Results tagged “pepperdine”

As the feds try to acquire a large chunk of Malibu real estate to protect it from development, Pepperdine University has donated 72 acres of pristine Santa Monica Mountains habitat above Pacific Coast Highway to the state. The newly obtained Little Las Flores Canyon will connect to Tuna Canyon Park and will provide a continuos wildlife corridor to Topanga State Park. "It features a deep canyon system formed by Little Las Flores Creek, massive sandstone outcrops with numerous ledges and pinnacles for roosting and nesting of owls, hawks, eagles, and ravens, and various reptiles," reads a description from County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavky's Office. "The terrain also includes coastal Southern California plant communities including sycamore riparian woodland, coastal sage scrub and native grasslands."

Dean Ken Starr of Pepperdine's School of Law is representing Prop 8 today at the California Supreme Court, which has alumni angry. "As dean of our alma mater, your advocacy on behalf of Proposition 8 is not only disappointing, it is a disgrace," an open letter to him posted on Facebook says. "While we support any individual's right to free speech, your views and actions are a de facto representation and reflection of Pepperdine University School of Law, as you are its figurehead, and we strongly urge the School of Law to make a public statement underscoring its desire for diversity, which includes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students." The University did distance themselves from Prop 8 commercials before the November election, but no press release is posted on their website stating the school's separation from today's case. Full press release from alumni is below.

Opponents of Prop 8, the November ballot initiatve that seeks to eliminate gay marriage in California, seemed to have gotten comfortable and maybe complacent. After all, earlier polls had Prop 8 failing and every major newspaper in the state, even the conservative ones, have said no to banning gay marriage.

When a Yes on Prop 8 TV ad advocating for the elimination gay marriage was launched on Monday, eyebrows raised and surely some alumni and student emotions flared when they saw a law professor identified as someone from Pepperdine University in Malibu. In the ad, professor Richard Peterson said that people could be sued over personal beliefs, churches could lose their tax exemption and gay marriage would be taught in public schools.

Last week No on Prop 8 launched the first TV ad in the November ballot fight and everyone knew the Yes on Prop 8 side would fight back. That day is today when they launched an ad using footage of gay rights San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom in the ad (and also includes Pepperdine University School of Law professor Richard Peterson).

So this is how the Princeton Review gets press. University of California, Santa Barbara made the Princeton Review's top 20 schools for partying. Coming in at number 9, they also earned a position as the 4th best school for use of hard liquor. Other California schools making some kind of partying (or lack thereof) list was Claremont McKenna College for wide use of beer consumption (#13), UC-Santa Cruz in the "Reefer Madness" category (#6), Thomas Aquinas College for being "Stone Cold Sober" (#9), Thomas Aquinas College (again) and Pepperdine University undergraduates in Malibu for not using hard liquor, Pepperdine for also avoiding beer (#20) and Thomas Aquinas College for being weedless (#7)

Good thing the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) put out a Red Flat Alert (move your car if you live in the hills or you could be towed) last night for today -- a major brush fire began this morning around 5:50 a.m. near Tampa Ave and Sesnon Bl (yo, Valley, people, this is Porter Ranch) in Los Angeles County territory according to alerts from the LAFD. In the name of mutual aid, the...

Solving the age-old problem of "how do I properly get the perfect amount of mud on my balls", 17-year-old Cameron Kruse has gotten the attention of Science Fairs, Major League Baseball, and a local beach-side university. Little known fact: brand new baseballs straight out of the box need to be rubbed with a certain amount of special mud to prevent the balls from slipping out of pitchers' hands. Using a brilliant combo of lasers,...

Today we got an email from a concerned Pepperdine alumn whose words made us think that there just might be trouble in paradise Dear Editor: As an alumnus of Pepperdine University, I am deeply troubled by recent events at the University and the active suppression of free speech on campus. Pepperdine, like all American colleges, should be an “open marketplace for ideas” rather than an agent for indoctrination. Unfortunately, the University continues to practice...