The death of Hoover High School student Rashad Al-Hakim Jr., who was hit by a car on Oct. 4 outside the high school, continues to stir controversy on the Fresno State campus.
The Conley Art Building was closed Oct. 25 in anticipation of a protest against the Fresno State graduate student named as the driver who struck Al-Hakim Jr. Even after the protest was canceled and a public announcement made that the building had been reopened, administrators kept the building closed, citing safety concerns.
These actions came amid racial tensions that had already surfaced among social media users in the community as they called for further action against the driver.
Shortly after the death of her son, AlHakim’s mother, Ragina Bell at a Fresno City Council meeting on Oct. 20 named Lisa Spoors, a Fresno State graduate teaching assistant, as the driver who struck him.
Online, many people say that racial tensions have been present throughout Al-Hakim Jr.’s case. He is a Black student and Spoors is a white graduate teaching assistant.
Because of an ongoing investigation, the Fresno Police Department has not confrmed whether Spoors was the driver or if charges have been fled. Spoors is no longer teaching
this semester at Fresno State, according to campus ofcials.
The Collegian made a public records request and obtained the emails between Fresno State faculty and staf discussing the decision to close the building.
Campus ofcials frst appeared to have learned about the protest against Spoors on Oct. 21, when a staf member emailed a social media post announcing it to Honora Chapman, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities.
The next day, on Oct. 22, Chapman emailed Fresno State Provost Xuanning Fu informing him that the building would be closed because of concern for property damage. Chapman said emails were planned to be sent only to members of the Department of Art, Design and Art History (ADAH).
“What language may we use for the Tuesday closure of the gates of Conley and all classes going online on Tuesday? We plan to ask the police to not unlock the doors and to keep the gates all locked in order to protect the glass cabinets and large windows in the courtyard,” Chapman wrote to Fu.
On Oct. 23, Fu and Chapman exchanged several more emails about the closure.
“I’ll ask campus police to [lock] all gates after the [last] Monday night class and ask that they not unlock the print shop or any other exterior door beyond the gates on Tuesday… except CA 101, the lecture hall beyond the
gates,” she wrote.
At 7:40 p.m., ADAH Department Chair Holly Sowles sent an email to faculty, explaining the protest and the building’s closure.
“Due to a planned protest at the Conley Art Building on Tuesday, the building will be closed for the day and no one will be allowed on the premises,” Sowles wrote.
However, the protest had already been canceled earlier that day. The Collegian learned of the closure from social media that morning.
Students in the ADAH department were informed of the building’s closure via email at 2:03 p.m. on Oct. 24. However, at 11:46 a.m. that same day, Lauren Nickerson, associate vice president of University Communications, informed the Ofce of the President and Fresno State PD in an email that the protest was canceled.
“We no longer need to move classes online tomorrow. The protest is canceled. If you have notifed faculty about that, please follow up with them,” Fu wrote to Chapman in an email at 12:22 p.m.
Nineteen minutes later, he asked Chapman to call his cellphone. Nine minutes after that, Chapman emailed Fresno State PD to keep the gates locked, despite the protest being canceled.
“Just in case anybody shows up to protest, please do keep it all locked tomorrow as planned. It’s better to be over-cautious,” Chapman wrote in the email.
At 4 p.m., Chapman emailed campus police again, making sure the “buildings should stay locked” but to leave “the Conley courtyard open in case students wish to go sit there and use the internet.”
In an article published Oct. 25, The Collegian originally reported that the art building would remain open, attributing that information to a university spokesperson. The spokesperson at that time would not confrm that the closure of the art building was connected with the potential protest.
Two weeks later, Chapman did confrm that connection in response to questions from The Collegian. Chapman’s responses were relayed by Lisa Bell, Fresno State’s public information ofcer, via email.
“[Chapman] spoke with [Sowles] after learning about a social media post calling for a protest at the art building that was seeking justice from Fresno State and the Fresno Police in the matter of a Fresno State graduate
Front Cover — Graphic by Wyatt Bible
Top: The Phebe Conley Art Building in 2019. (Larry Valenzuela/The Collegian)
Bottom Right: (Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images/TNS)
student in art. With respect to the department of Art, Design and Art History, several things were concerning about this social media post,” Bell wrote, answering for the dean.
The post was concerning for the dean and Fresno State because it incorrectly identifed Spoors as a professor, according to the response. It was also concerning that the protest was seeking the fring and arrest of the student, Bell wrote.
“The demand for fring the graduate student who was teaching a course was directed to the wrong place, since the department of ADAH does not technically hire professors or graduate teaching associates,” Bell wrote.
Disruption was also another reason the department and the dean decided to close the building. Since there’d be no faculty supervision, the building was closed to protect the “valuable equipment” and “student art,” according to Bell’s email.
Fresno State administration received no information regarding whether there were any safety risks on campus due to the protest.
However, administration did receive information from the Multi-Agency Gang Enforcement Consortium (MAGEC), an agency of the Fresno County Sherif’s Ofce that combats gang violence, on Oct. 24, the day before the closure.
“Per MAGEC, it isn’t completely of. Good chance the kids from Hoover will still walk out,” wrote Lt. Jennifer Horsford of Fresno PD to Fresno State PD Chief James Watson in an email on Oct. 24 at 2:43 p.m.
It is unclear why MAGEC was involved. The agency informed Watson that there’s a chance that students from Hoover High School, where Al-Hakim Jr. was attending, would walk of campus and the protest would continue.
“The post on Friday the 21st had provided a
picture of the [Fresno State graduate] student for identifcation. There was a potential safety issue if the protesters decided to look for this particular graduate student in the various Conley Art buildings,” Chapman said, according to Bell’s statement.
There was no protest or walkout the day of the closure.
Nickerson, in an interview, said Fresno State did cooperate with the Fresno PD to ensure the “safety of the high school students.” She said the partnership was to ofer them a safe passageway, as well as water and audio equipment for the protesters.
After the news of the protest’s cancellation, Watson was informed that Fresno PD was “gearing up” in case it was still ongoing.
In an in-person interview with The Collegian, Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval said decisions to close down buildings are made by the deans and department chairs of the respective areas.
There is no university policy when it comes to closing a building and reporting it to administration, he said.
Buildings have remained open during protests in buildings such as at McLane Hall last spring, where the Fresno State College Republicans club hosted its “Future of America” event. Event speakers John Doyle, Carson Wolf and Kai Schwemmer prompted backlash and a protest from many campus community members.
When questioned why this potential protest led to the Conley Art Building’s closure, Jiménez-Sandoval said it depends on the deans.
“It’s a diferent space; it’s a diferent dean; and it’s a diferent situation, as well,” he said.
Chapman said the Oct. 25 protest would have disrupted the classes more than the protest that occurred in McLane Hall. One of the reasons for her and Sowles’ decision was the day itself.
Bell’s email.
She also said the building is closed when there are no workers there, due to the large amount of specialized equipment.
Jiménez-Sandoval emphasized Fresno State’s freedom of speech policies, but said decisions like the art building’s closure illustrate the need for policy changes.
“This does point to the need, in situations like this, [the] need to become more involved as far as what our response is going to be in the future. I do see there’s a space in which we can develop a policy on how we, as a university, as an entity, respond to situations like this in the future,” Jiménez-Sandoval said.
Chapman said she wanted to respect the protesters’ freedom of speech while also minimizing any disruptions for ADAH students.
“I am heartbroken about the death of Rashad Al-Hakim Jr., a promising young man with a whole life ahead of him. His memory will live on in those who knew and loved him and in those who emulate his excellence in the future,” she said.
Chapman also understands the need to
protest and speak out on campus.
“I also empathize with the Black community’s desire to take action after Rashad’s death, since the authorities had not named the driver and were taking time to investigate the matter,” she said.
Jiménez-Sandoval said he’s deciding whether a dean and department chair should be the only people to decide a building closure in situations like these.
“As of now, we don’t have a structure through which a dean decides, ‘I’m going to close this for the following reasons, and I’m going to report it to the provost…’ That’s the issue that I’m trying to determine moving forward,” Jiménez-Sandoval said.
Nickerson added to this, saying, “We do allow a lot of fexibility, and that’s not necessarily something that goes through the ofce of the president.”
Since Spoors is protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Union of Auto Workers and Grad Students (UAW), Fresno State is not allowed to comment on the ongoing investigation, according to Jiménez-Sandoval.
I also empathize with the Black community’s desire to take action after Rashad’s death, since the authorities had not named the driver and were taking time to investigate the matter.
— Honora Chapman, Dean of the College of Arts and HumanitiesChapman noted that the protest at McLane Hall was on a Friday afternoon while Oct. 25 was a Tuesday, a busy time for the art classes in the Conley Art Building.
Her decision was also deferred because of the context of the protest.
“The McLane protesters were not seeking justice with respect to a Fresno State graduate student allegedly involved in the tragic death of a child. Instead, they objected to the speakers’ ideas, so they protested,” Chapman said in
“
Preliminary results came in for Fresno County on Nov. 8 during the statewide general election.
Multiple ballot measures look to be on track to not pass as of Monday.
The Fresno County Registrar of Voters estimate that nearly 41,000 ballots remain to be processed.
Further updates will be received on Nov. 15, as mail-in ballots continue to be counted.
Here are the current projections for Fresno ballot measures as of Monday, Nov. 14:
Measure E, a proposed 0.2% countywide sales tax that would have brought Fresno State an estimated $36 million per year for the next 20 years, looks to be on track to not pass. The ballot measure needs a simple majority of 50% plus one vote to pass.
Of the 149,062 votes cast, 53.49% voted no. Yes votes totaled 46.51%.
Two-thirds of the funds received would have gone to academic improvements, and one-third would have gone to athletics.
The measure saw waves of both criticism and support.
Critics of the measure expressed concern with those who could potentially proft from
the measure: the Fresno State Improvement Zone Committee.
The leader of the committee, Richard Spencer, owner of Harris Construction, was the general contractor for the $29 million Jordan Agricultural Research Center, columnist Marek Warszawski wrote in The Fresno Bee.
According to Warszawski, Harris Construction is under contract for four more current or recently completed campus infrastructure projects.
“But can you see why it might be in the best interest of a construction company owner to sponsor a tax initiative that would generate more money for construction? I certainly hope so,” he wrote.
“It’s critical to our community to help Fresno State expand its impacted nursing, engineering, criminology and [agricultural] programs,” he said.
Measure C, a renewal proposal that would generate $6.8 billion for local transportation over a 30-year period in Fresno county, received 86,615 yes votes. At 57.99% of the vote, it is still short of the needed two-thirds majority vote to pass.
Over 149,000 votes cast, and the no votes amounted to 42.01%.
This renewal proposal drew criticism from opponents for its lack of specifcity for projects funded by Measure C, and a lack of community engagement when the renewal was drafted, according to Veronica Garibay, Fresno State alumnus and member of the “No on Measure C” campaign.
Garibay said detailed analysis of specifc projects funded by Measure C is often only available through each individual city or the county itself, and that those analyses don’t specify individual street projects and more.
The “Yes on Measure C” campaign promised strict accountability and local control, including requirements to publicly disclose all spending and complete independent audits.
Measure M, a ballot measure aimed to establish a 0.125% sales tax to provide approximately $19.5 million annually for 20 years to veterans programs and facilities, is still short of the two-thirds majority needed to pass.
As of Nov. 10, 72,457 votes were cast. Yes votes totaled 42,827, earning the measure 59.11% of the vote. No votes totaled 29,630, or 40.89% of the vote.
Final ofcial results will be available on the Fresno County website as mail-in ballots will be counted by election ofcials up to Nov. 15.
Democrats retain Senate control after winning crucial races in Nevada and Arizona, but control of the House remains uncertain as ballots continue to be counted as of Monday, Nov. 14.
Fifty seats have been called for Democrats and 49 for Republicans.
In the House of Representatives, 422 out of the 435 seats have been called as of Monday evening, according to AP News.
In order to have the party majority, 218 seats are needed. Currently, the GOP leads in 222 districts.
According to AP News as of Monday evening, the GOP has 217 seats and are on the
cusp of being the dominant party of the House. Which propositions passed?
Proposition 1, the ballot measure which aims to explicitly defne the constitutional right to reproductive freedom in California, passed. The proposition passed with a nearly twothirds majority, according to a race call from AP.
Proposition 28, which aimed to allow more funding for arts and music education in all public K-8 schools, K-12 schools and charter schools, passed. According to a race call from AP, 62% were in favor while 38% were against the measure.
Proposition 31, which determined whether
or not in-person stores and vending machines could sell favored tobacco products and tobacco product favor enhancers, such as fruit, mint, menthol and other favorings, passed with 63% in favor and 37% opposed, according to a race call from AP. Which propositions failed?
Proposition 26, the California Sports Wagering Regulation and Unlawful Gambling Enforcement Act, did not pass. According to a race call by AP, nearly 70% of voters rejected the proposition.
Proposition 27, a Constitutional amendment to allow online and mobile sports wagering outside tribal lands, did not pass. A
race call by AP reported that 83% voted against the measure and 17% were in favor of measure.
Proposition 29, a proposition that would have required a physician or nurse practitioner with six months of experience on-site at kidney dialysis clinics, failed. According to a race call by AP News, 59% were against it while 41% were in favor of the proposition.
Proposition 30, which aimed to increase funding for programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through a 1.75% increase in personal income tax for those who make over $2 million annually, didn’t pass. A race call by AP News reported that 59% were against and 41% were in favor of the proposition.
In September, multiple media outlets reported that Mahsa Amini died in morality police custody in Iran after being arrested for wearing her hijab “improperly.”
The death of the 22-year-old sparked protests worldwide. Fresno State and the Fresno community have taken a stand along with many protesters in Iran.
Since Amini’s death, over 14,000 Iranian protesters have been arrested and nearly 300 killed, including children, according to Fox 5 San Diego news anchor Shally Zomorodi.
“The only principle that [the Iranian regime] have is not about Iran, is not about Islam, [but is about] purely power. And they’re just like a cartel. There’s no loyalty to anything else but [having] power in their hands,” said Mehdi Ghajar, an Iranian surgeon in Fresno.
Ghajar said there have been cycles of protests against the regime in the past 43 years because Iranian people are tired of the injustices inficted on women and others in their country.
These aren’t the frst protests against the Iranian regime.
There has been a series of political movements, civil disobedience and online activism and demonstrations against the regime since its creation 43 years ago.
According to the United States Institute of Peace, major protests began in January 1978 against the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
They began after an Iranian newspaper published a front page editorial insulting Ruhollah Khomeini, who served as the frst supreme leader of Iran.
In the Iranian Revolution in 1979, people took to the streets to protest against the regime. Euro News reported that many of these people
in the protests were either killed or arrested and later killed.
“So many horrible things have been done by this regime at every level, at which you have 5 million Iranians outside of its borders,” Ghajar said.
The violence attributed to the regime has been a push factor for Iranians. Many have emigrated from their home country to fnd safety elsewhere.
“This religious force is not working for people. (The people) want freedom, they want equality [and] they want human rights,” said a member of the Fresno State community who did want to be identifed for fear of retribution against family members in Iran.
In 1999, students protested the government’s restrictions against the press. In 2009, the Green Movement protested election fraud and corruption.
From 2017-18, protests circled around economic grievances in Iran.
In 2019 protests were started due to the peak of fuel prices, up to 300%, that were allegedly to help the poor. In January 2020, the Iranian protests surrounded the government’s cover-up of downing a Ukrainian airliner.
Amini’s death sparked the most current uprising.
“It’s gone to the level where people just said, ‘Enough is enough. No matter if it’s my life at stake. [If] I go out there, they’re going to kill
me. They’re going to torture me. They’re going to threaten my family, threaten my relatives,’” Ghajar said.
The member of Fresno State said that many of the people of Iran are done begging the government for these rights, so many have taken to social media to show the world the reality Iranians have been living in.
Videos have circulated on social media from young Iranian students showing the struggle many are sufering, from soldiers opening fre against protesters to police beatings.
Late in September, Iranian authorities shut of internet access because of the role foreignbased Persian TV channels have played in the current uprising.
“A lot of people cannot even believe that this exists at this time with all of this technology, and they really shut down the internet so nobody can talk to outside. That’s the reason we, Iranian people who live outside of Iran, need to be their voice, because they don’t have the internet,” the Fresno State employee said.
On Nov. 7, 2022, the Academic Senate of Fresno State voted unanimously to pass a resolution in support of the people of Iran and gender equity.
The resolution states that the university will stand in solidarity with the Iranian women and people in their fght for freedom.
It is also stated on the resolution that Fresno State supports and values the diverse
faculty and staf, including those in the Iranian community.
The university supports global calls for gender equity and stands against discrimination on the basis of gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, nationality or religious belief.
It adds that Fresno State condemns the violent reprisals against protestors throughout schools and universities throughout the Islamic Republic of Iran.
This resolution will be distributed to President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval; the CSU chancellor; the CSU Board of Trustees; the Academic Senate of the California University (ASCSU); and the California Faculty Association (CFA).
Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer announced his solidarity with the Iranian people on Sept. 28. He called for the support of the Iranian people, many whose rights have been taken away by the Iranian regime.
“It is important that we stand united and call upon our president and congress to also take a stand against the existing Iranian regime and to levy whatever sanctions are necessary to bring the Iranian government to its knees,” Dyer said.
The United Nations (UN) has remained silent during the protests this year.
Nazanin Bondiadi, an actress and amnesty ambassador, spoke to the UN, reading them a letter from a relative who has been imprisoned.
“I ask the United Nations not to be indiferent to the crimes against humanity inside Iran, because they’re killing our children… I ask the United Nations not to remain silent because the lives of our political prisoners are in danger,” the letter said.
The Fresno State employee questions why the UN has not taken action for Iranians yet, saying it has “turned a blind eye” to the humanitarian crisis happening.
“So there are two sides: either you don’t know what’s going on – and I don’t think that could be the case because the news is all over the board – or you don’t care. So these are all the organizations that [are] supposed to care about human rights, and why they are not doing anything?” the source said.
Other universities in the California State University system have also shown support for the victims of the Iranian protests.
CSU Northridge held a discussion on Oct. 27, 2022 to bring awareness to what is happening in Iran, over 100 people attended.
On Thursday morning, students from Cal Poly organized an on-campus protest.
When walking into local artist Veronica Garcia’s apartment, visitors are greeted by her two cats and a massive art display.
An easel next to Garcia’s most recent piece is surrounded by multicolored paints, brushes and books. “Art of the Andes: From Chavín to Inca” by Rebecca Stone-Miller, “The Maya” by Michael D. Coe and several Stephen Houston novels are just a few of the books that take up space next to Garcia’s oil paints.
As a third-generation Mexican art student, born and raised in Fresno, Garcia’s roots trace back to where her grandfathers from both sides of her family were born.
A deep connection to this culture, and an even deeper connection to strength, resilience and creativity, is what inspires Garcia’s art pieces.
She began to draw, paint and create as a little girl who grew up with two brothers and wasn’t included in the same activities as the boys.
“I did my own thing. Drawing and painting and making bowls out of the mud in my backyard was just something that came naturally to me,” she said. “I just started doing things with my hands and it was very organic to me.”
Garcia, now a senior at Fresno State, uses oil on canvas for most of her art, a medium she didn’t use until last year.
Each piece of art she creates is a form of therapy and a release from life’s most heartbreaking events, according to Garcia.
“My art is very emotionally driven. It’s very connected with my life experience, and it’s very personal,” she said.
“The Patriarch,” a self-portrait depicting Garcia holding the head of her abuser, is a piece she takes most pride in due to the response and support she has received
regarding it.
“The Patriarch” (A Dishonorable Mention) 2022, oil on canvas, is a self-portrait of Garcia holding the head of her abuser.
When Garcia was a young girl, she was sexually abused by her grandfather for many years.
“It’s a circumstance that unfortunately is a pandemic of its own, where trusted individuals abuse young girls in the family,” Garcia said. “When it’s someone who is so powerful within the family, someone that is perceived as this hero or [as] untouchable, and then when someone in the family is abused by that person, it’s such a difcult position to be in because you are basically groomed to really love this person.”
When Garica began to tell her family about the abuse she had been experiencing, she was angered and hurt by how some responded.
“Not everyone, but certain people in my family chose to continue to have a relationship with this person and to continue to praise him,” Garcia said.
This added to her anger. This anger transformed into spite.
“To be violated by a person that everyone loves and adores, but he’s doing these things to you that you know are not good; and he’s crossed multiple boundaries and he was a very special person to you as a child; when these boundaries are violated, it can be a very scary place to be,” Garcia said.
She said art and receiving therapy at Fresno State is what started her healing process.
“I was able to go through these motions of healing, and stand in my own power and expose this person…And instead of feeding that anger, I decided to utilize it in a way that would contribute to my healing so that I could close that chapter [of my life],” Garcia said.
For Garcia, exposing and sharing this experience with the world through her art meant being able to not only help herself but others as well. She emphasized the courage it took her to paint “The Patriarch” in particular.
“I am 100% someone that was born with the courage to rufe feathers, but this trauma took way more courage than I thought I ever had,” Garcia said. “I was preparing for an army to come for me, but I did it anyway, and it was all worth it.”
“The Patriarch” was an advanced painting class assignment in which Garcia had to fnd an older masterpiece and use the content to make her own version.
Garcia chose to use the biblical story of Judith and the Head of Holofernes as the inspiration behind “The Patriarch.”
Shortly after posting and sharing her piece with social media and family, Garcia received an outpouring of support.
“I had messages from other women who had similar experiences and messages from younger cousins who said they were so proud of me, and that, ‘I’m so glad you could be a role model for my sister.’ And that was one of the reasons I had to do this,” Garcia said.
Garcia is no stranger to overcoming traumatic experiences and obstacles. Prior to painting “The Patriarch,” Garcia created “Loss,” an oil painting on canvas.
Garcia was diagnosed with endometrial uterine cancer a few years ago. It was a period of Garcia’s life that she described as full of pain, hospital visits and loss.
Due to the severity of her cancer, Garcia had to have a full hysterectomy, a surgery that
Veronica Garcia concentrates her struggle and strife into her artwork.Fresno State student and artist Veronica Garcia focuses her personal experiences onto her canvases. Viviana Hinojos — The Collegian
removed her uterus and ovaries.
“When I was diagnosed, my oncologist said [that] the only treatment is a hysterectomy and I was like, ‘OK, yeah, let’s do it.’ But I didn’t grasp the fact that I wasn’t going to be able to have kids at that moment,” Garcia said. “When that choice is taken away from you, it’s so permanent.”
After she recovered from the surgery, and the pain had faded, the reality of no longer being able to have kids set in. It was a moment she describes as “a bad dream.”
To heal and process this life-changing event, Garcia began to paint “Loss.”
“Loss” is an oil painting on canvas, featuring half of an open pomegranate with a fetus in the middle next to a vaginal speculum.
Through Garcia’s own research, she found that pomegranates have cultural symbolism for fertility and a uterus.
Garcia used pomegranates as a symbol
for her own uterus in multiple paintings, including “Loss.”
The speculum in “Loss” represents the pain Garcia experienced during several exams and biopsies.
“Those instruments that are used when we have our pap smears and other exams are painful,” Garcia said. “One biopsy was extremely traumatic. I later found out I wasn’t given any type of pain relief. I felt everything, and I remember wanting to pass out.”
The pomegranate juice in the painting portrays the blood loss Garcia recalled experiencing throughout her battle with cancer.
“They leave you in a room [afterward] to get dressed, and they left all of the instruments out, and it was like a murder scene,” Garcia said.
“I used that imagery to show people just how raw going through something like this is.”
Despite losing all of her reproductive organs, Garcia says she now feels more like a woman than ever before.
“Even though it was very heartbreaking to not be able to carry a child, it was at the same time very liberating to not have the pressure to have children; and I felt that I could really be a sensual, powerful woman when I removed those organs because they caused me so much pain,” Garcia said.
A source of light during difcult times like that in Garcia’s life has been her niece, Xiomara.
Xiomara, who just turned 3 years old, has played a big role in Garcia’s healing process.
This is shown through a painting titled “Dissipating,” which features charcoal, oil pastels and pencil on paper.
“I used her image and a scene from one of my hospital visits, with pomegranates on the ground, and then I had Xiomara holding a watering can and diluting the pain,” Garcia said.
“Dissipating” features one of Garcia’s favorite mediums to use which is charcoal.
“There’s something about charcoal, the deep, dark black is just so beautiful to me. The way you can manipulate it to be very dark or very light, and the fact that it’s just from the earth and you can do so much with it, [is beautiful].” Garcia said.
Garcia hopes her art connects and resonates with people in a way that encourages them to do something bold.
There were points in Garcia’s life when she felt stagnant, and painting helped her see other opportunities. She hopes others could experience the same.
“We all have these very diferent lives, but yet very similar lives, and we need each other way more than we like to believe,” Garcia said.
The organic and wholesome parts of life are what is most important to Garcia, and art is one of those things.
She explained that art has been used since the beginning of time and by her ancestors, and said she hopes it never becomes a lost practice.
“We are all creators. You might think that you are not, but we all are,” Garcia said.
As Garcia gets closer to graduation next semester, she is preparing for the next chapter in her life, and a love for her community is what may lead her to her next creative venture.
“I really want to try to teach classes on my own, not under a school district or anything, but to do something where I am my own boss because I work better that way,” Garcia said. “I lived so long for other people. I’m such a diferent person now, and I can’t go backward.”
After overcoming and sharing such traumatic life events, Garcia said she now feels more powerful and alive than ever before.
“It’s scary, but it feels so good after,” Garcia said.
“This is the frst time in my life that I feel completely free.”
Qistory invited educational leaders, Fresno State alumni and students to discuss the inclusion of LGBTQ+ students and organizations within Fresno schools for its fnal community panel of the year, “Pride on Our Campuses.”
Qistory is a project of the nonproft Community Link that aims to document, record and store local LGBTQ+ history. It recorded the panel of four local educational leaders at the Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission’s (EOC) LGBTQ+ Resource Center as part of its mission.
Qistory committee member Chris Jarvin moderated the panel. It included Fresno State’s director of alumni connections, Peter Robertson; artist, president and co-founder of Fresno City College’s (FCC) Allied Staf and Faculty Association, Arien Reed; veteran, Fresno Pacifc University alumnus and former president of Birds for Pride, the campus’ LGBTQ+ club, Justin St. George; and regional organizer of the Genders and Sexualities Alliance (GSA) Network of California, Kaede Coronado-Acuña.
Beginning with Fresno State, panelists discussed the origination of LGBTQ+ organizations on their campuses and their reception.
Robertson, founding member of the Gay Lesbian Student Alliance (GLSA) at Fresno State in the fall of 1987, detailed the discrimination that followed the club’s inception, including the burning of the club’s booth and multiple instances of vandalism and harassment from the Ku Klux Klan.
Despite the hardships the club faced, it persevered and recently celebrated its 35year anniversary under a new name, United Student Pride (USP). Acceptance toward the LGBTQ+ community has expanded on campus in other ways as well.
Fresno State’s rainbow graduation ceremony has grown, with 90 students signing up last year. Fresno State has also raised the rainbow fag on campus for Pride Month the last two years.
Reed discussed his work to create an LGBTQ+ staf organization at FCC, which was ofcially established in January 2019.
Since its creation, the organization has worked to address issues with incorporating all-gender restrooms on campus and advocating for the construction of more
bathrooms in general.
“We can’t wait another few years [on this issue.] We need to use the restroom now, and we don’t have restrooms. You try going to school all day and never using a restroom,” Reed said.
He pointed out that while students are legally allowed to use which restroom they feel most closely identifed with, many students still experience pushback or discomfort in doing so. FCC in particular, he argued, already struggles to provide adequate restrooms for students, with only six restrooms across 42 buildings.
Coronado-Acuña, who goes by they/them pronouns, agreed that many campus GSAs are fnding that students are calling for gender neutral restrooms in particular, as well as inclusive sex education.
They attended local LGBTQ+ organizations through their youth, crediting the support through their transition and two-week experience with homelessness after coming out to their mother.
Coronado-Acuña emphasized that LGBTQ+ youth who are struggling or
looking for a way to join their local LGBTQ+ community can and should start their own GSA clubs at their schools.
“Start with your GSA. Hopefully, there is a GSA on your campus already. If not, start one. We’re, I feel like, the frst line of defense,” they said.
St. George said that growing up, he did not experience much discrimination for his sexuality, even when serving with the Navy’s largest aviation reconnaissance squadron for several years. It was after his honorable discharge and the decision to use his GI Bill at Fresno Pacifc University (FPU) that he experienced discrimination toward the LGBTQ+ community.
“I realized in the clubs page there’s … a lot of diverse clubs. Then I thought, wait a minute, there’s no pride club on here. That’s kind of weird, it’s 2020, 2021. That should be automatic, you know? And you can see how naive I am, and what my experience up until this point in the world [was] again,” St. George said.
As a faith-based institution, FPU was exempt from Title IX, according to St. George,
leading to discrimination in employment, housing, athletics and more.
St. George emphasized this exemption as a defning characteristic of the culture of the institution, which he said sent his club proposal to the Board of Trustees, which rejected the club with a statement saying it didn’t align with the university’s statement of faith.
The club was able to eventually form under the name Birds for Pride, and while they were not able to meet on campus last year, St. George noted they are able to do so this semester.
Panelists concluded with advice for students.
“I think surrounding yourself with people that support you and people that love you will help you navigate spaces in life. For me that’s been a recipe for success,” Robertson said.
The free event was supported by Fresno State’s LGBT+ Allies and the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies department, among other community sponsors.
Further potential Qistory panels will be announced on social media accounts and its
During a recent visit to Sacramento, what immediately struck me was the walkability of the city. I enjoyed walking from place to place in downtown and midtown because everything is so close and lively.
But what was most astonishing was the mixed-use zoning, in which restaurants can be houses or be right next to houses. Also, the public transit system in Sacramento, such as the city’s light rail and bus system, makes it easy to get around downtown and midtown without a car – unlike Fresno.
My return to Fresno after my visit reinforced my idea of how unwalkable this city is. Most traveling requires having a car for everything because of laws and how the city is designed around cars.
Fresno also has single-family home zoning, like the rest of the United States, which makes it difcult for any diferent housing or mixed-use to be allowed in the city. Fresno is divided into three zones: residential, commercial and industrial.
In a YouTube video, Dave Amos, an assistant professor of city planning at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, explained that the United States used to have hierarchical zoning, which allowed mixed-use. However, that is no longer the case.
“One estimate has 80 US cities using non-hierarchical zoning,” Amos said in the video. “When you combine this with our love for many separate zones, you get a city with isolated uses.”
Many parts of Fresno are challenging to reach because they are very isolated, oftentimes requiring use of a car. I have a friend who needs to drive 30 minutes to the nearest grocery store because his area is isolated like this.
I have seen multiple other parts of the
city that also have no nearby grocery stores, restaurants or retail stores. This is even more challenging for individuals with disabilities or using mobility aids because certain parts of Fresno don’t have any bus stops, public transportation or even sidewalks.
In Sacramento, I could walk to the grocery store about fve minutes down the block from me. Near midtown are old suburbs that are very dense and walkable.
It was nice to see the neighborhood being able to gather nearby at a Thai restaurant. I also saw GameStop stores that were also housing, making it easy for workers to live close to work.
Sure, Fresno has some apartments
The Collegian is a student-run publication that serves the Fresno State community. Views expressed in The Collegian do not necessarily refect the views of the staff or university
that are also a mixture of retail stores and housing, but only in Downtown Fresno. We need to expand more mixed-zoning housing outside of that area.
However, the issue is that a lot of Fresno residents who oppose nearby building projects, refuse to build a diferent type of housing that isn’t single-family homes.
Rather, the city and these residents would rather expand the roads for cars than make the city walkable or expand public transportation. So many parts of Fresno don’t have any sidewalks. I remember one time I had to walk next to the fairgrounds, and the sidewalk just disappeared. I had to walk in the bike lane.
Again, it is not acceptable for the city not to have sidewalks.
Fresno is having a housing issue due to “rent and home costs that skyrocketed during the pandemic, low wages and a mismatch of afordable housing needs and availability,” according to The Fresno Bee.
In addition, the city has multiple blighted or vacant properties and unused parking areas that could be converted into mixed-use housing, as Sacramento has already shown is possible.
We have to stop designing the city around cars and instead design around human beings, and build mixed-use housing to help achieve that goal.
The Collegian carries four different ethnic supplements inserted several times throughout each semester into its print publication. Each supplement is produced by its own staff and advisers and is separate from The Collegian.
The news stories or opinions in the supplements do not refect those of The Collegian.
The Fresno State track team has added an experienced, local talent to its coaching staf.
Hannah Waller, a Buchanan High School graduate and track champion, fnished second place in the 400 meters in the California Interscholastic Federation State Championship her senior year.
In addition, Waller’s prior season ended with a 2015 state championship win in the 400 meters and her being named the fastest junior in the country.
After graduating in 2016, Waller took her athletic talents to the University of Oregon, where she continued her track success.
In her time at Oregon, Waller became a frst-team All-American in addition to being part of the track team’s frst-ever women’s Triple Crown contingent.
“I was with some of the best athletes –Olympian Raven Rogers, to name one, she’s an Olympian. We have had lots of success, lots of championships and national records to look up to and to stand by,” Waller said.
With her collegiate career fnished, Waller looked to start her coaching career, which ultimately led her back to the Central Valley.
The Central High School Grizzlies track team under Head Coach Cedric Pulliam decided to give Waller the opportunity to
try coaching with him for the 2021-22 track season.
“I told her, ‘Hey, why don’t you come on staf with us and shadow and learn how to do things?’ Because obviously, coaching’s a lot diferent than being an athlete. So it’s a whole diferent ball game of how to write workouts and personalities, things like that,” Pulliam said.
During her time at Central, the track team found success as the Grizzlies’ boys team took the 2022 CIF State Championship for the frst
time in school history.
Waller utilized Pulliam’s coaching style and incorporated her own experience as a track athlete, and her athletes started appreciating her as both a coach and a person.
One of those athletes is current San Jose State sprinter Cameron Tarver.
He noted that Waller was very active in her coaching style, often participating in workouts and practices.
“She had her favorite phrase that she would say that we all liked. ‘The last one is the
best one.’ So we always attacked our last rep with the most intensity,” Tarver said.
The intensity and active coaching approach should be a warranted addition to Fresno State’s current track coaching staf.
“It’s an honor. I love the sport, so it doesn’t matter what role I play in it, whether I’m running track, coaching track or being a physician for track athletes, I just want to have a role in it,” Waller said.
The Fresno State track season will begin Dec. 10 at the Spokane Invitational.
College basketball is in the air and the Fresno State Bulldogs are ready for the season to get under way with Preseason Mountain West Freshman of the Year, Joseph Hunter Jr. Last year, men’s basketball had the luxury of having a player like Orlando Robinson, the 7-foot, 235-pound center who previously played professionally for the G League, the NBA’s ofcial minor league basketball organization.
He signed with the Miami Heat on Sunday on a two-way contract Sunday.
After losing Robinson last year, the Dogs’ needed help flling his shoes. That’s where Hunter comes in.
The 6-foot-5-inch shooting guard attended San Joaquin Memorial (SJM) High School in
Fresno. There, Hunter averaged 31.8 points per game.
During his senior year, Hunter’s team went 23-8 and won the County Metro Athletic Conference.
Hunter is a two-time CIF Champion for the Panthers. He fnished his career his senior year with 2,337 points, which was the sixth best in section history and second best in school history behind Jalen Green, who currently plays with the Huoston Rockets..
Hunter averaged seven rebounds, seven assists and a steal per game for the Panthers in his last season at SJM. The Panthers fnished their last season with a 23-8 overall record.
He broke SJM’s program record for most points in a game and was named the Fresno Bee’s Boys Basketball Player of the Year.
During his senior year, Hunter’s team went 23-8 and won the County Metro Athletic
Conference.
During the recruiting process, he was one of the best recruits at his position and was the No. 5 shooting guard in the country.
According to 24/7 Sports, Hunter is the third-highest-ranked recruit in Fresno State’s school history.
An even more surprising aspect is that Hunter ultimately decided to stay local and attend Fresno State when choosing a university to attend despite receiving ofers from Nebraska, Washington State, Texas Christian University (TCU), San Diego State, Arkansas and Ole Miss.
When asked about Hunter and his preseason praise, Fresno State Head Coach Joseph Hutson doubled down.
“He’s very talented, and we’re lucky to have him. Freshmen don’t play much in this conference, so it is kind of a double-edged
sword. But this guy is very talented, and if we can keep him healthy, he is going to have a good year,” Hutson said.
Showing confdence in a player so early in his career is a good sign for Hunter.
After an underwhelming end to last season for many Bulldog fans, Hunter is looking to create some fresh excitement for the new team.His goals for this season go beyond just his individual accomplishments.
“I would love for us to be the best defensive team in the conference, [to] win the conference and reach the NCAA tournament,” Hunter said.
The Hunter hype will have to be put on a short hold, however, as he recovers from a thumb injury.
After the exhibition match against Stanislaus State on Nov. 2, Hutson confrmed Hunter’s absence was because of his injury.
As Fresno State clinched its ffth confer ence win in Las Vegas, the team also became eligible for a bowl game.
This win now puts the Bulldogs up with an overall record of 6-4 and 5-1 in the Mountain West (MW).
The beginning of the season didn’t look promising for Fresno State football, with loss es to Oregon State, University of Southern California, University of Connecticut and Boi se State.
Things turned around when the ‘Dogs sparked a fve-game winning streak, begin ning with their homecoming game victory against San José State.
The 37-30 win over the University of Ne vada, Las Vegas on Friday night placed the Bulldogs on the path to the MW West Division title.
After San Jose State fell 43-37 against San Diego State, the Bulldogs only needed to beat Nevada or Wyoming to play in the MW Con ference Championship Game.
Fresno State is sitting at the top of the West Division with a record of 5-1.
With one more win the ‘Dogs will be guar anteed a division title because of their wins over the Spartans (4-2 MW) and the Aztecs (4-2 MW).
The Bulldogs will next take on the Neva da Wolf Pack, who have lost their last eight games.
They are expected to play in below-freez ing temperatures that are forecast for Reno on Saturday Nov. 19.
Fresno State is no stranger to last-minute comebacks, and the team pulled another one against UNLV with quarterback Jake Haener’s
touchdown drives.
“That’s an excellent football team. So that was a big one for us,” said Head Coach Jef Tedford.
The Rebels led the game with time of pos session, but it wasn’t enough as they went head-to-head with the return of the dynamic duo, Haener and receiver Jalen Moreno-Crop per.
Their game-saving play of Haener’s 67yard touchdown pass to Moreno-Cropper was a main highlight of the game.
Haener and fellow senior captain Evan Williams have had quite a return from their injuries by riding the now fve-game winning streak.
Haener noted that if it wasn’t for the team’s fght throughout the season when the two were going through rehabilitation, they wouldn’t be where they are now.
“Shout out to the guys rolling down and getting us in a position to have this West Di vision lead and really play critical games in November,” Haener said.
Williams also attributed the team’s success to the work that was continuously done even through the team’s early losses.
The Rebels started the game with high in tensity, and the Bulldogs were able to feed of of it for their win.
“A win is a win. Win at all costs. That’s our
motto. Some of them aren’t going to be pretty, and we kind of have to deal with that and grind games like these out,” Williams said. “It’s a lit tle unreal to pull it out at the end like that. But it just feels great.”
If Fresno State lands a spot in the confer ence championship, it is still unknown who they will play.
The potential opponent will be decided next week when Wyoming hosts Boise State. The winner between the Cowboys and the Broncos will hold frst place in the Mountain Division.
Two possibilities can come from either team winning. If Boise State wins, it would win the Mountain Division and have homefeld advantage for the conference champion ship game.
If Wyoming wins, it would also have to beat Fresno State on Nov. 25 for a possible Mountain Division title.
Fresno State’s outcome in the Wyoming game will determine whether it travels to Boi se for the championship game or travels for a back-to-back rematch with the Cowboys.
The last California Bowl game was on Dec.14, 1991, at then-named Bulldog Stadium.
For Fresno State to host another California Bowl, the Bulldogs would have to win their last two games and the Broncos would have to lose their last two.
Former Fresno State men’s basketball standout Orlando Robinson signed with the Miami Heat on Sunday on a two-way contract.
He was expected to make his debut in the NBA on Monday, Nov. 14, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Although he is on the current roste ron NBA.com, he didn’t appear on the roster for the game against the Suns.
The Heat are calling up Robinson from the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the team’s G League afliate, signing the rookie center to a two-way contract as the team looks to fortify its front court depth.
Robinson was signed by Miami as an undrafted free agent back in June this year.
Robinson has averaged 20 points and 9.3 rebounds per game while shooting 54.1% from the feld through four contests with the Skyforce.
The Heat waived guard Dru Smith in a corresponding move, according to Ira
Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
While playing time was not guaranteed, Robinson should have had an opportunity to prove his worth to Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra.
Beyond starter Bam Adebayo, Miami’s
depth at the center position is murky at the moment.
Dewayne Dedmon is currently playing through a plantar fasciitis injury in his left foot, Omer Yurtseven is expected to miss at least three months and possibly more due to a bone-
spur fracture and 42-year-old Udonis Haslem is seldom used.
The Heat also have 19-year-old forward Nikola Jovic.
Robinson played in 90 games at Fresno State, averaging 15.7 points, 8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.01 blocks in 30.9 minutes per game, while shooting 47.6% from the feld and 32.2% from beyond the arc.
This included a notable 2021-22 season in which Robinson was named to the First Team All-Mountain West as a junior.
Robinson became the second player in NCAA history with at least 700 points, 300 rebounds and 100 assists in a season, joining Frank Kaminsky, who did so with Wisconsin in 2014-15.
When Robinson makes his debut, he will join Los Angeles Clippers star forward Paul George as the only former ‘Dogs currently active in the NBA, and the 32nd Bulldog to ever do so.
His size and versatility should serve him well as a modern big man in today’s NBA.