GOLDEN GATE XPRESS Serving the San Francisco State community since 1927
Volume CIII, Issue 4
Wednesday – September 14, 2016
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goldengatexpress.org SF State student Parker Sha, a Pi Kappa Phi member carries Dartanian, his 6-month-old Nubian goat in the Quad at SF State on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016. Sha provides a goat-grazing business that safely removes poision oak without damaging neighboring plants. Photo by Pablo Caballero
Goats are the answer, says eco-friendly frat brother by Michelle Nunez mnunez93@mail.sfsu.edu Fraternity brothers and sorority sisters did their best to attract new members during this fall semester’s rush week. They sported their house names, played loud music, and engaged
with those that walked by. But one fraternity in particular stole the show with their fourlegged mascot named Dartanian. Dartanian is a 6-month-old Nubian goat that attended this semester’s rush week alongside his owner Parker Sha, member of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity. “This is the first time we’ve had an animal
out there, but it worked out pretty well,” said PKP member Ben Berke. “So we’re probably going to bring him back.” When Dartanian is not pledging alongside his Pi Kappa Phi brothers, he is taking part in his owner’s goat-grazing business.
Goat cont. pg. 5
ASI farmer’s market to accept SNAP benefits by Breanna Reeves bjreeves@mail.sfsu.edu Associated Students, Inc. is finalizing a program that will allow students to make purchases from the farmer’s market at SF State using using Electronic Benefit Transfer and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Officially approved in July, the program is expected to launch in October, according to Horace Montgomery, director of programs and services for ASI, applied to become an authorized retailer. “It took about a year of going through all the paperwork and then someone from Florida called me,” Montgomery said. “What we’re working on right now is a method where they can come swipe their card, they can come get their money from us, then go buy from the vendors and then the vendors will come back and recoup the money.”
EBT cont. pg. 2
A vendor from the Associated Students, Inc. Farmers Market, who declined to provide their name, browses a fellow vendors organic fruit in front of the Humanities Building on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2016. | Photo by Lauren Saldana
Election course tackles 2016 presidential race by Rita Berríos Riquelme rberrios@mail.sfsu.edu Every four years, the political science department offers a course examining that year’s approaching presidential election. This year’s course, the 2016 presidential election public lecture series, is designed to inform students about the election in a nonpartisan manner and show the community the type of engagement that is encouraged at SF State. Every Tuesday three to five faculty members present topics surrounding an event leading up to the upcoming election. By the end of the class, students will have been exposed to lectures from about 50 faculty members. “This class helps students to better process all the information given, making it less confusing,” said Professor Joel Kassiola, who created the course in 2004 to help inform the community. “There’s too much information to make sense of.” Kassiola said he relates the class to Chinese philosopher Confucius’ teachings of the importance of self-cultivation and making sense of the world. He said the course also provides information on the different problems that contemporary population faces.
Kassiola cont. pg. 3
Poetry center kicks off semester
Walker provides student voice
Student housing is pertinent
Senior forward poised for success
by Jacqueline Haudek – pg. 4
by Amanda Aragona – pg. 6
by Katherine Elizabeth Minkiewicz – pg. 9
by Terence Scott – pg. 10
NEWS
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goldengatexpress.org Wednesday | September 14, 2016
Afro floor coming to SF State in 2017 by Karina Bueno kebueno@mail.sfsu.edu SF State is working on bringing an Afro floor to student housing as soon as fall 2017, confirmed University spokesperson Jonathan Morales in an email. The floor would not solely be dedicated to Black students, but would also be open to anyone interested in learning about a community different than their own. The University’s push for Black student housing will be part of a growing trend of universities to create housing for Black students. Following a list of demands from their Black Student Union, California State University, Los Angeles began offering Black student housing, joining two other universities in California. The list of demands included housing accommodations for Black students and a full-time residential aide to address the needs of the students. The demands that were sent to CSULA President William A. Covino were sparked from “racially insensitive remarks, and microaggressions by professors and students (producing) learning environment that is not conducive to the overall learning atmosphere.” These conditions hinder the success of Black students and increase as the population of Black students at CSULA decreases, the letter states. At CSULA Black students currently make up only 4 percent of the undergraduate population compared to asian and pacific islanders at 33.5 percent and white students at 27.1
percent, according to California College Portraits. The percentage of Black undergraduates at SF State isn’t much higher at 5.4 percent, according to the fall 2015 undergraduate student profile. Students may see an Afro floor in the themed resident halls coming soon, thanks to SF State’s Black Student Union. Currently, there are floors dedicated to Health and Wellness, Emerging Leaders as well as a women’s floor. There are mixed feelings about universities offering Black student housing. Some worry it may be a step backward towards segregation, while others revel in the idea of Black youth being able to have a sense of community and well being. Political Science graduate Izabelle Doublin said she believes black student housing will not contribute to a divided student body. “I think that what happens, especially in college, you’re living and learning more about yourself and about these systems and institutions that are designed to keep you and people like you down and not able to thrive in our society,” Doublin said. “It’s really important to be around people like you, who look like you. They may or may not think like you but at least you’re being represented.” As a mixed woman of color, Doublin commented on the potential difficulty she could face living in the Afro halls. “It would definitely be a learning experience for all of us,” Doublin said. “I have friends who have darker skin than me that deal with racism and sexism in extremes far more than I do
An SF State student walks into Mary Ward Hall on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2016. SF State is working on bringing an afro floor as soon as fall 2017. | Photo by Taylor Reyes because I have lighter skin and I have that privilege but we’re able to learn from each other and I’m able to learn to check myself.” As more universities take the step toward Black student housing, more and more people are sharing their opinions on the impact it may have on other students on campus. Dean of Ethnic Studies Kenneth Monteiro attempted to address those concerns by stating no one is forcing anyone into this housing community
and it is there as an option for anyone. Others have said it would isolate black students and create a larger divide between the black community and the rest of campus, to which Monteiro stated where a person sleeps does not isolate them from the world. Some students are worried that although the learning community would be available to anyone it would build tensions between Black and non-Black students living within the community. Monteiro said that
this will only inspire discussions and motivate students to speak on the matter. Monteiro said when he was a student his campus also offered Black dorms. “I benefitted from their existence because they produced a center of gravity for me,” Monteiro said. “So I was someone who benefited from those dormitories even though I didn’t live in them.”
Farmer’s market to utilize EBT payment option EBT from pg. 1
Top: An SF State student who declined to provide their name (right) buys fresh organic juice from a vendor who refused to provide their name (left) at the Associated Students, Inc. Farmers Market on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2016. Photo by Lauren Saldana Right: An SF State student who declined to provide their name (right) buys fresh organic juice from a vendor at the Associated Students, Inc. Farmers Market on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2016. The ASI market is developing an electronic benefit transfer program that will allow students to make purchases. Photo by Lauren Saldana
The ASI Farmer’s Market was created 10 years ago by a graduate student who envisioned a subsidized farmer’s market for students. The farmer’s market is officially a California farmer’s market and must meet state requirements, one of which is accepting EBT. The number of SF State students who use EBT is unknown, but students have expressed an interest in EBT programs on campus, according to Montgomery. “We take cards, but it’s only credit cards. (Students) ask me all the time, ‘do you accept EBT cards?’” said Roberto Sandoval, a vendor at the ASI Farmer’s Market. “I think (the EBT program) is going to help us and the students.” Enhancing the lifestyle of students by providing healthy food options has been an important issue for ASI, according to Muata Kenyatta, associate director of programs and services and interim farmer’s market director. ASI also provides a seed giveaway program that encourages students to grow their own fruits and vegetables. “This EBT (program) is an idea that’s long overdue and I am proud that we’re taking that direction,” Kenyatta said. “Any way we can go and service our students, we’re down for it.” SF State is one of a few campuses in the California State University system that offers EBT programs as an option for students who experience
food security and homelessness. In a 2015 study commissioned by CSU Chancellor Timothy White, “six students discussed that they had current use of CalFresh, and several suggested that the ability to utilize EBT—often known as food stamps— on campus would lower barriers to easy access to food.” “Staff, faculty, and administrators estimated displaced students at 8.7 percent and food insecure students at 21 percent,” according to the CSU study. “I think (the EBT program) would be great,” said Alice Sowaal, a Philosophy professor at SF State. “I know a lot of our students are really struggling financially.” The EBT program was officially approved on Jul. 20, 2016 and is expected to launch in October. “What we’re working on right now is a method where they can come swipe their card, they can come get their money from us, then go buy from the vendors and then the vendors will come back and recoup the money,” Montgomery said. The stigma surrounding the use of EBT and government welfare has discouraged many students from disclosing their use of EBT and SNAP. “I must make sure that this is seamless, that it’s not something that makes people feel uncomfortable because you’re using it,” Montgomery said. “We want them to be able to use it and we want them to be able to use it discreetly and not have to worry about any judgment.”
NEWS
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Election course offers debate, forum Kassiola from pg. 1
Political science Assistant Professor Marcella Garcia-Castanon, who is joining Kassiola to teach the course for the first time, said the diversity of SF State’s faculty helps elevate the political conversation. Garcia-Castanon said the cultural diversity of the Bay Area was represented by faculty members themselves and by what they bring to
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we do a post-election analysis about who won and why,” Garcia-Castanon said. The non-traditional class offers students the freedom of watching the discussions or listening to them as a podcast. There is an online section and an in-person section, each with the same requirements to pass. Kassiola hopes that by 2020 anyone in the country will be able to follow the panels in real time. “I’m interested in following the
My push has been toward incorporating (the course) as a pathway for students to become community-oriented and to empower them. Marcella Garcia-Castanon
Political science department professor Benjamin Lozano talks about politics and the economy during the election public lecture series course in the McKenna Theater on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2016. Each class session hosts a different panel of professors and experts on politics. | Photo by George Morin
the discussion. “My push has been toward incorporating (the course) as a pathway for students to become communityoriented and to empower them,” Garcia-Castanon said. “Sometimes students are sick and tired of the elections and that’s because they have had only the superficial media coverage or the superficial exposure.” This learning process about the election does not end on Nov. 8. Students will reflect on what led a candidate to reach the White House. “We do an election night and then
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goldengatexpress.org Wednesday | September 14, 2016
process and being able to analyze the results,” said Leyre Carrasco, a political science exchange student from Spain. There are about five rows reserved for Osher Lifelong Learning Institute members at the Mckenna Theater to attend the sessions and students are encouraged to bring more participants to these panels. “The best purpose of a university is to enlighten and inform the public,” Kassiola said. The class, PLSI 216, has open registration until Sept. 14.
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LIFESTYLE & CULTURE
goldengatexpress.org Wednesday | September 14, 2016 Poets Tongo Eisen-Martin (left) and Jasmine Gibson (right) sit for a question and answer segment with the audience after their poetry readings in the Poetry Center on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2016. Photo by Aleah Fajardo
Poetry center kicks off first event of the semester, offers forum by Jacqueline Haudek jhaudek@mail.sfsu.edu Tongo Eisen-Martin’s powerful voice captivated students and faculty Thursday night at the poetry center’s first event of the semester. Attentive faces listened and nodded along to his expressions of life, love and frustrations against an unjust criminal justice system. “One of my goals in programming poets for the poetry center is to bring to the school what the school doesn’t have,” said Steve Dickison, director of the poetry center at SF State. “I’m not so interested in presenting people just because they’re well known. These two people are activists and are aware of what’s going on in the world at this time.” In 2015, Eisen-Martin released his book of poetry, “Someone’s Dead Already.” His poem “We Charge Genocide Again” lists the names of Black people who have been killed by police. Their names are placed directly between the words “28 hours,” a reference to a study by Operation Ghetto Storm that found that every 28 hours a Black person is killed by police in the U.S. Eisen-Martin describes his poetry as “a dance between observing reality and the grooming of its presentation.”
SF State students and faculty gather to hear poetry readings from Tongo Eisen-Martin and Jasmine Gibson in the Poetry Center on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2016. | Photo by Aleah Fajardo “Why do we get quiet when we experience good art? Why do we go into a trance? Because our discoursed thoughts get put on hold,” EisenMartin said. “It’s an expanding experience. An experience that can’t be duplicated.”
Jasmine Gibson, the second featured poet of the evening, described her poetry as either “American gothic or riot erotica.” Her book of poetry “Draptemonia” was named after a psychiatric disorder given to runaway slaves.
Some students lose out on new minimum wage While San Francisco raised its minimum wage from $12.25 to $13 in July, only students working on campus that were already being paid at the City minimum wage benefitted from this increase. This means students like Megan Foley, who works at the Campus Recreation Department, make under minimum wage — just $10 an hour. “I’m not sure why everyone on campus doesn’t get paid the same,” said Foley, a prekinesiology major. “There have been rumors that the wage will go up, but no one really knows.” Associate Vice President of Human Resources Ann Sherman explained that President Leslie E. Wong requested an analysis of the impact of adopting the City minimum wage. The University previously looked into
paying student employees at the City minimum wage level back in Fall of 2014, but reported a $2.7 million impact to the University. “We are exempt from paying the City minimum wage given our government classification,” Sherman said. Wages of students employed by the University, through work-study or as student assistants, start at California’s minimum wage of $10 and could go up to $17.26. Sherman explained the difference in student wages is based on the department they are working for along with laws governing waging, prevailing wages for that type of work, and skills needed for the type of job. “Departments have the ability to set a wage rate that they think is appropriate given what the work is and whether or not they’re finding good quality candidates,” Sherman said. Vendors like Cafe 101 on campus are contracted by the University and therefore
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“We are exempt from paying the City minimum wage given our government classification.”
Ann Sherman
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by Victor Verdugo vverdugo@mail.sfsu.edu
are still held up to San Francisco labor laws, which means they have to pay students the San Francisco minimum wage or more. “Since I’m from L.A. and minimum wage is completely different there, I did have to ask about that just to clarify,” said Adriana Ruiz, an undeclared sophomore at SF State. “They did let me know that because it is a café that I do make tips, so I would be making San Francisco minimum wage and tips on top of that.” The University will continue to look into the impact of raising the minimum wage on campus, followed by a report that will be presented to President Wong at the end of this
“For a slave to want to run away there had to be something mentally wrong with them,” Gibson explained. Gibson said her time spent working as a case manager in a mental health facility was an influence of her poetry. “When you work in that kind of environment, you definitely see how there’s a different way of interpreting reality,” Gibson said. Steve Weber, an attendee of the event and creative writing major, was impacted by the poetry he heard from the speakers. “I thought it was really powerful and that they showed a lot of heart,” Weber said. “I bought Tongo’s book.” During the Q&A session, Eisen-Martin gave some advice on his writing process and emphasized “the art of noticing poetry in life.” He had some advice for aspiring writers: “keep that conversation running with yourself. Whatever you do to get to an image, that should eventually become a parlor trick.” Both Eisen-Martin and Gibson were excited to share their work with SF State. “(I get to) hear how my own internal thoughts affect other people.” Gibson said. “The best part is that other people get something out of it.” The poetry center offers free readings from featured writers. More information can be found at http://poetry.sfsu.edu/.
school year. However, raising the minimum wage could negatively impact students that are enrolled in work-study. Associate Director of Financial Aid Jimmie Wilder explained students that are qualified to participate in work-study are awarded a set amount of money from the federal government. The University will pay 70 percent of the student’s wages and the rest of the money comes from the student’s allotted sum. “When a student’s work-study award has been used up, they either have to stop working or the department has to look for another source,” Wilder said. Departments don’t always have enough student assistant funds to continue paying students that were on work-study, forcing the end of the student’s employment. “If we give everyone a raise — let’s say they’re making $10 now and they start making $13 next week by virtue of doing that — they just lost a quarter of their hours,” Sherman said. “Once they hit that number, they’re done.”
goldengatexpress.org Wednesday | September 14, 2016
LIFESTYLE & CULTURE
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Goats provide sustainable alternative
Top: SF State student Parker Sha, a Pi Kappa Phi member (center) shows off Dartanian, his 6-month-old Nubian goat to students in the Quad at SF State on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016. | Photo by Pablo Caballero / Left: SF State students pet Dartanian, a 6-month-old Nubian goat in front of the Pi Kappa Phi sign in the Quad at SF State on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016.| Photo by Pablo Caballero
“It took about a year of going through all the paperwork and then someone from Florida called me,” Montgomery said. “(They) asked me all these questions about where the market was, and all this personal stuff about me.” Parker Sha, an English major at SF State, started his goat business four months ago when he received a carpentry job that involved clearing a yard of poison oak. Wanting to clear the yard in an eco friendly manner, he decided to purchase three goats, Dartanian, Raider and Gimli, in order to clear the yard without harming the soil and using poisonous chemicals. “I always try to do these sustainable initiatives, to take a stand on something,” Sha said. “I needed to get a job done, and figured out a way to do it and figured I would just take care of the goats on the side to be able to get that job done.” Though some would rather take the easier route and purchase roundup to kill off their poison oak, Sha refuses to do so in hopes of saving the soil. “I’m not going to get into that cycle,” Sha said. “The goats would get poisoned, or the kids that are eating off the land would
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I always try to do these sustainable initiatives, to take a stand on something.
Parker Sha
get poisoned. So I wasn’t going to go into that cycle, it’s not profitable and it’s not eco friendly.” Sha’s goat-grazing business continues to gain clientele through word of mouth by friends. “I know a lot of people that are in construction,” Sha said. “And it’s fun, people love it, people love the goats so far.” Dartanian, along with Raider and Gimli, live in a 6 by 8-foot goat house Sha built for them on the property next door to his home. Sha plans to continue his eco friendly goat business on a small scale and keep it geared toward residential properties. He currently charges $200-$1000 per project, depending on the size of the property. Sha’s goat business is not limited to clearing out residential
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yards. Gimli, his 3-year-old Nigerian Dwarf goat, is the only one out of the three that is not neutered and is used for breeding. Sha earns $200 for each goat Gimli inseminates. Though some might find running a goat business as a college student unconventional, Meera C. Heller, an assistant professor of Clinical Livestock Medicine at UC Davis said owning goats is increasingly common. “There has been an increase in pet goats as more people move to the country,” Heller said. “People have small properties or ‘ranchettes,’ also media has made them more popular... They are probably the most popular livestock pet.” With their increasing popularity as pets, Sha believes goats, along with other eco friendly methods, should replace the common poisonous chemicals for the environment’s sake. “In 2016 those ideas and that way of life they don’t work anymore. They’re not sustainable,” Sha said. “I’ve thought about it — every aspect is not leaving a footprint and just doing things sustainable and eco friendly, that’s pretty much what I stand for.” “Yeah, it’s the hard way,” he said. “but it’s my way.”
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LIFESTYLE & CULTURE
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goldengatexpress.org Wednesday | September 14, 2016
Student appointed to California Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board Timothy Walker, a 19-year-old SF State political science major, is the youngest member and only college student to be appointed to California’s newly established Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board. Walker and the rest of the board will study collect data to help identify where racial and identity profiling stem from. Walker, alongside the board, will suggest solutions to prevent any type of prejudice within law enforcement, like implicit bias training for officers and conversation recording when pulling over citizens. “The main thing we do is come up with recommendations to give to law enforcement on how they can use data, track data, how that data can be transparent and allow community members to see that data and see who is being targeted and who is not,” Walker said. Walker was appointed by California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris to fill the position required for a representative between 16 and 24 years of age. “When I met Timothy Walker, I was moved by his story and inspired by his commitment to serve as an agent of change to make California a more fair and compassionate place for all of us,” Harris said in an email. “This critical conversation is unfolding here in California and across the nation, and as a powerful young man who has witnessed the
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sting of profiling firsthand, Timothy is one of the leaders at the forefront.” Walker works alongside leaders in education and religion, civil rights activists, teachers and professors and police officers to eliminate racial and identity profiling in law enforcement. “Timothy is a natural leader and passionate advocate for justice,” said Alex Johnson, a member of the Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board and the executive director of California’s Children’s Defense Fund. “He brings a unique perspective to the board and a strong desire to improve the quality of life for his community.” Walker’s passion for social justice began when growing up in South Central, Los Angeles where he joined an after-school program called the Community Coalition. The coalition sparked his interest in enacting change and allowed him to get involved in social work on his campus and within his community. “I didn’t really like it at first,” Walker chuckled. “I was the type of person that thought, ‘the way things are, that’s just how it is, and you can’t really change anything.’” After spending four years in the program with opportunities to take the lead on campaigns to better education and his community, he wanted to continue to work toward positive change. When Harris visited a meeting at the Community Coalition to discuss racial injustice, Walker stood out by speaking up about his personal experiences with racial profiling. “The culture of the meeting was
The main thing we do is come up with recommendations to give to law enforcement on how they can use data, track data, how that data can be transparent and allow community members to see that data and see who is being targeted and who is not.
Timothy Walker
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by Amanda Aragona aaragona@mail.sfsu.edu
Timothy Walker, the only student on the Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board, poses for a portrait in the quad at SF State on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2016. | Photo by Connor Hunt passive. And that was a time where everyone was frustrated with police tension in my community. I knew I had to speak up,” Walker said as he pounded his hand on the table. “It was very emotional, and I think she could tell that was something I was serious about and I would be honored to serve on the board and I would do it the right way,” Walker said. The Community Coalition brought Walker and his colleagues on annual Bay Area college campus tours, where he said he fell in love with SF State and the City for its socialjustice oriented and progressive culture. Other than studying political science, Walker is involved with the
Black Student Union on campus. “Being appointed to the racial profiling advisory board is just a mere example of his potential,” said Ismail Muhammad, President of the Black Student Union. “The energy he brings to BSU is great, similar to any revolutionary such as Kwame Toure or even Huey Newton.” Walker’s long-term goal is to become mayor of Los Angeles but says he will be satisfied as long as he finds a way to go back to his community and make a change. “I’ve lived in an education system that was under-resourced and underprivileged,” Walker said. “I know what that feels like. So knowing what that feels like, I know
I can change it, so let me put that into work and make it a reality.” Walker explained his messge for the world: “No matter what you’re doing in your life, whether or not it’s big in other people’s eyes, continue to do that and create change that way. Along the spectrum of whatever it is continue to do that and always feel proud about whatever it is. Like if you’re driving a bus, keep driving the bus, make sure that the people you drive are safe and continue doing what you’re doing. It creates change in a way that you might not see,” Walker said.
Mashouf Wellness Center will be open to everyone, even alumni by Michelle Nunez mnunez93@mail.sfsu.edu For the past six years, SF State students have contributed to the construction of the Mashouf Wellness Center through fees embedded in their tuition. According to the center’s website, “the Recreation and Wellness Center Student Fee was approved in 2010 after a signature petition of the student body in late 2009. SF State students successfully petitioned to increase their student fees for the specific purpose of funding the design, construction, and operation of a student recreation and wellness center on the San Francisco State University campus.” Student fees, as well as private donations, funded the $86.5 million dollar facility. Fees began at $35 per semester in 2010, and then gradually increased to $90 per semester in 2012. The Mashouf Wellness Center will open its doors in 2017, eight years after the project was first curated. Those who petitioned for the increased fees have since graduated and didn’t have the chance to enjoy the fruit of their labor during their time at SF State. Although past student investors were unable to
Construction workers work on the foundation of the Mashouf Wellness Center at SF State on Monday, Sept. 12, 2016. Construction is scheduled to be completed in 2017. |Photo by Pablo Caballero experience the center while enrolled, they will be able to once it’s complete. Pam Su, director of campus recreation, assures alumni, as well as SF State faculty and staff, will have access to the school’s new state of the art wellness center. “One group is called the alumni investor group, and those are students who have been paying this $90 per semester to the building project, that will graduate before the building opens. These are people who helped
invest in this building and became alumni before they could enjoy the building, we will have a special discounted membership for them,” said Su. “Then for other alumni who are older and never paid in, but are still in the area, there will be perhaps a limited number of memberships for them.” In addition to SF State students, the center’s doors will also be open to the faculty and staff on campus. “Optional memberships will be
offered to faculty and staff because we realized that if faculty and staff are happy, healthy and well, that makes a big difference on our entire campus community,” said Su. The Mashouf Wellness Center is currently under construction on the corner of Font and Lake Merced Blvd. Once construction is over, the center will have a first and second floor that will feature a two-court basketball gym, a multi-activity court, three exercise studios, a climbing wall,
racquetball courts, 18-person spa, locker rooms and more. Once the center opens, rec center fees will jump up to $160 per semester, covering the rest of the c onstruction costs, as well as the programs and services the center will provide. According to Su, personalized services such as personal training or personal massage appointments will come at an additional cost, but they are doing their best to keep costs as low as possible for students. Second year business major Julia Padgett, is looking forward to the center but is not pleased with the $160 payments she will be making for each semester, stating “I think it’s kind of wrong to make everyone pay for it when not everyone’s gonna use it,” said Padgett. “I feel like I’m never gonna go there.” Although the rec center will not be utilized by everyone, it has potential to bring benefits to the campus. “We’re super excited about the space and how much it will give to the students at the campus community,” said Su. “It will enhance the possibilities for more student life on campus, and it’s been a project that’s been on it’s way for quite some time, and we’re on schedule to open in 2017.”
goldengatexpress.org Wednesday | September 14, 2016
OPINION
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Wellness Center overshadows the need for better student dorms Illustration by Jessylyn Los Banos
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SEKINAT SHIWOKU
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by Katherine Elizabeth Minkiewicz keminkie@mail.sfsu.edu Walking past the shiny new facade of the wellness center that is under construction, I can’t help comparing it to the lackluster appearance of my apartment building in University Park North, clad with dangling wires and broken windows. When I first moved into UPN as a junior and pulled up next to my building, I thought, “Could this really be the right address?” My mom observed the litter that was sprinkled on the grass. Shrugging, she merely said, “Well maybe you’ll get used to it.” Now that it has been a year, I have gotten used to the cracked sidewalks, defunct window screens and the occasional sighting of a mouse. However, these conditions are something that I should not have to live with in the first place. The Mashouf Wellness Center is currently under construction and is slated to open in late 2017, according to the center’s page on SF State’s Capital Planning, Design & Construction website. The top of the line wellness center will come complete with a multi-level gym, an elevated jogging track, lap pool, natatorium, climbing wall and water and energy conservation system.
However, we already have a perfectly adequate gym, with a recreational pool, weight room, exercise physiology lab and several other amenities. Rather than focusing on building new health and gym facilities, the school should instead invest their time and money in something students actually need: new dorms. Some of the dorms here on campus, like UPN, are in poor condition and are in dire need of repairs and renovations. For instance, many of the buildings have a less than appealing exterior with peeling paint and broken windows. Having shattered or boarded up windows is a problem in of itself, since it can present safety concerns of burglary and theft. According to the University police crime log, in the past two weeks alone, there have been four cases of theft and burglary and one case of trespassing. Many of these took place in the vicinity of the campus dorms — including Font and Lake Merced Boulevard and Buckingham Way. One of the more severe cases of burglary took place in a student apartment, where a group of roommates lost $1,350 in property, according to the crime log. The trespassing case occurred during the first week of school and also took place in UPN. There are countless negative reviews
of the UPN complex on Yelp. Some of the most recent reviews from 2016 mention the poor state of some of the complex’s facilities, like the laundry rooms and the windows, which fuels a notable bug problem. Cans of insect repellent sit in the lobby of buildings as a feeble attempt to combat the pests. Even with all these issues surrounding housing at SF State, an Associated Students, Inc. student referendum found many students actually wanted to put their tuition fees toward a new gym and wellness center, according to former ASI President Phoebe Dye. But as SF State’s population continues to grow, it would be more pertinent for students to make the case for new dorms and housing now more than ever. 3,500 first-year students came in at the start of the semester, and according to csumentor. edu, almost half of the freshmen population live on campus. After looking at these numbers, it seems like building more dorms should be a higher priority for the University. SF State should make an effort to plan for more dorms and to mitigate the problems at hand. All the while, we are still having to live with mosquitos for roommates, burglar enticing windows, and a growing population of freshmen each year, lining up in the waitlist queue.
To the Xpress Editor: The article, “Young medical cannabis patients lose access” in the Sept. 7, 2016 issue of the Golden Gate Xpress is very misleading. The title claims that medical cannabis patients under 21 will lose access to medical cannabis. That is not true. The law is designed to eliminate access to tobacco, tobacco products and tobacco paraphernalia designed for use with tobacco. While an argument that lighters can be used for smoking tobacco, matches are not listed as being illegal in SBX2-7. Thus medical marijuana patients can still use matches to smoke marijuana. Additionally medical marijuana comes in a variety of forms that do not require fire, such as in chocolate, cookies, brownies, gummies, tincture, liquid and other food products. Maybe patients under 21 will not be able to purchase rolling papers in tobacco stores, but there is no restriction to other legal ways to consume their medication. That is my interpretation of the Senate Bill after reading the full text. Mitch L Turitz, SF State librarian turitz@sfsu.edu
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goldengatexpress.org Wednesday | September 14, 2016
Seasoned senior poised to lead Gators to success SF State Gators’ senior forward Autumn Fox (4) slide tackles a Wildcat player during their 2-1 loss against Central Washington University at Cox Stadium on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016. Photo by Brenna Cruz
Now in her senior season, Fox improved her fitness by running all summer and playing in the Women’s Premier Soccer League. The WPSL is a 100-plus team national pro-am and is the largest women’s soccer league in the world, according to its website. The league includes several Division I women’s athletes. Fox attributes a lot of her experience and preparation from playing in the league. “I would go out to the track every day, then I would work on my composure with the ball,” Fox said. “I think that if I was to compare myself three years ago to now, my mindset has changed. I really have learned to not always go 100 mph but use my speed to my benefit and play smarter.” Fox’s soccer journey began early; she first started playing soccer at the
Her coach describes her as dynamic. Her teammates describe her as a leader. She describes herself as a hard worker. Autumn Fox is a senior forward for the SF State women’s soccer team. Over the course of her four-and-ahalf-year experience on campus, she has seen the program make some big changes and grow. “It has definitely been an interesting transition from four years ago playing for Jack (Hyde) and Robin (Hart) and now for two years with (coaches) Tracy (Hamm) and Val (Henderson),” Fox said. “I feel I really learned a lot. I’ve been able
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I think that if I was to compare myself three years ago to now, my mindset has changed. I really have learned to not always go 100 mph but use my speed to my benefit and play smarter.
Autumn Fox
to see the program grow and develop into something entirely new it’s been really cool and exciting.” After Fox’s redshirt sophomore season, the father of SF State women’s soccer, head coach Jack Hyde, decided to step down after a 35 year coaching career. “Jack did a lot for the program and got us where we are now but it was nice to get fresh ideas,” Fox said. “I’m excited to come back later to see how far the program grows.”
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age of four, and she attributes her hard work ethic to the love of the sport. “I think soccer is a beautiful game I love competing,” Fox said. “It is the most rewarding feeling to score a goal and win games.” Fox’s work ethic is what her teammates and coach respect most about her and they also look to her as a voice of leadership and perspective. “She’s such a great leader. She is a person everyone on the team knows they can go to if they ever need
anything,” said senior midfielder Paige Yeider. “Not only is she vocal but she shows it on the field. No one works harder than her. She is always giving it her all.” Fox led SF State in total points last season with 10 and is off to a good start this season with three points in the team’s first four games. “Autumn is a great leader she has such a positive attitude,” Hamm said. “She’s unstoppable. I think she
prides herself on her work ethic and she should. She wants to win games and works really hard. She’s a great person.” “I try to help my teammates by giving them perspective because I know it’s not easy for freshman to transition into college so I just try to give them confidence,” Fox said. “I tell them work hard and give it time because it won’t always work immediately.”
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With this being Fox’s last collegiate season, she is preparing for life after soccer. She plans on taking time off to travel and see what life is like without soccer, then ultimately go to graduate school for sports performance psychology to work with athletes one day. “I think giving myself an opportunity to explore other areas in life would be great,” Fox said. “Who knows I may coach one day.”
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