Daily Forty-Niner; December 4th, 2023

DAILY FORTY-NINER EST

Vol. XCV, Issue 14

1949

daily49er.com

DOWN TO BUSINESS

Monday, December 4, 2023

PAID ADVERTISEMENT

Daily Forty-Niner 1250 Bellflower Blvd., LA4-203 Long Beach, CA, 90804

Editorial Office Phone (562) 985-8000

Christal Gaines-Emory

El Nicklin

Samuel Chacko

Editor in Chief eic@daily49er.com

Multimedia Managing Editor multimedia@daily49er.com

Managing Editor managing@daily49er.com

Sam Farfan

Kristina Agresta

ON THE COVER CARLOS YAKIMOWICH / Daily Forty-Niner Long Beach State men's basketball junior guard Isa Silva (white #2) drives past Sacramento State's Austin Patterson (black #20) in their matchup inside the Walter Pyramid. Silva recorded a season-high nine points and registered 6 assists for the Beach.

NEWS

Community Engagement Editor Director of Business Operations community@daily49er.com business@gobeach.media

Editors News Editor Juan Calvillo news@daily49er.com Arts & Life Editor Natasha Castanedo arts@daily49er.com Opinions Editor Georgie Smith opinions@daily49er.com Sports Editor Davis Ramage sports@daily49er.com Design Editor Mary Catipay design@daily49er.com Copy Editor Jazmin Arellano Gallardo copy@daily49er.com Photo Editor Naoki Gima photo@daily49er.com Social Media Editor Maureen Linzaga socials@daily49er.com Video Editor Alina Ti video@daily49er.com Podcast Editor Aidan Swanepoel podcast@daily49er.com

Assistants News Assistants

Arts & Life Assistants

Elizabeth Basile Acsah Lemma Anthony Orrico Linsey Towles Samantha Cortes Renzo Pocasangre

Cheyenne Elizarraras Maya-Claire Glenn Sports Assistants Matthew Coleman Alyssa De La Cruz Matthew Gomez Design Assistants Luis Castilla Nuelle Obaseki Copy Editor Assistants Stacey Chen Jaylyn Preslicka Nick Broadhead Photo Assistants Mark Siquig Marlon Villa Social Media Assistants Maher Basharahil Jahir Olvera Video Assistant Steven Matthews Opinions Assistants

Podcast Assistants

Julia Goldman Lei Madrigal

Business Advertising Manager Izzy Ahmed advertising@gobeach.media Creative Director Jennix Bien creative@gobeach.media Web & Technology Manager Leila Nuñez web@gobeach.media PR & Promotions Manager Nicollette Combre beach.pr@gobeach.media Distribution Manager Sofia Ingegno distribution@gobeach.media

Advisers Design Adviser Gary Metzker Content Adviser Barbara Kinglsey-Wilson Advertising & Business Adviser Jennifer Newton

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.

daily49er.com | @daily49er

ELIZABETH BASILE / Daily Forty-Niner La Playa Hall will be located on this field next to Los Alamitos Hall, another campus housing facility.

This project is expected to add more than 400 beds to campus housing by fall 2026.

New student housing will include more low-cost options on campus

BY ELIZABETH BASILE News Assistant

L

a Playa Hall is scheduled to break ground on Hillside North next spring to provide more beds in an effort to increase affordable student housing on

campus.

La Playa Hall will be built on the field next to Los Alamitos Hall, adding at least 424 beds distributed across single and double-occupancy rooms to Long Beach State’s housing facilities with a total project cost of $105,000,000, according to the project’s website.

Mark Zakhour, Associate Vice President of Beach Building Services, said this project was part of a grant program established by Senate Bill 169.

Zakhour also said the grant is covering about half of the cost of the project.

Zakhour said the completion date is set for Fall 2026 with construction starting in Spring 2024.

This new building will include a built-in mental health facility run by the Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) program on campus.

Zakhour said this extension of the CAPS program has been implemented in other housing locations.

“They have it right now, built one recently in the, I believe it’s the Los Alamitos Hall,” Zakhour said. “We built each of those renovations a few years ago, we’ve built two satellite CAPS offices also, so it will probably be run similar to that.”

Zakhour said the goal of this project is to address the lack of beds and accommodate an increased demand for more affordable housing on campus.

“The campus as a whole needs more housing,”

Zakhour said. “So we have about 2,000 people on our waitlist right now for housing that aren’t able to get housing because they don’t have enough housing here on campus.”

Zakhour mentioned that there was a housing crisis in California including concerning rent, and that the school is trying to offer students a place to live at an affordable rate during this time.

“We’re trying to build more housing to allow our students to have some place to live to be either at market rate or an affordable rate to allow them those types of options,” Zakhor said.

This affordable housing project will involve the other housing facilities on campus.

“The most important thing to think about this project is, this project is putting 404 beds on this campus that are affordable, meaning that they’re below the market rate,” Zakhour said. “They’re more affordable than the other beds but we’re not putting all those affordable beds just in this building. So we’re building the new beds in this building and we’re spreading the affordable beds through all of our buildings.”

According to the website, this system of bed distribution enables students of the same academic year to room together, “in the type of housing that is most suited for their living experience.”

Zakhour said the goal is to provide more affordable housing for students without being singled out as part of the program. He said this will be accomplished by an additional 404 beds classified as part of the affordable student housing program distributed through the other living facilities on campus.

“They’ll never know who has an affordable bed.

You could be anywhere in any of our housing buildings and be in an affordable bed, because we don’t want any sort of stigma or we don’t want any sort of us and them,” Zakhour said.

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.

Monday, December 4, 2023

3

NEWS

California state universities develop new housing solutions for students

BY LEILA ALCARON & ERIKA FIGUEROA Staff Writers

A

s college students struggle to find housing, universities such as Cal Poly Humboldt and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo have developed off-campus housing programs to assist students.

While Long Beach State is developing more off-campus resources, students currently looking for off-campus housing are directed to a webpage and a Facebook group run by three alumni.

Vi Lepham, a second-year communications student, used the university-listed resources when searching for off-campus housing. However, as the school year approached, Lepham found herself accepting that she would just have to commute from Huntington Beach.

"Oftentimes everybody was using the same resources,” Lepham said. “I would email landlords and they would just never respond back so I just thought the website was a dud so I didn't use it."

The webpage provided by the university contains links to other sites such as a blog post on avoiding housing scams by Rent College Pads, the Long Beach State Rent College Pads housing market, a public CSU housing Facebook group and a private Long Beach State housing Facebook group. The webpage warns that the university does not manage any of the listed off-campus resources.

According to Corry Colonna, executive director of housing and residential life and auxiliaries, Rent College Pads had 40,000 logins and 6,900 inquiries to landlords and renting spaces last year.

The private Facebook group is also active, boasting over 18,000 members and 163 new posts in the last month.

Originally established 12 years ago, the private Facebook group is not run by a professional organization. Long Beach State alumni and current English teacher in Japan Orion Kongmalay is the main administrator of the group.

He initially volunteered to remove bots from the Facebook group before becoming the main administrator and bringing in other administrators to help.

Kongmalay thought the popularity of the Facebook group came from word of mouth, but eventually found out that the group was advertised on the university's off-campus resources website.

Bexie Mussmann, another administrator of the group and a full-team team assistant and event planner, was unaware that the school advertised the group.

“I think it highlights just how poor the officially established resources by the school itself are,” Mussmann said. “The CSULB Roommate Finder page was created independently without any funding or sponsorship.”

Despite no longer attending Long Beach State, both administrators intend to keep the group open.

“The Roommate Finder was the only way I was able to find housing for the duration of my college career,” Kongmalay said. “I personally felt that if I could help others do the same thing, then why not keep the group open?”

In addition to online resources, residential assistants (RA) held roommate mixers at the three housing villages last

4

ERIKA FIGUEROA / Daily Forty-Niner The Housing and Residential Life Office is in charge of the off-campus resources website. However, they do not regulate any of the activity from the listed resources including Rent College Pads and the Facebook groups. year so that students in need of off-campus housing could find roommate matches. These mixers followed the news of limited spaces in the dormitories for returning students.

Meanwhile, campuses such as Cal Poly Humboldt and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo have developed off-campus housing offices in order to assist students with the various struggles that come with living off campus.

Enrollment demographics for fall 2023 show that 70% of students at Cal Poly Humboldt live off campus. Accord-

for tenants and landlords.

“We have less students in need of emergency housing,” St. Onge said.

“More students are finding access to safe and affordable housing as we increase those opportunities.”

School population can affect the level of assistance provided, as well as how long the off-campus housing coordinator position has existed.

Cal Poly Humboldt is a smaller campus with 5,976 students as of fall 2023.

Long Beach State, in comparison, has 38,273 students. Cal Poly San Luis Obis-

”

I think it highlights just how poor the officially established resources by the school itself are. The CSULB Roommate Finder page was created independently without any funding or sponsorship.

Bexie Mussmann Rent College Pads administrator ing to Stephen St. Onge, executive director for auxiliary operations, their off-campus housing office was established six years ago to ensure that students had safe and affordable housing options.

The school receives grants to help defray the costs of security deposits and applications. The university also has partnerships, training and agreements with local property managers and landlords.

Their website displays the provided off-campus housing services, from consultations about rental processes to virtual property showings. Their education program, Humboldt-Tenant Landlord Collaboration, promotes best practices

po is a larger campus with 21,778 students as of fall 2022.

Sarah Bacio, the off-campus housing coordinator at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, believes her position came as a result of students voicing their need for more off-campus housing resources. Her position was created only about a year ago.

Bacio assists students through workshops on home safety, everyday home maintenance, how to talk to landlords and property managers, tenant rights, what to look for when touring places, roommate connections and vacating properly. Parents can also attend these workshops to gain knowledge about the housing market around the university.

“There's been so much turnout for

Monday, December 4, 2023

workshops,” Bacio said. “We do a mix of workshops in person and virtual to try to kind of make it as accessible as possible for folks.”

Bacio promotes her services on campus through booths so that students can ask her questions. Similar to Cal Poly Humboldt, Bacio works on building a relationship with local property managers and landlords to encourage a smooth transition for students and landlords.

While Long Beach State doesn’t have its own off-campus coordinator, more efforts have been dedicated to promoting off-campus resources and further expanding them.

This year, Colonna would like to hold another roommate mixer at the Pointe Conference Center in the Walter Pyramid for off-campus students to join as well. Colonna has met with Associated Students, Inc., ASI, to promote future roommate mixers and other off-campus resources.

While Long Beach State does not have plans to create an off-campus housing coordinator position or office, Colonna said that two existing positions in housing have recently expanded to offer off-campus housing support.

The goal for these positions would include running programs for students to find roommates, understand renter's rights, and potentially connect with renters and landlords.

“There isn’t enough on-campus housing and frankly there aren’t enough suitable housing options for students off campus in the area,” Colona said. “Our office, the University President, and city are all talking about ways to increase capacity to better meet the need.”

“They don’t have any resources that are good right now so they should create a department or a dedicated place for it,” Lepham said.

Lepham hopes to see an increase in dorm capacity and more efforts in off-campus resources to assist student housing. With more universities developing off-campus housing offices, off-campus coordinators could become more common.

daily49er.com | @daily49er

NEWS

JAHIR OLVERA / Daily Forty-Niner The pre-trial hearings for the lawsuit against CSULB by former donor Regena Cole are taking place at the Governor George Deumekjian Courthouse on Magnolia Avenue in downtown Long Beach.

Lawsuit against CSULB by former donor gets underway The lawsuit against the university for allegedly coercing Regena Cole into signing a $25 million gift agreement undergoes pre-trial hearings as jury trial approaches.

BY JAHIR OLVERA Social Media Assistant

R

egena Cole, a Long Beach State philanthropist, is suing The CSU Board of Trustees and the California State University Long Beach 49er Foundation in a lawsuit that is currently in pre-trial.

Regena Cole, widow of whom the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music on campus is named after, filed a lawsuit against CSULB in November 2022 for financial elder abuse, fraud and negligent misrepresentation.

Cole originally sought $500,000 in damages, but recent court filings indicate she is instead suing for $25,000, plus emotional damages.

Following Bob Cole’s death in 2008, Regena signed a gift agreement of $16.4 million to CSULB’s music department.

This donation led to the music department being renamed the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music, the biggest donation in the history of the campus.

Cole's party alleges that the CSULB 49er Foundation had knowingly coerced and deceived her into signing an addi-

daily49er.com | @daily49er

tional agreement on Aug. 19, 2020 that would have her contributing $25 million to the university.

According to the court documents, "Mrs. Cole is informed and believes and thereupon alleges that she has been victimized in a carefully drawn-out scheme perpetrated by the Foundation who isolated, deceived, coerced, and/or manipulated her over the course of several months..."

In early 2020, Cole expressed interest in donating to the Foundation again. She discussed the possibility with her legal counsel and the information discussed was “conceptualizing and deliberating the amount and terms of the donation,” according to court documents.

Cole, who is 95 years old, alleges that over the past decade she “has gradually suffered from memory lapses and moments of confusion which requires her to rely on additional support from family, friends and legal advisors.”

According to court documents, the Foundation and by extension, its Chief Executive Officer Michele Cesca, were aware of these age-related issues. Cole’s party is alleging Cesca and the Foundation took advantage of Cole’s mental state and coerced her into signing the

agreement without consulting Cole’s legal counsel beforehand.

According to the lawsuit, “The Foundation, by and through Cesca, used this information and their pre-existing relationship with Mrs. Cole to improperly obtain the confidential attorney-client communication discussing a possible donation.”

The Foundation allegedly saw an opportunity to deceive and manipulate Regena Cole into “signing away her life’s fortune in a ‘gift agreement,'” according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit also details where the funds, a total of $25 million, would end up.

One of the proposed projects that would result from this donation is the Robert Bersi University Music Village, which would be constructed to house the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music and would include an entirely new building.

The agreement would require Cole to donate $25 million within 13 months of the signing of the agreement. The terms of the agreement also mentioned that if the gift was not fulfilled within Cole's lifetime, any unpaid portion would be fulfilled by her estate and be considered a ‘gift of the estate.'

According to the lawsuit, Cole claims

Monday, December 4, 2023

she does not have $25 million to donate.

However, in a recent hearing Hayward Kaiser, one of the lawyers representing the CSU Board of Trustees and the CSULB 49er Foundation, said Cole has an estimated $60 million in assets through properties owned.

The Foundation and the Board of Trustees' defense was a general denial of every allegation Cole had raised against them. Citing a lack of sufficient facts and evidence in Cole’s claims against the Foundation.

“The theme of their case is, little old lady, big bad university corners her in a room that makes her do something against her will,” Andrew Spitser, one of the lawyers representing the defense, said in a recent pre-trial hearing to the judge.

“The reality is a decade-long relationship in which really, her baby has been the music school at Cal State Long Beach.”

Spitser explained to the judge how the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music has grown and developed since it was established in 2008.

The lawsuit is expected to have a jury trial in the upcoming weeks.

5

NEWS

SALYSSA DURAN / Daily Forty-Niner NATB can be seen at booths on campus, handing out pamphlets, cards, and bookmarks that offer resources and contact information for students.

Not Alone at The Beach: The small heroes for campus safety

BY SALYSSA DURAN Staff Writer

O

ver 30,000 new and returning students arrive at Long Beach State unaware that they are on campus during the phenomenon known as the red zone.

Between the beginning of fall semester and to Thanksgiving break is known as the red zone, where 50% of sexual assaults occur on college campuses.

The time frame coincides with parties and greek life rushing where alcohol and drugs may be present. Students who participate in alcohol or drugs are at risk of becoming victims of sexual assault.

90% of campus assault involves alcohol.

Students who become victims during this time may be clueless or overwhelmed when it comes to figuring out what the next steps are.

Luckily, there are small heroes on campus who work hard in providing a reassuring hand and guidance for sexual education and awareness.

Not Alone At The Beach (NATB), is an organization on campus that continuously works hard to bring attention to matters like the red zone.

Their booth is often seen on Tuesday in front of the Hall of Science Building where they advertise workshops and panels that bring attention to power based violence (sexual violence, human trafficking, stalking and partner abuse) and prevention education.

NATB works closely with student

6

”

Knowing that you’re not alone, knowing that you’re worth protection and respect and defending what you want, whether it’s your sexual rights or your personal rights. Education and empowerment are ways you can protect yourself.

Leena Bowman Lead graduate assistant at NATB advocates, Title IX and the university police department. They also work with other on-campus organizations as well as off-campus organizations to spread as many resources as they can.

“Knowing that you’re not alone, knowing that you’re worth protection and respect and defending what you want, whether it’s your sexual rights or your personal rights. Education and empowerment are ways you can protect yourself,” said Leena Bowman, lead graduate assistant at NATB. NATB also stresses on the importance of sexual education, they collaborate with professors across campus by letting professors offer extra credit to students who attend in person or Zoom workshops.

According to Long Beach State’s annual security report, there have been few reports of sexual assaults or harassment.

However, most victims may not report a case due to fear, confusion or self blame on an incident.

“The number of students have increased,” said Jacqueline Urtez, the lead campus advocate. “More and more students have become aware of their resources.”

The two campus confidential advocates, Urtez and Rocio Telumbre, provide students a nonjudgmental space to come forward and talk about their situations in confidentiality.

“Our hope is to navigate these very complex situations as well as helping students with finding sources with no

Monday, December 4, 2023

judgment,” said Urtez. The advocates lean heavily on NATB for outreach due to them often being busy.

Even the university police is active in providing safety and works closely with both advocates and NATB. Lieutenant Carol Almaguer is no stranger when it comes to dealing with victims and sexual assault.

“I never want victims to think they have no control. They have full control,” Almaguer stated when asked about what a student could do in regards to their next steps.

“I understand if people are triggered by police, and that is understandable. It is ok to go to the advocates or even start off talking to NATB.” However, if students feel comfortable starting off going to the university police, they can either email their report or go to the station themselves to report a crime.

As the year heads towards its end, students should be aware of who they can talk to along with getting comfortable with these organizations. The red zone is just one of the many things students need to be on the lookout for.

“It’s called Not Alone At the Beach for a reason. You really aren’t alone.

Whether that’s people who have similar experience to you, or other people who are passionate about sexual rights and sexual safety,” said Bowman. “There are people out there who care about you, who will listen to you, and there are a lot of opportunities for you to find community. You are not alone.”

daily49er.com | @daily49er

NEWS

Photos by SAMUEL CHACKO / Daily Forty-Niner Israel counter-protestors came out to the Palestine rally on Oct. 25, 2023 located in the Fine Arts 4 building. The counter-protestors yelled “Be a robot, robots for Palestine” and “Hamas you are rapists” while the Palestine protestors were yelling through megaphones.

War reporting, parallels in language and misinformation

BY MAYA-CLAIRE GLENN Opinions Assistant

T

he way Palestinian life is being portrayed in media and the terminology being used about Palestinians is becoming similar to the Islamophobic language that was used towards Muslims after the events of 9/11.

“This conversation is being talked about in a civilizational way, that there is good and evil. The Prime Minister of Israel specifically talks about how one side is the side of light and the other is of darkness. That was very similar to the way that people were talking about after September 11,” said Yousef Baker, associate professor of International Studies at Long Beach State.

There has also been a rise in misinformation during the genocide. President Biden had said that he had seen and confirmed pictures of “terrorists beheading children.”

Adam Elmahrek, an investigative reporter with the Los Angeles Times, spoke at a lecture at CSULB on media misinformation surrounding the attacks on Gaza by Israel.

“The facts matter, the truth matters and we can’t just go along with narratives because they’re easy,” Elmahrek said. “Biden’s office issued a clarification that he didn’t actually see and confirm photos of Hamas beheading babies. He

daily49er.com | @daily49er

read about it in Israeli news reports. The damage was done.”

Since the attacks on Oct. 7, there has been a rise in anti-Palestinian attacks within the United States. On Oct. 15, a 6-year-old Palestinian boy was killed and his mother injured by their landlord in Illinois. On Nov. 26, three Palestinian college students were shot in Vermont.

“President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu have inserted a politics of grieving in which we grieve differently for different people,” Baker said. “One people we grieve for, grieving is a sign of our humanity and the other set of people you cannot grieve for. To grieve for them is to take a political position that is out-of-bounds.”

Since the start of the conflict, the Israeli government has restricted access to food, water and electricity to Gaza. Babies in Gaza City hospitals have died due to the unstable conditions.

Jeffrey Blutinger, a professor in the history department and the head of Jewish Studies at CSULB, weighed in on grieving in the United States.

“I don’t know any American Jew who doesn’t know someone who lost family members or friends during the attack or kidnapped or injured,” Blutinger said.

“We’re all traumatized.”

With widespread antisemitism on online platforms such as X, formerly known as Twitter, and in countries around the world, Blutinger spoke on how American Jews have tried to maintain a united front for the state of

Students prepared signs and walked out to show their support of Palestine during a rally outside of Fine Arts 4. The ongoing war between Israel and the militant group Hamas has continued to fuel the fire of Islamophobia in the United States.

Israel, not the government.

“One thing we’ve seen in the last six weeks is a massive upsurge in vocal support by American Jews, for the people of Israel, not so much the suit for the Israeli government,” Blutinger said. “There’s no rallying around Netanyahu; there is a rallying around the country.”

Elmahrek said the claim referring to babies was similar to what occurred in 1990 leading up to the United States’ involvement in the Gulf War. A witness identified only as Nayirah had appeared before the Congressional Human Rights Caucus and claimed that Iraqis had gone into a hospital, taken babies out of their incubators and left them to die.

The witness’ story was false.

“The war in Iraq post 9/11 perpetu-

Monday, December 4, 2023

ates and furthers anti-Muslim racism. So in the case of recent events, it’s not that this is creating new anti-Muslim racism, but that it’s building on, adding and furthering it so that the operation and war in Gaza is perpetuating and adding fuel to that racism,” Baker said. “The thing that troubles me the most is that the racism is not covert, it’s not codewords, it’s explicit.”

United States Representative Brian Mast said he did not believe in the idea of an “innocent Palestinian” existed, comparing Palestinian civilians to Nazis.

“The misinformation that I have been trying to warn people at the top of my lungs about is repeating unverified claims from either side in a war,” Elmahrek said.

7

ARTS & LIFE

Flying Samaritans save the day by giving supplies to disadvantaged communities

BY SAMUEL CHACKO Managing Editor

D

orris Davis, 74, came to the Flying Samaritans' monthly food bank for the first time on the morning of Nov. 3 to get food and resources.

“Food is more expensive than I have money for and somebody told me they have good vegetables here,” she said. “I eat mostly vegetables.”

Davis shared that she will be coming back again to capitalize on the food resources.

“I’m glad to know that the Flying Samaritans are doing community outreach, I think it's important for them to have contact with seniors and to have seniors to contact with younger people,” Davis said.

The Flying Samaritans is a club at CSULB that holds monthly general meetings, one fundraiser, food banks on the first and third Friday of the month and have monthly visits to Tijuana, Mexico.

“I knew when I started college that I wanted to do volunteer work since I was not able to do any type of volunteer [work] in high school,” Flying Samaritans president Daniel Palacios said.

“I joined during Week of Welcome on Zoom this year due to the pandemic.”

SAMUEL CHACKO / Daily Forty-Niner The Flying Samaritans, pictured here at an event at MOD pizza, contribute to the Long Beach community by offering monthly food banks at Stevenson Elementary.

He started in 2020 and began the role of fundraising chair in the spring of 2022, became the vice president in the fall of 2022 and became president this semester.

Adriana Conoles, a health science major at CSULB, has been at the Flying Samaritans for one year as their public relations person.

“One of the women that usually comes to our clinic [...] last time I seen her she was nine months pregnant,” Conoles said.

“Something I thought was really neat

Students discover tastes from around the world through A Sweet Escape ASI's recent beach pride event allowed food to create a sense of community among a diverse student population.

SOFIA CUEVAS / Daily Forty-Niner ASI gave students the opportunity to sample sweet treats from different cultures, such as Dutch poffertjes or French croissants, as part of their event on Dec. 1.

8

was that as a club, we decided to organize and do a baby drive for her.”

The health science major said that everyone got to see the baby at the next clinic and the Flying Samaritans donated her a few baby items but they plan to create a big baby drive for her.

“I think that for me that stuck with me that we’re not just [providing primary care] [...] we do a lot more than that," she said.

Jesus Mendoza, who’s been part of the Flying Samaritans for a year and a half, said hopes to become a physician

BY SOFIA CUEVAS Staff Writer

A

Sweet Escape allowed students to develop multicultural taste palates through free food samples, food-related crafts and an informational guessing game.

Students gathered at the University Student Union on Friday, Dec. 1 from 12-2 p.m to enjoy sweet treats from around the world. The Beach Pride Event was hosted by ASI and was open to all students who wished to take a break from studying and join in on the festivities.

The event consisted of various food sampling stations that students could visit to try a dessert from a culture other than their own.

Oma's Poffertjes, a local family-owned business, operated a booth at A Sweet Escape in hopes of familiarizing students with Dutch culture. They offered freshly-made Poffertjes, a popular dessert in the Netherlands that resembles miniature fluffy pancakes.

"When you try different foods from different cultures, it's a whole other experience," Vivian Lokhorst from Oma's Poffertjes said.

"You'll find that the world is a very large place, but at the same time, a very small place. You often find a variation of the same foods in every culture."

In addition to Poffertjes, students had the option to choose from a variety

Monday, December 4, 2023

and to continue working in public health in the future.

“That’s what keeps me going, the community members and once a month we go to Tijuana, Mexico. It puts everything in perspective and really just fuels me to go down this path towards medicine,” Mendoza said.

Conoles seconded Mendoza's sentiment stating, “I know that I want to go into medicine, I’m not sure if I want to do B.A or nursing school and I thought that joining this club can give me a lot of clarity because we do work alongside medical doctors and nurse practitioners.”

The vice president of Flying Samaritans, Angeles Vazquez, has been part of the organization for over a year and what drew her to the organization was her Mexican heritage.

“Seeing how I’m able to help support them and provide a service where my parents couldn’t,” she said.

“A common misconception about our club is that you have to be Mexican to participate, you don’t have to be Mexican,” Vazquez said.

“All you have to have is a passport, if you want to participate down in the clinics to be able to travel [...] you don’t need to have a passport if you want to be a member.”

The Flying Samaritans at CSULB have social media on the CSULB events and organization site with their contact information.

of pastries and candies, including French croissant's, Mexican candy and other popular foreign desserts.

Although students mostly attended A Sweet Escape to try new foods, many decided to engage in the other activities that were offered.

Attendees left the main table with a sweet treat of their choice and were asked by an ASI member to play a candy-tasting game to introduce them to candies from different cultures around the world.

Students uncovered one of the many cups laid out on the table and tasted the candy underneath it. If the student correctly guessed the name the candy's country of origin, they received a raffle ticket for a prize that would be revealed at a later time.

The game proved to be a win-win situation, as participants were able to keep the candy regardless if their guesses were correct or not.

Some attendees passed time at the arts and crafts table, which was adorned with instructions and materials to create a variety of food-themed origami designs.

"I feel like food is the language of life," Civil Engineering major Maddy Mathis said.

"You share with other people and they understand how your life is, what you're eating, what you're buying, how you function and everything like that."

A complete list of future Beach Pride Events can be found at the calendar on ASI's website.

daily49er.com | @daily49er

ARTS & LIFE

Photos by MARLON VILLA/ Daily Forty-Niner Clockwise from top: Groups of friends and families enjoyed their beach day during Thanksgiving week in Laguna. Located on Third and Mermaid St., this staircase-turnedart piece is meant to reflect the Laguna Beach lifestyle with its color scheme and presentation. With its small cliffs and pleasing temperatures, Laguna Beach is a great place for beach goers to enjoy the beach and take in the sunset. Peppertree Lane is a Laguna Beach landmark, offering dining and shopping options for locals and visitors, with Gelato Paradiso being one of its most popular locations inside. Victoria Beach is located inside of Laguna Beach, where it provides a private beach experience compared to the rest of the shoreline.

Four hours in Laguna Beach: A city full of coves and canyons

BY MARLON VILLA Photo Assistant

K

nown for the beaches Laguna Beach also allows tourist the chance to see beautiful architecture, gelato that people form long lines for and candy stores housing barrels of taffy to name a few.

daily49er.com | @daily49er

St. Francis by the Sea at 1 p.m.

This American Catholic church that was built in 1934 hosts weddings, baptisms, quinceañeras and memorial services. St. Francis by the Sea was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

“Prismatic Play” stairs at 2 p.m.

Hand painted by muralist Beau Stanton, this 67-step staircase allows visitors to do some outdoor exercise. This mural

was created as part of a city project called “Fostering Creativity in a Time of Crisis.”

Peppertree Lane at 3 p.m.

Built around a live pepper tree in 1934, Peppertree Lane houses a bar, women’s apparel store and Italian gelato shop that draws a long line of visitors.

This is the only stand-up saloon in Orange County.

Main Beach Park at 4 p.m.

Main Beach Park’s lifeguard tower

Monday, December 4, 2023

has made multiple appearances in both shows and movies. Crowds of people get together to partake in a variety of activities, including volleyball, surfing and kayaking.

The delicious restaurants, entertaining bars and eye-catching art galleries make Laguna Beach a location worth visiting.

9

ARTS & LIFE

Belmont Shore kicks off holiday season at 39th annual Christmas parade Right: Long Beach Transit wished families and Belmont Shore residents a "Merry Christmas" and "Happy Holidays" as they made their way around the parade.

Below left: The Belmont Shore parade allowed volunteers to use a variety of vehicles, with many lowriders and Polaris Slingshots making appearances.

Below right: Bubble snow spewed out of festival floats, as volunteers handed out small gifts and candies to families visiting the parade.

Photos by RENZO POCASANGRE Daily Forty-Niner

BY SAMANTHA CORTES Arts & Life Assistant

T

housands gathered on Second St. for Belmont Shore’s 39th annual Christmas parade, with appearances from booming marching bands, festive corgis and Santa Claus on his sleigh.

Over 100 organizations walked at this year’s “Christmas by the sea” themed parade, with floats lined in tinsel, colorful lights and fake snow. Some participants blew bubbles and threw candy into the crowd, which were met by cheers from the groups of children that lined the sidewalk.

10

L.E.D bicyclist group Lit Riderz cruised along the 1.2-mile route with bright, decorated vehicles that blasted holiday beats.

Attendees ran to pet the animals from Dalmations of Long Beach and So Cal Corgi Nation, who wore Santa sweaters and rode in decorated carriages.

Santa Ana Valley Kennel Club member Charlie Ridge walked with the purebred dog group at the parade. She was decked out in an inflatable shark costume and accompanied by her two dogs dressed as an orca and a penguin.

“This is my fifth year and it’s always super fun,” Ridge said. “The kids love my pink poodle … they go crazy and so does she. It’s just super exciting for all of us.”

The sidewalks on both sides of the street were packed with onlookers, including customers who cheered on the floats from the patios of businesses like Murphy’s Pub. Many parade-goers were bundled up in holiday onesies, colorful pajamas, scarves and Santa hats.

Bethany Lor and Delaila Juarez’s favorite part of the night was the performance by Compton High School’s marching band, cheer squad and drill team. They executed sharp choreography to the sounds of rhythmic trumpets, trombones and drums.

Juarez is new to the Long Beach area and enjoyed the excitement of the community event. Lor was a fan of the festive environment.

Monday, December 4, 2023

“I just love Christmas, so it’s just really nice to come out to the parade,” Lor said.

Rex Richardson, accompanied by the Queen Mary Commodore Everette Hoard, made his first appearance at the parade as mayor of Long Beach, where he waved and shook hands with attendees in the crowd.

As the night drew to a close, Santa Claus appeared on his sleigh with Elsa from the Disney movie “Frozen,” which sent children in the crowd into a cheering frenzy.

Belmont Shore will keep up the holiday spirit with a Deck the Halls holiday concert on Dec. 17.

daily49er.com | @daily49er

ARTS & LIFE

The Grinch and little Cindy-Lou Who were spotted roaming around the parade, frowning upon the festivities as spectators waved at the pair. The Grinch stopped to take photos with families and kids.

daily49er.com | @daily49er

Monday, December 4, 2023

11

OPINION

CHEYENNE ELIZARRARAS / Daily Forty-Niner With credit card transactions, tipping suggestions, such as the above screen at the Nekter in Traffic Circle, will automatically pop up to encourage tipping even when you don’t have cash on hand.

Dipping without tipping

BY CHEYENNE ELIZARRARAS Opinions Assistant

T

ipping for specific jobs such as servers, bartenders, taxi or Uber drivers has become a standard in the United States to the point of judgment and social annihilation if you fail to tip adequately.

The pressure customers feel when the screen is flipped to them and they have a choice between tipping has become more of a social standard than a moral obligation.

Gratuity means something given voluntarily or beyond obligation usually sometimes for service, which is what tipping does.

Whether it is included gratuity, a tip jar or a screen full of percentage options, tipping is in our faces every day. Depending on where you live in the United States, some servers live off tips because of the low minimum wage and cost of living.

It’s still legal in some states to pay under the minimum wage if employees are earning tips. With a slim paycheck that goes to rent, utilities and groceries, whatever is left becomes highly confined.

A 2022 Trend Survey Report from Toast found that people choose to tip digitally more often. Delaware was

12

”

The pressures of tipping have become more about social etiquette than a selfless deed. found to be the most generous tipper with an average tip of 21.8 percent and California had the lowest average tip of 17.5 percent.

Tipping culture varies across the globe; in some places, tipping is not customary and can even offend such as in Japan.

North America has the practice of tipping more and more often. Many people from other places such as Britain and Europe are shocked by the comparatively high tips in America. Europeans average a tip of five to ten percent if the tip isn’t included.

In my experience working at various restaurants and food chains, it is not uncommon for European customers to not tip at all.

According to the Pew Research Center, 72% of U.S. adults say tipping is ex-

pected more now than it was five years ago and about 7 in 10 oppose business with an automatic service charge or tip on the bill.

Attitudes toward tipping vary among age groups but if you go out to eat with your grandparents, you are no stranger to this. My grandmother’s consistent $5 tip on any meal has always shocked me since I was a kid. It has become a habit to carry cash every time I go out to eat with her.

As the cost of living continues to rise, does this mean the standard tipping practices should evolve as well? I think it’s circumstantial based on your experience and franchise level.

Last week I went to a restaurant where the servers brought our drinks and didn’t come back for another 45 minutes to take our order. They were

Monday, December 4, 2023

nowhere to be found and they offered to make our meals complimentary for their incompetence but we were tired and hungry, so we asked for the bill.

Paying for only a beer and a soda, we still felt obligated to tip since it was a small, family-owned business, but nowhere near the average 20%. I wondered if this moral obligation was valid and I regretted tipping when I left the door but knew I would’ve felt guilty if I didn’t tip at all.

I think those who have worked in the service industry tend to be more generous and aware of tipping habits. However, the pressures of tipping have become more about social etiquette than a selfless deed.

Not only is the action of tipping important but what you use to tip, coins, cash or card, also has stigmas.

I have heard annoyed coworkers say, “Change is worse than no tip,” after a customer throws their spare change in the tip jar. Personally, an extra quarter or two never hurts as I have a laundry machine that requires coins.

A little tip can go a long way and sometimes even enhance your experience. When workers see a generous tip, they can be more inclined to give you a free item or a free charge for an extra topping, as I am guilty of that at my juice bar job (please don’t tell my boss).

daily49er.com | @daily49er

OPINION

EL NICKLIN / Daily Forty-Niner As Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) often starts during adulthood, being rare for those under the age of 20, the risk increases with age.

Winter blues or seasonal depression?

For people with seasonal affective disorder, winter isn’t just colder, but darker too.

BY CHEYENNE ELIZARRARAS Opinions Assistant

H

ere’s how my journey with seasonal depression ended with a clinical depression diagnosis.

Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, is a type of depression that occurs during certain seasons of the year, usually fall or winter, though summer SAD exists as well.

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, it is believed that shorter days and less daylight may trigger chemical changes in one’s brain.

Growing up in New York, every winter, the sun was down by 5:30 p.m. and the temperatures would drop drastically, bringing a confusingly annual feeling of dullness.

Outside was always gray. Even my skin would turn gray since it was depleted of vitamin D. It felt like I was fading away.

If you have a mood disorder such as major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder and live in cloudy regions or somewhere with less sunlight during the winter, you are at higher risk of SAD. As the days got shorter, my naps got

longer. I spent much of the daylight asleep, only to wake up once my parents had gone to bed.

I felt like a waste of time. Not only did I miss spending time with my parents, but I missed dinner most nights and wouldn’t have any of my homework done, leaving me up till 3 a.m. to complete it.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, those with SAD will experience mood changes and some symptoms of depression such as anxiety, extreme fatigue, trouble concentrating, irritability and feelings of hopelessness.

I will never forget waking up at 7 a.m. and it still being pitch black outside.

Every morning felt full of dread. I’d be exhausted as soon as I opened my eyes, and getting out of bed was nearly impossible without the help of my mom flickering my lights, tickling me and pulling off my blanket (with love of course).

At first, it was confusing, each year I’d fall into a funk and feel hopeless without even realizing it. I felt disassociated from my surroundings and became unmotivated to complete my responsibilities.

It was like I was on autopilot every day.

Ever since I could remember I would get myself ready for school and think, “I can’t wait for summer.”

I didn’t think much of it though,

since everyone wants it to be summer.

Yes, summer means no school, tan skin, hot weather and time to hang out with your friends, but for me, it was so much more than that.

I knew all my problems would be solved as soon as the days were back to being long.

The day before my first day of ninth grade, I went to the emergency room for my first panic attack. By tenth grade, I had already seen and ghosted two therapists.

My diagnosis was always the same, OCD and seasonal depression. Perhaps that’s because I never went to seek help until I was at my worst, which tended to be in the winter.

At that age, I didn’t understand how to explain my feelings. Most of my issues didn’t seem like issues to me, instead they were my norm.

All I talked about at my therapy sessions was the weather, being anxious in school and how unorganized I felt when my handwriting was messy.

When therapists would ask me “How was your day?” at the start of a session, I would respond with “Good, how about you?” not realizing that their question was more than a formality.

It wasn’t until I met my high school psychologist, Dr. Matthew Morand, who got me to actually speak about what was

bothering me without making me think about it. He went on to refer me to a couple different therapists and psychiatrists.

By the start of my junior year, I landed on Carly. She was a young, sweet fivefoot blonde who acknowledged my issues and forced me (comfortably) to dig deeper.

After our first session, she knew that my issues went deeper than what had been diagnosed, especially since I couldn’t mention details of my parent’s divorce without getting choked up.

I began seeing a psychiatrist, and with the combined efforts of her and Carly, I was given an onslaught of diagnoses, including clinical depression.

This felt like somewhat of a relief, as a part of me always felt invalidated by “seasonal” depression. Perhaps I didn’t understand the seasonal aspect since the empty feeling lingered throughout all seasons. I just didn’t acknowledge it in the summer since I was too busy soaking up the sun.

Overall, going through a series of diagnoses and therapists was worth it to get to where I am now.

I know I still have some more work to do (and maybe more diagnoses, who knows) but asking for help has always worked out for me in the end.

”

Yes, summer means no school, tan skin, hot weather and time to hang out with your friends, but for me, it was so much more than that. daily49er.com | @daily49er

Monday, December 4, 2023

13

SPORTS Brandon Hyde: From Dirtbag to American League Manager of the Year

BY MATTHEW COLEMAN Sports Assistant

B

randon Hyde, who played at Long Beach State in 1997, was voted American League Manager of the Year in 2023 after his Baltimore Orioles won 101 games en route to their first AL East title since 2014.

Hyde took over the managerial position in Baltimore after the 2018 season.

He inherited a team that had been a major league worse record of 47-115, but had a full rebuild on the horizon.

“I’m really appreciative of the Angelos family, the general manager Mike Elias and to show patience through those first few years. We all knew it was going to be challenging, a redo in a lot of ways organizationally, and so Mike did a great job those first few years putting a lot of things in place analytically,” Hyde said.

Baltimore finished eighteen games better than their 2022 campaign, where they narrowly missed out on the third American League wild card spot.

“It was hard for a few years, and for those guys to see we’re doing good things even though it wasn’t equally wins

BY MATTHEW COLEMAN Sports Assitant

E

arlier this fall, the Long Beach State women’s volleyball team welcomed the alumni of the 1972 and 1973 championship winning teams to The Walter Pyramid to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their dynastic run.

There was a buzz inside the arena that night as the women responsible for two of the banners hung in the rafters of the Pyramid were honored on the court.

A special video tribute dedicated to them featured the head coach of the then “49ers” from 1972-1984, Dixie Grimmett.

“Back when I called Long Beach newspaper to report our win and the names of the girls that had won I was told, ‘They didn’t think they had room in the newspaper for us. It wasn’t very newsworthy,’ not many people followed volleyball at that point,” Grimmett said.

As unfortunate as the situation was, it was the harsh reality for women’s sports at the time. They had gone undefeated 33-0 en route to their first Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women championship.

The team then followed it up by going 33-2 in their title defense on the way to back-to-back AIAW championships.

A two-year stretch of going a combined 66-2, was deemed not newsworthy enough even to make local newspapers.

Members of the team remained resilient and never let the lack of media coverage get to them, letting their game on the court speak for themselves.

Even before the ladies brought cham-

14

Photo courtesy of PEYTON STOIKE /Baltimore Orioles Brandon Hyde’s Orioles brought postseason baseball back to Oriole Park at Camden Yards for the first time since the 2014 ALCS against the Kansas City Royals. and losses, I appreciate that,” Hyde said.

On the field, they were led by big years from 2023 AL Rookie of the Year Gunnar Henderson, all-star catcher Adley Rutschman and one of the best closers in the game, Félix Bautista.

The race to the top of AL East was both thrilling and unexpected, as a lot of early season predictions did not have the Orioles finishing top arguably the toughest division in baseball.

“It’s tough to be in first place and hold a lead, especially with such a good team like the Rays right behind you.

They weren’t losing much, so for our guys with very little postseason or even

pennant race experience, for those guys to play and perform the way they did says a lot about them,” Hyde said.

The former Dirtbag credited his playing time at Long Beach and what he learned during his season at The Beach to his managerial career.

“Even to this day, I still think a lot about Coach Noah and Coach Weathers.

I’m still very close with them, I try and see them on a yearly basis, and a lot of the fundamentals of coaching I’ve taken from them.”

“I hold them with the highest regard, of not just coaches but people, and how they treated me. They are incredible

Celebrating LBSU’s forgotten champions 50 years later

Photo courtesy of ROBBIE STUART The 1973 AIAW championship team beat Texas Woman’s in the championship game 2-0 in Wooster, Ohio securing their second title in Dixie Grimmett’s second year as head coach. pionships to Long Beach, the campus was at the center of a volleyball revolution. Starting in 1970 when Long Beach State hosted the very first national collegiate volleyball championship in what’s now known as the Gold Mine.

“The significance of this is that this university is like the genesis of intercollegiate women’s volleyball,” setter for the 1973 championship team Robbie Stuart said.

The coaching staff during the early years did not lack any star power as Dr.

Frances Schaafsma was at the helm for the first seven seasons and was looked at as a barn-storming volleyball clinician.

“She was the coach if you want to equate it to any top coaches, he was among the caliber of a John Wooden,” Stuart said about the hall-of-fame head coach.

Olympian Ann Heck took over for the 1968 season and then Grimmett, who coached The Beach for 13 seasons.

“There’s this richness of Olympians that were at this university before volleyball

Monday, December 4, 2023

mentors to me,” Hyde said.

After exceeding all expectations during the regular season to win the AL East, and also capturing the number one seed in the American League, the season would come to a sour end as the Orioles would fall to the eventual champion Texas Rangers in the ALDS. “I think that our guys are going to come in really hungry into spring training. The season did not finish the way we wanted it to,” Hyde said. “I think it left a bitter taste in everyone’s mouth, and I think our guys are going to be really raring to go.”

was an Olympic sport,” Stuart said.

Along with the top-tier coaching corps came an elite group of players that dominated their way to trips to the final four in six of the first seven seasons of the women’s volleyball tournament.

Among these superb athletes was Jill Goldberg who made trips to the final four in every year of her college career at LBSU. “Looking back at it, we didn’t know during those days that we were the pioneers of the sport, it wasn’t till later on when we realized that,” Goldberg said.

Setter Jeanine Prindle was an allaround athlete who played softball and didn’t start to play volleyball until her time at Cerritos College where she learned the sport.

She tried out for the team with around 100 other women but was one of the lucky few to make the team. Early games in her career looked slightly different as they began with timed games.

“It blows my mind now knowing that there were no scholarships, we had to fundraise for tournaments, no athletic trainers,” Prindle said. “I am really happy to see how the progression of women’s sports and how things have changed with the viewership of the NCAA.” Last week marked another huge milestone for women’s sports at The Beach as the inaugural Big West women’s volleyball tournament was hosted at the Pyramid for a bid in the NCAA tournament.

“It’s always nice to come back and see, and to know I was a part of something so big at this school and know we left such a big impact, so it’s heartwarming,” Goldberg said.

daily49er.com | @daily49er

SPORTS

How has Monson coached at Long Beach State?

NAOKI GIMA / Daily Forty-Niner Long Beach State Men’s basketball head coach, Dan Monson, introduces and explains the drill that he wants his team to run during a practice inside the Walter Pyramid.

After 17 seasons, a rollercoaster journey and a sub .500 winning percentage, can Monson take The Beach to the Big West and improve the team’s fortunes?

BY SEBASTIAN GREWAL Staff Writer

L

ong Beach men’s basketball head coach Dan Monson is entering his 17th season at The Beach and the final year of his five-year contract he signed in 2018.

Monson began coaching The Beach in the 2007-08 season after leaving his coaching position at the University of Minnesota due to a 2-5 record. Before Minnesota, he had a successful tenure at the University of Gonzaga where he won conference championships and reached the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight with the Bulldogs.

The 62-year-old head coach has won four Big West regular season championships, a Big West tournament championship and four Big West Coach of the Year awards. Monson has an overall record of 254-258 at LBSU. The 2013-14 season is where Monson and The Beach would start to decline as they failed to win either the Big West regular season title or the Big West Conference championship and failed to reach either the NCAA Tournament or the National Invitation Tournament

daily49er.com | @daily49er

(NIT) for the first time since the 2009-10 season.

Monson and The Beach have experienced a lack of success with only three winning seasons since 2012-13. They had a 20-15 winning record in the 2015-16 season but fell short of regular season or tournament championships, reaching the tournament final but losing to Hawaii by four points.

The recent five-year contract extension followed the 2017-18 season, which would see Monson remain at the university until the 2023-24 season, came after Monson only achieved one winning record between the 2013-14 and 2017-18 seasons.

The Beach, however, returned to their winning ways in the 2021-22 season when LBSU became Big West regular season champions again. LBSU was close to winning the Big West tournament but would lose to Cal State Fullerton 72-71 in the tournament’s final game.

Long Beach State also returned to the NIT for the first time since the 2015-16 season where Monson and The Beach would lose 93-72 in the first round against Brigham Young University.

Even with this success, Monson’s future is now currently up for debate after recent struggles.

“We’re going to see how this season goes and you know, as I said to Coach

Monson, I’m rooting for him,” Athletic director Bobby Smitheran said to the sports journalism class.

There are incentive-based contract rewards for coaches for winning the Big West and making the NCAA tournament or the NIT. In the five-year contract Monson signed in 2018, he will earn a $283,560 salary annually, alongside a $16,440 annually in supplemental base compensation.

Monson is able to receive 25% of Long Beach State’s guaranteed games scheduling revenue up to $200,000 once the amount of guaranteed games scheduling exceeds $200,001.

A guaranteed game, or a “buy” game, is when higher-ranked programs pay a lower-ranked school to schedule a non-conference away game so the higher-ranked schools can win in front of the home crowd without interfering with the lower-ranked school’s conference record.

Monson could receive $20,000 in incentives if LBSU were to win the Big West regular season (including co-champions) or tournament championship.

Monson would receive a $15,000 bonus if Long Beach were to play in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and increase in the later rounds. If The Beach qualified for the NationaI Invitation Tournament, which features the 32

Monday, December 4, 2023

best teams that do not make the NCAA Tournament, Monson would receive an incentive of $5,000.

According to Monson’s contract, the head coach is eligible to receive 10% of the gate receipts once the threshold of $275,000 has been achieved.

Monson has seen his total pay increase vary from around $45,000 to $48,000 since 2018, with The Beach having three consecutive losing seasons since his contract extension.

Monson was able to cash in on his incentives of being regular season champions and was awarded Big West Coach of the Year for his efforts as The Beach played in the NIT in the successful 202122 season.

It’s success like this that Smitheran is looking for with his staff.

“He will be treated like all of our other coaches,” Smitheran said. “There’s a evaluation process and every coach has an opportunity to earn their position.”

LBSU is off to a slow start to the 202324 season as they currently have a 4-4 record, including an upset win against the University of Michigan, 94-86, which was a guaranteed game for the Wolverines.

The Beach’s biggest loss this season so far comes from last year's NCAA Tournament runner up, San Diego State, 76-88.

15

SPORTS

Photos by CARLOS YAKIMOWICH /Daily Forty-Niner Long Beach State men's basketball junior guard Jadon Jones goes for a drive to the basket against Sacramento State inside the Walter Pyramid. Jones finished with a teamhigh 24 points, shooting 8-14 from the field.

The Beach defends the Pyramid with victory over Sacramento State

BY CARLOS YAKIMOWICH Staff Writer

T

he Beach men’s basketball outlasted Sacramento State 83-73 in front of 1,815 fans at the Walter Pyramid on Saturday in their home opener.

This win improved The Beach’s season record to 5-4, marking their third win in four games.

The Beach went into the matchup without their leading scorer, senior guard Marcus Tsohonis, who is dealing with a hand injury after getting his finger stuck in a jersey during practice.

“He tried to go today, but it’s on his left hand. He couldn't grip the ball,” head coach Dan Monson said.

According to Monson, the x-rays came out negative on Tsohonis' hand but for precautionary reasons, he will have an MRI next week.

With their leading scorer out of the lineup, The Beach looked to junior guard Jadon Jones to lead the offense.

Jones’ pivotal moment for The Beach’s offense occurred in the final minutes as he shot an open three from the wing with 1:56 remaining, giving The Beach a 77-70 lead.

“Great pass by Aboubacar Traore,” Jones said. “He trusted me to swing it and I made the right play.”

He finished with a game-high 24

16

points on 3-6 shooting from behind the arc and 8-14 overall from the field for 57.1%.

Aboubacar was another player dealing with an injury, being a game-time decision after spraining his ankle at practice on Friday, as confirmed by Monson.

Monson brought Aboubacar off the bench in the home opener win, notching eight points, eight rebounds and six assists in 27 minutes.

The Beach finished with 46 points in the paint and 13 offensive rebounds, a large portion of which came from the workhorse production of junior forward Lassina Traore. He tallied six of his 11 rebounds on the offensive glass and scored 14 of his 18 points in the paint.

“When we’ve won, he's dominated in the inside and today was no different,” Monson said. “I’m not trading him for any center in the country.”

Lassina finished with the highest plus/minus of the game with a +19, showcasing just how effective he was for The Beach on both ends.

With under a minute to go and the game already decided, the Walter Pyramid was met with a roaring cheer from the crowd as Sacramento State’s sophomore forward Duncan Powell missed his second straight free throw to give the spectators a free chicken sandwich.

The Beach will face Life Pacific at the Walter Pyramid on Wednesday, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m. and look to extend their win streak to three games.

Long Beach State junior forward Lassina Traore puts up a post shot against Sacramento State’s Duncan Powell. Traore recorded a double-double in the win against the Hornets, scoring 18 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.

Monday, December 4, 2023

daily49er.com | @daily49er