ON THE COVER Illustration by Jasmine Lee
Along with the graduation fee, students invest thousands of dollars into completing their education.
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RENZO POCASANGRE | Daily Forty-Niner Long Beach State’s graduation fee has many students upset, with the price set at a fixed $100 with an added late fee of $10.
Long Beach State stu dents who are on track to graduate by the summer of 2023 were required to apply for graduation by Oct. 15, which consisted of entering the ex pected semester of graduation and paying a $100 application fee.
Students who missed the dead line to apply for graduation must pay an additional $10 late fee. CSULB students, such as environmental science and policy major Jessica Brogna, are unhappy with shelling out an additional fee in order to graduate and questioned where the money goes.
“We should not be charged for our accomplishments, not to men tion having already paid so much for tuition,” Brogna said.
CSULB President Jane Close Conoley said the fee covered staffing for degree audits, the cost of degree audits, printing the diploma and sending it out to the students’ home addresses.
“Although people don’t like do ing the fees, they actually don’t cover the cost of ceremony at all,” Conoley said, to which she added that the to
tal estimated cost of holding a grad uation was at around $1.3 million.
Because students graduate at dif ferent times, Conoley said, the pro cess of degree audits is a yearlong workload. As for waiving the appli cation fee, there is no process for re ducing or waiving the payment, even if students do not attend the ceremo ny.
“I think there should be at least a waiver for students who qualify for the Pell Grant or are low income. It just seems they create more obsta cles for students to overcome every year,” said Sienna Dahl, an envi ronmental science and policy major with a minor in economics.
Around 10,000 students a year graduate from CSULB, a number which has outgrown the CSULB stadium and moved the university’s graduation ceremony to Angel Stadi um, according to Conoley. The costs for Angel Stadium’s own security and staff to direct students comes from the university contribution.
Dahl said the required applica tion fee for students to graduate cre ated a “barrier to overcome to get to graduation.”
“It has taken me many years to get to the point of finally graduat ing,” Dahl said. “Having to pay for the ceremony and additional items makes the ceremony feel like a priv ilege.”
Here at the 49er we acknowledge that the school we report on is located on the sacred site of Puvungna, “the gathering place”. We are on the land of the Tongva/Gabrieleño and the Acjachemen/ Juaneño Nations who have lived and continue to live here.
We also acknowledge the Gabrieleño/Tongva (pronounced: GABRIEL-EN-YO/TONG – VAH) and Acjachamen/Juaneño (pronounced: AH-HACH-AH-MEN/JUAN-EN-YO) as the traditional custodians of the Los Angeles region along with the Chumash (pronounced: CHOO-MOSH) to the north and west, and the Tataviam (pronounced: TAH-TAH-VEE-YUM) and Cahuilla (pronounced: KAH-WEE-YAH) Nations to the east.
We respect and value the many ways the Tongva/Acjachemen cultural heritage and beliefs con tinue to have significance to the living people and remind us about the sacred and spiritual relation ship that has always existed here at what we now call California State University Long Beach.
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Letters Policy: All letters and emails must bear the phone number of the writer and must be no more than 300 words. The Daily Forty-Niner reserves the right to edit letters for publication in regard to space.
Editorials: All opinions expressed in the columns, letters and cartoons in the issue are those of the writers or artists. The opinons of the Daily FortyNiner are expressed only in unsigned editorials and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the journalism department or the views of all staff members. All such editorials are written by the editorial board of the Daily Forty-Niner.
Long Beach Councilwoman Suzie Price, Council woman Stacy Mungo and Councilman Al Austin made a request to the city manager on Tuesday to work along side the city attorney to write a statement of solidarity with the Iranian protesters against the government for the murder of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.
The council voted unanimously to write the state ment.
Mahsa Amini was arrested by Iran’s Guidance Patrol on Sept. 13, for improperly wearing the hijab according to the government’s standards.
Three days later on Sept.16, Amini died in a hospi tal in Tehran from a cerebral hemorrhage. The Iranian government claims that Amini had a heart attack and underlying health problems. Eyewitnesses, which in cluding fellow women detained with Amini, however reported that she was severely beaten by the Guidance Patrol.
Exhausted from injustice and inequality caused by the religious state, Amini’s death has sparked a protest all across Iran from women and men alike.
“The brave women of Iran took to the streets, and they are, every day, fighting for something that many of us take for granted,” Councilwoman Price said. “They’re fighting for basic autonomy, personal freedom, to be considered equal and dress as they choose.”
Price said topic is personal, since her mother left Iran to provide a better future for her family with the access to the freedoms in the United States. She said that while in the U.S. people are able to protest without concern, many of the women in Iran along with male supporters are beaten and killed for attempting to stand against the system.
The people in Iran need the support of citizens in the U.S. to fight right now, to fight the dictator said Price.
Sunny Zia, an elected trustee of Long Beach Commu nity College District Board of Trustees, spent high school and college in Iran from 1991 to 1999. She said that those years are difficult to explain the hardships and turmoil during that time.
“In my junior year in high school, my friend a 16-year-old Bahara Busahani was killed at the hands of this regime because she wasn’t wearing a piece of cloth on her head properly,” Zia said. “During my last hours in Iran during 1999, I witnessed my classmates be beaten to death and imprisoned because they stood up for sec ular freedom.”
Zia said that it was her goal to fight for those individ uals that suffered under that regime and for those that are still suffering under it when she moved to the U.S. She said it is time to stand-up for those without a voice fighting a system that prevents them from having the freedoms they deserve.
After the comments had finished, the council voted unanimously to draft the statement of solidarity.
President Joe Biden ordered US forces to pull out of Afghanistan in 2021, which left the country weak and vulnerable enough for Taliban forces to take over, an extremist Is lamic group who remains in control to this day.
Afghanistan has a history of conflicts with Pakistan, which are entwined in the involve ment of the Islamist groups al-Qaeda and the Taliban. The rise of these groups can be traced back to civil unrest following the ar rival of Soviet troops in Afghanistan in 1979.
Safa Sadat, a third-year biology major and member of the Muslim Student Association, visited Afghanistan several times to visit her family who still live there, and witnessed the chaos of the fighting up close.
“We were getting lunch and then there was a bomb that went off not too far away. You could feel the shaking,” Sadat said, recalling a visit to Afghanistan in 2016.
Sadat had family who were still in Afghan istan in 2020. Some of her relatives man aged to catch the last plane out of the coun try, and other family members who were supposed to fly out the next day were stuck in the country.
When the United States left Afghanistan, it was overrun by Taliban forces. Sadat said she had family who were visiting Afghani stan at the time for a wedding, but "just had to get out of there."
“It’s literally like you have what's on your back and you get on a plane," Sadat said.
"People were at the airport running onto cargo planes and grabbing onto the wheels and trying to climb in and do whatever they can to escape.”
To this day, Afghanistan and Pakistan are under the control of Taliban forces, and Sa dat said visiting these countries during this time is a "humbling experience."
“People over there are making the best of the situation," Sadat said. "You still see peo ple living life and kids playing outside even though so much is happening around them.”
It was recently confirmed that the missiles Russia had been using to attack Ukraine were developed and sent from Iran, according to NPR, yet Iran continues to deny these claims as it faces sanctions from the West.
Days after a blast that destroyed the Kerch Strait Bridge, Russia fired missiles into Ukraine. The Kerch Strait Bridge was built after the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, serving as a connection between Russia and Crimea. The bridge itself was designed for commerce; it also now serves as a staging ground for Russian forces in the current conflict as entry into Ukraine.
According to a map provided by the BBC, the missiles strikes were reported from 12 Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv. Informa tion from NPR states that 19 cities were hit.
Some of the strikes in Ukraine were aimed at civilian areas, such as a play ground, bus stop, residential homes, and
a glass bridge in Kyiv. The targets of these strikes seem to be presented as terror tac tics, while also looking to take down import ant infrastructures, such as a retaliation to the blast at the Kerch Strait Bridge.
According to NPR, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s reason for the strikes was a response from repeated Ukrainian attacks on Russian infrastructure. Putin claimed that the strikes were designed to target Ukrainian energy infrastructure, military command, and communications.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelen skyy has said that 30% of Ukraine’s power stations have been destroyed over the few days from the strikes.
Many regions attacked during the strike lost electricity, and others had water sup plies compromised. Portions of Kyiv have no power or water according to BBC, and 1,162 settlements have no power.
Global officials still are unsure whether this new phase of escalated attacks will con tinue or lead to the use of nuclear weapons. Zelensky said the missile strikes leave no room for negotiation with Putin, signaling no clear pathway to de-escalation.
The free on-campus carnival ex perience known as Smorgasport will return to Long Beach State on Friday, Oct. 28 after a two-year break due to the pandemic.
Smorgasport is an event organized by the Associated Students, Inc.’s event-planning department, Beach Pride Events. The event will include carnival rides, food trucks, a roller rink, a DJ stage, laser tag, carnival games, photo booths, caricatures, hen na artists and more.
The event was previously scheduled on Sept. 10, but got postponed due to weather concerns from Tropical Storm Kay.
“This event has a long history of happening every single year,” April Marie Castro, Beach Pride Events Co ordinator said. “A lot of students have said really great feedback of ‘we love this event.’ It’s a great opportunity to destress and find alternative ways to have fun, especially on campus.”
Organizations on campus including Long Beach State Archery Club, Foodie Club, ADAptive society, Student Rec reation and Wellness Center, and more will have various activities at their booths.
Smorgasport has an expected stu dent turnout of around 5,000 students this year. Beach Pride contracted rides from carnival company SoCalRides, which are able to hold 30 to 40 people to maximize the amount of people that are able to participate at once.
The event used to be held in a single parking lot, but has now expanded into the Parking Lots G3 and E1 in order to prevent crowding and allow more space for COVID safety.
Students are also encouraged to wear masks during the event although not required, said Taylor BuhlerScott, associate director of programs and communications at Beach Pride Events.
The event is exclusive to students at CSULB this year to prioritize the health and safety of our campus. Attendees will need to show their valid student ID and sign a “Waiver of Liability” upon entrance. Students under 18 years old are required to have a parent or guard ian sign a “Waiver of Liability” and bring the signed copy at check-in.
“We’re still following the proper protocols, and we have a bunch of dif ferent entities to make sure that this event is done safely, but also still has the same level of excitement and fun that it was in the previous years,” Cas tro said.
Now that the autumn weather is fi nally starting to cool down just in time for Halloween, it’s time to celebrate the new change in season by participating in fun fall activities.
Pa’s Pumpkin Patch is the perfect opportunity to soak in the essence of fall as the attractions and ambiance that it provides channel the true spir it of October. With its county fair and autumn theme, the pumpkin patch is a must-see family event here in Long Beach.
“I try to bring my kids every year because they’ve been growing up com ing to Pa’s over the years,” long-time pumpkin patch attendee, Jesus Loma, said. “The peak of the pandemic was the only exception, but I’ve been bring ing them almost every year.”
Located on the corner of Pacif ic Coast Highway and N. Studebak er Road, the carnival-style pumpkin patch is an annual month-long event suitable for all ages as they offer a vari ety of activities.
“This is our first time coming to the pumpkin patch after hearing about it and seeing it over the years. I’m defi nitely looking forward to bringing my kids back next year because they had a blast,” Long Beach resident, Susie Johnson, said.
From numerous games and petting zoos, to food and snack tents, there are endless activities to do, as well as
ets to the pumpkin patch are required for visitors of all ages. Adult tickets are $10, while children tickets are $5. Be
cause the duration of the reservation is approximately three and a half hours, the time slots start at 9 a.m., 1 p.m., and 5 p.m..
The game booths, carnival rides, and petting zoos all require additional tickets to enter which can be purchased online or in person. The ticket prices start at $2.50 for an individual ticket, $20 for 10 tickets, $50 for 30 tickets, and $150 for 100 tickets.
Some popular attractions at the pumpkin patch are the goat and sheep petting zoo, the pony ride, water bulls eye game booth, inflatable slide, mirror maze, and the train ride located at the back of the lot.
There are also many food tents and trucks available throughout the pump kin patch lot. The offered foods include BBQ, funnel cakes, churros, burgers, hot dogs, popcorn, shaved ice, ice cream and other foods to choose from.
RENZO POCASA NGRE | Daily For ty-Niner Students can start to notice picket signs across campus for the return of Smorgasport on Oct. 28.
Shock, confusion and anxiety attacked me all at once the moment I found out breast cancer was eating away at my grand mother’s well-being, let alone realizing that runs in my family after 21 years of being oblivious to the fact.
I always knew that breast cancer was deemed as one of the most common cancers in women, but the importance of checking oneself and taking it seriously was hardly ever brought up in conversa tions between my family and I prior to it suddenly affecting my Grandma Luz. No one knew cancer was taking over her body until her final weeks.
I was completely unaware that I would only have four months left with my grandma in Spring 2022. I witnessed the only grandmother I ever had growing up become more frail while experiencing much more unknown (at the time) pain all over her body.
She shortly became bedridden from what was presumably old age at the time. In a span of about four months, the whole family spent as much time with her as possible, but what everyone was un aware of were the true underlying reasons for the extreme pain and fragility she was beginning to experience more each day.
It was during the very last month of her life when we found out it was breast cancer circulating within her body after her doctor finally discovered a lump in her breast.
This life-changing information was presented so casually to my family, but it felt the opposite of casual when I found out. In that same moment I also became aware that that a few other women in my family, like my great aunts and other relatives, had also been taken from breast cancer.
That's when my whole perspective suddenly flipped, as I felt utterly blindsided. I was devastated
and angry that I was completely clueless about this for my entire life, that it could have possibly been prevented if we had known or even taken it more seriously.
It all made sense why my grandma suddenly became so ill and engulfed in pain, but what didn’t make sense was why we were all unaware for so long.
On June 22, only a few weeks after finding this out, she passed away.
The moment I discovered it runs in my fami ly, I had never taken the possibility of this illness more seriously. Being 21, I hardly ever conjured an anxious thought about having to worry about breast cancer, but my ignorance was shattered in the blink of an eye.
No matter what age, it is never too soon to begin considering the seriousness of breast cancer, if not already.
According to the American Cancer Society in Cancer Screening Guidelines by Age, “Screening tests are used to find cancer in people who have no symptoms. Regular screening gives you the best chance of finding cancer early when it’s small and before it has spread.”
In the 21-29 age group, if one is at potentially higher risk than average, it’s best to talk to a health care provider about when to start getting mammo grams or other screening tests.
It’s important to take such issues seriously now rather than later. Long Beach State provides ac cess to breast cancer exams, offered at the Student Health Services Department. These exams are avail able for free throughout the year.
It’s unfortunate how life-changing circumstances have to happen in order to start taking one’s own health more seriously, but I realized that is how things unfold in life sometimes.
However, I’ll forever cherish the time I got to spend with my grandmother and will now continue going through life with the utmost awareness for breast cancer in honor of her.
ANI GUTIERREZ | Daily Forty-Niner My grandmother, Luz Gutierrez, held me often before she passed from breast cancer.
I witnessed the only grandmother I ever had growing up become more frail while experiencing much more unknown (at the time) pain all over her body.
Ani Gutierrez
The Long Beach State Women’s Vol leyball team defeated its opponent, Uni versity of California Riverside on Thurs day in five sets with heart and motivation.
The win moved The Beach to a five game winning streak, making its last loss coming at the beginning of October against the University of Hawaii.
This win did not come easily, it was a back and forth game, with one set going to The Beach and the other going to the Highlanders over and over.
LBSU Women’s Volleyball Head Coach Tyler Hildebrand said that the Highlanders are one of the better serving teams in the conference.
Although UCR put up a total of sev en service aces in the game, it was not enough to keep LBSU from living up to the challenge and winning 3-2.
Long Beach redshirt junior outside hitter Morgan Chacon tied her career high in kills with 26 for the night.
“During the first two sets, there was another level that we knew we could get to as a team,” Chacon said. “There were a couple things we were struggling with and we were just trying to focus on that sense of urgency.”
As Chacon was put on the spot in the
game to make plays, she said that every athlete can understand that it’s about the confidence going into the game or play.
The redshirt junior stayed humble, praising her team for coming together, while her teammate junior opposite hit ter Katie Kennedy followed suit.
Kennedy had 14 kills of her own in the game, along with 38 total attacks to add to the strong offensive effort put on by The Beach.
“A big thing we knew we needed to improve after the second set was our blocking, defense and effort,” Kennedy said.
She continued and said that in volley ball you can’t control everything, but the things you can control need to be dealt with and that being able to play and trust each other on the court is a factor that they stress to one another.
The players for LBSU ended the game by walking off the court with smiling fac es after the win.
Hildebrand walked with a smile as well, saying heart was what won the game for The Beach and he was proud of his team and what they were able to do.
“We served well tonight and I thought our floor defense was really good to night,” Hildebrand said.
The Beach will try to move the win ning streak to six in its next game on Oct. 22 against the University of California Davis at Davis.
The team wins its fifth conference match over CSUN to continue a successful season.
By Emmanuel Barrera Staff WriterLBSU (6-4-5) continued to be un beaten in The Big West Sunday as it defeated California State University Northridge (2-15-1) 4-1.
The Beach found the net at 32:26, as Long Beach’s Summer Laskey opened the scoreboard with an assist by Cherrie Cox and Lena Silano.
But the scoring did not stop there as The Beach found the net two more times in the first half.
At 38:43 minutes, Silano scored her first goal of the night and was assisted by Cox and Maddy Perez, which got the home crowd on their feet waving their pink pom-poms.
The third and final goal of the first half was founded at 41:59 minutes, with Cox scoring in a one-on-one with the Matadors keeper, but was assisted by Perez and Julia Moore.
The Beach had 13 shots going into the second half and 11 shots being on goal and only allowing the Matadors to have five shots, with two being on goal.
The second half of the game only saw one goal by Long Beach, as Solano made the goal off a penalty kick 26 sec onds into the half.
The Matadors responded with their one and the only goal of the match coming in the 67:53 mark by Cindy Ar teaga.
The game was a physical match, as the teams shared a total of 19 fouls, 10 coming from CSUN and nine from LBSU.
Northridge received the only yellow card of the night by sophomore de fender Riley Goossen-Brown.
While CSUN was ruled out of The Big West playoffs, this match was a statement for The Beach as they are sitting in first place in their conference.
“We just got to take it one game at a time. It’s just three points for us,”
LBSU head coach Mauricio Ingrassia said.
Cox played a big role in assisting in the match, assisting two goals and scoring one herself.
“I think slowly over time, it’s just us figuring out how the other players work, it’s just clicking and it’s nice hav ing different people on the scoresheet, not just one person,” Cox said.
Silano, who is the only senior on soccer team, finished the game with two goals and one assist.
“We want to have a smooth senior night, but hopefully we’re fighting for something that night and it’ll be great to do it on my senior night and hope fully we can fight to have more games at home,” Silano said.
The Beach heads up the 101 freeway as they take on Cal Poly on Oct. 20 and UCSB on Oct. 23, before coming back to George Allen Field for their final home game of the season on Oct. 27.