CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LONG BEACH
VOL. LXVIX, ISSUE 34 | NOVEMBER 29, 2017
HEALTH
Water tests ongoing at the Beach The university and Titan Environmental have yet to release results of water tests. By James Chow
Assistant News Editor
After multiple rounds of testing since early November, the university has yet to release a
clear update on the state of water at Cal State Long Beach. On Nov. 8, the drinking fountains in the McIntosh Humanities building were confirmed to have tested positive for lead. A day before, water fountains on campus were shut down and bound with tape. According to Mary Stephens, vice president of administration and finance, this closure was due to the water quality being below Environmental Protection Agen-
cy standards. Terri Carbaugh, vice president of public affairs, said the tests are still ongoing and the final results will not be available for several weeks due to diligent water testing in all buildings constructed after 1980. “We’re testing the water, retesting [and] redoing [tests] and double-checking — and we’ll release all that information in a few weeks,” Carbaugh said. The water, currently being
tested by Fullerton-based company Titan Environmental, was deemed unsafe to drink after a CHEM 100 class found lead in the fountains by the McIntosh building. All of the buildings put up after 1980 are being tested for lead. Buildings constructed before that time will have those water fountains replaced altogether, see LEAD, page 2
We’re testing the water, retesting [and] redoing [tests] and double-checking — and we’ll release all that information in a few weeks.”
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Terri Carbaugh
D49er
Miranda Andrade-Ceja | Daily 49er
Aspergillus mold was found on the second floor of the library. The section has been closed off for three weeks.
UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
THERE’S A FUNGUS AMONG US Second floor of University Library sectioned off due to Aspergillus discovery. By Miranda Andrade-Ceja Editor in Chief
Aspergillus mold was discovered in the stacks of books on the second floor of the library sometime in October, leaving the entire area cut off by either a clear plastic covering or caution tape.
On the second floor of the University Library, all is quiet as students diligently work from their laptops or immerse themselves in textbook readings. Only a few steps away from the tables accommodating studying students, the stacks have been sectioned off with caution tape and signs reading: “DO NOT ENTER. AREA CLOSED.” According to Terri Carbaugh, Associate Vice President of Student Affairs, Aspergillus mold is typically non-harmful unless prior conditions, such as allergies, exist. Carbaugh said the Uni-
versity Library is taking steps to eradicate the mold in the stacks of books, and has succeeded in isolating the Aspergillus so the rest of the second floor may operate as normal. “[Aspergillus] is fairly common,” Carbaugh said. “It’s non-threatening, but people who have allergies may be affected by something like that.” Aspergillus is a fungi whose spores are often present in the air we breathe, according to aspergillus.co.uk. While normally these spores do not cause illness in people, persons with weakened
immune systems, damaged lungs or allergies may be vulnerable to lung-related diseases if exposed to air with a high volume of spores. As of right now, it is unclear as to how long the second floor stacks will be restricted. For the time being, though, students don’t seem to mind using the study space beside the sectioned-off area. The second floor of the library is home to books on philosophy, history and geography, as well as the children’s section, which is still open to the public.
In an emailed statement to the Daily 49er, Dean of the Library Roman Kochan thanked Cal State Long Beach’s Physical Planning and Facilities Management for their success in isolating the mold. “We are truly fortunate this was caught early and that our team of professionals in PPFM acted so decisively to confirm the safely of all of us in the library and to take corrective action.” Kochan said. “Cleaning of the affected area is now in progress and access to it will be restored shortly.” This story will be updated.
2 NEWS
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2017 DAILY49ER.COM | CITYD49ER@GMAIL.COM
RESEARCH
No tongue, no problem A Long Beach study found that the tongue is not solely responsible for taste. By Hunter Lee
Assistant Photo Editor
What food or drink would you miss the most if you didn’t have a tongue? It turns out, there’s no need to worry. According to a study conducted by Cal State Long Beach researchers, the human body is able to recognize complex flavors without one. Isolated Congenital Aglossia is a rare condition where a person is born without a tongue, which affects their ability to taste. The research involved a wine tasting survey to assess how individuals lacking tongues perceive flavor. “If we could figure out how people without a tongue could taste without ever using the tongue, we could help those who were born with a tongue but for some reason lost it,” said Long Wang, assistant professor of nutrition at the university. Beginning in November of 2015 as a thesis project for Family and Sciences lecturer Kristin Mahood, the findings of the study were published July 17 in the Journal of Communication Disorders, Deaf Studies and Hearing Aids. Mahood was aided by
Courtesy of Long Wang’s Twitter
Kristin Mahood and Long Wang presenting their research at the Food and Nutrition Convention & Expo.
Wang. “Taste buds are not only found on the surface of our tongues, we do have a certain number of taste buds on our soft palate,” Wang said. “The question is whether it’s enough to ensure a similar tasting experience.” The study included one reference subject with the birth condition and two other participants, one an inexperienced wine taster and the other a trained sommelier, or wine expert. The reference subject, a 46-year-old female, is
one of 12 documented cases of the condition since 1718, making its prevalence difficult to record. “It’s estimated that about 10 people in the world are known to have it,” Mahood said. The other volunteers were then selected based off sex and gender that matched the subject to eliminate any variables that might affect results. Approved by Long Beach State’s Institutional Review Board, the survey took place at a local wine tasting bar.
Each participant was presented with five different types of wine with three samples of each, totaling fifteen samples. The participants were blindfolded and presented the wines at random. In order to measure each participant’s sense of taste, the researchers developed their own instrument for data collection, referred to as the Nose and Palate Survey. The model was heavily influenced by the Court of Master Sommeliers Deductive Tasting
Format, a guide used in wine tasting, and validated by a sommelier who did not partake in the study. “There have been taste tests with individual solutions, but never been a whole food or beverage tasting,” Mahood said. “We wanted to try something like that because wine already has its own tasting protocol for the sommeliers.” Before conducting the taste survey, the reference subject had partaken in previous studies to assess if she had the ability to taste. “We concluded that someone without a tongue can enjoy wine just like any other naive wine taster while the trained sommelier perceived wine flavors differently,” said Mahood. The results found that the subject recorded flavor perceptions similar to an average wine taster. Following the findings, it has still yet to be discovered to what extent the subject is able to perceive flavor without a tongue. Wang and Mahood plan to take their research even farther in the spring of 2018. The follow-up study will test the threshold of taste for the reference subject. “We are interested in finding out if she needs higher stimulation to be able to sense taste,” Wang said. “The long-term goal is to apply these findings to help other populations who suffer from decline in the ability to taste.”
WATER
continued from page 1
according to Carbaugh. The cost of this replacement is not known at this time. Despite the university saying they are continuously conducting tests, many faculty and students feel out of the loop. Mathematics professor Dimos Arsenidis didn’t expect the water to be contaminated. “I just heard about [the water situation] and it’s surprising,” Arsenidis said. “I feel like we should be more informed.” For some students, the bags and blue tape blocking fountains were all they needed to deter them. Caterina Ariza, senior international studies major, said she didn’t like the taste of the water right before the fountains were tested. “I just remember walking around campus and seeing all the water fountains bagged up,” Ariza said. “Before that happened I used to use the fountains to refill my water and it tasted really funky, it was the ones by the liberal arts building. You know, you
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Sabrina Flores | Daily 49er
Due to campuswide water testing, some buildings, such as Liberal Arts 5, have adopted alternative hydraition stations.
have your water bottle, you’re trying to save money, save the planet and then you’re drinking this crappy water, like ugh, I shouldn’t drink that water.” Emily Willis, a senior liberal studies major, had a similar experience with the water fountains. “I tried to use [the water foun-
tain] before Thanksgiving break because I ran out of water,” Willis said. “I was nervous about whether I should drink it or not. The water tasted gross.” This story will be updated. Miranda Andrade-Ceja, Angel Grady and Alba Mejia contributed to this article.
NEWS 3
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2017 DAILY49ER.COM | CITYD49ER@GMAIL.COM PROFILE
Head of housing finds home at CSULB
Colonna brings years of housing experience, a passion for learning and a love for literature. By Lola Olvera Staff Writer
If new and returning Cal State Long Beach dormers had to learn to adjust to a new home this semester, they weren’t alone. Corry Colonna had a similar experience, moving to the West Coast and into a new apartment to gear up for his new position as Executive Director of Housing and Residential Life. When Colonna first visited the university in April, he fell in love with the campus and its community. After he was offered the job on campus, he accepted immediately. Now, he oversees major events such as move-in day and works with other departments to make residential life as fulfilling and comfortable as possible for students. The decision to take a job across the country was fueled by Colonna’s need to grow professionally and personally. He is often motivated by the desire to learn and experience new things, calling himself intrinsically motivated. “I love to just learn, period,” Colonna said. “I had only been [at Amherst College] three years.
Lola Olvera | Daily 49er
Corry Colonna in his office where he acts as the Executive Director of Housing and Residential Life for the students at CSULB.
But I also recognized it was a very small institution and a private institution and so there was only so much I felt like I could do to grow as an individual.” Colonna hails from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, a borough just north of Pittsburgh. The city’s biggest claim to fame is being featured in the 1993 comedy “Groundhog Day.” His work in residential life, spanning 15 years, has taken him to Massachusetts, North Carolina and near Chicago, but Long Beach is the farthest he has ven-
tured from home. Although this campus is the largest school he has worked with, the atmosphere has been welcoming. “They talk about the Beach family,” he said. “It’s this sense that people know each other and they remember students in a way that I didn’t know was necessarily possible at such a large institution. So I’m really impressed with that.” To some, he’s helping to continue an inclusive, family feeling to the dorms.
“It’s been a really pleasant experience so far,” said Juan Gonzalez, an area coordinator supervised by Colonna. “He’s come in with lots of initiative, drive and ideas to take the department in a positive direction. He has something to make it more homey for the residents and a good place for the staff as well.” Colonna got into the housing life the way he says most people do — by serving as a residential assistant. He first served as an assistant while attending Saint Vincent
College as an undergraduate. Part of this decision was financial. The youngest of four, Colonna had to get creative when it came to paying for college. As the authority figure in the dorms, he received room and board for free and found his passion for helping people along the way. Colonna owes some of his management style to his background in literature, which he says inspires him to think about differences and life’s big questions. He enjoyed sharing that experience as an english teacher and now he brings that literary toolkit to the dorms. “I realize that I get to [teach] very directly when I worked in housing because people come to you with problems,” he said. “Or you see conflict on your floor and you help [students] understand how to respect each other. And I was wanting to do all that through literature.” While Colonna recognizes the higher he moves up in his career the less he has direct contact with students, he hopes that his decisions at the executive level are able to make the lives of students on campus better. “I have some opportunities to still enjoy the energy of being around young people,” he said. “I was in the dining halls and talking to students and I said ‘yeah this is why I’m here.’ These are the people that give me energy and the work that gives me energy. So I’m in it for the long haul. This is my career.”
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What Your Teachers Never Taught You Clues To Identifying “Fake News” Dr. George A. Kuck (galbertk@aol.com)
How do you identify “Fake News”? I don’t know how in general but I do know how to identify it when I am within a month of an election. In the 1980’s I saw a media story that said that H.W. Bush flew to Paris on an SR-71 to sabotage the Paris Peace talks being held between the North Vietnamese and President Carter. I was in the Air Force and found this to be a curious story that could not have been correct. With my interest piqued by this account, I started paying more attention to news with political implications. This type of “fake news” has been increasing. It has now reached a crescendo. Most of the reports have been used to attack Republicans and I would be interested if you have seen “fake news” aimed at Democrat candidates. The biggest “fake news” story is of “collusion” between President Trump and the Russians that influenced the election. The biggest set of “fake news facts” involved a dossier prepared by a company called Fusion GPS that reported lewd behavior by President Trump during the Miss Universe Pageant held in Moscow in 2013. This lie has been refuted by Mr. Trump’s bodyguard. Other dossier “facts” have also been refuted by independent journalists and not reported in the major media. This dossier was the basis of appointing an independent counsel to investigate President Trump’s connections with the Russians. How do you prove a negative? You cannot. After a year of investigation, no real connection has been found. It has been found that the dossier was funded all or in part by the Clinton presidential campaign. You should do your own research on this item. Be sure to read conservative and well as major media articles. A final example of ”Fake News” is the destruction of Alabama Republican Roy Moore’s reputation a month before election day by unverified accusations of behavior 40 years ago. This is very similar to lies told by Democrat Senator Harry Reid against Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney just before the 2012 election. He claimed Mr. Romney had not paid his taxes for 10 years. After the election Senator Reid bragged to CNN how his lie helped win the election. How will you handle this conundrum? My personal solution is to not believe any negative information that comes out the month before an election on any candidate in any party. I will vote party platforms in order to hold elected officials to what they have said. What is your solution?
4 ARTS & LIFE
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2017 DAILY49ER.COM | ARTSNLIFED49ER@GMAIL.COM
GALLERY FEATURE
Student photographers shoot for the stars Cal State Long Beach seniors show their backgrounds and visions at the “Momento” photo exhibit. By Joel Vaughn Staff Writer
From day laborers to time itself, the Momento photo gallery puts forward the vision of Cal State Long Beach film and photography students. Senior Photography major Dania Beltran, who was featured in the Momento gallery, said she sees the show as a vehicle to show the photographer’s backgrounds and explore their artistic practices. Steven Esperanza explored his family’s careers by delving back into his hometown in the Imperial Valley. His interest in photography goes back to a polaroid camera gifted to him by his father. “I was just taking selfies at eight years old and that’s how it all started,” Esperanza said. Although his knowledge of the camera was limited, it allowed Esperanza to self document his childhood. His video gallery, “Los Campos de Agricultra” features a series of workers harvesting and packing green onions on screens mounted to the four gallery walls with a stack of produce shipping boxes stacked in the center. The series was inspired by and filmed in his hometown of the Imperial Valley California where his family worked in produce fields. Esperanza remembers the workers being bused in at 5 a.m. and working until 8 p.m. in 100 plus degree weather. “Growing up around that I wanted to just give back to my community and shoot something that just reminded me of my hometown,” Esperanza said. He used the videos to show the journey of produce production from the fields to packing to transit to the local grocer. One of the other featured senior photography students, Michael Dadula, aimed to have his viewers question
Photos by Sabrina Flores | Daily 49er
Steven Esperanza displays his photography in the exhibit, above, titled “Los Campos de Agricultra” at the student art galleries. Michael Dadula also displayed his three films, below, “Night Memories,” “I’d Rather Live Outside” and “Hope You’re Doing Well” on two TVs in the corner of one of the gallery rooms.
their own expectations of the passage of time. Dadula’s introduction to photography was through his girlfriend buying him a camera to shoot cars, which led to a passion for the skill. “I didn’t even know what shooting in manual was,” Dadula said. “I just got it out of the box and started shooting. I didn’t know about ISO or shutter speed, I just started shooting.” Dadula seeked to toy with his viewer’s concept of time through his set of three televisions in the corner of a shotgun hallway playing a thematically linked looping video of cars, people and spaces. His interest in playing on time comes from his own conundrum of being a 27-year old college senior, which he feels displaces him from the his peers’ age group. “You think you’re supposed to be at one point in your life, but you’re not and that lets life take its toll on you,” Dadula said. One of the concurrent themes throughout his films,”Night Memories,” “I’d Rather Live Outside” and “Hope You’re Doing Well” is breaking a sense of linear time rather it be un-
moving or going back. This comes through in “Night Memories” on the two screens playing an endless loop of driving from inside a car while the third screen played the car starting up, stopping and the driver getting in and out. “We just see time as this very linear thing, it’s only before and after,” Dadula said. “There’s no up and down. Space has an up down and left to right.
It’s three dimensional and time has only one.” “Hope You’re Doing Well” shifts this play on time by showing an ever mounting tension that never releases through long shots of a bedroom paired with a shower head running. “Momentos” will be on display in the student art galleries on Wednesday from noon to 7 p.m. and Thursday from noon to 5 p.m.
REVIEW
Party in your pocket “Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp” brings back the beloved game series. By Samantha Diaz Arts & Life Editor
Video game lovers rejoiced last week when the cherished “Animal Crossing” developer released its latest installment in the form of a mobile game. “Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp” was unveiled on Nov. 21
with a new storyline where players manage their own campsite and work to make animal friends in town. The goal of the game is to meet residents, run errands for them — usually in the form of gathering bugs, fruit or fish to gift — in order to raise your friendship level and extend your virtual social circle. The game follows the same basic
storyline of meeting various animal-people, completing tasks for them and raising your level. The in-game currency are the same bells and leaves as in previous games and you can still go fishing, catch bugs and organize your space. see MOBILE, page 5
Samantha Diaz | Daily 49er
Friends in “Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp” can visit each others campers.
ARTS & LIFE 5
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2017 DAILY49ER.COM | ARTSNLIFED49ER@GMAIL.COM
MOBILE
continued from page 4 It’s all very familiar — and that’s what makes it so fun. Instead of feeling redundant and boring, playing the new game felt like a warm welcome back into your childhood. It may not have the most exciting storyline — you build furniture to get people to visit your campsite — but it’s innocent, time-wasting fun and the beloved outdated graphics alone are enough to keep you entertained. The game stays true to many of its old traits. Times and dates in the game are synced up to real-life time; it gets dark in the game when you play at night and Nintendo has already announced that players will receive special outfits and accessories with the coming holidays. There are a few changes however, since it’s the first mobile installment of the series. To the dismay of many gamers, there is a microtransaction option to purchase additional leaves which help speed up the process of building furniture. There is also the element of being able to add friends and visit their camps. While this was always possible through the Nintendo DS and Wii, the feature was hard to use and even more difficult to interact with friends
Courtesy of Flickr
Characters in the game can go fishing and complete tasks by giving the fish to animal friends.
once you did link up. The fact that this game is on a mobile device eliminates the main obstacle — you’re almost ensured that your friends will log on daily since it’s literally in the palm of
their hand. Once you meet up with a friend in the game the most you can do is visit their campsite, enter their camper and give them “kudos” (I’m not entirely
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sure what the point of those are yet). But seeing each other’s little avatars roaming around the crossing world is fun nonetheless. Sure there are little annoyances — and I’m not talking about the underlying capitalistic messages the game is feeding us — like the fact that there is simply not enough space for the abundance of furniture available. One of the main goals of the game is to upgrade your tent, but you can’t even enter it. Your camper acts as your personal space, but it’s not the same as having your own room or house to decorate. The central complaint though, is the entire plot and premise of the game. You meet up with characters and bring them treats with the hopes that they will accept your invitation to your campsite. Once you invite a character, they usually give you a list of demands they want fulfilled before they visit. These requests are usually in the form of specific pieces of furniture, which take time and in-game money to craft. The silver lining of the new game and one of my favorite elements — is the fact that the game is on a mobile device and will be updated and re-updated with new ideas and changes. We’re bound to see additions and improvements to the game that will address the current issues. Call it wishful thinking, but the game can only improve from here.
6 OPINIONS
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2017 DAILY49ER.COM | OPEDD49ER@GMAIL.COM
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Kill ‘em with kindness Hate speech might be constitutionally protected, but there’s a way to circumvent its implications. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press….” There’s a reason this is the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights. In our society, the ability to speak your mind, or your bulls**t, is perhaps something we should be most proud of. The Constitution protects all speech, including an unpopular form typically categorized as “hate speech.” The view that hate speech is equal to free speech is not a popular one; there are many in this university who feel that this freedom is free until you say something that may be offensive to a person or group of people. Hate speech often gets confused with speech that targets, threatens, harasses or incites violence, which is not protected whatsoever. I know some of you may read my name and think, “It’s just some white-privileged dude trying to make hate speech acceptable,” but my mother is a refugee of Chinese ethnicity who fled Vietnam, and my father is half Panamanian and half Irish (that’s where the Macdonald comes in). So I am neither a fan nor do I agree with hate speech more than any other rational person, but it’s important to
Ralph Barrera | Austin American-Statesman
Joyce Lilly joins a silent protest outside the Student Center against white nationalist Richard Spencer, who spoke on the campus of Texas A&M Tuesday evening at the Memorial Student Center on Dec. 6, 2016 in College Station, Texas. Spencer has caused an uproar among students preaching diversity and unity and who gathered peacefully outside the center to protest his appearance.
ask ourselves — why are these people but a reflection of the environment in so full of hate? which that person was brought up. Hatred of entire cultures, races, reIf you are told by the people you ligions, sexual orientations or genders love that your God is the one true — these kinds of hate are projections. God, and that all other Gods are These people are anfalse, you will start gry and insecure with to believe that idea. These people themselves, their own If you are raised to learn to hate cultures, religion, hate non-whites and because the sexual orientation, you’re told your whole insecurities of their famso they project that life by those you love ilies are passed down to hatred onto others, that people of color but it only serves to them — they are products are to be feared and exemplify how much of their environment. But hated, you will start to they hate themselves believe that idea. even haters are human, and reveal their deepThese people learn and even haters are capa- to hate because the est insecurities. ble of love and compasThere is no sciinsecurities of their entific basis that families are passed sion.” basic human nature down to them — they is either “good” or are products of their “evil” — our environment is the most environment. But even haters are important factor that determines our human, and even haters are capable of prejudices and biases. So not only is love and compassion. hatred a projection of insecurities, The best way to tackle hate speech
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Daily 49er Miranda Andrade-Ceja Editor-in-Chief eicd49er@gmail.com
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is with more speech that is kind, compassionate and loving. These hateful people want you to be angry at them. They want you to feel hurt because they are angry; they are hurt. We must show them love by challenging their beliefs with kindness, engaging them in rational, not emotional, discussion and assist in their understanding and perception of other cultures. We may never eradicate hate from this Earth and spending our time trying to do so would be foolish. However, we are capable of increasing the love, compassion and kindness in our hearts and on our campus. So how do we tackle hate speech? Not with more anger, hate and bitterness, but by facing that hatred head-on with sincere kindness and compassion. Martin Luther King, Jr. said it best: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”
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Editorials: All opinions expressed in the columns, letters and cartoons in this issue are those of the writers or artists. The opinions of the Daily 49er 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 49er.
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SPORTS 7
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2017 DAILY49ER.COM | SPORTSD49ER@GMAIL.COM WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
Harward clinches First Team All-Big West Four players earn conference honors. By Kevin Colindres Staff Writer
A disappointing season ended with a consolation prize of four members of the Long Beach State women’s volleyball team (10-19) being recognized in the Big West Women’s All-Conference Team. Sophomore libero Hailey Harward received the top honor of First Team All-Big West Conference. While junior outside hitter Megan Kruidhof and sophomore middle blocker YiZhi Xue were awarded honorable mentions. Freshman middle blocker Radi Marinova would also be the only member on the team to receive First Team All-Freshman. “When I found out I was so honored,” Harward said. “I didn’t expect to make anything since I split time at two positions.” Harward played libero for half of the season until injuries plagued the outside hitter position. For the rest of the year she took on the role of go-to hitter, producing big numbers for the team. Harward ended the season with 120 kills, while adding 394 digs and 24 blocks. Even with the second half of
the season being solely focused on hitting, Harward would rank fifth in the conference in total digs. Kruidhof played a big role at the beginning of the season, taking on the starting outside hitter position. It was a new place for her, but she took it on with no hesitation. “It means a lot to get recognized now that I am stepping into a much different role than before,” Kruidhof said. “It shows the hard work I put in, on and off the court.” She ended the year with 343 kills, 136 digs and 50 blocks. Kruidhof did it all for the 49ers this season, but she understood that she had to continue to improve. “This just pushes me further to next year to receive mentions on the second or even first team,” Kruidhof said. Xue had a strong second campaign with an impressive 1.02 blocks per set, ranking her third in the conference. She also added 199 kills. Marinova started a majority of games this season and was highly effective, contributing 105 kills and 42 blocks. She may compete for the starting spot next season, and has earned some well deserved playing time. All four players will be returning next season to compete for the Big West Conference title and make a run at the NCAA championship.
Joseph Kling | Daily 49er
Long Beach State sophomore libero Hailey Harward celebrates a point in Nov. 18 match against Cal State Northridge at the Walter Pyramid.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Beach ending road trip in the desert The team will have its hands full against a talented Arizona squad. By Alex Manfredi
Assistant Social Media Editor
After losing three games last week and falling out of the AP Top 25 polls, Arizona will be looking to bounce back in a big way against the Long Beach State men’s basketball team. A road game combined with frustrations from the Wildcats threegame losing streak make Wednesday night’s matchup one of the toughest of the season for Long Beach. The Wildcats came in last place at the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament and are only the second team in AP poll history to drop from the top two to unranked in back-to-back polls. Arizona is led by sophomore guard Allonzo Trier (24.5 ppg) and freshman center Deandre Ayton (20.3 ppg), the two projected NBA draft picks will be tough to contain for Long Beach. LBSU (3-4) will look to snap Ari-
zona’s 43 game nonconference home winning streak Wednesday at 5 p.m. Coming off a disappointing 85-80 loss to Nebraska in the Advocare Invitational, the 49ers will need to be up for the challenge to keep it close in Tucson. Senior forward Gabe Levin comes into the game after several double-double games last week against No. 19 West Virginia and Nebraska, pushing his averages up to a team-leading 15.1 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. Junior point guard Deishuan Booker has also impressed early on, posting consecutive double-double games last week against Oregon State and Nebraska. The junior college transfer is averaging 8.7 points and 6.3 assists per contest, separating himself and fully taking over the starting point guard position from freshman Edon Maxhuni. Wednesday’s game between the 49ers and Wildcats is the fourth in the last six years. Two seasons ago, the Beach fell 85-70 in another road game at Arizona. The game will be televised at 5 p.m. on the Pac-12 Networks.
Christian Gonzales | Daily 49er
Long Beach State freshman point guard Edon Maxhuni dribbles the ball in the paint against San Francisco State on Nov. 14 at the Walter Pyramid.
8 SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2017 DAILY49ER.COM | SPORTSD49ER@GMAIL.COM
Christian Gonzales | Daily 49er
Long Beach State played CSU Bakersfield on Oct. 30 at the Walter Pyramid.
BIG WEST CONFERENCE
Big West and getting bigger CSU Bakersfield and UC San Diego join the conference in the near future. By Christian Gonzales Sports Editor
The Big West Conference will be expanding, it announced Monday, with the addition of Cal State Bakersfield and the University of California San Diego as the 10th and 11th members.
“We welcome both CSU Bakersfield and UC San Diego into the Big West Conference,” Long Beach State athletic director Andy Fee said in a press release. “Both universities are growing and we look forward to seeing their continued progress. Expanding not just the number of teams in the conference, but the total student enrollment and the footprint of the Big West without moving away from being based in California and Hawai’i makes both financial and practical sense.” CSU Bakersfield will become an
official member of the Big West on July 1, 2020. The ‘Runners will be immediately eligible in round-robin and single-site championship sports for Big West titles, awards and honors and continue its eligibility for NCAA automatic qualification in these sports. Bakersfield will participate in the following Big West championship sports: men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, women’s cross country, women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s track and field, women’s
volleyball and beach volleyball. In the last two years, Bakersfield has been a Big West associate member in women’s beach volleyball. As for UC San Diego, it will begin an NCAA mandated four-year reclassification period to Division I on July 1, 2020. The Tritons will be included in all Big West round-robin sports schedules beginning with the 2020-21 academic year. San Diego will become an official member of the Big West Conference on July 1, 2024.
Long Beach is familiar with the new additions to the conference as the 49ers have played both this year. The men’s basketball team hosted Bakersfield in a Oct. 30 in a charity exhibition game. Men’s water polo played against San Diego Oct. 18, winning 11-10 in sudden death overtime at the Ken Lindgren Aquatics Center. While it may take years for the institutions to join the Big West Conference, it will make the one automatic bid to NCAA tournaments much tougher in the years to come.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Cammon earns first career victory The 49ers took down Arizona for their first win of the season. By Luke Ramirez
Assistant Sports Editor
Alex Manfredi | Daily 49er
Long Beach State freshman guard Shanaijah Davison looks for a teammate in the 49ers game against Montana State on Nov. 12 at the Walter Pyramid.
After five consecutive losses to begin the season, Long Beach State women’s basketball spent the entire game ahead of Arizona in its 80-72 win Tuesday. Long Beach led by as many as 20 points in the game thanks to the best shooting performance of the year, as the team got head coach Jeff Cammon’s first career win. “[The 49ers] came here and out-played us in every way tonight,” Arizona head coach Adia Barnes said in a press conference on pac12.com. “This was a great win for them.” Long Beach (1-5) shot 42 percent from three from offensive performances from freshman guard Shanaijah Davison, who was 3 for 8 and had a team-high 20 points. Senior guard Cecily Wilson also
added 12 points and eight rebounds in the winning effort. The 49ers shot relied 47 percent from the field (42% 3-PT) and 31 points off the bench in the impressive performance. Freshman guard Ma’Qhi Berry (11 points, four rebounds, five assists) and freshman center Emma Merriweather (10 points, two rebounds) played a strong part in the game went substituted in. “They had 5 players in double digits, so they played a pretty balanced game,” Barnes said. The Wildcats (2-4) made a fourth quarter effort and cut the lead to six points after a layup from sophomore guard Lucia Alonso with 1:50 left in the game, but Wilson hit her lone three-pointer of the game from the top of the key on the ensuing possession that essentially sealed the victory. The win should serve Long Beach well as they start the second leg of a six-game road trip. Long Beach will look to bring a similar offensive output into their next game against Oral Roberts on Dec. 1.