Daily Forty-Niner, Nov. 18, 2019

weekly print edition

DAILY FORTY-NINER CELEBRATING 70 YEARS

Inside the

Niner

Vol. LXXI, Issue 13

www.daily49er.com

Monday, November 18, 2019

ARTS & LIFE Student volunteers give back to the community

SPORTS Senior volleyball player bids farewell

PAGE 6

PAGE 14

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2019 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | STAFF@DAILY49ER.COM ON THE COVER The Beverly Prowler has allegedly been peering into windows at the Beverly Plaza Apartments since January.

Weekly Calendar

Illustration by RODRIGO GONZALEZ

Monday 11/18

Tuesday 11/19

Wednesday 11/20

Thursday 11/21

Friday 11/22

Saturday 11/23

Sunday 11/24

ASI Coffee with Dean of Engineering @ ECS 312 4-5 p.m

ASI An Evening w/ Rainn Wilson & Shabnam Mogharabi Performing Arts Center @ 7 p.m.

ASI Farmers Market Friendship Walk @ 10 a.m. 2 p.m.

ASI Open Forum Night USU 306 @ 6:30 p.m. 8:30 p.m.

Sports

Sports

Sports

Men’s Basketball vs. Fresno Pacific @ 7 p.m.

Walter Pyramid

Women’s Basketball vs. Loyola Marymount @ 4 p.m.

Walter Pyramid

Men’s Basketball vs. Arizona @ Wooden Legacy @ 5:30 p.m.

Tucson, Ariz.

Sports Women’s Basketball vs.

Utah State @ 7 p.m.

Walter Pyramid.

Sports Sports Sports ASI Poet’s Lounge Men’s Men’s Men’s USU Sunset WPOLO WPOLO WPOLO Lounge @ GCC @ GCC @ GCC @ 8 p.m. Tournament Tournament Tournament 10:30 p.m.

Malibu, Calif. Malibu, Calif. Malibu, Calif.

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Down 1. Some teachers are thinking of doing this to classes in the two days before Thanksgiving break.

3. Hailey Harward couldn’t play beach volleyball last season because she fractured this.

5. Students can help first responders by being part of Long Beach Search and ________.

7. This student film by Aspen Ramsdell was chosen to be a finalist at the CSU Media Arts Festival.

Across 2. Water Polo player Rafael Real Vergara is from this country.

4. The Beverly ______ is what some people are calling the peeping Tom at the Beverly Plaza apartments.

6. The dueling opinions articles this week are about this type of class.

8. President Jane Close Conoley said students need this to succeed in online classes.

Letters to Editor editor@daily49er.com Corrections correction@daily49er.com Story Ideas tips@daily49er.com Job Inquiries jobs@daily49er.com

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.

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NEWS 3

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Photo Illustration by RYAN GUITARE | Daily Forty-Niner

Some students struggle with online courses due to it requiring “more responsibility,” other students enjoy the flexibility of online classes.

Class in the digital age CSULB courses continue to transition from face-to-face to online.

By Gabriel Islas and Joel Ruditsky Staff Writers

S

tudents at Long Beach State are constructing their schedules for next semester and many have to make the decision between taking a face-to-face class or the online version of it.

President Jane Close Conoley previously said the university is seeking to spread the catalog of online classes in the future to make school more accessible for students and reduce foot traffic on campus.

“Generally, I am very supportive of online classes for a number of reasons,” Conoley said. “It would increase flexibility in terms of scheduling for students and increase students’ abilities to access more classes.”

Multiple professors have told Conoley that they enjoy teaching online classes but have expressed concern with the lack of student engagement with the material and their peers.

“Not all subject matter lends itself to online and not every student has the focus and time management skills to be successful,” Conoley said.

Roselynn Guzman, a second-year math major, said online classes are not necessarily more difficult than face-to-face classes, but the challenge lies in being up to date with assignments.

“It takes more responsibility,” Guzman said. “It’s easier to slack-off with online classes. I honestly prefer face-to-face classes because you get to hang with people and have that human interaction, but I also understand that they are convenient for some students.”

Guzman recalled a time she missed an online-assignment because she kept putting it off and then realized it was too late.

Nicholle Salvatierra, a fourth-year journalism student who is in the military reserve, said online classes help her because she can be called to serve at any time.

“My favorite part of online classes is the flexibility,” Salvatierra said. “Being a student that’s actively serving in the military there have been instances where I’ve had to travel out of state at a moment’s notice.

I was able to continue business as usual with my online classes without having to arrange make-up assignments or quizzes.”

Associate Vice President of international education and global engagement Jeet

Joshee said the growth of online courses began during the 2011-12 academic year when the college of professional and international education incentivized faculty to transition face-to-face courses to online.

“Each summer we convert about 50 courses [to online],” Joshee said. “Over the years we had over 200 courses taught online.”

Joshee estimated that there are roughly 500 online courses currently offered at CSULB. Kerry Johnson, associate vice president for undergrad studies, also shared her thoughts on the debate.

“Having a robust combination of face-toface, online and hybrid courses here at CSULB allows students to engage those styles and strengths more fully across the range of course delivery methods,” Johnson said.

In a study that compared grades in the different types of classes done back in 2013, Joshee and his team found that students who were taking online courses received the same or better grades compared to students taking face-to-face classes.

Joshee said the online courses offered during summer and winter fill up the fastest, but he realizes that online classes are not for everyone.

“Those who take online classes definitely need self-discipline and commitment to complete the assignments,” Joshee said. “Online classes are better suited for adults and non-traditional students, especially those who want to come back to finish their degrees.”

Joshee added that online courses are designed for students with multiple obligations such as employment, childcare and family-related issues.

According to Joshee, this is not an “either or proposition.” He said the variety of online classes, face-to-face classes and hybrid classes are helpful for students.

As more and more students enrolled in these courses throughout summer sessions, the faculty made online classes part of regular semesters.

“Online courses continue to be developed or converted through the Academic Technology Services today,” Joshee said.

“Students are quite satisfied and find it very convenient because they are able to do the course work from anywhere and anytime.”

4 NEWS

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2019 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | NEWS@DAILY49ER.COM

A person with a knife, harassing phone calls and petty theft

By Ramon Alvarado Staff Writer

informed about the situation.

Petty Theft A student’s red Gary Fisher bike was reported stolen from the Parkside College Dormitory H-building sometime between Nov. 8 and Nov. 10. Both the bike and the cable lock it was secured with were taken from the rack.

Carjacking A student reported that their silver 2009 Lexus RX350 was stolen at gunpoint inside the Pyramid Parking Structure around 1:40 pm Nov. 13. A campus-wide email from UPD described that the suspect allegedly engaged in conversation with the victim for about 10 minutes before pointing a gun at their neck. The suspect then took the victim’s car keys and drove away from campus. Capt. John Brockie said the UPD is gathering evidence and looking for the suspect who was reported to be a white male in his 20s. He was described as having facial hair, medium length light brown hair and a royal blue windbreaker jacket with a backpack. The investigation is ongoing.

Person with Knife Witnesses said they saw a man going up the steps of the Friendship Walk with a knife in his hand Nov. 14 around 2 p.m. He was described as a six-foot Latino man with a thin build, wearing a dark blue sweater, blue jeans and a blue backpack. A witness said the man put away the knife after being noticed and continued to walk towards Bellflower Boulevard. Officers couldn’t locate the man, but Capt.

Richard Goodwin said he could have been cited depending on the size of the knife. It’s unknown whether the man was a student or not.

A Razor scooter was reported stolen from outside of the Hillside College Dining Hall Nov. 11 around 8 p.m. The student said he was in the dining hall for about 20 minutes and the scooter was gone when he came out.

UPD Capt. Goodwin said students should always keep track of the serial number on their property just in case something were to go missing. Officers can put the serial number into a nation-wide database system for property theft and increase the likelihood of retrieving the item.

Graphic by MIGUEL MARTINEZ Harassing Phone Calls A student walked into the UPD Nov. 14 to tell officers that he has been receiving threatening calls and text messages since Sept. 16. Nothing has happened to the student, but he says he continues to get messages saying he’s going to get “beat up.” The student doesn’t know whether it’s someone he knows or not. Officers asked the student to keep them

Suspicious Vehicle The UPD received a call informing of a suspicious vehicle after a gray four-door Honda was left in the middle of a roadway in the Pyramid Parking Structure Nov. 13.

The Honda was found with the inside lights on and the airbags deployed at approximately 8 p.m. There was also a transmission leak, so the car was towed away for safety reasons before the owner was contacted.

Emma Carlsen, podcast editor, contributed to this article.

To skip or not to skip After CSULB reduced the Thanksgiving holiday from five days to three, some students are deciding to skip class Monday and Tuesday that week.

By Julia Terbeche Staff Writer

S

ome are cancelling class. Others are holding class. And others are hinting that students can go ahead start their vacation early.

Graphic by JULIA TERBECHE

Some teachers are considering canceling classes the first two days of Thanksgiving week.

what Thanksgiving means, but for having a break to go home for the holiday,” said third-year pre-illustration major Victoria Ftizsimons. ”On the other hand, [cutting the break] implies that Thanksgiving isn’t really as significant anymore.”

Fall break this year begins on Wednesday, Nov. 27, the day before Thanksgiving.

Long Beach State professors are considering cancelling Monday and Tuesday classes during Thanksgiving week to accommodate students who are taking a week-long fall break.

Many students are planning to take the whole week off regardless, causing professors to scramble with moving exams for the weeks before and after the holiday.

CSULB changed fall vacation this year to three days rather than the usual five, disappointing students who were planning to celebrate the entire week of Thanksgiving with their families. This is the first year CSULB has reduced fall break to three days since 2015.

“After several requests from students to take exams early due to familial obligations during the fall break, I decided that it would be logistically appropriate to reschedule our exams,” said Elaine Bernal, a chemistry professor.

“It’s bad because there are people who are counting on the break, not only for

CSULB administrators have suggested that these schedule changes are

considered by both the campus academic calendar committee and President Jane Close Conoley.

When designing calendars, the university is responsible for offering a minimum amount of instructional days, according to Chief Communications Officer Jeff Cook.

“My teacher told us we could cancel class for that Monday and take our exam early…or be required to show up [during Thanksgiving week] for the review,” said second-year international business major Sierra Allen. “We chose to pull it up.”

Many professors are insistent on students showing up for class, as they feel the extra days of fall break are unnecessary.

“There’s nothing about the Thanksgiving holiday that should even be acknowledged as a holiday,” said Larry Smith, a film and electronic arts professor and member

of the Lumbee Nation. “If you actually take the time to learn the actual story, Americans would understand that Thanksgiving is rooted in systemic and perpetual acts of violence by colonists, by invaders, toward indigenous peoples.”

Several professors have hinted at cancelling class, but have yet to announce an official cancellation.

Students have expressed mixed feelings toward the three-day break, with many deciding it is not worth it to skip class Monday and Tuesday.

“Personally, I don’t think the break is too short,” said fourth-year comparative world literature major Daniel Gallo.

“None of my teachers are cancelling class for the two days. I will be going to classes both days because I already missed too much, and my Tuesday class ends at 12 [p.m.] so I will be heading home that day.”

NEWS 5

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2019 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | NEWS@DAILY49ER.COM

Let’s get political Prominent Democratic Party members speak at the Long Beach Convention Center about state and national agendas.

By Manuel Valladares Assistant Sports Editor @ manvajournalism

T

he California Democratic Party hosted its party convention at the Long Beach Convention Center Nov. 15 through Nov. 17, the event held many prominent politicians as well their enthusiastic supporters.

For three days Democratic caucuses came together to talk about the policy priorities they’d be pushing for in regards to state and national agendas.

Around 5,000 people attended the convention who primarily consisted of delegates and volunteers., Most looked to get involved in the democratic process and show support for candidates and policies.

MANUEL VALLADARES | Daily Forty-Niner

Gov. Gavin Newsom (top) and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti (above) atspeak at the California Democratic Party Convention Nov. 16.

“My mom’s undocumented, so I feel like as being a citizen to this country I owed it to her and her struggles...to give her a voice,” said assembly district delegate Victoria Hungerford-Hurst.

The 3,000 delegates that attended the event used this time to meet up with their fellow caucus members, using the convention hall’s rooms to discuss their general policy stances.

sign policies [to assist them],” Steyer said at the caucus in regards to helping solve pollution in underprivileged areas.

The event also consisted of political discourse that centered around what the next Democratic president should focus on.

Groups like the Chicano Latino caucus met to discuss ethnic studies and whether it should be more widely offered and required in schools.

”The issue we need to realize is that some people are gonna vote for Donald Trump because they like [him],” Democratic primary candidate Marianne Williamson said. “We have to reach out to the millions of people who did not vote or [voted for Trump] and let us inspire [those] Americans.”

Caucuses also made room for prominent names in the political industry to have their voices heard, such as Democratic primary candidate Tom Steyer and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.

On the convention floor were dozens of volunteers for Democratic candidates that felt impassioned to voice their concerns.

Most of the floor was filled with booths for presidential candidates with supporters.

“We need to get to Black and brown communities and get leadership to actually de-

Outspoken supporters for Kamala Harris flocked around the halls of the convention

center, saying “it’s time for a woman president.”

Most groups did not take that direct of an approach, but that did not stop them from voicing their political desires.

Biden volunteer Suzan Azghandi explained her support of the former vice president.

“I want someone with experience,” she said. “Especially with working with republicans in the Senate, he proved that he is working hard for it.”

Beyond his political experience, Azghandi said that she views Biden as a competitive candidate for the 2020 election.

Another major concern for Azghandi is victory in the 2020 election, and she thinks Biden stands the best chance.

“I want someone who can beat Trump,” she said.

6 ARTS & LIFE

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2019 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | ARTS@DAILY49ER.COM

YOUR MORNING COMMUTE JUST GOT BETTER

Courtesy of Madison Quintana Madison Quintana (left) and Karla Gonzalez (right), CSULB students, are responders for the Long Beach Search and Rescue team.

Students that just ‘want to help’

By Joy Rowden Staff Writer

S

tudent volunteers a part of Long Beach Search and Rescue provide additional help to firefighters and police officers at police call-outs. Recently, they helped respond to the Long Beach shooting on Oct. 29 that left three dead.

“The shooter was still out there, where we were, so [LBSAR] had to stay inside,” said volunteer Karla Gonzalez, a first-year criminal justice major. “It was just a cool experience for me. Most people would be scared. I was nervous, but it was just so cool to me.”

Less than two miles from Long Beach State is the David Rosa Regional Training Center, where members of LBSAR train every Tuesday night. The organization is a 57-year-old Boy Scouts of America explorer post that recruits volunteers ages 15 to 18 interested in pursuing jobs in public safety like firefighting, law enforcement or the military. Members are allowed to stay throughout college.

Gonzalez, Will Kennedy, John Zabukovec and Madison Quintana are all members of LBSAR as well as students at CSULB. Gonzalez has been a member of LBSAR for one year. As a criminal justice major, she is pursuing a career as either a police officer or a detective. “[Law enforcement] is just something that’s always interested me since I was a little kid,” Gonzalez said. “I would always watch Law & Order [and] Criminal Minds. I know [real life] is not like the TV shows, but it’s just something that interested me, and I will be the first in my family to go into law enforcement.”

Gonzalez and LBSAR helped with traffic control and parking at the Bernie Sanders rally held at Long Beach City College in August.

“It makes me feel powerful in a way [and] courageous because not a lot of females go into law enforcement,” Gonzalez said.

Kennedy, a second-year business marketing major, has been a member of LBSAR for two years and was recently promoted as assistant quartermaster. He joined the program to gain hands-on skills in public safety.

“I’ve wanted to be a firefighter ever since I was little because I’ve had a lot of run-ins with fire,” Kennedy said. “When I was 3 years old [I was] getting picked up in ambulances and [I was] around firefighters a lot because I was always getting hurt and my neighbor was a fire chief at station 19.”

Kennedy is a nationally registered EMT and works part-time at an after school daycare. He attends CSULB full-time pursuing a business marketing degree because of its “versatility and feasibility for human interaction.”

“A person having the worst day of their life is relieved to see [a firefighter],” Kennedy said. “They’re extremely happy because they see you [who is] the one that’s going to help [them] and make [their] terrible day as the best it could be. [Firefighters] just want to help. That’s what a firefighter is to me.”

Kennedy said LBSAR has taught him how to use tools like rotary saws, chainsaws, rubbish hooks, flat head axes and forcible entry halligan bars.

Zabukoveca, a first-year business marketing major, has been a member of LBSAR for about two and a half years. He has worked as a pool lifeguard in the past, and he wants to practice a range of fields, including firefighting, law enforcement, business or military in the future. His dream is to be a professional auto racer. “[But] as of now, I’m kinda just trying to figure out who I am as a person and what I want to do,” Zabukovec said.

He recently traveled to the Woosley fire in Malibu to watch first-hand how a fire department handles large scale disasters.

Zabukovec was excited to apply to LBSAR, having had a prior interest in firefighting. But now, he said he is disappointed in the program due to being treated poorly by some individuals.

“I just want to see a potential promotion [and] get more involved in the [LBSAR] unit,” Zabukovec said.

“I want to help people figure out who they are and to motivate young people to be the most successful [and] the best person they can be.”

Quintana has been a member of LBSAR for one year. She had initially planned on studying mechanical engineering but decided on firefighting during her senior year of high school. She was even part of the Los Angeles Fire Department Girls Camp.

“I joined Search and Rescue because I want to be a firefighter,” Quintana said. “The [LBSAR] recruit academy is intense. They train you [like] the Marines or the Army. They yell at you [and] they push you through everything.”

Quintana is studying criminal justice because she thought emergency management fell under the major, but later on, she found out that it was a graduate program. She stuck with the major because she felt that it would be a good backup plan in the case of a work injury.

“I love helping people,” Quintana said. “I just want to be there for someone. I want to make people’s day and I think firefighting is pretty cool.”

She said she does not feel intimidated pursuing a male-dominated career, especially having grown up with only brothers. To her, it is empowering to become a firefighter.

“Yeah, I’m a female,” Quintana said. “I’m going to come out here and steal a man’s job because we can do [the job] just as equal.”

Tune in every Monday morning to Beach Weekly, a news and sports podcast by the Daily Forty-Niner at Long Beach State.

Get your weekly news update at the Beach with veteran host Hannah Getahun and her new partner Perry Continente. Join them as they discuss the biggest headline of the week.

This season, Beach Weekly presents a new segment, Beach Weekly: Sports, where assistant sports editors Manuel Valladares and Ralston Dacanay talk all things Long Beach State athletics.

Beach Weekly can be streamed at Daily49er.com as well as the following platforms: Spotify, Google Podcasts, Breaker, SoundCloud, and Radio Public.

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“…The Democrats are continuing to try to cancel the 2016 election of President Trump. The latest attempt, which I call “A coup using water cooler gossip,” is based upon hearsay evidence submitted by an unknown partisan Democrat who worked for VP Biden. The major media mime is that President Trump blackmailed (asked for a quid pro quo from the president of the Ukraine) to investigate corruption in the appointment of VP Biden’s son to a Ukrainian corporation board. I have seen the false narrative that Congressman Schiff acted out before the transcript was released. The call was called an impeachable offence because in the Schiff fairy tale, the president threatened he would not release military funding until an investigation began. The most annoying fact is that there is a video of VP Biden boasting about obtaining a quid pro quo from the Ukrainians: “I was supposed to announce that there was another billion-dollar loan guarantee. And I had gotten a commitment … that they would take action against the state prosecutor. And they didn’t…. I said, nah, I’m not going to—or, we’re not going to give you the billion dollars…. I looked at them and said: I’m leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, you’re not getting the money. Well, son of a b* tch…. He got fired. And they put in place someone who was solid at the time.”

Search “joe biden and the ukraine video” on any non-google search engine to see the video. You can see the transcript of the President’s telephone call upon which this “impeachment” investigation is based.

The document is on my Facebook site and on:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Unclassified09.2019.pdf

If anyone can see what the quid pro quo is in this conversation, please e-mail me because I could not find it. You are in college. Use your college critical thinking skills to analyze what the major media have been feeding you as “truth” vs what you see in the transcript. There is an old saying. “Do you believe me or do you believe your lying eyes.” Trust your eyes. Do not trust me or the major media anti-Trump propagandists.

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8 NEWS

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2019 | DAILY49ER.CO

THROUGH THE BLINDS AT

BEVERLY PLAZA

“

I already don’t feel strong enough to be alone in general, and now hearing this makes me even more uncomfortable... in my own home.

”

­— Hetvi Babaria Second-year Food Science Major Illustration by Rodrigio Gonzalez

NEWS 9

OM | @DAILY49ER | NEWS@DAILY49ER.COM

The Long Beach Police Department has been receiving reports of a man peeking in the windows of women who live at Beverly Plaza Apartments.

By Rachel Barnes News Editor @ rachlbarnes

R

esidents of the Beverly Plaza Apartments, which is just over a mile from campus, are closing their windows and drawing their blinds due to a “peeping Tom” who has been making inappropriate comments toward women that live at the complex.

Since the beginning of the year, the Long Beach Police Department has received reports of the peeping Tom, colloquially called the “Beverly Prowler,” looking through windows between the hours of 9:50 p.m. and 6:30 a.m.

Vivienne Kau, a fourth-year industrial design major at CSULB has been personally impacted by the actions of the Beverly Prowler, and she said that it makes her angry that she can’t feel safe in her own apartment anymore.

“I’ve become more aware of my surroundings, but at the same time I find it annoying to keep having to look over my shoulder or having to act differently in my own restroom and that I don’t feel as comfortable in my living situation,” she said.

Kau came home late and was getting ready for bed when she heard him make comments through the window. She said she’s frustrated she has to adjust her daily life to avoid a “creeper” that has been known about since January.

“I was shocked because it actually happened to me,” Kau said.

“Because you always hear about it and I wasn’t really concerned and now that it happened to me I’m like, ‘Wow, it really is a thing.’”

According to Lucinda Lucero, the leasing manager for the apartment complex, there are police patrolling the area as well as the apartment’s own security team.

“There’s nothing we can do other than keep our courtesy patrol aware and keep the residents aware,” Lucero said.

The biggest struggle of the investigation is residents not reporting incidents or reporting days late, according to Lucero.

Both her and LBPD officials said if residents experience something they should call 9-1-1 or the tip number 562-435-6711 immediately.

Kau’s roommate Hetvi Babaria, a second-year food science major, said her perspective on safety has shifted since the reports have started.

“I’m already concerned about my safety and this issue is still fresh and you can’t ask for company all the time,” Babaria said. “I already don’t feel strong enough to be alone in general, and now hearing this makes me even more uncomfortable...in my own home.”

Though Barbaria hasn’t been the target of any inappropriate comments, she said that it’s still scary to be a college student on her own when her community is going through something like this.

Both she and Kau said that they hope other women in Long Beach don’t look at this as a reason to be worried about their safety. Though they did say that this has helped them think about their own security more seriously.

“Be more aware of your surroundings and not leave things to [the] benefit of the doubt like leaving your door unlocked,” Kau said. “At the same time, I don’t think you should be paranoid and let these situations psych you out of living your life.”

LBPD has two male suspects with descriptions of: • White or light-skinned Latino • 30 to 35 years old • Around 5 foot 7 inches tall • A dark hoodie and sweatpants • A high-pitched voice One of the suspects is Fredrick Terrence Harvey who is currently wanted for a parole violation for a separate incident that happened in 2018.

Barbaria said she hopes the police find the Beverly Prowler soon so she can feel safe at home again.

Lucero said though this has been an ongoing problem, there was a period of time when the Beverly Prowler left. He returned at the end of September, according to reports that Lucero has heard of.

“My parents were against me moving out of the dorms initially so I don’t even want to tell them about this because it will make them doubt even more,” Barbaria said.

“Here, there [are] so many people around you but things still happen.

You feel targeted because this is happening to this community in particular so this...feels targeted.”

“Maybe they know we’re aware of the situation, so they left,” she said.

Paula Kiley, multimedia managing editor, contributed to this article.

Photos released (top left) by Long Beach Police Department show the unidentified suspect of the peeping incident. A mugshot (top right) of Fredrick Terrence Harvey a suspect in the peeping incident was released by Long Beach Police Department, Nov. 8. A map (middle) that shows the distnace between campus and the Beverly Plaza Apartment complex. Beverly Plaza Apartments (above) is one of several apartment complexes where several residents have experienced incidents with the peeping Tom.

10 ARTS & LIFE

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2019 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | ARTS@DAILY49ER.COM

And the award goes to ...

CSULB film students stole the show at the CSU Media Arts Festival.

Courtesy of ASPEN RAMSDELL

Crew members work on Aspen Ramsdell’s movie “Mood” during a day of filming. The movie, about the impact that social media platforms have had on society, was a finalist in the 2019 CSU Media Arts Festival.

By Saad Kazi Arts & Life Editor

A

f t e r nearly sweeping the competition last year, Long Beach State’s film and electronic arts department took up numerous spots on the finalist list for the 2019 California State University Media Arts Festival.

Less,” a documentary in which she confronts issues within her family surrounding her mother’s death from breast cancer. Just after filming, she stepped away from the finishing processes for the documentary when the reminiscing brought up sensitive matters.

Media Festival begin through a panel of faculty and professionals who then determine which studentproposed projects get funded. Students that are chosen end up creating collaborative teams and determine a budget.

Wolfe eventually involved herself again to narrate the feature. When her film was selected as a finalist, she was thrilled.

The department is now in its 15th year of receiving funds from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which provides a grand total of $60,000 to students for their film projects. All of the films chosen for the festival that were directly from the FEA department were HFPA funded films.

In 2018, the university won six of the eight “Best Of” awards presented. Since 2016, the department has taken home a total of 78 awards.

“It’s actually pretty exciting seeing that I was a finalist,” Wolfe said. “I wanted to open the door for other people with similar experiences to talk about their own experiences and not feel so alone.”

“[Film] a very impactful discipline,” said Anne Justine D’Zmura, department chair of film and electronic arts.

“Our students’ stories are important to tell.”

“I Don’t Love You Any Less” ended up taking first place for the documentary track at the festival that took place Nov. 13.

Since 1991, the Media Arts Festival has provided CSU students studying film, broadcasting, video, screenwriting and new media the chance to have their talents critiqued. CSULB students have proven to be serious contenders each year, having had more success in the competition than any other CSU school.

“I wanted it to be a competitive film,” Wolfe said. “It’s my story and I wanted to make the most out of it that I could.”

CSULB students received a number of awards this year, including first place for documentary and narrative (Janine Anne Uyanga and Michael Hans Banares’ “Justice Delayed”). Students from the College of the Arts were recognized for their animation work, and Trilina Mai, Max Phan and Khanh Bui took home an Audience Choice Award for “Push.”

“It is an incredibly diverse department,” said assistant professor Adam Moore. “We encourage stories to be written from the experiences that the students have lived through.”

The head of the FEA screenwriting track, Moore encourages his students to relay their most personal stories through their work, an approach that he believes makes CSULB film students stand out.

“The DNA of every script written in the department is thematic character-driven storytelling,” he said. “That’s at the core of every story we write…I think that’s why you see our students, from a story standpoint, really succeed.”

Sarrah Wolfe, a recent FEA graduate, followed the same method when she directed “I Don’t Love You Any

Though she sees the creative nonfiction track as a tough field, Wolfe credits Helen Hood Scheer’s dedication in the classroom to much of the students’ successes.

“Our students have interesting and important stories to tell, and they tell them well,” Scheer, an FEA faculty member, said. “My classes are rigorous, and also fun. I treat my students like competent filmmakers, capable of making excellent work. I have high standards for them.”

The professor teaches all aspects of creative nonfiction production, building her students up through three production courses: intro, intermediate and advanced.

“Students learn to wear every hat: directing, producing, cinematography, sound recording, editing, giving strong critiques,” Scheer said. “I think it’s great for students to get experience in multiple story and craft areas because that’s often what’s required in the professional documentary world to foster intimacy and due to smaller budgets.”

D’Zmura also mentioned Hood Scheer’s success in contributing to her students’ academic well-being.

“Scheer is continually finding and facilitating very successful internships for students that often end up becoming permanent jobs,” D’Zmura said.

According to D’Zmura, students’ journeys to the CSU

To D’Zmura, CSULB being located near Hollywood could be one reason why the school’s film department is able to consistently thrive.

“Our proximity to LA and surrounding areas is essential,” she said. “We are able to bring all sorts of top guest artists who come and give lectures, demonstrations and provide screenings of award-winning work.”

Aside from the curriculum, film clubs on campus also give students room to expand their creativity. The FEA department’s Women in Film and ASI’s 22 West Media are among several provided. The latter took home one award at this year’s competition.

“I feel like our film department is very close in many ways, and there’s a lot of people willing to work on not just their own stories but other people’s too,” said recent film graduate Aspen Ramsdell.

Ramsdell’s film, “Mood,” was also chosen as a finalist in this year’s festival. The plotline to her project, which she wrote and directed, focuses on a group of teenagers seeking the truth behind a new device that is able to detect their actual feelings. The film’s message: social media’s detrimental effects on human interaction.

“It’s a truth in all of us,” Ramsdell said. “I think it’s really important to not be affected by thinking everyone is perfect and instead [of] loving people even for their mistakes and flaws.”

Like Wolfe, Ramsdell has never submitted any work to the festival in previous years. She was surprised when she learned that “Mood” was recognized.

“It’s exciting to know that someone was inspired by your work,” she said. “I do those things because it makes me feel good knowing that.”

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12 OPINIONS

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2019 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | OPINIONS@DAILY49ER.COM

Log on for graduation, not education

By Perry Continente Opinions Editor

It isn’t worth logging on for online classes

By Jacob Powers Staff Writer

@ perrycontinente

I

took my first online class over the summer and I didn’t learn a thing, but it will help me graduate early. While I am dubious about these classes ever completely replacing face-to-face classes, they are fantastic for busy people.

According to Inside Higher Education, students are taking more and more of these classes. In 2017, roughly one-third of students were enrolled in an online course. This number is constantly growing and it’s easy to see why.

Single parents, people with full-time jobs and student-athletes can find space in their busy schedules for these flexible classes.

This is especially great when the classes you need to graduate are redundant.

At the mere mention of the First Amendment in a classroom, my heart drops.

Just this semester, two of my four in-person classes, I’ve had whole weeks devoted to learning about the First Amendment. I’ve stared blankly at lectures about the five civil liberties it guarantees. It feels like I’ve heard this 1,000 times before.

That’s not to say I don’t like, or learn from these classes, just that there are certain redundancies in the curriculum.

I have a busy schedule and there is nothing worse than sitting through a class where I am not learning when there are a plethora of other things that I would be better off doing.

I could be going to work, breaking news, editing papers, or giving my apartment a much-needed cleaning, but instead I’m having what a lede is explained to me once again.

Online classes let me bypass parts of the classes I’ve always covered. First Amendment? I’ll just click through the slides and write the discussion post.

This self-guided approach is fantastic for me. It allows me to really dive deep into the topics I am unfamiliar with while taking a more surfacelevel approach to other subjects.

This flexibility allows me to have a tailor-made education and gives me more time for the extracurriculars that will land me a job down the line.

However, online classes are something you have to approach with some caution. They can easily be forgotten without the need to actually show up in class. I know several of my contemporaries who have simply forgotten they were enrolled in these courses.

It’s easy to do too. Without the personal connection or necessity to show up in person, many online classes are easy to forget. I’ve personally almost missed online assignments because I forgot about them.

According to a study by Science Direct, more students take online classes every year, and more students fail online classes every year. Students are around 25% more likely to fail an online class than an in-person one. This major drawback should be kept in mind at all times.

While these classes are convenient and useful, they are also something that can easily lead to failing a class if you aren’t careful.

Students need to keep these things in mind, online classes can be a vital tool for educators.

@jaypowers__

I

t’s the end of the week and you’re feeling pretty proud of yourself.

You’ve managed to balance a long week of work and assignments but what did you forget once again?

That’s right, the stupid online class you enrolled in.

This was my experience while attending community college.

I was trying to get ahead in units, and my counselors at the time advised me to take two online courses over the summer. At the time it didn’t sound horrendous, I thought it would be a walk in the park to not have to physically show up for a class.

Boy was I wrong.

I found I was constantly telling myself that the online work could be put off and completed after work. As a result, assignments were not given the effort that it would have received if I wasn’t enrolled in a virtual classroom.

Quite frankly, I got lazy and online classes exacerbated it.

The lack of face-to-face interaction in online classes can make it harder to reach out for help or seek clarification for shy students. Online classes severely limited my availability to interact with my professor. Hell, I don’t think I ever even messaged one online teacher I took now that I think about it.

Email can be an efficient form of communication for simple things, not if you’re trying to communicate throughout the duration of a course.

There was no option for me to be able to see how well my assignments were received when I couldn’t physically read my professor’s body language or hear their tone. Discussion threads were a circle-jerk of agreeing with the same concepts that were reworded multiple ways.

And did I learn anything from them?

Hardly.

According to a 2017 study, Brookings Institution found people that are enrolled in online courses are likely to score 0.44 points lower on a 4.0 GPA scale than students not enrolled in online courses.

When I reflect on how many times I’ve met with professors during office hours and the help that it offered me, I can’t help but think if that wasn’t an option for me I wouldn’t be able to as successful as I’ve been.

A university serves as a domain to connect with faculty and instructors and by taking online courses, you forfeit the connections you could have made.

There are definitely advantages to online classes for students and by no means do I mean to discredit students who take online classes to better themselves and further their education.

The reality though is that If I would have taken only online courses prior to transferring to Long Beach State, I would have been severely underprepared.

A 2015 study conducted by the University of California, Davis found that California community college students were 11% less likely to finish and pass a course if they opted to take the online version instead of the traditional face-to-face version of the same class.

Consider next time when enrolling in that next online course if convenience is more valuable than a face-to-face education.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2019 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | OPINIONS@DAILY49ER.COM

OPINIONS 13

Spill the Tea is a weekly section for students to share their opinions and make their voices heard. Long Beach State students answer questions that can range from the silly to the political. We at the Daily Forty-Niner value the diverse opinions of the CSULB student body and look forward to you sharing them with us. This week students share their experiences commuting to campus.

Reporting by Carlos Ruiz How do you commute and how long does it take to get to campus?

What would you do with the time if you didn’t have to commute?

Name: Sabrina Marie Carbajal Major: Fourth-year psychology major “I commute through the bus, I live just down the street so it’s easier for me to just take the bus. It’s pretty easy, it saves me a lot of money, it’s no less than 20 minutes [to get to campus.] It’s my best reliable option to get to school.”

Name: Luis Lopez Major: Second-year graphic design major “I take the bus when I don’t have a ride from my parents.

It takes about an hour because I take two buses from Paramount. I take the 171 towards Cabrillo and then I take the 92 which is at LBCC, [and] I take the bus to go home from there. If I didn’t have to commute, I would probably get more sleep, I would also have more time to study or do homework because while I’m on the bus it’s kind of difficult to take out my book. It’s usually crowded and most of the time I just focus on not trying to push people, so I could really use that one hour of time for myself in many ways.”

Name: Kayla Mosqueda Major: First-year kinesiology major

Name: Alma Gallardo Major: First-year business major

“In the beginning of the year, I commuted through the bus and metro, I took the 175 and the 171, it’s just one big street to Long Beach. It’s about an hour to get here. I commute from Compton, it was a bit difficult for a while because I didn’t have a car, but now I drive [to school]. I [take] streets rather than the freeway in the morning. It’s pretty empty because I come before 8 a.m. If I didn’t have to commute I would probably study or sleep, I’m more of a morning person.”

“I take the 577 metro from the Norwalk Station, I either take an Uber or my dad drops me off [at the Norwalk Station.] It’s hard, it’s a lot of money wasted taking an Uber. To get to school from Downey it’s about 45 minutes to an hour. If I didn’t have to commute I would be doing other things like homework. The bus stop is so far away from my classes, so I have to run if I want to make it, it’s a lot of work. If I don’t make it I have to wait an hour for the next one [bus]. I even bought a scooter just for that purpose, I don’t even use the scooter to get to [my] classes, just for the bus.”

14 SPORTS

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2019 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | SPORTS@DAILY49ER.COM

HARWARD LOOKS FORWARD The senior libero’s milestone of 1,500 digs has catapulted her rising status in CSULB women’s volleyball history.

By Anna Karkalik Staff Writer

she’s a trooper and she loves the game.”

Growing up, Harward played as an outside hitter, but she has always had a love for defense despite outside hitters being overlooked for their defensive skills.

H Beach.

ailey Harward has grown into being one of the most recognized student-athletes at the

“There are a lot of outside hitters that are tall and can only play front row,” Harward said. “I’ve always prided myself for being able to kinda be the second libero on my team.”

The senior libero became the fourth player in the university’s history to reach 1,500 career digs in early November, but her journey to the rafters of the Walter Pyramid didn’t come without its bumps along the way.

Libero is a specialized position and reserved for the team’s best defensive player, but through her time on the court, she has learned to rely on other ways to help her teammates.

“Getting to play and start all four years here is the reason I can reach 1,500 digs,” Harward said.

“I was able to look up to really amazing liberos and even our outside [hitters] at Long Beach have been super good defensively as well.”

“I can always be a good teammate,” she said. “I can always ask for help, it doesn’t matter what age you are or your experience.

Realizing internally all that you have to offer, instead of that one thing you may not be doing well, has helped me deal with the pressure.”

Harward’s path took a downward turn at the end of her freshman year in 2017 with the unexpected retirement of head coach Brian Gimmillaro and the transfer of assistant coach Erika Dillard.

As team captain under new standards and expectations set by the new 2017 coaching staff headlined by former Long Beach All-American setter Joy McKienzie-Fuerbringer, one of the hardest things for Harward was her teammates constantly leaving the team.

The changing of staff had a long-lasting effect on the team, as players who decided to stay on the team were expected to lead the newcomers and teach the systematics of the Beach volleyball program, she said.

“That’s been a struggle for me,” Harward said. “How do I ultimately bring everyone together, still be a good teammate, still be on them not being too easy, but don’t be a coach.”

“A lot of girls left because of the uncertainty [of the coaching staff],” Harward said. “We wanted to keep the culture alive and see where it goes but it was brutal on our system for all the girls who knew the system to leave.”

Hailey’s mother has always encouraged her to focus “on the next ball,” and to stay motivated even when “couldn’t quite serve the ball all the way over the net,” when she was 9 years old.

Harward felt the pressure of the transition period, which propelled her into a veteran role.

“Volleyball is all about chemistry and flow and how you can work off of each other,” Harward said.

“My sophomore year we were learning each other’s names and the coaches had never even met us. Everything changed. Not in a good or bad way, it was just different.”

Originally from Phoenix Arizona, Harward always knew she wanted to move to Southern California. The only debate was between playing for UCLA or Long Beach.

The system of coaching set by Gimmillaro and the ability to play both indoor and beach volleyball ultimately drove Harward to the Beach.

“

“She holds herself to such a high standard that she gets frustrated if something doesn’t go right,” Linda said, who travels from Phoenix almost every weekend to watch Hailey play.

AUSTIN BRUMBLAY | Daily Forty-Niner

Senior libero Hailey Harward digs the ball against UCLA Sept. 7 at the Walter Pyramid.

“Hailey is a great libero who can also hit and be a threat offensively,” said Misty May-Treanor, a three-time Olympic gold medalist and CSULB women’s volleyball Hall of Famer. “To have someone that can cover the court like Hailey does is an asset that all teams want.”

Harward was approached by Tyler Hildebrand, director of coach-

ing for the USA Beach Volleyball National Team Program July 2018, after her ninth-place finish alongside Player of the Year Kathryn Plummer in the AVP Hermosa Beach Open.

The pair began the tournament as the 54th seed in qualifiers and had no prior experience playing with each other. Hildebrand wanted the pair to begin training with the

USA Beach Team, but a fractured toe would keep Harward from pursuing that goal and resulted in her missing last season’s beach volleyball play for CSULB. “She took it like a champ and handled it as best she could,” her mother Linda Harward said.

“Thankfully she got released to play like a week before the indoor season started. It still hurt but

Harward will graduate at the end of the fall 2019 semester and plans to pursue a master’s degree in entrepreneurship and innovation while still playing beach volleyball with her remaining NCAA eligibility and training for the USA beach team for the 2024 Olympics.

“I’ve realized that this is my senior season and I’ve gone through so much here,” Harward said.

“Everything happens for a reason.

I’m maybe not meeting the goals that I set for myself when I was a younger player but I’m doing something.”

I’m maybe not meeting the goals that I set for myself when I was a younger player but I’m doing something.

”

- Hailey Harward

Senior Libero

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2019 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | SPORTS@DAILY49ER.COM

SPORTS 15

Q&A with ‘Nae Sports Editor Mark Lindahl sits down with Long Beach State women’s basketball star Shanaijah Davison to discuss her outlook on the season in its beginning weeks.

By Mark Lindahl Sports Editor @ markalindahl This conversation has been edited for clarity and flow.

How did it feel to be named to the Big West All-Preseason team after receiving honorable mention last year?

“It was an honor, I was lucky to be picked.

I’ve been working my tail off the last three years. I’ve been working all summer. I don’t know if most of you guys know but I actually was injured in the last two games of the season in March, so I’ve been out for about seven months. The whole offseason has been me getting healthy, so I was lucky to be able to compete this season with my teammates...it was just an honor.”

Even though you were recognized for your individual success, the team was voted to finish eighth in the Big West coaches’ poll and sixth in media poll out of nine teams. How did this feel?

“That was just motivation. Me and my teammates talked about it, coaches talked about it, but you know we don’t really worry about what other people say on the outside, we know what goes on inside the Pyramid when we work. It was just motivation to work harder and prove the people wrong.”

What are your thoughts about Naomi Hunt redshirting this season?

“It’s gonna be tough, [she] was my buddy on the court. But I know that we have a lot of teammates that are able to step up this year and able to score the ball as well just like Naomi has. We’re gonna miss her, but we also have some other people who will be able to step up.”

How much work did you put in over the course of the summer to get to the point you’re at now?

Who do you see filling that void without the teams’ top shooter/ rebounder?

“It was a lot of mental reps because I wasn’t able to be on the court. I was strictly out of basketball for three months, so it was a lot of film [watching], a lot of mental reps, and rehab twice a week. [I was] just trying to develop the game mentally, you know, I was able to sit out and watch the game and just learn. Stepping on the court this year was a lot easier for me because I was able to dissect the game a lot while being out for seven months, so it was just getting mentally strong. …While I was home I was still doing rehab at a place in Sacramento. So I guess my summer, my off-time was kind of like being back here, I was still trying to get my body right. I wasn’t able to shoot or anything and be on the court...I was able to hang out with my family and friends which was also nice, and then once I got back to Long Beach in July, [it was] back to the same old stuff.”

“We have Ma’Qhi Berry back this year. She can put the ball in the hole, she can defend.

Being able to see [Kianna Hamilton-Fisher] step out of her comfort zone, [and] she’s been a lot more confident. In the CBU game, she was getting to the basket and shooting a three, she’s actually been developing her three a lot this summer. I’m excited to see what she does this year and excited to see her put some points up for us as well. One thing about [Kristyna Jeskova] is she is gonna put her all out on the floor. She works hard, so she’s gonna be a big defensive key for us this year.”

Here at the Beach we get to see you perform at a high level, but why do you think you were chosen by outside media members for this honor?

“Honestly just putting the ball in the hole, you know, scoring, finding my teammates …Getting to my spots, moving without the ball. I think I have to find other ways to impact the game besides scoring. [I have been] working a lot harder than I did last year and in my freshman year, so just put in extra work every day.”

What do you have to do to earn All-Big West honors by season’s end?

“Just improving on my defensive skills, of course as well as putting the ball in the hole. Finding my teammates, getting my teammates open, and honestly, I’m just trying to go far this year and win [the] Big West. We have a few girls that [are] going to be able to step up and be able to play that part and we can get the work in.”

What match-up are you looking forward to the most this season?

“Being from Northern California, we’re going to be in the Cal [Berkeley] Thanksgiving tournament, so I’m going to have a bunch of family and friends being able to come and catch those two games there.”

How did it feel to be apart of the Homecoming doubleheader this year?

“It was fun. I remember coming in my freshman year and being able to watch the boys, and it was my first year. Just the experience, a lot of people and I’m able to compete and it was just fun. I’m glad that we got the win, I’m glad the boys got the win, it was just a very cool experience. I’m very happy that I was able to experience that while I was here. It was nice to get a win and blowout a team, but aside from that game we still have a lot of work to do. We still have a lot of season left. We still have a few teams that we’re going to be able to actually compete against, and big teams that we have to prepare for, so it was just a nice easy win to start the season off at home.”

AUSTIN BRUMBLAY | Daily Forty-Niner

Sophomore guard Shanaijah Davison (top) dribbles the ball down the court against Westcliff University at the Walter Pyramid Nov. 9. Davison (above) goes up for a lay-up against Westcliff University at the Walter Pyramid Nov. 9.

16 SPORTS

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2019 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | SPORTS@DAILY49ER.COM

AUSTIN BRUMBLAY | Daily Forty-Niner

Long Beach State freshman attacker Rafael Real Vergara winds up to take a shot on goal against UCSD Wednesday, Oct. 30.

INTERNATIONAL WATERS The Brazilian rising-star is making waves for Beach water polo.

By Jacob Powers Staff Writer @ jaypowers__

H

e spent his childhood emulating his father’s 14-year professional career playing water polo.

Watching his father capture one of Brazil’s most prestigious water polo titles, the Campeonato Paulista, inspired Long Beach State international student-athlete Rafael Real Vergara to create a legacy of his own.

After struggling to stay afloat in school in Brazil, Vergara saw coming to the United States as an opportunity to intertwine sports and education in a system that has paved the way for international-athletes in the past.

“My goal here is first school, then water polo, but I’ve always tried to do both well,” Vergara said. “I would rather be living in Brazil than here, but I know it’s a huge opportunity. I want to win the NCAA title.

The Beach has never won and I want to change that.”

Vergara’s father never forced him to play sports, but wanted to make sure he was always active. At 7 years old, Vergara

started playing water polo and by 9, the sport had “consumed his life.”

Arroyo, who four years later would be the determining factor to play for the Beach.

“I am very happy because he is still doing something he believes in,” Vergara’s father Leo said. “With sports you can be happy, healthy and make friends. The American system of education and sports, I believe, is the best development of the young people.”

Last year Vergara was offered a roster spot with the Sant Andreu professional Water Polo Club in Barcelona, Spain. After talking with family and friends, Vergara decided the best way to keep playing and get an education was to come to the U.S.

Coming to the Beach from Sao Paulo, Brazil, the freshman attacker is beginning to make a name for himself, scoring 43 goals in 16 games played this season.

“His work ethic is unreal and this translates to motivating other people on our team to have the same work ethic,” junior goalie Marwan Darwish said. “The high level of water polo Rafa has participated in has improved the way we operate as a team.

He is constantly giving other players advice and leading by example.”

Having grown up training up to 16 hours a day in Brazil, Vergara’s work ethic has always been his driving force.

“They knew that I was coming and who I was,” Vergara said. “I always try to keep in mind that they were here before I was.”

In 2015, Vergara visited Los Angeles for the first time while playing for the Long Beach Sharks, a U.S. junior national team.

During practice on campus, Vergara met Long Beach State head coach Gavin

“I’ve been doing stuff with the U.S. team for the past five years and we crossed over in a couple of tournaments and obviously his skillset is pretty amazing so we kind of went off of that,” Arroyo said. “He’s proven himself internationally and his job is to come in and raise the level of the other guys that we have, even as a freshman.”

Upon arriving at the Beach a week late due to issues with his visa, Vergara began the year having trouble adjusting to his new schedule and school.

“I had transcripts from Brazil and Spain and was feeling like ‘What am I going to do?’” Vergara said. “Anything I needed from coach Arroyo he would help me out.

He would call around for me and handle these issues. It basically was because he’s always helping and I trusted him to do me good that I decided on coming to Long Beach.”

Navigating beachboard and keeping track of assignments first proved tough for Vergara in a new language, but with

the help of teammates was able to find a routine to be more successful in his academics.

“He did not know where he was going to live,” Darwish said. “Being an international student like him, I know how the transition period can be tough…

I was able to help him find a place and get ready for school and water polo.”

Vergara has been playing international club water polo for Spain and Brazil since he was 15 years old. In highschool Vergara participated in the UANA Pan American Junior Water Polo Championship for Brazil, where he was awarded the most valuable player. “[Vergara] just knows the game so well, he bucks the trend of what an alpha male’s personality is,” Arroyo said.

Vergara was also part of the Brazilian National Team that beat the U.S. National Senior Team for the first time in 45 years, just the fourth time in Brazilian history.

Outside of the pool, Vergara enjoys his time by breaking down game film, FaceTiming his girlfriend and socializing with friends.

“I think I have some steps to do in my life, and this one of those steps,” he said.

“I would rather be living in Brazil, but I know it’s a huge opportunity for me here.”