ISSUE 01 / FEB 2024

EDITOR’S NOTE

As we commence the beginning of the Spring semester after a much-needed winter break, campus has once again come back to life. Embarking on yet another semester of opportunities and potential, we continue to support our faculty members as they continue to navigate the CFA-CSU agreement.

Xpress strives to reflect the vibrant and diverse set of communities that make our university unique. Our editorial team has worked long and hard to produce a collection of work that not only entertains and informs, but also sparks conversations and new connections between members of our academic community. Flipping through the pages of this first issue, you will find a spectrum of content that captures the essence of our collective thoughts, experiences and creative expression.

Although our first three issues will not be in print, our online presence gives us a multitude of new opportunities to promote the thoughtful work of our staff. “From Diploma to Dilemma” addresses the uncertainty young Californians face in finding substantial employment post-graduation. “Caffeine Craze” investigates the positive and negative effects surrounding frequent caffeine consumption among college students.

Additionally, “Peering Through the Prism,” this issue’s feature story, delves deep into the history of Prism, the original name of SF State’s student magazine before it was rebranded as Xpress. Prism had a significantly stronger presence on campus and within student life — something we at Xpress are working hard to bring back to SF State.

— Giovanna Montoya, Editor-in-Chief

ON THE BACK COVER

STAFF PORTRAITS

Erin Lubin and Jakub Mosur, former photo editors and photographers for Prism, the predecessor to Xpress, pose with archival copies of Prism.

PHOTO BY GUSTAVO HERNANDEZ

PHOTO BY

GUSTAVO HERNANDEZ

STAFF

Editor-in-Chief

Managing Editor

Copy Editor

Content Editor

Visuals Editor

Multimedia Editor

Engagement Editor

Designer Designer

Staff Writers

Photographer

Giovanna Montoya

Andrew Fogel

David Ye

Div Lukic

Tam Vu

Ryo Kojima

Sydney Williams

Ella Lerissa

Devin Dean

Andrea Jiménez

Lydia Perez

Amy Burke

Gustavo Hernandez

03 04

05

SPOTIFY PLAYLIST

13

MEET YOUR XPRESS STAFF AN ARBORIST’S ROOTS

From waiting tables to corporate media, to arboriculture

CAFFEINE CRAZE

How much caffeine is too much?

PEERING BACK THROUGH THE PRISM

Reviving student publications

FROM DIPLOMA TO DILEMMA

Congrats, grad! Now what?

15

OUT WITH THE OIL

Avoid killing your drain with these alternatives

How to scan code:

1. Open Spotify

2. Tap search bar

3. Tap camera

4. Scan code

5. Listen

6. Enjoy

Giovanna Montoya

Andrew Fogel

David Ye

Div Lukic Tam Vu

Ryo Kojima

Sydney Williams

Ella Lerissa

Devin Dean

Andrea Jiménez

Lydia Perez

Amy Burke

Gustavo Hernandez

An Arborist’s Roots

After experimenting with many careers, Scott Wheeler blossoms when he finds his true calling in arboriculture.

Story by Samantha Morales Photography by Andrew Fogel Design by Ella Lerissa

As Scott Wheeler took his lunch break, he sat comfortably on the branch of a redwood tree located at the top of Telegraph Hill. Situated 100 feet in the air, he dangled his legs as he admired the skyline, his gaze spanning from Alcatraz to the Bay Bridge. Parrots soon crowded his paradise with a flurry of chirps and squawks. He needed a sign to know he was on the right career path — he knew this was it.

Wheeler has been an arborist for 22 years. Prior to this, he worked a corporate job at a media relations firm, selling cutting-edge Bluetooth technology to companies. However, Wheeler spent most of his time following international soccer teams on an online forum and even became a moderator for Roma, a soccer team based in Rome. Soon after, Wheeler was invited to move to Italy and write for the team. His only obstacle was money.

“I got in a program called WWOOF [World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms], where I was going to work with some farm families [in] exchange for room and board,” said Wheeler. “I had everything set up; I just needed to make money. That’s when a friend of a friend said, ‘This guy needs help, and you need money.’ ”

The job in question was with Bay Area-based arborist Marty Arnest, Wheeler’s first boss in the industry. The two worked together from 2001 to 2009.

“I knew him when he was 23 [...] Scott’s just a great guy,” said Arnest. “I love him; He’s like a brother to me.”

Before this opportunity, Wheeler had no idea that someone could get paid for this kind of work. Soon after, he ended up ditching his plans in Italy to work with Arnest. Ever since he was a child, Wheeler felt that it was his calling to work in nature.

Growing up in San Francisco’s West Portal, Wheeler found a multitude of trees that he would often climb and jump from. But his love for nature was originally fueled by his mother, who was a florist. Some of his earliest memories revolve around playing in his mother’s garden. Despite the support from his mother, to this day, there is still some pushback from his father about getting a real job.

“So Mom was just like, ‘This is obviously the natural path for you and this is a beautiful thing, and I love that you’re embracing that,’ ” said Wheeler. “My dad is just like, ‘Come on, let’s get real: you need to put on a tie and loafers, or it’s not a job.’ ”

However, Wheeler expressed that working with Arnest was not formal enough to make it a full-time career, since he was simultaneously working part-time as a waiter.

Wheeler would commute to his job with Arnest on the bus, then, in the same work clothes, commute to his job as a waiter, where he would have a brief moment to change uniforms and clean himself up. He would go on to do that same routine for another seven years.

Following his work with Arnest, Wheeler began working for Bartlett Tree Experts, who provided a consistent schedule in addition to health care and various other employee benefits. However, he ultimately felt that the work environment wasn’t necessarily for him, and went on to become the senior

Luis Rivera uses climbing equipment to scale a silver dollar eucalyptus in preparation for a tree trimming. (Andrew Fogel/Xpress Magazine)

manager of sales and operations for The Urban Arborist.

The Urban Arborist, founded by SF State alumnus Josef Sikelianos, is a full-service tree company that provides clients throughout the Bay Area with tree care and management. Although Wheeler joined the company later in its development, he quickly became a key figure.

“Scott’s kind of like the glue for the company,” said Sikelianos. “I think every company, especially small companies — they’ll have somebody that’s always there.”

As the senior manager of sales and operations, Wheeler’s tasks included meeting with clients, assessing job sites, calculating estimates, writing proposals and creating schedules for employees.

“I [tried] to make everything as smooth as possible,” said Wheeler. “I feel like that [was] really my role: to kind of be like the good dad figure and try to make sure the clients are comfortable and the crew has everything that they need.”

Wheeler has been with The Urban Arborist for over 10 years; however, his title has recently changed after accepting a part-time position with his dream company, HortScience. To make room for this new job, Wheeler now works part-time at The Urban Arborist as director of operations.

People have traveled from all over the country to work for The Urban Arborist, but most candidates rarely last longer than a month due to the technical ability required.

“It’s hard enough to park a smart car in San Francisco — try a massive, 14-foot tall, superwide tree truck [hauling] a chipper behind it on a one-way street in North Beach; and now you have to back the chipper up a windy hill — and that’s just getting there,” said Wheeler. “Then, you’ve got these giant trees [hanging] over these $5 million homes [...] now, this one tree is over six properties.”

Compared to other arborists in California, Wheeler said that some clients’ families tend to think the price of taking care of one tree is ridiculous and unreasonable.

“[There was] one lady who was like, ‘Yeah, we could prune the whole tree for $1,400’—and that was years ago—and her dad was like, ‘Are you kidding me? We had three trees twice the size of that [one] cut down at our property for $900,’ ” said Wheeler.

Linda John has been a client of Wheeler for about seven years, and he provides service for the trees at her house in the Mission District. According to John, there is no one else like Wheeler.

When Wheeler informed John that her avocado tree was dying and the best option was to cut it down, she sought out a second opinion. That interaction helped her realize what made Wheeler different from other arborists.

“I don’t know if I went to Yelp or something [... but] this guy was just the worst,” said John. “He was very uptight and he didn’t seem to understand my questions. He gave me a whole bunch of superfluous information, and then he

said he’d call back or get back with some information — never did.”

Wheeler’s definition of an arborist is not only someone with expansive tree knowledge, but someone who also has a deep understanding, love and appreciation for trees. While this is his primary source of income, Wheeler prioritizes proper tree care over a paycheck.

“We’re kind of tree doctors in a sense [...] we’re not gonna do whatever you want us to do to your tree [just] because you’re paying us to do it,” said Wheeler. “A good arborist is gonna walk away from jobs and say, ‘I’d rather not get paid today than have someone pay me to butcher a tree.’ ”

Isa Gucciardi has been Wheeler’s client for 12 years and originally contacted him to work on the trees in her residential area at a church in Berkeley.

“I don’t feel like he works for me,” said Gucciardi. “I feel like he works for the trees, which is what I really love about him. My experience is that he’s always thinking about the health of the trees, and always thinking about how to advocate for the health of the trees.”

The first time Wheeler’s job as an arborist truly impacted him was after an interaction with an elderly client. At this time, he was just getting the hang of how to make a tree look aesthetically pleasing.

“I was pretty happy with how this one tree turned out, and this old lady came out and she started crying,” said Wheeler. “I shit you not, she was so happy. She was like, ‘I never thought it could look this good […] and it made me almost start crying.’ ”

Conversely, the career can have its downsides; it’s not uncommon for things to get damaged.

“Accidents happen; we do everything we can to mitigate it,” said Wheeler. “Luckily, we’ve never had anybody seriously injured; we’ve never had anybody killed, but we have broken valuable things and we’ve caused people distress, and that’s hard.”

Due to those taxing work days, Wheeler occasionally questions whether or not he has truly made the right decision in his career path. However, he is frequently reminded that he has.

One day, Wheeler received a call from a property management company to evaluate a redwood tree near the top of Telegraph Hill — coincidentally, the same tree he sat in nearly seven years prior, 100 feet up, enjoying his lunch and admiring the San Francisco skyline.

“I was like, ‘This can’t be the same tree,’ [...] and I showed up to do the inspection, and I was like, ‘Holy shit, it’s the same tree,’ ” said Wheeler. “It was just perfect kismet. It all came full circle, and so now, we take care of that tree.”

Now that this relationship has been established, Wheeler goes back to inspect the redwood every two years. It is a reminder of why he went into arboriculture, and not to lose sight of the feelings he experienced when he first got paid to climb a tree.

Scott Wheeler, the senior manager of sales and operations at The Urban Arborist, poses for a portrait near a job site. (Andrew Fogel/Xpress Magazine)

Every day, students line up at Peet’s Coffee in J. Paul Leonard Library. Baristas take orders from customers and make drinks behind the counter. Once the order is ready, they yell it out and place it on the counter, observing their student customers as they walk away with drink in hand. Students may get into a routine of buying coffee and energy drinks, but what happens when it leads to overconsumption?

CAFFEINE CRAZE

College students consume caffeine, but at what point can it be too much?

Story by Lydia Perez

Photography by Neal Wong

Design by Ella Lerissa

According to the National Library of Medicine, 92% of college students consume caffeine. Tackling a handful of responsibilities ranging from assignments to jobs and, in some cases, even child care, students may rely on caffeine to keep them going throughout the day. Caffeine is a stimulant, which triggers a fight-or-flight response and may influence people to function at a faster pace.

The Food and Drug Administration cited that consuming 400 milligrams of caffeine in a given day is not associated with negative side effects. However, the FDA also states that it does depend on a person’s sensitivity to caffeine.

“In terms of benefits of caffeine, it improves your energy levels, it can improve your mood, can help enhance your memory [or] reduce certain illnesses, but only when consumed in those moderate amounts,” said Anjuman Shah, nutrition education coordinator at Health Promotion & Wellness, and registered dietician at Student Health Services.

For those that do choose to consume caffeine, she recommends an average of 200 milligrams per day, but emphasizes that it varies depending on body size.

Osprey Horneck, a fourth-year student at SF State, said she drinks caffeinated drinks two to four times a day, but doesn’t experience any side effects. She said her first time having caffeine was when she was a kid; her aunt would sneak her some Red Bull from time to time.

Rachel Scherr, a lecturer faculty member of nutrition and dietetics in SF State’s family, interiors, nutrition and apparel department, said with anything, there’s a spectrum of consumption.

“There are people who don’t drink anything [containing] caffeine whatsoever,” said Scherr. “Most people fall within that normal healthy range.”

While there are many benefits that come with consuming caffeine, there are also many side effects that should not be ignored.

(L-R) Brian Moraga, Emily Green, Johanna Legault, Sandra Gordon, and Alex Mak-Pearce pose for a photo near Cafe Rosso. (Neal Wong/Xpress Magazine)

Side Effects

Drinking more than what some people can tolerate may trigger negative reactions, such as an elevated heart rate and high blood pressure, as well as anxiety, jitteriness, dehydration or an energy crash.

”My husband can drink a big thing of coffee and take a nap, and it doesn’t affect him, whereas I’m much more sensitive to caffeine,” said Scherr. “If I have too much, I’m a little jittery and jumpy, and it makes my heart beat fast.”

According to Shah, the anxiety people can experience could be accompanied by heartaches, heartburn and an upset stomach. Caffeine can also lead to trouble sleeping, as it stays in one’s system for an extended period of time.

“Most people do not know this, but most caffeine you consume after noon can still affect your sleep later at night,” said Shah. “The reason why it does that is because caffeine blocks [the] sleep-inducing chemicals in your brain.”

To combat the side effect of jitteriness, Shah has found coffee containing functional mushrooms as opposed to coffee beans to be a good alternative. Mushroom coffee is infused with different types of caffeine-free mushrooms.

She also recommends that people should not drink coffee by itself or on an empty stomach. This can help reduce mood swings, as energy fluctuation becomes more stable with food. While drinking coffee, people should also stay hydrated.

“Try eating a snack or meal alongside of it, because that helps your body absorb it a little bit better,” said Shah.

William Xian, a second-year student at SF State, said the only caffeinated beverage he drinks is his go-to jasmine green tea boba. It’s rare for him to get an energy drink, but when he does, it’s only if he’s feeling extremely tired.

Horneck has been consuming caffeine for a while and hasn’t experienced any side effects. She said that, at this point, consuming caffeine is more of a habit and mental comfort than an actual energy boost.

“Caffeine isn’t necessarily considered a drug, but it can influence our body over time the same way that a drug can in terms of building a reliance on it,” said Shah.

School Environment Influencing Caffeine Consumption

With the demanding schedule college students face on a daily basis, it’s no secret that midnight study sessions or all-nighters to finish an assignment may be frequent. With late nights accompanied by early mornings comes inevitable fatigue, which fuels caffeine consumption.

“You potentially have a lot of expectations on you if you’re a full-time student,” said Scherr. I would say most of the students I’ve encountered, especially at SF State, have jobs, and some of them have full-time jobs in addition to being full-time students. Several of my students are also parents, sometimes primary parents or caregivers for their children.”

Yukich feels that consuming caffeine is part of campus culture, and is a part of a study group where everyone gets coffee beforehand. Similarly, Horneck thinks there’s an expectation: being a college student, there’s a certain amount of caffeine one should be consuming in order to be doing a good job.

“I know a lot of people at school in general don’t all live very close, so you’re now adding the commute time, being here for a full day and then commuting back, so the day is very long,” said Horneck.

Maddy Yukich, also a fourth-year SF State student, admits that she drinks caffeine every day, primarily from Cafe Rosso. Yukich said that, on the occasion she decides to take a break from caffeine, she experiences headaches at times.

“I’m not a morning person,” said Yukich. “I stay up really late and then usually sleep in, but obviously with school I have to get up early on some days so caffeine gets me through the day—or like today, when it’s really cold, it’s nice to have a hot drink.”

Caffeine Reduction and Consumption Tips

In order to reduce caffeine intake, those who are drinking cold brew or nitro cold brew should start off by switching to standard drip coffee to reduce the potency of their caffeine intake. Other alternatives that contain smaller amounts of caffeine are green or black teas, Yerba Mate and even light-colored sodas.

Meiraf Donofrio, a fourth-year student at SF State, said that, while she does consume caffeine, she has made a habit of drinking even more water. Donofrio drinks over 100 ounces of water per day in order to balance out the caffeine she consumes.

“I know it’s usually with alcoholic beverages, people are like, ‘For every drink you should have a glass of water,’ but I’m pretty good about caffeine as well,” said Donofrio.

Being mindful to only consume caffeinated beverages before noon is another useful tip for reducing caffeine intake.

“After 12 p.m., you can switch to herbal teas or try iced water — something that helps stimulate your senses,” said Shah.

Donofrio doesn’t begin drinking caffeine until three hours after waking up, and has also become more mindful of her average caffeine intake.

“We [Donofrio and Horneck] were actually just talking about how much we’ve sort of started to cut back—especially just being smart about the timing like when we’re drinking things, you know. We’ve both had to work in industries where we’re up really late, so we’re trying to not, if we don’t have to,” said Donofrio.

Donofrio’s go-to caffeinated beverages to help her get through her schedule are iced coffee and Red Bull.

“I have an hour-and-a-half commute to get here, and then I’m here for about six hours,” said Donofrio. “I [also] have an hour-and-a-half- commute to my job for eight hours, so that’s usually when the Red Bull kicks in so that I exist for about 20 hours straight.”

While there are both positive and negative consequences of consuming caffeine, there’s no denying that it might feel necessary at times. With so many responsibilities and so few hours in a day, it can feel next to impossible to get things done while simultaneously maintaining a steady sleep schedule.

“It requires, sometimes, a little bit of help. A lifestyle shift of just sleeping more is very fantastic advice, but sometimes it’s not feasible,” said Scherr.

An alligator is depicted on a red velvet latte from Home Coffee, a local chain popular for its latte art. The art was made on request. (Neal Wong/Xpress Magazine)

Peering Back Through The Prism

Before the internet, college magazines used to serve their campus in a much more robust way.

Story by Div Lukic

Photography by Gustavo Hernandez

Design by Ella Lerissa Scans courtesy of SF State Magazine Archive

In theory, people go to college to build the knowledge, skills and connections that they’ll carry with them into adult life. Student publications mirror their professional counterparts in such a way that writers and editors can get a real sense of what being on staff at a newspaper or magazine is like. For most students, this is all they expect from such a program. For Jakub Mosur and Erin Lubin, it was more.

Mosur and Lubin met working on Prism, SF State’s student magazine, in 1998. The two sparked a strong connection, and eventually were married seven years to the day after they started dating. The publication not only provided them with the hands-on experience of working as both photographers and later, photo editors respectively, but also led them to their life partners. Over 20 years later, they’re still together, but the magazine that they once contributed to has come to look a lot different.

In today’s digital era, there are so many sources of information that it’s not entirely necessary to read magazines and newspapers the same way that it was decades ago. Before the industry of journalism was largely pigeonholed into publishing digitally instead of printing physical issues, college magazines used to serve their communities in ways that simply don’t exist in print anymore. Thousands of copies of each issue would be printed, as opposed to mere hundreds.

In decades past, student publications would feature local, national and international stories, and could be found all over the city in places like cafes and bookstores, instead of only in campus newsstands. Advertisements, personal inquiries, jobs and even dating opportunities were printed instead of being posted on social media as they are today.

As magazines began to digitize, many of the community-focused aspects found new homes on various websites and apps. College magazines became less practical among students and thus, less popular.

Conducting interviews with students on campus for Xpress stories will often prompt the response, “We have a school magazine?” If you’re reading this, you know that we do indeed have a student magazine; we’ve had one for over 50 years. As much effort and care as the writers and editors put into Xpress, it’s the hard truth that student publications are not as prevalent as they once were.

In 1996, when the Xpress Magazine we know today was called Prism, each new issue of the magazine would be something that students anticipated, according to former Editor-in-Chief Merrik Bush.

“Everybody knew Prism; all the students did,” said Bush. “It was during an era where people weren’t online all the time [...] so they were much more aware of the different print and news apparatus that were on the campus. They would look forward to the magazine.”

THE HISTORY OF THE MAGAZINE

Prism — now Xpress — was founded in 1969, with its mission statement printed boldly on the front cover: “What this campus needs is a good, cheap, interesting magazine. Here is one for free.”

To write about the history of Prism without mentioning former advisor and instructor John Burks would be like writing politics without mentioning the president. Before Burks, staff writers were educated in the traditional, strictly objective style of newswriting; inverted pyramids and who-whatwhere-why’s made up the bulk of the stories published.

Burks introduced to Prism what was then known as “New Journalism”: a style of writing influenced by narrative fiction and popularized by publications such as Esquire and The New Yorker. Stories were allowed to be longer and more colorful, employing literary techniques and establishing characters to create the tension and drama that often makes magazine writing more captivating than cold hard news.

Velo Mitrovich, staff writer in Spring 1995 and Editor-in-Chief in Fall 1995, credits Burks with kickstarting his journalistic career.

“Without a doubt, he created me. I can’t describe what a brilliant instructor he was. I mean, he literally was my mentor,” said Mitrovich. “He spent time with me, we talked about writing, I still write today in the John Burks style of writing.”

Bestowed with Burks’ style and ambition, the Prism staff set their sights high and covered stories that extended even beyond the scope of the campus.

“Prism really was meant to engage a broader audience; because we did distribute it around the city [...] it allowed us to tell bigger stories,” said Bush. “We were questioning the status quo, trying to find ways to connect our campus community to the outside world as well […] we’d stack them right next to SF Weekly and the San Francisco Bay Guardian.”

The ‘90s were also just a great time to be covering San Francisco. The electronic music scene, the LGBTQ+ scene and the rise of tech companies in the Bay Area provided Prism writers with ample opportunities to cover unique stories.

Indeed, Prism was a different animal than Xpress is today. It’s not like there is any one particular story that absolutely could not be told today, but taking a look at those older issues certainly can feel like stepping into a time machine.

Erin Lubin and Jakub Mosur, former photo editors and photographers for Prism, the predecessor to Xpress, pose with archival copies of Prism. (Gustavo Hernandez/Xpress Magazine)

PRISM IN THE ‘90s

The October 1997 issue of Prism featured a rather head-turning cover; it depicted a topless woman sticking her tongue out, her chest covered only by a layer of black liquid latex. The story, titled “Pour It On!” covered the kink community’s newfound interest in liquid latex as an alternative to traditional latex clothing.

San Francisco is renowned for being open and accepting of those across the spectrum of sexuality, hosting annual gay pride parades and BDSM festivals that are recognized all over the world. Public displays of sexuality have since become a bit less taboo in today’s society — even Xpress has run covers featuring nearly-nude subjects. Despite the raciness, it was a story that exemplified what was happening in San Francisco at the time.

“I would get people talking about it and I think that that one ruffled a few feathers in a way that you would expect,” said Gabriel Garner, the writer of “Pour It On!” “San Francisco has a thing with stuff like that so I felt like it was relevant community-wise […] we’ve got the [Folsom] Street Fair, all kinds of stuff. Where did it come from? Nobody was really talking about it yet, so I thought we’d kinda break the story.”

Articles covering sexuality were common in this era of Prism; stories about condoms, STIs and drag queens weren’t difficult to find. The exploding music scene of San Francisco in the ‘90s also provided opportunities to publish stories that explored topics such as Bay Area-based rappers and the then-burgeoning rave scene.

When readers picked up the April 1995 issue of Prism, they might have questioned what a cowboy hat-wearing-Texan holding up a Western diamondback rattlesnake has to do with SF State. The answer? Nothing.

This was exactly the point that Mitrovich, the writer of that cover story, had in mind. He felt that journalists had a duty to be worldly and not restrict their coverage to any certain geographical border. Prism was the place to show audiences outside of San Francisco what he was capable of.

Mitrovich and photographer Aaron Lauer used funds from Prism’s budget to travel to and cover the 37th Annual Sweetwater, Texas Rattlesnake

Roundup: the world’s largest rattlesnake roundup event which features thousands of rattlesnakes being milked, killed and skinned. There was also a beauty pageant where the winner was rewarded with the opportunity to sing a song of their choosing from within a pit of 100 live rattlesnakes.

When Mitrovich returned to the Prism newsroom with the story, it wasn’t universally loved at first. However, when it was ultimately chosen as the cover story, it went on to win national awards. Running a Texas-based cover story in an SF State-based student publication wouldn’t make much sense if they were strictly writing for SF State students, but that wasn’t the mindset back then. The Prism staff had a broader audience in mind.

Strong emphasis was also placed on the visuals of Prism, distinguishing it from the traditional columns of the student newspaper. Before Mosur became photo editor for Prism, he shot photos for both the magazine and the newspaper, and felt more creative freedom when covering a Prism story as opposed to a newspaper story.

“We were experimenting,” said Mosur. “With Prism, all the rules went out the window; we could do anything we wanted.”

THE INTERNET ERA

The Prism staff of the late ‘90s witnessed the evolution of internet services like email and search engines, but it wasn’t yet clear that such technology would alter the world of journalism as drastically as it has. At the time, these seemed like nothing more than useful tools rather than what would become the most prevalent change within the industry.

“I thought magazines were never going to be usurped by the Digisphere [...] At the time, having something published online didn’t seem credible,” said Bush. “You wanted a print byline, like, do-or-die; it had to be a print byline. The idea of doing something online felt almost like cheating, like, ‘Oh, anybody could print something online.’ ”

As the internet grew, websites and platforms emerged that gave people easier and more convenient ways to connect with each other than print media offers. Classified ads were replaced with Craigslist and other forums, while

event notices began to get posted on social media instead of in print. Another staple of college magazines before the turn of the millennium — advertisers — also began moving online, eliminating a large source of income for many publications.

“It eventually, in essence, put the spiral of death on at a higher pace because a lot of these newspapers were dependent on that revenue,” said Mosur. “But unfortunately, the way that journalism is set up in the United States is that it was married to that business model.”

Eventually, in 1999, Prism was rebranded as Xpress. In its first issue, themed around the topic of “anger,” Editor-in-Chief Lateef Mungin wrote on the first page:

“You are a witness to birth and death as you read this. We are the artist formerly known as Prism Magazine reincarnated as the Golden Gate Xpress. This is our premiere issue under the new name, and at the same time one of the final ones. In the near future this magazine will cease to exist. The resources used to create this publication will be used to blow up our growing website. Check out the site at www. journalism.sfsu.edu/Xpress.

The powers that be believe the internet is the future of journalism. But us page-turning dinosaurs are skeptical. We don’t want to read the writing on the wall—of computer monitors. But that’s how it is. Things change. And change makes many angry.”

Although Mungin was incorrect in saying the magazine will cease to exist, to be replaced solely by the website, he clearly saw the way that things were trending. Between then and now, the push towards online publication in favor of print has only gotten stronger.

“I could imagine that the students are distracted by so many different platforms out there,” said Mosur. “The magazines would be going up against Snapchat, Instagram and Tiktok.”

Lamenting the rise of digital news publication is like lamenting the weather. There are also advantages to having stories posted online. In our digital world, online stories can live forever and be easily read and shared by anyone in the world with an internet connection. Many journalists are adapting to this modern era and are producing podcasts and video journalism, which are now popular ways to tell stories. Although the modern Xpress is certainly different compared to Prism, who’s to say that a future generation of journalists won’t be able to find a way to cut through all the digital noise and foster a campus community that once again anticipates the new issue? — whatever medium that new issue might be in.

Erin Lubin and Jakub Mosur, former photo editors and photographers for Prism, the predecessor to Xpress, pose with archival copies of Prism. (Gustavo Hernandez/Xpress Magazine)

From Diploma to Dilemma

The Perils of Post-Graduation Employment for Young Californians

Story by Andrea Jiménez

Photography by Tam Vu Design by Devin Dean

As students and recent graduates face a post-pandemic job market, entry-level jobs become more than just a starting point – they morph into a vicious cycle. Students are caught between academic aspirations and the harsh realities of low-paying jobs – young workers are caught between dreams and economic realities.

Tony Aguilar — an aspiring health care worker — thought she had finally caught her big break after she secured a four-monthlong position in a clinic at the UC San Francisco Medical Center. However, once her contract ended, she faced three months of unemployment and was forced to return to working in the frontline service industry — an industry that, just months before, she felt she had finally been freed from.

Aguilar’s story of becoming stuck in entry-level fields is far from uncommon and represents a larger trend among California’s young workers.

There are 2 million young workers in California, 61% of whom are in frontline industry jobs in settings such as restaurants and grocery stores. Many young workers face being caught in what “California’s Future is Clocked In: The Experiences of Young Workers,” a study by the UCLA Labor Center, calls a “circular labor trap.” This describes entry-level jobs that are easy to get into, but offer little to no transferable skills or upward mobility, making it difficult for trapped

workers to stand out from other job applicants and move into the careers they aspire. Young workers like Aguilar are given few alternatives; they either remain in low-wage positions or face significant financial hardship with no safety nets.

Young workers also risk other factors when getting stuck in the circular labor trap. The study found that workers between the ages of 16 to 24 make up 12% of the California workforce and are a critical component of the state’s economy.

Aguilar started her academic career at SF State in Fall 2020 as a pre-nursing major, but decided to take an academic break in Fall 2022. The decision came due to a culmination of the major’s rigorous nature, an unexpected eviction and a decline in her mental health. These factors led Aguilar to focus on improving her mental health and financial situation; however, finding work proved to be a challenge.

“Since I had worked at UCSF, I told myself that I can finally leave customer service jobs — I don’t have to keep doing that no more,” said Aguilar. “I kept applying to either receptionist, front desk, entry-level medical institution jobs. That went on for two months. Absolutely nothing came out of it. So sitting on my last month of rent, I just had to pull myself up by the bootstraps and just start applying to customer service again.”

Aguilar said that she had saved money from her time at UCSF to put toward tuition once she returned to SF State. But as a result of her unemployment, she burned through $3,600 of her savings.

Many young workers balance school and work simultaneously, sometimes even being a significant financial provider to their households. According to the Labor Center’s study, young workers overwhelmingly earn low wages, work long hours and lack benefits commonly found in workplaces that are unionized. The study also found that working too many hours can hinder student-workers’ progress toward attaining a degree.

After searching for months, Aguilar finally landed a job at Safeway making $18.07 an hour — San Francisco’s minimum wage. She has been working there for the past couple of months fulfilling online orders and helping customers on the floor.

“[At Safeway] they want you to be fast, they want you to get stuff done now, at minimum wage,” said Aguilar. “It’s not great, but [...] it’s

stable. I would love to leave.”

Aguilar has also been trying to apply for CalFresh, an assistance program, run by the California Department of Social Services, that helps with food expenses. However, she has had difficulty with the application process because she cannot provide all of the necessary paperwork.

Despite the adversity young workers face, there are still high hopes for college graduates entering the employment world. Rebeca Gonzalez graduated from SF State with a communications degree in 2020. She was confronted with the reality of entering the workforce during a global pandemic as unemployment skyrocketed.

After graduating, Gonzalez quit her job at a phone repair store and began applying to multiple entry-level admin positions — some of which led to interviews, but never a job offer. Gonzalez felt no pressure to find work right away since she was living at home with her family, however, panic began to set in after five months went by without any leads.

“I started feeling kind of frustrated, and at one point, desperate,” said Gonzalez. “At one point I

only had 12 bucks in my bank account [...] and I remember that feeling, like, ‘What am I gonna do with my life?’”

Gonzalez was in a similar position as many of her college peers. In 2020, the SF State exit survey reported that 70% of their graduating seniors said

Tony Aguilar, a public health student at SF State, studies in the Latinx Student Center. When she is not working at Safeway, Aguilar spends the free time that she has studying and completing assignments. (Tam Vu / Xpress Magazine)

Rebeca Gonzalez poses for a portrait outside of the Roslyn G. Morris Activity Center, where she passed out Valentine’s Day cards to the elderly. She takes one of her clients, who she takes care of, to this community center on a daily basis for exercise classes. (Tam Vu / Xpress Magazine)

they would be seeking employment after graduation. Of that percentage, 87% of students said that they did not have a job secured in their field of study but 50% reported being employed full-time and 46% reported being employed part-time.

After expressing her anxiety to friends and family, a friend suggested that she work as a caregiver. However, Gonzalez had envisioned entering the media field after graduating and was unsure about taking on a role so far removed from what she aspired for.

“My third day, I was like, ‘I don’t think I can [work as a caregiver].’ I really cried that day,” Gonzalez said. “And I was like, ‘You know what, I need a job. I’m just going to stick with it.’ ”

Now, Gonzalez has been at her caregiver job for almost two years. She says she has fallen in love with the field and has quickly worked her way up in her company. After being at the company for a couple of months, she was offered a hybrid role where she would divide her time working as both a caregiver and an office administrator. Recently, Gonzalez received an offer for a salaried job as a community relations manager.

“This is my chance,” said Gonzalez. “I studied communications — it’s perfect. I’m very excited.”

A report by the Public Policy Institute of California shows that college degree holders have a significant advantage in the workforce over those who have a high school degree or less. California workers with a bachelor’s degree on average earn $81,000 annually but only 6% of people with less than a high school diploma earn that much. Other benefits to having a college degree are lower unemployment rates, higher quality jobs, better work benefits and more stability during economic downturns.

John Logan is a professor and department chair of the labor and employment studies department at SF State. Despite the challenges faced by workers, he is optimistic about the future of young workers’ employment opportunities, especially for those who have a college degree.

According to Logan, young workers are at the forefront of workers’ rights and have been unionizing across the nation. Even CSU students have joined the national fight for improved working environments. Graduate and undergraduate students are some of the workers unionizing and joining the fight to bring higher wages and better benefits across the board to all student workers in the CSU system. If approved, it would become one of the largest student worker unions in the United States, with over 19,300 members.

“Instead of simply quitting low-paid jobs with crappy benefits, they’ve been staying where they are, but working collectively to improve the quality of those jobs,” said Logan. “By leading those [efforts], young workers may force a change in the ‘low-road competitive strategies’ of many large American corporations.”

Tony Aguilar, a public health student at SF State and an aspiring healthcare worker, poses for a portrait outside of Safeway where she works as a pharmacy clerk. (Tam Vu / Xpress Magazine)

Out With the Oil:

How to Properly Dispose of Cooking Oil

Story by Div Lukic Photography by Andrew Fogel Design by Devin Dean

Everyone eats. Most people cook. Unless you make the conscious decision to only steam, bake or boil your food, you’re probably cooking with some kind of oil or fat. Most people know to avoid simply pouring hot grease straight down the sink, but knowing how to properly dispose of it is less common knowledge. So, what should you do?

When you see that pool of oil sitting on the bottom of the pan, it can certainly be tempting to take it and pour it down the drain. However, the improper disposal of cooking oil in the sink can create fatbergs, which are rock-like masses of waste that can burst pipes and cause sewage floods, ultimately affecting both cities and the natural environments surrounding them.

Luckily, there are a couple of different ways you could go about properly disposing of cooking oil, each with varying levels of environmental friendliness. Admittedly, the most environmentally conscious methods do take the most effort, but there’s a spectrum between recycling every last drop of grease and pouring it directly down the drain.

Although the devil on your shoulder might occasionally rear his ugly head and tell you to take the easy way out, ignore him and utilize one of these more environmentally conscious methods of disposal instead.

There’s a wide range of options for how to properly dispose of leftover cooking oil — pick the one that suits you best.

COMPOST IT

Composting is one of the methods that the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission recommends, and it’s the best option for small amounts of oil that can be soaked up with some paper towels. If you’re dedicated to composting but are producing larger quantities of oil, you can store it in a container and dispose of it over time.

Tim Shaw, chef instructor at SF State’s Vista Room restaurant, doesn’t often use large amounts of oil when cooking at home, but still composts on the rare occasion he does decide to deep-fry.

“I wouldn’t pour a gallon into my compost, but I’d save it and put in a couple cups every week until it’s gone,” said Shaw. “Like you do if you have a lot of boxes, break them up and put them in the recycling and get rid of them slowly over time.”

Since 2009, San Francisco has mandated that waste is separated into trash, recyclables and compostables. This makes it easy for San Franciscans to compost their oil, but this isn’t the case in every city. In the last decade, only nine states have enacted legislation that focuses on separating compostable materials from other garbage.

SF State student Daniel Ripalda recalls his family throwing oil-soaked paper towels in the trash before moving to the city.

“Where I lived primarily, we never really did have a sufficient garden to maintain a compost,” said Ripalda.

If you’re able to compost your oil, it’s a relatively easy method of disposal and can even be beneficial to compost piles. A study from May 2023 — performed in tandem by livestock researchers from the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization in Japan, and a grad student from the University of Tokyo — measured the benefits of adding used cooking oil to compost piles. As compared to mainstream composting, the study found that compost with added cooking oil produced less harmful ammonia gas and returned 21.5% more nitrogen — a valuable nutrient to plants — to the soil.

REUSE IT

Reusing leftover cooking oil is another one of SFPUC’s recommendations. After letting the oil cool down in the pan, it can be strained to remove any leftover bits of food. The strained oil can then be reused for the next meal that you plan on sautéing or frying. As is the case with many forms of recycling, it’s a decision that benefits both your wallet and the environment.

After a Zoom demonstration of how to make arancini—fried risotto balls— Chef Shaw had a couple quarts of oil left over on the stove. He rarely uses that much — “It was like $20 worth of oil; I’d rather spend that on a good bottle of wine,” he said — so he plans to make that money stretch by reusing the oil.

“I’ll strain it and keep it in the fridge because it will last for six or eight months. So maybe we’ll use it for the Fourth of July or Saint Patrick’s Day, maybe, but I would certainly save it for a while,” said Shaw.

SF State student Antonio Loza, who frequently cooks traditional dishes for his Mexican household, was also taught to store and reuse leftover cooking oil.

“So it’s been like a family thing: we use a little can of whatever we use and then we just pour it into there. We’ll let it sit and sometimes when we refry something, we’ll use that” said Loza.

According to the USDA, used cooking oil can be safely stored in the refrigerator for several months until signs of deterioration begin to show, such as foaming, darkening or rancid smells.

RECYCLE IT

Recycling is the third option that SFPUC recommends to San Franciscans. They advise storing your leftover oil and bringing it to Recology’s Household Hazardous Waste Facility’s drop-off center near Hunters Point. Although bringing your leftover oil to such a recycling center ensures that you’re disposing of it sustainably, it isn’t exactly the most practical option.

In a world where some people can’t even be bothered to break down their cardboard boxes for recycling, it might be unrealistically optimistic to expect everyone to lug big jars of oil all the way to Hunters Point.

SF State student Samantha Sethna, who relies on public transit, can’t imagine that many people without a car are making that trek.

“If I was generating hella oil and I knew that I could be doing something with it, I would want to, but I take public transit. I don’t have a car or a moped or anything,” said Sethna. “To get oil out to Bayview is a fucking hike […] So, if I had a car, maybe it would be a thing that is just, ‘Oh, yeah, I just swing the oil by on my way over,’ but it’s not how my life is right now.”

Even for those who own a vehicle, making the trip to the recycling center can be an added chore on top of their already busy lives. These oil recycling centers are necessary for restaurants and other kitchens that produce such huge quantities of oil, but individuals who produce smaller amounts of oil can safely dispose of it without having to drive across town.

“If you live in the Outer Richmond, I doubt you’re gonna drive all the way to Hunters Point for a quart of oil,” said Shaw.

DON’T USE OIL AT ALL

Although battering and frying can often be a cheat code to tasty meals, it’s possible to make delicious food in a way that doesn’t use cooking oil at all. Devices like air fryers can also help to replicate that freshly-fried crispiness without any of the messy oil. The current menu at SF State’s Vista Room only has one dish that uses more than a splash of oil: fried oyster mushrooms. [18] In addition to the nutritional benefits of not deep frying every meal, it can be fun to put on your chef hat and get creative in the kitchen, curbing that natural craving for greasy, fatty meals.

“Obviously, fried food tastes great and I have nothing against fried food,” said Shaw. “You know, I love making arancini and french fries and stuff, but it’s more fun as a chef to create something that just doesn’t rely on fried food because it tastes good.”

The next time you make a big plate of bacon and eggs, you’ll know that you have a couple of different options for what to do with that leftover oil; depending on your cooking habits and proximity to Hunters Point, of course. Just please remain mindful, ignore that devil on your shoulder, and don’t pour used cooking oil down the drain!

Various kinds of cooking oil on Safeway’s shelves. (Andrew Fogel/Xpress Magazine)