therunneronline.com California State University, Bakersfield
March 23, 2022
Vol. 47, No. 10
CSUB reflects on
conflict in Ukraine See pg. 3-5
Photo provided by Pastor Angelo Frazier The community gathers on March 8 at Liberty Bell to hold a vigil for Ukraine.
Also Inside
facebook.com/runnercsub
Collage art evokes layers of emotions See pg. 6
@therunner_csub
Breaking the concert stereotype See pg. 9
@therunner_csub
Pg. 6
@csub_runner
CSUB wraps up the Big West Conference See pg. 12
News
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The Runner
March 23, 2022
The Runner Staff
CSUB lifts indoor mask rule
The Runner
California State University, Bakersfield 9001 Stockdale Highway Bakersfield, CA 93311-1099 661-654-2165 runner@csub.edu FACULTY ADVISER Jennifer Burger jburger1@csub.edu PUBLICATIONS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Vada Hepner vunderwood2@csub.edu DIGITAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ellice Richman erichman@csub.edu ARTIST Faith Okoli WEBSITE EDITOR Marlene Garcia SECTION EDITORS Ambria King, Xochitl Martinez, Madalyn Powers, Sydney Williams COPY EDITORS Guadalupe Avalos, Kennadi Burke, Vanessa Hernandez, Frankie Nadal DIGITAL TEAM Camila Arambula, Brizna Fregoso, Autumn Layton, Melisa Magana, Adriana Toledo, Claire Welch SOCIAL MEDIA TEAM Haydee Brahona, Paige Calvin, Jessica Espinoza Diaz, Victoria Zaragoza REPORTERS/WRITERS Graciela Aguilar, Adeli Arvizu, Fatyma Cendejas, Giselle Gamez, Joselyn Green, Carlos Hernandez, Marlene Herrera, Ernesto Leon, Nick Lopez, Yasmin Marcelo, David Mendoza, Alexis Shofner, Ashley Soren, Kiara Zabala, Alexa Zepeda ABOUT US The Runner is a laboratory newspaper published daily online with a biweekly PDF e-edition, in conjunction with the Department of Communications at CSU Bakersfield. DISCLAIMERS Views and opinions expressed in The Runner are not necessarily those of the editors, staff or the Department of Communications. The staff of The Runner reserve the right to refuse or omit any advertising or material which advocates illegal activity, or which may be considered libelous, irresponsible or tasteless. COPYRIGHT Copyright belongs to the Department of Communications at CSU Bakersfield. CONTACT US Send corrections requests, letters to the editor, op-ed submissions and press releases to runner@csub.edu. Send advertising inquiries to Faculty Adviser Jennifer Burger at jburger1@csub.edu.
Canva Illustration by Adeli Arvizu/The Runner
By Adeli Arvizu Staff Writer CSU Bakersfield’s President’s Cabinet sent out an email notifying the school that the Bakersfield campus and the Antelope Valley campus will no longer be requiring indoor masks starting Monday, March 28. The President’s Cabinet determined last month to put an end to the outdoor mask requirement; however, with the current announcement the entire school can now access any part of the campus without
a mask. The email says that the decision was made through working with the Kern County Public Health Services Department and having verified that COVID-19 cases and hospitalization rates in Kern County are decreasing. CSUB’s high vaccination rates were also a key factor, along with recommendations of the updated instructions and information by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Though we feel confident in our decision, we
must emphasize that the COVID-19 pandemic is not over. Vigilance is required to keep case rates low and continue the progress we’re seeing,” The President’s Cabinet wrote in the email. Furthermore, the importance of making sure to take precautions by washing hands, staying home if sick, etc. is still necessary. The email emphasizes that both CSUB and the CDC still highly recommend continuing the wearing of masks and that the school’s COVID-19 protocols are still being applied.
“Campus community, if there is one thing we have learned during the pandemic, it is that we must be flexible and adaptable as conditions evolve. As we continue to learn to live with COVID-19, there might be additional changes to CSUB policies and the need to pivot,” the President’s Cabinet wrote in the email. For more information about COVID-19 and the campus’s protocols, students and faculty can visit the CSUB website under the frequently asked questions and resources section.
Free tax prep services offered at CSUB By Ernesto Leon Assistant Features Editor Tax season is just around the corner, and it can be such a stressful time. To find support in filing income taxes, CSU Bakersfield is offering free tax preparation services for the community every Saturday until March 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Students can find this help at the Business Development Center Room A 218. Services are available through appointment only for those with W-2 income by calling (661) 654-3098. For any additional information please contact Dr. Benjamin Bae through email at bbae@csub.edu
Canva Illustration by Marlene Garcia /The Runner
News
The Runner
March 23, 2022
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Community shows solidarity with Ukraine
Graphic by Haydee Barahona/The Runner using a photo provided by Pastor Frazier
By Haydee Barahona Social Media Manager Ukraine continues to receive support from its’ neighboring countries since Russia’s invasion in February. Ukraine is facing one of the most rapid growing refugee crises. As of March 15, 2022, about 3 million people have fled the country since Russia invaded. Other European countries have opened their borders and are accepting Ukrainian refugees. “There’s just so much solidarity among people right now which I feel like it’s just brought Europe, my country included, together just to help people in need,” says Hana Makonova, an international student athlete at CSU Bakersfield, in an interview. Makonova is a volleyball player and engineering major from the Czech Republic.
She describes some of the ways that her community has helped civilians during this time. “You can donate money, you can donate food, you can donate clothes. People are driving to Slovakian, Ukraine borders, and driving women and kids back to camps for them and offering housing,” says Makonova. The Czech Republic is apart of the European Union, an economic and political union between 27 European countries. According to the European Commission, an official website of the European Union, “on 4 March, the EU agreed to activate the Temporary Protection Directive to offer quick and effective assistance to people fleeing the war in Ukraine.” These temporary protections include residency rights, social welfare, medical assistance, and access to housing.
Children and teenagers who arrive unaccompanied will also be entitled to legal guardianship and access to education. “There’s been a lot of cases where schools are welcoming the new Ukraine students,” said Makonova. “I’ve heard about beach volleyball players, which has offered housing and helped trained beach volleyball from Ukraine. So there’s just so many of these little things, in sports and everyday life, people just come and help. The number of Ukrainian refugees fleeing to neighboring countries is expected to reach 4 million.” “Some of the people coming, they’re holding temporarily and they’re transferring them to families west, in Europe and even in the United States of America. But for the large majority of them, they have nowhere to go, so they’re basically just sustaining them,” said
Angelo Frazier, Pastor for Riverlakes Community Church, in an interview. Frazier organized a vigil at Liberty Bell in support of the Ukrainian people. He says that he was drawn to the conflict in Ukraine, having previously lived in Europe and being a crisis counselor. Most refugees, about 1.8 million people, have fled to Poland. According to a news reporter from National Public Radio, Becky Sullivan, in a March 16 news story, this number matches the population of Poland’s capital, Warsaw. However, some services are reaching capacity, even in larger cities like Warsaw and Krakow. According to a March 11 story by Patrick Donahue, Konrad Krakuski, and Kitty Donaldson, Warsaw has already filled three event venues in the last week, “forcing volunteers to direct arrivals to
Poland’s largest exhibition center, which is 20 kilometers (12 miles) away from the center.” Officials of the EU are currently offering transportation for refugees to seek shelter in other member countries. While Makonova says that welcoming refugees is a great thing and everybody is ready to help, she also thinks that this is going to step back over time. “I just hope that people will still be helping until that settles,” says Makonova. EU border states are also experiencing a scarcity in other resources, such as utensils, flip flops, and duvets. According to Frazier, individuals can send money to crisis organizations, that will purchase supplies in Europe and provide them to those affected. Frazier recommends contacting organizations such as City Serve, the
American Red Cross, and Samaritan’s Purse. “You need everything from hearing aids, you need clothes, some of the people that I’ve heard stories from, they’ve lost all their clothes, so the only clothes they’ve had for two weeks. The women need feminine care products,” along with toiletries and medicine,” said Frazier. “You need everything when you don’t have anything.”
Hana Makonova, international student athlete
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Journalist reflects on mental effects
Ukrainian people camp out and sleep in a subway station in Kyiv, Ukraine.
By Vada Hepner Co-Editor-in-Chief Loud and chilling sirens went off in the distance every night for the few weeks that Yana Lyushnevskaya spent in Ukraine during the conflict with Russia. The sound of these sirens remains with her in her head as a reminder of the conflict between Russia and her home country, Ukraine as she stays safe in Warshaw, Poland. Lyushnevskaya is a journalist who worked and lived in Kyiv, Ukraine until March 16, when she finally fled the country. She studied for a year at CSU Bakersfield, through an international program in 2008. She also worked on The Runner staff during her one year at CSUB. Lyushnevskaya lived through the invasion of Crimea, Ukraine in 2014 with her parents and is once again experiencing a Russian invasion. Since the start of the conflict, Lyushnevskaya has been through quite a journey alone. With her parents safe in Crimea and her being single with no children, Lyushnevskaya fled the country alone. She started off by spending the first five nights in the basement of a music school in Kyiv that was set up as a bomb shelter. “That shelter was actually fairly good. You can tell
the school administration had been planning. There was water. There was a toilet. There were chairs,” Lyushnevskaya said during a Zoom interview. She did stay in this shelter with one of her close friends, because she was afraid of being alone during that time. After five nights, when things started to get worse in Kyiv, she knew she had to get away from the capital and find somewhere safer. Lyushnevskaya was given the opportunity to leave with an international organization that was getting its staff, along with some others, out of major conflict zones. She ended up parting with her friend and travelling to Lviv, Ukraine with the international organization, because it was a major destination for other people trying to leave the country. “It’s close to the Polish border and it hasn’t really seen that much bombardment. There haven’t been any attacks here, but we do still hear air raid sirens pretty often,” she said. After some time in Lviv, things started to get worse and Lyushnevskaya’s employer wanted her even farther from the conflict, so they brought her to Warshaw, Poland and bought her a hotel room for as long as she needs. Lyushnevskaya didn’t name her
Photo provided by Yana Lyushnevskaya
employer in fear of getting in trouble. “It’s the most terrifying sound in the world. Seriously, it’s chilling. I’ve been in Poland for several days now but my brain still kind of hears them,” she said, “A maid was vacuuming the room next to mine and the vacuum cleaner sounded like a siren and I had to tell myself, ‘Calm down, you’re not there anymore’.” Even though Lyushnevskaya is safe in Poland, the trauma follows her and presents itself in her everyday life. “There’s a train that goes by near my hotel and it makes these sounds that sound like gunfire,” Lyushnevskaya said. One of the shopping centers in Kyiv, where Lyushnevskaya attended her godson’s birthday party just a few months ago, was attacked and completely destroyed. As a journalist, Lyushnevskaya had to write a news story about it. While researching and writing about this attack, Yana learned some devastating news. “I learned that someone I know was injured in that attack. Finding out about that is difficult enough, but then having to write stories in an impartial and objective journalist type of way is even more difficult,” Lyushnevskaya says
dejectedly. Lyushnevskaya reports on the Ukraine invasion completely remotely from her hotel room in Poland. The conflict between Ukraine and Russia has left Lyushnevskaya with issues of trust and feelings of unease. Lyushnevskaya said, “With Putin and Russia in power, I would never be able to feel safe.”
Opinion: the u By Ernesto Leon Assistant Features Editor
Photo provided by Yana Lyushnevskaya A picture of the bomb shelter in the basement of a music school in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Yana Lyushnevskaya
The unjust invasion of Ukraine by Russia has been all over the news worldwide. With such a mass amount of coverage, there have been way too many situations of prejudiced reporting when it comes to this topic, especially by Western media. It’s important to call it out and have individuals reassess themselves before making comments that add to the racial and ethnic discrimination that exists in our society. It’s significant to explain that racism is a very complex term. It’s so much more than a personal ideology, more than anything it’s a system. David T. Wellman, who is well known for his contribution to racial studies with his book “Portraits of White Racism,” gives a very accurate definition of what many see as racism today-- being a mix of cultural messages which is the
focus here, but also policies and actions of individuals in a society. An example of this prejudicial coverage was in an on-air segment by NBC News correspondent Kelly Cobiela, who said, “These are not refugees from Syria, these are refugees from Ukraine… These are Christians, they’re white, they’re very similar.” This was a statement made on national TV. Is she directly saying that white refugees are more important to care about than middle eastern refugees? No. Is that the implication I’m getting? Yes. This is the type of racism that is a lot more common in society, and we saw it again on national TV. On an on-air segment by CBS News with Charlie D’agata, a foreign news correspondent said, “This isn’t a place (Ukraine) like Iraq or Afghanistan, this is a relatively civilized, relatively European city where you wouldn’t expect that or hope that it’s going to
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March 23, 2022
CSUB faculty reflect on conflict By Graciela Aguilar Staff Writer
unjust invasion happen.” The word that really gets me here is “civilized”. War and violence do not belong to BIPOC communities, and it’s tiring to view cultural messages like this on such grand platforms. I’m tired of the ”Angry Black Woman” trope, the ”Crime committing Mexican” trope, the ”savage” Native trope, and the many others that exist for marginalized communities. As people, we should hope that war is not wanted anywhere, not just in European nations. There was also a statement made by Deputy Chief Prosecutor of Ukraine, David Sakvarelidze, on BBC news that demonstrated how much society links whiteness to validness. “It’s very emotional for me because I see European people with blue eyes and blonde hair being killed.” Now, death is sad no matter the reason, but it’s interesting to think of why he would add those physical features to his
statement. To garner more sympathy? To try and appeal to certain people? I don’t know, but what I do know is that it’s this rhetoric that will continue to dehumanize people who don’t fit into the standard. I believe the best advice to help deter these types of microaggressions that happen in our communities and relationships is that I got from Ibram X. Kendi, from his research known as a term as ”anti-racist.” In order to truly make a more justified society, a world that thinks before it speaks a lot more often has individuals check their biases and why they have them, we have to seek to be anti-racist. It’s not enough to be passive about racism because that is still contributing to the problem. One has to actively seek to speak out against injustice as well as want to learn why the issues are there and the best way to solve them.
California State University, Bakersfield’s political science and communication faculty reflect and help analyze the Ukrainian Invasion that erupted Feb. 24, 2022. With the help of the Political Science chair Mark Martinez, political science professor Dirk Horn, and a former Fulbright Scholar Specialist in Russia, Elizabeth Jackson, communication professor, a former Fulbright Scholar Specialist in Russia. Elizabeth Jackson reflects on her time in Russia and the devastating attacks on Ukriane. The program allows overseas universities, cultural centers, and other institutions abroad to form projects that host a leading U.S. academic or professional at their institution to work on diverse, short-term collaborative projects. Jackson worked to reset the cultural boundaries and stereotypes of African Americans in Russia and give a number of lectures on journalism during her time there. Before she departed to Russia, she knew of a copy editor working for The Los Angeles Times. She offered to help Jackson before she left to help her understand Russian culture and basic knowledge of the county. Her close friend Ann Simmons is now the Moscow Bureau Chief of The Wall Street Journal. She
prepared Jackson for the Fulbright Scholar Specialist Position she was now set to take. Jackson has visited Russia three times, twice as a visiting scholar presenting papers and lectures on redefining hip-hop culture within the perspectives of Russian students. Jackson also spoke on American culture, and how American educational systems were now introducing hip hop studies to understand cultural demographics. “Being a Fulbright scholar, it allows you the opportunity to be able to open your eyes and understand that people are not monsters,” said Jackson relating to the ongoing conflict currently happening in Ukraine. “It’s such a deep and intimate connection, getting perspectives on culture, meeting fellow academics, and students, you get to see a lot of things, and what you recognize is, this incursion on Ukraine, has nothing to do, for the most part, with the Russian population. This is the doing of Putin. We cannot see the Russian population to blame or hate for Putin’s actions. Especially of the people are getting incorrect information due to the states control over media and internet use,” Jackson elaborated. Jackson offers a similarity between former President Trumps actions towards people of color and Latinx people. Even if the president was putting children in cages or telling the house representative’s that were women of color to go back to their countries, his actions to not
Photos provided by CSUB Elizabeth Jackson, Dirk Horn, and Mark Martinez
reflect who the American people are and what they stand for. The same should be viewed for Russian citizens. Since 2014, historically, Russian oligarchs have recurringly felt some form of threat of Eastern Europe, regarding security. Most of which have been manifested through Putin’s own beliefs. Up until the point before the attacks, there has been no significant threat to Russia regarding security issues. Weeks prior to the invasion, satellite images reveled at least 100,000 Russian troops and tanks piling up along the borders of Ukraine, during said time, Vladimir Putin Russian president, had denied any allegation of the invasion that was set to come just a few weeks later. Europe and the United States all suspected the same, that Russia was planning its invasion to stop Ukraine from moving closer to the west. In 2014, Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine, and as of now is advancing in three main directions. Crimea in the south, Donetsk and Luhansk regions in the east, and Belarus in the north. Russia aims to destabilize Ukraine and to keep it from moving closer to the west where it can’t partnership with The North Atlantic Treaty Organization. NATO is an organized international military alliance of many countries. Putin has said in the past that he would takes the necessary steps to stop the expansion of NATO in Europe and has even suggested it stay out of Europe completely. Mark Martinez, pollical science department chair at CSUB, offers his insight to the conflict: “Putin would like to see one of the NATO partners jump into the conflict, whether that be by coaxing or antagonizing them, it is all a part of a greater geostatistical plan to give leeway to his actions for his attacks,” says Martinez. Martinez, too has been closely following the conflict and agrees that if NATO partners are not forced into the conflict,
the United States should remain with minor to no intervention in the conflict. The Russian-Ukraine war could have had different implications if Ukriane would have continued it partnership with NATO back in 2013. As NATO works one for all, if one power is attacked, all members would be involved. This, however, isn’t the case. Now, Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, says he does not want partnership with NATO during this delicate time. President Zelenskyy has urged NATO for a no-flyzone being implemented over Ukraine. No fly zones are usually implemented by NATO to protect populations from all or certain aircrafts flying over a designated area. NATO and allies have refused a no-fly-zone order due to concerns over nuclear warfare, which can lead into a dangerous conflict. “If one side suffers a casualty that’s how wars start between nuclear powers, there’s a reason why the United States and the Soviet Union never got into a direct conflict during the Cold War. We had lots of proxy wars, where we would use other states essentially and fight our battles there for what type of government those states would have. But we never got into direct conflict because we have nuclear powers. When you have nuclear powers that can escalate into a nuclear war rather quickly,” said Dirk Horn, political science lecturer at CSUB. The ominous threat of nuclear war has kept NATO from making any risky decisions. Putin controls the world’s largest arsenal of nuclear weapons and has already threatened anyone who might intervene in his plans. Countries around the world have begun imposing harsh economic sanctions to try and stop Russia, as well as sending an abundance of military aid to support Ukraine during this devastating time.
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Features
The Runner
March 23, 2022
Collage art evokes a wide range of emotions By Ernesto Leon Assistant Features Editor
Art is a display of emotion; it’s a showcase of feelings that are brought out by the artist for it to have a physical manifestation. Art comes in a variety of forms and one of those is analog collage art. This is an artstyle that is created by using magazine letters and images to make a piece that comes from the combination of many magazines to create something new. Sonia M. Rodriguez is a CSU Bakersfield alumnus, who currently works as the social media coordinator for the Kegley Institute of Ethics and resides in Bakersfield. She was first introduced to analog collage art by a friend in 2019 and has since created over 100 pieces. She describes the process as long but satisfying. “It can take 3-5 hours. I hand cut, paste, and upload the piece,” said Rodriguez. Rodriquez explained that when she previously lived in Fresno she sold her art through art hops; these are settings where artists could sell their work. Her art pieces usually sold at prices ranging from $15 - $50. She talked about the reason she does art more than anything; because it is an outlet for her inner expressions. “They show what I feel. They’re not all from the same headspace, but they all helped me express myself in a time where it was important that I did,” explained Rodriguez. Roman Lost, a local artist who specializes in sculpting, gives some insight into the correla-
tion between art and emotion and how he thinks collage art expresses it so vividly.
“With collage art, it represents more visual than anything. It creates a new sense of vision from
Photo by Sonia Rodriguez
Collage art by Sonia Rodriguez the artist… Whenever looking at collage art you can see the meaning so clearly, and I like that. Art
in general can help an audience see a meaning. It visualizes emotion for others…,” said Lost. This is exactly what Rodriguez wants to show with her art. It’s meant to show others that feelings need a way to express themselves. She explains that she has gone through a lot of hardships and she doesn’t want those moments in her life that she overcame to feel like it was for nothing, but rather she wants to turn those moments into something beautiful. For Rodriguez, a lot of her early art is based on what she felt with heartbreak and mental health. She said that even going back to look at those pieces can be hard, but was important for the outlet it gave her. She quotes a line from one of her favorite shows, Bojack Horsemen. “All the trauma that I have has to mean something, and I have to create art, or all this trauma I have is for nothing,” said Rodriguez. She continues by explaining that it was always the pieces that came from her in a dark place that received the most likes and clicks because it’s what so many relate to, but she wants to make it clear that art is representative of oneself, and it can be happy like her art is now. Rodriguez wants to make Bakersfield which she considers a second home more of an art community. She wants to let people know that it is okay to make art the way you want to make it. If you’re ever feeling like you need to express yourself get a pair of scissors, glue, and some old magazines and create something that shows how you feel.
Collage art by Sonia Rodriguez
Features
The Runner
March 23, 2022
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Vida Vegan pasta night hits home By Alexis Shofner Staff Writer As a vegan, Vida Vegan has been a frequent spot for me since their opening in 2019. The eatery serves a variety of dishes, from “chickn’” sandwiches to veganized ceviche and is heavily influenced by Latin cuisine. The co-owner, Mao Granada, is Colombian and likes to show off the cultural flavors through the menu, which has evolved incredibly since their doors first opened. The numerous plants, low lights, and acoustic covers provide a lively ambiance to the atmosphere of Vida Vegan. It’s what a great night is supposed to feel like. When you enter, the front staffs greet you and are extremely helpful with giving out recommendations to those who cannot pick between all the delicious meals listed on the menu. For this Pasta Night, the options were between
fettuccine alfredo and “chickn’” parmigiana, and after an employee’s recommendation, I had my heart set on the fettucine alfredo. The dish comes with a side salad as an appetizer while you wait for the entrée, and you have an option between Caesar or ranch dressing. The salad itself was refreshing and light but the plating choice of a stainless silver steel bowl was a bit strange to me and didn’t match the theme of the eatery. Along with the pasta, I indulged in a red velvet cake served in a cup and an order of pickle fries with a dipping sauce of south-western ranch. The cake was moist, rich, and covered in a buttercream frosting. While the pickle fries were tasty, the breading lacked that crunch factor you hope for from deep-fried foods. The drink of choice was a new addition called the Encanto Vida Palmer, a strawberry lemonade with butterfly pea tea. It was a beautifully layered beverage providing
Photo provided by Alexis Shoftner/The Runner
Fettucine alfredo with an order of pickle fries and a side of strawberry lemonade. a sweet flavor from the lemonade and a tartness from the tea, making it a
perfectly balanced sip in between bites of extreme flavor.
While the pickle fries didn’t impress me as much, they did impress Katie
Greenfield, another enjoyer of the eatery’s food that night.“The pickle flavor is great; I wasn’t expecting to like it this much,” Greenfield said. The star of the show, the fettucine alfredo, came out plated beautifully and the flavor profile was sated with comfort. The noodles were al dente--topped with crispy vegan “chickn’” and broccoli--and soaked up the creamy sauce like a tender hug. It even comes with a side of garlic toast-- pasta’s best friend. The only questionable thing about the dish was the chopped green onions tossed in, which I’m assuming were used to bring color and freshness to the dish, but it stuck out like the new kid in class. According to a 2019 Yelp review by Chris M., it seems that green onions are a frequent visitor in the noodle dishes. Overall, the pasta night was a success and left me feeling like I had just eaten a friend’s homemade meal.
Five ways to kickstart spring cleaning By Alexis Shofner Staff Writer Spring signifies a period of re-
1. Separate your cleaning into different categories. Decluttering your environment will always be beneficial and is usually what most people think of when they hear the term “spring cleaning”, but there are other areas that need occasional tidying up. Separating your cleaning routine into more specific categories like digital, personal, and home will help you stay more organized when getting to cleaning. You could also make certain days correlate to each category, for example – Wednesdays are when I focus on ridding digital clutter and Sundays are for household chores.
2. Start a mood board. This tip doesn’t only apply to springtime, but it is a great time to start experimenting with creating a personalized mood board, either digital or physical. Similar to separating your cleaning routine, you could make separate mood boards for each area of your life and make them digital or physical. Many artists, designers, and even CEOs use mood boards to visually represent their goals. Creating a mood board enables one to practice the Law of Attraction by assembling images and/or quotes that evoke positive emotional responses, according to Grace Markel’s 2020 article for Her Campus.
birth of the natural world around us. There is no better time to reset, reorganize, and reevaluate our lives than this critical season.
From cleaning tips to mood board ideas, here are 5 tips on how to create your own springtime agenda.
3. Try new things.
4. Transition your wardrobe.
Since springtime represents rebirth, a good way to allow yourself to grow this season is by getting out of your comfort zone. Trying one new thing a week is a great way to ease yourself into this tip. Perhaps instead of ordering your usual Starbucks drink, you try a new one or try out an entirely different café if you’re feeling ambitious. According to a 2017 HuffPost article, trying new things not only allows you to get to know yourself better but also stimulates creativity and opens new developmental opportunities.
5. Get down to earth.
Having the right clothes for the season is also an important step to your agenda. Spring is full of vibrant colors and warm weather so your closet should be able to adapt to that. Ditch the winter sweaters and opt-out for comfy basics like t-shirts, jeans, even a good set of leisurewear. This could even be your chance to try something new if you don’t normally wear colors.
Learning to become more connected to nature is obtainable at any point of the year but since springtime is pivotal for nature, it’s a great time to start. This can only be done, however, by allowing yourself to spend time outside. A few ways to incorporate nature into your life is by starting a garden, taking walks, or meditating in an outdoor area. Whichever outdoor activity you choose to partake in, be sure to take a moment to recognize the beauty and abundance around you.
Illustrations by Faith Okoli/The Runner
Opinions
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The Runner
March 23, 2022
Mulaney makes a suprising comeback By Ashley Soren Opinions Writer Bakersfield has seen an increase in tours this year, with musicians such as Snoop Dog and Rise Against hosting shows in the Mechanics Bank located downtown. Certain comedians have come to host shows in Bakersfield as well, with one of them being John Mulaney. Mulaney was known for his polished comedy acts that can be viewed on Netflix. Recently, Mulaney has been a man of controversy. In Dec. 2020 Mulaney had checked into a rehabilitation center after it was revealed that he had an addiction to illegal drugs. He had also divorced his wife, Anna Marie Tendler, and has since dated and had a child with famous actress Olivia Munn. When I had first heard the news about Mulaney’s situation, I was shocked. My previous vision of the skinny, awkward comedian quickly changed, and I found it hard to process at the time. I had enjoyed his previous specials “Kid Gorgeous” and “New in Town” on Netflix, and the controversy made me question whether I could
enjoy them in the same way ever again. Many fans felt the same way as his name became a trending topic on Twitter when his offense was revealed to the public. Eventually the storm he had created began to fade, and there was no word from or about him for quite a while afterwards. In Dec. 2021, Mulaney announced his first tour since leaving rehab in Feb. 2021. After a year had passed since his controversy, I had made the decision to see him after being offered free tickets to the event at the Fox Theater in downtown Bakersfield. Mulaney had immediately made it apparent to the crowd that his act would be greatly different from his previous acts, starting the show by asking a fourteen-year-old named Will in the crowd if he had heard about what happened to him in the past year. He went on to explain his experience in being involved in a surprise intervention, which his friends and fellow comedians had hosted, and his journey through the rehabilitation process. While he often mocked those involved in organizing the intervention, he made sure to mention that
if they had not intervened, he would not be in a better place. A few of his other jokes included mocking the town of Bakersfield by mentioning that there was not a lot to do in the town and mocking the FBI. Additionally, he struggled to keep his shoes on throughout the act, stopping to tie them and making a joke out of it. He also mentioned that being a father had changed his life for the better and concluded the act by comparing his former self with his present self by reading off answers to questions in an interview he was in just a few days before his intervention. My concluding thoughts on the show itself were mixed. I enjoyed the show and found myself laughing multiple times, but after walking out of the theater I felt that it was a weird experience that made me feel awkward during several bits of the show. It was clear to me that Mulaney had changed drastically and used his act to express that. Many others felt the same way, such as Taylor Gray from nique.net. Gray had attended his show in Atlanta, GA in Sept. 2021 before his country-wide
Screenshot from KGET
Photo promotion for John Mulaney’s tour. tour. “Sauntering onto the situation into perspective, stage of the Roxy,” Gray and I will admit that I begins, “Mulaney set found myself laughing at the tone for the night by the way he recalled past pleading with the audience events. to buy his merchandise out Anna Tingley from in the lobby, including a variety.com takes a similar shirt with the phrase ‘I saw stance, mentioning that him right after he got outta his act was, “…raw, both rehab’ emblazoned on the in its frankness and in the chest.” complete lack of polish Gray makes it clear that, that we typically associate “…a few minutes into the with Mulaney’s work.” set made it very clear that The lack of polish was the John Mulaney standing one of the first things I in front of the crowd was a personally noticed, as changed man.” Mulaney was not dressed However, Gray makes it up in his usual suit and clear that the audience was tie, and he immediately there to revel in the chaotic opened the show with his details of the past year of personal life. Mulaney’s life.” Leila Jordan from pasCalling Mulaney’s past temagazine.com believes year chaotic is the most that Mulaney’s drastic accurate way to put his change in material is
strategic. Jordan states that, “While there are undeniably conflicted feelings about this turn, Mulaney seems to want to use this as an opportunity to reinvent himself as a comedian.” Jordan continues by emphasizing that, “The comedian is older and trying to stay sober[,] so he is creating a new type of persona that adapts to his new reality.” I believe that Mulaney’s show was a glimpse into his future as a comedian; the days of a trim and proper Mulaney are long gone, and now he can finally express himself in the way he wants.
Elden Ring delivers intimidating challenges for all players By Ashley Soren Opinions Writer Feb. 2022 marked the release of a highly anticipated role-playing game called Elden Ring. Developed by FromSoftware Inc. and BANDAI NAMCO, the world of Elden Ring includes everything players expect from the developers of the famous games Dark Souls and Bloodborne. Littered with rival knights, massive boss monsters, and hulking dragons, Elden Ring delivers an intimidating challenge to new and hardened player alike. Elden Ring begins with a gorgeous opening cutscene that explains to the player, who is referred to as “Tarnished”, that the great relic known as the Elden ring has been shattered, and that they must
gather the great runes of the mighty lords to restore it. The player then begins their journey, opening the door that leads to the lands of Limgrave and beyond. The scenery is breathtaking; a looming, glowing tree stands out amid a vast forest, and the further you go, the more there is to see. There are underground rivers, cursed lands, and beautiful lakes for the player to find, and many monsters and bosses for them to slay along the way. One of the most infamous bosses known as the Tree Sentinel is the first hurdle for most players, and it is a completely optional fight. I challenged the boss much later after growing stronger and still had difficulty fighting it. The adrenaline of finally besting this formidable
foe was well worth all the deaths and hours I spent in the game. Jade King from TheGamer praises FromSoftware, mentioning, “FromSoftware doesn’t rewrite the medium’s rulebook, but does tear its own tenets asunder while reconstructing them into a cohesive whole that outclasses all that came before it.” Jade King gave Elden Ring a perfect score of one hundred points, and he was not the only reviewer to give it that score. Mick Fraser from God is a Geek also gave the game a perfect score of one hundred, believing Elden Ring to be, “Deep, wide, and absolutely packed with adventure,” and continues by stating that, “Elden Ring’s immense, deadly open world is nothing short of game-changing.” As an avid fan of the
Screenshot from Elden Ring
Dark Souls trilogy and Bloodborne, I was excited to pick up the game on release. So far, I’ve only put in roughly twenty-four hours into the game, and I anticipate every moment I get the chance to play more. Although there are some performance issues for some, especially on PC,
the game itself is both beautiful and fun to play if one’s hardware can run it. Players have the option of running the game on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, with PC still being the best option in my opinion. For players who seek an exhilarating and challeng-
ing experience with breathtaking visuals and amazing bosses, Elden Ring is the game for you. However, if players shrink in fear at the thought of spending hours in a game perfecting their skills until they can beat a boss, then the game might not be for you.
Opinions
The Runner
March 23, 2022
9
Breaking the concert camping stereotype in five days
Kiara and her newly made friends posing with a sign they made to grab Louis Tomlinson’s attention.
By Kiara Zabala Opinions Writer Camping out for concerts has a very toxic stigma around it, but after this past weekend I have a new outtake on it. Within these past several days, I discovered some of the kindest souls on the streets of Los Angeles as we all came together to support our favorite artist, Louis Tomlinson. In this day and age, concert-goers no longer arrive an hour before the concert starts, but instead will camp out in tents days before the concert with a hope of getting the very best view of their favorite artist. Whether it be rain or shine, die hard fans are willing to sleep on the streets in front of the venue in order to secure their spot. Although this was an extremely tiring situation and my back is still in pain days later, I would do it over again a thousand times. When I first got my Louis Tomlinson tickets back in late 2019, I had no intention of camping out for days on end. However, I found myself driving up on Thursday night and did not come back into town until late Monday afternoon. Camping out for a concert was certainly not what I expected, but I wouldn’t change the experience for the world.
My friend and I first arrived at the venue around 7am on Friday morning. You would think that we were the very first people in line; yet we were numbers 23 and 24. The numbering was fan-made in order to keep the control and spots of people. The numbering was actually quite helpful when situations arose of fans trying to cut their way to be further up in line. Although my friend and I brought various blankets, snacks, and sweaters, we were not prepared for the next several days of sleeping on the streets of L.A. From getting sunburned to having to get an uber to use the restroom in the morning to driving somewhere to use the showers. Camping out for my concert was certainly not to be taken lightly.This was my first time doing anything like this. By the time the first concert rolled around on Saturday night, I was sunburned and sleep deprived. My feet were hurting from standing and I was just ready to give up and head to the back of pit. However, when we finally were let inside the venue, I was number 24 which allowed me to get barricade on that first night. I stood there in awe and then proceeded to cry at the fact of my favorite artist would be standing right there in front of me
and might even notice me. And I was correct, he did in fact notice me several times that first night. He even sent a wink my way that I fortunately have on video forever. When the second concert came around, I was number 109 in line which led me to believe that my chances of getting barricade were shot. Yet again, I was able to get barricade where Louis noticed me once more. I was losing my voice and was beginning to get sore but seeing him in the flesh after years of being a fan was worth it all. Black Squirrel Radio wrote an article back in 2019 that read, “Camping culture hasn’t been much of a problem until the last couple of years... In current day, these people flock by the dozens, arriving days before the show is supposed to take place.” Camping for concerts was not always a thing but some bands, such as One Direction and BTS, have such a huge following that they are so passionate about them, it causes camping to occur for longer than average timespans. This is not a bad thing, simply this just shows how truly dedicated some fans can become. Since One Direction was Tomlinson’s old band, a lot of his fans have followed him as he begins the jour
ney as a solo artist. LTHQ (Louis Tomlinson Head Quarters) Official wrote an article on February 5, “Louis Tomlinson’s tour stopped in Louis’ namesake city - St. Louis. Fans camped out in the snow before the show and Charlie, Louis’ videographer, was seen filming the tents!” Fans of Tomlinson surely are dedicated, not even a little snow can keep his fans off the streets. Overall, my review on camping? Sleeping outside on the streets of L.A. where a coyote ran past while we were sleeping. Having to wear two hoodies and blankets, yet still shiver. Applying sunscreen in the morning even though you will still get burned by the sun. Worrying that you will pass out because you haven’t yet been able to get your hands on something to drink. Would I do it all over again? Will I be doing this in the future when Tomlinson comes back to California? Of course. Although camping isn’t for everyone, I have never felt more accepted and safer in a crowd of people. We all looked out for one another out there, by doing food runs and taking turns buying cases of water. Sleeping on the concrete was not the most ideal, but waking up to smiling faces as we moved closer to the venue was
Photo by Kiara Zabala/ The Runner
Photo by Kiara Zabala/ The Runner The crowd waiting on the streets for the concert to start.
Photo by Kiara Zabala/The Runner Fans sitting in chairs together on the street while waiting for the concert to start.
more than worth it. Meeting people who cared to listen to what I had to say about him as I spoke and did not just brush me off as some crazy girl because they too felt all that I felt for him. Making eye contact with Louis Tomlinson after following his overall journey throughout the music industry he’s made in the
world for over the past ten years. Yes. It was all worth it.If I had the chance to do it all over, I would not do anything different. My back still does hurt and the sunburn is finally fading away. Although my body will forget the effect the elements had on me, the memories I made the past few days will last me a lifetime.
Opinions
10
March 23, 2022
The Runner
The Haunting Fate of Eleanor Crain By Jessica Espinoza Social Media Manager
As with most humans, we often all share common experiences, whether those experiences be traumatic or pleasant. Even if we haven’t experienced something, we can all empathize with characters we feel akin to. Such as is the case with the wonderfully well-rounded character of Eleanor Crain in the Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House. The mystery miniseries allows the audience to slowly build relationships with the Crain kids as we watch them grow up before our eyes, with Eleanor being one of the youngest. She is often overlooked or dismissed by her family who never listen to her. Her character is not without flaw, though, and can be just as selfish and self-centered as her siblings; however, this characteristic is not her downfall. The feeling of being unheard by those around you is a relatable human experience we have all felt at one point in our lives. Before further analyzing her character, we should summarize her purpose in the series. Eleanor Crain, or as her family affectionately nicknamed her, Nelly, is a tragic character. She is the second youngest of five siblings. In her childhood at Hill House, she is often haunted by “The Bent-Neck Lady,” a gray ghost with a protruded bone sticking out the side of her
Screenshot from The Haunting of Hill House
neck. Eventually, the Crain children lose their mother to the insanity of the house, ultimately moving in with their aunt. In adulthood, we see that she is still struggling with the constant apparitions of “The Bent-Neck Lady”. She describes to Arthur, her eventual husband, that the ghost often appears during her sleep paralysis. During their conversation she points out, “It’s nice to be listened to.” (“The Bent-Neck Lady.”) One morning, during a
paralysis, Arthur has an aneurysm and quickly passes away as Nelly lies there, helplessly watching her husband die. “The Bent-Neck Lady” appears for the first time in years, seemingly mocking her. Stricken by grief and depression, she seeks comfort from her family, but they remain too self-absorbed in their issues to listen to Nelly as she is slowly losing her mind. Eventually, she returns to the source of all her trauma, Hill House, where
Screenshot from The Haunting of Hill House
she is convinced by the then insane ghost of her mother to hang herself. As she dies, she returns to all the traumatic scenes of the haunting of “The Bent-Neck Lady” only to realize that it was her all along and this was her destiny. Nelly was a character who was bound for tragedy since the first appearance of “The Bent-Neck Lady”. She was a character who is very relatable as we have all felt unheard by someone in our time of need. The surprising revelation of Nelly’s ghost being her all along is gut-wrenching ly tragic and sickening. To see her character go from a scared little girl to a depressed and unheard adult helped the audience build empathy for her, especially as we see her struggle and eventually give up. However, upon realizing that she was “The BentNeck Lady” all along, the audience realizes that she could not be helped, and her fate was cemented the moment her family moved to Hill House. The most heart-wrenching scene to embody this idea during the series runtime must be during the
episode “Two Storms.” During the episode we see the Crain family preoccupied with trying to get the power back on in the house, while the struggling Nelly disappears, causing the family to separate and look for her throughout the house before ultimately getting distracted by their own obstacles. At the end of the episode, Nelly reappears, sobbing in the same spot she had disappeared in. She tells her family, “I was right here, and I was screaming and shouting and none of you could see me. Why can’t you see me? I waved and jumped and screamed and you didn’t even look. None of you even looked.” (“Two Storms”). This quote embodies her character perfectly. In this instance she asks her family, “why couldn’t you see me,” and the answer was they were too preoccupied with their own lives to give her what she needed. No matter how hard she tried to cry for help to those around her, they paid her no attention, except for the audience who saw her, listened to her, but could not help.
Instead, we watch the inevitable tragedy run its course. Eleanor Crain’s char acter is a tragic one, and from the start of the series we can see her character is meant to die. Her sole purpose in the story is for her death to be
Photo from Wiki Fandom
used as a stepping stone to urge her siblings to uncover the truth and heal from the trauma of Hill House. Yet, the audience cannot help but feel empathy for her as we follow her from childhood to adulthood, from life to death. The audience sees Nelly’s transformation into a completely different being as she is reunited in death with her parents. They are doomed to rot within the walls of Hill House, together, for eternity.
Sports
11
March 23, 2022
Player Spotlight: Jacob Sieder
By David Mendoza Sports Writer
The athlete of the week that we will be honoring is CSU Bakersfield heavyweight wrestler Jacob Sieder who is a senior from Torrance, California. When asked what got him into wrestling, he shared the influence of his dad taking him to wrestling practices and he mentioned that he decided to continue his wrestling career when he began competitively in high school. As the wrestling season is coming towards the end, Sieder is feeling physically healthy with no injuries. He does not have to cut any weight, therefore it helps him focus on his technique. As the Pac-12 Championship is coming up on Sunday March. 6 Sieder
Photo provided by CSUB Jacob Sieder, senior
feels confident in his preparation and with the help of his coaches. He shares that this season has been different for him because it was a last-minute decision to come back to wrestling for the Runners in late December. When asked what made him come back? He shares that he had gone
back to his high school in Torrance to help coach the wrestling team and was debating with himself whether he should continue his career or not. He then got a call from Coach Smith asking if he would come back and he agreed because he felt that he would regret not competing again. Although he started this season later than his teammates, he views his overall performance as a good one, feeling that after each match he is improving. One big achievement for himself this season was going up against the wrestler that knocked him out of the Pac-12 last season and beating him. This brings confidence to Sieder as he looks forward to making his mark in the Pac-12 Championship.
The Runner
CSUB wrestling team bounces back from loss By David Mendoza Sports Writer With wrestling coming towards the end of the season, Coach Smith sits down to discuss his views on his team’s performances for the last two tournaments. The Runners traveled to Tempe, Arizona on Mar. 5 to compete in the 2022 Pac-12 Conference Championships and then followed by the NCAA Championships March 17 to March 19. When asked about some of the challenges faced this season, Coach Smith discussed having to deal with many injuries and not having his starting lineup for every tournament or dual, they competed in. He also shared the difficulties of dealing with COVID-19 this season, seeing how the schedule changed where they would compete and having many teams cancel on him. Although he faced these challenges, he applauded his team for being resilient and adapting to everything they have had to face.
Photo provided by CSUB Luke Smith, head coach
Now having the bounce back from a tough loss to Oregon State University, Coach Smith says his wrestlers are not dwelling on that tough duel but looking at the mistakes that were made to now correct and show a better version of themselves in Arizona. When asked about his view on his team’s overall performance, it is tough for him to say since they have had to deal with a lot of their wrestlers being out due to injury. However, he has seen improvement as the break has allowed them to come back full strength. He wants to challenge his wrestlers against tough
schools like Michigan, Iowa, and others so that when the Conference Championships come around the team will be ready to face any challenge. When asked who he would consider his best wrestler or wrestlers he could not name one but a couple wrestlers that he sees making it to the NCAA championship. He mentioned Chance Rich who competes at 133 pounds and Angelo Martinoni who competes at 141 pounds. They are both national qualifiers from last year. He also mentions Albert Urias and Jacob Sieder. Albert Urias competes at 174 pounds and has beat three wrestlers that are currently ranked. Also, Jacob Sieder competes at heavyweight and has not lost to any wrestler that is ranked outside of the top 22. Coach Smith sees all these wrestlers named above as capable of punching their ticket into the NCAA Championships.
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Sports
The Runner
March 23, 2022
12
CSUB wraps up Big West Conference By Michael Canelo Special to The Runner
Justin McCall steals the ball at the onset of the second game of the Big West Conference.
The ‘Runners bench reacts to the strong defense forcing a Hawaii turnover.
CSUB’sJustin McCall converts the 2 point field goal.
CSUB’s Andie Easley attempts to tie the game with a 3 point field goal.
The big story heading into the 2022 Big West Championships Tournament was that both CSUB men’s and women’s basketball were aiming to get their first wins in the tournament, coming back from their early exits in the first round during last year’s tournament. Both teams went up against CSU Northridge, and both came away victorious. CSUB men’s won 58 to 45, and CSUB women’s won 63 to 62. The next round was tougher as both teams went up against their respective number one seeds, with the women facing Hawai’i, and the men facing off with Long Beach State. The women almost pulled off an upset, falling just short of the champions with a final score of 48 to 47. The men fought hard, but lost as well to Long Beach St at 72 to 61. Both teams got knocked out in the quarterfinals, with CSU Fullerton defeating Long Beach State in men’s, and Hawai’i maintaining their champion status in women’s. Students, staff, and fans returned to the Big West Championship tournament for the first time in two years. In 2020, the buses had to come home during the tournament due to the pandemic surge, and in 2021, it was held without fans due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The cheerleader’s dance team, band students, and staff left CSUB on Tuesday at 6 a.m., arriving at the
Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nevada just in time for the tip off of the women’s game versus CSU Northridge. The student section was rocking, and the women’s team felt it all the way to the end as they defeated CSU Northridge at 63 to 62 in overtime. “I want to thank all of you for coming and for making this such a spirited and wonderful occasion. Thank you for making me so happy. Students, this is all about you. All about you. You are the best students. We would not trade you for any students on earth,” said CSUB President Lynnette Zelezny. The action did not stop there as the Runners’ men’s team took the court at 6 p.m. with the rowdy section back in force. The men’s team gave the band, students, and cheerleader’s a lot to cheer about as they pulled together for a win over CSU Northridge at 58 to 45. “From the very beginning and we stuck with them, obviously, through overtime and we got that win. And that is partly because of you. You guys did a really good job on that,” said head cheerleading coach and spirit coordinator Arthur Smith. All the students, staff and fans that made the trip were a huge support and helped CSUB basketball get their first two wins in tournament history for both men’s and women’s. If both teams are going to make a run at the title, they are going to need all the fans to be loud in the stands.
Photos by Carlos Hernandez, The Runner
Kaleb Higgins penetrates CSUN’s defense in the second half of Wednesday’s game.
The ‘Runners forced 11 turnovers on the night and held CSUN to a 32.6% field goal percentage.
Vanessa Austin posts up the defender in the final minutes of the game.
