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Omar Preciado, who also goes by HAWKWIND, broke into a guitar solo during almost every song he performed with the band Gummy at Viva Long Beach, a celebration for Hispanic Heritage Month at Lincoln Park on Sept. 23.
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The mandatory Student Center fees are set to increase at the start of the 2025 academic year as a way of funding the renovation to the Student Union facilities.
In the 2022-2023 academic year, Long Beach State’s Student Center fees stand at $220 per semester, totaling $440 annually. Among all the CSU campuses, Long Beach State ranks 15, as reported by the CSU website.
“An alternative consultation demands that we speak with X number of students based on the campus population, and conduct surveys and do stakeholder meetings.”
According to ASI the new fee will help pay for planned renovations to the Student Union buildings and will include but is not limited to expanded food service, seating and increased informal student lounge space. Additional study space with group study rooms, an expanded Beach Pantry and a Basic Needs wing are also in the renovation plans.
The relocation of The Nugget and the deconstruction of the University Dining Hall will also be a part of the expansions. The final location of the Nugget is yet to be determined but it will be relocated.
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The fees will go up $255 per semester starting in 2025, totaling $950 annually. The increase comes in the same year that tuition is set to rise by 6% every year by the next five years. This would represent a 39% increase since the 2017-18 academic year, when the fees were $183 per semester, and $366 per year, according to Associated Students Inc.
“The Nugget is our priority and it is a priority to be a part of the renovated and expanded USU,” Mitali Jain, ASI president, said.
The escalator leading to the upper campus has heavy foot traffic, and it is the same area where the Nugget and University Dining Hall are currently located. They will not close the area down but the construction will affect the foot traffic.
Student Union facilities are funded almost exclusively through this fee and help pay for student staff wages, maintenance, upkeep and services according to ASI.
“The renovations would be two parts, like one is constructing and then there are parts that are available,” said Jain.
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Letters Policy: All letters and emails must bear the phone number of the writer and must be no more than 300 words. The Daily Forty-Niner reserves the right to edit letters for publication in regard to space.
Editorials: All opinions expressed in the columns, letters and cartoons in the issue are those of the writers or artists. The opinons of the Daily Forty-Niner are expressed only in unsigned editorials and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the journalism department or the views of all staff members. All such editorials are written by the editorial board of the Daily Forty-Niner.
The University Student Union currently employs an average of 350 student workers per semester according to ASI. Shannon Couey, communications coordinator for ASI said with expanded facilities, they can hire more student employees.
“Our goal is to always keep students first,” Couey said. “That was a really big priority for us in updating and, you know, kind of bringing that facility into the 21st century. And so that includes there will be more work opportunities.”
An increase like this would normally go through a student referendum and according to Couey, ASI attempted a referendum in 2014, but it failed, which moved them to try an alternative consultation.
“We really wanted to get a better sense of what the campus climate is on this facility,” said Couey.
The Future USU project will cost around $302.6 million, said Jain. The cost is high due to inflation and wages.
“We understand financial burdens on students and we’re very conscious of that,” Couey said. “This fee increase, we’re really offering students more for what they’re paying for.”
According to ASI, the construction, if approved, would start at the earliest in the summer of 2026. The University Student Union was last renovated in 1998 and according to ASI, the building is in dire need of upgrades and repairs.
Like most fees at CSU, any financial aid a student receives can be used to cover this fee. Students can visit the Future U website for more information about the increased fees.
Here at the 49er we acknowledge that the school we report on is located on the sacred site of Puvungna, “the gathering place”. We are on the land of the Tongva/Gabrieleño and the Acjachemen/Juaneño Nations who have lived and continue to live here.
We also acknowledge the Gabrieleño/Tongva (pronounced: GABRIEL-EN-YO/TONG – VAH) and Acjachamen/Juaneño (pronounced: AH-HACH-AH-MEN/JUAN-EN-YO) as the traditional custodians of the Los Angeles region along with the Chumash (pronounced: CHOO-MOSH) to the north and west, and the Tataviam (pronounced: TAH-TAH-VEE-YUM) and Cahuilla (pronounced: KAH-WEE-YAH) Nations to the east.
We respect and value the many ways the Tongva/Acjachemen cultural heritage and beliefs continue to have significance to the living people and remind us about the sacred and spiritual relationship that has always existed here at what we now call California State University Long Beach.
Naloxone, an opioid overdose reversal drug, is scheduled to be readily available in the form
carry four-milligram packs of Narcan nasal spray while on the job.
Long Beach drug stores are scheduled to have the reversal drug naloxone available on their shelves after the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug for over-the-counter sales.
In March, the FDA signed off on naloxone nasal spray from the company Narcan to be sold in drugstores nationwide. The drug is and is scheduled to be available in late September and early October.
The drug has been increasingly used by first responders due to its ability to rapidly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. The spray is effective in overdoses of heroin, oxycodone and fentanyl.
“For our department, all the officers are trained in how to use Narcan before they even hit the streets,” said Detective Nicholas Soewono with the Long Beach State Police Department. “The number of instances of opioid overdoses has increased over the years.”
More than 101,750 reported fatal overdoses occurred nationwide in the 12-month period ending in October 2022, primarily from illicit fentanyl, according to the FDA. Approximately one in four young adults aged 18 to 25 are
• Step 1: Peel back the package to remove the device.
• Step 2: Hold the device with your thumb on the bottom of the plunger and two fingers on the nozzle.
• Step 3: Place and hold the tip of the nozzle in either nostril until your fingers touch the bottom of the patient’s nose.
• Step 4: Press the plunger firmly to release the dose into the patient’s nose.
Courtesy of the American Medical Association
current illicit drug users, according to a study from the National Library of Medicine.
As street drug epidemics increase across the country, having naloxone on hand has become the norm for first responders. In most cases when an overdose is reported, a police officer, fire engine and paramedic are dispatched.
“Once you administer the Narcan, it
blocks the receptacles of what the opioid is doing inside your body and the reaction is instant,” Soewono said.
Soewono recommended that if one were to come across a stranger experiencing an overdose, the first thing to do is to call 911 before attempting to administer naloxone.
Beachside resident assistant Emilia Cox has witnessed overdoses in situa-
tions off-campus and said that it’s important to know what Narcan is.
“You can run into [drugs] if you’re at a bar or you’re out at a party and someone offers it to you,” Cox said. “For a lot of younger people it’s a thrill and you just want to experience it, but it can lead to a lot of chaos and tragedy real quick.”
Soewono also said that the trend of young adults experimenting with drugs has become more dangerous in recent years.
“With all the drug trends we’re seeing now, a lot of illicit drugs that are being tried out by students are super dangerous and just not worth it,” Soewono said. “It takes one bad decision and one little experiment to completely end your life.”
The Narcan nasal spray is scheduled to hit drug stores like Rite Aid and Walgreens in September. Due to the distribution process, Narcan is expected to hit shelves at CVS in October, according to a CVS employee.
The manufacturer of Narcan has set the price for a two-dose package at $44.99, according to a news release from the company. It is also available for purchase online.
“It’s important that we know about it [Narcan] and educate people about it,” Cox said. “It’s just something good to carry if you happen to see someone overdosing.”
Assembly Bill 928 provided the basis for developing a new transfer pathway for community college students, leading to controversy on the campus level.
Uncertainty over newly established General Education (GE) pathway resulted in opposing opinions from California State University and Long Beach State officials.
The controversy was over the state-level decision to make changes in GE requirements, a decision that impacted individual campuses.
State legislation passed the Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act in 2021, which established the requirement for a new transfer pathway.
According to AB 928, “a report released in September 2020 by the Public Policy Institute of California found that a large gap exists between the number of students who hope to transfer and those who do: 19% of students with a stated transfer goal do so within four years; 28% do so within six years.”
Interim Associate Vice Chancellor of Academic and Faculty Programs Laura Massa said this new pathway is meant to
simplify the process of community college students meeting transfer requirements without taking excess units. This results in more students successfully transferring.
Massa said that this new GE breadth system was written in collaboration with students and teachers about what was necessary to ease community college transfer.
“A few years ago, Assemblymember Marc Berman had heard enough, he’d hear about the transfer being confusing and complex and it taking students too long to get through,” Massa said.
Massa said the CSU system translated this need for a new pathway stated in the bill. These efforts produced a GE fulfillment pattern that changes credit worth for certain courses, modifies required courses and decreases the required GE credit number from 39 to 34 units, according to the CSU website.
The name of this pattern is Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum. The plan was approved in spring 2023 and is set to take effect in fall 2025, according to the website.
“I feel the reason for this change is directly coming from the legislation-legislatures, they have this bill kind of forcing the CSU, UC [systems] to make changes, right,” said Pei-Fang Hung, the academic senate chair. “And so unifying this GE pathway can help students transfer to ei-
ther the UC or CSU system.”
Academic Senate Vice Chair Neil Hultgren said, as an English professor, he was not in favor of the removal of an arts or humanities course from the incoming curriculum.
“I think humanities and arts are really important,” Hultgren said. “So seeing those get eliminated from the curriculum is for me, a disappointment.”
The California State University system is set to vote in January 2024 on having the same GE standard apply to freshman starting at the university level, according to the CSU website.
Hultgren said possible issues like having two GE pathways for students, “are part of why it’s so tricky when the legislature gets involved in these decisions. [Be]cause then we end up with having to make a series of really tough choices related to what subjects our students should know, but the choices have already been made for us, at least partly.”
Hung said that these decisions should be made at the faculty level.
“Faculty should have charge when it comes to curriculum, and this drive as I mentioned earlier was coming from the legislature,” Hung said.
I think humanities and arts are really important, so seeing those get eliminated from the curriculum is for me, a disappointment.
Neil Hultgren
Academic Senate Vice Chair
”
The challenges of parenthood, a story about an assassin, family dynamics, secrets hidden in closets, struggles of suicidal minds, fear of intimacy and self-reflection are the recipes for the all-student production “A Night of Student Work,” directed by James Fowler.
The Department of Theater Arts kickstarted the semester with its first production of six one-act plays written and performed by students.
Each piece is a short, realistic, sliceof-life depiction that reflects the internal and external struggles of the characters. The audience is able to connect with what they see in one way or another because the play is inclusive and diverse in every aspect, which makes the watching experience more enjoyable.
“I want audiences to walk away understanding that there is not just one type of work we need to be doing. We need to be listening to many voices.” said James Fowler.
“It focuses on LGBTQIA+ narratives, it focuses on Latin American narratives, it is not focused on the old classics. This is truly inclusive and diverse. I want audiences to walk away seeing themselves in it. Now, we can see so many different elements of humanity because we are in-
BY NATASHA CASTANEDO Arts & Life EditorThe new Esports Lounge hosted a Street Fighter 6 competition following its grand opening in the USU on Friday, Sept. 22. The competition was one of many that are planned for the fall semester. The competitions, organized by CSULB’s Esports Club, will feature a variety of competitive games in addition to Street Fighter 6, like Counter Strike 2 and Valorant.
Street Fighter 6 enthusiasts of various skill levels gathered to duke it out in this iconic fighting game. The competition featured 14 players that went for the best of three games in a one-on-one battle against their competitor. From there, a winner’s bracket was constructed, which resulted in first-year biology major Diego Rios winning it all.
“I’m glad to know that there are people of like-minded ideas that want that kind of fierce competition here at Long Beach. So, I’m very grateful for the whole Esports Association for putting this on,” said Rios.
Due to a sponsorship from ASI, first
cluding all of it.”
Fowler is an actor, singer, musical theater artist, director and an educator. He is also a firm believer in collaborative spaces, which is an essential part of the positive feedback loop.
The rehearsal process was a little over four weeks long—despite being a quick production, Fowler gives all the credit to the students on and off the stage.
“They were amazing to work with. Not just on stage working with actors, but also, my stage manager Sonia. She has been incredible, a student herself here. The crew, a lot of whom are students, have been incredibly helpful and efficient.”
Kyle Matsuda, a sophomore theater arts major plays Michael in the “Straight Play” act, written by Lucy Brown.
Michael is a full-time waiter at a French restaurant and during one quiet shift, he recognizes someone from his past, an ex-boyfriend from college. When Michael notices that his ex is on a date with a girl he tries to play it cool, but then it snowballs into disaster.
“It is breaking the mold of the standard guy meets a girl romance trope. It gives me the chance to express myself through a character that is close to who I am,” said Matsuda.
The act emphasizes the struggles of accepting one’s identity rather than forcing oneself to fit in a box created by societal norms.
“I want the audience to walk away with a sense of understanding of the
queer community. This is a very queerheavy piece, where it’s not just gay people thrown in your face, which some people think,” Matsuda said.
“I want them to experience what queer dating is like, which is not a big blown-out thing they do in movies now. It is a regular relationship just like a regular straight relationship, but queer. There is no difference between queer people and regular people.”
Envee Lin Atlas, a sophomore theater performance major, plays the character Sally in the same play.
Atlas shared that she learned a lot about herself and her acting through the process because getting into the character was not always easy for her.
‘Straight Play’ is about multiple people with different sexual identities coming together and discovering who they are. It is about openness. I want the audience to think that while watching this,” said Atlas.
“Barn in the Street” is another oneact play written by Doshima Iyorlu.
The act is about Tino, a young father
trying to figure out how to be the best parent for his little girl who is figuring out her sexual identity.
Tino meets Barn, played by Finn Holmgren, and their interactions highlight the stigma about queer identities.
Tino is played by Miguel Avila, a senior theater performance major. Avila’s favorite moment during the production was working alongside talented people like director Fowler.
“Someone who knows what they are doing in a specific area is great,” said Avila.
Avila wants people to leave more knowledgeable than they came in. He believes that it is important to talk about these issues in-depth.
“Everyone has their own stuff going on. At the end of the day, we are living our own lives, still trying to figure out life,” Avila said.
The play is running on campus at the Studio Theater from Sept. 21 through Sept. 23, and the tickets can be purchased online. Faculty and students can receive a discount.
place was awarded a $40 Amazon gift card, second place received a $20 Amazon gift card and third place won a $10 gift card. There was also a raffle that had various prizes, such as a PS4 controller for lucky participants.
Third-year art major, Matthew Delmar, is the FGC (fighting game community) General Manager, and he is excited for the future of the gaming community at CSULB.
“Fighting games are a niche … But I am very happy that people still showed up and that we even have a small, dedicated group of players that are willing to come and compete against each other,” said Delmar.
After the competitive fighting scene died out post COVID-19, Delmar pushed to bring the community back.
“I think the future of the esports lounge is really bright … Seeing the amount of people that are coming in and having a good time with their friends it’s really cool to see just video games in general have a place on campus and to have it be celebrated instead of it just being tossed aside.”
With the new arena in place, Esports Club members hope to attract new members and foster their growing community.
As Harmless became settled on the stage, he
BY NATASHA CASTANEDO Arts & Life Editor
Nacho Cano, the 31-yearold artist better known as Harmless, performed at the Echoplex on Sept. 13 as a part of his U.S tour with artist Roar. After his song “Swing Lynn” rose to popularity on TikTok and went platinum earlier this year, Cano has been soaking in his accomplishments. When celebrities such as Lizzo, Selena Gomez and Jessica Chastain used the indie-pop track in their videos, Nacho was in shock.
“I’m just grateful. I think it’s really healthy to find a balance for your ego,” Cano said.
Despite his newfound success, Nacho has been determined to stay grounded and to take each day as a blessing. Just six years ago, while riding a bike to work, Nacho was hit by a drunk driver going 50 mph. The near fatal accident left him with many injuries and a new lease on life.
Understandably, the accident still affects him.
“I haven’t toured as intensely, or as big or as quickly as the industry expected me to after ‘Swing Lynn,’ because you only get one body and I’m still learning how to use it on tour.”
However, he hasn’t let that stop him from enjoying the electric energy of a tour. This is the first time since Nacho started making music that he has performed with band mates, and he finds
that it has made the experience infinitely better. The band includes Francisco Sanchez de la Vega as lead guitar, Andrew Peterson as bass player and Chris Knoll on drums.
When asked what this has meant for Harmless, Cano said, “You can’t replace having a band, it just sounds better. With this last record, or the stuff that’s coming out, I wanted it to sound like a real band.”
The majority of the show at the Echoplex consisted of unreleased music, a bold choice that worked in Harmless’ favor. The crowd enjoyed the strong gui-
tar presence and drum-heavy tracks that were coupled with moody lyrics about life and love.
Cano made sure to connect with the audience and frequently pointed out specific fans and locked eyes. This was an intentional move by the indie artist as he shared that, for him, the whole act of a performance is the crowd.
“I just really like when artists are like ‘the only thing dividing us is this thing right here, we’re together’ and Luis Miguel will be like, I’m singing to you.”
Though he now resides in Los Angeles, Nacho Cano is from Toluca, Mexico,
and he credits much of his inspiration to other Mexican artists. These artists include Luis Miguel, Juan Gabriel and José José, but he has also found inspiration in singer Sade.
“She inspires me because her music just feels very honest and it’s very simple. I think that’s the reason I like Sade … It’s intrinsically complicated music, but it’s very simple.”
Cano has made it a point to listen to a wide variety of music, not only as a music lover, but also as a way to prevent his sound from becoming overly saturated.
“A long time ago somebody told me not to listen to music that I would copy. So, I don’t listen to a lot of indie music or stuff like that because it’ll bleed over.”
He has also found musical inspiration at Mount Analog, a record store in Silverlake that he occasionally works at. This is also where he met Yves Rothman, the co-producer of Harmless’ latest release, “It’s Only You.” The four-track project features bilingual song “What U Want” and “Rosie,” a song about falling in love.
Nacho Cano’s attention to detail can be seen not only in his music, but also in the way he interacts with his fans. Before he took the stage at the Echoplex, Cano happily posed for pictures and spoke with eager attendees.
“I just want to be the guy that I wanted to meet when I was a fan of music. I hang around the merch table and I draw doodles on people’s vinyls,” said Cano.
Exciting projects from Harmless are on the way,
music available on all major streaming services.
Left to right: From rings to necklaces, Adelitas Revenge were vending their wares at Viva Long Beach, while also holding friendly conversations about the workshops they offer. Signed comic books by author and creator Kayden
Phoenix, who has been credited for creating the first Latina superhero universe in comic book history, were available for sale at Adelitas Revenge.
Joelorozco has been happy serving non-alcoholic cocktails under his new partnership with Bar Nuda. Joelorozco uses his cocktail crafting abilities to create great tasting non-alcolohic cocktails. Edgar Fernandez drums and sings for the band Gummy as they stormed the stage with ample energy.
Music, dancing and local vendors filled Lincoln Park’s picnic area Saturday, Sept. 23 for Viva Long Beach.
Grey LB Productions, who hosted the event, is a local event curator that works to put together some of Long Beach’s most community-centric events.
Tania Mirón Peréz, creative services manager for Grey LB and Director of Operations for the event, shared what it was like to put together Viva Long Beach.
Peréz described that the event had originally been slated as a celebration for Mexican Independence Day, commonly known as “El Grito,” but was forced to reschedule.
The rescheduling, due in part to Country Coastal taking place that weekend, undoubtedly worked in their favor. Postponing the event not only presented more time for planning, but also allowed for a more inclusive event to
Viva Long Beach was made for and by community members and aimed to be one of the city’s first Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations.
take the title of Long Beach’s first celebration focusing on Hispanic Heritage Month.
“We saw an opportunity of expanding the original intention of the event,” said Peréz “Having it more as a celebration for Latin Heritage Month.”
Peréz has been a Long Beach local for the past eight years and loves every bit of her community. All the vendors that gathered for Viva Long Beach were brought together through their individual connections with Peréz.
Bryant Joel Orozco, one of the vendors at the event and business partners for Bar Nuda, provided non-alcoholic mixed cocktails that source ingredients straight from Mexico. Joel Orozco is a born and raised Long Beach native of Mexican descent. He felt compelled to show out for Bar Nuda, and to bring their business back to Long Beach.
“Our whole slogan is drink to remember,” said Joel Orozco “We want people to enjoy a good crafted cocktail, non alcoholic beer or non alcoholic wine without having to have that hangover the following day or making a fool of yourself.”
Cocktails that are comprised of wholesome ingredients
like bougainvillea petals, rose and even non-alcoholic tequila create a rich taste when mixed together.
Bar Nuda found a lot of success when they branched their business out to the Venice and Silverlake areas. Not even a year old yet and within its first year, Bar Nuda had lines out the door in Venice.
“A lot of people have reasons for not drinking,” said Joel Orozco “We want to be able to create these environments that are inclusive for everyone.”
Vendors that previously worked with Peréz and Grey LB gathered together to recognize the significance of the Latin American and Hispanic communities of Long Beach. Another one of these shops was Adelitas Revenge.
Adelitas Revenge is operated and run by Marina Carranza and Yvonne Marquez. Located off of 4th and Termino in Long Beach, Adelitas Revenge is a small business that works as a collective of more than 30 vendors, authors and creators.
“Some of the items we carry come from Ecuador, we have some that come in from all parts of Mexico,” said Marquez “We also have local vendors that make their items
based on where they’re from.”
Marquez and Carranza have known Peréz since the formation of their business and have welcomed her to their Adelitas family as well, working together on occasion for pop-up markets and photoshoots. Adelitas Revenge not only carries items, but also workshops adult Spanish classes, Lotería nights and book clubs for community members.
“We think it’s very important that we also show our younger generation that we are strong Mexican-American women who are very proud of our culture,” said Marquez “We’re here for our community.”
Peréz hopes to see Viva Long Beach grow into something great and uplifting for the Latin and Hispanic communities. Further down the line, she hopes to incorporate more representation amongst the Latine diaspora with vendors and to include even bigger festivities like a parade.
“This doesn’t exist in Long Beach,” said Peréz “We can be the ones to start bringing it to the city.”
BY CHEYENNE ELIZARRARAS & BUDDY CASILES
Opinions Assistant & Staff Writer
With the influx of of Asian American hate that occurred amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Counseling and Psychological Services’ staff and psychologists decided to create a place where students could step away from stress.
Spearheaded by CAPS psychologist Diane Hayashino and event coordinator Arlene Dayrit, Sticky Rice has become a safe place for students to destress.
Open to all students, with a focus on Asian American and Pacific Islander students, the program allows participants to meet and connect through various activities. These activities emphasize mindfulness and they are organized by peer mentors.
“Out of response to AAPI hate crimes happening in March of 2021, we just mobilized and put together a team and our AAPI faculty to support in the effort,” Dayrit said. “Then, fall later that year, is when it became a formalized space.”
Chef Eder Rivas, owner of Salvadoran food truck What’s That You’re Cookin?, taught students how to properly knead dough and grill pupusas during a step-by-step class on Tuesday.
Specializing in authentic Salvadoran cuisine, Rivas led this class as part of a lineup of Latinx Heritage Month cooking lessons hosted by Associated Students, Inc. Beach Kitchen.
Rivas learned how to make pupusas from his grandma at a young age, and now teaches these classes to carry on his grandparents’ legacy.
“My grandpa taught me how to buy everything and my grandma taught me how to put everything together,” Rivas said. “Every time I make pupusas now, I’m connected to them.”
ASI Beach Kitchen hosted the class to highlight traditional Salvadoran food and offer students a journey through different flavors of Hispanic culture.
The weekly program meets every Tuesday from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. at the University Student Union in room 303.
“CAPS has always had general dropin spaces, and sometimes affinity spaces, like SisterFriends or Rainbow Cafe, Latinas at the Beach and given the COVID assumptions, we started feeling like our AAPI students needed a space,” Hayashino said.
The meetings offer snacks, coloring, breathing exercises, origami, discussions of resources and other activities based on current struggles amongst students.
For example, this week’s focus was mindfulness since school is in full swing and students need some time where they can “slow down to speed up.” The meeting on Sept. 19 involved a chat about ways students can take care of themselves to get through the semester, as well as snacks and coloring.
Sticky Rice tries to create an inviting space as students are free to arrive, and to leave, whenever they please. Destigmatizing mental health to allow for open discussion was another important quality needed for these meetings.
Sticky Rice was originally named Creating Connections, however the name change, marketing and location of
the meetings have allowed for a better turnout this semester.
“Rice cuts across all groups, but for a lot of Asians, they get ‘Sticky Rice’ and they’re interested,” Hayashino said.
As CAPS recognizes that asking for help can be difficult, they urge people to reach out in any way that is comfortable for them. There are so many different ways to ask others for help.
“Not every student is going to walk in through the doors of CAPS for help, so that’s what these spaces are for. We’re not doing therapy in this space, we’re providing a support space,” Hayashino said.
For more information about Sticky Rice, contact Arlene Dayrit at arlene. dayrit@csulb.edu.
“We work together with campus departments to create sessions for all to enjoy and learn flavors of the world,” said Beach Pantry Manager Christina Limon.
A group of 13 students took part in the session, where they made bean and cheese pupusas, with the option of adding shredded pieces of pork belly.
Students in the class struggled the most with kneading the dough, as Rivas explained that it couldn’t be too dry or it would break apart. Adding cheese on the corners of the dough and centering the beans were among the easier steps of the process for students.
Students seemed to have the most
fun molding their dough, as some had both tiny or extremely large pupusas.
Rivas believes these courses positively highlight aspects of Salvadoran culture.
“I feel like when people see our culture and how we make our food and how it’s put together, I think people respect the culture of food,” Rivas said.
Even students who were already familiar with the dish expressed that they now have a better understanding of what efforts go into making it.
“I feel like I always thought it was something super complicated to make, but it’s not,” said attendee Josue Navar-
ro.
Sophomore Gisselle Orozco thinks these events are opportunities to do something fun with her friends and to learn how to cook.
“I’d like to cook it for my family, you know, show them how to cook pupusas,” Orozco said.
The class took around an hour and a half to complete, which included Rivas sharing a traditional Salvadoran orange soda while students ate the pupusas they had finished making.
Among the other sessions taking place for Latinx Heritage Month are tortilla and tamale-making classes.
Losing a loved one to suicide is a different pain than losing them to a natural cause or a random accident.
I’ve never been a stranger to death. Watching the people I love lose people they love has been prevalent and normalized all my life; it’s the circle of life. But suicide is not.
It leaves so many unanswered questions and disgusting feelings of anger and resentment.
My mother lost her youngest sister, Mariah, to suicide in 2019. To this day, I don’t fully understand why she did it. She was only 19 years old.
The night before she left us she posted a picture with the caption, “I promise I wasn’t being selfish.” After reading that, I realized I couldn’t be mad at her.
It’s weird how the idea of selfishness plays a role for everyone involved. Loved ones feel it’s selfish to wish they stayed even though they were in so much pain, but the ones suffering fear that they are being selfish by not wanting to deal with
the pain any longer. The ironic duality that ends in misery for everyone.
As someone who has come close to ending my life, I felt entitled to my anger.
I stayed, why couldn’t you?
I would immediately feel guilty for blaming them, knowing how I wouldn’t want them to be mad at me if I decided to follow their movement.
I have no desire to follow in their footsteps though. How could I? How could they?
On Sept. 5, 2023 my mother had
told me that my other aunt, Mia, went to heaven. Mia was only 41 years old. My mother has now lost both of her sisters.
I didn’t initially ask what happened, but a part of me knew.
She had been struggling for a while. Her home situation wasn’t ideal and she had blamed herself for a lot of things that weren’t going right.
“What happened?” I said.
“We don’t know yet,” my mother replied.
When we were told they found an
empty bottle of pills by her bed, we knew, and the impermanence of life became much more frightening.
Who’s next? Is this a coincidental pattern or has it become our family’s goto scapegoat?
It felt like a joke to me at first. National Suicide Prevention Week was coming up the next week and our thoughts were already prepared to be flooded with thoughts of Mariah, more than the typical day-to-day thoughts. But now, my family has two lives to honor every notorious annual prevention week.
Grieving suicide is a different kind of grief. Despite having experienced loss prior, I didn’t understand the “five stages of grief” until I lost my aunts this way. The grieving journey is not linear. I find myself rattling between the stages of anger and acceptance.
Still, there’s so much I don’t know, which is another difficult part of grieving this kind of loss. It feels unfair to form feelings when I don’t know their full story; I don’t want to guilt trip them.
If you’re reading this, please stay. Our days are much brighter with you in it.
Dial 988 to speak with someone from the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
BY CHEYENNE ELIZARRARAS Opinions Assistant
My aunt committed suicide a few days before Suicide Prevention Week. The irony of it all hit me before the grief.
The grieving journey is not linear. I find myself rattling between the stages of anger and acceptance.
”
Passed out on a park bench at 11 p.m. wasn’t where I thought I would be at 21 years old, but there I was.
It wasn’t the first time I had drunk myself into a bad situation. I started drinking at age 15. Sneaking glasses of my mom’s wine and cracking open a can of my dad’s beer felt like a thrill.
The thrill I got from sneaking around made me feel like I was living an exciting double life. My new drunk persona became addicting to bring out, but at 15 you don’t realize how demanding a second life can be. Dinner wine soon became Tito’s Vodka, a small drink turned into blacking out.
Months after the habit formed, I made the choice to drink on my high school campus. After shotgunning 24 ounces of beer at 9 a.m. in the school bathroom, I was suspended.
I cried when I was caught, begging my teachers not to tell my parents. When my mom picked me up she was expectedly angry, but her reaction wasn’t what stuck out to me. My little sister sitting in the back seat, confused but understanding that whatever I did was disappointing, asked me why I would do that at school. I still haven’t answered.
As time went on, school became less of a priority, and attending under the influence became a norm. My friends and I took turns bringing water bottles full of liquor to classes. Even now, my freshman year is a complete blur. Trying to piece together my memories from
what should’ve been my introduction to my teen years has become a puzzle that will never fit quite right.
At 18, I hid bottles of whatever I could get my hands on under my bed. Drinking had become not only a habit, but a tool that made me appear confident, socially comfortable and feel something that mimicked happiness. All of those surface-layer positive feelings would come to a crash once the alcohol settled.
The emotions I was trying to hide by drinking always ended up coming out. Most of my drunk nights ended with me curling into a ball in bed, holding myself in my most vulnerable moments, when all I truly felt was loneliness. I never felt full, filling a void with liquid that kept leaking out.
I was 19 when my doctor diagnosed me with high cholesterol and high ting and nausea being the most apparent. At 20, I was painfully aware that I couldn’t maintain a social life or relax without alcohol in a way that a 20-year-old should. This lead to constantly drinking
alone.
When I turned 21, I drank every day for a month straight. My mom reminded me that alcoholism runs on both sides of my family. With her warning in mind, I pushed through my withdrawal symptoms from the previous bingedrinking month and managed to cut down my alcohol intake. I limited my alcohol use to dinners and social events, but I still have moments of weakness.
Feeling the need to drown my feelings once again, I walked to the beach alone with six Pink Whitney shots and a strawberry Buzzball clinking in my bag. Finishing the shots before I even reached the beach, I skipped the good part and went straight to the part where you feel like everything you just drank could come back up.
I decided I would turn around, but I felt too sick to walk. Wandering into a park, I found comfort on a cement park bench and used my empty bag as a pillow. I ignored the glances of strangers who were on late-night walks and texted
my then boyfriend my location. Opening my eyes felt like the world was spinning. I closed them and drifted off on the cement bench.
When my boyfriend finally found me, I stumbled to his car with teary eyes and guilt that lasted longer than my hangover.
Admitting that I had a problem came with an immense amount of shame. Then I thought of my boyfriend’s face when he found me in that state, it mirrored my family members’ faces each time they realized I was under the influence. I finally realized that I hadn’t been only hurting myself - I was hurting everyone else around me with each sip I took.
I am one week sober, choosing to work through what I have been avoiding for years and finding love within myself rather than in a bottle. With the help of my loved ones and therapist, I am learning how to catch myself when I fall and feel more than ready to navigate my life as a sober young adult.
Beginning a journey of sobriety while in college isn’t easy, but it’s a choice that is changing my life.
The thought that I would have to work and talk through my emotions instead of avoiding them in the first place felt unimaginable.
”
America commercializes its college sports like no other country in the world, with some of the top-earning universities raking in hundreds of millions of dollars. For smaller universities like LBSU, the profit margins are a tad smaller, to say the least. So, what’s the difference?
To start, in 2022, the Knight-Newhouse College Athletics Database reported that the LBSU athletic department earned around $22 million in revenue.
While that may sound like a sizeable amount, when stacked up against other universities’ revenues, that number pales in comparison.
Take San Diego State, for example. Per the Knight-Newhouse College Athletics Database, the university totaled around $66 million in earnings while operating under the same state parameters as LBSU in 2022. This stark contrast can largely be attributed to the SDSU football team.
As a direct byproduct, the university brought in $4.79 million more in ticket sales and $7.11 million more in NCAA distributions and media rights deals than LBSU.
The true value of SDSU athletics, however, comes in the form of donor contributions. The university accrued around $20 million in donations, while LBSU managed only $1.39 million.
This disparity is what forces the LBSU athletic department to work frugally with the budget it is given.
“The athletic budget is made up of several pots,” said Sean Ferrera, the LBSU senior associate athletic director for external relations. “One of the biggest pots is student fees and support, another piece is ticket revenue, another piece is donations and fundraising, and another piece is state support.”
This is one of the main reasons why the university’s athletic budget can’t possibly be as large as other more expensive
universities. With student fees making up a large portion of the budget despite totaling only $4.24 million, there just isn’t enough money to allow for lavish spending.
“Our budget is one of the smaller budgets in college athletics,” Ferrera said. “We’re in the lower 15th percentile of college athletic departments in the country as far as budgets go.”
This means that the budget allocation process must be looked at with
Sophomore forward Cherrie Cox’s two-goal and one-assist performance on Sunday propelled The Beach to a 5-1 win over Northern Colorado on senior day.
Cox was extremely effective against the Bears as she led The Beach with six total shots and three shots on goal in only 67 minutes of action.
“It felt great, especially on senior night. The assist meant the most getting Elysia [Laramie] involved, big day for her,” said Cox on how her performance felt.
This season, Cox is second on the team in goals (5) and assists (4) after only playing seven games. She attributes her success to “Building that team chem-
istry, figuring out some new players and then just seeing what works for us.”
Cox has already tied her goal tally from last year where she put together a campaign in which she took home the Big West Freshman of the Year award, and was named to the Big West All-Freshman team.
Reflecting on those accolades, Cox said, “It felt great. Once a gain I think my teammates helped me so much because my success comes off of them too.”
Cox has been a revelation for The Beach, and head coach Mauricio Ingrassia has seen it coming since Cox was in middle school.
“She came to our club when she was very young, so I’ve had my eye on her for a long time,” Ingrassia said.
Being from Torrance, CA, Cox says that she loves having her number one
more scrutiny, especially considering that LBSU athletic expenses totaled $25.8 million and created a $4.37 million deficit.
Coaches and administration compensation make up nearly half of the athletic department’s expenses, totaling $11.93 million.
When compared to Cal State Fullerton, which spent only $8.17 million in the same division and had a surplus in 2022, it is clear that this cost plays a large role
supporters, her parents, be able to come out to every game, and that played a role in her decision to come to LBSU.
“Since day one,” said Cox about her loyalty to The Beach.
Cox suffered a concussion in the game on Aug. 24 against BYU that took her out for three games. Once cleared to play again, it took her less than 90 minutes on the pitch to score her first goal since her injury.
“Mentally, it was definitely a rough one,” Cox said. “But once again, teammates are always there, that’s the biggest thing here, being one big family and they helped me through every step of the way.”
As all the fans who have attended a game at George Allen Field this season have seen Cox plays a massive role in this team’s success. Coach Ingrassia highlighted how she has taken ownership on offense with last season’s leader in all offensive statistics Lena Silano gone.
“She’s a big focal point for our offense, and she knows it. She’s grown into it,” Ingrassia said.
Cox looks to continue to contribute to the success of her team as conference
in the LBSU deficit.
However, more money for better coaching has evidenced itself in LBSU’s superior athletics.
With six national championships across 19 sports, most recently in 2019, the athletic department’s willingness to spend on quality has paid off.
Any team-related expenses are largely covered by student fees and support. In 2022, that number totaled $5.66 million, exceeding the designated source of pay by over $1 million.
As for facility upgrades and additions, in which LBSU spent $4.57 million, the athletic department must look to its other streams of revenue.
Ferrera said that maintenance and small upgrade expenses are usually covered by state support, while any kind of larger addition is almost always privately funded.
Evaluating what needs maintenance and enhancement can be a long and difficult process, but with the arrival of new Athletic Director Bobby Smitheran, Ferrera said that process is already being changed.
As a result, it seems there is a sense of optimism throughout the athletic department.
Contributing to that optimism is that ticket revenue has reached an alltime high at LBSU in the past two years. Bringing in just over $900,000 per year makes it substantial, according to Ferrera, considering LBSU students can attend games for free.
Instead of using all of that money for athletics, the department has committed to giving some of the proceeds back to the Long Beach community.
“That is a big factor with our attendance and how we engage with our overall city of Long Beach, and even beyond, and how we get people here to have a good time and enjoy this university,” Ferrera said.
Despite all of the limiting factors LBSU faces, the athletic department has proven that a large athletics budget isn’t always the end-all-be-all and that there’s more to the story than just numbers.
play is just getting started as The Beach is in the mix for a Big West conference title.
Long Beach State returned to the Walter Pyramid Friday night after a successful road trip that had them away from home for almost three weeks. The Beach went 4-1, wrapping up the preseason and looked rather dominant.
“We talked a lot all summer and preseason about how we’re wanting to get stressed, we’re wanting to get challenged. We’ve set up a tough schedule so we could do that, and learn from wins and losses.” Head Coach Tyler Hildebrand said.
LBSU came into Friday’s game riding a three-game win streak, during the stretch they swept two teams, and won the other match in for four sets.
“It was so amazing how we stacked our preseason with such difficult teams because we have learned so much from every single game win or lose. So I think that it is showing right now.” Setter Zayna Meyer said.
They would carry this momentum back home and extend that win streak to four games, needing every last point, as they narrowly were able to come away with a 3-2 victory.
Cal Poly on the other hand came into the game right at the .500 mark and was looking to propel themselves to start conference play. The two teams split their season series last year 1-1 against one another.
The first set had no shortage of action as both teams consistently battled and remained tight with one another. The set featured eight ties and six lead changes, with the biggest lead springing to four. Long Beach State would eventually take the first set by that margin and a score of 25-21.
The second set was no different, with another back-and-forth battle LBSU wasn’t able to create any true separation. Cal Poly continued to counter any run The Beach would go on.
LBSU would drop the second set by a final of 25-22. Outside hitter Natalie Glenn had 6 of her career-high and team-leading 21 kills on the night. She also tied for the team lead in blocks with 4, being physical down around the net
on the defensive side.
Hildebrand spoke on the big impact she had on the game, “She had her best serving night, she had one of the biggest plays of the match where she dug a ball, and then Zayna set her, and then she got up and killed the D.”
The third set would be all LBSU as it turned into one of their more dominant so far this season. A huge 9-0 run to get the lead to 18-5, from there on continuing their dominance and winning by a commanding 16-point difference, 25-9.
Long Beach State looked to carry this momentum over into the fourth set but were again met with a strong response by Cal Poly who hung tight till the very end once again.
“Cal Poly’s a great team. There’s a reason they finished in the top three the last five years.” Hildebrand said.
The Beach showed some great resilience themselves fighting till the very end of this set, being on the brink of losing until middle blocker Kate Slack was finally able to put the match point on the board and give the Mustangs a 28-26 set victory.
With the match evened up at two apiece, Long Beach State entered a bit of uncharted territory playing in the fifth set for the first time in the early season campaign.
Cal Poly was able to suck the energy out of the building quickly, jumping out to a 6-1 lead. LBSU responded and was
able to chip away at the score, eventually tying the score at 7 after a kill from outside hitter Elise Agi.
LBSU was then able to get their lead up to as much as four, going up 13-9. To no one’s surprise Cal Poly hung in the game, never giving in, until redshirt junior Abby Karich was able to seal the deal with a kill for The Beach and win the set 15-13 and take the match 3-2.
“We work for it and I think we stay together probably the best of any team, we never turn on each other, we always stay together, we hold our huddles, and we come back and communicate. Every single point feels like a team point.” Karich said.
A down-to-the-wire finish is how conference play got started for The Beach on Friday night, as they prevailed to secure a victory in five sets.