The Los Angeles Loyolan, Volume 76, Issue 26 - April 22, 1998

Student plays premiere at Del Rey festival Features, Page 6 Aniston tugs heartstrings in “Object of My Affection” A&E, Page 11 Men’s volleyball loses to UCLA in first round of playoffs Sports, Page 12 шщшгт Los A n g e l e s "чик LOYOLAN April 22, 1998 Loyola Mar y m о u n t v e r s i i y Volume 76, No. 23 Rev. James Fredericks Earns Fulbright Award by Christina Thomas Asst. News Editor The Rev. James Fredericks is preparing to leave the Golden State for the Land of the Rising Sun. The LMU COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY RELATIONS The Rev. Jim Fredericks received the Fulbright Scholars Award for his studies in Japanese Buddhism. associate professor of theology has been awarded two presti¬ gious fellowships to study in Japan next year. The Fulbright Senior Scholar program awarded Fredericks a grant to conduct research on his project “Current Trends in Japanese Pure Land Buddhism.” Ryukoku University has also awarded Fredericks a $9,000 Numata Buddhist Studies Fellowship Grant. Both grants will take him to Kyoto for the 1998-99 academic year to study at Ryukoku, Japan’s oldest uni¬ versity. Fredericks is specifically interested in the development of the True Pure Land sect (Jodoshinshu) of Buddhism on the American West Coast. His goal is to introduce the Pure Land teachings, which are pop¬ ular in modern-day Japan, to theological studies programs at Fulbright: page 3 The Boys of Summer... PAT HORTON / LOYOLAN As Joseph Kann waits on deck, Joe LeVecke hits a line drive during the History Society versus Political Science Society softball game in Sunken Gardens on Friday, April 17. I LMU Helps Next Generation Open Dialogue on Race ■ Community Outreach: LMU students work through STAR. pro¬ gram with LA. area students. _ _ by Roy Rufo Jr. Asst. News Editor Approximately 40 LMU stu¬ dents have taken the initiative to tackle the controversial issue of race relations in America by participating in the Students Talk About Race Program (STAR). STAR - provides an open forum for middle and high school students to dis¬ cuss their feelings about the current state of race rela¬ tions. Dr. Joseph McKenna, visiting professor in LMU’s depart- - ment of theological studies, explained that the goal of the program is “to encourage a move along a continuum of intolerance to a celebration.” The continu¬ um, according to McKenna, has distinct phases that embody the learning process that the STAR program attempts to achieve. McKenna explains that the first phase on the social continuum concentrates on intolerance of diversity, which is the first tar¬ get of McKenna’s program. Once students move past this initial stage, the next stages of toler¬ ance, understanding, and accep¬ tance would follow. After these steps along the continuum occur, students will be more knowl¬ edgeable about race relations, which would allow them to cele¬ brate their differences. STAR recruits and trains col¬ lege volunteers to lead open and lively discussions on race rela¬ as role models and mentors to their pupils. “Its use of peer role modeling offers a creative anti¬ dote to the racial tension that exists between them,” said McKenna. Senior James Raycraft, a col¬ lege facilitator in the STAR pro¬ gram, said, “the program brings about a safe environment to talk about race relations. This is an issue that is not easily expressed in today’s society. STAR pro¬ vides an environment where dis¬ cussions can be facilitated with¬ out feeling threatened.” Raycraft continued, “One of our - - goals is to “Virtually every ethnic group in the world is represented in Los Angeles’ schools. STAR encourages understanding among these groups.” — Dr. Joseph McKenna Visiting professor in LMU's dept, of theological studies tions with middle and high school students. McKenna attributes much of STAR’S uniqueness to the utilization of college students as the facilita¬ tors of the discussions. Many of the middle and high school stu¬ dents look up to the college vol¬ unteers. These volunteers serve is challenge peo¬ ple’s ideas about race. Fear is of the unknown.” Students can apply the pro¬ gram to their lives by taking what they’ve learned out - and talking to someone they normally wouldn’t talk to. McKenna co-wrote the STAR Curriculum Discussion Guide which basically outlines the pro¬ gram. The curriculum touches base on race relations, ethnicity, Race Relations: page 2 Academic Grants Reach Record High ■ Finances: Grants awarded increases by 87 percent over past year. by Sean C havel Staff Writer In the past year, LMU broken all previous records for the amount of money received in grants in the university’s history. The office of academic grants recently reported an 87 percent increase in the dollar amount received from $769,849 in 1996 to a record $1,439,596 granted in 1997. Bruce Vileisis, associate aca¬ demic vice president and direc¬ tor of the grants office computed this record grant endowment. Other tabulations included 57 proposals submitted by LMU faculty, 18 of which were admin¬ istered. Since 1991, there have been a total of 80 grants award¬ ed totaling $6,847,720. The office of academic grants requests grants from several dif¬ ferent outside organizations through solicitations, requisi¬ tions, and fund-raising. The grant requests submitted in 1997 included 41 percent for fed¬ eral funding, 26 percent to foun¬ dations, and 33 percent to oth¬ ers. In terms of financial gifts, foundations led with 44 percent, federal grants represented 28 percent, and 28 percent from other sources. According to the bulletin statement by the office of acade¬ mic grants “donations support religious, educational, health¬ care, and social services [on our campus].” In the past few years, notable donations include $4 million dollars received from the Hilton Foundation to erect the Conrad N. Hilton Center for Business, and the extraordinary $45 million donation made by Liliore Green Rains used to con¬ struct the McCarthy and Rains residence halls, and service edu¬ cational funds. These numbers are not calculated into the acad¬ emic grants record because they were acts of charity, and did not require solicitation from the grants office. Nonetheless, Vileisis considered 1997 a “ban- INDEX News 1 Perspective 4 Features 6 Arts & Entertainment 10 Sports 12 Classified 17 G n t h e We b : vmv.lmu.edu/stuaft/loy_olan