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LOYOLAN
EST. 1921
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Page 11 Page 8
VOLUME 94 I ISSUE 3
University halts water bottle
giveaway to protect revenue
Josh Kuroda | Loyolan
Student Housing’s plan to
distribute 1,300 reusable bottles
to freshman was blocked.
Michael Busse
Executive Editor
@mrbusse
The plan went like this: When first -year
students walked into their residence halls in
late August, they would be greeted with bright
red reusable water bottles that were branded
with LMU’s logo and references to the Class
of 2019. The bottles would “help develop our
Lions to have green minds and live sustainable
lives,” according to Trevor Wiseman, associate
director of resident services of Student
Housing.
However, housing officials received a brief
email on Aug. 26, just days before move -in,
saying that the water bottles would not be
distributed in residence halls. “At this time,
Lane Bove and Rich Rocheleau have agreed, it
is better for LMU not to have Student Housing
issue water bottles,” Director of Student
Housing Steven Nygaard wrote in the email.
No further reason was given to faculty familiar
with the situation, including officials in LMU
Sustainability and Campus Recreation, who
had agreed to contribute funds to pay for the
bottles.
The recommendation to halt the giveaway
originated in the office of Business Services
and was approved in Student Affairs, where
Bove and Rocheleau serve as senior vice
president for student affairs and associate vice
president for student life, respectively.
“It really came down to this particular
business contract and financial arrangements
of the University,” said Rocheleau, who added
that Bove received the idea to ban the bottles
from Ray Dennis, associate vice president of
auxiliary management and business services,
who manages the University’s contracts with
outside businesses, including Coca-Cola and
Sodexo. “Basically that was it. That was the
overall deciding factor,” said Rocheleau.
The 1,300 bottles, which the Student
Housing Office purchased months ago,
currently sit in boxes. To keep them out of the
students’ hands, Business Services purchased
the bottles, and hopes to distribute them
at alumni barbecues, summer camps, “or
something like an open house or a preview
day,” according to Dennis.
LMU is well-known for being a green
campus; however, the halting of the water
bottle giveaway has raised questions as to
whether that term has more to do with the
environment or with money.
“The rationale for discouraging the
giveaway of that is ... we sell reusable bottles
at the stores,” said Dermis.
The University would rake in over $20,000
if each freshman purchased a reusable bottle
similar to the ones slated for the giveaway,
with equivalent Nalgene containers sold for
$ 16 apiece at the bookstore in the Von der Ahe
Building. That figure excludes the revenue the
school earns from plastic, single-use Dasani
and Smartwater bottles, which are sold across
campus for a few dollars each.
LMU is in contract with Coca-Cola, which
bottles both Dasani and Smartwater. “Our
obligation is to allow for the most positive
opportunity for them to advance products and
sales oncampus,” Dennis said. “The University
does not interfere with the opportunity for
See Water | Page 2
Making bottles to meet America's
demand for bottled water uses more
than 17 million barrels of oil annual¬
ly, enough to fuel 1.3 million cars for
a year. And that's not even including
the oil used for transportation.
The energy the U.S. wastes
using bottled water would
be enough to power
190,000 homes.
Ш
The recommended eight
glasses of water a day at
U.S. tap rates equals
about $.49 per year; that
same amount of bottled
water is about $1,400.
Saluting Our Troops
remembers
9/11
Megan Karbowski | Loyolan
ASLMU hosted a letter writing campaign to express gratitude for military
service men and women on Thusday, Sept. 10 on Palm Walk. Students also had
the opportunity to remember
9/11.
The event featured boards of witnesses'
experiences.
Graphic by Xian Wong | Loyolan; Information from BantheBottle.com
DPS 'will never give
up’ on investigation
The Los Angeles City Council
seeks justice for sexual assault
victim through a new proposal.
Amanda Lopez
News Editor
@AmandaLo_
The Los Angeles City Council recently
announced that it is offering a reward of
$50,000 for information that results in the
arrest and ultimate prosecution of the criminal
suspect in the sexual assault of an LMU
student at a Halloween party on Yorktown
Avenue last Ml.
Councilman Mike Bonin of the 11th District
proposed the motion. It was unanimously
approved at the City Council meeting on
Friday, Aug. 28. This reward is separate from
a $20 ,00 0 reward LMU offered this past April.
In a press release sent out the day of the
Council meeting, Bonin stated, “For the sake
of the victim, her family and for the sake of
other young women who this guy could make
victims in the future , I ask for the public 's help
finding the perpetrator of this crime .”
While Councilman Bonin was unavailable
for comment, David Graham-Caso, his
communications director, offered insight into
how the proposal came about.
Graham-Caso explained that the family
of the victim turned to the Los Angeles City
Council in hopes that it could help to solve this
case. He shared how effective reward motions
have been in the past. After speaking with the
Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and
campus officials, Bonin decided to propose the
reward.
“Councilman Bonin wants to see the
perpetrator brought to justice as soon as
possible,” said Graham-Caso. “This is an
intolerable crime and this is something that
should not happen. This reward will very
hopefully get someone to come forward with
information about that night.”
While the identity of the perpetrator is still
unknown, LAPD investigators say that the
rape occurred a little after midnight on Nov. 1,
2014 on the 8700 block of Yorktown Avenue,
which is about 2.5 miles from campus.
The house allegedly belonged to members
of the former off-campus colony of Sigma
See Reward | Page 3
