Spring 2014 Issue 8

MARCH 19, 2014 ISSUE 8 VOLUME LXXXXVIII GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

FREE

Serving the San Francisco State community since 1927

INSIDE: THE HOME STRETCH PAGE 10

Squatters find home at SF State JANITORS CLOSET: The janitor’s sink room at SF State’s housing complex at 265 Buckingham Way where police found evidence of squatters.

RACHEL ASTON / XPRESS

Faculty preps for raise debate

F

irefighters discovered evidence of squatters on the ground level of a University Park North building when they responded to a fire alarm that awoke residents early Feb. 16, according to SF State’s University Police Department.

San Francisco Fire Department identified a portable skillet in an electrical room as the cause of an alarm that sent strobe lights through the halls of 265 Buckingham Way. The recently used grill was still hot to the touch with burnt food on it when it was found, according to UPD Officer Edward Palor.

CELEBRATING

“The door to the room was unlocked,” said Officer Palor in a police report. “There were signs of someone living inside.”

Across from the electrical room, Palor entered two unlocked doors including the janitor’s sink room, which was drenched with the scent of urine and an unmarked UPD CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

YEARS OF SFSU

WITH CSU FACULTY CONTRACTS EXPIRATION DATE CLOSING IN, FACULTY SAT DOWN TO DISCUSS RAISES.

BY JULIA MIDDLEMISS jmiddle@mail.sfsu.edu

SF State faculty salaries have not seen a raise in nearly a decade. Members of the California Faculty Association sat down in the library yesterday to discuss these ongoing concerns.

Sheila Tully, SF State chapter president for California Faculty Association (CFA) and anthropology lecturer led the meeting with other faculty members to educate and engage them on their contracts.

“At this point, any raise would be better than nothing,” said Tully. “Lecturers earn much less than professors and we haven’t had a raise for seven or eight years now.”

All CSU faculty contracts expire June 30, if a new contract is not decided by that time the current one will stay in effect until a decision is made. Every three years, CFA members bargain their salary contracts to ensure the CSU system receives enough money to be able to service their students, according to Jennifer Eagan, CFA Chapter President at Cal State East Bay. “What will change this budget crisis is more money in the whole system.

CSU CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

RACHEL ASTON / XPRESS

CELEBRATION: Jillian Picaso, a communicative disorders grad student, holds Chunks the bulldog at the Founders Day event in the Malcolm X Plaza Tuesday, March 18. For $1, spectators could hold the puppy. Money raised goes towards the athletic department.

Founders Day returns to SF State

For the first time in 12 years, more than 25 campus organizations gathered in Malcolm X Plaza Monday, March 18 for the anniversary of SF State’s establishment where students danced salsa, played carnival games and indulged in free tacos.

Students such as Christopher Arreola, 20, a member of the volun-

BY MARC ARGUELLO margue11@mail.sfsu.edu AND CHLOE JOHNSON chloej@mail.sfsu.edu

teer organization Coaching Corps, used the anniversary event, Founders Day, as a chance to raise money for their organizations and increase

awareness for their causes.

“We’re celebrating how much we’ve changed and how much we’ve progressed,” said Arreola.

After more than a decade without an event, the organizations participating in Founders Day asked CAMPUS CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

2

News

MARCH 19, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

XPRESS

UPD finds evidence of squatters

YOURSELF WE ASKED SF STATE STUDENTS:

CONTINUED FROM THE FRONT PAGE

Which country would you choose to volunteer in?

closet that contained scattered articles of clothing, bedding and garbage.

In late October of last year, a master key that opened doors to every apartment in UPN was reported stolen. University employees managed to re-key over 3,000 apartments at UPN and the Towers at Centennial Square within days, Golden Gate Xpress reported previously.

“I can confirm the loss of two master keys for UPN and two residence halls on the main campus last Fall of 2013,” said Marilyn Lanier, senior associate vice president of Physical Planning & Development, adding that the issue was “immediately addressed to ensure the safety of all residents of these facilities.”

“

”

Ecuador because my family is from there and I know about all of the poverty. It’s just close to my heart.

It is unconfirmed as to whether the stolen keys also opened maintenance rooms and closets in the UPN towers.

Trespassers were last found on SF State campus almost a year ago when, after they were discovered in a Mary Ward Hall dorm room, they engaged in a scuffle with police. Most of the trespassers were members of the then recently disbanded squatters collective SF Commune, Golden Gate Xpress reported previously.

Before then, a squat persisted from 2002 to 2012 on SF State’s campus at the site of the defunct San Francisco High School of the Arts building on Tapia Drive, Xpress Magazine reported previously.

In February, the UPD arrested someone asleep in the J. Paul Leonard Library

when officers were flagged down at five in the morning, according to the UPD arrest and crime log. They learned that multiple warrants were out for the subject, including one felony, but it is unclear whether the individual slept in the library with the intent to squat.

Individuals may lose their library privileges for exhibiting disruptive behavior or hygiene, according to the library policy, but it is not illegal for them to sleep on the premises, where students are allowed limited 24-hour access.

“The poverty among students is real,” said Amy Donovan, an anthropologist at University of California San Francisco who studies young homeless populations.

“And the notion that there would be a squatter-student in dorms is real.”

Campus celebrates Founders Day

DACIA MARTINEZ, SENIOR COMMUNICATION STUDIES

“

”

There is a lot of help needed everywhere, but if I had to choose it would be the Philippines.

It’s so hard to choose.

STEVE SESE, SENIOR KINESIOLOGY

RACHEL ASTON / XPRESS

CEREMONY: Robert Bisquera Jr., an SF State grad student of equality and social justice in education, dances with Jessica Jimenez-Pizano,a sophomore recreational parks and tourism major, at the Founders Day event in Malcolm X Plaza Tuesday, March 18.

CONTINUED FROM THE FRONT PAGE

“

”

I actually spent time in high school in Africa on a scholarship for two weeks. We rebuilt schools and stuff like that. It was a good experience, especially the culture.

VICTORIA JAQUEZ, JUNIOR HOSPITALITY

Photos by: Tony Santos Reporting by: Michael Duran

students, alumni, faculty and staff to help reach the goal of 1,899 donations in honor of SF State’s founding year, 1899.

Donations will go to variety of college programs, departments and scholarships, according to the SF State Alumni Association.

Founders Day celebrations began in 1999 for the 100-year anniversary, but ended after 2002 for unknown reasons, according to the Alumni Association. At the previous celebration, for the 103rd anniversary, SF State had a 3,000-piece cake that was handed out by campus administrators and deans. This year, Taqueria Girasol gave away 1899 mini tacos in honor of the founding year while student bands in Malcolm X Plaza hosted free musical performances.

“It’s the first time that alumni relations has hosted an event on campus celebrating our founding that has included students, faculty, staff and alumni,” said Doug Hup-

ke, the director of the Alumni Association.

One of the causes that accepted donations is Project Rebound, which aims to help integrate young people who have been or are currently incarcerated.

“The work we do is strictly along the lines of seeing that our clients matriculate and become successful students,” said Joseph Miles, office coordinator for Project Rebound.

Miles said that any funds received would go towards helping these students with tuition, books, school supplies and transportation costs.

Continue the Dream for Academic Excellence, another cause that anyone can donate to, is a scholarship fund on campus established by faculty and staff for AB 540 students with financial need.

“If you are aware of the undocumented AB 540 community, you know that covering the cost of higher education institutions can be hard because many cannot work due to their status and many do not qualify for financial aid,” said Ana

Morales, the leader of the scholarship campaign.

According to Morales, the scholarship would allow students to decrease their working hours, focus their time on school and provide a sense of community.

“AB 540 undocumented students live in constant scrutiny due to their immigration status, a presence of support on campus is highly empowering,” Morales said.

Several campus organizations also raised money for The Student Life Partnership Fund. The fund, formed in 2013, is available to any registered student organization or sport club and offers group funds to help finance new initiatives, activities, programs and projects.

“Since the fund is brand new there haven’t been any projects funded yet,” said Sarah Bauer, director of the Student Involvement & Career Center. “Any recognized student organization (there are over 200 of them) is eligible to apply for funding.”

News

MARCH 19, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

3

SF neighborhoods fed up with evictions

, tors a l u pec t them s e r a le a we tre nt p o Bra R e h a d Sar AC H E se p oul TE D The hy sh ords.

S SFU so w landl like

S

BY KYLE DA SILVA | kdasilva@mail.sfsu.edu

F State professor and San Francisco Poet Laureate Alejandro Murguia used to carry poems in his pocket.

He stopped because he kept pulling out eviction notices instead.

Murguia was part of a panel of activists and politicians that more than 60 people crammed into a Glen Park bookstore came to listen to March 12. The topic: San Francisco’s housing crisis.

Attendees were concerned over the city’s drastic increase in Ellis Act evictions, of which the city’s rent board recorded a 145 percent increase between September 2012 and September 2013.

“Let’s build a little more community tonight,” said Murguia.

Attendees shared personal stories and discussed its effects on the fabric of the city and what San Francisco’s politicos could do to regulate it.

The Ellis Act is a state law that gives landlords the right to evict all the

tenants in a building and leave the rental business.

San Francisco Unified School District teacher and Ellis Act victim Sarah Brant represented her building on Dolores and Market streets at the panel. Bay Area real estate group Urban Green, which owns 385 units in San Francisco, purchased her building last year. “(Urban Green) bought this building knowing who lives here,” Brant said. “These people are speculators, so why should we treat them like landlords?”

Members of the audience echoed her sentiment.

“If someone scrapes their money together and wants to live in their own building, then I have no problem with that,” said former University of California Berkeley professor David Linger. “Its everything else that I have a problem with.”

Almost everything else, said Linger, is real estate speculation.

The recent housing boom in San Francisco has led to an increase in speculation — buying

property and hoping to resell it quickly for exorbitant profit — in many working class neighborhoods like the Mission District, Chinatown, the Fillmore and the Western Addition.

Supervisor John Avalos addressed the housing crisis and accused members of the Board of Supervisors of “pay to play politics”—supporting developers, speculators and tech companies —rather than the people city officials represent.

He discussed legalizing tens of thousands of illegal in-law units in San Francisco, making them susceptible to rent control and tenancy laws, and left the crowd with one of San Francisco’s most investment-crippling plans: an anti-speculation tax.

The anti-speculation tax would claim 50 percent of the profits of bought-and-sold buildings if the new owner did not keep and maintain the building — as a landlord — for at least one and a half years.

/GoXpress

@XpressNews

“A quality local hub to eat, hang out or take out!”

734 La Playa St. (415) 221-2031

Mon - Fri 8 am to 5 pm Sat - Sun 8 am to 5:30 pm www.OceanBeachDeli.com

$1.00 OFF

• Fresh rotisserie beef and turkey breast!

• Gluten-free options • Free WiFi

on up to 3 sandwiches with Yelp check-in!

Connect with Xpress:

4

MARCH 19, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

News

CONTINUED FROM THE FRONT PAGE

CSU budget cuts raise faculty concerns

RACHEL ASTON / XPRESS

CHAPTER PRESIDENT: Sheila Tully, SF State’s California Faculty Association chapter president, works in her office in HSS 331 Tuesday, March 18.

“We need to hire more faculty and enhance services for students, instead of using students as ATM machines,” said Eagan. “I don’t think it’s the student’s job to hire the faculty, that money has to come from the whole system.”

Eagan’s main goal for the meeting was to talk to faculty about the bargaining team and what they’ll need from faculty on the campuses in terms of action, visibility and communications to help get them a fair contract.

“We have suffered a huge gash over the past five years in (the) CSU state-wide budget,” said Eagan. “We need to restore that and add to it so that we can accommodate that increase in enrollment and students across the whole system.”

Each CSU will send faculty representatives from their schools to voice campus issues and concerns to state legislatures in Sacramento April 1 and 2.

Even though what they call “lobby days” will not determine the outcome of faculty contracts,

it’s important to get the message across that the governor’s proposal, which is a 5 percent increase to the CSU budget, isn’t enough, according Tully and Eagan.

“What’s sad about lobby days in Sacramento is that a lot of our politicians are graduates of public higher education, either UC or CSU, so they didn’t mind having public education when they benefited,” said Tully. “But they’re not willing to stand up and fight for (this) generation.”

A faculty survey was conducted throughout the 23 CSU campuses last fall to allow university faculty to voice their concerns with their systems, according to Tully. The top two issues that were concluded were fair salary and the amount of workload put on faculty.

“We had 40 librarians in the beginning when I started in 1987 and have since lost about half of those people,” said Mitch Turitz, serials librarian. “Those cuts have literally doubled the amount of work for the people who stay.”

Nursing students to volunteer in Peru THIS SPRING BREAK 15 STUDENTS WILL EMBARK ON A TRIP TO PROVIDE MEDICAL SUPPLIES AND AID TO PERU.

G

BY JENNIE BUTLER | jennieb@mail.sfsu.edu

rowing up in and education.

India, SF State Students will divide their nursing student time between assisting doctors in Sudha Saravanan an understaffed and underfundwitnessed a need ed medical clinic and teaching for medical aid orphaned children about hygiene — and a shortage of people who and self care. could give it.

Their work will emphaAfter immigrating to the size patient empowerment and United States 17 years ago Saradisease prevention, rather than vanan decided to pursue a career short-term medical aid. in nursing, ignorThe experience ing the dissenting will cost each stuvoices of her friends dent $2,000, which and husband who covers the flights, doubted the profestravel insurance and sion would provide a seven-night stay enough support for with a host family. her family.

The fee also A lot of people No other job, pays for daily Spanshe decided, could have helped me ish classes that teach fulfill her desire to the basics along the way, so volunteers help those who canof speaking with not help themselves. I really want to patients.

“A lot of people give back.

“I hope students have helped me get a wider perspecalong the way, so I tive of health care, really want to give that what they do afback,” said Sarafects the world, and Sudha Saravanan, vanan. “I want to that there’s a need NURSING STUDENT make connections globally, not just in with people, to see their own environthem face to face and do whatev- ment,” said nursing Lecturer er I can to make their lives a little Brenda Lewis. bit better.”

As the team leader, Lewis This spring break, Saravanan spends much of her time outside and 14 other nursing undergradu- the classroom preparing for the ates will embark on an eight-day trip: making sure all the students trip to Cusco, Peru, where they have their passports and immuwill volunteer medical services nizations, arranging the group’s

BRENDA LEWIS / SPECIAL TO XPRESS

VOLUNTEERS: (Front Row, left to right) Sudha Saravanan, Gissella Barrientos, Jeannette Quintana, Melissa Estrada Diaz (Back row, left to right) Krista Klein, Ashley Messiah, Patrice DePaola, Brenda Lewis, and Nina Mittelstadt are nine of the 16 undergraduate nursing students headed to Cusco, Peru to volunteer medical services and education this spring break.

matching t-shirts and collecting over-the-counter drugs from her students to fill an extra suitcase with.

Lewis is a teacher and mentor to the volunteers, but she will abandon her parental role once the group is in Cusco.

“I’m not going to be their instructor,” said Lewis. “We’re just going as 16 women.”

Lewis coordinated the trip with International Volunteer HQ, an organization that partners individuals and groups with volunteer opportunities and affordable

accommodation in developing countries.

Their goal is to foster aid where it is needed and create an experience that is educational for both the local community and the volunteers.

“A lot of practices that the volunteers learn abroad can be implemented in their home country,” said Katie Brayne, IVHQ representative. “It’s not just a personal gain, it’s a community gain: not just the community they’re volunteering in but the community they return to at the

end of the experience.”

The trip’s objective, according to Lewis, is not only to put students’ education toward a worthy cause, but also to advocate knowledge and perspective different from a medical student who has only treated patients domestically.

“Nursing students should grab any opportunity to get out and see how different other conditions are,” said Saravanan.

“I’m going to learn from every moment of my trip and, if I can, help others learn.”

Arts & Entertainment

MARCH 19, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

5

Monica Arana Barbies, Spice Girls and crop tops: the route to fashion

C

BY MADISON RUTHERFORD | maddie@mail.sfsu.edu

half-finished garments.

This is where Arana’s advanced apparel design problems class is taught, which she describes as the “cherry on top” of the ADM major. Each student in the class of about 25 will produce a line of four to six looks to be showcased in SF State’s Fashion Network Association’s spring fashion show.

“Monica is a very dedicated student,” said her design problems professor, Kelly Reddy-Best. “She always shows me what’s happening and keeps me updated; the dedication she has is inspiring to me. She also has a great vision. When I see a garment in the studio, I know exactly when it is something Monica is working on.”

For her line, Arana aims to incorporate equestrian and fetish wear with a polished 1940s pinup look, developing a perfect blend of edgy and classy.

SPRING ISSUE OUT SOON

hildren of the ‘90s were awe-inspired by the bright crop tops, pleather bell bottoms and platform shoes worn by pop icons like the Spice Girls and Britney Spears. But for Monica Arana, who is studying Apparel Design and Merchandising at SF State, this was more than just a style; it was how she knew that she would one day become a fashion designer.

In high school, Arana, now 21, would go to her local thrift shop to buy clothes and alter them to make them her own. She made her first dress when she was just 16.

Five years later, Monica is in the design lab at SF State, located in Burk Hall 410. It resembles the design room on Project Runway – cluttered with large, wooden tables full of fabric and mannequins adorned with

RYAN LEIBRICH / XPRESS

RUNWAY: Monica Arana, senior, drapes cloth on a mannequin for one of her designs Tuesday, March 18. The clothes will be modeled at the Provoke Spring Fashion Show May 1.

“It’s going to have a really cohesive color palette,” she said.

“I’m using a lot of white, black and a touch of red. And there’s going to be a lot of pleather… and opera length gloves and black stockings.”

Arana is graduating in May and has big plans for the future.

Her dream job would be to design for Alexander McQueen, and ultimately produce her own fashion label.

“I feel hopeful,” she said about graduating. “I really feel like there’s room for me in the industry and I feel like there’s no other industry for me to be in.”

“She has a very distinct aesthetic. She frequently incorpo-

rates a 1970s punk aesthetic into an updated modern, yet alternative style,” Reddy-Best said.

“She often utilizes simple silhouettes with structured fabrics and adds unique embellishments such as studs, or other similar adornments. I see her as a combination of Alexander McQueen and Elsa Schiaparelli in an updated 2014, Bay Area style.”

Much like the fashion industry itself, Arana’s style is constantly in flux. However, at the end of the day, she is still a college student.

“When I’m really busy, I’m gonna wear my pajamas to class,” she said.

Arana says her knowl-

edge about fashion has “grown exponentially” since she started studying apparel design at SF State.

“Monica is a young woman driven by her desire to learn design skills and techniques, always interested in learning more and appreciative of suggestions and opportunities,” said visual merchandising and promotion professor Connie Ulasewicz.

Arana explained that fashion has been a part of her life since birth and that it requires a great amount of passion.

“Some people are just born to do it,” she said. “If that’s your calling, you gotta get on that and don’t let it go.”

6

Arts & Entertainment

MARCH 19, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

Modest life of Lan Yan hides in shadows of Shanghai

Life in a lost town

BY JENNIE BUTLER jennieb@mail.sfsu.edu

Hidden between the high-rise apartment buildings, posh shopping districts and towering, geometric business headquarters of modern Shanghai lay clusters of shanty brick townhouses.

Reminiscent of traditional Shanghai architecture, these “shikumen” buildings are deteriorated and often crammed with low income families living in closet-sized bedrooms. Life in shikumen communities is messy and unglamorous, yet still endearing. This is the framework for Danielle Schmidt’s film, Lan Yan. Schmidt discovered the shikumen last summer when she and several of her classmates from SF State’s cinema department wandered Shanghai in search of a subject for their film. The students were enrolled in the International Documentary Film Workshop, a program that sends undergraduates abroad for one month to shoot, edit and produce their own documentary short.

A 12-year-old girl approached Schmidt and her crew, curious about their camera equipment and western appearance. She then invited them back to her townhouse.

The students became friends with the girl, Zhang JingFang and her father, Zhang JianXin. JingFang and JianXin star in Schmidt’s film, “Lan Yan,” which is named after the shikumen community they live in.

JingFang and her father are one of eight families living in a home with one kitchen and bathroom.

To read more visit http://goldengatexpress.org

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE OVERNIGHTERS / SPECIAL TO XPRESS

BOONIES: Director Jesse Moss films “The Overnighters” at a rail terminal in Williston, N.D..

A

BY ANNA HECHT ahecht@mail.sfsu.edu

cinema professor has the chance to take home $10,000 if his documentary is chosen as the winner of the Golden Gate Awards during the 57th San Francisco International Film Festival – but he says money is at the back of his mind right now.

“I am more focused on the experience of getting to show the film in San Francisco, to my hometown crowd, that I’m not thinking about the competition or the prize aspect,” said cinema professor Jesse Moss. “To me, just being in the festival is the prize.”

The festival announced the contenders last Thursday, naming Moss’ documentary, “The Overnighters,” as one of seven documentary feature films in the Golden Gate Awards category.

“The Overnighters” premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Award for Intuitive Filmmaking.

In making “The Overnighters,” Moss traveled on his own to the small town of Williston, N.D., to document a group of men in search of jobs in a booming town of oil and energy production.

To read more visit http://goldengatexpress.org

Halal, boba and bánh mì, oh my!

BY APRIL HALOG avhalog@mail.sfsu.edu

The warm weather was the perfect setting to celebrate the newest eateries that SF State has to offer.

The sounds of guitars and the smell of delicious food drifted through the air of the Cesar Chavez Student Center during the grand opening celebration for the new culinary additions to the West Plaza Alcove: Quickly, Hà Tiên Cove and Shah’s Halal Food.

This is a late grand opening celebration, as all three restaurants have been open for some time.

Quickly opened September 2013, Shah’s Halal Food opened a month later and Hà Tiên Cove arrived this semester.

According to David Mashriq, owner of Shah’s Halal Food, alot of time was needed to organize the event due to scheduling conflicts such as the restaurant’s opening on different days.

PHOTOS BY GODOFREDO VASQUEZ / SPECIAL TO XPRESS

LEFT: Nervous Factor bass player Leo Deng (left) and guitarist Alex Cui perform in the Cesar Chavez Student Center during the grand opening celebration for Quickly, Hà Tiên Cove, and Shah’s restaurants Thursday, March 13. RIGHT: SF State student Amy Palma participates in the water pong competition during the grand opening celebration.

Leonard Corpus, the retail commercial service manager for the Cesar Chavez Student Center, said that all of the operators were more comfortable doing a combined opening.

Eighteen students won prizes such as coupons to the three restaurants, portable wireless speakers and a digital alarm clock from a raffle.

Hà Tiên Cove and Shah’s handled out raffle tickets to customers in the days prior to the

celebration.

A stage was set up next the bookstore for the feature performers. Nu-metal band Nervous Factor played three sets with songs in Mandarin and English.

Three of the band’s six members are SF State students.

They played to a small but receptive crowd they had attracted throughout the event.

“Even though you might not understand us, we want you to enjoy the music,” Nervous Fac-

tor’s bassist and senior environmental studies major Leo Deng told the crowd.

Despite not understanding their Mandarin lyrics, Rob Gittens, a sophomore marketing major, said, “I like the band so far. I like their energy. They’re really rocking out.”

Rapper Mario Cardenas, who goes by the stage name of M-Denas, performed a couple of songs and announced the raffle winners in between Nervous

Factor’s sets.

The event ended with a water pong contest hosted by Shah’s Halal Food where 12 contestants showed off their ping-pong ball throwing skills in hopes to win prizes.

Junior civil engineering major Robert Medena, 20, took first place in the contest and won a seven inch Nook HD tablet and a voucher for free combo meals at Shah’s Halal Food for a month.

Katharine Fong, owner of Hà Tiên Cove said that she noticed that the restaurant receives a lot of foot traffic from students heading near by locations such as the Humanities and Creative Arts buildings, but not many coming out of the Business Building and Hensill Hall.

One of the goals of the grand opening event and the flyers hung all over campus was to help draw in more customers.

Quickly’s manager Victor Wu agrees. “Some (students) do not know we’re here. The event attracts people all over campus.

We want students to know we’re here.”

Arts & Entertainment

MARCH 19, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

7

Women share experiences of living in an Asian diaspora

BY ANGELICA WILLIAMS | anwms@mail.sfsu.edu

Stillness in the air casted a gloomy scene, as Christilily Chiv shared heartbreaking and painful words of her family’s life before coming to America. A small gathering of students sat patiently, listening to three other womens’ painful past lives living under a diaspora, or cultural displacement.

The Poetry Center, Asian American Studies Department and the Diasportic Vietnamese Arts Network sponsored “Arts and Literature by Southeast Asian Women in the Diaspora” Wednesday, March 12.

The audience came to hear the personal stories from four of the women that contributed to the book “Troubling Borders: An Anthology of Art and Literature by Southeast Asian Women in the Diaspora.” The four women were Chiv, Chau Nguyen, Aimee Phan and Souvankham Thammavongsa.

“Growing up as a second generation Chinese and Cambodian, we were taught we are here to survive, always watch your back and be careful of who you can trust,” said Chiv.

Four years ago, professor Isabella Pelaud, who invited the speakers, wanted to produce a book of various Asian women’s experiences through writings. But unfortunately, there were not many female Asian writers to seek out, according to Pelaud.

“Being of Asian descent myself–half French and Vietnamese–I saw there wasn’t a lot of representation of Asian women being portrayed in media or writChristilily Chiv, ings. (This) touched my ARTS AND LITERATURE life personally because (I) experienced racism in France,” said Pelaud.

Chiv read “My Mother’s Hand Bled,” her poem about her parents’ painful past during the Cambodian Genicide and escaping a war torn country overpowered by the push of the government shift. “When you share your experience as a human being we share our feelings behind the poems,” said Chiv.

“For a while I was struggling whether or not I should continue that path.” She said she continues to write because there isn’t a lot of representation of Asian Americans and their stories need to be told.

Some students, such as Dayshanae Darnell, felt a connection and realness to these female writers even if they themselves were not of Asian decent.

Darnell, 20, related to the women speaking in the sense of identity and finding yourself. She felt relation in having to pick a major that her mom would be proud of, because it would lead to a stable career.

Thammavongsa, who came from a refugee camp in Thailand in 1978, was later sponsored to live in Toronto, and wrote three poetry books. She spoke from “Perfect,” which mirrors what people’s views are on Asian born children.

“Focus on our idea of being perfect. Being perfect (often has) something to do with class or having a lot of money, a home and education. I wanted to change how we use that word, and change a time in my life,” said Thammavongsa.

Krishna Farol, 20, was surprised how she related to it simply because she is of Asian descent. “(Asians are stereotyped to be) really book smart and successful, (but) I don’t aspire to be super wealthy or the ‘model minority.’ Knowing how I am in relation with my culture and heritage is better than money,” said Farol.

When you share your experience as a human being, we share our feelings behind the poems

GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

8

Opinion

MARCH 19, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

CON: PUBLIC DRINKING FOUNTAINS ARE GRIMY

PRO: CLEAN TAP WATER BEATS $5 BOTTLED WATER

BY WILL CARRUTHERS | wcarruth@mail.sfsu.edu ANDREW CULLEN

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF culle010@mail.sfsu.edu

JORDAN HUNTER

PRINT MANAGING EDITOR jordanh@mail.sfsu.edu

NENA FARRELL

ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR haydee@mail.sfsu.edu

NATALIE YEMENIDIJAN ART DIRECTOR nataliey@mail.sfsu.edu

EVELYN CAICEDO

ART ASSISTANT ecaicedo@mail.sfsu.edu

BAILEY RIDDLE

COPY EDITOR briddle@mail.sfsu.edu

JESSICA CHRISTIAN PHOTO EDITOR jac@mail.sfsu.edu

BRADLEY FOCHT

NEWS EDITOR bfocht@mail.sfsu.edu

DAVID MARIUZ

NEWS EDITOR dmariuz@mail.sfsu.edu

LAUREN SEWARD

A&E EDITOR lseward@mail.sfsu.edu

ANNASTASHIA GOOLSBY OPINION EDITOR agoolsby@mail.sfsu.edu

CURTIS UEMURA

SPORTS EDITOR cuemura@mail.sfsu.edu

RACHEL ASTON

MULTIMEDIA EDITOR raston@mail.sfsu.edu

WILL CARRUTHERS

MULTIMEDIA EDITOR wcarruth@mail.sfsu.edu

RACHELE KANIGEL

PRINT ADVISER kanigel@mail.sfsu.edu

SCOT TUCKER

MULTIMEDIA ADVISER tucker@sfsu.edu

KEN KOBRE

PHOTO ADVISER ken@kobre.com

EVA CHARLES

ADVERTISING & BUSINESS echarles@mail.sfsu.edu

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

BY TAYLOR LONIGRO | lonigro@mail.sfsu.edu

When the Board of Supervisors unanimously supported a measure that would restrict the sale of water bottles in San Francisco, the city got closer to its goal of Zero Waste — a mission to send no waste to landfill or incineration by 2020.

The move has some people grumbling about the trend for banning products in liberal cities, as if buying a water bottle was an unalienable right.

To safely dismiss these complaints, it is important to note that the measure is actually pretty specific. The law will not ban bottled water of all types across the city. Instead, it would only ban the sale of bottles smaller than 21 ounces sold at events on city property with a crowd of 100 people or more, effective in October. While the law may not have been extreme enough for the city dwellers that are ever equipped with a reusable bottle, it is a step in the right direction for many reasons.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the United States generated nearly 32 million tons of plastics in 2012 and recycled only nine percent of that. Not only do those plastic products clutter the environment when they are improperly disposed, the production of plastic contributes to global warming. From climate change to rising sea levels, anyone who’s living in the world right now should be well aware of the serious global warming issues we are facing.

Obviously the world’s problems aren’t entirely the fault of plastic water bottles, but solving global problems must come one step at a time.

Another complaint about the new policy is that there aren’t enough clean public water sources in the city to make a water bottle ban viable. The city is already dealing with this issue.

Since 2010, the city has installed nine water bottle refilling stations throughout San Francisco as part of the Drink Tap Program. For the most part, the nine taps are located in tourist heavy areas, such as the Marina Green, Yerba Buena Gardens and the San Francisco Zoo. The public taps look like fancier versions of the stations on campus, which have been installed since last year as part of the Take Back the Tap Campaign led by The Green Initiative Fund. In addition to new filling stations, the city is encouraging restaurants and businesses to join TapIt — a community of tap water providers who agree to refill bottles for free. With this in mind, it is easy to imagine a future in which using a reusable bottle in San Francisco is an economical and obvious choice.

San Francisco’s push for residents’ use of tap water is a great move because it takes advantage of the resources we already have. Since the city is blessed with clean and delicious tap water and the residents already pay for the infrastructure, moving away from bottled water just makes sense.

With the sky-high price of bottled water at events, it’s amazing that anyone would want to buy water instead of refilling for free. In San Francisco’s quest to be ahead of the curve in its recycling program, targeting water bottles is a smart move. With a bit more time and investment, all San Franciscans will come to appreciate the law.

Imagine you just spent the last three hours engulfed in a massive group of ecstatic people at a concert. It’s probably a good idea to hydrate; especially after the immense alcohol consumption. After waiting nearly 30 minutes in line for that cold refreshing bottle of water, you’re told that you can’t have it. They’re no longer for sale.

After the Board of Supervisors unanimously voted March 4 to approve the phase-out of plastic water bottle sales on city property, it is questionable whether the city will be able to efficiently quench its residents’ and tourists’ thirsts. Let’s please just be real with ourselves for a minute; it’s not going to work.

Remember in middle school, being so thirsty and having to drink from those crusty drinking fountains that were often clogged by a kid who thought it was funny to cover the drain with toilet paper? Or the fact that half of the fountains in school didn’t even work at all? If public drinking fountains aren’t efficient or maintained even in small settings like schools, there is absolutely no way adequate drinking fountains can be maintained in the chaotic city life of San Francisco as a replacement to plastic water bottles.

Aside from the maintenance, this alternative is completely unsanitary.

There are people who don’t even know how to properly drink from a fountain and cover the entire spigot with their mouth. So if given the opportunity to take a sip from a public drinking fountain in the city, the answer is indefinitely “no thanks.”

The ban just makes less and less sense.

Since bottled soft drinks are not a part of this ban, consumers will likely look to the sugary alternatives to quench their inescapable thirst while they’re out and about.

Considering the current contemplation to require warning labels on soda, it’s pretty safe to say that the city doesn’t want the burden of taking responsibility for a societal increase in health issues. In its entirety, San Francisco promotes healthy living— from local cold-pressed juices to donation-based yoga classes. It would be hypocritical of the city to misguidedly steer people away from the healthiest hydration option and toward the latter.

The American Beverage Association stated that the ban was “nothing more than a solution in search of a problem,” and that it is “a misguided attempt by the city supervisors to decrease waste in a city of avid recyclers.”

It seems nightmarish and all-around inconvenient to take plastic water bottles off the shelves. Banning the sales of one type of plastic bottle is not going to achieve the desired goal the Board of Supervisors wishes to reach. There is an entire community out there that still purchases tons of other single-use plastic containers. The city should focus on banning the sales of cigarettes and other things that directly affect people and those surrounding them before completely removing a fundamental method of water consumption.

SADE BROWNE

CIRCULATION sbrowne822@gmail.com

ALEXANDRA SOISETH

STUDENT GRAPHIC DESIGNER asoiseth@verizon.net

XPRESS YOURSELF

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

Letters are subject to editing.

Send letters to Annastashia Goolsby at: agoolsby@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 Andrew Cullen at: culle010@mail.sfsu.edu

WE ASKED SF STATE STUDENTS:

How do you feel about captive animals used for entertainment?

Photos by: Ryan Leibrich Reporting by: April Halog

“

I think if they grow up in that environment then it’s OK, but taking them from their natural habitat is wrong.

”“

SARAH GALARNEAO, SENIOR THEATER

”“

”

I’m not really well informed on this subject but animal preserves give a safe environment so they won’t be hunted. Captivation is a good way to preserve them.

When I was a kid I refused to go to the zoo because I thought they were horrible. I still won’t go to the zoo, but I’m not as passionate about animals as I was back then.

DOMINIC BAYANI, FRESHMAN

VANESSA HAMILL, SENIOR

BECA

JAPANESE

Opinion

MARCH 19, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

9

All marine mammal shows are inhumane

BY ANNASTASHIA GOOLSBY agoolsby@mail.sfsu.edu

Sitting in the splash zone during an orca performance can easily be the highlight of any child’s trip to SeaWorld. Unbeknownst to a five-year-old, the seemingly happy-go-lucky whale swimming before them has been taken out of its natural habitat, dumped into a minuscule chemical-infused pool and suffers the heartache of living a life, trapped until death.

At least some people are aware of the cruelty behind the fake façade money-hungry establishments portray to their audiences. Assemblyman Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica) recently proposed the California Captive Orca Welfare and Safety Act that would put an end to performance-based entertainment for all orcas throughout the state.

Why stop there? Orcas are not the only marine mammals forced into this life-threatening situation. There are dolphins, seals, sea lions and walruses tormented day after day due to the lack of laws forbidding animal cruelty in such circumstances.

This needs to change.

In an interview with The Star, former MarineLand of Canada trainer Phil Demers reveals the deterioration of animal health he witnessed in the 12 years of his employment.

He said that due to the chemicals used to maintain the water, skin would constantly flake off the dolphins, sea lions were unable to open their eyes and animals forced out of water for treatment suffered a change

in their personality. He even saw the projection of a sea lion’s eyeball out of its socket and onto the floor before he called it quits.

The cruelty just keeps going.

Before an animal can even spend the rest of its life in the equivalency of a jail cell, it needs to be taken away from its family as a juvenile so it has the ability to be trained, reproduce and have a longer career in show biz.

Gail Woon, another former trainer, who previously

worked for the Underwater Explorers Society is now an anti-captivity activist due the brutality she witnessed.

In a letter Woon wrote to Tribune242, she said that the capturing process includes netting at least 60 dolphins, just to steal a few and the ones released back into the ocean suffered injuries, broken fins and even death due to the stress and anxiety of being crammed into a net.

She continued to say that

during training she was forced to starve the helpless mammals by throwing their meals on the opposite side of the clear wall so it could only be seen, not eaten.

This is not a cry from an animal activist but the truth behind an issue that a majority of the population is unaware of or ignorant to.

How would you like to spend your whole life submerged in a chlorinated pool with no goggles, eating thawed frozen fish and acting like a monkey in front of an obnoxious screaming audience? If this doesn’t seem horrendous, you deserve to switch places with the abused marine mammals stuck in captivity.

While Bloom should be praised for his initiative to cease orca performances, the issue goes beyond just killer whales. Action needs to be taken for the voiceless seals, sea lions, dolphins and walruses that are involuntarily victims of animal cruelty.

A simple step can be to deliberately avoid such shows or take a minute of your day and sign a petition that will go toward stopping the atrocity marine mammals endure in our society.

10

MARCH 19, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

Sports

The Home Stretch:

Former USSR track star now resides on SF State’s field

M

JENNY SOKOLOVA / XPRESS

DAILY ROUTINE: Volunteer coach Morris Lozovatskiy stands on the track at Cox Stadium Monday, March 17..

oris Lozovatskiy carries a folder with him wherever he goes, which these days, is only to the track at SF State.

It’s stuffed with tattered newspaper clippings of his accomplishments, both in Russian and English, mixed in with photos of athletes he has helped guide over the years, and a few in black and white from his decathlon days on the dirt track in Kiev.

His wife passed away in 2004, so now he lives alone in Park Merced, a short walk for him over to the track at SF State everyday. It is what keeps him healthy and happy.

The 77-year-old former athlete worked as a head track and field coach in Kiev for 29 years.

And since 1994, he has been a volunteer coach at SF State, faithfully returning day after day to train countless athletes.

“I feel much more stronger and young being here, this is what I need,” Lozovatskiy said.

He said he had a very hard life in the USSR, born in a generation where many youths lost their fathers in World War II, including his own.

His mother moved to Moscow to live with her sister, and so as a young boy, he remained in Kiev with his sister and her husband.

He found a home on the dirt track flying beneath his sneakers, where an

BY HALEY BRUCATO | hbrucato@mail.sfsu.edu

instructor who watched him one day speak any English.” discovered him at the age of 13.

After working in upholstery for 10 “The coach was my second hours a day, Lozovatskiy attended Enfather,” he said. “He taught us how glish class with 100 students at night life is; he believed in us in San Francisco. very much.”

“Somebody As a young boy, he talk(ed) in Spanish, stole and ran from the somebody talk(ed) in police, but his coach, Japanese, in Russian, someone he looked at whatever language,” as a father after losing he said. “My teachhis own, protected and er said ‘if you want guided him to a better to start talking in life.

English, go to athletic He knows a lot “(Coach) said coaching.’” about every event, to me, ‘don’t do this Naturally, he anymore, instead of chose track and field. and he’s always stealing, come to the willing to give some And since moving to stadium,’” he said. the the U.S., he has insight. I enjoy When Lozovatskiy coached youth, high traveling with him was 18 years old, he school athletic clubs became a professional and college athletes and hearing about athlete for the Ukraine all over the Bay all his history and in the 100m and long Area. experience as an jump, and soon was a “I’m happy...this athlete and coach.

USSR champion in the is my work, this is decathlon and record what I love,” he said. holder in long jump.

Head coach Tom In 1957, he ran the Lyons said LozovatsTom Lyons, 100m in 10.5 seconds, a kiy works specificalHEAD COACH personal record. ly with a few athletes “I’m very weak, because he prefers I’m not very strong,” Lozovatskiy that set-up a lot better. said. “(So I thought) but maybe, I am “He knows a lot about every event, very fast.” and he’s always willing to give some In 1991, he moved to San Franinsight,” Lyons said. “I enjoy travelcisco with his wife, son, daughtering with him and hearing about all his in-law and granddaughter, to join his history and experience as an athlete and sister who immigrated 19 years prior. coach.”

“When I came here at 54 years old, Record-breaking high jumper I was deaf and blind,” he said. “I didn’t Tiana Wills has been working one-on-

one with Lozovatskiy for the last few years, and although his English is not the easiest for her to understand, she said they have found ways to communicate through pictures and videos.

“He’s gotten me so far. I feel like everything he says is right even if I don’t agree sometimes,” she said.

“He says he is lonely at home because his wife died a few years back and his son and granddaughter are grown up.”

She said the team is his world, and he tells the girls he loves them like he loves his own grandkids.

He cares about their health, happiness and success.

“Whenever I’m sick he makes me drink polish tea,” Wills said as she tossed the thermos he handed her into the worn track bag slung over her shoulder.

He said he would continue to help her if she needs him after she graduates and continues on to compete on the Olympic level.

“I very much care for them and I love them,” he said of his athletes at SF State.

He is a survivor of colon cancer, and has had a total of five operations.

Since his most recent in 2012, the cancer has subsided.

Though Lozovatskiy said he misses his home in Kiev from time to time, he does not want to go back.

The dirt track is now his home.

And so Moris Lozovatskiy continues with his daily routine, walking to the track everyday, and adding to that folder he carries with pride.

Sports

MARCH 19, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

11

Wills places third at State, named All-American

UP AND OVER: Tiana Wills practices the high jump on the track at Cox Stadium Monday, March 17.

S

BY HALEY BRUCATO hbrucato@mail.sfsu.edu

enior high-jumper Tiana Wills has been named an All-American, but she is full of disappointment.

“I was not expecting to get third place, especially knowing I can go higher,” Wills said of her performance at the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships in Winston-Salem, N.C. over the weekend. “It was disappointing ending my season like that.”

She said when she is so focused on winning; her performance is never as good as she wants it to be.

To top it off, she has always had problems with her back.

Volunteer SF State coach and one-on-one trainer Moris Lozovatskiy gave her a massage right before the meet, but the pain still lingered.

“I was trying to not think about my back hurting,” Wills said. “I need to learn how to be focused and still do good without distracting myself first.”

Wills cleared 5’10.5”, placing her in third. She attempted to clear the bar at 5’11.5”, but was unsuccessful.

Taking first was Western State’s senior Barbara Szabo who cleared 6’2”, a height Wills said she knows she can jump, since she cleared it in her last meet at the USATF Indoor Championships.

And now, as Wills is officially finished with her college track

and field career, she will continue training with Lozovatskiy until she relocates to San Diego to train as an unattached high jumper this summer.

Lozovatskiy said he thinks Wills could not recover fully in the time she had between competitions, since her recent USA Champs performance exhausted her both physically and psychologically.

“She gives a lot of energy and jumped very well,” he said.

“But her body was tired.”

Though Wills was disappointed in her performance, interim head coach Tom Lyons was quick to point out how successful she has been throughout her career at SF State.

“When you go for the win and don’t get it, you’re going to

PHOTOS BY JENNY SOKOLOVA / XPRESS

be disappointed,” Lyons said.

“But when you stand back and look at how well she has done over the course of her time here, then it is very impressive.”

With high-jump, timing is everything, Lyons said when talking about Wills’ claim that she had a less than par performance at champs.

“Her jumps looked good, but in the high jump it is just a matter of inches,” he added.

“The timing wasn’t there and she unfortunately had a few near misses.”

Lyons said the time he has spent with Wills over the past few years will always be a fond memory.

“You’d never know she is one of the best in the country when you see her at practice

everyday,” Lyons said. “She is a good teammate and very much a part of the team. It has been fantastic and really good for our program.”

Symone Ramirez, junior hurdler and teammate of Wills since her early days at SF State, said she is very happy for all Wills’ accomplishments.

“She’s an amazing high-jumper...we all know she could have done better. She came in really good from the start,” Ramirez said.

Wills said she appreciates everyone supporting her during the small gathering that took place on Monday, where a congratulations and final words were shared amongst coaches and peers as she concludes her time as a Gator.