and his part¬ ners seem intent on destroying homes for ten of our most endangered species in the US. His own efforts toward species extinction is remarkable, given his blockbuster film, “The Lost World,” Hanscom said. As to the $50,000 bond, Hanscom said the plaintiff are Ballona: page 4 Author Launches Book on Depression ■ The Arts: Former student of LMU profes¬ sor celebrates publica¬ tion date. by Jasmine Marshall News Editor “There are always fresh flowers and plants in my house. When they begin to die it is a sure sign that I, too, am begin¬ ning to wither,” writes author Mari Nana-Ama Danquah in her first book entitled “Willow Weep for Me: A Black Woman’s Journey Through Depression.” Danquah introduced her work to the literary world at a pub¬ lishing party held at LMU on Monday, Jan. 26. Introduced by former high school teacher and LMU profes¬ sor Dr. Gail Wronsky as a “poet, performance artist, writer, jour¬ nalist, and mother,” Danquah read several selections from her personal memoir on a subject she says still remains a tableau for African-American woman. “Black women are ...still held to the illusion of strength,” Danquah told the audience. “We are supposed to be strong. We are expected to undergo emo¬ tional hardship. People think it comes with the territory of our lives. That suffering is part of the package.” Stereotypes of mental illness still exist, and for minorities, Danquah sees double and some¬ times triple binds. “Stereotypes of mental illness are as perva¬ sive as those about one’s race or gender. Depression in white men is seen as a sign of their genius. White men suffering from depression are seen as Author: page 2 National Science Foundation Grant Awarded by Charlene Fleming Staff Writer A new engineering research site will be estab¬ lished on the Westchester LMU campus this summer, funded through a $397,848 grant awarded by the National Science Foundation. This money, along with an LMU cost-sharing contribution of $120,720 to bring the total amount to over $518,000. The program, Research Experience for Undergraduate Students (REU) is funded for a three year period of ten-week long sessions. Four LMU stu¬ dents and 20 select communi¬ ty college students from the area will be team leaders. The program is designed to include students that are traditionally under-represented in the engi¬ neering field and give commu¬ nity college students the means for conducting research that are unavailable in their own institutions. The principal architect of the project, Joseph Callinan, professor of mechanical engi¬ neering, will act as the pro¬ gram administrator. Associate professors of mechanical engi¬ neering Omar Es-Said and Rafiqul Noorani, are the prin¬ ciple and co-principle investi¬ gators, respectively, on the project. Joseph Foyos, manag¬ er of the LMU engineering Design Center, will serve as a senior associate for the REU Site. The chosen students will receive housing, books and a stipend of $2600 for their research. Student’s time will be divided into research, lec¬ tures and workshops, dis¬ cussing such topics as the safe operation of the research equipment, communication and computer skills. Weekly workshops will explore the ethical dimensions of engi¬ neering research. A highlight _ Research : page 3 INDEX News 1 Perspective 6 Features 8 Arts & Entertainment 12 Sports 1 6 Classified 21 Q_j]_ t_h_e_ W_ e b : www.lmttfdu/iituaff/iovolan