therunneronline.com California State University, Bakersfield
April 14, 2021
Vol. 46, No. 13
Full Court Press CSUB Vaccination Hub now offers shot to anyone 16 and older. Pg. 2 News: Ibram X. Kendi speaks to CSUB Pg. 4
Opinions: Why clothes should be recycled Pg. 8
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Sports: Basketball player begins recovery Pg. 9
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Pg. 6
@csub_runner
Features: Spotlight on local muralist Pg. 5
News
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The Runner
April 14, 2021
The Runner Staff 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 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Damian Lopez dlopez57@csub.edu NEWS EDITOR Rosa Salazar rsalazar27@csub.edu FEATURES EDITOR Chase Anderson canderson39@csub.edu OPINIONS EDITOR McKenna Tessandori mtessandori@csub.edu COPY CHIEF Taylor Redstone tredstone@csub.edu ART DIRECTOR Faith Okoli fokoli@csub.edu PHOTO EDITOR Ellen Kommel ekommel@csub.edu SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR Allea Paguia apaguia@csub.edu ADVERTISING MANAGER Kristofer Rogic krogic@csub.edu 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. CORRECTIONS Help us ensure accuracy by sending corrections requests to runner@csub.edu.
CSUB offers residents COVID-19 vaccines By Damian Lopez, Editor-in-Chief Michael Canelo, Sports Reporter CSUB’s Mass Vaccination Hub has discontinued the use of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine amid concerns of blood clotting. “Following today’s CDC and FDA guidance calling for a pause using the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, the CSUB Vaccination Hub will administer the Pfizer vaccine to persons 16 years of age and older effective immediately,” Kaiser Permanente said in a press release sent by Eva Ramirez, senior communications specialist for Kaiser Permanente. As of April 13, the vaccination hub records 24,714 vaccinations from March 26 to April 12. Beginning April 5, all Kern County residents 16 years and older became eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccination. According to a news release on March 5 from Kern County Public Health Services Department, eligibility opened because residents voiced confusion about the eligibility and because the amount of vaccination appointments dropped. CSUB’s Vaccination Hub soft-launched on March 26 and is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Appointments are made via MyTurn.CA.gov or through walk-ins. Residents can also make an appointment by calling the Public Health Call Center at 661-321-3000. The hub offers the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is 95% effective, making it the most effective vaccine between the three available. Although the hub is open for all Kern County residents and CSUB students, including international and DACA students, the hub also accepts visitors from outside of Kern. Three people leaving the vaccination hub told The Runner they came from Los Angeles to get their vaccine. “We were actually up
here for my friend’s birthday so when we got up here, they let us know that this was happening here,” said Ruben Partida of Los Angeles. “We heard that they were welcoming people due to the discrepancies between how many doses they had and how many people were showing up,” said another resident from Los Angeles. Actor Wil Wheaton, known for their role in Star Trek: The Next Generation, and a Los Angeles county resident, posted on their Facebook page on April 3 that they received their first vaccination at CSUB’s Vaccination Hub. “There’s a vaccination site in Bakersfield, about 90 minutes north of LA that has hundreds of extra Pfizer. They have so much going unused; they are accepting walk-ins from LA! They just want to get as many people jabbed as possible, so we made the drive, and I got my first shot! There’s hardly anyone here. It’s not a bad drive, and the entire process was simple and streamlined,” wrote Wheaton. On April 5 in an onsite interview with Kristin Weber, Interim Director of Public Affairs and Brand Communication for Kaiser Permanente, said the facility is equipped to deal with fluctuations between days when there are more walkins than appointments and vice versa. When asked about those outside of Kern county looking to get their vaccine at CSUB’s hub, Weber said, “I know that we have seen people, but you can’t make an appointment on myturn if you’re outside of the county, so those people are only coming in as walk-ins…So obviously the vaccine hub is available to anyone who meets the criteria but really we are trying to get as many Kern county residents vaccinated as possible.” Weber said the goal is to operate as efficiently as possible while minimizing the number of vaccines that spoil, with “maybe one” vaccine going to waste since the hub has been in operation. She said they have gone as far
Photo provided by Ellen Kommel
The Mass Vacination Hub at CSUB has 36 stations where people can recieve their COID-19 vaccine.
Photo provided by Ellen Kommel People line up to register for the COVID-19 vaccine on April.
as pulling people in off the street so that vaccines do not go to waste. The hub has a capacity to vaccinate up to 5,400 people a day. Weber said they vaccinated about 1,100 people on Friday April 2, and over 2,000 people on Saturday April 3, but expects that number to increase now that those 16 and over are eligible in Kern county. “When you walked up it was just a trickle in of traffic and now there are people constantly coming through – all the registration lines are being used,” said Weber. All visitors are asked to wear a mask, bring a photo ID, and if under 18 years old, have a guardian present. Video remote interpreting devices are available at the hub for those who either speak or sign a different language. These devices connect users to a live person who can translate the vaccine information and process for them. The process takes about 40 to 60 minutes, including post-vaccination monitoring. At the entrance visitors are asked if they have experienced any COVID-19
related symptoms, if they have been in contact with anyone diagnosed with COVID-19, and temperatures are checked when entering the SRC. After registration, visitors are directed to what Weber called an “on-deck circle,” a sticker placed on the floor to indicate where someone waits to be called to one of one of the 36 vaccination stations. After visitors receive their vaccine, the nurse who administered the vaccine gives them a sticker with the time they are allowed to leave the observation area. Visitors can then exit the hub. Those receiving their first vaccination receive their vaccination card including the date of their next vaccination. For those who cannot return to CSUB’s hub for their next vaccination can make an appointment for a second Pfizer vaccination at another location. “We try to make it a positive experience for folks. So, you’ll see balloons up, you’ll hear people talking about spreading hope and joy, and getting back to a life that can be celebrated that sort of thing,” said Weber.
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The Runner
April 14, 2021
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CSUB faculty discuss plan for fall semester; vaccine not required By McKenna Tessandori Opinions Editor CSU Bakersfield will not require students to be vaccinated in order to attend in-person classes for the fall semester according to CSU Bakersfield President Lynnette Zelezny, during an open forum on April 7. “As of today we can only inspire you to get the vaccine, but we can’t require you to do it,” she said. According to a poll conducted on The Runner’s Instagram, in which 64 CSUB students replied, 86% of students said they will be getting the vaccine while 14% said they will not. The open forum was held by CSUB faculty to discuss the plan for returning to campus as well as the health and safety protocols that will be put in place. Vernon Harper, Provost
Illustration by Allea Paguia/ The Runner
and vice president for Academic Affairs, referred to the fall semester as a “transitional semester term for all of us as our entire society begins a more normal way of living.” According to Harper, “30% [of classes] will have a face-to-face component.” Students will see four types of classroom instruction available including face-to-face which will
meet in person on campus, asynchronous which will be completely online with no scheduled Zoom meetings, Zoom class which will meet at its scheduled times on Zoom, and flex class which will meet via Zoom and on campus at scheduled times. Harper said, “When you go to register for the course…you will see a color-coded box next to each course that indicates what type of course it is.” Students asked for an update on commencement in which Zelezny replied, “the commencement committee is working overload on this question. While it is unclear whether the commencement ceremony will be held in person, the commencement committee will be meeting to see what the options are.” Harper said students can expect many health precautions in the fall.
Screenshot by Rosa Salazar CSUB President, Lynnette Zelezny provides information about the fall semester during an open forum on April 7.
Multiple students asked if masks would be a requirement. According to Chief Williamson, the Chief of Police for University
Police Department, “masks will probably be a given for at least the fall.” The fall semester is set to begin on August 23 and registration will begin May
3. Advising for the Summer and Fall 2021 semester is set to begin April 5 and registration will begin May 3.
ASI election results with lowest voter turnout in recent years due to virtual campaign By Rosa Salazar News Editor The annual Associated Students Inc. election ended with 2.5% voter turnout, or 277 students, the lowest voter turnout over the past five years. Last year’s election turnout was 6% or 661 votes. CSU Bakersfield’s ASI announced the newly elected leaders on their social media accounts on March 26. Candidates ran unopposed in 11 out of the 13 open positions securing 100% of the votes. One of the positions in which candidates ran unopposed was for the ASI President. Stephanie Magana received 100% of the votes. “Although we didn’t see the same amount of participation this year, I am very excited about everyone that ran in elections. I have full confidence in the new incoming board, I’ve worked closely with many of them, and I have
no doubt that they will be great leaders and student advocates,” Magana said. Former ASI president, Vanessa Chicaiza said she took her Oath of Office two weeks after CSUB transitioned to virtual learning. Chicaiza describes leading ASI throughout the COVID-19 pandemic an honor and “an experience of a lifetime.” Chicaiza said she learned how to serve students in a virtual way; together. “Together, we learned how to advocate for student rights in a virtual space, how to come together in a virtual way, and how to get work done in a way that we had never imagined was possible,” she said. “As my presidential term comes to an end, I feel confident knowing that our next generation of ASI leaders are inspired and dedicated to upholding a legecy of service and student representation,” Chicaiza said Emma Gillian, the newly
elected director of student support, believes lack of information is to blame for the low number of running candidates and low voter turnout. “I don’t feel like students knew most of the information regarding elections were on Instagram stories (and I think maybe two posts) or purely through email. The issue with that is we have been bombarded by emails for a year now to the point there are some memes and jokes whenever we get an email from certain people,” she said. “So I think most students or at least the average student isn’t actively looking at emails anymore.” Girvir Sidhu, the newly elected vice president of legislative affairs shared his experience running for a leadership position. “This was my first year participating in ASI elections, so I was really excited! I noticed that the process is very well thought out and gives all the candidates an equal
opportunity to campaign even with the elections being fully online this year,” he said. Sidhu said the main challenge he faced while running for ASI was student outreach. Being a freshman he didn’t know many other students, and with distance learning it was much harder to reach out. Carson Vollmer, who ran unopposed for vice president of finance, campaigning virtually during a pandemic proved to be difficult for candidates. Vollmer said the candidates were unable to reach out to students, interact with them and build connections. “A lot of students are busier and have more responsibilities now so they do not always have the time for extracurriculares. Also, students receive numerous emails daily, so it is easy for an email to get lost amongst the rest. Hopefully when we go back in person we can increase the voter turnout!” he said.
Allie Page, director of arts and humanities said she wishes more students would become more involved in their student government. “Elections were very underhyped and no one seemed too interested. It is honestly very sad to see few people interested in ASI. I wish there was a higher voter turnout. Many positions went unfilled,” she said. Page said ASI faced several chllaneges being virtual. “Events were hard to plan, and fewer people were interested in them. We couldn’t pass out food in the same way either. Board meetings over Zoom feel very artificial,” Page said. Ilaria Pesco, executive director of ASI said she thinks students running in elections can feel very overwhelming especially with virtual classes and the pandemic. “Across the 23 CSU campuses, all have seen a decline in candidates run-
ning, an increase in open positions, and lower voter turnout. In the past, we have seen more students apply for open positions than run in elections so we will be working to get the word out about getting involved with ASI next year. We have 9 open positions along with positions on the Judicial Council,” Pesco said. Students interested in applying one of the nine open positions should do so before April 19. Questions can be directed to Ilaria Pesco, executive director of ASI ipesco@csub.edu. “The ASI 2021-2022 election was exciting. After planning our student outreach efforts (which included promoting the election on social media platforms, through informative election events, and during classroom visits), I felt confident knowing that the election would reveal a great team for the next academic year,” Chicaiza said.
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The Runner
April 14, 2021
Asian American students share their experience with racism By Zeltzin Estrada-Rodriguez News Reporter The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many obstacles upon the U.S. population, one of which has been around for a long time but has, until just recently, been incredibly silenced: Asian American hate. According to PBS, racism against Asians has existed in America for over a century. In the late 1800’s the Chinese Exclusion Act legally banned Chinese people from migrating to the United States. Filipinos were belittled in the early 1900’s based on the premise that they were unclean and uncivilized. Racism arose due to the Vietnam War during the mid 1950’s to the 1970’s. Audrey Chhun, a Cambodian American student majoring in Kinesiology at CSU Bakersfield, spoke on how her mom has a history of dealing with anti-Asian racism. “[My mom] used to own a donut shop in Oakland,” Chhun said. “A lot of times from when she worked there, and even when we moved to Bakersfield when she worked as a cashier
at a gas station, [people] would tell her things like, ‘You’re Korean. Go back to your country. You don’t belong here. I don’t understand you.” Chhun specified that she has not directly experienced any racism as her mom has. She said it hurts to hear her mom’s past experiences. “I feel bad because my mom is like the nicest person… I don’t think anyone, not just my parents, should be treated that way,” Chhun said. Anti-Asian racism is nothing new and the COVID-19 pandemic brought more attention to it. Because the coronavirus originated in Wuhan, China, politicians such as former President Donald Trump and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, publicly referring to the virus as the “Chinese virus” and the “Wuhan virus.” Aaron Bounthong, a Laotion American student at CSUB majoring in Psychology, said he believes giving the virus those titles had an impact on Americans. “I feel like calling it [the Chinese virus], coming
from [former President Donald Trump], I think that made people more racist,” said Bounthong. “[His comments] probably did cause a spark up because then people are like, ‘Oh, Chinese virus. Asians. I hate them.’ [Anti-Asian racism] wasn’t completely because of [his comments], but it had an impact.” According to the Center for Study of Hate and Extremism’s report on crime changes of the year 2020, increased by 149% in 2020 in 16 of America’s largest cities. Lynna Ha, a Vietnamese and African American student at CSUB majoring in Human Biology, expressed how witnessing and viewing many of the hate crimes on social media affected them. “I was already pretty stressed out because of the pandemic, closures, and the uncertainty of everything at the moment,” Ha said. “With the rise in Anti-Asian violence at the time, I became more stressed because I was balancing online schoolwork, trying to shop for basic necessities that were sold out, and worrying about the safety of my parents. My
mom owns a nail salon... the salon window was broken one time when no one was working,” Ha said. CSUB’s President’s Cabinet sent out a campus-wide email showing their support for the Asian-American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) community on campus. “As disturbing accounts of brutality against Asian-Americans and Pacific-Islanders increase, we ask for our university family to pause in solidarity with our own students, faculty and staff who might be feeling frightened or persecuted,” read the email. Chhun noted that although she is not happy these hate crimes are happening, she is grateful it is giving Asian Americans a platform to speak upon their injustices. “[Activists] are saying now’s the time to find our voice, and I’m actually all for that because [Asians] are normally told to just keep to ourselves. But, sometimes, when it’s something this traumatic, it’s always good to just say something rather than be silent about it,” Chhun said. Ha expressed how this
Photo provided by Aaron Bounthong
Photo provided by Audrey Ch-hun
is not only an opportunity for Asian Americans to use their voices, but it is also an opportunity for everyone to show that they support the fight against anti-Asian racism. “If you want to be an ally for the Asian American community, if you participate in our culture, our food, our media, I urge you to step up and speak up for those of us who can’t,” Ha said. “Donate to AAPI, support small Asian businesses, show us that we’re
not fighting on our own.” The email sent out by the President’s Cabinet offered campus resources such as the Counseling Center, the Employee Assistance Program, the Division of Equity, Inclusion, and Compliance, and the article: Racism and Xenophobia in the Age of COVID-19: CSU faculty members share tips on how to be part of the solution to any students, staff, and faculty who want more information about how to help.
Ethics institute hosts antiracist scholar Ibram X. Kendi Jordan Frazier Special to The Runner Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, best-selling author and director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research, will be discussing his New York Times best-selling book, “How to be an Antiracist,” with the CSUB community on Wednesday, April 14. This event is open to the public and will be at 6 p.m. via Zoom. CSU Bakersfield’s Kegley Institute of Ethics and Campus Programming are co-sponsoring this event. “The heartbeat of racism itself has always been denial, and the sounds of that heartbeat has always been ‘I’m not racist,’” Kendi says in a Ted Talk posted to YouTube on June 17, 2020. (https://www.you-
tube.com/watch?v=KCxbl5QgFZw) Kendi is a professor of humanities at Boston University, and is a leading antiracist scholar. Two of Kendi’s books that are on the New York Times Bestseller list are “How to Be an Antiracist” and “Four Hundred Souls.” According to the Kegley Institute of Ethics website, its mission is to “Inspire our Community to Recognize the Value of Thinking About and Engaging in Ethics.” Some of the past lectures that KIE has hosted include “The Long History of College-in-Prison: A Field at the Crossroads,” by the creator and executive director of the Bard Prison Initiative, Dr. Max Kenner. This virtual event will focus on how individu-
als should grasp how racism works and understand the subject of antiracism, said KIE Director Dr. Michael Burroughs. These events are usually held in the CSUB Doré Theatre, which can only hold up to about 500 people. This virtual event is open to all who want to attend, whether they are part of CSUB or the wider community. Other faculty at CSUB are looking forward to the spring lecture by Kendi. “Research that is generated from splendid Black male and female minds is rarely represented in our textbooks, seldom displayed in our classrooms, sparsely spoken about from our academics. It is important that Kendi speak at CSUB because he is brilliant on so many levels,” said CSUB communi-
cations professor Dr. Elizabeth Jackson. According to Kendi in the TED Talk, for people to be considered antiracists, they need to take accountability for racism. An individual would be considered racist when not acknowledging the inequality that people face in this country. Kendi says slave holders did not view their practices as racist through minority groups. “This construct of being not racist and denying one’s racism goes all the way back to the origins of the country,” Kendi says. The Kegley Institute of Ethics is trying to bring about a greater understand of what is racism. “We all enter daily lives with our perspective, and I think one thing we try to do as an institute is to
Photo provided by KIE
Ibram X. Kendi set to talk about his book, “How to Be an Antiracist” on April 14. bring diverse perspectives on pressing issues on
our world and our region,” Burroughs said.
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The Runner
April 14, 2021
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Local Artist Spotlight Jennifer Cordova adds color to Bakersfield Jessianne Solis Features Writer Murals are one of those things that every city has. From murals on the side of small businesses, random walls in the neighborhoods and even restaurants. Lots of people appreciate the mural for the looks, but I bet they think about who painted it. I wanted to showcase a local artist that has made many created many pieces and appreciate what her pieces have done for the Bakersfield community. She is CSU Bakersfield professor, graphic designer, and local artist Jennifer Willams-Cordova. She has many beautiful art pieces and murals around Bakersfield. They are very beautiful with lots of fun and vibrant colors that will defiantly catch your eye. “I started about four years ago doing little murals and public artwork. I started with a small mural at a coffee shop called Café Smitten, and it just kind of went from there, and now I get to do these large-scale pieces of public art, and it’s really fun,” Cordova said in our interview. One of her pieces that really caught my eye, as well as others, was a piece
she did on the side of the KGET 17 news station’s building. KGET asked her to do a mural of a peacock that represents their logo, but they wanted it to be something way more. They let her do her own take on the logo. She wanted it to brighten up that wall that was just plain and boring and ultimately wanted community members to come and look and take pictures with the mural. Cordova says her favorite project is Bloom. The mural, her biggest project, is located underneath the Beale Street overpass. It spans a wall and four of the pillars that hold the overpass up. “Bloom will defiantly go down for the rest of my life as one of my all-time favorite projects because it was just a huge community undertaking. It was just transformative for that space, and I’m just still so floured that I was allowed to paint that much concrete,” Cordova said. “It was dedicated to the girls of East Bakersfield. The girls in the mural actually live in the community. It brought a lot of people together, and we all felt connected to it, and it just felt really good that something that special came from a group of people that wanted to do this,”
Photo provided by Jennifer Cordova
Jennifer Cordova painted this vibrant and fun piece on the side of Rio Acai Bowls at 1914 Chester Ave., Bakersfield, CA. Cordova said. She explained that because of the pandemic, art is something that can give you creative process and gives people something to look forward to. She said it is important to give your-
Photo provided by Jennifer Cordova
Bloom is Cordova’s largest project to date painted under the Beale st. overpass s
self a break from stress and how art can allow you to just shut your mind off and just create. She offered these words of advice to artists of all ages who may want to make their art into a career.
“The first step to becoming an artist is to actually create as much art as you can. Then you have to get to the point where you have to charge for your art and actually respect it as a legitimate craft and
that will really move you farther along in the process ... The key component in actually doing this is treating it like it is valuable.”, said Cordova.
Photo provided by Jennifer Cordova
Pictured is Cordova’s first public piece at Cafe Smitten located at 909 18th St., Bakersfield, CA.
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The Runner
March 10, 2021
Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon great for children and adults Landon Logue Features Writer Disney Animated Pictures truly takes some spark from Pixar with their new animated feature film, Raya and the Last Dragon. This family-friendly movie packs all of the punches you know to expect from Disney with fantastic animation, humorous characters, and emotional payoffs to tell an engaging story. Raya and the Last Dragon is set in the fictional world of Kumandra where humans and dragons coexist. When dark spirit monsters known as the Druun attacked, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save Kumandra. Set 500 years later, the Druun have returned, and it is up to Raya to team up with the last remaining dragon Sisu to save Kumandra. Raya and the Last Dragon has been praised by critics everywhere for its incredibly diverse cast which boasts predominantly
Illustration by Wat Disney Studios
Asian-Americans. Disney has truly knocked it out of the park with their animation. Raya and the
Last Dragon is visually breath-taking and truly a joy for the eyes. From character models
to lush environments of the world of Kumandra, there is never a dull frame throughout.
from the film were campaigning on social media. #ReleasetheSnydercut was trending everywhere. The fans got their answer. Zach Snyder’s Justice League cut would be coming to HBO Max. According to Snyder, the studio did not want to do reshoots of the film and just wanted his version to use what was already filmed by himself and Whedon, if need be. Snyder did not do this however, and reportedly spent over $70 million on creating his original vision for the film. So, what did the fans get in the end? What exactly makes the Snyder cut necessary? For starters, the film is four hours long. Its runtime feels justified as it is a historical moment for fans of DC, who willed their way to convince an entire studio to re-cut and re-release a four-year-old film. For the fans who could not get enough of Snyder’s darker take on the DC Universe and the storylines he started with 2013’s Man of Steel, this film is an absolute joy.
Zach Snyder’s Justice League shares the overall storyline with the original release, but with more runtime to really flesh out the characters. One example is we really get great development from Cyborg, a young college kid who is part man and part biomechatronic. He struggles with accepting that he needs to use his new-found powers and resources as a super computer to join other meta-humans in the fight against potential threats. In Snyder’s version, Steppenwolf is but a servant of a much greater evil, Darkseid. Darkseid is the ruler of Apokolips and seeks the three Mother Boxes to combine their powers to destroy and conquer entire universes. The film also shows Darkseid’s first attempt at conquering Earth and his failure to do so when Earth’s protectors, comprised of Gods, Atlanteans, Amazons, Men, and a member of the Lantern Corps. all fight together to expel him and his Parademons from Earth. Now with Earth’s protectors
either now dead or at odds with each other, Earth is primed for Darkseid’s second attempt. He sends Steppenwolf, deeming it easy enough after the death of the Kryptonian, Superman. The biggest change in the film is the addition of Jared Leto’s Joker. In a Bruce Wayne/Batman nightmare sequence, the future destruction of Earth courtesy of Darkseid is shown. The last survivors comprised of both heroes and villains working together are: Batman, Mera the Atlantean, Deathstroke, Cyborg, and Joker. The scene is only a few minutes but really highlights a chilling performance from Leto’s Joker. The tense exchange from Batman and Joker are what fans have been waiting for, making references to past storylines and their turbulent relationship. After fan outcry from Leto’s studio-driven look and script as Joker in 2016’s Suicide Squad, Leto gets a fresh yet comic-accurate look and time to shine. There is still so much
Raya and the Last Dragon is a testament that there are few studios that can still rival Disney in their world building, character development, and animation standards. Raya, played by Kellie Marie Tran and Sisu played by Awkwafina really play off each other well. Raya is a tough fighter whose innocent spirit complements Sisu’s bubbly and high-octane personality. At times, the humor can feel over-played, but the emotional highs really make the low points acceptable. The movie revolves around a broken world where there is no trust among the now separate Kumandra. This lack of trust and care for one another lead to a dystopia which the characters must struggle through. The movie is excellent at painting the world of Kumandra and its inhabitants as separate, and by the end, the movie gives us
a lesson in humanity and togetherness. Our world today is in a similar state of divisiveness. We judge and mistrust others based on where they come from, much like in the movie. Overall, Raya and the Last Dragon is a must see for everybody. Adults and children alike will appreciate its themes of trusting one another, communal love, and overcoming heartbreak. Its incredibly diverse cast does an excellent job of bringing the characters to life. Currently, Raya and the Last Dragon sits at 95% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. I would give it four out of five stars, so go check it out! Raya and the Last Dragon is now playing on Disney Plus with Premier Access until May 4 costing $29.99. Users can also wait until the film comes to Disney Plus subscribers on Jun. 4.
Is Justice League: Snyder’s Cut worth it Landon Logue Features Writer
“The Snyder Cut” is here. After years of fan petitioning begging for the original cut of Justice League it has finally arrived at HBO Max. This backstory for the cut of the film is legendary. While filming Justice League in 2017, director Zach Snyder left the film due to the death of his daughter. Warner Brothers Studios let Joss Whedon, directed the first two Avengers films, direct. This led to a very disjointed film that felt like the two visions were clashing constantly. With a reported $300 million budget Warner Brothers lost millions and the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) that began with Snyder’s Man of Steel looked like it was over. There seemed to be a glimmer of hope for fans of Snyder’s vision for the DCEU. Petitions online to “release the Snyder cut” gained thousands of signatures and even the actors
Illustration by Warner Brothers Studios
more to be seen in the Snyder Cut of Justice League and it is well worth the four-hour runtime. This film was truly made for the fans and Zach Snyder truly delivers on his continuation of the DCEU. As further projects following 2017’s Justice League fail-
ure have been cancelled, we may not see his vision fully come to fruition. At least with the Snyder Cut we can now know what could have been. Zach Snyder’s Justice League sits at 74% on Rotten Tomatoes. You can watch it now streaming on HBO Max.
FOOD
The Runner
April 14, 2021
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Summertime staples from south of the border Leticia’s simple and savory ceviche By Letisia Cruz Copy Editor With so much time spent watching food/cooking TikToks, I find myself constantly wanting to eat delicious food. However, most of the recipes I see on the app require endless hours in the kitchen, unique ingredients, or are unnecessarily unhealthy. These are all things that have deterred me, and I am sure most of you from the kitchen. So, I decided to share a simple but delicious seafood cocktail recipe served on a tostada my mother taught me how to put together. It requires little to no cooking if desired and is a great source of healthy fats, proteins, and carbs. It’s as easy as going to your nearest supermarket, buying fresh ingredients, mixing them in a bowl, and
onto a tostada. Prep time: 20 minutes Start to finish: About 25 minutes Servings: Serves about 7-8 people Equipment you need: All you will need are a few bowls to put the ingredients in A good knife Ingredients: 2lbs cooked shrimp 1lb cooked octopus 2 cucumbers diced and unseeded 2 tomatoes diced 3 stems of celery diced ½ a white onion diced 1 serrano pepper diced 1 lemon 1 avocado Salt for taste Tostadas \ Directions: First wash all of your ingredients. Begin by dicing and
removing the seeds from 2 cucumbers. To do this first cut the cucumber in half. Then, grab one of the halves and slice the middle of the cucumber to remove the seeds. Do the same to the rest of the cucumbers and then set aside. Next, grab the 2 tomatoes, 3 stems of celery, ½ an onion, and 1 serrano pepper and begin dicing each of the vegetables and set aside. If you bought the shrimp cooked already, you will grab the 2 lbs of cooked shrimp and peel each of them making sure to cut the tail as you go. If the meat is bout raw, cook the shrimp for 4 minutes making sure the water is boiling. Rinse and cut each of the shrimp into thirds and set aside. Next, begin to work on the octopus. If you bought
it cooked, it may already be chopped. However, you will want to cut it into smaller pieces of about ½ inch. Raw octopus will take 15 minutes to cook. Then, rinse the octopus. Now that you have prepped all of your ingredients put them into a large bowl. Stir them all together until they are evenly mixed and set aside. Now you will dice the avocado and slice the lemon in half. You will now mix the avocado into the bowl and then squeeze the juice out of the lemon into the bowl. Lastly, add salt for taste. Make sure to mix the ingredients one last time. Finally, grab a tostada and add as much of the seafood cocktail that can fill the tostada and enjoy a delicious and healthy meal. Photos by Letisia Cruz/The Runner
Danielle’s sheet-pan chicken fajitas By Danielle Coryell News Reporter Before COVID-19, my family and I spent a lot of time (and money) at our local Mexican restaurants. I cannot wait to go back and sip a margarita and eat bottomless chips and salsa. But, in the meantime, I came up with a super easy way to make chicken fajitas to satisfy the whole family. Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes Yield: 12-15 fajitas Ingredients: 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips 1 green bell pepper, cut into strips 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into strips 1 orange bell pepper, cut into strips 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips 1 red onion, cut into strips 2 packs of fajita seasoning
Photos by Danielle Coryell/The Runner
Cooking oil of your choice Tortillas of your choice Optional: Toppings of your choice: Shredded cheese Guacamole Cilantro Sour cream Limes Hot sauce
Directions: Preheat oven to three hundred and seventy-five degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with foil. If you don’t have foil that’s okay, it’s just for an easier clean up. Cut bell peppers, onion, and chicken into strips and place in a large bowl (or
two bowls if you need to). Coat the chicken, peppers, and onion with oil of choice. I used avocado oil because that is what I had. I used about ¼ cup in total. Season chicken, peppers, and onion with fajita seasoning and mix around to coat each piece. Place seasoned chicken,
peppers, and onion on foil-lined cookie sheet, spreading out so it lays in a single layer. Cook in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the chicken in completely done. While this is cooking you can prepare your toppings and warm your tortillas of
choice. This recipe can be used with shrimp or beef or without meat to satisfy everyone’s cravings. It can also be served over shredded lettuce for a low carb option.
Opinions
8
April 14, 2021
The Runner
Save the planet — Wear recycled clothing Jennifer Mancilla Opinions Writer
W
hen I was little, my dad took my siblings and me to Goodwill to look at the clothes. I stepped back while my sisters went through the racks of clothing because it bothered me that they were already used. I didn’t want to touch them, much less wear them since they weren’t brand new. Since then, I never thought about thrifted clothes until I started working at a thrift store six months ago. I had to be hands-on with the garments, and I was able to see that they didn’t appear as I imagined them. I pictured them to have stains and holes, but it’s the opposite. The clothes don’t look used, and some are even brand new or expensive brands. To see the care our clothes receive and how we frequently swap out the old racks and put out new clothing every week -makes me regret not doing
it sooner. There are many upsides to thrifting, and the main one is supporting the recycling of clothes. According to Planet Aid’s blog titled “5 Reasons to Recycle your Clothes,” the following reasons will help the planet because ultimately fast fashion is hurting it due to the amount of clothes produced yearly. The 5 reasons include: “1. Because it reduces greenhouse gases; 2. Because it saves landfill space; 3. Because it conserves energy; 4. Because it benefits people in developing countries; 5. Because it’s easy.” “Fashion has a misinformation problem. That’s bad for the environment,” writes Alden Wicker, a sustainable fashion journalist. “Eight to 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions comes from the fashion industry, which is more than the aviation and maritime shipping industries combined...Nearly three-fifths of all clothing produced ends up in incin-
SHARE YOUR VOICE One of our missions at The Runner is to facilitate dialogue and create community by sharing the diverse voices of our campus. Do you have an opinion or experience you’d like to share with readers?
Photos by Jennifer Mancilla/The Runner
erators or landfills within years of being made.” Clothes are made at a fast pace due to trending fashion, and around 80 billion to 150 billion
articles of clothing are produced and sold yearly. Only 20 percent of clothing reportedly ends up in landfills but imagine all the other clothing that
isn’t tracked. Clothes that end up in trashcans and are still in closets waiting to be worn once or twice and thrown out are bad for the environment. Therefore, if anyone is spring cleaning, think about adding “donate bags of clothes” to the list. Donating clothes can help save landfill space because donation centers distribute the clothing in separate piles. There are the clothes that are sellable, and the clothes that aren’t are recycled. The clothes that are not sold are then shipped to developing countries. In his article “Ready-toWaste: America’s Clothing Crisis,” Nicholas Gilmore, a staff writer for The Saturday Evening Post, writes, “According to the Council for Textile Recycling, 80 to 90 percent of donations to charities are sold to recyclers. From there, 45 percent is exported for reuse – mainly in Africa and Asia – and about 50 percent is recycled.” Donating clothes also conserves energy because
it takes a lot to manufacture them. When they get to the landfills the materials don’t break down on their own, so they have to be broken down by chemicals. This creates unhealthy gases to be leaked into the atmosphere and causes unhealthy air quality. It makes sense to instead pass down clothing to other people so it can be worn down and eventually recycled. It’s crazy to imagine that the clothes in your closet can have a huge impact on our planet, so maybe next time when you see a cute shirt at the mall, think to yourself, “do I really need it?” Instead, you might be able to find an exact one at a thrift store for a cheaper price. My advice is to head to a thrift store, put your earbuds in and take your time sifting through the clothes because it’s thrilling to get your hands on a cool item knowing that you’re saving the planet in the cheapest way.
Runners React: How do you feel about receiving the vaccine? Lynna Ha, Senior Human Biology major
Trino Lopez, Post-Bacc Teacher Prep
Krystal Mae Raynes, Senior Science Major
“I felt a fever and a headache by (the next) night but I felt better the following morning. There’s a lot of discussion about the second vaccine being worse but I feel confident about it being okay.”
“I got it and I’m so grateful to be protected and safe for my loved ones.”
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR These are short commentaries or responses to content in The Runner. Letters must be less than 300 words and include the name of the writer and contaction information for verification.
CAMPUS VOICES These longer op-eds allow you to express your viewpoints on important issues in our university, community, and world. Op-eds should be 500-700 words and include supporting facts from credible sources. Letters and op-eds may be edited for clarity, grammar, spelling and length. Send your submissions to runner@csub.edu.
“My friends and I have been telling each other how excited we are to receive the vaccine because we haven’t seen one another in a year, or we met online and can finally meet in person!”
The Runner
Sports
9
April 14, 2021
Fundraiser started for athlete Ronne Readus after accident
Photo by Devid Dennis/CSUB Athletics
By Michael Canelo Sports Reporter Senior CSU Bakersfield men’s basketball player Ronne Readus was involved in a car accident on Wednesday, March 31 in his hometown of San Diego. Readus sustained life-threatening injuries from the accident but has been showing improvement every day since the accident. Ronne Readus family gave an update on his condition on Monday, April 12: “We want to start by thanking everyone for your prayers for Ronne! The support we have received has been overwhelming and we cannot thank you all enough. We are blessed to tell you that Ronne has taken great strides in his long recovery. His condition has been upgraded from critical to serious, thank the Lord! Ronne is currently stable, awake, alert, and breathing on his own. The amazing staff of Sharp Memorial Hospital have done a great job of caring for him and we are so appreciative of their hard work. We have also received so much support from CSUB, the men’s basketball team, and the Bakersfield community as a whole. CSUB and Bakersfield
have such a special place in our hearts. It is truly a special place and we are so grateful to God for putting the `Runner Family in Ronne’s life. The way you all have wrapped your arms around Ronne and our family will never be forgotten. Please continue praying for Ronne and our family as he still has a long way to go towards a full recovery. God bless you all!” Lexus Lutu a close friend of Ronne Readus says he’s the humblest person she has ever come across and he is always looking to make someone smile and laugh. “He has a big smile that can make anyone react and a big heart to match. He is always thinking about others before themselves, and he is a beast on the court. Always a stand out when he plays and he is my favorite player of all-time,” said Lutu. To support Readus and his family, the CSUB Athletics Department has setup a GoFundMe account to help cover the costs of medical bills. The message below is from the GoFundMe page to all of the Runner Family: Ronne Readus, a senior center on the Roadrunner men’s basketball team, was in a serious car accident on March 31 and suffered
life-threatening injuries. Readus is in the hospital in San Diego receiving medical care, but he is improving as the days go on. We have set up this GoFundMe page for those that would like to contribute to help Ronne with the long recovery ahead. “It has been amazing to see the outpouring of love, thoughts, and prayers from everyone in our community for Ronne and his family. Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers for Ronne and his family,” said CSUB Athletics Department. This fundraiser is being managed by the CSUB Athletics Compliance Office to ensure the fundraiser is conducted in accordance with NCAA legislation. (Link to GoFundMe)
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