The Los Angeles Loyolan, Volume 97, Issue 19 - February 13, 2019

A A i 4 ) £ p LOYOLAN VOLUME 97 ISSUE 19 ARTS A fairytale romance: a couple's Disneyland relationship Page 15 WWW.LALOYOLAN.COM Exploring Israel and its three religions Campus ministry led students and staff to Catholic, Muslim and Jewish sites. Austin Woods News Intern @LALoyolan Over winter break, a group of students and faculty members from an array of religious and cultural backgrounds traveled to Israel on an interfaith pilgrimage. Father James Erps, S.J., the director of Campus Ministry, came up withthe idea as part of an interfaith initiative. Dr. Amir Hussain, professor of theological studies, was one of the faculty members who Campus Ministry initially reached out to and then participated in recommending students, who were selected based on certain criteria. “It was a small group because this was the first time we did this, so [Campus Ministry] wanted to make it careful and thoughtful,” Hussain said. During the trip, the group visited various holy sites for the three Abrahamic religions. One of Hussain’s favorite moments from the pilgrimage was visiting the Church of St. Anne in Jerusalem. “A yotmg African priest from Burkina Faso showed us around and talked about the issues of interfaith dialogue,” Hussain said. “Catholics and Muslims have to engage with each other, and interfaith dialogue in Africa isn’t a theoretical thing. It’s very real, so it was really powerful to hear him talk about his experiences and his thoughts on what we were doing.” See Israel | Page3 FEBRUARY 13, 2019 EST. 1921 Community torn over Shapiro Shapiro announcement sparks debate over who should be allowed to speak on campus. Kayan Tara Asst. News Editor @LALoyolan The announcement that the student club Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) will host American conservative political commentator and writer Ben Shapiro to speak on campus on April 3 has caused controversial backlash from the LMU community. In an initial statement released via LMU's EXP twitter page on Jan. 29, it was stated that Shapiro would be approved as the University has a longstanding tradition of hosting speakers of varied perspectives, reflecting the University’s commitment to the free exchange of ideas , diversity and inclusion . Nina Lozano, professor of communication studies, stated on twitter that she opposes Shapiro speaking on campus due to the fact that he “espouses hate speech, and is linked to numerous hate groups,” in response to the University's statement. Lozano said, since opposing Shapiro, she has received several racist, sexist and homophobic emails and tweets, as well as two death threats. Adam Duarte, a senior economics major and chairman of LMU 's YAF chapter, said that YAF condemns harassment in any shape or form, stating, however, that expressing differences of opinion should not be seen as harassment. In a second statement from the University sent via email on Jan. 31, it was stated that the decision to approve Shapiro caused “at least one member of the LMU community [to be] harassed,” referring to threats Lozano claims to have received. Shapiro | Page 4 Dec. 18, 2018 The national — - organization Young Americans for Freedom foundation announces a list of universities that are to host Ben Shapiro. Jan. 30, 2019 Lozano creates a Change.org petition called "Statement of Solidarity with Professor _ Lozano" to protest Shapiro's appe ranсe on campus, it now has 355 signatures. Jan. 31, 2019 LMU creates a petition on Change.org called "Statement of Solidarity with Free Speech" in support of Shapiro's apperance. It now has 75 signatures. Information Compiled by Kayan Tara, Asst. News Editor; Graphic: ЛиШтп Collins | loyolan Ben Shapiro Event Timeline Jan. 29, 2019 Initial confirmation statement released by LMU via their LMU EXP Twitter page. Jan. 31, 2019 A statement from the University emailed to the community notes that the decision to approve Shapiro caused "at least one member of the LMU community [to be] harassed." Black Student Union celebrates 50th anniversary via LMU Marketing and Communications The Black Student Union hosted their 50th anniversary celebration on Feb. 9. Rodas Mulugeta (left), a freshman international relations major, claps as she watches a speaker on stage. Nathan Sessoms (right), director of the Office of Black Student Services, spoke at the event in Roski Dining Hall.