The Los Angeles Loyolan, Volume 90, Issue 20 - November 21, 2011

Los Angeles MON TUES WED THUR 59"-48" 62"- 52" 6Г-53" 57"-49" ESTABLISHED 1921 November 21, 2011 Volume 90, Issue 20 Your Home. Your Voice. Your Newspaper. Loyola Marymount University www.laloyolan.com Ecstasy at LMU New studies prompt exploration of the stimulant’s role on campus. By Tierney Finster News Editor Whether students refer to it to as “E” or “X,” call taking it “rolling” or “thizzing, "ecstasy and its various labels are a part of the college vernacular. Ecstasy, chemically known as 3, 4- methylenedioxymethamphetamine or MDMA, is a synthetic psychoactive related to other drugs like mescaline, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). The NIDA website states that MDMA produces “feelings of increased energy, euphoria, emotional warmth and distortions in time, percep¬ tion and tactile experiences.” “Ecstasy began as something called MDMA. It was essentially a tranquil¬ izer, a stimulant and a hallucinogen all combined. It was originally designed to be a sex drug .... but MDMA evolved into what we now call ecstasy. It is a See Ecstasy | Page 4 Freshman begins LMU career after serving 20 years in prison Franky Carrillo, 37, enrolls at LMU after wrongfully spending two decades behind bars. By Brigette Scobas Asst. News Editor Sixteen-year-old Francisco “Franky” Carrillo was sitting at home watching television with his father when more than 15 policemen banged on his door and arrested him for the murder of a 41-year-old father in a neighboring city. He was sentenced to 30 years to life plus life in prison, according to Carrillo. That was in 1991. Today, Carrillo, 37, walks through LMLFs campus as a freshman and a free man, followingthe reversal of his sentence on Match 14, 20 11 after it was discovered that Carrillo was, in fact, not guilty of the crime. “I knew I was innocent. I knew something had gone wrong, but ultimately the juiy had found me guilty and made a mistake,” said Carrillo. On Jan. 18, 1991, a 41-year-old man was shot in Lynwood, Calif., the town in which Carrillo had previously lived. When witnesses were taken in for questioning, they were shown a variety of photographs, including a Polaroid of Carrillo taken a year previously by an officer. According to Carrillo, witnesses eventually picked his photograph as the murderer with the assistance of the officer. “Its like a coerced identification,” said Carrillo. “I couldn’t believe [I was being arrested]. . . . Emotionally, I was not capable of understanding what was going on.” Carrillo would spend the next nearly 20 years of his life in prison, bouncing from juvenile halls to various California state prisons, and spending the last 10 years of his sentence at Folsom State Prison. See Prison | Page 2 Campus-wide Shabbat dinner draws large crowd on Friday night »* * JTUTg a? * /Lf ~ Si * д>у м в jB * Ifr J Kensie La-Anyane | Loyolan Michelle Nader, a junior sociology major (pictured above left), sat with fellow junior Kevin Ramirez, a biology major, during the celebration. Rabbi liana Schachter (pictured above right) organized the celebration of Judaism's day of rest. Guests were served challah, a bread traditionally eaten at Shabbat, and other foods, according to Allyson Schwartz, a senior communication studies major and the president of Hillel. Criminal mischief increases on campus The Department of Public Safety reports a rise in acts of vandalism at LMU. By Laura Riparbelli Managing Editor The Department of Public Safety (DPS) has reported 43 cases of on- campus criminal mischief occurring between Aug. 31 and Nov. 15 this year. In fall 2010, DPS reported 15 on-campus criminal mischief incidents during the same time. Criminal mischief can include both acts of vandalism and the appearance of graffiti. This semester has seen damage particularly to parked vehicles across campus - as of Nov. 15, DPS had obtained 19 reports referring to some degree of vandalism done to parked vehicles. “We do not have information to determine why there is an increase to vandalism to vehicles,” said Assistant Chief of Public Safety Patricia Coffelt. “The type of damage inflicted varies as do times and dates, with the exception of the Halloween time frame.” Other trends have included the prevalence of damage to bicycles as well as University property, including elevators, LMU carts, cut locks and graffiti. Although DPS has no reason to believe that the crimes are being committed by any one individual or a specific group, Chief of Public Safety Hampton Cantrell said that it could be that this is a result of juvenile behaviors. “These types of pranks usually happen first semester. ... People come from all over and bring pranks and graffiti. Then they grow up, and we see less and less in the residence halls,” said Cantrell, adding that patrols have been increased. Richard Harris, the director of Building Management at Facilities Management estimates that $7,000 to $10,000 are spent annually to clean and repair vandalized and graffitied property. “I would estimate that [Facilities Management] staffers will spend up to five hours per week repairing and/or replacing damaged finishes, furniture, fixtures and equipment and other ancillary LMU property,” said Harris. “In general, LMU is fortunate not to experience routine [or] large-scale vandalism on the same level as some other locations in Los Angeles,” he added. “Unfortunately, we do still experience our fair share of minor vandalism acts.” To report instances of criminal mischief on campus, contact DPS at (310) 338-2893. For a detailed account of the criminal mischief cases that occurred this semester, see laloyolan.com. CLASSIFYING MARRIAGE Columnist Kenneth Vlahos says that gay marriages should remain unrecognized. Opinion, Page 5 Index Opinion . 5 Л&Е . 7 Sports . 12 The next issue of the Iuyolan will lie printed on December 1,201 1. SNOW WHITE HITS THE SILVER SCREEN The fairy-tale princess is set to star in two feature films, but which will come out on top? A&E, Page 7