Week of Monday, February 14, 2022

Monday, February 14, 2022

The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton

WoMen’s Center closed; services transferred to other resource centers

Volume 111 Issue 2

Mask mandate not expected to extend past Feb. 28 The university has no plans to continue the indoor policy after the announced date.

SPENCER OTTE Editor

Visible sign on WoMen’s Center door in Steven G. Mihaylo Hall. (Spencer Otte / Daily Titan)

AMBER JUAREZ Deputy Editor

Without any announcement from the university, the Cal State Fullerton’s WoMen’s Center has been closed since December, according to several former employees.

What once existed as a one-stop resource for women’s services on campus is now split between several programs

at the Diversity Initiative and Resource Center, known as DIRC. Sofie Leon, director of Diversity Initiative and Resource Center, said not all the services from the WoMen’s Center will be provided through the diversity resource centers.

“We are participating in the transition by helping with some of the women-based programs and again, in

an intersectional way with the spaces that we have in DIRC. Some of the other services are not in DIRC, they haven’t moved elsewhere,” Leon said.

Myra Martinez, a communications major and former social media student assistant for the WoMen’s Center, said the university continues to advertise the center and has not announced that it has closed.

Valentine’s Day lacks inclusivity of queer love

WHAT’S INSIDE?

OCTA strike could affect OC bus routes SPENCER OTTE Editor

Around 75% of bus routes in Orange County, including the main bus route to campus, could be disrupted starting on Tuesday if a proposed strike occurs.

The strike, organized by the Teamsters local that represents around 600 bus drivers, would halt service to Orange County Transportation Authority Route 57, which has stops on State College Boulevard at Commonwealth and Nutwood avenues near campus.

Routes 26 and 153, which also serve CSUF, would remain in service.

On Feb. 10, the Orange County Transit Authority asked Gov. Gavin Newsom to step in and institute a “cooling-off” period, during which time a strike would be prohibited. The OCTA and Teamsters Local no. 952 continued negotiations over the weekend to avoid a strike.

Eric Jimenez, the secretary-treasurer for Teamsters Local 952, the main dispute in negotiations is over breaks for bus drivers. Many workers have said that they sometimes go days without a break for lunch and have reported bladder infections from lack of bathroom breaks.

Members of the Teamsters Local 952 voted in January to approve a walkout if negotiations on a new contract were not successful. The previous contract expired in April 2021 and bargaining has been ongoing for more than a year. According to OCTA, around 20 bus routes would be disrupted by the strike. The remaining VISIT US AT: DAILYTITAN.COM

32 routes that are contracted out to non-union drivers would remain running, as would OC Access paratransit services and OC Flex microtransit services.

“We at OCTA want to do everything we can to avoid a strike, and any interruption to bus service would be extremely detrimental to our community,” said OCTA chairman Mark A. Murphy.

Routes that would not provide service in event of the strike are: 1- Long Beach to San Clemente 29- La Habra to Huntington Beach 37- La Habra to Fountain Valley 43- Fullerton to Costa Mesa 47- Fullerton to Balboa 50- Long Beach to Orange 53- Anaheim to Irvine 54- Garden Grove to Orange 55- Santa Ana to Newport Beach 56- Garden Grove to Orange 57- Brea to Newport Beach via CSUF 60- Long Beach to Tustin 64- Huntington Beach to Tustin 66-Huntington Beach to Irvine 72- Sunset Beach to Tustin 76- Huntington Beach to John Wayne Airport 83- Anaheim to Laguna Hills 123- Anaheim to Huntington Beach 150- Santa Ana to Costa Mesa 529- Fullerton to Huntington Beach 543- Fullerton Transportation Center to Santa Ana 560- Santa Ana to Long Beach 862- Downtown Santa Ana Shuttle

“It’s still on the syllabuses; it’s still promoted as a resource on campus even though it doesn’t exist,” Martinez said.

Martinez said she speculated that the center was shut down due to lack of funding and concerns that not enough students were using it.

Cal State Fullerton will likely not extend its indoor mask mandate past Feb. 28, said Ellen Treanor, the associate vice president of strategic communications for the university.

“If there’s not another variant that looks like it’s going to be a serious concern, I can’t imagine that Cal State Fullerton would not lift that mandate after the 28th of February,” Treanor said.

SEE BOOSTER 3

SEE PANDEMIC 3

Video games to play with your special someone

Shining a light on LGBTQ relationships contributes to a comprehensive portrait of intimacy.

Whether staying in or ending the night, here are five fun games to play with a partner.

Opinion

Lifestyle

8

4

Tennis sweeps Riverside, 4-0 CSUF’s tennis put on an impressive 2022 Big West debut away against UC Riverside.

DAVID GOODKIND Asst. Editor

Cal State Fullerton women’s tennis team started off Big West conference play on the right foot by picked up a perfect 4-0 sweep over UC Riverside on Saturday.

The win at Riverside served as a nice bounce-back effort after a tight 4-3 loss against San Jose State on Feb. 4.The win put the Titans at 3-1 overall with their first Big West conference win, while Riverside fell to 2-6 overall and 0-2 in conference play. Fullerton did not lose a single match on the day

and the three doubles matches set the stage for a dominating performance by the Titans.

CSUF competed with the pairs of Natalie Duffy and YuSeung Suh, Camila Garcia and Eira Tobrand, and Kaytlin Taylor and Juliette Daries.

Duffy and Suh as well as Taylor and Daries each won hard-fought matches, 6-4. The pairing of Garcia and Tobrand had an easier time as they only dropped one game in a 6-1 victory.

Singles play was an even greater showing for the Titans, as they won in straight sets in every match victory. Mariia Nikitash continued her hot streak and cruised to a 6-1, 6-1 win.

Nikitash has not lost a match yet this dual season. Duffy and Daries finished with similar scores, as Duffy won 6-1,

6-2 and Daries won 6-2, 6-1.

The dominance in singles play led to an early clinch with three matches in progress. Suh was up 6-4, 3-2, while Indya Nespor was locked in a tough match and slightly up, 7-6 (2), 2-1. Tobrand’s match was the only one to go three sets. She led 6-3, 2-6, 1-0 before the rest of the match went unfinished.

Fullerton entered the match against Riverside with a decent-sized lull, not having competed since that Feb. 4 match against San Jose State. The schedule will pick up now for the Titans, as they will play dual matches on Feb. 18 and 20. Fullerton will next take the courts against Loyola Marymount at the Fullerton Tennis Courts on Friday at 1:30 p.m.

On Jan. 31, freshman Kaytlin Taylor serves the ball to Azusa Pacific during doubles play. (Jon Buzdar / Daily Titan)

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2 News

WEEK OF MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14

Discoverfest returns for full in-person event TIM PETERSEN Staff Writer

Discoverfest returned as an in-person only event for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The two-day event took place at Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 9 and 10.

While Discoverfest typically occurs the second week of each semester, the spring 2022 event was pushed to the third week to accommodate for the two-week period of virtual instruction.

Xiaopan Xue, the assistant director for campus activities and leadership programs for student life and leadership said Discoverfest allows students to explore various clubs on campus and decide if they want to join.

“The point really is to help students feel at home here, help them feel like they can have their own Titan experience on campus,” Xue said.

While Discoverfest returned to an entirely in-person event, it has not returned to its pre-pandemic capacity.

“We used to have probably closer to 200 tables out here, but because of the pandemic and wanting to encourage safety, we’ve opened our layout a little bit more to increase spacing between folks, and that’s decreased the number of tables we are able to have,” Xue said.

Xue said this semester’s event had just over 160 tables.

Even with a reduction in the number of clubs participating, Xue believes Discoverfest is a way to reacclimate students back to campus life.

“I think students are looking for that in-person connection. Ever since the pandemic started, I think students have been missing that,” Xue said.

The Pencil Mileage Club is an animation and illustration club at CSUF.

Advertising Club was one of the many groups represented at Discoverfest. (Connor Hedges/ Daily Titan)

Vivian Ji, the club’s president, said the club seeks to boost career intrigue into the art industry. Ji said she appreciates being back in person for club meetings and said that Zoom often caused a disconnect between both club and board members.

Ji said that an in-person Discoverfest helps facilitate more interactions between students and clubs.

“I feel like when it’s online, maybe

people are already burnt out on classes, so they’re not as inclined to jump into another Zoom call to do club activities,” Ji said.

Co-president of The Swing Club, Grace Barrios, said the club specializes in teaching swing dance.

Barrios describes swing dance as a regional dance style from New York that originated from the Black community during the 1920s.

When the club transitioned to Zoom, Barrios said they began focusing on solo jazz, an alternative form of swing dance.

She added that dancing with her peers helps with their goal of reviving swing dance.

As for Discoverfest, Barrios said they could not obtain a table in fall 2021. However, spring 2022 turned out different.

“For this semester, we’re really glad

that we got such a good location over here at the Titan Walk, near the library, (Clayes Performing Arts Center) buildings, so there’s been a lot of foot traffic and great exposure overall for our club,” Barrios said.

Increased club exposure is a recurring theme at Discoverfest.

For communicative sciences and disorders major Kate Petach, the in-person Discoverfest has made connecting with fellow students an easier job.

Petach is a member of CSUF’s chapter of Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, which focuses on fundraising money for blood cancer research.

All funds raised by the chapter go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society charitable organization.

Petach stressed the importance of outreach, and said that a virtual Discoverfest made it difficult to attain.

“Zoom Discoverfest was a little hard because of that lack of connection,” Petach said.

Petach emphasized the value of displaying their activities and achievements at their in-person booth. Petach says it highlights how it helps club members and the children the fundraisers benefit.

“They’re the faces of our fundraiser, and so it kind of personalizes everything,” Petach said.

Kaelyn Rojas, president of ABLED Advocators, a club designed to educate students about different disabilities, said Zoom made club operations a challenging experience.

“It was difficult getting members and kind of retaining — especially last semester when things were going back and being hybrid,” Rojas said.

That said, Rojas is hopeful for the return to in-person activities.

“We’ve only had one meeting, and it was on Zoom, so our first in-person is gonna be this Monday, so we’ll see how it goes,” Rojas said.

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News 3

WEEK OF MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14

Pandemic: Move attributed to COVID-19 staff shortage CONTINUED FROM

1

and former student assistant of the WoMen’s Center, said there had been discussions about closing the WoMen’s Center for more than two years.

Encisco said that the space is still being used for the Adult Reentry Program, which shared a room with the WoMen’s Center.

Monroy said the employees of the WoMen’s Center were not aware of what was going to happen and that both Tonantzin Oseguera, the vice president, and Enciso did not give clear information or reasoning for its closure. Oseguera and Enciso were the two administrators who are responsible for the WoMen’s Center.

“When we tried to bring up concerns, we were dismissed and it kind of feels like they don’t care about women’s issues at this point even though right now with a lot of the stuff going on with women-identifying issues,” Monroy said.

Martinez said that the WoMen’s Center was mainly supposed to be in contact with the Office of Student Affairs, mainly with Oseguera.

“We were supposed to be in contact with her because she is the one that oversees it, but she didn’t even make the effort to talk to us and tell us what was going on,” Martinez said. “That whole not knowing what was going to happen to us, a lot of students being upset about the center closing, it really put a lot of stress on us.”

She added that there was never communication between employees or the office.Martinez said that many employees of the WoMen’s Center said they were caught off guard by the closure and were not guaranteed other jobs at the university.

“They’re definitely not working

at the university or for the university anymore. They got other jobs,” Martinez said.

As for the students seeking assistance from the WoMen’s Center, Monroy said resources are available only if a student is suffering from domestic violence.

“The lactation stations, we’re not sure what’s happening with those on campus,” Monroy said. “Those types of resources either got moved or they’re nowhere to be found anymore.”

Enciso said she is also unsure as to what will happen to the lactation stations on campus.

“It’s such a huge thing going on right now and so it makes no sense why the university would think there’s no need for a women’s center and resources surrounding the issue to be at the campus,” Martinez said.

When the center opened in 1972, the Daily Titan covered its opening.

“The center will provide a congenial setting in which women may gather, interact and find resources available which relate to those issues and problems relevant to them,” Daily Titan reported.

Monroy said that the WoMen’s Center was one of the first resource centers at the university.

“The WoMen’s Center was a historical place that started that was one of the first resource centers on campus,” Monroy said. “Since it was one of the first resource centers on campus, it helped start a lot of stuff that we have today. I mean, the Veteran Center came out of it, the stuff from DIRC came out of it too, like there was a lot of things that came out of the women’s centers that were historical.”

EDITORIAL

A sign on the door of the former site of WoMen’s Center in Steven G. Mihaylo Hall stated that due to COVID-19 restrictions, it was open by appointment only.

Martha Enciso, the associate vice president of student affairs, said the WoMen’s Center space is closed, but students will be able to access the women’s program resources within Diversity Initiatives and Resource Centers, known as DIRC. “The resources have still been and have not stopped. They are continuing to be provided for students. So the resources that are going and are continuing in DIRC are the women’s intersectional programming,” Enciso said. “ It’s being embedded into each of the spaces.”

Enciso said the WoMen’s Center staff had to be reassigned due to labor shortages caused by COVID-19.

She added that they were also unable to announce the changes due to staff shortages.

“We’re trying to get all the information and resources out to students as best as possible. But again, the biggest thing, unfortunately, due to the pandemic, has been the short staffing. So we’re trying our best,” Enciso said.

Martinez added that many of the center’s resources had been transferred to other departments on campus.

“A lot of our resources got transferred to other departments such as the violence prevention program, campus advocate, all of that got transferred to the Health and Wellness Center, which doesn’t even promote those resources or events the way the WoMen’s Center did in the past,” Martinez said.

Mirella Monroy, a graduate student

CAYLA LUNA Staff Writer

Campus life is active with a range of opportunities to get involved on campus.

Check out the following campus events offered this week.

Flu and COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic For Titans and Their Families On-campus vaccine clinic offers Titans and their families a chance to receive the flu vaccine, COVID-19 vaccine and the COVID-19 booster. Visit the Human Resources page to understand which you are eligible for.

The clinic is scheduled to take place on Feb. 14 and 15 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Titan Student Union Pavilions A and B. Sign up for an appointment on SignUpGenius.

CSUF Voices On Stage with the Mirror Visions Ensemble Voices On Stage is the performance name of the Advanced Vocal Workshop.

Guest artists are invited every semester by this group for coachings, master VISIT US AT: DAILYTITAN.COM

classes, lectures and performances.

This event is scheduled for Feb. 15 from 8-10 p.m. at Recital Hall. Tickets are now on sale via https://artstickets.fullerton.edu Virtual Study Abroad and Global Engagement General Information Session Study Abroad and Global Engagement plans to offer an online general information session on Feb. 16 from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sign up for a session by viewing the Study Abroad and Global Engagement page.

Healthy Eating Series: Let’s Get Fresh With CalFresh Join Tuffy’s Basic Needs Services Center staff to learn about CalFresh, a food assistance program that aids students and households in buying groceries. This topic is part of the Healthy Eating Series which explores how students can make healthy choices.

This workshop is planned for Feb. 17 from noon to 1 p.m. at Titan Student Union Bradford AB.

CONTACT

Upcoming events for the week of Feb. 14

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Campus mandate may not extend past the Feb. 28 deadline. (Eliza Green / Daily Titan)

Booster: More exemption requests

As COVID-19 hospitalizations decline across the state, the California Department of Public Health announced that the state’s indoor mask mandate, which was reinstated in December 2021 due to a surge in cases caused by the Omicron variant, would expire on Feb. 15. Treanor said the university took this into account when deciding what to do with the university’s mandate.

She added that although masks may not be required indoors after Feb. 28, students who feel more comfortable wearing masks can continue to do so.

“If people want to wear masks, people can do what they want after, it won’t be enforced anymore,” Treanor said. “We don’t want there to be a situation where somebody chooses to wear masks, and people shame them for wearing it. It’ll be really an individual choice.”

As of Feb. 13, the university had reported 410 COVID-19 cases on campus and 955 cases off campus since reentry in August 2021.

In December, the California State

Universities mandated that all CSU faculty, staff and students must receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster by Feb. 28, but CSUF set the deadline for students by the planned return to campus on Feb. 7.

Treanor said that there will be a grace period similar to when CSUF first enforced the vaccine mandate, but that soon students who have not uploaded their booster information will receive a reminder on their CSUF student portal. She added that the process of uploading booster information is much simpler than it was to upload vaccine information, as students only have to enter a date and location to meet the booster shot requirement.

“You don’t have to upload anything.

All you have to do is check a box and see the date. You don’t have to provide lots of documentation that has to be verified in that process,” Treanor said.

Treanor said that the university is not verifying the student uploaded booster information, but instead basing it on the honor system.

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Editor-in-Chief Lily Lopez Managing Editor Anthony Bautista News Editor Spencer Otte News Deputy Amber Juarez News Assistants Elena Hanna Michelle Ibañez Heather Eyre Opinion Editor Vanessa Siguenza Deputy Opinion Nollyanne Delacruz Opinion Assistants Hugo Rios Jillian Devine

Sports Editor Marisa Palmerin-Flores Deputy Sports Editor Navtej Hundai Sports Assistants Jeseny Escobar David Goodkind Bryan Corrales Lifestyle Editor Jessica Choi Deputy Lifestyle Editor Eder Ramirez Lifestyle Assistants Genesis Pavia Catherine Norby Layout Editor Frank Portillo Deputy Layout Editor Alexander Alvarado

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FOR THE RECORD 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 appear on page 3. Errors on the Opinion page will be corrected on that page. Corrections will also be made to the online version of the article.

Please contact Editor-in-Chief Lily Lopez at (657) 278-5815 or at editorinchief@dailytitan.com to report any errors.

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4 Lifestyle Show

REVIEW

WEEK OF MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14

‘Book of Boba Fett’ lacks substance

The latest Star Wars show fails to accurately portray the infamous and menacing bounty hunter.

FRANK PORTILLO Editor

Coming hot off the heels of “The Mandalorian,” “The Book of Boba Fett,” fails in every way that its predecessor succeeds by failing to make its titular character worthy of an entire show.

The main critique of this show is the fact that most of the cameos and side characters are far more interesting than anything Boba Fett is up to, which is a shame considering how interesting he is in the original films.

Much of the season felt fractured and disjointed with the most interesting episodes either featuring him minimally or omitting Boba Fett completely. When we last saw the bounty hunter, he had recovered both his suit of armor and his beauty of a starship during season two of “The Mandalorian.”

Foreseen by the oracle Patton Oswalt in an episode of “Parks of Recreation,” viewers finally see Boba Fett survive the Sarlacc pit in one of this season’s episodes. In “The Mandalorian,” it was a sweet surprise to see Boba Fett back from the dead, but the first season of his solo outing proves that maybe he’s best served as a supporting character.

His journey feels weak, taking over Jabba the Hutt’s, his former employer, territory and wanting to become the benevolent leader of Mos Espa. There are many ways this show could have gone that would have made for a far better story, but instead, we get a padded seven-episode season. Two of which Fett is mostly absent from.

It isn’t until “Chapter 5: Return of

Disney+

the Mandalorian,” that things start to become more interesting. Picking up where Din Djarin, the Mandalorian, left off, he immediately steals the show because he’s a far more interesting character.

It’s the adventures of the Mandalorian and his supporting characters — along with other major characters which shouldn’t be spoiled before watching — that make this show worthy of interest.

“Chapter 6: From the Desert Comes a Stranger” is easily one of the greatest hours of Star Wars ever filmed. The episode, omitting Fett almost entirely, spends a lot of time with some major characters in the universe and features

a jaw-dropping cameo. Fans who have grown up loving Star Wars will find it hard to keep a dry eye during this episode, especially those familiar with all iterations of the hit franchise including its numerous animated series.

Temuera Morrison is great as Boba Fett, but it feels like his on-screen presence takes away the most iconic aspect of his character — the mask. A lot of times, even during combat, he’s getting into gunfights without his mask and it seems to be all for the sake of giving Morrison more screen-time. Not to say it isn’t worth it, but aside from aesthetic purposes, taking away his mask is an extremely illogical choice.

Perhaps the visual change for the

character is meant to mark the change the character has gone through. No longer wanting to work for anyone, he decides to overtake a small town in Tatooine for reasons that never seem true to his character. It ultimately feels like executive producers Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau are trying to make him more of a heroic figure rather than the menacing bounty hunter from past depictions.

The tone of the show, similar to “The Mandalorian,” is that of a Western. All the narrative elements of the Western genre are at play here, creating a fun playground that should have served as Boba Fett’s rise as a crime lord.

Aside from the live-action portrayal of animated characters, there are other

prominent Star Wars figures from media such as comic books and video games that make appearances. One of which is a hulking black wookie named Black Krrsantan.

After finishing the season, fans are most likely going to just want season three of “The Mandalorian,” but unfortunately that is going to be a while.

Ultimately, “The Book of Boba Fett” doesn’t really work as a whole season, but instead has a few really cool things that add to the current state of the Star Wars narrative. Most of them, however, do not involve the titular character in any way.

“The Book of Boba Fett” is now available to stream on Disney+.

Five games for couples to play on Valentine’s Day TRISTAN ZELDEN Staff Writer

Valentine’s Day is often associated with pinks and reds, chocolates and roses, but it can go beyond those traditions. For gamers, it can be a romantic day to play video games with that “player two” in your life.

This list of cooperative games will deliver some ideas for what to play to accompany your day full of romance.

In addition, it will have a little something for people with different tastes in gaming, from the wholesome to the adrenaline-pumping.

It Takes Two This “Game of the Year” award winner by Hazelight Studios would make for a great co-op experience.

Work through puzzles, platforms and minigames with your partner as the game offers a variety of scenarios with its gameplay and levels that will make two people work together as a cohesive team.

The story follows a struggling marriage that is about to fall apart. When Cody and

May get turned into dolls, it puts them in a situation to work together to become human again and possibly fix their relationship. It does not sound too romantic, but just like watching a sad movie together, you can go through the themes tackled in the game while enjoying its art style and various minigames.

Overcooked! 2 For players searching for a balance of cuteness and difficulty for a fun, thrilling game, then Overcooked! 2 would be perfect. This cooking title goes beyond just flipping burgers and serving hungry customers. While you get to play as cute characters from humans to animals — and yes, the animals are dressed l i ke chefs — the challenges

presented are more elaborate. Each level offers a unique challenge, from shifting countertops to the kitchen being split in two between two trucks, requiring you to toss food from one truck to the other.

If you plan on going on a double date, then this is the best option on this list.

With it being up to four players, experience the chaos of the kitchen with another couple to build up both your romantic relationships and your friendships.

smaller levels sprinkled throughout to give some variety.

The boss fights are no joke, with these foes ready to push anyone’s skills to their limits. That is why it would be great for a couple of lovebirds to play together. You will need to lean on the other person for help and get the satisfaction of victory together when defeating these cartoon monsters.

to GameSpot.

That strength shows with the frequent content updates, so there is plenty to do on either your island or your significant others’ island.

You can farm together and build up your island. You can also come up with creative games to play. If you want a wide-open door of possibilities for things to do, then this will be your best bet.

Cuphead For players who are more into action and want to pummel some enemies, grab your controllers to play Cuphead this Valentine’s Day. Stylized like a cartoon from the 1930s, this run-and-gun action game with platforming elements is all about big boss battles with

Animal Crossing: New Horizons Have a relaxing Valentine’s Day by playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Since releasing at the start of the pandemic when everthing shut down in 2020, New Horizons has continued to go strong with over 37 million units sold, according

Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes For couples wanting to test their cooperative skills and individual brainpower, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes should suit you.

This bomb-defusing game requires communication to disarm explosives through various minigames like a maze, color-coded wires needing to be cut and Simon says.

Be the communicator looking at solutions or be the one disarming the bomb; either way, both of you will have important roles to play that will only lead to success if you can be a team.

TIANJINI PILLAI / DAILY TITAN

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Lifestyle 5

WEEK OF MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14

Column: Tuffy’s Book Nook tugs at your heartstrings With these five novels that will make you swoon or cry over romance, who needs a date?

MICHELLE IBAÑEZ Asst. Editor

Regardless of how you’re spending Valentine’s Day, a good love story never hurt anyone.

Actually, studies — totally not the long hours I’ve spent reading — have proven that reading about romance is way better than experiencing it, so without further ado, this list of romance books are all you need to lift your spirits and wake up the butterflies in your stomach.

“Normal People” by Sally Rooney If you’re not in the mood for quirky romance, then “Normal People” is perfect for you. Connell is popular at school, and Marianne, while wealthy, is actually mostly invisible.

The two strike up conversation and then create this fascinating relationship that follows them well into adulthood.

The book is probably best for those looking for something to pull at their heartstrings, it’s one of the most realistic stories when it comes to love, loss, longing and lust.

Largely, part of why people may seem to be at a crossroads with it is that it’s not all sunshine and rainbows; it’s painful in a way that will make you ask yourself “Why?!”

It’s not full of romance, but it is a love story, and that contradiction is well reflected in the characters.

It’s perfect for both the broken-hearted and for the ones in love.

“Circe” by Madeline Miller In Madeline Miller’s “Circe,” love is all around, and if you are obsessed with Greek mythology and the many familial affairs of Zeus, you’ll certainly love this one.

As a depiction based off of the witch that appears on “The Odyssey” by Homer, Circe has been an outcast since birth, different from her alluring parents and siblings; this singular trait is the pillar to her growth as a woman and her power as an enchantress, a power she never thought she’d possess.

With a beautiful prose and phrases far too beautiful to exist, Miller excels at empowering Circe; but also, poses the moral combat of coming to terms with who the actual hero is.

The novel makes readers question what we truly desire for ourselves,who we want to be and who we’re supposed to be.

Anger, loss, love, patience on one self, and a tremendous inner dialogue, “Circe” is ultimately about self-love.

“People We Meet on Vacation” by Emily Henry Contemporary romance books

are sweeping up audiences and — with a slight salute to TikTok — it’s niche group of readers called BookTok. One book from this category is “People We Meet on Vacation,” which is the perfect story if you’re looking to get back into reading romance, or reading in general.

Poppy is wild, she loves dancing and partying and meeting new people.

Alex is not, he likes to stick his nose in books and wear clothes that don’t call too much attention to himself; and yet, they’re the best of friends.

However, after a rowdy night in Croatia, Alex and Poppy have a fallout. Now, it’s up to Poppy to put back what they broke.

“People We Meet on Vacation” is cheesy but also can be classy, funny and irresistable.

If friends-to-lovers is your favorite book trope, then this one’s for you.

“The Love Hypothesis” by Ali Hazelwood Quirky, fun and cliche. No, that’s not the official definition of Valentine’s Day but it might as well be, as

it should be the definition of “The Love Hypothesis.”

Nerve-ridden Olive has spent most of her life in academia, and now in Stanford’s PhD program, nothing can stand in her way —

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MICHELLE IBAÑEZ

except maybe her bad decisions, like kissing the most unlikable faculty member in her department.

After trying to trick her friend into believing that she has happily moved on from her ex-boyfriend,

Olive kisses Dr. Adam Carlsen, who she now has to enlist into convincing her friend that she is, in fact, dating him.

Get ready for a rollercoaster, because “The Love Hypothesis” will take you for a fun, quick ride that you won’t want to get off of.

“The Unhoneymooners” by Christina Lauren Despite being around 500 pages, “The Unhoneymooners” can be a quick read; not because it is easy, but because you won’t want to stop.

Olive Torres, who has perhaps rightfully been labeled as the unlucky twin, gets incredibly lucked out with her soon-to-be-married twin sister’s Hawaiian honeymoon.

The only catch? She has to take the trip with Ami’s brother-in-law, Ethan – who happens to be Olive’s archenemy. Ethan has always seemed to hate her, and so she despises him too. To make matters worse, Olive and Ethan now have to pretend to be newlyweds after Olive runs into her future boss, and Ethan runs into his ex-girlfriend. With humor, crazy good banter and the best trope of all time – enemies-to-lovers – “The Unhoneymooners” will have you giggling and clutching your chest at the same time.

Column: Tuffy’s Table everything but the shelf cookies Whether you’re sweetening a date or getting rid of extra candy, these treats are a must-try.

NOLLYANNE DELACRUZ Deputy Editor

Valentine’s Day is either a special holiday or the worst day of the year; the answer may depend on your relationship status.

However, if there is one cliché to love about this romantic day, it is the chocolate.

Heart-shaped boxes of chocolates wrapped in pink, red and white packaging stock the aisles of pharmacies and general merchandise stores.

If you are in a relationship, you can expect to see a range of chocolate brands from Ghirardelli to Hershey’s from your significant other.

However, if you are not in a relationship, you may be waiting for the dreaded day of couples to pass until Feb. 15, when the unsold chocolates go on sale.

Valentine’s Day chocolates are the perfect mix-ins for everything but the kitchen sink cookies.

Because most of the chocolates given on Valentine’s Day have different fillings, like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Ghirardelli’s Dark Chocolate Squares, you can buy some bags or boxes with chocolates and get a variety of flavors.

Making these cookies can be a great Valentine’s Day activity, whether you are enjoying it with a sweetheart or solo.

This recipe is adapted from Celebrating Sweets’ Kitchen Sink Cookies.

I call these everything but the store shelf cookies and they are a great way

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Make these cookies with any Valentine’s chocolate scraps. (Nollyanne Delacruz / Daily Titan)

to enjoy cheap Valentine’s Day chocolates without eating a whole bag.

These cookies are great for a last-minute Valentine’s Day gift, for a significant other or yourself.

For the recipe, I used Reese’s peanut butter rose, Reese’s white hearts, Ghirardelli’s dark chocolate squares with sea salt caramel filling, Cadbury dairy milk chocolate and Dove midnight fudge cookie chocolates.

Since most milk chocolates and

cheap chocolates are pretty sweet, feel free to adjust the sugar amounts to your taste.

While the original recipe called for ½ cup of packed brown sugar, I used about ⅓ of a cup.

Ingredients: 1 ½ cups all purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt ½ cup unsalted butter

½ cup packed brown sugar ¼ cup granulated sugar 1 large egg 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 cups mix-ins Steps: Preheat the oven to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda.

In a large bowl, using a hand mixer

or stand mixer, beat butter and both sugars for 1-2 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined.

Chop up your mix-ins. (If you are not a fan of this holiday and purely just a fan of the discounted chocolate, feel free to use this step to take out any angst on the chocolates.)

Slowly add the flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Add in 1 ½ cups of mix-ins (reserving the rest to top the cookies), stir until fully combined.

Scoop about 2 tablespoons portions of dough and place the dough balls a couple inches apart on the cookie sheets.

Top each ball of dough with a few of the reserved mix-ins .

Bake the cookies for 9-12 minutes until the edges begin to turn golden brown and the center is still slightly undercooked.

Rotate the baking sheets halfway through the cooking time, if necessary.

Place the baking sheets on wire racks and allow the cookies to cool completely. Be careful when transferring cookies to the wire rack. I usually set them on paper plates before transferring them to a wire rack so the cookies can finish cooking and hardening.

These cookies are a slightly upgraded version of chocolate chip cookies, but they are definitely a great way to make sure that leftover or unwanted chocolates do not go to waste. They are also easily adaptable for other holidays.

Since chocolates do not go out of season, these cookies can be adapted into Halloween, Christmas, Hanukkah or Dia de los Muertos.

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6 Sports

WEEK OF MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14

Titans softball hosts Easton Invitational CSUF began their 2022 season with a 3-2 record against Ole Miss, Dixie State, UC Berkeley, Colorado State and the University of San Diego.

BY JESENY ESCOBAR Asst. Editor

Cal State Fullerton’s softball team kicked off its 2022 season this weekend serving as hosts of the Easton Invitational at Anderson Family Field.

They suffered a 6-5 loss against Ole Miss before a dominant 13-0 win over Dixie State on Friday. The team had another loss, 7-3, against UC Berkeley and later defeated Colorado State on Saturday, 4-2. CSUF wrapped up play on a high note with a final 5-3 win against the University of San Diego on Sunday.

The Titans finished last season 38-15 overall and posted a 21-3 Big West conference record. The Titans were only one game short from successfully winning their fifth straight conference title.

This season, CSUF was picked to win the 2022 Big West title in the preseason coaches poll.

Fullerton faced the Ole Miss Rebels in the first game of Friday’s doubleheader. The Titans fell short, 6-5, in the weekend’s opening game.

Fullerton’s powerful lineup allowed them to start off strong with an early 4-0 lead. The runs came from four consecutive hits by Deshea Hill, Peyton Toto, Jessi Alcala and Alyssa Hernandez in the bottom of the first with two outs.

Hill, who has been out since 2020, made an impressive season debut by

locking in the first run on an RBI single, giving the Titans a 1-0 lead in the first.

The Rebels came back in the fifth inning to take the lead, 5-4, after they scored four runs on four hits and one error.

Hernandez hit a solo home run over the left field fence in the sixth inning to tie the game, 5-5. However, Ole Miss responded in the seventh inning with back-to-back singles from Tate Whitley and KK Esparza. A sacrifice fly from Rebel Bre Roper snagged the win, 6-5, over the Titans.

The Titans quickly bounced back in the second game of Friday’s double-header as they swept Dixie State, 13-0, in a five-inning game.

The Titans started the game with a dominant performance and six runs in the bottom of the first. Junior Alexa Neil had an RBI double, followed by back-to-back home runs made by Daisy Munoz and Hill.

Similar to the first inning, the Titans scored five runs during the second.

Hannah Becerra had a double, Munoz had a single and Toto hit a home run. Fullerton led 11-0 after just two innings.

The Titans finished strong as they had two more runs in the third inning, 13-0. An RBI double down left field from Toto and a sacrifice fly from Hernandez ended the game early and secured a victory for the Titans.

On Saturday, the Titans split the doubleheader once again.

During game one, Fullerton fell behind early on against the UC Berkeley Bears as Acacia Anders scored on a wild pitch. At the bottom of the first, Fullerton’s Megan Delgadillo stole

Junior Megan Delgadillo sets her stance against an Ole Miss pitcher at home plate on Feb. 11. (Jon Buzdar / Daily Titan)

second base and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Delgadillo then scored on Becerra’s RBI single. Later in the inning, Becerra scored on an RBI single

by Toto.

Berkeley’s dominance continued early in the second inning with four scored runs. After four hits and four RBI’s, Alexis Bishop hit a grand slam over the right field fence.

At the bottom of the fifth, Fullerton’s Becerra scored on an RBI. However, Berkeley came back in the top of the sixth to score two runs on an RBI

by Tatum Anzaldo and a fielding error, giving them the 7-3 win over the Titans.

In game two on Saturday, Fullerton led for the majority of the game against

Colorado State. Bercerra’s right center home run gave Fullerton the 1-0 lead in the beginning of the first inning.

With bases loaded, Colorado tied the score, 1-1, in the fourth inning. However, Fullerton responded with two runs from a shot over the wall Alcala.

The Titans secured their win in the sixth inning after Lauryn DeGuzman scored for Hill off of Toto’s single.

Fullerton ended its five-game weekend with a triumph over the University of San Diego Toreros.

The Toreros had one hit in the top of the first made by Joecellia Roberts, but were unable to secure a run.

In the bottom of the first, the Titans started off strong with two runs.

A home run to the left field by Becerra

allowed Toto to score.

San Diego added three runs in the second inning and took the lead, 3-2.

Arisa Tovar scored on an RBI single by Ashley Daugherty, and an RBI double

by Amanda Limon allowed Mikalyn Emanuelli and Daugherty to bring in the next two runs.

The Titans took the lead in the third inning. Toto walked early in the inning as she and Delgadillo scored on an RBI double by Hill. Becerra scored the last run and secured the 5-3 win over the Toreros.

Next, Fullerton will head to Phoenix, Arizona, for the Grand Canyon University Purple Classic to face Long Island University and Idaho State University on Feb. 18.

Track and field back in action at Don Kirby Invitational

BY NAVTEJ HUNDAL Deputy Editor

Senior guard Damari Milstead (right) analyzes CSU Bakersfield’s defense on Feb. 5 in Titan Gym. (Marisa Palmerin-Flores / Daily Titan)

CSUF falls to Hawaii, 72-55 Men’s basketball lost their second consecutive game to Hawai’i on Feb. 12.

BY BRYAN CORRALES Asst. Editor

Cal State Fullerton men’s basketball dropped their second consecutive game, 72-55, against the Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors at the SimpliFi Arena on Saturday night.

Fullerton’s record now stands at 14-8 overall, 7-3 in the Big West, but are now tied with Hawai’i for second place in the conference.

Cal State Long currently leads the conference with a 9-1 record No Titan scored in double figures, including senior forward E.J. Anosike who averages 16 points per game, the highest in the Big West.

Anosike was held to four points, as he made two of his 10 field -goal attempts.

Sophomore guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. finished the game with nine VISIT US AT: DAILYTITAN.COM

points, three assists, two steals, and five rebounds.

He also scored three out of five of his three-point attempts.

Wrightsell finished tied with a team-high nine points to go along with five rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Senior guard Damari Milstead also scored nine points and grabbed two steals while pulling in four rebounds.

Hawai’i was led by its defense and heldFullerton to just above a 32% overall shooting percentage and just over 29% from beyond the arc.

Hawaii dominated the second half and led by as many as 23 points during the victory.

Even though Hawai’i had twice as many turnovers as Fullerton with 14 and committed 21 fouls compared to Fullerton’s 16, head coach Dedrique Taylor and the Titans still could not fly out of Honolulu with a win.

On the other end, sophomore

guard Noel Coleman scored 24 points for Hawai’i, the most in the game, followed by sophomore forward Bernardo da Silva, who scored 12 and then junior guard Junior Madut, who got himself a double-double as he scored 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

After Fullerton jumped out to an early 17-7 lead, Hawai’i responded with a 23-7 run to close the half first with a 30-24 lead.

The Rainbow Warriors kept their foot on the gas in the second half as they outscored the Titans, 17-2, in the first seven minutes of the second half. They did not look back as they maintained a double-digit lead throughout the rest of the game and outscored Fullerton, 42-31, in the entire second half.

On Thursday, Fullerton will travel up the central coast to take on sixth-place UC Santa Barbara and on Saturday, they will head to the Matadome against seventh-place Cal State Northridge.

Cal State Fullerton’s indoor track and field team set personal records at the Don Kirby Invitational meet in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Feb. 11 and 12.

Sophomore Reyte Rash finished first place in his section in the men’s 400-meter dash with a time of 48.15 seconds, a season-best. Following Rash, Chris Shiley also took home first place in his section but finished fifth place overall with a season-best time of 48.59 seconds.

As a team, the only event Fullerton placed first overall in was the 400-meter dash, but individually, several Titan athletes placed first in their sections like the men’s weight throw, men’s 200-meter dash, women’s 200-meter dash, and women’s 400-meter dash.

In the men’s 200-meter dash, Alonzo Floriolli, Andrew Aguilar and Shiley finished in first place in their sections, respectively.

Floriolli’s time of 21.85 seconds placed him 13th overall but was the second-fastest time by a Titan in the 200-meter dash. His time also was fourth on the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation top performance list, behind Brigham Young University’s Easton Bianchi.

In the women’s 200-meter dash, Lauren Delgadillo led the way in her section with a time of 25.23 seconds. Kristin Light had the best overall placement for Fullerton as she ended in 22nd place, six spots ahead of Delgadillo. Light’s time of 25.16 seconds placed her in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation conference’s top five performances.

Alero Soaris won the women’s 400-meter dash in her section with a

personal best time of 57.56 seconds.

Finally in the men’s weight throw, Joshua Tan finished first in his section with a throw of 16.48m, finishing 20th overall. His teammate, Adam Levia, finished the same section in last place by throwing up to 11.93m.

Fullerton would not receive a top individual section placement in any other event for the rest of the meet.

The Titans finished the women’s 4x400 relay in 14th overall with a time of 3:54:78. The team consisted of Hailey Murdica, Delgadillo, Light and Soaris.

Sinai Fatafehi finished 20toverall in the women’s weight throw, throwing 16.09m.

Charles Kelly finished in 21st overall with a 48.72 time in the men’s 400-meter dash. Rasaun House finished in 22nd with a time of 22.21 seconds in the men’s 200-meter dash. In the women’s 4x400 relay, Delgadillo also finished in 22nd overall with a personal best of 7.78 seconds.

Levia and Tan participated in the men’s shot put, where they recorded throws of 14.95m and 14.41m, respectively. Levia placed 25th overall, while Tan tied for 31st with Jaret Prete of Air Force. Levia kept his current school record while Tan moved up to second in the shot put all-time list for Cal State Fullerton.

Kyliegh Wilkerson led the Titans in women’s shot put with a season-best throw of 13.13m, placing 23rd overall. Evalen Garcia and Teresa Chang finished with throws of 12.31m and 10.08m, respectively.

CSUF’s track and field will conclude their indoor season as they head back to Spokane, Washington for the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships at the Podium from Friday to Saturday.

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Leisure 7

WEEK OF MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14

WRITTEN by Stepheny Gehrig

Sponsored by

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ARIES This week you might find yourself feeling doubtful and insecure, but it will pass. Set aside some time to focus on yourself, like with affirmations or a self-care day.

09/2310/22

LIBRA This week, your outspokenness and stubbornness will be visible to everyone. Try to keep an open mind and be able to compromise.

TAURUS TThe amount of energy

SCORPIO Try your hand at a new

that you have this week will be perfect for new adventures.

Use this energy to try out new hiking trails, try new restaurants and more.

hobby. You might find that learning a new this skill will be useful to you in the future and it’ll be a lot of fun learning it.

GEMINI Taking time to finish something this week can prove to be fruitful. It not only ensures that the tasks are done properly, but also will keep stress from coming into your life.

10/2311/21

11/2212/21

CANCER Love is in the air and emotions are on the rise. Keep your eyes open for the next love interest that comes your way. Be careful though, it will be passionate but short-lived.

LEO You’ll find exciting new opportunities on the horizon for you this week. Keep your eyes open for this new opportunity.

12/2201/19

01/2002/18 VIRGO If you find yourself in the middle of a quarrel this week, step back and look at the situation from a different perspective.

Sometimes seeing the issue from a different point of view can lead to the solution that you’re looking for.

02/1903/20

SAGITTARIUS This week, Sagittarius, things will start to pick up. You might notice that your workload seems larger, your deadlines are coming faster and days feel shorter.

The tension that comes with a fast-paced life can take a toll on you. Keep your mind open to new methods of relaxing.

CAPRICORN You’ll see your relationships blossom this week. You’ll find that there are more opportunities to express yourself and your emotions, so take those chances -- it’ll help your relationships grow.

AQUARIUS You’re spreading yourself too thin. You’ve been pushing yourself very hard and it can cause you to be tired and irritable. Use this week to catch up on stabilizing yourself.

PISCES You might set your expectations for others too high this week. Things might not go according to plan, but if you have the right mindset, you’ll find that you’re having just as much fun.

Tennis for Titans Tennis for Titans is a tennis club here at CSUF for students of all levels! We have both competitive and recreational sides of the club. The competitive team competes at local tournaments and scrimmages against other tennis club teams from different colleges. We strive to create an inclusive and fun environment for all. Feel free to stop by one of our practices on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Fridays from 2-5pm at the tennis courts here on campus near the Student Recreation Center! You can also follow us on Instagram @titanstenniscsuf and join our Discord 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.

SC ORE: player 1:

player 2:

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8 Opinion

WEEK OF MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14

(GABRIELA MENDOZA / DAILY TITAN)

Valentine’s Day yearns for LGBTQ romances Including queer people’s experiences represents them in diverse narratives about love.

GENESIS PAVIA Staff Writer

Valentine’s Day, otherwise known as the capitalist and heteronormative day where many lovers celebrate romance, has unescapable, never-ending heart-shaped chocolate boxes, the ‘his and her’ cards and the repelling jewelry ads.

Gender stereotypes haven’t been unwoven as heterosexual, cisgender and monogamous propaganda schemes stock the shelves.

We live in a progressive and transitioning period.

We have witnessed the legalization of gay marriage in 2015 across all fifty states and it continues to become more of a reality for queer people to freely exist in open and public spaces.

Yet, the marketing and advertising strategies of this holiday are incredibly outdated.

The normalization of a heteronormative holiday that is meant to honor loved ones continues to marginalize individuals who identify as LGBTQ, according to GLAAD, a U.S. non-governmental media monitoring organization.

Countless famous romance novels and movies feature a heterosexual love narrative.

“The Notebook,” “Romeo and Juliet” and “Roman Holiday” all display romantic relationships between a cis man and a cis woman.

Even the 2010 movie “Valentine’s Day” is designed to comfort viewers that may believe they are incompatible with fresh talking stages.

Nevertheless, all the heart-wrenching struggles in this movie solely revolve around straight couples, with the exception of the one closeted gay man. Ironically, the typical romance movie trope for gay men is that they do not find love in that movie.

This promotion of cisgender relationships can be harmful to LGBTQ youth and anyone that is struggling to discover their identity.

Brooke Cusick, a senior majoring in psychology at Cal State Fullerton said, “When it’s a holiday that’s hyper-focused on sexuality and romance as a gay person, and then they don’t show or acknowledge that really any gay people exist in media except for maybe “Euphoria,” or when they want to kill us off on whatever TV show. But there’s no message of love, it almost feels like you are absent from that VISIT US AT: DAILYTITAN.COM

narrative.”

For some people who are struggling with their identity and not seeing a portrayal of the type of love that they feel can make them question their queerness and can even bring up past trauma, Cusick said.

Unfortunately, Valentine’s Day is strategically geared toward straight people to fulfill corporate greed. This year, Americans are expected to spend $23.9 billion on Valentine’s Day according to an annual survey by the National Retail Federation. It is reported to be the second-highest year of Valentine’s Day spending.

“I think the whole point is that the people making decisions to make ads, to sell products, to push propaganda, their goal is marketing. They’re trying to hit the widest net they can,“ Cusick said. “So they’re going for the biggest demographic to their knowledge, which is straight people and they’re missing a whole, underserved, underrepresented group of people who also would probably love to be a part of their marketing.”

Additionally, asexual or aromantic identities may feel out of place. Valentine’s Day can bring a wave of emotions about their identity in a day that is fixated on hook-up culture and an ideal romance, according to an article by VICE. “We as a society, take so much, we think that sex is core to a relationship. And if you don’t have it, there’s something wrong. And that’s not the case at all, you know. As we’re finding there are asexual and aromantic people who do not feel those attractions,” Cusick said.

Asexual and aromantic identities can exist on a spectrum, according to GLAAD. So an asexual person can feel romantic atraction or may fall under both categories of asexuality and aromanticism. The same goes for someone who is aromantic. They may not be able to form a romantic connection but still experience sexual attraction.

Valentine’s Day not only reinforces gender norms and fails to include individuals that are not confined by binary terms, but it also fails to recognize other forms of love. Nobody should jump to conclusions and assume that romantic love sums up the holiday.

Marketing that excludes LGBTQ representation hides various love stories. Gifts, Valentine’s Day films and decorations should be inclusive toward queer relationships.

Rather, Valentine’s Day should be dedicated to celebrating all kinds of love whether it is romantic, platonic, familial or self-love. Let’s aim to put away the cheesy gestures and heteronormative commercialization.

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