Week of Monday, February 7, 2022

Monday, February 7, 2022

The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton

Volume 111 Issue 1

Fullerton City Council vetoes 100% renewable energy Council members vote 3-2 against plan due to high cost for residents despite public support and advocacy.

CARLOS CORDOVA Staff Writer

CSUF Police Department. (Spencer Otte/ Daily Titan)

Campus police hiring to fill shortage of officers CSUF loses around 8 officers due to low pay and retirement.

AMBER JUAREZ Deputy Editor

The Cal State Fullerton Police Department is looking to hire police officers, dispatcher II and student community service officers due to a staff shortage.

University Police Capt. Scot Willey said over the last few years several officers have retired or left to seek higher pay in other departments.

“Quite a few that left and went to work for other police departments for different reasons. Mostly, because of our pay, we’re paid fairly low,” Willey said.

He added that the pay is an ongoing issue that the department is working on with the university.

Willey said that the CSUF Police Department has lost around eight officers and currently employs 22 officers from the chief down.

“We’re hoping to bring the numbers back up,” Willey said. “We wanted our numbers to grow beyond that for many

years, just so that we can be even better service to our community here at the university.”

Willey said the department has not received any new funding and that it is a small part of the university’s budget.

“We actually would appreciate more of a budget. We’re barely 2% of Cal State Fullerton’s total budget for the year. If you look at city police departments and county sheriffs, they’re more around the range from 40 to 60%,” Willey said.

SEE CSUF PD 2

On Tuesday, the Fullerton City Council vetoed a motion that would have made a 100% renewable energy plan default for residents.

This motion comes after the city of Fullerton left Southern California Edison and joined the Orange County Power Authority, a Community Choice Energy program that is designed to allow local governments to oversee energy purchasing for the city and its residents.

The council decided that the city’s municipal energy usage will be set at 38% renewable starting April of this year. Residents will be automatically enrolled into the 69% renewable plan by default.

Residential consumers can opt out of the energy plan. Residents that opt out can choose a plan that is less renewable or 100% renewable.

They can also choose to leave the program and rejoin Southern California Edison.

Council members who voted no on the motion said they felt misinformed about the cost rate increase after joining the program.

“I’m struck by certain contradictions because when we formed the

OC Power Authority there were certain representations made. One of which was initial promises of lower rates,” said Mayor Pro Tem Bruce Whitaker.

The average cost increase for Fullerton residents will be $4.25 per household each month. One hundred percent renewable energy will be an extra $6.38 per month for those who choose to opt in to the cleanest option, a 5.6% increase from Southern California Edison rates. Using the average amount of energy consumed during 2018 and 2019, energy rates will cost the city over $237,000 for 69% renewable energy and over $355,000 for 100%.

“That was never made clear to me or maybe I missed it,” said Council Member Jesus Silva, representing District 3. “That was one of the understandings that I had, was that we were going to get lower rates, lower than Edison. At that time I didn’t know too much about this and I still don’t know everything. But I do see that when rates go up, rates go up.”

SEE PUBLIC 2

Men’s basketball remains on top with win over Bakersfield CSUF leads their conference after a 75-61 victory on Saturday inside Titan Gym. ANTHONY BAUTISTA Managing Editor

Cal State Fullerton men’s basketball led for nearly all 40 minutes of play when they earned a dominant 75-61 victory over the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners last Saturday in Titan Gym. Fullerton’s 3-point shooting opened the floodgates against Bakersfield as the team made 12 of its 22 attempts from beyond the arc, a new season-high.

This shooting breakthrough came after a dismal shooting performance 48 hours prior in Titan Gym, which saw the Titans make just two 3-pointers during their 61-50 victory over Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

“Versus Cal Poly I thought we were taking awful shots early in the game,” CSUF Head Coach Dedrique Taylor said after the victory. “They weren’t the shots that we practice every day and I thought tonight our guys did that and the result was we made a lot,” Taylor added.

Senior guard Damari Milstead led the way on offense for Fullerton, scoring 17 points. The Oakland native tied his career-high with five 3-pointers made against Bakersfield to go along with four rebounds and four assists.

Milstead’s partner in the backcourt, sophomore guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr., was not too far behind with 15 points and a couple of 3-pointers of his own.

Wrightsell Jr. also finished with eight rebounds, two assists and made seven of his eight free throw attempts.

SEE VICTORY

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Senior guard Damari Milstead drives past a Cal State Bakersfield defender and charges towards the basket inside of Titan Gym on Feb. 5. (Marisa Palmerin-Flores / Daily Titan)

Opinion: Unions can mend the gaming industry’s toxicity

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Lifestyle: Bringing in The Year of the Tiger

In light of recent countroversies at well-known gaming companies, worker unionization can protect workers from exploitative practices.

The Asian Pacific American Resource Center celebrated Lunar New Year on Feb. 1 with a virtual event.

Opinion

Lifestyle

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2 News

WEEK OF MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7

CAMILA VELLEGO / DAILY TITAN

Upcoming events for the week of Feb. 7 CARLOS CORDOVA Staff Writer

As Cal State Fullerton sees the return of its students to campus this week, there is an array of upcoming events for Titans to participate in.

Allyship 101 This Zoom workshop focuses on the concept of being an Ally against social

injustice, how to interrupt discourse on social identity differences and advancing Allyship in an effort to achieve solidarity. The workshop will be held on Monday, Feb. 7, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Women’s basketball The CSUF women’s basketball team will face off against Long Beach State on Tuesday, Feb. 8 and will play against Hawaii on Thursday, Feb. 10.

Both games start at 7 p.m. at the Titan Gym.

The virtual meeting is on Wednesday, Feb. 9th from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

students is $8, non-students is $10, all tickets have a $3 processing fee.

Virtual Study Abroad & Global Engagement General Information Session This virtual general information session hosted by Study Abroad & Global Engagement (SAGE) and the Global Titan ambassadors, helps students find a study abroad program that fits their interest, educational goals and budget.

Guest Artists Recital - Johan Smith Cal State Fullerton College of the Arts - School of Music presents guitarist Johan Smith, winner of the prestigious 2019 Guitar Foundation of America Competition. This live recital will take place Wednesday, Feb 9. at 8 p.m. in Recital Hall. Tickets can be bought online and at the box office. Price for

CLEAR Series - Learn to Listen Part two of this five part Zoom series focuses on developing the skills necessary for better communication and handling disputes. Hosted

by Conflict Resolution Manager, Lucia Galante Johnson. This meeting will take place on Thursday, Feb. 10 from1 p.m. to 2 p.m.

Public: Residents can opt in to clean electricity plan 1 Council members recommended that residents who are passionate about clean energy opt in to the 100% renewable option, but said they do not want to subject uninformed residents to higher rates.

Mayor Fred Jung, who is also vice chairman of the Orange County Public Authority, urged his colleagues to act in favor of the cleanest option.

“I think we have to recognize that climate change is not partisan, it’s the existential threat to our future. We are duty bound to find ways to mitigate it for our children and our grandchildren.

This is an opportunity for one of the oldest cities in Orange County to do one of the most forward things,” Jung said.

Ayn Cranciun, Orange County policy manager for Climate Action Campaign, a non-profit organization, spoke during the meeting’s public comment section.

“Individuals can always choose another product if they want or need to. Fossil Fuel based products on the other hand do not provide any choice to the CONTINUED FROM

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people that have to live with the pollution that they create or their consequences. Including Fullerton neighborhoods that are in the 90th to 100th percentile among all Californian communities for pollution burden,” Cranciun said.

During the public comments portion of the meeting Desi Garcia, who said he was a Cal State Fullerton student spoke during the public comment section urging the council to consider a 100% renewable default.

“At the current rate, I will be experiencing the absolute worst of the climate crisis,”Garcia said.

“However, by choosing 100% clean energy as the default for Fullerton, you’d be contributing to a brighter and healthier future for me and future generations.”

Garcia went on to explain to the council that 100% renewable energy usage would reduce about 300,000 metric tons of carbon. The same as taking 68,000 cars off the street.

Buena Park and Huntington Beach are the only two cities in the program to select 100% renewable for both their facilities and its residents.

CSUF PD: ASI discusses police reforms CONTINUED FROM

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Last year, the Associated Students’ board voted in favor of defunding CSUF PD and relocating the funds to mental health services instead.

Although ASI does not have the power to defund the police department on campus themselves, the board will continue to advocate the student perspective to campus administration on the issue, said ASI President Josh Mitchell.

“From ASI’s perspective, we continue to advocate two perspectives on this. And as well, conversations with admin of, for example, your diffuse advisory board, and seeing how policing on our campus can be more safe for students looking at the data we’ve been provided,” said Mitchell.

On Feb. 3, the California Faculty Association, a union that represents 29,000 employees across the CSU voted to ratify a new contract with CSU management. This contract calls for a task force of CSU faculty, unions,

students and staff to look for alternatives to police on campus.

Michele Barr, full time lecturer in the department of kinesiology is part of the association’s executive team for the Fullerton chapter and a member of the bargaining team said this tentative agreement is meant to shift what the campus police does on campus to people who are more equipped to handle things.

“Maybe adding folks to maybe adding them to campus police, but they have different jobs, like, maybe they are social workers, or mental health professionals, or maybe mediators and called to do things that oftentimes police are called to do.

But they may not be the most appropriate folks to call,” Barr said.

Barr also said this will not be defunding the campus police, but it will shift the funds to find the appropriate people for the calls. Barr added that the vote to ratify the contract has now been ratified with a 95% “yes” rate, however it is still unknown when the alternatives for the police on campus will be in place.

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Lifestyle 3

WEEK OF MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7

Five TV shows to binge in between classes

(Hulu)

(Netflix)

(HBO Max)

(Disney+)

As the semester returns to in person, so does the grudge of long waits in between classes. Luckily, the availability of streaming services on our laptops and mobile devices give students the opportunity for some much needed downtime.

Here are five binge worthy TV shows to watch between classes this semester.

“Ozark” With the series just releasing part one of its two part finale season, Netflix’s “Ozark” is the show to jump on board and binge right away. The series follows Marty and Wendy Byrde (played by Jason Bateman and Laura Linney), as they move their family from Chicago to the Missouri Ozarks after Marty finds himself indebted to launder money for a Mexican drug cartel. The Byrdes now find themselves adjusting to a new life of crime all while trying to keep their fractured family from falling apart.

Why it’s binge worthy: This dark crime drama starts off fast right away, saving viewers from having to sit through a couple of episodes just to see the story slowly unfold. With incredible performances from its two leading stars, its gripping storytelling and beautiful yet eerie cinematography, “Ozark” is the show you’ll binge over night and want more of the next day.

Now streaming on Netflix.

“The Book of Boba Fett” The Star Wars universe continues to expand in this spin-off of the hit Disney+ series, “The Mandalorian.” The series sees legendary bounty hunter Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) return to the desert planet of Tatooine, staking his claim on Jabba the Hutt’s throne. Allied with infamous mercenary Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen), the two navigate their way through the criminal underworld as they fight to keep Jabba’s territory.

Why it’s binge worthy: For Star Wars fans, this show hits all the nostalgic feels with references and cameos from past incarnations. With power houses such as Jon Favreau, Robert Rodriguez and Dave Filoni producing, viewers are guaranteed a show that will provide them with enough exciting moments to talk about.

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“Search Party” This dark horse of comedies just released its fifth and final season in January and is the perfect series to sit back and not take seriously. Starting off as a story about a group of friends trying to find a missing person, the show evolved into a social commentary about the vapidness of the social media generation.

Starring former “Arrested Development’’ alum Alia Shawkat, this comedy pokes fun at the absurdity of millennials who have refused to take adulthood seriously.

Why it’s binge worthy: This is not a show for people interested in character development. Instead, you will relish in watching these characters devolve, getting morally worse each season. After watching “Search Party” you may feel worse about humanity, but you’re guaranteed to laugh the entire time.

Now streaming on HBO Max. “Yellowstone” From creator Taylor Sheridan, who wrote “Wind River” and “Hell or High Water,” this modern-day western follows the Dutton family, owners of the largest ranch in Montana commonly known as the Yellowstone. Led by patriarch John Dutton (Kevin Costner), the family fights to protect their ranch from incoming land developers and an American Indian reservation who believe the land belongs to them.

Why it’s binge worthy: Though the series centers on the Dutton family, its use of strong Native American characters is something television has been seriously lacking for a long time. Gil Birmingham, who plays Chief Thomas Rainwater, does an incredible job matching Costner’s caliber on screen, making their rivalry worth watching. With a production that makes viewers feel like they’re watching a movie, “Yellowstone” has enough compelling storytelling to keep you coming back for more.

Now streaming on Paramount+ and Peacock.

“The Great” A satirical telling on the rise of Catherine the Great, Hulu’s comedic drama starring Elle Fanning in the title role is filled with enough wit and charm to keep you watching. After arriving in Russia and becoming its new Empress,

for one another. “The Great” is not your typical period piece that slowly drags with each episode. It’s fast paced, sexy and lavishly witty storytelling will make you wish you were partying it up in 18th century Russia.

Now streaming on Hulu.

EDITORIAL

Staff Writer

Why it’s binge worthy: Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult’s chemistry is what drives the show, making it so captivating. The two stars play off each other very well, creating a dynamic that showcases both characters ruthlessness, and at times, admiration

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F OR THE REC ORD It is Daily Titan policy to correct factual errors printed in the publication. Corrections will be published on the subsequent issue after an error is discovered and will appe ar on page 3. Errors on the O pinion page will be corrected on that page. Corrections will also be made to the online version of the article.

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© COPYRIGHT DAILY TITAN 2021 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED The Daily Titan is a student publication, printed every Monday through Thursday. The Daily Titan operates independently of Associated Students, Inc. College of Communications, CSUF administration and the CSU. The Daily Titan has functioned as a public forum since inception. Unless implied by the advertising party or otherwise stated, advertising in the Daily Titan is inserted by commercial activities or ventures identified in the advertisements themselves and not by the university. Such printing is not to be construed as written or implied sponsorship, endorsement or investigation of such commercial enterprises. The Daily Titan allocates one issue to e ach student for fre e.

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4 Lifestyle Game

REVIEW

WEEK OF MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7

Pokemon Legends: Arceus serves as a much needed evolution to the series

The latest entry in this classic franchise features innovative mechanics and outdated visuals.

FRANK PORTILLO Editor

Pokemon Legends: Arceus is a much needed breath of fresh air for the long-running franchise which has grown quite stale with its previous iterations.

Since the release of the Nintendo Switch, fans have been awaiting a Pokemon game of this magnitude and the game delivers on so many fronts, creating an exciting future for the video game series.

With new catching mechanics, an open world chock-full of natural habitats and a story set far before any of the previous adventures, this game is a must-play for any fanatic.

Set in the past in the new Husui region, exploring the old world of Pokemon brings an exciting new experience full of innovating gameplay and chunks of lore.

Capturing Pokemon The updated catching mechanics allows for multiple approaches when capturing Pokemon. Players could go the more traditional route of engaging wild Pokemon in battle, but what makes this game so unique is the fact that players can actually catch some without doing so.

Most of the stronger Pokemon require the traditional method of weakening before being able to capture them, but there is a large number of Pokemon that can be caught in much simpler ways like sneaking behind them, hiding in tall grass and luring them with berries. When their guards are down,

(Frank Portillo / Daily Titan)

players are able to catch them.

Being able to see the creatures walk around in their natural habitats has been a dream for longtime fans. Part of the new catching mechanics when taking a stealthy approach is when the Pokemon you are hunting becomes aware of your presence, where players are suddenly forced to flee on foot or engage in battle.

Embracing the true nature of role-playing, open-world games – the game allows players to craft Pokeballs and other items like potions, which makes for a much more fun experience than simply walking into a Pokemon Center.

A new game-changing feature for hardcore trainers is the addition of research tasks for each individual Pokemon.

This game incentivizes not only capturing multiple monsters, but evolving them

and completing tasks with similar missions. Pokemon that would ordinarily be relegated to a life in a box becomes valuable to train for hardcore completionists.

Open-World Gameplay The open-world gameplay allows players to explore after getting through the initial tutorial phase. The series has suffered from the limited nature of the game which tends to be quite linear, and diehard fans have been criticizing it for the past few iterations.

In the past, there were no additional places to explore that weren’t already visited during the main storyline. For players worried that the open-world nature of the game might be too complex to navigate, the game offers markers that give players a more linear experience.

The inherent nature of open-world gameplay allows players to explore every inch of the game. Early on, before gaining the ability to ride Pokemon, if a player attempts to swim in a large body of water then they’ll immediately drown with no way to swim out of the water, knocking the player unconscious.

Graphics Graphics sadly aren’t this game’s strong suit. The visuals are horrid at times, and could be downright embarrassing during certain moments. It’s difficult not to compare it to one of the Switch’s greatest games, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which displays astonishing graphics in the large open world and proved that achieving amazing graphics is possible on the device.

When playing this game on a TV, the frame rate looks distractingly pixelated.

While the visuals are an overall advancement for the series —it’s held back from being truly exquisite because of the occasional lack of quality.

On the same note, there are a lot of adorable animations for the Pokemon traversing the wild while players are exploring. If hiding in tall grass and attracting Pokemon using berries, surrounding Pokemon will be confused if one is captured. A small thought bubble with a question mark pops up, and they survey the surroundings warily.

One of the real treats is stumbling upon Pokemon that are simply relaxing in their habitats. The variation of animations when it comes to the wild Pokemon is a dream come true for fans of the franchise.

Very much like the latest New Pokemon Snap game, part of the allure is the ability to see these creatures in natural environments being super adorable.

Some of the new graphics and visuals are welcome additions though. The new iterations of the Pokeballs have an adorable animation when capturing Pokemon.

The ball gives a brief shake, as they do in the other games, but when they are captured there is a small firecracker that goes off, celebrating the catch. It never gets old.

Altogether, this new adventure takes about 25-30 hours to complete and it’s well worth every second. There are plenty of new additions that show promise in the franchise’s future and hope they continue the momentum of this widely praised game. If you love Pokemon, this game should definitely be experienced.

Pokemon Legend: Arceus is now available in-stores and digitally.

Lunar New Year event unites Titans The Asian Pacific American Resource Center celebrated the Year of the Tiger on Feb. 1.

RYANN KIRK Staff Writer

The Asian Pacific American Resource Center held its “Unleash the Tiger” event on Feb. 1 in celebration of the Lunar New Year with discussions about how different countries celebrate this annual occasion.

Lunar New Year is an annual holiday celebrated up to 16 days by several Asian countries, marking the start of the new year on the everchanging lunar calendar. Each culture celebrates the holiday differently, but they all center around the same general theme.

The Lunar New Year event that the center hosted consisted of a slideshow presentation that exhibited

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information on various cultures’ ways of celebrating. Among the panel members were representatives from the Vietnamese Student Association and the Chinese Study Society. Each person presented information about their cultures’ traditions, foods and greetings. The presentation included insight from the Asian countries of Vietnam, China, Korea and Cambodia.

Lauren Tju, a fourth-year women and gender studies major who joined in on the event, said that the presentation taught her a lot about the differences in celebrating the lunar new year.

“I learned a lot of different ways to celebrate. Personally, I’m Chinese-Indonesian, so I celebrate in a very Chinese way. And I knew that other countries celebrate it, but I never knew exactly how, so hearing that was actually really

interesting,” Tju said.

Many other students joined the conversation and actively engaged in the discussion and in the chat.

The event consistently had around 25 participants trickle in and out with a lot of interaction, said Tia Chea, the center’s coordinator and the host of the event.

“I think by the end of the day, what we wanted was engaging participants, and it wasn’t like wanting a high number, it was just trying to have a great event, and I thought that we succeeded,” Chea said.

One of the main reasons the center hosted this event, besides celebrating, was to help bring students closer together, both those in the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American community and those who aren’t, Chea said.

“There’s so many different ethnicities within our APIDA community,

and I wanted to make sure that everyone is being seen, heard and know that they have a little piece of home away from home. And so it’s definitely really important for our community within ourselves, but also like showcasing our rich cultures for everyone else,” Chea said.

Selena-Andria Liu, a third-year accounting major and the Chinese Studies Society representative on the panel, said she believes that these events are crucial for acting as a source of representation for the APIDA as a community as a whole and for the various identities that fall within it.

“Celebrating the lunar new year is a way for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to share their history, to share their stories, to show where they come from, to share different aspects of their community,” Liu said.

This event also allowed for the opportunity for people to celebrate with others during a time when social gatherings are conducted less often. Tju said that this was her first time celebrating the Lunar New Year with other people in two years.

“It’s actually really nice to be able to enjoy the holiday with other people. That’s something that I’ve always done throughout my life, so having the ability to do it again has been really nice,” Tju said.

Liu said these events help students find a home for themselves at school.

“So within this community, people can feel free to be themselves, share different answers, and be able to just let people know about their ups and downs, their happiness or whatever they’re going on in their life,” Liu said.

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Sports 5

WEEK OF MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7

Women’s basketball suffers loss to Bakersfield CSUF dropped its sixth conference game thus far against Bakersfield, 76-74, on Feb 5.

BRYAN CORRALES Asst. Editor

Cal State Fullerton women’s basketball suffered their second consecutive loss with a surprising back and forth 76-74 defeat at Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday. The loss now puts Fullerton with an 8-11 overall record, 3-6 conference record, and places them eighth in the Big West Conference standings.

After being on the losing end of Cal Poly’s first conference win and second win overall, Fullerton gave the Roadrunners their first conference win of the season and second overall.

The game was close throughout, especially in the fourth quarter when both teams scored 25 points. The game was still a toss-up during the last 13 seconds of the game, where the

Roadrunners were up by four points until Fullerton guard Gabi Vidmar scored her fourth three-pointer of the game, shrinking the lead to 75-74.

Unfortunately, just two seconds after her three-pointer, Vidmar committed her fifth personal foul of the game on red-shirt junior forward Jayden Eggelston — who already made 12 out of her 16 free throw attempts. Eggleston led all scorers in points with 29.

After Vidmar fouled out, Eggelston went up to the line and made the first free throw but missed the second.

Fullerton forward Carolyn Gill caught the rebound and made a quick pass to guard Fujika Nimmo who made a three-point attempt in the final three seconds to win the game but missed. Eggelston then got the rebound but it was taken away

by Fullerton forward Kathryn Neff to give the Titans possession.

With 1.9 seconds left, guard Una Jovanovic inbounded the ball to Gill who was then fouled with less than

a second left.

With a chance to tie the game a second time, Gill missed the first free throw, forcing her to intentionally miss the second one so that the Titans could still have a chance to force overtime.

Instead, Eggelson collected her eighth defensive rebound to win the game for the Roadrunners.

Gill led the Titans with 20 points, her season-high. Nimmo tallied 19 points and four assists while Lily Wahinekapu and Vidmar both scored 12 points each. Wahinekapu also had the most playing time with 38 minutes.

After struggling on the road with a 2-8 record, the Titans return home where they are 6-3 for their next four games. However, the first of these home games will be against Cal State Long Beach on Feb.8, who are 15-3 and 8-2 in the Big West Conference, good enough for first place.

If the Titans continue their home court success by winning the next four games, they’ll put themselves

Junior guard Fujika Nimmo dribbles past a UC Riverside defender to approach the basket inside Titan Gym on Jan. 29. (Navtej Hundal / Daily Titan)

back above a .500 winning percentage in both their overall and conference records.

Following Long Beach, Fullerton will host third-place Hawai’i

on Thursday, fifth-place UC Santa Barbara on Feb. 17 and Cal State Northridge on Feb. 19. CSUN is currently tied with Fullerton in the standings.

Victory: Roadrunners trampled by Titans CONTINUED FROM

1

The Big West’s leading scorer, Fullerton’s E.J. Anosike, despite being held scoreless for a majority of the first half, finished with his sixth double-double this season as he racked up 10 points and 13 rebounds against the Roadrunners.

Guards Tray Maddox Jr. and Jalen Harris had 13 and 11 points off the bench, respectively.

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Not only did the Titans take full advantage of their 3-point shooting on offense, but they also defended the perimeter very well, holding the Roadrunners to 2-13 shooting from deep.

“Our point of emphasis was to not let them make four threes and we held them to that so that was pretty good for us,” Wrightsell Jr. said.

The Titan’s defense supported their efficient offensive performance against Bakersfield, as they held the visitors to

just under 40% shooting from the field and 15% from beyond the arc.

Fullerton held Bakersfield’s starters to 21 points combined with no one contributing more than six.

Bakersfield was led on offense by sophomore guard David Walker, who was the team’s only scorer in double figures, as he had 14 points off the bench.

Entering Saturday’s contest, Fullerton was in a three-team tie for first place in the Big West Conference with

Hawai’i and Long Beach State. After Hawai’i lost to UC Davis and Long Beach defeated Cal Poly SLO earlier in the day, the victory over Bakersfield keeps Fullerton tied at the top of the standings with Long Beach State, who the Titans will visit on Tuesday night.

For now, Taylor wants his team to enjoy the victory but the celebration will be short-lived to focus on the next task at hand.

“I told the team to enjoy the win. We

earned the opportunity to enjoy it and then tomorrow at midnight turn the page and get ready for Long Beach,” Taylor stated. “That’s what I think is important for this group and to understand that it is going to be a game, it’s going to be a fisticuffs,” he added.

The victory improved the Titans’ overall record to 14-6, the best start under Taylor. It also marked Fullerton’s best start in the Big West era with a record of 7-1.

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6 Sports

WEEK OF MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7

Senior YuSeung Suh prepares to toss up a serve against Azusa Pacific on Jan. 29 at the Titan Courts. (Jon Buzdar / Daily Titan)

Fullerton tennis splits nonconference matches CSUF defeated Point Loma, 6-1, on Feb. 2 and lost, 4-3, against San Jose State on Feb. 4.

BY DAVID GOODKIND Asst. Editor

Cal State Fullerton women’s tennis team split a pair of matches against Point Loma and San Jose State over the last week. The Titans dominated at Point Loma in a 6-1 victory on Wednesday, but fell to San Jose State in a tight 4-3 loss at home on Friday. The week’s results put Fullerton at 2-1 in dual play this season.

On Feb. 2, in San Diego against Point Loma, all but one Titan took their matches in straight sets in singles play.

In their singles matches, Camila Garcia won 6-3, 6-2, Juliette Daries won 6-4, 6-2, YuSeung Suh won 6-2, 6-4, and Natalie Duffy won 6-3, 6-4. Mariia Nikitash also won her singles match, only dropping two games in a 6-2, 6-0 victory.

Eira Tobrand had the only singles loss of the day for the Titans, but also played in the closest match of the day. Tobrand was defeated in two hard-fought sets, losing 6-7(2) and 6-7(6).

Prior to singles play, the Titans set the pace early with two big wins.

The pairing of Duffy and Suh led the way and won, 6-2, while the pairing of Kaytlin Taylor and Daries won, 6-4.

Tobrand and Garcia were also paired together and went down in their match, 5-4. However, that doubles match went unfinished without a recorded result.

The Titans would not have it as easy against San Jose State back at the Fullerton Tennis Courts on Feb. 4.

Fullerton found early success and took the doubles point with the

pairings of Duffy and Suh, Garcia and Tobrand, and Taylor and Daries.

Duffy and Suh won 6-3 while Garcia and Tobrand had a 6-0 victory.

Taylor and Daries fell in their doubles match, 4-3.

In singles play, San Jose State overcame the pressure and rose to the challenge, winning four matches.

Daries and Suh were defeated in straight sets, losing 6-4, 6-1 and 7-5, 6-4, respectively. Duffy put up a good fight but fell short in three sets, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2. Tobrand lost a heartbreaker that resulted in a tiebreaker loss in the third set,

finishing 3-6, 6-1, 6(5)-7. The loss clinched the dual match for San Jose State and handed the Titans their fist dual loss of the season.

However, the Titans did pick up a pair of wins in singles play. Nikitash continued her winning ways in a 7-5, 6-4 win while Taylor also picked up a straight-sets victory, finishing 7-6(5), 6-3.

CSUF will have a week off from competition before they open conference play on Feb. 12. The Titans will travel to UC Riverside on Saturday to take on the Highlanders in a dual match scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.

Titans set records at Washington State Invitational CSUF’s indoor track and field team made history Feb. 4 and 5 at The Podium in Washington.

BY NAVTEJ HUNDAL Deputy Editor

Over the weekend, Cal State Fullerton’s indoor track and field team secured victories and broke records at the Washington State Invitational and open meet in Spokane, Washington.

On Friday, several female athletes from Fullerton were split into two teams in the women’s distance medley. Team A consisted of Alyssa Block, Lauren Delgadillo, Dana McGrath and Ruelas. Team B was made up of Eva Rethmeier, Olivia Ruiz, Mia Bergman and McKaylie Caesar.

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Team A had a first-place time of 11:52:95 and became the stadium’s best record time for this specific event. Team B came in third place with 12:24:89, only 11 seconds behind the second-place University of Nevada. CSUF earned first place in several events such as the men’s open pole vault, men’s open 60-meter hurdles, women’s distance medley and the men’s and women’s open 4-x-400 meter relay.

Fullerton continued to find success at the men’s pole vault with junior Daniel Palacio breaking his own personal record twice and taking home first place (5.05m).

Senior Ernesto Collazo trailed behind Palacio in second with a clearance of 4.90 meters, while junior Samuel Heinrichs finished in third place at 4.80 meters.

In the men’s 60-meter hurdles, three

Titans finished in the top four. Sophomore Reyte Rash finished in the top spot with an 8.28 seconds. Senior Matt Choen followed closely behind Rash in second at 8.35 seconds.

In the women’s 60-meter hurdles, freshman Amira Hawkins finished in fifth place overall with a time of 8.91 seconds.

The 4-x-400 women’s relay team consisting of Kristin Light, Maya Occiano, Alero Soaris, Lauren Delgadillo recorded a winning time of 3:52:92. Delgadillo came in third place with a time of 58.38 seconds in the women’s 400-meter dash.

Her teammate Soaris came in eighth with a time of 59.50 seconds.

The men’s relay team included Reyte Rash, Chris Shiley, Justin Lowe and Charles Kelly. They finished with a time of

3:15:53 and set a new record time for the event at The Podium.

Senior Trinity Ruelas came in third place in the women’s one-mile invite with a time of 4:56:56.

Fullerton had several top-three finishes including senior Rasaun House in his 60-meter dash, Lowe in the men’s 200-meter dash, Carmen Willis in the men’s long jump, and Shallamar Poole in the men’s high jump.

Freshman London Lee finished in third place (11.49 meters) in the women’s triple jump Sophomore Andrew Auguliar finished in fourth place at 8.53 seconds.

In the women’s 60-meter hurdles, freshman Amira Hawkins finished in fifth place overall with a time of 8.91 seconds.

Three Titans finished in the top six in the women’s open one-mile run. Bergman finished in second place, Block came in third and McGrath finished in sixth.

In men’s long jump, William Dower (6.65 meters) came in ninth place and Christian Wood (6.63 meters) finished in tenth.

In the Titan’s final event, red-shirt senior Sammy Ayala finished the one-mile invitational in ninth place, recording a time of four minutes 10:67 seconds. The mile time from Ayala is now a record for Fullerton at The Podium. He is now the third Titan to hold three or more records within an academic year.

The Titans return to action on Friday and Saturday for the Don Kirby Invitational in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

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Leisure 7

WEEK OF MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7

WRITTEN by Stepheny Gehrig

Do you know where Tuffy is?

Follow @thedailytitan and submit your answer on Instagram for a chance to win.

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ARIES You might find that your emotions will rule you this week. Your feelings might even get in the way of clear-headed decision making. Be careful and think through things before you act.

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TAURUS An old friend might be finding their way back to you.

Make sure that you make the right choice for you; prioritize yourself by acknowledging why the friendship ended and if it’ll be good for you to accept it back.

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GEMINI Holding on to negative emotions will only hold you back. Let go of negative feelings and animosity to help yourself flourish.

CANCER Cancer, the mood for this week is: declutter. This can be around your house or even mentally. Taking time to pick up a room or spend five minutes meditating can significantly improve your mood this week.

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LIBRA Healing might take long, but this week, Libra, you’ll find a new opportunity to heal old wounds. Reflecting and making amends can be the best way to heal, rather than dwelling on an issue.

SCORPIO Change is in the air for you, Scorpio. Although change is hard, it’s coming when you most need it. This change will be a renewal and a fresh start.

SAGITTARIUS Your trust in close friends will be tested this week.

Watch how others act around you and be careful with who you confide in.

CAPRICORN Capricorn, the upcoming week might hold some intense days. Try to take a break from the chaos this week by setting aside time to decompress.

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LEO Holding yourself accountable will be a common theme this week.

Some unwanted outcomes could pop up, but hold tight, it’ll all work out.

VIRGO You might feel sluggish this week, Virgo. It can be draining and will take a toll on your work life, school or even your relationships.

Don’t push yourself over your limit.

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AQUARIUS Expressing your needs will be essential this week, Aquarius. Communicating your wants and needs will aid your relationships and help them grow stronger.

PISCES Your voice is powerful.

Muster up the courage to have those difficult conversations that you’ve been avoiding. Positive changes will arise with your effort.

CSUF Fullertones FullerTones is a student-run organization at California State University, Fullerton. We are an organization dedicated to the art of A Cappella music. As a group, we aspire to make a fun and inviting environment that encourages diversity and self-empowerment. We work hard to prepare musical performances for concerts or competitions at any given level. We are also excited to give future Titan talent the chance to be part of the FullerTones family.

Please join us at auditions on Friday February 11th and Saturday February 12th from 12pm-2pm and follow us on Instagram @csuf_fullertones for more information!!

For your club or organization to be featured, email production@dailytitan.com with photo(s) and a description with no more than 125 words.

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8 Opinion

WEEK OF MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7

Unionizing is crucial to video game industry’s growth Issues of pay compensation and harassment require representation from unions.

TRISTAN ZELDEN Staff Writer

The video game industry is infamous for workplace issues from harassment and cultures that work people into dust. While many entertainment industries have unions, like the Screen Actors Guild for the film business, the video game industry lacks unions, outside of a handful like Swedish developer and publisher Paradox Interactive, which is known for the strategy franchise “Crusader Kings.” While those in a studio often face excessive hours that do not equate to money earned.

On a technical level, people know how to make games, but management and leaders do not know how to disperse hours in a healthy manner.

Having a union would be a way to push back and let people have days off and not work excessive hours without start to compensation.

According to LinkedIn, video games have a higher turnover rate than other technology industries at 15.5% and looking at cases of abuse that have occurred toward women and people of color along with crunch cultures, it makes sense.

Riot Games, the studio behind “League of Legends,” had a report from 2018 detailing how women were treated, like lists from leaders that included female colleagues they wanted to sleep with. Former and current female employees took legal action, leading to a $100 million settlement.

If those women had a union

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representative, appropriate actions to hold abusers accountable and prevent further harassment most likely would have occurred as leaders tend to be the root cause of these systemic issues as it tends to

roll downhill.

One scathing example is how Activision CEO Bobby Kotick had reports that he knew and protected perpetrators, but even with a newly instated zero-tolerance policy, he

was not held accountable. In fact, he received a big payday because he is reportedly leaving after Microsoft’s acquisition of the company goes through within the next year.

The other issue that having a

union could solve would be about pay. Senior-level staff can make up to six figure salaries, but lower positions can struggle to make a living with low salaries. Unions increase the bargaining power of people who have been taken advantage of by their employers Some leaders have stepped up to talk about unions in a constructive manner, which helps the cause by putting powerful voices in the conversation. Former Blizzard developer and founder of “State of Decay” studio Undead Labs, Jeff Strain, wrote an open letter to call for the unionization of the games industry.

“Unions were started in this country to protect workers from abusive, cruel, abhorrent, unacceptable and illegal treatment from companies.

That’s their entire purpose,” Strain wrote. “If this week does not show us that our industry colleagues — even the most entry-level QA tester — need true support and baseline protection, I can’t imagine how much worse it will have to get.”

Unfortunately, most leaders shrug at the ideas, like Naughty Dog co-president Evan Wells who was against the idea of unions, as it would not let people work as much as they want and it would “frustrate people to no end.” Except, it probably would not, as people would likely prefer to see their families once and a while rather than working over 60 hours to make a video game.

Leadership will find ways to reduce efforts to avoid change. Employees who face harsh conditions only have each other when their bosses fail them. By organizing, this industry can move to a healthier space.

Superhero films must catch up on LGBT representation The movie industry must feature queer characters to the same degree that comic books have.

MATTHEW KEYSER Staff Writer

There is no doubt that comic book films have become a staple in pop culture. The superhero genre has generated a massive fan base over the years and the influence of these films has reached people from different backgrounds and communities.

Recently, Marvel and DC have slowly introduced LGBTQ characters into their films. With the recent casting of Ivory Aquino in the new “Batgirl” — slated to release later this year on HBO Max — DC has taken a monumental step by casting their first openly transgender character in a live-action film.

The Filipina American trans actress will be playing Alysia Yeoh, Batgirl’s best friend and roommate.

In the comics, Yeoh is openly trans and one of the few people outside the bat-family who knows Batgirl’s secret identity.

But while these studios seem to be progressing with representation of LGBTQ characters in the media, a lack of inclusivity is still present in cinema. Comic book films garner more attention than most films today, and the importance of introducing more gender diverse characters into the mainstream can have a positive impact on the LGBTQ community.

This past year, Marvel Studios has featured a small handful of LGBTQ characters on the screen. In the 2021 feature film “Eternals,” the MCU included it’s first same-sex couple played by Brian Tyree Henry and Haaz Sleiman. On the Disney+ VISIT US AT: DAILYTITAN.COM

series “Loki,” the title character played by Tom Hiddleston, revealed he is bisexual, although some fans speculate the character is actually pansexual.

“WandaVision” even introduced us to Wanda and Vision’s son Wiccan. In the comics, Wiccan is a member of the Young Avengers and is openly gay. He eventually marries his longtime partner and fellow Young Avenger, Hulkling. Their wedding becomes one of the biggest ceremonies in the MCU, with everyone from the Avengers to the Fantastic Four showing up.

A storyline of that magnitude would be silly for Marvel Studios to pass up. Its significance would have a positive impact for young adults in the LGBTQ community. It would also display Marvel’s commitment to showcasing more gender diversity through a potential Young Avengers film, a project that could be influential for a young queer fanbase.

While these representations seem prevalent, Marvel’s handling with character sexuality is still brand new. In 2017’s “Thor: Ragnarok,” Tessa Thompson played the elite Asgardian warrior Valkyrie. Although it wasn’t addressed in the film, the character was actually the MCU’s first openly queer character to be introduced on screen. In a recent interview with The Wrap, Thompson expressed that her and “Thor: Ragnarok” director Taika Waititi, wanted to delve further into the character’s bisexuality.

With Valkyrie as the new king of Asgard, it would make sense for the next installment of the franchise to expand on her sexuality by finding her a queen. Afterall, a new love story for the series would be refreshing for audiences while honoring the characters source material.

DC on the other hand, has been making strides with its representation of LGBTQ characters on its television platforms. In 2018, Nicole Maines was cast as television’s first trans superhero, Dreamer, on The CW’s “Supergirl.” The show also had Supergirl’s sister Alex Danvers, played by Chyler Leigh, come out as a lesbian in its second season.

HBO Max’s animated series “Harley Quinn” saw a romantic relationship between Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy slowly develop.

The two finally confessed their love for each other in the show’s

season two finale.

Ruby Rose played the title character in the CW’s “Batwoman,” in the series’ first season. Rose’s character, Kate Kane, is a lesbian in the comics and the show made sure to address it in the episode, “How Queer Everything is Today!” When Rose left the show after season one, she was replaced by Javicia Leslie who took up the Batwoman mantle as Ryan Wilder. With show already addressing LGBTQ themes, Wilder was revealed to be a lesbian as well.

But for what DC has achieved in

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television, its representation of the LGBTQ community in film is disappointing. The 2020 film, “Birds of Prey” had every chance to be the film that would give fans the queer representation they were looking for. Unfortunately, for as entertaining the film was, it fell through in its handling of LGBTQ characters like Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez).

Although the film establishes early on Montoya’s sexuality and relationship with ex-girlfriend Ellen Yee, played by Ali Wong, little is left to explore throughout the film leaving to question, “Why even establish it to begin with?” Harley Quinn’s bisexuality is also not mentioned and given that movie focuses on her breakup with the Joker — a missed opportunity to delve into her sexuality seems like a huge disappointment for a character with a large queer following.

With the casting of Ivory Aquino in “Batgirl,” DC Studios has made a step in the right direction in representing the LGBTQ community.

Aquino’s casting can help end an embarrassing troupe that has seen cisgender men portraying trans women in film. It also gives inspiration for trans actors struggling in the industry that are trying to obtain roles meant for them.

As Marvel and DC begin to introduce more characters that highlight the LGBTQ community, comic book films have the potential to be a huge alley by instilling positive representation and awareness.

While these studios continue to make strides, it’s important that we as fans continue to voice the importance of the inclusion of these characters and the effect they will have on LGBTQ culture.

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