Daily Forty-Niner; March 6, 2023

The SRWC provides an outlet for students to balance their health and studies. The facility has workout equipment, basketball courts and badminton rackets and free activities like yoga and zumba.

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Huntington Beach City Council votes to remove Pride flag from city property

BY LEILA ALARCON Staff Writer

In a 4-3 vote, Huntington Beach City Council decided that only American, Prisoner of War/Missing in Action, state, city and county flags could be displayed on city property during their Tuesday Feb. 21 meeting.

The law was approved by the same four councilmembers who approved its draft: Mayor Tony Strickland, Mayor Pro Tem Gracey Van Der Mark, councilmembers Pat Burns and Casey McKeon.

Added during its draft, the law also allowed the Orange County flag and any flag of the six branches of service to be flown. While the law doesn’t explicitly target the Pride flag, the statute indirectly affected it as a commemorative flag, reversing the action item proposed by former Mayor Kim Carr and Dan Kalmick two years ago.

Along with Kalmick, councilmembers Natalie Moser and Rhonda Bolton voted against the law.

“I have a strong suspicion that we’re going to be removing quite a few flags unintentionally, including commemorative flags for 9/11 at our fire stations,” Kalmick said. “I’m also guessing we’re going to have problems flying the blackball flag for no surfing because there’s no exemptions for public safety in this ordinance.”

During the designated time for public comments, residents of Huntington Beach presented their arguments to the councilmembers for consideration before making their decisions. Among these residents were

high school and middle school-aged students, elderly people and middle-aged adults.

“The role of the city council is to protect its citizens by promoting the safety and security for all,” said Olivia Pham, a student at Huntington Beach High School. “Please protect the citizens of the city by not passing this ordinance, because it significantly harms the well-being of our community by taking away their identity.”

Most in support of flying the Pride flag argued the flag symbolized a safe place for members of the LGBTQ+ community. Those who opposed argued that the American flag represented everyone equally, while flying the Pride flag excluded others.

Councilmembers Kalmick and Moser both voiced their concerns about the repercussions that they may face for banning the Pride flag.

“Our unanimous vote to fly the Pride flag, minus one member who was absent that day, in 2021, and our efforts to keep it flying ongoing in June was and is not about pleasing anyone. It is about keeping people safe,” Moser said. “People who have not been safe over many, many years.”

On Feb. 17, Huntington Beach City Council received a letter from Debbie Chang, president and CEO of Blue Shield of California Foundation, a non-profit organization in California.

In the letter, Blue Shield said they wanted to hold a retreat at the Waterfront Beach Resort Hilton Hotel in June. However, upon hearing the council’s decision to ban the display Pride flag, Blue Shield said they could no longer meet in the city until the issue was resolved.

The letter ended with a push for Huntington Beach councilmembers “to do the right thing.”

Land acknowLedgment

Here at the 49er we acknowledge that the school we report on is located on the sacred site of Puvungna, “the gathering place”. We are on the land of the Tongva/Gabrieleño and the Acjachemen/Juaneño Nations who have lived and continue to live here.

We also acknowledge the Gabrieleño/Tongva (pronounced: GABRIEL-EN-YO/TONG – VAH) and Acjachamen/Juaneño (pronounced: AH-HACH-AH-MEN/JUAN-EN-YO) as the traditional custodians of the Los Angeles region along with the Chumash (pronounced: CHOO-MOSH) to the north and west, and the Tataviam (pronounced: TAH-TAH-VEE-YUM) and Cahuilla (pronounced: KAH-WEE-YAH) Nations to the east.

We respect and value the many ways the Tongva/Acjachemen cultural heritage and beliefs continue to have significance to the living people and remind us about the sacred and spiritual relationship that has always existed here at what we now call California State University Long Beach.

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Letters Policy: All letters and emails must bear the phone number of the writer and must be no more than 300 words. The Daily Forty-Niner reserves the right to edit letters for publication in regard to space.

Editorials: All opinions expressed in the columns, letters and cartoons in the issue are those of the writers or artists. The opinons of the Daily Forty-Niner 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.

LEILA ALARCON / Daily Forty-Niner

The flag poles outside Huntington Beach Civic Center where the Pride Flag will no longer fly during June. Just two years ago, Huntington Beach City Council voted to fly the flag during Pride Month.

RICHIE RODRIGUEZ / Daily Forty-Niner

Higher education, higher fees

BY RICHIE RODGRIGUEZ Community Engagement Editor

Students at Long Beach State are facing increases in fees every year and the graduation application fee is another burden on the path to a diploma.

The cost to apply to graduate at Long Beach State is nearly the same as a one-day ticket to Disneyland, yet the latter will become the cheaper option by 2024.

CSULB students who graduate by spring of 2023 are required to pay a $100 graduation fee, an increase of $25 from the previous year. But, according to the CSULB commencement website, another increase of $25 will be added for the class of 2024, making the application fee $125.

Beyond 2025, the cost of the application fee will be adjusted as the Higher Education Price Index changes, which leaves room for ambiguity in the actual cost.

Applying for graduation is a requirement not only for seniors to attend the commencement ceremony, but to also receive their diploma and determine whether they are qualified to graduate.

“The fees are associated with the event but also associated with the staff that is needed to analyze transcripts,” President Jane Close Conoley said. “There’s a whole lot of backroom people that are hired in order to establish eligibility in a reasonable

time for you to receive your diploma.”

Along with the high cost of tuition, which averages just under $4,000 a semester, another increased fee every year affects students that are trying to graduate.

“I feel like we give so much money to this school that they should be able to afford to allow us to graduate,” said Mel Hernandez, a fourth-year psychology major. “It’s kind of disrespectful to us as students who really want to do things with our lives and who need a diploma.”

The fee increase also brings to question the cost of holding the ceremony at Angel Stadium and using the venue beyond the original 2021 plan.

The cost to hold the graduation cere-

mony at Angel Stadium, which is a total of five days with three dedicated to the actual ceremonies, totaled over $750,000, according to the purchase order from the 2022 contract.

“The projected cost for this year’s commencement ceremonies at Angel Stadium is just over $987,000,” said Gregory Woods, a spokesperson for CSULB, adding that the final cost of the ceremony won’t be known until later in the year.

The increase in the graduation application fee has become a factor for recent CSULB graduates of whether they choose to return to CSULB or look at different universities.

Gama Mora graduated from CSULB

in 2021 and said he thought about going back to school to get his master’s degree. As a business graduate, he said he saw the reason for the increase of the fee, but also believed that higher education shouldn’t be equated to the cost of goods.

“If Long Beach is raising these additional fees, I’m going to shop around to different colleges,” Mora said. “I want to go back to Long Beach State because I’m an alumnus, but if they’re doing this to new or returning students, I don’t feel like it’s welcoming to see those increases.”

CSULB is currently the second-highest university in the region for graduation application cost, behind CSUF. However, starting in the fall, CSULB will be the highest out of the 23 Cal State Universities.

Other universities in the region have yet to outline whether they intend to raise their fee.

There will be a change in the ceremony this spring semester, where students’ names will be read aloud as they enter the stadium. There was no individual name recognition during the ceremony last year, despite results from a survey that was sent out to 2022 graduating students last spring.

Hernandez said, “Eventually I feel like it’s going to be impossible for certain people to not be able to go to college, finish their classes or apply to graduate – we’re just getting robbed at this point.”

Compared to the other Cal State’s in the region, CSULB’s graduation application cost will be the highest for the graduating class of 2024.

If Long Beach is raising these additional fees, I’m going to shop around to different colleges.

Gama Mora CSULB graduate

Students at Long Beach State are facing increases in fees every year and the graduation application fee is another burden on the path to a diploma.

ARTS

Health Services to continue Body Positive series

BY SOPHIA SIPE Staff Writer

Body Positive at the Beach participants will learn about the importance of self-love.

Research shows that 58% of college-aged girls in the U.S. feel pressured to be a certain weight.

To lessen the percentage and improve overall body perception, Student Health Services launched Body Positive at The Beach, an 8-session online program in 2016.

Beginning the week of March 6, participants will get the chance to learn about the value of self-care, intuitive living and health.

Aside from aiming to help students overcome body conflicts, the free program may prevent further complications like disordered eating and harmful behaviors, especially for the LGBT+ community and students of color.

According to The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, “BIPOC with eating disorders are half as likely to be diagnosed or to receive treatment.”

At a campus in which over 27,000 students are non-white, Body Positive

at The Beach upholds an important responsibility.

Though the program is open to all, Body Positive at The Beach is currently recruiting a new group of diverse facilitators for those wanting help from someone in their own identity group.

“The program is designed to support all people, regardless of their gender, race, sexual orientation, body type, ability and age,” Allison Borwell, Body Positive at The Beach coordinator and office of wellness and health educator, said.

“Any student who experiences any conflicts with their body is welcome,” Borwell said. “Previous participants have come in with insecurities across the board from experiencing sizeism and/or colorism, to feeling uncomfortable with their body hair, their voice, or just feeling like they aren’t ‘good enough’ as they are.”

Additionally, Counseling and Psychological Services members offer support groups to LGBTQ+ students to share information about the health center’s services.

The hands-on program, led by trained facilitators, splits participants into several groups to learn lesson plans and host environments for open discussion about self-care.

“When we talk about caring for ourselves, we mean meaningful self

care – like going to the doctor for preventive exams, eating nutritious food, moving our bodies more often, engaging in healthy relationships and other health behaviors that benefit our lives,” said Heidi Girling, health educator and coordinator at the office of wellness and health promotion.

In response to completing the 8-week program, evaluation results showed that participants experienced a statistically significant increase in self-compassion, self-kindness, mindfulness and common humanity.

Data collected from the program also suggests that participants have shown a decrease in isolation, over identification, self-judgment and marked concern with their bodies.

Aside from the ongoing series, students have access to several other free workshops that focus on nutrition, sexual health, meditation and stress management.

Students that are interested in Body Positive at the Beach can visit their online page for more information. Faculty looking to be involved should contact Borwell for training opportunities.

“The science behind self compassion strongly demonstrates that increased self compassion will invigorate us to take better care of selves, physically, mentally and emotionally,” Girling said.

Never a dull moment in Shoreline Village

BY ANA SOPHIA PAPA Staff Writer

The Pike Outlets, Shoreline Village and the waterfront that surrounds the vicinity provides a great deal of entertainment.

Located in downtown Long Beach, the Pike Outlets have a plethora of activities, shops, and eateries to choose. Whether it’s to kill time or spend a day, Shoreline Village and its waterfront provide a myriad of ventures to cater to any demographic.

For instance, when exploring the Pike itself, there are many outlets to satisfy any desire for retail therapy. From Cotton On to H&M, there are stores that cater to all age groups.

There is also a Cinemark movie theater located on the perimeter of the second floor for those willing to take a break from wandering the surrounding shops. Though not too far from the theater is the Laugh Factory where there’s always a chance to catch a live comedy show.

Although the Queen Mary has been closed for a while now, the Shoreline Village outlining the area has yet to die down. The colorful shops, run by small business owners, are easy to locate as they nestle themselves on top of the water adjacent to nearby restaurants and boat rentals.

A wonderful hidden gem to keep in

mind would be the Love Locks Bridge on the boardwalk. Couples, friends and family can attach a padlock to the bridge as a way to signify their relationships.

Why walk when you can pedal? There is also an opportunity for locals and tourists to rent “quadricycles” to explore the area and appreciate the scenery as a leisure ac-

tivity.

Perhaps a group of friends needs to recoup over some good food along the shoreline. Yardhouse, Parker’s Lighthouse, Tequila Jack’s and more local restaurants can do just that.

Once the day’s agenda is fulfilled, there are many places to sit and watch the sun-

set before gathering oneself before heading home. It could be the Pike’s signature ferris wheel or any of the benches along the waterfront.

No matter the reason for going, there is lots to look forward to at Shoreline Village where boredom is nonexistent.

ANA SOPHIA PAPA / Daily Forty-Niner

A view of Parker’s Lighthouse restaurant could be seen wandering the waterfront across the Queen Mary. One of the most successful eateries at Shoreline Village caters to all age groups with its welcoming architecture and environment.

Creating a new reality through art

BY CYNTHIA MAZARIEGOS Staff Writer

Daniel Dove is a professor of drawing and painting at Long Beach State who has overcome self-doubt and continues to perfect his craft while sharing his knowledge with students.

Dove’s art has been displayed in the University of California, Santa Barbara and the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art.

He has received the Joan Mitchell Foundation Fellowship in Painting and the Vermont Studio Center’s Full Fellowship.

He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in studio art from the University of Texas and a Masters of Fine Arts in painting from Yale University School of Art.

Dove was a chemistry undergraduate at the University of Texas, but after a year he realized he preferred art and he changed his major. His middle class family had no artistic background which often made him feel out of place among his peers.

“I was not cultured at all, there was no chair for beauty or ideas in my family,” Dove said.

He was afraid that he wouldn’t progress as other artists and he feared others would discovered he felt outcasted.

“I would be left behind, while all the beautiful, sophisticated, rich culture people would go off,” Dove said.

During grade school he never thought of pursuing art. He started drawing to flesh out an imaginative world and was initially inspired by the art of Star Wars.

“I like sad music, sad movies, I’m not a perpetually sad person. It is just a thing about creativity in a space where human lives are not confronting limitations or failure,” Dove said. “Just the inherent melancholy of existence, which I believe there really is, it’s all over things.”

His art consists of themes of fictional, once-grand environments and objects fallen into disrepair. Dove’s art also displays surreal paradoxes of modern life, often using geometric shapes to create paintings that look like architecture.

Part of Dove’s inspiration also came from his first job as a professor in Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland used to be a rich city due to the steel industry, but due to globalization and economics, the city declined.

Dove witnessed, “a specific street in Cleveland, that is just mansions that were previously owned by people behind the steel industry, or manufacturing industries, and those things are abandoned. And they are just falling apart.”

To him, it was beautiful because the

houses had trees growing and there was a collusion of something that was beautiful and optimistic along with the aftermath.

Dove draws places and things that have never existed. He hopes people can see his art and get a sense of reality and melancholy.

As an instructor, Dove thinks students should understand that instructors critique will help them grow as artists. But he also believes that instructors should be open to the idea that students have their own artistic style.

“Don’t let where you come from, the people that you’re around, define who you think you are, or what you want. Recognize that all of the easy things have already been done,” Dove said. “So if you want to make something that’s really good, you have to make difficulty, your friend.

“Because it’s the difficult things that people haven’t done. And because you make difficulty your friend, you have to be ready to fail.”

Dove encourages students to find a balance, to forgive themselves when they fail but to stay ambitious.

Mirabel Wigon, a professor at California State University, Stanislaus who received her Masters in Fine Arts at CSULB, said Dove has helped many graduates and undergraduates with their career, “An artist teaches and leads by example, and he is one of many fabulous artists working right

now at CSU Long Beach.”

Katie Marshall, former student and current employee of Dove said, “His great knowledge of painting and art history make him a tough and sometimes intimidating but always insightful critic, as well as someone who challenged me to really dig deeper into my own artistic questions.”

Dove does not impose any rules to creativity, giving complete artistic freedom.

In relation, Marshall said, “This artistic freedom as well as critical rigor pushed me far, and I carry many of Daniel’s insights with me now that I have my own studio and painting practice.”

Jordan Sabolick, another former student, said with discussion and readings Dove “had this unique ability to curate a class environment that welcomed a diversity of opinions and critical thought.”

Sabolick liked the way Dove taught.

“I remember thinking, ‘This is what higher education should be about,’ creating safe spaces for dialogue where differing opinions are thoughtfully expressed,” Sabolick said.

Daniel Dove began higher education studying chemistry but later realized he wanted to be an artist. Now, he teaches drawing and painting at Long Beach State.

Photo courtesy of Daniel Dove

Oil on canvas painting called “Equus II,” it shows a red metal structure. There is a grey structure in the middle, and colorful background, with a wall with graffiti on it.

Don’t let where you come from, the people that you’re around, define who you think you are, or what you want.

“

Daniel Dove Drawing and painting professor

Erick Ronaldo De Leon working on his cardio running on the indoor track on the second floor.

get

Calvin Hsu reaches for the top of the 25-foot rock wall. It’s located at the rear part of the facility, its also a popular activity for students.

Workout equipment is located all round the facility. Luis Anaya uses the hamstring curl machine that is located on the second floor, above. The first floor gym of the facility during the peak hours. With 250,000 square feet of weight equipment, members can work on every part of their body, left.

Photos by Mark Siquig

East Palestine derailment: another symptom of deregulation, corporate greed

BY ANTHONY ORRICO Staff Writer

Residents of East Palestine, Ohio are still searching for answers this week after a train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed in the town of fewer than 5,000 residents. The 50-car train operated by Norfolk Southern Railway Company detached from its tracks late in the evening on Feb. 3rd.

Residents within a certain radius of the crash site were ordered to evacuate the area three days later while Norfolk Southern executed a controlled release of hazardous chemicals.

Once the evacuation order was lifted on Feb. 9th, residents returned to find the area still had a chemical smell and many complained of headaches and nausea.

Over 43,000 animals were killed by the chemicals, according to local officials and some residents came back to find livestock and pets either sick or dead. The EPA has been on the ground in East Palestine testing water and soil samples to determine if chemicals have been leached into the water supply.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said in a statement last week that the EPA had tested the five wells that supply water to the village and found that the water was safe to drink. The Environmental Protection Agency ordered Norfolk Southern on Tuesday to clean up the contaminated areas.

“Norfolk Southern will pay for cleaning up the mess that they created, and the trauma that they inflicted on this community,” said EPA Administrator Michael Regan in a press conference Tuesday.

Regan went on to say that if Norfolk fails to meet any of the obligations laid out by the agency, the EPA will do the work themselves and force Norfolk to pay triple the cost. The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report on Thursday citing the cause of the derailment to be overheated bearings, but they will continue to investigate.

The response from the media and government seemed lacking at first as all efforts seemed to be aimed at protecting the public image of Norfolk Southern. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has faced harsh criticism after not visiting the crash site until three weeks after the incident.

DeWine said in a Feb. 14 press conference, “Look, the president called me and said, ‘Anything you need.’ I have not called him back after that conversation.”

President Biden said to White House reporters on Friday that he has no plans to visit the site.

This lack of a prompt response from the federal government does not inspire hope in East Palestine residents that they will be made whole again. All the while, these residents are being told that the area is safe to return to and the water is safe to drink. Regardless of what the EPA, Ohio officials or federal government say, you can’t just release toxic chemicals into the

air and expect everything to be safe a handful of weeks later.

Vinyl chloride is a carcinogen, according to the National Cancer Institute and is listed as a contributor to several types of rare cancers. These include brain, liver, and lung cancer, as well as lymphoma and leukemia.

Videos from residents circulating online have shown their livestock sick, rivers contaminated, and pets dying.

Disasters like this are preventable. The whole purpose of the regulator is to regulate the practices of companies and people who can’t be trusted to regulate themselves. James Madison once wrote in chapter 51 of “The Federalist Papers,” sentence that was reworded “If men were angels, no government would be necessary.”

According to officials, at least one of the train cars containing vinyl chloride had malfunctioning safety valves. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has sent out an advisory in response to this information, recommending that freight rail companies check the perfor-

mance of safety valves. However, this verification of safety valve function should have already been a required practice, and it has yet to be mandated.

In addition to a lack of regulation, corruption between corporations and politicians is also at issue. Norfolk Southern’s political action committee spent $1.3 million in campaign contributions during the 2020 election cycle according to data from Opensecrets.org Spell out organization, not the website and add a hyperlink .

The nature of corporate America is to make as much money as possible for their shareholders while disregarding anyone their business practices may affect. As long as politicians can be bought, disasters like this will continue to happen.

Why does each quarter’s profit have to be better than the last? How many lives does corporate America have to destroy or end before everyone wakes up and sees the writing on the wall? Corporations don’t care about the American people. They don’t care who or what they have to destroy to meet their profit goals.

Wall Street knew what they were doing when they crashed the global economy in 2008. Exxon knew that burning fossil fuels was damaging the planet and they lied about it for decades. The sad part is that decades ago, the American people let the corporations walk right into Washington and take it over.

Deregulation, the free market and the sick culture of greed are why a town of fewer than 5,000 people got poisoned. And why this will not be the last our society must have this conversation. This won’t be the last time a preventable tragedy like this toxic train derailment happens. We need to have a conversation about why.

The nature of corporate America is to make as much money as possible for their shareholders while disregarding anyone their business practices may affect.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Drone footage shows the freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, U.S., Feb. 6, 2023 in this screengrab obtained from a handout video released by the NTSB.

New York Times, it’s time to change

BY LIZET IBARRA Staff Writer

The New York Times is being criticized for anti-transgender bias. An open letter signed by thousands is demanding change.

The New York Times has shown anti-transgender bias by disproportionately platforming transphobic views in their publication.

Thousands of contributors and others outside of the publication have signed an open letter criticizing the Times for this bias.

The letter delineates the many anti-trans bills that have passed recently, pointing out that The New York Times has only addressed one. The Times publishes many pieces that are harmful against trans people while barely addressing anti-trans legislation concerns.

It is important to cover all news and unfortunately some news will include hate crimes and discrimination against trans people.

Transphobia is important for people to know about. Transphobic views being published, on the other hand, does more harm than good for the trans community. This is unacceptable.

In the last eight months alone,15,000 words from the front page of the Times debated medical care for transgender children, according to the open letter.

I will never understand why transgender care for children is a debate and it being on the front page makes it even more upsetting.

Gender-affirming care for trans youth is vital.

In a prospective cohort study conducted by JAMA Network Open, 104 trans and nonbinary youth aged 13 to 20 years received gender-affirming care. After a 12-month period, the care was “associated with 60% lower odds of moderate or severe depression and 73% lower odds of suicidality.”

When trans people see their healthcare being debated, they will become fearful of the transphobia that it will incite and the misinformation that will be spread about trans people.

An article titled “The Battle Over Gender Therapy” by Emily Bazelon is criticized in the letter. Bazelon refers to a trans child seeking gender-affirming care as “patient zero.” The term patient zero refers to someone who is the first to carry a disease.

Transness being compared to a disease is extremely offensive. Being trans is not contagious, nor is this identity an ailment to be fixed, as Bazelon implies by comparing it to a disease.

Another case mentioned in the letter is an article titled “When Students Change Gender Identity and Parents Don’t Know” by Katie Baker.

The open letter claims that Baker, “fails to make clear that court cases brought by parents who want schools to out their trans children are part of a legal strategy pursued by anti-trans hate groups.”

The letter explains how Baker wrongly framed the struggle of children’s rights to safely transition, leaving out the role of transphobic hate groups in these court cases.

Leaving out vital information like this is not only ignorant, but feeds into anti-trans bias.

The New York Times is a huge publication. When their articles perpetuate transphobia, it is harmful against the trans community. Not only are these articles of-

fensive, but they also create more transphobia.

If a transphobic person were to read an anti-trans article in the paper, this would feed into the furthering of their ideologies, pushing them to extremism.

It is not only baffling that anti-trans views are being published, but also concerning that people edit these stories and allow them to be published.

We must make our allyship with trans people clearer than ever.

LIZET IBARRA / Daily Forty-Niner

CSULB offers support for transgender people at the LGBTQ+ Resource Center which is located in Faculty Office 4 room 165 on campus. Office hours for the LGBTQ+ Resource center are from 8 a.m. - 10 p.m. from Sunday through Saturday.

LIZET IBARRA / Daily Forty-Niner

The open letter states, “Some of us are trans, non-binary, or gender nonconforming, and we resent the fact that our work, but not our person, is good enough for the paper of record.”

Women’s basketball attendance falters during historic run

BY MIA LAUREYS Staff Writer

Attendance for men’s basketball games is more than quadruple what women’s basketball games are.

Men’s basketball for the 2022-2023 season has brought in over 18,000 people while women’s basketball for the same season has brought in just over 4,000 people.

The disparity between attendance is apparent when comparing the highest-attended game for women’s basketball to the lowest-attended game for men’s basketball. The women’s highest-attended home game totaled 850 people while the men’s lowest-attended home game totaled 1,143 people.

The women’s basketball team lost on Saturday, March 4, losing their 15-game winning streak leading the conference with a (20-7) overall record and (15-2) in Big West matchups. The win streak dates back to Jan. 12 and is the longest streak since the 1986-87 season. Students at Long Beach State however have not shown out to support the team’s success.

“I don’t think a lot of people know or are paying attention,” said redshirt senior guard Ma’Qhi Berry. “We need to figure out a way to get them to pay attention.”

The responsibility for the turnout has fallen onto the players, they are the ones that promote the games to their friends, families and the community.

“A few weeks ago we went to a school and told them to come to our game. And we actually ended up getting a lot of kids to come just based on just us telling them to come,” said Berry. “It’s just us telling our friends or our classmates to come to our game.”

The promotions are not the same in comparison to men’s basketball and are less frequent. There are not as many

emails being sent out about the team’s major wins and accomplishments.

“The energy is not as high at women’s games compared to men’s in terms of games [for audience members],” said Kendra Burke, captain of the Long Beach State Spirit Team. “The women’s games don’t have an MC that the men’s games do and the women’s games don’t have the Sandpit.”

Men’s basketball games are often filled with many different activities for students to experience along with fun themes and giveaways. These marketing tactics are often not used during women’s games.

The low attendance of women’s basketball has been so normalized that the players do not get their hopes up anymore for a major turn-up. The only times they know that the stadium will be filled more than usual is when the school runs promotions such as kid’s night.

“If it’s a normal night or even a special cause, we know that besides a kid’s night that there are not going to be many people there,” said Berry. “We pretty much know what we are going to be expecting as far as the crowd.”

A large majority of students have been to many men’s basketball or men’s volleyball games in the pyramid, but fail to attend the women’s basketball games.

When talking to her classmates, Berry finds it “disappointing” that her peers have never been to a women’s basketball game. She feels that she and her teammates need to work harder to make students want to show up and support the team.

Berry and Burke are both optimistic about the future attendance of women’s basketball, but acknowledge that things need to progress in marketing and in students’ attitudes toward the sport.

“I do think eventually things are going to change,” said Berry. “We just have to figure out a way to make that change.”

SONNY TAPIA / Daily Forty-Niner

A nearly empty student section at the Walter Pyramid shows how little the attendance shows up even though the LBSU women’s basketball team won 15 games in a row and is in second place in the standings. The team lost on Saturday, March 4 and fell out of first place.

Standifer saves the off-season for training

BY JASON GARCIA Staff Writer

Inches away from a championship, Long Beach State soccer’s sophomore goalkeeper Zora Standifer aims on enhancing her skillset during the off-season.

LBSU ended the 2022 regular season as the fourth-ranked team in the conference and made a run in the playoffs to reach the Big West championship game. The team went against sixth-ranked UC Irvine to decide who would be crowned Big West champions.

The game didn’t end in favor of The Beach, as they lost the championship game against the Anteaters 3-0.

Despite being a game away from winning the championship, Long Beach players will continue to train in order to get another opportunity to win hardware.

Heading into the offseason, LBSU goalkeeper Zora Standifer aimed to improve her ability after losing the championship game.

“My mentality was to be better than the previous season,” Standifer said. “I always train harder and harder as each season goes on. So every season is a harder season to

change.”

As a student athlete, it’s difficult to balance school and academics during the season, but Standifer has been able to balance the two during her time on the team.

“I’m trying my best to focus on both and I’m pretty good at maintaining my grades, so I don’t fail or be [academically] ineligible,” Standifer said. “Not to try to be ineligible, but to have the grades as well. School is always my priority in the fall and spring.”

In order to maintain herself during the off-season, Standifer attends physical therapy to make sure she is 100% ready for training.

“I do rest. I get adjusted in my back just to make sure I’m loose and not stiff,” the goalkeeper said.

Long Beach State soccer is currently in spring training and the team has been practicing in harsh conditions due to a low-pressure storm hitting Southern California the past few days.

“I could train anywhere, anytime, anyplace. I could train enlightenment if [told to],” Standifer said. “But it’s another normal day. It’s just water. Nothing different.”

New head coach tees off with LBSU golf

BY MARYANN BRUSCHI Staff Writer

After starting the season without a head coach, Long Beach State's golf team has brought on Rob Murray as the twelfth head coach in program history.

Murray, originally from England, has many years of experience as a golfer and as a coach.

He came to the United States fifteen years ago and began his golf career when he played at Washington State. Following that he headed off to graduate school at Concordia University Irvine.

Shortly after graduate school the coach began his career in the midwest. It was not until this year and halfway through the school year that the coach ended up here at LBSU.

“When you get an opportunity like Long Beach where there’s a tremendous amount of support and love for the program and a place where the sun shines, you can’t say no,” Murray said.

The coach shared that sunny California was a dream and that he along with his family were acclimating very well here already. He expressed that the transition had been an easy one for them.

Building quality relationships is a priority for Murray and creating a “tight kind of family atmosphere” is what he hopes for the team this season.

Murray shared that the associate athletics director Sean Ferrera and his assistant Reilly Hegarty guided the team

while without a coach in the fall.

“They did a hell of a job this fall,” Murray said.

LBSU’s golf team currently ranks as 54th in the country and the goal for the season is to get them in the top 50.

The team so far has been extremely responsive to the new coach and has been taking his guidance to heart.

Sophomore Ian Gilligan, who is ranked fifth in the nation, shared some insight on the new coach.

“I think the main thing is he really wants us to be better and perform as well as we can in tournaments,” Gilligan said. “It's always good to see the coach putting in the effort for the guys on the team to perform.”

Gilligan shot a single-round career-best 61 (-11) at the John Burns Intercollegiate, setting the course record as well. It was a third-place finish for him ending the final day 17-under par for the tournament and just one stroke out of first place.

As a new coach, according to the team, Murray already seems to be fitting in so well and he is already very wellliked by his players. He has set goals for the season and has trust that the team will be able to achieve them. His team also trusts that he will be able to get them there.

With so many goals and things to instill, Murray is excited to be leading the team all the way through.

Murray is an experienced coach, and player and has very high hopes for the team this year. He is optimistic about the season and believes that his players are looking at a “bright spring."

Photo courtesy of Ocean Course at Hokuala

Ian Gilligan uses one of his irons at the John Burns Intercollegiate on his way to shooting a career-best 61 at the tournament.

Photo courtesy of LBSU Athletics

Long Beach goalkeeper Zora Standifer trains on her own during the off-season, to prepare for the upcoming season.

Repairs on the Walter Pyramid roof to cost $55 million

BY VICTOR LOZANO Staff Writer

The city of Long Beach has experienced rain in the last two months that has caused the roof of the Walter Pyramid to leak and will cost $55 million to repair.

“In 2021, we performed a feasibility study to understand the cost to replace the roof in its entirety as well as other related deferred maintenance items and the estimated cost came to over $55 million,” said Joshua Cichuniec, the director of facilities management for Beach Building Services.

Because The Walter Pyramid was built in 1994 and is approaching its 30th anniversary, Cichuniec said, “Many of the original building systems are coming to the end of their useful life.”

The Walter Pyramid, along with being an indoor sports venue, is tied to the university’s identity with logos, t-shirts and the word “Beach” all associated with the shape of the Pyramid.

The pyramid, designed by Don Gibbs and built by the Nielson Construction Company of San Diego, cost $22 million to build.

While recent construction work did not affect the water leak, the roof structure of the Pyramid is much more sensitive during inclement weather, causing movement of the sheeting on the roof.

“This movement, mixed with the age of the materials, has potential leak points where each screw is attached and where seams come together,” said Cichuniec.

Since 2018, Long Beach State has invested over $670,000 in repairs for the roof, in particular filling in screw holes and replacing sealant, according to Cichuniec.

Cichuniec said that Beach Building Services has ongoing and planned repairs to eliminate leaks in the Pyramid scheduled for the next few months barring more inclement weather that would deter them.

Further compounding the Pyramid roof issues were LBSU basketball and volleyball games scheduled in January and February, where a steady flow of rain was predicted.

The women’s basketball team had a game Jan. 14 against the University of Hawaii at 3 p.m. and was delayed while the LBSU staff tried their best to stop the leaks.

The athletics department hurried to place tarps, trash cans and a kids swimming pool throughout the arena to mitigate the water coming in from the roof.

Mike Habura, the associate athletic director of facilities and event operations, said they were out of options to play in the Pyramid when the leak reached the middle of the court.

The athletic department quickly got the message out about the change in arenas through social media along with staff at the facility letting those in attendance know the game had changed locations, the first time in school history they had to move.

After an hour-long delay, the women’s basketball and men’s volleyball teams eventually moved to the Gold Mine for the day, the former home of the school’s basketball and volleyball teams prior to the opening of The Walter Pyramid.

Part of the delay stemmed from the fact the Gold Mine court did not meet NCAA measurements where the restricted arc underneath each basket increased from three feet to four feet.

When the team moved to the arena that day, the courts were not adequate to playing standards. The athletics department then made the necessary changes within that hour to outfit the facility with the proper equipment for future games played.

The men’s basketball team had a game against Cal State Northridge Feb. 25 and on the morning of the LBSU athletics department sent out email messages to students and posted on the athletics website that the game was officially moved to the Gold Mine at 4 p.m.

Recently, Interim Executive Director of Athletics Ted Kadowaki has looked to increase the mandatory Instructionally Related Activities Fee by $64 starting fall 2023 to stabilize the athletics department’s huge deficit.

Part of the fees will go to fix the roof of the Pyramid, with Kadowaki noting that it’s a major issue that needs to be addressed with the passing of the activities fee.

VICTOR LOZANO / Daily Forty-Niner The Walter Pyramid, which opened in November 1994, is showing its old age with the roof causing water leaks affecting LBSU games.

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