LONG BEACH STATE | VOL. LXX, ISSUE 10 | OCTOBER 4, 2018
D 49
er
The Daily 49er editorial board discusses the retirement of Prospector Pete.
Page 6 & 7
harboring
HORRORS Page 8
2 NEWS
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2018 | DAILY49ER.COM | D49ERNEWS@GMAIL.COM
INSIDE
ON THE COVER
NINER
THE
Queen Mary Dark Harbor scarer, “Killus,” lurks by the entrance of “Circus” to jump at any unsuspecting visitors.
Former ASI employee charged with capital murder, VP of Student Affairs is placed on leave page 3
PAULA KILEY | Daily 49er
‘Reflections’ exhibit explores sexual identity page 9 Men’s water polo prepares for conference opener page 12
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Arts & Life Editor
Faith Petrie
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48
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Kevin Colindres
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HOURS
Sarah Vehrs
d49erinvestigations@gmail.com Opinions Editor
in Long Beach
Grant Hermanns
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The 34th annual JetBlue Long Beach Half Marathon returns to Long Beach Friday. The race starts at noon downtown and ends in Belmont Shore at 6p.m.
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Festival Obscura returns this Saturday at 6 p.m. with a screening of George Romero’s 1968 horror film, Night of the Living Dead at Sunnyside Cemetery. The event will include food trucks, a live DJ and vintage trailers for zombie movies of the past. Tickets are $15 and will be sold at the gates.
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SABRINA FLORES | Daily 49er
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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. Letters Policy: All letters and email must bear the phone number of the writer and must be no more than 300 words. The Daily 49er reserves the right to edit letters for publication in regard to space.
NEWS 3
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INVESTIGATION
Former SRWC employee charged with murder
Jamie Williams pleads not guilty to murder charges in Compton, and VP of Student Affairs is placed on administrative leave.
CSULB
Police are currently investigating Jamie Williams’ connection to the double homicide in Compton Friday. He worked at the Student Recreation and Wellness Center as a fitness equipment technician until March 2018.
Staff Report
Former Associated Students Inc. employee Jamie Williams was formally charged with two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder Tuesday. On the same day, Vice President of Student Affairs Carmen Taylor, who made $210,478 in 2017 according to Transparent California, was placed on paid administrative leave, with Mary Ann Takemoto, associate vice president of Health and Wellness in Student Affairs, taking her place. However, university spokeswoman Terri Carbaugh said she could not comment as to why Taylor was placed on leave, as it is a personnel matter. “At this time, Mr. Williams’ connection to the campus is under review,” Carbaugh said. It remains unconfirmed whether the two university employees knew each other. “We’re looking into it,” Carbaugh said, when asked about the connection between the two. “...we look into allegations such as these with a sense of objectivity, for we don’t want to cast judgement one way or the other.”
CSULB
Carmen Taylor is currently on paid administrative leave from her position as Vice President of Student Affairs.
Williams, who left his position at the Student Recreation and Wellness Center in March 2018, was arrested Friday in connection to a shooting which killed his father and stepsister, and injured his stepmother. Hours before the shooting, Williams was reportedly walking around the campus, attempting to air his grievances. Several stu-
dents and staffers also heard him use Taylor’s name. According to Carbaugh, some staff members from the offices he visited left for the rest of the day, disturbed by some of his comments. She added that there will be an investigation in which professionals will be interviewing these employees. Following that, counseling and other services will be offered to help employees cope with the situation. Campus police visited multiple offices in response to reports of Williams being on campus, including the Daily 49er newsroom, the Student Recreation and Wellness Center and Title IX centers. According to University Police Lt. Richard Goodwin, the safety update regarding Williams was not sent out sooner as there were no community concerns. “We didn’t send out a notification because there were no criminal allegations being made against him, which gave us no reason to believe he was a threat to the community,” Goodwin said. While Goodwin said that the timeline of Williams’ presence on campus is still being investigated, he did state that the first call to campus police didn’t first come in until 12:45 p.m. Friday and that it appeared
he had been on campus since around mid-morning. Williams’ arraignment took place 8:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Compton Courthouse in the South Central Judicial District of Los Angeles, where he plead not guilty. A public defender was appointed on Williams’ behalf. He was charged with a “special circumstance of multiple murders,” according to Ricardo Santiago, a spokesperson from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office. If convicted, the punishment for a special circumstance murder is either life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty. Williams is being held at the LA County Jail. Although the bail was initially set at $2 million, after being formally charged of capital murder, bail was revoked. The court will reconvene Oct. 24 to set a date for a preliminary hearing. A judge will then review the evidence and decide if the case will go to trial.
Sarah Vehrs, Grant Hermanns and Kat Schuster contributed to this story.
4 NEWS
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CONSTRUCTION
New CCPE built to be renewable The building factors into achieving the university’s Climate Action Plan. By James H. Williams Contributing Writer
Long Beach State is home to the first net-zero energy structure in the Cal State University system following the completion of the College of Continuing and Professional Education building, according to Director of Design and Construction Services Mark Zakhour. The $32 million project, which has the capability of reducing energy use, was completed at the start of the fall semester after 18 months, according to a fact sheet about the new building. “It can be a little more costly but in the long run that cost is re-cooped by less of a utility bill,” said Jeet Joshee, the associate vice president for International Education and dean of the CCPE.
The building will produce enough renewable energy to compensate for the resources it consumes annually, resulting in a net-zero energy consumption, Zakhour said. It includes manually operable windows and shades on two sides of every classroom, radiant slab heating/cooling system and an LED light system to help with the building’s energy efficiency. The building will contribute directly to goals set by LBSU, the CSU system and the state of California. In 2014, the college adopted a Climate Action Plan to achieve climate neutrality, or net zero greenhouse gas emissions, by 2030. Close to a quarter of the campus’ greenhouse gas emissions come from purchased electricity. According to the CCPE fact sheet, having the new building run solely on renewable energy will reduce emissions. Location plans changed for the building,
which led to its current location next to the Social Sciences and Public Affairs building, because the property near the foundation was “not state of California property. It was city of Long Beach property,” Zakhour said. The lack of control over the property led to an impasse with the city when it came to providing more parking to accommodate the building. While the new building was under construction, CCPE classes were held in the University Foundation Building, among other locations on and off campus. The new building covers 34,000 square feet and stands three stories tall. There are 20 classrooms and a conference center, which is available for other campus events when it’s not being used by the department. “The building has been visioned for a long time,” Zakhour said. “We probably [have] been talking about it for over five years. We
RYAN GUITARE | Daily 49er
The College of Continuing and Professional Education building is located by State University Drive.
originally were going to build the building (located on State University Drive) next to the foundation a couple of years ago.”
NEWS 5
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CARLOS VILLICANA | Daily 49er
Jamie Garcia of Stop LAPD Spying speaks about the investigation into LBPD’s use of Tiger Text.
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Tiger Text backlash continues Long Beach activists voice demands, such as firing police chief, to city council. By Carlos Villicana City Editor broletariatx
Just one week after a group of about 20 marched from city hall to the Long Beach Police Department to demand the firing of Police Chief Robert Luna, another group of nearly the same size with similar demands held a press conference in front of city hall Tuesday. Much like last Tuesday’s protest, this press conference was inspired by Al Jazeera’s Sept. 18 article, which revealed that LBPD has been using the messaging app Tiger Text on numerous phones issued by the department to discuss case information. The service deletes messages after recipients see them, and they are not recoverable through forensic analysis. Local activist organizations such as Stop LAPD Spying and the Long Beach chapters of both Black Lives Matter and the Democratic Socialists of America initially took to a nearly vacant Long Beach City Council special meeting to voice their demands. As the council met behind closed doors for a performance review of City Manager Patrick West, activists gathered outside. The rally began and concluded with a chant that made their demands clear — “delete Chief Luna, delete Pat West, cut P.D.’s budget and reinvest!” “The use of Tiger Text to discard evidence is not the first sign or the first time that they’ve been abusive,” said Dawn Modkins, a member of Black Lives Matter Long Beach.
The organizers claimed that the investigation into LBPD’s use of Tiger Text is not being conducted by an independent firm because Best Best & Krieger, the law firm which the city contracted for the matter, has represented the city before. According to the police department’s website, the review is being conducted by Gary Schons of the firm. In response, one of their demands is that the city council initiate an investigation by a body with no relationship to police departments. “We demand to have a space not only to understand how the application was used in all law enforcement encounters with the community, but to also voice our demands in regard to what needs to be investigated and exposed,” said Jamie Garcia, an organizer with Stop LAPD Spying. “Without a public forum, this audit and investigation will not be legitimate.” Audrena Redmond, a member of Long Beach’s BLM chapter, said that her group is ignoring a recommendation to voice their concerns with the Citizen Police Complaint Commission because they believe that city organization is ineffective and has no enforcement power. Redmond’s group takes issue with the CPCC reporting to the city manager, whom they want fired because of the LBPD issues occurring under his watch. Anitra Dempsey, executive director of the CPCC, said in an email that she is the only member of the group
who reports to West and he is “the final authority on allegations of misconduct.” “We know that that money would be more better spent in other areas such as affordable housing, mental health [resources], things that actually keep the community safe,” said James Suazo, member of DSA’s Long Beach chapter, during a public comment session before the press conference. They also demand: -That LBPD permanently stop using the Tiger Text application, as opposed to suspending its use as the department announced it did, or anything similar to it; -The city council divest funding the LBPD and instead allocate money to safety and health needs of the community, such as hiring school psychologists and nurses, mental health teams, investing in responses to the housing crisis and vocational training; -The reopening of all legal cases since 2014, especially those which deal with injuries or killings perpetrated by the police, -And that the LBPD fund any costs in the aforementioned reopened cases. “On the side of police cars it says, ‘to protect and serve,’” Redmond said. “I think you’ve heard from the number of speakers here who are saying that we don’t feel particularly protected or particularly served.”
6 OPINIONS
OPINIONS 7
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OUR VIEW Grant Hermanns Opinions Editor The movement of Prospector Pete from outside the Liberal Arts building to the currently non-existent alumni center is a waste of money, energy and protesting. We have hate groups speaking on campus, money not being spent repairing buildings that need it and not enough space to accommodate commuting students. Rather than spend time caring about the fact that they’re going to move the statue, let’s devote our energy and money to improving the things that actually need improvement. I’m all for appeasing the campus population, but only if what’s being done is worthy of our efforts.
A
fter decades of back and forth deliberation on what to do about Prospector Pete, Long Beach State President Jane Close Conoley announced Sept. 21 that the university would finally retire the 51-year-old mascot from his perch between Liberal Arts 4 and 5. The reactions have been strong on
Mia Bradford Assistant Design Editor I don’t really care about Prospector Pete being moved, but I do care about what the school plans on doing for the new mascot in general. I feel like students should be involved because I don’t want to be called the Long Beach Squirrels. This situation is similar to commencement last year — big decisions were made and students weren’t properly notified or given a chance to voice their opinion. Let’s stay the 49ers and maybe have our mascot be a gold nugget or something, anything else, just not a damn squirrel.
both sides of the argument, with many celebrating the removal of a monument that to many, symbolizes genocide, while others believe that focusing on this controversy is a waste of energy. Conoley also added that the statue would be moved to the new alumni center, which is still in a developmental stage. In response to this, the Daily 49er editorial board discussed how the university handled the situation. Much like the university and the community, the staff is pretty divided.
Samantha Diaz Managing Editor I think the university made the right move by replacing Pete and moving him elsewhere. The campus has been phasing him out for some time, so I have no strong sentiments toward the mascot in the first place and if it makes some communities on campus feel uncomfortable, then the obvious solution is to remove it. The school could have, however, informed students on the history of the mascot and statue and its relation to the first president. It can fix its mistakes by making sure to include student’s voices and opinions while choosing the next face for our campus.
Kevin Colindres Sports Editor I don’t understand why the school decided to announce the move of good old Saint Peter this early. The alumni building is still in the developmental phase, so we still have at least three more years of looking at that perfect body outside of Liberal Arts 5. I’m excited to see all the members of the Long Beach State Athletics forum’s hot takes on all of this for years to come. It’s been a fun ride. I’m not sure what will replace that gaping hole, but a basketball hoop would be sweet. Godspeed Sir Pete of Long Beach.
Carlos Villicana City Editor I don’t care about the statue or how the school handled the announcement of its retirement as a mascot. If you’re offended about a statue being moved from its spot next to a brick you spent over a hundred dollars for, you have too much money. If you’re offended about a statue being moved from a spot next to bricks you didn’t even pay for, your investment in this statue’s place seems irrational. It’s just being moved. One in 10 California State University students being homeless should be a bigger priority than a statue.
James Chow News Editor I remember when I was a freshman, I was told to kiss the foot of Prospector Pete before an exam for good luck. But I forgot to do that for every exam I’ve taken. Thus, I don’t have a 4.0. Sadface. But moving Prospector Pete will give me more of a reason not to give a big old wet kiss on Petey’s toenail. This bums me out.
SABRINA FLORES | Daily 49er
President Jane Close Conoley announces on Sept. 21 that the Prospector Pete statue is moving to a new alumni center that is still in development.
Faith Petrie Arts and Life Editor As a new student on campus I am indifferent to the symbolic meaning that Petey had but I can understand the sentiment that alumni and long-time students may have as well. In terms of how the school handled it, I think they submitted to the majority on whether or not the statue should stay up. If they really wanted to keep it, they should have made a statement explaining the historical meaning behind Pete while also addressing the concerns of the students/ activists so that they know their voices are heard.
Kat Schuster Editor in Chief After learning the true history behind Prospector Pete, all of this fanfare around his supposed Gold Rush narrative seems like a waste of energy. Ole Pete was modeled after the campus’ first president, not an actual prospector, and as far as we know, he wasn’t a racist person or modeled after someone who was. So why wouldn’t the school just change his name and put up some sort of plaque explaining who the statue truly represents? It seems silly for them to just nod along with these falsehoods and spend all of this money to move the thing. But I digress, at the end of the day, it’s the students who are paying to be here and if there is any statue on campus that makes anyone uncomfortable, or even remotely represents violence or racism — it’s gotta go.
Sarah Vehrs Enterprise Editor I understand why the university has decided that they are going to move Pete. I mean, he was created over 50 years ago, and times are changing. I think that if a portion of our student population feels that he represents genocide, we should abide by their requests to do something about it. I know that alumni are the majority of people who have an issue with this, but they had to see this coming. However, I wish we could reach a compromise. I would be fine with leaving him where he’s at while changing the mascot and rebranding the campus for the hundredth time. Then, we could put a plaque on him that explains the history of most prospectors and why the school felt compelled to change our mascot.
Jelina Cortero Assistant Opinions Editor I personally don’t have a problem with the statue at all whether it’s over here or over there on campus. I respectfully disagree with how the school handled the matter and how big the situation got. I believe that regardless of the location of the statue or its meaning to students, whether they like the statue or not, the issue when it comes to Prospector Pete shouldn’t be our school’s priority. It’s not a big deal, just let it go and let it be. Let’s not forget what American businessman Bert Lance once said, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
8 ARTS & LIFE
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By Cristal Gomez
Assistant Arts and Life Editor gomezcristal98
A
Paula Kiley | Daily 49er
“Scars” rolls up his sleeves in preparation for his stunt during the Queen Mary Dark Harbor Slider Show.
ATTRACTION
Welcome aboard, to Dark Harbor The Halloween attraction kickstarts October with a spooktacular bang.
n ominous fog hovered a few inches above the ground and visitors patiently waited for the gates of Dark Harbor to open Sunday night. As the banging from the harbor got louder, evil clowns with sinister smiles reaching ear-to-ear barged through the doors to terrorize the unsuspecting victims. Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor is an interactive maze experience that challenges guests to think critically of every turn they take. The historical ship already has an eerie feeling and the mazes only add to it. There are mazes located inside the boat such as “Lullaby,” “B340” and “Feast.” Each of these mazes takes you through areas which are normally seen in the guided tours, but with horrifying and creepy surprises lurking around every corner. The other three attractions, “Circus,” “Deadrise” and “Intrepid” surround the harbor. Going through “Feast,” guests must face the hauntings of the ship’s chef who was cast into the oven during World War II due to soldiers finding out they were being fed human flesh. Moving along the labyrinth there is a distinct, putrid smell almost akin to the smell of rotten meat in the air as visitors get closer to the kitchen. In order to get past the unsettling smell, the guests must push hanging bodies out of the way and make their way through the meat conveyor belt before the next meal is served. “It’s my first time coming to Dark Harbor but [Lullaby] was successful, I didn’t know what to expect at every corner since it was so dark,” said attendee Enya Garcia. “Running down the hallways trying to figure out where to go makes your heart rush. Especially since in some areas, it’s just you and your group.” The horror attraction created a majority of its characters and mazes based on the ghost sightings many visitors have seen in past years on the ship. The maze “B340” comes from the infamously haunted room on the ship where many have died while “Graceful Gale” is the hostess of Queen’s Saloon, based on the ghost of a young lady who appears in the Queen’s Saloon. The main attraction, Mary in “Lullaby” is based on the young girl who is seen at the first class swimming pool holding her teddy bear. Each maze gives the guests a choice in determining their fate. Some require maze-go-
ers to climb marine rope ladders, go down a slide and even climb through a meat conveyor belt. “Nothing gets better than [“Feast”], you get frightened at every turn. It’s very intense, I didn’t know what to expect at all,” said first time visitor from Ohio, Raeanna Grizzle. “My expectations weren’t that high but going through that conveyor belt made the entire expense a little too real. It was truly better than Horror Nights.” One of the main differences between Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights and Dark Harbor is the actor’s interactions with the audience. Having the audience talk to scarers in order to get into exclusive spaces around the attraction makes the event more enjoyable. In four of the mazes, there are secret bars that only guests 21 and older are allowed to access. In order to gain entrance to the bars, visitors must interact with characters outside the mazes. If guests speak to characters within the areas of the secret bars, asking about their story and go along with the act, they might gain some information hinting as to where the secret bar is located. There are eight bars set across the entire harbor. The Ice Cave, allows guest to visit a 9 degree bar where in order to exit the bar, guests are led to an exclusive entrance to the “Intrepid” maze. Apart from the mazes, there are two areas where guests can see aerial dancing, aerobatic and fire performers. The first area is near the “Circus” maze, and at the self-proclaimed freakshow, you can see a bearded lady and a puppeteer with his haggard puppet. The second area is called “The Pyre” which is located close to the entrance of the “Lullaby” maze. Here, you can see the Voodoo Priestess and her followers perform fire rituals. The Queen Mary Slider show occurs near the entrances of the harbor. The Queen Mary Sliders perform by gliding on their knees and doing a variety of aerial tricks including jumping over other performers. “The slider show is great. It’s one of the reasons why the kids love coming here. My daughter is 12, she enjoys coming here and getting scared in the mazes,” said Julia Alvarez, who has been coming to Dark Harbor for 12 years. “You can tell the sliders enjoy what they do since they make sure the audience get involved.” Dark Harbor is open Thursday through Sunday Oct. 4 through Nov. 2. Tickets will be sold for Halloween which falls on a Wednesday. Tickets start at $36 depending on the day that guests plan on visiting. Use promo code DARE to get discounted tickets.
ARTS & LIFE 9
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GALLERY
‘Reflections’ explores LGBTQ+ community The student gallery uses personal experiences as a gateway to conversation regarding self-expression. By Brenna Enos Staff Writer
To some, Long Beach State senior Riley Natividad’s painting “19” might look like a typical portrait, but for Natividad it’s his self-portrait, highlighting melancholy blue tones and bright red cheeks. It symbolizes a deeper look into his self-proclaimed embarrassing yet beautiful journey of coming out as an LGBTQ+ person. “Coming out was a rollercoaster of emotions filled with ups and downs,” Natividad said. Featured alongside senior art majors Bianca Joaquino, Jenni Huynh and Julie Nguyen, Natividad’s “19” portrays one of the many LGBTQ+ stories told in the “Reflections” exhibit in the School of Art Gallery this week. The artists behind “Reflections” hope to bring positive exposure and normalization to the LGBTQ+ community and the experiences they have had. “I really wanted to portray the beauty of the [LGBTQ+] community,” Huynh said. “That’s what this show is all about.” While centered around the idea of normalization, this gallery opened up new doors for Natividad regarding his own sexuality. “I had only begun coming out to people less than a year before they invited me in to their show, so at the time, I was still struggling to be comfortable in my own skin,” Natividad said. Natividad added that through his contributions to the show, he received a lot of support and found another opportunity to come out to his family. Nguyen found inspiration for the gallery through witnessing the struggles she endured by having a close friend in the LGBTQ+ community. “I can see the world around her through her eyes, and I can see how difficult for her it is,” Nguyen said. Upon seeing this, Nguyen created a series of eight paintings depicting various individuals of different sexualities and paired each person with a quote they had to say about their sexuality or their experience. Nguyen’s goal was to humanize her subjects and to bring awareness of shared and differing experiences between people of all sexual orientations. “I just want the audience — whether they are straight or gay — to realize we are all human, there’s no difference,” Nguyen said. The idea of normalizing those in the LGBTQ+ com-
Brenna Enos | Daily 49er
Partial view of Riley Natividad’s five canvas paintings, above, most closely features “We Walk Among You.” Close-up of Huynh’s “Just Us”, left, features on a lesbian couple in their home. munity is continued in Joaquino’s six-piece portrait and illustration sets “r.chu,” “Ash” and “Casey.” After interviewing three friends of varying sexualities, Joaquino painted their portraits and displayed information on each subjects sexuality, how it shapes who they are and what they would say to someone who hopes to gain a better understanding of the LGBTQ+. “It’s so important to shine a positive light on the LGBTQ+ community and give them a platform where they can be open about their sexuality,” Joaquino said. “Queer individuals look just like everyone else and their
orientation shouldn’t change the way people view them.” Huynh and Nguyen hope to put together another LGBTQ+ exhibit next semester and wish to possibly focus the gallery on drag queens and the culture surrounding them. “Reflections” is one among five featured galleries this week in the School of Art galleries. The galleries are open for viewing from noon to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and from noon to 7 p.m. Wednesdays, located in the Fine Arts Buildings on campus.
10 ARTS N LIFE
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DELANEY TRAN | Daily 49er
New Music Ensemble performs “For the Earth and Wandering Moon” Tuesday night at the Daniel Recital Hall. The piece was composed by late associate director of the Bob Cole Conservatory, Carolyn Bremer
TRIBUTE
New Music Ensemble celebrates Carolyn Bremer Audiences reflected on the life and legacy of Bremer while listening to her original works.
By Hannah Getahun Contributing Writer
A
calming teal backlit the stage of the Daniel Recital Hall on Tuesday to compliment the New Music Ensemble’s array of harmonious music to honor the late Carolyn Bremer. Alan Shockley, director and professor of composition and theory said the group’s “arc of meditative music” was an appropriate program to commemorate Bremer, the associate director of the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music who died this September. The contemporary music ensemble played five pieces during the “For Carolyn” concert including “For The Earth and the Wandering Moon,” an original piece composed by Bremer herself. According to the evening’s program, Bremer based this composition on the third movement of “The Kore,” another one of her original compositions. The movement, titled “dromena,” is based on ancient Greek labyrinthine rope dances. “The intricate patterns of rope dances and the cycles of nature inspired the wandering path of the music,” Bremer wrote. After Bremer’s piece, which was the second piece of the night, Shockley asked the audience to close their eyes and reflect as the ensemble transitioned to the second half of the night.
“The composition of [Bremer’s] we did play is for open instrumentation, which means that an ensemble of any instruments can play it,” Shockley wrote in an email. “Unanimity,” from Für kommende Zeiten by Karlheinz Stockhausen, which began the transition to the second half, took on a different tone, with intermittent notes being played in a rougher style that seemed to deviate from the tranquil piece preceding it. The other pieces performed, “Awake” from Für kommende Zeiten, “Swell Piece No. 3” by James Tenney and “Für Alina” Arvo Pärt, used non-rhythmic flow and steady drones to envelop the audience in a sound of undisturbed peace. Shockley, who directed the performance and briefly played the melodica on Swell Piece No. 3, chose these pieces to create a meditative theme. “The Arvo Pärt piece at the end of the program is probably the most traditionally beautiful,” Shockley said. “It’s very simple; it says a lot with very few notes.” The Arvo Pärt piece, “Für Alina,” was the fan favorite. The exposed, minimalist piece featured two pianos, a bass and percussion. It was composed in a Tintinnabuli style, a style created by Pärt to mimic the sounds of bells. “Arvo Pärt is a favorite composer of mine,” said Dan Ramos, a fourth-year composition student. Ramos came to listen to Pärt, as well as to honor Bremer, who he described as “a star to everyone in the music department.” Ramos’ friend, Paul Smith, a fourth-year composition and jazz studies major, agreed. “I came partially from obligation, but also because I love
Pärt and I saw that they were doing him,” said Smith. “I just [read] a book on Pärt; it was inspiring.” Since the New Music Ensemble does not have set instrumentation, an array of instruments were present, from the throaty cellos bowing roughly on their strings and the airy flute, to the non-traditional instruments like the melodica and toy piano. “Dr. Shockley never knows what instruments might come into the ensemble, so that’s why we play more of these types of pieces that can call for any instrumentation,” said Melissa Demarjian, a second-year graduate music and clarinet performance major. Tiffany Ta, a fourth-year piano performance major, opted to play the toy piano, about two feet in height with a limited range of notes and dynamics, as well as a unique timbre. “It adds a different sound to the whole ensemble,” Ta said. To many, the night was dedicated towards reflecting on the life Bremer lived. “She [was] the best listener in a faculty member that I’ve ever seen,” Shockley said. “She could really listen to student concerns and really hear them. Even if a student was really upset or speaking out of emotion ... she could really tune into them and feel what they were saying. The student always felt like they were heard.” The New Music Ensemble will perform 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16 at the Daniel Recital Hall. Tickets will be $7 for students and $10 for the general public. The ensemble will perform works from composers Sarah Kirkland Snider and Alvin Lucier.
SPORTS 11
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RENOVATION
LBSU ATHLETICS
Long Beach State Atheltics is hopeful that the renovation of Blair Field’s lights will be finished by next season in order to host more Regionals.
Blair Field to receive new lights to meet NCAA requirements By Alexander Najeva Contributing Writer
One of the many upcoming renovation plans at Blair Field will be the installation of new stadium lights, according to Long Beach State officials. The project was announced in 2009, but didn’t break ground until three years ago and will not be finished until next year. “We are looking forward to having new lights at Blair Field and feel it is another step that is necessary in the enhancement of this historic site,” head coach Troy Buckley said. The grand total to install the new lights will be $1 million, according to Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director Rob Clark. The new lights will be illuminating LED bulbs, which are planned to be installed next year. “It’s also to add higher quality lights, LED lights that are more energy efficient,” Clark said. “It’ll be a better experience for the fans and for our players. We want to host the regionals again.” Not only will the lights help Blair Field meet the NCAA standards, but it will improve performance and visibility for the players. “It will improve the quality of vision for the teams that will be playing. Vision is the key component in our sport and will improve pitch recognition, depth perception recognition, and quality of game as it relates to signs from catcher to pitcher and infielders,” Buckley said. The last time Long Beach State hosted a Regional and Super Regional was in 2017, but at the time the lights at Blair Field did not meet NCAA standards.
Long Beach had to bring in supplemental lights from the Muscro Company throughout the Regional and Super Regional. “The new lights will be at a standard that no extra banks of lighting will be needed to do TV production and currently that is a reason why we do not have games televised at night at Blair,” Buckley said. Donors consist of longtime supporters Marilyn Bohl, former Long Beach mayor Bob Foster and former Dirtbags Troy Tulowitzki, Jason Vargas and Evan Longoria. “What Marilyn (Bohl) has done has been incredible, she continues to give and she knows it’s an investment in the lives of our student athletes and the future lives of our student athletes,” Clark said. A six-figure donation kicked off the search for funds Friday, but more will be needed to continue the project. “We’re working on it, today [Friday] we do have some six-figure gifts that we have closed to get towards it but it’s a seven figure project so we still have a ways to go,” Clark said. “We’re moving quickly and we have identified folks that have expressed interest. Our hope is to get it done by next season.” While some funds were donated from longtime supporters or alumni, professional fundraisers were also held to gain more support for the project. “You go through a process to identify who can give to the project and you get out and you build relationships with trust and find out if people want to support,” Clark said. “If they do that’s one thing and two if they are capable of supporting in a higher or lower level or whatever level that they can and there are different factors that go into that.”
According to Clark, the list of donors will be kept private. The athletic department continues to find new donation techniques to keep this phase of the light project going. “As we move forward there will be additional phases so we’re not just looking at this like one major project, but as a series of other things that we’re continuing to do,” Clark said. “It’s evolving as we speak because we are identifying some unique fundraising strategies to hopefully supplement the philanthropic giving as well.” Department officials hope to have the lights done by the start year if everything goes according to plan. “Our hope is to get it done by next season but that may not happen, that just depends on again people’s circumstances and have to find generous supporters who can make this project into a reality,” Clark said.
Past Blair Field Renovations Moving in the outfield wall New padding along the backstop Revamping the team’s locker room Upgrading hitting house and bull pen Installing new restrooms
12 SPORTS
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2018 | DAILY49ER.COM | SPORTSD49ER@GMAIL.COM
COLUMN
A long and winding road for the Dodgers By Kevin Colindres Sports Editor sportswriterkev
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ALEX MANFREDI | Daily 49er
Men’s waterpolo practices before its matchup against No. 11 Pepperdine. The team rides a three-game losing streak heading into the game.
MEN’S WATER POLO
No. 10 Long Beach begins conference play needing a win The 49ers will take on No. 11 Pepperdine at home Friday. By Alex Manfredi
Assistant Sports Editor alexmanfr3di
No. 10 Long Beach State men’s water polo team faces its most important game of the season so far, as the team begins Golden Coast Conference play 7 p.m. Friday. Long Beach will look to begin conference play on a high note, taking on No. 11 Pepperdine Friday night at the Ken Lindgren Aquatics Center. The Waves (6-6) are also riding a losing streak, dropping their last four games in a row to UCLA, UCSB, Stanford and Cal. The team looks to compete for a conference title after coming in third place
last year. LBSU (6-4) is coming off its third loss in a row after suffering a 9-7 loss to No. 2 UCLA two weeks ago. “We’re a little bit behind in the sense that our newer, younger guys kind of got a late start,” head coach Gavin Arroyo said. “We’ve been fast tracking a lot of young talent into our chemistry with the older guys. Our rate of improvement should be greater here soon.” The team struggled to get its offense going against UCLA, taking a lot of deep outside shots and having a hard time getting the ball in the middle. Long Beach’s leading goal scorers Austin Stewart (19) and Chandler Kaltenbach (16) have combined for only three goals in the last two games.
While the 49ers leading scorers have been fairly quiet as of late, the team’s defense has kept them close, but hasn’t done enough to combat the team’s losing streak. Pepperdine is a force in the middle, led by senior center Chris Dilworth who’s scored 31 goals this season. “I don’t think anyone is thinking about coming off a few losses or winning streaks,” Arroyo said. “We’re just focusing on Pepperdine and looking forward to next week’s tournament.” After Friday’s matchup against Pepperdine, Long Beach will hit the road and take on No. 3 Stanford Thursday Oct. 11 followed by the NorCal Tournament hosted by Stanford that same weekend.
ast year, the Los Angeles Dodgers were one game away from winning the World Series. It was a heartbreaking series, but I was convinced the team would come back and seek revenge against the Houston Astros. Then April happened. Corey Seager was undergoing Tommy John surgery, Justin Turner was out with a strained right groin muscle and Kenley Jansen’s velocity was nowhere to be found. The team was also off to a 12-16 start. It seemed like the Dodgers reign on the NL West for the last five years was finally going to come to an end, but they exceeded expectations. In a tie breaker game Monday afternoon the Dodgers defeated the Colorado Rockies 5-2 to clinch the NL West. Fans cried that it was all over in April, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had a plan all along, even if it took an extra regular season game. “When it’s all said and done, the Dodgers will be at the top of the division,” Roberts said during their rough patch. The last week was a rollercoaster, and the playoffs haven’t even begun. The Dodgers went from being out of the postseason, to earning the second wild card spot and taking over the division in a matter of days. The tiebreaker game almost gave me as much anxiety as the five-hour, 17-minute game 5 the Dodgers played against the Astros in the World Series. The stakes were not as grave and the Dodgers went up early, but after such a disappointing season, just making the playoffs was all I wanted anymore. It took all 163 games to get to this point, but the long and winding road doesn’t necessarily have to end with a championship. Last year the expectations were high, but now I’m just happy the team won the division and gets to play a little longer. I don’t expect the Dodgers to make it to the World Series, I just want some fun playoff moments. Last year was devastating, and while things may go the Dodgers’ way again this year, there just isn’t enough pop to take it all the way. The pitching has been average, the offense is inconsistent and it just doesn’t feel like the Dodgers’ time. Maybe the Dodgers will peak at the right moment, but for now I’m going to enjoy a carefree and relaxing October. The Dodgers play the Atlanta Braves at 5:37 p.m. Thursday.