CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LONG BEACH
VOL. LXVIX, ISSUE 15 | OCTOBER 4, 2017
D49er
A lone vase of flowers left on Las Vegas Boulevard and Reno Avenue for the victims of the mass shooting on Sunday in Las Vegas.
Marcus Yam | Los Angeles Times
NATIONAL
VEGAS VIOLENCE HITS THE BEACH
Junior communications student Stephanie Chase recalls her horrific night at the music festival. By Mac Walby
Managing Editor
The moment a sharp popping sound interrupted country singer Jason Aldean at the Route 91 Harvest music festival in Las Vegas on Sunday night, concert-goers were unaware that
they were about to become a part of the biggest mass shooting in modern history. During the festival, a single terrorist took the lives of 59 people from Mandalay Bay Resort 32 stories above and 400 feet away. Stephanie Chase, a junior communications major at Cal State Long Beach, had taken the trip with a group of friends and coworkers to unwind for the weekend. But her night turned out far worse than she ever could have imagined. Chase and her group were staying at the Delano hotel, within a few hundred yards of Mandalay Bay. In a 32nd floor room, 64-year-old Mesquite, Nevada resident Stephen Paddock
was watching the crowd. Chase was watching country singer, Jason Aldean perform at the annual Route 91 Harvest music festival with her friends when the first shot went off. “There was a noise,” Chase said. “Almost like a firecracker. What it really sounded like was one of those confetti fireworks from 4th of July.” Thinking nothing of it, she enjoyed the next song with the rest of the crowd. Then another pop. “We thought it was just the speakers,” she see VEGAS, page 3
CAMPUS ALERT
CSULB mourns loss of a sociology student The university will hold a memorial service Friday for Estephan Hernandez, who was set to graduate in the spring. By James Chow
Assistant News Editor
Cal State Long Beach student Estephan Hernandez died Thursday Sept. 28 during a drive-
by shooting in Compton. The 21-year-old senior sociology student was struck down in the intersection of East 148th St. and Bahama Avenue. The university released a statement Monday Oct. 2, honoring the student, who was consistently on the president’s list of academic achievements for his years at CSULB. “We mourn the death of Estephan Hernández, who was an esteemed member of our Beach family. He was a scholar on track to receive a bachelor’s degree in sociology next spring,” Vice Pres-
ident of Student Affairs Carmen Taylor said in the press release. “Our hearts go out to Estephan’s family and friends at this difficult time.” Before attending CSULB, Hernandez served as class president and graduated with honors in 2014 from King Drew Magnet High School of Medicine and Science in South Los Angeles. Hernandez was also a member of the Men’s Success Initiative, an organization that helps mentor and provide support for African American and Latino male students.
Chair of Sociology Kris Zentgraf issued a statement on the department website addressing victims of gun violence and commemorated the student’s life. “While today most of the nation is focused on the tragedy in Las Vegas, in Long Beach we are also painfully aware of the impact of gun violence in our own backyard,” Zentgraf said. “We mourn the loss of a life taken far too soon. Our condolences go out to his family and those who had the privilege of knowing Estephan.” A GoFundMe was created in memory of Hernandez to help
his loved ones with memorial expenses. A BBQ fundraiser and a candlelight vigil was hosted at his family home in Compton yesterday to celebrate his life. CSULB is holding a memorial service in the University Student Union ballrooms in remembrance of Hernandez. The event will take place Oct. 6 and is open to the public. For more information about how to support the Hernandez family, visit @JusticeforEstephan Facebook page and the memorial GoFundMe page.
2 NEWS
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TRANSPORTATION
Plight of the virtual parking permit License plate permitting frustrates CSULB faculty from unexpected parking citations. By Cheantay Jensen Staff Writer
Unanticipated citations due to the new license plate recognition system implemented on campus this semester are frustrating numerous faculty over time spent contesting the parking violations. In an email sent out to campus faculty, Elizabeth Dahab, a comparative world literature and classics professor at Cal State Long Beach, described her outrage after having to contest several parking citations. “The ordeal cost me on and off hours of fool’s errands and undue stress, “ Dahab said. The new paperless parking system replaced the use of physical permits with a “virtual permit” linked to one’s license plate. In order to identify who has paid their parking fees, tiny cameras mounted on parking enforcement vehicles capture an image of a license plate where the image is then automatically cross-referenced against the campus parking database. The LPR system has expedited parking enforcement and eradicated prior issues of ticketing from parking permits being stolen, forgotten, dropped from the windshield or misplaced, according to the Parking and Transportation FAQ website. The number of complaints received by the department is very small compared to all the students and faculty registered in the parking database, said Robyn Ames-Woodyard, CSULB’s director of operations financial management, who holds the Parking
CSULB parking enforcement gives tickets out in Lot 4.
and Transportation Department under her purview. “Our research has indicated that the referenced ticketing was not associated with system malfunctions, but are most commonly related to user input errors,” Ames-Woodyard said in an email. As the focus shifted to the license plates, so too have the reasons for ticketing. “Examples of the most common input errors that may lead to a citation from the parking system include incorrect license plate information, replacement of a Vehicle Identification Number on a new car when the corresponding license plate is received or the use of an alternate vehicle not previously registered in our system,” Ames-Woodyard said. Without physical permits, technical malfunctions that occur on behalf of the new system’s technology doesn’t protect stu-
dents or faculty from finding the $50+ ticket tucked under their windshield wiper. Dahab’s debacle appears to be the product of a technical error, not a personal one. She had bought her virtual permit online before beginning the fall 2017 semester. Her portal indicated that her information was complete, accurate and her payment was processed. Fall semester began and suddenly tickets began to appear on her dashboard. “I went again online to see if everything was fine; and on my end everything was fine. I didn’t know what to do. I went to the police station and contested the tickets,” Dahab said. The assumption of the University Police Department was that she had made a mistake while entering her license plate number online. Dahab said she insisted otherwise and was surprised by the response she received.
Carlos Villicana | Daily 49er
“He [the UPD officer] actually kind of yelled a little bit. He dismissed it and he voided the ticket, but he was quite aggressive. He was sure that I made a mistake,” said Dahab. “Then I went to Brotman Hall, and they discovered at the cashier’s window that it [her account information] was not linked. It was a mistake on their end.” Andrew Jenks, an associate history professor at CSULB, relied on the physical permits to remind him of when his parking would expire because the dates were printed on the square adhesives. In Jenk’s mind, strong communication between administration, faculty and students has never been a campus priority. In June, he and a number of other faculty were ticketed for not having updated their parking permits, which had transitioned for faculty to the LPR system in the summer. Jenks said administra-
tion did not properly warn him, or others. “So I complained about it,” Jenks said. “I said it’s unfair, you’re setting up people to get parking tickets when you change the system and you don’t tell people the system is changed.” Although their tickets were eventually rescinded, Jenks said the trouble it caused was enough to make he and other faculty question CSULB’s motives toward changing the system. “This is typical of the university. Whenever they do something new they always present it as advancing into the 22nd century and automating this that and another thing and making it ‘easier’ for people’s lives,” Jenks said. “But ultimately in the transition, a whole bunch of things they didn’t think about start to happen and that creates a headache for people.” CSULB is the first state college to adopt the new procedure but isn’t the only campus in the U.S. to utilize virtual parking. Colorado State University has administered their “virtual permit enforcement” with their students and faculty. Ames-Woodyard said she realizes that there are hiccups that can occur in transitioning to a new system and the parking department has taken some steps to address the issues they found to be most problematic like common user input errors. “We...offer input assistance to individuals at various locations on campus and have developed a citation appeal process to mitigate these issues,” Ames-Woodyard said. Paraphrasing the words of UC Berkeley’s first chancellor Clark Kerr, Jenks retells the major concerns for the three main groups on campus. “The alumni care about sports, the students care about sex, and the faculty care about parking,” Jenks said.
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NEWS 3
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VEGAS
continued from page 1
said. At this point, some of the crowd had started walking away amongst murmurs of confusion. Another loud pop went off, and Aldean quickly left the stage. “It still hadn’t clicked for me that it was a real shooting,” Chase recalled. Then a scream rang out from the crowd, and panic started to spread. “There was a lot of fear in people’s faces,” she said. “Just pure terror.” At this point a friend grabbed Chase and told her to get away from the area as fast as possible. “We’ll meet at the hotel, just run,” he told her as he pushed Chase forward. “Another friend in the group grabbed his girlfriend to shield her from potential injury. Another round of gunfire and people started hitting the floor, trying to find anything resembling cover. Those in the crowd started to knock down fences in fear as they fled. Finding a ditch to hide in momentarily, Chase and another concert-goer saw a McDonald’s and ran into it for shelter. Inside, most of the customers seemed oblivious. “People were walking up in their club clothes ordering food,” Chase remembered. “They had no idea what was going on.”
Marcus Yam | Los Angeles Times
A body lays covered on the driveway of the desert rose resort along Reno Avenue near the concert ground where a mass shooting killed more than 50 and injured more than 500 in Las Vegas Sunday night.
After what seemed like an eternity, she finally reached the safety of a police barrier. “When we started running and started seeing people covered in blood, and I saw all the police, SWAT, and all the ambulances zooming down the Las Vegas Strip, I just kind of started crying,” Chase said. “I couldn’t hold it back, everything just poured out.” Chase didn’t feel safe until hours later as she sat at a friend’s house in the suburbs, watching the news coverage on TV. “We heard he had been appre-
hended, I knew it was really over.” The New York Times reported that Paddock was found dead in the hotel room less than two hours after his rampage, along with a small arsenal of weapons and ammunition. Today, Chase is just glad to be back safely. “I got home, talked with my mom [on the phone], put my pajamas on, got in bed and just tried to relax.” The attack left 59 people dead and over 500 more injured as of Oct. 3. It was the largest mass-shooting in American his-
tory after the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting claiming the lives of 49 people and injured another 60. Among the casualties was 30-year-old Johnathan Paumonte, a former Cal State Long Beach student who graduated with his master’s degree. He leaves behind his wife, as well as the twins she just gave birth to last month, according to the Press-Telegram. President Donald Trump called the shooting “an act of pure evil,” and praised first-responders on Monday in a statement to the press.
“I want to thank the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and all of the first responders for their courageous efforts, and for helping to save the lives of so many,” he said. “The speed with which they acted is miraculous, and prevented further loss of life.” The incident has reignited the debate between Second Amendment advocates and those in favor of gun reform. Spokespersons for the National Rifle Association have not yet commented on the situation. Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and others took to social media to voice their opinions on Twitter. “The crowd fled at the sound of gunshots,” her Twitter statement read. “Imagine the deaths if the shooter had a silencer, which the NRA wants to make easier to get.” Republican Senator Susan Collins echoed the President’s sentiments. “Horrific act of violence in Las Vegas. Worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history. First responders showed extraordinary bravery,” Collins posted. Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren wasn’t pleased with responses she saw. “Thoughts and prayers are NOT enough,” Warren said in a Twitter post. Not when more moms and dads will bury kids this week, and more sons and daughters will grow up without parents.”
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What Your Teachers Never Taught You White Privilege Dr. George A. Kuck (galbertk@aol.com)
The major media keeps making the charge that I automatically have white privilege because of my skin color. An article in the Philadelphia Enquirer by Amy Wax and Larry Alexander has helped clarify my ideas. I grew up in the 1950’s. “That culture laid out the script we all were supposed to follow: Get married before you have children and strive to stay married for their sake. Get the education you need for gainful employment, work hard, and avoid idleness. Go the extra mile for your employer or client. Be a patriot, ready to serve the country. Be neighborly, civic-minded, and charitable. Avoid coarse language in public. Be respectful of authority. Eschew substance abuse and crime.” My family followed and taught me to follow that script. I have come to the conclusion that I am a privileged in a way not available to many in this country, especially in the black community. I had two loving parents who were married for over 45 years. They took an active interest in their children. Dad was a chemist-metallurgist so he was in a technical field, was interested in my schoolwork, and encouraged my interest in science. He was a patriot who worked in an arsenal during WW II so understood the importance of a technically sophisticated and strong military. This too was part of my privileged background. My parents were both frugal and conservation minded. They encouraged me to mow lawns and caddie to make my spending money. This helped me to effectively handle money and not go into debt. I was privileged to be alive before the minimum wage laws destroyed the ability of youth to earn money while they learned how to work and satisfy both their bosses and customers. In college my parents paid for my room and board and tuition while I was expected to earn my spending money. There were no credit cards at this time so I was forced to budget my limited funds. This too I consider this to be part of my privileged life, forcing me to earn and budget my money. We had Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) required for the first two years so I was able to be commissioned upon graduation in the USAF. From this point on as a military officer, my privileges were the same as those of all other officers independent of their color. People that follow the cultural template that I followed had a much higher probability of success than those that just “did their own thing.” Is my privilege white privilege or is it really American middle class privilege? My hypothesis is that I had American middle class privilege independent of my color. Many use the SAT scores as proof of white privilege. The mean SAT score on the math section of the test takers recently was 511 out of 800. The average scores for whites was 534, the averages for blacks was 428 and for Latino’s was 457. However, the average scores for Asians was 598. If the differences are caused by white privilege, why are the average scores for Asians highest? If we are such as flawed country as stated by the left (Antifa, Black Lives Matter, Communists and others), why are so many people entering the country illegally (or legally) from South America, Africa and Asia? My final observation is that life is what you make it in this country. Don’t blame others or your environment (including race) for your lot in life. Be thankful you are an American, work hard, and trust God to direct your path. Then you will be a personal success.
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4 ARTS & LIFE
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Courtesy of Dontnod Entertainment
Chloe (right) from “Life is Strange” was voiced by Ashly Burch.
LABOR
Don’t call it a comeback, yet By Mac Walby
Managing Editor
After nearly a year-long work stoppage, the group representing videogame voice actors has reached a tentative agreement with the 11 companies being boycotted to end the voice actors’ strike. The announcement was made Sept. 23, the same weekend as the Tokyo Game Show, where many of the biggest games in the industry were put on display. The deal, which those in the industry hope will address some of the safety and pay concerns, is still waiting on approval from Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists’ national board, which will meet later in October to make a decision on the proposal. “It is a good step for voice actors,” said Daniel Ramos, senior music major and sound lead for the Video Game Development Association at Cal State Long Beach. “But it might have a negative impact on consumers.” The 340 day stoppage was the longest strike in Hollywood history, and included industry giants like Electronic Arts and Activision. The news of the contract came as a nice surprise to gamers, with some of the most popular titles over the last year being impacted by the dispute with iconic
voices missing from major studio Development Association. “Voice titles due to the strike that started acting is incredibly hard on you.” last October. Leue is the dialogue director Ashly Burch of “Life is Strange” for the association’s soon to be and “Horizon Zero Dawn” fame released title “Banish,” and has had to give up her role as Chloe worked on a number of indie tiPrice in the highly anticipated tles. He warned that the industry Strange sequel while the deal was should protect this vital asset for being negotiated. actors, as it is the only way they “I’m pretty heartbroken,” Burch can do their jobs. told Kotaku in June. “It feels sort The other medical concern for of like you were forced to put the union was due to a lack of your kid up for adoption.” stunt coordinators on-set. With The work stoppage officially the recent rise of motion capbegan last October, but had been ture technology in gaming, perbrewing for formers have some time. In been asked to 2014, the origido extreme nal contract by and dangerous Interactive Mestunts without The 340 day stoppage dia Agreements supervision in was the longest strike in from the ‘90s recording sesHollywood history, and was set to exsions. pire. When neThe union included industry giants gotiations didn’t mentions an like Electronic Arts and result in a deal, unnamed actor Activision. the union actors who was asked agreed to keep to simulate beworking under ing pulled by the same rates a rope with no for the time being in a “good prior warning or safety staff presfaith” gesture. ent. The actor was injured and The union has held on four had to miss a significant amount major points of contention. First, of time on the project, which they wanted to limit the amount union representatives say was of vocal stress being asked of acunpaid. tors in some settings by advocatSo far, the new agreement ing for a reduction from the fourdoesn’t seem to have worked hour sessions currently standard these issues out. in the industry down to two — “We have a commitment from without a reduction in pay. The management to continue to work new deal would split these into on this issue, and we invested a two sessions, but within a five great deal of time and energy,” a hour time period. union spokesperson told Mash“This is a big thing that needable, an entertainment outlet. ed to happen,” said Seth Leue, Another potential win for the junior music performance major actors and actresses are the new and member of the Video Game “transparency rules.” Previous-
“
“
Voice actors reach “tentative” agreement with 11 major game companies.
ly, performers could be working on a project entirely alone, with no awareness of even what title they were working on. The union claimed actors were being asked to simulate sex scenes and use racial slurs without warning. “The new transparency provisions will enhance the bargaining power of our members’ representatives by requiring the companies to disclose the code name of project, its genre, whether the game is based on previously published intellectual property and whether the performer is reprising a prior role,” said Ray Rodriquez, the union’s chief contract officer, in a statement released about the proposed deal. “If I go into a job, I want to know what I’m going to be making that will have my name on it,” Leue said. Out of the four major points of conflict and the biggest for the gaming industry was secondary compensation, sometimes referred to as residuals. The union was asking for a bonus for every two million copies of a game sold, up to eight million, for performers. What was settled on was far from the system asked for originally, but one based on the amount of time put into a title. Performers can be paid up to $75 for each voice recording session, making up to $2,100 in bonuses, due at the time of release. Success of the title will be irrelevant. Overall, the reception to this announcement has been quiet. Not much has been made of it in the gaming press, and there’s been very little social media response from famous performers.
ARTS & LIFE 5
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Hunter Lee | Daily 49er
Foundation and sculpture professor Michael Parker and students decorated Prospector Pete on Tuesday with 3D art in what he calls a protest instillation over the school mascot’s history. They were later asked to remove the installation since they did not have a permit to put up the sculptures.
TECHNOLOGY
Focused on a bigger picture The fi lm and electronic arts department hopes to provide students with more 4K cameras. By Carlos Villicana
Assistant Arts & Life Editor
The movie industry’s push toward higher resolution film has flowed from Hollywood and Netflix to the halls of Cal State Long Beach’s film and electronic arts department, which has acquired more 4K resolution cameras for its students to use. This is a part of the department’s mission to ensure that its graduates are entering their careers with knowledge of the industry’s most current standards for equipment. Netflix now requires that all documentaries be filmed in 4K resolution, and even productions that will not deliver images in the higher resolution use the cameras because of the flexibility they provide with color timing and reframing shots. “It’s keeping up with industry standards,” Dr. Jerry Mosher, chair of the film and electronic arts department said. “In a way, it’s kind of future-proofing our stu-
dent films.” The department’s current 4K resolution inventory consists of one Red Scarlet camera, which an alumnus employed at camera manufacturer Red helped facilitate a deal for, and six Sony cameras recently purchased for the major’s creative nonfiction production classes through a $30,000 grant from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Each new camera presents unique challenges that filmmakers have to overcome, which is why the department wants to get these tools into students’ hands before they enter the professional world. “Some of the digital cinema options have very extensive menus so you just have to learn the user interface of the particular camera,” David Waldman, cinematographer and film professor, said. “You have got to learn to cull through all those menus to get to the function that you want, and that shouldn’t be the primary focus of a creative pursuit.” Waldman said that providing experience with new technology will make students comfortable with a camera’s settings and allow their attention to focus on producing the best image possible. Equipment manufacturers are constantly innovating, so technology fresh off of the assembly line becomes outdated faster than ever before.
“It’s kind of like your phone,” Kent Hayward, assistant professor of film and electronic arts, said. “The new [camera] comes out and it’s awesome, everybody gets it. Then after a couple of years this operating system doesn’t work as much, or it’s not compatible with things anymore, or you dropped it.” Because buying every new camera would be financially impossible, the cinematography track’s focus remains teaching students how to capture compelling images and stories with any format. “The infrastructure for analog film cameras has completely broken down, there’s nobody making the parts anymore and if we want to repair them we have to send them to the east coast,” Mosher said. “The batteries for these are no longer being serviced.” The department uses film cameras sparingly these days, recently making the decision to stop repairing models that break down because the parts for them are no longer produced. “It might only be a thousand dollars here or there [to repair film cameras]. But that’s money that could be spent towards digital cameras,” Mosher said. “It’s a shame because a professional film camera could literally last decades.” Though they may one day be nonexistent, members of the department still see
value in teaching with film cameras. “To me, there’s a certain amount of rigor that’s required when you’re shooting on film that may not be required when you’re shooting digitally,” Waldman said. Waldman elaborated on this by saying that shooting on film forces students to pre-visualize shots, develop an aesthetic and test their framing in advance; all of which can help them become stronger cinematographers with better projects. “So largely acquiring [footage] digitally can promote sloppiness, it can promote a little bit of laziness, whereas shooting film promotes rigor and pre-planning and previsualization,” Waldman said. “Those are skills that you can absolutely apply to shooting digitally, so having the experience of having done it on film gives you some good habits when you move into shooting digitally.” To keep the program affordable, Mosher said that the department uses grants from organizations such as the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and funds from the Student Excellence Fee that is charged as a part of tuition. “If we can provide [students] with all of the equipment that they need, then that money can be used for location fees, permits, catering and transportation,” Mosher said. “Surprisingly, on a student film the biggest expense is feeding people.”
6 OPINIONS
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OP-ED
Earth to Betsy: You’ll be increasing crime in schools
The recent change to Title IX will roll back prior progress made toward reducing sexual assault. By Sahara Barba Staff Writer
S
exual assault and harassment are prevalent on college campuses, and the decision by Secretary of Education Betsy Devos on Sept. 22 to withdraw former President Barack Obama’s letter from Title IX will make it even more so. The changes to Title IX will make victims of assault less likely to speak up — pausing any reform to address sexual violence throughout college campuses. In 2011, the Obama administration sent the Dear Colleague Letter on Sexual Assault to all colleges receiving federal funding. The letter stated that the result of sexual assault cases should be decided upon “preponderance of evidence,” meaning the decision will be in favor of whichever side has more substantial evidence to support them. In a criminal trial, there needs to be “evidence beyond a reasonable doubt” for the defendant to be prosecuted. Title IX exists for campuses to help create a safe environment for its students, not launch a criminal investigation. Colleges shouldn’t need “evidence beyond a reasonable doubt.” If a student feels unsafe and provides enough evidence, then universities should punish the accused with suspension or expulsion. This is what Title IX defends. Passed in 1972, Title IX states there should be no sexual dis-
crimination in educational institutes receiving federal funding; in this situation, discrimination on the basis of sex includes rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment, so these cases are considered campus investigations under Title IX. The accusers can then decide for themselves whether they want to file for a criminal investigation, where they will need more evidence to convict the perpetrator. Removing the guidelines set by the letter will create doubt in students and staff about how to handle they should handle the situation. It’s difficult to come out as having been sexually assaulted. Often, there are repercussions, such as damaged reputations, being called a liar and unwanted
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Anthony Souffle | Minneapolis Star Tribune
Stricter evidence requirements may lead to even more unreported sexual assault cases.
attention when all the victim wants is justice. This retraction will do nothing to circumvent that; instead of acknowledging the difficulties of voicing their assaults, it will remind them that the repercussions are deserved and should be part of the process. Advocates of Devos’ decision to nullify Obama’s Dear Colleague Letter on Sexual Assault ignore this factor and believe that the letter was too hard on accused students. Two to ten percent of sexual assault cases are falsely reported, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. Yet, the majority of cases are still accurate, and more than half go unreported. One in five women and one in 16 men are sexually assaulted in college, as reported by the
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center. By removing the letter from Title IX, students being charged will be given a fair chance to defend themselves. It’s imperative that students are given equal opportunities, even if the cases are campus investigations; however, decisions based on “preponderance of evidence” as stated in 2011 should not be an issue. Even with the Obama administration’s strict policy, the accused aren’t being punished as much as they should be. Brock Turner, the Stanford student who was found guilty of sexual assault last year, was only sentenced to six months in prison and three years of probation. He was released from prison after three months. Luckily, prompted by the Turner case, Governor Jerry
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Brown signed AB 2888, which states that those convicted of rape and various forms of sexual assault cannot receive probation or have their execution suspended by the court. They must serve mandatory jail time. If strict laws are supposed to reduce the number of sexual assault cases in college, then Devos shouldn’t be making it easier for the accused to be pardoned. She’ll be rolling back the progress the Obama administration made to make campuses safer. Without official guidelines to follow, schools need to independently decide how they will deal with future cases. Hopefully they’ll want to protect their students, even if there’s not “evidence beyond a reasonable doubt,” which shouldn’t be necessary in campus investigations.
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SPORTS 7
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Courtney Pedroza | Minneapolis Star Tribune
Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor tags out the Minnesota Twins’ Jorge Polanco, left, at second base during the first game of a doubleheader on Thursday Aug. 17 at Target Field in Minneapolis. The Indians won, 9-3.
COLUMN
MLB 2017 playoff predictions The Indians and the Cubs will headline in the World Series. By Christian Gonzales Sports Editor
O
ne of the best sporting months is here. October is packed with events, from the start of the NBA season to the World Series to crown the best team in the MLB. This year, I’m stoked for the baseball postseason — especially for the wildcard where it’s win or go home with one game played. Although this year’s wild-card home teams are the New York Yankees and the Arizona Diamondbacks, both finished six games ahead of their respective opponent. Last year, in the wild-card games between the Chicago Cubs vs. Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros vs. Yankees the teams by record either had the same record or were only separated by one game. So with the postseason starting this week, here’s my preview and predictions for the MLB 2017 playoffs. NL Wild Card: Rockies vs. Diamond-
backs In a competitive NL West, these teams showed the rest of the MLB that the clubs in the West Coast are a tough bunch. I see this one game as either team hitting or pitching their way in this matchup. With the Diamondbacks putting their ace on the mound in Zach Grienke at home where he is 13-1 with a 2.87 ERA, this one seems to be in the D-Backs favor. Prediction: Diamondbacks move on ALDS: Boston Red Sox vs. Houston Astros Boston seems to be in a weird situation. They have the arms to silence the Astros’ offense, but they don’t seem to have enough firepower to put up runs. The new addiction of Justin Verlander for Houston this season is too much to ignore. His pitching and the clubs offense favori the Astros. Houston in the season ranked tops in the league in runs so watch out for them. Prediction: Astros in 4 ALDS: Yankees vs. Cleveland Indians The Indians made headlines in their late run where they gathered a 22-game winning streak. During that span they showed the league that they have the best starting pitching and are smart with the bats. Facing the young Yankees roster, it
seems to favor the Indians as they are experienced, but this one has to go to Cleveland in interesting series to watch. Prediction: Indians in 4 NLDS: Chicago Cubs vs. Washington Nationals This series is all about which star power will overcome the other. Last year’s champions, the Cubs will look to make another deep run in October with their experience. And with pitching even on both sides, I think the Cubs are the better club on the defensive side. With a deep roster the Cubs will eventually come out of this win, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Nationals win too. Prediction: Cubs in 5 NLDS: D-Backs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers With Arizona pitching staff being used in their wild-card game it seems to favor the Dodgers in this series. The Dodgers with the most wins in the regular season it seems that Los Angeles will find a way to get out of this one. Led by Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles will get past this series and send the division opponent home. Prediction: Dodgers in 4 ALCS: Astros vs. Indians With pitching being a factor in this championship series, I see the Indians
bullpen will have to win it late in the games. That’s where I have to favor the Indians in this one. Especially with the Indians nearly winning it last season, it seems that the Indians have the right pieces this year to go to the World Series. Prediction: Indians in 6 NLCS: Cubs vs. Dodgers They meet again. Although the Dodgers were the hottest club of baseball in the first half of the season, the Cubs are coming in as one in the end of the regular season. So I would have to give the edge to the defending world champions in this series, as Deja Vu will happen again. The stars of the Cubs will come alive in Los Angeles in this series. Prediction: Cubs in 7 World Series: Indians vs. Cubs Last year, the Cubs were the team that broke their 108 season drought of a championship and the next team with a streak like that are the Cleveland Indians. The Indians are the team that will be breaking their current 69-year drought this year. I see them just destined to hoist the trophy in the end of October over all the clubs in the postseason. Prediction: Indians in 6
8 SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2017 DAILY49ER.COM | SPORTSD49ER@GMAIL.COM
PROFILE
Making a racket The sophomore is looking to be an ace this year. By Ryan Barnes
Contributing Writer
Hunter Lee | Daily 49er
Sophomore Natalia Munoz has been a leading example for her younger teammates on the LBSU tennis team.
“
I love that it’s not luck...if you win [in tennis], you’re the winner... It’s not some sort of fluke; you really have to go out there and get it. -Natalie Munoz, sophomore tennis player
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She may be easy going and friendly off the court, but don’t let Long Beach State Women’s tennis player Natalia Munoz fool you with her personality. During gametime, Munoz adopts a fierce and intense persona in order to clinch her victory. Teammates and head coach Jenny Hilt-Costello all back up how much fun the sophomore is to have on this roster, and how the consistent positive energy she provides propels them forward as a unit. “She’s a great personality to have on the team,” Hilt-Costello said. “She gets along with everybody.” Finishing last season with one of the best records on the team, going 21-12. The sophomore started this year going 3-0, and has proved herself as a top player in the Big West. Even though she is only in her second year at LBSU, Munoz has really begun to play a huge role for this team. At the UNLV tournament this last week, the unstoppable sophomore defeated No. 83 ranked player Aiwen Zhu from UNLV, and then went on to win in the finals. “I played [Aiwen Zhu] on center court in front of her whole team, so I really wanted to show her up.” Munoz said. “When I put my visor on, I just tell myself, ‘Alright it’s time to play.’” Before every tennis match, Munoz goes through that same mentality that may seem very insignificant, but it changes her entire mindset going into each match. Growing up in Santa Clarita, California, the sophomore player was first introduced to tennis by her father at the age of six years old. Playing at the country club just next to their house, she began to participate in junior tournaments, which is what really helped pave the way to Munoz falling in love with the game. “I love that it’s not luck...if you win [in tennis], you’re the winner,” Munoz said. “It’s not some sort of fluke; you really have to go out there and get it.” As a teammate, Munoz understands her role for this season. Being that the majority of the players
on the team last year were seniors and graduated, Munoz is one of the veterans on the roster. That being the case, she wants to start this season by being the leader that the seniors were last year and that the coaches expect her to be. Munoz said she wants to be able to show the first-year players what attitude they should be playing with. “[I want to] just lead by example, like always being in a good mood because especially at practice when everyone’s tired,” Munoz said. “If you’re in a bad mood it just makes everything more miserable.” As a player, Munoz believes that in every single game she needs to give it her all, always be aggressive, and never be afraid to take chances in the big moments. She understands that it is a team effort even though tennis is not a game where the team plays as a unit. Her doubles partner, senior Lena Pacholski recognizes more than most the amount of effort Munoz puts into every play and every game. “She is very quick to the ball, if the shot is super short in the front square, I know that even if the [opponent] is gonna try to fake her out, she’s somehow still going to get it.” Pacholski said. According to coaches and players on the team, Munoz has made great improvements coming into her second year. She had worked long and hard throughout this past summer in order to really improve her game and get to that next level. “Her game has just come so far, she put in a lot of work the summer playing in some ITA [Intercollegiate Tennis Association] Summer Circuit matches,” Hilt-Costello said. “She’s really gotten up on that baseline, her aggressive ground strokes followed up with her volleys has made her incredibly difficult to beat and it showed this weekend.” Munoz is beginning to become one of the leading players for this team and there is no doubt that she is fully prepared to take on that role. With the backing from her coaches and her teammates, watch out for Munoz to lead this LBSU team to a Big West title this season.