The Corsair - Issue 6 (Spring 2021) by Santa Monica College

Almost Back in Business Aja Marshall | Managing Editor

n May 5, Los Angeles County announced that its COVID-19 cases and deaths were low enough that the county could move into the yellow tier — the least restrictive tier of California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy. For restaurants, businesses, and tourist sites in Los Angeles County, including the historic Santa Monica Pier, this serves as an indicator that the L.A. area is slowly inching toward fully reopening. Tiato Kitchen & Market is a restaurant, caterer, and venue in Santa Monica, California, off Colorado Boulevard that is benefiting greatly from California’s move into the yellow tier. They’ve decided to host indoor events with up to 50 people as long as attendees prove they are fully vaccinated. “COVID restrictions for events are getting a little bit looser...so now we're getting a little bit bigger, a little better,” said April Guerra, office manager for Tiato Kitchen & Market. Guerra started working at Tiato two years ago, and noted how COVID-19 negatively affected the restaurant’s business in 2020. “We've been around for 10 years and last March was our highest sales day after day. It was completely packed [with] 200 people in here for a three hour lunch.” Guerra continued, “And then the next day, it was a ghost town. The next week, we had maybe $100 in sales.” Guerra said the restaurant looks forward to the city reopening, and continuing business with record numbers resembling their peak in March of 2020, before they were forced to shut down. “People want to eat out; people want to have that feeling of normality again, and it's up to restaurants and bars and communal places to make that happen for everybody,” she said. While California will determine an update on their mask mandate come June 15, L.A. County will continue to enforce its own policies to ensure the safety of individuals in their county.

CONTENT

FACULTY ADVISORS Ashanti Blaize-Hopkins | Journalism Adviser Gerard Burkhart | Photo Adviser

CONTACT Editor in Chief | corsair.editorinchief@gmail.com

SOCIAL MEDIA Instagram | corsairnews Twitter | the_corsair Facebook | thecorsairnews YouTube | thecorsaironline

WEBSITE www.thecorsaironline.com

FRONT COVER Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, Calif. on May 17, 2021. Maxim Elramsisy | The Corsair

Illustration by Carolyn Burt

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Once a week I get a notification on my phone telling me the average amount of screen time I’ve used over the past 7 days. What was once an alert I didn’t put too much thought into, now serves as a reminder of how I spend the majority of my time each day on my phone. Prior to the pandemic, I made a conscious effort to be present in my day to day life, and limit the amount of time I spent looking at a screen. If I was in class or a meeting I’d put my phone on do not disturb mode, so I wouldn’t get distracted by alerts going off in my pocket. At dinners with friends I would keep my phone in my purse so I could give the conversation my full attention. At concerts I’d take a few pictures and a video clip so that I had something to look back on — and share on my social media the next day — but preferred to spend the show watching the performances first hand. All of that hard work I’d put into retraining myself from the days I spent glued to my phone went out the window when life went remote in March 2020. In the blink of an eye my entire world was only accessible by computer, tablet, or phone. In many ways, it was a cause for celebration of how great it was that video conferencing software was so easily accessible and that my classes could continue virtually over Zoom. However, my devices became home to both my education and distractions. In the midst of my classes, my eyes began to gaze towards my phone, no longer having the willpower to focus on the assignment at hand. I would scroll through Instagram, watching the highlight reels of what everyone was doing during quarantine, only to look back to my computer and see my Zoom reflection. I began to compare my Zoom self to my peers on Instagram, not connecting the dots of those two very different realities. Most of my video conference classes were first thing in the morning, and much like when we had classes in person, I opted to get a few more minutes of rest rather than wake up early to do my hair and makeup. It’s not that my mindset had changed, but when we were on ground I wasn’t having to stare at myself all day. I was picking myself apart, wondering things like if my forehead was really that big or if I was starting to bald. I was setting myself up for failure, getting frustrated by my appearance, but not consciously realizing it wasn’t fair to compare myself to a social media version of others. When the film the Social Dilemma came out last year, it was a wake up call about how addicted we as a society have become to our phones. It also

brought on conversations about how social media can be a great tool in connecting us with the world around us, but it can be damaging as well. I think back to my adolescent years, grateful that the only prevalent app at the time was Facebook. While it had its own toxic tendencies, such as users craving validation through likes, the relationship with social media wasn’t the same as it is today. Users would upload their photos to albums which at the time were often a compilation of photos from an event where you happened to bring your digital camera, barely even combing through the camera roll. Even when Instagram first came out, we’d use the camera within the app to take a photo right then and there, slap a filter on it, add a simple matter of fact caption, and call it a day. Today’s social media is much more curated. Instagram Story and Snapchat effects will — in real time — clear up your acne, add mascara to your eyes, and thin your face, almost making it appear as if you’ve had cosmetic procedures. Zoom allows you to touch up your appearance as well; blurring your skin so wrinkles and acne are nonexistent, adding lip colors, darkening eyebrows, even adding facial hair. That technology is now what’s used with photos and videos you’re taking in real time. When it comes to Instagram posts, apps like Facetune have made photo alteration easy. While things like whitening your teeth or removing a blemish for a photo might feel like a harmless way to boost your confidence about a picture you’re about to post, they can also cause us to have unrealistic expectations towards our own appearances. We are no longer just comparing ourselves to the media’s portrayal of beauty, but the version of ourselves we’ve created through these apps. The apps allow users to upload their photo with options to pinch their waist or plump their lips, until it looks just right. If you don’t know a photo has been altered, or if there’s not a painfully obvious error, then we believe the photo on its own is true. We’re not seeing the before and after, we’re only seeing the version deemed worthy enough for the general public. It’s an unrealistic standard, even for professional models, to achieve these looks. It’s becoming harder to avoid these doctorined versions of reality, especially when many feel if you’re not on the social media apps that host these photos, you’re missing out on valuable moments. We need to actively take a step back and evaluate the harm social media is causing.

Editor-In-Chief Carolyn Burt

MAY 19, 2021

NEWS

Santa Monica College's Speech and Debate Team Host Intramural Tournament Paige Strickland | Digital Editor

n April 25, Santa Monica College's (SMC) Speech and Debate team hosted their first annual intramural tournament on the online platform, 8x8. Ten students, with varying levels of debate experience, competed in five rounds for the first place medallion. Founded nearly a century ago in 1929, the SMC Speech and Debate team has a history of sporadic operation. After an advisor would step down, the team would cease to exist for decades at a time. Under Professor Nate Brown's advisory since 2005, the team is in its longest consecutive run of 16 years. “I see debate as our ability to think outside the box... It gives us that space to kind of pretend for a moment that there is more to life and there is more to the

state we’re living in," said the SMC Speech and Debate team co-captain, Ariyana Tavakoli. "There are other countries, there are other planets...we can discuss things that we have in common, things that we don’t have in common, things that we believe. It’s like a high that is unmatched." Present on the panel of final round judges were SMC Chief of Police Johnnie Adams, Associated Students President Tafari Alan, and SMC's President Dr. Kathryn E. Jeffery. Finalists of the tournament, SMC students Orion Young and Jules Shinbrot, were given a wide range of topics to choose from, including "Free the nipple" and "Public colleges and universities should be tuition-free." The two finalists came to a consensus on "Soleimani's death was a war crime" as the final topic to debate. On January 3, 2020, former President Trump ordered a drone strike to kill Iranian general Qas-

sem Soleimani. In his remarks to reporters on the same day, Trump stated that "Soleimani was plotting imminent and sinister attacks on American diplomats and military personnel, but we caught him in the act and terminated him." The U.S. has since changed their reasoning several times for killing Soleimani, giving little information about these imminent plots. The weighing mechanism, or basis for arguments, was the legality of Soleimani's death. On the affirmative side of the topic, Shinbrot advocated that the U.S. failed to provide a self-defense claim. Therefore, legally speaking, there was no circumstantial cause to kill Soleimani. On the opposing side, Young argued that there were no laws in place, internationally or domestically, that would deem it illegal. He declared that this raises questions about holes in the United States' legal

systems on these matters. Ultimately, Shinbrot took home the first place medallion, with Young following in a close second. Team co-captain, Dexter Cypress, outpoured his appreciation for Brown during the tournament's awards ceremony. "The amount of work every day that Nate Brown does to ensure that the Speech and Debate team will continue to thrive long into the future goes unmatched," said Cypress. "Everything that [he] does for the emotional well-being of his students is seen in our lives every day... We all owe everything to Nate Brown...Words cannot describe." Brown and the team's captains encourage SMC students of all experience levels and backgrounds to join the team. For more information, students can visit the Speech and Debate section on SMC's website.

City Evicts Echo Park Unhoused Residents Sarah Nachimson | Opinion Editor

cho Park, a neighborhood situated in between Hollywood and Downtown Los Angeles, formerly provided a community for those unhoused in the area's namesake park. David Busch-Lilly is a 65-year-old homeless resident who was formerly a part of the Echo Park community and a city bus mechanic. Busch-Lilly said he joined the encampment recently after about 20 years of sleeping on streets and sidewalks in Santa Monica and L.A. "Since this past September, I've been going on a little sojourn across L.A. and I kept circling back to Echo Park," Busch-Lilly said. "Other than Westchester Park, Echo Park was the only park in L.A. where homeless people had such a beautiful space that they created." On March 28, the area's city councilman, Mitch O'Farrell, led a forceful eviction of all the unhoused residents from Echo Park using the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). The city gave those from the commune the option to move with Project Roomkey, a statewide program established in March 2020 as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a part of Project Roomkey, L.A. County secured a number of hotel rooms for unhoused individuals. The California Department of Social Services described the initiative’s purpose as providing

“non-congregate shelter options for people experiencing homelessness," as well as minimizing strain on the health care system. Another option the city offers to unhoused residents is a government-run tent community in a parking lot on Madison Avenue off Beverly Boulevard. The Rampart Village encampment, which costs the county $2,600 per unhoused person monthly, is less than three miles from Echo Park. One choice the city eliminated was allowing residents to stay in or return to the Echo Park community. Hundreds of activists in the area, supporting the rights of the unhoused to live in the park, gathered at the location on March 24-26 to protest O’Farrell’s actions. Some groups, including the tenant's rights coalition of organizers called Street Watch L.A., helped plan the protests and have assisted Echo Park residents in the past. Busch-Lilly said their previous assistance to the community, prior to organizing the protests, included bringing portable batteries to charge phones, tents, and tarps, as well as providing health services for individual needs. Issac Scher, a political researcher and freelance reporter, attended the protests because of his opposition to gentrification. Gentrification is when a poor area in a city experiences an influx of middleand upper-class residents moving to the

Kevin Tidmore | The Corsair Community activist David Busch-Lilly is no longer able to live on the grounds of Echo Park, Calif., a community that once was his home before he was removed by the city of Los Angeles on March 25. Busch-Lilly continues to fight for the unhoused community to live there, as seen on Thursday, May 5.

location. Because of this migration new businesses open and property value rises, and this usually displaces the area's former working-class inhabitants. Scher describes gentrification as a form of economic racism. It is "an economic stacked deck against these poor residents...[it] displaces people but also simultaneously raises rent prices," he said. Scher protested on Glendale Boulevard, next to the lake that sits in the middle of Echo Park. On the front line, at about 10:30 p.m., he and other protesters met excessive police force. "The cop in

front of me was by far the most violent on the line," Scher said. "The second or third swing with his baton was quite literally a baseball bat swing, two-handed...and he broke my arm." Along with Scher’s account of excessive force, the LAPD reports they arrested 182 people, including members of the media, from Echo Park. As of May 4, there are no more unhoused residents in Echo Park. The city continues to allocate funds to initiatives like Project Roomkey and the Madison Ave parking lot encampment.

MAY 19, 2021

Open Season Michael Johnson | Staff Writer

s the number of vaccinated Californians rises and the number of COVID-19 cases continues to decline, California remains on a slow but steady pace toward reopening. Despite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) guidance that allows for fully vaccinated people to enter public indoor areas unmasked, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the state's mask mandate will remain through June 15. With a majority of the state’s counties being in the orange tier, the state has hopes to reopen on June 15. The tier list includes purple, or widespread, which means many non-essential indoor businesses are closed; red, or substantial, which means some non-essential indoor businesses are closed; orange, or moderate, which means some indoor businesses are open with modifications; as well as yellow, or minimal, which means many indoor businesses are open with modifications. The tiers are based on positivity rates, adjusted case rates, and health equity metrics. As of May 12, everyone in California who is 12 and over is eligible to be vaccinated. California state officials have estimated that there should be up to 1.7 million doses administered a week at this point in time. According to Dr. Mark Ghaly, Secretary of the California Health and Human Services, officials chose June 15 as the date for reopening because it comes exactly two months after the vaccine became available to everyone 16 and older. He added that officials wanted to ensure that residents have ample time to get vaccinated, in a press conference early April. Americans are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the second dose of Pfizer or Moderna, or the single Johnson & Johnson shot according to the CDC. As of May 16, over 35 million doses of the vaccine were distributed, and 53.1% of Californians received at least one dose, with 38.4% being fully vaccinated, according to the California Department of Health. Even with people receiving the vaccine, Newsom still wants Californians to wear their masks to prevent a rise in cases as everything begins reopening. “In order to take the next step, we must continue to do our part to keep this momentum moving in the right direction, and that means continuing to wear a mask and ensuring everyone who is eligible gets the vaccine,” said Ghaly. Businesses like restaurants, movie theaters, and amusement parks will have a chance to benefit from the state's reopening since they were heavily affected by the closures. "I'm extremely excited to be able to have fun again this summer with my friends," said Henry Shapiro, a student at California State University Northridge. "I feel like the reopening comes at a perfect time with everyone getting out of school... and all the businesses should see a huge boost." The plan to reopen on June 15 could possibly change, according to Newsom, as he stated that if cases don’t continue the downward trend, he will bring back preventative measures.

Kevin Tidmore | The Corsair Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, Calif. illuminated on May 18, 2021.

C U LT U R E

MAY 19, 2021

Looking for Love in a Pandemic Morgan Spillman | Staff Writer Some Gen Z and Millennials have taken to dating apps to find love amidst the COVID-19 pandemic instead of using public spaces like bars, clubs, schools, or parties which have been shut down periodically this year due to local health and safety guidelines. The use of dating apps has increased since the pandemic began as people try to find ways to connect. Dating apps made modifications to accommodate people's interest to interact safely as COVID-19 cases were on the rise. Tinder now offers a video chat feature to give its users the ability to connect face to face within the app. Bumble has added a COVID-19 safety option allowing users to let others know what they’re looking for when it comes to pandemic friendly dating; letting users check off

preferences between indoor & outdoor dates, if they’d prefer all parties wear masks, and whether or not to keep social distance. Niki Jazayeri and Nathan Libman, are a couple who connected on Tinder, and are still together. They both attended El Camino Real Charter High School, where they knew of each other but kept to themselves. A few years down the line, they stumbled across each other on Tinder, during quarantine. They messaged for a couple of weeks before meeting up in person for their first date on a socially distanced hike. "We were talking for a week and I thought, ‘I like this guy’s energy,’” said Jazayeri. Because of COVID-19, they took extra measures of safety precautions withi n

their comfort zone when they started dating. “It was a month in and I would wear masks anywhere that wasn’t his room,” said Jazayeri. As they each lived with their families they knew it was necessary to get tested for COVID-19 and wear masks. As many activities were still closed at the beginning of the pandemic when they first started dating, they spent most of their time together inside each other's homes, which they felt strengthened their relationship. “We were each in each other’s safe space in a way, it wasn’t like our dating was just going out and doing things, it was more one-on-one time,” Libman said. However, Chris Morgan, a Pierce College student, didn’t have the same experience. “Early in the pandemic I would go on dating apps but there was never anything real...nothing would come out of it,” said Morgan. While many have gone to dating apps to connect with others during the pandemic, Morgan found success through social media. “It was mid-quarantine [when] I got in contact with a childhood friend [through Instagram]... after a while, we started hanging out more, then we started dating after spending a month together in quarantine,” said Morgan. Morgan and his partner spent the majority of their

time in the pandemic together visiting each other’s homes until their relationship ultimately came to an end. It was “both good that we could spend all our time together, but also too much time together is not enough time to yourself,” said Morgan. Jazayeri, Libman, and Morgan all in their own way believe that communication is key. “I feel like as long as you're both clear about where you stand, things don't have to get complicated,” said Morgan. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's new recommendation that fully vaccinated people can gather both indoors and outdoors, means more date options will soon be available for singles looking for love. Illustration by Johnny Neville

MAY 19, 2021

A R TS & E N T E R TA I N M E N T

Van Gogh: An Immersive Phenomenon Ruby Gomez | Staff Writer

he Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit will hit the city of Los Angeles on May 27, promising its audience a new perspective on Vincent Van Gogh’s masterpieces. Attendees can expect to walk into a digital art experience with 90,000,000 pixels and 500,000 cubic feet of Van Gogh projections covering the walls. Van Gogh’s most popular paintings will be displayed, including "The Starry Night," "The Bedroom," and "Sunflowers," in addition to his still images, and self-portraits. A magical aspect of this exhibit is that it gives attendees access to examine Van Gogh’s Impasto Technique, maximized into a 50 foot animated film, implemented by Vittorio Guidotti. Each brushstroke and paint speckle of this thickly textured three dimensional artistic style will be visible in a very precise way. Visuals will be accompanied by a soundtrack from composer Luca Longobardi. There is much mystery and anticipation surrounding the exact location of the exhibit's venue, which has not yet been announced. Corey Ross, Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit co-producer, added to the anticipation. “We got a place in Los Angeles that I’m very excited about. It’s got a great history in entertainment and it’s wonderful to be repurposing that,” said Ross. Last summer, even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ross didn't sway from his determination to bring the Van Gogh phenomenon to life in Toronto. “When you’re a producer you have this gene that says to you ‘the show must go on’ and there’s one way or another that you’re going to fight [for] it,” said Ross. “We had over 100 art workers involved in the show... I was determined to keep everyone employed.” The Toronto exhibit was a huge success, incorporating two galleries — one for walk-ins and one for drive-in cars. Rather than shutting down show production due

Illustration by Aminata Diop

to pending COVID-19 restrictions, Ross came up with the idea to build a drive-in version of the exhibit inside the printing press room in the Toronto Star building. The exhibit's cross-over into the U.S. was met with even more excitement after Netflix's "Emily in Paris" episode 5 Faux Amis, featured exhibit creator Massimiliano Siccardi’s Paris exhibit. Tickets for the LA exhibit went on sale in February 2021, with basic tickets immediately selling out

through January 2022, and VIP tickets selling out through October 2021. LA will follow San Francisco and Chicago's lead in using circles projected onto the ground, in order to comply with local health and safety protocols, while moving the crowd safely through the space. “Massimiliano had this idea for the social distancing circles...there’s so many circular shapes in Van Gogh’s art that these [circles] almost become part of the atmo-

sphere in a very cool way,” said Ross. According to Ross, Los Angeles is also one of the few Van Gogh Immersive Exhibit cities that will feature the works of local artists, yet to be named, inside and outside the venue building. Ross feels this is an event that everyone deserves to experience — embracing art through Van Gogh’s eyes, and creating a bright spot as art exhibits return to Los Angeles.

S P O R TS

MAY 19, 2021

SCOTUS to Rule on College Athlete Pay Citlalli Chavez-Nava | Staff Writer

ust around the time millions of viewers tuned in to watch the March Madness basketball tournament, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in Alston vs. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), a case that could have wide implications in college athlete compensation. The case is an appeal by the NCAA after a 9th circuit ruling removed compensation caps for athletes in a March 2020 decision. Presently, college athletes receive tuition, room, and board for their performance. If the court rules in favor of the athletes, Division I basketball and Football Bowl athletes would be able to receive $5,900 in additional compensation in the form of educational tools such as laptops, musical instruments, paid internships and scholarships. At the center of the case is a dispute surrounding federal antitrust laws. College athletes contend that the NCAA’s bylaws and regulations create unreasonable barriers that restrict them from benefiting from the profits they generate. The NCAA, on the other hand, argues changing the current compensation model would create a “pay for play” system that would detract from the sports’ amateurist appeal, which in their view, would drive away fans. Santa Monica College (SMC) Chair of the Kinesiology & Athletics Department Elaine Roque who played volleyball at UCLA, coached Division I volleyball, and has coached men and women’s volleyball at SMC, recognizes the fulltime commitment students endure to excel as athletes. “You live every day, seven days a week, it’s all about your training, it’s all about your preparation,” said Roque. “Most of our [SMC] student athletes play because they really love their sport and they want to be the best they can be.” At the same time, Roque also recognizes the complexities facing some of the college athletic programs. “I think what happens too, is that certain schools really depend on that money to run their entire athletic program...and maybe even parts of the university or college itself,” said Roque. The amount of revenue college sports generate is notable, the NCAA has a multi-billion-dollar March Madness deal with CBS and makes about $1.1 billion per year in revenue from television rights. During the March 31, 2021 Supreme Court hearing, conservative members of the court challenged the NCAA’s arguments by focusing on the mass revenue streams the league is gen-

erating. “It does seem...that schools are conspiring with competitors, agreeing with competitors, I’ll say that, to pay no salaries to the workers who are making the schools billions of dollars on the theory that consumers want the schools to pay their workers nothing. And that just seems entirely circular and even somewhat disturbing,” said Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Other justices, including Sonia Sotomayor, questioned whether the justices might the outcome of the case would lead to additional legal challenges eventually professionalization of college sports. Roque explained that changes in compensation could give schools with larger athletic budgets a competitive advantage. “Richer schools will be more likely to be successful because they have a lot more money...they have bigger endowments,” said Roque. Given the varied questions and positions of the justices, it’s unclear how the court will rule next month. In the meantime, some states have begun to address athlete compensation within state lines in relation athlete name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights. The Supreme Court is expected to deliver a ruling by the end of June.

USC

UNIV. OF KENTUCKY

MEN’S BASKETBALL COACH

4.6M

3.6M

FOOTBALL COACH

STANFORD FOOTBALL COACH

9.3M

4.8M

NCAA YEARLY EARNINGS IN TELEVISION RIGHTS FOR

NCAA

Student Athlete Compensation $ $ $ $ 66K 82K 80K 51K OUT-OF-STATE TUITION + ROOM & BOARD

USC

TUITION + ROOM & BOARD

STANFORD TUITION + ROOM & BOARD

FOOTBALL COACH

UCLA

PRESIDENT

UCLA

USC

MEN’S BASKETBALL COACH

4.3M

FOOTBALL COACH

2.7M

UCLA

UNIV. OF ALABAMA

3.1M

A breakdown of the college coaches’ salaries and NCAA earnings compared to student athletes’ compensation. All figures are from the 2020 athletic season.

Infographic by Johnny Neville

MEN’S BASKETBALL COACH

U of ALABAMA OUT-OF-STATE TUITION + ROOM & BOARD

MARCH MADNESS

1.1B