Fall 2013 issue 3

September 11, 2013 FOLLOW US TWITTER

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Student-run publication serving the San Francisco State community since 1927

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VOLUME LXXXXVII • ISSUE 3

Feed the late-night urge The new 24-hour campus vending machine delivers a wide variety of goods SEE PAGE

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ASI kicks off Fall Semester Student government sets the pace for the semester with carnival event on GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

SF State professor runs for mayor

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elinker@mail.sfsu.edu

F STATE professor Joe Tuman announced last July his plan to run for Oakland city mayor for the second time in the 2014 election.

His second bid for mayor comes at a time of high crime rates in Oakland. Many consider the police department to be understaffed and overwhelmed, creating what Tuman describes as a lack of safety for the city’s residents. Tuman runs on a platform focused on public safety and promoting health and wellness.

“Crime is the dominant narrative of the city,” said Tuman. “Violence itself is like a disease and I feel I can make a difference there.”

Tuman said his experience in arbitration, labor issues and running a large educational department gives him the needed experience to lower Oakland’s crime rate and promote the health and well-being of citizens throughout the city.

Gator trains with Olympian

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clifto@mail.sfsu.edu

F STATE’S TOP cross-country runner, Bruk Assefa, went back to Ethiopia — his homeland — over the summer, and did what few people experience in their lifetime: train with an Olympic gold medalist.

Assefa, the senior business administration major, admitted he was nervous he ran with Haile Gebreslassie, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and owner of 26 world records.

Assefa hopes his hours training with Gebreslassie’s crew of professional runners will prepare him for the season to come.

“To run with the other guys was pretty tough because they are amazing,” said Assefa.

Assefa returns to SF State for a fourth year after a

ticipated in with a top ten time — except at the NCAA Division II Championship, where he placed 45th out of 245 runners overall.

2 NEWS SF STATE SPEAKS OUT WHAT ADVICE CAN YOU GIVE ABOUT PARKING ON CAMPUS?

TREVOR PELLEGRINI, 22 PSYCHOLOGY MAJOR

In the parking garage, stick to the lower levels because the upper levels are always full.

And expect your car to get happen with the way people park and drive around here.

MORGAN JARRELL, 22 KINESIOLOGY MAJOR

creative and sneak out of

09.11.13| GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

CSU Chancellor engages SF State jdt@mail.sfsu.edu

After Timothy White was appointed CSU Chancellor last December, he made a personal commitment to visit each of on the job. His visit to SF State last week marked the thirteenth stop on his tour.

During his two-day visit to the campus the chancellor engaged with students and faculty, asking them about their own experiences at the University. On his last day, White opened up to the Golden Gate Xpress by answering questions concerning SF State students, such as the possible outcome of City College of San Francisco’s accreditation crisis and its effects on SF State. He also voiced his thoughts on tuition hikes and his own experience

necessary to make sure that the individual students don’t get hurt.”

SF State student Genevieve Leighton-Armah commented on the importance of there being a community college in San Francisco.

“A lot of students take classes at SF State and at City College to reach their American dream, (if City College losses their accreditation) it will affect all of San Francisco,” said Leighton-Armah, 22, criminal justice major.

SF State President Leslie E. Wong, said he has coordinated meetings with Northern California CSU campuses to discuss the concern for City College stu-

college student.

“As an immigrant kid, like so many of our students and faculty, the California State University and community colleges gave me dimension to the things that I took on,” White said. “One of the reasons I wanted to do this (visit the CSUs), was to make sure each of the 23 campuses emerge into the points of excellence that matter the most to that campus.”

With City College at risk of losing its accreditation, White said the issue was serious and takes a special tion student.

“If I hadn’t gone to community college, instead of becoming an asset to society I would be a burden,” he said.

“This is not about good or bad administration or accreditation, this is about students and their lives today and their lives in the future,” said White. “If we as a Cal State system focus on this piece, we will provide whatever assistance we can

dent’s accessibility to CSUs. Both White and Wong have discussed the issue over past occasions, emphasizing that SF State would, by no means, serve as a community college, White said referring to Wong’s previous editorial letter to the San Francisco Chronicle.

However, the CSU system has also undergone its own share of turmoil. The last school year with a 9 percent tuition increase, according to SFGate, creating a higher cost for lower quality education. said the CSUs have managed to increase graduation rates by 7 percent even with a 6 percent decline in employees and a 5 percent increase in student population.

“People who say we are not doing our job are crazy, the strength of the university is many things but none more than its people,” said White. tion has improved due to the passage of Proposition 30 last November, which has increased taxes to support public education.

“It’s passage allowed the CSU Board of Trustees to rescind a fee increase saving students $249 per semester,” Wong said.

Proposition 30 has also provided the CSUs the opportunity to reinvest in new resources and technology that would enhance the quality of higher education through online courses and additional faculty, White said.

Despite the challenges facing the new chancellor he was able to enjoy his visit at SF State and the University’s commitment to diversity.

“It’s a vibrant integrated place that is leaning forward,” said White.

know. They always know.

Students design parks for green awareness JENNIE CHOW, 23 COMMUNICATIONS MAJOR

Go early! Always show up day, circle around until the cleaning times expires and grab the parking as soon as

GERALD MORGAN, 24 MATH MAJOR

campus or around it. Park

the way out.

Photos by: Virginia Tieman Reporting by: Erica Linker

I

N ROOM 151 OF THE Creative Arts Building, the students of design and industry 300 — amid the sound of tearing paper and energetic chatter — brainstorm ideas for this year’s Park(ing) Day. Park(ing) Day is the vision of Rebar, a San Francisco based art and design studio, which transformed a parking spot in San Francisco into a park for two hours back in 2005. The event was created to bring awareness to the lack of open spaces in urban settings, by transforming metered parking spots into parks. Today, Park(ing) Day spans six continents and more than 30 countries. patch of grass, a tree and a bench, but since then the installments have gotten more elaborate.

“The idea is really strong,” explained Justin Pagilinan, a visual communications major. “It’s a great way to reinvent a space into something more useful.”

This year will mark the University’s The imagination is the only barrier to the installments, which have included benches, pools, yoga classes, barbecues, ball pits and even swings. Students at SF State will use materials such as astro turf,

bfocht@mail.sfsu.edu

tires, empty bottles and plants to decorate their parks.

Four spaces were chosen as locations for the installments: 19th and Holloway Avenues, Malcolm X Plaza, Tapia Avenue and Centennial Way.

“ The idea is really strong. It’s a great way to reinvent a space into something more useful.

Justin Pagilinan

To create a park, participants need only deposit enough money in the parking meter to claim their space before they

begin to decorate.

“We want to raise a question: Are there better ways of utilizing public space?” said Ricardo Gomes.

Sustainability.

“Park(ing) Day is a temporary art installment meant to make people rethink how we use space,” said Steele. ability program coordinator, explained “the way we use our space in the city has a lot to say about sustainability, the fact that we use most of our space for cars says a lot.”

But it’s not just faculty and students who are getting involved in Park(ing) Day. “It’s fun to come to school and see fresh blood and new ways of looking at things,” said Ed Kim, of WRNS Studio, a studio that specializes in sustainable architecture and design.

WRNS has been working with the University on Park(ing) day since 2009 and has been a fountain of knowledge for students working on their installments for the event. is Sept. 20, but the University will be hosting their own Sept. 18.

NEWS 3

GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG | 09.11.13

Students hone their leadership skills

SF State Crime Blotter The University Police Department responded to incidents relating to alcohol.

jdt@mail.sfsu.edu

9/3 Lost and Found

culle010@mail.sfsu.edu

9/5 Suspicious Person 9/4 Stolen Vehicle -

9/5 Another Vehicle Theft -

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AST SATURDAY, STUDENT LEADERS

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9/6: Attempted Suicide

4 NEWS

09.11.13| GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

Gators shop ‘round the clock

W

ith items like condoms and aspirin in addition to a variety of foods and drinks, the new Shop 24 vending machine is bringing the luxury of a convenience store to students on campus.

The new machine, which is located on campus between the Administration Building and the J. Paul Leonard Library, is open 24 hours a day and offers almost 200 different items that can be purchased with cash, credit cards or student ID cards through the University’s currency, Gator Dollars.

"What stood out to me the most is that it has such a wide variety of drinks.

Usually with these vending machines you can only get sodas," said Luis Salas, a freshman biology major.

The machine dispenses anything from full-sized bags of potato chips to various soft drinks and juices. But items like a $2.30 Durex Pleasure Pack of condoms and bottles of mouthwash make it less of a snack dispenser and more of a mini 7-Eleven.

Chris Farmer, director of business services, said the response from a survey of food options that was conducted last semester on campus led the University to install the machine.

“The responses we got showed students were interested in shorter lines, a variety of food and specialty items, and the ability to buy items late at night,” Farmer said.

sanchezc@mail.sfsu.edu

The SFSU Gator Group, a new division of the University Corporation that handles alternative food options for the University, like the food trucks that visit the campus weekly, helped bring Shop 24 to campus.

"The point of Gator Group is really to bring amenities to the campus to enrich the campus experience," said Constance Cavallas, a representative of the Gator Group. "Shop 24 was brought to cam-

chine on its campus cost nearly $55,000 and was constructed in December 2010.

Farmer said the machine was strategically placed on campus near the library for students who often study late at night long after most food locations on campus have closed.

However, it seems most students aren't quite sure what the Shop 24 machine is until they walk up to the metal hut and peruse through the catalogue of items.

Hundreds turned out for the grand opening of the machine that the SFSU Gator Group held last Friday where people were allowed one free item from the machine between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

"A big part of the event was to get people to try the machine for the hours."

In the United States, Shop 24 machines are in malls and airports, but the only three Shop 24 machines in California can be found at Cal State Fullerton, Cal Poly Pomona and now the SF State campus.

According to Cal State Fullerton's website that details a list of the university's completed projects, the Shop 24 ma-

seemed impressed with its capabilities."

According to Farmer, sales from the machine have been positive since it was installed on campus in July. During the summer, the machine had sales of $200 to $300 per day. Now that school has begun and more students are on campus, sales from the machine have increased and have seen as much as $1000 worth of sales in a single day.

Students flock to new eats slenon44@mail.sfsu.edu

For Muhammad Awadalla's father, Nizario, opening a pizzeria at his alma mater SF State has been a dream. AlPizza has opened, that dream is now a reality.

Nizario's Pizza, Awadalla's father's namesake, and new snack shop, Quickly, are two new campus eateries that have opened this semester.

"The pizzeria was started by my father in 1983 on 16th and Guerrero," Mohammad Awadalla said. "Since then we've opened up lots of locaone now."

Some students, such as Yaman Ahmed, 22, biology major, have already made Nizario's, located on the Lower Level of the Cesar Chavez Student Center, a favorite option to eat on campus. pus for it and decided to try it out," Ahmed said. "It's a really good spot and the pizza has been great."

Abdul Awadalla, one of Mohammad's three brothers who all work at the campus chain together, said they began working in the family business

at a young age.

"I've been working since I was about 16," Abdul Awadalla, now 30, said. "It's fun hanging out and working with your brothers. My father's brothers, each one takes care of a different store."

Abdul Awadalla estimates more than 50 whole pizzas per day are produced by the campus location.

Quickly, the other new vendor to open on campus, located on the west side of Cesar Chavez Student Center has also been a long time coming for manager Victor Wu. "SFSU is the biggest university in the area," Wu said. "We've opened up Quickly in many different countries all over the world, and with the University Wu said that Quickly has received a warm welcome on campus in recent days.

"We get a lot of support from student organizations," Wu said. "They ciation brings its' members here."

1996, Wu said that now there are more than 3,000 locations all around the world. Boba, milk tea that comes with

balls of tapioca, is a favorite among students, said Wu. "I just got a milk tea right now because I'm broke," Dominic Tobola, 19, biology major, said about his drink in hand. "But my favorite drink is an avocado snow with boba. My friends in high school, I guess, kind of got me into that stuff. Also, one just opened up a couple of weeks ago by my house, so I go there too."

Many students, such as Rochelle Anicete, 19, biology major, are already familiar with Quickly and are happy to see one on campus.

"There's one by my house, so I've been going to Quickly close to about biology major, said. "My favorite is the mango icy with boba. I really like boba, so I just keep coming back."

Wu said he believes the diverse menu offered at Quickly will help bring in more students.

"The drinks are mostly the same, but for every country, every location has a different need," Wu said. "Every store picks its favorite item to sell, but pretty much every snack represents a famous specialty from a different country."

NEWS 5

GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG | 09.11.13

Professor launches political quest

News Briefs STUDENTS DEMAND TO DIVEST FROM FOSSIL FUEL COMPANIES The SF State Foundation struggles to meet student demand to divest from companies that invest in fossil fuels because it might scare away potential investors, said Vice President of External Affairs Sonya Soltani.

Last semester the SF State Foundation, the University organization that receives donations and endowments, voted unanimously to limit direct investments in fossil fuel companies with sands” after a coalition of students, known as Fossil Free SFSU, lobbied for the resolution.

They also voted to amend the foundation’s poliHowever, no standard has been set to deterSoltani said the foundation’s ad hoc committee is working on determining a medium on what is acceptable use of fossil fuels, and the Board of Supervisors will have another update in October.

A SEARCH FOR TWO DEANS SF State Academic Affairs is conducting a

Tuman began his career at SF State in 1987, teaching political and legal communication and now serves as the communication studies department chair. He has published numerous books and occasionally provides political analysis for CBS5 news and KCBS radio. chair," he said. "So I have management experience coming in, Oakland. I will surround myself with a smart council and know when to listen to them."

An Oakland resident for almost 30 years, Tuman said his approach to increase public safety would be different from that Recognizing many of the deep-seated problems, Tuman said he would educate children on crime to stop problems from ever beginning.

"Schools are a great place for inoculating ideas," said Tuman. "We teach kids about safe sex, avoiding drugs and alcohol, but not about avoiding violence."

Some SF State students like 23-year-old criminal justice major Junior Tabi said he thinks the professor should take a different approach in his bid for mayor.

“The community of Oakland trusts no one,” Tabi said. “It’s going to be very

“ I am not naive about the fact that thing in Oakland.

know when to listen to them.

Joe Tuman

trust of the people. For him to change that should be his in schools and such will be ineffective.”

Tuman said he would also bring his love of health access to healthy foods for all residents.

Other SF State students like 20-year-old nursing major Katy Yukawa said

focus on more pressing issues rather than on resident access to big box grocery stores. focus on educating Oakland's poor on nutrition and exercise before installing new grocery stores.

"If there is no education on how to eat healthily and on which foods are the most nutritious, the installation of these new grocery stores isn't going to be effective," Yukawa said.

"People will go to them, yes, but they will buy the same junk that they were buying at the corner liquor stores."

If elected mayor, Tuman said he would hope to take a leave of absence from the University and return when his term was complete.

dean of the College of Liberal and Creative Arts, as well as a position for the dean of the Graduate College of Education.

Applicant screening will begin Nov. 6, and

WORLD AFFAIRS FORUM Today, SF State will host the 12th Annual Jules Tygiel Memorial Forum on Post 9/11 World Affairs, a continuing forum that brings together SF State professors to discuss issues like U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.

With the looming possibility of another U.S. military intervention in the Middle East, many of the discussions scheduled for today will center around the humanitarian crisis in Syria, a result of the now almost three-year-old civil war.

The forum will highlight SF State professors from international relations, history, political science and Jewish studies and address complex issues on U.S. policy concerning regional conas a result of the “Arab Spring.”

The event, which is sponsored by SF State’s Middle East and Islamic studies department will take place today, Sept. 11, in SCI 270 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and is free to students who wish to attend.

ROOM FOR HOPE SF State will host the Palestinian cultural and educational festival Room For Hope, produced by Bright Stars of Bethlehem.

SF State will host the festival Sept. 26 through Sept. 28 and will focus on educational seminars during the day and cultural presentaat night; including a business seminar from Plug and Play on entrepreneurial enterprises in Palestine.

The festival will feature dance performances from the Diyar Dance Theatre, as well as performances from renowned musicians such as Georges Lammam, Miles Jay, Tareq Rantisi and Ali Amr. Films such as “The Stones Cry

Applicants thus far range from all types of

ments. Applications are still being accepted and will continue to be taken and evaluated until the Position descriptions and application procedures can be found on the University’s academic affairs website, and any questions can be directed to Stephanie Schwartz, staff liaison to the committee, at sschwrtz@sfsu.edu.

Mahasen Nasser-Eldin will be shown.

Tickets to the event can be purchased at http://www.roomforhope.me/tickets.html via Eventbrite, for $22.50 for a single event, or $125.00 for full access to all the event’s performances and conferences. For more information contact Stephen Marks at 312-884-1294 or visit smarks@emmersionintl.com.

6 A RT S A N D E N T E RTA I N M E N T

09.11.13| GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

Piano prodigy strikes a chord

T

faustino@mail.sfsu.edu

HE CROWD FELL silent and gazed toward center stage as the pianist, Alex Chien, sat at the black grand piano.

the black and white keys and his head followed the melody of Franz Liszt’s “Rhapsodie Espagnole.”

At the end of his performance, he rose and thanked the clapping audience, including his dad who stood in the back decorated with a pattern of multicolored notes, took a bow with a grin on his face.

“It’s an interesting feeling when you said Chien. “You just kind of hear your name being called, and then afterwards you start thinking, ‘Well, they really liked me.’”

Chien, 15, was one of two pianists who performed Friday, Sept. 6 in the Creative Art’s Knuth Hall for the “Winners of the 31st Annual San Francisco Young Pianists Competition” showcase.

The concert allowed the winners from the June 16 competition to share their talents with the SF State community.

The summer competition, which took place in Knuth Hall, was presented

by SF State School of Music and Dance and Victoria Neve, adviser and professor of piano performance.

Neve founded the competition 31 years ago and has hosted it at SF State ever since.

“The word is out that this competition is at a very high level, so it is rare to receive an application from someone

who hasn’t been studying piano very seriously for many years,” Neve said.

“I’ve been at the competition every one of those years and feel the contestants just get better and better every year.”

The annual contest is open to anyone ages 15 to 25. According to Neve, there is an annual average of 20 contestants in the preliminary round and around six to eight who testants must present three pieces from various style periods from the standard solo repertoire and all their pieces must be memorized.

“I practice three to four hours on a school day, but honestly even then the pieces I’m playing with the length and the degree is not necessarily enough time,” said Chien, student at Bellarmine College Preparatory School in San Jose. “With these two pieces I played today I’ve been practicing for four hours a day and I can barely get through one of them.”

In June, Chien performed Liszt’s “Rhapsodie Espagnole” and won The Keyboard Educators Prize of $750, given by the Keyboard Educators, Inc. Catherine Xu, 17, won The Piano Technicians Guild Prize for $600, given by the SF Chapter of the Piano Technicians Guild and Jeremiah Trujillo, 21, won The Special Prize of $300 for the Interpretation of a Romantic Work, given by

Professor Anita Silvers in memory of her mother, Sarah Silvers. family to gain a college education, eventually becoming a high school French teacher. But her ultimate dream was to become a concert pianist.

“When she died, back in the 1980s, I wanted to do something for individuals like her who might also be dreaming of being concert pianists,” Silvers said.

“So I made this prize, which is very small, to honor them in a way my mom would have appreciated.”

Neve hopes that the pianists take this competition and showcase as a learning

experience and continue to practice and present their musical craft with others.

“The classical piano world is very competitive, and even the most talented and hardworking need a little luck along the way, so I would advise them to also take advantage of good luck when it presents itself,” Neve said. “I would tell young pianists to keep working at that level and to take every opportunity they can to perform, share their music, and give this gift of music to the world.”

For more events hosted by the College of Liberal and Creative Arts check out their list of events at http://creativestate.sfsu.edu/.

Arts collide at The Depot faustino@mail.sfsu.edu

The Depot is known for hosting a variety of entertaining events in the Cesar Chavez Student Center. Here are a few to check out this week.

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8 OPINION

09.11.13| GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG STAFF EDITORIAL

Students need relief from high transit cost EDITOR-IN-CHIEF arrodrig@mail.sfsu.edu

PRINT MANAGING EDITOR jonaramo@mail.sfsu.edu ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR loda@mail.sfsu.edu ART DIRECTOR hnall@mail.sfsu.edu PRINT COPY CHIEF haydee@mail.sfsu.edu ONLINE COPY CHIEF jordanh@mail.sfsu.edu PRINT PHOTO EDITOR sbenedic@mail.sfsu.edu

ONLINE PHOTO EDITOR mhendric@mail.sfsu.edu NEWS EDITOR jdt@mail.sfsu.edu

NEWS EDITOR cpalmer@mail.sfsu.edu

A&E EDITOR faustino@mail.sfsu.edu OPINION EDITOR smolmud@mail.sfsu.edu SPORTS EDITOR srubin@mail.sfsu.edu MULTIMEDIA EDITOR danelson@mail.sfsu.edu

Eighty-nine percent of SF State students live off-campus, which makes transportation critical to our University’s success. But out of all 23 CSU campuses, SF State is the only one that does not offer a parking permit that covers off-campus students for every day of the week for an entire semester.

SFBay recently reported that a number of California colleges aid students in transportation dues. With the cost of living higher than ever in San Francisco, relief on the transportation front would certainly help ease the strain on SF State students.

The University offers very little in the way of cost relief to students that take public transportation. population out of the entire CSU system.

It is widely recognized as a commuter school. The large off-campus population of SF State is a testament to that.

A limited allotment of parking permits for off-campus students are sold at the start of the semester for Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday blocks. The cost is $192, and allows students to park in Lot 20, while a daily parking pass is $6 versus the two-hour pass at $3.

If $400 per semester to park on campus four days a week is too much, the off 19th Avenue or Lake Merced Boulervard. Two- and four-hour parking spaces can be found around the Parkmerced neighborhood. Use of these spaces forces drivers to move their car throughout the day, or be left without any parking when

scheduled street cleaning takes place between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. nearly every week on some streets.

Transportation woes don’t end with those who drive to school. Muni passes run $66 a month, adding up to around $264 in a single semester, not including BART fare if needed.

Both options provide a no-cost method for students to take advantage of, but other CSUs go even further.

San Jose State University has a deal with Santa Clara’s Valley Transportation Authority to issue public transit passes — known as ECO passes — for students on a per-semester basis. With an ECO pass, students can enjoy unlimited free rides on the Santa Clara VTA busses or light rails for free.

California State University Long Beach offers free rides on any Long Beach Transit line going directly to the Long Beach campus for students. Cal State Fullerton has a similar program through the Orange County Transportation Authority. help provide students with cheaper transit options. With the merging of two student body governments now underway, isolating ways students can have less of a

To help students, the University has a shuttle that picks up students and takes them to and from the Daly City BART station at no cost. There is also a free roundtrip Muni transfer available to board the 28 bus to SF State from the same BART station if the student is transferring from BART with a Clipper card.

As transportation to SF State is a concern for most students who attend, discounts and make campus parking for drivers more affordable and friendly would not only show concern for students who choose to attend SF State,

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The Golden Gate Xpress accepts letters no longer than 200 words.

Letters are subject to editing.

Send letters to Sam Molmud at: smolmud@mail.sfsu.edu

The Golden Gate Xpress is a student-produced publication of the journalism department at San Francisco State University.

For more information or comments, please contact Adrian Rodriguez at: arrodrig@mail.sfsu.edu

Choose beliefs free of your upbringing

D

EFINING YOUR own beliefs and developing a philosophy on life outside those taught by your parents is one of greatest things one can accomplish in growing older. Many of us are tethered to the religions, expectations and dreams of our parents, and some never venture further than a moderate view of what their parents think.

The point is not to say that your parents or role models automatically have it wrong. Part of being a well-rounded and critically functioning being is to question your own beliefs. Be comfortable with the possibility you may be wrong and do not know something.

I have a fear of raising my children in any particular religion. This fear comes from my personal experience, one that may be biased, as being raised by my mother as a Jehovah’s Witness.

Though I never paid much attention to the Christian-rooted doctrine of the Witnesses while growing up, I pledged my life to the organization through baptism at age 16. Half of my family were all Witnesses, and most of my friends were Witnesses as well, so the social comfort was there. It was hard to mentally

smolmud@mail.sfsu.edu

overcome the possibility that my closest a partner — are not lifelong. If they’re friends and family were all wrong in their ended over absurd reasons, the more beliefs. At the time, the beliefs seemed to absurd, the easier I’ve found it to move make sense. on. I found the Witness’ cookie-cutter I didn’t stay a Witnature of shunning ness for long. Within a to be one of the most year, I left on my own unloving and intolaccord, and wrote a erant practices, and letter of formal “disasbeyond hypocritical sociation” from the orto the ideals of any ganization, asking that I religion claiming to no longer be considered be God-inspired. a Witness. I left because I didn’t consider myself think of children that Part of being a philosophically a Witare taught to accept ness anymore, nor did what their parents well-rounded and I want anything to do teach them and grow critically functioning with any religion. up afraid to think being is to question The Witnesses have otherwise out of fear your own beliefs. Be a practice of “shunning” of abandonment or comfortable with the anyone who is kicked harsh judgement. possibility you may out of, or formally Question your be wrong and do not leaves the religion. parents, pastors, proknow something.

They do this to keep fessors, role models, “bad association” away idols, mentors — from God’s people, to anyone that tells you show the ex-Witness how to live or think. what happens when In the very end, they abandon the “truth,” and to hopefulif their association with you depends on ly compel the ex-Witness to come back. accepting everything they believe without questioning it, perhaps you should take much on these divisions. Some relaanother look at how much value you tionships — whether family, friends, or place on that person’s word.

OPINION 9

GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG | 09.11.13

Social media keeps job hunters LinkedIn

W

HILE FACEBOOK and Instagram are popular on college campuses, many college students aren’t comfortable with the social media tool that

them standout to potential employers.”

The article “Should college students use LinkedIn?” by Keppie Careers recommends students

to land you a job: LinkedIn. According to a study done by Millennial Branding and AfterCollege, 46 percent of students have never used LinkedIn, and those who are using LinkedIn don’t use it as a primary job search tool.

Just because you have a LinkedIn, doesn’t make you an ideal job candidate.

Why? There are some standard mistakes the only one who has noticed. to do on LinkedIn. But there are two that I bet you’re guilty of: using an unprofessional photo (or none at all) and abandoning your What’s so bad about these two things?

Number one, nobody’s going to look at your or a computer bot without a photo. Two, it still appears when people Google you, and doesn’t help your online presence. say you’re just a college student with nothing that exciting to put on it yet. But you’re wrong. Make one now.

“With LinkedIn students have the opportunity to establish their professional identity, as well as the network that will help them transition from campus to career,” said Crystal Braswell, corporate communications manager at LinkedIn. “An updated and

press yourself!

see how their experience appears to others, and facilitates networking in a social media format that works great for college students. It’s much more student-friendly to click “Connect” with someone on LinkedIn that was your boss or that you met at a campus event to stay in touch, rather than trying to send a slightly creepy “Remember Me?” email.

Ready to

Launch A WEEKLY CAREER COLUMN BY NENA FARRELL haydee@mail.sfsu.edu

Secondly, Keppie Careers explains LinkedIn has an app that takes a picture of business cards you receive and connects them to that person’s LinkedIn business cards immediately.

Let’s not forget how widely LinkedIn is used for recruiting today. Keppie Careers mentions a Jobvite survey that found “LinkedIn continues to

Contact GGX Ad Office 415.338.3133 echarles@sfsu.edu

be a dominant recruiting network,” by 93 percent of responders — up from 87 percent in 2011 and 78 percent in 2010.

If you’re worried about not having enough professional experience, fret not. LinkedIn even has an area for coursework, so you can list those fancy classes you’ve been spending several grand on. That way, recruiters can see you have useful skills in experience.

So let’s boil it down: Why do you care about creating a LinkedIn? Because you want a job. The way to convey this ambition through your proper photo, well-written experiences and information about yourself. Strengthen your presence with a built network of people you Connect to your teachers and classcan endorse you for your skills. Above all, keep it up to date with your information and new connections. It’s all about what you can do, and who you know that will get you there. and because of that, you want it to be the best representation of who you are, where you are and where you aspire to go,” said Braswell.

10 S P O RT S

09.11.13| GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

Runner sets pace for season Besides his impressive times, Assefa won the All-CCAA Performance Award at the CCAA Championship last October in La Jolla, Calif. and the All-Region Performance Award at the NCAA Division II West Regional Championship in Kahuku, Hawaii.

Fellow cross-country runner Ryan Woods teammate Ryan Chio visited Assefa in Ethiopia. Although Woods and Chio didn’t get to train with Gebreslassie, they got to sit down and talk with the running legend.

“He is (Ethiopia’s) Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Derek Jeter. He’s a big, big name,” said Woods.

The trails Assefa would take with Gebreslassie and his running crew miles) and through the forest,” said Assefa. But that wasn’t the only challenge he faced. The trip home also meant a family reunion — Assefa got to visit his father while visiting — but Mr. Assefa enforced a strict schedule for his son.

“He made me run for a month and a half,” said Assefa. His daily routine while home, he said, was to run, eat, sleep and run.

Woods, a senior accounting major, invited Assefa and Chio to his family’s home in Hawaii last summer. This year, Assefa returned the favor.

“We tried to plan most of our days around running, and (tried) to get really high mileage while we were in altitude,” said Woods. in terrain with higher altitudes, like Ethiopia, compared to places with lower altitudes. So, the returning Gators running trails around sea level San Francisco will breathe a little easier after their high-altitude training.

“It was fun running everyday, but at the same time exhausting because of the high altitude,” said Chio.

But for Assefa, the trails in San Francisco have more to offer than a lower altitude.

“I saw a different side of Ethiopia. When I was there (growing up) I played soccer and (would) run a and you see the views, the people and the rural area.”

Gators serve victory at Otter Classic

L

ED BY NEW HEAD coach, Jill Muhe, SF State volleyball started its season on a high note this past weekend as champions of the Cal State Monterey Bay Otter Classic.

The Gators defeated the Academy of Art Knights in three hard-fought sets (31-29, 25-19, 25-16) for the title, avenging their only loss of the tournament. The championship appearance gave SF State a 3-1 record overall and the team boasted three all-tournament players: junior Jacquie Brice and sophomores Jaclyn Clark and Meagan Wright. Wright was also named MVP of the Classic, after racking up 55 kills and 37 digs over the course of the tournament.

“It was great to get on the court and get the season started with a win,” said Muhe. “Both offensively and defensively we were able to execute many of the things we worked on in practice, and that is very exciting.”

treyaw@mail.sfsu.edu

SF State women’s volleyball wins tournament at Cal State Monterey 3-1 under new head coach Jill Muhe Friday, Sept. 6, against Cal Baptist, a team that narrowly trumped them last season in a close 3-2 decision at the Cal State East Bay Route 92 Showdown.

This time around, Cal Baptist was no match for the Gators: the Lancers played catch-up for most of the game. Ultimately, the Gators put them away in three sets, with Melissa Horton’s double-double (11 kills, 15 digs) and Jacquie Brice’s 31 assists leading the offensive attack. of the season up to excellent passing.

“Everything starts with the pass,” said Judd, a senior outside hitter. “So when we can get our passes on target, we can run multiple hitters, making us less predictable. When we have the options, that’s when we’re best offensively.”

The Gators played their second match against Academy of Art later that evening.

The Knights proved to be a tough opponent, putting the pressure on right away.

led by freshman Emily Papale’s seven kills.

The Gators then went on to take the next two sets (25-14, 25-22) before eventually falling

Despite their loss, SF State had four players reach double digits in kills: Jaclyn Clark (16), Melissa Horton (15), Meagan Wright (14), and Kelly Ostello (13).

Day two of the tournament fared much better for the Gators. They won an early morning nail-biter against Dominican University that came down to a “We just told each other ‘calm down, this is our game, we know how to play Gator volleyball. One pass at a time, no crazy stuff. Just nice and simple like we practice,’” said sophomore Kaileen Mejia. Mejia had seven kills to go along with Wright’s 22 and SF State’s win against Dominican University secured the team a spot in the Otter Classic championship game against the Academy of Art team that had defeated them the previous day. It was a shot at redemption, and the Gators rose to the occasion.

The match started out with each team battling pulled away, 31-29, after a service ace from Clark and a kill from Wright. From that point on, the Gators commanded the court, blocking many of the Knights’ attacks and throwing down some well-placed hits of their own. Wright led the team with 11 kills, while Clark and Mejia added ten apiece. Brice continued to lead the team in assists with 31.

The Gators hit the road this weekend for the Sonoma State Seawolf Spike tournament where they will face Dominican University again, as well as

Check out game coverage of another Gator victory at

GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

and Montana State-Billings, Sept. 13 and 14.

S P O RT S 11

GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG | 09.11.13

Freshman athlete spotlight

P

treyaw@mail.sfsu.edu

Pat Thedinga Men’s Cross-Country

at Thedinga is part of what cross-country coach Tom Lyons describes as“the best (recruiting) class, in terms of performance,” he’s ever had while at SF State.

Last fall, Thedinga com-

peted for the Oak Park High cross-country team, placing fourth at the Southern Section Division III Finals and 25th at the state championship meet. He was also the Tri-Valley League 1600 meter and 3200 meter champ his senior year. He will join a the NCAA Division II National Championship.

SCOREBOARD Men’s Soccer

v Montana State U. Billings Sept 5: won 2-0

Sept. 7:

1st out of 5 teams.

Sept. 7: lost 1-2

Women’s Soccer

MEN’S SOCCER

FRIDAY Sept. 13

SF State v Sonoma State 12:30 p.m.

Cox Stadium

WOMEN’S SOCCER SF State v Sonoma State 3 p.m.

Cox Stadium

FRI/SAT SEPT. 13-14 WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL Seawolf Spike Tournament Rohnert Park, Calif.

SUNDAY Sept. 15 MEN’S SOCCER

SF State v Humboldt State 11:30 a.m.

Cox Stadium

WOMEN’S SOCCER SF State v Humboldt State 2 p.m Cox Stadium

For same-day coverage, go to

GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

v Northwest Nazarene U. Sept. 5: won 1-0

Otter Classic Tournament Sept. 6-7

3-1

1st with

12

09.11.13| GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

CATHOLIC CAMPUS MINISTRY NEWMAN CLUB Father Labib Kobti, Pastor 1300 Junipero Serra Blvd.

San Francisco, CA 94132

www.stmchurch.com/newman email: newman@stmchurch.com Weekly Meeting, Cesar Chavez Student Center:

For Current Activities: St. Thomas More:

Mondays: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Close to campus! Please call

And the winners are...

Kevin & Mauricio!

Philosophy major Kevin and Finance major Mauricio got caught reading our September 4th issue and each won a free lunch, courtesy of Cafe 101 and Natural Sensations!