Daily Forty-Niner, Feb. 10, 2020

weekly print edition

DAILY FORTY-NINER EST p 1949

Vol. LXXI, Issue 20

www.daily49er.com

Monday, February 10, 2020

PREPPING FOR THE

PILL

Inside the

Niner

CSULB gets ready to provide medical abortions via pill starting Jan. 1, 2023.

ARTS Making coffee runs in the family

SPORTS Dirtbags pitcher makes debut

PAGE 7

PAGE 12

2

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | STAFF@DAILY49ER.COM ON THE COVER

The University Police Department will add reproductive rights crimes to the activity log after Student Health Services begins providing medical abortions via pill in 2023.

Weekly Calendar

Photo Illustration by RYAN GUITARE & PAULA KILEY

February Monday 2/10 ASI Chill Lounge @ USU Sunset Lounge 12 p.m.

-3 p.m.

Tuesday 2/11

Wednesday 2/12

Thursday 2/13

Sports MBB at Hawai’i Honolulu, Hawaii 9 p.m.

Sports ITRACK vs Don Kirby Elite Albuquerque, NM

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

Sports WBB vs UC Santa Barbara @ Walter Pyramid 7:00 p.m.

ASI Movies on the House JOKER @ USU Beach Auditorium

Friday 2/14 Sports ITRACK vs Don Kirby Elite Albuquerque, NM

Saturday 2/15

Sports SB at Arizona Tucson, Ariz.

12:30 p.m.

Sports WTEN vs Saint Mary’s Rhodes Tennis Center 11 p.m.

Sports SB vs Bryant Sports Hillenbrand SB vs OklaInvitational homa vs N. Tucson, Iowa Ariz.

Hillenbrand 9 a.m.

Invitational Tucson, Ariz.

ASI Sports 2 p.m.

Movies on WTEN vs the House Oregon Sports JOKER @ Rhodes BB vs Cal USU Beach Tennis Bohl DiaAuditorium Center mond at 2 p.m.

Blair Field 3 p.m.

Sports BB vs Cal Bohl Diamond at Blair Field 6 p.m.

Theatre Arts In the Blood by Suzan Lori Parks Feb. 13 through Mar. 1 @ Player’s Theater

Sunday 2/16

Sports MVB vs Alumni Game @ Walter Pyramid 1:00 p.m.

Sports BB vs Cal Bohl Diamond at Blair Field 1 p.m.

Sports MBB vs UC Riverside Walter Pyramid 4 p.m.

Sports WBB at UC Riverside Riverside, Calif.

5 p.m.

Daily Forty-Niner 1250 Bellflower Blvd., LA4-203 Long Beach, CA, 90840

Editorial Office Phone (562) 985-8000

Business Office Phone (562) 985-1740

Austin Brumblay

Rachel Barnes

Editor in Chief eic@daily49er.com

Managing Editor managing@daily49er.com

Aubrey Balster

Multimedia Managing Editor multimedia@daily49er.com News Editor Madalyn Amato news@daily49er.com Arts & Life Editor Paula Kiley arts@daily49er.com Opinions Editor Perry Continente opinions@daily49er.com Sports Editor Mark Lindahl sports@daily49er.com Design Editor Alejandro Vazquez design@daily49er.com Advertising Manager Steven Zuniga advertising@daily49er.com Business Manager Hannah Getahun business@daily49er.com Special Projects Editor Hannah Getahun Photo Editor Ryan Guitare Social Media Editor Brenna Enos Podcast Editor Manuel Valladares Podcast Editor Julia Terbeche Webmaster Samantha Hangsan Arts and Life Assistant Paris Barraza Assistant Sports Editor Assistant Social Media Editor

Ralston Dacanay Cristal Gomez

Distribution Manager Rachel Barnes Distribution Assistant Alejandro Vazquez Design Adviser Gary Metzker Content Adviser Barbara Kinglsey-Wilson

Shark Bites

By Rachel Barnes Shark Bites is a CSULB inspired crossword puzzle that contains clues from the recent news stories published by the Daily Forty-Niner. Tag us @daily49er with a picture of your completed crossword for a chance to win a prize!

Down 1. The last name of the coach who took Luis Ramirez in after his parents had to move to Mexico.

2. Alex and Andrea Bonilla helped open Ground ________ Coffee on Fourth and Elm. 4. This number of alumni were part of the chorale for “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.”

Across 1. Mason Briggs places ________ in the Big West for digs per set.

3. Dale Lendrum is the ASI senator for the College of ________.

4. Dale Lendrum said he got into drugs after his parents divorced at this age.

5. The men’s basketball team officially became the last place in the Big West after losing to Cal ________.

6. This week’s spill the tea is about students’ worst ________.

Advertising and Business Jennifer Newton Adviser

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.

Follow us @daily49er

NEWS 3

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | NEWS@DAILY49ER.COM

Photo Illustartion by RYAN GUITARE | Daily Forty-Niner

Medical abortions, which require the ingestion of the medications mifepristone or misoprostol, will be available at CSULB starting Jan. 1 2023.

A hard pill to swallow SHS and UPD are preparing for possible crimes against campus abortion providers once on-campus abortions become available.

By Madalyn Amato News Editor

R

eproductive rights crimes will be added to the University Police Department crime log in 2023.

According to Greg Pascal, communication supervisor for the UPD, this new crime classification is in response to Senate Bill 24, which mandates that all California State University campuses provide medical abortions via pill for students.

So far, no public universities have begun providing medical abortion services.

“In order to qualify as a reproductive rights crime, it has to be a crime that occurs against a facility or health care provider who is providing reproductive rights services,” Pascal said. “And because the

university did not provide those services ... once the health center starts providing those, then it’s a possibility.”

Crimes committed now, Pascal said, although inspired by anti-abortion sentiments, would not be classified as reproductive rights crimes until the abortion medication becomes available in 2023.

This means that although violence may be occurring now, it is not being documented as reproductive rights crime at all CSU campuses.

Campus Student Health Services director Angela Girard said when the bill was first passed, UPD was ready for the issue to “not go over quietly.”

Rachel Haering, secretary for the Catholic Newman Club, said she and her cohort strongly oppose the implementation of the bill but oppose violence even more.

“Myself or any members of the groups

wouldn’t condone those actions,” Haering said. “That isn’t the way to have a productive dialogue.”

When the topic was first brought to discussion in 2018 during an Associated Students Inc. Senate meeting, it was met with conflicting responses.

“Beyond the politics of the issue of abortion, there’s the issue of the people running this program don’t want it,” Haering said.

Sen. Raquelle Hafen of the College of Health and Human Services said she opposes the bill for several reasons.

“I am aware that many in ASI and the student body do not agree with my stance on this issue,” Hafen said. “This is a decision made regardless of my personal views on the controversial legality or morality of abortion rights as a whole.”

Haering mirrored her concerns, including those about funding for the bill.

“All the bill says is they’re not requiring student fees to be used, but nothing prohibits it down the line,” Haering said.

Hafen said that her understanding is that the ultimate burden of cost will fall on the students, despite the measure being designed to provide free access to abortion services.

“SB 24 would not provide enough financial support to CSULB as it transitions to offering these services on campus,” Hafen said. “Financial responsibility would likely fall onto the students, contributing to the ever-increasing price of higher education.”

It is unclear what the response will be at CSULB once the service is provided, but Girard said the SHS is still preparing for the possibility of controversy.

“We are in the early stages of planning, so more specifics are to come as we move closer to 2023,” Girard said.

Timeline of Senate Bill 24 Feb. 13, 2019: Topic of oncampus abortion services first discussed during ASI Senate meeting.

Oct. 11, 2019: SB 24 signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom requires all CSU campuses to provide medical abortions by 2023.

February 2020: Student Health Services and University Police make preparations for the services to be offered on campus.

Jan. 1, 2023: All CSU campuses will be legally required to provide medical abortions on campus, including Long Beach State.

4 NEWS

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | NEWS@DAILY49ER.COM

From addict to advocate ASI Sen. Dale Lendrum once lived a life of crime and heavy drug use, but is now using those experiences to endorse education for inmates.

By Madalyn Amato News Editor

D

ale Lendrum was sitting in a jail cell after being arrested by his parole officer for testing positive on a drug test in 2008, when he was offered a spot in a drug rehabilitation program.

This was the first time Lendrum had been given an option besides a prison sentence.

“I was 46 at the time I wasn’t a spring chicken anymore or anything like that,” Lendrum said.

“I began to think about doing something different and looking to maybe education to be that mechanism to transform my life.”

Lendrum completed a 30-day detox program in the California Institution for Men. He was then transferred to the Orange County Jail system to participate in a three-month rehabilitation program.

As the gravity of his situation became heavier each day, Lendrum decided to write letters to Golden West College, Coastline College and Orange Coast College inquiring about financial aid and admission in an attempt to make his way out of the world he was living. Only Golden West responded.

“At that point I was really hoping that higher education would transform my life,” Lendrum said. “I was giving myself a second chance instead of a third strike.”

Upon completing his associate degree at Golden West he transferred to Long Beach State where he began his activism for prison education programs and funding opportunities for formerly incarcerated persons.

Lendrum, now an Associated Students Inc. senator for the College of Education, recently presented two bills to the senate. The first would encourage CSULB to support the Aim Higher Act, which would make the Pell Grant available to formerly incarcerated persons. The second would encourage the campus to engage in an in-person degree program for individuals still serving time.

“Our primary focus is drafting

legislative resolutions that improve the quality of life for students and enhances their success and more importantly, removes any barriers, or challenges to education,” Lendrum said. “Equity not equality.”

As a part of President Bill Clinton’s “tough on crime” initiative, formerly incarcerated persons lost the opportunity to receive the Pell Grant in 1994.

“When Pell Grant access for prisoners was rescinded, more than half of the colleges and universities that were able to go inside and deliver degree programs face to face, hybrid or in other manners disappeared,” Lendrum said.

The Aim Higher Act is currently under review by the U.S. House of Representatives, and if passed, he said, it will provide those who want to reach higher with the chance they need, like he had years ago.

“In my research, the data for the last five decades proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that there’s a relationship between the lack of education and criminality and incarceration,” Lendrum said.

Recidivism is statistically higher in the U.S. than other similarly advanced nations, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health. The Bureau of Justice Statistics finds that 67.8% of prisoners will reoffend within three years of their release.

However, the statistics change once education is introduced into the equation.

According to the National Institute of Justice, an individual with an associate degree, the likelihood of recidivism drops to 13.7%, with a bachelor’s degree, it drops to 5.6% and with a master’s degree, recidivism it’s effectively 0%.

The topic of his second proposed resolution, which received overwhelming support from his fellow senators, would push to establish an in-person educational program at CSULB for individuals still serving their sentence. Currently, California State University, Los Angeles is the only institution that provides prisoners the opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Arts in communication studies.

“Folks are coming out better prepared to reenter society,

better prepared to restore their lives, the lives of their families, their community and are more employable,” Lendrum said.

Lendrum’s story began in Downey, and when his parents divorced when he was young, he said the instability of home life led him to turn to drugs at the age of 16.

“Almost to the day that I turned 18 I began to get in trouble with the criminal justice system, in large part to support my drug habit,” Lendrum said.

“I was a full blown cocaine addict and already starting to go to jail.”

A few years later, Lendrum moved in with his mother in Sweden, where he traded in his cocaine addiction and began using heroin on a regular basis.

“I went to live with my mom and get away from the drugs,” Lendrum said. “So I came back to America because I was afraid of dying as a heroin addict.”

Once back in the states, Lendrum began to use methamphetamine, and as the drug use increased, so did his interactions with the prison system.

see LENDRUM, on page 5

RYAN GUITARE | Daily Forty-Niner

(Top) Dale Lendrum, currently an Associated Students Inc. senator for the College of Education, turned his life around after being jailed on more than 24 occasions.

(Above) Dale Lendrum’s booking photo, taken in 1993, after he was arrested for attempting to assualt his then girlfriend with a pair of scissors.

NEWS 5

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | NEWS@DAILY49ER.COM

Threatening messages, a dog in a car and reported theft

By Reina Esparza Staff Writer

Welfare check The University Police Department received multiple calls concerning a visually impaired male at approximately 12:30 p.m., Feb. 3. He was yelling while walking around the University Library, witnesses reported. The callers were concerned the male was in distress. Officers responded and the male said he did not need any help.

Harassing phone calls A student came to the UPD on Feb. 4 to report that they had been receiving threatening and harassing texts and messages. The student filed a report and the UPD has decided to investigate the matter further.

Animal control call The UPD received a call that a small dog had been left inside a vehicle near Amazon@TheBeach at approximately 12:18 p.m., Feb. 5. The reporting party said that the dog had been barking for about five minutes before they contacted UPD. An officer was sent to investigate but the vehicle was gone.

Missing item A large electric pressure washer was reported missing on Feb. 5 at around 1:44 p.m. The reported theft occurred in the courtyard outside the Fine Arts-1 building. The pressure washer’s reported valued is $4,000.

Traffic incident A traffic incident occurred near the driveway of the Microbiology Building at approximately 7:15 a.m., Feb. 6. A Ford truck allegedly hit a parked car, causing minor damage, but no injuries were reported from the accident.

BY MIGUEL MARTINEZ

“I was giving myself a second chance instead of a third strike.” ­­— Dale Lendrum ASI senator

Dale Lendrum promotes the importance of education with the #SchoolsNotPrisons initiative.

LENDRUM, continued from page 4

“My addictions led me to be jailed on more than 24 occasions in four different counties, so it didn’t matter where I went, I was getting in trouble,” Lendrum said. “Six trips to prison, six imprisonments, and then I earned two strikes in the process.”

Lendrum’s controlling cases were violent crimes, including

a felony charge for assault with a deadly weapon without great body injury and another felony charge for threatening to assault his then girlfriend, but all of his subsequent charges were for failed drug tests while on parole.

The three-strikes law applies to any individual who has committed two prior violent crimes, meaning a third conviction of any kind could result in a sentence of life imprisonment according to Stanford Law. This meant that Lendrum was on the edge of spending the rest of his days in a prison cell.

However, education led him

away from this path.

Three years ago, Lendrum joined ASI as secretary for system wide affairs where he lobbied for bringing Project Rebound to CSULB. Started in 1967, Project Rebound provides special admissions to those who are formerly incarcerated and wish to enter into the CSU system. The program currently exists on nine campuses, but despite Lendrum’s efforts, it has yet to be adopted at CSULB. “While we got that program established, the idea was that ASI would establish the program

within three to five years with the goal of the university institutionalizing the program,” Lendrum said. “After eight months the university was prepared to take over the program, but they haven’t launched it yet.”

Lendrum is unclear as to why the program hasn’t been launched yet, having served as the interim director when it first came to the campus.

Over the years Lendrum said he’s faced some backlash against his activism.

“The pushback always comes with ‘We don’t have the money, we just don’t have the money,

RYAN GUITARE | Daily Forty-Niner

we’d like to, but we don’t have the money,’” Lendrum said.

“There’s also always a little murmur here and there: ‘Well, they’re violent felons.’”

For Lendrum, education is the key to escaping a lifestyle bound to end in tragedy, and he plans to continue on working towards a future where those who were once in his shoes can enjoy the same opportunities.

“If we can’t use education to rehabilitate, what are we going to use?” Lendrum said. “Threats don’t work, locking people away don’t work, let’s try something different.”

6 ARTS & LIFE

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | ARTS@DAILY49ER.COM

Photo courtesy of JACK WILKINS

(Left to right) Jennifer Paz, Luc Kleiner, Jessie Shulman, JJ Lopez, Beth Peregrine and Jack Wilkins take a selfie together between rehearsals.

CSULB’s seven sith singers Alumni from the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music sang in the Los Angeles Master Chorale for the Oscar-nominated “Star Wars Episode 9: The Rise of Skywalker.”

By Chance Sinerius Staff Writer

A

s John Williams lifted his hands and the orchestra began to play, the chorus, seven of whom were Long Beach State alumni, harmonized to the music of the Oscar-nominated “Star Wars Episode 9: The Rise of Skywalker” soundtrack.

The alumni were members of the Los Angeles Master Chorale and recorded at Sony Pictures Studios in October and November 2019. The chorale was handpicked by Williams and is comprised of 100 vocalists.

“Getting to sing on a movie,” said Jack Wilkins, a CSULB 2016 alumnus, “and not just any movie, but to have it be Star Wars,

it’s just like it’s a dream come true.”

The seven alumni in the chorale are Luc Kleiner, JJ Lopez, Jennifer Paz, Bethanie Peregrine, Jessie Shulman, Ilana Summers and Wilkins. They studied at the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music under the instruction of Jonathan Talberg, director of choral activities.

“Knowing that they had the opportunity to add their voices to John Williams’ last Star Wars project is really exciting,” Talberg said. “I’m a lifelong Star Wars fan, and I teared up seeing their names roll by on the credits.”

Williams has won five Oscars in his career and holds the record for the most Oscar nominations with 52. The alumni had the opportunity to work closely with Williams over the duration of the recording sessions.

The artistry of the alumni has contrib-

uted to the film’s Oscar nomination for the best original score at the 92nd Academy Awards ceremony.

“It’s always an honor to work with John Williams,” Shulman said. “He’s an icon in the film music industry and beyond.”

Many of the alumni worked together at the BMAC. Two of them, Paz and Wilkins, were paired together as mentor and mentee in the choir when Wilkins was a second-year student and Paz was a first-year.

“When she was a freshman, she was my ‘little,’” Wilkins said, referring to his working relationship with Paz. “We went off to graduate and then we ended up doing Star Wars together. So that was pretty incredible.”

The members sang on five of the tracks: “Anthem of Evil,” “Farewell,” “Approaching the Throne,” “The Force is With You” and “The Final Saber Duel.” They were also

featured as the voices of the “Sith crowd” during select scenes of the movie.

During the recording of the chanting voices for the Sith crowd, the chorale received instruction from JJ Abrams, the director of the film.

“It was just this amazing moment,” Wilkins said, “of John [Williams] just sitting there and JJ [Abrams] just kind of conducting us through these chants. Then to see it in the film is just the coolest thing.”

Despite having contributed to a variety of the tracks on the album, the original theme song for the highly acclaimed movie franchise was still the most notable, Shulman said.

“Feeling the magic in the room when the orchestra starts to swell into the opening Star Wars theme with John Williams conducting is always going to be the highlight for me,” Shulman said.

ARTS & LIFE 7

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | ARTS@DAILY49ER.COM

A family grind Senior aerospace engineering students Alex and Andrea Bonilla open family-owned coffee shop in Downtown Long Beach.

By Paula Kiley Arts & Life Editor

O

n the corner of Fourth and Elm, Alex and Andrea Bonilla work tirelessly behind the wooden counter, darting around the kitchen like a well-choreographed dance. As Alex rings up a customer at the register, Andrea adds finishing touches to each coffee, tiny details meticulously arranged over the drink’s surface.

A dash of orange zest.

The slight toasting of mini marshmallows. A generous sprinkle of cinnamon and cardamom.

Sunlight pours in through the coffee shop’s wide windows, illuminating the countertop like a spotlight. The star of the show? A steaming cup of Ground Hideout Coffee.

The Bonilla siblings, both senior aerospace engineering students at Long Beach State, opened Ground Hideout Coffee with their family four months ago.

Officially opening its doors last semester, Alex and Andrea juggled a six-course workload, research projects, rocket building and other extracurricular activities with the dawn of their family’s coffee shop. “[We] just always had this, ‘we’re gonna do it [mentality],’” Alex said.

“There’s no ‘ifs’ or ‘buts,’ just ‘We’re gonna do it.’ And I think that kinda helped [with the workload].”

But Ground Hideout Coffee is far from a two-person show. According to Andrea, opening a coffee business was a family affair and had been a dream for the Bonilla family for as long as he could remember.

“Without coffee, there’s nothing,” Alex Bonilla Sr. said. “All of our family loves coffee. We grew up with coffee every day.”

The Bonilla’s love for coffee didn’t originate in Long Beach, but rather 15 years prior and about 2,800 miles south. A 45-minute drive down a winding dirt road from San Pedro Sula, Honduras, stood rows and rows of coffee plants lined in perfect aisles stretching

far and wide, as Alex and Andrea remember.

Owned by their grandfather, that coffee plantation would be the destination for the Bonilla children’s Saturday family trips.

“We would go to the plantation and we would just walk around and feel the plants [and] how they were growing [and] appreciate coffee more than just making it at home,” Alex said.

The Bonilla siblings remember snapshots of the coffee plantation in faded, sepia-toned memories— picking plump, red coffee cherries off the stems of the coffee plant; playing with the plantation workers’ children in the sticky Honduran humidity, stopping midday to sit in the grass and eat lunch. These memories clung onto the Bonilla siblings and informed their passion for the cups of coffee they serve daily at Ground Hideout.

“We grew up loving coffee. I mean, I don’t think you should be having coffee as a kid, but when you’re left with your grandparents sometimes, they give in to

PAULA KILEY | Daily Forty-Niner

Senior aerospace engineering major Andrea Bonilla, top, drizzles chocolate syrup over the campfire latte, a seasonal drink at Ground Hideout Coffee, Wednesday, Feb. 5. Andrea Bonilla, above, pours steamed coffee over the orange latte at Ground Hideout Coffee, her family-owned business on Fourth and Elm in Downtown Long Beach.

you,” Andrea said with a smile.

But as gang activity and violence escalated in Honduras, the Bonilla family decided to leave their home country in 2004 in search of better opportunities in the United States.

“The principal idea [behind coming] here was for the education [of my children],” Alex Sr. said. “The [opportunity] to open our own business ... that was essentially the post-goal.

My country [had] a lot of crime, and [there weren’t] a lot of opportunities for [my children].”

It wasn’t until a decade after the move that the Bo-

nillas would kick their plan into gear in 2014.

“My parents always wanted a business …” Andrea said. “My brother and I just saw how hard they worked and we didn’t want them to have that life anymore.”

Five years, several city permits and one big summer renovation later, Ground Hideout Coffee welcomed the Long Beach community through its doors for the first time September 2019.

Today, the Bonilla family operates Ground Hideout Coffee internally, rotating hours between the Bonilla siblings, their parents and

Alex’s girlfriend, Chandler Frostad, who designed the store’s interior and brand elements.

“At one point you’re like, ‘This is a lot. Can I actually do this?’” Alex said. “But then I would just think about my parents and my family and my grandpa, because I know that he would want this to happen so that was kind of like a driving force to not give up.”

Ground Hideout Coffee is located at 356 E. Fourth Street and is open daily from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Prices start at $3.

8 OPINIONS

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | OPINIONS@DAILY49ER.COM

Spill the Tea is a weekly section for students to share their opinions and make their voices heard. Long Beach State students answer a question 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.

What’s your best worst date story?

By Paris Bazarra

Dominic Lawrence, third-year communications major “I went on a date, and at this time I was younger. I was on the dating apps, and I met this guy.

We went out to dinner, [and] halfway through he needed to tell me that he was married to a girl that just needed citizenship, and I basically SOSed myself. I called my mom, and I was like, ‘I need to go home.’”

Megan Dea, third-year communication studies major “I went to go hang out with some friend, to me it was a friend. I guess he thought that I was going on a date with him, but I would never go on a date with a guy if I have to pick him up and take him out. We ended up going out, hanging out, and it was really fun. When I dropped him off, he stayed in the car, he wasn’t leaving, and I was like, ‘OK I gotta go,’ and he stayed and he ended up leaning in to kiss me.

I kinda knew it might happen because he lingered, but I reacted terribly and I said, ‘Woah, what the fuck are you doing, we’re just friends,’ and he said, ‘Oh, thanks for leading me on.’”

Oliva Bloom, first-year psychology major

Lauren Patt, third-year studio art major

“It was a date to Disneyland and the guy I went with, I never met him before and [we matched on] Tinder. I wanted to go to Disneyland for free [because he worked there], and I hadn’t been in like 10 years or so. He seemed like a nice boy, but when we got there, we were about to go through the security gates, I was like, ‘Oh shoot,’ [because] I have a bunch of, not legal, stuff in my purse. I had a lighter, a [marijauna vape pen], a bottle opener and all that sort of stuff in my purse. I was like, ‘Oh shoot, what do I do with this?’ and he was like, ‘I could lose my job.’ It wasn’t the best situation.”

“I was visiting some family in Arkansas and I got Tinder, and this guy wanted to take me out for breakfast. I was 17 or 16. I kind of had to sneak out early in the morning to go to breakfast. I told my mom I was going downtown to take photos. I went, and it was super awkward. It was my first date with someone I didn’t know and a stranger from Tinder, and I felt awkward and bad. I didn’t want to order because I felt bad that he was paying for it. He was in the Army, and we were just in very different places in our lives.

I was in high school. This guy, still to this day — it’s been four or five years — he still Snapchats me.”

Valentine’s Day Simp

By Enacio Diaz

OPINIONS 9

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | OPINIONS@DAILY49ER.

The 2020 Iowa Caucus is proving all the negative stereotypes of the Democratic Party to be true.

The Democratic Party is flawed Incompetence has crippled America’s left-wing, and provided a path to re-election for Trump.

By Perry Continente Opinions Editor

I

neffectual, bloated by bureaucracy, corrupt.

The Democratic Party is accused of being all these things and more, and come the night of the Iowa Caucus disaster, they proved its critics right in grand fashion, making them look like fools, and giving Donald Trump his best week in years.

What should be one of the easiest things for a political party to do, vote and count said votes, was such an unmitigated disaster.

The comically ineffectual app used to tabulate the data was developed by the ominously-named “Shadow inc.” which is run by

ex-Clinton staffers and bankrolled

by Buttigieg’s campaign.

Add to that comical coin flips to decide delegates that are too close to call, and the whole affair has a degree of sleaze.

The primary feels like the ramblings of a far-right conspiracy theorist decrying the “deep state” and the “shadow government.” Hell, the company even has “shadow” in its name. Who thought that was a good idea?

This is especially embarrassing given the importance of Iowa in the primary.

The winner of the Iowa Caucus has gone on to clinch the Democratic nomination for the last five years.

It has reached this mythic status.

Who wins and who loses dramatically impacts who receives support from the party.

The Democrats have already been

accused of playing favorites for establishment centrists during their primaries. A lot of the progressive wing is still bitter over Hillary’s primary win in 2016, and 2020 feels like that but worse.

This is on the heels of impeachment proceedings where Democrats failed to even secure witnesses and a primary that has seen the progressive and corporate wings of the party cannibalizing each other.

Time and time again, Democrats snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, it’s one of the most recognizable elements of the party. Hillary’s woefully inadequate campaign and the continuous, brutal, infighting are fundamental failures.

Have they learned nothing? It certainly feels that way. Defeating Trump would be a slam dunk for a cohesive, cooperative political party.

Losing 2020 would be devastating to Democrats, but they essentially handing that election to Trump on a silver platter. The president recently hit an all-time high approval rating almost breaking 50%.

That being said, given Joe Biden’s anemic performance in the primary, placing a distant fourth just above Amy Klobuchar, and 2016’s historically flawed polls, my faith in them ranks just between astrology and the Farmers’ Almanac in terms of reliability.

In order for Democrats to stand a chance in 2020, the whole party needs to rally behind whoever is nominated. Party members will need to compromise on policy, swallow their pride and unite to vote for the lesser of two evils.

They’re screwed.

PAID ADVERTISEMENTS

MAJORS FAIR CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY LONG BEACH

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2020 SPEAKERS PLATFORM LAWN 11:00AM – 2:00PM FREE LUNCH AVAILABLE!

Over $500,000 available in scholarships!

No PCAT required!

DECLARED MAJORS WILL BE ABLE TO: • Learn about internship opportunities/scholarships • Touch base with an advisor • Have your questions answered • Check other major options

UNDECLARED MAJORS WILL BE ABLE TO: • Explore and speak to different college advisors • Ask questions to different departments and majors • Learn about GE classes for Fall 2020

• Diverse student body For more information: 903.565.5777

If you would like to request accommodations, please contact the Bob Murphy Access Center at least 72 hours before the event .562.985.5401

pharmacy@uttyler.edu www.uttyler.edu/pharmacy

• Picturesque campus • Low cost of living • Easy driving distance to Dallas and Shreveport

SPORTS 11

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | SPORTS@DAILY49ER.COM

LONG BEACH, WE HAVE A BIG WEST PROBLEM

BRIGGS WITH THE DIGS The Long Beach State men’s volleyball team has found a hidden gem in freshman libero Mason Briggs, who is putting the Big West on notice with his conferenceleading stats.

By Ralston Dacanay Assistant Sports Editor

M CAIN HERNANDEZ | Daily Forty-Niner

Long Beach State freshman libero Mason Briggs celebrates a point scored by the Beach.

By Teran Rodriguez & Mark Lindahl Staff Writers

A

hard right-handed swing hits the ball from what appears to be at the feet of the first-row fans.

It travels in a perfect arch to junior setter Carlos Rivera who puts it up for junior middle blocker Simon Anderson. The kill goes ricocheting off Pepperdine’s block attempt and out of bounds. Point Long Beach.

The libero, who stands out on the court with a contrasting jersey to the rest of the team, can be one of the most difficult positions in volleyball. The jack-of-all-trades player must possess strong defensive awareness and also precise passing skills.

The defensive maestro’s assignment for the game is two-fold: to keep the play alive for the offense to flow, but also to prevent the other team from scoring.

Often regarded as the “fullback of the team,” according to starting libero Mason Briggs, this year’s Long Beach State men’s volleyball roster features a freshman manning the role of defensive leader for the first time since 2013.

“Any freshman who starts in men’s volleyball, regardless of what position you play, it’s not normal,” Long Beach State men’s volleyball head coach Alan Knipe said. “It’s too much depth. The fact that you can get on the court as a freshman is impressive.”

The rookie kill-wrangler has shined through in the team’s first six games.

“What people don’t see is all the work he puts in to prep for matches, to prep for practice,” Knipe said. “All of the videos he watches, he makes it really easy to play with [the team]. He brings a lot to the court.”

Knipe compared Briggs’ display of athleticism, which landed him at No. 2 on the NCAA’s Top Plays list against Pepperdine Jan.

BIG WEST LIBEROS: (As of Feb. 7) Mason Briggs freshman, Long Beach State, 2.33 digs per set (2nd), 56 digs (T-8th), 6 matches; Ryan Lew senior, UC San Diego, 1.95 digs per set (9th), 82 digs (2nd), 11 matches; Gage Worsley junior, Hawai’i, 2.17 digs per set (5th), 56 digs (T-8th), 9 matches; AJ Faille redshirt-sophomore, UC Irvine, 2.24 digs per set (3rd), 65 digs (4th), 8 matches; Grady Yould senior, UC Santa Barbara, digs per set 1.96 (8th), 53 digs (T-11), 8 matches; Johnny Anselmo freshman, CSUN, digs per set 1.22 (28th), 44 digs (19th), 9 matches;

25, to an outfielder tracking down a deep shot to the warning track and laying his body on the line.

“The fact that he didn’t give up on the ball and he fully extended out, it’s spectacular,” Knipe said.

“Super proud of him. We call it ‘yes-yes mentality,’ and we have a lot of guys in the gym that play with yes-yes mentality.”

Knipe made a point to note Briggs’ effort has contributed to the team’s momentum, which hasn’t gone unnoticed by his squad.

“We always talk about giving effort,” teammate Rivera said, “and once plays like that happen, the energy and effort that the person gave flows through everyone, and everyone wants to do even more and give more.”

Although sweat left on the court doesn’t always show quantitatively in the stat sheet, he certainly has been proving his worth by the numbers too.

Briggs, as of Feb. 7, sits second in the Big West in digs per set with 2.33 and is first among liberos in the conference.

“We have a goal of getting Final Four, and we’re all focusing on that,” Briggs said. “We take it week by week, and I’m just doing my part as much as I can working on expanding my range on defense, covering more court on serve-receive and stacking that every week.”

Three of the other five rival liberos, Hawai’i junior Gage Worsley (2.17 DPS, fifth), UCSB senior Grady Yould (1.96 DPS, ninth) and UCSD senior Ryan Lew (1.98 DPS, ninth), are upperclassmen and have all posted lower digs per set thus far.

UCSB junior setter Casey McGarry leads the conference with a clip of 2.59 DPS and UC Irvine redshirt sophomore libero AJ Faille checks in at third on the list with 2.24 DPS. The other freshman libero starting in the Big West, CSUN’s Johnny Anselmo, only offers up 1.22 digs per set.

Briggs is ninth in total digs with 56 but has only played in six games, compared to UCSD senior setter Connor Walbrecht’s conference-leading 95 digs in 12 matches (2.07 DPS).

Despite having played fewer games than the other liberos, Briggs’ has been digging his way up the standings while leading the Beach in three out of six games in attacks erased this season.

Long Beach State assistant coach Nick MacRae described Briggs as “all in,” which has contributed to his league-leading numbers across his position while still settling in.

“Mason wants to come in every day, watch video, ... emails the entire staff what his daily goals are,” MacRae said, “and he’s all in to get 1-2% better, consistently, every day and every week.”

ake no doubt about it—this season for the Long Beach State men’s basketball team has been, for the most part, frustrating and disappointing.

What was supposed to be a refreshing new chapter with 11 talented, incalculable newcomers has recently spiraled into a disheartening cycle of losing.

The Beach’s latest 92-75 whooping by the conference’s former bottom team in Cal Poly, was not only tough to watch, but perhaps signaled a coming change as to who’s the lone program to miss the chance to dance in the nine-sided conference.

A shot at the NCAA tournament?

Once unthinkable, Long Beach (7-17, 2-6 Big West) is in real danger of losing its spot in the Big West Tournament for the first time under head coach Dan Monson.

With a host of hanging heads, erratic isolation heaves and casual retreats on Mustang fast breaks and threes, the Beach dropped the last place matchup to the conference’s worst offense.

Entering training camp with the second wealthiest talent pool in the Big West, according to Verbal Commits, the Beach expected to compete on any given night, despite its drastically overhauled cast of untested young guns. For the first time this season, it felt like the team had completely run out of answers.

Anything less than a top-to-bottom effort spells disaster for the Beach’s already needle-thin margin of error to win games.

Facing a worsening increase in opponent point totals of 77, 87 and 92 on its current three-game losing skid, Long Beach has fallen apart on the side of the court where it had once hoped to establish a league-winning defensive identity.

Most of the Beach’s team stats—whether in part by design or personnel—show that the squad has struggled to execute a game plan consistent with modern basketball eight games into the team’s Big West schedule: BIG WEST PER-GAME TEAM STATS (AS OF FEB. 7, 2020) Long Beach State (Ranking) Points: 68.1 (8th) 3PT attempts: 16.1 (9th) Assists: 9.5 (9th) Turnovers: 15.4 (9th) Steals: 4.3 (9th) Points allowed: 76.3 (9th) Conference Average Points: 70.6 3PT attempts: 19.3 Assists: 12.1 Turnovers: 12.4 Steals: 5.6 Points allowed: 70.5 Whether it be the lack of a true playmaker or the omnipresent cult-call for a new head coach, Long Beach fans have been restless long before this season started, and it might be too late for the team to change its course.

The Beach wanted to be the best defensive team in the Big West. They were driven to prove to doubters that a sixthplace conference projection was wrong.

Instead, having yet to win back-to-back games with Hawai’i, UC Riverside and UC Irvine on deck, the Beach will have to go 6-2 the rest of the way just to match last season’s 8-8 finish and avoid its first losing Big West campaign in over 12 years.

Long Beach State will resume Big West play against Hawai’i on Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 9 p.m. at the Stan Sheriff Center.

SPORTS 12

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | SPORTS@DAILY49ER.COM

A PITCHER’S PATH

RYAN GUITARE | Daily Forty-Niner

Long Beach State freshman right-handed pitcher Luis Ramirez watches the Dirtbags Alumni game from the dugout Saturday, Feb. 8 at Blair Field.

Ramirez expects to make an immediate impact on the pitching mound in the starting rotation.

Freshman Luis Ramirez made the tough decision of living away from his parents to pursue baseball. Now, the right-hander is starting for the Dirtbags.

By Robert Hollar Staff Writer

D

irtbags’ freshman pitcher Luis Ramirez’s impressive baseball journey from Salesian High School to Sunday starter for the Dirtbags almost never happened.

The summer before his freshman year of high school, Ramirez’s parents needed to move back to Mexico, where Ramirez was born. Ramirez was set to go with them and stop pursuing baseball until his little league travel-ball coach, Sergio Sanchez, stepped in. “[Sanchez] offered for me to live with him after he found out that I was gonna move to Mexico,” Ramirez said. “I thought it was a good idea for me to continue baseball and school here in Los Angeles.”

As a result of Sanchez’s hospitality and Ramirez’s willingness to live away from his parents, Ramirez stayed in L.A. to attend Salesian High School. The decision to live away from family wasn’t one that Ramirez took lightly.

“I’m close to my parents,” Ramirez said. “They’re the ones that inspired me to do what I’m doing right now.”

Ramirez’s close ties with his host family, the close ties with his biological family, and his ability to pursue baseball in the United States created a rollercoaster of emotions while he lived away from his parents. They came to visit him about once a month, but could only stay for a weekend at a time.

“It was kinda cool at first, ‘cause I was living with my friend,” Ramirez said, “but then I started missing my parents, and it was kind of tough.”

Ramirez got through the hard times by investing himself in his love of baseball. Baseball was one of the main reasons he stayed in the U.S., something he never forgot during that first year of high school.

“He worked his tail off here at the school,” Salesian head coach David Sifuentes said.

And boy did he work.

“By December of his freshman year, I knew I had something special,” Sifuentes said. “He was All-State his freshman year.”

If Ramirez had gone back to Mexico to live with his parents, he almost certainly would not have played high school baseball and the accomplishments of his freshman year would never have happened. His parents returned to the U.S. the summer after that academic year.

Ramirez’s performance on the field while his parents were away earned him a spot in the prestigious Perfect Game U17 World Series. Perfect Game is an organization that looks to showcase the best young baseball talent in the country in front of hundreds of scouts. Ramirez played for Perfect Game several times, and the first experience was a wake-up call.

“The first couple times there he was humbled,” Sifuentes said.

Ramirez, however, said the experience was also revelatory.

“It let me know how much more work I had to put in to be up there with [top national competition],” Ramirez said.

So Ramirez started working harder. He always gave his all in practice at Salesian, but he started adding after-school workouts with his father, recently returned from Mexico, to his regimen.

“My dad was a pitcher when he was little, too, so he would take me out to train,” Ramirez said. “After I would finish all my homework he would take me to Salazar park by my house. We’d just throw the ball around ... working mostly on mechanics.”

The extra work, again, paid off. Ramirez was invited to the Perfect Game twice more and improved each time.

“The second time out he did a much better job,” Sifuentes said. “He got base hits off of two guys that were first-round draft picks the following year.”

Ramirez was born in Ensenada, Mexico, and his family moved to the U.S. when he was two years old. His first challenge was learning English, and he became fluent by the time he was in first grade despite his parents not knowing the language.

Then, Ramirez struggled to spend a year away from his parents. After that, he achieved yet another goal:becoming a first-generation college student.

Now Ramirez is simultaneously balancing the workload of a four-year university and a Division l baseball program. He’s throwing at least three times a week in addition to his strength and conditioning program.

“He’ll lift three days a week as well,” Dirtbags head coach Eric Valenzuela said. “It’s a pretty tough schedule for him to stay on and that’s not even counting the school part of it. It’s a busy schedule for him. That’s the one thing that we’re working on is helping him with his time management.”

Valenzuela isn’t worried about those challenges. He knows the weapon he has in Ramirez and believes in his potential.

“If you’re a good baseball guy and have a good eye for talent, you can see something special in him,” Valenzuela said.

The Dirtbags open the 2020 season at home against Cal on Feb. 14 at 6 p.m. Expect Ramirez to start game three of the series Sunday, Feb. 16 at 1 p.m.