Fall 2014 Issue 5

September 24, 2014

Serving the San Francisco State community since 1927

VOLUME XCIX ISSUE 5

KINK AND LEATHER EMILIA ROSALES eer@mail.sfsu.edu

In a crowd full of nakedness, accompanied by a sea of leather, live whippings and ball gags, nothing can compare to San Francisco’s Folsom Street Fair.

The largest fetish and leather fair in the world hit the SF streets for the 30th year in a row this Sunday, filling five blocks on Folsom Street from Eighth to 13th streets. The event is an opportunity, not only for leather fanatics, but for people all over the world to express their inner sexual being and desires.

PHOTO BY FRANK LADRA / XPRESS

Science Building shutdown costs $3.8 million

FOLSOM CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

Q & A with Leslie E. Wong

President reflects on time at SF State

MICHAEL BARBA

mdbarba@mail.sfsu.edu

The University spent $3.83 million on the temporary closure, remediation and reopening of the Science Building after the discovery of environmental hazards in the facility late last year, according to an SF State official.

An estimated $1.3 million in funding for the rehabilitation of the Science Building came from a project the University found “no longer necessary,” which became last year’s operational savings.

The other $2.5 million was derived from a reserve fund for capital emergencies, according to Ron Cortez, vice president and chief financial officer of administration and finance.

“It’s a big number because it’s everything from cleanup, to hourly wages, to overtime, to pulling out the asbestos, cleaning it up (and) paying the fees to take it away,” said President Leslie E. Wong. “We had a lot of our staff people doing overtime work in addition to the consultants who were actually doing the Hazmat suits and the cleanup.”

Cortez confirmed that the $2.5 million produced from an emergency fund was not sourced from student tuition and assured that the other portion of funding was from the prior years savings.

Prompted by the dangerous chemicals found within the Science Building, University officials began to perform WONG CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

G TWITTER

@XpressNews

HEADQUARTERS: SF State President Leslie E. Wong answers questions during an interview with Golden Gate Xpress editors in the Administration Building Wednesday, Sept. 17.

FRANK LADRA / XPRESS

XPRESS EDITORS

olden Gate Xpress editors sat down with SF State President Leslie E. Wong last week to discuss the future of the University. The Gator president expanded on his plans for a new science facility, a campus extension at the Hunters Point Shipyard and expectations for a redesigned athletics. Here are his responses, with questions edited for clarity.

Q & A CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

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QA NEWS

SEPTEMBER 24, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG CONTINUED FROM THE FRONT

&

with President Wong FRANK LADRA / XPRESS

XPRESS: What are some of your greatest

accomplishments while president at SF State?

LW: “I feel really proud of the new spirit that’s on

ON-THE-SPOT: Xpress editors interview SF State President Leslie E. Wong, center, at the Office of the President in the Administration Building Wednesday, Sept. 17.

campus. The sort of sense of identity within San Francisco, within the CSU, we’re getting our name out nationally, you know, little by little.”

XPRESS: New Gator or old Gator?

XPRESS: What are your plans for the future?

XPRESS: What can we expect to see down at

LW: “I think we’re going to do a lot of groundwork

LW: “I’m going to bring the same attitude to that

LW: “I like the new one.”

Hunters Point?

to set the stage to start the strategic, very strategic, planning for a new science building. We sort of tentatively thought maybe up on 19th and Buckingham might be a best spot to do it. We’ll take down a smaller building there, but it is a way for us to think about roughly 200,000 square feet for straight science work.”

LW: “Our thinking now with Lennar Urban and with

XPRESS: Now that you can look back at your

XPRESS: Will it be an extension school or are we

two years at SF State, what would you have done differently?

LW: “All of the various infrastructure problems told

me that I should have been far more prepared on day one to look at the physical plans. In many ways a new guy gets to say let’s look underground, let’s look at the buildings. I should have known and that’s terrible, I should have known within the first semester where our soft spots were and I’ll have to admit I didn’t.”

XPRESS: Do we have the teams to bring us to a higher level of athletics?

LW: “I’ve had a lot of students ask the perennial

question of football and (that) variety of things. To use a baseball analogy, for us to go to third base with a foot stuck on first isn’t gonna work, and I think we ought to get really good at what we do, with what we have, get to second base and ask ourselves ‘will new sports fit us?’”

CONTINUED FROM THE FRONT

Wong reacts to building closure critics

the deans who have been, kind of interested, really have been to get programs that fit both the city’s plan ideas and Lennar’s, the neighborhood’s group there and ours—because we want to put good programs out there. I mean, we really want to make a difference.”

project as I did with the Science Building. We’re going to make sure that it’s absolutely safe. We’re going to make sure that even before any potential construction occurs that the soil, grounds, access in and out - all of that stuff – meets our standards and expectations before we move forward.”

XPRESS: How did this year’s change in Title IX policy affect SF State?

LW: “It involved a commitment on our part to, in

reacted to the proposition of moving down there?

our minds, to be on the cutting edge of reforms, and standing up to our values that our campus is going to be safe and we’re going to do our due diligence. We’ve reorganized the whole violence against women act requirements. I think we’re beyond them by far. Everybody is asking us for copies for the way we reorganize to implement this.

We already begun training students. We’ve already started training employees. We are out on the cutting edge of the wave, saying, ‘we’re committed to this professionally and morally.’ I think Luoluo’s (the Title IX Coordinator’s) leadership has been instrumental in that.”

LW: “I’ve had nothing but positive feedback. It’s been

XPRESS: We’ve been reporting about allegations of

moving departments from here to there?

LW: “If there are departments here that would like that opportunity to move down there, we’ll talk to them. No one is going to be assigned, dragged against their will to go down there. I actually think that center will generate students.”

XPRESS: How has the community at Hunters Point

mostly individuals and we’re gonna start sponsoring some neighborhood meetings as we did when I first arrived here. Lennar was not on the radar at that point but I’ve gotten calls and notes from people saying, ‘I was at that little meeting in Bayview about two years ago, you didn’t forget us and I feel really good about that.’”

XPRESS: What is the University going to be doing to

a rape on campus. We’ve heard some comments from Luoluo, but we haven’t really heard your input. What’s your stance on that?

LW: “I don’t know about the case in general. I’ve been off campus. In fact, I got on a plane at 1 o’clock last night to make this meeting from the east coast, so I don’t know the case that you’re (talking about).”

ensure that the shipyard is clean when we get there?

environmental hazard and safety tests on the older buildings across campus.

“We’ve done a lot of testing in the residence halls,” Wong of the 1950s-built structures. “UPN was one we did pretty early on. Students had long complained about mold and insulation issues, so we addressed those also quite promptly and very, very quickly.”

When Wong closed the Science Building five days before last semester, his choice sparked criticism from faculty and staff members, with some saying that the University had neglected maintenance to the building for years.

“When it was first reported to us, my team took it seriously,” said Wong. “The last thing I think of is ‘if its been going on for the past ten, twenty years, why can’t you wait another five?’

Well, I’m not like that.”

Others were shocked by the full-scale closure of a science building, which they found to be unwarranted, for contamination from pesticides common in research facilities.

“The health and safety of our employees is important,” said Wong, who added that he did not regret his decision to close the building. “I’d rather be chewed out on behalf of their safety than to be, I want to say, superficial.”

NEWS

SEPTEMBER 24, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

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CCSF accreditation crisis heads to trial

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city judge denied community college accreditors exemption from state law last Friday, upholding the Oct. 27 trial that will determine validity of its sanctions against City College of San Francisco (CCSF).

Both sides called for a summary judgment hearing Sept.

10 and argued the grounds of San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera’s lawsuit, which accuses the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) of having conflicts of interest and an inappropriate evaluation process of City College under California’s business and professions code.

“The big issues that were discussed today seem to be around ACCJC’s larger argument that basically says you cannot sue them because they are not a commercial enterprise,” American Federation of Teachers Local 2121 President Tim Killikelly said at the Save CCSF Coalition meeting after the court session.

According to the City Attorney news release, presiding Judge Curtis Karnow further accepted their argument

JENNAH FEELEY jennah@mail.sfsu.edu

that accreditors “violated controlling federal regulations” by including just one academic representative on the 2013 evaluation panel, granting an early victory for Herrera.

Following the ACCJC’s de-

cision to revoke City College’s accreditation, Herrera filed suit in August 2013. Karnow subsequently ruled that the college could not be stripped of its accreditation until the court determines if the commission’s

actions were lawful.

The ACCJC filed a motion to halt proceedings in July following the creation of their new policy that allows colleges on the verge of losing accreditation to apply for restoration,

JOHN ORNELAS / XPRESS FILE PHOTO

MARQUEE: City College of San Francisco’s front sign reads “open” and “accredited” Oct. 13, 2013. The college’s accreditors were denied exemption from state law Sept. 19, 2014 after the presiding judge determined they had violated controlling federal regulations.

which City College swiftly complied to.

“They came up with this restoration policy out of thin air, we don’t even know what it means. We aren’t guaranteed any pathway to accreditation,” CCSF Student Trustee Shanell Williams said. “It was really the only option to exhaust just to show that the administration has tried every avenue they can to address the issue.”

Under California law, colleges require accreditation in order to receive federal funding.

Without federal funding and financial aid eligibility, City College would effectively close.

CCSF was the top feeder school for SF State transfer students in Fall 2013, according to the 2014 SFSU Data Book.

Though the college’s doors remain open, the accreditation crisis that has spanned over two years is ongoing.

“My last year there was when the whole accreditation thing started,” said Judith Valdovinos, a former city college student who now studies psychology at SF State. “I’m still worried for other people. I don’t know what the situation is right now, but it’s pretty scary.”

State to disperse Middle Class Scholarship MICHAEL DURAN

2004-2005

michaeld@mail.sfsu.edu

The first state scholarship for middle-class students will be disbursed in early October to nearly 73,000 attendees of California public university systems, according to a California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) spokesperson.

The Middle Class Scholarship, headed by CSAC, is eligible to students from families with incomes of up to $150,000. Students must have completed either the Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application or the California Dream Act application by March 2 to receive funds.

“The legislature put a ceiling of $90 and no student could receive any less,” said Patti Colston, spokesperson for CSAC. “The most the scholarship would provide is $1,710 for UC and $768 for CSU.” Students with family incomes of $100,000 or less are eligible to have up to 40 percent of their tuition covered by the program. Families with incomes that range from $100,001 to $150,000 are eligible to have 10 percent or more of the student’s tuition and fees paid for, according to the CSAC website.

“We don’t get the money, the students do,” said Barbara

$2,334

2005-2006

To check the amount you are eligible for, go to

2006-2007

www.webgrants4students.org

and make an account

2007-2008

$3,048

2008-2009

2009-2010 2010-2011

$4,440 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015

$0

$1000

$2000

$3000

$4000

$5000

$6000

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY EVELYN CAICEDO / XPRESS

CSU BUDGET OFFICE: Cal State University base tuition increases over last 10 years. Does not include additional university fees.

Hubler, director of student aid at SF State. “We don’t get a pot full of money and decide how much each student gets.”

The commission notified eligible students in an email Sept. 15 that they will receive the scholarship, but the University is

required to verify family income before disbursement, according to Hubler.

“We initially pushed for August to disburse funds, but state legislature had to rewrite and make some changes,” said Colston.

Eligibility requirements for the program changed last summer to factor in athletic scholarships and to extend the threshold to part-time students.

Due to the change in legislation, the disbursal date was pushed to Fall 2014.

“The program is still new and we still are working out the details,” Hubler said.

SF State student Samantha Chiu’s family income of $120,000 qualified her for $196 through the Middle Class Scholarship, but it doesn’t cover the $6,468 tuition cost at SF State for this academic year.

“I’m happy that I am eligible for the scholarship, but we still have bills to pay,” said Chiu. “I didn’t expect the amount to be so little.”

John A. Perez, former California State Assembly speaker, spearheaded the Middle Class Scholarship Act, which Gov. Jerry Brown signed into effect July 1, 2013.

The legislation is phased in a four-year span, which is expected to increase every school year. The program budget is $107 million and is expected to increase to $305 million by the 2017 to 2018 school year, when it is completely implemented.

“This is a great victory for higher education and middle class families in California, and a huge first step in keeping college affordable,” Pérez said at the signing ceremony in July of 2013. “This legislation will ensure that California maintains a healthy middle class and an educated work force to keep our economy strong.”

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NEWS

SEPTEMBER 24, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

Design students rethink urban space for worldwide Park(ing) Day

RECYCLE: (TOP) University of California Santa Cruz junior Michael Nick, left, and SF State visual communication design major Eunyoung Shin, right, place recycled items on a tree created for Parking Day (2014) in front of the Student Services Building Thursday, Sept. 18.

(LEFT) Senior Haley Meisenholder, an urban studies and planning major adds her commute to an art map on Parking Day at SF State Thursday, Sept. 18.

PHOTOS BY AMANDA PETERSON / XPRESS

TIMOTHY SMITH tsmith@mail.sfsu.edu

T

iny parklets and environmental installations sprung up around campus last Thursday in celebration of Park(ing) Day, an annual event reclaiming urban space for public use.

SF State students in the Design and Industry Department organized nine unique installations this year, all of which were geared toward critically examining how we utilize environmental resources.

Rebar, an art and design studio based in San Francisco, cre-

ated the first Park(ing) Day spot in 2005 as a creative response to concerns that the downtown area lacked open space.

The project evolved from one parklet occupying a single metered spot into an international event with thousands of participants each year.

According to a press release from Rebar, the Park(ing) celebration in 2011 included 975 unique installations, spanning across six continents.

At this years event a group of students fashioned a tree out of repurposed materials like card-

board tubes and plastic bottles for their project, inviting pedestrians to add their own trash to the design.

The design and construction process took several weeks, but the installation was only in place for a few short hours. The team provided a small seating area and a trash-sorting game as well.

Zoli Kauker, an industrial design major, said his team’s project, titled “everGreen,” focused on building community and teaching people about recycling.

“We felt that a lot of students are coming here from places like

L.A., or other places that didn’t really have a focus on compost, recycling or even just dividing trash properly,” Kauker said.

According to Kauker, students on campus don’t get enough chances to interact with their peers in a casual environment.

The group wanted to provide that opportunity while also educating students on proper recycling practices.

Michael Nick, a literature major visiting from University of California Santa Barbara, said he thought Park(ing) Day was an awesome idea because his school

doesn’t have nearly the same amount of foot traffic to lend itself to.

Sitting on the benches provided as part of the “everGreen” installation, Nick said the tree conveyed how rapidly trash can accumulate in a short period of time.

“I don’t think it’s pretty in the classical way, but it’s constructive,” Nick said. “It definitely catches your eye.”

To read more of this article, visit goldengatexpress.org

Potential statewide demonstrations to address expired CSU labor contracts JENNAH FEELEY

jennah@mail.sfsu.edu

California faculty members approach their 100th day without a new labor contract after months of salary and workload disputes with the California State University (CSU) system.

The California Faculty Association (CFA) plans to take action at all 23 of the CSU campuses throughout the week of Oct. 8, including an informational picket line at SF State, unless the groups reach a settlement, according to a CFA official.

“We need to start addressing some of the inequities within the salary structure because it is extremely demoralizing for faculty,” said Sheila Tully, SF State CFA chapter president. “If you don’t have the (salary step

increases) you’re stuck.”

The absence of salary step increases in the offer from the CSU causes inversion, which means some faculty members who have been working for years earn significantly less than new hires, according to Tully.

Other structural issues include compression, when similar salaries are given to faculty with different experience levels, and misclassification, which is when faculty members are paid less than their qualifications warrant.

History professor Eva Sheppard Wolf began working at SF State in 2002 and at one point was paid less than new hires.

“The message I felt I was getting was that what we faculty do wasn’t important and that we can easily be replaced,” Wolf said. “That’s the sort of unspoken message that one feels when

there are no raises for a long time.”

The CSU presented a threeyear general salary arrangement with a 1.81 percent increase the first year, a 1.70 percent increase the second year and 1.78 increase in the third year, according to the August CSU Bargain Update.

“We are trying to deal with a lot of the compensation issues we’ve faced dating back to the recession,” CSU Director of Public Affairs Michael Uhlenkamp said. “Faculty members are obviously extremely valuable on the campuses.”

The university system proposed to appropriate 64.4 percent, or $91.6 million, of state funds to employee payment, according to the Bargain Update.

A proposed $46 million would be allocated for faculty alone.

The CFA wants to see the money distributed differently to remedy the inequity caused by the salary structure, according to Tully. The workload issue remains on the table as well.

“We can’t provide high quality education and meet the needs of our students in huge classes or huge online classes,” said Tully. “Our working conditions are your learning conditions.”

In the face of growing class sizes, the matter of faculty workload has not been raised in contract bargains for the last 20 years, according to the CFA Response to the CSU Bargaining Update, Aug. 27.

“If I teach 25 students, I’m paid exactly the same amount as when I teach 125 students.”

Tully said.

Negotiations are scheduled

to continue this month. The former contract remains in place until Sept. 30 at which point either the new contract can be installed, the last contract can be extended again or faculty can temporarily go without.

“It is possible they could work without a contract, which was the case last time,” Uhlenkamp said. “The previous contract had expired and it was two years before we came to an agreement.”

Unresolved contract negotiations between the groups almost caused a statewide faculty strike in 2012, but both parties seem confident it will not escalate further.

“We are very optimistic that both sides will be able to come to an agreement that works for both parties,” Uhlenkamp said.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

SEPTEMBER 24, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

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‘Keys’ exhibit represents students’ hopes at SF State

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ANNASTASHIA GOOLSBY / XPRESS

PORCELAIN: SF State alumna Shenny Cruces untangles knots in her ‘Keys’ installation during a reception in the Alumni Hall Art Gallery Friday, Sept. 19.

NICOLE PARADISE nparadis@mail.sfsu.edu

fter searching through china cabinets and junk stores, artist and alumna Shenny Cruces alters porcelain items, turning them into sculpture to expose the meaning of objects in our lives.

Cruces shared the many different aspects that go into making her art during a reception

in SF State’s Alumni Hall Art Gallery Friday, Sept. 19.

Her latest installation, ‘Keys,’ can be seen in the lobby of the University’s Administration Building.

More than 500 porcelain molded keys are attached to the wall and hung from the ceiling, creating its own atmosphere.

“Many people come to the University to open a new door,” Cruces said, describing the meaning of the keys as resembling students coming to the University in hopes of a new beginning and bright future.

Cruces received her Master of Fine Arts from SF State in 2011. Since then, she has taught and exhibited widely.

Cruces said the art of collecting is an intrinsic part of her practice and work.

She uses china cabinets and recognizable objects associated with collecting to engage with the viewer’s sense of home and memory.

The keys used in the installation were collected from the Palo Alto Art Center.

“The ‘Keys’ exhibition is a conceptual artwork that is a meditation on intimacy and the passing of knowledge,” said Mark Johnson, professor and director of the Fine Arts Gallery.

Johnson also said the installation space allows visitors to know that alumni are engaged as professional artists who continued their practice after graduation.

At least one student, G.V. Kelley, has been inspired by Cruces’ art and said Cruces offered guidance and sup-

port when he got the chance to work with her during his studies.

“I love her work,” Kelley said. “It is delicate and beautiful in many ways that you don’t realize until you really focus on the art.”

In addition to the larger installation, there is a smaller piece of Cruces’ work in the art office where students can write down their name in exchange for a porcelain key.

The Alumni Hall is a rotating exhibition program of work by graduates of the Master of Fine Art program at the University.

A new installation is featured each semester.

Cruces’ ‘Keys’ exhibit runs through January 2015 in the Alumni Hall weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is free to view.

‘Keys’ is the second ceramic installation that has displayed since the exhibition program was created three years ago by a Master of Arts graduate student.

“It took someone to be super inspired to start the program,” said Sharon Bliss, associate director of the Fine Arts Gallery. “It is a chance for art to be spread all throughout campus.”

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

SEPTEMBER 24, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

CONTINUED FROM THE FRONT

Folsom Street Fair thrives on pleasure and pain

PHOTOS BY FRANK LADRA / XPRESS

FETISH: (TOP LEFT) A man whips a woman strapped to a St. Andrews cross during a live demonstration at Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco Sunday, Sept. 21. (TOP RIGHT) A man ties up a woman using Shibari, an ancient Japanese artistic form of rope bondage, during Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco Sunday, Sept. 21. (BOTTOM) Acrobatic street performers give a live demonstration during Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco Sunday, Sept. 21.

Chad Lee, an SF State alumnus and volunteer for San Francisco Leathermen’s Discussion Group, worked the fair’s clothing check Sunday and said he loves coming back to the annual event.

“It’s not just about fetish,” Lee said. “It’s about individuality and that’s why I keep coming and that’s why I’m having such a great time, because I never quite know what to expect, except for something fun and different.”

Walking from Civic Center Bart to the corner of 8th and Folsom streets, anticipation was high. Those heading to the event stood out like nipple clamps in a pile of daisies, especially among the techies and business people who, on a normal day, crowd the same streets.

Bouncing attendants flocked to various stages where bands such as Bright Light Bright Light and Austra performed live for the bondage-clad crowd of more than 400,000 people. More than 200 vendors, selling everything from sex toys to garlic fries, were alongside a number of exhibits ranging from free HIV testing to Whore Magazine.

“(The fair) is just a wonderful event (filled with) a lot of great people that are very gracious and giving,” said Todd Collins, the medical manager at the fair. “Everyone gets to do their own thing and no matter what it is, they can do it here at the Folsom Street Fair. There is always something new to see here. It is always changing and always evolving.”

In 1984, Kathleen Connell and Michael Valerio founded the fair through their deep roots within San Francisco’s South of Market (SoMa) District.

“The Folsom Fair did not start out as a leather event,” according to University of Michigan Professor Gayle Rubin, who hosted a discussion on the history of the fair Sept. 17. “The leatherization of the fair was a slow process that happened in spurts, until the late 90’s and early 2000’s, when it was finally established as a leather-focused event.”

Rubin teaches LGBT and women’s studies and is highly active in the lesbian sadomasochism culture, which involves the giving or receiving of pleasure from acts involving pain, agony and humiliation.

The fair is always scheduled to take place the last Sunday in September, but due to this year’s Oracle Appreciation Event, the Folsom Street Fair occurred a week early.

Each year hundreds of thousands flock to the fair, many of whom don’t participate in the culture, but are regardless curious to see what the fuss is all about. The fair attracts people of all kinds, some of who thrive off the pleasure and pain and some who leave terrified by the end of the afternoon.

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OPINION

SEPTEMBER 24, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

STAFF EDITORIAL

Change in rape culture begins with the redefinition of consent BRADLEY FOCHT

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

MICHAEL BARBA

PRINT MANAGING EDITOR mdbarba@mail.sfsu.edu

LAUREN SEWARD

ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR lseward@mail.sfsu.edu

EVELYN CAICEDO

ART DIRECTOR ecaicedo@mail.sfsu.edu

KAITLIN AGUILAR

ART ASSISTANT kaitlina@mail.sfsu.edu

SOFIA LIMON

ART ASSISTANT slimon@mail.sfsu.edu

SARA GOBETS

PHOTO EDITOR scgobets@mail.sfsu.edu

FRANK LADRA

PHOTO EDITOR fladra@mail.sfsu.edu

NASHELLY CHAVEZ

NEWS EDITOR nashelly@mail.sfsu.edu

IDA MOJADAD

NEWS EDITOR idajane@mail.sfsu.edu

ANNA HECHT

A&E EDITOR ahecht@mail.sfsu.edu

MADISON RUTHERFORD OPINION EDITOR maddie@mail.sfsu.edu

THOMAS DE ALBA

SPORTS EDITOR tdealba@mail.sfsu.edu

Earlier this month, a rape reportedly took place in the residence halls at SF State. Little was said or done after the fact, which called into question how college campuses handle sexual assaults. What if we could change the way we view rape culture across California universities?

At the end of September, California might become the first state to do just that.

Senate Bill 967, dubbed the “yes means yes” bill, aims to redefine sexual assault from a lack of consent to a clearly communicated affirmation. It will also require sexual assault and consent education to be a mandatory part of freshmen orientation on college campuses statewide. Approved by the senate in the beginning of September, the bill simply requires Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature to become a law.

As college students, we cannot sit on the sidelines and blame the blurred lines of party drugs and binge drinking for our passivity. What it takes to end sexual assault on college campuses is to construct a bold and comprehensive definition of consent that will educate students and hold the assailants—the real people at fault—accountable.

The passing of the bill will produce more

safe and educated college campuses, provide a more comfortable space for victims to come forward and make it easier to prosecute perpetrators.

According to One in Four, a national organization that aims to inform the public about rape culture in the United States, one in four college women report surviving rape or attempted rape at some point in their lifetime.

SB 967 aims to diminish these numbers, while simultaneously spreading awareness that will have a profound effect on the way we think and act when it comes to sexual activity in college.

The National Sexual Violence Resource Center found that only 5 percent of rapes were reported to law enforcement. However, two-thirds of these victims confided in another person who they felt comfortable with. These statistics show that many young women at universities do not have enough confidence in school or legal authorities to come forward with their cases.

This groundbreaking law will give rape victims a voice that was previously silenced.

It wasn’t until this year that such cases fell under the spotlight when a young woman from Columbia University visually displayed

the burden of her own rape by carrying around the 50 lb. mattress on which she claims she was assaulted. Emma Sulkowicz’s case has brought even more attention to the issue of college campus rapes that are left uninvestigated.

Despite this case receiving national publicity, there are still discrepancies in what constitutes consensual sex. For example, too many people believe sex is consensual when someone drunkenly decides to engage in sexual activity, even if they would have decided otherwise when sober.

The true meaning of consent has been stifled. Defining it as a clearly communicated verbal or nonverbal “yes” will enable a huge shift in what consensual sex really means in our society.

Although SB 967 won’t eradicate sexual assault in its entirety, it will alter the way we view rape on college campuses in a revolutionary way. It’s about time we break the pattern of indifference and ignorance surrounding an issue that has plagued college campuses for far too long. Passing this legislation will no longer allow us to turn a blind eye to sexual assault and the conditions in which it takes place.

‘You play like a girl’ should be a compliment

MICHAEL DURAN

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR michaeld@mail.sfsu.edu

WILL CARRUTHERS

MULTIMEDIA EDITOR wcarruth@mail.sfsu.edu

RACHELE KANIGEL

PRINT ADVISER kanigel@mail.sfsu.edu

JESSE GARNIER

MULTIMEDIA ADVISER jgarnier@sfsu.edu

SCOT TUCKER

PHOTO ADVISER tucker@sfsu.edu

EVA CHARLES

ADVERTISING & BUSINESS echarles@mail.sfsu.edu

ARUN UNNIKRISHNAN I.T. CONSULTANT arun@mail.sfsu.edu

SADE BROWNE

CIRCULATION sbrowne822@gmail.com

SHAWN PERKINS

STUDENT GRAPHIC DESIGNER smperk@sfsu.edu

WRITE US A LETTER The Golden Gate Xpress accepts letters no longer than 200 words.

Letters are subject to editing.

Send letters to Madison Rutherford at: maddie@mail.sfsu.edu

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 Brad Focht at: bfocht@mail.sfsu.edu

H

LIZ CARRANZA

ecarranz@mail.sfsu.edu

ow many 4-year-old kids could name the starting lineup for the 1997 to 1998 Chicago Bulls team? To this day, I still clearly remember jumping on our beaten down grey couch out of excitement when the Bulls won the championship that season.

If my older brother turned on SportsCenter while I played with my Barbie dolls, I would throw them to the side and have my eyes glued to the television.

Growing up in a household with sports as the main dinner table topic, it only made sense that I would eventually write about the subject. Now, I’m a 20-year-old journalism student that is the only woman in the sports section of the school newspaper.

I’m accustomed to being the only female in sports discussions and competing with male perspectives to prove my knowledge about sports.

I think it’s time the sports world acknowledges women athletes and sports reporters with the same recognition that is given to men.

SF State is not known for its sports accomplishments. Even with the gym remodeled and the Gator logo redesigned this semester, most individuals still do not care or know about the teams on campus.

That’s fine, not everyone likes or understands sports, but one thing I do appreciate about the sports atmosphere on campus is the acknowledgement of women as student athletes. It shows a positive side to the mistreatment and sometimes nonexistent acknowledgment of women found in the professional sports world.

Reports recently surfaced of the unfair treatment and pay of the Oakland Raiders’

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY KAITLIN AGUILAR / XPRESS

current and past cheerleaders. At the end of each season, the Raiderettes were only paid $1,250, which did not include traveling expenses or time spent at mandatory events and rehearsals. If they were above the required weight, they were fined and benched until they lost weight. The Raiderettes are not the only cheerleaders in the NFL to go through this. There are still pending lawsuits that involve cheerleaders for the Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New York Jets.

One of the simplest ways professional women sports can be recognized more is

by increasing the coverage. NBA games are aired daily throughout the season on TNT, ABC and ESPN, but WNBA games rarely appear. If networks aired at least two WNBA games every week during the season, it would increase recognition of women who are scoring and dunking just like male athletes.

Maybe down the road saying “you play like a girl” will be a compliment instead of a childish insult and women reporting on the sidelines of football games will be respected for their reporting instead of known for having a pretty face.

OPINION

SEPTEMBER 24, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

9

SMALL POCKETS, BIG PHONES

Women’s pants reinforce oppressive tendencies IDA MOJADAD

T

idajane@mail.sfsu.edu

he same week Apple livestreamed details of their new 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus for the modern folk to drool over, I innocently wore a new pair of jeans for the first time, and a surly cloud loomed throughout the day.

Why? Pockets. Puny ones, with a depth only my childsized pinky finger could fit.

If the rejected two-thirds of my iPhone 5c flops around as it is, how could all women who wear pants adapt to the constant enlargement of smartphones?

It is another stark reminder of persisting gender inequality every time I struggle to fit a phone in my pants.

Shallow pockets tell wom-

en a few more things about how we should be viewed and that we should sacrifice function and comfort to meet these expectations.

If it means having your phone or even bobby pins pop out when you sit down, so be it—at least your ass looks good.

The amount of money manufacturers save on material probably doesn’t hurt their bottom line either.

Men, on the other hand, are able to fit wallets, phones, keys, change, calculators, pencils and occasionally water bottles in their pockets without a visible bulge.

Men’s jackets are also equipped with handy pockets on the inside.

The pocket binary makes it obvious to women that manufacturers don’t want to extend the same options to both sides,

furthering female dependency on handbags and other accessories the fashion industry convinces us we need.

The assumption already stands that women carry purses anyways and questions the relevance of pockets, which is a cycle of echoed arguments that rubber-stamps women as holding the same style preferences.

Clothing for women is typically designed to accentuate curves, whereas men’s wardrobes offer different functions.

I constantly see women crossing the shopping aisle to escape the expectations enforced by multiple elements of daily life, but I hardly see men flocking to women’s apparel.

This specific revolving door of how society sees each gender sparks safety concerns as well.

In a city with smartphone theft so rampant that Muni launched a campaign to encourage cautious commutes, I feel like an easy target no matter how I went about it.

As someone who once got their phone stolen on the way home from campus, a secure front pocket is the only place I feel most comfortable storing it.

Tighter pants are also a dead giveaway of what’s in your pockets while handbags restrict movement and are also targets of theft.

Women should, at the very least, have the option of pockets with more volume to comfortably accommodate basic daily necessities without needing a purse.

Oppressive systems reinforced by something as unsuspecting as trouser pockets must also progress with technology and other facets of modern life.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SOFIA LIMON / XPRESS

10 SPORTS

SEPTEMBER 24, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

Rugby club fights for a home field

PHOTOS BY MARTIN BUSTAMANTE / XPRESS

SCRIMMAGE: (TOP) Erwin Rodriguez, left, and Ernst Wullenweber, right, square off with their respective teams during a scrum at practice on Wednesday Sept. 17. (BOTTOM) Reed Monsen, left, is hoisted into the air during a lineout, but assistant coach Gavin Creps, right, catches the ball during practice Wednesday Sept. 17.

KYLE MCLORG

kmclorg@mail.sfsu.edu

They are SF State’s only Division-I representatives. In 2012, they enjoyed their first undefeated season. On Saturday, they finished fourth in the grueling Pac West Sevens Tournament at Sacramento State, bringing home the Shield award.

They are the Gators Rugby Football Club (GRFC), and to date, their toughest opponent is the school they represent.

Over its nine-year history, the GRFC transformed from a social club to a Division-I contender, taking on tough competition from all over California along the way.

Since its inception, the GRFC made a home in the middle of the San Francisco Bay, playing its games on the Fog Rugby Pitch on Treasure Island.

However, team captain Lukas Zanoli said the league recently advised the club to find a new home pitch due to several hazards on the field, including metal sprinkler heads in the playing area and drainage grates on the sidelines.

What the league doesn’t know is that the GRFC has been trying to move for years. It petitioned SF State to use Cox Stadium several times and, until now, the school remained silent.

“We’re here and we’re knocking on the door,” Zanoli said. “We’re doing something here, we’re doing something big with SF Gators Rugby. We just want to know, what can our club do for the school to make this happen?”

The team’s first attempt to move its home games onto the

SF State campus came back in 2011, according to former team President Tristan Hayter.

“I remember hearing at meetings that we were in the process of trying to get it,” Hayter said. “We were trying to get some home games there to get a crowd and have it more local.”

Still a Division-II squad in the Northern California Rugby Football Union at the time, Hayter said the GRFC reached out to administration in hopes of earning a few home games in Cox Stadium, but failed.

The team’s next attempt, which came at the close of the Spring 2014 semester, was to host a sevens tournament—similar to the one the GRFC played in over the weekend—at Cox Stadium in November. Hayter submitted the eight-page proposal, which included the team’s history, intended uses for the field, associated costs, and benefits for the school, to Ryan

Fetzer in the Intramurals and Sports Clubs Office. Hayter said they hoped it would be passed along to the Athletics Department.

“We aspire to get to a point where our club can see sustainable growth, through sheer brand recognition,” Hayter wrote in the proposal. “While we have pressed and succeeded through hard times, the GRFC has finally reached a pivotal point in our clubs history… We see the next step in the progression of our club as a strategic partnership with SF State.”

After the summer came and went without a response, Zanoli reached out for the club again.

This time, it was two emails on Sept. 16 and again on Sept. 22 to Jamil Sheared, the Game Day Management Coordinator for the athletics department.

This proposal included a request to secure Cox Stadium for four home games on Jan. 31,

Feb. 7, Feb. 28 and April 4.

Again, the captain’s phone never rang.

“Now that athletics and kinesiology schedules have been finalized for this semester I can move the proposal along,” Fetzer said Tuesday. “Cox Stadium is a heavily utilized facility.

Athletics and kinesiology are given first priority regarding scheduling of that facility.”

He explained that requests to reserve Cox Stadium should be filtered through an online request form on the Campus Recreation website, rather than the athletics department.

“We’re really just tenants, we don’t have specific ownership of any facilities here,” said Athletic Director Charles Guthrie. “Athletics only reserves the field for intercollegiate related activities.”

But Zanoli contends that the GRFC’s competition is limited only to other collegiate clubs,

including Stanford, UC Santa Cruz, UC Davis and San Jose State. Each of those teams has a home field on its respective campus.

“That’s what sets us apart from all the other schools,” Zanoli said. “They can play on campus. We’re not allowed to.”

According to SF State’s website, Cox Stadium is open to the campus and community for recreational purposes. However, Fetzer said no recreational sports clubs currently use Cox Stadium.

“All recreational activities that require a field use the West Campus Green,” he said.

The club originally hoped that the West Campus Green would be their new home once the field’s construction was completed, but Zanoli said rugby won’t work on it.

“They built it too small for rugby,” Zanoli said. “The sidelines are surrounded by a cement border that is only two feet off the sideline. If anybody were to be tackled out of bounds they would likely be injured.”

Fetzer said the team has followed all the necessary procedures to use the field, and that those responsible for scheduling Cox Stadium will begin the process of reviewing the proposal.

This club has proven it’s no stranger to adversity, and Zanoli said they won’t stop fighting until it has a new home on campus.

“This has been a long time in the making,” Zanoli said.

“We really feel like this is the year that our club is respectable enough, we are organized enough (and) we have the support.”

SPORTS 11

SEPTEMBER 24, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

Two seniors reflect on four years of comradery SERGIO PORTELA

sportela@mail.sfsu.edu

A lot can happen in four years.

There are successes, failures, hardships and triumphs, and a pair of SF State men’s soccer seniors have seen them all.

Kevin Johnson and Hayden Roberts are in their fourth and final year in Gator uniforms. The two seniors formed a great relationship in their freshman year, and even planned on potentially going semipro after their college careers.

“The main quality Kevin has is he is a true friend,” Roberts said.

“He will go out of his way to help you and he will always be there no matter what.”

Roberts said his first season as a Gator was intimidating and took some time to get adjusted.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” Roberts said. “The only thing I knew was to play my game and work hard because in my mind I needed to prove myself to my teammates.”

When Johnson joined the team as a freshmen, he said the game was more complex than what he experienced in high school.

“I noticed how physical college soccer was and every team in the conference had their own style of play,” Johnson said.

Although their freshman seasons were daunting, they solidified their friendship through a season of uncertainty.

“I think we have the same sense of humor and from the beginning I knew he was going to become one of my great friends,” Johnson said of Roberts.

MARTIN BUSTAMANTE / XPRESS

BUDDIES: Seniors Kevin Johnson, left, and Hayden Roberts, right, who have been friends since freshman year, stand in Cox Stadium at SF State Tuesday, Sept. 16.

Their sophomore season saw a different tone when the two got more play time and experienced SF State soccer at full speed.

“I became more mature and more relaxed on the ball,” Johnson said. “I gained some confidence and started taking players one on one, and earned a starting position before preseason ended.”

For Roberts, he had to become a scrappy and tough competitor to earn a role on the team. His hunger to improve transformed him as a player.

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK PHOTOS BY WAYNE SALVATORE / SPECIAL TO XPRESS

WOMEN’S SOCCER Autumn Fox Two goals and two assists in week, CCAA Player of the Week

MEN’S SOCCER Daniel Boyer Goalkeeper, 10 saves vs. BYU Hawaii

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL Jaclyn Clark 25 scores, 34 saves in two games

“Going into my sophomore year I felt less humble and more competitive as a player,” Roberts said. “I was looking to earn that starting spot and become a difference maker for the team.”

After recording no goals or assists as a sophomore, Roberts hit a roadblock. He switched positions as a junior, but saw his season end early to an MCL injury.

“It was hard to come back from (it) but I worked hard and did a lot of rehab to get me back on the field as soon as possible,” Roberts

said.

Roberts said he came back in the best shape of his life, and earned Academic All-American honors.

Despite Johnson’s hardships in the middle of his career, Roberts said Johnson sets the example for his teammates no matter what.

“Can’t imagine going into a soccer game without someone like Kevin by your side,” Roberts said.

“He makes you want to fight and pull your weight for the team.”

The team struggled through-

out Johnson and Roberts careers, finishing under .500 each season they played. But after sitting through three years of mediocrity, the team is off to it’s hottest start in five years under new head coach Matt Barnes, and the team is firing on all cylinders.

Johnson is back at his natural winger position and was named a team captain. He scored the game-winning goal in the season opener against Holy Names University, and continues to use his aggressive play style to attack the net.

“We are both dedicated to this season and want nothing more than to see this team go to playoffs for the first time in a long time,” said Johnson.

Coach Barnes praises both of his seniors and loves their work ethic.

“They haven’t had off days to this point it is really what I appreciate about both of them is them buying in them being good leaders from the top and putting their work in everyday,” Barnes said.

Johnson and Roberts said they’ve cherished their time as Gators. They advised their freshman teammates to take advantage of their opportunities while playing for SF State.

“These four years go by faster than you can ever imagine and you have to make the most of it,” Johnson said. “A lot of our careers will end after college and before you know it, you are turning in your jerseys for the last time and that senior day game will be the last time you represent a school playing the sport you love.”