2019-11-20 by Daily Titan

Wednesday November 20, 2019

The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton

Volume 106 Issue 41

Uproar over new CSU Black Student Union Presidents’ pay raise policy responds to Virjee JESSICA BENDA Editor

OLIVIA HAWKINS / DAILY TITAN

Psychology major Andrew Flores shares concerns with new compensation changes at the Office of the Chancellor.

Students and faculty criticize system’s priorities at Board of Trustees meeting. CELESTE SHARP Asst. Editor

OLIVIA HAWKINS Staff Writer

The Cal State University Board of Trustees approved a new policy to reassess university presidents’ salary as part of a formal review process that will go into eﬀect Jan. 1, 2020. The new policy comes five months after a state audit found that the CSUs failed to disclose

$1.5 billion fund made up primarily from student tuition to students and legislators. The fund was accumulated between 2008-2018. During this time, faculty took pay cuts and tuition increased — never dropping to the rates before the economic recession of 2008. On average, CSU presidents have received a 2.5% raise each year since 2014, according to Mustang News, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s student media organization. Students, faculty and staﬀ voiced their dismay on Tuesday in before the board’s discussion, arguing that a lack of student resources and insuﬃcient faculty

pay should be of higher priority. Andrew Flores, a CSUF psychology major, brought up the recent issues of racism and the Black Student Union’s demands to President Fram Virjee to make CSUF more inclusive of African American students. “I think we didn’t expect the way that President Virjee responded, I am hoping that you are listening to the demands that BSU has placed recently I don’t think it’s morally right to be consistently deciding to raise your salaries when these racial incidents exist across the CSU,” Flores said. SEE SALARY

The Black Student Union has given President Fram Virjee a deadline on Friday, at 5 p.m., to provide written copies of policies and plans that Virjee had promised to implement in response to the demands made at the BSU town-hall meeting. The town-hall meeting was for African American students to express their concerns with the campus-wide racial climate following the use of a racial slur on a fraternity’s flier. One of the demands was the indefinite suspension of Phi Sigma Kappa, the fraternity responsible for posting a flyer with the N-word on social media last month. “Once the campus finishes its review and reaches a decision in regards to this fraternity, we would like you to notify the entire campus of what that decision is,” the Black Student Union said in their response. Virjee promised that Student Life and Leadership and the Diversity Initiatives and Resource centers review current diversity training for fraternity and sorority life. The Black Student

Union would like a representative from the club to be on a committee that reviews and amends these trainings. Virjee had denied multiple demands made by the BSU on the grounds that he was legally prohibited by state law, as was the case with the recruitment of black faculty, hiring two black psychologists and the creation of a housing floor for black students.

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We look forward to productive and fruitful conversations that result in improved material conditions and representation for black people at CSUF.

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Students continue to apply pressure on University to address racial inclusivity.

STATEMENT FROM BLACK STUDENT UNION The Black Student Union pointed out that the law does not prohibit the university from setting goals, and that dozens of UCs and California State Universities already have Black Scholars Hall-themed housing. SEE BSU

Titans to Apartheid wall shows struggles play home opener Student organization aims to educate campus community about Palestine. HOSAM ELATTAR Editor

Cal State Fullerton women’s basketball is led by Raina Perez who is averaging 22 points. DANIEL BRITO Staff Writer

Cal State Fullerton women’s basketball will face off against the Utah State Aggies in their home opener tonight in an early season out-of-conference matchup. Both teams are currently sitting at 2-2 on the year. The Titans last played on Sunday, but fell to the San Diego State Aztecs, 55-45, which ended a short-lived two-game win streak that included an overtime victory over Loyola Marymount. The offense has been struggling early for the Titans, as they are currently in the bottom half of the Big West conference for field goal percentage (38.2%) and three pointers made with only 17 threes hit in the past four games, shooting at 25.8%. Redshirt junior guard Raina Perez and sophomore forward Aimee Brook have done the heavy lifting for the Titans on offense so far this season, with Perez was just named Big West Player of the Week after averaging 25.5 points in two games last week. Perez leads the Titans in minutes played with 37.3 minutes per game, 22 points per game and 4.8 assists per game. Perez’s 22 points per game average currently leads the Big West, with the next closest being Danae Miller from UC Santa Barbara with 18.5. She also leads the team with a 50% field goal percentage. SEE HOME

A wall detailing the struggles Palestinians face was placed at the central quad of campus on Monday and Tuesday, attracting curious students and faculty to stop and learn about life in Palestine. The Apartheid Wall was displayed by the Students for Justice in Palestine with help from the Palestininan Youth Movement, an organization that advocates for the liberation of Palestine. The wall is a representation the 420-mile long barrier in between the West Bank and Israel. The display built more than a decade ago travels through more

than 10 universities — some UCs and California State Universities. Students for Justice in Palestine chapters that borrowed the wall contributed to building it, said Joshua Fatahi, Cal State Fullerton president of the Students for Justice in Palestine. Fatahi said having the wall on campus has importance in helping Palestinian students find a place of camaraderie, which is an opportunity to showcase the problems in Palestine to the community. “Then there is another side of that where people that may have certain sentiments about Palestinians or the rights of Palestinians — those folks can come here and we can have constructive conversations. We can kind of disrupt some misconceptions they have about Palestinians,” Fatahi said. He added that one common misconception from the people

who approached the wall was that the situation in Israel and Palestine is characterized as a conflict. “A lot of people think it’s an equal battle, but when you weigh one of the world’s top military forces versus a population of people who don’t even have an army, it is not equal. That’s why we don’t refer to it as a conflict,” said Lulu Halisi, a public relations oﬃcer for Students for Justice in Palestine. Gurjot Gill, a finance major, said he did not know about the Palestinian struggle until he visited the wall. Gill related the situation in Palestine to Operation Blue Star, a military action in India in 1984 that targeted Sikh separatists, in which nearly 400 people died. “I feel their pain from my own experience from my dad. In 1984, when Operation Blue Star happened, he had to cut

ELIZA GREEN / DAILY TITAN

The barrier displayed in the central quad represents the barrier between the West Bank and Israel.

oﬀ his turban basically to live. He had to hide his religion during that time,” Gill said. “It’s disheartening.” The wall was erected on campus the same day U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced reversal of U.S. policy toward the establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank, saying that it is not inconsistent with international law. International law states that an occupying power cannot establish settlements in occupied territory, an idea the European Union has reiterated since Pompeo’s announcement. International law portrays Israel as an occupying power, even though Israel disputes this view, according to CNN. Even though the Israeli government is in disagreement with these views, the occupation is on the minds of many Palestinians in the West Bank and at CSUF. “The most frustrating thing about the occupation is that not many people know about it. There is the ethnic cleansing going on, a full erasure of our history, of our knowledge, of our ancestors, of our people,” Halisi said. Halisi said the wall being displayed on campus is her favorite part of the semester. “It is loud. As students are walking by, they get to ask questions. It’s filled with information and knowledge that is usually not presented to students,” Halisi said. “It’s our opportunity as Palestinians to showcase what is occurring in our homeland, as well as answer any questions.” For proud Palestininans like Halisi, it can feel like a burden to educate people on the occupation in Palestine. “For me, to be Palestinian means to wake up every day and to recognize I live in a society that doesn’t recognize my existence,” Halisi said. VISIT US AT: DAILYTITAN.COM

2 News

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 20, 2019

Raising the bar for diversity and inclusion Administrators say they are striving for progress at Tuesday’s ASI meeting. MARIAH SANCHEZ Editor

David Forgues and Bobbie Porter from the diversity, inclusion and equity programs gave a presentation on the efforts and importance on diversity at Cal State Fullerton during the Associated Students executive board meeting. Forgues has made it his goal to build up diversity at CSUF, since former President Mildred Garcia separated the diversity and inclusion offices from human resources six years ago. After realizing that the office was not emphasized, Forgues said he started to build up the division. Forgues said he needed to find a leader who could be the voice for the Diversity and Inclusion center, where he found Porter. Since coming to CSUF almost two years ago, Porter has made strides toward diversity for

students and for faculty and staﬀ, not just students. “We have been doing our best to really raise the bar and really focus more on diversity and inclusion eﬀorts. But we have a long way to go,” Forgues said. “The only way we will make progress is those little baby steps. I wish we could go out tomorrow and hire 200 new faculty of color.” Forgues also discussed the changing demographics of female to male faculty over the last several years. “We now have more women faculty than male faculty. That’s big, we’re proud of those things,” Forgues said. Porter began her speech by informing the student government that CSUF was one of the first college campuses to actively pursue students of color and bring them into higher education, now called Upward Bound. This program is aimed at increasing the number of students completing secondary education. The current driving goal of the diversity, inclusion and equity

division is to “recruit and retain high quality and diverse staff and faculty.” This goal is broken into two different objectives: the professors and the staff. Each objective tackled in different ways that are specific to the job requirement. According to the data Porter presented, staff administrators and non-instructional employees are predominantly Caucasian (36%), Hispanic (29%) and Asian (20%). These three ethnicities make up about 85% of the overall staff ethnicities. Porter also provided statistics for instructional faculty, which is notably less diverse than the non-instructional staff, with 60% of the instructors being Caucasian. Eleven percent of instructors identify as Hispanic and 20% as Asian. Porter encouraged the student government to reflect, talk and inform their peers about diversity, inclusion and equity, and to engage in difficult dialogue to help enlighten others while building community. “When it’s a peer in front of

them, and help them interrogate their thinking, those diﬃcult dialogues, that a huge part of it. When it’s student lead, it just hits diﬀerently,” Porter said. Porter strongly encouraged the entire community to help expand diversity.

“There is not just one oﬃce that can do this, we must take a decentralized approach to be effective,” Porter said. “You are all the voice of the students. I’d love to sit down with the students to figure out how we can come together.”

MARIAH SANCHEZ / DAILY TITAN

Bobbie Porter, asst. vice president for the office of diversity, inclusion, and equity programs, addresses the Board of Directors.

BSU: CSUF President asked to share his plans 1 In addition, Virjee failed to support the Ethnic Studies requirement on the grounds that it omitted the LGBTQ community, women and gender studies and other historically marginalized communities— a response that the Department of Women and Gender Studies and the Queer Studies Minor swiftly invalidated. The Black Student Union called the reasoning a “facetious concern” and referred Virjee to Women and Gender Studies’s statement. “The failure of the racist institution that is the academic senate to establish ethnic studies CONTINUED FROM

as a requirement for a CSU education is what prompted many advocates to go through the legislature in the first place,” according to the BSU statement. The Black Student Union voiced their satisfaction with the allocation of $75,000 for the Afrikan Black Coalition Conference. The money however has yet to be deposited into the club’s accounts, and they have asked that Virjee and his cabinet do so immediately to ease planning for the conference. David Forgues, vice president for the oﬃce of human resources, diversity and inclusion said that they’ve met with the Black

Student Union to discuss their demands. “We’ve had some good dialogue since their initial set of concerns came out,” Forgues said. “We look forward to working with them closely on addressing their concerns, all of the concerns.” The Black Student Union said they take Virjee’s initial response as a first step to productive engagement between the club and administration. “We look forward to productive and fruitful conversations that result in improved material conditions and representation for black people at CSUF,” according to the statement.

BRANDON PHO / DAILY TITAN

The Black Student Union’s executive board speaks at the town-hall meeting last month.

VISIT US AT: DAILYTITAN.COM

News 3

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 20, 2019

California grapples with homelessness JESSICA BENDA Editor

On Monday morning, the Titan Student Union became a place to help students and staﬀ better understand an issue that overwhelms Southern California — homelessness. In 2017, nearly half a million people were counted as homeless in the United States and 25% of those people live in California, said David Gillanders, executive director of Pathways of Hope. Pathways of Hope is a nonprofit devoted to addressing homelessness in north Orange County. “We lead the nation in a lot of awesome stuﬀ, but we also lead the nation in this,” Gillanders said. “As amazing of a place as this is, we have not figured out

how to wrap our arms around this issue.” Gillanders said economics is one of the root causes of homelessness, especially as inflating rent costs conflict with decreasing income for many tenants in the county.

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As amazing of a place as this is, we have not figured out how to wrap our arms around this issue.

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America holds half a million homeless people; 25% of them live in the state.

DAVID GILLANDERS Executive Director of Pathways of Hope According to Orange County United Way, a nonprofit

organization, 40% of those experiencing homelessness said economics was the cause. Thirty-six percent cited diﬃculty with retaining housing — not just buying a home, but keeping it. The remaining 28% attributed their homelessness to family issues, which include those experiencing domestic violence. “Anyone who flees a domestic violence situation is considered homeless by law, so if you are fleeing domestic violence and you go into a shelter, you are homeless,” Gillanders said. Homeless women are most vulnerable on the streets Gillanders said. According to Gillanders, there’s an 80% chance that homeless women will experience one of the following on a daily basis: rape, sexual harassment or domestic violence from a partner they are cohabitating with on the street. As California leads the homeless population, Gillanders debunked the belief that homeless

people are drawn to California for the sunshine and sand. Nearly 73% of homeless people in Orange County had their last permanent address in Orange County. Los Angeles was their second-most likely former residence, along with the Inland Empire. “We get a ton of people in this world who think people came to California to be homeless. All 125,000 of those people must have loved palm trees and vegan food right?” Gillanders said. “People who are from this area become homeless here.” In Orange County, the average homeless person is a 55-yearold white male with a disability, Gillanders said. Disability can range from physical or mental to a substance abuse disorder, all of which can qualify for different public services. Gillanders said people who need treatment should receive it, but says that society has deemphasized its importance.

With homelessness prevalent in the area, many people search for solutions. Gillanders touched on the belief that police officers can help sweep homelessness off the streets. “You cannot arrest your way out of homelessness. There’s nothing a police officer can do to ensure that the person who is homeless then becomes housed,” he said. “Being homeless is not illegal.” Instead, Gillanders says the solution lies in higher taxation and correcting land usage. He recommends taxing the community appropriately, as well as adjusting land use to benefit the community. This includes stopping unnecessary construction and focusing on density, he said. “Those kind of things are not politically popular. They’re not popular with people who are rich, but the reality is in order to solve what has become a national housing crisis, those are the kinds of solutions,” Gillanders said.

NATHAN NGUYEN / DAILY TITAN

still homeless, because there are too many students in need of improved wellness resources, and because more resources are needed to increase our graduation rates and decrease our equity gap,” Aguilar said. Tessy Reese, a bargaining chair member from the CSU Employees Union, voiced her own discontent, pointing out that all CSU employees deserve fair salaries. “All of your employees, including your campus presidents, deserve fair, equitable market salaries just the same, whatever level we are at,” Reese said. “It dismays me to come and hear these comments from you all. There’s 58,000 of us that you hired. You owe us, we’re loyal, and we show up everyday.” Trustee Romey Sabalius agreed with the sentiment previously mentioned by Reese. “All across the board in the CSU, we need fair and adequate and market adequate compensation for our employees,” Sabalius said.

Managing Editor Nathan Nguyen

Sports Assistants Tameka Poland Mariah Ross John Corona

Senior Editors Sophia Acevedo Brandon Pho

Opinion Editors Alyssa Lopez Bernadette Steele

News Editors Hosam Elattar Jessica Benda News Assistants Noah Biesiada Lydia Kelley Adam Maldonado Celeste Sharp

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Editor-in-Chief Jordan Mendoza

Sports Editors Arnulfo Gonzalez Kason Clark

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CONTINUED FROM 1 CSU presidents earn an average of $300,000 annually, with CSUF President Fram Virjee earning over $350,000. Melissa Jerez, member of Students for Quality Education at Cal State Chico, also said she believes there are bigger issues at hand. “A student on my campus, Chico State, Zachary Baggins, jumped to his death last year. A young woman attempted to kill herself on Chico State campus a week ago, and yet you continue to give yourselves money instead of investing in mental health services for your at-risk student populations. Competitive salaries do not save student lives,” Jerez said. CSUF’s Associated Students President Aaron Aguilar acknowledged the great work presidents do for their campuses, but still urged the board to reconsider their decision of the policy. “Too many of our students are still food insecure because too many of our students are

Lifestyle Editors Kim Pham Madeline Gray Lifestyle Assistants Taylor Arrey Stephanie DeLateur Sarita Espinosa Copy Editors Ayrton Lauw Kristina Garcia

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Salary: Outrage in Long Beach

EDITORIAL

David Gillanders (left), executive director of Pathways of Hope, led the ‘Understanding Homelessness’ presentation in the Titan Student Union on Tuesday.

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

© Copyright Daily Titan 2019 All Rights Reserved The Daily Titan is a student publication, printed every Monday through Thursday. The Daily Titan operates independently of Associated Students, Inc. College of Communications, CSUF administration and the CSU. The Daily Titan has functioned as a public forum since inception. Unless implied by the advertising party or otherwise stated, advertising in the Daily Titan is inserted by commercial activities or ventures identified in the advertisements themselves and not by the university. Such printing is not to be construed as written or implied sponsorship, endorsement or investigation of such commercial enterprises. The Daily Titan allocates one issue to each student for free. VISIT US AT: DAILYTITAN.COM

4 Lifestyle

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 20, 2019

Column: The love doctors are back with advice on how to handle cheating Give yourself a break from a bad relationship this Thanksgiving break. MADELINE GRAY ALYSSA LOPEZ Editors

Thanksgiving is coming up, so give yourself a break from the woes of relationships. If you’ve ever worried about the loyalty of a partner or found yourself in an unfaithful relationship, here’s some advice from Dr. Gray and Dr. Lopez. Our definition of cheating:

How do you know if you’ve been cheated on? It’s hard to say — it varies from relationship to relationship. Some possible signs of unfaithfulness is if your partner starts acting weird around you, being overly aﬀectionate or fairly distant, there’s a high probability that they did something that may cause a rift in the relationship. If you believe that your partner is cheating on you, the best thing to do is to have an open discussion. It will probably be diﬃcult to have that

conversation, but it will be harder in the long run if you find out from secondary sources. If fear of separation keeps you from having this talk, know that the most respectful thing they can do is admit that something is not working in the relationship so that the two of you can figure out where to go from there. If they truly care about you, they’ll be honest, and if they can’t give that to you, find someone else who will. Should I break up with my significant other if I’ve been cheated on?

Do you feel like you can stand being with them knowing they betrayed your trust in such an intimate way? If so, go right ahead. Keep them in your life. If your answer to that question is no, I’d recommend you rethink your relationship with this person. The doctors believe that you should break it oﬀ. You deserve better than someone who won’t fully commit to you. Myth or Fact? “Once a cheater, always a cheater.”

Cheating can take many different forms. It’s deceiving your partner in a committed relationship by being unfaithful. Being unfaithful is having a physical or emotional connection with someone other than your partner.

This is indeed a fact. People hardly ever change. Once they’ve been able to get away with cheating on more than one occasion, it’s diﬃcult to break out of that cycle. You know the saying, old habits die hard. If it was easier for them to do it once, it will be easy for them to do it twice. Cheating is one of those unforgivable deeds that’s hard to come back from. However, on the other hand, if you’ve forgiven their actions, the more likely they will cheat on you again. If you don’t forgive them, they realize that they don’t have that power over you and will try to change their ways. Should I call it quits with my long-distance partner, who doesn’t communicate often?

Is Flirting Cheating? Flirting is not cheating, unless you are insecure. If you’re confident in your relationship, you wouldn’t have to wonder if every encounter could lead your partner astray. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, to “flirt” is to behave amorously with casual interest or liking. Flirting can range from laughing at a person’s jokes to complimenting them on their attractiveness. It’s definitely disrespectful. It’s not cheating, but it’s a step in the wrong direction and will most likely lead to cheating. If you allow someone to disrespect you and the relationship, then what is the point of sticking around? Good relationships foster trust and respect. If your significant other feels the need to flirt with other people, then it might be a sign of a bigger problem.

REBECCA MENA / DAILY TITAN

You’re not doing yourself any favors by staying in a relationship that you’re not getting anything from. It’s one thing for you to not see your partner on a weekly or even monthly basis. However, hardly hearing from them is another issue in itself. If communication is scarce, it’s not a relationship. You can’t be with someone, especially in a long distance relationship, without speaking to them. In a relationship, there are two main aspects, physically spending time with that person and communication. When one is absent, like in a long-distance relationship, it then relies heavily on the other. If a significant other in a long-distance relationship is not putting forth the eﬀort to communicate, the thread your relationship is holding on by, then they either don’t care, or you are not a priority in their life. The best advice is to move on. Brandon Pho contributed to this article.

Army veteran finds his community Jim Ertle went from gathering war intelligence to classroom learning. STEPHANIE DELATEUR Asst. Editor

After serving in the Vietnam War, Jim Ertle now gathers intelligence at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Cal State Fullerton. Ertle, a class of ‘77 Cal State Fullerton alumnus and Fullerton resident for 70 years, has spent the last five years in retirement, but that hasn’t stopped him from staying active in the community.

Ertle graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business with a marketing concentration and “wanted to go back to school, but not in the traditional sense.” “I should have graduated in 1970, but I wasn’t serious about college after I got out of high school. I got drafted,” he said. After graduating from Servite High School in 1966, Ertle ended up serving two years in the Vietnam War because his student deferment was revoked. He said that keeping a student deferment meant keeping grades up, and the deferment would be renewed if a student continued success in school.

After they graduated, however, they could be drafted into the military. During the Vietnam War, Ertle served in the Army Security Agency, which relayed intelligence information from the ground to headquarters in Saigon, renamed to Ho Chi Minh City after the war. He acknowledges his luck in being in a position that did not involve having to physically fight. “I was in Vietnam, and I could have been killed, but I wasn’t out in the bush. I wasn’t out in the jungle like a lot of the guys that really had it tough,” Ertle said.

STEPHANIE DELATEUR / DAILY TITAN

Jim Ertle plays poker with fellow Osher Lifelong Learning Institute members in the Ruby Gerontology Center. VISIT US AT: DAILYTITAN.COM

When he returned from Vietnam, Ertle juggled a job, getting married and attending night classes. “I realized that it was a mistake that I had screwed up earlier because it took me seven and a half years to graduate,” he said. Ertle worked multiple jobs over the years at companies including Kraft Foods, Coca-Cola and 7-Up. Besides working in the food industry, he and his wife purchased a company called Diamond, Trophies and Engraving in downtown Fullerton. “I’ve lived in Fullerton all my life, I love the city,” Ertle said. His love for his community is shown through the work he does with the Fullerton Police department. Ertle participates in a council for the police department, which he’s been a member for eight months. After working for 50 years, Ertle retired but wanted to make new friends his age. Ertle joined the institute four years ago and is currently taking two to three classes a week. From Spanish classes to writing workshops, Ertle has expanded his knowledge in the classes he has taken. Ertle even plays cards in a competitive class with his fellow poker pals. “It’s a lot of fun. You don’t play for money, but I like that a lot,” Ertle said. “It’s fun because every week, you meet different people because you’re sitting at a table and playing with them for several hours.” Ertle and his poker buddies make up some of the 1,600 members of the organization, said Joyce Ono, president of the institute.

Ono said that the institute is one of over 120 across the United States. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the program at Cal State Fullerton. Members participate in many on-campus and community events, from flash mobs to local celebrations in the city. On Veterans Day, Ertle said he walks in the Fullerton’s parade with his best friend, Patrick Kapsner. Although Kapsner said he is not always able to make it every year, it’s something that they have been doing for several years. “I think it was one of those special friendships that you almost don’t know where it came from, and it just grew and then it just never went away,” Kapsner said. “It just maintained its special nature.” Kapsner said he thinks after they returned to the United States, the Vietnam War was not a “popular conflict,” and the topic was not brought up in their conversations. “I think we reminisced a little together, and then it was somewhat forgotten, but over the years I think it’s become kind of an important part of our life and an important experience that we share with each other,” Kapsner said. Kapsner said he and Ertle are comfortable spending time apart from one another and the separation doesn’t phase them. When it comes to knowing Ertle over the years, Kapsner said his friend hasn’t changed. “He’s the same kid I’ve known since second grade,” Kapsner said. “He has all the same kind of characteristics. He’s a kind, caring, honest man.” Madeline Gray and Nathan Nguyen contributed to this article.

Opinion 5

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 20, 2019

Artificial intelligence holds a deep-seated bias Prejudice creeps in to every system created by humans.

BERNADETTE STEELE Editor

Technology has found a way to seep into every nook and cranny of the human experience. Throughout this digital shift, there has been one universal language that moves society toward an upward trajectory and lets humans live in an easier manner: coding. Computer science is an increasingly important area of study, as the digital and physical world blends seamlessly together, like a beautifully choreographed dance. But like all things that humans touch, the mathematical sequences that create our digital existence are flawed by the systems of inequality that thrive within the physical world. Each person, regardless of their background, has inherently adopted a set of subconscious biases. The prejudice that each person holds can come across in both superficial and significant ways, and when an engineer is creating an algorithm for a new system of artificial intelligence, those biases will undoubtedly aﬀect the outcome. This is not to say that humans are intentionally or deliberately ingraining their biases into these systems, but traces of their preferences break through from the data that is fed into these new creations. Take, for instance, the AI software ImageNet. In September, thousands of people uploaded their photos to a website called ImageNet Roulette, which used the AI software to analyze a person’s face and describe what it saw. This seemingly amusing game churned out a plethora of responses from “nerd” to “nonsmoker.” However, when Tabong Kima, a 24-year-old African American man, uploaded his smiling photo, the software analyzed him as an “oﬀender” and “wrongdoer,” according to

ELIZABETH CASTILLO / DAILY TITAN

the New York Times. To add insult to injury, the software also analyzed the man with him, another person of color, a “spree killer.” At first glance, some may write this flawed social media trend as unimportant in the grand scheme of things, but that is far from the truth. ImageNet is one of many data sets that have been extensively used by tech giants, start-ups and academic labs when they train new forms of artificial intelligence. This means that any flaws in this one data set, such as the racist labelling in Kima’s case, have already spread far and wide throughout the digital realm of existence. As engineers increasingly drift toward the production of AI software, with the goal of lifting tedious responsibilities from the shoulders of busy individuals, it is important to ensure the footprint of systemic inequality that has historically permeated throughout the world does not find a way into the powerful realm of software. Software has progressively impacted each person’s ability to thrive in the world. Whether that’s through applying for credit cards or jobs, there continues to be less of a hands-on approach when these applications are reviewed. This past week, Apple came under fire for their credit card’s alleged sexist algorithms.

The conversation first surfaced when David Hansson, a prominent software engineer, tweeted about the issues he and his wife were having with Apple’s credit card. “The @AppleCard is such a f------ sexist program. My wife and I filed joint tax returns, live in a community-property state, and have been married for a long time. Yet Apple’s black box algorithm thinks I deserve 20x the credit limit she does. No appeals work,” Hansson tweeted. Not long after, Apple’s co-founder Steve Wozniak weighed in on the issue, stating that he and his wife experienced a similar issue with the Apple credit card. To explain simply, a black box algorithm is a system where the inputs and outputs can be viewed by an observer, but without any knowledge of the internal system works. Meaning that although there’s an output of data, no one knows how the system created that information. In response to the deeply unsettling prospect of Apple limiting users in a way which hints at sexist black box practices, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) tweeted, “The risks of unaccountable, black box algorithms shouldn’t be underestimated. As companies increasingly rely on algorithms to handle life-changing decisions and

outcomes, federal regulators must do their part to stamp out discrimination before it’s written into code.” Goldman Sachs, the financial company that handles the credit limit for Apple Cards, has denied the use of black box algorithms, an even more important issue has surfaced from their response. Even if black box algorithms are not in place, and a credit card application is not explicitly asking for the applicant’s gender, these refined machine-learning algorithms can still analyze the information it’s being fed and describe what gender they are analyzing. This is then applied to determine credit limits. For instance, the machines could learn that applicants who have credit cards open at a particular women’s clothing store are a bad financial risk. It could then provide lower credit limits for those who carry these cards, which results in women receiving lower credit limits than men, according to Forbes Magazine. Another instance of gender-biased algorithms occurred in 2018, after Amazon engineers created an AI engine with the sole purpose of vetting through over 100 resumes to help choose the top candidates to be hired. The tech giant realized that the engine was not rating

women software engineer applicants in a fair way, because the resume patterns that the engine had been taught to replicate illustrated the stark gender gap within the tech industry. In a male-dominated industry, Amazon’s system taught itself that male applicants were preferred over women. Even after the engineers reprogrammed the system to ignore explicitly gendered words, like “women’s,” the system still picked up on implicitly gendered words and used that to rate its applicants. As these new systems are trained to “learn” from historical decisions made by humans, it must come as no surprise that the race and gender-based inequality that has plagued society for so long has now found a new home within the digital realm. Discrimination is entangled in our private lives, that’s just the truth. The tango of privilege continues to strut across all facets of human existence, and as this experience dives deeper within the world of artificial intelligence, engineers must ensure that they are not dipping further into the discrimination that minority communities have historically been shown. “We’re all beginning to understand better that algorithms are only as good as the data that gets packed into them,” said Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) in an interview with Bloomberg News. “And if a lot of discriminatory data gets packed in, in other words, if that’s how the world works, and the algorithm is doing nothing but sucking out information about how the world works, then the discrimination is perpetuated.” There’s no easy fix to this problem. The way in which bias aﬀects the livelihood of individuals, and how to combat that in a fair manner, has long been a question for social scientists and philosophers. Expanding that issue into technology, where concepts have to be defined in mathematical terms, illustrates the hard work that must be done to create a truly fair digital environment. While fixing these computing errors will rely on an extreme amount of trial and error, it’s the responsibility of software engineers to ensure that these new technologies will not cause more harm and discrimination toward people.

Christians and republicans aren’t the same This theology does not have a political party preference.

ELIZA GREEN Editor

Conservative Christians have, in many ways, formed values for modern-American Christians, as well as the Republican party. The divide between political partisanship within Christian circles has only continued to grow, resulting in what often becomes synonymous between conservatism and Christianity. Not only is this harmful for the relationships between Christians who have diﬀerent political aﬃliations, but it is also harmful for the message the Bible communicates and how Christianity is received

and perceived in our nation. The Intercollegiate Studies Institute defines four pillars of conservatism. Notably, the second pillar of conservative philosophy is tradition and order. Worsened by capitalism, the desire for comfort can harm Christian Americans’ ability to rely on God. Capitalism also makes it harder for Christians to not remain stagnant, rather than experiencing true growth. Many times in the gospel, Jesus intentionally puts himself and the disciples in

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uncomfortable situations to fight against the harmful societal norms of the time, which created a space where God is the source of stability and trust. Jesus spoke of selflessness and serving others, even at the cost of individual gain — a message that counters the capitalistic values of self-promotion, greed and personal success. Although holding conservative views is not inherently wrong or fully against biblical teachings, there are obvious dangers in aggressively holding a one-sided view. Crediting one political belief as the correct viewpoint for anyone who identifies as a follower of Jesus is extremely irresponsible and a complete misinterpretation of the gospel’s message. All that can come from tying faith and political persuasions so closely together is increased polarization and exclusiveness. There are many ways that the Bible lines up with progressive values. Again, not to say that liberalism is the “Christian option” because the Bible’s definition of Christianity cannot be contained into one single political party. The Bible fights for social justice. This is not to say that Liberals or Democrats are the only ones who fight for the marginalized. By simply looking at economic policies and voting

records, it is clear that current liberal groups advocate more for those who have been forgotten or mistreated by political systems, whether that is by giving them financial aid, increased opportunity or a platform to share their stories. Similarly, Jesus is shown in the Bible going out of his way to include those that society has forgotten or cast aside. At the time, he was seen breaking traditional cultural values, pushing back against the Pharisees — the powerful religious leaders of the time — holding to the idea that society and politics should not define one’s faith. Often times as a nation and as a church, there is a tendency to view political issues in two ways. The labels that accompany the loaded words “liberal” or “conservative” do us little favor in finding common ground. So much unnecessary harm comes from viewing politics in such a black or white manner, especially considering how divisive many of the issues are. For these issues, there is no one answer that is in line with biblical teachings. Take, for example, gun control. Both Republicans and Democrats desire the same result — less death and more safety. The diﬀerence are the ways each party wants to achieve the means. Neither response is inherently for or against biblical teachings. SEE VALUES

6 Opinion

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 20, 2019

TITAN TOON

REBECCA MENA / DAILY TITAN

Values: Politics venture away from Christ 5 Jesus did not go through political avenues to make change. Political diﬀerences are good. In the Bible, Jesus avoids polarization and politicalization by using a very important tool that most Americans sadly lack; the ability to listen. Experiencing the stories of others would help people grow, demonstrate humility and CONTINUED FROM

being mindful of the world and others. Political diﬀerences can be beneficial, so long as they are expressed and embraced in a healthy way that allows for discourse and understanding. Although there are many ways that the Bible calls Christians to live life, notice that Jesus did not achieve his goal on Earth by gaining political power and

using it to force citizens to follow these biblical laws. Rather, he spoke out against those who did that very thing. Instead, he met individual people, cared for them and showed them love. The natural outcome of his love and acceptance led to a life transformation. If Christians desire to see change in our nation, the way to achieve this is not through

politics. Political polarization, which forces citizens who do not know the love of God to follow, will only lead to bitterness and resentment toward the church. Instead, Christians must find a way to make people feel welcomed enough to experience God for themselves because living a life in line with the Bible should give a healthy and

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intimate relationship with God. Policies have the potential to change a person’s actions, but only God has the power to change hearts. If the church’s focus is primarily to change the laws in place, then there is a problematic lack of trust in God’s power to transform, and there is far too much faith placed in the flawed systems that humans have created.

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An addition in your life could start something new. Or perhaps a loss or subtraction stimulates a revision. Any way you look at it, there seems to be a deeper dimension to an experience than what is obvious.

A stagnant project may show some signs of fresh life today. It might be a technological modernization or a financial infusion that is behind this surge of energy.

The intensity is at its highest pitch in nearly all your interactions today. Everyone from the local barista to your long-lost cousin has a story they are eager to share now.

You have an uncanny knack for being a maverick today. Even if you don’t set out to be different, somehow you manage to separate yourself from the crowd in your own unique way.

Completing a job is simply a matter of staying on task. While this practice sounds easy enough, it takes deliberate concentration to stick to your work now.

The urge to head for the drawing board, studio, or desk can hit when you least expect it today. An incredible idea may come to you in a dream. The color of a leaf or flower might speak to your soul.

If the electricity goes out, you need to use flashlights or candles for illumination. Similarly, unexpected circumstances encountered now could prompt you to shift to a different method for performing.

An intellectual connection between associates or friends can spark a bonfire of ideas. A brainstorming session might be just the first in a series of in-depth conversations.

Responding to a clash of values in your habitual manner may no longer work as it did in the past. If your instinctive reaction is to balk at making changes, it could reflect an inner resistance with deep roots.

There are legitimate reasons for believing that replication is meaningful today. Naturally, it’s tedious to do an experiment several times or to ask the same question again and again.

Plentiful obligations may require you to step into an assortment of roles today. Any job from entrepreneur to caregiver, from gardener to soccer coach, and everything in between might be on your agenda.

An aspiration for travel or education that was previously shelved due to factors beyond your control might seem more plausible now. Perhaps this path to your goal will be unblocked -- or maybe not.

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Sports 7

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 20, 2019

Home: CSUF averaging 5.3 blocks per game CONTINUED FROM 1 Brook has been a weapon for CSUF from beyond the 3-point line. She is currently shooting 44.4% from beyond the arc, ranking third in the Big West, and averaging three 3-pointers made per game. No one else on the Titans averages more than one made three per game or shoots over 25% from three. Defensively, the Titans are anchored by forward Joy Krupa who leads the team in rebounding with 9.3 rebounds per game, and leads the team in steals, is second on the team in blocks and averages 1.8 per game in each category. As a team, the Titans have

done a solid job defensively, only allowing 66.5 points per game on 36.9% shooting. The Aggies are fresh oﬀ a 5648 win against CSUF’s conference rival, Long Beach State. Prior to their win, the Aggies had the pleasure of facing the top-ranked team in the country, the Oregon Ducks, which resulted in a 109-52 blowout of the Aggies. Their scoring attack is led by sophomore guard Steph Gorman who leads the team with 16.5 points per game. Gorman is a threat to hit from deep, as she is a 41% 3-point shooter on the season. Outside of Gorman, the Aggies have a well balanced

offense with three other players scoring in double digits. Utah State is very close to CSUF in many offensive categories, with near-identical scoring averages and similar struggles from the 3-point line as a team. On the defensive side of the ball, the Aggies have allowed 72.5 per game, which is skewed from their blowout loss to Oregon. The Aggies have played tight defense in their victories, highlighted by only allowing 48 points to Long Beach State in their last win. CSUF will face off against Utah State tonight at 7 p.m. in the Titan Gym.

KASON CLARK/ DAILY TITAN Joy Krupa (11) going up for a shot against Janette Mensah during an scrimmage on Oct. 16.

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8 Sports

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 20, 2019

Los Angeles baseball teams had shining stars Mike Trout and Cody Bellinger won MVP for their respective leagues. ARNULFO GONZALEZ Editor

OMAR SANCHEZ Asst. Editor

Los Angeles baseball clubs dominated the MLB’s Most Valuable Player awards as Cody Bellinger of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim took home the best player awards in their respective leagues. The Arizona native beat out the Milwaukee Brewers’ Christian Yelich and Washington National Anthony Rendon for MVP Bellinger won the award due to his outstanding offensive and defensive performances for the Dodgers this season. He was an offensive force to be reckoned with as he was in the top 10 for eight offensive categories including batting average, home runs, RBIs, runs, walks, stolen bases, slugging percentage and on-base plus slugging percentage. Despite a few categories that Bellinger lost to both Yelich and Rendon, the Dodger player’s well-rounded work was strong enough to win him the award. Bellinger lost out to Yelich for the best batting average in the National League with a .329 average compared to Bellinger’s .305 average. Rendon beat out Bellinger in RBIs as he brought in 126 runs, while Bellinger only collected 115. Bellinger was also the MLB leader in wins above

replacement as he collected a 9.0 WAR. Yelich was in second place behind Bellinger with 7.1. Bellinger is the first Dodger player to win MVP since 2014 when pitcher Clayton Kershaw won. However, Bellinger was the first position player to win the award since 1988 when Kirk Gibson won the award. This was not the only award that the Dodgers outfielder collected as he also won the Gold Glove in right field and the Silver Slugger. Bellinger won his Gold Glove due to his 19 defensive runs saved which led all of the qualifying right fielders in the National League. At 24 years old, Bellinger has won Rookie of the Year, MVP, his first Gold Glove and Silver Slugger. He also shows no signs of slowing down, as he has found a position where he can save runs for his team, and he has found his comfort zone in the batter’s box. Just down south of the Interstate 5 freeway, Angels center fielder Mike Trout collected his third American League Most Valuable Player award in his ninth season in the MLB. Trout finished the MVP race with 17 first-place votes, beating out the likes of stellar performances from American League MVP runner-up Alex Bregman of the Houston Astros, and Oakland Athletics infielder Marcus Semien, who finished third on the ballot. Despite ending his 2019 campaign early due to a season-ending surgery to treat his right foot, the New Jersey native finished the season by posting one of his best oﬀensive years of his

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Poster of Mike Trout, who has won his third MVP and all with the Angels, in front of Angel Stadium.

career. Trout set a career-high in home runs with 45 in a season, and led the league with a .438 on-base percentage and lead the American League with a .645 slugging percentage. “It’s pretty incredible. My career so far, it’s gone by so fast, and it’s been so unbelievable. Can’t do this without my teammates, my coaches, all the guys

throughout my path, my wife, my family. It means a lot to me,” Trout said. Trout, 28 years old, is the 11th player in MLB history to have won three MVP awards and now trails former San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds, who finished his career with seven MVP awards. Even with his success in the

batter’s box and acquiring another Silver Slugger award for the 2019 season, Trout still has yet to win a Gold Glove award for his defense as an outfielder. Trout finished as a Gold Glove runner up to Tampa Bay Rays’ center fielder Kevin Kiermaier and has indicated before about his desire to win the award and to improve his defense.

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