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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The Associated Students Inc. held an Elections Reveal event at the USU South Plaza Thursday with Mitali Jain being announced as Long Beach State’s new ASI president.
In-person and on Instagram live, Jain won the presidential role with 3,007 votes in the election, beating out Fatima Zeferino and Michael A. Stemage II.
To her surprise, the announcement felt “surreal” to Jain as she never expected to be the next ASI president.
As the new president, her mission to students will be to advocate for them, no matter what problems comes to mind.
“I’ll make sure I advocate for students and listen to their concerns, and make sure that they’re going as an individual, mentally, physically and emotionally,” Jain said.
One of the things that she’ll advocate for is Cultural Resource Centers as she believes it is a big issue on campus.
Jain will communicate with the stakeholders to try to meet with students’ basic needs for those resource centers.
Before becoming president, Jain was ASI’s Vice President of Finance, supporting students’ voices and making it heard.
That being said, she intends to continue
her work as president to hear out the many problems students may face as the former ASI president Isaac Julian has in the past.
Second-year finance major Samira Flores was one of the students that voted for Jain.
Flores hopes that Jain being a woman of color will bring in more equality for other women in terms of voting.
“I think that she has the skills to help us all kind of be like a voice for all of us,” Flores said.
Since high school, the health administration major, Lynette Travis, has always valued student government. Travis paid attention to each candidate and listened to their future plans as ASI president before casting her vote.
“I think it’s really important to know these are the people who are going to be advocating for me and specifically on campus,” Travis said. “I need to make sure that I feel safe within the people that I talked to, in the groups that [I’m] not voting for, and everything.”
Travis says she voted for Jain and is satisfied with the results of the election, feeling like Jain is a strong candidate for the role.
“They provided really strong things that they wanted to advocate for and I had a really strong interest,” Travis said about the other candidates.
Jain is thankful for the students that voted and believed in her. She will continue her work for students as the new ASI president of CSULB.
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.
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Mitali Jain will be ASI’s new president for CSULB.
For female professors, opportunities for promotion are often delayed during the early years of motherhood, when childcare takes them away from their research that would otherwise make them eligible for full time, tenured positions.
Long Beach State female faculty and staff expressed worry over how the sudden lack of childcare would affect their work for the university after the Child and Family Center announced they would close in the summer.
The CFC is the only childcare center on campus which prioritizes the children of CSULB faculty and staff parents. Earlier in January, the CFC announced it will close this summer, July 1, for renovation without a plan for relocation.
“If we don’t [have childcare], we’re not going to make it,” said Lori Baralt, department chair of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies. “That’s one of the ways we can sort of fall out of this profession.”
The loss of the CFC had left not only dozens of faculty members and staff hustling to find a new source of childcare, but has also worried incoming junior faculty, made up of mostly women, who had previously counted on this benefit, according to Baralt.
“I think it’s a big part of what we use to recruit faculty that have kids,” Baralt said. “We talk about the CFC to any potential faculty hires that ask about what’s it like having kids here.”
Baralt said she has had to answer several emails from concerned faculty who ask her for suggested childcare alternatives after the CFC, which they had been pegging on, suddenly fell through.
“I’ve gotten emails from tenure-track faculty of color who are new here and were counting on childcare at CFC,” Baralt said. “Other people that are just coming in, they’re taking a much worse hit right now.”
In order for an associate professor to qualify for promotion, they must not only show excellence in their teaching, but also provide extensive research, apply for grants and further involve themselves in their work for the university.
A majority of this research is typically done over the summer, Baralt said, when classes are not in session. With the CFC closing by July 1, however, professors with young children have to put any research plans on hold.
Kirstyn Chun, a licensed psychologist and faculty member for Counseling and Psychological Services, referred to the delayed process of promotion as the “mommy tax.” This term refers to young expecting mothers, or mothers of young children, who miss opportunities for jobs or promotion due to the early years of childcare.
“Even in modern society, childcare responsibilities disproportionately tend to fall on women or women-identified members of a couple,” Chun said. “There could be a same sex couple, but it’s often one partner doing more than the other.”
A study by U.S. Census Bureau researchers found that “women who have
children later have higher long-run earnings than those who have children earlier.”
The difference in parental earnings may increase after the birth of a child, according to the same study, where the female partner may reduce work hours and slow her growth for future promotions.
Baralt is one of the co-chairs for the President’s Commission on the Status of Women, whose mission “is to ensure that the University responds to the needs of women by removing inequities and providing a supportive educational, working and social environment.”
Baralt presented before the commission the issue of closing the CFC on Feb.
10, where she spoke about how taking away the childcare benefit was both a basic needs and gender equity issue.
Most female faculty have their children earlier in their career, Baralt said, around the time when they want to apply for tenure or promotion.
“Those are some of the most intense times, in terms that you need to be researching, publishing, applying for grants,” Baralt said. “You’re teaching a lot and you’re trying to be really involved in campus.”
Baralt included a petition in her presentation, so far signed by over 300 people, which asks the university not to close the
CFC until a relocation childcare service was provided.
However, the commission was told by the President’s Office they could not endorse the petition, because “it would be inappropriate,” according to CSULB President Jane Close Conoley.
“Endorsement of the petition would create a conflict with the Commission’s role to advise me on matters related to women on our campus,” Conoley said. “I am always open to their advice, but the decision regarding the Child and Family Center had already been finalized after much consideration.”
Even in modern society, childcare responsibilities disproportionately tend to fall on women or womenidentified members of a couple.GISELE ROBINETT / Daily Forty-Niner
Students at Long Beach State want healthy food but when the shops and restaurants bring in variety and options, they don’t get always get purchased.
One of the requests that the staff of the 49er Shops gets often is that they should offer more healthy food options in their stores, but the demand may outweigh the number of students that are buying the healthy choices.
Clint Campbell is the facilities manager for the 49er Shops which includes The Outpost, The Nugget, The Caffeine Lab, the vending machines and all the convenience-type shops on campus.
He says that the students aren’t often buying the healthy food offered because there’s not enough variety in where the healthy options are sold or the cost.
Campbell said that food storage space isn’t the same in every 49er Shop facility on campus.
“The Outpost has a much larger cold vault space, it can do more. The Caffeine Lab really has a lot of pressure up there because that was previously a Starbucks location, so the food component of that space was not a primary driver of what’s in there,” Campbell said.
Campbell also pointed out that depending on future budget allocations, the Caffeine Lab would eventually receive a re-
BY EMILY BLOMQUIST Staff WriterLong Beach State students struggle to find their own apartments in the city due to the high cost of rent as the university does not provide off-campus apartments.
While there are outside resources available to find housing, students may run the risk of being scammed.
In the United States alone, over 11,000 people reported a loss of over $350 million due to online scams when trying to get housing. That’s a 64% increase from 2020, according to an FBI report released in 2022.
The average price of rent in Long Beach for a one-bedroom apartment is $2,623 per month, according to rentcafe. com. Areas with below-average rent, such as Addams near Bixby North, Cherry Manor in North Long Beach and College Square near Compton, all still had an average rent of $1,812 per month.
To battle the annual rise of rent prices in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed California Assembly Bill 1482, which capped annual rent increase for the next 10 years by 10%, effective July 1, 2022, as reported by longbeach.gov.
Long Beach residents do not have rent-controlled apartments. While landlords are able to increase rent prices, the new bill in place will help tenants cap their annual rent increase by 10%.
There are apartment complexes, such as University Village, which are focused on providing affordable rent for students and are located within close proximity of their campus. University Village is a student-focused apartment complex located near several CSU campuses.
frigeration space upgrade to allow for more options.
Another issue with variety is that in order to prevent waste, the stores and restaurants only order what they think the students will buy. If the students don’t buy it, the stores and restaurants need to decide what to do with it.
If the healthy items aren’t chosen in the restaurants, the ingredients can be used
later. Convenience stores don’t have that option because the healthy food they offer is pre-wrapped. If students don’t buy those, they have to be thrown out.
“Trying to allocate the resources, ingredients and items that we bring into the stores, proportionate to the sales, sometimes doesn’t mesh with the desire of the students who are in a smaller population,” Campbell said.
Students on campus also say the cost is part of the reason why they don’t purchase healthy options.
“I guess the pricing is I guess what I’d expect for a college campus like it is on the higher side,” said Muneeb Ahmed, a third-year communications major. “I guess I already kind of came in with the expectation that they would be priced a little more expensive.”
Other students have to make other choices for healthy food because of the price.
“A lot of the good ones cost more,” Kameron Perry, a second-year communications major, said. “Making food at home is probably the best way I have, especially healthier foods, to get them at an affordable price.
The 49er Shops gets feedback from students about the food choice offerings through social media and comments to team members in the stores. It’s sometimes difficult to determine the number of students requesting healthy options.
“You have people who are asking for things and we want to be responsive to that,” Campbell said. “Whether it’s the same person asking ten times, or ten different people asking the same question is a completely different scenario.”
Campbell believes that the number of students that are requesting healthy options is growing despite that. He also said it’s still a challenge to provide students with the variety they want without ordering the food in such an excess that a lot of it gets wasted.
“My school also does not have off-campus apartments affiliated with Fullerton. However, the village apartments are close to it because they were created specifically for Fullerton students,” said Ashley Nguyen, a student at California State University, Fullerton.
There are no University Village apartments for Long Beach State students. The complex has many locations in other college towns, including CSU Fullerton, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Riverside and CSU San Marcos.
CSULB advises students to look on social media and links to Facebook groups to find roommates, or explore Zillow, Craigslist or rentcollagepads.com.
CSULB student Kevin Gutierrez said he spent two months trying to find an apartment. He found his roommates from dorming with them on campus his first year at Long Beach.
“Finding the apartment for four people was the difficult part because I was the one put in charge of looking for an apartment,” Gutierrez said. “After living in our apartment for a while we tried to find a better place but didn’t have any luck.”
California resident students living off-campus pay a total estimate of $25,688 per semester for tuition, room and board, and transportation, according to the 20222023 Cost of Attendance. Students living on campus pay an additional $1,000 more than off-campus students.
The CSULB master plan is an outline of renovations the school will undergo through 2035 to improve the campus but does not include plans to build apartments for students. The focus of the school is toward updating the infrastructure of the older buildings, and, as it is stated in the plan, “less physical growth, and more about optimizing the existing campus.”
For the third consecutive year, Long Beach State is holding its graduation ceremony at Angel Stadium without graduates walking the stage or having their names be called.
Many students feel upset as a result of this decision because they want to be recognized for the work they have done to earn their degrees.
Zeina Elrachid, with the support of other students, has started a petition to reach 15,000 votes. The petition is meant to push the university to allow students to have their traditional ceremony.
The commencement petition can be found on change.org. After signing it, students can either share it with others or donate $11 for the petition to be distributed. Flyers to the QR code can also be found on campus walls, which takes student directly to the petition when they scan the code.
“Communication from the university hasn’t been really clear, so there are a lot of potential unknowns,” said Elrachid.
In the past, Long Beach State students have voiced their dislike over how the graduation ceremony has changed.
Cait Johnson, a CSULB 2021 alumna, said their class graduation experience was less than ideal.
“When I heard they weren’t allowing us to walk on stage, I decided not to go to the ceremony,” Johnson said. “Instead, I went to the mini-stages in the parking lot and ‘walked’ there in my cap and gown. It was kind of sad.
“It sucks because they just don’t want
a long ceremony. I hope they do better this year because it spoils the hard work [the students do].”
This year is no different, with a petition that demands that graduates walk and have their names called during the main ceremony.
“We are really not trying to push for anything that is excessive,” said Elrachid.
“We just want the traditional walk across the stage, shake administrators’ hands and let our families see us and hear our names.”
Elrachid is a molecular cell biology and physiology major. She said that on a discord server for her graduating Biology major seminar, she and other students were discussing graduation. A student mentioned that they would not walk the
stage.
Elrachid said students were confused because they didn’t know the reason behind why the university would not let them walk the stage.
She said that it first started with student complaints, but one day in the library she started thinking about what could be done.
Elrachid designed petition flyers and showed the other students, and they liked the idea. Through more planning, the petition started.
There are over 15,000 signatures since March 18.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, CSULB held its ceremony on campus with students having their names called and walking across a stage.
CSULB claims that they can’t make these changes due to logistical difficulties. The college also claimed in a statement that the commencement was well-received for the 2021 and 2022 graduation commencement.
Some surrounding colleges, such as CSU Los Angeles and UCLA, have returned to traditional graduation ceremonies.
At UCLA, instead of each school planning its graduation, each department hosts its individual commencement in different parts of campus.
“We’ve just been through so much as a student body,” said Elrachid. “I personally really want my family to watch me walk across the stage...my parents are both immigrants, and I’m the first one to own a degree in the stem.”
For now, the ceremony will begin with the college faculty walking into the stadium. After CSULB President Jane Close Conoley and university leadership will enter the stadium. Students will step in and be recorded while walking to their seats.
Students will be seated with other graduates, not with family or friends. The guests will be asked to sit in the stadium and will have a view of the stage.
There will be speeches from President Conoley, executive team members, prominent guests, students and it will end with the department’s degree conferrals.
Graduate recognition stages will be outside the home plate, allowing students to celebrate with friends, families and other guests. Students can walk onto a stage to take pictures as their name is announced before a custom-created slide, including name, major, photo, quote and degrees.
I personally really want my family to watch me walk across the stage... my parents are both immigrants, and I’m the first one to own a degree in the stem.
Zeina Elrachid Petition organizer
As the sounds of drums and jingles filled the upper campus quad at Long Beach State, many people gathered for the long-anticipated 50th annual Pow Wow, making its return at Long Beach State following a three-year hiatus.
The two-day event kicked off on Saturday, March 11 to Sunday, March 12, and was presented by the American Indian Studies Program, American Indian Student Council, Division of Student Affairs, Student Life and Development and Associated Students, Inc.
Craig Stone, director of the American Indian Studies program, was the Head Man dancer of the event.
The event included traditional dancing, contests among dancers, vendors selling items such as Native clothing and jewelry, food, such as frybread, and even featured booths with organizations in support of the Pow Wow and resources for Native American people.
Gourd dancing was one of the featured dances. Gourd dancing is a warrior dance that was taught by a red wolf and is affiliated with the Kiowa people to honor their battles.
Mia Murillo of the Shoshone-Bannock tribes was feeling grateful to be able to participate in the Pow Wow, dancing in the women’s fancy category.
“It is really amazing to have all of us together, that is what Pow Wows are for, it is to bring other tribes together and have a good time and welcome different styles and different tribes, it is a really beautiful thing,” said Murillo.
Jacob Pratt of the Dakota and Ojibway tribes was participating in this Pow Wow for the second time. Pratt is a men’s traditional dancer, which he explained is a warrior dance that tells the story of a warrior or a hunter.
“Every single song we have, every single dance, has its own significance and story, it takes decades and decades for you to learn it all,” said Pratt. “A lot of the people you see dancing are experts in their culture and their tradition, while all the kids are actively learning all of it.”
Many misconceptions and myths lay behind Native American culture, making events such as the Pow Wow especially vital as people continue to learn about Native culture and debunk myths surrounding Native people.
Taylor Begay, of Navajo descent, explained the myth that there are not many Native people and that there are, in fact, many tribes across the country that represent their tribes and land.
“We are here, we are still here, and we are going to keep being here,” she said.
The Pow Wow is not just a celebration of Native culture by Native people. It is also a way for people who are not Native to appreciate and learn about Native culture as well as offering an opportunity for those who are Native to connect or reconnect with their culture and traditions.
Third-year music major Cole Bacani explained that he was brought to the Pow Wow because of a class he is taking that talks about the musical value behind Native American songs and wanted to see it in person.
“It is one thing to learn about it through reading a book or hearing a lecture, but it is so much cooler to actually see it in person,” said Bacani.
One attendee, Tatiana Vargas, of Apache descent, learned about the Pow Wow through her aunt and learned about the Native roots that she has through her as well.
“I am trying to connect to my roots and trying to learn more about it,” Vargas said. “It’s giving me a better understanding of what it means to be Native, its really nice to be part of a community that is so welcoming.”
BY ANDREA LOPEZ Arts and Life Assistant
The South Asian Student Association held its first Holi celebration, Festival of Colors, at Rugby Field on Long Beach State’s lower campus.
It was celebration full of smiles, laughter while dancing, and plenty of color being tossed into the air to celebrate the beginning of a new season and eternal love.
Holi is a significant Hindu festival, also known as the Festival of Colors. It is a celebration of the returning season of spring and love. It celebrates the triumph of good over evil and also signifies the eternal love of god Radha and Krishna.
Students wore all white to the field, casual attire was recommended. Color powder of purple, red, green, yellow and orange was presented in plastic bowls, for celebrators to throw in celebration to one another and shout, “Happy Holi!”
Mitali Jain, ASI Vice President of Finance expressed utter joy celebrating a day
that was once celebrated back in India.
“I came here in 2016 from India and this is my first time celebrating Holi again in the U.S.,” said Jain. “For me, it means to express my culture again, to feel a bit like home away from home. So, this is happiness right here.”
The event stationed photo opportunity areas for students to take photos. A live DJ played songs by Ajay-Atul. Shreya Ghoshal, Pritam and Akhtar Channal, amongst others. As students first entered
Rugby Field, a large white sheet of paper had the colored prints of everyone’s hand and a section of the field was devoted to bowls of color to begin the celebration of a new beginning.
For many students, this was their first time celebrating the Festival of Colors in the U.S.
“It’s very overwhelming because we are Indian and we miss our hometown,” said CSULB student Sharvika Kulkarni. “So, having Holi here and making this arrange-
ment for us, it’s very overwhelming.”
To celebrate Holi in the U.S. was not what Kulkarni was expecting, but was extremely excited for the Festival of Colors and what the event was bringing to the field.
Nagung Badel said the Festival of Colors was an event that a few seniors have been working to accomplish on campus.
“In this way, we spread the news that spreading color in the world is a very good thing,” said Badel.
There are a couple local nurseries taking advantage of the upcoming spring season, despite experiencing a long winter recently.
Cindy Bartle from H&H Nursery in Lakewood, Calif. mentions they have been a family-owned business since 1976. However, they initially opened in Downey. Since moving to Lakewood in 1985, their nursery has been a staple in the community.
Within the last few years, some of the botanicals highest in demand would be anything dealing with families or friends starting an orchard of their own. Bartle also mentions schools are really encouraging this concept because it helps get families excited about growing and picking their own vegetables and fruit.
“Anything bright and colorful as far as flowers go is always popular,” Bartle said. “Drought tolerant and low water items are also important and many people are incorporating a mix of succulents and low water plants to cut back on watering.”
Inevitably, springtime influences the nursery to become more beautiful. However with the ongoing cold nights lately, there’s been a delay in this year’s “spring” plants.
Spring is a busier time for nurseries and garden centers, Bartle said. In order to plant the gardens, their many devoted and longtime clients are patiently waiting for the weather to be cooperative.
Sergio Vargas of Mezcala Nursery in Long Beach relates to something similar in
terms of their growth both in business and the plants themselves.
Having started the Mezcala Nursery back in 2008, Vargas already had some insight on running a botanical business from his dad, who had operated a nursery back in the day, as well.
With so much experience, some of Vargas’ favorite succulents to grow are Echeverias and Aeonium, also known as Tree Houseleeks, but ornamental plants are another favorite.
His customers seem to have similar taste as the most popular plants they are
selling at the moment are succulents and flowers shrubs for the garden.
Those who visit the Mezcala Nursery aren’t always buying something. However, occasionally, they have flower, shrubs and succulents to give away. Although the staff primarily picks the plants they sell, customers sometimes have their own plants to supply.
An influx of consumers typically come around during the spring season. However, just like H&H Nursery, the recent rainy weather has taken a toll on their business. Regardless, the nursery is determined to
bring in more customers and plant lovers this spring and the rest of the year.
“It is really important to gain exposure by springtime because that’s when a lot of people are looking for plants and most of them are flowering,” Vargas said.
At the end of the day, the main goal of these nurseries is to supply young plants, saplings, and flowers to gardens, agriculture, conservation and nearby communities.
It’s important to support these local businesses, especially in spirit of celebrating the spring season.
BY MELANIE PEREZ Staff Writer
There are a couple local nurseries taking advantage of the upcoming spring season, despite experiencing a long winter recently.
Cindy Bartle from H&H Nursery in Lakewood, Calif. mentions they have been a family-owned business since 1976. However, they initially opened in Downey. Since moving to Lakewood in 1985, their nursery has been a staple in the community.
Within the last few years, some of the botanicals highest in demand would be anything dealing with families or friends starting an orchard of their own. Bartle also mentions schools are really encouraging this concept because it helps get families excited about growing and picking their own vegetables and fruit.
“Anything bright and colorful as far as flowers go is always popular,” Bartle said. “Drought tolerant and low water items are also important and many people are incorporating a mix of succulents and low water plants to cut back on watering.”
Inevitably, springtime influences the nursery to become more beautiful. However with the ongoing cold nights lately, there’s been a delay in this year’s “spring” plants.
Spring is a busier time for nurseries and garden centers, Bartle said. In order to plant the gardens, their many devoted
and longtime clients are patiently waiting for the weather to be cooperative.
Sergio Vargas of Mezcala Nursery in Long Beach relates to something similar in terms of their growth both in business and
the plants themselves.
Having started the Mezcala Nursery back in 2008, Vargas already had some insight on running a botanical business from his dad, who had operated a nursery back
in the day, as well.
With so much experience, some of Vargas’ favorite succulents to grow are Echeverias and Aeonium, also known as Tree Houseleeks, but ornamental plants are another favorite.
His customers seem to have similar taste as the most popular plants they are selling at the moment are succulents and flowers shrubs for the garden.
Those who visit the Mezcala Nursery aren’t always buying something. However, occasionally, they have flower, shrubs and succulents to give away. Although the staff primarily picks the plants they sell, customers sometimes have their own plants to supply.
An influx of consumers typically come around during the spring season. However, just like H&H Nursery, the recent rainy weather has taken a toll on their business. Regardless, the nursery is determined to bring in more customers and plant lovers this spring and the rest of the year.
“It is really important to gain exposure by springtime because that’s when a lot of people are looking for plants and most of them are flowering,” Vargas said.
At the end of the day, the main goal of these nurseries is to supply young plants, saplings, and flowers to gardens, agriculture, conservation and nearby communities.
It’s important to support these local businesses, especially in spirit of celebrating the spring season.
Over the last decade, the number of college students holding part-time jobs has skyrocketed. When balancing work and college, it can be hard for students to prioritize their educational goals.plethora of succulents, cacti, and other plants.BY DAILY FORTY-NINER STAFF
would be in a traditional commencement.
This concern doesn’t only apply to first-generation students either. The students who have reached this accomplishment facing economic barriers, students experiencing homelessness and balancing being a student and parent must be recognized for their hard work.
AsIt’s unacceptable that college administration has not provided a clear and logical explanation for this decision. Students and families deserve to know why they are being denied this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
graduation season approaches, many graduating seniors across the country are eagerly anticipating their long-awaited traditional commencement ceremony. The pomp and circumstance, the closeness of loved ones, hearing their names called out and feeling a sense of pride and acknowledgment.
Unfortunately, for the class of 2023, this momentous occasion is being taken away from them by administration, who have decided not to allow them to walk across the stage during the ceremony.
The reasons for this decision are unclear, and the administration has not provided any explanation, leaving seniors and their families feeling disappointed, frustrated and confused.
When the ceremony was moved to Angel Stadium of Anaheim, 25 minutes from Long Beach, it was meant as an alternative due to COVID-19 regulations allowing for more space. But as the campus is now back to normal with in-person classes, games with soldout seating and evidence of extracurricular activities flourishing during club rush week, why is this poor substitute of a commencement ceremony seen as “better.”
Graduating from college is a significant achievement in one’s life that signifies the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. A school with over 30,000 first-generation students needs to realize that the decision to pursue higher education is an extended milestone that involves an entire community hoping to celebrate with their students, which
There are numerous examples of other universities like CSUF, CSUN, CSUDH that successfully returned to traditional graduation ceremonies so the bigger question to answer is if this decision is being made because of money or effort.
This also highlights a broader issue with a lack of communication and transparency between the administration and students. The decision made not to allow graduates to walk across the stage without any explanation demonstrates a disregard for the student body and a failure to prioritize their needs.
Fourth-year student Zeina Elrachid started an online petition on Change.org demanding the class of ’23 walk along with two other students. In just over two weeks, it’s reached over 15,000 signatures from students and parents.
“I think she [Conoley] should have more motivation and understanding,” Elrachid said. “You can’t just cut it down because it’s convenient for you. You can’t cut our experience down.”
The class of ’23 worked hard to reach this momentous occasion and they deserve the opportunity to walk across the stage and celebrate their accomplishments. Administration needs to prioritize the needs and well-being of students, particularly during such a significant moment in their lives.
Denying students, the opportunity to experience a traditional graduation ceremony is not only disappointing but also a disservice to their efforts and sends a clear statement that their hard work and dedication aren’t valued or recognized.
Class of 2024, your time is looming in the distance.
Leaving his family in Africa, men’s basketball player Lassina Traore’s hard work paid off after being named the Big West Newcomer of the Year and tying the program record for double-doubles in a season.
Dedicating a big part of your life to any sport in order to have results takes effort and Traore is well aware of the sacrifices that he’s had to make in his life.
“Leaving my home, coming from Africa is not easy, I sacrifice a lot being away from my family,” Traore said. “I would love to be with my mom and my brothers right now and I’m not.”
He understands he’s sacrificed a lot so far and will continue to do the same until he reaches his goals.
“I’m here because I have my own goals and dreams too, I want to realize my dreams,” Traore said.
Those same sacrifices that Traore has made, he keeps present to turn them into motivation.
“Africa, that’s the main point, being from Africa or knowing my farmers’ tuition and seeing what I saw, seeing what I’ve been through, I don’t want to go back to where I was before,” Traore said.
Traore finished the season with 17 double-doubles and ranked fifth in the nation for rebounding.
Training every day is a big part of obtaining these accomplishments, and Traore said he sees practices as a party.
“I feel it’s really a blessing to be here, I wasn’t planning on doing it, I wasn’t plan-
ning on making it just happened, it’s just the hard work,” Traore said.
Another men’s basketball player Aboubacar Traore who received the Big West Hustle Player of the year award helps push Traore to be better all around.
The two grew up in the same town in the Ivory Coast and played high school basketball together before reuniting at Long Beach State. Though they share the same family name the two are unrelated.
“It’s a fight, it’s a battle every day, I’m going against my brother, I work out, he’s already pushing me to be a better person on the court and off the court,” Lassina Traore said.
Going into practice every day with an attitude of appreciation coming from a country where basketball and life differ so different than here in the US adds a freshness of energy and desire to the team. It’s what LBSU men’s basketball head coach Dan Monson see’s him bringing to the team.
“The fact that everything here is a gift and they’re so appreciative of the opportunity and every day comes with just a great attitude to learn and attitude to get better,” Monson said.
Monson Acknowledges how Traore had some difficulty at the beginning as the game was really fast for him which he noticed frustrated Traore but he continued constantly working to improve.
As for future goals, Traore prefers to take it one day at a time and let things come naturally.
“We’re going to talk to them (coaches) to see what the future has for me and I’m probably going to be here for a while, I’m not really rushing anything,” Traore said.
Troubled from the start, Golden Boy Promotions’ boxing event in the Walter Pyramid lost its main event and juggled with technical issues throughout Saturday night.
Friday afternoon, the main event fighter and former WBO super middleweight champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez was pulled from the card after coming in overweight.
The fight card was rearranged with a new main event and refunds were offered to fans who had already bought tickets.
In the reworked main event Mercito “No Mercy” Gesta had his hand raised with a split decision win over Joseph “JoJo” Diaz. A majority of the crowd was cheering for Diaz and were displeased with the scorecards that wound up not in his favor. Diaz won the fight on one scorecard 97-93 but lost on the other two 99-91 and 98-92.
It was a fight with significance as Oscar De La Hoya mentioned that the winner could find a spot on the upcoming undercard for the Garcia vs. Davis fight on April 22 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“This means a lot to me especially right now that I’m starting a new chapter in my life having a baby,” Gesta said.
In the night’s opening matchup, Patricio “Cacahuate” Manuel was making just his second professional appearance after a
four-year hiatus against Hien Huynh.
“Everyone out here you know how much I love you,” Manuel said. “Also thank you to Golden Boy Promotions as well for having my back.”
Manuel won the fight via technical decision following a head clash that stopped the action during the fourth round. Postfight Manuel spoke in the ring but his words could hardly be made out due to distortion and echo coming from the feedback of the microphone.
The performance was followed up by a
30-second knockout from the undefeated Jorge Chavez against an outclassed Bryan Perez who lost for the 17th time in his career.
It sparked interest from the crowd heading into the main card as they saw a violent finish from Chavez who landed an overhand left followed by an uppercut and overhand right which dropped Perez to the canvas stiff.
That interest then faded during a 52-minute delay with no announcement inside of the pyramid for when the action
would get back underway.
After dealing with the delay fans also had to face lines for concessions that wrapped halfway around the pyramid for the majority of the evening.
When the announcer finally returned to the ring he again had no audio leaving fans to do nothing but boo and the microphone to be tossed to the canvas as well.
One fight passed with no announcement during walkouts, before the technical difficulties were mostly dealt with and the card was able to resume in a primarily normal fashion.
In a matchup between two undefeated fighters, the mic decided to finally work as Eric Tudor and Damoni Cato-Cain had their respective names introduced.
It was a competitive fight with Tudor’s face being opened up from a clash of heads in the fourth round. As blood streamed from his face he poured it on working the body with his combos before eventually winning the contest via decision to remain undefeated.
Before the main event, the fight card had a final knockout as Oscar Duarte dropped his opponent Alex Martin with an uppercut and a follow-up right hand, Martin got up but was dropped for a second time leading the referee to make the result official.
There were hiccups but the event ended with two competitive bouts that had the crowd invested and making noise.
