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ASI election results were announced Thursday, March 13, with Kim Nguyen (left) elected Vice President of Finance, joined by President-elect Sonny Ciampa elected ASI President and Shelton King Jr. elected Vice President.
Society of Women in Business returns after four-year hiatus
BY SKYLAR STOCK
Video Assistant
In order to reintroduce themselves to Long Beach State students and alumni, the Society of Women in Business have started hosting meetings this semester for the first time in four years.
Through opportunities including networking with business professionals, creating a community of like-minded people and building a space for women in the College of Business, the group aims to shed light on voices in an industry where they are often overlooked.
Madelynn Oum, a third-year finance major, took over this spring as the president during her final semester at Long Beach State.
According to Gonzalez Alana, SWB is meant to empower women and showcase their accomplishments in business. The organization wants to be a space that accepts any person that wants to join, regardless of gender.
While many organizations in the College of Business have membership fees, SWB is free to join.
“Society of Women in Business was kind of down for a couple years, so I think it was pretty fun to be part of a committee who, like, brings it back,” Vice President of Public Relations and fourth-year business management major, Jacqueline Pena, said.
The team works toward coordinating events including community bonding activities and inviting influential women speakers to meetings. They aim to build networking opportunities for women who are seeking community in business.
News Assistants Ethan Cohen
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Mayra Salazar
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Arts & Life Assistants Delfino Camacho
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Opinions Assistants Lizbeth Cortes-Gutierrez
Romi Mathews
Christine Nader
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BusinEss
“Within business, it’s just predominantly a male dominated field,” Oum said. “Society of Women in Business really is to help inspire and encourage young business women professionals, or just women in general.”
While it was previously shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic, Oum was excited to revitalize the organization when she was recruited by her finance professor, Laura Gonzalez Alana.
Gonzalez Alana was asked to be an adviser by the society’s previous alumni who wanted to see the society thrive again. Gonzalez Alana and Claudia Barrulas Yefremian, a management professor, worked to build it back up again.
“I didn’t really have anyone my first two years to look to,” Pena said. “So being part of that now, where women can come here and listen to guest speakers, or listen to people who have navigated being a woman in business, I think that’s really cool.”
SWB is currently working towards establishing their organization officially into the Associated Business Students Organization Council. Once official members, they would have a space in the ABSOC room and voting rights on the board.
In the meantime, the society is working towards hosting more events such as a beach cleanup and bonfire scheduled towards the end of April.
“We just want to empower women and tell them, ‘You know what, you belong just as much in that position as [men] do,’” Oum said.
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The organization gained its footing through recruitment and planning in the last semester and have seen momentum in events and participation during the spring.
land acknowlEdgmEnt
News about SWB events and meeting times can be found on their new Instagram page.
Here at the Long Beach Current 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.
Editorials: All opinions expressed in the columns, letters and cartoons in the issue are those of the writers or artists. The opinons of the Long Beach Current 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 Long Beach Current.
Monday, March 17, 2025
lEttEr Policy: All letters and emails must bear the phone number of the writer and must be no more than 300 words. The Long Beach Current reserves the right to edit letters for publication in regard to space.
Meet your newly elected 2025-2026 ASI leaders
BY KHOURY WILLIAMS Copy Editor
“I’m excited. I’m nervous, but I wanted to get dressed up just in case the results go in my favor,” political science and economics major Sonny Ciampa said moments before winning the election and becoming the 2025-26 ASI president-elect.
Excitement and nerves could be seen not only on Ciampa’s face, but also among the other student candidates running for ASI positions this semester at Long Beach State.
Ciampa will be joined by Executive Vice President-elect Shelton King Jr. and Vice President-elect of Finance Kim Nguyen as the heads of ASI’s executive branch.
To avoid the rain, the 2025 ASI Elections Results Party was moved from the South Plaza into the Stuart L. Farber Senate Chambers. The candidates were joined by several other students and faculty members, all awaiting the results.
The current ASI Vice President of Finance, Andre Achacon, welcomed the student body before passing the microphone to the Associate Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students, Jeff Klaus, who hosted the event.
“Regardless of the outcome, kudos to all the candidates for taking on this challenge,” Klaus said. “You have worked incredibly hard engaging with students and gathering feedback to help shape your goals for the next academic year.”
He announced that 3,532 students voted in this year’s ASI elections, the same exact number of students who participated in voting during last year’s elections.
However, due to the increased student population for the current academic year, only 8.91% of the student population voted, compared to last year’s 9.32%.
Here are the full results of the 202526 ASI general elections:
• President – Sonny Ciampa
• Executive Vice President – Shelton King Jr.
• Vice President of Finance – Kim Nguyen
• Trustee at-Large, University Student Union & Student Recreation and Wellness Center, Board of Trustees – Krrish Kohli, Jaydee Phung and Samantha Valdez
• Senator at-Large – Ngan Nguyen, Isabella Palacio and Sydnie Sabbarese
• Senator, College of Business –Anna Kang
• Senator, College of Engineering – Zach Fowler and Fahim Shaikh
• Senator, College of Health and Human Services – James MacPherson
• Senator, College of Liberal Arts – Max Rodriguez
The College of the Arts Senator and College of Natural Sciences Senator positions are still open.
As soon as his name was called as the ASI president-elect, Ciampa started
pumping his fist and jumping up out of his seat. He received congratulatory hugs and handshakes from his fellow candidates and peers.
Following the results party, the Long Beach Current interviewed the new ASI executive cabinet members. Ciampa said his first act as ASI president will include speaking with other universities to discuss resources under threat due to U.S. Department of Education funding cuts.
“They [U.S. Department of Education] are trying to cut our budget, and so I want to make sure that students still have an education coming into the fall,” Ciampa said. “With financial aid getting taken away and everything else, how can we have an education if we don’t have the resources?”
While the future of financial aid and student loans remains uncertain under U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, students can still apply for FAFSA for the upcoming 2025-26 academic year by June 30.
Unlike last year’s election, which saw current ASI president Nikki Majidi win alongside her entire joint ticket she campaigned with, this year’s winners were all split. However, Ciampa still shares ex-
citement in working with his elected cabinet members.
“I love Shelton. I’m really excited to work with Shelton,” Ciampa said. “His platform is great, he was strong from the beginning and I think Shelton is going to be a great partner.”
Ciampa said he still plans to work with his running mate, Alex Lopez, who lost to King Jr. by nearly 300 votes.
“I feel great, albeit it wasn’t exactly the results we could have wished for, but to have been able to have stood by a candidate and now have a year with someone who I can say has our best interest at heart, I am very happy that I was able to work alongside [Ciampa],” Lopez said. Lopez’s opponent, King Jr., ran his campaign with the promise of “fixing” student parking lot issues at CSULB. King Jr. was shocked to learn that 1,321 students voted for him during the election.
“Now I gotta do what I promised—I gotta fix parking,” King Jr. said.
Nguyen was the only candidate running for the vice president of finance position and received 99% of the total student votes with one person abstaining.
When speaking to students while campaigning, Nguyen discovered students were misinformed regarding the availability of several resources, including student grants and research funds. She said she plans to ensure students know what they can access.
“I want [students] to be able to utilize campus resources and funds as much as they can, so outreach will be my first goal,” Nguyen said. “I initially considered running for this position because I had issues finding out all these resources myself, and I want to help students learn how to navigate through these resources.”
Photo Credit: KHOURY WILLIAMS/Long Beach Current
ASI Vice President-elect of Finance Kim Nguyen (left) is joined by President-elect Sonny Ciampa and Executive Vice President Shelton King Jr. to commemorate their wins on Thursday.
ASI leaders past, present impact campus life
BY ANNETTE QUIJADA News Assistant
Former Associated Students Inc.
President Jose Salazar advocated to change ASI payments from fellowships to scholarships in 2015 so that students, no matter their citizenship status, could receive payment for their student government work. It was approved in 2016 and continues to be the payment policy used today.
This is just one of many examples of the work student government has done to represent and help students on campus.
ASI is the official voice of the student body at Long Beach State. They work to represent students by advocating for their needs and interests when it comes to making deals with university administration as well as at the government level.
Over the years, ASI has worked, and continues to work, to enhance the student experience by funding scholarships, campus events and programs. Students who are elected into student government tend to leave a lasting impact on the campus during their term.
Some notable ASI leaders of the past and their work include:
James Ahumada Ahumada served as ASI president during the 2010-11 academic year.
• Established Lobby Corps in 2011. This is a subcommittee in the Associated Students Senate committed to making student voices heard at all levels– both CSULB and at the California state level.
• Pushed the ASI senate to invest in a student networking platform called OrgSync. The system ended up being unsuccessful for users, but in an interview with the Current, he said the idea was to help commuter and transfer students be aware of campus organizations.
John Haberstroh and Jonathon Bolin Haberstroh, ASI president, and Bolin, ASI vice president, served together for two terms that began in 2012.
• They cut their ASI salaries by 15% and used that money to fund student scholarships. The first scholarship they put togeth-
Graphic credit: EL NICKLIN/Long Beach Current Long Beach State has elected over 70 different sets of leaders throughout the close to 70 year history of Associated Students Inc. The goal of these student leaders is to advocate for student needs, enhance student life on campus as well as leave a lasting impact at CSULB.
er was the “John & John Textbook Award,” which granted eight full time students with a $200 reward.
• The pair brought in the first farmers market onto campus in March of 2013.
Jose Salazar
Salazar was ASI president in 2015.
• Advocated for more hammocks for students to take naps in, as well as bike stations for students to travel throughout Long Beach and campus.
• Established campus sustainability with the installation of solar
panels over the parking structures.
Genesis Jara Jara was ASI president for the 2018-19 year.
• She participated in the search for a replacement for Prospector Pete as the university mascot.
• Helped grow attendance at the Student Recreation and Wellness Center with 424,000 visits.
Finally, current ASI leaders Nikki Majidi (ASI President), Matt Melendrez (ASI Executive Vice President) and Andre Achacon (Vice President of Finance) have also had their share of successes
during their term, such as:
• Distributed red cards to inform undocumented students of their rights.
• Passed resolution opposing U.S. funding to the Philippine military.
• Trained 660 student organization officers on details of grant funding.
• Allocated additional funds to the student travel fund and spring 2025 periodic programs and student organizations.
• Worked to raise the first LGBTQ+ flag on campus.
University administration creates informational website amid fear of ICE raids
BY JUAN CALVILLO & ELIJAH MULLER News Editor & Contributor
President Donald Trump’s executive order, which focused on enforcing immigration law and deportation, has fostered fear across communities in the United States.
In response to this new executive direction, Long Beach State officials have created an informational website as part of the main CSULB site.
According to the university’s Director of News Media Service, Jim Milbury, the Enforcement Actions on Campus site “was a collaboration among several offices across the divisions to help ensure our campus community has the information it needs.”
Information available on the website includes details on immigrants’ rights provided by the California Department of Justice, and videos describing what should be done when being confronted by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The Long Beach Current interviewed three members of the campus community, one of whom is also a lecturer on campus, about their knowledge of the website and the resources available to them.
None of those interviewed knew about the website.
Ruth Garcia, a studio arts major and transfer student, felt faculty was going above and beyond by providing these resources to students. She said it should be up to students to take advantage of the resources.
“If [students] do need help with anything, there are definitely resources on campus that they can go to, so I guess it’s on them to reach out,” Garcia said.
CSULB Alumnus and American Indian Studies Lecturer Deborah Sanchez shared an alternative point of view. She said all of the immigration resources should be readily available and right on “the front page” of the CSULB website.
Sanchez recalled how CSULB did something similar for the COVID re-
Long Beach State’s information website for undocumented students has sections for impacted students and
and staff.
sources they offered students back in 2020, and she argued that the university ought to do the same for these immigration resources.
“Right on the front. Because it’s important, it’s relevant,” Sanchez said.
Christian Patiño, a second year pre-nursing major said while the university is making a valuable contribution by offering these resources, they “should be doing a little more,” to promote that information to the student body.
Though the University Police Department wasn’t involved with the creation of the website, according to UPD Chief John Brockie, the UPD does not conduct immigration enforcement, nor does the department participate with federal agencies who are doing immigration enforcement.
He said the UPD’s policy follows the
California State University system wide policy.
CSU Policy 414, states “CSU police officers shall not contact, detain, question or arrest individuals solely on the basis of known or suspected immigration status.”
Brockie, who has viewed the EAC website, said it houses information that students, faculty and staff can use as guidance for their situations.
“You know there’s the ‘know your rights’ information and then there’s a link to the California Attorney General and immigrant preparedness toolkits. Putting it in a location where people can go back and forth and not be overwhelmed,” he said.
CSULB faculty and staff were told via a campus-wide email on Feb. 10 about the EAC website and the university’s new
policies regarding federal immigration enforcement actions on campus.
The email states CSULB is a public university, many areas of the campus are open to the public and accessible to federal immigration officers, but, by law, officers should not be able to enter nonpublic spaces. These include residence halls, classrooms during instruction, confidential meeting rooms and employee offices.
The email reminds faculty and staff, “if an immigration enforcement officer approaches you to gain access to a nonpublic area of the university campus, or to obtain confidential student or employee records with or without a warrant, do not voluntarily grant access. Instead, respectfully inform the officer that you lack authority but will immediately contact the appropriate office.”
Photo credit: SAMUEL CHACKO/Long Beach Current
guidance for faculty
ARTS & LIFE
How Physique redefines bounds of health, wellness at The Beach
BY GRACE LAWSON Arts & Life Assistant
For Kioko Thomas, the vision for her fitness clubs stretches far beyond the bounds of what the name entails.
Thomas, a 25-year-old theatre arts major, has spent her final year at Long Beach State building Physique, a club that focuses on everything from health to meditation, mind, body and soul.
“I want people to know that doing something small and helpful for our bodies, we can add years to our lives, and it can help our mental health,” Thomas said.
To Thomas, Physique is not just for your body – it’s for everything. From mental to physical, she emphasizes an improvement that benefits one’s soul and spirit.
As someone who spent their younger
years playing a multitude of sports, being active came easy to Thomas. From track to tennis and collegiate cheerleading at CSULB, she said her passion towards fitness has always been a part of her.
Her personal journey with fitness is one she describes as comforting, often opting to use her free time for working out.
Through going to the gym, Thomas realized her connection to fitness is something she wanted to share with others.
“I want my peers to have a space like this too, where we can also build community and uplift each other and empower each other,” she said.
Though just beginning this spring semester, Physique has gained over 100 followers on Instagram. At this semester’s Week of Welcome, the club gathered three full pages of signatures from students interested in joining.
This was one of the very first successes for the new club that Thomas pin-
pointed over the last few weeks.
The process for Thomas to get her club recognized was a feat in itself. While working on a deadline, she created the club’s committee within three days, filling all the positions as well as getting a faculty advisor.
Because Thomas only has one semester left before graduation, she wanted to establish and cultivate Physique with a specific vision of this fitness community space before she leaves.
“I need this space to be created ASAP, I want something positive for our community,” Thomas said. “Because the Black community here is very small, there’s not a lot of spaces for us.”
Though a new club, Thomas has already planned a future for Physique, focusing on the long term existence of the club.
This semester, she is set on doing what she can for the club to be a successful and stable entity on campus.
“It’s not a space where you have to
have XYZ amount of experience, where you’ve got to look at people and think, dang, I don’t fit in here. Everybody fits in,” Thomas said.
From yoga classes before midterms, to meetings centered on discussions about fueling your body and improving mental health, Thomas has outlined her collaborative goals with other on and off campus entities.
This includes collaborating with instructors at the Student Recreation and Wellness Center, the Black Resource Center and Sisterfriends, a Black women’s empowerment group.
As her club continues to grow, Thomas can already pinpoint leadership skills she has acquired through the building process – those of communication, uplifting and team building.
“I think it started as, like fitness based, it’s also something that is meant to empower and pour love into,” Thomas said. “I think that, right there, is going to grow into something so big.”
Photo credit: JUSTIN ENRIQUEZ/Long Beach Current
Kioko Thomas, founder of Physique, is the creator of the first Black student-led workout club.
Thrift Club trends upward with growing community, new magazine
BY ELIZABETH CARROLL Contributor
Where some see hand-medowns and disregarded clothing, others see fashion, sustainability and community.
Two times a month, a “safe haven” for those who share a common love for fashion and up-cycling takes shape in Long Beach State’s Thrift Club.
Founded in 2023, five original board members under the leadership of Club President and Founder Samuel Moreno, 20, set out with the goals of bringing awareness to the fashion industry and creating a safe space for avid thrifters and crafters alike.
“I was like, ‘We really need a cool, fashionable, fun community,’” Moreno said. “I thought this was the perfect thing, it’s environmentally conscious, gives students an alternative who have little money, and it’s just a cool place to hang out.”
For 22-year-old Willis Atkinson, treasurer and co-founder of Thrift Club, his love of thrifting developed out of necessity.
In the sophomore year of high school, as he describes, Atkinson realized he was beginning to outgrow what was in his closet.
“You can’t just wait every Christmas and birthday to get a gift card,” Atkinson said in regard to the high prices of clothing. “Me and my friends were like, ‘Oh, we can just go thrifting right?’ I found some really good places.”
Atkinson, like others, enjoyed not only the lower price tags he found, but the longevity and sustainability of the clothing.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, in 2018 alone, only 14.7% of the over 17 million tons of textiles were recycled that year, totaling 2.5 million tons. Meanwhile, 3.2 million tons of textiles were combusted, and 11.3 million tons were thrown into landfills, making up 7.7% of all municipal solid waste landfilled.
Self-described as an avid speaker against “fast fashion” and the waste
Thrift Club officers model in a magazine photoshoot for THRIFT Vol.
Americana antique mall. The volume was released publicly at the club’s Flea Market & Magazine Launch event on Feb. 21 and is planned to be the first of many.
it produces, Atkinson took to writing alongside fellow Thrift Club board members.
Together, the group wrote and produced a club magazine, THRIFT: Home of Sustainable Style, as an outlet to voice opinions and give inspiration to their community.
“I noticed that as the officers were putting on each of our meetings, sharing all of this information, whether it be styling or sustainability, it needed to be documented,” Thrift Club Secretary Megan Wilson said. “As people come and go, this knowledge we have worked so hard to share doesn’t disappear.”
The magazine ranges from articles that highlight student fashion designers, easy up-cycling crafts to reduce waste and a photoshoot layout of club board
members, styled in thrifted clothes, including Moreno on their cover.
Atkinson’s own advocacy takes shape in the issue through his article titled, “What is Fast Fashion?”
Since its conception two years ago, the club has grown from five to 17 board members and now holds nearly 200 members who attend their bi-weekly Tuesday night meetings.
They intend on continuing to provide a place of shared interests and growth at The Beach to as many students as possible.
Alongside their new magazine, the club said they plan to build onto their website to share future editions with as many students as possible.
Future events can be found through their Instagram, @thriftclub_csulb.
Photo courtesy: Jasper Harder
1 at the Urban
Photo courtesy: Kayla Gidare
Thrift Club Magazine Editor, Megan Wilson, holds up a copy of THRIFT Vol.1 at the club’s Flea Market & Magazine Launch event on Feb. 20.
John Johnson, owner of New Flower Studio, laughs in front of the logo mural on the inside of the studio. Photo credit: SKYLAR STOCK
Long Beach Current
Your next piercing adventure is just around the corner
BY SKYLAR STOCK
Video Assistant
Atiny prick can bring a person joy for a lifetime.
“Joy” is what 52-year-old owner of New Flower Studio Body Piercing, John Johnson has sought to create for 13 years, through safety, accessibility and piercings.
“We value education, and if people are going to Cal State Long Beach, I will assume they value education, so there’s some common ground there,” Johnson said. “We’re over here studying piercing every day.”
Located on 1180 N. Studebaker Rd. and less than half a mile from campus, Johnson opened the studio for business on Leap Day in 2012.
Over the years, Johnson said he has seen the ups and downs of owning a business, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nowadays, he sees around 30 to 40
clients pop in on weekends each day.
Celebrating the studio’s 13th birthday on March 1, Johnson reflected on the process to get to the year 2025. He credits his previous business partner, 57-yearold Virginia resident David Casper, for the studio’s success.
“We had probably the most successful business partnership ever,” Johnson said.
While Casper is no longer a partner due to retirement, he recounts his time as New Flower’s financial and business guide fondly.
“Starting a business from scratch and setting it up and running it, that was what was enjoyable for me,” Casper said. “But honestly, the biggest enjoyment was John’s friendship.”
Along with the technical values, the studio holds another mission - creating a fun and memorable experience for each client.
“We’re all about having fun, getting to know people,” Johnson said. “Somebody was at our front desk and they were commenting on how when they come
here, they feel they’re our friend. And that means a lot.”
The secret to making every interaction fun is creating an experience that’s more than just a business transaction, according to front of house jewelry specialist, 32-year-old Jay Sosa.
“I feel like I really become best friends with the person that’s in front of me, because I’m like, digging in,” Sosa said. “Yes, it’s a business, but the money is such a secondary part of it. It really is all about the customer and how they leave feeling.”
Working in the position for three years now, Sosa helps curate experiences to each individual’s needs by helping customers pick out their choice of perfect jewelry, and even does custom ear curations.
The studio values body safe jewelry taking heavy inspiration from the fashion industry.
“People take tremendous pride in what they wear. They take their piercings more seriously,” Johnson said. “And so it becomes more of a styling experience,
and that’s what helps set us apart.”
According to Sosa, many Long Beach State freshmen come in through the doors of New Flower looking to experiment with their new independent identity.
Through different jewelry colors, placements and expressions, the studio and Sosa aids these students in the search of who they are.
“I noticed that a lot with the Cal State students, they’ll be like, ‘Oh, we literally just got an inkling. We just decided after class that we’re all gonna get our noses pierced today, and now we’re all here,’ and there’s like, five girls in here, you know what I mean? It’s cool to be part of that journey,” Sosa said.
Johnson said, “We have something for everybody that values higher quality products but doesn’t necessarily have an interest or the finances for more expensive jewelry.”
New Flower Studio takes walk-ins and appointments. More information can be found on their monthly newsletter and website.
Community engages with biodiversity preservation efforts through Marine Species Report Card
credit: GRACE LAWSON / Long Beach Current
Vice President of Conservation and Education Jennie Dean opens the Aquarium of the Pacific’s First Wednesday Lecture on March 5 about the Marine Species Report Card. Behind her, projections show some of the species available to view on the card.
BY GRACE LAWSON Arts & Life Assistant
Aguide outlining the history, location, residency and population trends of over 30 marine species in California since 1999 was launched to the public on Feb. 6 through the Aquarium of the Pacific’s Marine Species Report Card.
The same day, the Aquarium hosted a media day for different publications to cover the Report Cards launch.
Now, a little over one month later, the Aquarium shared the report card’s intentions and highlighted eight of the featured species to the broader public through this month’s First Wednesday lecture on March 5.
Led by the aquarium’s President and CEO, Peter Kareiva, and the Vice President of Education and Conservation, Jennie Dean, the lecture discussed how public access to marine species information promotes civic change and conservation.
“It’s an opportunity for us to sort of share our favorite parts, some of the narratives that exist threading through the different species, and allow our audience to talk about those things too,” Dean said.
While the First Wednesday series allowed the Aquarium to talk face-to-face with visitors about the report card, it also spotlighted the different ways the public can get involved in protecting and conserving these species.
“We really hope it sparks that kind of conversation,” Dean said.
Different from other First Wednesday lectures, Kareiva and Dean used interactive polls and surveys that allowed the audience to scan a QR code projected on the screen to vote, choose and guess species names, population numbers and species they’d like to see highlighted in the future.
“I really liked the interaction. I think that was really interesting because we got to kind of test out knowledge a little bit,” Monica Maynard, an attendee at the event with her colleague Diana Mego, said.
The two said that almost every month, they attend the First Wednesday series lectures together.
The sunflower starfish, one of the species featured in the lecture, is in strong decline, according to the aquarium’s report card.
The sunflower starfish population is threatened by a wasting disease that devastated the sea star population and caused the species to go almost extinct in California between 2013 and 2018.
Their population decline has led to an environmental impact that the report card calls a “tropic cascade.”
“I never knew, or I learned about the sunflower starfish,” Mego said. “I don’t know, it just pains me, learning about the disease.”
Efforts to revive the population are still ongoing, as there has been little to no increase in their numbers despite recovery efforts.
The Aquarium of the Pacific is one of many aquariums working to nurture the efforts of the sunflower starfish living in their care.
Working with outside biologists and
government entities to collect data that goes back as far as 1999, Kareiva and Dean discussed how large-scale data collection was the only way that the Aquarium was able to create such a detailed report card.
“Without data, we can’t know how species are doing,” Kareiva said.
Unlike other First Wednesday series Q&As, almost every audience member preceded their question with a “thank you” to the aquarium for creating the report card.
By highlighting species specifically on the report card, Kareiva closed the lecture by stressing the value of conserving biodiversity on California’s coast and how each species represents the entire ecosystem.
Though the subject is not yet announced, the “First Wednesday” series invites the broader public to learn about ecological and animal conservation efforts directly from working professionals in the field each month.
The next one is set to be on April 2, and tickets can be bought online for $5 (preorder) or $10 at the door.
Photo
CSULB professor curates Asian American experience through music, car culture
BY DIEGO RENTERIA Arts & Life Assistant
In the garage of his San Gabriel Valley home sits Long Beach State sociology professor Oliver Wang.
He sits between walls lined with an immense collection of records that spans different genres and eras. Beside them, a menagerie of different trinkets and treasures are evidence of Wang’s time as a DJ and hip-hop journalist.
This accrual of life souvenirs is a representation of the years that Wang has spent dedicating his life to pursuing his passions.
Wang has been a professor of sociology at CSULB for almost 19 years now. Alongside that, he has also written and published articles in publications like NPR, Vibe and the Los Angeles Times.
Much of his work as a professor, sociologist, journalist and DJ, Wang said, is centered around the Asian-American
experience and the culture and music of hip-hop.
Wang traces back the genesis of his life’s work to his time in high school when he listened to the hip-hop group De La Soul’s debut album for the first time.
“The game-changing album for me was De La Soul’s ‘3 Feet High and Rising.’ Without sounding dramatic, that album changed my life,” Wang said. “After listening to that, I wanted to listen to more music that sounded like this.”
After graduating high school, Wang attended the University of California, Berkeley to pursue a legal career, but quickly pivoted to pursuing being a college professor as it allowed him to study his life’s passions.
Fortunately for Wang, he cites his later formative years and early adulthood attending university as coinciding with the golden years of the culture and music of hip-hop.
“Because of hip-hop’s political and social aesthetics in the late ’80s, early ’90’s ‘Golden Era’ was so connected to
issues of politics, power, race and the whole nine, and meanwhile I am learning about these same concepts in my sociology and Asian American classes,” Wang said. “These things all blended together.”
After finishing his undergrad, Wang would begin freelance writing about the Asian American community and cultural topics, along with, of course, writing about hip-hop.
Auspiciously enough, this would help Wang guide himself into how he would mold his post-graduate studies.
Wang went back to UC Berkeley in 1996 to complete his master’s and doctorate. All the while, he continued to be published in a multitude of music magazines and newspapers.
“So, throughout graduate school, I figured out what I wanted to study in grad school is to look at issues of race and popular culture through the lens of Asian Americans in music–which ultimately led me to write my dissertation on Filipino American mobile disk jockeys in the San Francisco Bay Area,” Wang said.
His original dissertation evolved into a book titled, “Legions of Boom: Filipino American Mobile DJ Crews in the San Francisco Bay Area.”
Most of Wang’s work as a teacher, journalist and DJ has centered around Asian Americans in music and entertainment. However, Wang now wants to display and focus on other niches of Asian American history.
For decades, Wang said he had been waiting for someone to come out with a book about Asian Americans in car culture, but sadly that book never came.
So, he took it upon himself to write that book.
However, during his time doing research and interviewing a litany of individuals and groups for his book, Wang recounts an experience where he was approached by an opportunity that would transform his plan for the book into something else completely.
Photo credit: DIEGO RENTERIA/Long Beach Current
Many people have an album that has affected them in their lives. De La Soul’s ‘3 Feet High and Rising’ is the album that would transform Professor Oliver Wang’s life forever.
DoesntMatterRodeBus
Car problems like waking up way too early to beat traffic aren’t your problem anymore. Save on bus rides with the Go Beach! Pass from Long Beach Transit, only for CSULB students.
Scan the code to learn more or visit ridelbt.com/csulb
Trump’s views on
DEI impacts workforce, creating division
BY HENRY CACERES
Contributor
On one hand, the United States workforce has employees who have everything set up for them within society to apply for jobs and get accepted.
On the other hand, there are people who want to contribute within the workforce, but do not have the same opportunities as others.
These people have to rely on a policy that keeps them on a level playing field to possibly get a job in a fair manner.
That is what Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies implement.
“Illegal and immoral,” is how President Donald Trump’s administration describes the DEI framework that keeps the workforce welcoming of people from different cultures and backgrounds.
DEI is often misperceived as only focusing on race, but it covers much more ground than that.
DEI focuses on helping many groups that are marginalized within society and the workplace.
An example of a DEI policy would include a hiring process that accommodates a single mother who needs to provide for her family.
These policies ensure companies diversify their staff and represent the community they serve as accurately as possible.
Trump may have initiated policy changes within government jobs, but this action is being taken in the private sector as well.
According to Fox Live Now, companies like Walmart and Ford Motor have rolled back their DEI policies, leaving many customers unhappy.
Many people who once shopped at different stores are now halting their visits to those abandoning DEI.
According to an article from CBS News, Vice President of Policy at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, Jessica Fulton, said she believes DEI policies simply ensure all people
have the opportunity to get into their desired workforce.
“These policies don’t actually dictate who gets hired,” Fulton said in the article. “They are ways to open doors to people who might not have access or aren’t as well-connected in an industry or occupation.”
The underrepresented social groups already struggle, and the absence of the policies could only make things much more difficult for them.
An uphill battle is upon these groups, depending on the industry they want to work in.
It may not be every company that is rolling back DEI policies, but companies such as Walmart may be the reason others join, and there will be no line that is drawn to stop inequitable hiring practices.
Trump officials and other departments may meet with different agencies to monitor how DEI is, allegedly, negatively affecting Americans in the workforce.
Many companies in the private sector are being pressured to ditch the DEI policies by other big organizations, but there are still some who are sticking with them.
Companies including Costco, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase have publicly stated that they will not be removing their diversity programs, despite other companies doing so.
They are ways to open doors to people who might not have access or aren’t as well-connected in an industry or occupation. ”
Jessica Fulton CBS News Vice President of Policy
Photo credit: SAMUEL CHACKO/Long Beach Current Donald Trump, spoke to the media at his golf course in Rancho Palos Verdes on Sept. 13. Since his inauguration Trump has begun targeting federal diversity, equity and inclusion policies.
Navigating fun and duty as college gamers
BY JACKIE PENA Contributor
Video games have long been dismissed as “immature” pastimes, the domain of the couch potatoes with nothing better to do. However, those same games often looked down upon provide significant benefits for people of all ages.
When I was younger, I spent countless hours immersed in video games, from mobile games to console favorites.
Those moments are some of my fondest memories. Video games helped me strengthen deeper connections with friends and family. Waking up, having breakfast and playing games from the “Super Mario Bros.” series with my sister and brother was the highlight of my day.
I grew closer to my best friend through games, including “Roblox” and “Stardew Valley.”
At Long Beach State, the Esports division share a common passion for video games, whether competitive or casual.
“From birth, Esports has been a part of Alyx’s life. Their aunt, a Twitch streamer and Warzone content creator, was their biggest inspiration,” the official CSULB Esports website stated.
Alyx Nguyen, president of CSULB Esports and Gaming Association, not only plans community events for the organi-
zation but she also captains and manages the “Call of Duty” team and is a criminal justice major.
While competitive gaming is not my personal preference, the plethora of genres ensures there is something for everyone: I find joy in Sandlot games and role-playing titles.
At the core of it all, they are all still video games.
“Still, I recall how gaming recreated an experience similar to reading a book, allowing me to experience different worlds that expanded my creativity and knowledge,” Sridevi Hariharan, an author for Liberator Magazine, said in an article about college and video games.
Whether it is peak competition or slow and casual play, video games offer players an escape while also enhancing their mental and motor skills.
I understand the argument that video games can be seen as a “distraction” or “unproductive.” However, this perspective is not entirely accurate.
There is societal pressure to label adults as “mature,” and anything that deviates from that norm—including playing video games—can be viewed as out of place.
Balancing school, work and other responsibilities has left me with little free time, a reality I’m still unhappy about.
Gone are the days when I could spend hours playing; I had all the time in the world back then, but it is different now.
In those precious moments of downtime, I turn to video games to help me recharge.
As someone who struggles with social anxiety, I find it easier to engage with others in-game, knowing we share a mutual love for the same games.
It is essential to find a balance that works.
Video games will always hold a special place in my heart—then, now and forever.
A music collective curated by the community
BY JAZMYN DE JESUS Social Media Editor
During a time where Ticketmaster is becoming increasingly vampiric in their sale tactics, it seems like enjoying live music is becoming more of a luxury for those who can afford it.
AKA Musique is a Long Beach based music collective that produces local concerts and all day events from Long Beach to the Inland Empire.
Founded in 2022 by Anagoretti Castro, Aram Chitsazan, Juan Rodriguez and Sumin Lee, the group found a way to use their own creative skills to build every show.
With Castro as event organizer, Chitsazan and Rodriguez on sound and engineering and Lee as creative director and designer, the quartet bounces off of each other’s creative energy to curate each event.
Their shows, according to Castro, speak for themselves.
“Behind the scenes, we always
have so much going wrong or so much we have to work out, but by showtime it’s like no one even notices and has a good time. That’s the goal and that’s how we know we all did our part,” Castro said.
All artists themselves, Chitsazan the lead singer of the band Faye, and Rodriguez under the moniker Kudaa, it was a no-brainer to combine forces and develop a collective that lets people know more about the local music scene.
After a year and a half of putting together shows, AKA was invited to be part of Birdcage Comics Cafe Women’s Month Festival with AmplifyHER Fest, which showcased a dozen all female local artists, vendors and a zine designed by Lee, their creative director.
“To see people who host their own events from LA and OC come and tell us that we did a great job is still not real to me,” Rodriguez said.
Knowing people are looking up to them gives AKA the motivation to expand and reach a broader audience, helping others with the fight to bring music back to our communities.
Graphic credit: EL NICKLIN/Long Beach Current
Photo credit: SAMUEL CHACKO/Long Beach Current Long Beach State and online personalities show up to play a Valorant tournament at the NRG Spectrum Castle in Los Angeles on Oct. 11.
LBSU improves to 17-0
No. 1 Long Beach State moves to 2-0 in conference play with win over No. 7 CSUN.
BY MATTHEW COLEMAN Sports Assistant
No. 1 Long Beach State’s run of dominance continues with it eighth straight sweep, moving them to 17-0 this season with its win over No. 7 Cal State Northridge. The Beach improves to a ridiculous 51-4 in sets this year.
The Matadors entered Friday’s contest boasting an impressive 14-3 record themselves, one of those losses coming to The Beach just a week ago, also coming via a sweep in the Matadome at Northridge.
Not only has LBSU established itself as the best team in the nation thus far, but as a captivating team as well in the NCAA, with their electric style of play bringing a crowd of over 3,000 fans to the Walter Pyramid Friday night.
The Beach began the match with a 6-1 run, as LBSU maintained full control throughout the first set. Superstar freshman setter Moni Nikolov went to the service line midway through and was met with a silent arena all with their phones out looking to capture his next viral highlight.
“Tonight was really all about our serving, the best part of that was that it was a big emphasis for the entire week,” head coach Alan Knipe said. “When we can transfer the areas we’ve identified early in the week and go out in the match and do it, that’s a huge piece of the match.”
Nikolov delivered with a service ace registered at 74 miles per hour to the delight of the LBSU crowd to make it 9-2. Soon after LBSU grabbed its first double-digit lead of the night with another service ace, this time from sophomore outside hitter Sebastiano Sani, leading to a CSUN timeout.
The Beach would tally 31 service aces throughout the match, and take set one by a score of 25-17.
The second set featured a heavy dose of the duo, Nikolov and redshirt junior
opposite hitter Skylar Varga, who led the charge for LBSU offensively. The connection was on display all night with Nikolov tallying a game-high 30 assists and Varga hitting .600.
“I know I’m a good server, and I know I can go back there and rip my serve. Today I definitely felt comfortable tossing the ball,” Varga said.
CSUN made costly errors that are impossible to survive against a team the calibar of LBSU, with double the amount of service errors (18-9). The Beach dominated the front row, outblocking the Matadors 8-2, with senior middle blocker DiAeris McRaven posting a game-high five.
“We’ve been pushing a lot with our block on defense, but we’ve also been pushing our middle with our quicks,” Knipe said. “DiAeris put in extra effort on both the offensive side and the defensive side. I’ve been really really proud of the improvements he’s made.”
LBSU won set two by a double digit margin, winning 25-14.
The Matadors pushed back in set three, as it was the most tightly contested set of the night, with some back and forth action early on. With things ramping up and the score even at 8-8, Nikolov and CSUN’s fellow Bulgarian countrymen, freshman middle blocker Stilian Delibosov got into a chirping match.
Nikolov used the playful smack talk as fuel, as The Beach was able to take and maintain the lead the rest of the way through, including a play in which he went into the front row of the stands to save a ball, ensuing in a rally which he finished off with an assist to Daniil Hershtynovich.
The sophomore opposite hitter, Hershtynovich led all players with a gamehigh 12 kills, serving as the main beneficiary of Nikolov’s passes. The Beach took care of things, finishing the third set 2518, for another 3-0 win.
LBSU has not lost a set in now over a month, with their last coming on Feb. 7, during their 3-1 win over UCLA.
Photo credit: MARK SIQUIG/Long Beach Current
The LBSU men’s volleyball team rush the court to celebrate the dominant win versus No. 7 CSUN on Friday night at the Walter Pyramid.
Rain or shine, LBSU wins series 2-1 against UCSD
BY JUNIOR CONTRERAS
Video Assistant
Winds up to 25 miles per hour blow the flags wildly behind centerfield wall as the sun sets over the Long Beach State Softball Complex. LBSU softball (13-10) hosted their first Big West home series against UC San Diego (3-18).
Thursday, March 13, LBSU 5 - UCSD 4
To start the game, senior pitcher Shannon Haddad walked back-to-back, which led to an RBI sacrifice bunt from junior third baseman/catcher Lily Hermosillo, which put UCSD up early, 1-0.
The Beach answered with an RBI single, tying the game 1-1 from sophomore catcher Brooklyn Lee who transferred from the Tritons.
Rare defensive errors for the nationally ranked, No. 28 LBSU defense led to two unearned runs against Haddad. UCSD led 4-1 after freshman sec-
ond baseman/shortstop Ryanna Alano scored on a fielder’s choice.
“We did not play our softball that we wanted to play…So to be able to fight in these conditions, cold wind in your face, and find a way to come back and win that game,” head coach Kim Sowder said. I’m super happy, I’m proud of them.”
A sweet response from The Beach with a solo homerun from junior outfielder Makayla Medellin and a RBI double from senior outfielder Corissa Sweet cut the lead to one.
Shutdown pitching from both teams kept them quiet going into the 7th.
Long Beach State evened the game 4-4 after Sweet forced a bases loaded RBI walk, bringing up pinch hitter, freshman pitcher Maddy Martin to the plate.
Martin on a full count sent the ball flying into the left center gap to walk off 5-4. The Beach rushed onto the field to celebrate with her on second base as the bundled up Long Beach fans stood up to celebrate among them.
“My approach was just to hit the ball on the ground. I didn’t even want a
double, I was just thinking hit anything close, at least foul it off,” Martin said.
Friday, March 14, UCSD 8 - LBSU 2
The Beach bats went as cold as the weather on Saturday afternoon after the rain caused a two-hour rain delay to begin game two of the series.
What looked like a pitcher’s duel between both pitchers, LBSU freshman Brynne Nally and UCSD junior Claire Adams, after three innings came to an end.
Defensive errors once again came to hurt The Beach after a wild throw by junior infielder Selena Perez allowed the Tritons’ first run across the plate. An RBI double from Hermosillo and a two-run home run over the left field wall gave UCSD a 4-0 lead.
A quiet two runs from Long Beach State came in the fifth and seventh innings before San Diego clinched their first win in 27 days, 8-2.
Friday, March 14, LBSU 9 - UCSD 4
Early pitching struggles for the Tri-
tons gave The Beach full control of game three of the series.
Multiple hits by pitches and walks from UCSD freshman pitcher, Callie Christian, allowed LBSU to take an early 2-0 lead.
The Tritons turned to game two starter Adams who just pitched a complete game less than an hour before game three.
LBSU continued to dominate the short rested and staffed UCSD pitching by adding on two more runs putting them up 6-0.
Lee finished LBSU’s offensive night with a three-run home run to put them up 9-3 before senior pitcher Eryka Gonzales put away the Tritons, winning 9-4.
“To be honest, I knew that I was going to be seeing my old pitcher here at the games this weekend, I just knew I had to calm myself down up to bat,” Lee said.
The Beach will face University of Northern Colorado on March 18 at 6 p.m. at LBSU Softball Complex.
Photo credit: JUSTIN ENRIQUEZ/Long Beach Current
LBSU women’s softball team celebrate after striking out the opposing team. The team won 9-4 defeating UCSD in the series.