Fall 2019 Issue 13 by Golden Gate Xpress

SF State’s student-run publication since 1927

Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019

Volume 110, Issue 13

Strindberg’s haunting ‘Ghost Sonata’ makes rare appearance at SF State

Actress Madeleine Muzio gets her wig removed after her performance in “The Ghost Sonata” at SF State on Nov. 17. (Photo by Sandy Scarpa / Golden Gate Xpress) BY FELICIA HYDE STAFF REPORTER

erie whispers of wind slowly creep into the audience’s ears as figures of life and death from the 20th century make their way like zombies onto the stage. A milkmaid in a white and brown tattered dress groans and moans while crawling out of the floor. A person wrapped in tissue-like garments ambles back and forth behind a worn down black gate carrying three dried wreaths. Looking from the outside, a young boy hopes for riches and to find answers to life’s unanswered questions

only to uncover layers of betrayal and come face to face with his hell. After many years of anticipation, August Strindberg’s play “The Ghost Sonata” debuted last week at SF State’s Little Theatre with collaboration from directors and professors John Wilson and Florentina Mocanu-Schendel in SF State’s School of Theatre and Dance. “It’s honestly been chasing me for years. I encountered it for the first time when I was in undergrad and then in grad school and then again when I moved to SF,” said John Wilson,

co-director of Ghost Sonata and professor at SF State’s School of Theatre and Dance. “I encountered it again as the opera and so now finally I have the opportunity to work on it, and it’s a real privilege to direct it.” After about 25 years of teaching, Wilson was able to co-direct the production with another professor from the department. Without hesitation, Mocanu-Schendel was more than willing to join the project and be a part of the artistic and educational collaboration with students. CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

Students write messages of support to incarcerated womxn BY ELIZA FLYNN STAFF REPORTER

lex Lalama spoke the words of bell hooks while standing atop a small platform in the lobby of Cesar Chavez, as students began to stop to listen to her speak words of compassion toward incarcerated women: “The moment we choose to live we begin to move against dom-

ination, against depression. The moment we choose to love we begin to move towards freedom. To act in ways that liberate ourselves and others. That action is the testimony of love as the practice of freedom.” Lalama, a senior at SF State and fall semester intern for the on-campus program Project Re-

bound, organized the first Unheard Womxn event in collaboration with the campus Women’s Center. The event provided students the opportunity to pen letters on the back of ornately decorated postcards, to provide words of encouragement and show solidarity to incarcerated women. The cards will be dis-

UFC has a doping problem and a deal with the USADA won’t stop athletes from using substances and fight promoters from turning a blind eye

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tributed by the California Coalition of Women Prisoners to San Francisco, San Mateo and San Bruno County jails. Lalama got the idea for the event after working closely with women in county jails, where she discovered a majority of incarcerated women are mothers of young chilCONTINUED ON PAGE 4

Students from IDEAS, the Dream Resource Center and La Raza organized a walkout and rally to protest the Supreme Court possibly overturning DACA

ASI pushes for student fee increase BY JUAN CARLOS LARA STAFF REPORTER

ees are an intrinsic part of any college student’s life, from the time they apply to colleges and pay application fees until they prepare to leave and pay a graduation fee. Students at SF State currently pay $762 in mandatory fees at the start of every fall and spring semester. When students tap their ID cards on Muni buses, their fare is paid through a $180 Gator Pass fee. Every student that enjoys going to Mashouf to swim laps, lift weights, or take a Zumba class can do so thanks to a $166 Recreation and Wellness Center fee. Students can receive up to three counseling sessions per semester at Counseling and Psychological Services, funded in part by a $157 Student Health Services fee. Students also pay $54 to fund Associated Student Inc. (ASI), the nonprofit run by the student government responsible for funding student services and organizations. That last fee, the Student Body Association fee, may be going up in the coming years. During a board of directors CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

11/18/19 9:49 PM

2•OPINION

TUESDAY, NOV. 19, 2019 | GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

‘Joker’ trumps box office despite critics, political outlets BY ANDREW R. LEAL OPINION EDITOR

C’s “Joker” became the first R-rated movie ever to cross the $1 billion mark on Nov. 15 and did so without the help of the Chinese market. The Todd Phillips-directed comic book movie opened with a mostly poor score of 69% from critics but a high praise of 89% from the audience, according to Rotten Tomatoes. Although the less-than-stellar score from critics is technically a fresh rating, it is just 10% above rotten. The low score was due, in part, to the vitriol critiques the corporate media had for the movie. In their minds, “Joker” would inspire others to cause violence in movie theaters across the nation. The corporate media was wrong and it manufactured a fake crisis by publishing stories about potential violence based on rumors that they carelessly tied to “Joker” leading up to the general opening in order to bury the movie. CNN ran a Sept. 25 story about a letter from a group of people who lost family members in the 2012 Aurora theater shooting during a screening of the Batman movie “The Dark Knight Rises.” The letter, sent to Warner Bros.

CEO Ann Sarnoff, asked for her help in gun ownership reform. The request did not express any desire for “Joker” to be pulled from theaters, nor did it mention that any screenings would be at risk for copycat shooters. They simply said the movie “gave us pause.” Yet CNN tied “Joker” to a story that should have been solely about gun ownership reforms. Instead, they forced “Joker” into the headline and story for clicks a couple of weeks before the movie’s premiere. A Sept. 22 Huffington Post article also made the false connection between “Joker” and possible acts of violence by citing the Aurora shooter. In the original article, they referenced rumors that the shooter identified himself as the Joker, or was molded by the character to commit horrific acts. The site later posted a correction detailing their error. The false connections between “Joker” and a mass shooter event that happened seven years ago is an egregious mistake by Huffington Post and the story’s writer. The Aurora shooting is the central link in this false narrative perpetuated by CNN and others. In an Oct. 3 story, one day before the general release of the film, CNN reported the FBI and other feder-

al authorities were on alert for potential acts of violence at movie screenings of “Joker.” CNN acknowledged in the story that “federal authorities write that the FBI has no information leading to ‘specific or credible threats to particular locations or venues,’ but note that the FBI received tips of threats posted on social media since at least May.” The article was based on tips — not concrete threats gathered by the FBI, but on rumors most likely from online trolls. Furthermore, on the Oct. 4 opening day for “Joker,” CNN followed up with a story titled “‘Joker’ hits movie theaters with controversy and extra security” and an opening sentence that implied disappointment in the movie’s release. “The ‘Joker’ hit movie theaters this week despite a wave of criticism that it glorifies a killer and could encourage copycat attacks nationwide,” said Faith Karimi of CNN. What the corporate media did with “Joker” was atrocious and did not live up to journalistic standards. Let this lack of violent response and billion dollar-plus success of “Joker” teach these outlets a lesson, which is do proper newsgathering over creating a false narrative based on rumors.

Joaquin Phoenix attends the 76th Venice Film Festival for the premiere of “Joker” on Aug. 31 (Photo courtesy of Andrea Raffin / Shutterstock)

BART riders should be allowed to eat on trains BY ARIANNE ARCIAGA STAFF REPORTER

n Nov. 4, Steve Foster was handcuffed at the Pleasant Hill/Contra Costa Centre Bay Area Rapid Transit Station by police officer David McCormick after eating a sandwich on the station platform. Foster was not arrested, according to a statement BART made on their Twitter. A video of the incident went viral on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. In the comments, people were sharing their stories of eating on BART. One commenter said, “people like myself eat at the platform and sometimes on BART because that’s the only time we have.” Safety should be BART’s priority, not detaining people for eating food. BART says that it carries about on average 432,000 people on a weekday — it is a huge form of transportation. My classes are back-to-back Monday through Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. and I head straight to work as soon as my classes are over. Sometimes, the only time I have to eat my breakfast or lunch is during my commute going to school or to work. For the amount of times I ate on BART, I was never cited or told to stop eating. After the incident, District 8 BART Director Janice Li and Kelly Groth, policy advisor for the nonprofit organization NextGen organized an “eat-in” at the Embarcadero Station in San Francisco on Nov. 9. More than 30 people showed up to the station with breakfast sandwiches, snacks and pastries. “The response from BART riders on social media was supportive, with riders sharing their stories of eating on BART and not being harassed, while also calling out their privilege of being white or fair skinned,” said Kelly Groth, policy advisor for the nonprofit NextGen. There was no direct response from BART police during the eat-in but BART general manager, Bob Powers, issued an apology on Nov. 11 stating that he was disappointed Crime statistics on BART Source: BART Police Department Monthly Report (Infographic in how the situation unfolded. Powers also by Arianne Arciaga / Golden Gate Xpress) apologized to Foster, BART riders, employees and others who have had an emotional reaction to the video.

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“My friends and I were discussing the video incident and mentioned the various times we’ve eaten or had a beverage on BART and not been harassed, let alone the fact that eating on BART shouldn’t be an offense in the first place” Groth said. There are more than a handful of times where I’ve been on BART and have seen someone smoking, stealing and being harassed — those people were not arrested or stopped by police. However, I have never seen a situation like Steve Foster’s. The BART Police Department TriTech issued data from their computer database on June 2019 that showed there have been 251 violent crimes that happened on BART that include rape, robbery and assault. The database also said there were 1,620 instances of property crime, including burglary and larceny. “I don’t feel safe on BART,” SF State biology major Amanda Verzosa said. “Men have approached me asking for sexual favors, making me feel uncomfortable and freaked out.” BART’s mission statement says that they want to, “provide safe, reliable, clean, quality transit service for riders.” Twenty-three percent of people started using BART less because of crime concerns, according to a BART survey released on Jan. 24. The Alameda County Grand Jury reported that violent crimes on BART have increased by 115%, from 226 violent crimes in 2014 to 485 violent crimes in 2018. Violence and the safety of BART should always be a top priority. “The BART officer detains a passenger who was simply eating a sandwich, and calls for three officers to back him up. The officer who initially detained the passenger should have only reminded him of the rule to not eat on the platform, then de-escalated the situation and left the platform when the passenger confronted him,” Groth said. BART police officers should address violent crimes on BART rather than someone eating a sandwich. I witnessed so much danger and crime on BART that someone eating should be the last priority. There are plenty of people on BART who eat on the platform or the trains and do not get treated as poorly as Steve Foster was treated.

11/18/19 9:49 PM

3•SPORTS

GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG | TUESDAY, NOV. 19, 2019

Steroid era strikes Mixed Martial Arts BY KARAMEL NUNEZMARTINEZ STAFF REPORTER

veryone’s on steroids — at least that is the common assumption about most MMA fighters. It’s just a matter of knowing a guy who has that newest developments that can’t be detected in the test. As news got around that not every fighter is tested for EPOs, you can’t help but wonder which athletes are flying under the radar. The Ultimate Fighting Championship became one of the first major sports leagues to have its athletes’ drug tests done by a third-party agency, when signing a contract with United States Anti-Doping Agency back in 2015. The UFC president, Dana White, signed the deal with USADA in hopes that they could clean out the sport and “even the playing field.” Fighters that would try to game the system would be properly punished and penalized and the story of athletes taking “tainted supplement” would be silenced. After working with the agency for nearly four years, there has been little to no decrease in the number of athletes who were flagged for taking banned substances. White and Jeff Novitzky, the UFC’s Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance have been heavily criticized since signing with USADA, especially within the last couple of years. Current light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones’ test was consistently flagged for picograms of different steroids and he is still sanctioned to fight. When Former bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw was popped for EPOs after his loss against flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo, the MMA community turned its nose and questioned the credibility of the agency since in all of Dillashaw’s previous fights he

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SPORTS OPINION

tested negative for banned substances. The event that really caused USADA to start digging their own grave, was when the news got out that top fight contender Nate Diaz had adverse findings in a pre-fight drug test. Diaz who has no problem when it comes to calling out any and every fighter on the roster for cheating, took insult on USADA’s findings. Before the UFC could make a public announcement, Diaz made claims that the flagging of his tests was done intentionally. Almost 24 hours after the failed test, USADA retracted their statement, stating that the findings were from tainted supplements. The quick turnaround left many fighters surprised, some fighters have had to wait nearly a year to have their cases fully investigated all while being unable to compete and paying legal fees through the entire investigation. After years of mistakes and frustrated fighters, if the UFC isn’t willing to give up USADA then it’s time to rewrite some of their policies and practices. Not a fight goes by without a fighter being falsely accused and fined for a banned substance that no one knows where they came from. The agency needs to take some responsibility when mistakes are made and needs to not pick favorites in order to push an event.

Garrett’s punishment must contain the same wrath as his swing BY JESSE GOMEZ STAFF REPORTER

SPORTS OPINION

hursday Night Football was going great for the Cleveland Browns franchise until the night turned sour in true Browns fashion. The first victory over divisional rival Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 would forever be tainted and overshadowed once the 2017 No. 1 overall pick, Myles Garrett, decided to use a football helmet “as a weapon” and strike the opposing quarterback, Mason Rudolph, in the head. Hours after the violent outburst, the NFL handed out the longest suspension for a single on-field infraction in league history: six games, including the playoffs and possibly more leading into next season. While impactful, the punishment is still not enough. A sport known for its super athletes trying to inflict violence, witnessed something that resembled more of a WWE stunt or bar-room brawl. The outrageous incident, a major black-eye for the NFL, occurred when the 6-foot, 4-inches tall defensive end Garrett wrestled Rudolph violently to the ground long after he had completed a short pass in the final eight seconds of the game — a game that’s fate already concluded due to the 14-point lead. The tussle between Garrett and Rudolph continued as each guy pushed, pulled and made advancements toward one-another’s helmet. Garrett, with a 40 pound advantage over Rudolph, had offensive linemen and a referee trying to intervene, but still managed to drag the QB by the helmet across the turf. The helmet eventually broke free and was ripped off Rudolph’s head. In a blind rage, Rudolph charged Garrett and was then struck in the top of his unprotected head with his own helmet. Although somewhat apologetic and owning his mistake, it appeared Garrett may not have fully

grasped how bad his actions were. “A win’s a win. I don’t think it’s overshadowed by what happened in eight seconds,” Garrett told reporters in the locker room. Of course it takes away from the win. Instead of being able to bask in what was a great win, the entire franchise was forced to answer questions on how they thought their star athlete should be punished. The argument that things happen in the heat of the moment in this sport does not fly here. Garrett could have killed Rudolph on that field. By pure luck, the helmet was turned and hit Rudolph with the padded underside of the helmet. If the crown of the helmet was used, this incident may have been far worse. We are talking about the possibility of a man’s life forever being changed. The punishment must show the severity of the incident. As stated above, Garrett will face a hefty suspension and fine, and the league must get it right. Troy Vincent, the NFL’s head of football operations, said more fines regarding the indefinite suspension will be forthcoming next week. “That’s not us,” Vincent said. “That’s not who we are. There is no place for that in our game.” I agree with Vincent, the book needs to be thrown at Garrett. Does he deserve to be banned for life? I don’t think so, but the punishment must fit the crime. On top of the 2019 season, Garrett needs to be suspended at least for half of the 2020 season if not all of it. To put this suspension into perspective, we must not forget that wide receiver Josh Gordon was suspended for 20 plus games for marijuana and alcohol related policies. The league must set a precedent now, emphatically stating this can not, and will not happen again.

Everyone’s on steroids — at least that is the common assumption about most MMA fighters. Right: An image of a male body made up of pills. Photo courtesy of Peter Hermes Furian / Shutterstock.

11/18/19 9:49 PM

4•CAMPUS

TUESDAY, NOV. 19, 2019 | GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

Campus groups collaborate to uplift womxn

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 dren and often feel isolated in jail. According to a study conducted by the Vera Institute of Justice, nearly 80% of women in jails are mothers, mostly single parents. “During the holiday season they feel very lonely. To be away from their families and children,” said Lalama. “We want to tell them that someone is thinking about them and they don’t have to be alone through this.” Unheard Womxn was put on in collaboration with the Women’s Center, a safe space on campus for women (and everyone else) to go and de-stress, breastfeed, grab free organic tampons and pads and study. The event uses the notation womxn, rather than women. The x represents the most marginalized groups of women within society, transgender women and women of color. Exclusionary feminism, also known as white feminism, does not allow the voices of trans women and women of color to be fairly or accurately represented. This allows for the words ‘women’ and ‘woman’ to be whitewashed. The x reclaims the word and gender of womxn to include everyone who claims identity. “This is our first collaboration with Project Rebound, and for the amount of work that they do and the community they reach out, that’s something we don’t necessarily touch up on. It’s great to get a different perspective and realize there’s a whole community out there that we can potentially reach out to,” said Marcy Palacios, the assistant director of the Women’s Center. Lalama wanted to show formerly incarcerated students that they have a safe place on campus through this event. “I feel like there’s a lot of displacement. From jails to schools, and how do I fill in that gap? How do I remind them that there not so distance, that [school] where they belong, and that they’re important and matter here on campus?” Lalama asked. Project Rebound is a special admissions program on campus that helps formerly incarcerated, or justice involved students integrate back into civilian life. They provide students with long-term enrollment plans to ensure their academic access, place students in transition housing, offer counseling and other transitional services. The program also provides educational workshops at local jails in San Francisco and San Mateo, presenting the opportunity to explore higher education options. “A lot of the work that we do is counseling, we help out

Marina Barrajan, a SF State student, takes a moment to write a letter for Unheard Womxn on Nov. 14 in Cesar Chavez. (Photo by James Wyatt / Golden Gate Xpress)

with books and transportation. We try to set you up with a community so school doesn’t seem so scary,” said Lalama. The majority of incarcerated people in the United States are men, but the prison population that is increasing most rapidly are women of color. The rate of black women being incarcerated is twice that of white women, according to the NAACP.

“We know that housing and employment are two of the main barriers to people, for returning citizens … For our female students we have a very hard time finding any transitional housing possibilities because there’s just not a lot of awareness,” said Doris Fendt, the Director of Project Rebound. “And that’s what we hope to achieve on a very small level with this event.”

Students may vote on raising fees by spring 2021 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 voted unanimously to authorize the Vice President of Finance, Andrew Carillo, to begin the process of proposing a fee increase, although the exact fee increase amount has not yet been determined. This proposal would then become a referendum, which students would vote on during the Spring 2021 semester, according to Carillo. “It’s definitely not something I could solve in one year. What I’m doing this year is really outlining it,” Carillo said. ”One thing I plan on doing next semester is really trying to get a feel of what the students want from AS. What other services do you want us to provide? Are you aware of the services AS currently provides?” Horace Montgomery, Interim Executive Director of ASI, warned that if fees do not increase in the next few years, ASI may begin to see a budget deficit, where they are spending more money than they are making. Carillo and Montomery both pointed out that SF State currently has the lowest Associated Student fee of all CSUs. According to Carillo, if the fee is not increased soon, student services may be cut to avoid a deficit. However, some of these cuts may have already begun. Between 2015 and 2018, ASI decreased expenses relating to student services by over $1.5 million, according to audit reports published on the ASI website. In that same time frame, ASI increased funding for student government by roughly $109,000. This increase is the result of a move by the board of directors to increase the stipend they pay student board members, according to Montgomery. The board consists of mostly students with a few full time ASI and SF State staff, and student terms last one year, meaning the board members at the time most likely did not personally benefit from this increase. Over the last four years, ASI has averaged a net unrestricted revenue of approx-

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Pie charts comparing total ASI expenses from the year 2015 to the year 2018. Expenses across the board increased over the years with the exception of Student Service expenses which decreased by more than $1 million. Data sourced from ASI external audit reports. (Infographic by Juan Carlos Lara / Golden Gate Xpress) imately $1.2 million yearly, according to external audit reports. Net revenue means the amount left over when total expenses are subtracted from the total revenue. Unrestricted revenue refers to funds that are not automatically designated for any specific causes. Montgomery contends that increasing costs are an inevitable part of long term business maintenance, citing the fact that fees for ASI have not increased in 15 years. “The cost of doing business just changes, so we’re just getting ahead of it,” Montgomery said. “We know that this is going to need to happen in the next year or two, so why not get out and start asking students to see what we can provide for them.” In 2018, ASI spent slightly over $3 mil-

lion of their total $8.9 million in unrestricted revenue on a wide array of student services. Carillo pointed out that even if students are aware of these services, they may not know that they are funded by ASI. For example, Project Rebound, which began in the 1950s, supports students who were previously incarcerated through extra financial aid, advocacy with parole or probation officers and mentoring. The Early Childhood Education Center provides affordable childcare for children of preschool age or younger at a sliding scale cost for student parents based on income and household size. The Gator Groceries program gives away approximately 7,000 pounds of food every Monday at the Annex, according to Mont-

gomery. During a recent finance committee meeting, Montgomery mentioned the possibility of hosting cooking classes for Gator Groceries participants. Carillo plans to hold multiple town hall events next semester, at least two per month, with other board members in order to hear from students as well as inform them on the work ASI currently does. He also plans to attend various student organization meetings. Montgomery and Carillo both encourage all students to actively participate in this process. The ASI Finance Committee meets every Monday at 3 p.m. in the Student Center T-152. The Board of Directors meet every other Wednesday at 2 p.m. in Jack Adams Hall.

11/18/19 9:49 PM

CAMPUS•5

GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG | TUESDAY, NOV. 19, 2019

CSU searches for a new chancellor BY MJ JOHNSON CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR

special committee of California State University trustees and an advisory committee held an open forum at Cal State East Bay Nov. 13 to hear the CSU community’s suggestions for the selection of its newest chancellor after Chancellor Thomas P. White announced his retirement Oct. 22. The chancellor oversees all 23 CSU campuses, and university presidents report directly to the chancellor. The special committee of trustees was selected to lead the search, and the stakeholders advisory committee guides the search, according to CSU spokesperson Mike Uhlenkamp. The advisory committee consists of student representatives from the California State Student Association (CSSA), statewide academic senate, alumni council, campus presidents and staff. “We want to make sure that we are allowing stakeholders the opportunity to weigh in and provide insight into the knowledge, skills and ability that will be crucial for the next chancellor,” Uhlenkamp said. White announced his retirement after serving as the chancellor since 2013. He will remain in the position until July 30, 2020. The four remaining open forums scheduled on the listening

tour will take place at the Chancellor’s Office in Long Beach, Cal Poly Pomona, CSU San Marcos and Fresno State until Dec. 5. Anyone interested in voicing their concerns can submit comments and nominations on the CSU website. “It’s been very gratifying to have representatives of faculty, staff, administrators and students,” chair of the special committee Jean Picker Firstenberg said at the open forum. “It’s exciting to hear what you care about what you’re passionate about, what you want the CSU to be. Rest assured, we are not only taking notes. We take copious reports on everything we hear.” The legacy of White’s tenure was his focus on Graduation Initiative 2025, a plan launched in 2015 to increase four-year graduation rates to 45% and eliminate equity gaps in degree completion. According to CSU, in 2019 statewide graduation rates had increased overall both for first-time students at 27.5% and transfer students at 40.4%, an alltime high. At SF State, four-year graduation rates are at 18%, according to the Office of Institutional Research. Several students who attended the open forum brought up concerns about graduation and retention rates for the majority-minority CSU campuses. Michael Wiafe, president of

CSSA, which is on the advisory committee, said the new chancellor would be an influential part of the conversation to address student concerns. “These concerns are ones that students have been raising up for a while,” Wiafe said. “When looking at these issues, it’s about looking at the role that the chancellor has to play in them and the power that they have to affect the issues. So, it’s important to have a chancellor who will listen.” Other concerns raised by students, administrators and staff at the open forum related to environmental sustainability, labor relations with faculty and staff unions, land acknowledgment, permanent resource center locations at all campuses and increasing student tuition fees. Odalis De La O Cortez from Students for Quality Education raised the issue of how tuition costs have increased by 300% since 2002. “I want to make sure that this new chancellor knows the consequences every time they raise tuition, because it affects us tremendously in many negative ways, and that they’re going to take us into consideration,” De La O Cortez said. “I want to make sure that they’re able to empathize with us as students and not just look at us as profit.” De La O Cortez also mentioned the dispar-

ity in the chancellor’s salary to the high price of tuition for students who cannot afford increases. According to the CSU Executive Compensation summary, White will make $463,855 in salary and $95,004 in housing benefits for 2019. In 2013, at the start of his tenure, he made over $452,000 in salary and benefits, according to Transparent California. He was criticized by students and employment unions in 2017 when the CSU Board of Trustees approved a 2.5% increase in top executive salaries even as they implemented increased student tuition fees across the state. After the listening tour, CSU will continue to accept comments. Alondra Esquivel Garcia, a director on the board of CSSA and VP of external affairs for Associate Students at SF State, will conduct an open forum in the coming months to hear from students at SF State what they hope the new chancellor will represent. “A lot of our systems are not equitable for our students. It takes years and years to make those changes,” Garcia said. “The CSU is composed of 500,000 students. Students run the universities. If there’s no student consultation, they’re lacking in student involvement and voice in these decision-making processes.”

DACA students join nationwide walkouts BY MJ JOHNSON CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR

he conservative majority U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Nov. 12 on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and intentions to shut it down. Undocumented students on SF State’s campus organized a walkout to retaliate. The students joined nationwide walkouts from Los Angeles to New York City to demand the Supreme Court to uphold DACA. Nearly 30 students gathered in the SF State quad carrying handmade signs with slogans like “Abolish ICE” and “I stand with immigrants.” They wore printed T-shirts stating “Undocumented and unafraid” to show their support. DACA offers temporary legal status and protection from deportation for undocumented people who arrived to the U.S. as children. DACA legal status gives recipients legal employment and educational opportunities. Vanni Castillo, an undocumented graduate student who organized the rally, said he wanted to educate undocumented students about what is happening in the Supreme Court. He shouted chants into a megaphone, his voice echoing off the library building. “I want to lead the example” said Castillo, who organized with students from Improving Dreams Equity Access and Success (IDEAS), the Dream Resource Center (DRC) and the La Raza student organization. “We want to let them know that what’s happening wont stop us from thriving, won’t stop us from fighting, won’t stop us from being unafraid.” The conservative justices continue to signal the ending of the Obama-era program. DACA, during the Trump administration, has been under constant threat after the administration rescinded the program in 2017, calling it an example of executive overreach and unconstitutional. Three federal appeals courts have since ruled in favor of DACA, stating that because numerous people, businesses and the U.S. economy rely heavily on the program, the administration must provide more sufficient reasoning for ending DACA. The White House has appealed those decisions bringing the DREAMers to face a conservative majority in the Supreme Court. “It’s important to show support for the group that supported me through my ed-

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Vanni Castillo, an undocumented graduate student, holds up a megaphone during an undocumented student walkout in the SF State Quad Nov. 12 (Photo by MJ Johnson / Golden Gate Xpress)

ucation,” said Paula Garcia, who graduated last spring but found a community through the DRC while at school. “I’ve been targeted by ICE so I want to stand up and fight for the things I believe in. We all had to grow some balls to do this rally.” Castillo pounded on a saucepan with a wooden spoon, until the spoon splintered sending shards into the wet grass. He said he was inspired by protests in Chile that use cacerolazo — banging pots and yelling to demand attention — which started in Chile during the 1971 protest about food shortages and into the Augusto Pinochet regime. Now in 2019, the tradition continues as people use cacerolazo during the ongoing bloody protests which arose in response to an increase in the Santiago Metro’s subway fare, the increased cost of living, privatization and wealth inequality in the country. The organizers drew connections to the problems that they face as undocumented students to the problems of larger global movements like the Free Palestine movement. Maria Galvadon, the president of IDEAS who organized the rally with Castil-

lo, said the border of Mexico was similar to the Israel-Palestine border. “One side is poverty and people starving while the other side is paved roads and American fast food companies,” Galvadon said. “The only thing that’s different is how the laws work, but people are still dying, they are still trying to gain a better life and trying to gain their humanity back.” According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) there are 700,000 DACA recipients nationwide. Their legal status as residents is in the hands of the Supreme Court justices who will likely return a ruling next spring. Although the conservative justices appeared likely to support the White House’s halt on DACA, Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor questioned the administrations reasons. “This is not about the law,” Justice Sotomayor said. “This is about our choice to destroy lives.” Solicitor General Noel Francisco, representing the Trump administration, said during rebuttal that the administration had decided to shut down DACA even if it was

legal or not. President Trump tweeted before the hearings that DACA recipients are “far from ‘angels. Some are tough, hardened criminals.” A report by USCIS found that 7% of DACA approvals had prior arrest or apprehension compared to nearly 30% arrest rate of U.S. adults. Supporters of DACA argue that recipients contribute greatly to society and the economy. According to research by the American Action Forum, Dreamers contribute $3.4 billion annually in taxes and $42 billion to the GDP. CSU estimates 9,500 undocumented students attend CSU campuses statewide. In 2018, the DRC approximated 500-700 DACA recipient students are at SF State. The DRC offers educational, personal and legal help to undocumented students. “I want to send a message to the school and the community that we’re not going to stand down,” a DACA recipient student who works with the DRC, Tonya Nicasio Michalena said at the rally. “We are strong. We are not going to lose this fight.”

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6•CITY

TUESDAY, NOV. 19, 2019 | GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

Supervisor proposes first public bank in SF GOLDEN BY ELIZA FLYNN STAFF REPORTER

upervisor Sandra Lee Fewer proposed that San Francisco creates a task force to oversee the formation of a citywide public bank to help fund projects that benefit the public and address local issues. The “Public Bank Planning Task Force” would comprise nine seats, seven appointed by the Board of Supervisors made up of three experts from financial institutions and four community representatives. One seat would be filled by the Office of the Controller, and the last by the Office of the Treasurer and Tax Collector, according to the bill. “I’m thrilled to announce legislation to develop the business plan for the first public bank in San Francisco,” Fewer said at the Nov. 12 Board of Supervisors meeting. Public banks use public tax funds to allocate low interest loans to private business proj-

ects that contribute to public life, such as affordable housing, infrastructure and transportation. The city of San Francisco currently uses Bank of America and U.S. Bank to allocate its $12.3 billion budget. Housing advocates have long pushed for public banking in California as a proposed solution to the state’s affordable housing crisis. California has the largest unhoused population of any state, with an estimated homeless population of 130,000 people, according to the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness. The figure makes up nearly a third of the homeless population in the United States. “A public bank can and should balance both fiscal solvency and investments in residents, businesses, and sectors that reflect San Francisco values, advancing issues of social, economic, gender, racial and environmental equity,” Fewer stated in a draft of the bill. The proposal for a public bank in San Francisco came after the California State Assembly passed the

Public Bank Act, AB 857, in October. Starting Jan. 1, 2020, local city and county governments are allowed to start or sponsor a public bank. The California bill states that public banks would help strengthen local economies. Assemblyman David Chiu (D-San Francisco) and Assemblyman Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles) authored it. “Today’s signing sends a message that California is putting people before Wall Street profits,” Chiu told The Los Angeles Times. California is the second state in the country to authorize public banking. North Dakota established its public bank, the Bank of North Dakota, in 1919. San Francisco Treasurer José Cisneros mapped out the possibility of a public bank in San Francisco in a report released in March. The goal was to identify the local costs and benefits of a public bank. The report details three potential systems of public banking — reinvestment, divestment and combination. A reinvestment bank would fo-

GATE XPRESS

cus on lending funds to affordable housing and small businesses, a divestment bank would manage San Francisco’s budget and a combination bank would perform both functions. “A municipal bank presents an opportunity to achieve community goals, such as divestment and reinvestment, in a sustainable and creative fashion,” the report states. “However, it is also a time-intensive and expensive endeavor.” Nonetheless, the report also recognizes that the long-term benefits of a public bank are uncertain. In November 2017, Supervisor Fewer released a public bank report looking into “community-supportive banking” options, and how the city can start to invest in public banking. “A public bank would allow the city to have a more local control, transparency, self-determination and expect investments in affordable housing, small business development, loans to low-income households, renewable energy and reducing student debt crisis,” Fewer said at the Tuesday meeting.

EDITORIAL STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Carly Wipf cwipf@mail.sfsu.edu PRINT MANAGING EDITOR Frank Sumrall fsumrall@mail.sfsu.edu ONLINE MANAGING AND SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Sahar Swaleh sswaleh@mail.sfsu.edu ART DIRECTOR Paisley Trent ptrent@mail.sfsu.edu CITY NEWS EDITOR David Mamaril Horowitz dhorowitz@mail.sfsu.edu CAMPUS NEWS EDITORS MJ Johnson mjohnson23@mail.sfsu.edu Paisley Trent ptrent@mail.sfsu.edu OPINION EDITOR Andrew R. Leal aleal@mail.sfsu.edu SPORTS EDITORS Jimmy DeRogatis jderogatis@mail.sfsu.edu

PG&E announces fifth potential preemptive shutoff

Robert Juarez rjuarez1@mail.sfsu.edu PHOTO EDITOR William Wendelman wwendelman@mail.sfsu.edu

XPRESS ADVISERS

BY DAVID MAMARIL HOROWITZ CITY NEWS EDITOR

PRINT ADVISER Gary Moskowitz gmoskowitz@sfsu.edu

San Francisco’s legislative digest relating to Mental Health SF. (Infographic by David Mamaril Horowitz / Golden Gate Xpress)

Universal mental health care proposed to cover SF residents BY SHELLEY WANG STAFF REPORTER

ollowing months of negotiating and opposing the idea, Mayor London Breed on Nov. 12 announced her support and co-sponsorship of legislation that aims to reform San Francisco’s mental health care system. The bill, dubbed Mental Health SF, would have the Department of Public Health provide comprehensive access to treatment and affordable psychiatric medications for city residents with mental illnesses and substance use disorders. Those who qualify must be at least 18 years old and uninsured, and they must show signs of having a psychiatric condition. People enrolled in Healthy SF or Medi-Cal can also benefit. “All you have to do is walk outside City Hall for a few blocks to see the shocking mental health crisis that now a daily part of all of our lives,” Supervisor Hillary Ronen said in a mayor’s office press release. “It’s the biggest crisis facing our city and working together is the only way we’re going to solve it.” Four thousand unhoused people struggle with mental illness and addiction in San Francisco, according to a count by city public health officials Sept. 4. “Of those 4,000 people, 35% are African-American which means we have to make specific investments to support that population,” Breed said at the Nov. 12 Board of Supervisors meeting. The current system, which serves some

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30,000 people, currently costs San Francisco an estimated $400 million, according to city data. Even so, Breed said she was proud of San Francisco’s behavioral health system. Supervisors Ronen and Matt Haney first introduced Mental Health SF in June to overhaul San Francisco’s behavioral health system. After months of negotiations fell through, Breed introduced her own dueling ballot measure, Urgent Care SF, in October to focus on delivering services specifically to unhoused individuals with mental health and substance use disorders. Last week, Breed agreed to co-sponsor the supervisors’ measure if the two adjusted their bill. Now that a decision has been reached, they will withdraw their respective ballot initiatives previously intended for the March 2020 ballot. Breed has stressed the costs but still hopes to build more mental health beds, acquire and expand boarding and healthcare facilities and enhance the facilities San Francisco already has with the help of Mental Health SF. “We need a lot of additional revenue, and I have asked our capital planning committee to prioritize a bond, to pay for capital improvements on the November 2020 ballot,” Breed said at the meeting. The city must invest in upcoming budgets to fund Mental Health SF. Many elements of the initiative depend on identifying new revenue sources. Board of Supervisors President Norman Yee

or the fifth time since Oct. 9, San Francisco-based utility Pacific Gas and Electric may preemptively shut off electricity to well over 100,000 customers across California to reduce the chance its equipment will spark wildfires, the utility announced Monday at noon. The proposed shutoff would affect an estimated 264,000 premises from Wednesday morning to Thursday morning in the counties of Alameda, Amador, Butte, Colusa, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Glenn, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Solano, Sonoma, Tehama, Trinity, Yolo and Yuba. This wildfire season, PG&E has carried out preemptive power shutoffs during strong winds and dry weather conditions considered likely to increase the likelihood its power lines will take damage and start a fire. Despite filing for bankruptcy protection in January after sparking the most devastating wildfires in California history last year, PG&E executives have repeatedly denied allegations that it’s cutting off power to avoid further financial liabilities. PG&E asks that affected customers plan for medical needs, identify backup charging services and restock emergency kits. If it carries out the shutoffs, the utility would open several resource centers with water, snacks, ice, blankets, restrooms, seating, charging stations, heating and air condition. It hopes to restore any shutoffs by the end of Thursday. For more information, visit pge.com/pspsupdates.

Correction In last Tuesday’s issue in a story titled “LGBTQ+ homeless youth struggle to get social services,” two people named Tuquan Harrison and Joy were misgendered as He/Him. Their correct pronouns are They/Them. Xpress regrets this error.

and Breed asked the city’s Office of the Controller to begin a process to reform the city’s business taxes, which could provide a new revenue stream for Mental Health SF. Breed and supervisors are still working to identify funding for the bill’s longer term elements.

MULTIMEDIA ADVISER Sachi Cunningham sachic@sfsu.edu PHOTO ADVISER Kim Komenich komenich@sfsu.edu

@ggxnews @ggxnews Our website, goldengatexpress.org is temporarily down. Staff is working to resolve the issue.

Alcatraz special event BY SAM MOORE STAFF REPORTER

he nonprofit Indians of All Tribes, in conjunction with the National Park Service, will host a four-day event on Alcatraz Island from Nov. 20 to Nov. 23 celebrating 50 years since the historic takeover and occupation of the former prison by American Indian activists. Some of the original veterans from the 1969 occupation will participate in the event, which will feature music, prayer and dance. Student activists like SF State alumnus Richard Oakes led the occupation, which lasted from November 1969 to June 1971. The occupation was feasible because of an 1868 treaty allowing American Indians to settle on unused federal land. It prompted former President Richard Nixon to sign 52 legislative measures addressing the activists’ demands. Today, the occupation is remembered as a catalyst for modern American Indian organizing. Tickets for the event can be purchased via Alcatraz Cruises at www.alcatrazcruises.com.

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GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG | TUESDAY, NOV. 19, 2019

ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT•7

First time ‘Ghost Sonata’ on campus

Alyssa Rasin-Waters, left, helps Christian Rogan get out of character as “the Cook” in the “Ghost Sonata” after the performance at SF State on Nov. 17. (Photo by Sandy Scarpa / Golden Gate Xpress)

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “Directing with John Wilson becomes a process of creative, rigorous conversations, informed by our passion for experimental theatre,” Mocanu-Schendel said. “Professor Jo Tomalin — designer of movement and voice for this production — was a force in sculpting the physicality of the show.” Strindberg’s 1907 play, which follows the three-part structure of a sonata, “The Ghost Sonata,” is considered to be one of the best

of his “Chamber Plays.” The play, set in Stockholm, Sweden, follows the protagonist, Mr. Arkenholz as he becomes mesmerized by a mansion and encounters Jacob Hummel, a director who knew Mr. Arkenholz’s father. Both characters are invited to enter the mansion and soon Arkenholz realizes everything is not what it seems. “This show can be hard to explain. The

best way I can explain it is that we follow a family of strangers. A group of people who are all connected by one betrayal or another,” Scalzo said. “We watch their lives unfold and the consequences they endure based on their decisions.” The play conveys the eagerness of a young student’s curiosity about the truth of life and love through mythology, spirituality and imagination. Arkenholz, also known

as the student, romanticizes the mysterious occupants of a house and once inside, the house, the inhabitants and the surrounding objects test the student’s senses. To the end of the play, reality, truth, knowledge, love, renewal, class structure, access, health, crime, emancipation/gender equality, justice, dreams, imagination, life and death remain intertwined. “In total, the rehearsal process took about four months. A show like this gives students the opportunity to perform and learn from a different style of theatre,” said Adrianna Scalzo, stage manager for the production. “This show in particular is more dramatic than some of the other shows that we have put together. It also allows our technical design students to create something completely different.” Planning, auditions and casting for the two-week run production began last semester and since the first runthrough, the cast rehearsed three to four evenings a week. The production team consists of three professors and six students. Inspired by Beethoven’s “Piano Sonata Number 17 in D minor,” Strindberg’s play is particularly special because “a student in 1907 Stockholm serves as a kinetic provocateur for students in a 2019 San Francisco,” Mocanu-Schendel said. “Hopefully the play will generate countless questions within us that will lead to positive actions and truthfulness.” “The Ghost Sonata” made its way around the world and finally landed on SF State’s stage. The creative collaboration between students and staff made it possible for students in this generation to understand the complexities of Strindberg’s imaginative work. “This is an important play in theatre history of 18th, 19th and 20th century and considered one of the important pieces of dramatic literature,” Wilson said. “I can’t think of a better way to spend an evening than to see a live theatre production with full sets of costumes and lighting, produced here at SF state.”

Novelist, SF State alumnus Ernest J. Gaines dies at 86 BY SAM MOORE STAFF REPORTER

cclaimed novelist Ernest J. Gaines, who graduated from SF State in 1957 and went on to write some of this century’s most celebrated pieces of African American literature, died in his home on Nov. 5. He was 86. His death was announced by the Ernest J. Gaines Center, a center for scholarship on Gaines’s work at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette. He died in his sleep from cardiac arrest at his home in Oscar, Louisiana.

Gaines was known for his novels and short stories about the history and lives of African American, Creole and Cajun people in the pre-civil rights era American South. His works were inspired by a childhood spent in the racially segregated rural Louisiana of the 1930’s and 1940’s. Born in 1933 in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana, Gaines spent his early years on the same plantation where his ancestors were enslaved for generations. His family stayed as sharecroppers after emancipation, in houses formerly used as slaves’ quarters. The primary school Gaines attended, held in a single room inside the town’s black church, was only in session for less than half of every year, according to the African American Literature Book Club. Gaines spent most months in the fields with his peers, where they harvested cotton alongside their families. The era’s harsh Jim Crow laws prohibited black people from buying books — Gaines couldn’t even check them out from the local library — however, he was surrounded by traditions of oral storytelling, and grew up absorbing the rich histories and rhythmic vernacular of those around him. His writing began through letters written on behalf of illiterate field workers, in which he was asked to embellish the events of their lives to friends and relatives. There was no high school in his town for African Americans, according to ULL’s Ernest J. Gaines Center. When Gaines was 15, he moved in with his mother and stepfather in Vallejo, California, where he became captivated by literature. He soon began to write his own stories of the place and time where he grew up, motivated by a lack of African American representation in the books he immersed himself particularly in 19th century Russian literature, according to the nonprofit American Academy of Achievement. “The books I read did not have my people in them,” Gaines said in a 1978 interview with the New York Times, “No Southern blacks, Louisiana blacks. Or if they did it was by white writers who did not interpret things the way I would have. So I started writing about my people.” Ernest J. Gaines at a Fall for the Book talk on Sept. 28, 2015. Photo courtesy of SLOWKING / wikimedia commons. Licence: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html

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Gaines went to SF State when he was 22 to study literature. It was there that he published his first short story, “The Turtles,” in the university’s Transfer literary magazine. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1957. After spending two years in the army and completing a writing fellowship at Stanford, Gaines moved back to Louisiana in 1964 and published his first novel: “Catherine Carmier,” a love story reminiscent of his own youth about a black man who leaves the South to attend college in California. After being appointed as the Writer-In-Residence at Ohio’s Denison University in 1971, he wrote one of his best-known novels, “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman.” The book takes readers on a century-long exploration of African American history through the first-person narration of a 110-year-old woman who is born enslaved and lives to witness the beginnings of the Civil Rights Movement. It was made into a television movie in 1974, which won nine Emmy Awards and thrust Gaines’s work into an international spotlight. In the following decades, Gaines continued to produce widely-celebrated works, including “In My Father’s House” in 1978 and “A Gathering of Old Men” in 1983. He received the Macarthur Foundation’s Genius Grant in 1993, and in the same year published his most acclaimed book: “A Lesson Before Dying,” the story of a young black man who is wrongly sentenced to death. Gaines’s works explore how life, love, place and spirit are transformed by the piercing effects of racial injustice. His stories serve as timeless chronicles of Louisiana’s robust and painful history, as well as reminders of the vibrant resilience unique to southern black communities. “Every novel has its own protests,” he said to the Times in 1978. “If you’re not commenting on the human condition then what are you doing but playing with words, shuffling paper?” He is survived by his wife, Dianne Gaines, who was with him when he died. Their home is on land adjacent to the plantation where he was raised, and in their backyard sits the small church he once attended school in, where several of his ancestors are now buried.

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8•ARTS&ENTERTAINMENTTUESDAY, NOV. 19 2019 | GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

SF State student gets production job with Classical Ensemble BY FELICIA HYDE STAFF REPORTER

hen Greer McGettrick was in their early 20s, they played guitar and piano in various musical groups. McGettrick then became interested in the cello and learned to read and write music and studied music composition. They received a bachelor’s degree at SF State in outdoor recreation in 2005, but music beckoned. McGettrick attended City College for a few semesters and started to learn the very basics of music theory. They realized they wanted to pursue a graduate degree in music composition and took music classes through the college of extended learning at SF State. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do and what I thought. What I was going to be

doing with music has changed and has become more interesting to me,” McGettrick said. McGettrick, 37, a gender non-conforming graduate student who now studies music composition at SF State, was recently hired by the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players (CMP) as its new 2019-2020 production associate. McGettrick was surrounded by music at a young age. This combined with their passion for musical composition and production molded their interest to join other artists and provided the qualifications to be a part of CMP. “Like Greer I’m an active composer and it was great that we were able to find someone who had a background and knowledge of music and composition,” said Amadeus

Regucera, artistic production director for CMP. “They not only had the prerequisites, but showed super enthusiasm for the process and a passion for music.” Every year a bachelor’s of music or master’s student is appointed through the SF State Composition Studio Program for a paid educational opportunity. McGettrick’s position as a production associate focuses on administration duties, overseeing production elements, assisting in scheduling for CMP. “Greer’s background as a composer is invaluable to this role as well as their experience in festival operations which encompasses all areas of concert production,” said Lisa Oman, executive director of CMP. “Greer’s broad skill set brings a sensitivity to the musician’s needs as well as to the organization’s business needs.” CMP, the West Coast’s longest-standing and largest new music ensemble, is comprised of 22 highly skilled musicians. Unbeknown to McGettrick, they were nominated for the position by Steve Horowitz, a board member of CMP and Benjamin Sabey, a professor at SF State’s School of Music. McGettrick’s background in music performance and composition led them to plan with co-founder Carlos Jaquez Gonzales SF State’s RGB Festival or Red Green Blue, a collaborative showcase between music, dance and cinematic arts for students to perform in. The showcase made its debut in April. Music was introduced to them through both of their parents while growing up in Los Angeles. McGettrick’s father, who died 11 years ago, played the baritone saxophone as a studio musician while their mother, who died four years ago, worked for Sony Music Entertainment. “I’m an only child, the music was very much like a sibling to me,” said McGettrick. “It was the person that was here for me and I got to experience it on my own which was beautiful, but it was also lonely because I wanted to talk to people about it.”

After McGettrick’s parents died, their practice and perception of music constantly changed. McGettrick believes their parents wouldn’t be able to understand the music that they create today. “I’m reluctant to put something so personal into a piece of music but I think the idea of the spectrum is constantly going through my life whether it’s my sexuality, identity, age or ableism,” McGettrick said. Music for them is not defined into one idea and is more than just the sound that comes out of musical instruments. McGettrick’s practice of music became more conceptual because they want the audience to think deeper about how music is used and viewed. One of their musical pieces called “Let’s eat an orange” consists of purposefully getting frustrated with authority. McGettrick hands an audience member an orange and asks them to listen for the music to tell them when to peel it. Their musical work focuses on concepts of noise and organized sound, language versus communication within the role of music, form and structure. They seek to understand the different relationships between the audience, composer and the music itself. They try to weave multiple passions into their craft: music, dance, visual arts and working with youth. “Trust your gut and trust your intuition that says you want to do something, express yourself in any kind of way and if it’s music pursue music,” McGettrick said. “If dance is what feeds you, then do it. If you feel you need to paint right now, go for it.” Despite being given the opportunity to work with CMP, McGettrick is still unsure of what they want to fully pursue, but knows music is necessary for whichever line of work they choose. “I don’t know if you can major in something that has fewer job opportunities than music composition,” McGettrick said. “I don’t see it paying the bills, I see it as something that I pursue because I need to and I want to.”

Greer McGettrick stands over a piano being repaired in the Fine Arts building at SF State on Nov. 6. (Photo by Sandy Scarpa / Golden Gate Xpress)

Ditching the bird for a vegan Thanksgiving BY ALONDRA GALLARDO STAFF REPORTER

any know November for election day, daylight savings and Thanksgiving, but few recognize it as World Vegan Month. The month-long recognition kicked off Nov. 1 with World Vegan Day, which leads into the rest of the month by encouraging people to eat more plant-based foods. Eighty-eight percent of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving, resulting in 46 million turkeys being eaten on the same day, according to a survey by the National Turkey Federation. “Giving a month to veganism is important as it can bring more awareness and invite more people to go vegan or at least try to reduce their intake of animal products,” vegan Instagram food blogger Daisy Poblano said. “Not only for animals but for the environment and their own personal health as well.” World Vegan Day was first celebrated in 1994 to recognize the 50th anniversary of the Vegan Society, according to the nonprofit Compassion Action for Animals. The Vegan Society was founded by a group of non-dairy vegetarians who felt the need to find a word to more accurately define the cruelty-free diet that then lead to a lifestyle. As a vegan myself, I find the month goes by like any other until the Thanksgiving holiday rolls around and family members gather, leaving vegans as the only ones who don’t eat a giant turkey. Some families treat vegans differently on Thanksgiving. Some might try to tear them

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down. Others might not care about veganism but won’t go out of their way to make sure there are alternatives. Some will try to make something special for you. Regardless, it’s best to stick to your ethics and make your own dish(es) to share (or not). After being a vegan for three years, I have learned that this can go a few different ways: You can practice your fasting and avoid eating until you get home. Another option is to pregame before the gathering by eating a bunch of (vegan) carb-heavy meals so you are not hungry for the rest of the night.

Lastly, you can make your own dishes and distribute them with the rest and quietly watch everyone else dig into them because you “forgot” to announce that vegan dishes are included in the meal display around the oversized dead bird. Usually side dishes are more of a hit since you’re not trying to imitate meat, like a vegan fall pasta salad where you’d just toss all of the ingredients together. Regardless, it’s best to stick to your ethics and make your own dish(es) to share (or not).

People gather for a Thanksgiving dinner with pie, vegetables, fruit and wine. (Photo courtesy of Foxys Forest Manufacture / Shutterstock)

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