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ESTABLISHED 1921
April 26,2012
Volume 90, Issue 45
Your Home. Your Voice. Your News.
Loyola Marymount University
www.laloyolan.com
Peace activist Sicilia visits LMU
Jon Rou | LMU Photo
Poet and peace activist Javier Sicilia (center of front row) processes with students, faculty and community members from Sacred
Heart Chapel to St. Rob's Auditorium yesterday. Crosses and images of those who lost their lives as a result of drug-related conflict
in Mexico were carried by the attendees during the march. To see more photos from the event, visit the Loyolan's Facebook.
Javier Sicilia speaks about
peaceful means of combating
drug cartel violence in Mexico.
By Weston Finfer
Web Editor
How do you explain a govemmentally-
provoked massacre responsible for the death
of 60,000 innocent lives? Or more importantly,
how do you prevent the continuation of such
atrocities?
Poet and peace activist Javier Sicilia visited
LMU yesterday to share his views on the
current drug cartel violence plaguing Mexico.
Approximately two hundred students, faculty
and community members were in attendance
for Sicilia’s testimony for peaceful protest
in his quest to end the detrimental “War on
Drugs.” A processional was led from Sacred
Heart Chapel to St. Rob’s Auditorium in
which attendees canted crosses and images
of those deceased as a result of cartel activity,
responding “presente” to each name called
out that the war extinguished from physical
presence, but not erased from memoiy.
English professor Ruben Martinez curated
a panel consisting of LMU Spanish professor
Alicia Paitnoy and LMU English professor
Sarah Maclay, along with junior political
science and urban studies double major
Nestor Pimienta, as they relayed stories
and sentiments of their- ties with Mexico,
concluding with Sicilia’s call for an end to
the violence. He emphasized the shared
responsibility both the U.S. and Mexico have
in the ongoing struggle for peace.
On the United States’ responsibility, Sicilia
said, as translated by an interpreter, “What I
do hope [from] the people in the U.S. and the
government, especially in the coming elections,
is to have a consciousness to be aware of the
pain that my country is suffering. And for
that pain, the U.S. has a great responsibility.
They’re behind the consumption of drugs in
the U.S. and the reality of the weapons sold to
See Activist | Page 2
Study
abroad
acceptance
rate dips
Increased competitiveness cited as
reason for enforcing caps due to
“record” applications to program.
By Kevin O'Keeffe
Managing Editor
Hundreds of students apply to
study abroad at LMU every year,
but this year saw a record number of
applicants to the programs. While the
deep pool of applicants indicates a
growing interest in studying abroad,
the extra level of competition meant
more students were denied for the
Fall 2012 semester.
“Our office was able to accept 85
[percent] of the Fall 2012 study
abroad applications,” said Director of
Study Abroad Jack Hobson.
Those students who won’t be able to
study abroad in the fall reacted with
a mixture of disappointment and
frustration.
“I was bummed,” said sophomore
business management major Lauren
Flinn, who applied to and was denied
from the London program. One of only
two cities where there currently is
an official LMU-sponsored semester
programs, London is competitive due
to the number of internships offered.
“There are a tight number of
internship seats available, so what’s
available is available,” said Hobson.
“In Bonn, [however], it’s on-site
capacity. ... That location can only
take a certain number of LMU
students at one time.”
See Study Abroad | Page 4
Parking meetings
elicit varied responses
University neighbors and
staff continue to debate die
issue of parking at meetings.
By Casey Kidwell
Asst. News Editor
The buzz has yet to die down.
The parking debate regarding the
recently established fees continued
during two seperate events this past
week.
On Thursday, April 19, the LMU
Neighborhood Advisory Committee
met in a heated debate about the
effects the costs have on LMU’s
surrounding neighbors. About 20
audience members faced a board of
nine people ranging from students
to LMU Chief of the Department of
Public Safety, Hampton Cantrell.
For an hour and a half, Clarence
Griffin, LMU director of Community
and Local Government Relations,
responded to numerous complaints
from the Westchester residents in
the audience about the vents on top
ofU-Hall, students jumping the fence
to get on campus, off-campus parties
and mainly the repercussions of the
parking fees.
Nate Kaplan, a representative
from Los Angeles Councilman Bill
Rosendahl’s office and member of the
board said, “There’s already students
parking on residential streets. We’re
concerned [the fees] will spike staff
and students parking on residential
streets.”
The fees Kaplan is talking about
were officially revealed via an email
sent out by LMU President David
W. Burcham on March 6. Beginning
Fall 2012, visitors will be charged
either $2 per twenty minutes or the
daily maximum of $10 for parking.
Students, faculty and staff, however,
will not be charged until the spring
semester. Students will be charged
$670 a year and faculty $696 a year
See Parking | Page 6
Abbey Nelson | Loyolan
ASLMU President and Vice President sworn in
Junior business marketing major Bryan Ruiz (left) and junior sociology major Vincent
Caserio (center) were sworn into office as ASLMU president and vice president
respectively by President David W. Burcham at yesterday's Crimson and Blue awards
ceremony. For a list of the Crimson and Blue award winners, see Page 2.
SO THEY THINK THEY CAN DANCE
Index
Classifieds f)
A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
l
A&E, Page 1 0
Two LMU senior dance
majors are set to perform in
the American College
Dance Festival.
m ,-m —
Opinion . 7
A&E . 10
Sports . 1 6
The next issue of the Loyolan will lx* primed on May 3. 2012.
Rtchers Colin Welmon and
Trevor Megill lead the Lions
despite their statuses as
freshmen.
Sports, Page 1 6