o ldaetne
two wrestlers head to nationals . Read more on Page 11.
GGX
march 9, 2016
Issue
Serving the San Francisco State community since 1927.
XPRESS
SF State organizations come together to celebrate International Women’s Day
#7
Volume CII goldengatexpress.org
San Francisco startup launches ‘Uber for birth control’ JORDAN VAIL
jmv@mail.sfsu.edu
AMANDA ARAGONA
aaragona@mail.sfsu.edu
F
P
or people living in the United States, obtaining birth control can be a complex and expensive process. A new SanFrancisco-based app called Nurx launched last December and is offering a solution to getting birth control on time and at an affordable price. Founded by Hans Gangeskar and Edvard Engesæth, Nurx is the latest in a long line of Bay-Areabased home delivery startups. Already being hailed as the Uber for birth control, Nurx delivers several options of birth control – including the ring, the pill and the patch – directly to customers’ doors within a 48-hour-time frame, depending on their location. Nurx is currently available in California and New York, and is expected to expand nationwide in the next couple of years. The app was created after the founders realized
erformers stood in light showers and read poetry that conveyed themes of pride, individuality and inspiration at SF State to celebrate International Women's Day Tuesday, March 8. Those there in support and those tabling with their organizations in Malcolm X Plaza opened up umbrellas, put on their hoods and continued to show their support, offering a sense of community for all the organizations involved. The event emphasized women's empowerment with the theme of #womenslay and the help of spoken word performances. The event was organized by La Raza and the Women’s Center of Associated Students Inc. The event organizer from the Women’s Center, Shani Winston, was very adamant about making the event not just about a celebration, but making sure to inspire and remind men and women that women are capable of anything. “The hashtag ‘womenslay’ is really to show that women can get what they want done and that we can feel empowered – that was the main goal,” Winston said. Nayanci Lopez, a philosophy major, was inspired by her belief that women should not just be inspired on a day dedicated to women, but every single day, and decided get on stage and perform her poem. “Let us break the walls, let us continue, let us survive,” Lopez said. Women were not the only ones involved in the planning of the
”
In most countries in the world, women are able to access birth control without a prescription, but not in the United States.
-Hans Gangeskar Co-founder of Nurx
ALEX KOFMAN / XPRESS
Jeannel Poyaoan, a sociology major and member of PACE (The Pilipino American Collegiate Endeavor), holds her fist up as a symbol of solidarity and support for women while reciting a poem during the International Women’s Day event in Malcolm X Plaza organized by La Raza and The Women’s Center of Associated Students Inc. Tuesday.
Women's day Continued ON PAGE 2
Harvard offers solidarity to SF State through social media JOEY REAMS
reams94@mail.sfsu.edu
Over the weekend, students and faculty at Harvard Graduate School of Education pledged their solidarity with SF State through social media in the wake facebook: /GoXpress
of the potential College of Ethnic Studies spending cuts. The Facebook page Defend and Advance Ethnic Studies at SF State posted a picture on Friday of Harvard Graduate School of Education students holding a banner that read, “In solidarity with SFSU defend &
instagram: @goldengatexpress
advance Ethnic Studies.” The picture was organized by Christina Villarreal, an adjunct lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education who graduated from SF State in 2010 with a master’s degree in Ethnic Studies. “Ethnic Studies raised me,”
twitter: @XpressNews
Villarreal said. “It helped me get into Harvard the first time.” Villarreal helped create an Ethnic Studies class at Harvard based off of courses and lessons learned from SF State.
the amount of hurdles patients must clear to obtain prescriptions and refills on time. “In most countries in the world, women are able to access birth control without a prescription, but not in the United States,” Gangeskar said in an email. “It doesn’t make any sense why it isn’t
nurx Continued ON PAGE 3
Harvard Continued ON PAGE 2
tumblr: goldengatexpress.tumblr.com
website: goldengatexpess.org
snapchat: @xpressnewspaper
Wednesday, March 9, 2016 goldengatexpress.org
NEWS
SF State organizations come together to celebrate International Women’s Day
WOMEN'S DAY Continued FROM THE FRONT
ALEX KOFMAN / XPRESS
La Raza coordinators John Rivera, (left) marketing major, and Arturo Gomez, hospitality major, promote International Women’s Day during an event held in Malcolm X Plaza Tuesday in which students performed spoken word and poems, and multiple campus organizations provided games for students to play.
ALEX KOFMAN / XPRESS
Xitlali Jimenez, a psychology major and member of PEACH, a campus organization that focuses on sexual health and healthy living, gives students an anatomy quiz in Malcolm X Plaza Tuesday.
event and empowerment movement. The male members of La Raza were the main executors of Women’s Day, as a way for the men to show solidarity and support for women. “This modern version of the word ‘slay’ is hard to explain, but it’s mainly about being the best you can be,” said Arturo Gomez, the event co-coordinator from La Raza. “We also do a dinner portion of this event where the men cook the meal and really show that we appreciate our women.” A number of organizations
came out to support the movement and celebrate the history and future of women by providing information about sexual health, sharing motivational stories about inspiring and self-made women, and how to be confident and own being a woman. Organizations included Peer Educators Advocating Campus Health, Educational and Referral Organization for Sexuality, the Pacific Islander’s Club and the Black Student Union. Brasheena Baseel, a member of the BSU who was tabling at
the event and also participated in a spoken word performance, explained she had experienced discrimination based on her mixed ethnicity. Her reading of a poem emphasized how women are often placed in certain categories and expected to perform certain roles or look a certain way, but each individual is unique which should be celebrated, not criticized. “I think it’s very important that all different women from all different cultures support one another despite our backgrounds,” Baseel said.
Harvard offers solidarity to SF State through social media Harvard Continued FROM THE FRONT “Last year, a group of doctoral students... fought to get an Ethnic Studies class,” Villarreal said. “They got an independent study, but not a full course. It became very popular. I gave them my syllabus from San Francisco State as a resource. SF State is all over the East Coast right now.” Villarreal believes that all universities, even those as storied as Harvard, will be negatively impacted if SF State’s College of Ethnic Studies is cut. “If you attack the roots, you
poison the tree,” Villarreal said. “As the movement grows out here, what good is that branch growing out if the roots at home are not intact? We’re not asking. Give us enough water for the next day for our roots. Give us the nutrients.” It has become much more than an SF State issue, said Jason Ferreira, an associate professor in the College of Ethnic Studies. “People recognize Ethnic Studies at SF State,” Ferreira said. “If things go well here, things go well in other places. If
PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRISTINA VILLARREAL
Harvard Graduate School of Education students pose with a banner they made in support of the SF State College of Ethnic Studies.
Ethnic Studies is under attack, that does not go well through other institutions. We are the mothership.” Once Villarreal heard about the financial difficulties at SF State’s College of Ethnic Studies, she took immediate action with her students. Faculty and students worked together to show their support with the banner and T-shirts that say, “No History, No Self. Know History, Know Self. #TWLF 2016 #MeetTheDemands #Advancing Ethnic Studies.” “There was an immediate response of, 'What do we do?” Villarreal said. “The solidarity was immediate.” Villarreal’s students were so disheartened when they learned about the potential cuts that some of them offered to fly to San Francisco to show their support. “It wasn’t even a question,” said Michael Lee, a second year student at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. “We were like, 'Are we going out? When are we going out?'“ It's unclear if this type of support will affect the outcome of the College's financial situation, but it demonstrates its impact and reach.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRISTINA VILLARREAL
Harvard Graduate School of Education adjunct lecturer Christina Villarreal poses wearing a T-shirt co-designed with professor Jason Ferreira that advocates the advancement of ethnic studies.
“(President Leslie E. Wong) can choose to stand on the right side of history,” Ferreira said. “That is his choice. He can get out ahead of this. He can be remembered as the president who invested material support to Ethnic Studies, or he can be this generation's S. I. Hayakawa and be remembered as the president that stood in the way of Ethnic Studies.” As SF State faces the potential cuts, students and lecturers across
the country are standing up and voicing their support to show how important Ethnic Studies really is. “Ethnic Studies is one of the most important courses that we can implement in schools,” Lee said. “Without Ethnic Studies, my time here isn’t worth it. If I could go back and do it again but didn’t have the opportunity to take Ethnic Studies, I wouldn’t do it.”
Wednesday, March 9, 2016 goldengatexpress.org
NEWS
San Francisco startup launches ‘Uber for birth control’ nurx Continued from the front the case here. We absolutely believe oral contraceptives should be available over the counter in the United States.” At SF State, students can make appointments at the Student Health Services to start birth control. SHS holds birth control drop-in sessions for students wanting to restart or continue their prescriptions at limited times Monday through Thursday. Prescriptions made at SHS expire after a year and must be renewed by the student, and SHS doesn’t send reminders about medication refills. “What was frustrating was when my insurance didn’t let me get three to six months of birth control at once, and I had to go every month to get it refilled,” communication studies major Felicia Distad said. “Before Obamacare, I didn’t have insurance for a while, and my birth control was $56 a month. It was really important to me to make sure I didn’t get pregnant, so I paid it, but I know I’m really lucky that I could.” Birth control and sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment is free for those enrolled in Family PACT, a government program that offers clinical services for family planning at no cost
”
What was frustrating was when my insurance didn’t let me get three to six months of birth control at once, and I had to go every month to get it refilled. -Felicia Distad
to California residents. Most students are eligible for Family PACT. However, Family PACT doesn’t offer family planning for people who engage in nonreproductive sex. While SHS provides STI and HIV testing and hosts workshops about sexual health and safe sex, it currently does not offer the HIV-prevention drug Truvada. Nurx plans to start offering Truvada in the coming months. “It’s important for us to offer Truvada through the app because this revolutionary drug is 99 percent effective in preventing HIV,” Gangeskar said in an email. “Unfortunately, Truvada (for) PrEP isn’t very accessible for
those who need it most. We believe our app can be a gamechanger in the fight to end the HIV epidemic.” According to Nurx’s website, there are three main steps that patients must follow to receive birth control. First, the patient chooses their brand and type. Along with the standard contraceptives, Nurx also offers emergency contraceptives like Plan B OneStep. Nurx provides information for all 55 contraceptives listed on their website, including how to use them, how they work and the risks and benefits of each type. The founders say that users are also encouraged to utilize the app’s on-call doctors via chat, phone or video whenever they have a concern. Next, the patient fills out a basic health profile, asking for weight, age, blood pressure and health habits, such as smoking. Currently, Nurx is only serving patients who are 18 or older. Finally, the patient enters either their credit card number or insurance information, and a three-month supply of their contraception of choice will be on its way. Patients with insurance have no out-ofpocket cost. Those who either don’t have health insurance or want to pay are given options
WE ASKED SF STATE STUDENTS:
that cost around $14 for a month’s supply. “I would consider using it,” said Daniella Uribe, a 24-yearold liberal studies major who is thinking about starting birth control. “It seems really easy and convenient. It would also benefit me a lot since I leave my car at home (because I’m) a student. I was really happy to hear about this coming to San Francisco.” There are other health apps like Maven and Lemonaid that allow patients to receive consultations or fill out prescriptions to be delivered to their home or a nearby pharmacy for a flat rate,
”
I was really happy to hear about this coming to San Francisco.
California will join Oregon as the second state in the U.S. to allow women to get birth control from pharmacies without a prescription. Under the Affordable Care Act, an increasing number of private insurers are covering the cost of birth control without co-pays or deductibles. Still, the ease with which users can get birth control via services like Nurx remains an attractive option for many, and the founders hope that this new wave of accessibility will help change the view of birth control being something that is difficult and shameful to obtain. “We want to make healthcare more accessible for people,” Gangeskar said. “We want to let people take charge over their own healthcare and to empower users.”
-Daniella Uribe
but Nurx is the first to offer consultation, prescription and delivery at no cost. The emergence of these services is timely. In April,
s s e r p X ourself: y
“How do you feel about a service that delivers birth control directly to students’ doors?”
“A service like this is common sense, but to me it’s not the most important health issue in this community. There are more important issues to focus on first, like homophobia in the healthcare system.”
I mean, there are so many services like this already, but I guess it’s better to have birth control more available. It’s more preventable that way. I am interested in how it affects stuff like taxes, I feel like that may change people’s opinions.”
Chase Malich, 20
Krisel Calitis, 20
International relations major
Pre-nursing major
“I think it’s a good idea. Not all women live in areas where they can get access to preventative reproductive measures. So many other things have on-demand services – healthcare should be on demand too.”
“I’d be for it, as long as it’s tested and delivered by a reputable company. It’s beneficial for people to have safe sex.”
“That’d be great. It would make people more responsible, because you wouldn’t have people in situations where they can’t get birth control. People know they should use birth control, and now they can.”
Austin Farley, 21
Jacqueline Schlinger, 18
Sean Wilkinson, 21
Philosophy and religion major
International business major
Anthropology major
Wednesday, March 9, 2016 goldengatexpress.org
LIFESTYLE & CULTURE IMANI MILLER / XPRESS
Some of the artwork represented in the “Feminists to Feministas: Women of Color in Prints and Posters” exhibit on display at the GLBT History Museum Friday.
Queer and trans women of color are central focus of new Castro art exhibit JEREMY PORR
jporr@mail.sfsu.edu
“Sisterhood is Powerful!” read the brightly colored poster that greeted guests at the GLBT History Museum. A new exhibit titled “Feminists to Feministas: Women of Color in Prints and Posters” opened March 4 at the Castro-based museum, just in time for Women’s History Month. The gallery features 29 pieces of artwork that highlight the struggles of queer and trans women of color, from the 1970s to today. Amy Sueyoshi, associate dean of the College of Ethnic Studies, helped curate the show with the help of archivist Lisbet Tellefsen. “It’s super important for me to include women, trans folks and queers of color in the exhibit space,” said Sueyoshi, who is on the curatorial committee for the museum. “Lisbet was telling me that we have an amazing poster collection, so we decided to do a queer women of color poster exhibit.” Tellefsen has dedicated
her life to collecting works pertaining to a variety of social movements. “For the past year I’ve been immersed in this collection,” Tellefsen said. “Initially, I wasn’t expecting to find much diversity, but as I scratched the surface, I kept finding gems.” Sueyoshi said she believes it’s incredibly powerful to see queer and trans women of color represented, since they are often considered an after-thought in the mainstream gay rights movement. “I think that queer women of color tend to be underserved, and sort of not visible, shown or highlighted,” Sueyoshi said. “So it’s super important for me to be able to underscore not just their presence but their activism – their insistence on social change, economic justice and racial equality.” The exhibit features pieces ranging from satirical works of popular ad campaigns to portraits of renowned black and brown queer feminists, including Audre Lorde. “There is power in being able to see your history laid out in
front of you,” Tellefsen said. Darius Bost, associate professor of sexuality studies at SF State, also attended the gallery opening. Bost, who teaches courses focused on the struggles of queer and trans people of color, said he thought there was a lot for his students to draw from in the new exhibit. “I think it both represents a very near history regarding queer of color activism and history, and it speaks to a diversity of organizing that I think a lot of students don’t hear about that helped made their identities possible,” Bost said. Tellefsen said he hopes the biggest takeaway young queer and trans women of color get from the exhibit is the knowledge that they aren’t alone. “Every generation gets strength from the generation before them,” Tellefsen said. “I think it’s really important just to see ourselves contextually, as part of a continuum of struggle, and to see that we made some funky posters!”
Author and SF State alumna teaches students about handling rejection and writing CECILIE LYNBERG
lynberg@mail.sfsu.edu
When critically acclaimed, bestselling author Jan Ellison was a student at SF State, her professor gave her a piece of advice she said she still remembers today. “The job is not to get published,” Ellison said her professor told her. “The job is to collect one hundred rejection letters.” The road to writing and publishing a novel is, Ellison said, “long and winding,” and requires a lot of persistence, discipline and hard work. Ellison touched on this Feb. 29 during an evening lecture she gave as a part of the Writers on Writing course in the Humanities Building at SF State. The course invites published authors, poets and playwrights to showcase their work. Ellison provided insight into her work and creative process, as well as good tips for aspiring authors. Ellison’s short stories have been published in The New York Times, Writer’s Digest and The Wall Street Journal, and her debut novel, “A Small Indiscretion,” was named one of the best books of 2015 by the San Francisco Chronicle. Ellison said SF State played a key role in her road to becoming an author. “It was really critical in my development as a writer and on my path to publishing,” Ellison said. “Essentially everything I have published had its beginnings in the MFA program here.” At SF State, Ellison said she had friends who understood the process of writing. She said she also learned the value of deadlines and structure in her writing process. “When you are out there writing on your own, if you are not in a habit of some discipline, you can be writing in a vacuum forever and never finish
ERIC CHAN / XPRESS
SF State graduate Jan Ellison, author of “A Small Indiscretion,” poses for a portrait inside the Humanities Building after her book reading on Monday, February 29.
anything,” Ellison said. It was also during her time at SF State that Ellison said she was encouraged by her teachers to continue writing and try to get published, even though she had never envisioned herself being a writer. “The last thing I wanted to do was
to be a writer,” Ellison said. “It is really hard, it is really lonely, and you can’t make any money.” However, Ellison noted that she could not stay away from the profession. “It was not because I believed in myself as a writer,” Ellison said. “I think it
is important to make the distinct between belief and compulsion – and I wrote because I was compelled to write. I kept at it because I was unhappy not writing.” When she writes, Ellison said she gets inspired by small details or experiences from her own life and feels there are always stories everywhere we turn. Before the event, Ellison said there was a potential story idea, when she arrived to the lecture, and, by mistake, there was a note hanging on the door saying her lecture had been canceled. “It was a very strange feeling,” Ellison said. “At first it was almost as if, unannounced to me, my existence had been canceled. And that gives me an idea for maybe a fantastical short story about someone whose existence has been erased without her knowing it.” Farah Amezcua, a 23-year-old Master of Fine Arts student, said she noticed and appreciated Ellison’s honesty about her work process, and how she lets herself be inspired by everyday incidents. “She was very personable and talked a lot about her process and the story of her book, so it was very different,” Amezcua said. “But it was very compelling at the same time. Compelling, because it is not very often that you hear so much from an author.” Writers on Writing professor Dodie Bellamy taught Ellison when she was a student at SF State, and remembers her for her persistence and dedication toward writing. She said she liked how Ellison talked openly about getting inspired by little episodes from her everyday life when she writes. “She has a really wonderful attention to detail and a lyricism to her writing,” Bellamy said. “And her incredible persistence that she was talking about, in terms of submitting and publishing. She did not just send something in once, and then let a letter stop her. She just kept going.”
Wednesday, March 9, 2016 goldengatexpress.org
LIFESTYLE & CULTURE
SF State bookstore sells ‘Life Changing Apparel’ EMILY CHAVOUS
echavous@mail.sfsu.edu
A
t the SF State bookstore, a rack of white hoodies and a few stacks of colorful, college-branded tops are indistinguishable from the rest of the store’s clothing, except for a small sign that reads “Life Changing Apparel.” The factory workers who made these Alta Gracia products earned a living wage. SF State first offered Alta Gracia’s fair-trade apparel three and a half years ago, but the brand has never been a big seller, according to bookstore director Husam Erciyes. “I don’t think a really big range of people know what it’s all about,” Erciyes said. Alta Gracia apparel is produced at a
BRIAN CHURCHWELL / XPRESS
Alta Gracia T-shirts on display at the SF State campus bookstore Saturday.
factory in La Altagracia, a province in the Dominican Republic. The company seeks to improve living conditions for its 150 garment workers and their families by paying a living wage and providing free healthcare, according to company president and CEO Donnie Hodge. SF State is one of about 350 campuses to promote the label. “There had been a lot of conversation on campus about the conditions under which
BRIAN CHURCHWELL / XPRESS
An Alta Gracia sweatshirt on display at the SF State campus bookstore Saturday.
collegiate apparel was made, and also the wages,” Hodge said. “What I personally want to prove is that you can pay people a living wage, and you can sell your product at normal retail without asking (customers) to pay more, and you can still be a profitable company.” Hodge founded Alta Gracia in 2010 as a branch of Knights Apparel, the largest supplier of university threads in the nation. He sold Knights Apparel in April 2015 and kept Alta Gracia as a stand-alone business, focusing on improving conditions in the Dominican province. Apparel imports remain on the rise in the United States despite ongoing investigations of transnational sweatshops and tragedies like the 2013 collapse of Rana Plaza, a factory in Bangladesh that killed 1,138 workers and injured thousands more. A report released Friday by the United States Department of Commerce showed a 6.5 percent increase in apparel imports in January 2016 compared to January 2015. Impoverished locals in developing countries seek out American factories for work because it’s assumed the bigname brands will pay more, according to bookstore merchandise manager Irene Tjokro. “If Nike were to open a factory in Indonesia, of course everyone would try to work for Nike,” said Tjokro, who was born in Indonesia. “(These corporations) need to live up to expectations by paying standard, normal wages. Not just what they think (workers) deserve based on the location.” Alta Gracia’s marketing materials, like the lone flyer in the bookstore, showcase photos and stories from individual workers and explain how each purchase changes lives. Connie Ulasewicz, sustainable design expert and bookstore advisory committee member, said this brand is one the campus community should stand behind. “Ninety-nine percent of the population doesn’t think about who makes their clothing,” Ulasewicz said. “But (the
DRIVE WITH UBER. Sign up now and receive an additional $100 after your first trip
T.UBER.COM/GOLDENGATEXPRESS
workers) have a face on the website. It’s fabulous. It makes them feel proud that they’re so important, and they are important. All factory workers are important, but we tend to not see them, not hear from them. That’s why this is revolutionary.” Many students were apathetic about the need for transparency and accountability in the garment industry due to a general lack of knowledge about present-day factory conditions. “I usually just don’t think about it,” said Shelby Barnett, first-year broadcast and electronic communication arts student. “If I were to research it more (maybe I would).” Onesimus Baughton, a physics and astronomy major, said he might be inclined to choose a brand that pays its workers a living wage if that were advertised, but he’s more concerned about personal aesthetic than where a product is made. “I look for (pieces that) go with my style,” Baughton said. “I probably would support (a living-wage factory). But if it looks nice, that’s when I would get it.” Erciyes said the bookstore is waiting on more marketing materials to promote Alta Gracia, noting that bigger signs should increase student awareness of the brand and help to improve sales. Right now, Erciyes said Champion is the biggest seller and gets the most display space. “If you have merchandise and it continues to sell, you continue to bring more,” Erciyes said. Ulasewicz encourages students to support Alta Gracia’s workers in the Dominican Republic by buying up available products so SF State can expand its stock. “Buy up!” Ulasewicz said. “Make a demand for more. If people are looking for gifts, buy this – give it to people, educate people. The hope is that we can raise people’s consciousness so they do start thinking about (factory conditions) and they do start asking questions so we will get answers.”
Wednesday, March 9, 2016 goldengatexpress.org
LIFESTYLE & CULTURE
ALEAH FAJARDO / XPRESS
Volunteers for Clínica Martín-Baró and members of the community pose in front of the mural they painted on the side of La Palma Mexicatessen in the Mission District Saturday.
Student clinic empowers the Mission District community with new mural and free healthcare JORDAN VAIL
jmv@mail.sfsu.edu
B
efore Yakira Teitel was a medical student at UC San Francisco, she was a muralist. When she started volunteering at Clínica MartínBaró, she wanted to do something that combined her passion for art and her love for her community. Clínica Martín-Baró is an SF State and UCSF student-organized clinic that provides free healthcare to the Mission District’s immigrant community, both documented and undocumented. “At first, I taught workshops at the clinic on building community through murals,” Teitel said, gesturing to the vivid frescos adorning the walls of the buildings lining 24th Street. “But going to medical school and working at the clinic took up so much of my time. Now (that) I’m a fourth-year, I don’t volunteer as much, so I finally have the time for this.” The mural Teitel took part in covers the back wall of La Palma Mexicatessen, a store and restaurant selling Mexican and Central American staples. The mural was made in collaboration between Clínica Martín-Baró and PRIME-US, a medical program that teaches skills for students wanting to provide medical help for urban communities. Through a partnership with students from SF State’s Latina/ Latino studies department and medical students and faculty from UCSF, the clinic helps close gaps in the medical system. “As a muralist, this is a culmination of all my dreams,” Teitel said in her speech at the
mural’s unveiling on March 5. Despite the rain, at least 20 Clínica volunteers and other members of the community came out in support of the mural, which was completed in little more than a month. “The most amazing part was working with all of you,” Teitel said, drawing cheers from the crowd. “You all played some part of this, through support, making stencils, painting, even modeling for the mural. This mural shows our love for our clinic and our love for our community.” Every Saturday at the Mission Girls Building on 24th Street, Clínica Martín-Baró provides ongoing care for the Mission’s immigrant communities, relying on donations and fundraising events. “I wanted to help people, but I also wanted to know the people I help,” said SF State biology major and Clínica volunteer Jennifer Sanchez. “I wanted to volunteer at a place where I could build a relationship with patients and with the community.” Erick Ramos, a Latina/Latino studies major, calls Clínica MartínBaró a form of resistance. “A lot of our patients are considered ‘illegal,’ and as a result don’t get basic human rights like healthcare,” Ramos said. “So we remedy that imbalance through our work at the clinic.” Currently, 47 out of 58 California counties provide lowcost medical care to undocumented immigrants, according to a Health Access California report released last November. However, according to the report, 39 of the counties restrict treatment to
seriously ill patients or children, and only eight offer very limited non-emergency services. Clínica Martín-Baró, with its guiding philosophy of care with cultural sensitivity, has become an oasis for immigrants living in San Francisco. “It empowers the community,” said biology major Christian Rivera Nolan. “We approach health and community issues very holistically. We’re moving away from solving problems of the community and instead are committed to helping and working with it.” Most volunteers speak Spanish, which makes patients feel comfortable, according to Andrea Nieto, a 20-year-old student and volunteer at the clinic. “It’s important to be part of the community you’re serving,” Nieto said. “If you’re a Spanishspeaking person, you’ll want to talk to another Spanish-speaking person about important things like healthcare.” Growing up with Spanishspeaking parents, Nieto witnessed first-hand the difficulties nonEnglish speaking people face. Nieto said this alienation is one of the biggest reasons immigrants are so disadvantaged when it comes to the healthcare system. Stephanie Romero, a volunteer schedule coordinator who graduated from SF State with a bachelor’s degree in Latina/Latino studies, emphasized the clinic’s psychotherapy services, which she said are essential to the immigrant community. “We tend to ignore mental health issues in our community,” Romero said. “Felix Kury, our
ALEAH FAJARDO / XPRESS
Yakira Teitel talks to volunteers of Clínica Martín-Baró and members of the community at the unveiling of the community mural they painted on the side of La Palma Mexicatessen in the Mission District Saturday.
director, is a therapist, and he made it clear that you can’t fix something without addressing it. We try to provide not only help, but information for patients.” Providing access and information are two ways Clínica Martín-Baró hopes to help the community. “Our clinic focuses on so much
more than just healthcare in terms of treating disease,” Nieto said. “It’s also about working directly with the community to find out what they need and how we can help. We focus on social issues as well, like displacement and gentrification— things that matter to the community that we can help address.”
Wednesday, March 9, 2016 goldengatexpress.org
Women’s History Month 2016
March 2016
International Women’s Day was March 8th Women’s history
month
Woman of the week:
March 2016
Let’s pay tribute to generations of women whose commitment have proved invaluable to society!
Women’s history
month Woman of the week:
March 2016
Let’s pay tribute to generations of women whose commitment have proved invaluable to society!
Women’s history
month
Woman of the week: Let’s pay tribute to generations of women whose commitment have proved invaluable to society!
Gladys Tantaquidgeon (1899-2005) Mohegan Medicine Woman, Anthropologist, and Tribal Elder She completed extensive field research on east coast Indian tribeal cultures and herbal medicines and published several books based on her research. In 1931, she co-founded Tantaquidgeon Museum with her brother and father; it remains the oldest American Indian owned museum in the U.S.
amelia earhart (born in 1897, diasappeared in 1937) First female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
frida kahlo (1907-1954)
Frida Kahlo was a great Mexican painter best known for her self-portraits. She combined traditional Mexican folk art with surrealism, making her paintings a symbolic form of self-expression.
Gators, remember to
Recycle!!
Visit Goldengatexpress.org
Wednesday, March 9, 2016 goldengatexpress.org
OPINION STAFF EDITORIAL
oldaetne One day per year isn’t enough to bridge the gender divide GGX
DARCY FRACOLLI
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF dfracoll@mail.sfsu.edu
REID CAMMACK
MANAGING EDITOR reidcamm@mail.sfsu.edu
EVA RODRIGUEZ
ART DIRECTOR erodrig2@mail.sfsu.edu
JARED JAVIER
ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR jjavier@mail.sfsu.edu
BRIAN CHURCHWELL
PHOTO EDITOR bchurchw@mail.sfsu.edu
JOEY REAMS
NEWS EDITOR reams94@mail.sfsu.edu
MIRANDA BOLAR
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR mbolar@mail.sfsu.edu
ASHLEY BOWEN
LIFESTYLE & CULTURE EDITOR anbowen@mail.sfsu.edu
JESSICA NEMIRE
OPINION EDITOR jdn@mail.sfsu.edu
TYLER LEHMAN
SPORTS EDITOR tlehman@mail.sfsu.edu
CHRIS DEJOHN
COPY EDITOR cdejohn@mail.sfsu.edu
JOCELYN CARRANZA
MULTIMEDIA EDITOR jcarranz@mail.sfsu.edu
KELSEY LANNIN
ASSISTANT MULTIMEDIA EDITOR klannin@mail.sfsu.edu
GRADY PENNA
SOCIAL MEDIA/ONLINE EDITOR gpenna@mail.sfsu.edu
RACHELE KANIGEL PRINT ADVISER kanigel@sfsu.edu
JESSE GARNIER
International Women’s Day is a day to raise awareness of the plight of women the world over, but half of the global population shouldn’t have to wait until March 8 every year to address the fact that they make up less than 20 percent of the U.S. Congress, that there is no country in which women out-earn men, or that they might be stoned to death in a shockingly large number of countries for adultery if they are married and raped by a man who is not their husband. Frankly, women shouldn’t even have to wait for one day a year to address who does the laundry in their household, let alone matters that determine the course of their entire lives. Only two of the seven CEOs featured on the official International Women’s Day website were women. A website dedicated to celebrating women couldn’t even find a majority of female CEOs to feature. There is no “men’s day” because every day is straight, cis, white men’s day. They
dominate our money and our screens big and small. They make up the vast majority of (in)famous and successful politicians, actors, athletes, journalists, scientists, businessmen, gangsters, serial killers and on, and on, and on. Notoriety is the providence of men, barring a few (notably deep) fields, including models and reality TV stars. If the international community truly wants to honor women, it should focus on addressing the systemic inequalities that face all women 365 days a year, not just one day and not just one type of woman.
DARCY FRACOLLI Editor-in-Chief
You don’t have to spring break the bank to have a good vacation students actually do versus what MTV thinks a spring break should look like. Sitting poolside, sipping on jungle juice, wondering when Steve Aoki will drop the bass so you can fist pump as fast as the BPM is great for “MTV Spring Break,” but it’s not for everyone. Planning a meaningful trip can help you
TAYLOR REYES
treyes@mail.sfsu.edu
The first question you get from your professors after spring break often is, “How many of you did something amazing over the break?” Can you hear the crickets in your head already? That trip to Iceland you were looking at on Groupon is now haunting you. It’s time to get busy living. Traveling is definitely an important part of your 20s, but can seem impossible due to responsibilities most students face while in college. Ask anyone older than you about their take on “could’ve, would’ve, should’ve” during college, and they may inspire you to up your travel game. Exploring the world is like exploring your future; you can’t foresee what lies ahead in life, but through traveling, your life goals can come into focus. You’ll never know until you go, and in some cases you may never come back. Think about the places you’ve always wanted to visit and the activities you’ve never had a chance to do. Try foods your taste buds are foreign to, and wander environments that are polar opposite from anything you’ve ever experienced firsthand. These thoughts should be overloading your brain when you think of spring break. There is a world of choices of what
BY
A EV
D RO
RIG
another student’s ideal getaway. Don’t limit yourself to what you can or cannot do – you can always find a way to do what you want to do, despite logic or reasoning. The key to traveling on the cheap is leveraging resources to find deals on trips, hook-ups on housing and tasty, cheap eats while on the go.
Z UE
EVA CHARLES
ADVERTISING & BUSINESS echarles@sfsu.edu
ARUN UNNIKRISHNAN I.T. CONSULTANT arun@mail.sfsu.edu
SAMANTHA LOPEZ CIRCULATION
EVA RODRIGUEZ
STUDENT GRAPHIC DESIGNER ggxads@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 Jessica Nemire at: jdn@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 Darcy Fracolli at: dfracoll@mail.sfsu.edu
GR
KEN KOBRE
PHOTO ADVISER kkobre@sfsu.edu
AP
HI
FACULTY ADVISER jgarnier@sfsu.edu
S
F State celebrated International Women’s Day on Tuesday by having a two-hour-long event in Malcolm X Plaza with music, sex education and spoken word and dance performances. Men cooked for women in a quaint reversal of stereotypical binary gender roles, and helped orchestrate the festivities. All of this is a further slap in the face to U.S. women who deal with pay inequality and sexism on a daily basis, and perpetuates the marginalization of trans and gay women and people who identify as neither gender. Our culture continues to ignore the needs of those who don’t fall neatly into society’s accepted gender identities and roles. Furthermore, it is beyond insulting that women, who comprise 50.7 percent of the U.S. population and 49.6 percent of the global population, have been relegated to a single calendar day. There are many who argue that
C
XPRESS
experience some of life’s greatest gifts in a subtle way. Getting back to nature is arguably the purist form of an escape from student life, while ballin’ out in Vegas could be
Working within a budget that’s flexible is a smart way to maximize fun, and getting outdoors is a great way to do that. California has awesome destinations worth exploring just
outside our doorstep. These are by far the easiest form of escape from stressful city life. Being outdoors is a great experience with friends. Finding trust in your friends is a great way to make lifelong bonds, and in the end you may find yourself to be a more capable person of doing extraordinary things. Selfdiscovery during spring break will have you stoked the rest of the semester, while some of us are still recovering from a week-long hangover. Visiting a friend in another town or city is another great, cheap way to catch up and explore a new environment. It’s also important to maintain distant friendships, as these people were once in your life and now they are just on Facebook. If you have too many friends, hit them all up, and I’m sure you can work out an itinerary. It’s the best way get around town if you are just visiting for a short while. A week can go by quickly, so try to slow it down and focus on daily activities. A couch to call home for a week doesn’t sound too bad. Plan something with a group of friends who are also on board with getting out of town, it’s only a week, but the memories are everlasting. Don’t put off your dream destination so far into the future – the future starts now, and it’s time to get going. Spring break is your time, a time to relax, a time to have fun and a time to actually live.
Wednesday, March 9, 2016 goldengatexpress.org
OPINION
Moms are allowed to be sexy too REID CAMMACK
I
reidcamm@mail.sfsu.edu
don’t know what magical powers the Kardashian family possess that make everyone hate them, but I’m obsessed with whatever witchcraft they’re performing. It’s like they’re spending every night spilling a gallon of virgin blood, a vial of Kylie Jenner’s lip kit and lock of their own hair extensions in a cauldron, only to cast a spell so they’ll forever stay relevant and the general public will forever stay pressed. This week, Kim Kardashian must have added a couple extra drops of Kylie’s lip kit to the witch’s brew, because she was blowing up. Everyone was talking about the mother of two after she posted a naked selfie of herself on Instagram that featured two black bars covering her Kims and her Kardashian. Once she posted the photo, all hell broke loose. The typical social media denizens spewed the generic “bad mom” tweets, the “Nothing we haven’t seen before” Facebook comments, and the “How will North feel when she grows up and sees this?” Instagram comments. The hate for the photos got even more publicity with this selfie thanks to comments from Bette Midler and Chloe Grace Moretz. The people criticizing
Kim for posing nude, including the celebrity commenters, are contributing to a society that promotes body-shaming and slutshaming. Showing skin does not make Kim a bad role model, and loving your own body doesn’t make you a bad mom. “I am empowered by my body,” Kim wrote on her website on International Women’s Day. “I am empowered by my sexuality. I am empowered by feeling comfortable in my skin. I am empowered by showing the world my flaws and not being afraid of what anyone is going to say about me. And I hope that through this platform I have been given, I can encourage the same empowerment for girls and women all over the world. There’s no valid reason to tell Kim Kardashian to cover up. She is a grown woman who can make her own choices. She obviously has a more relaxed view on sexuality than others, and she doesn’t care if she’s presenting herself in a sexual manner. It’s her body, so if she’s feeling her look and she wants to take a naked photo, so be it. She is harming literally no one. When other celebrities post revealing shots, no one seems to be mad about hot dads revealing a little skin. No one questioned Usher’s parenting qualifications when he posted underwear selfies, Chris Hemsworth’s ability to be a role model when he did erection gags
in his movies, or whether or not Dwayne Johnson can raise his children correctly when he’s posted shirtless pictures. Women are consistently put on a higher platform where they are expected to act and behave a certain way. Mothers have non-existent sexualities, but dads like David Beckham can be the face of major underwear campaigns without anyone batting an eye. Kim will continue being a sexual being with or without the permission of Bette Midler. She has no reason to stop flaunting her body as long as she wants to. Kim, being the icon she is, even responded to the hate by posting another naked picture. As Kim wrote on her website, “I am a mother. I am a wife, a sister, a daughter, an entrepreneur, and I am allowed to be sexy.”
ILLUSTRATION BY JARED JAVIER
Why I’ll Strike: A Lecturer’s Perspective SHEILA TULLY
Special to Xpress
Twenty-six thousand California State University faculty, including lecturers, counselors, coaches and librarians are poised to strike across all 23 campuses on April 13th if we do not receive a 5 percent salary increase for year two of our contract. The California Faculty Association has been negotiating with CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White on this issue for two years. White refuses to budge from his insulting offer of 2 percent – this from a man who is paid more than President Barack Obama. I do not want to strike – but I will. CSU faculty earn an abysmally low $45,000 per year on average, largely because two-thirds are non-tenured, parttime, temporary lecturers. Faculty have not received a significant general salary increase in nearly a decade. We have actually lost money over that time, because a promised 11 percent raise in 2006 was cancelled and a 9.3 perecent furlough pay cut was instituted in 2009. I voted in favor of that furlough – and cutting my own already meager salary – as did the majority of CSU faculty. This was in the hope that the furlough savings would spare cuts to classes and job lay-offs. During those hard times, faculty sacrificed for the
sake of our students. This year the $5 billion budget for the CSU has been increased by an additional $216 million. Faculty know that the money is there and that 5 percent is fair and reasonable. We really are not asking for a raise but rather a partial recovery of some of what we have lost. It also is important to point out that study after study shows that nationwide, the skyrocketing costs of college education are not the result of increasing faculty salaries. Instead, across the country, the numbers of university administrators have ballooned as have their salaries. In the CSU, faculty salaries remained flat over the last decade, while student fees increased by more than 134 percent. Where did that money go? Certainly not to faculty. However, the salaries of CSU campus presidents increased by 36 percent during that same period. On our campus, faculty face the highest cost of living in the country. We have senior faculty, who have dedicated their entire professional lives to students at SF State, postponing retirement, fearful that they will not have sufficient income to continue living in the Bay Area. Younger faculty raising families struggle to pay for escalating childcare and housing costs. Many colleagues have second jobs. Because salaries are not competitive, we have trouble recruiting and retaining faculty.
This corporatization of the CSU – high salaries for administrators and low wages for everyone else, is not sustainable. Faculty working conditions are student learning conditions. My decision to strike is not an easy one, but it is necessary in order to pay my bills and provide my students with the quality education that they deserve. I resent the crocodile tears of management worrying about students missing five days of classes. I do not recall any such concern during the year of furloughs when students lost 18 days of classes. Budget decisions are reflections of values. The chancellor needs to re-order his budgetary priorities, pay the 5 percent, and show faculty the respect that we deserve for our talent, hard work, and commitment to public education. I ask students to support us in this fight. Talk with your parents, friends, and communities about the strike and the importance of fair faculty salaries. For more information about the strike, go to www.calfac. org/sfstate and get involved with Students for Quality Education (SQE) at sfsu.sqe@gmail.com. Faculty, along with staff and students, are the heart and soul of the CSU. Without us, there is no university. Sheila Tully is a lecturer in the department of anthropology at SF State
Wednesday, March 9, 2016 goldengatexpress.org
SPORTS
Gators battle for early season conference positioning Softball
baseball TYLER LEHMAN
tlehman@mail.sfsu.edu
With two former minor league players coaching the SF State baseball team, the experience and influence from both is apparent on this year’s Gator squad. The baseball team sits at an even .500 with an 8-8 record. While they do sit near the bottom of the California Collegiate
Athletic Association standings, their record is still two wins better than where they were through 16 games last year. Continued improvement on defensive fundamentals will be key moving forward for coach Schifano’s squad. The team already has 29 errors through 16 games, but has managed to clean up their play the past couple of weeks.
The beautiful sound of a solid “tink!” ricocheting off a metal baseball bat has been music to the ears of the women’s softball team this year, with their offensive improvements already showing through the first 13 games of the season. Last season, the women’s team slogged their way to an atrocious 1-12 start, where they only scored 13 runs. This season, the Gators are already
halfway to their win total for all of lasat season, with a respectable 6-7 record. In their six wins alone, they’ve scored 38 runs, a stark contrast to their batting struggles from last year. The Gators have also improved their conference record from last year through 13 games, with a 3-5 conference record, as opposed to 0-9 through 13 games last season.
GEORGE MORIN / XPRESS
PERNG-CHIH HUANG / XPRESS
SF State Gators outfielders Alexis Mattos (left) and Chelsea Brent celebrate Brent’s catch during the first game of a doubleheader against the Academy of Arts Sunday, Feb. 14.
SF State Gators catcher Carter Gambrell (11) slides safely home during the first game of a doubleheader against Holy Names University at Maloney Field Saturday, Feb. 6.
2 0 1 6 S o f t b a l l S ta n d i n g s
2 0 1 6 b a s e b a l l S ta n d i n g s
south Division
North Division
ccaa
ll
a over
ak
stre
ccaa
ll
a over
Sonoma State 6-3 8-10 w2
humboldt state 8-0 13-1 w9
CSU monterey bay 4-2 15-3 w2
csu san bernadino 12-4 17-8 w7
chico State 3-2 13-4 w2
Sonoma State 7-3 10-6 w4
CSU east bay 2-3 11-5 l1
uc san diego 8-4 14-6 w1
stanislaus State 2-4 9-7
L4
San francisco State 2-4 8-8
l1
stanislaus State 8-8 11-10 l1
uc san diego 6-2 16-4 w1
San francisco State 3-5 6-7 l1
csu los angeles 5-3 6-13 l1
CSU east bay 3-5 6-8 L2
csu pomona 3-3 11-6 l2
CSU monterey bay 4-10 9-12 L2
csu san bernadino 5-6 10-13 w3
csu Dominguez hills 4-12 7-16 l5
csu Dominguez hills 2-4 7-8 w1
csu san marcos 2-12 4-18 l11
csu san marcos 2-6 10-10 l3
ak
stre
chico State 9-5 12-6 w2
Wednesday, March 9, 2016 goldengatexpress.org
SPORTS
Wrestlers continue streak of national qualifiers CHRISTOPHER CONTRERAS
F
ccontreras@mail.sfsu.edu
or the 53rd year in a row, the SF State wrestling program is sending a wrestler to nationals. Junior Sam Alnassiri and true freshman Fern Giron will be representing SF State at the NCAA Division ll National Championship in Sioux Falls, South Dakota March 11-12. For head wrestling coach Lars Jensen, this is nothing new; it’s become an annual tradition. Jensen has coached at SF State for 33 years and has sent a wrestler to nationals each time. Both wrestlers have high expectations for themselves but even more so from their coach. “I expect two All-
Americans,”Jensen said. “I mean, we go every year. We want to have All-Americans.” That statement isn’t hyperbole considering Jensen has already coached 62 AllAmericans and 10 national champions. Alnassiri punched his ticket to nationals after he placed third in the 285-pound weight class at the NCAA Division ll Super Region IV Championships. Alnassiri finished the tournament with four wins and one loss, bringing his season record to 24 wins and 10 losses. He won his first two matches of the regionals convincingly, with a 14-5 major decision victory over Colorado Mesa wrestler Colter Bentley in the first round, and a 11-3 major decision victory over Adam State wrestler Tuli Laulu
in the quarterfinals. Alnassiri had a tough match against Colorado State Pueblo wrestler Jacob Mitchell in the semi-finals, and he lost by fall. The heavyweight came back strong in the consolation semi-final though, and defeated Simon Fraser University wrestler Sean Molle. "It feels great," Alnassiri said. "It's just a great feeling to finally qualify, but that's still not my main goal.” His main goal is to become an All-American. One hundred and sixty wrestlers will be competing this weekend in 10 different weight classes. Each weight class has 16 wrestlers, and the top eight become AllAmericans. In order to place, Alnassiri or Giron have to win two matches. Two losses will keep them out of the top eight. Giron placed fourth in
ERIC CHAN / XPRESS
SF State junior Sam Alnassiri is all smiles Monday as he prepares for the NCAA Division II National Wrestling Championships.
the 133-pound weight class at regionals and qualified for nationals in his first season, a year which included 33 takedowns and 161 points scored, the second most on the team. Giron won three matches
”
It’s just a great feeling to finally qualify, but that’s still not my main goal. -Sam Alnassiri
ERIC CHAN / XPRESS
Fern Giron, a freshman on the SF State wrestling team, at practice Monday preparing for the upcoming NCAA Division II National Wrestling Championships.
and lost two at the tournament, leaving his current record at 18 wins and nine losses. He edged out his first two opponents during regionals, including a victory by fall over his first-round opponent Noah Au-Yeung. Giron’s third match of the tournament was against the top ranked wrestler in the nation in the 133-pound weight class, Nebraska-Kearney wrestler Daniel DeShazer. The
top ranked wrestler was too much for Giron to handle, and he lost that match by fall. Even though it’s Giron’s first season, he’s confident he can make an impact at nationals. “I have faith in my conditioning and technique,” Giron said. “Coming home with a plaque wouldn’t be a surprise, but it would be a blessing.” Both players are aware of the streak that they have extended and both are glad to be a part of it. “It feels good,” Giron said. “Coach Jensen is a legend in the wrestling community, and it’s a privilege to wrestle for him. Being a part of his legacy feels great.” Alnassiri also said he is excited to be competing in nationals for SF State. "It's a great atmosphere here, and just to be around a program that's had so much people come out of here," Alnassiri said. "Just to say I'm a part of that group, that I'm a part of that 53, that I contributed – I can't even explain it."
Wednesday, March 9, 2016 goldengatexpress.org
{
San FranciSco PeninSula
|
eST. 1851
K-12 teachers and administrators are in demand.
}
California K-12 enrollment is approaching 6.3 million. Teachers and administrators are in demand.
Start your master’s or credential in 2016. Personal instruction NDNU credential units apply to MA ■ Field orientation ■ High job placement ■ ■
Graduate Programs:
Credentials in: NEW Master of Arts in: Education (MA.Ed) Multiple Subject Autism Authorization School Administration (MA) Single Subject Add-on Special Education (MA) Education Specialist Administrative Services ■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
1500 Ralston Ave., Belmont
Not for profit. Est. 1851.
Client: notre Dame de namur University Date: 1-21-16 File name: nDnU-SanFranciscoState-Grad-ed-1-21-16 PUbliCation: San Francisco State Size: 6" x 7" ContaCt: Kathy Dana 916.847.4235 | kathy@kathydana.com
Celebrate
St. Patrick’s Day at
Shannon Arms Embrace the Irish spirit on March 17 with food and music!
Visit Goldengatexpress.org
19th and Taraval 415-665-1223