Spring 2016 Issue 11

o ldaetne GGX

wednesday, APRIL 13, 2016

Design students win Stanford’s international competition on Page 6

SF State professor maps ‘super Earth’ on Page 5

Issue

#11

Volume CII goldengatexpress.org Serving the San Francisco State community since 1927.

XPRESS

Read the rest on page 4

candidates face off in asi presidential race

q&A JEREMY PORR

jporr@mail.sfsu.edu

evan gothelf

Shannon Deloso

Major: Philosophy, International Relations Minor: Computer Science Platform: Students First

Major: Asian American Studies Minor: Race and Resistance Platform: S.T.E.P. U.P.

1. Why are you running?

SF State is in a state of emergency: We have the College of Ethnic Studies being defunded, there’s potential tuition hikes coming up next year; we (had) a potential faculty strike during election week. So right now we’re facing a lot of issues that I feel like our student government could do something better about. I’m passionate, I’ve been working with student government for the last two years and I want to make sure that the University goals are student goals.

2. What relevant experience do you have?

I actually run a very inclusive organization right now. My freshman year I started an organization with six members; right now we’ve grown to about 90 members (Kappa Sigma). So being in that organization honestly was one of the greatest learning opportunities in my life. We have every race, religion, major, so it’s this inclusive organization. I’ve led an organization of growth. It’s a volunteer organization, so you get out what you put in.

I would love to see more student involvement whether that’s through ASI or anything else on campus. I feel like not a lot of people are involved and I want to be that bridge and make sure that ASI can be that bridge for everybody to have a good experience in college.

I really want to change the relationship with the University. We have now seen the student center being taken away from us. Our executive director, the person who hires and fires them, the person that they report to is now the administration. So we can’t even control our building, our employees, and right now we’ve even had a lot of frustration because there are issues happening where we actually don’t have the ability to effectively represent the students, and that’s happened in the last two years.

4. What's the central focus of your campaign/ platform?

My slate is called S.T.E.P. U.P., which stands for Students for Trust Equity and Progressions United through Passion. We want to make sure people know that we have experienced student leaders that are running who are dedicated and want to give back to the students. We’re already trusted by the communities that we’re a part of, and I think our track record speaks for itself. We have people that are really for the students and can provide transparency.

4. What's the central focus of your campaign/ platform?

Making sure that the University goals are the same goals as the students.

instagram: @goldengatexpress

2. What relevant experience do you have?

I started out my freshman year pledging for Kappa Psi Epsilon, which is a cultural and community-based sorority that focuses on empowering Pilipina women. I was also a part of Associated Students’ Project Connect that primarily focuses on helping out low-income students. I also helped cultivate our Philipino-American student organization coalition on campus, and currently I hold two positions for Associated Students, including College of Ethnic Studies representative and corporate secretary.

3. What would you like to see changed on campus?

3. What would you like to see changed on campus?

facebook: /GoXpress

1. Why are you running?

I feel like within my four years of attending SF State, I’ve proven to myself that I’m more than capable of being an agent of change or leading groups of people in a way that not only helps them to better themselves but also to better our community. There are so many things that need to be fixed and relationships that can be built on or repaired on this campus.

twitter: @XpressNews

website: goldengatexpess.org

snapchat: @xpressnewspaper

Wednesday, April 13, 2016 goldengatexpress.org

NEWS

BRIAN CHURCHWELL / XPRESS

Eastern Michigan University accounting professor Howard Bunsis gives a presentation to students, staff and faculty on the financial health of SF State in Jack Adams Hall at the Cesar Chavez Student Center Thursday.

Financial analysis of SF State reveals no structural deficit JORDAN VAIL

jmv@mail.sfsu.edu

E

astern Michigan University accounting professor Howard Bunsis visited SF State Thursday, April 7 to examine the University's uncertain financial situations, with special attention given to the Ethnic Studies funding controversy. Bunsis announced that SF State was not operating at a structural deficit like administration officials previously claimed, and that money should not be cut from any of the colleges.

“The idea of a college owing money or having a deficit is completely made up,” Bunsis said. “There’s no empirical evidence for it. Show me where the revenues are and where the expenses are and where is that structural deficit.”

The independent financial analysis compared SF State to the rest of the California State University system. The meeting occurred during a 48-hour media blackout period between the California Faculty Association and the CSU. SF State CFA President Sheila Tully announced the blackout at the beginning of the meeting.

“We cannot talk about anything related to the strike, to salaries, or anything else that is involved in this labor dispute while we attempt negotiations (with the CSU),” Tully said.

The meeting was hosted by the CFA as part of their ongoing event series leading up to the potential strikes, to provide students and faculty with information about why the strike is happening and how it will affect the University, students and faculty.

“The goal of this event is for us as faculty, students and staff to try to gain some insight and understanding into the finances and accounting at SF State,” Tully said. “Our ultimate goal is for more budget transparency, and learning which questions to ask and why we want the answers.”

During his analysis, Bunsis emphasized that SF State and the CSU are doing well financially.

“SF State is in solid financial condition; they have sufficient reserves,” Bunsis said. “This institution does not have a financial crisis.”

Bunsis brought up SF State’s assets, operating cash flow, enrollment rates and tuition costs, all of which were at adequate levels compared to the rest of the CSU system. Bunsis

repeatedly put SF State in the middle in regards to its financial ranking.

Attending the meeting were students and faculty from Defend and Advance Ethnic Studies, who were frustrated with administration’s lack of transparency concerning the 2016-17 budget and the financial issues surrounding the College of Ethnic Studies.

"We’ve been trying to make a case to administration, and it's hard to find the numbers we need,” American Indian Studies lecturer Amy Casselman said.

“People are denying that there is a problem, and it’s difficult for us to document the problem, even though we know it’s there.” "(Bunsis) will be giving us suggestions specific to the College of Ethnic Studies and our budget," said women and gender studies major Sofia Cardenas, who is in charge of outreach for Defend and Advance Ethnic Studies.

At a University Budget Committee meeting April 1, co-chair and Vice President of Administration and Finance Ron Cortez said that the 2016-17 budget will be finalized in June.

When asked what students and faculty in the College of Ethnic Studies could do to help the advancement of their college

“

The idea of a college owing money or having a deficit is completely made up...There's no empirical evidence for it.

-Howard bunsis,

eastern michigan university accounting professor

using the information presented during the meeting, Bunsis insisted that organizing is key to any sort of advancement.

“We should always be organizing to stand up for what we believe in, and the number one thing you do is organize," Bunsis said. "Refer to the mission of this university and what that mission says, and talk about how the College of Ethnic

Studies fits in with that mission.

If you believe in this missionwhich I hope that you do – then stand together, no matter what happens. I hope you guys stand up for what you want.”

Defend and Advance Ethnic Studies has been hosting weekly meetings to discuss how to organize moving forward, and plans to incorporate Bunsis' findings into their next meeting.

"SFSU has been lying and misleading the public," read a statement on Defend and Advance Ethnic Studies' Facebook page. "The President and Provost have a choice and Ethnic Studies is not a priority."

While Defend and Advance Ethnic Studies continues to organize, the administration insists that it is trying to address budget issues in a timely fashion.

"The whole issue of appropriate funding for every college, in addition to Student Affairs, is under review," President Leslie E. Wong said at a town hall meeting March 28.

Since the analysis, the CFA and CSU have come to a tentative agreement that has postponed the strike, as reported

by Xpress.

Administration officials did not get back to Xpress before publication.

Wednesday, April 13, 2016 goldengatexpress.org

NEWS

Black Lives Matter founder addresses misconceptions NASHANTA WILLIAMS nwillia1@mail.sfsu.edu

S

F State graduate student and co-founder of Black Lives Matter, Alicia Garza, spoke at SF State on Monday about the organization’s origins and misconceptions about it.

Garza, co-founder of Black Lives Matter and SF State graduate student, founded the organization with two friends in 2013 after the not-guilty verdict George Zimmerman received from the death of Trayvon Martin.

“Ultimately what that verdict said was that you could be killed if you’re black for no reason,” Garza said. “If somebody else is afraid of you and you live in a state that has stand your ground laws, you

can be killed with impunity.”

The concept of Black Lives Matter was born after Garza created a Facebook post titled, “A Love Letter to Black People.”

During the lecture, Garza spoke on the ramifications of what the verdict meant in a greater scheme for the black community.

Garza explained the Black Lives Matter movement that began after the death of Martin was greatly skewed by the general media in an attempt to sell and sensationalize.

According to Garza, the organization, which now has 39 chapters globally, was made to seem as though it was only pushing an anti-police rhetoric.

While they do emphasize social justice, Garza clarified they focus on a broad spectrum.

“Lots of the values behind Black Lives Matter are about really making a demand, and

making visible all of the ways in which anti-black racism shapes our economy,” Garza said. “It shapes everything, and lots of the work we do with other groups is to surface that.”

Milan Cooper, anthropology major, said she was inspired by the presentation and learned how to incorporate her artistic ability into a cause. “(Garza) really inspired me because I had been thinking of doing activist work, but I don’t really consider myself an organizer,” Cooper said.

“She said you can be a part of the movement and make other contributions.”

The other key emphasis Garza made while at SF State was the way Black Lives Matter has been wrongly portrayed in the media as having a lack of leadership.

Garza spoke about the

way Black Lives Matter had been compared to the Occupy movement, which notably had no specific leader because they stood for an entire group of people.

“We have leaders – lots of them,” Garza said. “We encourage the cultivation of leadership at every level. We see ourselves as leader-full not leaderless. We are not afraid of leadership.”

SF State students from all ethnic backgrounds were in attendance. Damneet Kaur, a public health major, was positively impacted by the message.

“As a South-Asian woman, I think it’s really important for me to learn all of this because of the anti-blackness in our community,” Kaur said.

“Knowing that she (Garza) spoke about the brown and black

solidarity, having indigenous solidarity, it’s empowering.”

Hassani Bell, an Africana studies student, also felt inspired

by Garza.

“It was inspiring meeting her, especially her being from the Bay Area and seeing how she was so successful in her field,” Bell said. “I want to do the same type of work.”

Garza also gave a short comment on her opinion of the dreadlock controversy at SF State over a video that recently went viral.

“Cultural appropriation is a real thing, and it’s important that on campuses people feel that their contributions are valued and recognized,” Garza said. “There is something that happens where, in the face that people may feel alienated here, there are certain expressions that probably push people over the edge.”

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Wednesday, April 13, 2016 goldengatexpress.org

NEWS

Gator Pass vote offers students discounted transportation with slight tuition raise AHALYA SRIKANT

S

asrikant@mail.sfsu.edu

F State students will have the opportunity to vote on a $180, per-semester addition to their tuition in exchange for a Gator Pass through Friday.

The pass would provide SF State students with the ability to ride MUNI lines for free and BART at a 25 percent discount, according to the Associated Students, Inc. website.

Second-year nursing student Netta Chhim, who was riding the SF State shuttle to Daly City station, where she would use BART to return home, has been looking forward to the vote next week.

“I’ll definitely be voting on it,” Chhim said. She and Nicholas Lasseson, a secondyear BECA major with whom she was riding the shuttle, will both be voting in favor of the Gator Pass.

The Gator Pass is the result of the combined effort of Associated Students VP of External Affairs and fourth-year

political science major Naeemah Charles, District 8 BART Director Nick Josefowitz, and San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener.

If students vote in favor of the Gator Pass, it will go into effect in Fall 2017, according to the ASI website.

The majority of SF State students – almost 90 percent of them – live off campus, according to SF State’s 2014 Transportation Survey.

“Around 1 in 2 students take MUNI, and 1 in 4 students take BART,” Charles said.

According to the same survey, around 50 percent of students live in San Francisco. 25 percent travel from the East Bay, and the rest of the commuters come from other places in the Bay Area.

The most-used transportation for SF State students, according to the survey, is MUNI buses.

The SF State shuttle, which takes students from Daly City BART to campus, is used by about onefifth of students.

The Gator Pass is not limited to the 25 percent BART discount, according to Charles.

“You get at least a 25 percent discount on BART,” Charles said. "And so that changes depending on the year. So for example, if one year not as many people rode BART as we expected, that means we have a pool of money that’s just sitting there, so maybe the next year it’ll be at 27 or 30 percent."

The issue of transportation has become a concern as the prices of MUNI and BART rise.

In July 2015, MUNI prices rose by 25 cents, and, according to BART, they increased their fares by 3.4 percent this year.

According to the ASI website, it is anticipated that the $180 tuition addition will increase based on the rise in MUNI and BART fares.

They expect it to increase by approximately $5 each year.

“Transportation is a major expense for SF State students,” Josefowitz said. “With this initiative, the students are solving a lot of problems – providing more affordable travel for those who commute to school by public transit, reducing local congestion and parking problems, and giving BART a

new tool to work with colleges and universities around the Bay.” The vote will be online for students to decide whether or not

this pass will be made available.

To vote online, log in to the ASI website with your SF State email.

ALEAH FAJARDO / XPRESS

Students arrive and depart SF State at the MUNI stop on 19th Avenue Thursday. Voting is open for students to decide whether to pay an additional $180 per semester for free MUNI and discounted BART fares.

ASI Continued from the front

Candidates face off in ASI presidential race Q&A A Shannon Deloso SI elections for the Fall 2016 semester kicked off this week. Fifteen positions are available and students have until Friday, April 15 to cast their vote. Of the 15 positions, none are as important as the presidential position. Evan Gothelf and Shannon Deloso are the two candidates running for president and offer different elements for SF State. Gothelf, a philosophy and international relations major, is the chapter president of the Kappa Sigma fraternity and stands on the platform of 'Students First.' Deloso, an Asian American Studies major, currently serves as the College of Ethnic Studies Representative and stands on the platform of 'S.T.E.P. U.P.' Both were asked a few questions regarding their presidential campaign.

evan gothelf 5. What's an advantage you have over your competition?

I think just the overall experience and the will. All of us come from student orgs, all of us have had leadership experience, whether it’s me or my other slate members who have been heavily involved in the movement to Defend and Advance Ethnic Studies, so that already goes to show that we really care about what the students want. We’re very friendly people and we’re also really trying to represent the students' voice.

We’ve held multiple listen-ins so that we can hear what students want or need on campus.

6. What's the biggest issue affecting our campus right now?

Again, I think one of the biggest issues would be the underfunding of our campus.

I think that there are a lot of good opportunities that could be here not only for the students but for faculty as well. I'd like to show that our students already have the potential, we just have to give them the resources to do it. I think ASI is this big powerhouse and resource for students that not a lot of people know about and I'd really like to change that.

7. How do you plan on working with administration and increasing transparency with students?

As president, you’re able to meet one on one with the president of the University and his administration and you have these brown bag luncheons with them every month.

So being able to utilize those spaces really well and making sure that before we meet there is clear understanding about what students' concerns are is important. I feel like that’s how you build transparency – consistently listening to students’ voices.

5. What's an advantage you have over your competition?

I honestly don’t like how slates are in student government. I think competition, you know, honestly, when I first decided to run for student government this year, it was with a collaboration of mine and Shannon’s slate. I really think that they had people on their slate, and we had people on our slate that should've came together. For my slate, I think it was created out of a sense of duty. Our school has these issues right? We know what the issues are, we have, from different backgrounds, how we can combat it. Everyone on our slate comes from a background of knowledge in a different area. When I look at the opposing slate, I mean I know how their process went down, I don’t want to comment too much but it’s more of saying like, my slate knows where we are and where we wanna go, what the future has, and how we need to be able work with the administration to achieve such goals.

6. What's the biggest issue affecting our campus right now?

The College of Ethnic Studies is one of the main things, if not the main thing, that makes SF State unique, and what’s happening now is a complete disregard over this campus’ values over the last 40 years since we’ve had such great student involvement. I feel that the administration, and just the way that it’s being supported beyond that, really needs to realize that we need to fully fund (the College of Ethnic Studies). We need to fully fund them so that they are actually able to engage a large number of freshman, I personally have taken courses in the College and they were super engaging, and I wouldn’t have known that before. It really needs to be exceeded.

7. How do you plan on working with administration and increasing transparency with students?

So to me this kind of goes back to the alignment of goals. If we really want to look past at the last year, we had another big incident with the Coca-Cola/Pepsi initial offer to bring them onto campus. That was something that the student body felt that they weren’t being heard on. I really feel like if the administration approached it in a different way then they could have had a different outcome, but they didn’t engage students. I really feel like we need to have a student government that the University is comfortable with actually going to and asking for a dialogue, rather than just complete resistance.

Wednesday, April 13, 2016 goldengatexpress.org

NEWS

SF State professor maps 'super Earth' NASHANTA WILLIAMS nwillia1@mail.sfsu.edu

S

tephen Kane, a physics and astronomy professor at SF State, and his team have discovered and constructed a thermal image map of a new planet, named 55 Cancri. The new planet is the first of its kind to be discovered and draws striking similarities to Earth.

55 Cancri is a terrestrial planet, which means it has a rocky surface, and is slightly bigger than Earth. No planet like that exists in our solar system. The new planet, makes a complete rotation around its sun in 18 hours.

As the planet circles swiftly around its sun, it does not tilt on an axis the way Earth does.

“It doesn’t actually rotate when it is going around the star,” Kane said. “It’s so close to its star that it’s tidally locked in the same way the moon is tidally locked to the Earth.”

Because 55 Cancri doesn’t spin as it orbits its sun, only one side of the planet is exposed at all times to the direct heat of its star. This makes one side of the planet significantly hotter than the other, even though the entire planet is more than 1,000 degrees Celsius.

NASA helped with the development of the animation used to represent the planet once Kane and his team created the thermal map. Once the imaging of the planet was complete studies of the composition revealed what the terrestrial planet had on its surface.

“The temperature difference (in the imaging) is actually a result of lava,” Kane said.

The thermal mapping of 55 Cancri also revealed the planet at one time had an atmosphere. However, the orbit of the star has since depleted it.

“Its atmosphere has literally been stripped away from it by the intense amount of energy it receives from its star,” Kane said. “The atmosphere has just been blown

TAYLOR REYES / XPRESS

Stephen Kane, a professor of physics and astronomy at SF State, poses in the campus planetarium Friday. Kane’s mapping of newly discovered planet 55 Cancri revealed similarities with Earth.

away.”

Patrizah Amil, an SF State microbiology major, was interested in the parallels between 55 Cancri and Earth, and the potential state of our atmosphere.

“I think it was really cool that Professor Kane was able to find and map a planet through thermal imaging,” Amil said.

“Especially seeing how that can pertain to the planets that already exist, maybe we are headed in the same direction.”

Since there aren’t any other planets like this in our solar system, astronomers know little about terrestrial planets that are

slightly bigger than Earth. The next planet that is larger than Earth is Neptune, and it’s a gaseous planet. The studying of 55 Cancri can help understand more about the universe.

“These kinds of planets are a big, big mystery to us,” Kane said. “So it will tell us a lot about something for which we don’t have any analog in our own solar system. It tells us what happens if you move a planet very, very close to the star that it’s orbiting.”

Students at SF State are excited to hear about the new planet and that a professor from campus was a part of the discovery.

{

San FranciSco PeninSula

“I think that this is amazing, personally,” said Jordan Beaston, a microbiology major.

“And I think it’s super cool that somebody on our faculty was involved.”

The discovery and imaging of this planet is a culmination of effort five years in the making.

Analysis of the cause and effects of the atmosphere on 55 Cancri will aid in the understanding of Earth’s atmosphere.

According to Kane, since it has already lost its atmosphere and is evaporating, the planet will either be eroded or broken apart.

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Wednesday, April 13, 2016 goldengatexpress.org

LIFESTYLE & CULTURE

Design students win Stanford’s international competition EMILY CHAVOUS

echavous@mail.sfsu.edu

The moment Brandon Lopez and Eric Renard’s names were announced as grand-prize winners of the Stanford Design Challenge Tuesday, April 5, throngs of supporters and potential investors clamored to bestow their business cards.

“Eric was overwhelmed,” Lopez laughed. “And I was on a high as soon as they called our names, so I kind of don’t remember it. I had a mini blackout.”

Last fall, the senior industrial design students began work on a collapsible shopping cart for elderly people with mobility issues, a project assigned in SF State’s Product Design II course taught by Ricardo Gomes.

A judging panel selected their “CityCart” design from a pool of international university students to be one of 12 finalists in the Stanford Design Challenge, as previously reported by Golden Gate Xpress. Entrants placed in two categories: mobility and mind. Lopez and Renard won first place in mobility and took home a check for $10,000.

They credit their inspiration to June Fisher, an 82-year-old

occupational health physician and Bay Area product design lecturer who worked closely with the duo throughout production.

“Oh, it was so exciting!”

Fisher exclaimed. “I was out of character, on my edge as they were announcing the winners.

When they announced Brandon and Eric, I just jumped up and said, ‘Yay!’ They really deserved it.”

Jumping is difficult for Fisher, who has limited mobility and experiences frequent muscular fatigue. She said she looks forward to having a CityCart of her own, something supportive enough to navigate a farmers’ market and pick up a few heirloom veggies without relying on someone else.

“The design came from a particular person’s need – my need,” Fisher said. “They’ve been very conscientious, committed and creative, and I predict they’ll have great futures as product designers.”

Gomes’ class has put forth finalists each year since the competition’s 2013 inception.

This is the first year an SF State team has placed.

“They said at the very beginning, ‘We are going to win this,’” Gomes said. “Their work ethic, the way they

approached the problem – they had a tremendous amount of vigor and energy, and my only disappointment was that they didn’t submit their project to (a second competition).”

Polly Dawkins, executive

director of the Davis Phinney Foundation For Parkinson’s, was one of eight judges on the mobility panel.

“I was really intrigued that they had gotten to the prototype level with their design,” Dawkins

ERIC CHAN / XPRESS

Eric Renard (left) and Brandon Lopez (right) pose for a portrait with their first place trophy from the Stanford Design Challenge Tuesday.

Xpress

said. “That, for me, gave them a distinct advantage. It didn’t look like it was designed to be a walker – it looks cool and rugged and useful, and I could imagine anyone using it.”

The top three designs were clear to the judges, according to Dawkins. However, she noted there was some debate before the panel reached consensus on which would be first, second and third.

“The concern about CityCart was that it wasn’t terribly innovative, and that was probably its biggest flaw,” Dawkins said. “But clearly, it came out ahead of everything else.”

Lopez and Renard plan to bring the cart to market once they sift through that stack of business cards. For now, they’ll focus on the last few weeks of school before graduation and their upcoming relocation to Santa Cruz. The designers both accepted positions with Open Innovations, a design and tech incubator they interned with this semester.

“Everyone congratulated us and they’re like, ‘Good job! Your hard work finally paid off!’”

Renard said. “But this is just the beginning.”

THE BRAND NEW 28R: ALL-DAY RAPID SERVICE ACROSS THE WESTSIDE GETTING TO AND FROM SAN FRANCISCO STATE IS EASIER THAN EVER!

magazine

Starting April 23rd, the 28 19th Ave Rapid will undergo a major transformation. The new route will provide Rapid service every 10 minutes 7 AM to 7 PM Monday through Friday, connecting SFSU to the western neighborhoods, key destinations, and transit lines.

6TH AVE 7TH AVE

LINC

OLN

BLV

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spring print issue now available

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28R 19TH AVEN

28R

NIA ST

CALIFOR

Ride BART?

3RD AVE 4TH AVE

12TH AVE

CORNWALL ST

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GEARY

25TH AVE

FULTON ST

Now you have two ways to connect.

While the 28R will serve Balboa Park Station, the 28 local will continue to serve Daily City BART (as well as the Marina District).

FELL ST OAK ST STANYAN

LINCOLN WAY

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JUDAH ST

28R 28R

Current/Future 28R Previous 28R Alignment

SUNSET BLVD

Bus Stop

28R

MORE RAPID CONNECTIONS:

QUINTARA ST

19TH AVE

TARAVAL ST

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DR 28R

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Recycle!!

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Gators, remember to

WINSTON DR

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SLOAT BLVD

LEARN MORE: MUNIFORWARD.COM

AZ

Excelsior/Outer Mission Balboa Park BART J Church K Ingleside M Ocean View City College Parkmerced SF State

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AV E

Stonestown Taraval Street L Taraval Lincoln High School Inner Sunset N Judah Golden Gate Park Geary Boulevard Richmond District

SHARE YOUR FEEDBACK: TELLMUNI.COM

Wednesday, April 13, 2016 goldengatexpress.org

OPINION

oldaetne GGX

XPRESS

DARCY FRACOLLI

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

REID CAMMACK

MANAGING EDITOR reidcamm@mail.sfsu.edu

EVA RODRIGUEZ

ART DIRECTOR erodrig2@mail.sfsu.edu

JARED JAVIER

ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR jjavier@mail.sfsu.edu

BRIAN CHURCHWELL

PHOTO EDITOR bchurchw@mail.sfsu.edu

JOEY REAMS

NEWS EDITOR reams94@mail.sfsu.edu

STAFF EDITORIAL

San Francisco leads the way with new family leave bill

S

an Francisco’s new paid family leave law is a big step forward for advocates of the cause. New parents who have worked for a company for at least 180 days will now be entitled to six weeks of fully paid leave.

This plan places San Francisco leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of the country.

According to a 2014 report from the White House Council of Economic Advisers, only 39 percent of Americans had access to some type of paid family leave, and only 11 percent of employers reported providing it.

California is one of only three states in the country that mandates some type of paid family leave, according to the White House report, but none of the three states mandate fully paid leave. However, Governor Jerry Brown just signed a bill into law raising the

percentage of employees’ wages California employers are required to pay.

According to a 2014 study from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, the United States is one of only eight countries in the world, and the only high-income one, that does not currently mandate some form of paid maternity leave, and 81 other countries currently provide family leave to fathers as well.

California was the first state in the country to mandate paid family leave, and it needs to lead again when it comes to both fully funded leave and gender equality.

San Francisco’s bill is a step in the right direction, but we need to extend the policy to the rest of the state and country as well.

A survey of California employers found that more than 90 percent said mandatory

maternity leave had a positive effect or no effect at all on success and morale.

It is important that both parents are allowed to take time to acclimate their child to their home and themselves to the process of being parents without being penalized financially.

The rest of the country should follow San Francisco and California’s example and provide equal time to both parents.

DARCY FRACOLLI Editor-in-Chief

MIRANDA BOLAR

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR mbolar@mail.sfsu.edu

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KELSEY LANNIN

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The Bathroom Bill: Toddlers and lawmakers agree KELSEY LANNIN

I

klannin@mail.sfsu.edu

n a display of childlike ignorance, North Carolina State Rep. Ken Goodman muddled the concepts of gender identity and sexual orientation during an interview with NPR Tuesday morning.

The segment centered on Goodman’s support of the recently passed HB2, or “bathroom bill,” which requires people to use the public restroom that corresponds to the sex on their birth certificate, rather than the gender they identify as.

In order to explain his position, Goodman provided the following problematic analogy in the interview, which he dubbed “the best answer” he’d come across on the issue.

“If you ask any 5-year-old kindergarten student, ‘Should you mistreat someone because of who they love?’ they would all say no, but at the same time if you ask the same 5-year-olds ‘Should boys be in girls bathrooms?’ they would also say no. So I think that’s the issue here for a lot of North Carolinians.”

Even if you can get past Goodman’s offensive premise that the matter’s underlying ethical principles are so obvious even a child can tell you the correct answer, a more troubling issue with his statement surfaces. Goodman seems to be comparing the rights of people to love a person regardless of either party’s gender (sexual orientation) and the rights of a person to identify as a gender other than the one assigned to them at birth (gender identity).

Is it possible that despite the transvisibility of celebrities like Caitlyn Jenner and Laverne Cox and the now 51 gender identity options offered on Facebook there are still lawmakers who don’t understand the fundamental issues behind the legislation they support? Apparently, yes.

“It’s often that gender and orientation are conflated,” said Sebastian Ochoa-Kaup, director of the Queer and Trans Resource Center.

Ochoa-Kaup says the confusion may stem from a refusal to think critically about these issues and the real people they affect.

“The trans community is very misunderstood,” said Rumaldo Godinez, director of membership and funds at the Queer Alliance. “A lot of people are just trying to find a label for it and trying to find

illustration by kelsey lannin

a definition that will encompass all of it, but the trans community is so diverse. It’s awesome there’s so much diversity, but a lot of people aren’t able to grasp that.”

With the interview, Goodman essentially joined the intellectual ranks of toddlers – the only shameful difference being that Goodman is old enough to know better.

Wednesday, April 13, 2016 goldengatexpress.org

OPINION

Kobe Bryant irreplaceable to the very end JOSUE DE LOS SANTOS dlsjosue@mail.sfsu.edu

T

here will never be another Kobe Bryant. His competitive drive to be the best ever was second to none. His teammates have reinforced that Kobe’s the hardest-working player to ever step on the hardwood. He was willing to outwork everyone to be the very best.

I attended my first Lakers game last year, in which Kobe had a career-high 17 assists versus the Cleveland Cavaliers.

To see Kobe have a career night was special because the probability of Kobe retiring the following season was high.

I began watching the Lakers when I was 8, and caught the latter years of the ShaqKobe era. I was too young to comprehend the feud between Shaq and Kobe. When the Lakers traded Shaq, Kobe took over as leader of the franchise, and my young self believed the Lakers would win.

It took a few years to get back to championship contention following the ShaqKobe feud, but a dominant 2005-2006 season would give the basketball world a glimpse of what Kobe Bryant is capable of when he leads his own team.

January 22, 2006 was Kobe’s 81-point game. Unfortunately, I was unable to witness Kobe go on his scoring barrage against the Toronto Raptors, so I had to settle for the highlights. The

shots he was making were shots only Kobe could make. That’s one of the things that sets him apart from every other NBA player.

That season was the best season of his entire career, averaging a career-best 35 points per game.

Game 4 of the 2006 playoffs, No. 7 Lakers vs. No. 2 Phoenix Suns at Staples Center. With the Lakers trailing 90-88 with 7.9 seconds left in the fourth quarter, point guard Smush Parker causes Steve Nash to turn over the ball. Devean George recovers and pushes up the floor, passes the ball to Kobe, who drives the baseline, throws up a floater, and swish: tie game.

A jump ball in the Lakers’ favor led to Kobe getting the final shot in overtime, a routine pull-up jumper from the right elbow. Bang!

I jumped around the living room in exhilaration.

April 13, the basketball world will say goodbye to one of the greatest players to ever play the game.

The Kobe Farewell Tour comes to end in Los Angeles, and the city will cherish the greatness of Kobe Bean Bryant one last time. The opportunity to watch one

of the greatest of all time lace up those Nike Kobe 11s for the final time was too much for me to pass up.

As a Lakers fan, we’ve been spoiled for 20 years – not only winning championships, but also watching greatness at its finest. Love him or hate him, Kobe made you watch him destroy whomever was in his way.

ILLUSTRATION BY EVA RODRIGUEZ

Climate change is a shared crisis YIN HTIN & NIC JARA Special to Xpress

The scientific consensus is clear and overwhelming; climate change is real and accelerating every second. In the last year alone, we have experienced recordbreaking heat and droughts that have impacted millions of people and have cost billions.

Who is responsible for climate change? We are set up to believe that we are the culprits and we made climate change happen. However, fossil fuel companies have created this mentality.

Despite the availability of renewable energy, the oil industry has constructed this system where we believe that they are the only answer to meet the energy demand in order to lead the market. Exxon

Mobil has been aware of their contribution to climate change since 1981, yet they did not freeze their destructive actions in order to maintain profits. In order to stop climate change and preserve this planet, fossil fuel companies must end the burning of fossil fuels. Our planet can only sustain an additional 565 gigatons of carbon emission without dangerously warming the planet; however, fossil fuel companies currently have five times that amount in their reserves, ready to burn. They will continue to destroy our environment unless we take action.

So how do we take action?

We as students must stop our contribution to the fossil fuel industry.

You may be asking yourself, “How am I contributing to the fossil fuel industry? I don’t even have a car!”

Well, SF State’s Foundation Board is

currently using its endowments to invest in the fossil fuel industry. According to SF State’s Foundation’s Investment Policy H., Social Responsibility and Prohibited Investments, “The Foundation Board continues to monitor and take into account a wide variety of information to help it in determining what it considers to be socially responsible investments.”

It is in our institution’s policy to make socially responsible investments.

However, the Foundation Board is clearly breaking this policy by investing in the fossil fuel industry. Therefore, SF State must divest (take money out) from the fossil fuel industry in order to prohibit the destruction of this planet.

Knowing the severity of climate change and investment policy violation, Fossil Free at SFSU has approached the president of our University’s Foundation

Board, Robert Nava, and demanded to take money out of fossil fuels. However, Nava avoided making a commitment to divest and follow the Foundation investment policy.

Therefore, it is time to build student power and take action on this issue.

Fossil Free at SFSU, partnered with ASI Sustainable Initiatives, is holding a rally and march in Malcolm X Plaza Thursday, April 21 at 11 a.m. to demand climate justice and the end of policy violation.

Idle time is over. Please take a stand and advocate justice. The rally and march is open to the SF State community.

This is not just my issue. This is not only your issue. Climate change is our shared crisis.

Yin and Nic are members of Fossil Free at sfsu

Wednesday, April 13, 2016 goldengatexpress.org

SPORTS

TAYLOR REYES / XPRESS

SF State Gators infielder Kayli Shaw singles against the Sonoma State Seawolves at the SFSU Softball Field Wednesday, April 6.

Best season in more than a decade propelling Gators to possible tournament appearance SF State softball is having one of its best seasons in more than a decade as the team primes itself for a playoff spot in the NCAA Division II tournament next month.

Under new head coach Lisa Allen, the team has ground its way to a 23-20 record, already their highest win total in the past six years.

The last time the Gators were in the playoffs was during the 2006 NCAA Division II West Regional Tournament, and their regular season run this year is priming the team to end its decade-long playoff drought. The Gators currently rank fourth in the California Collegiate Athletic Association with a 17-13 conference record and control their own destiny for the rest of the season.

It’s an exciting time for the team, but they know there’s plenty of softball left to play. With five games left in the season, the Gators face crucial games against conference opponents Humboldt State and Chico State.

“Yes, this is an exciting time and we’ve done a lot, but remember – it’s not over yet,” senior pitcher Jenny Obbema said.

“A lot of things can happen, hopefully for the good. As much fun as it’s been, we want to continue playing Gator softball and doing what we know to do.”

Obbema, who’s had a solid season with a 3.60 ERA and five wins, has been part of the SF State softball program since her freshman year. She said the team environment is more energetic, lively and jovial, and that’s where the difference lies this year compared to past years.

“We definitely have each others backs.

It’s not one player doing the whole job,” Obbema said. “We are a team sport so understanding that and being able to realize that if one person is having an off day, then there’s eight other people that will help them out.”

Team support has been a common theme that has come up throughout the season.

Players recognize they rely on one another in order to win.

The Gators’ journey back to tournament contention has been a long road, and both coach Allen and assistant coach Taylor Nelson have implemented a team-first mentality.

“The girls really play for each other,” Allen said. “Our girls do a good job of picking each other up and saying, ‘Hey, I got your back.’ The girls will come into dugout after an unsuccessful at-bat and ask for help.”

Junior pitcher Megan Clark, who’s having her best season with a 11-7 record and 2.32 ERA, has been one to repeatedly say her victories come with the help of the defense. She said she relies on her defense because she’s not a strikeout pitcher. In her three years in the program, she’s also noticed a culture change.

Allen has worked closely with the pitchers, and both Obbema and Clark have reaped the benefits of her knowledge of the game. Obbema and Clark pointed to Allen’s ability to build relationships with the players, providing feedback and positive reinforcement.

“Having someone to ask for knowledge of the game and get an answer besides just, ‘Spin the ball’ is helpful,” Obbema said.

Clark said that Allen’s playing career as a catcher provides a different perspective to pitching.

“She sees things that (pitchers) don’t

Sf State Softball team ERA from the past 7 years 2nd lowest

dlsjosue@mail.sfsu.edu

lowest

JOSUE DE LOS SANTOS

5.11 3.16

4.66

3.32 2.61

3.19

2.88

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 see,” said Clark. “She knows what she’s doing, which is something you look for in a coach.”

In order to continue to maintain this level of success, the team must stay focused on the fundamentals they’ve been working on since the start of the season. Allen said the first four weeks of summer were spent on footwork, handwork and honing in on mechanics. Most importantly, she spoke about the process of winning during those first weeks.

“Winning isn’t an easy thing, it means putting in extra time than you really want to,” Allen said. “You have to know what you want to do for your teammates and sometimes that requires more work.”

The Gators have been producing well offensively this season, giving Clark and Obbema plenty of run support. Shortstop

Jennifer Lewis is having another solid season, hitting .312, with one home run and 15 RBIs, and leads the team with 44 hits.

Cal State Bakersfield transfer and infielder Kayli Shaw’s four home runs and slugging percentage of .476 lead the team.

The Gators close out the season against two of the top teams in the country in No. 3 Humboldt State and No. 24 Chico State.

“No matter who we play ... (the) most important thing is not get caught up on (rankings) and know that we have the capability to beat anyone,” Allen said.

“Every team is beatable. Just go out there and trust in what we’ve done and what we know to do. Go play the team, because no matter what, the ball dictates the game and not the other team.”

Wednesday, April 13, 2016 goldengatexpress.org

SPORTS

GEORGE MORIN / XPRESS

SF State Gators volleyball head coach Matt Hoffman runs drills with the team in The Swamp Thursday.

Hoffman was announced as the new volleyball coach Tuesday, March 29.

New head coach hopes to guide volleyball back to playoffs ZACHARY DALTON zdalton@mail.sfsu.edu

A

fter enjoying a successful season with a playoff appearance, the Gators volleyball team will look to make it to the postseason in back-to-back years under the leadership of new head coach Matt Hoffman.

Hoffman, who was hired March 29, comes to SF State after spending three years as an assistant for the Wichita State Shockers, and brings with him 23 years of volleyball experience.

“It feels really special,” Hoffman said. “I’ve had the opportunity to learn under two great coaches, but you always have the itch to get back and run your own program.”

Hoffman spent three years as a volunteer assistant at Stanford University under John Dunning and three years as an assistant at Wichita State University under Chris Lamb.

During his time with Wichita State, he helped the Shockers go 77-24 while winning two Missouri Valley Conference titles and appearing in two NCAA tournaments.

Right now, the goal is to learn

about the players and search for ones he believes will improve the team, according to Hoffman.

“We’re not going to make it to the championships this spring,” Hoffman said. “It’s all about getting on the same page and getting a little better each day.”

Hoffman already has a connection with SF State volleyball player Taylor Brownlee. Brownlee, an outside hitter, played at Wichita State from 2012 to 2013 before she transferred to SF State.

She said via email that she is excited for the opportunity to play for coach Hoffman again. “(Hoffman) is the kind of coach who will spend hours trying to create a system of play based on the qualities that our team obtains,” Brownlee said. “With him, it’s always focused on building what we have and finding new and innovative ways to get better. I think with this mentality from our coaching staff, our team will be not only successful within our conference but in postseason play as well.”

The team is practicing, but a lot of time is being spent on filling some of its voids. Number one on the list of priorities is adding defensive specialists – as of now there are none on the team.

He would also like to add some players at the setting and middle-

“

I've had the opportunity to learn under two great coaches, but you always have the itch to get back and run your own program.

- Matt Hoffman Volleyball Head Coach

blocking positions, in order to give them time to learn under some of those older players.

Hoffman was one of 117 candidates for the job, but stood out with his track record of recruiting championship-caliber players and ensuring they perform in the classroom, according to Athletic Director Charles Guthrie.

“It is clear he has a deep knowledge, appreciation and love of the game,” Guthrie said in an email. “The

characteristics that stood out as we got to know Matt were integrity, energy and passion, particularly as it relates to the student-athlete experience.”

Hoffman said the differences between being a head coach and an assistant are minimal. Assistant coaches are still heavily involved in the recruiting process, he said, so that’s something he’s accustomed to.

Prior to coaching at the collegiate level, Hoffman spent eight years as a girls’ varsity volleyball coach at various high schools in the South Bay, including a three-year stint with his alma matter, Homestead High School in Cupertino. He also spent five years as head coach of the Vision Volleyball Club in Los Gatos.

Hoffman attended San Jose State, where he was a member of the men’s volleyball team and graduated with a degree in kinesiology.

The hire came just one month after former head coach Jill Muhe took a job at Colorado State University, Pueblo.

“I believe the SF State community will see our volleyball program reach new heights under (Hoffman’s) leadership,” Guthrie said.