Spring 2015 Issue 1

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Professor authors book on legendary rock band

January 28, 2015 ISSUE 01 VOLUME C GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

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Gators score AT&T Park for graduation TIMOTHY SMITH

tsmith@mail.sfsu.edu

SF State graduates will celebrate the University’s 114th commencement this year at San Francisco’s beloved AT&T Park.

SF State will be the first public university to carry out its graduation at the park since the stadium opened in 2000.

Moving the ceremony from Cox Stadium to AT&T Park will save money and provide the school with adequate space to accommodate all the attendees, said Associate Vice President of University Communications Ellen Griffin.

“Because many of the services and items that are traditionally imported to Cox Stadium already exist at AT&T Park, it’s estimated $70,000 will be saved,”

HELEN TINNA / XPRESS

Busses: SF State students file into the newly improved shuttle that goes between campus and Daly City BART Tuesday, Jan. 27.

New shuttles debut for BART commuters JENNAH FEELEY

jennah@mail.sfsu.edu

DANIEL PORTER / XPRESS

Ballpark: A reflection of the score board is seen in the water of McCovey Cove at At&T Park Monday, Jan. 26.

Griffin said.

Services that had to be allocated for the ceremony include staging, audio and visual equipment as well as seating and mobility accommodation, Griffin said.

More than 20,000 people attend the event each year with an expected 5,000 students participating in this year’s ceremony, Griffin said.

“It’s important that we ensure family members and friends can be there to witness this special moment, and I’m thrilled that they will have the opportunity to do so in what has become one of San Francisco’s most iconic landmarks,” University President Leslie Wong said in a press release Jan. 23.

The move to AT&T Park allows the University to hold commencement exercises for undergraduate and graduate programs at one venue. The location can

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SF State commuters boarded the University’s new shuttles for the first time Monday in hopes to make the trip between campus and Daly City BART faster and more efficient.

The University decided to upgrade the buses after a 2013 transportation study demonstrated significant support for a better shuttle service. The new shuttles hold more passengers, easing the commute for BART riders who comprise 26 percent of the campus community, according to Director of Campus Planning and Space Administration Wendy Bloom.

“Most BART commuters arrive at Daly City BART, where the University offers free shuttle service and there is a free roundtrip transfer on the Muni 28/28L,” Bloom said in an email. “As BART ridership has increased, so

have the shuttle lines at Daly City BART and on 19th Avenue.”

The University is contracting with transMetro to provide the buses, drivers, maintenance, fueling and storage, and the effort was mostly funded from parking citations, Bloom said. The shuttles pick up passengers every 10 to 15 minutes and run from 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7 a.m. until 7:15 p.m. on Fridays, according to the SF State Parking and Transportation webpage.

The fleet runs on compressed natural gas and the increased capacity helps conserve fuel, according to University Transportation Committee member Miguel Guerrero.

“Because they are larger, it doesn’t require as many

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IUD birth control introduced on campus DAYVON DUNAWAY ddunaway@mail.sfsu.edu

The Student Health Center now offers long-term contraceptive options for female students SF State introduced intrauterine devices as a birth control option offered to female students on Jan. 5, making spring 2015 the first semester the service is available.

Student Health Services is equipped to insert the thumb-sized devices, brand named Mirena, which prevent pregnancy with a 99 percent effectiveness for up to five years. The health center will also offer ParaGard, an IUD that lasts up

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to 12 years, in April, according to Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner Glenna Lee. An intrauterine device is a T-shaped plastic tool that is inserted into the uterus as a means of birth control. Mirena releases small amounts of hormones to keep sperm from reaching the cervix, while ParaGard uses copper instead of hormones to prevent pregnancy.

ParaGard IUDs do not alter periods, according to Lee. Family Planning, Access, Care and Treatment provides coverage for students who are enrolled in the program, with a cost of up to $800 for non-members,

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Lee said. Students with health insurance can utilize their providers for coverage.

HEALTH CENTER Continued ON PAGE 3

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JANUARY 28, 2015

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ASI names new student body president JENNAH FEELEY jennah@mail.sfsu.edu TIMOTHY SMITH

tsmith@mail.sfsu.edu

Associated Students Inc. appointed a new president Jan. 21 following the resignation of the board’s leader.

Former Vice President of Internal Affairs Phoebe Dye assumed Sara Padash’s role as president during the ASI board meeting. Padash, whose resignation was announced at the meeting on her behalf, stepped down after graduating, according to Executive Director Peter Koo. “She graduated from here and moved on to the nursing program, so she’s no longer a student from SF State,” Koo said.

Unlike past resignations, the board was prepared for Padash to step down at this time, said Junior Representative Sarah Pishny.

“We were all anticipating this,” Pishny said. “I know a lot of resignations in the beginning of the year were unanticipated and this one we had all kind of at least understood what was happening and when it was happening so it wasn’t a blindside.”

According to ASI bylaws, the vice president of internal affairs succeeds the president in the case of a vacancy. Dye will be the third person to serve as president in the last five months.

“Our policy (is) we move up our internal affairs vice president because they work closest with the organization internally,” Pishny said. “Phoebe (Dye) has now succeeded into the president’s spot and now we will be filling the vice president of internal affairs.”

Jordan James, Representative at Large is looking forward to the new semester and is confident Dye is up for the position.

HYUNHA KIM / XPRESS

Student Leader: The new ASI president, Phoebe Dye, stands in front of Cesar Chavez Student Center for a portrait Tuesday Jan. 27.

“Given the situation I think Phoebe (Dye) is really the best person for the job,” James said. “She’s level-headed and comes with a lot of experience with AS. I think that she really holds students on her highest priority list.”

Dye requested board members submit letters of intent to fill her former role. Dye will recommend

a new vice president for the board’s approval at the upcoming meeting Jan. 28.

“Well, I know I have big shoes to fill, so I appreciate your confidence in me,” Dye said at the meeting.

“I look forward to this semester. It’s going to be a good one.”

CONTINUED FROM THE FRONT

Seniors look forward to commencement at SF Giant’s stadium hold more than 41,000 attendees, according to the Park’s history page.

Students who attended the event last year recalled constraints with physical space and inadequate planning. Kaitlyn Shimazaki, 22, graduated from the marketing department in spring of 2014. She said that she thought the school needed to improve disability accessibility services.

“My parents had to take both my grandmothers to the student center because they couldn’t get seating to watch it,” Shimazaki said.

While the new location will alleviate capacity issues, attendees should make arrangements to

commute downtown for the event or expect traffic in the areas around the park.

Danny Kerr, a graduating senior in the Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts department, is an avid sports fan who said he could not be more excited about the move.

“Graduating at AT&T Park is a once in a lifetime thing for me, especially as a sports fan,” Kerr said. “A lot of people I’ve talked to are completely shocked by it.”

The University will hold its commencement ceremony Friday, May 22 from 5:30-9:30 p.m.

More information about graduation is available on the SF State website.

HELEN TINNA / XPRESS

Bus Ride: SF State students ride to school from the Daly City Bart station on the newly improved shuttle on their first day back at school Monday, Jan. 26.

Trip to campus expedited by larger buses buses.” Guerrero said. “That’s one way we’re saving fuel.”

Student commuters remember long lines from past semesters and are happy to see the wait time shorten.

“Lines have cut down since the buses are bigger, they take all the people in line,” said biology major Soledad Bible. “I noticed when I got on this morning there was a bus behind the first one ready to

take the next group of people.”

The transportation committee hopes to make public transportation more convenient and favorable for students, according to Guerrero, who said the group will keep an eye on the 19th Avenue stop to gauge the new fleet’s impact.

“If you walk by and you see no line there,” Guerrero said. “That shows that it was successful.”

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NEWS 3

Continued From the front

New contraceptive available at SF State “The IUDs are really great because they’re considered longacting contraceptives and it’s awesome for people who already know they don’t want to have kids for the next five to 12 years or even less than that,” Lee said.

“It’s something that you just leave in that someone does for you and you don’t have to really worry about it.”

The addition of IUD availability on campus follows recent data from the Center for Disease Control that suggests long-acting reversible contraceptives were more popular in women ages 25-34 compared with other age groups.

The procedure does not require an operation or anesthesia, but the patient might feel some discomfort. This can be managed through over-thecounter pain medicine, Lee said.

“I’m super excited because I think long-acting contraceptives are an important movement in women’s health,” Lee said.

“It’s such a great thing to offer women of this age group (college or graduate age) because these women are busy with their lives and if pregnancy isn’t on their mind, then why not use an IUD to kind of help solve that?”

SF State student Alexa Cicchetti said that she sees the benefit in the service but is concerned that the health center might not be equipped with the proper training to imple-

XPreSS YOURSELF

ment the procedure.

“I know I wouldn’t want someone doing something invasive to me if they didn’t have certain credentials to do so, but if they’re allowing them to do that then I hope they would,” Cicchetti said. “I’d go to the health center if I wanted pills or something within that matter but I feel like with something like that then I’d want to

WE ASKED SF STATE STUDENTS:

How do you feel about the University’s decision to move graduation to AT&T Park?

“

Yeah, that sounds pretty cool. I’ve seen it here before, and now in AT&T Park? That’s huge, they’re lucky they moved it there.

CHRISTIAN MORALES, 21 CIVIL ENGINEERING

”

“

I think it’s awesome, especially because I’m going to be one of the first ones to walk there too, and I think a bigger venue is always good because it always means all of our friends and family will get to be there.

to find someone to preform the procedure.

“From what I can gather, they (SHS) have been wanting to do it for a really long time and they just haven’t had any practitioners that were familiar with the placement procedure or were comfortable with it, “ Lee said. “They just didn’t have anyone here to train them.”

Maricsa Aguilar, a criminal justice major, has three family members who use IUDs for birth control.

“My sister and sister-in-law have had theirs in for around three years, and my aunt for even longer,” Aguilar said. “As soon as they took it out they got pregnant. After their second child they put it back in.”

Aguilar said she thinks it is good that the health center is offering this service to female students, but getting pregnant should not be their only fear.

“For birth control it’s great but I strongly believe that women should use condoms because ILLUSTRATION BY JOURDON AHN / XPRESS contraceptives don’t protect you from STDs,” she said. go to an actual gynecologist.”

Lee, who worked with IUDs regCicchetti said that if she weren’t ularly at Planned Parenthood before under her current health coverage being hired at the health center in Noand she wanted an IUD, she would vember 2014, is the only practitioner consider going to SHS for the currently performing the procedure procedure. at SHS. Lee said that the health “The procedure is in place to stay, center had previously considered but how we run it in-house might integrating IUDs but weren’t able change a little bit,” Lee said.

University Crime Blotter COMPILED BY XPRESS NEWS STAFF

Thursday, January 12

Between Monday, Jan. 5 and Friday, Jan. 23 the University Police Department responded to 47 incidents. Here are some of the highlights.

BREAK IN A person reported the theft of

Monday, January 5 FAILED THEFT University Police responded to a report of an unknown subject that destroyed a laptop in an attempt to steal it from the Administration Building. The attempted theft occurred between Dec. 26 and Jan. 5 with a total loss of $1,700.

Tuesday, January 6 SMOKE CALL A witness reported smoke in an oven in Hensill Hall at 5:14 p.m.

Officers and firefighters responded and determined the smoke was caused by a plastic tray left in the oven. Officers wrote a report and left without incident.

”

LINDA NGUYEN, 23

FINANCE/BUSINESS

Friday, January 9

“

AT&T Park? I think that’s awesome. I mean why not? You’re in San Francisco, you have to play there, right?

JEVON TRYON, 21

”

BUSINESS INFOMATION SYSTEMS

BAD TRIP Officers responded to a report that there was a person having a bad acid trip at around 11 p.m. in the Village at Centennial Square. Upon arriving, officers consulted with medics on scene and determined subject needed medical attention. Officers released subject to medics who took him and three others to UCSF for further evaluation.

his laptop from the Creative Arts building between Dec. 12 and Jan. 18 at a loss of $2,500. Officers took a report of the event, but did not have any witnesses.

Thursday, January 22 MISSING PERSON Officers received a report that four subjects were screaming outside the Student Center around 3 a.m. and were potentially intoxicated.

Officers on scene determined subjects were intoxicated but did not require protective custody. One of the subjects was reported as a missing person but when the officer informed subject of missing persons status, the subject informed officers he was fine. Officers updated the status for the missing person and escorted the subjects off campus without further incident.

Friday, January 23 CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES A witness reported that a man who was acting erratically and potentially intoxicated followed her from Stonestown Galleria Mall to the University Park North Towers around 9:36 p.m. Officers made contact with the subject and determined he had two outstanding warrants and was in the possession of a controlled substance. Police took him into custody and transported him to County Jail.

JANUARY 28, 2015

4 LIFESTYLE & CULTURE

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Book recounts the Grateful Dead’s lasting success CALLA CAMERO ccamero@mail.sfsu.edu

Turning 50 years old this year is the iconic jam band The Grateful Dead, who once occupied the streets of Haight-Ashbury, acclaimed the musical influence to the Acid Tests and was a leading contributor to the Summer of Love.

Released just in time for the band’s birthday, the book “No Simple Highway: A Cultural History of the Grateful Dead,” written by SF State professor Peter Richardson, gives a vivid account of how the Grateful Dead found such enduring and memorable success.

Richardson is a humanities and American studies lecturer at SF state who teaches a variety of classes including California Culture, a Biography of the City of San Francisco and Values in American Life. Prior to “No Simple Highway,” Richardson has published two books about political journalism in America, allowing him to study a variety of topics relevant to the ‘60s and ‘70s.

During an exhibit about the year 1968 at the Oakland museum, Richardson met radio station KPFA’s “Grateful Dead Hour” host David Gans, who got him thinking about the band and its story.

“I thought ‘Wow, maybe I should have something in my California Culture class that has to do with the Grateful Dead, since they seem to embody so many of the themes that we talk about in class,’” Richardson said.

Published Jan. 15, Richardson began writing his book about the Grateful Dead after attending many readings and conferences hosted by the Grateful Dead Scholars Caucus and performing extensive research in the Grateful Dead archive at UC Santa Cruz.

The Grateful Dead was an integral part of the San Francisco culture starting in the ‘50s around the time of Beat literature. Jerry Garcia and the rest of the Grateful Dead members discovered the fiction of Jack Kerouac, an American novelist and poet whose work explored being on the open road. The writer influenced the group’s music

and what it gave back to the community.

In the ‘60s, the Grateful Dead emerged from a very vibrant, Dionysian, mid-century San Francisco art scene that seemed to put emphasis on spontaneity and improvisation.

Richardson argued that the band was also a part of shaping San Francisco’s unique impatience with standardized or predictable culture, a characteristic that can still be seen in the city today.

that the Grateful Dead gave it to them through their performance.

“The Beatles had their last performance at Candlestick park in 1966,” Richardson said. “They came out in their identical suits and played eight songs in 30 minutes, and ran off. That’s what was happening in rock and roll before San Francisco got their hands on it.”

Mobility was Richardson’s second factor. Since the Grateful Dead chose to

MARTIN BUSTAMANTE / XPRESS

Steal your face: Peter Richardson, author of “No Simple Highway: A Cultural History of the Grateful Dead,” stands in for a portrait Tuesday Jan. 27.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame labels the Grateful Dead as “the most important band of the psychedelic era and among the most groundbreaking acts in rock and roll history.” In “No Simple Highway,” Richardson aimed to outline what made the Grateful Dead’s music an operation so distinctive.

“I just asked this fundamental question: Why were they so successful for so long?”

In the book, it came down to three factors that helped explain the Grateful Dead’s long term success.

The first was an appetite for ecstasy, not the drug, but rather the experience for total rapture. Richardson said that people want this in their lives and

maintain residency in San Francisco, and because its album sales were low, the group toured often. It became a legendary road band, going from one place to the next with thousands of experiences, accumulating a following along the way. By doing so, the Grateful Dead built itself a reputation for wanderlust that tapped into an American fascination with the open road.

Richardson’s third factor was the Grateful Dead’s ability to foster community.

“They took that very, very seriously in a way that the Beatles didn’t, Bob Dylan didn’t, the Rolling Stones didn’t,” Richardson said. “Because they built that community, grew it and

ILLUSTRATION BY KATRINA ANDAYA / XPRESS

consolidated it, they were able to do a lot of things musically.”

Regardless of album sales, the band knew its fan base would always show up for concerts, which offered more musical freedom. The music and band continued to evolve and adapt, but the values of integrity and authenticity of the Grateful Dead were very stable.

“Our audience is like people who like licorice,” Garcia said in a 1981 interview. “Not everybody likes licorice, but the people who like licorice really like licorice.”

Throughout the book, Richardson intended to transform the stereotypical depiction of the Grateful Dead’s dedicated fan base, known as “Deadheads”, who were often portrayed as a crowd of burned-out hippie stoners. While this generalization was not entirely false, it narrowed on only a fraction of the Dead’s overall following. Richardson explained that sociologists estimate about one-third of the band’s admirers were serious professionals, including people like U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy, U.S. Senator Al Franken and Vice President Al Gore.

“They had this appeal that went well beyond this kind of drug addled group of stragglers and gypsies,” Richardson said. “There was always a lot more diversity in their fan base than the media gave them credit for.”

“No Simple Highway” draws on new information, interviews and analysis to the Grateful Dead’s career spanning three decades. More than that, it reflects on the musical group’s story as an alternative American voice in the second half of the 20th Century.

The band’s music, values and sense of community impacted more than just rock and roll, it impacted American culture.

“That’s the thing about the Dead,” Richardson said. “You don’t have to like their music to like their story.”

Students maintain dorm life during break CALLA CAMERO ccamero@mail.sfsu.edu

EMMA CHIANG / XPRESS

Student Living: Aaron Levy-Wolins, 19, stands in front of the Towers at Centennial Square at SF State where he stayed during winter break Monday, Jan. 26.

Now that classes are back in session and students have returned from winter break, the campus is back to its regular routine with restaurants open, staff going back to work and students flooding the sidewalks. For most, the new semester signifies a fresh start, but for those who lived on campus between semesters, the increased activity is a welcome return.

Aaron Levy-Wolins, 19, is among the SF State students who stayed in the dorms over the winter break. Levy-Wolins lives in the Towers at Centennial Square dorms on the third floor with three roommates. The Towers and the Village at Centennial Square are the only two dorms that remained open for the winter break.

Because of SF State’s residence hall license agreements, during Fall and Spring recess, stu-

dents are allowed to stay in their dorms. However, winter break does not apply.

“I didn’t leave for the break because I wanted to stay in San Francisco and live on my own,” Levy-Wolins said.

The student said he spent a lot of time taking photos around campus, one of his favorite hobbies, going to the beach and exploring the streets of the city.

“I loved it,” Levy-Wolins said.

“I was able to have my place to myself.”

The only dining that was open to students in the dorms during winter break was Subway and the Village Market. This gave him the opportunity to go to Trader Joe’s and cook for himself.

Jarret Spiler, 24, studies Theatre Arts and lives in the Village.

He was one of the students living on campus during the semester that opted to spend his winter break at home. Upon his return last week, he said the water was cold for days.

“It was like they shut off the water heater or something for winter break,” Spiler said.

Rudy Tescallo, 22, stayed at the Village over the break as well.

Because of his schedule at his restaurant job, 1300 on Fillmore, he was unable to go home for the holidays.

“I didn’t mind it,” Tescallo said. “I mean nothing was open and it was boring as hell, but I wasn’t lonely. The weirdest thing was when I saw a coyote and a fox on campus, that was crazy.”

Tescallo spent most of his time working, going to the gym and hanging out at concerts in Oakland. He was able to spend time at home for one weekend in Sonoma County before school started.

As the dorms fill with roommates again and classmates return to campus, the students who called campus home during winter break won’t have to worry about unexpected encounters with coyotes and foxes.

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LIFESTYLE & CULTURE 5

Actor revisits prosperous 30-year career CALLA CAMERO ccamero@mail.sfsu.edu

It has been 30 years since audiences first watched Booger picking his nose in the memorable film, “Revenge of the Nerds”. The man who played the notoriously imprudent character, actor Curtis Armstrong, now 61, is also known for his roles in television and films including “Risky Business,” “Moonlighting,” and “Ray,” though possibly his most distinguished character was Booger.

With a legendary cast and memorable quotes, “ Revenge of the Nerds”

“

Jason Robards tipped his hat to me, and it was one of the greatest compliments I could have ever gotten from anybody

”

- Curtis Armstrong

gained notoriety on screen as it portrayed the stereotyped underdogs teaming up to triumph over the clichéd popular crowd. Armstrong said when he first accepted the role of Booger, he didn’t think it would amount to much in the box office.

“I wasn’t even that keen on doing ‘Revenge of the Nerds’ when it happened,” Armstrong said. “But why the movie holds up as well as it does, is we all did so much work on who the characters were. While they may have been stereotypical, they were based in something.”

Three decades later, Armstrong’s latest work, which premiered its third season Jan. 23, is a reality game show, “King of the Nerds.” Competitors, who span the full nerd spectrum, come together to face challenges that test their intellect, skill, cleverness and pop culture expertise. Armstrong and fellow “Revenge of the Nerds” actor Robert Carradine are the hosts in this ultimate nerd-off.

Along with three seasons of “King of the Nerds”, Armstrong continues to act in other television roles, like Principal Foster in “New Girl” and Metatron in “Supernatural.” Since his first film “Risky Business” in 1983, Armstrong has had acting roles every year.

“You go from one job to the next and the next and the next, and the next thing you know it’s 30 years later,” he said.

Armstrong is married to actress Elaine Aronson, and together they have a 19-year-old daughter, Lily Armstrong. With such a consistent schedule of acting jobs lined up, delegating time between family and work has been a necessity for Armstrong.

“It always just worked out some how,” the actor said. “You do what you can. You try to do as much as you can, but you can only do so much.”

Armstrong’s acting career began on stage, where he performed for about 10 years before his first on-screen break out role in “Risky Business.”

“The thing that I miss deeply about the theater is the process,” Armstrong said. “The process of rehearsing over a period of weeks, discovering things, rather than now, you basically walk

FRANK LADRA / XPRESS

Dedicated: Actor Curtis Armstrong sits for a portrait at the Four Seasons Hotel in San Francisco Friday, Jan. 16.

into a room and they say, ‘okay do you have your lines?’”

Some of Armstrong’s favorite moments weren’t necessarily during his most notable roles. In 1993, he had a small role in a movie called “The Adventures of Huck Finn,” where he worked alongside actor Jason Robards, who Armstrong referred to as “one of the greatest American actors who ever lived.”

Armstrong recalled when he and Robards were waiting to begin filming the bar scene. The director announced that it was going to be the last scene and everybody started to applaud and cheer. Armstrong said that in that moment, he turned towards Robards, and the actor looked back at him, smiled and tipped his hat.

“For me, it was one of the greatest moments.” Armstrong said. “Jason Robards tipped his hat to me, and it was one of the greatest compliments I could have ever gotten from anybody.”

Armstrong studied at the Academy of Dramatic Art at Michigan where he learned about movement, stage combat, mask work, physical comedy and more. Armstrong said a lot of what he learned at the Academy has been a huge part of his make up as an actor and advised aspiring actors at SF State to keep motivated in order to succeed.

It can be a lonely existence and the rejection can be tough,” Armstrong said. “But what I’ve found is that people know pretty quickly, once you get out of the school environment, once you start actually doing it, you’ll get your lessons pretty quick.”

6 SPOTLIGHT

JANUARY 28, 2015

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STUDY,CYCLE,

SUCCEED PHOTOS & STORY BY DANIEL E. PORTER

Speedy Delivery: (COUNTERLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE) Ramon Jacquez runs over the barriers during the cyclocross race at Candle Stick Point in San Francisco Saturday, Nov. 22. Jacquez talks with Latin studies major Yesenia Molina as they work together on a group quiz during class at SF State Wednesday, Nov. 18.

Jacquez delivers food to a mother and her child in the Marina District. Food is passed from one delivery worker to another Monday, Nov. 10. Jacquez rides through traffic during his night food delivery shift Monday, Nov. 24.

SF State student Ramon Jacquez pedals a few nights a week in the streets of the Marina District as a bicycle messenger, delivering food for the courier service Taking Care of Business.

When Jacquez is not serving as a cycle courier, he fills his time balancing the five classes he is enrolled in at SF State.

On weekends, he participates in cyclocross, where he races other bicyclists on a variety of terrains including sand, dirt and between barriers.

Even with a completely packed schedule, Jacquez still finds time to get everything done. This some-

danielep@mail.sfsu.edu

times means reading or working on homework during slow days while working for TCB or studying after a day of racing.

Training for races is the only part of Jacquez’s life that is affected by his hectic schedule. He raced in the fastest men’s class, the A-class, for the first time this season. He said he learned a lot from the races and described it as a humbling experience.

For Jacquez to be competitive, he needed to devote more time to training and preparing for races.

Instead, Jacquez puts all his extra attention towards school, which he said is worth it.

8 OPINION

x FRANK LADRA

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

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MANAGING EDITOR nashelly@mail.sfsu.edu

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CALLA CAMERO

LIFESTYLE & CULTURE EDITOR ccamero@mail.sfsu.edu

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OPINION EDITOR nparadis@mail.sfsu.edu

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ABOUT XPRESS

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STAFF EDITORIAL

Opposition drives dedication AS JOURNALISTS WORLDWIDE FACE CUT BACKS, LAYOFFS AND EVEN EXECUTION, STUDENTS QUESTION THEIR MOTIVATION IN A THREATENED FIELD OF STUDY.

MICHAEL DURAN

ONLINE SUPERVISING EDITOR michaeld@mail.sfsu.edu

JANUARY 28, 2015

We are all here to better our education and find success in the professional world, but it really doesn’t have to be so damn scary.

As students, we are regularly quizzed on what our plans will be once we are free from the gripping perils of college existence, but as journalism students, we are constantly reminded that we may be studying for a career that is facing undeniable extinction.

As it could be expected in any field of study, hearing about real world experiences from professors and guest lecturers can be exhilarating and inspirational. But at some point, the candy coating dissolves and students begin to learn of the hidden realities that maybe aren’t so attractive when one is trying to determine how to spend the rest of his or her life, or at least until retirement.

In July of 2013, President Obama spoke of the changing landscape of the journalistic career, recalling a time when newsprint publications were widespread.

“If you wanted to be a journalist, you could really make a good living working for your hometown paper,” Obama said.

“Now, you have a few newspapers that

make a profit because they are national brands, and journalists are having to scramble to piece together a living, in some cases as freelancers and without the same benefits that they had in a regular job for a paper.”

Across the country, small town publications struggled to stay afloat, many unsuccessfully, and in larger cities, newspaper consolidations left highly skilled and tenured employees at the back of the already overwhelming unemployment line.

In 2014, several news stories emerged about the beheading of various hostages from around the globe by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The barbaric nature of these actions created a new fear in homes all over the world, but when the names of journalists like American freelance reporter James Foley started appearing on the victim list, suddenly there was a new topic of discussion making its way into the classroom setting here at home.

This month, two gunmen marched into the offices of the French satirical weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo and opened fire, killing 11 people and injuring 11 more. People around the globe watched in bewilderment as Al-Queda claimed responsibility for the attacks in retaliation for published content that had jabbed at the Muslim faith. In countless newsrooms, suddenly the notion of a journalist’s right to free speech, even in jest, didn’t seem so secure.

Last week, Sports Illustrated laid off its remaining six staff photographers in conjunction with a restructuring plan within Time Inc.’s editorial departments.

As wire services and stock photos become more readily accessible and less expensive to attain, salaried photographers seem to be the next dying breed in the world of traditional journalism.

In the curriculum of the department, journalism students are taught the basic fundamentals of news writing, reporting and media law and ethics. More advanced classes help advance photographic and multimedia skills, but nowhere in the program does it ever teach a young journalist how to survive a company-wide layoff or escape imminent death from a national terrorist organization.

Yet we remain, the last of our kind: student writers, reporters, photographers, videographers, artists committed to a craft that continues to find itself on the chopping block. But why?

There is something inherent in each of us, and this applies to other majors on campuses nationwide. We possess the instinctual desire to succeed, to better ourselves and to leave a lasting legacy in our particular field.

As journalists, we aim to document life as accurately and effectively as humanly possible. We acknowledge the obstacles that will continually thwart our attempts to report life as it grows and prospers around us, and we consistently search for new ways to get that news to the people.

And when the naysayers try to knock our decision to nurture this area of expertise, we will proudly step onto the frontlines and tell our stories to those who will listen.

Organ donation inhibits grief HANNAH MULLINS

I don’t know why sitting around my living room table with a glass of wine prompted a discussion of organ donations on a Thursday night, but telling my roommates I wasn’t a donor shocked them.

I could not give them a clear reason as to how or why I would ever change my mind.

I thought back to that exact moment when and where I decided not to be a donor, envisioning my mother’s body in a casket at her funeral. As a lost and upset 12-year-old, all I wanted to do was hug her cold, lifeless body.

I could not imagine what it would have been like to see her body sewn up, her skin graphed or to feel rods in place of her bones.

Seeing her body in a mutilated form would have scarred me for life, far worse than seeing her not alive.

I know what I’m saying sounds selfish, but experiencing my mother’s death as a young child changed everything about myself and my life from that point on. The lost experiences, the anger and the grief took a toll on my ability to face life and its continuous hardships in the months that came after her passing.

Ultimately the death of any family member can be detrimental to a person’s overall well-being if not grieved or addressed properly. At the time of our deaths, we will all have the opportunity to save the life of another if the conditions of our bodies are right, but the strains and pressures that come with organ donations are exactly what I want my family to avoid in a time of pain and grief.

I was in shock when I woke up to my father telling me that my mom had died.

I didn’t know how to comprehend the fact

hmullins@mail.sfsu.edu

that I would never have the chance to say goodbye.

My mother had been an organ donor up until the year she died, changing it when she renewed her license just months before her unexpected death. I’ve discussed with my father how things would

ILLUSTRATION BY JOURDON AHN / XPRESS

have changed if my mother, a healthy 39-year-old woman who died suddenly from a heart attack, had continued to be an organ donor. If she had been registered at the time of her death, her body would have been the perfect candidate.

Simply checking the donor box when you get your license does not necessarily mean your organs will be put to use. In order for your organs to be donated, medical personnel take everything about your past

into account. They look at how functional your organs are, how you died and test almost everything before they take action.

This process can take a lot of time away from the family during their last moments with their loved ones.

After the organ removal procedures are completed and the body is returned to the family, many are still faced with unfathomable economic burden that can linger long after the loved one is laid to rest. The funeral and medical costs alone to try and save my mom’s life cost my father more than $30,000.

I think if there was compensation for families who sacrifice their time and effort after the death of a loved one, there would be more interest in organ donation, much like the popularity of life insurance. Knowing we won’t be leaving our families in a financial rut after our death might be the turning point for people like me to reconsider the idea of becoming an organ donor.

The Organ Transplant Act that was enacted in 1984 bans most forms of payment to living organ donors. If we bent theses rules for those that are deceased, people might be willing to compromise on both sides, those of the donor and the receiver. If the donor was compensated for their body after their death to help pay for the proceedings, receivers might not feel guilty and donors might not be as hesitant.

Registering as an organ donor is a huge decision that not only affects the donor, but the entire family. For this reason I never decided to donate. Regardless of my choice, I respect each individual who has chosen to donate, and I encourage everyone to make the choice not based off a fad or what friends do, but what he or she thinks is best for himself or herself.

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JANUARY 28, 2015

OPINION 9

UCorp should prioritize campus health NICOLE PARADISE nparadis@mail.sfsu.edu

If a deal between UCorp and Panda Express is approved, SF State will provide another unhealthy vendor for its students.

SF State students may soon be a short walk away from dining at the nation’s leader in Chinese fast food if a deal between University Corporation and Panda Express brings the restaurant into the lower level of the Cesar Chavez Student Center.

I know I love a fresh plate of Panda Express’ orange chicken with fried rice and a fortune cookie for dessert, but I don’t believe it is a good idea for SF State to make it a part of our daily food selection.

UCorp needs to be more mindful of what food they are providing their students.

If students are really craving their favorite entree from Panda Express, they can easily take a five minute walk to the Stonestown Mall. But placing one on SF State’s campus is just unnecessary.

Bringing Quickly onto our campus was already a poor decision and I’m reminded of that when I’m in class and someone walks in with an order of smelly fried calamari and leaves greasy fingerprints on their papers as an unhealthy reminder.

Our school should focus more on making healthy, sustainable food options available for its students so we can be properly fueled for a long day

MARTIN BUSTAMANTE / XPRESS

NOODLES: An employee serves chow mein to a customer at Panda Express in the Stonestown shopping mall in San Francisco Tuesday, Jan. 27.

of studying. Panda Express is not one of them.

Approving UCorp’s proposal to allow the national chain restaurant to make a new home at SF State would have a negative effect on our campus’ overall health. There are 982 calories in a single plate of orange chicken with a side of fried rice and a fortune cookie, according to Panda Express’ nutritional information found on their website. That number does not include a soft drink, which can easily add another 150 calories, making a meal more than 1,000 calories.

Panda Express will definitely play into part of every student’s fear of the “freshman 15,” as if Village Market’s

delicious, late-night pizza didn’t do enough. We should be considering the placement of a more affordable and nutritious vendor at our University from which students can benefit.

When 1 p.m. hits and your stomach starts growling, looking for nutritious food options at SF State isn’t always easy. The few healthy alternatives students have to choose from include Subway, Healthy U and Natural Sensations, yet other CSU campuses have multiple sustainable health options for their students.

For example, CSU Fullerton is home to a Panda Express location, yet they have plenty of other desirable vendors that offer healthy meals to

their students, including the Fresh Kitchen vendor, which serves organic and environmentally mindful cuisine to hungry students, according to the CSUF website. Furthermore, everything is served in sustainable packaging and they offer vegetarian and vegan options as well. We need more vendors like this at SF State.

In May 2014 the CSU Board of Trustees approved a statewide sustainable food policy, according to food activist group, Real Food Challenge’s website. Under the new policy, each campus will have until 2020 to ensure that at least 20 percent of all university food spending goes to farms and food businesses that meet the Real Food Challenge. Making Panda Express a permanent vendor at SF State will stand in the way of reaching this goal.

Panda Express has more than 1,500 restaurants throughout the United States and Puerto Rico and is America’s fastest growing Chinese restaurant concept, according to Panda Express’ website. Many of these locations have been rapidly expanding onto university campuses within the past couple of years including Arizona State University, Kansas State University, University of Michigan, University of Oregon and Oregon State University.

If UCorp cared about the health and wellness of students, they would not agree to allow Panda Express in the student center. Doing so would go against our goal of working toward a more sustainable campus.

JANUARY 28, 2015

10 SPORTS

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SF soccer team looks to end 17 year drought in U.S. Open Cup SERGIO PORTELA sportela@mail.sfsu.edu

SF State’s Cox Pavilion will host a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tournament qualifying match for the Nor-Cal Adult Premier League Jan. 31.

SF City Football Club will face Stanislaus United Academica and looks to become the first team in 17 years to represent the city in the U.S. Open Cup. The team began four years ago when brothers Andrew and Jordan Gardner moved to San Francisco and wanted to continue to compete and keep in shape. Looking for pick-up games was their way of doing so, and it eventually lead to the creation of the Ticket Arsenal Football Club.

Ticket Arsenal FC joined the semi-professional NorCal Adult Premier League in September and later merged with the soccer organization San Francisco City Football Club.

“The team got more competitive because guys who used to play professionally showing up on a Sunday to play 50-year-olds just doesn’t work,” head coach Andrew Gardner said.

During that time, SF State hired Matt Barnes as their

DANIEL E. PORTER / XPRESS

GOAL: SF State students play a pick up game of soccer between classes on campus Tuesday, Jan. 27. men’s soccer coach. Unable to put together a preseason with the late hire, assistant coach Mike Sharabi looked to Facebook to find a friendly match for the Gators. Andrew and Jordan Gardner jumped at the chance to play the team.

SF City FC, named Tick-

et Arsenal FC at the time, played the Gators and won 1-0.

Andrew Gardner used that opportunity to build a relationship with the school and hoped it would lead to more home games.

“It planted a seed for something, for the future, which

is awesome,” said Andrew Gardner, who believes that Barnes has the ability to build a strong soccer program.

“We’re (SF City FC) looking to build a relationship in the long run with SF State,” said Andrew Gardner, who hopes to draw audiences from

outside the University to showcase the team. “Not just to use their facilities but to showcase what they have and hopefully bring our fandom to the SF State games.”

SF City FC has a strong fan base and is supporter-owned. Fans can pay $50 to receive a stake in the team and season tickets. They also have the ability to vote on team decisions.

“Our goal is to get to the highest level of soccer in two years,” said club CEO Jaques Pelham.

SF City FC will play Stanislaus United Academica (101-1) Jan. 31, who they defeated 2-1 Halloween night.

“We’re looking to show, not just to San Francisco but the nation, that San Francisco can produce high level professional soccer,” manager and player Jordan Gardner said.

Tickets for the game will be $5 for adults and free for youth under 18.

SF City FC is expecting large crowds of around 600 people at Cox Stadium this Saturday, according to Pelham.

“We’re stoked to be able to play at Cox Stadium,” Pelham said. “It’s a beautiful stadium and a beautiful facility. It should be a great day, hopefully it all comes together.”

Gators continue to win games through strong defense JOHN MONTOYA After a 14-12 season that finished in a disappointing loss to Chico State in the playoffs last year, SF State’s men’s basketball team looks to build off last season.

Led by fifth year head coach Paul Trevor, the Gators are off to a great 8-8 start and hope to advance further into the playoffs by working together and continuing to full court press.

With a scoring defense now ranked seventh in the nation according to the California Collegiate Athletic Association website, the Gators have been holding their opponents to 60.1 points per game and average 2.5 blocks and 8.4 steals per game through 12 conference games.

“They’ve improved on everything,” Trevor said. “When we started the year we didn’t know who we were. When

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we have a team make a layup at the end, we want to hold all teams under 60 (points), so those hurt us, we take a lot of pride in that.”

Offensively, the Gators have multiple players who are ranked in the top 10 in six statistical categories in the CCAA. Senior guard Bren Haley is first in assists and turnover ratio, and he is third in the West Region with 61 assists. Gators forward Udun Osakue is shooting 54 percent from the field, placing him fifth, and his 13.4 points per game average is seventh best in the conference.

“I think we share the ball very well,” Haley said. “We were talking about how young we were at the beginning of the season and I feel even though we have a lot of young players, we’re pretty seasoned and improving.”

The team is currently tied with Humboldt State, Sonoma State and Cal State San Bernardino with a CCAA conference record of 6-6. The team will head on a big four-game road trip that could have implications on their season going forward. The Gators have

BASKETBALL

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had a tough time on the road with an 0-6 record, but hope to change that when they begin their upcoming trip.

“I think we’re growing up as a unit and everything we do on offense and defense really relies on us being one unit to be successful,” said SF State’s forward Jon McMurry. “I think coming along as a team has been the biggest move forward.”

As they continue, the Gators have a four-game homestand in February against the top four teams in the CCAA conference. A combination of a successful road trip and defending home court could put SF State in a prime position to make a run at the conference title.

The second half of the season will begin Thursday with a game against Cal State San Bernardino in Southern California.

RUGBY

PHOTO COURTESY OF SF STATE SPORTS INFORMATION

HOOPS: Portrait of Gator guard Bren Haley

BASEBALL

GATOR SCHEDULE

Jan. 29

Jan. 31

Jan. 31

Feb. 7

vs. Cal State San Bernardino Coussoulis Arena San Bernardino, Calif.

vs. Humboldt State University, Calif.

Lumberjack Arena Arcata, Calif.

vs. Stanford Steuber Family Rugby Field, Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif. vs. San Jose State University Boxer Stadium, San Francisco, Calif.

Feb. 2

vs. Holy Names University (doubleheader) Maloney Field, San Francisco, Calif.