The Los Angeles Loyolan, Volume 97, Issue 23 - March 20, 2019

VOLUME 97 ISSUE 23 WWW.LALOVOLAN.COM LOYOLAN MARCH 20, 2019 Read an interview with two underclassmen who produced a feature film. Page 15 EST. 1921 ШИ Jesuit accused of sexual harassment The allegation is the most recent addition to LMU's history with sexual harassment and the Church. Austin Woods Asst. News Editor @LALoyolan As revealed in a March 11 article by the Catholic News Agency, retired Bishop Gordon Bennett, a former LMU Jesuit, has been accused of sexually harassing a young adult. As a result, he is now restricted from engaging in any priestly or episcopal ministry. These restrictions were announced after months of investigations into the allegations led by Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore. It was revealed that the allegations were initially filed in May 2006. Shortly after, Bennett retired from his position as bishop of Mandeville, Jamaica, before moving to California for the purpose of receiving medical treatment and assessment for depression and fatigue, according to the aforementioned article. Bennett started at LMU in August 2008, and continued to work for LMU for 10 years. During his time at the University, he was featured voicing over promotional videos, headlining lectures and more. It is important to note that Bennett has not faced any allegations of sexual harassment from anybody in the LMU community since he began his position. Similar allegations were made against a former LMU Jesuit, Brother William Farrington, in September 2012, as mentioned previously in the Loyolan. Farrington worked at LMU from 1987 to 2003. Allegations of sexual harassment ° ° faced by former LMU Jesuits The recent allegations are a new addition to a history of former LMU priests and brothers being accused of sexual abuse. 1962-1967 Eugene Maio, one of the only living Jesuits with accusations against him, worked at LMU. 1987-2003 Brother William Farrington worked at LMU. Farrington previously worked at Bellarmine College Preparatory and his allegations were disclosed through a letter sent to graduates. Farrington was barred from working with minors, leading to his transfer to LMU. There was no evidence found of sexual abuse during his time at LMU. 2006 The allegations against former LMU Jesuit and retired Bishop Gordon Bennett were initially filed in May 2006.Shortly after, Bennett retired from his position as bishop of Mandeville, Jamaica, before moving to California for medical treatment and assessment for depression and fatigue. 2008 Gordon Bennett began his career at LMU. 2012 The earliest allegations against Farrington became public. 2018 In Dec., Jesuits West Province published a press release containing the names of various priests and brothers who have been accused of sexual abuse. Today On Mar. 11, Bennett, a former LMU Jesuit, was accused of sexually harassing a young adult. As a result, he is now restricted from engaging in any priestly or episcopal ministry. The University will launch an investigation into Bennett’s time at LMU as they did for Farrington. Information compiled by: Austin Woods, asst, news editor; Graphic: Autumn Collins | Loyolan The accusations of sexual abuse at the Preparatory, a high school in San Jose, Farrington pertaining to his time at LMU have hands of Farrington came to light via a letter California, where Farrington worked prior been made. sent out to graduates of Bellarmine College to working at LMU. No accusations against See Accusation | Page3 LMU reorganizes DPS after shooting hoax Loyolan wins best newspaper These department changes come after last November's shooter hoax. Jacob Cornblatt Editor-In-Chief @LALoyolan LMU announced a multitude of major changes to the Department of Public Safety (DPS) on Tuesday, including a new chief of DPS and the creation of a new position, vice president for campus safety and security. These changes are effective on March 20. Danny Martinez (‘82) is filling the role of Chief of DPS. Since Nov. 13, 2018, Martinez has been interim chief. Devra Schwartz is the first VP for campus safety and security. This job entails “campus -wide planning, implementation and monitoring of safety and security operations,” according to Lynne Scarboro, executive vice president and chief administrative officer, in an email sent to all students. In an exclusive interview with the Loyolan, Schwartz said, “Our goal isn’t just to keep the campus safe, but to help it feel safe.” A school shooting hoax last November left the LMU community lacking confidence in DPS. Students were outragedby DPS' sfailureto communicate in a timely manner. Martinez, appointed interim chief after this November incident, is aware of the community’s skepticism towards his department. In light of this, he has been working to prove DPS’ abilities and ensure that such an event never happens again. “We do monthly test alerts,” he said. “ Every member of DPS has done the alert . We can do it through phones, laptops and desktop computers.” Martinez is also changing the system DPS uses. In addition to this, DPS constantly does impromptu, tabletop scenarios — such as an unknown person having a knife in the Habit— to prepare for events in the future. Schwartz said DPS wants to “shift from a model of performance based on predictability to one of adaptability.” VP of Campus Operations Michael Wong said, “We are making sure staff is aware of protocol. We know how to and are ready to reach out faster.” One problem that came up in the report on the school shooter hoax, according to Martinez, was that there were limited DPS staff members, which left those on- duty stressed and overwhelmed. Hiring more staff is a priority for the new chief. Martinez will report directly to Schwartz, who in turn reports to Scarboro. The reorganization of leadership moves DPS from under the Campus Operations umbrella to become its own body under Scarboro. See DPS | Page 4 This award was given by the College Media Association at a recent conference in New York. Sofia Hathorn News Intern @LALoyolan The Los Angeles Loyolan has won the College Media Association (CMA) award for "Best Newspaper" in the category of schools between 5,000 and 10,000 students. The award was handed out at the annual CMA conference, which was held in New York City on March 9. This conference invites staff and advisers from different college media publications, such as newspapers, yearbooks and magazines, to attend workshops and hear featured speakers. The purpose was for attendees to learn more about the world of college media and improve their publications. Staff from 157 public and private colleges, as well as two-year and four-year colleges, were invited. “It was great meeting people from other schools around the country who are having the same problems we are. Hearing how they have succeeded gives us ideas on how we can succeed too,” said Loyolan Editor-in-Chief Jacob Cornblatt. “It’s great knowing that we’re not alone in this.” See CMA | Page 2 ©®®o \W§ icm t&k * Alyssa Reece | Loyolan The Loyolan won "Best Newspaper" in the category for schools with a population between 5,000 and 10,000 at the College Media Association conference.