The Los Angeles Loyolan, Volume 91, Issue 23 - January 17, 2013

IT S GAME TIME. ESTABLISHED 1921 January 17, 2013 Volume 91, Issue 23 www.laloyolan.com YOUR HOME. YOUR VOICE. YOUR NEWS. LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY Wind blows top off palm tree are symmetrical. The third is to try and plant a new tree in place of the broken one. However, Holtzapfel noted, “It would be tough to put a new [tree] back in.” Students have expressed curiosity and humor in response to the fragmented palm tree. Some have even offered ideas about how to restore Regents Terrace’s beauty. Erick Bozeman, a senior political science major, told the Loyolan that he thinks LMU should “carve it into a totem pole to honor the Tongva along the lines of the memorial.” Then he added on a more serious note, “I think they should replant a tree from a different side of campus.” Khayla Golucke, a sophomore dance and English double major, immediately posted a picture of it on the social media site Instagram when arriving back to LMU after winter break. Along with the picture, she stated, “our school is no longer picture perfect” and hash tagged “#RIPpalmtree.” LMU’s Fr. Richard Robin recalled a picture of the now broken palm tree in LMU’s 1940-41 yearbook. He See Palm Tree | Page 4 LMU officials have no immediate plans to restore the symmetry of Regents Terrace. By Allison Croley Asst. News Editor The decapitated palm tree on Regents Terrace has caused much curiosity among the LMU community. According to the Department of Public Safety’s Assistant Chief Patricia Coffelt, the top part of the tree was “clipped off' due to severe winds at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 18. Brian Holtzapfel, assistant director of Grounds and Fleet Services at LMU, confirmed Coffelt’s comment and told the Loyolan that there are no concrete plans for the repair of Regents Terrace other than the broken tree’s definite removal. As for what to do with the remaining tree, there are three options being reviewed by Facilities Management. The first is to leave it as is and have only one palm tree on Regents Terrace. The second is to take the remaining tree out so that the two sides of Regents Terrace Photo: Liana Bandziulis | Loyolan Students sheltered during robbery Approximately 200 people were held at Rave Cinema during a recent hostage situation at Nordstrom Rack. By Casey Kidwell and Zaneta Pereira Loyolan Staff An armed robbery went awry and quickly escalated into a hostage situation at Nordstrom Rack at the Promenade at Howard Hughes Center in Westchester last Thursday. During a news conference the following Monday, NBC reported that Los Angeles Police Department’s (LAPD) Chief Charlie Beck stated that five people were arrested in connection to this robbery and hostage ordeal. The event began shortly after closing time at Nordstrom Rack As stated by NBC, an employee at the store called her husband and told him to telephone the police. Upon their arrival, the police saw that one of the suspects was exiting the store with a woman until he locked eyes with the newly arrived policemen. As a result, NBC said that he then reentered the store and that is when the hostage situation officially began. According to Gawker.com, 200 moviegoers were held in the nearby Rave Cinema by the SWAT team until the situation was cleared. Tweets infiltrated the web as individuals updated the area on what was happening. One such tweet posted by an account that appeared to belong to Andrew Dayrit (@ andrewdayrit) said, “Swat team stopped our movie and put the whole mall on lockdown,” and also featured an attached picture of the SWAT team going down the theater’s See Hostages | Page 4 Philippines AB trip raises serious concerns FIRST-PERSON FEATURE Student shares her reaction to poverty and corruption during an AB trip over winter break. By Alana Noland Contributor “Live the good life.” This slogan was one of the first to greet me in the Philippines as I embarked on one of LMU’s Alternative Winter Break trips. As the rest of the group and I walked into Eastwood City Mall in downtown Manila on New Year’s Eve, we were consumed with anxiety and excitement. The next two weeks held promise for adventure and immersion into a culture unknown. Sadly, this statement could not have been farther from what we encountered. We began our journey with Gabriela, an organization named after Gabriela Silang, who was the first Filipino woman to lead a revolt against Spanish influence during the Spanish-American War. Since then, the organization has grown and is devoted to strengthening women all around the Philippines in hopes of reevaluating the role of women in a patriarchal society. Diving right into the brutal facts that would soon surround us, we learned that 2.1 million people living in the Philippines are homeless, while a large majority of the population live as “squatters” or in slums. However, this overwhelming figure did little to prepare us for what we were about to see. Our director led us into several communities where we were welcomed into the locals’ lives and homes, despite our inability to conceal our foreignness with cameras and iPhones in hand. Somewhere between the gas fumes rising from the dump site next door to the government “housing” and the smiling faces surrounding me, I grew furious that these conditions were considered a little above average for those living in poverty. As we moved onto our second non¬ profit, I tried to hold onto hope that we could, in some small way, begin to change these horrific conditions. However, as soon as we met the See Philippines | Page 2 Alana Noland A large water pipe empties in the middle of a housing community in Cubao. THE BEST OF 2012 What was great about pop culture in 201 2? The Loyolan A&E staff call out the best in film, music and fashion. A&E, Page 8 Index THURS FRI Classifieds . 4 /““"N Opinion . 5 Ч..У A&E . 8 72’'48‘ 7r'50’ Sports . 12 О о 76" -50' 74"- 51- A FEW GOOD MEN fif W The men's lacrosse team wins a sportsmanship award for the second straight year. Tile next Issue of the Liyolan will lx- printed on Jan. 24, 2013.