Spring 2014 Issue 5

VOLUME LXXXXVIII ISSUE 5 FREE

GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG February 26, 2014

the great swim PAGE 11

Serving the San Francisco State community since 1927

VENEZUELA PROTEST A FIRST

SF State opens its first Student Union

Students stand in solidarity with Venezuelan activists

CHILEAN SPEAKERS PROMOTE ACTIVISM AT SF STUDENT UNION EVENT

BY JULIA MIDDLEMISS jmiddle@mail.sfsu.edu

SF State’s first student union had its opening event that featured three Chilean student activists to speak about social activism in Chile as a part of their national speaking tour Friday at The Richard Oakes Multicultural Center.

The San Francisco Student Union consists of both SF State and CCSF students and aims to incorporate local schools into their organization.

They intended on utilizing the Chilean speaker’s experience at the event to demonstrate a new form of student We’re starting unions. off locally and Memhave goals to bers of the some day reach group said a statewide this event status. was crucial for the new Kaitlyn Cornell group to SF UNION MEMBER introduce their aspirations for student activism on campus and eventually citywide. It also allowed the student union to show their interests in widespread issues, involving anything from campus workers rights, forming stronger connections to other student groups and ultimately reinforcing student’s voice within the university.

“It’s exciting to have the speakers here,” said SF Union member Kaitlyn Cornell.

“They’ve have been doing the same thing we’re trying to accomplish here and show that it can be successful. We’re starting off locally and have goals to some day reach a statewide status.”

During the speaker’s discussion, each of the activists gave detailed insight to their CHILEAN CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

LINKED: SF State alumna Monica Guerra links hands with other protesters to form a human chain across the Golden Gate Bridge during a demonstration in support of the Venezuelan people Sunday, Feb. 23.

PHOTO BY JESSICA CHRISTIAN / XPRESS

BY CHRIS SANCHEZ sanchezc@mail.sfsu.edu

STUDENTS JOIN HUNDREDS WHO GATHERED AT GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE IN SUPPORT OF VENEZUELAN PROTESTORS

A group of SF State students joined hands with hundreds of demonstrators on the Golden Gate Bridge Sunday in response to mass anti-government protests in Venezuela.

About 300 people marched across the bridge, many wearing all white, the color of the Venezuelan opposition group,

as drivers honked their horns in support.

Others wore the red, yellow and blue colors of the Venezuelan flag and carried signs with the hashtags “#SOSVenezuela” and “#PrayForVenezuela.”

Similar rallies this weekend that drew

thousands of Venezuelan supporters in Los Angeles and Orlando, Fla. were among more than 150 demonstrations held worldwide.

“We are trying to let the people protesting in Venezuela know that they’re not alone even though we are far away,” said Laura Wilches, 36, a Venezuelan SF State student at the demonstration.

STUDENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

SF State may raise admission standards

BY DAVID MARIUZ dmariuz@mail.sfsu.edu

SF State could soon tighten the entrance guidelines that give Bay Area students priority admission, while also holding students outside that area to higher admission standards.

Members of the Strategic Planning Coordination Committee, a group headed by SF State President Leslie E. Wong, which focuses on improving the campus, met Friday. One of the

CONFERRING: Yim-Yu Wong, chair of the international business school, speaks to the Strategic Planning Committee at a meeting in the Administration Building Friday, Feb. 21.

STRATEGIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

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FEBRUARY 26, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

XPRESS YOURSELF WE ASKED SF STATE STUDENTS:

How would putting a warning label on sugary drinks affect you?

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”

It’s probably a good idea. It’s shocking, our sugar consumption. It’s linked to insomnia and that affects a lot of college students.

MITCH BALLIN, JUNIOR LIBERAL STUDIES

Strategic Planning Committee discuss admissions guidelines mittee felt that the current standard could be raised even higher.

“I like the idea of keeping access to the issues brought up at the meeting was stulocal community,” said committee member dent admission.

Dawn-Elissa Fischer, assistant professor of SF State’s local area encompasses a Africana studies. nine-county region according to Committee members committee member Eric Hsu, a often referred to the model mathematics professor, who said that San Diego State uses as the campus acts as a “service an example. entity” to these counties.

In the 1980s, students However, according to Hsu, from San Diego’s local serhigher standards could make the vice area could gain admisUniversity more of a destination The harder you sion with a 2.0 high school campus for prospective students GPA. But the school raised make it to get in, the average admission GPA outside that area. the greater the to 3.8 for applicants outside “We could cultivate that standard and make it even high- likelihood that the area, according Linda er,” said Hsu. “The harder you people will see Oubre, College of Business make it to get in, the greater the the campus as Dean. likelihood that people will see “What if we do this 3.8 truly excellent. the campus as truly excellent.” (minimum GPA) if you’re SF State’s local area is made from Southern California,” up from the nine Bay Area coun- Eric Hsu said committee member Erik ties including Alameda, Contra Rosegard, an associate proCOMMITTEE Costa, Marin, San Francisco, fessor of recreation, parks MEMBER San Mateo, Santa Clara, Napa, and tourism. “Would we see Sonoma and Solano counties. the local grad rate dropping if there’s this At the meeting, members discussed disparity?” reducing the size of the University’s service Currently SF State accepts every area to give priority to only six counties. student who meets the minimum eligibility The committee also discussed holding requirements from San Francisco Unified applicants to a higher academic standard School District. “Everybody locally gets if they are from outside the service area. in,” according to President Leslie E. Wong.

Although this is already the case, the comSF State is very attractive to students CONTINUED FROM THE FRONT PAGE

from the Los Angeles and San Diego areas, according to Wong. About 38 percent of the first-year class is from San Diego alone.

As of now, Wong said these plans are “just an idea about who we are and those we serve.”

Wong’s Strategic Plan works by dividing campus issues into seven areas, or “themes”, which are then assigned to their own board in order to create an improvement plan for the next three to five years.

At the meeting, the committee also focused on the fifth and sixth of the seven different “themes” that make up the Strategic Plan. These are “Advancing Campus and Community Climate” and “Elevating Institutional Support.”

The leaders who discussed theme five focused primarily on building campus morale, which entails finding a location for a faculty and staff University Club (U-Club) as well as local community school outreach programs.

The leaders of theme six discussed fundraising through a “Culture of Philanthropy” in what the committee refers to as part of their comprehensive campaign.

“We’re at a crossroads where we could take a risk,” said University Budget Officer Franz Lozano. “At some point the vision has to be there. But hopefully you find a balance. San Diego took a risk, but look at the great things that happened.”

The next strategic plan meeting will be held Mar. 7.

Students join peaceful protests on GG Bridge

“

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I thought they already had a label? Well, it would be good. But I am skeptical about how useful this information would actually be.

FRANK KOUTOULAS, JUNIOR COMPUTER SCIENCE

“

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It can be helpful, but I’m not sure about how it can effect people that are already drinking them. It would be useful for parents and future generations.

MANSOOREH RAJABI, GRADUATE STUDENT SOCIAL WORK

Photos by: Jessica Christian Reporting by: Kyle Da Silva

CONTINUED FROM THE FRONT PAGE

Recent protests have become violent in several Venezuelan states between supporters and those in opposition to President Nicolas Maduro, who was elected in April 2013 shortly after the death of Socialist leader Hugo Chavez.

The civil unrest in Venezuela has left 13 dead and more than 100 people injured.

“There is a desire for a purer, more transparent democracy in Venezuela, a better economic system and a respect for basic human rights,” said Ricardo Ron, one of the organizers of the demonstration.

Several people at the demonstration in San Francisco said the only way to bring change to the country would be to have Maduro removed from power.

“Venezuela has slowly been descending into a dictatorship under Maduro and economically and politically it’s coming to a head,” said Matt Berens, an SF State alumnus who graduated in 2006.

Although protests in Venezuela have been violent, those at Sunday’s rally stressed that the demonstration would remain peaceful. The mood on the bridge kept this idea and remained quiet and hopeful.

“I feel like Venezuela is experiencing an awakening,” said Thamar Ramirez, a Venezuelan native visiting San Francisco. “I praise God that Venezuela is finally demanding its liberty.”

Ongoing marches in Venezuela began Feb. 12 after opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez and thousands of followers took to the streets to protest increased violence in the country and the high inflation that has led to a scarcity of goods.

PHOTO BY JESSICA CHRISTIAN / XPRESS

RALLY: Ricardo Ron, one of many organizers, speaks to the crowd and informs them on where to go before the demonstration held in support of the Venezuelan people begins on the Golden Gate Bridge Sunday, Feb. 23.

Lopez reportedly went into hiding after Maduro accused him of terrorism for spurring the anti-government protests. But earlier this week he turned himself into the military in Venezuela’s capital of Caracas, where he remains in jail.

According to a report from Bloomberg last month, more than one in four basic goods have been out of stock in the country at any given time.

Despite the highly polarizing issues dividing the country, organizers emphasized that Sunday’s demonstration transcended political ideologies from both supporters and critics of Maduro.

“This (demonstration) is all inclusive.

We welcome all Venezuelans from all polit-

ical parties to engage in a peaceful dialogue with the government,” Ron said.

In what many speculate is an attempt to quash protests, the Venezuelan government has reportedly blocked access to Twitter.

Confusion has also spread amid reports of fake photos and misinformation circulating around social media outlets.

“I feel like we know more about what is happening than my family in Venezuela does,” said SF State student Jessica Thiel, who has contacted family in Venezuela on the phone during the protests.

“I hope that this will bring the change that Venezuela needs. The country cannot be prosperous with the misery and pain that it is experiencing,” Ramirez said.

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FEBRUARY 26, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

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DAN PORTER / SPECIAL TO XPRESS

RADICAL: Melissa, one of the Chilean speakers, turns to check the current photo on the television, while talking about social movements taking place in Chile. The speakers were hosted by SF State Student Union members in the Cesar Chavez Student Center on Friday, Feb. 21.

Chilean activists inspire student groups

CONTINUED FROM THE FRONT PAGE

personal experiences throughout social organizations regarding various social issues such as, educational deterioration, gender inequality and labor rights.

They shared the history of radical social movements in Chile before and after the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet in the early 90s.

His reign was best characterized by years of systematic suppression of political parties and the persecution of dissidents.

The free form discussion and sharing of ideas was one of the main goals the SF Student Union had for this event.

SF Student Union is a part of California Student Union (CASU)–a statewide student union that encourages students from campuses across California

to come together and democratically discuss and develop the movement toward student unionization.

SF Student Union officially formed this semester and consists of only four members so far.

A major change the group hopes to implement on campus is a more active and constant conversation among students of all organizations, not just when an issue occurs.

The central objective with this group is to establish a place and organization for every group within this diverse community to come together, organize and have a larger voice on campus, according to group member Lea Volk.

“We want to be constantly active with social movements, in-

We need to work together to achieve what we want, the ultimate goal is more important than any ideological thinking.

Melissa, CHILEAN ACTIVIST

stead of waiting for an issue to happen,” said Volk. “Our mission is to already have that unity and solidarity formed among students from the beginning.”

According to Cornell, with Chile’s success in organizing social movements and advocating for pressing issues across all ages in the recent years, SF Student Union felt having the speakers on campus would give great insight to how flourishing student activism groups operate.

Due to immigration issues from traveling in and out of Chile and around the country, the speakers did not want their last names published.

“We (organizations) need to work together to achieve what we want, the ultimate goal is more important than any ideo-

logical thinking,” said Chilean activist Melissa.

The student union hoped the momentum the Chilean speakers brought forth with their achievements of implementing and continuing successful student activism within their own schools would inspire other student activists to come together.

Multiple student organizations showed their solidarity with the new student group and look forward to future collaborations.

“It’s important to continue building coalitions among all the student groups on campus,” said Students Against Police Brutality member Patricia Martinez. “Supporting and being present at each others events will help keep that common goal moving forward.”

Sugary drinks may get labels warning of health risks

BY JAYDA MCCLENDON jmcclend@mail.sfsu.edu

S

oda drinkers and vendors at SF State may soon find sugary drinks sold on campus will have a label to warn against negative health effects.

State Senator Bill Monning introduced a bill Feb. 13, which could require that soda companies place a warning label in clear view on all beverages containing 75 calories or more per 12 ounces, according to the Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Safety Warning Act. The label, created by a panel

of nutrition and public health experts, would read: “STATE OF CALIFORNIA SAFETY WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay.”

Lobby Shop Manager Elsa Ramos said that if the bill gets passed, it will have a drastic effect on the sales of sugary beverages at her store. The Lobby Shop sells a variety of drinks from Red Bull to Arizona Tea. “We could promote it,” said Ramos, who added that she has a few solutions in mind to increase the sales. “We can also find an alternative product to sell, such

as all natural or organic beverages.”

Holistic health studies Professor Erik Peper agrees with the proposal and thinks that the University should also raise the price of sugary beverages to use the funds for health education classes.

“The warning label is a great way to make students more aware,” said Peper. “But, we need to stop making unhealthy drinks easily accessible.”

The warning label would have some students reconsider their options before purchasing a sugary beverage.

Justin Gacula, a senior kine-

siology major, said he will drink lemonade and iced tea once in a while, but would stop drinking certain beverages if they contained a warning label that shows how the drink can adversely affect his health.

“I like to create healthier eating and drinking habits as I get older,” said Gacula. “It’s important to take care of your body.”

However, the warning label will not prevent all students from drinking sugary beverages.

Albert Hsieh, a graduate nursing student, said he likes sugary beverages, but usually doesn’t drink them more than

three times per week.

He added that he thinks the label will affect student’s decisions before purchasing sugary beverages because it will remind them to think about their beverage choices.

“If saw a warning label, I would say I don’t drink these that often, so it’s okay,” said Hsieh.

“But, I think sometimes I would still put it down and get something else. It’s all about changing habits and sometimes it’s the little things that make people think.”

The bill, if passed, would go into effect on July 1, 2015.

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FEBRUARY 26, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

Theater program wins grant

S PHOTO BY JESSICA CHRISTIAN / XPRESS

GATHERING: Omar Romero, graduate representative for Associated Students Inc., listens to a speaker at Queer Your Rights, an event put on by the Queer Resource Center and Legal Resource Center, in Cesar Chavez Student Center, Thursday, Feb. 20.

‘Queer Your Rights’ speaks on California LGBT liberties

T

he Queer Resource Center put on the first “Queer Your Rights” conference last Thursday in the Richard Oakes Multicultural Center.

The event was hosted in conjunction with the Legal Resource Center, and ASI. Its purpose was to educate students in the LGBT community about the legal rights and resources that are available to them.

Speakers from eight different agencies spoke about problems facing the LGBT community and how to access help and support in the Bay Area.

“It’s refreshing to see so many organizations come together,” said Pablo Ramirez, a communications major. “These individuals need all the support they can get.”

Cassidy Barrington, director of the Queer Resource Center, believes events like “Queer Your Rights” are needed to educate LGBT students, because many of them are not aware of their rights in California.

A variety of issues were discussed at the event, but the major topics that were covered involved housing and employment.

Brandon Lawrence, a staff attorney with the Eviction Defense Collaborative, which provides legal assistance to low-income tenants, spoke about the rights of renters.

For example, if LGBT tenants are harassed by landlords or neighbors because of their sexuality, they can sue for emotional distress, according to Lawrence.

Another housing problem that disproportionately affects the LGBT community is homelessness.

According to Jefferson Fellows from the homeless outreach organization on Larkin Street, LGBT youth often experience homelessness due to ostracism from their families.

Employment and housing discrimination also contribute to the disproportionate LGBT homelessness rate, according to Fellows.

The “Queer Your Rights” event also focused heavily on employment issues.

BY CHLOE JOHNSON | chloej@mail.sfsu.edu

GAVIN MCINTYRE / XPRESS

SPEAKER: David Velasquez, an executive assistant at Out and Equal, speaks at Queer Your Rights in Cesar Chavez Student Center Thursday, Feb. 20.

“We partner with Fortune 500 companies to help create safe workplace environments. We also connect LGBT employers with LGBT job seekers,” said Dave Velazquez of Out and Equal, which provides classes for employers on how to create respectful environments for LGBT employees.

While all the speakers acknowledged that discrimination against people in the LGBT community is still a problem, many of them said that the situation is getting better.

LGBT youth still have “a high rate of substance abuse, bullying and suicide that hasn’t changed,” said Robert Lopez, who works with the Lambda Youth Group, an organization for gay and lesbian teens in Hayward. “(But) more youth are coming out and there are more services for youth today.”

One of the events that Lambda Youth Group hosts is an annual prom for LGBT teens where they can “experience a prom free of harassment and fear,” according to the Lambda Youth Project website.

Lopez said that homophobia was much more prevalent and socially acceptable 20 years ago. “You had protesters (at the first gay prom). The

event rallied allies who didn’t like that this assault was going on,” said Lopez.

Today, the LGBT community has more legal protections than they had when most of the organizations at the event were founded.

“People aren’t so isolated,” said Kay Gordon, who works for the SF LGBTQ Speakers’ Bureau. “It’s nice to know you’re not the only one.”

It’s refreshing to see so many organizations come together.

Pablo Ramirez, COMMUNICATIONS

BY JENNIE BUTLER jennieb@mail.sfsu.edu

F State’s GreenHouse Playwriting program received a $10,000 grant that will give five MFA students their first step into the professional world of theater.

GreenHouse is an independent theater production program run by SF State playwriting undergraduate and graduate students as well as faculty from both the creative writing and theatre arts departments.

GreenHouse will put the newly acquired funds toward its annual spring festival, a two-week event where students host staged readings of their best play.

This year, five selected students will have access to two union-paid actors and a director who is well-suited to their play’s subject matter.

Students will also collaborate with a dramaturge, a theater professional who works one-on-one with playwrights as they structure and There’s a define their final reputation that production.

“We want to comes along bridge a gap between the experi- with walking in ence of school and these doors. the gritty reality of being a theatre practitioner here Lisa Steindler, in San Francisco ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Bay Area,” said creative writing lecturer Anne Galjour.

The grant also funds GreenHouse’s partnership with Z Space, a non-profit art and performance venue in the Mission District.

Z Space will provide each student with a series of master classes, tools to help market and publicize their play as well as access to an 80-seat theatre.

Galjour was instrumental in funding GreenHouse’s partnership with Z Space.

During her time away from lecturing at SF State, she works for Z Space as a playwright and performer.

Two actors will perform each play, script-in-hand, at Z Space’s theatre, a venue where professionals are likely to see it, according to Galjour.

“There’s a reputation that comes along with walking in these doors,” said Z Space Artistic Director Lisa Steindler. “The public at large knows that Z Space is a venue for new work.”

MFA playwriting student, Nara Dahbacka, will showcase her play, “Blood Under the Bridge,” which was originally written as an assignment for Galjour’s class.

Her script is an adaptation of Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”

The same characters act out a new story set 40 years later.

“When you finish an MFA, you’ve spent all this time becoming an expert in something, and you’ve been isolated in school,” said Dahbacka. “So having this chance to go out and work with local professionals is that step. It’s showing me a way forward so I can do this for real.”

The GreenHouse Playwriting grant is a gift from the Sam Mazza Foundation, a philanthropic organization that funds programs furthering art and education.

The GreenHouse Playwriting Festival will premiere at Z Space on Apr. 24 and will continue through May 4.

Admission is donation-based.

Arts & Entertainment

FEBRUARY 26, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

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Poet shares feminist, lesbian movement memoir

BY APRIL HALOG avhalog@mail.sfsu.edu

Even at the age of 73, lesbian and feminist poet, activist and scholar Judy Grahn shows no signs of slowing down.

Grahn is the latest poet featured in The Poetry Center’s invitational speaker series held Thursday, Feb. 20.

Co-sponsored by The Poetry Center and the women and gender studies department, Grahn read to a small group of about 30 people. According to Steve Dickison, director of the Poetry Center and American Poetry Achieve, Grahn’s last reading at SF State was in 1988. “(This year is) the 60th anniversary of the Poetry Center, so it’s good timing,” Dickison said.

Grahn read excerpts from her memoir, titled “A Simple Revolution: The Making of an Activist Poet,” which recalls her involvement in the feminist and lesbian movements in the Bay Area in the 60s and 70s. The memoir also goes into major moments of her life before coming to the Bay Area, such as when she was arrested, interrogated and eventually dishonorably discharged from the U.S. Air Force for being openly gay.

Grahn also read from “The Judy Grahn Reader,” a collection of her poems, essays and stories that mostly focus on the feminist and lesbian experience.

In addition to reading excerpts from her books, Grahn shared personal stories

about her life that influenced her work.

She credits her father for giving her “the gift of poetry.” Grahn said her father was fan of poetry and introduced it to her when she was young. “He was more of a mother to me than my real mother could be,” she said.

Dickison said the readings “don’t put emphasis on promoting a book,” but show “a writer’s ways of thinking, how they work (and) how they see the world.”

After the readings, Grahn did a Q&A session, during which she discussed her writing process and delivered inspirational words to the audience.

“You can say on paper what (the purpose) is, what you want to do with your work,” Grahn said.

Senior Japanese major Vanessa Hamill is a fan of Grahn’s work and said she is inspired by much of Grahn’s writing, such as the excerpt, “He’s singing the end of the world again/As he done many times before,” from the poem “Spider Webster’s Declaration.”

“I use this quote as inspiration for my writing,” she said.

Brandon Joe, a creative writing major who attended the reading as part of the Poetry Center Workshop class said he enjoyed the event and that Grahn is a good speaker and he thinks her writing is provocative. “(Grahn) became a heroic figure in women’s writing,” said Dickison.

In 1969, Grahn co-founded the first

n e m o w ine

N

BY ANGELICA WILLIAMS anwms@mail.sfsu.edu

Looking at the art pieces at the Progressive Proof’s opening reception, you wouldn’t believe they were made out of paper.

Curator and Assistant Professor Susan Belau put on the art exhibition at the Fine Arts Gallery to showcase nine women artists that will be at the 42nd SGC International Printmaking Conference on March 27.

Belau and gallery director Mark Johnson, were on hand welcoming and thanking students and other guests for coming out to the opening reception, as well as introducing a few of the featured women artists.

The reception began with artist Aimee Brown, sewing together a month’s worth of newspapers from the San Francisco Chronicle. SF State alumna Claire Szydlowski, Seiko Tachibana, and Imin Yeh helped greet and mingle with guests and members of the art department.

Miles Leboeuf, 37, an art major, said that he heard about the exhibition from one of his professors. Leboeuf, who is in the printmaking department at SF State, said he never heard of printmaking until he got into col-

and

PHOTO BY LORISA SALVATIN / XPRESS

GIFT OF POETRY: Judy Grahn shares a smile with the audience as they laugh at an excerpt from her book “Love Belongs to Those Who Do the Feeling” during her poetry reading at The Poetry Center, Thursday Feb. 20.

all-women press, the Woman’s Press Collective, inside A Woman’s Place bookstore in Oakland. She is also one of the founders of the first West Coast lesbian-feminist collective, the Gay Women’s Liberation Group. The last several lines of her poem “The Common Woman” were often recited at rallies, women’s shelters and women’s bookstores.

Grahn said she was amazed that her work was so commonly used during the feminist and women’s movements, and

k r o w t n i r p r i e th

that her work with the movements put her in a place she “was supposed to be.”

Grahn attended SF State in 1984 to complete her Bachelor of Arts in women’s studies. She credits a friend in the department at the time for leading her to the school. Grahn is now a professor in the women’s spirituality program at Sophia University in Palo Alto.

The Poetry Center’s next reading will be held March 6, hosting Matvel Yankelevich and Julien Poirier.

NINE FEMALE ARTISTS PRINTWORK EXHIBIT, “PROGRESSIVE PROOF” ON DISPLAY FEB. 22 THROUGH MARCH 27 FROM 11 A.M. - 4 P.M.

PHOTO BY TONY SANTOS / XPRESS

UNIQUE ART: Artist Aimee Brown sews newspapers for an installment at the “Progressive Proof” printmaking gallery opening in the Fine Arts gallery in the Fine Arts Building Saturday, Feb. 22.

lege and he enjoys the program.

Many of the attendants were students of the art department who sought to experience a gallery opening, as well as learn the mechanics behind putting together such an event.

Michael Morales, 42, a grad student of museum studies, was

the project manager in charge of setting up the exhibition. “(It) took a lot of work to get the gallery ready. Twenty-six students helped to get it ready,” he said.

In addition to art department students and professors, other members of the campus came out to support the exhibition as well.

Sidra Tufon, a junior biology major, who found the exhibition while perusing the fine art department’s website, said, “(The exhibit is) interesting, especially the houses. The interactive woman sewing newspapers (adds to the liveliness).”

Yeh said that she always

feels nervous when it comes to displaying her artwork, but that she enjoys how people interact and respond to her work being made of paper. The print work can come off at first as fun and interactive, but for Yeh there is a critical and political reason behind it, that is manufacturing art that is different from the commercial art work and its self sustaining art work.

Szydlowski said its great seeing her work with the other womens’ pieces because they all fit well together against the white walls and the lighting. Szydlowski also hopes people appreciate print being 3D, “almost like a toy.”

“As a professor it’s our responsibility to have the students look at different art forms and mediums, and being able to see art at a gallery versus on a power point. Progressive Proof (shows) what accomplishing artists are doing,” said Professor of Contemporary Asian Art Santhi Kavuri-Bauer.

The Progressive Proof exhibition will be on display at the Fine Arts Building Wednesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. until March 27.

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Arts & Entertainment

FEBRUARY 26, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

Greg Tate speaks on afrofuturism with students

I

BY ANGELICA WILLIAMS | anwms@mail.sfsu.edu

n celebration of Black History Month, SF State’s College of Ethnic Studies featured Greg Tate, an African-American journalist and musician, as a speaker to 65 students and five faculty members about Afrofuturism and black science fiction.

On Monday, Kenneth P. Monterio, dean of the College of Ethnic Studies, introduced Tate to the audience, and added that SF State is the only university to have a devoted ethnic studies department in the country.

Tate read from his poem “What is Hip-Hop?” which covers the hip-hop world, the perception of the world on black culture and the black community itself.

Much of Tate’s teaching covers Afrofuturism, the movement that puts people of African descent at the center of futuristic and science fictional ideals in the music world today.

He spoke about the afrofuturism of African-American musicians such as Miles Davis, James Brown, Sunrise and Jimi Hendrix.

According to Tate, these

individuals worked with music in the 1970s in a way that no one else was at the time, and explained how artists take samples of that music and place it in their own songs today. “(Afrofuturism connects) the dots of people, literature, film, music, politics and historical events in the black community,” said Tate. Students were shown a slideshow of various images, from African-American music and political figures to ancient African art.

Tate began his career as a journalist in the early 1980s, writing for the Village Voice as a columnist until 2005. He wrote about many communities that didn’t have a voice, such as the black and gay communities.

Later in 1985, he formed the Black Rock Coalition with lead singer and friend Corey Glover. “(The group was formed) to entice racism in the music industry (and give) a platform for them,” said Tate.

Since 1999 Tate has been a part of the Burnt Sugar, the Arkestra Chamber, where he conducts a band of up to 35 members.

GAVIN MCINTYRE / XPRESS

BLACK HISTORY: Students applaud Greg Tate, a writer and musician, after he reads an excerpt from his book in SF State’s Ethnic Studies and Psychology Building, Monday, Feb. 17.

Later in his career, he wrote for Vibe and The Source magazines as a hip-hop writer, critiquing hip-hop artists of the 1980s and the 1990s.

Imani Cezanne, an Africana studies major, said she attended the event because her professor offered extra credit to anyone who went.

Cezanne said that although she knew nothing about him, her friends did and encouraged her to attend. “(Having) exposure to more

leaders in the black studies movement (is important because) these are people who know what they are talking about,” said Cezanne.

“I didn’t know much about Tate, only a brief summary of him, but I’ve learned (that) he came from a journalistic music (background) and about how big African culture has become,” said Bianca Gamboa, a freshman sociology major.

Gamboa attended the event because it was also assigned

as extra credit for her hip-hop ethnic studies class, and because it seemed “pretty interesting.”

Tate is currently working on a novel titled “Altered Spades,” which focuses on the 1960s revolution of scientific warfare.

After questions from the audience, the night closed with Department Chair of Africana Studies Dorothy Tsuruta, who thanked Tate for coming out and shared her own passions with the African-American community.

Sam “Batman” Hamm speaks on genre screenwriting

BY ANNA HECHT ahecht@mail.sfsu.edu

Genre screenwriter Sam Hamm might not want to be a one-hit wonder with his films, but when given the other choice, he said he will take what he can get.

“I always resented being known as Sam ‘Batman’ Hamm, until I became known as Sam ‘Monkeybone’ Hamm,” the screenwriter and producer jokingly told students during his talk on genre screenwriting Thursday, Feb. 20, at Coppola Theater.

Hamm is best known for writing the screenplays for Tim Burton’s “Batman” and “Batman Returns.” Hamm has also produced films such as the 1994 sci-fi TV series “M.A.N.T.I.S.” and the 2001 comedy “Monkeybone,” starring Brendan Fraser.

Hamm was the second featured guest in the cinema department’s speaker series on screenwriting, hosted by Julian Hoxter, cinema assistant professor. Screenwriter Michael Grais, known for “Poltergeist,” first spoke at the theatre Feb. 13.

During his talk to the group of about 25 students, Hamm showcased his sarcastic and engaging humor by first saying, “I love to advise the little bastards who will be taking jobs away from me (in the future).” A Q&A with students followed Hamm’s talk.

Hamm discussed the beginnings of genre screenwriting by providing his account of its evolution, stating that Hollywood used to look down on the genre film.

Now, Hamm said, it is much more prominent than a ‘straight’ film, other-

When you’re writing the first draft, it’s the most pleasure you’re going to have.

Genre Screenwriter, SAM HAMM

TONY SANTOS / XPRESS

SPEAKER SERIES: Screenwriter Sam Hamm during his speech in Coppola Theatre in the Fine Arts Building Thursday, Feb. 20.

wise known as a basic film without a set category.

“If there was a battle between genre and ‘straight’ pictures, genre has won,” he said.

Hamm told the audience that there are many benefits to writing a genre film, such as the ability to fuse tradition with new perspectives.

He added that studios are now paying attention to these films because they realize that this is where the revenue is

coming from.

The screenwriter also told humorous tales of his days working on films like “Never Cry Wolf,” which was his first film, “Batman” and “Monkeybone.”

Hamm let it be known that “Batman” would have been a better film if it had included more of his original writing.

“My dog agrees with me when I explain it to him every night,” Hamm joked.

He warned students that accepting that changes will be made to their screen-

plays comes with the profession and that they should have fun while they can with their original work.

“When you’re writing the first draft, it’s the most pleasure you’re going to have,” Hamm said.

Ryan Cho, a sophomore and cinema major, said he found Hamm’s insight to be informative and inspiring.

“I came here to learn about screenwriting and the movie business and I got a lot out of it,” Cho said. “He’s really interesting and a good talker, I really enjoyed it.”

Hoxter ended the talk and Q&A session with a reminder to students of the final featured guest in the series, screenwriter Pamela Gray.

“It will be different, but equally interesting,” Hoxter said.

Gray will discuss the female-centered screenplay Thursday, Mar. 6 at Coppola Theatre from 5:10-7:55 p.m.

Arts & Entertainment

FEBRUARY 26, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

7

CHINESE NEW YEAR 2014

On campus, the celebrations continue

E

PHOTO BY JESSICA CHRISTIAN / XPRESS

FACEPAINTING: Shirley Zhu draws facial hair on Valentine Bondar before his performance of “Lion-Eating Poet in the Stone Den” for the Chinese program’s New Year celebration in Jack Adams Hall Friday, Feb. 21.

xcited voices nese and conducted a raffle

BY MADISON RUTHERFORD and laughter at the end of the event. maddie@mail.sfsu.edu reverberated off “Lucky draws and raffles of the walls and are very typical in Chinese ceilings of Jack Adams Hall. The cultural events,” said Ko. “We love to do this, and aromatic scent of Chinese food I think it makes everyone feel more involved.” wafted through the room and each The celebration was originally held in a small table was covered in a bright red tablecloth and classroom in the Humanities Building, according scattered with colorful confetti and Chinese candy. to Li, but has since gained so much popularity A feeling of warmth filled the room as a mix that it is now held in Jack Adams Hall, a large of students, faculty and guests shook hands, told theatre on the top floor of the Cesar Chavez Stujokes and wished each other luck and good fortune dent Center. in the New Year.

The celebration garners a diverse audience The event, co-sponsored by the Chinese from all generations, including alumni, students, Program, the Confucius Institute and the Chinese family members and faculty including President Flagship Program, aims to serve as a platform to Leslie E. Wong. bring the SF State community together and edu“It’s good to see students come out and parcate students about Chinese culture, heritage and ticipate and celebrate together,” said kinesiology language.

The celebration is held annually to showcase acts by students enrolled in several of the Chinese classes offered on campus and aims to build a sense of community around one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture.

“It’s loud and colorful and exciting,” said Chinese Flagship Coordinator Miranda Ko. “We put a lot of effort into this, especially the students and the instructors.”

PHOTO BY JESSICA CHRISTIAN / XPRESS “We want our TRADITION: Dallas Taylor, Chinese major, performs Drunken Madness on a Chinese students to understand guqin in Jack Adams Hall Friday, Feb. 21. the cultural value of Chinese New Year,” said Chinese language professor and Director of major Gordon Lam. “It brings awareness and Strategic Language Initiative Chris Wen-Chao Li. shows that people still celebrate tradition.”

“It’s something that the Chinese take very serious“Chinese New Year marks a beginning, everyly, it’s kind of like Christmas time for Americans, thing starts fresh… and it’s a way for families to so we want (our students) to see how to celebrate get together,” said Ko. “Family is very important it.” in Chinese culture and in this event, our family The celebration included Chinese poetry is the students. It’s a great way to bring people recitals, songs, skits and student Dallas Taylor per- together.” forming a song on the traditional Chinese zither, United by a time-honored and rich culture, the a seven-stringed wooden instrument that has been attendees of the festivities continued to socialize used in Chinese music for nearly 3,000 years. well after the event was over, bringing in the New Graduate students Sam Triplett and Hannah Year with geniality and a refined understanding of Baker hosted the event in both English and ChiChinese tradition.

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8

Opinion

FEBRUARY 26, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

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

PB&J tradition may be long forgotten

A&E EDITOR lseward@mail.sfsu.edu

BY ANNASTASHIA GOOLSBY | agoolsby@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 CARUTHERS

MULTIMEDIA EDITOR wcarruth@mail.sfsu.edu

EMILIA ROSALES

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR eer@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

For many, it’s a fond memory to think back to all the times they brought a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to school for lunch. Although there were times we wished for variety in our sandwich choice, the memory still clings to us like peanut butter to the roof of a mouth.

The number of people who share this memory will quickly diminish in time due to the current peanut controversy crashing its way through elementary schools across the nation.

With the rise in nut allergies, peanut products are being banned on school grounds. This is completely unfair. We live in a democratic society. Majority rules and it is a fact that a majority of kids in a single school are not allergic to peanuts.

So why the complete outlaw of a cheap, protein-filled lunch in school?

Granted, peanut allergies in children have increased one percent since 1997, according to The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology; but what about other food allergies?

According to the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention, food allergies among children have increased nearly 50 percent between 1997 and 2011. This means seafood, shellfish and dairy products, but we don’t see schools contemplating the ban of chocolate or fish sticks because nine kids have an allergy.

Not only is this decision unfair, it’s completely one-sided. Yes, a peanut allergy can be fatal and it’s unnerving to have a child with such an allergy interacting with hundreds of people in any given day but it’s a topic that needs to be thoroughly discussed at home.

Simply not allowing peanut butter on school grounds is just providing parents with a false sense of security. What happens to the child when they’re hanging out with friends outside of school? Or move on to middle school? Peanut products are not banned throughout the country.

A child needs to be taught to avoid peanuts like the plague, on their own. They need to learn which snacks contain peanuts and to avoid people who just gobbled down a PB&J.

Children aren’t the only ones who will become naïve in the event of an allergic reaction. Teachers and school officials need to be properly trained in case an emergency is to occur and that is not going to happen by banning the potentially harmful product. It will just create a community of people who have no idea what anaphylactic shock looks like, or how to inject epinephrine.

Would you feel safer sending your child to a school that implemented a peanut butter ban and skipped training or to a school filled with staff who knows where to properly inject an EpiPen? It is understandable for parents to feel insecure and scared sending their child to a school filled with peanut-eating kids, but that is the society we live in. We cannot control everything that we want but instead have to learn to overcome the hurdles.

It is far better knowing how to handle the situation rather than being oblivious to the possible aftermath.

Just because there is a ban doesn’t mean a young child will be able to fully understand the restriction of their favorite food.

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

SADE BROWNE

CIRCULATION sbrowne822@gmail.com

ALEXANDRA SOISETH

STUDENT GRAPHIC DESIGNER asoiseth@verizon.net

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

XPRESS YOURSELF WE ASKED SF STATE STUDENTS:

How would you feel if peanut butter was banned on campus?

Photos by: Tony Santos Reporting by: Michael Duran

“

I think it’s disgusting and it tastes really gross, so I could live without peanut butter.

”“

HALEY RHODES, SOPHOMORE AMERICAN INDIAN STUDIES

”“

”

It would be unnecessary. I guess I would have to smuggle my peanut butter onto campus for my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

I would be upset, especially if I lived on campus.

BRYAN LACALLE, SENIOR

SAMANTHA NORTON, JUNIOR

STUDIO ART MAJOR

BIOLOGY MAJOR

Opinion

FEBRUARY 26, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

9

Celebrities provide break from hard news

W

BY NENA FARRELL | haydee@mail.sfsu.edu

hat’s your news homepage look like? Probably a combination of tragedies in Ukraine and Syria, concerns about health care and celebrity news. Some don’t think that celebrity news fits on pages like Yahoo! and USA Today — but they’re wrong.

Celebrity news isn’t about self-indulgence; it’s just the human interest story on the front page to balance the overload of negative news coverage from the rest of the world.

It’s not everyone’s favorite topic but it brings a much needed balance to news outlets; even the Olympics had hard and soft news.

The first Google suggestion when searching human interest is now “Sochi’s best human interest stories really will restore your faith in humanity” published by The Guardian.

When there is so much more to report on the Olympic Games, why are there stories like these? Because there’s a need for it.

According to Gary Alan Fine and Ryan D. White of Northwestern University, human interest stories are important because of the collective attention they create that is essential for public interaction.

According to their paper, such stories encourage shared identification

that is important for social cohesion and the maintenance of a public sphere, which celebrity news enhances.

Whether people talk about their love or hate for a celebrity, it’s an easy dialogue that relates many people.

It may not be the smartest of conversations but celebrity stories give people common ground to relate to one another and interact socially.

Celebrity news also plays a role of identifying role models in our society.

While many celebrities are considered far from role models, there are plenty of famous people getting covered in the news who do serve as great role models.

Women like Sheryl Sandberg, Meryl Streep, Jessica Alba and even J.K. Rowling are some examples of positive influences in celebrity news and society.

They are women who have their own businesses and created their own paths to the spotlight.

According to the Pew Research Center, moms are the primary breadwinners in 40 percent of U.S. homes with children 18 years old or younger, so it is of value for young women to have role models while growing up.

Don’t get me wrong though; there are plenty of women who you wouldn’t want your young child

to model his or herself after — Miley Cyrus — but you can’t characterize celebrity news only by the coverage you see on Miley Cyrus riding a hot dog.

If that’s the only celebrity news you’re seeing, it’s because you’ve personally decided that it’s the only thing that counts as celebrity news.

If you think about it, even Obama is considered a celebrity.

This type of news coverage acts as a point that society can converge on and create opinions that are free of heavy issues like religion or war.

We’re surrounded by negative news from all outlets and celebrity news is the human side that reminds us that we are all people, we’re all connected and whether or not we can afford to wear Oscar de la Renta, it’s still a pretty dress to look at.

s w e i V g n i s o p p O e Media h

t n i s e i t i Celebr

Reserve the media for crucial information

W

BY JULIA MIDDLEMISS | jmiddle@mail.sfsu.edu

ith the era of ever-expanding technology among us, media outlets are everywhere we look.

They continue to feed us more information, whether we want it or not. However, with great power comes great responsibility and those with such authority are losing touch with what the public needs to hear: the dependable news.

We’ve always been told that more is better, right?

Not necessarily.

More facts and stories being delivered through every news medium doesn’t make the information more credible or newsworthy.

Now, in the dawn of “Kimye” and “Biebernation,” it’s even tougher to find an article or news update that doesn’t incorporate some aspect of these celebrities and their fantasized lives.

Sure, they are real people, but there are more pressing issues happening in our world than North West’s newest Louis Vuitton onesie.

This is why sources like TMZ and Us Weekly were created as “news mediums” for celebrity gossip that has no place next to an article in Time about the worsening civil war in Syria.

Despite this, they always seem to wiggle their way back into news sources they don’t belong in.

During an interview last month with MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell and Congresswoman Jane Harman, they discussed criticism about the NSA’s phone spying program when Mitchell interrupts Harman mid-sentence to deliver an important breaking news story.

“Congresswoman Harman, let me interrupt you just for a moment we’ve got some breaking news out of Miami, stand by if you will.

Right now in Miami, Justin Bieber has been arrested

on a number of charges,” said Mitchell.

Apparently there was nothing else happening in the world more urgent than Bieber’s anticipated drunken joyride.

Congratulations MSNBC; you just lost half of whatever viewership you were hanging on to.

Did anyone else just lower their heads in sheer embarrassment of this country?

With news stations constantly struggling to keep ratings up, they’ve shamelessly compromised their credibility with the integration of celebrity gossip as “news” to reach a wider span of viewers.

Piers Morgan Live on CNN constantly reaffirms this notion in his segments.

He interviews an array of people from all areas of society but the conversations always revert back to famous people and the ridiculous things they do.

The lines have been blurred between real news and celebrity news and it takes foraging through sources to find a credible and reliable provider of information society desperately needs to know.

Kids growing up in this already delusional generation will lack the ability to decipher between what is factual-based news and what is sensationalized gossip. At this rate,

ART BY JORDAN CERMINARA

Wikipedia will end up being the most credible news source for people.

Just because some news stations have gone soft doesn’t mean we all have to.

We must demand the truth within news and although it may not be thrown in our faces as much as celebrity gossip, it’s worth taking that extra step to find.

Celebrity gossip will inevitably be a part of the conversation but there is no place for it within credible news organizations.

Let TMZ and E! handle the in-depth, investigative reports on who fit into a red dress better and leave real news to news organizations.

10

Sports

FEBRUARY 26, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

WRESTLING

Gators look to punch tickets to national meet

TRACK & FIELD

BY TAYLOR LONIGRO | lonigro@mail.sfsu.edu

PHOTO BY RACHEL ASTON / XPRESS HIGH JUMPED: Tiana Wills, SF State senior and track athlete, finished in second place in the high jump at the USATF Indoor Championships Sunday, Feb. 23 with a new school record of 6-2.

High jumper overcomes fear, sets school record

BY HALEY BRUCATO hbrucato@mail.sfsu.edu

S

SF State’s interim head coach Tom Lyons was also shocked at how quickly she has improved, “It’s amazing and (Wills) has done fantastic.

Two weeks in a row she’s jumped higher than she’s ever jumped and at the USA champs on television even.”

Senior teammate Maya Cabiness has competed alongside Wills since her first days as a Gator.

“She started off as a good athlete, but over these last couple of years she’s become one of the best in the nation,” Cabiness said.

“There’s not a lot of veterans like us on the team, so it’s really cool to see your teammates grow up over the years and change into great athletes.”

The graduating senior will conclude her SF State track and field career at the NCAA II National Indoor Track and Field Championships Mar. 14 in Winston-Salem, N.C. Wills said she doesn’t know what the future has in store for her, but hopes it includes professional high jump in the years to come.

“The head coach at Chula Vista training camp in San Diego wants me to come down in March to work out with his team for a few days,” Wills said. “It’s a start, and I can take it from there. It’s all happening so fast.”

ATHLETE PLACES SECOND IN U.S. INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIP MEET, MISSES OPPORTUNITY TO REPRESENT TEAM USA AT CHAMPIONSHIPS IN POLAND.

F State record-breaking high jumper Tiana Wills is one of the best in the nation — with a fear of her own sport.

“I’m afraid of heights,” Wills admitted. “So I don’t like to know what height I’m jumping at. The less I know the more I won’t be scared.”

Senior Wills leaped with the pros as one of the top high-jumpers in the country at the USATF Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, NM Feb. 23.

Six athletes competed in the high jump over the weekend, three of which are unattached to any college and train year round as professional athletes, while the other three, including Wills, represented their schools Sunday.

Wills was there competing against the best in the USA, with the semi-pros.

“Right when I had to jump, I started shaking and sweating. I kept thinking, ‘Get it together,’” she said. “When I was running, it felt like someone was literally pulling my legs down.” She missed her first jump.

So she started dancing, her normal routine before any meet to calm her nerves. She made it over for her second try.

Wills placed second out of the six female athletes, with a mark of 6’2”, a new personal and school record. She finished a close second to Inika McPherson, who cleared 6’3.25” to win. She narrowly missed qualifying for Team USA who will represent the U.S. in the International Association of Athletics Federations World Indoor Championships held in Sopot, Poland Mar. 7 to 9.

“I was really excited that I made it in the top three,” she said.

“I didn’t even think it was possible because they jump so high, but in high jump anything can happen.”

Moris Lozovatskiy, volunteer coach for over 20 years at SF State, has trained one-on-one with Wills for nearly two years since she transferred as a junior.

“When she first came to me in practice, I knew she could jump higher and higher,” Lozovatskiy said. “She started jumping at 5’6” and now she’s doing 6’2”. Believe me, if she practices enough, she should be able to do 6’4”, even 6’6”, in the future.”

With the disappointment of both Dylan Phillipy and Isaiah Hurtado missing the national championships last year, the Gators wrestling team approaches the NCAA Division II Super Region Championships this year with a renewed focus on nationals.

After missing most of last season, including the regional meet, due to injury, Phillipy is back and ready to compete.

“It definitely was an eye-opener, I was top 12 in the nation two years ago and I thought I had it set,” said Phillipy, regarding his injury that took him out for most of the previous season. “I was running fifth in the preseason of last year, so I kind of took it easy over the summer. I thought my spot was secured and as a result I got beat out. It just taught me to never take practice for granted and never take off-season for granted. I’m just giving it my all for my last season.”

Phillipy enters the regional tournament ranked as the No. 2 wrestler in the region, and No. 8 in the nation at 141 pounds.

Senior Hurtado also missed out on the national championship meet last year, as he placed fifth at regionals, one I thought spot shy of qualification. my spot was But he’s put it behind secured and him and is going into this as a result I got year’s tournament with confidence. beat out.

“I’m much more motivated this year and Dylan Phillipy, am just grateful I have WRESTLER another year to compete,” said Hurtado. He ranks second in the region at 133 pounds.

Last year, the top four to place in each weight class advanced to nationals. But this year only the top three in each weight class will advance, making it that much more difficult to place.

The conference regional takes place in Grand Junction, Colo. Feb. 28 through Mar. 1. At an elevation of 4,500 feet, the Gators have incorporated intensified cardiovascular conditioning in order to beat the effects of the high altitude.

“We are trying to improve our cardiovascular endurance for this tournament,” said head coach Lars Jensen. The team has been incorporating sprints after every practice to build the necessary cardio endurance.

Jensen also explains that being mentally fit and composed is important in placing well. “Now that we are this close to regionals, we are going to do less training, working on more mental aspects,” he said.

In order to do well in regionals, the Gators tested themselves by competing against top competition.

“This year we wrestled three Division I teams,” said Jensen. “We weren’t successful, but we try to wrestle a really tough schedule to get the kids ready for regionals. That’s kind of been our philosophy since I’ve been here.”

The Gators have the talent and potential to send numerous wrestlers to nationals as seven other wrestlers join Hurtado and Phillipy to be ranked in the top eight of their region, including seniors Conrad Snell, Marc Collier and Zach Jimenez, and junior Andrew Reggi who is the No. 1 ranked wrestler in his region at 197 pounds.

“I think we are going to do amazingly,” said Phillipy. “We don’t really see a lot Midwest Division II opponents so we are probably going to open up a lot of eyes come regionals and nationals.

Not a lot of us are ranked but we have got a lot of competition and wins under our belt.”

Sports

FULFILLED: Anthony McCarley emerges on the shores of France after swimming the 20.7 miles across the English Channel Aug. 14, 2013.

FEBRUARY 26, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

11

PHOTO BY ROGER TAYLER / SPECIAL TO XPRESS

The swim of a lifetime: Former student crosses English Channel at 54 years old

A

BY HALEY BRUCATO | hbrucato@mail.sfsu.edu

nthony McCarley had a desire to swim the English Channel before he even learned to swim at age 13.

That drive got the former SF State student to the Pacifica Sports Hall of Fame last weekend.

“I can’t really tell you what first spurred it, but it was always there,” said McCarley. “I woke up one day and I was 49 years old and I thought, ‘Holy moly, I live in Pennsylvania and I’m getting old.

If I don’t get to it soon then I’m never going to get the English Channel done.’”

As of Aug. 14, 2013, McCarley became the 59th person over 50 years old to complete the swim in the history of the English Channel.

“It’s like the Mt. Everest of climbing,” McCarley said. “It’s the ultimate one, the big one.”

In 2009, at 49 years old, McCarley started training for the big one.

McCarley made his first attempt at crossing the English Channel in Sept.

2012. The captain ordered him to stop, a mere half a mile from shore. The crew believed he was showing signs of hypothermia.

“Three weeks right before my swim, in that very spot, someone died.”

McCarley said. “Everybody was skittish and on eggshells from it, but they knew right when I got on the boat that it was a mistake to pull me out. I was fine.”

The term “fine” is relative; he did lose 10 pounds in the water during the swim, leaving him in excruciating pain like he had never experienced before. In a marathon swim, once a swimmer touches the boat, the swim is over. There was no

going back. He had failed to finish.

But he said it proved one thing to him: He could do it. So he went back home to Berwyn and continued his training for another year.

“I’d go out and shovel snow in flip flops, shorts and a T-shirt,” McCarley said. “I had to change the way my body thought of cold. It was brutal.”

And so in Aug. 2013, McCarley was back for the unfinished business he left at the channel a year prior.

“At the start of the swim, at the Cliffs of Dover, I had to jump off the boat into pure blackness,” McCarley said. “I paused... there was a moment there.”

He ignored his doubts and dove into the night.

“In the middle of the English Channel, you can’t see England, you can’t see France, you can’t see Africa or Portugal.

For eight hours in pitch blackness, every six strokes all I saw were the lights on the boat.”

For marathon swimmers, there’s always a dark period where the battle is not against the waves, but themselves. His dark moment was the first five hours.

“You’re depressed and down on yourself, you don’t know know how you’re going to continue on,” McCarley said.

“It was rough and choppy right out of the gate. I thought, ‘What am I doing here?’ It was demoralizing.”

After five hours, the water calmed down. But then, the jellyfish came.

“One hit both shoulders, then across my lip and forehead. The pain was indescribable,” he said. He spun like a fish on a hook, completely out of control from the pain.

After that, he decided he could not stop. Any sense of doubt subsided again.

After swimming the channel, McCarley was inducted into the 24th class of the Pacifica Sports Hall of Fame Feb. 22.

McCarley worked as a swim instructor at Terra Nova and Oceana High School in Pacifica, and later head coach of the Sea Lions swim team in the early 80s. During this time, he studied chemistry at San Francisco State University. “(McCarley) is incredibly inspiring.” said Don Potter, former swimmer for the Sea Lions under McCarley. “Right this minute he makes me want to start training for the English Channel, but ask me tomorrow (and) I don’t know if I’ll have it in me.”

McCarley also became the latest member of the Half Century Club, which promotes open water swimmers who have successfully completed a marathon swim over the age of 50.

There are an estimated 8,000 people in the world who have done marathon swims, and approximately 20 percent of those are over the age of 50. “(McCarley) is a fascinating guy who is very enthusiastic about his sport,” said Steven Munatones, founder of the

THE ENGLISH CHANNEL

Map courtesy of Google

Half Century Club and World Open Water Swimming Association. “A lot of the people who do marathon swims are successful in their lives, personally and professionally and looking for something more.”

Now the 54-year-old swimmer looks ahead to his next big swims, 28.5 miles around Manhattan Island and 20.2 miles across the Catalina Channel, which, alongside the English Channel, comprises the “triple crown” of marathon swims.

“For me, it wasn’t about marathon swimming, it was about the English Channel,” He said. “I really thought I would stop swimming after that.”

But he also may not be finished with the English Channel.

The Channel is 21 miles at its narrowest point, but the swim can be much longer, depending on when the swimmer hits the tide change. McCarley missed that spot by 20 minutes and a painful two and a half hours were tacked onto his journey.

“It is eating at me that I didn’t go faster. I missed the tide shift by a little bit and it cost me,” he said. “I’m not going to say that I’ll never do it again.”