Week of February 1, 2021

On Friday, the Big West conference announced its return to play protocols for the upcoming spring sports season.

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While it may be efficient to hire adult actors for teen roles it enforces low self-esteem and idolizes unachievable beauty standards.

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LIFESTYLE

The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton

OPINIO N

SPORTS

Monday, February 1, 2021

Volume 109 Issue 2

“Fate: The Winx Saga” fails to capture the magic of the original series as they attempt to “age-up” the content for new viewers.

PAGE 5

Local businesses edge toward normalcy Chicana Plant-Based Grub in Downtown Fullerton continues to provide takeout options for customers. (Camille Manaloto / Daily Titan)

CAMILLE MANALOTO Asst. Editor

After months of living under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s statewide stay-at-home order, Downtown Fullerton businesses are now adjusting to a new policy that allows outdoor dining and no curfew. Downtown Fullerton might not be the vibrant, crowded scene that students are used to, but local businesses are tirelessly working to accommodate their loyal customers and bring some energy back to the popular area.

On Jan. 25, Gov. Newsom lifted the statewide stay-at-home order and 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew, allowing outdoor dining to resume.

For some local business owners, the prospect of reopening is exciting. For others, the future feels uncertain.

Joe Rosati is the owner of The Night Owl in Downtown Fullerton. Since opening its doors in 2011, the coffee shop has been a popular open mic spot. What started as a small event inside the shop quickly grew, and the shop now hosts performances on their patio area.

Throughout the years, its open mic has transformed into an elaborate production, and a crucial financial generator for The Night Owl. But with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rosati said the business and other neighboring shops have decreased significantly.

“Nobody really goes to the little mom and pop coffee shops like mine,” Rosati said.

“Now it’s just, hey just go drive through Starbucks, get your coffee, and go.”

Rosati said that many people like to go to local coffee shops for the experience — see

the artwork, listen to music and hang out with friends. With the lockdown, people aren’t able to get that experience and have begun to opt for the easier choice of chain stores with drive-thrus, he said.

With the big loss of his open mic, Rosati said he is doing everything he can to keep his business afloat. The Night Owl has resumed outside patio seating, and Rosati recently applied for a beer and wine license with hopes that it will bring in more revenue.

In light of the lifted order, Rosati encourages students to go outside and experience life within these strict safety precautions.

“Meet some friends, sit a few feet apart and enjoy company,” Rosati said.

Jasmine Hernandez is another local business owner in Downtown Fullerton. She owns a restaurant called Chicana Plant-Based Grub on Commonwealth Avenue. The menu is fully vegan and “Cali inspired,” with items ranging from tacos and burritos to burgers and nachos.

Hernandez opened her Fullerton location in March 2020 for takeout only, and the small restaurant officially hosted its grand opening in July. Having grown up in the area, Hernandez said she is familiar with the bar scene in Downtown Fullerton and was excited to experience it with her business, but opening in the midst of the pandemic did not give them the opportunity to do so.

“I’m curious to see what it’s like when everything bounces back, and everyone feels safe to come out,” Hernandez said.

Although the restaurant opened at such a chaotic time, Hernandez said there has been a lot of community support.

SEE ORDER

4

Tuition for new Women’s basketball lose academic year two at home to Bakersfield stays the same Editor

SPORTS

Cal State University students can expect to pay the same amount in tuition for the upcoming 2021-22 academic year.

“I restate because it bears repeating, that we will not raise tuition for academic year 2021-2022,” said new CSU Chancellor Joseph Castro at the system’s bimonthly

board of trustees meeting.

The declaration was prefaced with words of gratitude as Castro thanked California Gov. Gavin Newsom for including a 3% increase in funding towards the system in his January budget proposal, amounting to about $145 million. One of the conditions included in the allocation was to keep residential tuition and fees flat for 2021-22.

SEE FEES 3

The men’s basketball team split their road series against CSU Bakersfield, winning on Friday, but losing to the Roadrunners on Saturday.

PAGE 6

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OPINIO N

KARINA GUTIERREZ

ANTHONY BAUTISTA Asst. Editor

Cal State Fullerton women’s basketball team was swept by CSU Bakersfield at Titan Gym with scores of 67-54 and 57-56 on Friday and Saturday. The losses dropped CSUF’s record to 1-11 overall and 0-8 in Big West play.

For the third time in four games this season, the Titans took the floor without leading

scorer Amiee Book and the team’s offense continued to struggle without her on Friday night. The Roadrunners started the game with a 12-0 lead before Anniken Frey, Titans

Queer people, desperately craving to be reflected on screen, can only sit back and watch the media invalidate their real world experiences.

PAGE 8

shooting guard, made the first basket of the game with just under seven minutes left in the opening quarter.

SEE DEFEAT 6

Joy Krupa sets-up for a free-throw against CSU Bakersfield at Titan Gym on Jan. 29. (CSUF Athletics)

LIFESTYLE

Titans remain winless in conference play with losses last weekend.

After one week of online classes, students are feeling stressed and overwhelmed, despite their previous experience with remote learning.

PAGE 4 VISIT US AT: DAILYTITAN.COM

2 News

WEEK OF MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1

Cal State Fullerton’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences building. (Eliza Green / Daily Titan)

New general education Ethnic studies requirement approved implementation debate continues

The additional mandatory class will complete Area F. NICOLE MARIONA EMILY DOWNER Asst. Editors

The Cal State Fullerton Academic Senate approved a new GE requirement for students to complete area F with courses under ethnic studies at a meeting on Thursday.

However, the Senate had trouble deciding how to implement the new GE requirement, as it discussed possible setbacks that students could experience with different majors and unit requirements. In August, the State Assembly passed a bill mandating all Cal State Universities include a three-unit ethnic studies requirement from the departments of African-American, Asian American or Chicano and Chicana studies, in their GE. The Senate said it is deciding on one of two options that would accommodate both students with higher unit requirements and those within the arts and humanities that would allow students to complete their overall GE requirements on time with the additional ethnic studies requirement. One proposal advocates dividing all GE requirements into seven major areas that will include Ethnic Studies and American Institutions. The proposal would add ethnic studies

in the GE requirement, reducing units in arts and humanities and social sciences. Associate professor Alexandro Gradilla from the Chicana and Chicano studies department said the chair and the faculty need to consider that students taking less units in the excluded area will affect the department financially because they are dependent on students enrolling in the courses to complete their GE requirements.

“I think we do have to ask the money question because if some departments are reliant on GE, how will they be funded?” Gradilla said.

The second proposal has six requirements that includes ethnic studies, taking away three units from area D, social sciences, to fulfill the new requirement.

Many members of the senate advocated for this second proposal with the additional passage of a resolution of exemptions for highunit majors, who would be impacted by the new requirements.

Senator Jarvis introduced this resolution to the senate and said if the second proposal was passed, then exceptions for high-unit majors would be fast-tracked.

This resolution would allow some majors like business administration, chemistry and BFA degrees in Arts to remain under the 120 unit mark by reducing the 12-unit requirement of area C. “It’s a compromise, and I think it’s the best compromise possible,”

said history professor Robert Mclain. “I think it’s the best solution to a difficult problem.”

Adelina Gnanlet said while the resolution would introduce a compromise, it still does not fulfil the hope of a cohesive GE system and might create problems for transfer students.

“I think we should hold onto the spirit of what GE wants to offer as a unified spectrum that gives us solid foundations of concentration of GE courses and flexibility with the electives and providing such a resolution with exemptions I do not believe goes to its spirit of it,” Gnanlet said.

Provost Carolyn Thomas said that despite the opposing sides in this debate, she believed a third option that would not add more units for high unit majors or take away from humanities and arts experience would be appropriate.

“We must take seriously our responsibility to create a core GE with fewer units and units that are truly the essential qualities we believe our students need to move forward in society,” Thomas said.

Thomas said the Senate continues to discuss the best course of action to help students graduate in a timely manner while allowing them to take all the required courses for a more diverse and fulfilling academic experience.

An emergency meeting will be held next Thursday.

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KIM PHAM Asst. Editor

California’s decision to make ethnic studies a mandatory course has sparked an ongoing discussion throughout the Cal State Fullerton community on how to implement the requirement.

Political science professor Stephen J. Stambough spoke about the implementation of the Ethnic Studies Bill at Tuesday’s Associated Students board of directors meeting. In his presentation, Stambough provided insight on why the topic is so controversial and the options the academic senate is entertaining.

“There are no really good options, but there are options that will work,” Stambough said. “When you have that many external mandates on the exact same type of program, it’s really difficult to fit all those jigsaw pieces together into something that works really well.”

Combatting the issues of misrepresenting GE sections, balancing enrollment and creating a more uniform GE package, two different options were developed, debated and sent to the General Education committee to no resolution, as the board’s votes were split equally between the two options, Stambough said. Following the disruptions of AB 1460, the ethnic studies requirement, made to current general education mandates, the Chancellor’s office created a new GE area, area F, by removing three units from area D, Stambough said.

As a result, the entirety of area D would comprise of American history and American government, with no room for social sciences exploration.

The first option will move three units out of area C, social sciences, into D, humanities. Option 2 aims to remove D.3 from the GE package entirely and categorize it as its own graduation requirement while providing exemptions for high-unit majors, Stambough said.

Stambough said that the second option is mostly opposed by people who feel it places an unnecessary burden on high-unit majors seeking exemptions from the high number of GE unit requirements. An additional consequence of this burden is that

high-unit majors need this exemption because they are not allowed to exceed the 120-unit graduation requirement.

Most of the ASI board members appeared to favor the second option as they spoke about and asked questions regarding the implementation of the ethnic studies requirement.

Janica Torres, the chief inclusion and diversity officer, said she supports the second option because general education classes have helped her to find the major that she is currently enrolled in now, and that it would not have been possible without the opportunity to explore other disciplines.

“I came in thinking one thing and experiencing another thing, so I feel like having more options to experience a broader range of things when we’re at that age — where we are finding ourselves, we’re finding what works for us, we’re finding who we are. I think it’s better to keep option two,” Torres said.

Seleena Mukbel, the vice chair of the board, said she supports the second option because it would not only give the campus a similar GE experience, but also create a more inclusive and equal campus environment for CSUF students in the long run.

“People just see it as an elective and they don’t really choose it all the time but sometimes you just have to be in an actual class and actually learn from something to realize that this is so important,” Mukbel said.

Adriana Fernandez, a representative for the College of Health and Human Development, said she was leaning toward the first option, as adding another course would burden students who need to take on graduate school prerequisites.

“They already have a whole outline of what extra classes they would have to take in order to be able even apply to grad school aside from the GE classes that they already have to take,” Fernandez said.

Maria Linares, the board of directors chair, and Nicole Gillespie, chief campus relations officer, created a qualtrics survey with the help of ASI staff to gather student input regarding this issue. The survey, as well as the board members’ discussion with Stambough, will be available on the ASI website, Linares said.

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News 3

WEEK OF MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1

Commencement 2021 likely to be virtual Staff Writer

Fees: Students call for executive salary cuts 1 In addition to the millions of dollars in funding, the CSU is also set to receive almost $1 billion in emergency aid from the most recent federal relief package.

Many people were unsatisfied with the announcement, even commenting on the system’s Instagram post. Some called on the CSU to lower tuition in response to the pandemic, others urged the system to use its $1.5 billion in reserves to save those on the verge of being furloughed or laid off.

Similar to the criticisms received on social media, students and employees voiced their frustrations with the university during public comments. One commenter, an incoming student at Fresno State, said that they heard of a possible tuition raise in the case that the state budget would further cut the CSU system and called upon the board to stop giving the administration pay raises.

“Consider cutting your executive paycheck instead of perpetrating hardships on students and workers,” the attendee said. “We keep the CSU running, not the trustees or the senior managers, many of whom are receiving pay raises even as the CSU talks of increasing tuition and has laid off its lower-paid staff.”

Last September, the board approved that Castro would receive annual compensation of $625,000. Despite the board’s insistence that it was the same amount that the previous Chancellor Timothy White had received, according to EdSource, it was reported that his salary was $477,771 a year. Around the same time, the 23 campuses experienced a wave of layoffs. Out of 55,000, 303 CSU employees had received notices, 99 were from management positions.

“We will do what we can, as much as we can to avoid additional layoffs of permanent CSU staff or faculty due to a lack of state funds,” Castro said. “If our assumptions for state and federal support hold, I will not support a systemwide furlough program.”

On the topic of finances, Trustee Jack McGrory said another way the system could generate revenue was from raising out-ofstate tuition. He said that it would CONTINUED FROM

be “fiscal insanity” if campuses with a great demand for non-residents did not raise their fees.

“We are in-effect subsidizing public education for out-of-state students and at the same time paying the highest taxes in the west,” McGory said. “I don’t feel any obligation to out-of-state residents in terms of charging a market rate tuition fee structure, it’s just fundamental, you wouldn’t run a business like this. This business would fail automatically.”

Trustee Douglas Faigin, agreed with McGory’s sentiments. He said that if raised out-of-state tuition caused a lesser influx of those students then it could possibly make way for more Californians to enter the system.

Despite the trustees’ confidence in this idea, Ryan Storm, assistant vice chancellor, quickly dismantled the concept and said that because the state pays for the education of many Californians, out-of-state students are paying for their spot, essentially garnering the campus money.

“If non-residents were to disappear, that does not necessarily mean that we can admit, educate another 20,000 plus additional California residents for the amount of resources we have,” Storm said.

As tuition appears to be stable for now, campus-based fees can be changed despite the universities within the system being online. According to the fee policy, campus presidents are given the responsibility to increase or abolish those payments. Mandatory campus fees have been increasing at a significant rate, sometimes by hundreds of dollars, according to Cal Matters. Trustee Romey Sabalius questioned the approval process for the mandatory fees and said that such matters should be brought before the board. He added that while his peers disagreed with his statements before, calling it micromanaging due to how many charges there were across the 23 campuses, it would not be any different from when the board reviews hundreds of other academic programs.

“Why should we not do something like that for consequential decisions that affect the cost of education?” Sabalius said.

campus in a possible replication of a commencement stage along with other designated areas are in the works and will be shared once the decisions are finalized. The university continues to explore options for students to return in the spring for pictures, the email read.

“It is difficult to share this news because we have been holding on to hope that in-person ceremonies would be possible,” the email stated. “At this point, however, we know that everyone needs to plan, and it is important for us to move forward with our own process ensuring that above all, we keep our Titans and their families safe during this difficult time.”

Students about to graduate flocked to social media to share their disappointment.

Many are questioning whether or not they will receive a full refund of their $115 graduation fee.

“At first, I thought they’d lower the price for graduation, but now I don’t expect them to change the price or issue a refund,” said Cynthia Chin, a graduating health science major.

Concerns over the $115 graduation fee have pushed upcoming graduates like Jonathan Bauer, who’s set to earn his psychology degree in May, to demand a refund and urge CSUF officials to listen to its students.

As Bauer echoed the same sentiments as his fellow titans, his friend Baylee Weston — a kinesiology major and soonto-be graduate — prompted him to begin a petition with the hopes to get answers from the University.

“My biggest concern is that

I want the school to listen to its students when they raise concerns about issues like these,” Bauer said. “The school wants to move to in-person learning in August but cannot take the time to come up with the safety protocols and measures necessary for an in-person graduation in May?” As of Sunday night, Bauer’s petition has amassed over 400 signatures.

“Per university policy, this fee is required for all students who are applying for graduation and are ready for their degree to be conferred,” said Ellen Treanor, CSUF’s chief communications officer, in an email to the Daily Titan.

Treanor said that the fee has always been required for all graduates, regardless of whether they choose to participate in the commencement ceremonies.

More specifically, the graduation and diploma fee covers the ceremony as well as other expenses.

Despite not getting a refund back, soon-to-be graduates are still upset that after four years, they will be receiving a virtual ceremony, including criminal justice major Liliana Alvarado.

“I think that it’s absurd that we’re paying $115 for a PowerPoint slide. I saw what CSUF did for the Class of 2020; it was some prerecorded messages and PowerPoint presentations. It was ridiculous and I hope they do a better job this year,” Alvarado said. “I wouldn’t mind watching live speeches online and actually hearing them call our names instead of clicking through to see your slide.”

Karina Gutierrez contributed to this article.

EDITORIAL

Asst. Editor

TRISHA VASQUEZ

Thomas and Greg Saks, vice president for university advancement, said that the final decision would be made prior to spring break but that all signs point to a virtual commencement in May. “With the current information in hand, and after consulting with many campus stakeholders, we believe the best way to achieve that goal is with a virtual celebration in May of 2021,” according to an email from the university’s commencement team.

This decision is temporarily being made after consulting with students, industry experts and colleagues at other universities to better adhere to California’s health and safety regulations.

The commencement team also ensured that it will continue to monitor the health and safety guidelines in the case that the university can shift to an in-person ceremony.

“If this pivot happens, such an in-person option would be for graduates only with limited faculty participation, so we can remain in compliance with health guidelines,” according to the email. “While guests would not be permitted in person, they could watch the ceremonies via a live stream.”

The announcement also reminded graduates that the university has not forgotten about the class of 2020, as they had a virtual ceremony last May, and will contact those who missed their commencement to participate in the 2021 graduation. While the ceremony’s format is still undetermined, an in-person commencement is still possible, the email read.

Details and safety protocols for photo opportunities on

Editor-in-Chief Jessica Benda Managing Editor Madeline Gray Digital Managing Editor Karina Gutierrez News Editor Anthony Robledo Deputy News Editor Michelle Ibañez News Assistants Leticia Perez Emily Downer Lily Lopez Nicole Mariona Sports Editor Adam Maldonado

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The graduating class of 2021 is likely to say goodbye to its alma mater through a screen, as Cal State Fullerton announced on Friday the prospects of another virtual commencement.

In an email to the campus community, Provost Carolyn

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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 Jessica Benda at (657) 278-5815 or at editorinchief@dailytitan.com to report any errors.

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

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4 Lifestyle

WEEK OF MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1

Discoverfest aims to virtually unite Titans This two-day event kicks off on Feb. 3 with hundreds of clubs.

TAYLOR ARREY Editor

To kick off the second fully-online semester, Student Life and Leadership is preparing to host Digital Discoverfest, set to take place online on Feb. 3 and Feb. 4.

Students are gearing up for Zoom meetings, virtual discussions and days spent on the computer. Many are struggling to find their Titan community, but students don’t have to look far to find involvement opportunities.

The Virtual Involvement Fair will begin on Feb. 3 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will take place on Titan Link where students will be able to view and click through informational links of participating clubs and organizations. For anyone who cannot attend the first day, the fair will also be open on Feb. 4 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Students interested can register online through Titan Link.

This is the second time that Discoverfest will be hosted

online since the initial shutdown in March 2020. Student Life and Leadership announced via Titan Link that it made adjustments to the online event after receiving feedback from the first Digital Discoverfest held last fall.

Titan Orientation Programs and Student Life and Leadership hosted a Discoverfest Involvement Webinar via Zoom on Jan. 20, where the programs discussed student feedback and how important it is to create a strong virtual community presence. Gleanne Kienzler, the coordinator for student organizations, said a couple hundred students provided feedback on a survey about last semester’s event.

“As a result of Discoverfest, our fall 2020 participants said that they felt more connected to the campus community,” Kienzler said. “It sometimes feels like ‘I’m opening the computer just to go to school and then I’m done. I don’t get to meet anybody. I don’t have a sense of community.’ So, these organizations and Discoverfest are all an opportunity for you to be part of something bigger and really have some friends when we do

return in person.”

The event will feature over 300 clubs and organizations.

Some clubs are specific to certain colleges, while others fall under categories like recreation, service, special interest and sports. An extensive list can be found on Titan Link for specific clubs. This list will also feature a schedule informing viewers of the date and time that clubs will be active on its Titan Link page.

Student Life and Leadership is working to fill its YouTube channel with highlight videos from each organization so that students can view their digital content.

“Student organizations are always creating content and doing a little 30 second commercial of their student organization, so I encourage you to browse through our YouTube channel to see what our student organizations have to offer because I know words can only go so far, but a picture and a video can mean a thousand words,” Kienzler said.

For many students, exploring over 300 organizations is an intimidating task. To help with this, Student Life and

HUYEN TRAN TRAN / DAILY TITAN

Leadership developed the Student Life Connection, an online tool that gathers information from students and suggests the best involvement opportunities catered to specific interests and goals.

Students can access this tool at www.tinyurl.com/ studentlifeconnect.

Titans who submit a photo of themselves at Discoverfest will be eligible to receive free giveaway items such as a free hot/ cold pack and coloring book set.

Photos can be a screenshot from

Zoom meetings, or they can be from past events like Homecoming. Titans who participate will be featured on Student Life and Leadership’s Instagram page.

Although this semester’s Discoverfest will be a far cry from the crowded, music-filled event that students are used to, Digital Discoverfest is the perfect opportunity for Titans to make friends, explore interests and find an online community to help them brave the upcoming virtual semester.

Order: Returning to outdoor dining 1 “We would like to thank the vegan community who already knew us and the Fullerton community who was putting events together to support small local businesses,” she said.

Chicana Plant-Based Grub is still only offering takeout, but Hernandez said they will begin gradually opening back up, starting with patio dining in the coming weeks. She said she wants to be sure of things before fully committing, since policies change so fast. She wants to adhere to all the laws and ensure that her customers feel safe, she said.

“Even as the stay-at-home orders are lifted, I get a lot of feedback that a lot of customers don’t necessarily feel safe no matter what the orders are,” Hernandez said.

Alexis Arreguin, a fourth-year Cal State Fullerton student, expressed his own concerns about the stay-at-home order being lifted. While Arreguin said that he understands the frustration people are feeling under the order, he also said that now is not a good time to be lifting orders. As a former restaurant worker, Arreguin said he experienced one day of working during quarantine before he quit. He said people dining in were not being considerate of COVID-19 regulations. Now, as cases continue to rise and new strains appear, he said he is doing his best to keep himself, his family and the people around him safe. In a pre-COVID-19 world, Arreguin said he enjoyed going downtown, but he turned 21 during quarantine and has yet to experience the nightlife in Downtown Fullerton. Arreguin said he is not opposed to patio dining, as long as there are regulations, and understands how the workers feel. He said he tries to limit dining in.

“Bars can wait,” Arreguin said. “It’s been months since I turned 21, so I don’t mind waiting a little longer.”

CONTINUED FROM

“

Customers don’t feel safe no matter what the orders are.

“

JASMINE HERNANDEZ

Business Owner

The Night Owl is currently considering virtual open mic nights for future guests. (Camille Manaloto / Daily Titan)

Students reflect on first week experiences ZACARY MILAM Asst. Editor

After a rough transition to virtual learning in March 2020 and then a completely virtual fall semester, Cal State Fullerton students prepared this week to tackle another semester of synchronous Zoom meetings and fast-approaching deadlines.

Despite having experience with remote learning, many students still felt stressed and overwhelmed after their first week of spring classes, but there were some perks to tackling a third semester online.

Makenna Kim, a first-year English major, said that she is still getting used to the various online platforms and how different professors use them.

“It was kind of stressful, to be honest, because the teachers use different websites, and they sometimes make you go VISIT US AT: DAILYTITAN.COM

to entirely different websites, and sometimes it’s a little unorganized,” Kim said.

Despite the initial stress, Kim said she feels more confident this semester because she understands how to navigate Canvas and Titanium with more ease.

Though many students are mourning the loss of a traditional college experience, this time online has given them the opportunity to learn how to use important online services like Zoom, Titanium and Canvas.

For students who are trying to make the most of their online semester, Kim said that students should strive to participate more in their classes.

It may be a simple piece of advice, but Kim said that participating in class can help students feel more engaged, and it helps them establish a relationship with their professors.

Even in this digital world,

there are opportunities for making connections, and Kim said that students should make an effort to work hard to reach out to their professors.

“They have their office hours, and they’re always open to email, and I feel like they’re all pretty open to talk to students,” Kim said. “You can tell that the professors are trying. We have to give them something to work off of.”

Connor Willey, a third-year communications major, said that while his first week back was not overwhelming, getting back into the swing of school after a long break was difficult, especially under the circumstances of quarantine.

“It wasn’t an overwhelming amount of work, but I had to switch gears in my brain,” Willey said.

Willey said he plans to take advantage of one-on-one Zoom meetings with his professors this semester. Willey

said these meetings helped him in the past, and he said students should try to make those connections even if they are not the same as in-person meetings.

“I think it’s still possible to connect with your teachers.

It’s not the same as being in class, it’s not to that extent, but I think it’s still possible,” Willey said.

Jenna Achtien, a first-year Spanish major, said that despite having a week of classes, she still does not feel like school has really started.

“It was good to get back into classes, but at the same time, I really didn’t feel like we were back in school again. It mentally didn’t click, but it was nice to see my teacher’s faces,” Achtien said.

Despite her own struggles with online learning, Achtien said she understands that her professors are also struggling despite many of them having

the experience of previous semesters.

“I feel like it’s just as much of a challenge sometimes for the professors because they’re really not used to technology.

I even had one professor who forgot to put her volume higher so she can hear us,” Achtien said.

Achtien said students can kick the spring semester off by making a Discord group chat for their classes so they can stay in touch with classmates more frequently.

It is also clear that some students feel unorganized and overwhelmed, and Willey said that writing everything down on a calendar helped him visualize and plan out his week.

After a week of spring classes, students are preparing for another virtual semester and pushing toward their goals of passing classes, all while professors are trying to adapt to teaching virtually.

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Lifestyle 5

WEEK OF MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1

Show

REVIEW

‘Fate’ dulls the sparkle of Winx

Netflix’s live action series misses key elements from the original.

JESSICA BENDA LAUREN WONG Editors

The original “Winx Club” cartoon promoted female friendship with a healthy dash of glitter, but Netflix’s live-action series abandons any sense of color in a misguided attempt to age up the show.

“Fate: The Winx Saga” premiered on Netflix on Jan. 22 and subsequently shot to No. 1 trending after nostalgic Winx fans devoured the series. The adaptation’s dark, mysterious tone earned comparisons to CW’s “Riverdale” and Netflix’s “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,” and like those TV shows, Winx lost the original elements that made them lovable.

Created in 2004 by Italian production company Rainbow, many kids grew up watching the beloved animated series. The show was groundbreaking for its time, but its live-action counterpart retreats into tired tropes.

Though both versions center on a group of teen fairies attending the magic school Alfea, it becomes clear in the first episode that Fate is not the Winx Club. The only similarities are the names of characters and places.

The original Winx Club protagonists were a diverse group of teen girls: Bloom, Stella, Musa, Flora, Tecna and Aisha, who served as role models for young children

worldwide. The live-action scraps Techna entirely, trades Flora for new earth fairy Terra, and vastly changes the surviving characters’ personalities. While half of the cartoon six are coded as characters of color, Aisha was the only one to survive a baffling, disappointing display of whitewashing.

The series follows 16-yearold Bloom (Abigail Cowen) as she discovers her power as a fire fairy and arrives at Alfea. In the primary plot, she attempts to discover who her parents are and who she is, amid threats from demonic, red-eyed monsters called Burned Ones. She meets her suitemate Stella (Hannah van der Westhuysen), the rest of the so-called Winx, and her love interest Sky (Danny Griffin) — a blonde-haired, blueeyed Specialist that looks like he was pulled out of an Abercrombie catalogue.

Most Winx fans now are in their late teens or 20s, so naturally, Netflix thought that the correct approach would be to — literally — darken things.

The glittery, colorful world of Winx is dulled into a British boarding school. Alfea abandons its pastel pinks and blues and sits in gray monotone, and the students’ fashion is equally dull. Someone should inform Netflix that “aging up” does not mean putting the Sepia filter over the camera.

The original Winx Club was about the power of friendships and believing in yourself, but these messages are lost amid teenage angst. In the cartoon, Bloom

and Stella’s strong, supportive friendship is one of the show’s core relationships.

Fate scraps this dynamic and pits them against each other for the affections of Sky. By trading their friendship for a guy, Fate reduces these two women to pawns in a love triangle, sweeping feminism several steps backward.

The thin, pretty blonde Stella could have been reduced to the classic mean girl in the original cartoon, but instead, she dodged stereotypes by being supportive, upbeat and kind to other girls. Fate turns her back into a trope as the jealous but “hot” girlfriend. Sure, there’s some depth to her character in later episodes, but, like the rest of Fate’s Winx girls, she’s not the friend that she could have been.

Like its protagonist, Fate has an identity crisis. It doesn’t seem to know who its audience is, but it either greatly missed the mark for the nostalgic Winx fans, or it wasn’t aiming for them in the first place.

The show is as indecisive as Stella is about her feelings for Sky and toward her suitemates. It’s difficult to root for the characters with their inconsistent personalities and lack of genuine interaction with one another.

The passive-aggressive and hostile attitudes of the characters toward one another remains throughout the episodes. Pitting female protagonists against each other is not friendship.

For those with no

Netflix

attachment to its cartoon origins, Fate is sure to please those who love cliche plot lines and characters. The entirety of the season revolves around Bloom’s quest to discover the truth about her birth parents until it leads her to put the entire university in danger. The specialists, elite soldiers, were unable to defeat Burned Ones, but Bloom was able to do so despite having no control over her magic or emotions. Love triangles, chosen ones, tragic backstories — Fate has it all within six episodes.

Conceptually, the world itself might be intriguing.

The fairies’ differing powers and special effects that bring them to life are pretty to watch, whether it be fire on fingertips or plants blooming from stone. Humor peeks through the darkness every so often, and pleasant side characters are usually more endearing than the main ones.

That said, the series’ pros aren’t enough to warrant a rewatch. The world of Winx may be magical, but Fate is far from enchanting.

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6 Sports

WEEK OF MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1

Fullerton takes one on the road Rebounds plauged the Titans last weekend in their series against CSU Bakersfield.

JOSHUA BYFIELD Asst. Editor

For the fourth-straight weekend, Cal State Fullerton men’s basketball team split a pair of Big West conference games, this time on the road against the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners.

The Titans again won the first of two in Friday’s matchup, 9084, before falling, 83-73, in their Saturday contest after a late Fullerton rally fell short. Fullerton is now 4-6 in conference play, while Bakersfield is 7-3 in conference play and 11-6 overall.

The Roadrunners presented an unusual challenge for Fullerton with their high-energy fullcourt defense. Still, Fullerton was able to match Bakersfield’s effort while taking advantage of the natural weaknesses of playing in an unsettled defense.

Junior guard Tray Maddox Jr. shot 70% from the floor and was perfect on five shots from the 3-point line. On the night, he recorded for 21 points and three assists. Freshman guard Dante Maddox Jr. led both teams in scoring with 22 points, three rebounds and two assists in 25 minutes, though half of his points came from free-throws

Josh Hall shoots a lay-up against Long Beach State at Titan Gym on Jan. 22. (CSUF Athletics)

where he shot 11-14. Senior forward Josh Hall also contributed with 14 points, nine rebounds and two assists.

Like last week against Hawai’i, Fullerton was able to rely on high-level play from its freshman players, with Dante Maddox Jr. as well as freshman guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. playing large roles in Friday’s victory.

Wrightsell scored 18 points with two assists and one rebound in 34 minutes, but was a perfect 7-7 from the free-throw line. Wrightsell leads the Big West conference in free-throw shooting at 94.6%, while Tray Maddox Jr. is third at 89.6%. The

pair of guards attacked the hoop and helped Fullerton get to the free-throw line 37 times to the Roadrunners’ 14. In Saturday’s game, the Titans continued to get to the free-throw line, converting 20-25 attempts.

However, they were unable to replicate Friday’s shooting performance and finished 43% from the field as a team compared to the Roadrunners’ 55%.

Bakersfield was led by an allaround performance by senior Justin McCall who finished with a game-high 26 points with five rebounds, one assist, three steals and two blocks. Fullerton was unable to contain McCall, who dominated inside the paint in

stretches, including an outburst of 10 points and one rebound in the last five minutes of the first half. Fullerton had three players lead their team in scoring with 15 points each from Hall, Tray Maddox Jr. and Dante Maddox Jr. Sophomore guard Tory San Antonio scored 10 points with six rebounds, four assists and a block, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer to cut the Roadrunners’ first half lead to seven.

Bakersfield dominated the game from the interior and outscored Fullerton, 60-20, in the paint while out rebounding them, 41-24. All but one player for the Roadrunners finished with at least three rebounds,

continuing the Titans’ rebounding and defensive woes. Though any kind of winning streak continues to elude CSUF, effort was not in short supply. The Titans matched the high speed and physicality of Bakersfield and near the end of Saturday deployed their own full-court defense in an attempt to come back, cutting the Roadrunners’ lead to four with 1:27 to play after a 9-2 run before the rally finally fizzled out.

Next weekend the Titans return home Friday and Saturday at 5 p.m. for a weekend set against the UC Riverside Highlanders, which is 4-2 in conference and 8-4 overall.

Defeat: Last-second shot falls short 1 CSUF struggled to keep up offensively in the first half after scoring 10 points in the first quarter followed by eight in the second, while CSUB managed to score 23 and 12 points respectively.

The Titans went into halftime trailing 35-18.

In what has become a recurring theme for the Titans this season, the team began to heat up on offense in the second half.

Clarissa Rodarte and Carolyn Gill came in and helped jumpstart the offense in the third as they combined for 13 points in the quarter .

Still on fire, Gill made a CONTINUED FROM

layup that cut the deficit to eight, making the score 46-38 with just over a minute remaining in the third, this prompted CSUB to call a timeout. After the timeout the Roadrunners closed out the quarter on an 8-0 run and entered the fourth quarter leading 54-38.

With the fourth quarter underway, CSUF’s Frey sparked the offense for the Titans with two 3-pointers, which made the score 60-50 with just over six minutes left to play.

The game was in reach for the Titans who scored four points to close out the quarter, while the Roadrunners added seven thanks to some free throws. CSUF outscored CSUB

in the second half 36-32 but it proved to be too late.

“If we can start the game tomorrow and play for 40 minutes like we did in the second half I do like our chances,” said head coach Jeff Harada after Friday night’s matchup.

The Titans did just that on Saturday as the team avoided a slow start and lead at the end of the first quarter 11-10 thanks to five quick points from shooting guard Gabi Vidmar off the bench.

CSUF managed to keep pace offensively in the second quarter but fell behind 27-25 heading into the break.

The two teams continued to go back and forth in the second

half as the lead changed three times in the third quarter. The Titans ended the quarter on a 7-0 run and went into the final quarter leading 42-39.

Frey, who was held scoreless in the first half, finally found her shot and knocked down two 3-pointers in the fourth. The second 3-pointer tied the game at 53 with just under two minutes left in regulation.

After a made jump shot and two free throws from the Roadrunners, the Titans were down 57-53 with eight seconds left in the game..

Vidmar, who had a career-high 20 points on Saturday, hit a much needed 3-pointer with four seconds left to play.

After an intentional foul, CSUF needed two missed free throws from CSUB in order to have a chance to win the game.

CSUF watched on as CSUB missed both free throws, but after fighting for the rebound CSUF was left with less than a second to try and get a shot off for the win. After missing a last second heave the Titans dropped a close one and couldn’t avoid the sweep.

“A lot of things to build on, a lot of things to look forward to for this next week of practice as we get ready. Hopefully next week we’ll continue to improve and when we’re ready to win a game we’ll win,” Harada said.

Big West announces spring protocols ADAM MALDONADO Editor

The Big West conference announced on Friday its return to play and scheduling protocols for the upcoming baseball and softball seasons, which will feature weekend series between conference opponents, similar to how the men’s and women’s basketball seasons were conducted.

“The Big West is excited to take the next step toward spring competition,” said Big West Commissioner Dan Butterly in a press release. “Our focus remains on the health, safety and well-being of our student-athletes, and we will continue to evaluate the pandemic’s effect on our ability to provide a safe environment for competition. These schedule formats reflect the changes our Big West administrators, coaches and staff felt were necessary in the face of unprecedented challenges.”

The spring sports of men’s and women’s tennis, golf, track and field and women’s beach volleyball are expected to conduct conference championships, but there has been no further announcement on the return of those sports.

The baseball regular season will begin on March 19 and run through May 29.

Each conference matchup will consist of a four-game weekend series, with every team slated to go against each other during the season. Teams can schedule non-conference opponents prior to the start of conference play but are limited to only one game a week once Big West competition begins. In addition, non-conference games cannot be held in the middle of the week during conference play.

The softball schedule will also begin on March 19 but is scheduled to end on May 15. Conference matchups will be made up a three-game weekend series, but schools are able to add a fourth game to the slate that would be considered a non-conference game. Similar to the baseball protocols, the same rules apply to non-conference competition prior to and during the Big West season.

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Control and Prevention, and the NCAA as well as federal, state and local guidelines will be enforced, which could spur cancellations of conference matchups depending on uncertainty of the pandemic.

The men’s and women’s basketball seasons were no stranger to this reality, as numerous conference and non-conference matchups were either postponed or canceled altogether.

The CSUF men’s basketball team had its first five games of the season canceled due to issues regarding COVID-19. The team finally started the season with a win over San Diego Christian on Dec. 13, but the program was forced to self-quarantine for two weeks after a Fullerton athlete tested positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 18. This forced the Titans to miss the first two conference games against Cal State Northridge and a non-conference game against Westmont College.

The women’s basketball team had its first game against UCLA rescheduled after a delay in Fullerton’s COVID-19 test results. The women’s program was also forced to self-quarantine for two weeks starting on Dec.17 after a player tested positive for the virus, cancelling their game against Pepperdine.

Both men’s and women’s basketball teams had their conference matchups against UC Davis on Jan. 15 and 16 canceled due to Yolo County COVID-19 protocols, which prevented UC Davis from participating in the contests.

However, both Fullerton teams were able to schedule games in lieu of the cancellations. The men’s team rescheduled its previous cancelled series against Northridge to take place instead, while the women’s team was able to schedule Concordia University, Irvine, to earn their first win of the season.

Conference championships for the men’s and women’s basketball seasons are expected to be held from March 9-13 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas if things go according to plan.

The Big West conference canceled its fall sports season and championship schedule on Dec. 10, but Big West teams are allowed to schedule non-conference championship games starting in April.

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Leisure 7

WEEK OF MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1

WRITTEN by Stepheny Gehrig

Do you know where Tuffy is?

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

Despite your shy nature, the opportunity to be in the limelight will be life changing. Enjoy the spotlight, you’ll shine.

Harness your energy and focus it on new projects. Don’t waste the burst of energy coming your way. Use it to your advantage.

Quality time with loved ones is a must this week. Set up a socially-distanced or virtual hang out with those you love, the quality time will lift your spirits.

Don’t rush into things.

Take everything slow and be aware of your emotions rather than focusing on logic.

Take in every moment.

Maybe write them down so you won’t forget these lessons.

You’re at a very formative time, use it to grow.

An old friend will reach out.

Welcome them with open arms. They’re meant to stick around for a while.

Take that leap. New opportunities are on the horizon, reach out and grab them. Don’t hesitate.

Conflicting feelings are natural and common. Don’t suppress them; trust your instincts.

You may feel cheated or blindsided by your friends’ actions.

Make sure to keep an open mind with your conversation; there’s always two sides to a story.

Be careful with your words and work on communication.

Things can easily get lost in translation.

Your cheery and optimistic emotions are contagious.

Everyone will enjoy being around you.

Feelings of creativity are high this week.

Channel your creativity to make a masterpiece.

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Your Favorite Fast Food Sauces Make your favorite fast food sauces at home!

Here are the recipes: Raising Cane’s Sauce 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup ketchup 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1/2 teaspoon black pepper In-N-Out Sauce 1/2 cup mayonnaise 3 tablespoons ketchup 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar Chick-fil-A Sauce 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup barbecue sauce 1/4 cup honey 2 tablespoons yellow mustard 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Abled Advocators Become a member of the Abled Advocators club and build leadership and advocacy skills! Our club helps spread education and awareness for people with visible and invisible disabilities. Did you know invisible disabilities can include chronic illness, psychological disorders, or neurological disorders? We work to break down commonly held stereotypes while creating a safe space for all, and we welcome everyone with or without a disability.

This Spring semester, we have exciting workshops.

From commemorating National Epilepsy Day on Feb.8th, recognizing Black History Month on Feb. 22, to a LinkedIn Workshop by LinkedIn employee Ryan Zervakos on Mar. 8. We’re even giving away gift cards throughout the semester! We want to help you get the most out of your CSUF experience. So, please join us on the 2nd & 4th Monday of the month, from 7:00-8:30pm. To get the Zoom code and see more upcoming events, follow our IG @AbledAdvocators.

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8 Opinion

WEEK OF MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1

Teen TV needs to cast actual teenagers High schoolers deserve accurate representation in film and media.

JESSICA BENDA Editor

Though teen TV may be brimming with drama and sixpacks, there’s one thing it’s often short of: teenagers.

Sure, gorgeous 20-somethings can pretend they’re awkward teens navigating high school, but they’re often a far cry from real ones. While casting older actors may seem harmless (and convenient), it can cause confusion when young teens hit 16 and don’t immediately look like an airbrushed adult.

It’s no surprise that the vast majority of teenagers are far from supermodels. A walk through an actual high school will show hundreds of gangly, acne-ridden teenagers in oversized sweatshirts just trying to get through the school day. A high-schooler is rarely glamorous, and with 7 a.m. start times, who can blame them?

Contrary to reality, television has an obsession with sexy high-schoolers — two words that really shouldn’t be used together —and casts post-awkward 20 somethings to make it happen. The supposed high school sophomores in the CW’s “Riverdale” were played by actors in their 20s when season one aired, with a sprinkle of actors nearing 30. Eliza Taylor, a 25-year-old, led teen TV show “The 100” as 17-year-old Clarke Griffin, backed by an equally old cast. “Gossip Girl”

saw 20-year-old Blake Lively as 16-year-old Serena, and she was one of the youngest actors in the group.

Casting actors in their 20s skews public perception of what teenagers look like. Viewers, many of whom haven’t even entered high school yet, absorb these images and often craft expectations of what they should look like as teens, even though the actors are well out of their own teenage years. When viewers reach the ages of their teen TV role models and don’t sprout six-packs, it can be a bit discouraging.

Granted, the reasoning for hiring adult actors to play teens is not just outward. Casting directors sometimes gravitate toward adults for their maturity and to avoid the hassle of child labor laws, but companies basing its content off what is convenient is dishonest at best. Giving teenagers characters that actually look like them is worth the extra effort of hiring teen actors.

Ironically, if actual teenagers are playing teens, the show is probably geared toward younger kids. Some of the most realistic portrayals of high-schoolers come from Disney Channel. So why is the media geared toward teens so fond of surpassing them to cast someone older?

It could be because with adults playing teenagers, directors often find it more permissible to sexualize them. In one episode of “Riverdale,” 16-yearold Betty, played by 21-yearold Lili Reinhart, performs a strip tease in front of a crowd of mostly middle-aged men,

MARGARET TRAN / DAILY TITAN

which is far from an isolated incident of the drama-driven sex of teen TV. There’s a stark difference between showing teenagers exploring sex versus sexualizing teenagers. Though the actors playing these sexualized characters may be adults, they are meant to be portraying kids.

Sex is a crucial aspect of the adolescent experience and should be explored, but adding it gratuitously for the sake of drama not only promotes a sexualized view of high-schoolers, but can pressure younger teens to feel like they need to be sexual beings to fit in.

In reality, teenagers eat Tide Pods, not perform strip-teases.

The sexualization of these characters further warps the perception of what they should look like. Low self-esteem and self-doubt already runs rampant

in adolescence, and casting older actors with clear skin and full figures often only deepens that, especially when viewers don’t realize that those actors are well past their high school and often college days.

If not hiring age-appropriate actors for these roles, turn these high school dramas into shows set in college while keeping the teenage audience. Kids will have a much better chance of looking like Serena Van Der Woodsen if they’ve already scored a high school diploma.

The difference a single year can make in someone’s appearance in their teenage years is vast, and the stretch between midteens and early twenties is even moreso. Though the issue spans the industry, the main culprit still lies in teen TV. In an episode of “Teen Wolf,” a high

school character eyes the new freshmen, and the camera cuts to...adults? They play attractive, young adults who are meant to be playing 14-year-old boys, many of whom haven’t even hit puberty yet. It’s no wonder almost all actual adolescents fall short. Many kids think high schoolers look like adults because of teen TV’s casting, and not what they actually are: slightly-older kids.

Teenagers deserve to see the TV shows meant for them led by people who look like them.

The glittery, grown facade of adolescence falls away when viewers reach high school, and more often than not, they’re left confused and wondering why high school hallways — and the kids who walk them — aren’t as sexy as their televisions told them.

Stop using queerbaiting for marketing Television frequently lacks substantial LGBTQ relationships.

ANTHONY ROBLEDO NICOLE TRINIDAD Editors

After decades of LGBTQ characters being mostly nonexistent on the television screen, the new norm of queer inclusion in media should be a cause for celebration.

While at one point the portrayal of a same-sex love story was groundbreaking, it has now become a quota most shows meet. However, the unjust portrayals of the gay experience and the uprise of one-dimensional queer characters have left the LGBTQ community disappointed once again. Even more disappointing is the phenomenon of queerbaiting and its prevalence in the TV industry.

Queerbaiting is when producers and writers create queer content or hint toward queer content with the sole attempt to attract a queer audience. This could be seen through forcing uninteresting and irrelevant LGBTQ characters and/or love stories into their shows with the intent to catch viewers from a community desperately craving representation. Many beloved and successful shows are guilty of this, alluring to possible LGBTQ romances solely for the sake of gaining a bigger audience. Even with the presence of beautifully written characters and storylines, queerbaiting remains prevalent in modern-day TV shows. While the lack of queer representation in a series flooded with straight romances is unacceptable in 2021, half-baked and lazily written queer characters can do more harm than their absence.

Before the 1960s and the gay rights movement, any form of

LGBTQ representation in films or TV shows was outlawed in the United States, leaving shows only able to hint or tease at queer couples or behavior.

Queerbaiting back then was sometimes unintentional, but now that is no longer an excuse.

Unfortunately, production companies still do it.

One type of queerbaiting is when shows build up romantic tension between two same-sex characters, but showrunners reject any claims that they are gay.

An example of this is the BBC show “Sherlock”, in which fans have been speculating for years that the main characters John Watson and Sherlock Holmes have romantic feelings for each other. However, Steven Moffat, TV writer and producer, repeatedly denies there was any alluding there to begin with.

“It is infuriating frankly, to be talking about a serious subject and to have Twitter run around

CINDY PROAÑO / DAILY TITAN

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and say oh that means Sherlock is gay. Very explicitly it does not.

We are taking a serious subject and trivializing it beyond endurance,” Moffat said.

Not only does Moffat deny the fans what they want, but he has described it in a way that accuses fans of reducing the show to two men’s attractions and sexuality. Why does it matter if the show isn’t about that? Being able to identify romantic tension between characters is apparently “trivializing” the issue.

Queerbaiting can also be seen through openly queer characters that are uninteresting whose entire purpose is to represent the LGBTQ community. These characters exist to bait queer viewers into watching the show despite being insignificant to the major plotlines. Even shows like “Grey’s Anatomy” and “The 100” that have offered audiences captivating gay romances are not exempt from having weaker stories. When queer characters’ existences revolve solely around their queerness, their representation loses power. Audiences don’t want to just see themselves represented on the screen as the boring side character. They want to see themselves represented with the same level of depth, charisma and focus as their cis-gendered straight counterparts.

Then there are shows that have queer characters confirmed as a couple at the end of the series. In the Cartoon Network series “Adventure Time,” characters Princess Bubblegum and Marceline were made a canon couple in the last episode where they shared a kiss.

More recently in the CW

series “Supernatural,” romantic tension between main characters Dean and Castiel was thought to be a queerbaiting stunt, but in the 15th season, Castiel confessed his love to Dean and then died.

Forcing an immediate death rather than exploring a possible relationship caused a lot of backlash against the show. When LGBTQ audiences fail to find compelling queer characters on the small screen, they tend to feel invalidated by the public.

People are complex. Sexuality doesn’t define a person, so casting actors to play gay stereotypes without giving them a genuine personality is not accurate in a real-world setting.

Furthermore, queer people are the main characters of their own story, so casting them in minor roles or confirming couples at the end of the series to get underrepresented fans off of showrunners’ backs is not real either. The goal is to find a balance.

The best form of LGBTQ representation is through characters whose queer identity is showcased without it defining their entire character. Shows like “Euphoria”, “Killing Eve” and “Schitt’s Creek” have placed queer characters with complex arcs at the center stage of major plotlines.

Fan-favorite worthy characters should not be reserved for straight people. Queer characters should not be treated as a way to trap queer viewers into a show. By understanding the moral significance of representation, showrunners can eliminate the double standards queer characters have unfairly been dealt.

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