Spring 2019 Issue 11

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THE STUDENT VOICE OF SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1927

TUESDAY, APRIL 16, 2019

DEMONSTRATION EQUITY

SEE ADDITIONAL PHOTOS ON PAGE 4

CSU policy changes sexual misconduct investigations CARLY WIPF Staff Reporter

Title IX investigators illustrated how revised procedures affect students who report sexual misconduct complaints against other students in an April 4 presentation titled “Demystifying Title IX” in the Cesar Chavez Student Center. The court mandated changes to California State University sexual misconduct investigations come just in time for April, which is Sexual Assault Awareness month.

JAMES CHAN/Golden Gate Xpress Matthew Vaughn argues with students as they tear up anti-abortion pamphlets during a demonstration in the quad by the organizations Project Truth, Genocide Awareness Project and Center for Bio-Ethical Reform on April 15, 2019. Vaughn first identified himself as John Newton.

ANTI-ABORTION GROUP INCITES PROTEST

University sanctions conservative demo for three days ALI LEE Staff Reporter

Hundreds of SF State students protested a two-story-tall anti-abortion banner covered in graphic images in front of the Cesar Chavez Student Center Monday. About 10 anti-abortion activists, part of the Project Truth California, Genocide Awareness Project and the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, stood behind low metal fences surrounding the 360-degree-banner display from 8 a.m until 7 p.m. The anti-abortion activists, affiliated with Evangelical Christian groups, held GoPros and wore body cameras to record reactions of students protesting the graphic display. The activists showed images of holocaust victims, black men being lynched and unborn fetuses, arguing abortion is equal to genocide as they tried to hand out pamphlets. “The fact that they are recording all of it so that they could

See TITLE IX >> PAGE 3

EDITORIAL •

On page 2, Xpress delves into the rationale behind this anti-abortion demonstration, urges students to rally in solidarity against groups comparing abortion to genocide. about the graphic imagery on the displays. Sagapolutele said the anti-abortion display was sanctioned by the University, and is scheduled to be on campus Tuesday and Wednesday. A petition to remove the anti-abortion demonstration was started on Change.org in the afternoon on Monday. As of press time it had 23 signatures. The University put out warning signs at walkways on campus, but the petition argues they were too spread out. Throughout the day, students stomped and spit on posters and proceeded to chant, “Take it down,” “get a real job,” and “fuck you, Carole,” repeatedly. Student protesters carried signs bearing sayings like “my body, my choice” and “don’t call yourself pro-life if you only value certain lives.” At one point Carole Vaughn, an anti-abortion activist, asked

possibly do something with it is disgusting,” said Natalie Hurd, a student protester. “And the way that they analogize [abortion] with the Nazis and [slavery] is completely irrelevant—it doesn’t apply to this.” Associate Director of Student Activities and Events Mia Reisweber said the content of the banners incites anger among students instead of providing insight or understanding. The anti-abortion demonstration incited a protest that drove students to attempt to access President Leslie Wong’s fifth-floor office in the Administration Building at 2 p.m. The crowd of about 30 student protesters was limited to the fourth floor of the building as they demanded to speak with Provost Jennifer Summit to remove the anti-abortion activists from campus. Mona Sagapolutele, executive assistant to the provost, told protesters that Summit was not on campus, but that an email was sent See ABORTION >> PAGE 3 out on April 12 warning students

Why update the policy? A University of Southern California athlete identified as John Doe was accused of having non-consensual sex with a student athletic trainer. He was expelled following a Title IX investigation and later sued Title IX investigator Kegan Allee, asserting he didn’t get a fair hearing where he could question his accuser and witnesses. On Jan. 4, the California Court of Appeals Superior Court Judge Howard L. Halm ruled in Doe v. Allee that: “[In] a case such as Doe’s, in which

DONATION

School of Business receives $25 million in cryptocurrency JULIA CUSTODIO Freelancer

The College of Business accepted a $25 million donation in cryptocurrency, the largest donation ever made to a university in this form of money. The gift came from Chris Larsen, an SF State alumnus, and his wife Lyna Lam, who together own Ripple, a cryptocurrency platform. The donation amounted to $56 million XRP, which is equivalent to $25 million given the exchange rate and fluctuation in the market. “There is of course possibility of value loss. Just as exchange rates in foreign currency fluctuates, so does cryptocurrency,” said Joel Volez, an SF State alumnus and lecturer in macroeconomics at University of San Francisco. SF State Interim Vice President for Advancement Venesia Thompson-Ramsay acknowledged this is a new area for the University and that there was some hesitation. “Courage is part of our DNA at SF State. We were the first public university to divest from fossil fuel and now we are the first to receive a large gift of this kind,” Thompson-Ramsay said. “We did our research and due diligence, speaking with legal

See DONATION >> PAGE 3


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