Fall 2016 issue 5

GOLDEN GATE XPRESS Serving the San Francisco State community since 1927

Volume CIII, Issue 5

Wednesday – September 21, 2016

FREE SINGLE COPIES

goldengatexpress.org

Teach-in shows solidarity with Standing Rock

American Indian studies lecturer Eddie Madril (left) performs a hoop dance while American Indian studies professor John-Carlos Perea sings and drums (right) during a teach-in of the North Dakota Access pipeline in front of the Ethnic Studies and Psychology buildings on Thursday, Sept.

15, 2016.

Photo by Steven Ho

by Ahalya Srikant asrikant@mail.sfsu.edu Students, faculty, and community members gathered for a solidarity teach-in in support of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe on Thursday.

The tribe has been protesting against the

construction of the North Dakota pipeline for several months because it jeopardizes access to clean drinking water and encroaches on their sacred lands.

“We are Standing Rock. Everyone here is Standing Rock because this is happening here in California,” said April McGill, a 2009 American Indian studies graduate and member

of the Pomo and Wappo tribes. Along with a number of other speakers, McGill spoke about the scarcity of the salmon population in the native culture and the damage that dwindling water resources will have on them both in California and North Dakota.

McGill travelled to North Dakota in support of their protest of the pipeline construction in

Visual design students take over green spaces

by Amanda Davis atdavis@mail.sfsu.edu With coffee brewing, music playing and a hotdog-suited Yorkie to captivate passers-by, even the gloomy morning didn’t stop SF State visual design students from attracting crowds on their annual PARK(ing) Day event Thursday.

PARK(ing) Day is a worldwide annual event where artists, designers, architects and many other volunteers transform metered parking spaces into temporary art installations and green space. With the help of Sustainable SF State, the University has been a part of this tradition since 2006, according to Design Process professor

Anonymous writer speaks out

by Breanna Reeves – pg. 2

Ricardo Gomes.

Gomes assigned the PARK(ing) Day project to students on the first day of instruction.

“It seemed quite natural for us to look at the PARK(ing) Day event as a way in which we could ask how do we deal with a problem,” Gomes said. “In this case, the problem of the environment or the problem of creating more green space in a dense urban environment.”

All recycled materials were used for each group because it was an important part of the PARK(ing) Day message. A primary goal of the event was to raise environmental awareness through multiple themes that were created by Sustainable SF State.

Park cont. pg. 6

support of her son’s identity as a member of the Standing Rock Sioux.

L. Frank of the Tongva tribe and an activist who called in to the teaching from the camp at the pipeline directly said there has been a lot of miscommunication with the media’s coverage of the protests.

No DAPL cont. pg. 2

SF State students participate in the annual PARK(ing) day event in front of the Humanaties building on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016. | Photo by Perng-chih Huang

Design gallery opens Male entitlement Cheer team gears up in Fine Arts Building gives me trust issues for nationals

by Mariana Raschke – pg. 6

by Karina Bueno – pg. 8

by Jesse Saeteurn – pg. 9

NEWS

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goldengatexpress.org Wednesday | September 21, 2016

Teach-in fuels pipeline discussion

Pipeline cont. pg. 1

“We don’t want violence of perceived violence to be what’s on the media,” Frank said.

Joanne Barker, a member of the Lenape Nation and an American Indian studies professor,

White Crane

“

“

When we don’t take care of the earth, we don’t have any existence.

helped to organize the event. She began the teach-in with an introduction about the harm of polluted water resources and climate change.

“I knew the media was distorting the events but to hear about the kids, the prayers, and all the activities was really moving” Barker said.

Barker said having people who have

experienced the protest was something she was able to learn from the teaching.

Although the Obama Administration has temporarily put a halt on construction of the pipeline until it can complete more environmental assessments, the protests continue until there is a guarantee that there will not be any more building of the pipeline.

Amanda White Crane, an American Indian Studies alumni spoke about the solidarity felt between herself as a Northern Cheyenne and the Standing Rock Sioux. She felt there was a disconnect between where she grew up in Montana and the original land her people once lived in. But she found that there is a sense of companionship between all the tribes when they come together in support of each other.

“In that land that we bulldoze through are my ancestors too,” White Crane said.

White Crane said that people are now realizing the truth that Native Americans have known all this time.

“When we don’t take care of the earth, we don’t have any existence.”

Joanne Barker, a member of the Lenape Nation and an American Indian studies professor begins the teach-in of the North Dakota Access Pipeline in front of the Ethnic Studies and Psychology buildings on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016. Barker began with an introduction about the harm of polluted water resources and climate change. | Photo by Steven Ho

Author explains intent of flyer critical to Title IX email The author of the anonymous letter mocking SF State’s campus-wide email about Title IX efforts stands with their letter in their home in San Francisco on Monday, Sept.

19, 2016. The SF student explained their reasoning behind writing the letter in an interview with the Golden Gate Xpress. | Photo by Brenna Cruz

In response to a campus-wide email sent out by Luoluo Hong, Title IX coordinator and vp of student affairs, a student wrote an open letter accusing SF State of victim blaming and perpetuating rape culture.

The author explained their intent in an interview with Xpress.

The student, who asked to remain anonymous, posted copies of the letter along hallways across campus with a heading that read: “AN ALTERNATIVE TO SAN FRANCISCO STATE’S VICTIM BLAMING EMAIL, HERE’S SOME ACTUAL RAPE PREVENTION TIPS.” “After I read (the email), I was sitting and fuming over it.

I was trying to figure out a way to respond and be heard,” the student said. “I think that if they’re going to try to promote some kind of prevention tip, it should be what I wrote.”

Hong praised the student letter during a panel at Rights and Wrongs: A Constitution Day Conference during her presentation on the history of Title IX and how campuses are addressing sexual violence.

“What we welcome is the dialogue. I’ll be honest, I appreciate the engagement that created an opportunity for many dialogues that we’ve had in the last week because that student had the courage to post that flyer,” Hong said during the conference.

Hong said they have since edited the email and acknowledged “we will never create the perfect email.”

The student explained that the email emphasized the consequences of excessive drinking, but did not stress the

“

After I read (the email), I was sitting and fuming over it. I was trying to figure out a way to respond and be heard,” the student said. “I think that if they’re going to try to promote some kind of prevention tip, it should be what I wrote.

Anonymous

repercussions of drugging or raping others.

“The tips they gave don’t prevent rape, it just puts the fear of getting raped (in people),” said the student.

The student decided to participate in a campus-wide survey that was sent out to students regarding sexual violence on campus after they were sexually assaulted. The student said they fell under two categories presented in the email: “8.2 percent had experienced sexual touching without their consent” and “2.1 percent had experienced sexual penetration without their consent,” according to the statistics provided in Hong’s email.

“I remember thinking to myself, ‘if I take the survey, I can help somebody,’ and then we get the results and it’s used to justify rape prevention tips (which are) used to justify victim blaming and perpetuate rape culture,” the student said.

They emphasized that SF State needs to shift the conversation from victim blaming to educating students on sexual assault and consent training.

“And less of this shit: ‘at a bar or party, avoid leaving your drink unattended or accepting drinks from individuals you do

“

by Breanna Reeves bjreeves@mail.sfsu.edu

not know… And remember that alcohol is the most commonly used ‘date rape’ drug!’” the student recited the tip fro the Title IX email. “You could totally reword that so that the victim is not the one having to do something.”

However, the student said the email did a good job of providing support resources for students such as SAFE Place.

SAFE Place is an on-campus resource center, located in student services for sexual violence prevention and crisis intervention for students.

Students and faculty have also commended the student for writing and posting the letter around campus.

“I think it’s terrific,” Deborah Cohler, a professor of Women and Gender’s Studies said. “I didn’t have the context of the original letter that the Title IX office sent out, but I appreciated the student response. I thought it was fantastic.”

Some letters have been taken down on campus, but the student was glad the letter reached people. The letter has been discussed in some of their friends’ classes. The student said they wish they could have reached as many people as the school email did.

NEWS

goldengatexpress.org Wednesday | September 21, 2016

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Fight to end housing and food insecurity spreads across campus

by Avery Peterson averylp@mail.sfsu.edu A new group’s campaign to end housing and food insecurity at SF State has gained momentum in recent weeks thanks to growing support across campus.

What began in August as a collaboration between Health Promotion and Wellness, Residential Life, Associated Students, Inc. and the Dean’s Office has officially become The Ad Hoc Advisory Work Group Responding to Food Insecurity and Homelessness at SF State. The group has rapidly grown since its inception, as new partners continue to emerge from establishments all over campus including: City Eats; Student Resource Center; Department of Urban Studies and Planning; and the Public Health Organization of Graduate Students.

“I swear every week there’s another person who wants to get involved or another connection being made,” said Lead Health Educator Aimee Williams, who cochairs the group with Director of Residential Life David Rourke. “Every week, even every few days it’s changing.

It snowballed super fast, so I think we’re still trying to figure out what direction we are going to go in.”

Vice President of Student Affairs Luoluo Hong helped the informal movement become an official group.

“My preference and request to the work group was to focus on those strategies especially that are institutional, systemic in nature, so that the burden for reducing the impact of food insecurity and homelessness does not just fall on the students who are being impacted,” Hong said via email.

ASI Director of Programs and Services Horace Montgomery, who has attended the three meetings held thus far, said addressing housing and food insecurity is a delicate matter.

“You want to be able to provide services, but you don’t want students to feel ashamed for seeking help,” Montgomery said following the group’s latest meeting on Sept. 9. “We have to find a way to relieve that stigma and provide discrete services that students actually want to access.”

The group is taking a multipronged approach to addressing food insecurity with ideas for food pantries, a program for donating excess meal points to needy students and an app for locating leftover food from meetings or events on campus. The group is determined to find solutions tailored to the needs of the SF State community, Williams said.

“If you look at a lot of the different (California State Universities) they all kind of do something, but they do it in a different way,” Williams said. “There’s all these different models so we’re trying to figure out what would really work best for our students.”

She said instead of traditional food pantries, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s program allows students to pick

out fresh fruits and vegetables, Fresno State’s is set up like a supermarket and San Jose State has shelves with perishable food items dispersed throughout campus.

A major catalyst for the group’s effort was the release of a CSU Chancellor’s report in February, which presented data from a CSU-wide survey on homelessness and food insecurity from the perspective of staff, faculty and administrators.

“Having the CSU Chancellor’s report really helped put (these issues) to the forefront of people’s minds,” Williams said. “It allowed us to say, ‘We have some data, this is an issue and now we really need to start addressing this.’”

CSU Long Beach professor Rashida Crutchfield, the principal investigator of the study, said that prior to the study’s publication many campuses did not highly prioritize these issues.

“This kind of study really is very rare,” according to Crutchfield, who said the study has helped spotlight areas where campuses are succeeding or falling short. “People are becoming more and more aware that issues of food and housing insecurity exist and as campuses are developing programs we need to know who is doing what.”

Later this fall Crutchfield will lead the study’s second phase, which will directly target students via a new CSUwide survey and focus groups on ten campuses.

“If as many students as possible can participate that helps us understand what’s going on, which helps us better support the campaign and determine best strategies,” Crutchfield said.

Understanding the state of these issues on campus is the first step in the process, according to Williams, who said the SF State group plans to gather their own data soon.

“We’re trying to get a sense of what’s going on,” Williams said. “There isn’t really a lot of robust data about our students on campus so we’re trying to figure out some of that information.”

In the upcoming months, the group plans to create a new survey and hold focus groups to solicit as much student input as possible, according to Williams, who said several professor have already begun offering their assistance.

“We‘re starting to bring this into the academic side, so potentially some classes can help create the research and use that as a practical learning application,” Williams said.

While a majority of the proposals are still in their infancy, students can expect two new services from the group very soon. This semester, SF State’s Farmer’s Market will begin accepting EBT and a new program will offer students guidance through the Calfresh enrollment process. Tentative dates have been set for each program’s launch and will be announced in the coming months.

“Some things are going to take a really long period of time so right now we’re just trying to identify really what are our potential short-term options, midterm options and long-term options,” Williams said. According to Williams,the group has primarily focused on food insecurity due to the complicated nature of housing.

Cam Bui, an SF State graduate student in social psychology writes things on a piece of paper at a meeting at the Tower’s Conference Center on Friday, Sept. 9, 2016. | Photo by Avery Peterson Williams asked that students be patient and recognize that finding solutions will take time.

“We can’t go from 0-60 immediately and what we end up with may not be perfect or the best on the first iteration, but we want to at least implement something so that we can start helping students and then refine it as we go along,” Williams said. “But I want students to know that I’m fighting and my co-chair is fighting and we’re working really hard to try and do this.”

The meetings, which are open to the public, are held every other Friday at 12 p.m. in the Tower’s Conference Center. The next meeting is scheduled for Sept. 23.

Speaker series raises awareness On Wednesday SF State’s College of Ethnic Studies will launch a two-month-long speaker series, sponsored by SF State’s Climate Justice Initiative. The college aims to raise awareness about the inequalities that arise with climate change through music, art and political theatre.

The series’ inaugural event will feature performances by Ashel “Seasunz” Eldridge; a green hip-hop artist, poet, and climate activist and David Solnit, an internationally known artist, activist and co-founder of Art and Revolution.

“Capitalism is a driving factor for who gets what as resources get scarce,” Eldridge said.

“We are all on one planet. We have to figure out how to preserve it. All our needs are tied together, we are interconnected.”

Phil Klasky, lecturer in the College of Ethnic Studies, says the injustice lies in who is producing the harm versus who is being affected by it, and the response to those on the latter end.

“Just look at the response to (Hurricane) Katrina,” Klasky said. “The black community was ignored. When black people were breaking into stores, it was called ‘looting.’ When white

“

We hear of war refugees, but there are climate refugees.

Iliana Jacobo

people broke into stores, it was called ‘disaster response.”

Klasky said there is a huge disconnect between people who are experiencing the damages of climate change, including people of color, indigenous people, and low-income communities and the people and corporations who are in charge of handling climate disasters.

“Climate change is man-made — no question about it,” Iliana Jacobo, teaching assistant to Klasky said. “We have privileged and predominantly white, well-off communities digging for oil and cutting down trees. It always affects someone else. We hear of war refugees, but there are climate refugees.”

Jacobo said these speaker series will be held often with activists who are local and from far away speaking at the University.

“Anybody can get a lot out of this (event),”

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by Julia Rose Custodio juliacus@mail.sfsu.edu

Eldridge said. “It has to be a part of every strategy of change.”

Eldridge grew up in Chicago and said he came to the West Coast with the intention of making a difference. He became more involved in environmentalism through spiritual work, which he says helped him get in touch with the earth. While living in Oakland, he says he witnessed how low-incomes and violence affect many lives. His work evolved into activism involving social justice, health and environmental issues. He released his first official green album in 2010, and began his first year as a lecturer on climate justice at SF State this semester.

“Hip hop is a way we communicate with the world and the world communicates with us. It creates movement internally and shifts the world externally,” Eldridge said. “We need

to take responsibility for what we see in this world.”

Klasky said that climate justice should be a part of every discipline at SF State. The University could expand courses and resources with all faculty around the nation, and reach out to more students.

He also said many people are hearing about climate justice for the first time and the political system has been influenced by profits in regards to environmentalism.

“Our priorities have been skewed,” Klasky said.

“Corporations and politicians are benefiting from fossil fuels instead of putting resources into employment, education, housing, and fair paying jobs.”

Klasky also stressed the window for change is closing rapidly, but the initiative is moving students toward activism.

“The most dangerous thing for students to think is that they have no power. They have it – but only if they recognize it,” Klasky said.

“The second most dangerous thing is when students don’t know there are alternatives.”

The department will be hosting several more speaker events throughout the semester.

They are open to the public and will be held on various Wednesdays over the next two months, from 7:10-8:30 p.m. in the HSS Building, room 130.

NEWS

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goldengatexpress.org Wednesday | September 21, 2016

Tax would levy 1 cent per ounce

SF State graduate Sharon Santos buys a can of Mountain Dew Kickstarter from The Lobby Shop in the Cesar Chavez Student Center on Monday, Sept. 19, 2016. San Francisco voters will decide whether or not to add a tax on sugary beverages this upcoming election, that would levy a 1 cent per ounce tax on sugar sweetened bevereages. | Photo by Garrick Wong

by Nik Wojcik nwojcik@mail.sfsu.edu San Francisco voters will decide whether or not to add a tax on sugary beverages this November. Proposition V, if it passes, would levy a 1 cent per ounce tax on sugar-sweetened beverages such as soda, sweetened ice tea and energy drinks. It would not change taxes paid on food or other beverages.

When both San Francisco and Berkeley proposed similar ballot measures in 2014, the 54 percent of San Francisco voters who supported the proposition were not enough to pass the tax.

However, the “Berkeley vs. Big Soda” initiative succeeded and, according to a study conducted by UC Berkeley, consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages fell 21 percent, while water consumption increased 63 percent.

Matt James is a 20-year-old international business major who works as a clerk at Healthy U, a snack shop inside the lobby of the Cesar Chavez Student Center. He sees a high demand for

sugary drinks and questions how much of an impact the tax will really have.

“I don’t think a small 1 cent per ounce tax will make a big difference. I think it will affect businesses more than it will affect consumers,” James said.

“People probably don’t realize that what they’re drinking is as sugary as it is,” James said while pointing out the high sugar content of products like juice and Odwalla.

The 2014 attempt was markedly different in that it proposed a 2 cent per ounce tax with revenue to be specifically used for children’s physical education and nutrition services, requiring a two-thirds vote to pass. This year’s proposal directs all tax revenue to the general fund instead, which allows the vote to be determined by a simple majority.

Much like it was two years ago, this year’s soda tax battle has been loud, confusing and very expensive for groups on both sides of the argument. With San Francisco, Albany and Oakland each proposing a soda tax on their ballots this fall, the American Beverage Association is responding with big money for anti-tax

advertisements that use misleading language.

“No San Francisco Grocery Tax” ad campaigns are running in all three cities. On an opposition website, with “major funding

by American Beverage Association California PAC,” they claim that “San Franciscans are demanding answers!” and suggest that “we have higher priorities for City government than the regulation of our food and beverage choices with new taxes.”

The American Beverage Association represents non-alcoholic beverage companies such as Pepsi-Cola and Coca-Cola.

Beverage companies have a large stake in the results of this vote, as they struggle to maintain sales in progressive and increasingly health conscious areas like San Francisco. However, energy drinks are still a thriving market among parents and college-age consumers, according to Market Realist’s summary of Mintel’s annual energy drink survey.

Beverage companies have shifted their focus to energy drinks in those key demographics. Last spring, Monster distributed free samples of their new coffee-flavored energy drinks at SF State, without approval. Caleb Chavis, 22-year-old kinesiology major, happily accepted the handouts.

“A lot of students are running on low energy…up all night trying to get work done,” Chavis said. “They should have the right to make the decision about what will work best for them.”

However, not all students are comfortable with a large presence of sugar-sweetened beverages on campus. Coke and Pepsi tried to target SF State last October when both companies bid on a “pouring rights” contract offered by university administration.

Many students voiced opposition by circulating a petition and disrupting a meeting on campus where both companies were scheduled to make presentations. President Leslie E. Wong later ended the process.

“After listening carefully to the concerns and information I received from our students, faculty and staff, I have decided not to move forward with the process of establishing a partnership with a beverage company,” said Wong in an official statement emailed to students and faculty.

If the contract had been awarded, the chosen company would have paid the school approximately $2 million up front and at least $125,000 annually. The contract would have included the athletic complex naming rights, an internship, an endowed chair position and a myriad of marketing opportunities to make a strong brand presence at the school.

Coming at an inconvenient time for beverage giants, UC San Francisco published findings on Sept. 12 that expose how the sugar industry paid two doctors to write medical journal articles in 1965 downplaying sugar’s role in cardiovascular disease.

The proposed legislation, sponsored by four members of the Board of Supervisors and supported by Mayor Ed Lee, is designed with an eye toward reduction in sugar consumption as a method of combating diabetes, heart disease and obesity.

Gretchen George, assistant professor in the SF State consumer and family studies department and a registered dietician, supports government involvement in curbing sugar intake. “We need to work from both the individual level and from the policy level,” George said.

“Nutrition education must be present to help individuals understand the nutrition guidelines and reasons why policies exist.

Policies need to be in place to shift the norm to health — so the choice is health without much acting as a barrier.”

Although Chavis doesn’t want to pay more for his beloved soda, he would consider voting for the tax if it “would help out schools and people in need.”

“Maybe I have an opinion coming from both sides,” Chavis said.

Housing covered during construction SF State plans to demolish two on-campus housing sites and replace them with a new mixed-use Creative Arts building, which will include dorms, classrooms, retail stores, and an 800-seat concert hall.

The new building is part of the University’s Master Plan, which incorporates the construction of the Wellness Center and other replacement buildings including Clinical Sciences and Behavioral and Social Sciences.

The plan states it will demolish the dorms located in Tapia Triangle which includes 54 units of student housing and six non-student apartment units in the fall of 2017 and replace them over a two-year stretch.

“SF State has offered to relocate those residents to other existing on-campus housing within the year,” Univeristy spokesperson Jonathan Morales said. “The University will pay all relocation costs.”

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If you take all of the students at any accredited school school in San Francisco, there is a shortfall of about 60,000 to 80,000 beds in student housing.

Tim Colen

According to the Master Plan, the University is preparing the campus to support a proposed increase of 20,000 to 25,000 full-time students by the year 2020. The plan will add 800,000 gross square feet of new academic space.

Morales said the plan, which was written in 2007 before the economic crisis, can be changed

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by Julia Rose Custodio juliacus@mail.sfsu.edu

at any time but as far as he knows, it’s on track.

Morales said the six non-student apartments at Tapia Triangle will not be replaced, but will be absorbed into regular campus housing.

“There is a huge shortfall of student housing in San Francisco,” said Tim Colen, director of San Francisco Housing Action Coalition. “If

you take all of the students at any accredited school school in San Francisco, there is a shortfall of about 60,000 to 80,000 beds in student housing.”

Colen said that it is very difficult logistically to move students, however, he expressed that the SFHAC is excited for SF State to expand student housing.

Alina Castillo, a photojournalism major who transferred to SF State from Sacramento City College, said the process of getting housing on campus was a stressful one. It wasn’t until the end of June or early July when she finally got a confirmation email that she had a space in University Park South.

Castillo says she has mixed feelings on whether the new building would be an improvement for the University.

“As a musician, a concert hall would be pretty cool,” Castillo said, “It would be worth it in the long run but parking would be crazy with the retail shops and it sucks that they’re making housing that much smaller (temporarily).”

goldengatexpress.org Wednesday | September 21, 2016

LIFESTYLE & CULTURE

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Author Michelle Kennedy poses with her book inside the Creative Arts Building on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2016. | Photo by Brenna Cruz

BECA lecturer recovers from grief through newly published book For Michelle Kennedy, a young reporter working for a Sacramento news station in 2000, covering death was part of the job. However, when she was sent out to cover a multi-car pileup on Interstate 5, she was shocked to discover that her father was one of the crash fatalities.

Out of this sudden loss came the broadcast and electronic communication arts lecturer’s recently published book, “Don’t Pee in the Wetsuit: A Worldwide Romp Through Grief and Happiness.”

The nonfiction paperback explores the author’s struggle to cope with grief while traveling on a six-month journey around the world. In late 2009, she left her job at KRON 4 and took a break from school at SF State to travel and deal with her father’s death. She started writing the book while her and her friend traveled throughout 11 different countries including Costa Rica, Ireland, Scotland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Croatia, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Thailand.

“My biggest inspiration to write this book was to feel better.

I had all these feelings— a lot of anger and sadness and the most comfortable way for me to express those feelings is through writing. As I went through the process I started to feel better and it helped me face my emotions,” she said.

Kennedy, who published the book herself just before the start of the semester, said she finally felt ready to publish it after eight years of crafting her writing skills through writing groups, coaches and week-long seminars.

“I still look at it and think, ‘Oh I can add this here’ or ‘There is a mistake there.’ Perfectionism can limit you on when to publish, but I finally felt ready around six months ago,” Kennedy said.

While her target audience is women from ages 20-60, she hopes it will help people of all ages and walks of life to deal with grief and mourning.

“Some people will look at this book and say, ‘I’d like to deal with grief on a six month trip, but I can’t do that.’ I think it is all

“

My biggest inspiration to write this book was to feel better. I had all these feelings — a lot of anger and sadness and the most comfortable way for me to express those feelings is through writing.

Michelle Kennedy

about facing that grief in whatever way you can,” Kennedy said.

“We may never get over the death of a loved one, but we can learn how to live with that pain in a healthy way,” said Diane Harris, a psychology professor at SF State.

According to Kennedy, when she started to write she felt more “joy and clarity.” However it did seem initially scary knowing that the details of her life were to be published in a book.

“It was scary, because it does make you vulnerable having all of your guts and insecurities right on the page,” Kennedy said.

“Having compassion for people who are dealing with grief is important. And I think that people just like to know that we’re not alone.”

Marty Gonzalez, a BECA professor, who interviewed Kennedy on KRON 4, praised Kennedy and her ability to write such a personal book.

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by Katherine Minkiewicz keminkie@mail.sfsu.edu

“Michelle is a gifted writer who has the ability to touch on universal issues such as coping with the death of a loved one. It is rare that someone is willing to share her emotions and thoughts following one of the most traumatic experiences of her life,” Gonzalez said.

Her book wasn’t only about dealing with the death of a loved one, it also followed her experience of traveling across various countries. As Gonzalez puts it, she “gives the reader a front row seat as she travelled throughout 11 countries.”

“The book is a balance. I didn’t want want to have a book with all grief and I didn’t want to just have a travel book, so it was good to marry the two,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy will be doing a reading and book signing at the Avid Reader bookstore in Sacramento on Oct. 1.

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LIFESTYLE & CULTURE

goldengatexpress.org Wednesday | September 21, 2016

Students transform empty spaces PARK(ing) from pg. 1

SF State students participate in the annual PARK(ing) day event in front of the Humanaties building on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016. | Photo by Perng-chih Huang

“

The students come up with an idea and try to visualize and realize that idea in a very intense way. So essentially they had to come up with the idea and the solution within a two-hour time span.

Ricardo Gomes

“

Each group was assigned one theme and given the task to come up with a compelling way to get the message across.

One of these groups was Farm-to-Fork.

Their station included cut-out pieces of fruit and vegetables for photo ops and a picnic area so people could sit and enjoy food from the Associated Students, Inc. Farmer’s Market. The main entertainment was Little Papa, a dancing yorkie dressed in a hotdog costume.

“Our goal is to promote locally grown food,” said group member Shanon Starno.

Another big hit of the day was the Zen Den in the quad. Originally scheduled until noon, the art installation stayed up a bit longer because of its popularity. This particular installation addressed physical and mental health.

“When people think of health, a lot of times they don’t include mental health and that’s what we wanted to focus on,” said Cody Peilatiro, group member of the Zen Den and visual communications design major.

The group provided a space for students and passers-by to relax, listen to music and do yoga.

Rows of string, where participants pinned up personal notes, were held up by two teepees that the group made.

Other morning groups included The Bike is Right, who promoted bike culture and limiting the dependence on cars through their own version of the game show The Price is Right. The group convinced passers-by to join in on the fun with the promise of coffee and a sticker of Bob Barker as the Gator mascot. The Reclaiming Green Space group provided an outdoor area for people to sit and pinned where each participant was from on a large map.

By 2 p.m., the second section of the Design Process class began setting up their installations.

These groups included Farm to Cup, Enviro Carnival and Enviro Twister. One installation had a student built teeter totter made from an old tire and a large wooden pallette.

Sustainable SF State was one of the many organizations that helped make PARK(ing) Day happen. Nick Kordesch, the sustainability specialist for SF State, said there’s a lot that is involved in preparing for the event.

“We spoke to the class and gave them background about PARK(ing) day,” said Kordesch. “We try and teach them why we care about greener transportation and give examples of previous PARK(ing) days for reference.”

The teaching is also a two-way street, as the students teach Kordesch and his colleagues a few things about art and design.

“It was amazing to see them brainstorm their ideas. It was like a design jam session,” Kordesch said.

The brainstorming session that he mentions is known as a charrette. Professor Gomes and the architectural firm WRNS, who also is involved with the development of the Mashouf Wellness Center, helped facilitate the students in the intensive process.

“The students come up with an idea and try to visualize and realize that idea in a very intense way,” Gomes said. “So essentially they had to come up with the idea and the solution within a two-hour time span.”

The brainstorming, planning and consuming preparation paid off for the students of DAI 300.

“Seeing the final outcome of everything we’ve worked on is what makes it fun,” said visual design student Melissa Herold, who was a part of the Reclaiming Green Space group.

“That’s the best part.”

New gallery displays art works by 10 alumni, 10 years in the making

by Mariana Raschke mraschke@mail.sfsu.edu The polished work of alumni from the department of design and industry debuted in the new Design Gallery’s inaugural exhibition on Thursday.

The vast, open space of the gallery gave observers ample room to admire the designs from 10 University graduates whose disciplines ranged from product design, interior, apparel and graphic design.

“I like seeing work from alumni. It shows that students have something to look forward to when we graduate. We are learning all these skills,” said visual communications major Megan Chen.

The diversity of designs in the exhibition gave each section of the room a different character. In one corner, outstretched arms with hands made to grasp a long chandelier intrigued viewers to learn more about their handy function. On the other side of the room, two guitars and a ukulele hung side by side producing a different note altogether. Next to each design was commentary about the alumni artists that created the piece, the creative process behind the work and the inspiration the alumni received from their schooling at SF State.

The gallery’s curator, professor Joshua Singer, said organizers contacted the alumni through faculty who recommended their work.

The show featured work by: Renee Anderson, Peter Antonelli, Rosemary Brensen, Lizette Bruckstein, Noah Guy, Mark Kelly, Joe Luttwak, Eli Myers, David Rager and Laura Urquiaga.

“We thought that having an alumni exhibition was the nicest way to open the gallery — showing work from SF State graduates,” Singer said.

Nearly 10 years in the making, efforts to open

Artwork sits on the walls of the Alumni Exhibition in the Design Gallery at SF State on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016. | Photo by Steven Ho a gallery with the capacity to show numerous design exhibits throughout the semester have been led by professor Jane Vedeer. Vedeer said faculty realized they needed an interface with the outside world more sizable than just the three-day apparel design show held every spring.

“We are delighted,” Vedeer said. “We want to share what we do with the community and we hope to end each year with shows from students.”

The Design Gallery already has plans for other exhibitions throughout the semester.

Its next exhibition, “Revolution Times,” will

feature radical newspapers from the ‘60s and ‘70s. The exhibit will include a large collection from the Black Panther Party and its opening coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Black Panther Party.

The alumni exhibition will remain running and open to the public until Oct. 11.

goldengatexpress.org Wednesday | September 21, 2016

LIFESTYLE & CULTURE

7

ETAILS ONLINE

GET D BUY TICKETS & SF State student Jordan Acacio practices dancing in the hall of the SF State Gymnasium on Monday Sept. 19, 2016. An unnamed breakdance group have turned a corner of the gym building into their own hub of music, dance and hiphop. | Photo by Aleah Fajardo

Hallway becomes hip hop hub

by Jacqueline Haudek jhaudek@mail.sfsu.edu The sounds of hip hop beats and squeaking sneakers fills a gymnasium hallway as a group of about 20 break dancers hone their skills. With no rules against practicing in the halls, the group has transformed the space into a hub of music, dance and hip hop.

“Folks have been practicing here as far back as the ‘80s,” Kevin Torion, the unofficial leader of the group said. “A well-known dance crew, the Renegade Rockers used this place as their practice spot.”

Shota Ebikawa uses breakdancing to help with the stress of being a college student and as a vehicle for expression. ”Most of us are trying to get better at it, so we have the same common goal,” Ebikawa said.

“The community here has just been growing, and I think we’ve created a special bond with the small space that we have here,” Torion said. Even though the space is small, the group is working with what they have.

“We could take it old school and practice on concrete but then we’d have to atone for the weather and for injuries,” Torion said. “The hallway is a convenient spot for us to practice and the floor here is not bad at all. A studio would be a dream though and it gives us another reason to be an official club.”

The group is in the process of becoming a club, which would give them the ability to represent SF State in competitions. Until then, their only concern is practicing.

Dance studios on campus are primarily used for dance classes and

dance majors, but occasionally are open to student organizations.

“We want to have some more respect toward us and show that we’re doing something positive here at SF State,” Torion said.

Torion believes there is a stigma attached to breakdancing as an improper form of dance.

“We’re trying to break that whole narrative and that whole perception of street dancers,” he said.

The breakdancing group has collaborated with the student club Hip Hop State of Mind, which focuses on all four elements of hip hop: breaking, MCing, DJing and graffiti.

Even without an official status, the group offers a place to meet new people and practice new moves.

Brian Lepp is one of the newest members, after stumbling across the group while looking for a practice spot for his own breakdancing moves.

“Since I came to San Francisco all the way from Southern California, I don’t have many friends around here. I was looking for somewhere to practice and I heard one of these songs that I knew a lot of break dancers use, so I started following the music and found this group,” Lepp explained.

He believes breakdancing can bring all different kinds of people together.

“There’s a wide variety of students here. We have freshman, seniors and some who are already working but then they come back here and practice with us,” Lepp said.

Finding a community here at SF State is one of the things Torion likes about the breakdancing group.

“The way we’ve come together is just so organic and I think that’s the beauty of hip hop,” Torion said.

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OPINION

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goldengatexpress.org Wednesday | September 21, 2016

Male entitlement gives me trust issues

by Karina Bueno kebueno@mail.sfsu.edu On Sept. 5, in Brooklyn, during the J’ouvert festival, 22-year-old Tiarah Poyau, told a man to get off of her after he approached her and started dancing on her. Moments later Poyau was dead from a close range gunshot to the face.

Stories similar to Poyau’s are what keep me up at night. Not only do I have to be afraid of stepping foot outside of my apartment — worrying about how I am dressed and if I have my knife and my pepper spray — but I also have to worry about what will happen even after all that preparation.

I can do everything my family, friends, the media and police officers say but it will not guarantee my safety. Because even if I do everything right, there is no telling how a man will react if I say no.

Some people may not see the harm in approaching a woman and brushing off her rejections; thinking she’s just being coy or playing hard to get. They may not see the harm in pursuing someone they find attractive.

But what most men don’t understand is that if their friends observe them disregarding a woman’s refusal it sends a message that “no” means “keep trying.” Ego can be a funny thing. The fragility of a man’s ego paired with a sense of entitlement is what usually ends in violence. What may seem harmless could turn into something deadly.

Take 22-year-old college gunman Elliot Rodger into consideration. The extent of the entitlement instilled in him and his extravagant possessions drove him to justify a mass shooting in which he killed six people and injured 13 more in 2014.

He left behind dozens of videos lamenting his lonely life while also criticizing women for not falling to his feet and worshipping the very ground he walked on. He was angry that he did not receive the attention from women he thought he deserved.

Rodger is one of the more extreme cases, but how can we ignore this trend as if strangers in the streets are not assaulting and verbally accosting women for not giving them their attention?

GOLDEN GATE XPRESS KELSEY LANNIN

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF klannin@mail.sfsu.edu

GRADY PENNA

PRINT MANAGING EDITOR gpenna@mail.sfsu.edu

BRIAN CHURCHWELL

ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR bchurchw@mail.sfsu.edu

SHEENA TADIFA

ART DIRECTOR stadifa@mail.sfsu.edu

JESSYLYN LOS BANOS

ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR jessylyn@mail.sfsu.edu

GEORGE MORIN

PHOTO EDITOR gmorin@mail.sfsu.edu

Illustration by Jessylyn Los Banos It’s not just strangers women must be wary of.

According to The Bureau of Justice Statistics, most violent crimes against women are often committed by someone they know. Women are two times more likely to be killed by an intimate partner than men are.

According to a study by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly one in five women have been raped in their lifetime, which is about 22 million women in the U.S., according to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey. To bring it even closer to home, 13.7 percent of female undergraduates experience sexual assault upon enrolling in college. This only goes to show that our fears are more than justified.

However, numbers and percentages do not fully convey the gravity of the heinous murder of women throughout the U.S. Sometimes you need to put

AHALYA SRIKANT

names to the numbers to truly begin to understand the devastation.

Janese Talton-Jackson, a 29-year-old mother of two, was shot and killed outside of a bar in Pittsburgh, PA after initially rejecting a man’s advances.

Lakeeya Walker, 22, was eight weeks pregnant when she was punched in the stomach and had hot coffee thrown in her face for not saying thank you to the man who opened a door for her.

Raelynn Vincent, 22, was walking home from her boyfriend’s house in Chico, CA when a car rolled up beside her. Once she rebuffed the driver’s advances, he got out of his car and punched her in the face, leaving her with a broken jaw.

I could go on, but I hope the takeaway is this: My body is not your right. Male entitlement is killing women and it needs to stop.

CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR asrikant@mail.sfsu.edu

NICK MADDEN

METRO NEWS EDITOR nmadden@mail.sfsu.edu

SEKINAT SHIWOKU

LIFESTYLE & CULTURE EDITOR sshiwoku@mail.sfsu.edu

AMANDA DAVIS

LIFESTYLE & CULTURE EDITOR atdavis@mail.sfsu.edu

JORDAN VAIL

OPINION EDITOR jmv@mail.sfsu.edu

JOSUÉ DE LOS SANTOS SPORTS EDITOR dlsjosue@mail.sfsu.edu

AVERY PETERSON

Kanye perpetuates colorism with latest project

by Kevin Vega kvega1@mail.sfsu.edu Earlier this month, Kanye West tweeted a casting call asking for “multiracial women only,” that caused a stir among fans and critics alike.

People took to twitter and the real world to criticize the statement that left entire communities out to dry.

“Kanye West asking for multiracial models kind of sends an anti-Black message,” said Andrew Jolivette, an American Indian professor at SF State who identifies as Louisiana Creole. “Saying he wants mixed performers sends the idea that Black is not beautiful.”

Being a non-Black person of color myself, I can’t speak for what is and what is not anti-Black; however, sentiments like West’s come off as biased.

West should know better than to further restrict people of color from their already very limited opportunities in the fashion world.

The Fashion Spot reported that in the most recent fashion season only 25 percent of models cast in shows were models of color, while the remaining 75 percent were white.

Being such a successful Black man in pop culture has not been easy for West, from calling out George Bush during his presidency on live television to becoming public enemy number one after interrupting Taylor Swift. I’m disappointed and surprised he’d use his platform to perpetuate something as detrimental as colorism, where lighter skin is favored over darker skin.

Preferring multiracial people to those who are not multiracial leaves

out entire communities of people because they don’t measure up to the light skin standard West is aiming for. The lightest skin in minority communities typically exists in those who have a parent from a minority community (usually one with a darker skin tone) and a white parent.

It’s important to note that though half-White half-minorities

Kanye and others continue to uplift half-White individuals while also alienating monoracial individuals, the conversation of having a halfWhite privilege is one that needs to be had.

With Colin Kapernick refusing to stand during the national anthem and multiple killings of unarmed Black people by policemen raising

A screenshot of one of the tweets from Kanye West’s Twitter feed on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016. have White privilege, they also are minorities, so their lives aren’t exactly easy. They still experience racism from those around them. But when

racial tension in America, West’s request adds to this tension. Asking for “multiracial models only” implies that there’s something wrong with

being unambiguously Black, Latino, Asian, or a person of any color that is not White.

“I think often the problem and what most people think of mixed is that most people always assume mixed is white and something else,” Jolivette said. “They forget that people aren’t trying to be better than somebody or that people don’t want to be something else.”

Even within minority communities being biracial will get you further than those who are not biracial because of the privilege that being White grants you. Multiracial individuals may share oppression with their monoracial community members, but having lighter skin grants them access to opportunities that they may not have had otherwise – like avoiding punishment by school officials or having less time in punishment while in elementary school.

West’s casting call also begs the question: where is the representation for double minority individuals? What about multiracial individuals who are half-Black and half-Latino? Or half-Latino and half-Asian? Or any combination that does not involve White? Do these types of models and people have the same kind of privilege that light skinned biracial people have, or are they just as underrepresented as monoracial individuals?

Artists like West and other trend setters should refrain from perpetuating industry standards that favor White individuals. Instead of following racist ideals they should use their power and influence to diversify the White-dominated entertainment industry.

MULTIMEDIA EDITOR averylp@mail.sfsu.edu

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ASSISTANT MULTIMEDIA EDITOR gwong3@mail.sfsu.edu

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ABOUT XPRESS 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 Kelsey Lannin at: klannin@mail.sfsu.edu

SPORTS

goldengatexpress.org Wednesday | September 21, 2016

Cheer team hopes to make a high jump up this season

by Jesse Saeteurn essej@mail.sfsu.edu Dressed in neatly pressed white and purple uniforms with matching shoes, the SF State cheer team collectively gathers on a widedisplay mat every Tuesday night in the gymnasium, persistently practicing high flying basket tosses to perfection.

The cheer team is enthusiastic about their 2016-17 season and optimistic that they will reach their desired accomplishment, succeeding in Nationals.

“We’re hoping to be involved with the campus and place really well in our national,” said team captain Karla Lopez. “We’re competing in a new competition this year at the Universal Cheerleaders Association, and we’re really hoping there’s a open spot for a Division two large co-ed team and we look to take that title this year.”

According to the UCA’s website, it is a competition where qualified cheerleading teams from colleges around the nation come together to compete for a National Championship at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.

Lopez is entering her fourth and final year as a member, giving her extra motivation to help lead her team to reach their goals. Lopez’s burning desire also stems from her disappointing absence last season due to an injury.

“It’s my final season, so I’m really excited to give it my all,” Lopez said.

“I was injured last year, so it was a waste of a season for me, but I’m ready to compete one last time.”

Third year co-captain Daniel Conceiçáo said their primary focus is performing well in competition.

“We’re going to a new competition this year, and we really want to make our presence known and make a name for ourselves out there,” Conceiçáo said.

Conceiçáo expressed that he is excited about the team’s new acquisitions and looks forward to

what they can contribute.

“We have a lot of new talents; I look forward to unlocking their potential, the skill level we can get them to, and essentially see what they can give to the team.” Conceiçáo said.

Freshmen Joel Martin-Dill and Katie Josiah joined cheerleading to expand their knowledge and skill sets and believe that their personalities and energy will be beneficial to this season’s team.

“I’ve done practically every sport that I could and I wanted to try something new,” Martin-Dill said.”I think I bring upliftment, excitement and leadership to the team.”

“I did cheer all four years of high school and I knew when I started that I wanted to do college cheer,” Josiah said. “I’m definitely spunky, I bring personality, humor and I like to light up the mood.”

Conceiçáo said beside their new acquisitions, the biggest difference between this year team and last is the style of cheers.

“Last year we did NCAA, which was more like show cheer and all-star cheer,” Conceiçáo said. “This year is more collegiate, professional and focused more on techniques rather than dancing and out-there stunts.”

Lopez said the most notable upcoming performance for the cheer team will be held at the first home basketball game in November.

“Besides that, if there’s any school events that we’re invited to or that we’re able to help out, we will, but right now we’re just prepping for games and nationals,” Lopez said.

He also added that he loves the new team’s dynamic.

“I love the team dynamics.

Everyone is very welcoming, want to help each other and there’s no negativity and once we’re on that mat, we’re one big team.”

“

We have a lot of new talents, I look forward to unlocking their potential, the skill level we can get them to, and essentially see what they can give to the team.

“

Daniel Conceiçáo

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9 The SF State cheer team tosses up freshman Amberlyn Leonard in the air during practice in the Wrestling Room on Tuesday, Sept.

13, 2016.

Photo by Brenna Cruz

SPORTS

10

goldengatexpress.org Wednesday | September 21, 2016 SF State Gators’ junior Drew Feldman leads the race during the second loop of the 7250 meter race at Hellman Hallow Meadow in Golden Gate Park on Thursday, Sept.

15, 2016. Feldman finished the race in fourth place with a time of 23:18.00.

Photo by Kin Lee

Men’s cross country top runners start out powerful in opener The SF State men’s cross country team started off the 2016 season much like they ended their 2015 season, with Drew Feldman, Benji Preciado, and Kenny Trejo finishing in the top 20 at Thursday’s season opener at Golden Gate Park.

Feldman finished fourth out of 48 runners, many of whom were from Division I teams, despite nursing an Achilles tendon injury he’s been dealing with since mid-August.

“Everybody has a few aches and pains and they have to decide how to manage those,” head coach Tom Lyons said. “He knows what he’s doing.”

Feldman’s teammates Trejo and Preciado finished close behind, taking ninth and 16th place respectively.

“

But it doesn’t mean we were taking it lightly.

The guys ran hard.

Tom Lyons

“

by Laura Monique Ordoñez lordonez@mail.sfsu.edu

Though there was not too much pressure or expectation going into the first meet of the season, Lyons said the men did as well as expected.

“It being the first, meet we did want to just kind of get the

uniforms on and race, but it doesn’t mean we were taking it lightly,” Lyons said. “The guys ran hard.”

Lyons said the more experienced runners knew exactly what they wanted to get out of the race, as a practice and preparation for the rest of the season, but it was nice to get some of the newer runners out and running for the first time.

The men’s team was short a few runners who were out sick.

“I want us to stay healthy, efficient in our practices and just get good growth and progress within our team,” Trejo said.

As for his personal season goals, Trejo said he hopes to be one of the top finishers in the region this November at Division II Regional Championships.

Trejo will have a chance to run at the regional championships course next weekend when the team competes in the Yellowjacket Invitational hosted by Montana State-Billings.

SF State Gators finish fourth, find ‘strong new team spirit’ The SF State women’s cross country team hit the ground running with their new team of runners at their first meet of the 2016 season on Thursday at Speedway Meadows in Golden Gate Park. The team finished fourth out of five teams overall

“

out with Division I teams and race at the front of the pack,” Reimer said. “The main thing we wanted to see today was race composure and a competitive finish and that’s what we did.”

Reimer said she felt a strong new team spirit that would lead the team into a successful season.

Junior Mayha Castro said she was happy to lead many of the new runners in their first meet as a team.

The main thing we wanted to see today was race composure and a competitive finish and that’s what we did.

Kendra Reimer

and second to division rivals Academy of Art University.

Head coach Kendra Reimer said she was happily surprised by her team, especially coming into the season with 11 new runners.

“It was a really pleasant surprise to have such a young new group but to go

“

by Laura Monique Ordoñez lordonez@mail.sfsu.edu

“We have a couple of girls who have never run cross country before so it was good for us returners to really lead the girls through their first race,” Castro said.

At the front of the pack of new runners was freshman Pearl Shoemaker, who finished 13th overall, but placed first for SF State.

“Pearl won it for us today and that was sort of unexpected,” Reimer said. “We thought she’d be in our top five, but we didn’t expect her to win for us so that was really exciting.”

Noticeably absent from the pack was the team’s top runner, Adriana Calva.

Calva sustained a minor hamstring strain during practice on Tuesday and decided not to run in the first meet.

“I thought I would be able to run through it, but my coaches just said to play it safe,” Calva said. “It’s only the beginning of the season.”

With the first race of the season now behind them, Castro said the team will focus on continuing the momentum of Thursday’s race and working cohesively as a team.

“Right now we are really working together as a team,” Castro said. “We’re on the line together and we win together, so today was important for us to learn how to work together” The next run for the Gators will be next weekend at the Yellowjacket Invitational, hosted by Montana State-Billings, the same course that the NCAA Division II Regionals will be held on in November.

SF State Gators’ junior, Jordan Linsky, jumps off the ground to stretch before the first race of the season at Hellman Hollow Meadow in Golden Gate Park on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016.

Photo by Kin Lee

SPORTS

goldengatexpress.org Wednesday | September 21, 2016

11

Freshman ready for successful career at SF State Freshman defender Valentina Riveros has been a star athlete since a young age, and continues to make her mark on the SF State women’s soccer team.

Riveros is one of the newest additions to SF State’s women’s soccer team. The skilled freshman has started five of the team’s first six games.

“For most freshman at this level, the biggest transition is learning how to compete and have that mentality every day,” head coach Tracy Hamm said. “But she came in with it. I don’t think it was much of adjustment; she knew what the role and expectations

“

brother’s turn to watch her play.

“We’re so fortunate to be able to see her play. We go over all her games to see what she could improve on,” older brother Camilo Riveros said. “We always try to be honest with her, and she always takes it well and bounces back strong.”

Riveros was born in Bogota, Colombia and moved to the United States when she was two years old.

Being a Colombian-born soccer player is something she takes a lot of pride in.

“In my country women don’t really get the chance to play soccer much,” Riveros said. “To be able to come here to America and play and say I’m Colombian is an amazing honor. I 100 percent take pride in being Colombian.”

In my country women don’t really get the chance to play soccer much...

Valentina Riveros

were coming in. She’s been fantastic.”

Riveros’ soccer journey started early. She grew up watching her older brother play and attributes her love of the sport to that.

“I wanted to follow in his footsteps; I would always go watch him play,” Riveros said. “He is the reason why I started to play.”

Now with Riveros in college, the tables have turned and it’s her

SF State

“

by Terence Scott tscott2@mail.sfsu.edu

When Riveros was a sophomore in high school she had the chance to live out a dream. She was invited to play with the U17 Colombian National Team and said she learned a lot from that experience.

“It was amazing, every day we woke up and just played soccer,” Riveros said. “We had eight or nine coaches telling us what we needed to do. It was all about soccer, I learned

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTING FEDERAL CRIMES (for 29 years)?/COMPLETE by Leland Yoshitsu

available on iTunes • Kindle • nook • ($2.99) ISBN: 978-1-945563-86-7

President Obama’s ‘SECRET CRIMES’ Today, it is important for the Public to know that our US Federal Government has secretly STOLEN, DESTROYED, AND ENSLAVED our FREEDOM, LIBERTY, EQUALITY, AND CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRACY by secretly NOT ENFORCING AND NOT DEFENDING our 14th Amendment (to provide all its citizens “equal protection of the laws” against Crime and Racism) as President Obama continues to secretly maintain and enjoy His UNCIVILIZED ‘OPPRESSIVE GRIP OF CRIME AND TERROR AGAINST HIS KIDNAPPED AND TORTURED’ Asian-American Hostages who still seek TRUTH AND JUSTICE after being severely punished and confined by the US Federal Government (for 29 years) for being the ‘INNOCENT VICTIMS’ of Federal Crimes by NBC. @lelandyoshitsu lelandyoshitsu.com see: Hillary Clinton’s letter to Leland (pg 4)

SF State Gator’s freshman defender Valentina Riveros (18) prepares to clear the ball during their 2-2 double overtime tie against Dominican University of California at Cox Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 4, 2016. | Photo by Kin Lee so much.”

Riveros credits the jumpstart to her collegiate career to the coaching staff and veteran leadership at SF State.

“The staff here have been great at helping me. I was really nervous coming in as a freshman and everyone helped calm me down,” Riveros said.

“My teammates really helped me make the jump from club soccer to college.”

Off the field, Riveros faces the same troubles that haunt most freshmen: adjusting to a college curriculum and campus life. Luckily, for Riveros, she has fellow freshman teammate Morgan Rhym to share the journey with.

“We met as new recruits, but she’s great, he’s always watching out for me and has my back,” Rhym said.

“But on the field she is a beast; no nice girl. She gets it done.”

Riveros has many more years to make an impact on the program and coach Hamm is counting on her.

“She just needs to continue being consistent,” Hamm said. “She’s starting for us now so we have big expectations. She just has to keep making good decisions.”

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