Daily Titan | November 7, 2022

County bus services resume after strike

Bus mechanics for the Orange County Transportation Authority launched a strike Wednesday afternoon , halting bus service countywide. The buses stopped all service Thursday morning but resumed Sunday evening.

OCTA released a press release Sunday that a deal had not yet been reached with the union and negotiations will continue Monday. The union leaders said they could call a strike again at any time.

The website of the Teamsters Local 952, the union that represents the 150 OCTA maintenance workers on strike, indicated that picket lines would go up again if an agreement is not reached at some point.

Eric Jimenez, the secretary treasurer of the Teamsters Local 952, said negotiations were held on Monday, Oct 31.

“We gave them a proposal that we thought was fair for our membership and for the company,” Jimenez said. “About six o’clock, they said they were going home and walked away from the table.”

Last month, the union’s attempt to strike was quelled after Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office reached out to the union to keep the buses running. The

OCTA reached out to Newsom to intervene again and halt the strike. OCTA invited Teamster to negotiate new terms and meetings beginning on Saturday.

In a news release Nov. 4, the OCTA called on the union to resume service and return to the bargaining table, claiming the union is demanding commitments away from contract negotiations.

In a Nov. 2 news release to the Daily Titan, OCTA provided details about its most recent offer to the union, which would equal a 14.25% wage increase over the next three years.

OCTA also offered to increase healthcare contributions by 16% over the same period while continuing contributions to pension plans, contributing 26.4% of employees’ wages to the Orange County Employees Retirement System.

“Our members are paying $350 a month for healthcare, and by the end of the contract it goes upwards of $400 or $500,” Jimenez said. “It’s just not sustainable for somebody to live in the state of California.”

OCTA management said their offer to help lower healthcare costs is the same plan offered to all other OCTA employees and could save employees hundreds of dollars per month.

In yet another release Friday afternoon, OCTA management announced that the union agreed to meet at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, and again Nov. 6 and Nov. 7. There is no indication whether the union will choose to call off

the strike.

According to the Teamsters Local 952 website, a call for support of the union was made for a 24-hour picket line at the OCTA bus bases in Anaheim, Garden Grove, Irvine and Santa Ana.

The OCTA released a statement on Nov. 2 that said a strike is “unnecessary and unfairly affects bus passengers and more than 1,000 OCTA employees.”

“We hope they call it off immediately. We have about 100,000 boardings a day and those people rely on the bus to get to work and to school,” Abba said. “But we really don’t know how long it’s going to last.”

The previous contract between OCTA and the Teamsters expired Sept. 30.

The Teamsters and the OCTA have met over 20 times since May to negotiate a new contract, according to aOct. 16 OCTA press release.

The Teamsters previously voted to strike at midnight on Oct. 17 after “failed talks, a refusal to address key health and welfare issues, and rejecting a sub-standard final offer,” according to the union’s news release.

The union represents over 9,500 members in Orange County.

OCTA and Teamsters have scheduled meetings to continue negotiations.

Spencer Otte contributed to this article.

Women's Center seeks permanent location

Mariham Iskander, an associate director of the Diversity Initiatives and Resource Centers, said the name should be inclusive and that the center would like students to engage in the renaming.

"As DIRC, we want to engage people who will use the space to be able to participate in how it is named, what it looks like, and what its goals and objectives are," Iskander said in an email to the Daily Titan. "We are bringing together people who care about the future of this space to discuss these key issues."

The Women’s Center does not currently have a permanent location, and its new location is unknown. Iskander said Student Affairs is looking for a permanent space, which is expected to

be determined in the spring or summer of 2023. Iskander said that in addition to looking for an empty space, they may remodel an available space to fit the center’s needs.

The Women’s center continues to host events and programs. Some events the Women’s center will be hosting focus on issues such as reproductive rights and voting. Since the current space, Langsdorf Hall Room 556, is a smaller location, the center often uses larger spaces for bigger events.

Iskander said there will be more workshops as the center gets established. They are working on bringing people together as a community to help with the vision of the center.

“It really hasn’t been very long and we’re starting to get our feet on the ground,” Dolhinow said. “And we’re trying to figure out what the students want from the center.”

Iskander said some concerns students have about the center is that it will not be what it was before and fear that their voices will not be heard. They said they want to shift those feelings of fear and concern into anticipation and excitement.

"I look at this as an opportunity to come together as a community and have really important conversations about what a space like this means and what it's here to do," Iskander said. “I know it will take some time and a lot of work.”

Local union picketed outside of an Orange County Transportation Authority bus depot in Garden Grove Wednesday as negotiations over fair wages lapsed.

CSUF professor on the ballot in Fullerton

ALYSSA ORTIZ Staff Writer

After Fullerton’s recent redistricting, Dr. Shana Charles, an associate professor of public health at Cal State Fullerton, decided to run to be a Fullerton City Council member for District 3. This comes after current city council member Jesus Silva’s inability to run again.

Charles said she intended on helping Jay Chen get elected to Congress and Jesus Silva reelected in District 3. However, after struggling to find anyone else running for the city councilmember position, Charles decided to run for the position herself.

“There’s nobody else doing it. I have the skills that I can offer to the community. I know what to do. My husband's actually a political consultant, he knows how to run campaigns,” Charles said. “I can be a real candidate.”

Charles teaches multiple classes at CSUF, including four classes and two independent studies classes in the public health department. She has been a professor at CSUF for eight years, and has lived in Fullerton for about 20 years.

She attended UCLA and earned three degrees with her undergrad

in political science and a minor in public policy.

“I was working with professors who were working with like, the Los Angeles County health care, you know, health agency, doing real programs on getting immunizations, getting immunization to kids. And I realized that path was really exciting.”

After getting her master’s degree at UCLA, she became the director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. Charles wanted a tenure-track job and UCLA had no open positions at the time. However, CSUF offered her this position.

“And I'm so happy to be here, teaching is what I love to do.”

Charles serves on committees and works on a project every spring where she does bill analysis for the California State Legislature.

“To me, this is the best way I can serve Fullerton as a community right now,” Charles said.

She formerly served on the Community Development Citizens Committee for two years. The committee allocates federal funds that benefit city improvement, focusing only on the low income committee and helping groups such as the needy, elderly, foster youth and the homeless.

Charles said she has a lot of plans if she wins the district seat, but her main focus is promoting a more

healthy community in Fullerton.

Transportation in the Fullerton area is an important topic to Charles. She said she thinks the internal transportation system would be great for students that do not have a car or cannot travel around the area.

“OCTA buses exist, and I know people use them,” Charles said, “But their routes aren’t based on our needs.”

OCTA drivers are currently on strike after their contract expired Sept. 30. The strike may affect multiple CSUF routes.

Charles said the shuttle bus on

campus does nothing and could be used for something useful, such as taking students to downtown Fullerton or the train station and that having a Fullerton trolley might fit the needs of students better. She spoke about ways to improve revenue that could help with the city’s deficit. The business-to-business tax could be a possible solution. This tax would affect Fullerton businesses who plan to sell to other businesses.

The business-to-business tax could make a lot of sales for the city, Charles said. Another possible revenue option that could help the

city are the hotels in Fullerton.

“We have four huge hotels in District 3,” Charles said. “We need to be actively working with tourism, with Anaheim tourism to promote that.”

One of Charles’ goals is to build more community spaces for Fullerton residents, she said.

“It really aggravates me that the Fullerton City Council itself seems to think that our city is a drive thru between Anaheim and Brea.”

The election for Fullerton City Council members will take place Nov. 8.

CSUF to construct $1 million mascot statue

JOSHUA JURADO Staff Writer

A $1 million elephant may be coming to Cal State Fullerton.

University Advancement introduced a mockup of a mascot statue they plan to build on campus during the Tuesday Associated Students board of directors meeting. The estimated $1 million cost may change depending on inflating materials costs and when the statue’s construction will take place, said Greg Saks, vice president of University Advancement.

About two years ago, the Alumni Association discussed building a statue on campus that would represent Titan pride, Saks said.

The association has given an initial investment of $120,000 to fund the statue. With additional donations from the Philanthropic Foundation, the statue now has about $600,000 in funding.

Saks said all of the donations would be exclusively for the statue and will not use any state funding.

“99.8% of all donations that come to the university are designated,” Saks said. “That being the case, when a donor gives to this project, it can only go to this project and can’t go to anything else without donor permission.”

Saks said the project would take a couple of years to complete due to supply issues.

“Even if tomorrow we said we wanted to do this, the supply chain issues have really impacted some

of the materials that are involved,” Saks said.

Over the last year, surveys were sent throughout campus to receive feedback from students and faculty on what respondents thought was the best representation of the statue.

Current plans designate the statue will be built on a patch of land between the Humanities building, Langsdorf Hall and Gordan Hall. The Daily Titan reported on this same elephant statue in 2018; the university has been interested in building a statue since the mid1990s but could not obtain proper funding.

Saks said he sees the statue as a way to create campus pride and motivate more people to donate to the university.

Professor Shana Charles has taught at Cal State Fullerton for eight years and seeks to promote community health in Fullerton.

Courtesy of Shana 4 Fullerton

Greg Saks, vice president of University Advancement, shared plans for a mascot statue at the Associated Students meeting Tuesday in the Titan Student Union.

JOSHUA JURADO / DAILY TITAN

Campus event emphasizes importance of local politics

ROSEMARY MONTALVO Editor

Political science experts encouraged youth voter turnout and discussed the importance of local politics during the midterm elections at a panel hosted by Pi Sigma Alpha on Thursday night at the Titan Student Union.

The All Politics is Local program is one of five offered by Cal State Fullerton designed to educate students about local politics in Los Angeles and Orange counties.

One of the two experts on the panel was Raphael J. Sonenshein, the executive director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at Cal State Los Angeles and former CSUF political science professor.

The second panelist was Jodi Balma, a professor of political science at Fullerton College, a leading commentator on Orange County politics and the host of the “A Slice of Orange” podcast.

Each panelist discussed the political races happening in their cities of expertise and explained the importance and effect these races have on residents. They said most voters tend to not pay as much attention to local elections despite their importance.

Jalen Ward, the secretary and treasurer of Pi Sigma Alpha, said it was important to discuss the political races in Los Angeles due to its proximity to Orange County.

“A lot of the policies in Los Angeles kind of trickle down. It's like a diffusion effect between us,” Ward said.

Sonenshein discussed the mayoral race, sheriff’s race and the generational change in voter demographics in Los Angeles. Balma focused on addressing the elections of the school board, city council, community college board and board of supervisors.

Both Sonenshein and Balma said it was important for young voters to participate in elections because their vote has the power to change what happens at a local and national level.

“I think particularly for young people, and particularly for people of color, it is crucial for your voice to be heard, for people to listen to what decisions you want to be made and how you want to prioritize those decisions,” Balma said. “Those social problems that we have are decided by the people on the ballot.”

Sonenshein and Balma emphasized the importance of the younger generation paying attention to local elections.

“It's an absolutely critical time to get the attention of young people to participate,” Sonenshein said. “Sometimes the early returns go to the older folks, but between this moment and Election Day, young people are paying attention and this is a year to really pay attention, especially for these local races.”

Balma said having forums such as All Politics is Local is vital because of how complex voting can be.

“Voting is complicated. There's a lot, and if you haven't paid attention to local politics, it's hard to really peel back the layers that are there, and if you're just getting information from mailers and ads, it's overwhelming,” Balma said.

Balma advised those in attendance to visit websites such as Voter’s Edge California and League of Women Voters to receive more information on candidates and who is endorsing them.

Ward said that it was important to have these programs because of how imperative it is for the CSUF studentsto be informed about local politics.

Leslie Chen, a CSUF freshman, said the program was insightful and enjoyed learning about the local political races from experts.

“They're experts so I trust their insights probably a bit more than I would like if I were looking at social media and stuff. But I think it's really cool to learn about the complexities and nuances of voting,” Chen said.

Votes for the midterm election have already begun to roll in Los Angeles and Orange County. Balma said it is crucial for people to vote so that they can say they had a voice in the election.

“It's too important not to show up and we are at a precipice, we are at a deciding point,” Balma said. “What

do you want the ending to this story to be, what do you want history to say about the 2022 election,

and hopefully it's that young people showed up in major numbers and voiced their choice.”

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Raphael Sonenshein and Jodi Balma presented on the importance of local politics for Los Angeles and Orange County residents in the Titan Student Union Pavillions Thursday night.

ROSEMARY MONTALVO / DAILY TITAN

Student research thrives at arboretum

JENNIFER LUND Sta Writer

Cal State Fullerton students are working together to educate Fullerton communities and beyond about sustainable food systems and healthy eating.

The Urban Agriculture Community-based Research Experience is a hands-on research project for undergraduates, graduate students and volunteers focusing on food security, nutritional su fficiency, environmental justice and sustainable agriculture, using a farm inside the Fullerton Arboretum as a base of operations.

The project was established in 2011 by Sara E. Johnson, a professor of anthropology at CSUF. U-ACRE is currently partnered with and provides educational services to four di fferent schools within the community and Monkey Business Cafe, a local restaurant in Fullerton.

Johnson said she created U-ACRE to provide a community-based experience and to provide students with research opportunities. By putting these two groups together, the community drives the students’ research questions.

While Johnson advises the project, she gives her students freedom with their research.

“That gives them an opportunity to gain a lot of independent research experience,” Johnson said.

The project uses agriculture as a lens for understanding food security. Johnson said there are many actions people can do to encourage sustainable and environmentally-friendly diets. Tackling these issues on a larger scale starts by training students in a small-scale setting.

Johnson said the farm is run through agroecology, an approach to sustainable farming that uses

nature’s goods and services without damaging them. Agroecology has three principles: science, indigenous knowledge and activism. Her students apply all three principles to create a sustainable and eco-friendly environment for crop growth.

Stephanie Ramirez, a graduate student in anthropology, started working on the farm through an internship last year. Her work at the farm is now part of her thesis project.

“I am focusing mostly on Indigenous knowledge and potential trade-offs, and also how we can

show the great nutrient profile that these Indigenous and native foods have,” Ramirez said.

Once the food is grown, Ramirez and other students perform a nutrient analysis of the ingredients used in the recipes at Monkey Business Cafe. This analysis will indicate the healthiness of those ingredients.

Students focus on other environmental factors that contribute to crop growth. Steve Anticona, a graduate student in environmental studies, said bees are a great indicator of environmental healthiness.

“It’s important to conserve bees

because they’re a good indicator of how your environment is doing,” Anticona said.

Anticona said honey production could reveal issues in an environment like pesticide exposure or food availability.

U-ACRE started working with bees in 2017. At the farm, bee populations are threatened by pests, specifically varroa mites that can quickly kill entire colonies.

“We’re working on understanding the reproductive cycle of the varroa mite and what early warning system we can have to make better

judgments about when to use chemicals and if we can use less,” Johnson said.

Emily Holden, an English major with a minor in anthropology, said she works at the apiary with Anticona to study varroa mites.

Holden said they use sticky sheets to trap the mites and determine whether the bees are grooming them off

Lysie Kenney, an undergraduate student in liberal studies with an emphasis on environmental sustainability, said she got into U-ACRE because it was offered in her Anthropology 315 class.

Kenney currently researches moisture continuity and retention on the farm by comparing drip line irrigation to olla irrigation, which consist of ceramic water reservoirs buried in the dirt. Kenney’s research involves connecting ollas to a rain barrel to provide continuous moisture to crops and seeing if that a ffects the flavor and yields of lettuce.

“We'll be measuring the moisture data in the soil and then hopefully including some yield data as well,” Kenney said.

David Vallejo, a graduate student studying anthropology, said working on the farm has given him insight into natural pest control. Vallejo said the Arboretum is home to rabbits and gophers that are destructive to food crops, but predators like coyotes act as natural pest control.

“We try to do everything as natural as we can here, no pesticides, no chemical deterrents,” Vallejo said. “Once the coyotes figured out there’s prey here, the rate of rabbits and gophers has gone down significantly.”

Kenney said that while Johnson gives them a lot of guidance, working on the farm is an excellent opportunity to learn as much as they want.

“We're always learning, adapting, growing and we all work together really well,” Kenney said.

Art festival invites locals to honor Laguna Beach's ecosystem

The Laguna Art Museum celebrated its 10th annual Art & Nature festival from Thursday to Sunday, admiring the beauty in marine life, raising environmental awareness and exploring the intertwinement between science and art.

The museum partnered with Wax & Wood Gallery, Dawson Cole Fine Art, Gallery Q at Susi Q, Las Laguna Art Gallery and BGC Laguna Beach who each presented nature-themed exhibitions in conjunction with Art & Nature.

Four exhibits were featured: “The Sea Around Us” by Rebeca Mendez, “The Big One” by Robert Young, “Pyramidion” by Kelly Berg and “Five Summer Stories: The Exhibition.” The exhibits will last until February 2023.

The festival featured a keynote lecture by Dr. Sylvia Earle, the National Geographic Society Explorer-in-residence.

Every year, Art & Nature engages the Laguna Beach community through gallery partnerships and collaborations with local nonprofits that work for environmental causes. The event welcomed over ten sponsors, including the Festival of Arts Foundation of Laguna Beach and Bank of America.

“There’s always been this notion of how art and nature intersect here at Laguna Beach. So when we work with our partners, it helps to strengthen those ideas and that those ideas

cross many disciplines,” said Julie Perline Lee, executive director of the museum and Cal State Fullerton alum. “Not even just our galleries, or our nonprofit partners, but even our businesses and colleges and other entities in Laguna Beach.”

For Lee, art is an avenue for a free conversation about ecological problems.

“It’s not really easy to talk about chemicals being dumped in our ocean, but art provides a way where we can have conversations about that, where we can feel emotion about it, and it can lead to change,” Lee said.

Kelly Berg, the Los Angeles--based artist of “Pyramidion,” said her sculptures are inspired by natural disasters she has witnessed.

“I’ve focused on extreme weather, geologic phenomena, especially volcanoes, and that work on my paintings are very inspired by all of this natural phenomena that I was exposed to at a young age growing up in Minnesota,” Berg said. “We had pretty extreme weather such as tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, and I actually became very fascinated by these natural phenomena.”

During Berg’s first visit to the museum in 2007, she said she fell in love with the landscape and people, making it special to bring her art to the Laguna Beach community. Berg is excited to see visitors interact with her pyramid sculptures on Main Beach and Heisler Park.

Hope Noakes, a visitor services associate, pointed to Robert Young’s “The Big One” masterpiece,

purported to be the largest canvas painting created in Laguna Beach. It was the first time the museum displayed the painting.

“Images like this specific one haven’t been seen for a very long

time and have been kind of stu ffed in storage in people’s garages and stu ff. So to have it be seen, especially in the memory of the artist, because he just passed away, it’s kind of a big deal,” Noakes said.

Lee said that in the past, the museum solely collaborated with one featured artist, but now they are inviting more artists to celebrate Laguna Beach’s roots as a treasured art colony.

(Left to right) Stephanie Ramirez, David Vallejo, Emily Holden and Sara Johnson cultivate food to explore nutrition and sustainability at the Fullerton Arboretum.

JENNIFER LUND / DAILY TITAN

VANESSA SIGUENZA Asst. Editor

Art & Nature is an annual art festival that presents special exhibitions at the Laguna Art Museum to raise awareness about environmental issues. The exhibits began Nov. 3 and will run through February.

VANESSA SIGUENZA / DAILY TITAN

Student-run business o ers repair services to Titans

surgeon preparing for an operation. Before starting a repair, he lays out his equipment: a work mat, screws, a magnetic mat, an anti-static wristband, work gloves and a heat gun to melt down adhesive. Coffie then takes the device apart and carefully keeps track of screws that are smaller than a grain of rice.

Luis Vasqez, the owner of GP Computers & Cellphone in Placentia, said the demand for repairs from CSUF students is high.

“We do get a lot of students, thankfully,” Vasqez said. “We try to be open early in the morning just to get people who broke their phone last night.”

For students, a phone can be essential for schoolwork. Sindy Salmeron, a third-year communications major at CSUF, said she often uses her phone for up to seven hours a day to do homework. If Salmeron’s phone were to break, she would get it fixed if the price is low enough or she would buy a new one.

“I have the Canvas app, so I check the calendar and I use it when I have to turn things in,” Salmeron said.

To match demand, Coffie is focusing on expanding CSUF Repairs through an Instagram account and word-ofmouth referrals, all while balancing school and work life.

led him to found Cal State Fullerton Repairs.

“I hacked his Wi-Fi. I felt like it was fun, and I was learning something.

said he decided to come to CSUF because of the large technology industry in California.

After his cousin refused to give him the Wi-Fi password, eight-year-old Godfrey Coffie hacked into hisWi-Fi by bypassing the password prompt sparking an interest in technology that

From there, it was an experience,” said Coffie, a first-year computer science major.

Coffie runs CSUF Repairs, a service that repairs phones, computers andlaptops for CSUF students.

Originally from Maryland, Coffie

“I wanted to be at the center of it so I can meet people within the field and see how they think and see a different viewpoint. I knew the world was bigger than just Maryland,” Coffie said.

Coffie said he started CSUF Repairs because he knew college students need quality repairs at a fair price.

For four years, Coffie has been repairing electronics. He got his start by fixing broken phones for his relatives until his skills improved enough to start charging for his services.

“After five months, I went out and started doing it with other people's equipment, and I was just doing it fine because I had repetitive practice over and over and over,” Coffie said.

Coffie’s repair process is like a

Coffie plans to finish his computer science degree within four years but is uncertain what he will do after graduation. His current plan is to move to Austin, Texas, because many technology companies are opening second locations there or moving altogether.

“I don’t know what the future holds. I am just going step by step,” Coffie said.

Dia de los Muertos event revives Chicano club

ROSEMARY MONTALVO

Editor

Students gathered for MEChA’s first event of the semester since 2018 to celebrate Dia de los Muertos on Wednesday night.

Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano/a de Aztlan is a student organization at Cal State Fullerton dedicated to promoting history, culture, higher education and political involvement in the Chicano community.

Inside McCarthy Hall, the meeting room was decorated with colorful papel picado, a traditional paper decoration containing intricate designs. At the center of the room, an ofrenda was decorated with candles, marigolds, string lights, skulls, wooden

crosses, alebriijes, pan de muerto and photographs. Ofrendas are altars decorated with gifts and sentimental objects to welcome back those who have passed away.

The celebration began with a presentation given by members of MEChA as they explained the history and importance of Dia de los Muertos. About 25 students gathered as the board members explained elements of an ofrenda and the meaning behind each.

Frida Kahlo, Selena, Ariel Camacho and Richie Valens were among the people that members of MEChA honored on their ofrenda this year.

Brandon Contreras, fourth-year civil engineering major and president of MECha, said that although he didn’t understand the significance behind Dia de los Muertos at a young

age, he now understands the importance of this tradition and sharing it with the community at CSUF.

“We're able to show our cultura. We're able to show who us, Chicano, Latinx, Chicanx community is and what represents us,” Contreras said. “This is one of our major events that I would say represents the Latino and Chicanx movement.”

Janette L. Hyder, counselor and senior career post-graduation coordinator for the Male Success Initiative and MEChA adviser, said it is important to celebrate Dia de los Muertos because it is an opportunity to educate a larger audience about Mexican culture.

“In the United States, sometimes we look at death, sometimes very morbid and just negatively, but in Mexico and in other countries, it's

a celebration of life. It's a different way of looking at death and embracing and just remembering our antepasados and our loved ones, and you know that it can include just family, pets, etc.,” Hyder said.

After the presentation, MEChA invited students to paint their Mexican death masks and cut out papel picado. A Mexican death mask, also known as a careta, can represent a deceased person or fend off the dead after the festivities.

Some attendees partook in the activities and others socialized while enjoying pan de muerto, pan dulce and aguas frescas.

Jennifer Montgomery, a communications graduate student, said the event was important because it allowed students to reconnect and learn more about their culture.

“For a lot of students here, the communities they build are really important to them, kind of like an extended family or another branch of family. And so I think it's really important to have a community altar where we can learn about each other's loved ones,” Montgomery said.

The atmosphere created throughout the celebration made Hyder feel emotional and empowered to see what is in store for MEChA as they begin to rebuild their organization.

“I hope that others who attended will feel that inspiration and that cultural empowerment to want to be part of MEChA, to have MEChA continue to grow so that we can do continuous programs like this to educate the campus community and also to make sure that we don't forget where we came from,” Hyder said.

Godfrey Co e is a rst-year computer science major who started his business, CSUF Repairs, in September.

DAVID NU Ñ EZ / DAILY TITAN

DAVID NUÑEZ Asst. Editor

Proposition 28 spotlights needed funding for the arts

Yet, those that oppose the proposition argue that it may lead to cuts in safety net programs during recessions, according to an article by the San Diego Tribune. This may especially be a risk for California because the Legislative Analyst’s Office warns that the state may face its fourth recession soon.

By voting “yes”, the music and arts programs receive funding and what we pay to the state would be unaffected. It also would not affect the amount of funds that are allocated towards public education.

The benefits to voting “yes” outweigh the reasons to vote “no.” Teachers and students greatly benefit from the music and art programs as it helps teachers stay employed in a subject they enjoy teaching and students get to express themselves.

Without the worry of raising taxes, there is no reason to deny students a learning experience where they can express themselves and learn about subjects outside of the core ones.

“I just want everyone to know that this is not a tax. It’s taking existing funding and ensuring that there are opportunities for students. That is at the core of what this proposition is about,” Despars said.

Arts and music programs currently receive funding from state and local budgets, despite being the first to be cut from local budgets during economic downturns.

already at a disadvantage when it comes to funding. With Proposition 28 offering a solution to such an issue, it is within California voters’ best interest to vote “yes.”

Uys said that out of 20 schools in the district, there are only four music instructors that teach both junior high schools and four to five elementary schools each.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, three out of the four instructors retired due to the challenges of online teaching. But Uys kept her position as a music educator despite these challenges.

“It’s very challenging to be able to teach junior high and then also get to your elementaries and teach them, so pandemic or not, it’s a challenging job,” Uys said.

When school districts lose a sufficient number of arts and music instructors, currently employed instructors are impacted the most. This results in more work, more hours and more schools to cover. Proposition 28 would improve the quality of arts and music education for both students and teachers. With guaranteed funds, school districts can hire more full-time instructors, provide students with specialized equipment and enable students to go on field trips to observe professionals in the creative arts.

Arts and music education is students’ gateway to creativity, but when the economy faces financial downturns, these programs are the first to get cut from school budgets. California voters should vote “yes” on Proposition 28 to ensure that arts and music education receive guaranteed funding for both

students and instructors.

Proposition 28 assists the arts and music programs by receiving guaranteed funding for K-12 schools. These funds would go toward hiring arts and music instructors, providing students with proper equipment and meeting other needs to provide students with quality education, said Mary Louise Uys, an instrumental music teacher in the Fullerton School District.

This year’s proposition would ensure that at least 1% of Proposition 98 funds

will be directed toward arts and music programs. Proposition 98 sets a minimum level of funding for public schools and community colleges. Thus, Proposition 28 declares that a portion of these funds will be allocated toward arts and music education.

“That guaranteed funding could be a gamechanger for a lot of communities whose districts maybe don’t see the importance of this,” said Michael Despars, theatrical arts director at Fullerton Union High School.

“Either getting laid off from a job or a teaching job or just saying ‘Your position’s no longer available,’ those kind of things are reality to music educators and arts educators as well,” said Patrick Johnston, an elementary-level music educator in Fullerton.

When the arts and music programs get their funding cut, it puts teachers in a difficult position where they lose their jobs. Currently, only one in five California public schools have a full-time arts or music programs.

The arts and music programs are

Arts and music education is essential for helping students build skills such as goal-setting, team work and tackling unexpected challenges, said Troy Trimble, an instrumental music teacher at Fullerton Union High School.

On the Nov. 8 Election Day, vote "yes" to help school districts employ more full-time creative arts instructors and ease the workload for instructors in underserved school districts. Show your support for students and teachers in the creative arts and help ensure they receive better funding. With it not raising taxes, that is one less thing California voters have to worry about after the election.

JOCELYN ANDRADE / DAILY TITAN

KIRSTEN MAGLUNOG Sta Writer

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Men's basketball returns after historic season to face No. 19 San Diego State

ANTHONY BAUTISTA Asst. Editor

The last time the Titans suited up for a game against a ranked opponent, they were sharing the court with the legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski and Duke University last March.

Now, with a nearly entirely new line-up than the one that won the Big West Tournament, Cal State Fullerton men’s basketball returns to the court to open their season against No. 19 San Diego State on Monday night.

“We will be battle-tested early,” said CSUF associate head coach Anthony Santos. “We prep for this. Our guys will get a first-hand experience on what going up against a top-defensive team in the nation looks like,”he added.

The Titans enter the season with nine new faces on the roster and will have to replace their leaders on offense from last year.

The big question for the defending Big West Tournament champions this season will be how Fullerton will move on without their offensive workhorse, E.J. Anosike.

Anosike, who is currently signed to Suwon KT Sonicboom in the Korean Basketball League, nearly averaged a double-double last season and was the focal point of the offense, while leading the Titans on the boards.

For Santos and the rest of the coaching staff, they quickly focused on filling this season’s roster and began searching for replacements from nearly all levels of basketball they could recruit from.

“As soon as our season was over we were obviously in the transfer portal, trying to find guys to finish out our roster,” Santos said. “We added a couple of freshmen, some Division II transfers, some JUCO guys, so we have a melting pot of everything.”

Senior guard Jalen Harris said all of the new players have bonded well off the court.

“Everybody loves each other., I feel like we did a lot of hanging out this summer,” Harris said.

Harris, the 2022 Big West Sixth Player of the Yyear recipient, isfinds himself slated to be the Titans starting point guard this season.

“I feel pretty comfortable. I feel like most of my career I’ve been a

starter,” Harris said. “I feel like I just kind of slipped back into that position.”

Senior forward Vincent Lee returns for his final season with the Titans. He and he highlighted the improvements he has’s made to his game this off-season.

“I think I’ve gotten a lot better in ball-screen coverages and being a better defensive anchor for the team. Communicating more on defense, calling out the right call whether we’re switching or however we’re guarding the pick and roll,” Lee said.

Harris and Lee will be the vocal leaders for the Titans as two of the players with the most experience on the roster.

The choice to start the season against a higher ranked opponent was by design, Santos said.

While Fullerton enters the Monday’s match-up at a physical disadvantage, Santos saiditerates that the Titans’ focus should be on their execution and the pace of the game.

“They're big, strong, physical, but for us, we’ve got to make sure we execute our game plan and we play at our pace,” Santos said.

Santos saidwent on to emphasize that rebounds and keeping turnovers at a minimum while being in the right positions offensively, are keys to a Fullerton victory.

CSUF will be returning to San Diego State, where the Titans fell to the Aztecs, 66-56, last December.

However, after a visit to Viejas Arena last season, combined with a postseason full of playing in front of hectic crowds, Harris said he feels like those experiences will help him and the Titans be more prepared this time around.

Lee said he holds his opponents in

high regard, but knows the team’s effort is in its own hands.

“We hold a great deal of respect for them. I think it’s definitely on us to just go out and compete and play as hard as we can,” Lee said.

Harris shared a similar message about the Monday night’s matchup.

“They do have a name, but we’re on scholarship as well. We’re not too big into who they have on their team or what they’re gonna do, we’re worried about our team and how we’re going to execute our game plan,” Harris said.

Tip off is scheduled for Monday at 7 p.m. at Viejas Arena in San Diego.

Volleyball swept in Hawai'i, remains winless against Rainbow Wahine

JONATHAN GONZALEZ Sta Writer

For the second time this season, the University of Hawai’i Rainbow Wahine swept Cal State Fullerton women’s volleyball, 3-0.

CSUF remains winless against the University of Hawai’i with an 0-45 all-time record against them.

The Titans fall to 12-10 overall and are tied for sixth place in the Big West standings with a 6-8 conference record. They continue to struggle away from Titan Gym at 5-7 on the road.

During the Honolulu matchup, Rainbow Wahine middle blocker Amber Igiede led all players with a game-high 15 kills.

Titans setter Elizabeth Schuster dished out a game-high 26 assists and libero Nadia Koanui recorded 13 digs.

Going into the match, CSUF was previously swept by Long Beach State. The Titans were also without

ter Julia Crawford, who was out of the game with a finger injury.

University of Hawai’i, on the other hand, were winners of five straight and showcased why they

have only lost one conference game so far this season. They currently lead the Big West in kills per set, assists per set and average hitting percentage.

In losses this season, the Titans’ low hitting percentage have shown a pattern of incomplete kill attempts.

In the match, the Titans had a team hitting percentage of .121 against the Rainbow Wahine who held a solid .353 hitting percentage.

Though losing all three sets by a score of 25-18, the third set was the most competitive between the two teams. The Titans trailed 18-16 before giving up five straight points that put the Rainbow Wahine within two points of winning the set.

Igiede proceeded to get the final two kills to end the set and keep the Rainbow Wahine in first place of the conference standings.

Forward Vincent Lee (left) pictured against UC Irvine on Feb.24, is one of seven players returning from last season's roster.

MARISA PALMERIN - FLORES / DAILY TITAN

one of their star players, outside hit-

Outside hitter Lyla Traylor pictured against the University of Hawai'i on Sept.30, recorded 10 kills in the match. NAVTEJ HUNDAL / DAILY TITAN