THE STUDENT VOICE OF SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1927
TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019
REMEMBRANCE
CITY HALL APPROVES MEMORIAL FOR NIETO Community honors memory of Alex Nieto five years after he was shot 59 times by SFPD CARLY WIPF Staff Reporter
SAN FRANCISCO—A cheering crowd surrounded Refugio Nieto at City Hall April 4, moments after commissioners solidified a memorial honoring his 28-year-old son who was shot and killed by San Francisco Police five years ago. “At this moment I am very happy. My heart feels at ease,” Nieto said. “Now it’s beating how it should be.” The San Francisco Recreation and Park Commission voted unanimously to approve the memorial, which will rest atop Bernal Hill, where Alex Nieto died. The words on the plaque dedicated to Nieto were read aloud to all who attended the final vote: “Against the violence and injustice of 59 bullets, family and grassroots community arose as a movement to promote the positive spirit and to defend the honor of a beloved young man, Alex Nieto, who was killed by the police. Amor for Alex Nieto.” District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen addressed the crowd, at one point holding back tears. “He was shot 59 times by the SF Police Department,” she said. “Now there’s going to be a lot of disagreement about what happened in between, but those are facts that are documented on the plaque on this monument that I believe are essentially important because they’re acknowledging facts that occurred that are problematic aspects of our society here in San Francisco and in our country at large.” The vote provided some closure for supporters of the Amor for Alex Nieto movement after a jury determined in Refugio Nieto, et al v. City and County of San Francisco, et al that officers were not liable for wrongful death in November of 2015. “It would be disrespectful, that we would even question one aspect of this project,” San Francisco Recreation and Park Commissioner Gloria Bonilla said. “Es justo y necesario. It’s just and necessary that we do this and that we do this wholeheartedly.” After the memorial was approved, Refugio Nieto’s eyes narrowed as a smile took over the lower half of his face in recollection of his son. He said even as a child, his son was a good kid who stayed in school and out of trouble. During Alex Nieto’s time at City College of San Francisco, he mentored at-risk youth. Refugio Nieto said his son came home one day and revealed his calling: working with youth in a juvenile detention center, pursuing a certificate in administration of justice. But on March 21, 2014, those dreams were cut short when SFPD shot him 59 times at the top of Bernal Hill. Benjamin Bac Sierra, a longtime friend of Alex Nieto, organized the Amor for Alex Nieto movement. According to Sierra, Alex Nieto
PHOTOS BY TRISTEN ROWEAN/Golden Gate Xpress
PLEA HEARING
University silent about allegations against track coach Track and field assistant gets additional charges TOP: Alex’s father, Refugio Nieto, hugs Jennifer Raviv after the decision was made to build a memorial with the proper language to remember Alex Nieto’s death in Bernal Heights, where he was shot 59 times by police officers in 2014. BOTTOM: Benjamin Bac Sierra lets out a glorious yell as the decision was announced at a City Hall meeting Thursday, April 4, 2019.
went to Bernal Heights Park to eat a burrito before heading to his security job at El Toro Night Club. Sierra said Nieto was dressed in his uniform, which included a taser, under a red San Francisco 49ers jacket when police got a call about a Latino man with a gun. “In their mind, they’re going up to that hill thinking, ‘Let’s go kill the gang member, let’s go take the hill,’” Sierra said. As a former Marine, Sierra said he understands the mentality he called “militarized police occupation forces,” which disproportionately targets people of color. Alex knew the law, Sierra said. He even interned for a semester at the Youth Guidance Center’s Probation Department. “He was a man that was working with children trying to help our kids do better in our lives, and we’re going to miss him,” Rafael Picazo, a friend of Alex Nieto, said.
See NIETO >> PAGE 3
At this moment I am very happy. My heart feels at ease. Now it’s beating how it should be.” - Refugio Nieto Alex’s father
GEOFFREY SCOTT AND JULIE PARKER Staff Reporters
Women’s assistant track and field coach Chioke Robinson will respond to charges that he sexually assaulted at least six minor girls in ROBINSON an April 22 plea hearing in Santa Clara County, but the University will neither confirm nor deny whether any SF State students have come forward as victims. Robinson was arrested by San Jose Police on campus Feb. 21 and, according to Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Anne Seery, he was released from custody on 5 percent of his $605,000 bail shortly after his most recent court date on March 11, when her office added four additional felonies to the 12 with which he was initially charged.
See COACH >> PAGE 3
2 OPINON
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EDITORIAL BOARD VOL. 109, ISSUE 10 Lorenzo Morotti Editor-in-Chief lmorotti@mail.sfsu.edu Monserrath Arreola Managing & Online Editor marreola@mail.sfsu.edu Julie Parker Campus News Editor jparker1@mail.sfsu.edu Paul Eichenholtz City News Editor peichenh@mail.sfsu.edu Alexis Manzanilla Lifestyle & Culture Editor amanzanilla@mail.sfsu.edu Jailene Escutia Opinion Editor jescutiachavez@mail.sfsu.edu
Lola Chase James Chan Photo Editors lchase1@mail.sfsu.edu jchan2@mail.sfsu.edu Devon Haripal Ildar Sabirov Sports Editors dharipal@mail.sfsu.edu isabirov@mail.sfsu.edu Cody McFarland Copy Editor cmcfarla@mail.sfsu.edu Christian Urrutia Art Director curruti1@mail.sfsu.edu Brian Vu Multimedia Editor bvu2@mail.sfsu.edu Tahnia Ortega Social Media Editor tortegag@mail.sfsu.edu Chelsey Schallig Assistant Copy Editor cschallig@mail.sfsu.edu
Kim Komenich Photo Adviser komenich@sfsu.edu
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STAFF EDITORIAL
McCarthyism, oppression unwelcome on campus
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epending on your interpretation of Zionism at SF State, you might have your name, face and information publicly plastered on a website’s list of people who supposedly promote hatred on college campuses—or you might revel in the state court’s contentious settlement of a discrimination lawsuit with the CSU system surrounding Zionism on campus, even though a federal judge had priorly dismissed the case with prejudice. Politics is inherently conflictual, subjective and nuanced. Different people have contrasting views of what Zionism represents, even among Jewish people. But self-proclaimed Zionists who claim student activists supporting justice in Palestine are racist, or violent, are driven by ethnocentrism and fear. Some Muslim and Jewish students have butted heads regarding events like the mayor of Jerusalem visiting campus, Hillel’s exclusion from the Know Your Rights Fair and most recently the CSU settlement to acknowledge Zionism on campus. While Zionism is a means of self-determination for some Jewish people, it does not represent that for all Jewish people, nor for students of color with various political and religious affiliations. Groups on campus, such as Jews Against Zionism, General Union of Palestine Students and Students for Quality Education, among others, denounced the occupation of Palestine by Israeli forces by protesting on campus. To these groups, Zionism represents racism, death and the suffering of thousands of people who live on the West Bank or the Gaza Strip. About 70 years ago, the United Nations sought to create a nation for Jewish people escaping persecution in Europe in predominantly Arab and Muslim territory. Several wars ensued, and Israel, with support of the U.S. industrial complex, encroached on more and more Palestinian land by force. There have been various events on campus in which Muslim students have protested Zionism and pro-Israeli viewpoints. As a result, they’ve become the target
Crowdfunding rivalry prevents necessary action
XPRESS ADVISERS Jesse Garnier Print Adviser jgarnier@sfsu.edu
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SEBASTIAAN MOLLOY Staff Reporter
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he rival crowdfunding campaigns that emerged at the end of March in opposition and support of the Navigation Center, the new proposed homeless shelter on Embarcadero, are each closing in on their monetary aspirations, yet the newfound participation has only furthered the innaction surrounding San Francisco’s homelessness crisis. The problem is so severe that a United Nations report labeled it “cruel and inhumane” and cited it as a human rights violation in September 2018. “[We] cannot continue to move at our normal pace,” Mayor London Breed said in a press release. “We need to cut the bureaucracy that delays new shelters from being created in order get our unhoused residents the care and services they need to help them exit homelessness.” In opposition of the proposed shelter is the GoFundMe account titled “Safe Embarcadero for All,” which argues that the community does care for the homeless, but feels that Breed has put “expediency over safety” in deciding the right location. The proposed location of the Navigation Center is near housing developments, Google’s San Francisco offices and Gap’s headquarters.
of online and print smear campaigns to depict them as “terrorists” by conservative pro-Israeli groups such as the Canary Mission. According to its mission statement, Canary Mission records and investigates hate against the U.S., Israel and Jewish people on college campuses nationwide. The idea that a database is needed to dox activists who criticize Israel is draconian and disingenuous. The Canary Mission is creating a database of students and faculty who they claim “hate” Israel, Judaism and the U.S. The concept evokes memories of the Second Red Scare of the 1950s, when hundreds of Americans were accused of being communists or communist sympathizers by Sen. Joseph McCarthy. His denunciations and fear-mongering tactics used against anyone who criticized him or his agenda resulted in people’s imprisonment and the destruction of careers without merit. It created the concept of McCarthyism—the practice of accusing others of subversion or treason without proper regard for evidence. Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas studies professor Rabab Abdulhadi and her students have repeatedly been labeled as “terrorists” because of their advocacy for justice in Palestine. But other student organizations that also protest the occupation of Palestine alongside GUPS are not targeted as heavily by these pro-Israeli groups. It is more concerning that, when a self-proclaimed Nazi enrolled into race and resistance courses in fall of 2018, Brian Cofield’s name is still nowhere on the Canary Mission website. Speaking out against Israeli policies that displace, torture and kill thousands of people is not anti-Semitic. Ignoring a person who uses hateful rhetoric and was enrolled at SF State while simultaneously targeting professors and students online for expressing their freedom of speech is oppression. And oppression in any form isn’t welcome on this campus.
yourself What would your first instinct be if you were on campus during an active shooting?
Mutlu Ozer
He/Him Lecturer of Civil Engineering “This is a chaotic situation, you cannot set up a certain methodology. You are gambling with your life and I don’t think you can train people. Everyone is going to use his or her own consciousness.”
Erick Mena, 22 He/Him Finance Major
“Run away. I would just dip, I wouldn’t go against the guy or girl with the gun.”
- Golden Gate Xpress Editorial Board A week later, the rival account in support of Breed’s proposition, titled “Safer Embarcadero for All,” was created by community members to “exclusively support” the efforts toward assisting their unhoused neighbors. Each have attained more than 95 percent of their target goals of $100,000 and $175,000, respectively. According to the creator of “Safe Embarcadero for All,” Andrew Zacks, the community “fully supports efforts to eliminate homelessness,” but is concerned with a possible increase in drug use and sex-offender traffic, as well as the general cleanliness and health of the area. Such sentiments illustrate a new standard of our modern civilization: we are more concerned with looking the part than actually being the part. Zacks’ GoFundMe account illuminates the behavior and tactics residents use to conceal San Francisco’s grotesque pushed-out, drugged-out, starved-out homeless underbelly, not just from visitors, but from the city itself. Some residents who attended initial meetings feared the proposed center would “create a dirty, dangerous blotch on the housing-dense” area, as mentioned in an SF Chronicle article. These residents are hoping to keep their own homes pristine, while shoving the problem into adjoining neighborhoods that wealthier residents and tourists wouldn’t have to look at. According to Family Options Study: 3-Year Impacts of Housing and Services Interventions for Homeless Families, homelessness is largely solvable by simply providing housing. It concludes that families provided with “a permanent subsidy experienced less than half as many episodes of subsequent homelessness,” and that individuals who are offered residency are much less likely to turn to drug abuse and more likely to recover or cope with mental illnesses. The two campaigns have collectively raised nearly $275,000 in three weeks. Instead of putting that money toward helping solve the homelessness crisis, the wealthy few choose to spend their dollars in a benign cockfight over where a solution should be placed. Breed’s concerns are valid in that the time to implement solutions is long overdue. Solutions exist, and a willingness to act is, by and large, the singular obstruction to solving San Francisco’s homelessness and housing crisis.
Ravyn Sanchez, 19 She/He/They/Them Studio Art & Art History Major “Run and hide or call my mom, because she’s the one who needs to know where I am and safe at all times. That’s the best thing I can do, but we should have a set protocol to make it more safe for students.”
Liyao Zhu
She/Her Masters Student, Graduate Teacher Association “To hide, because it’s just too dangerous. The school should have [a protocol].” JAILENE ESCUTIA AND JAMES CHAN/Golden Gate Xpress
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CAMPUS 3 The construction site on Tapia Drive from the fifth floor of Humanities. The Liberal and Creative Building and the Housing project on Holloway Avenue are 20 percent complete. TRISTEN ROWEAN/ Golden Gate Xpress
Building projects 20 percent completion NATALIA POURAZAR Staff Reporter
The two ongoing construction projects are about 20 percent complete and are expected to be finished between late summer or early fall of 2020, according to University Spokesperson Mary Kenny. The Liberal and Creative Building and the Housing project on Holloway Avenue are included in the University’s future master plan. Kenny said the four-story LCA Building off Tapia Drive will house the Broadcasting and Electronic Communication Arts (BECA) department and facilitate the need for more modern classrooms. BECA professor John Barsotti said the department has requested to move out of the outdated Creative Arts Building for three decades. Barsotti, whose taught in the program for 46 years, said he is excited because the project will provide modern space and equipment for students after so many years of being confined to an outdated Creative Arts building. “We’ve been trying to get out of this building to a newer building since about the 90s,” he said. “Most of it was built in 1950s and it’s pretty darn old at this point.” SF State’s Digital Content Specialist Ivan Natividad said the four-story academic building will provide larger communal and classroom spaces, a high-quality television news studio, an audio recording studio and a radio station. Natividad said the total cost for the LCA Building is $81 million. He said the project
NIETO: SF Board of Supervisors approve shrine in Bernal Heights CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
is under budget, and the CSU allocated $58 million for the two ongoing projects, and the remaining $23 million was contributed by SF State, faculty, friends, alumni and business partners. Some BECA students who are graduating this May said they’re conflicted about the project. “I think the new building is going to be awesome,” BECA senior Max Ouzana said. “But honestly it sucks for me because I am going to be graduating in the next two months so I won’t be here to enjoy it and utilize it.” BECA senior Ian Ulibarri also said he wanted to use the updated equipment in the LCA Building, but won’t be around to enjoy it. The other project on Holloway Avenue, across the street from the Administration Building, will add student housing and retail space, according to the campus master plan update. Natividad said the 230,000-square-foot student housing project under construc-
tion off Holloway, in between Cardenas and Varela avenues will provide over 572 new beds and 169 apartment units. The units will be furnished and include full kitchen accommodations. Retail stores and student lounges are planned for the first floor and the building will feature a 50-car parking garage. Natividad said the project aims to reduce the shortage of available housing. He said the waitlist for student housing in the past has surpassed 2,500 students. Some students who live in dorms shared common concerns over their living conditions. Biochemistry major Ulises Angel said the kitchen conditions and culinary equipment in the residence halls are subpar and better amenities in the new dorms should be a priority. “If [the new building] could have one community kitchen that would really help out,” Angel said. “That way students can actually cook the meals we want and it would be easier if we had a kitchen that we
“I miss seeing him on the street but you know what? He’s gone. And the best way we can memorize him is a memorial.” The memorial is designed in the image of an indigenous medicine wheel with different colors and art pieces marking each direction to symbolize healing. The center will contain a laser cut image of Alex Nieto and a commemorative plaque
with an inscription. Sierra, who is also a community college English professor, said the memorial will be educational for all to learn about the history of police use of force in relation to the Latino community and other communities of color. Sierra said he and Alex Nieto used to greet each other by asking, “What’s up
“We’ve been trying to get out of this building to a newer building since about the 90s.” - John Barsotti, Broadcasting and Electronic Communication Arts professor
[had access to] whenever we want.” The cost of student housing is another concern for student living on campus. According to a survey released by SF State in May 2018, the most affordable student housing unit available is a two-bedroom apartment that accommodates four people and costs $1,225 per bed. “School doesn’t let me work a lot because of the [course] workload I get,” nursing major Angelica Gonzalez said. “And having one less worry about rent, [especially] a financial worry off your shoulders, would be a huge relief.” n
with the movement holmes?,” at which point they discussed one another’s upward progress in life—their movement. “When I used to ask that question to him, ‘What’s up with the movement?’ how could we possibly have ever imagined that he, Alex Nieto himself, would become the movement?” n
COACH: More victims allege sexual assault against assistant women’s track and field coach CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Seery said Robinson is alleged to have sexually assaulted six named-victims ages 12 to 17 in Santa Clara County and others who have chosen not to be named. There are additional alleged victims and investigations underway outside the county and state. According to Officer Gina Tepoorten of SJPD, Robinson is charged for assaults alleged to have occurred between 1999 and
CORRECTIONS
2011, during which period he worked as a track coach at Piedmont Hills High School and Los Gatos High School, both in Santa Clara County, and as a club team coach in San Jose. The investigation is ongoing according to Seery, and her office continues to receive calls from additional alleged victims, some of whom have surpassed the statute of limitations, which is 10 years for child molestation. Robinson’s employee profile remains
In the April 2 edition of the Xpress, the story “Green New Deal fails to advance,” inaccurately reported the Environmental Resource Center missed its chance to support the Green New Deal because it was voted down by
active on the SF State athletics website despite the charges against him. The webpage lists his status as “on leave,” and University Spokesperson Mary Kenny said he will remain a University employee until the conclusion of the investigation. “The University will exhaust its own procedures before making changes to Robinson’s profile or employment status,” Kenny said. “SF State does not publish information to the public about employee personnel matters, which are confidential
the U.S Senate. The ERC said it intends to support their resolution and obtain Associated Students approval and send a letter to Nancy Pelosi. In the same story, it was re-
in nature.” Kenny declined to provide additional information on Robinson’s case or SF State’s investigation, and Senior Associate Director of Athletics Brandon Davis also declined to comment. Robinson is represented by criminal defense attorney Laura Robinson, to whom he is not related. A plea hearing is scheduled for April 22, before which Seery said she will meet with Robinson’s attorney to discuss a preliminary hearing. n
ported the global temperature increase caused by humans was 34 degrees Fahrenheit. The correct increase caused by humans is 1.8 degrees. The Xpress regrets these errors.
4 CITY Deferral of death penalty backed AUDREY ESOMONU Staff Reporter Gov. Gavin Newsom halted the death penalty on March 13, granting a reprieve to 737 inmates on death row while closing San Quentin State Prison’s execution chamber and calling for an end to the state’s lethal injection protocol. Newsom’s executive order placed a moratorium on the death penalty. California spent $5 billion on capital punishment and executed 13 people since 1978, with the last state execution performed in 2006, according to the governor’s press release. SF State senior and prelaw student Steven Abundis spent six years in prison before attending college through the admissions program Project Rebound. Abundis said the death penalty should be removed since no one has been executed in 13 years. “People have just been piling in on death row and remaining stagnant, so you can only imagine what those inmates are going through and experiencing,” Abundis said. “[They’re] fighting for their lives so that they don’t get executed.” Newsom recalled a conversation he had with lawyer and social justice activist Bryan Stevenson during his announcement last month in which Stevenson said, “It’s not a question of the death penalty and whether people deserve to die for their heinous acts, it’s a question of whether we have the right to kill.”
GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG Newsom said he doesn’t believe society has that right. “If you rape, we don’t rape. I think if someone kills, we don’t kill. We’re better than that,” Newsom said. Abundis said while there are some inmates who deserve their sentences, there are many others who deserve a second chance on a caseby-case basis. “Some could have been falsely accused,” Abundis said. “Somebody could have actually deserved their sentence, but none of us will actually know what’s going through their minds while [they’re] trying to be rehabilitated.” Around 54 percent of Americans are in favor of the death penalty for murder, while only 39 percent are expressly opposed to it, according to a 2018 Pew Research Study. Death Penalty Focus is a non-profit organization based in San Francisco committed to eliminating the death penalty. DPF spent decades “highlighting the problems with the state’s death penalty system—its racism, its classism, how it forces victims’ families to relive their trauma over and over again in courts and in front of the media,” according to DPF Senior Advocacy Director David Crawford. Crawford said he is hopeful that the decision to halt the death penalty will become a permanent law. “The electorate is becoming younger, more diverse and more informed about the [harm] mass incarceration has caused to our communities, particularly poor working-class communities of color,” Crawford said. DPF staff said they were pleased to hear about Newsom’s decision. Last year they launched a campaign asking former Gov. Jerry Brown to take similar action, but were unsuccessful. “With nearly 740 people on death row, the system is so clearly broken,” DPF President Mike Farrell said in an email. “It’s time to start fixing the problem. We appreciate the thought and care that went into this decision.” DPF Communications Director Mary Delucco said opponents of Newsom’s stance on the death penalty should consider the consequences of capital punishment. “There are almost 740 men and women on California’s death row. Do death penalty supporters really believe the state should kill 740 men and women?” Delucco asked. “If we killed
TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019
INFOGRAPHIC BY PAUL EICHENHOLTZ AND AUDREY ESOMONU/Golden Gate Xpress one a day it would take two-plus years to execute them all. Does that sound like something a civilized society would want or would do? “This system is broken. This barbaric punish-
ment has no place in a civilized society,” Delucco said. n
CCSF DIVERSITY CLASSES CUT AMID MONEY WOES ALEXIS MANZANILLA Lifestyle & Culture Editor Several classes have been cut from the City College of San Francisco curriculum since fall 2016 due to budget shortfalls, and these cuts will especially target ethnic studies in the coming year. According to CCSF Assistant Vice Chancellor Kristina Whalen, budget over-expenditure and decreased enrollment caused CCSF to cut classes. According to the CCSF Fact Sheet, CCSF experienced an 18.7-percent decrease in enrollment from the 2011-12 school year to the current school year. As a result of this decline, some classes struggled to fill their capacity. At an April 2 budget meeting, CCSF Vice Chancellor of Finance and Administration Luther Aaberge said the college was faced with a 20-percent reduction in funding since the 2016-17 school year. According to Whalen, CCSF has historically been funded by loans and community donations, all of which have been depleted. Going into the 2019-20 school year, the state requires CCSF to keep a 5-percent reserve of funds, but Whalen said CCSF is struggling to maintain even that reserve. “When we go below that 5 percent, we go on a financial watch list for the state. We’ve been on that before, and we’re not eager to go back,” she said. Whalen said classes will be cut in the current and coming school year to ease both these under-enrollment and budgetary issues.
According to American Federation of Teachers 2121, CCSF’s faculty union, however, the college is not targeting classes solely based on enrollment. For example, the administration has directed the Asian American studies department to cut one-third of its classes despite the department holding the second-best enrollment rates within the diversity departments. AFT 2121 reports other inconsistencies on their website, such as cuts to computer science’s usually fully-enrolled classes. The incoming fall 2019 class schedule will have 28 percent fewer classes than the fall 2018 schedule, the union says. Whalen said the new budget plan seeks to eliminate some ethnic studies classes from departments such as Asian American, African American and Latina/o studies, along with CCSF classes in other departments. According to CCSF students, these cuts hinder their ability to take classes they’re interested in and, at times, their ability to transfer to a four-year university. Jalaya Morales, a 23-year-old CCSF student and future SF State transfer, said she’s frustrated with CCSF’s decision to cut classes required for transfer. She said students are not getting the well-rounded education they deserve. “People are coming here to learn, but they’re cutting their programs, students are not getting the full learning [experience],” Morales said. Many CCSF students and faculty members disagreed with the college’s
If you’re [cutting ethnic studies classes], you’re not committed to education and you’re not committed to at-risk populations. - Edgar Torres, City College of San Francisco Latina/o Studies Dean
perceived choice to base class cuts on class enrollment. Latina/o studies dean Edgar Torres said enrollment is not a good measure of the educational relevance of a class. “They’re cutting classes in a numerical threshold, and by doing so they’re not caring about the importance of a class, the importance of a program or the importance of its contributions,” Torres said. “No matter how important it is, they’ll cut it.” Torres was distraught about the class cuts his department faces. He said a Chicano Studies class should not have been cut because it has much cultural importance to California. “What self-respecting institution in the state of California doesn’t teach Chicano history?” Torres asked. Torres said at-risk and low-income students often take ethnic studies classes. “The importance of ethnic studies is not only to bring into account a perspective that might be different than the more-known traditional ones, but it’s also important because of all the at-risk populations taking our classes,” he said. Torres said ethnic studies classes provide at-risk students of color a reso-
nating sense of identity and history. He noted that many students who struggled in the past with their academics, flourish in ethnic studies. He believes the one-on-one mentorship of ethnic studies faculty directly contributes to the success of at-risk students in higher education and he said he hopes the college sees that value. “If you’re [cutting ethnic studies classes], you’re not committed to education and you’re not committed to at-risk populations,” Torres said. Brandon Tanksley, a CCSF student currently enrolled in African American studies classes, said he feels the lessons he learns in these courses are invaluable to preserving African American history and culture. “We should keep [ethnic studies classes] because sometimes we forget about our history, so it’s good to learn what we’re missing,” Tanksley said. CCSF is implementing a new funding system over the next three years that is not solely based on enrollment, but two additional factors—financial need and degrees and certificates, according to Whalen. She said this new method will prioritize important classes that benefit students’ progress toward degrees and cater to their finan-
cial need. CCSF student Andrew Romero said that in the future, students should have a voice in choosing which classes will be cut. “I think [CCSF] should let students voice their opinion more, rather than making their own decisions rashly,” Romero said. CCSF ethnic studies classes continue to impact the lives and careers of those who take them. SF State graduate student John Jimenez said the courses he took at CCSF on Asian American culture and history changed the trajectory of his academic life and inspired him to give back to his Asian American community. “I have to say that being able to take those classes at [CCSF] put me on a good path of not only pursuing my undergraduate studies, but pursuing my masters,” Jimenez said. “[It] made me realize with this information I need to give back to the Asian American community.” Jimenez hopes to become a junior college professor and work for a nonprofit organization. “I don’t think these paths would have been found if it wasn’t for ethnic studies,” he said. n
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CULTURE 5 University Dance Theatre rehearses before its opening night on Thursday, April 4 at McKenna Theatre at SF State.
PHOTOS BY TRISTEN ROWEAN/Golden Gate Xpress
Choreography strengthens union KEMI IKE Staff Reporter
Faculty and students danced intricate movements among vivid colors at the annual University Dance Theatre production in McKenna Theatre. Unlike the student-run production last year, this year featured six dance pieces choreographed by both faculty and students. The production ran each day from April 4 to April 7, with performances at 7:30 p.m. Professional choreographers Janice Garrett and Charles Moulton also joined students to choreograph “Mad Brass Redux,” an animated performance that used signs to spell out different words to the audience. UDT kicked off the night with a dance titled “Malong,” choreographed by SF State dance professor Ray Tadio. The Filipino folk dance was inUniversity Dance Theatre warms up before its opening night on Thursday, April 4 at the spired by Southern Philippine weavMcKenna Theatre at SF State. ing and the traditional multi-colored kind.” Luu said she hoped to tell a story of proaches in collaborating with students. “malong” skirts dancers wore. evolution as dancers emulated monsters “Some faculty take creative liberty and Kately Dallke, a 20-year-old SF State transforming into machines. often come up with choreography on the student dancer, danced in “Malong” and “It started off with really primitive spot,” Luu said. “Others like to work closer said the dance’s incorporation of fabric movement,” Luu said. “Then I thought with the students and allow the students to was intended to symbolize the movement about evolution and growing into cavehave input in the movement.” of weaving. men and then humans and then I started Luu said dance professors provided a “At first, we started off with just movehealthy balance of critique and creative ment,” Dallke said. “Three months later we thinking, ‘How am I going to connect all freedom to guide her. added the fabric in and then we went off of of these together?’ and I thought of one word—and it was survival.” “Faculty [gave] me many critiques week the choreographer. . . and we were able to Luu worked to connect “The Descenafter week when I was creating my piece,” change it.” dent of Humankind” to the dance piece she said. “This helped me solidify my ideas She said she collaborated with professhe choreographed for last year’s UDT and bring them to life.” sors to make UDT more productive and production, which centered around Dallke said being a part of “Mad Brass enjoyable than in past years. emotional abuse. She said she received Redux” and learning this particularly “There have been years where the prohelp choreographing the dance from her whimsical piece was a different process fessors don’t really take opinions [from] professors. because students collaborated with profesthe dancers, but this year was very differ“Faculty has taught me everything I sionals on the choreography rather than ent,” Dallke said. “It was all professors and know about choreography so far,” Luu just professors. choreographers working together.” said. “They always push us to find our own She said that, the professional SF State dance student Karen Luu chocreative way of working.” dancers, Garrett and Moulton, did reographed “The Descendent of HumanLuu said that faculty take various apnot allow students the freedom to
There have been years where the professors don’t really take opinions [from] the dancers, but this year was very different.” - Kately Dallke 20-year-old SF State student dancer change their choreography. “We weren’t able to change the choreography at all,” Dallke said. “Yes, our personalities will come out in the movement. . . but we can’t drastically change the movement.” SF State dance student Christina Nguyen showed off her talent in five of the six pieces that debuted Thursday night, including “Mad Brass Redux.” Nguyen said her favorite piece to work on was “Mad Brass Redux” because she performed in the original cast when it premiered in the summer of 2018. “We had to rework all of the different elements of [the choreography] to fit from a 21-person cast to a 13-person cast,” Nguyen said. “So that was a fun and interesting process, and it’s been quite challenging to have to give so many people parts—it’s challenging, but it’s rewarding.” n
6 CAMPUS
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TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019
COLLEGE OF ETHNIC STUDIES DEAN APPOINTED “The dean should be someone who is engaged, has a diverse sense of the community and is engaged with their community.”
SF State hires interim Amy Sueyoshi in the position after Monteiro’s resignation SAHAR SWALEH Staff Reporter
The University hired Amy Sueyoshi as the dean of the College of Ethnic Studies (COES) Thursday after a six-month search to fill the job began last year in the wake of former-dean Kenneth P. Monteiro’s resignation. Sueyoshi served as the interim-dean for the past 17 months and applied for the permanent position after the University declared a national search to fill the position. The College was looking for a dean that would serve to better the community and strengthen the college. “I’m super honored and feel very privileged to be in the role,” Sueyoshi said. “ I realized that it’s a tremendous responsibility but I’m really excited.” Monteiro said he resigned because he could better serve the college as a faculty member. He said he had too many different concerns for the University, such as correcting the structural budget, which the University has since then done. “I felt that the legal issues and concerns that I had about the University were getting in the way of my ability to serve the college as well as I thought the college deserved,” Monteiro said. He believes the dean should have high-powered energy to keep up with the students and faculty and be anchored in Ethnic Studies to nurture its development. “Professor Sueyoshi is both a brilliant scholar but she’s also a very dynamic and very committed administrator,” Monteiro said. “She really does the work because she cares about the students.” The college’s search committee started considering applicants last fall, ultimately narrowing the list of candidates down to three. The other two candidates under consideration were English Department Chairperson at Kennesaw State University, Sheila Smith McKoy, and Asian American
University prepares for the ‘big one’ High risk San Andreas fault located near campus JOSEPH HIGH Staff Reporter
In the event of a major earthquake, the nearly 30,000 students at SF State, as well as the University faculty and staff, may be unprepared. SF State Health and Safety Manager Jeff Madigan said buildings on campus have a designated emergency manager
- Andrew Jolivétte, Professor and former chairperson of the American Indian Studies department
JAMES CHAN/Golden Gate Xpress Amy Sueyoshi, newly appointed Dean of Ethnic Studies, poses for a portrait in Humanities 311 on Friday, April 5.
Studies Department Chairperson at UCLA, Jun Xing. Smith McKoy is a graduate of Duke University with a Ph.D. in English and directed focus on African and Diaspora studies in student and faculty engagement. Xing specializes in race and ethnicity, history of relations between the U.S. and China and social justice education. Sueyoshi said being the interim-dean of the College of Ethnic Studies at SF State was something that she was aware of when running for the permanent dean position. “It’s tricky when you’re what’s called the inside candidate and people kinda see you for who you are,” she said. “It’s really a testing ground for the candidate to see if they do well, not just for the institution but also for the individual themselves.” Although Sueyoshi agrees that being interim-dean likely shaped the way she was received in the job pool, there were a lot of qualifications that had to be met as well.
for such situations, but only in an informal capacity. “All buildings have a Building Emergency Response Coordinator (BERC) who is responsible for directing all activities within the building until UPD arrives,” Madigan said. According to a source in the Environment, Health and Safety department, BERCs are appointed on a volunteer basis and have no official requirement in their job description to supervise a building in the instance of an emergency like an earthquake. University Police Chief Jason Wu said, “The priorities of SF State during an earthquake (or any emergency) are the protections of lives and care of the students, faculty, staff, and visitors of the campus community and campus property.” The SF State is in a high risk earthquake area because of its proximity to the San Andreas fault and Hayward fault lines.
Part of the search process was to write a cover letter, articulate a vision for the college and to perform well during the campus visit. “The dean should be someone who is engaged, has a diverse sense of the community and is engaged with their community,” said Andrew Jolivétte, professor and former chairperson of the American Indian Studies Department. Jolivétte has been a professor at SF State for the past 18 years and is in his last semester before moving to San Diego to teach ethnic studies. “I’m glad that the college that I care about, and am leaving, will be in great hands,” he said. Jolivétte said Sueyoshi has been involved in the community, advocated for students in the past and has a broad disciplinary background of many of the studies that fall under the ethnic umbrella. “It’s not just because I’ve worked with her.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the San Andreas fault line runs through Daly City and north past Ocean Beach. The San Andreas fault system also includes the Hayward Fault line along the East Bay hills, which the USGS warns is likely to significantly shift in the near future. Engineering professor Jenna Wong specializes in earthquake engineering and said most modern buildings at SF State are designed for collapse-prevention, but lamps fixtures, ceiling panels, shelves, walls and blocked exit paths are safety concerns in the immediate aftermath of a major earthquake. “As engineers, we have moved forward and we’re recognizing that not only is the structure important, but also the contents,” Wong said. Despite no mandatory earthquake safety coordinators, students interviewed by Xpress
The other candidates were strong and I talked to [Smith McKoy] and did my research on them,” Jolivétte said. “Amy has a strong background and is the right person for this time. She has the right qualities.” Sueyoshi said she hopes to advance student success, engage curriculum and faculty development. She also said she wants to build a presence of ethnic studies classes into upper division general education, such as life and physical sciences. In addition, she has helped create the race and resistance program alongside Monteiro. She’s worked on administrative pieces, committees, writing proposals and creating minors such as queer ethnic studies, critical Pacific Island and Oceania studies. “I really want to continue to promote these kinds of pathways for success for students,” Sueyoshi said. “The College of Ethnic Studies has a high success rate, retention as well as graduation rate and so we want to continue supporting that.” Her vision for COES is to facilitate a productive and powerful workplace to inspire faculty and student engagement. “I consider myself a servant-leader, someone who serves others constituents,” Sueyoshi said. “I find myself to be more collaborative than authoritarian. The best way to work with people is not in a punitive form, but developmental.” n
“The priorities of SF State during an earthquake (or any emergency) are the protections of lives and care of the students, faculty, staff, and visitors of the campus community and campus property.” -Jason Wu, University Chief Police
said they feel safe at SF State if there were an earthquake. Studio arts major Phoebe Mellanson said she knows what to do in an earthquake, but her confidence comes from training she received before coming to SF State. “For the most part I would probably feel most safe in the
infrastructure of the school over my home,” Mellanson said. “I would have the feeling that the school is a bit more equipped for earthquakes.” College of Health and Social Sciences Samantha Ward said there are optional training programs offered for faculty about once a year through the Environmental, Health, and Safety department (EHS), but most faculty have not been through any kind of emergency training at SF State. “They’re not mandatory,” Ward said. “Our biggest problem with getting the meetings together is we don’t have enough people willing to participate and it can’t be made part of someone’s job formally.” She said the Chancellor’s Office would have to bargain with the California Faculty Association to add any mandate to the union’s collective bargaining agreement. n
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SPORTS 7
TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019
GATORS RISE ABOVE SWAMP Rain and field conditions turn double play against Gators, who haven’t played at home since February BRANDON TANGUMA Staff Reporter
Rain continues to torment Maloney Field this season. SF State has not hosted a baseball game since Feb. 12, nearly two months without the home crowd advantage. With constant rain bombarding the Bay Area, the Gators rescheduled every home series this season, including a canceled set against first place UC San Diego. SF State’s last game at Maloney Field was against Simson University on Feb. 12. The Gators have yet to host a conference game on their home field this season. Senior outfielder Harley Lopez says the rain has affected the team’s practice schedule but players are still able to get work in. “We still lift weights every day, that doesn’t change,” Lopez said. “The pitchers will still go out there and throw, even in the rain.” With the recent success of the program, Lopez hopes SF State baseball will gain more funding to continue improvements on the 64-year-old field. Maloney Field opened in 1955 and has served as the home for Gator baseball ever since. “We’re starting to turn this program around and get some recognition around the conference,” Lopez said. “I know SF State doesn’t have a lot of money to put into baseball, but hopefully as we grow the program, we can show that we deserve the extra funding.” Maloney Field had renovations prior to the 2017 season, but with the field sitting below sea level, it doesn’t drain water well. Junior first baseman Trevor Rodgers said it is hard to prepare for a game when the schedule constantly changes. “One day we’ll be ready to go and then we have to play somewhere else, it can be frustrating.” The Gators have played “home” games away from Maloney Field this season. On Feb. 24, the Gators played a doubleheader at Chico State against the Wildcats where SF State was the home team. The Gators also hosted a four-game series against Cal State Dominguez Hills at Cal State East Bay.
ILDAR SABIROV/Golden Gate Xpress The away team wooden bleachers of Maloney field are overgrown with plants after nearly two months of rain have caused home games to be cancelled.
SF State head coach Tony Schifano says it doesn’t affect the team’s play. “We’re not going to use [the rain] as an excuse by any means. Would we like to have a home game at Maloney? Yes,” Schifano said. “We would like to be in a comfortable setting, we haven’t had one yet in conference. This is something the guys are grinding through and we’re just trying to find a way to win ball games on the road.” The Gators were perfect to start their conference schedule, winning their first 10 games. SF State then split their next
“We would like to be in a comfortable setting, we haven’t had one [home series] yet in conference. This is something the guys are grinding through.” -Tony Schifano, SF State baseball head coach.
two series and lost their first series of the season last weekend against last-place Cal State San Bernardino. The Gators are 15-8
in conference play, good enough for a third-place standing. Despite the difficult situation the Gators are faced with Schifano is pleased with how his team has performed. “If you would have asked me 15 games and you have every game on the road and you’d be at the top of the conference would you take it? I would say yes,” Schifano said prior to the Cal State San Bernardino series. SF State’s next scheduled home series starts Thursday, April 18 against Cal State Monterey Bay, contingent on weather.
Softball sweeps Warriors on the road with strong pitching, umpire envokes mercy rule MASON BISSADA Staff Reporter
SF State’s softball team dominated Stanislaus State this past weekend in Turlock, California, sweeping the series by scores of 6-3, 10-2, 3-2 and 2-1 respectively. Saturday’s victories were earned in convincing fashion particularly the second game of the doubleheader, in which the bout was called after just five innings. If a team is up by eight or more runs through five complete innings, the game may be called
by the plate umpire. Senior infielder/outfielder Hayley Nunes was instrumental, combining for three hits and three RBIs over two wins. While Sunday’s games were closer and the offense was less abundant, SF State’s defense carried them to victory. Right-handed starters junior Emily Mitchell and senior Karla Soto, gave up just three earned runs combined over both of Sunday’s games. The duo combined for complete games, Mitchell’s eighth win of the season and Soto’s seventh complete game. The four wins over the week-
end bring SF State’s record to an impressive 24-14 on the season and 17-11 in conference play. SF State currently occupys the fourth and final playoff seed in the conference tournament. The Gators will hope to continue their four-game winning streak on Tuesday, April 9, against Sonoma State. There are three games scheduled early in the week, with the first a conclusion of the halted game from February 17, where SF State trailed 14-8 before the game was suspended. The final two games are the conclusion to the Sonoma State series.
COURTESY SF STATE ATHLETICS Sophmore catcher/infielder Kylee Brown crouches behind the plate during practice on Jan. 28, 2019.
8 CITY
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TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019
Natalie Guillen (left) holds up a drawing of Alex Nieto, who was fatally shot 59 times by San Francisco police officers in Bernal Heights in 2014. Guillen sat next to District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen (right) during a City Hall meeting to build a memorial for Nieto on Thursday, April 4, 2019.
SHOOTING
CITY PAYS RESPECT TO ALEX NIETO PHOTOS BY: TRISTEN ROWEAN/Golden Gate Xpress
Rafael Picasso raises his fists and smiles after the San Francisco Recreation and Park Commission voted in favor of a memorial to honor Alex Nieto’s life on Thursday, April 4, 2019.
Jorge Molina speaks during the City Hall meeting where a memorial dedicated to Alex Nieto’s life was unanimously approved on Thursday, April 4, 2019. The memorial will be placed atop of Bernal Hill where Nieto was killed in 2014.