This year’s annual Open House took place on Sunday, Oct 7. In an address in Gersten Pavilion, LMU President Timothy Law Snyder said he was proud of LMU’s racial, ethnic and geographic diversities and said the only question was “what would happen when those diverse people collaborate and creativity erupts.”
President Snyder was followed to the podium by freshman Emma Murphy (Biology ’22) who spoke of her seven weeks, so far, of living and studying on campus. What had struck her in touring the campus last year, was that her student guide said: “Even if you don’t pick Loyola Marymount University, I hope you find a school that sets your soul on fire.” Murphy said she had done just that in choosing to attend LMU.
Fueled by those words, the prospective students and families visited the CommArts building, where the School of Film and Television had put on a showcase of the faculty and coursework available to undergraduates at the school. Dean Peggy Rajski welcomed everyone to the afternoon and the explorations began.
Prospective students and families attended sessions hosted by faculty and current students in each of SFTV’s departments. A packed Mayer Theater hosted Production sessions, with Screenwriting and Film, Television, and Media Studies in nearby classrooms. Recording Arts took up residence on the second floor of the CommArts building and anyone interested in Animation was invited to visit the facilities in the open department on the third floor.
While there wasn’t time for prospective students to visit the Playa Vista campus, they could watch a video presentation, which gave a good overview of the facilities.
Visitors also got to look in at the TV Studio, where production students were filming; chat to students in the Student Production Office and view completed student film works from last year’s Film Outside the Frame Festival.
Following the self-guided tours, Dean Rajski and Assistant Dean Hernandez fielded questions from the potential graduates of 2023. A recurring concern was that students don’t own their work – which was quickly put to rest because, of course, at LMU’s School of Film and Television they do.
