Loyola Marymount University students recently met with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and fellow community and campus leaders to discuss the current climate at colleges across the city.
Six LMU undergraduate students, along with Rabbi Mark Diamond (Lecturer, Jewish Studies), participated in a Young Leaders Roundtable with Mayor Garcetti at City Hall on December 1. The program brought together campus leaders from LMU, UCLA and USC for an open dialogue with the Mayor’s team on critical issues of interest to students, including immigrant and minority rights, homelessness and public safety.
The forum was a follow-up to a well-attended November roundtable that took place on the LMU campus. Students who attended the City Hall program will brief their fellow campus leaders later this month and strategize about future plans to strengthen intergroup relations on and off campus.
LMU’s Ethnic and Intercultural Services (EIS) department paired with Rabbi Diamond to coordinate the program and identify the student leaders who attended.
“Considering the current campus climate, we thought it would be a great opportunity for our students to discuss issues important to them,” said Jade Smith, interim director of EIS. “This was a venue for students to express to our mayor their desire to make change.”
Dylan Fox, Alfredo Hernandez, Nicolas Martinez, Janie McManamon, Lauren Moreno and Kaelyn Sabal-Wilson represented LMU in the community roundtable with Mayor Garcetti.
“It was a thought-provoking discussion to say the least,” said Nicolas Martinez ’17, a political science major. “It was great to collaborate with Mayor Garcetti and his staff, all of whom deeply care about the future of Los Angeles and the next generation who will fight for justice for all those who live here.”
“I’m proud of these students for their involvement and commitment to strengthening intergroup relations,” said Rabbi Diamond. “Civic engagement is always important, but civic dialogue is especially timely and critical in this post-election period.” Diamond teaches LMU’s “Interreligious Experience and Engagement” course in the Jewish Studies program.
This article appeared in its original form on Bellarmine News.