CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LONG BEACH
VOL. LXVIX, ISSUE 80 | MAY 10, 2018
49er
D
ELECTION
He said, they said Student government is looking for student approval to change pronouns in its bylaws to “they/them/their.” By Sarah Amaral Staff Writer Photo Illustration by Hunter Lee | Daily 49er
I know I did the party thing right; I was in a sorority for crying out loud. I know I met enough people, because I have stuck with an incredible group of friends during my four years here. But why did I feel like the world was crashing down right in front of me, making me doubt all that I had accomplished so far in life? This made me reflect back on my time in college and realize that while it did provide me with all of these great experiences, those fun times aren’t going to end when I cross that stage. College has been great, but I know that
Associated Students Inc. called for a Special Election the week before finals addressing gender neutral pronouns. The resolution aims to amend the ASI Bylaws to fully include inclusive language, according to James Ahumada, ASI senior communications manager. “Gender-inclusive pronouns are used out of respect, and to be inclusive of people’s gender identity,” Ahumada said in an email statement. Student government leaders sent out an email stating the special election’s goal is to, “seek voter approval for an amendment to Chapter One of the Associated Students Bylaws,” which would remove pronouns such as “he/him/his” and “she/her/hers” to more gender-inclusive pronouns such as “they/them/their.” Sofia Musman, student government vice president, authored the proposal. This resolution falls under Chapter One of the Bylaws, and students are required to vote either against
see LIFE, page 6
see RESOLUTION, page 2
Even though commencement is on the horizon, this is no time to panic. Don’t be afraid to embrace the next step of your life.
OP-ED
Glad to be post-grad Don’t worry, post-graduation life isn’t the end. It’s just the beginning. By Sarah Amaral Staff Writer
W
hile the line to pick up caps and gowns snaked through the Cal State Long Beach Bookstore, fear of life post-graduation began to sink in for me. “Holy hell, is this really happening?” was a thought for many, including myself.
I’m graduating college, isn’t this supposed to be the best time of my life? As I’m sure most of you have experienced these same feelings, don’t worry, there’s so much more to life post-graduation. For most of us college graduates, we’ve been in school for most of our lives. The idea of leaving the safety of academic life to move on to a big person job and a salary? Equally terrifying and badass. The line loomed in front of me like a red carpet leading to the rest of my life, and I began to wonder. Did I do enough with my time here? Did I party enough, meet enough people? Did I take advantage of college life before having to be an adult? Will I even find a job in my major?
NATIONAL
George Deukmejian, former California governor, dies at 89 By Claudia Luther and Richard C. Paddock Los Angeles Times
LOS ANGELES — George Deukmejian, a perennially popular two-term Republican governor of California who built his career on fighting crime, hardening the state’s criminal justice stance and shoring up its leaky finances, died Tuesday. He was 89. Deukmejian, who was elected governor in 1982 and 1986, died at his home in Long Beach, according to a statement from his
family. During his many years of public service, including 16 years as a state legislator and four as state attorney general, Deukmejian sponsored the successful “use a gun, go to prison” bill, oversaw development of a workfare program for welfare recipients and negotiated with the Democrat-controlled Legislature to create an $18.5 billion, 10-year transportation plan. The son of Armenian immigrants, Deukmejian had years of public office on his resume before winning election as governor and
emerging as the most prominent Armenian-American politician in the United States. His identification with Armenians, who were victims of a genocide during the early 20th century at the hands of the Ottoman Turks, would infuse his life with a determination to ensure the rule of law. After serving as California’s attorney general, he rode the crime issue into the governor’s office in 1982 and, during the eight years he governed the state, guided the criminal justice system toward tougher sentencing. He also
oversaw the expenditure of $3.3 billion to build eight new penitentiaries. The number of felons in prison tripled to nearly 97,000 during his tenure. He also moved vigorously to put judges on the bench who took a hard line on crime. Besides remaking the state Supreme Court, Deukmejian appointed a raft of conservatives, including many prosecutors, to the state’s lower courts. His appointments reached 1,000 by the time he left office in 1991. In all, Deukmejian spent almost 28 years in Sacramento, en-
joying a reputation as someone of unquestioned integrity but someone whose manner was so severe that he earned the nickname “Iron Duke.” Deukmejian said he was not trying to be difficult but merely trying to “stick by my position and stick by my principles.” At home, Deukmejian’s parents spoke Armenian, Turkish and English but taught George and his sister, Anna, only English. This experience left him with the see OBITUARY, page 2