Off Press Podcast
Nathan Sessoms on L.A. Freeways and Communities
Freeways both connect and divide the Los Angeles region. Nathan Sessoms, professor in the LMU Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts, describes the impact of building the 10 freeway through L.A.’s West Adams community.
Trent Kersten on D1 Volleyball
Trent Kersten, head volleyball coach, talks about the increased popularity of women’s sports, volleyball strategy and recruiting, and the impact of the transfer portal on LMU and D1 volleyball.
Cheryl Grills on Reparations
Cheryl Grills, professor in the LMU Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts, was appointed to the California state task force tasked with proposing reparations to the state’s Black descendants of enslaved people. She talks about the long-term harms of slavery and possible steps to repair the wrongs.
Donegal Fergus on LMU and MLB Baseball
Donegal Fergus, LMU baseball head coach, talks about the impact on NCAA baseball of the transfer portal, the technical and mental aspects of hitting, and how he develops players for a major league future.
Mary Agnes Erlandson ’82 on Homelessness and What Works
Homelessness has many causes, and Mary Agnes Erlandson ’82 directs a social services center in Lennox that offers programs addressing many of them. She says focusing on people’s needs, especially housing, can change people’s lives for the better. She has seen it happen.
Eileen Schoetzow ’98, MBA ’07 On Planning Homeless Shelters
Eileen Schoetzow ’98, MBA ’07, an urban and environmental planner for the City of Los Angeles, is part of a team that constructs homeless shelters for unhoused people in Los Angeles. She talks about helping people get off the streets and into homes and why making a difference matters to her.
Kenneth Chancey ’15 on Youth Homelessness
School was one of the safest places he knew growing up, Kenneth Chancey says. For one thing, he knew, as homeless youth, that he’d get a meal there. Today, he’s left life in a van and a homeless shelter behind, and he’s helping others do the same.
Ben Bolch on NIL’s Impact on College Athletics
Name, image and likeness (NIL) payments represent a new, large cash flow into college athletics. Much will stream toward athletes through sponsorships and endorsements. But some scenarios are deeply troubling. Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times staff writer, describes a new era that is changing college athletics.
Tara Pixley on Life By the Oil Fields
Oil drills and storage facilities are scattered across communities in the Los Angeles region. Tara Pixley, who teaches photojournalism in the LMU Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts, has produced photo essays of many of those communities. She describes the dangers experienced by people who live and work in proximity to L.A.’s oil industry.
Aarika Hughes on the Women’s Basketball 2022-23 Season
Aarika Hughes, in her second season as head coach of LMU women’s basketball, describes the strengths of the West Coast Conference competition and the discipline, defense and fast-paced play she intends to confront her opponents with.
Rebecca Delfino on the Opioid Crisis
The opioid crisis, which has killed as many as 700,000 Americans in the past 20 years, has fallen off the nation’s radar. Rebecca Delfino, clinical law professor at the LMU Loyola Law School, describes the overprescription practices and misleading marketing that fuel the epidemic.
Kara Allen, Ed.D. ’14, CIO, on the Spurs’ Role in San Antonio
Kara Allen Ed.D. ’14, chief impact officer, is the San Antonio Spurs’ face in their community. Putting seats at the table where decisions are made — putting a Spurs voice at community tables but also adding community voices at the Spurs’ table.
Eric Strauss on Climate Change
The impact of climate change on Southern California — in heat, ocean temperatures and coastal damage — is now evident, with more on the way, says Eric Strauss of the LMU Center for Urban Resilience. The worst effects will likely be distributed unequally. Our goal, he says, is not climate change reversal but adaptation.
Paul Krumpe on LMU Men’s Soccer Hopes
Paul Krumpe, head coach of LMU men’s soccer, heads into the 2021 season with perhaps the strongest team he has fielded in his 24-year tenure. Krumpe talks about a squad that brings almost everyone back from last year’s championship season and his expectations for his team’s performance this year.
Ernesto Colín ’99, M.A. ’01
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted far more than the day-to-day operations of America’s schools. “What happened here is that the pandemic has revealed the fissures that we have in education settings and amplified all of them,” says Ernesto Colín, LMU professor of education. Colín talks about what we’ve confronted and what we’ve learned.
Jason Bentley ’92 on KXLU And Artists’ Conversations
Jason Bentley ’92 says his stint as general manager of KXLU occurred during “the golden age of college rock.” Here he talks about his days in the KXLU studios and his new podcast, The Backstory, featuring interviews with artists.
U.S. Rep. Karen Bass On Election Results
With votes nearly tallied, U.S. Rep. Karen Bass, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, describes changes she expects in a possible Biden presidency and a new Congress.
Election Special Report: Where Do We Stand?
The voting is over, and now the election is about counting, counting and counting. Justin Levitt, election law expert at LMU Loyola Law School, and Michael Genovese, LMU expert on the presidency, discuss the state of the 2020 election and what’s ahead in the next presidential term.
Sean Dempsey, S.J., on the 2020 Catholic Vote
Catholic voters, whose ballots were crucial in 2016, may sway the 2020 presidential election. But, says Prof. Sean Dempsey, S.J., the days when Catholics voted as a bloc are long gone. Today, they span the political spectrum, and to think they’ll vote as a priest instructs them from the pulpit is a stereotype.
Chaya Crowder on Black Voters and U.S. Elections
“The Republican Party has made little to no attempt to historically appeal to Black voters since the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act,” says Prof. Chaya Crowder in describing why Black voters, especially Black women, are the backbone of the Democratic Party.
Stefan Bradley on Black Americans and the 2020 Election
With the Biden-Trump presidential battle threatening to sweep most national issues from the nation’s radar, Prof. Stefan Bradley discusses what he sees at stake for Black Americans in the 2020 election.
Carol Costello on White House Virus and Incivility
As Election Day approaches, the White House turns into a virus hot zone and political incivility deepens. Carol Costello, former CNN anchor, discusses America’s diseases of body and spirit — and what she’s doing about them.
Allan Ides and the SCOTUS Nominee
If Amy Coney Barrett is confirmed as a Supreme Court justice, her impact may be shaped by her relationship with Chief Justice John Roberts, says Allan Ides, LMU Loyola Law School professor. Ides, who clerked for Justice Byron White, shares an inside view of the Barrett nomination.
Justin Levitt and Election 2020
Justin Levitt, constitutional law professor at the LMU Loyola Law School, may be one of the few experts on U.S. voting laws and rights who does not foresee an electoral apocalypse on Election Day, Nov. 3.
Michael Genovese
Prof. Michael Genovese, a leading expert on the presidency, discusses the upcoming presidential election, which will present voters with a stark choice and promises to be as unpredictable as it will be momentous.
Sean Kennedy ’86, LLS ’89
In May, an LMU Loyola Law School suit was rejected that would have forced the release of more juveniles in detention who are at risk for the coronavirus. Sean Kennedy, director of the LLS Center for Juvenile Law and Policy, explains why the decision is a failure of juvenile justice.
Sung Won Sohn
The rapid, global onset of the coronavirus pandemic slammed economies around the world. Sung Won Sohn, LMU professor of finance and economics, discusses signs of hope in a stark U.S. and California economic forecast.
Tom Plate
U.S. relations with China — from the COVID-19 crisis to democracy protests in Hong Kong — may shape the November 2020 presidential election. Tom Plate, LMU professor and Asia expert, talks about foreign policy disputes and pragmatism in dealing with a superpower.
Fernando Guerra and Brianne Gilbert
When the Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles surveyed L.A. residents this spring about Mayor Eric Garcetti’s leadership in the COVID-19 crisis, the center documented overwhelming support across the board.
Shira Shafir ’99
The coronavirus has caused more than 80,000 deaths in the United States in just four months. Shira Shafir ’99, professor of epidemiology, warns that as in the 1918–19 influenza epidemic a second wave of infections in the COVID-19 crisis could cause more deaths than the first.
David Offenberg
The COVID-19 shutdown has slammed the film industry, causing delayed movie releases, closed theaters and widespread unemployment for workers. David Offenberg, an expert in entertainment finance, describes the devastating impact on financing, creation, production and employment in a crucial L.A. industry.
Chilembwe Mason ’98, M.D.
The COVID-19 crisis is now straining health services in several U.S. regions. In the third of our series on the pandemic, Chilembwe Mason, M.D., who is an emergency medicine physician in Bronx, New York, describes the overwhelming needs he is facing on the front lines.
Stan Johnson
“I don’t want to be anywhere where there’s no pressure,” says Stan Johnson, new head coach of the LMU men’s basketball team. “That’s not fun; pressure is a privilege.” Johnson talks about the recruiting challenge during the COVID-19 crisis, when face-to-face contact with student athletes and their parents is out of the question.
Thomas V. Cunningham
The COVID-19 crisis is already straining health services in several U.S. regions. In the second of our series on the pandemic, Thomas V. Cunningham, a bioethics director with Kaiser Permanente and lecturer with the LMU Bioethics Institute, describes the impact of trauma and stress from the virus on medical professionals and staff people.
Kate Pickert
COVID-19, a global pandemic, has created a U.S. health policy crisis. Kate Pickert, who covered healthcare as a reporter, talks about the impact of a lagging governmental response on the medical community and health agencies.
Paul Westhead
Paul Westhead’s innovative basketball philosophy, known as “The System,” produced one of the most high octane teams seen in college basketball and an unforgettable run to the NCAA tournament Elite Eight. Westhead talks about his strategy and his players — including Gathers, Kimble, Fryer and Gaines — who deployed his system to perfection.
Judy Woodruff
Judy Woodruff, PBS NewsHour anchor, discusses the debate moderator’s role in one of the most visible stages in a presidential election process. It’s part of our special Off Press podcast series focused on the Democratic Presidential Candidates Debate at LMU.
Tony Coelho ’64
Tony Coelho, who ran the 2000 Gore Democratic presidential campaign, says don’t underestimate approachability when it comes to the voters’ choice for president. It’s part of our special Off Press podcast series on the Democratic Presidential Candidates Debate at LMU on Dec. 19, 2019.
Tom Perez
Tom Perez, chair of the Democratic National Committee, says the 2020 election will be a moral fork in the road for the United States. His interview is the fourth in our six-part Off Press podcast series on the Democratic Presidential Candidates debate at LMU on Dec. 19.
Tia Carr ’21 and Olin Osborne ’23
Young voters may determine the 2020 presidential election. Tia Carr and Olin Osborne, LMU international relations majors, describe what they expect from presidential candidates and what they believe candidates offer. It’s the third in our six-part Off Press podcast series on the Democratic Presidential Candidates Debate at LMU on Dec. 19, 2019.
Michael Genovese
Prof. Michael Genovese, a leading expert on the presidency, looks at the Democratic presidential candidates and talks about the party’s need to offer a compelling alternative to President Trump if it hopes to win the 2020 presidential election. It’s the second in our six-part Off Press podcast series on the Democratic Presidential Candidates Debate at […]
Richard Fox
Prof. Richard Fox, an expert on U.S. elections, discusses the Democratic primary race and which contenders have the best chance to defeat President Donald Trump in 2020. It’s the first in our six-part Off Press podcast series on the Democratic Presidential Candidates Debate at LMU on Dec. 19, 2019.
Elizabeth Drummond
In recent western history, hate has seemed to fuel political movements and conflicts around the world from the Nazi Holocaust to the Rwandan genocide of Tutsi people. Elizabeth Drummond, professor of modern European history at LMU, talks about the ways hate plays a role in wars, ethnic conflict and even the processes within democratic societies.
Lynell George ’84
Los Angeles is a rare city with a significance in America that is equally powerful as both myth and reality. Writer Lynell George ’84, who is native to this place, has spent years exploring L.A. and its meaning. Here she talks about the inspiration and unease she finds by sinking roots in L.A.’s ever-changing landscape.
Richard Fox
With 23 candidates, the Democrats’ presidential primary process looks like a dinner party with too many guests. Richard Fox, LMU professor of political science who specializes in U.S. elections, discusses the fight for money, contenders’ motivations and how President Trump may try to intervene in the dynamics of the race.
Evelyn McDonnell
Without women, the sound and substance of today’s rock and pop music would be unimaginable. Evelyn McDonnell, director of the LMU journalism program and editor of “Women Who Rock,” discusses female artists who have confronted and overcome glass ceilings, limited air play and musical prejudice while shaping America’s musical heritage.
Justin Levitt
Gerrymandering, it has been said, creates elections in which politicians choose their voters instead of voters choosing their representatives. Justin Levitt, a constitutional law expert at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, tracks gerrymandering around the country. He explains a tried-and-true method of influencing elections and the possibilities for limiting it.
Carlos Soto ’16
Carlos Soto ’16 started his tequila company, Nosotros, as an undergraduate. Since then, he’s mastered everything from recipe to production, bottling, international sales and delivery. He’s even faced rocky U.S.-Mexico trade relations. Listen to our podcast to hear Soto talk about all he’s learned about the risks of being an entrepreneur.
Garrett Snyder ’09
Los Angeles is considered one of the most ethnically diverse U.S. cities, and its culinary culture is just as wide-ranging. As food editor of Los Angeles Magazine, Garrett Snyder ’09 probably has tasted as many dishes as a United Nations chef. Snyder talks about L.A.’s unique food culture, the oddest thing he’s ever eaten and […]
Demian Willette
The fish you order at your favorite seafood restaurant may not be the fish you get. Demian Willette, LMU biology professor, studies species substitution — the substitution of one fish for another. Using Environmental DNA testing, he hopes to improve on a problem in the food chain that begins on fishing vessels and ends on […]
Helen and Robert Singleton
In July 1961, Robert Singleton, retired LMU professor of economics, and Helen Singleton M.A. ’85 joined the Freedom Rides and boarded a train from New Orleans to Jackson, Mississippi, in defiance of state segregation laws in the South. The Singletons talk about their role in the struggle and jail time in Mississippi’s Parchman State Penitentiary.
Elias Wondimu
After being exiled from Ethiopia, his homeland, Elias Wondimu turned to producing books about his country’s history. Today, Wondimu is publisher of LMU’s Marymount Institute Press and Tsehai Publishers. He talks about his life in Ethiopia and in exile, as well as the work of documenting Ethiopia’s history.
Chris Dufresne
Don Klosterman ’52 set NCAA records as a Loyola quarterback and found greater success as general manager of the Los Angeles Rams and Express (USFL). Former L.A. Times sportswriter Chris Dufresne, who covered and knew Klosterman, talks about a man who helped shape L.A. football history on the field and in the front office.
Lisa See ’79
Lisa See is the author of 10 novels and a nonfiction book that explore Chinese and Chinese-American experiences in the United States. See talks about her new novel, “The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane,” her family’s roots in L.A.’s Chinatown, and her days as an LMU student, when she was certain she’d never be a […]
