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// 02.27.13
VOLUME LXXXXVI ISSUE 5
‘SFSU Confessions’ reveals dirty details BY JOE FITZGERALD | jfitzger@mail.sfsu.edu
SHOOT OUT: Andy Navarro, 23, San Jose resident and NRA member shoots his AR-15-style rifle, which he built himself, at the Coyote Point shooting range in San Mateo, Calif. Photo by Andy Sweet
GUN BAN TARGETS FIREARM OWNERS
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BY BRIAN RINKER | brinker@mail.sfsu.edu
HE RED LIGHT CAME on at the Coyote Point Shooting Range in San Mateo, Calif. signaling the shooting area was now “hot.” Andy Navarro stepped over the red line, placed his AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle on the table next to a tiny pillow and perch, sat on a small stool and began thumbing 5.56 mm caliber bullets into the rifle’s five-round magazine clip. That night at the range, Navarro shot his AR-15-style rifle for the first time, a gun he built himself. Navarro’s semi-automatic rifle is very similar to the infamous AR-15 Bushmaster that police say Adam Lanza used in the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The tragedy reignited the national gun debate, an issue that has divided Amer-
CALLING ALL SF STATE STUDENTS
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
icans. On one side, people are calling for greater gun control laws that ban military style weapons and for more background checks, while others fear more gun restrictions could infringe upon their Second Amendment rights. Fearing a ban on AR-15 style guns, 23-year-old San Jose resident Navarro went to a local gun store to buy the semi-automatic rifle before it was too late. It was a week after the Sandy Hook shooting, and people were flocking to gun stores to get the rifle. He paid $300 for just the lower receiver, the part that houses the actual firing mechanisms and the only part requiring a background check. He bought the rest of the gun off the internet, spending a little more than $1,000. He assembled the gun in an hour after learning how from a YouTube video. Navarro said it would’ve taken SEE GUN BAN ON PAGE 8
The Golden Gate Xpress will feature a photo every week in print and online from SF State students — and it could be yours! xpressnewsstaff@gmail.com
Due to the possible punitive action SF State could take against the administrator of the “SFSU Confessions” page were his/her identity revealed, we have kept the administrator’s identity anonymous. We will hereinafter refer to them as “The Admin,” and use a “he” pronoun, though the Admin’s gender is not necessarily male.
E
VERYONE HAS AT LEAST ONE: a crush, a silent grudge or a secret so scintillating they'd dare not share it with even their closest friends. Now students can anonymously share their hidden thoughts with the entire SF State community through a Facebook page that has exploded in popularity called “SFSU Confessions.” SFSU Confessions gained over 3,000 “likes” in the past few weeks, but its success is sparking debates in the campus dorms over free speech, privacy, stalking and the power of anonymity. The page is simple enough to access. Jump on Facebook, enter “SFSU Confessions” into the search field, and you’ll be brought to a page with over 2,000 anonymous student thoughts posted for the world to see, like this one: “Confession #1711: I’m gay and so is one of my roommates. Another one of my roommates is not gay, however he acts more flamboyant than the two of us combined.” The confessions are submitted via a website named SurveyMonkey, where they can be given without showing your Facebook information. The administrator of the page, “The Admin,” then chooses the best submissions and posts them to the page with a number in front. These pages have sprung up at colleges around the country, and even all around the Bay Area. The confessions themselves range from the tame, like crushes on classmates, to the explicit. Many students agree that the page isn’t just fun, it’s damned addictive. SEE POSTS ON PAGE 3
2 CAMPUS SF STATE SPEAKS OUT WHAT’S THE STRANGEST THING SOMEONE HAS CONFESSED TO YOU?
JORDAN ANTOLIN, 20 BIOLOGY MAJOR
I slept with your cousin. That’s pretty awkward. My cousin’s a guy and it was a girl who told me that.
KINGSTON FONG, 23
CRIMINAL JUSTICE MAJOR
Did you know I chew my toenails? Made me feel dirty.
WALLY NAVAREZ, 21
HISTORY AND JOURNALISM MAJOR
02.27.13 | GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG
Dangerous ‘drunkorexia’ trend on the rise BY HOLLY NALL | hnall@mail.sfsu.edu
C
Fears of weight gain tied in OLLEGE Drinking, diet and exercise are students are common ways for college students with being entrenched in college to de-stress, no strangers to but the wrong combinadrinking culture can take foregoing food. tion can actually impair learning. The Eating takes time of Missouri study described students down a hazardous road University and money, two several cognitive side effects of “drunthings students korexia,” including difficulty concenare almost always trating, studying and making decisions. anorexia as a young adult, recently visited short on. But some students are going to For many students, drinking responsithe SF State nursing department to give a extreme lengths to cut costs. bly means eating beforehand. Animation lecture on eating disorders and their warnSkipping meals before a night of drinkmajor Megan Madrigal chooses not to skip ing signs. ing is a growing trend known as “drunkomeals before consuming alcohol. For some, the pressure of the infamous rexia,” and experts say it can have damag“I always try to eat before I drink,” she “freshman 15,” the weight that students are ing effects on students’ health. said. “Especially if I'm planning to drink a expected to gain during the first year they A 2011 study done at the University lot. I should probably get some protein in live on campus, may be a factor in develof Missouri found that approximately 16 me.” oping these habits. According to Lombarpercent of students were limiting their In addition to the cognitive side effects, di, this fear of weight gain paired with a caloric intake from food in order to “save” the University of Missouri study revealed prevalent social drinking scene leads many the calories for drinking. that drunkorexia increases the risk of students to re-prioritize. Undeclared SF State student Dylan "violence, risky sexual behavior, alcohol “They are wanting to fit in, feel like part Garruto knows this method well. poisoning, substance abuse and chronic of a social group,” she said, “and drinking “I usually drink on an empty stomach,” diseases later in life." is one of the ways people try to fit in.” he said. “I save calories and I get more French major Slam Binley tries to avoid Lombardi suggests that this fear of drunk.” losing control by eating before she goes out weight gain may be based on nothing more Diet trade-offs are a common occurdrinking. than a cultural myth. A 2011 study done at rence, according to SF State nutritionist “If I don't eat, that's like a sure-fire way Ohio State University showed the percepTeresa Leu, who provides counseling in the to wake up and not know where I am,” she tion of the “freshman 15” to be inaccurate. student health center. said. Researchers surveyed more than 5,000 “I can't say it is unusual for people to Like many students, however, Binley is college students nationwide and discovrestrict in one aspect of the diet to compenoccasionally forced to make a choice due to ered that the average weight gain was 1-3 sate for another,” Leu said. “Less dinner financial constraints. pounds, which is normal for young adults. in order to eat dessert, diet soda in order to “When I only have $5, and I have to have the cheeseburger, skip choose between a beer and a sandwich, lunch in order to eat large I’m going to pick the beer,” she said. dinners out.” Urban studies and planning major, Leu advises consuming Alex Smith, takes another approach and food before drinking, and prefers to eat after he drinks. increasing awareness of just “It's a lot more fun that way, you get a how much alcohol is being lot drunker, and then become more sober consumed. afterwards," he said. “The ‘drunkies’ are The exchange of alcohol way better than the munchies, let me tell for food can be a particularyou that.“ ly unsafe one, and Jennifer When “drunkorexia” becomes a comLombardi, executive director pulsive behavior, Lombardi emphasizes of Summit Eating Disorthe importance of treatment. ders and Outreach Program, “It's extremely important that if you stresses the risks of mixing know somebody, or if you yourself are these behaviors. struggling, the first step is absolutely “Binge drinking in and getting an assessment,” she said. “Trying of itself is a dangerous thing to stop on your own usually doesn’t go so to do, but if you add to that well.” mix heavy restrictive eating, Free one-on-one nutrition counseldieting or even exercise, it ing is available from the peers’ nutrition really puts people’s lives at assessment clinic in the student health risk,” she said. center on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from Lombardi, who battled 1-4pm.
Someone on the street told me they had a small dick. Someone I didn’t know. It was really random.
GRAPHIC BY HOLLY NALL
International of the week
NICK CRANE, 21
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN MAJOR
My old roommate said he was gay. That was pretty surprising ‘cause I didn’t think he was. He had a girlfriend. Photos by: Samantha Benedict Reporting by: Guadalupe Gonzalez
Name: X Erbold Age: 25 Major: Hospitality & Tourism From: Mongolia What is your favorite thing about San Francisco? It’s very diverse; you get the opportunity to meet different people and learn about new cultures in the City. What’s the first thing you noticed about San Francisco? It’s crowded but you get used to it. What’s the biggest difference between US and Mongolia? Here you get more opportunities to pursue your dreams. What do you miss most about your home country? My family and friends, I haven’t seen them in seven years. What do you plan to do after college? First graduate then find a job and maybe stay here for a while. Then maybe start a restaurant business if I can.
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CAMPUS 3
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Posts expose serious student issues CONTINUED FROM THE FRONT PAGE
“I go on daily to get the real dish on SFSU,” said Siobhan Ross, a 21-year-old apparel and design major at SF State. The page helps bring her together with her fellow students, she said. “We’re more alike than we think.” Jesse Vicario, a 23-year-old pre-nursing major, had similar reasons for going to the page. “I really go on not because it's hilarious, but I would like to understand what the many SFSU students think,” he said. And the numbers show that many SF State students are just as interested in each other — besides the over 3,000 “likes” on Facebook, the page has reached over 65,000 viewers, the site’s administrator said. The sheer number of submissions though can be overwhelming to the Admin. “I’m a full-time student, this isn’t my job, I do it for fun,” the Admin said in an interview via Skype. “It used to be fun, it’s unfortunately getting to be like a labor sum now. Now I worry about if I get enough postings each day.” He was inspired to make the page after seeing the film “The Social Network,” and more importantly, inspired by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. “I will admit, the day I saw (the Social Network) my life changed,” the Admin said. “He pissed off the school, came forward and changed the world. It started in his dorm room and became worldwide.” The Admin wants to have the same impact on SF State and beyond, he said. But every dream has its challenges, and the Admin’s humble confessions page is sparking an education campaign from the school, alleging the page puts some students in the crosshairs of stalkers. Marygrace Delucchi is the area coordinator for Mary Park and Mary Ward halls. She oversees the school’s 20 resident advisors, or RA's. It was one of those RA's that brought the confessions page to her attention — but not over a funny post, but rather, a dangerous one. “Individuals have felt uncomfortable and been recognized on campus (from the posts),” Delucchi said. When one of the many students reading the page recognizes someone described in the posts, they use a Facebook tag to link the comment to their profile page. It may seem like an innocent way to link someone with a crush to a potential new friend, she said, but some students were getting over 20 to 30 friend requests from people they didn’t know on Facebook, Delucchi said. "Their address and name are available for anyone
on the internet who wants to find them,” she said. “This makes me feel kinda gross, as a person who looks out for the safety of the residents.” Notably, anyone can join SFSU Confessions from anywhere, the group is not restricted to students. To warn students of some of the pitfalls of posting to the confessions page, Delucchi and her RA’s are starting an Internet privacy awareness campaign. In the next few weeks, fake “confessions” will start popping up on bulletin boards and hallways around the student dorms. One of the posts reads “Confession #1: I’m scared that my personal information can be posted publicly without my permission,” in a nod to the stalking issues. But they also address other problems, like mean-spirited posts: “Confession #15: I left the burn book to the Mean Girls.” For his part, the Admin feels like he does an adequate job protecting people’s identities. “I don’t think the RA’s have anything to complain about,” he said. “I take a very, very fine comb and take (personally identifying) stuff out. But (there are) people who want to hear about that stuff, who want to hear about those dorms, commuters like me and you who want to live vicariously through these people in the dorms.” Part of the allure of the confessions page is definitely the voyeuristic thrill, but the anonymity of the page can lead to scathing posts that are a turnoff, students said. “When someone posts about killing themselves, that's kind of a scary thing, and there’s really nothing anybody can do about it because it’s all anonymous,” Max Freeland, a freshman cinema major said. More than a dozen people have submitted suicidal posts to the SFSU Confessions page, the Admin said. The decision to put them on the page was a tough one. “That was something I definitely had to think about when this was starting,” he said. “It could be people screwing with you, but then there's real cases. Some are fully typed out paragraphs. I’m like, ‘this sounds a little convincing.’” Delucchi is equally frightened by the suicidal postings on the confessions page. “You know for me if I hear a student (talk about suicide) to my face, there are protocols,” she said. “But for someone to just post it anonymously online, theres so little support the school can give them.” Justin Lardinois, a 19-year-old computer science major at UC Santa Cruz, runs a confessions page for UCSC
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and is dealing with that problem himself. “(Suicidal posts) are an ongoing issue, and I’m still working on a solution,” he said. Lardinois recently posted two potential solutions to suicidal posts on his page, and asked for feedback. His first solution was to flat out ignore suicide posts, but his second solution revealed something surprising. "I could associate an IP address with every submission and report suicide threats directly to the authorities. I'm hesitant to do this because it would infringe on the privacy of everyone that submits,” Lardinois wrote on his UCSC Confessions page. Lardinois’ post reveals something that may not be commonly known by posters to SFSU Confessions — the administrator can see the IP addresses of those who post, potentially leading law enforcement to those who post on the page, despite the promise of anonymity. The Admin of SFSU Confessions now has a disclaimer on his page: “Do not confess your suicidal thoughts on the survey. If you are in need of help, please seek professional advice. SF State offers many resources to help matters like these.” Suicidal thoughts aren’t the only danger on the page one student said. “There have been certain posts that I believe should be turned over to authorities,” Catherine Gastelum, an 18-year-old civil engineering major said. “In one confession, a girl believes that she may have been raped, and yet no one is able to help her, or even find her assaulter.” Despite the issues, Delucchi doesn’t want to see the SFSU Confessions page taken down. “I feel like that sends the wrong sort of message,” she said. “The message I want to send is ‘think about it.’ Think before you post anonymous confessions.” And for his part, the Admin is hoping to improve his page as best he can, because he said, it's the pilot for a much bigger project. “I’m planning on a social network that's in the works,” he said. It's targeted towards college students but he was unwilling to go into more detail about the project. “It's still on the drawing board, but I think it can be done.” Taking his cue from Zuckerberg and the creation of Facebook, he has big dreams for his future. “Some people say that you’re just a kid, and to shut up,” he said. “But what is life if you don’t have a dream?”
4 ARTS AND ENTERTAINMNENT
02.27.13 | GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG
SF State band braves Noise Pop Festival BY KRISTEN MARTZ | kmartz@mail.sfsu.edu
BIG BREAK: SF State student and drummer, Kyle Teese (middle left), with fellow bandmates of Before the Brave. The band will perform March 2 at Great American Music Hall for Noise Pop Festival. Photo Courtesy of Jason Roque
NOISE POP
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!!!, White Arrows Thurs. 2/28 @ Great American Music Hall
HILOSOPHY MAJOR KYLE Teese finishes a day of classes, hops on his bike, and rides out to the Mission to practice with his band. Though many students are members of local bands, few have the same bragging rights as Teese, who drums for Before
the Brave. Before the Brave has made a striking debut in the music scene. They released an EP in November that’s rated four-and-a-half stars on iTunes, they were featured as an “Artist of the Month” on NoiseTrade, and are set to play a show in the Noise Pop Festival next month. Now in its 21st year, the Noise Pop Festival is a six-day indie music, arts and film festival known for bringing early exposure to emerging artists. The band started when Teese and his roommate Jason Stevens decided to play music together and pursue Stevens’ idea for a band, The Sundance Kids, with friend Nicholas Morawiecki. After a series of lineup changes, the band decided to take a break before they found their other current members and were reborn as Before the Brave. “A lot of us knew each other through Reality — the church we’re apart of in the city — and just all shared a love for music. It was one of those things where doors just opened up. I think the band started — I say, when I write about it — on the bedroom floor. We really liked what he had initially started off with and kind of ran with it,” Teese said. Prior to becoming Before the Brave, the original trio played their first show at Matching Half in NOPA (short for the San Francisco neighborhood North of the Panhandle) to about 90 people. “I went to their first concert at Matching Half and I was in love. I really fell in love the first time
Toro Y Moi Fri. 3/01 @ The Independent
Before the Brave Sat. 3/2 @ Great American Music Hall
I heard them play. It wasn’t just because like ‘Oh, I just love the people in the band,’ it was like the sound was something that so many people could connect with. The sound is very easy to wrap your arms around and a lot of people can connect with the music,” English literature major Kayla Pero said. Before the Brave finalized their lineup with the addition of Beth Garber in July, was when she played her first show with them at the Elbo Room. “That’s when things kind of really solidified,” Stevens said. Shortly after the addition of Garber and Steven Binnquist, the band started recording music and released their debut EP, “Great Spirit,” this past November. The EP was released on NoiseTrade first, then on Spotify and iTunes a couple weeks later. It wasn’t until after the online releases that Before the Brave made physical copies of their record, as is the case with many modern bands in the digital era. “I think we’re still learning how to use the Internet as an interface to interact with people because everything is digital now. We eventually did make EPs, we have hard copies and merch and stuff, but I think the majority of today’s bands are getting known through the Internet,” Teese said. After releasing Great Spirit on NoiseTrade, the band was featured as an Artist of the Month. NoiseTrade is a relatively new music site that allows bands to post their music for free download to fans, who supply their email and zip code in exchange. “NoiseTrade has been awesome because bands right now in the early stage — the goal is not to make money, the goal is to build a fan base, and that’s what NoiseTrade does,” Stevens said. “People can donate if they’d like and you can encourage your fans to do that, but NoiseTrade has just been this really rad tool for early bands to kind of kickstart their fan base.”
FESTIVAL
The EP spread quickly and Before the Brave gained fame in the Bay Area and beyond, helping them in their quest to play the Noise Pop Festival. The band announced Feb. 7 they would be playing a show in the festival headlined by Thao & The Get Down Stay Down. The journey to their March 2 show wasn’t so easy, though. “We got in through the back door, really. We were actually denied through Noise Pop’s application process, they denied us, but we knew a guy through ASCAP — this is like an ASCAP-Noise Pop show and a majority of us are signed to license with ASCAP — and they liked our music and the guy kind of put us on. He was like ‘Hey, you guys got the show.’ We’re making like $100 on the show, which is cool, but we get to play the Great American Music Hall, which is great,” Stevens said. Notable musicians such as the White Stripes, Modest Mouse, The Flaming Lips, Death Cab for Cutie, The Shins and Bright Eyes have all played Noise Pop Festival in the past, and booking a slot in the festival is a huge break for new bands. “I feel like there’s this allure to it — it’s kind of this weird thing where, on one hand, a lot of people don’t know the bands that are there but because of the bands the festival has outputted throughout the years, people look at it like, ‘Those are the next big bands.’ I think people are kind of just thinking, ‘This is the next thing,’” said Teese. The March 2 Noise Pop show has already sold out, but students can get a taste of the band on campus March 1 at The Depot. From 12 to 3 p.m., International Justice Mission will host a free (donations optional, but recommended) benefit show for their cause. Band members will be there to support their vocalist, Jason Perry Stevens, who may surprise attendees with a couple Before the Brave songs.
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| 02.27.13
ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT 5
President Wong shakes it with students BY LOVELIE FAUSTINO | faustino@mail.sfsu.edu
A crowd of SF State administration and When students received the challenge, they students adorned in colorful costumes stood in rallied together and campaigned on social neta circle cheering for President Leslie E. Wong working sites Twitter and Facebook. Feb. 22 as he danced at the center of Malcolm “I think President Wong's participation is X Plaza. Seconds later, the beat of the music pretty radical, in both senses, that it's legit for a dropped and the SF State student body swarmed school president to join the student body for this Wong, dancing in excitement as they filmed their YouTube fad and even better, that most would not version of the popular video trend known as the consider joining students for this. I think it gave Harlem Shake. me a greater idea of his personality into perspecThrough the Golden Gate Xpress blog, The tive,” Chenoa Ladabouche, 21, psychology major Swamp, President Wong was encouraged to parsaid. “I know that he is focusing on the student ticipate in the second version of a student-made body's interest and by incorporating Twitter that SF State Harlem Shake video, calling the camwas a genius idea, it was very creative." paign #ShakeItWong. President Wong accepted In two days the goal of 100 tweets was acthe challenge via Twitter on the condition that the complished and #ShakeItWong became a school#ShakeItWong campaign received 100 tweets. wide event. “When I came here, I told students that I was “As soon as I heard he was joining it I going to be engaged with them, and that whether thought ‘This has to happen,’” Yassa said. “What it was in the classroom or when they perform other school has their president in their Harlem music, or sports, or even silly things like this, Shake video?” that I’d join them,” Wong said. “I think it’s imWhen President Wong confirmed his participortant for a president to be with his students and pation, more students agreed to attend the event. this is just another way of doing that.” The SFSU Harlem Shake version two event page Despite its fun intended nature, the Harlem reached over 400 confirmed participants. But Shake video trend has received negative reacnot everyone wanted to participate. Students like tions from the people of Harlem, who find it Joey Kao, 22, Asian American studies major, offensive to their neighborhood and the original declined to partake in the video; he thought that Harlem Shake dance. The original Harlem Shake the Harlem Shake trend was over and it was too is known for the quick, aggressive swinging late to make another one. motions of the arms and shoulders. “I believe in the cyber-world trends move Street historians say it has a spiritual connec- faster than our fashion,” Kao said. “New video tion to traditional Ethiopian dances. The dance trends top the next, every one to two weeks and has been around since the early 80s and was then you see something amazing again." created by Harlem dancer, Al B. Back then it was Participating or not, students were impressed known as “the Albee.” The dance made a popular by President Wong, who kept his promise and comeback in the 90s through hip-hop videos. starred in the video. Accompanying him were Alan David, SF State graduate with an M.A. members of the administration who were happy in ethnic studies, said he can understand why the to participate, including Linda Oubre, dean of the people of Harlem find the video trend disrespectful. College of Business. “Whether people want to recognize it or “I heard about this through my staff and my not, the original Harlem Shake is an extension students and then my niece is visiting and I told of Harlem's cultural tradition expressing both her about it and she was really excited,” Oubre the struggles and triumphs of Harlem's African said. “I’m here to support President Wong and American youth and community,” David said. the students because we teach leadership and this “Being that the 'new Harlem Shake' does not is perfect leadership.” recognize that there is an original Harlem Shake “In the three years that I've been here, this is already in existence and by simply naming a the biggest amount of collaborative spirit towards song and dance after Harlem where people who something that I've seen on campus and it's nice to are not even from Harlem 'going crazy' or 'acting have something like this bring us closer together, a fool,' it is no surprise that the Harlem commuespecially with our reputation as a commuter nity find it offensive.” school,” Avinash Changavi, 21, computer engiPresident Wong hopes viewers do not take neering major said. “I really hope this newfound offense to the SF State Harlem Shake video but spirit lasts and grows for future events, for stusee it as a fun experience he shared with the dents to look forward to coming here, and to make students. college a better place for everyone.” “I hope that in respect for the dancers in President Wong hopes that everyone can use Harlem that we at least make them smile,” Wong this experience to see the different ways we can said. “I hope people see it in the spirit that it is come together and enjoy our school community. having fun.” “We can be serious, we can be engaged with John Yassa, an 18-year-old biology major, big ideas and do a lot of different things,” Wong creator and director of the SF State Harlem said. “Bottom line is we’re all citizens here and Shake videos, first came up with the video part of that is having some fun together.” concept after watching other universities create their own versions on YouTube. He promoted the first video event on Facebook and Feb. 15 he taped it on the roof of the Cesar Chavez Student Center with about 30 people. The video received over 3,000 views in one day. Yassa decided to do a second video when students who were not in the first version wanted their opportunity to be a part of the viral video sensation. “When I heard about it from Facebook, the SFSU’s confessions page, I thought “Oh my god, how did you #SHAKEITWONG: After a social media campaign, University President Leslie E. do this without me? It’s not Wong dances with the student population in Malcolm X Plaza during the second possible,” Larissa Thornton, SF State Harlem Shake video. Photo by Virginia Tieman 20, undeclared, said. “I had to be in the next one.”
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6 CITY BY ADRIAN RODRIGUEZ arrodrig@mail.sfsu.edu
02.27.13 | GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG
BIKE CULTURE PEDALS TOWARD POPULARITY With more and more people looking for alternate ways to commute, bicyclists are growing in number and influence
RICHMOND OUTER SUNSET
Head east on Anza St toward 23rd Ave.
LOWER HAIGHT Head west on Haight St. toward Steiner St.
Head west on Judah St. toward Great Hwy
MISSION
INNER SUNSET
Head north on San Carlos St. toward 19th St.
Head south on 29th Ave. toward Rivera St.
ONLINE XCLUSIVE
SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY
J
ULIE MCNAMARA packs her 12-hour day into her Rickshaw commuter bag before leaving home. The 21-year-old SF State graduating senior is not only double-majoring in English and Spanish, she works part-time teaching English as a second language at Marshall Elementary School in the Mission — and she also nannies on the side. With such a hectic schedule, McNamara needed to find the mode of transportation that most suited her. "I feel like I take a little bit of my house with me," she joked as she planned out her day. "I don’t have any other place to put my stuff and I don’t have a car either. Everything is just in my backpack — and me, I’m on my bike." McNamara is one of thousands of San Franciscans who commutes by bike in the city that was named the greenest of 27 metropolitan areas in the U.S. and Canada by Siemens' Green Cities Index. The number of cyclists in San Francisco has increased dramatically, up by 71 percent in the last five years, according to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency's 2012 State of Cycling Report. In response, the SFMTA developed a draft of the Bicycle Strategy, which was published January 2013. The five-year plan aims to increase sustainable modes of transportation to 50 percent and for cycling to be 8 to 10 percent of that mode share. "The Bicycle Strategy was just one of the strategies presented by the SFMTA in conjunction with their new Strategic Plan," Kristin Smith, communications director of the San Francisco Bike Coalition, said. "For years, the SF Bicycle Coalition has been pushing for the city to come up with a bigger vision for the future of bicycling in San Francisco and create a road map for the future." San Francisco trails behind Seattle, Wash. and Portland, Ore., in ridership in major cities, with Portland nominated as the second in "America's Top 50 Bike-Friendly Cities" by Bicycling.com. Oliver Smith, Ph.D. candidate in urban studies at Portland State University, recognized cycling's popularity. His own passion for cycling and interest in "subjective well-being," a term he came across while
researching topics for his dissertation, led him to conduct a study which concluded that commuting by active modes increases commute well-being which ultimately can affect a commuter's overall well-being. "Given that so many people seem to enjoy biking — including myself — and get frustrated with driving, measuring differences in well-being among different commuting scenarios seemed important," he said. "My study confirms findings in other studies that people who bike and walk to work are the most satisfied with their commutes relative to car and transit users." Out of the 828 valid respondents to webbased surveys, it was concluded that cyclists had a "commute-well being" three times higher than that of motorists. The survey measured factors such as stress, arrival time, excitement, pleasure and ease of trip to calculate "commute happiness." Although cycling is popular in San Francisco, Oliver Smith suggests that his findings may not be applicable to San Francisco due to its size and "extensive transit system." "Similar findings may or may not be found in other cities like San Francisco. Portland is a relatively small city, with a unique culture and transportation network, including well-developed bikeways," he said. In San Francisco, the condition of bikeways seems to be a significant problem. "I try to stay off Market, it’s pretty sketchy sometimes," Ryan Primas, bike commuter, said. He argued that the majority of bike lanes are not up to par and that more are needed. “They’re not cleaned up. I pop plenty of tires. There’s broken glass. They need a lot of work." Much like Primas, commuter Eric Gasman relies on his bike for transportation but safety concerns him. "Downtown I don't touch," Gasman said. "It’s too busy, there’s pot holes — a lot of dangerous stuff." Despite the fact that conditions in high traffic areas may not be at their best, cyclists are still growing in San Francisco and it is becoming a part of being a progressive society, according to Kristin Smith. "The number of people biking in San Francisco has increased a dramatic 71 percent in the last five years, despite only .46 percent of SFMTA's capital budet being spent on bicycling," Kristin Smith said.
Look out for an exclusive video featuring SF State student commuters on their experiences on biking in San Francisco.
FOR FULL BIKE ROUTES View the story on goldengatexpress.org
TWO TIRED: SF State student, Eric Gasmin (above), holding his road bike near the campus Bike Barn. Gasmin rides daily and is also a member of the SF State Cycling Team. CYCLE OF LIFE: SF State student, Julie McNamara (below), commutes to campus upon finishing her tutoring job in the Mission District. McNamara commutes from the Inner Richmond daily. Photo by Gabriella Gamboa
"Imagine what could be achieved if the city made a real investment in bicycling." McNamara experienced struggles in commuting by bike but like many others in San Francisco, she quickly fell in love with the urban sport. "The more constantly I ride the stronger I feel," she said. "I enjoy the challenge. I love the thrill of speeding down a hill and charging up one. It’s really exciting, especially on a nice day around San Francisco."
McNamara considered her options when deciding whether or not to commit to bicycle commuting. In the end she decided that the benefit outweighed the cost. "I feel good doing it," she said. "It’s fun to see the city this way. I feel like sometimes I see more things. San Francisco is beautiful.When you come to the top of a hill and you see an incredible view of the city. It’s just so easy to find hidden gems around the city on a bicycle."
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8 CITY
02.27.13 | GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG
TARGET PRACTICE: Andy Navarro gazes at his target after shooting his self-constructed AR-15-style rifle at the Coyote Point Shooting Range in San Mateo, Calif. Photo by Andy Sweet
CONTINUED FROM THE FRONT PAGE
less time, but he spent 30 minutes looking for a tiny piece of the gun he misplaced. What makes Navarro’s gun legal in California is a bullet button, which makes the magazine removable only with a pointed tool. California’s Democrat-controlled state Legislature looks to be leveraging the growing opposition to guns with handfuls of propositions that they say will make the state the strictest in the country. The proposals include banning all semi-automatic weapons with detachable magazines, background checks on ammo purchases, prohibiting more guns and requiring all firearms to be registered. Some proposals intend for the prohibitions to apply to current gun owners. “I wouldn’t give my gun up,” Navarro said, adding that he would rather move to a state with less gun restrictions. Gerald Eisman, director of SF State’s Institute for Civic and Community Engagement, said there are three categories, which are often overlapping, of gun owners. The first one includes hunters, sport shooters and collectors. Then there are those who own guns for self protection. The last category are those who believe the Second Amendment was written to protect the citizens from a tyrannical government and that they should be able to possess military style weapons. The Institute for Civic and Community Engagement is a neutral organization that promotes civil discourse and it will be hosting the SF State Forum on Reducing Gun Violence, March 4. The second category, those who own guns for self protection, is where the real debate is centered, according to Eisman. “Does owning a gun protect you or put you at risk?” Eisman asked. “There is great anecdotal evidence of situations where a gun owner protects himself, his home and family with a gun. This evidence is very moving. Then there is statistical evidence that shows owning a gun puts you and your family at greater risk.” According to research done by Mother Jones, an investigative news magazine that researched FBI records and academic studies, “nearly 10 times more people were shot and killed in arguments than by those trying to stop a crime” and that “for every time a gun was used in the home for self defense, there are seven assaults or murders, 11 suicide attempts, and four accidents involving guns in or around the home.” “People who have guns for personal protection might not love guns, but they want that extra bit of security,” Eisman said. “And that is a hard to argue
Gun ban under fire by arms enthusiasts against, except with statistics.” Community activist, Espanola Jackson, 80, who has lived in the Bayview since 1948, is not shy about letting everyone know she is packing heat. “I live in a crime ridden neighborhood — Bayview Hunters Point — and people are breaking into homes all the time,” she said. “If they want to break into my house they are going to get shot. I have to protect myself and my property.” She supports no locked guns and more lethal bullets for San Francisco and has filed a lawsuit with the city challenging the constitutionality of the city’s gun law. City law forbids her from keeping the gun under her pillow, the very place she wants to have it, and instead requires gun owners to keep guns locked safely in a box. In the case of an intruder, Jackson said she “would have to get out of bed, turn the light on, find the key, open the drawer, unlock the box, pick up the gun and shoot. By that time, they would have gotten me — taken me out in my own house.” The lawsuit was recently dismissed, but lawyers for the NRA are currently seeking an appeal. Similar restrictive gun laws have been struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court as unconstitutional. In the 2008 landmark ruling of District of Columbia v. Heller, the Supreme Court interpreted the second amendment as an individual’s right to possess firearms, including for self defense in the home. The ruling effectively struck down the District’s gun laws banning handguns and certain other laws restricting guns in the home. Not to worry, Jackson said she doesn’t want to kill anybody. “I wouldn’t shoot to kill,” she added. “I’d shoot them in the knees.” She said she owns a handgun with a laser sight, that way she can aim for the knees and not miss. Jackson only wants to handicap intruders, so they can’t break into anyone else’s home. Not everyone is a gun lover. In fact, many believe it to be the number one risk factor for violence. Joseph Marshall, executive director of Omega Boys Club and member of the police commission, said he finds no value in a gun. At the Omega Boys Club, Marshall works with troubled youth from around the Bay Area, ranging from 13 to 24-years-old. His job is to reduce the harm caused from what he calls the “disease of violence.” Sometimes, his classes have as many as 60 kids in them, and the last thing Marshall wants to encounter is a kid with a gun. “Whatever issues they bring, turf issues, gang issues,
socioeconomic problems, anger issues — I can handle that,” Marshall said. “But the one thing I can’t handle is a gun. It’s the number one risk for violence. You can't fight against a gun, that is why people use them.” For the 45 firearms-related deaths that occurred in San Francisco in 2010, 14 of them were between the ages of 15 to 24, according to the California Department of Public Health. Nine of those kids killed were black, four were Latino and one was white. “Latinos and African Americans are getting killed by guns overwhelmingly,” said Roberto Eligio Alfaro, director of Homies Organizing the Mission to Empower Youth or HOMEY, a local organization dedicated to getting kids off the street, out of jail and away from a life of crime. Alfaro added that communities of color are disproportionately affected by gun violence. “Young people are behind the barrels of the guns. They’re the ones pulling the trigger and the ones getting killed.” Thomas Taper, the program director for the Community Response Network, said he knows of about 200 people who’ve died from gun inflicted wounds in the past six years. The response network is a violence prevention group, which responds directly to shootings of young adults in the southeastern section of San Francisco. “There’s too many guns available on the streets for youngsters,” said Taper, who’s not completely against guns, just guns in the wrong hands. Taper owns a 40 mm handgun he got after his house was broken into. Most guns that make their way to the streets, according to Taper, were originally purchased at gun show, where lax laws make guns easier to get. He’d like to see tougher gun laws that cracked down on gun shows. He supports more background checks on guns and limiting the amount of ammo a magazine can hold. Taper, 50, has been working directly with the community since he was 18. For Alfaro, guns have come to symbolize a lot of power to the youth. Guns can be seen as a tool with dual purposes. Guns kill and protect. “I see a lot of kids who believe guns are going to protect them and what you end up with are a lot of dead kids,” said Marshall, who organized a gun buyback on Dec. 14 at the Omega Boys Club, on Tennessee Street in the Dogpatch. The program collected about 300 guns from people, no questions asked. If he can’t ban guns, Marshall will stick to changing the minds of the youth most likely to be affected by gun violence. Plus, he added, you can’t pass legislation before you change the people’s attitudes.
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Planet Earth: occupied past maximum capacity A WEEKLY ENVIRONMENTAL COLUMN BY ELISSA TORRES elissat@mail.sfsu.edu
B
EING THAT 65.5 PERCENT of SF State students are upperclassmen, there’s no doubt they are thinking about the future and taking the next steps into adulthood. These plans could include getting married and starting families. Many students are surely asking themselves, “How many children am I planning on having in the distantbut-near future?” Whether the answer is none, two, five or six, that decision will impact the environment. Overpopulation is the number of people populating a region past its ecological limits, straining the non-renewable resources of the Earth. Overpopulation is due to an increase in births and a decline in death rates. While overpopulation isn't a direct fault of developed countries like the U.S., where the trend of bearing less children is rising, developed countries are at fault for overconsumption of non-renewable resources in an overpopulated world. The United States overuses resources because of our wealth and privilege. The U.S. is the biggest global consumer with only five percent of the world's population, but accounts for 30 percent of the annual worldwide consumption. The U.S. now has only 20 percent of old growth forest remaining and 75 percent of fisheries are producing at or above capacity. Also,
99 percent of raw materials are discarded within six months by various means; either burned, buried or tossed into the oceans. There are over 315 million people in the United States and 7 billion people in the world, according to the U.S. Census website. Every eight seconds someone is born and every 12 seconds someone dies in the U.S. Imagine the world in 10 years. The amount of food, land, energy and water that is needed to sustain a planet will soon run out with a growing world population of roughly 82 million people. According to HowMany.org, one billion people — one out of every seven people alive — go to bed hungry. Every day, 25,000 people die of malnutrition and hunger-related diseases. Almost 18,000 of them are children under five years old. Food production and distribution could catch up if our population stopped growing and dropped to a sustainable level.
When Elissa Torres isn’t rescuing wounded marine mammals or hugging trees, the environmental studies minor spends her time writing this column. It’s based on equal parts opinion, statistics and life experiences. If you don’t like it, read and recycle.
Further depletion of essential resources like food, fresh water and land make the issue of overpopulation a big deal. Although over 70 percent of Earth is covered with water, 97.5 percent of that water is full of salt, leaving only 2.5 percent for human consumption. Lack of fresh water leads to poor hygiene, which then leads to disease, dehydration, loss of food crops, and eventually, starvation. While we, as Americans, might have the economic means to support large families, awareness of overpopulation and staying within our world's ecological limits is critical. An environmentally conscious plan for a family would consist of two children. The two children would replace the two parents when they pass. There will be no increase in population, but a simple replacement. Family planning is the key to a stable population in underdeveloped countries. In the U.S., our population is already stable. Our problem is overconsumption. The key to curbing consumption is taking care of our ecosystems. Saving fresh water, discouraging development on arable land, rolling back subsidies on domestic crops to reduce over production, eating locally-grown produce and reducing our carbon footprint helps curb our consumption. Remember you have an impact, both positive and negative, on the environment. Keep in mind, Mother Nature can only give so much before everything is gone.
10 O P I N I O N
02.27.13 | GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG STAFF EDITORIAL
KALE WILLIAMS
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF kale@mail.sfsu.edu
BRAD WILSON
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ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR arrodrig@mail.sfsu.edu
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ART DIRECTOR elissat@mail.sfsu.edu
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RACHELE KANIGEL
Internet anonymity amplifies free speech
L
ATELY SF STATE has had its share of runins with free speech. Cry to God, a group of religious fanatics who came to campus a few weeks ago, raised questions of protected free speech versus protected hate speech. Free speech issues in the public arena are nothing new, but what about free speech online? What happens when free speech takes an anonymous form, like SFSU Confessions, the recently popular anonymous Facebook page? The Internet enables all forms of free speech, and when anonymous, the results are extreme. Every so often, we are reminded of the abuse of internet anonymity: cases of ignorant trolls, harmful cyberbullies, and hateful propaganda. We’ve heard of suicides by young Internet users, seen the obnoxious comments under blog posts, and even witnessed riots in the Muslim world over an offensive YouTube video. These cases beg the questions: Why do we put up with anonymity? Why not reveal these users and keep them accountable? The concerns raised by these examples are valid and anonymity certainly plays a role in enabling Internet hate speech, but we at Xpress see that Internet anonymity, on a greater scale, does much more good than bad. It has given an equal voice to all users. It spurs on dialogue without judgment of name, geographic location, physical look or age (unless a user chooses to reveal his/her identity). We do not accept a precedent of sacrificing Internet anonymity for these few hateful instances. Creative, user-generated dialogue has flourished under the veil of anonymity. SFSU Confessions is a clear example of this, for better or for worse. The anonymity of SFSU Confessions has
granted users the freedom to say what they want without a filter. Unfortunately, likers of the page have figured out whom these (sometimes insulting or explicit) confessions are about, and exposed their identities and, in some cases, housing locations. This is where Internet anonymity has the opportunity to protect instead of defame. The only way SFSU Confes-
sions works is if all parties are kept anonymous — curator, confessors and those confessed about. Without anonymity, there would be no SFSU Confessions, which would severely hamper online dialogue among SF State students. An equal, accessible, anonymous public forum has had positive implications on democracy and solidarity. Across the seas, Internet anonymity was a major player in the Arab Spring. Social media provided a platform for the concerns of those suffering under corrupt and repressive governments. Anonymity allowed users to speak out freely, organize without fear of retribution and publicly engage with other like-minded individuals. In some cases where users were identified, they suffered harsh reprisals from their governments, only further stressing the importance of Internet anonymity. It should be alarming to us that the biggest opponents of Internet anonymity are oppressive, censoring governments like China, North Korea, Russia, Iran and Saudi Arabia, according to The New American. This signals that an end to Internet anonymi-
ART BY KIRSTIE HARUTA
kharuta@mail.sfsu.edu
ty could lead to the silencing of dissidence. China imprisoned a citizen for criticizing the single-party rule of China’s government on an Internet forum aided by personal information yielded by Yahoo. If Internet anonymity is abolished, cases like these will be too common under authoritarian regimes. Online dissidence should be protected as free, anonymous speech. The best way we can protect anonymity on the Internet is by not abusing it. Trolls are capable of completely derailing a civil conversation on a forum, using hyperbole and vitriol to distract users from the issue at hand. Harmful, hateful speech gives Internet anonymity a bad name, and reduces the public opinion of Internet anonymity to memorable, malevolent cases. In order to help the public reap the benefits of Internet anonymity across the globe, we should use it sensibly close to home.
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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 Kale Williams at: kale@mail.sfsu.edu
BY LOVELIE FAUSTINO faustino@mail.sfsu.edu
In love with cyber-me
Lately, I’ve been watching a show called Catfish on MTV. It has made me realize that our generation is obsessed with how we appear online in our social media profiles. Catfish is a documentary series that helps two people who have met through social media meet in person for the first time. People who catfish usually have entirely fake profiles. I know what you’re probably thinking right now. “How dare she say such a thing? I’m nothing like them!” Your profile may be 100 percent real but you have to admit, you do take time to choose your default picture on Facebook. You’re guilty of proofreading your tweets and if you have an Instagram, you get annoyed when you don’t reach a certain number of picture likes. Now just agree that you, like me, like the people on Catfish, are somewhat self-conscious of how others view you via social media. We are always updating our profiles to show the best of what we have to offer. We’ve become addicted to making them perfect. Online profiles are a vulnerable concept. It allows people an opportunity to create an online persona that makes them confident and powerful. The people on Catfish are an extreme version of the online obsession that we have as normal users.
CSU Dominguez Hills psychology professor, Larry D. Rosen, authored a book, iDisorder, in which he said that social media could be harmful for people prone to narcissism, OCD and depression. Most people on Catfish suffer from insecurities and loneliness, so they use their profiles to escape the real world and create an identity they can be proud of presenting. In one of the episodes, a girl pretends to be a male model to talk to girls. She said she had been catfishing for years because she always got made fun of for her appearance. This was her way to escape the bullying and find confidence within herself. In the end, she just ended up hurting someone that grew to care about the fictionalized version of herself that she had created. As everyday college students, we understand the pressures of wanting to be liked by our peers. We will retake pictures of ourselves until they are just right to post. We will reread statuses until they’re perfectly formed. And we will hide tagged pictures of ourselves if it doesn’t portray our ideal self. Our actions may not go as far as creating a fake profile, but we will edit, filter and delete until we like the person we present on the Internet. It fuels our self-confidence and reflects who we are as individuals. We can disagree with the deceit of someone who
catfishes, but at the end of the day, we all care about how people view us and that will never change. Social media isn’t bad in and of itself, but it can be dangerous for people who suffer from disorders. Their addiction to social networking can lead to extreme results. There’s an episode where a girl pretends to be a former Miss Teen USA. She admitted to catfishing for years because she liked the attention. When she determined she had an addiction to online profiling, she still could not delete the profile. She was so attached to her fake identity and online popularity that she couldn’t stop. If we don’t address online social media addictions now it will be too late for people, especially ones with disorders, to change. What happens when people who catfish are caught? They are more embarrassed than ever, their confidence falters even more and the people they deceive are brokenhearted. It is normal to be addicted to updating your online profile. But if you use it as a way to escape and become a whole new person, you’re ultimately hurting yourself and others. You’ll end up getting lost in this fantasy world, lying to other people who don’t deserve it and forgetting your real self. Everyone gets self-conscious of themselves, but that is no excuse to be someone you’re not.
GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG
PLAYER of the
WEEK
S P O R T S 11
| 02.27.13 DECENSAE WHITE MEN’S BASKETBALL
Senior Decensae White notched a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds in a 57-55 victory over No. 4-ranked Cal Poly Pomona. White won the game with a three-quarter-court buzzer-beater.
PHOTO BY TYLER DENISTON/SF STATE SPORTS
Decensae becomes the master
SWAMPED: Forward Decensae White gets mobbed by fans after his last-second shot to defeat Cal Poly Pomona during Spirit Night Friday, Feb. 22. The Gators had a 54-53 lead before losing it in the final seconds on a layup by Pomona. Without calling a timeout, the ball was inbounded to White who took one dribble and heaved the ball from beyond half court to win the game. Photo by Katie Mullen / Special to Xpress
FAMILY MATTERS: Decensae White meets his fiancee Felisa Dax who is holding their son after the game. Photo by Katie Mullen / Special to Xpress
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CATHOLIC CAMPUS MINISTRY NEWMAN CLUB St. Thomas More Church Father Labib Kobti, Pastor 1300 Junipero Serra Blvd. San Francisco, CA 94132
(415) 452-9634
www.stmchurch.com/newman email: newman@stmchurch.com Weekly Meeting, Cesar Chavez Student Center:
For Current Activities: St. Thomas More:
(415) 452-9634 Mondays: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Close to campus! Please call Verbum Dei: (415) 573-9062