Fall 2015 Issue 5

press GOLDEN GATE

Revamped restaurant lab opens for students and patrons on page 2

New website increases transparency for college debt RAE FERRER

rferrer@mail.sfsu.edu

BRIAN GRABIANOWSKI bgrabian@mail.sfsu.edu

Andrew Vai, a senior sociology major graduating this spring, said money is always on his mind. After accumulating $15,000 in debt, he said he lives paycheck to paycheck, struggling to afford everyday expenses.

“I barely get by because I have to think about bills and if I have enough money to pay for rent by the end of the month,” Vai said. “It seems like it’s going to be a lifetime of debt. I know graduates working retail even after getting their degree, and that’s made me think, ‘Am I really spending all this money for tuition to end up in retail?’”

The U.S. Department of Education has created a streamlined database with access to financial costs and benefits of different colleges for incoming students. The database, College Scorecard, was unveiled by President Barack Obama earlier this month and was created to increase transparency between individual colleges and prospective students.

The scorecard provides federal data on student debt, attendance costs and other factors to help determine the potential return on investment of a degree from each college, according to an article by the Atlantic. Categories examined on the site include cost, financial aid and debt, graduation and retention, earnings after school, student body, SAT/ ACT scores and academic programs.

Vai, who transferred to SF State from community college, believes College Scorecard could have helped him if he was an incoming freshman when it was released.

“It makes students conscious financially and that’s hard to teach when you’re young,” Vai said.

Not many students at SF State know about the database, according to Jo Volkert, senior associate vice president for enrollment management.

“The challenge is that students need to be informed about the College Scorecard to make use of it,” Volkert said.

scorecard Continued ON PAGE 3

September 23, 2015 ISSUE 05 VOLUME CI GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

Serving the San Francisco State community since 1927

Professor and documentary crew honored with Emmy nomination

EMMA CHIANG / XPRESS

IN ACTION: Sachi Cunningham, second camerawoman for the Emmy-nominated production of “The Rise of ISIS” for PBS’ “Frontline” and SF State professor takes a photo in the water at Ocean Beach Friday, Sept. 18.

GENESIS CHAVEZ-CARO gchavezc@mail.sfsu.edu

In the summer of 2014, the Islamic State rampaged through Iraq, causing the near destruction of the Iraqi government and the rekindling of the U.S. military role in Iraq.

In the midst of the chaos, SF State journalism professor Sachi Cunningham, PBS “Frontline” correspondent Martin Smith and his film crew members spent two weeks capturing the growing power of the Islamic State in the Middle East.

“I’ve always been fascinated with other

cultures, other people, and I love traveling and getting to know those people,” Cunningham said about her experience in Iraq. “I think it’s important that Americans learn from these people. It is very important if (the U.S.) wants to be a world leader.”

emmy Continued ON PAGE 6

SF State students share tales of the tattoo parlor SAMANTHA LUSIGNAN slusigna@mail.sfsu.edu

Twisting lines of blue ink wrap around a pale thigh to form dark waves. Further down the tattooed leg lurks a hammerhead shark, peeping almost coyly out from the bottom of a current. A black octopus is tucked in the safety of a shadow. So far, this work of living art has taken Sara Lou Gordon, an SF State junior, more than 27 hours over a series of $200 sessions.

“I really should insure my body,” Gordon joked.

Gordon, 21, is majoring in environmental studies to become an environmental lawyer. According to Gordon, her family is against

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all forms of body modifications, including tattoos. Gordon said her family is Jewish, and her religion prohibits the burial of any tattooed persons in a Jewish cemetery.

“My religious side of the family would be upset if I wasn’t buried with them because they all have areas for their family members,” Gordon said. “Trees guarantee life after death, not just your own, but to everything else around you.”

Gordon is one of several SF State students who said that their tattoos represent and generate personal conflicts in their lives.

Gordon said religion is part of the reason why she keeps her tattoos a secret from her parents,

T WITTER

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who she said would “flip out” if they ever learned of her six large tattoos. Despite her family’s reservations, Gordon got her first tattoo before she moved from her hometown of Los Angeles to San Francisco at age 19. Many of her tattoos stem from seeds and trees to represent her growth as a person, she said.

SF State alumnus Campbell Alexander, 23, is a tattoo artist who worked on the majority of Gordon’s tattoos at Picture Machine Tattoo on Geary Boulevard.

Alexander said Gordon’s thigh tattoo is the largest piece he has done for a client.

TATTOOS Continued ON PAGE 7

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BRIAN CHURCHWELL / XPRESS

INKED: Sara Lou Gordon shows her

sea-life themed tattoo, Tuesday, Sept.

15 in the photojournalism studio in the Humanities Building at SF State.

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or scan here:

2 NEWS

Wednesday, September 23, 2015 goldengatexpress.org BON APPETIT: Hospitality major

Alyssa Ocampo fills the water cups of two customers at the Vista Room, a restaurant operated by hospitality and tourism majors at SF State Monday, Sept. 21.

ALEX KOFMAN / XPRESS

Vista Room reopens after first-ever renovations MOBY HOWEIDY

mhoweidy@mail.sfsu.edu

Andrew Mason steadily diced cucumbers and red peppers as America’s 1972 hit song “A Horse with No Name” softly filled the Vista Room kitchen. A large plastic vat of bright red watermelon puree sat next to him, waiting to be mixed with the vegetables he spent most his morning cutting for that day’s special: watermelon gazpacho.

ALEX KOFMAN / XPRESS

PRESENTATION: Dietetics major, Chelsea Flaherty, prepares

salads for customers at the Vista Room restaurant at SF State Monday, Sept. 21. The restaurant is run by hospitality and tourism majors.

Mason works in the kitchen of the Vista Room restaurant, a lab that offers hospitality and tourism students hands-on experience in the industry, which reopened its doors Sept. 21 after completing the first renovations since its debut 20 years ago. The hospitality and business departments spent the summer restoring the space by painting its walls, refurnishing and replacing all the flatware.

According to Vista Room waiter and hospitality student Brittney Lujan, the old space had a dated look that did not represent the modern hospitality business.

“The old space had mint green curtains that weren’t that great, some fake marbling, old tables, and most the linens were white,” Lujan said. “There wasn’t any specific vibe they were going for, and these renovations definitely have more of a theme.”

In place of the older fine dining decor, the restaurant opted for a modern feel with the redesign, according to Colin Johnson, the hospitality department chair. Black Walnut tables set with simple white plates and polished silverware provide contrast to the steel gray walls.

“The Vista Room has been a great servant to the University over many years,” Johnson said. “We felt it was time to give it a kind of refresher.”

The restaurant is a lab class shared between hospitality and tourism management, dietetics and consumer and family studies students to give them experience in the dayto-day process of the food service industry, according to Vista Room coordinator Sybil Yang.

“This is an educational setting, so it gives you the opportunity to slow down and observe what’s going on around you,” said Mason, who is a kitchen staffer at the Vista Room. “It’s really good because it teaches you how to do everything you would need to do in a restaurant, but in a slower pace so you can really take in all the details.”

In addition to the physical renovations, Vista Room management changed policies, including an expanded and

simplified reservation system, added accommodations for walk-in guests and additional payment options for customers.

“When I tell people that we will be able to take walkins, they are surprised and happy,” said Vista Room general manager Joe Lavilla. “A lot of people are happy they can use their credit card and they don’t have to prepay, because that was not a very easy system to navigate.”

The new policy changes make the restaurant more cost-effective, according to Vista Room coordinator Sybil Yang. The revenue generated from customers covers staff training and ingredients for the restaurant, Yang said. The new policies simplify access to the restaurant, maintaining a steady amount of customers and revenue, she said.

“Its very important for us to get enough guests through the door in order to offset the costs of doing all the training upfront ahead of time,” Yang said.

In their push to modernize the restaurant, the management team worked with Lavilla and new head chef Tim Shaw to create a restaurant with sustainability at its core. With their background in sustainable food service, Shaw and Lavilla said they plan to serve local produce, dairy and meat.

“I was brought on to help give a local and sustainable slant to the food here at the Vista Room,” Shaw said. “I’ve gotten some really good feedback on the food and how it’s focusing more on freshness and variety.”

The management team hopes to turn the Vista Room into a destination for SF State students and food enthusiasts, Lavilla said.

“I’d like to see us be the first place that the campus community thinks to come to for a nicer-than-average lunch,” Lavilla said. “I want this to be the first place that other departments come to host their events. While we’re part of the campus community, we want to be even more integrated into it and be a resource for the other departments.”

XPRESS What do you think of the U.S. House of Representatives voting to freeze federal yoursELF funding for Planned Parenthood?

WE ASKED SF STATE STUDENTS:

“I don’t personally agree with the concept of abortion, but I think it’s wrong that government stopped funding for it.”

“I think it’s a bit of a farce and simply a horrible usage of the resources and money of the US.”

“I think that’s a bad idea. I believe that these type of facilities need to be funded.

They do some much for our community.”

“It doesn’t seem very rational. Planned Parenthood seems to also encompass protection & easy access to contraceptions.”

Briana osorio,18 psychology MAJOR

Aaron-Levy Wolins, 19 photojournalism MAJOR

Jessica moya, 21 psychology MAJOR

john mikkelson, 18 economics MAJOR

“I don’t agree with it because Planned Parenthood doesn’t just offer contraceptive services, it also provides health care, which affects the whole population of women.”

stephanie hernandez, 22 health education MAJOR

Wednesday, September 23, 2015 goldengatexpress.org

Obama unveils database on college costs and student outcomes SF State's college scorecard compared to the national average Average Annual Cost SF State: $14,235 National: $16,789

SF State

National

Median Earnings 10 Years After Entering School SF State: $46,900 National: $34,343

SF State

*Statistics compiled by the U.S. Department of Education

National GRAPHIC BY JAMES CHAN

scorecard Continued from the front

NEWS 3

“The challenge is that students need to be informed about the College Scorecard to make use of it,” Volkert said.

“Most students in California are already aware of the options for college – CSU campuses, UC campuses and community colleges, in addition to private colleges. It may have a bigger impact for students in other states.”

The average annual attendance cost at SF State is $14,235, about $2,000 below the national average, according to the database website.

Student loan debt in the U.S. is more than it has ever been, totaling over $1 trillion, with delinquency rates for student loans reaching 10 percent last year, according to a 2014 study by the Council for Independent Colleges.

The scorecard provides data on the average total debt students acquired from each college as well as typical monthly payments necessary to repay student loans after graduation. The median debt for an SF State undergraduate student after graduation is listed at $17,775 on the site, but only includes federal financial aid debt.

The average salary of SF State students 10 years after entering the school is $46,900 according to the website, significantly above the national

average of $34,343.

Business marketing major and Spanish minor Nicholas Thomas, who is set to graduate this spring, said he has accumulating about $25,000 in debt. Even after receiving the Pell Grant, Thomas said he had to take out subsidized and unsubsidized loans to afford tuition at SF State.

Thomas said he doesn’t have a job lined up post-graduation and that despite his interest in the field, he is thinking about going into market research because it could help pay off his debt. Thomas also said he is considering getting his master’s degree to delay paying the interest of his unsubsidized loans that will be due when he graduates.

Volkert said it is too early to tell if College Scorecard will impact enrollment totals at SF State since it was just released.

Although most of the information the scorecard provides can be found on the SF State website or other places online, Volkert said the site provides access to valuable information in a single place.

The scorecard is a step in the right direction, according to Jimmie Wilder, the associate director of financial aid.

“Only time will tell if Obama’s College Scorecard will keep students out of debt,” Wilder said. “There are so many things to help students deal with debt and this is just another addition to aid that issue.”

4 Lifestyle & culture

Wednesday, September 23, 2015 goldengatexpress.org

Student radio station embraces the chaos of a new semester

T

ANGELICA WILLIAMS / XPRESS

VOCALIZE: Megan Maurer, general manager of KSFS radio station, interviews Kioran Shudall (left) and Joe Falconer (right) during the radio show, Circa Waves, Thursday, Sept. 17 in the Creative Arts Building at SF State.

ASHLEY BOWEN

anbowen@mail.sfsu.edu

he walls of the KSFS radio station at SF State are covered with graffiti, a longstanding tradition carried on by students looking to make their mark. A large sign showcasing their slogan, “Embrace the chaos,” is tacked onto the wall.

It is a sentiment that Jeff Jacoby, advisor and associate professor, said he proudly upholds. In the other room, Tim Blair, operations manager of KSFS and broadcast and electronic communication arts major, sat behind the soundboard with his co-host, eager to begin their show “T-Time.” With headphones strapped on and microphones raised to their lips, they dim the lights to, as Blair describes it, “turn our eyes off and our ears on.” “(Jacoby) always tells us, radio is the most personal of all the medias,” Blair, 24, said. “It’s like you’re talking to one person through the earphone. It’s pretty intimate.”

Blair is just one of the many students who create and stream radio shows online for the KSFS station on SF State’s campus. The station is active Monday

ANGELICA WILLIAMS / XPRESS

AMPLIFY: Megan Maurer, general manager of

KSFS radio station, changes the volume levels before her raido show Thursday, Sept. 17 in the Creative Arts Building at SF State.

through Friday from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.

“It’s a great creative output for technical prep,” Pierog said. “I know and weekends from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. students,” Maurer said. “Having we will be tutored during our first show, “Students have the ability to intelligent radio is really but I just wish we had more hands-on produce any type of show important. We are the (training) before the show." they want, and this is future, obviously, The average number of listeners probably the only time and, more depends on the time and day as well in their life where importantly, as the program, according to Jacoby. they’ll have that we’re the However, he said KSFS tries to increase opportunity,” said future of the their awareness through flyers, social Gina Baleria, media.” media and monthly sponsored DJ nights who teaches the Kasia that they stream and host at The Depot in beginning radio Pierog, 23, the Cesar Chavez Student Center. course. a BECA Jacoby said he believes that the skills Jacoby said senior in the needed for radio cannot be obtained from that he prefers beginning the classroom environment, but rather by free-form college course, has hands-on experience. radio, in which the not yet started “My job is to get them committed and professors don’t tell her show with then set them free, and if I can manage the students what to do her co-host, Jesus that, the student has an experience that -jeff jacoby on air.

Cabrera, 27, also a is stunning, and they often come back “We challenge them, BECA senior. Pierog and tell me that,” Jacoby said. “When I we demand excellence, we require said she was concerned about the get them there, they are amazed at what audience awareness, we encourage difficulty of learning the new equipment. they’ve learned. It’s all about doing your quality programming and we want them “I feel like there wasn’t enough show.” to make very good radio,” Jacoby said.

The first week of class consists of production equipment training for the beginning radio class, as well as each newcomer meeting their co-host, according to Baleria. By the third week of school, advanced students are on the air, helping beginners follow in their footsteps.

The shows focus on a range of topics, from popular culture to social justice issues, politics, music shows and relationship advice. Lanica Garcia, 23, a senior BECA major who hosts two shows this semester, said that anything goes with KSFS. “(Jacoby) really loves it when you do really weird stuff,” Garcia said. “Like messing with turn tables and music speeds and adding in random skips.”

Megan Maurer, 25, a senior music composition major and the general manager of KSFS, began at the radio station in 2013. She currently has a political talk show focusing on the 2016 ANGELICA WILLIAMS / XPRESS presidential election, as well as a music BROADCAST: Megan Maurer, general manager of KSFS radio station, conducts an interview during show where she brings in local bands for her radio show Thursday, Sept. 17 in the Creative Arts Building at SF State. live performances.

“

It’s a great creative output for students.

Having intelligent radio is really important. We are the future, obviously, and, more importantly, we’re the future of the media

”

Wednesday, September 23, 2015 goldengatexpress.org

LIFESTYLE & CULTURE 5

Marketing major epitomizes refined style TYLER PRIMAS tprimas@mail.sfsu.edu

ALEX KOFMAN/ XPRESS

DAPPER: Bryce Jones, a marketing student at SF State and employee at Johnston & Murphy, a men’s and women’s shoe and clothing store, takes a break from work after helping customers in Union Square Friday, Sept 18.

With one hand tucked into the pocket of his pressed slacks and two fingers in the air hailing a cab, SF State marketing major Bryce Jones’ sense of style is as sharp as the San Francisco skyline. His leather Oxfords have made their way from downtown Fresno to styling clients in the heart of the city.

“Growing up, I didn’t feel like I was the coolest kid, but I could always do what I wanted to do in terms of outfits,” Jones said.

Jones said he likes to maintain a modern and mature aesthetic and makes sure that everything he wears is fashion forward. He shops at Banana Republic and H&M, but also likes to collect a few designer pieces. His favorite designers are Tom Ford, Paul Smith and Givenchy – designers who have that crisp and modern aesthetic to their clothing.

Jones has been working for Johnston and Murphy, a men’s and women’s shoe and clothing store, for a year now and also models for H.L. James, a brand for men's luxury bags. He said he wants to pursue a long-term career with H.L. James, which he hopes will earn him a fulltime job either modeling or styling.

“In my opinion, I think

that men’s fashion is better than women’s fashion,” said Jones. “A lot of my clients tell me that they wish they made men's clothes in women’s sizes.”

Jones said that he doesn't follow trends and instead

“

If I was a guy, I would want to dress like him.

West, A$AP Rocky and Jones’ sister are just a few of his style inspirations, Jones said. He said he enjoys their neutral color aesthetic.

“In terms of inspiration, my sister played a huge role in inspiring me to use muted colors, and at the same time (inspired me) to use fashion as my own look,” Jones said.

Jones’ sister, Arielle Jones, 23, was awarded best new face for San Francisco Fashion Week last year and graduated from SF State in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing.

“I think part of my inspiration to Bryce was aesthetics,” Arielle Jones said. “I think what I’ve seen him carry with him is that no one can wear you like you.

Comfort in yourself makes what you put on your body secondary.”

According to Arielle Jones, her brother has demonstrated that it’s all right to invest in things that make people more comfortable being themselves.

Clothes don’t just have to be a means of covering one’s body, she said.

Putting on the right outfit can inspire people, according to Jones.

“First impression is based off of appearance,” Jones said. “And putting on the right outfit makes you feel a certain type of way throughout the day.”

”

-Erika Campos

creates his own looks as the seasons change. He said his favorite seasons are winter and fall because he likes to layer. In spring and summer, he said he factors in bursts of color to give his outfits a little flare.

SF State communications major Erika Campos, 21, is also from Fresno and said she always notices Jones’ fashion.

“I think he has super good taste in men’s fashion,” she said. “I like that he steps out of the box and is original when it comes to putting his outfits together. If I was a guy, I would want to dress like him.”

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6 spotlight

Wednesday, September 23, 2015 goldengatexpress.org

Professor on Emmynominated film crew carves path into maledominated industry emmy Continued from the front

PHOTO COURTESY OF WARZER JAFF

EMMA CHIANG / XPRESS

GNARLY: (COUNTERCLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE) Beth

Price Jeffris, an exercise physiologist, Bianca Valenti, 2014 Big Wave World Champion and owner of restaurant Valenti and Co., and Sachi Cunningham, SF State instructor, prepare to surf at Ocean Beach Friday, Sept.

18. (BELOW) Cunningham works with Scott Anger, cameraman, in an United Nations refugee camp outside of Erbil, Iraq for the production of “The Rise” of ISIS for PBS’ Frontline in early August 2014. (LEFT) Cunningham teaches students how to set up a one-camera interview in her mulitmedia journalism class Wednesday Sept. 16 at SF State. (RIGHT) Cunningham lifts a medicine ball at Ocean Beach Barra Brothers Academy Friday, Sept. 11.

EMMA CHIANG / XPRESS

The crew’s filming resulted in a hour-long documentary called “The Rise of ISIS,” which premiered last October and is nominated for an Emmy Award in the news and documentary category, premiering Sept. 28 at the Lincoln Center in New York City.

The 42-year-old Pittsburgh native said she always knew she wanted to become a filmmaker.

She said she initially dreamed of becoming a Hollywood filmmaker as an undergraduate studying American history at Brown University in 1990 but was later drawn to creating documentary films.

“I already knew that I didn’t have these stories of make believe in my head, and I knew I needed to find the stories in real life,” Cunningham said.

Cunningham joined PBS’ “Frontline” in 2004, starting with the series “Frontline World,” which “turns its lens on the global community covering countries and cultures rarely seen on American television,” according to the series’ website. She also worked as a multimedia journalist at the LA Times from 2008 to 2011.

Long-time colleague Scott Anger worked with Cunningham on the recently nominated documentary and first met her while working as the director of photography for various “Frontline” films.

“She’s an excellent journalist and fantastic film maker,” Anger said. “She has a great way with students. She’s incredibly patient and she knows a lot – she teaches from experience, which is incredibly valuable.”

As the only woman on a five-person crew, Cunningham said her experience filming the documentary was different from her colleagues’.

“I couldn't shake hands with anybody,” she said. “I would just nod. Some parts of Baghdad are very devout, so I bought a burqa in a marketplace, but I never used it.”

Being the only woman on a crew is not a new experience for Cunningham, who said there are not many camera women who

EMMA CHIANG / XPRESS

work in the film industry.

“People just have to hire (camerawomen),” Cunningham said. “Historically, there haven’t been many, and you had to be very big and strong to carry the big cameras. With the changing of technology, the cameras are getting smaller and that has enabled people of all different sizes, men and women, to do this kind of job.”

In addition to documentaries, Cunningham has ample experience and a love for aquatic videography and photography, she said.

Cunningham said she is at home in the water, having swam competitively since the age of 7 in addition to playing water polo and body surfing. Experience in the water is important for anyone interested in becoming aquatic photographers, she said. “(Water photographers) need to be excellent swimmers and know water safety,” Cunningham said.” Water safety and being comfortable in the water (is necessary,) and equally to that is knowing how to shoot. Master (photography) before adding the element of swimming, because that has to be second nature by then.”

The energy that she exerts while on the job is fluid in her work, according to her husband and journalist Zachary Slobig.

“There is a level of intensity with Sachi that she turns into her work and into her play,” Slobig said. “If you have ever seen her in the water and the joy that she takes from that; she’s one of those people that always goes 100 percent all the time, recreationally or professionally.”

Cunningham said she would like to see more activism around coastal cities in the future.

“Using the lessons I’m learning in teaching multimedia journalism and storytelling help improve the baseline knowledge of our coastal environments,” she said in an email. “To help encourage activism around conserving our coastal resources is something that I’d like to see happen in the future.”

Wednesday, September 23, 2015 goldengatexpress.org

LIFESTYLE & CULTURE 7

Tattooed students spill the truth about ink tattoos Continued from the front “For students’ first tattoos, there isn’t a huge trend that people follow. They usually get something sentimental because they want something that means a lot to them rather than getting something cool for the sake of looking cool.”

Sean Followill, 21, a senior studying art, said he is the only one in his family with tattoos. Followill said it came as a shock to his parents when he showed them his tattoo, which starts from his shoulder and extends down to his wrist. He has a new addition covering his chest: an unfinished owl that he started last week.

Followill said he got his tattoos to express how he deals with his personal struggles, like his diabetes. As a child, he said he had to deal with being the “different kid” who didn’t get to play as long as the other kids and constantly had to monitor his sugar levels.

“I was diabetic

“

since I was four,” Followill said. drink, but the worst that “The snake wrapped around happens are men who the medical cross and my randomly slap MLK quote represents my my back. How I get to look at specific experience dealing with is that OK or times of my life and my diabetes. It shows acceptable?” see the inspiration and that things can be bad, Despite mixed where I was at that but you gotta just power reactions from time. When I look at through it.” others, Gordon and my tattoos, it’s like the Although the tattoos other students said ultimate journaling. represent important they aren't deterred aspects of her life, Gordon from getting tattooed.

-Sarah Gordon said they have caused some “Honestly, I love unwanted attention, especially my tattoos more the tattoo that runs from her everyday," hip to her knee.

Gordon said. “I get to “People have no form of etiquette for look at specific tattoos,” Gordon said. “I have random men times of my come up to me at bars, saying, ‘Oh my life and see the gosh, your tattoo,’ and proceed to lift up my inspiration and skirt to see more of it.” where I was SF State student and business marketing at that time. major Samantha Kephart, 22, has When I look at experienced similar treatment because of my tattoos, her body art. One of her bigger pieces is a it's like the Hamsa symbol, an Arabic hand symbol ultimate used as an amulet to ward off evil. journaling.”

“People come up to me and treat me differently because of it,” Kephart said. “When I wear a shirt revealing the tattoo on my back, guys approach me thinking I am there for more than just a

”

BRIAN CHURCHWELL / XPRESS

SKIN : (LEFT) Samantha Kephart, business

marketing major, shows her Hamsa symbol tattoo Friday, Sept. 18 in the photo studio in the Humanities Building. She usually keeps them covered to avoid unwanted attention. (RIGHT) Art student Sean Followill poses in the photo studio Tuesday, Sept. 15. Followill’s tattoos represent his experience dealing with diabetes.

8 Sports

Wednesday, September 23, 2015 goldengatexpress.org

QING HUANG / XPRESS

Glory Days: (ABOVE) Harry Overstreet, SF State alumnus and former defensive end for the Gators football team, poses for a portrait in front of his home in Oakland Wednesday, Sept. 16. (RIGHT) Harry Overstreet (84), tackles UC Santa Barbara Gauchos quarterback at Cox Stadium Aug. 24, 1988 at SF State. The Gators lost with a final score of 6-16.

SF State remembers Gators football 20 years after cutting program

PHOTO COURTESY OF HARRY OVERSTREET

DAVID CURL

dcurl@mail.sfsu.edu

Two decades ago, the echoes of fans chanting for the SF State football squad faded from Cox Stadium for the final time, but for former defensive end Harry Overstreet, the memories have remained.

“I remember one game, where at halftime, Ol’ (former SF State head coach) Vic Rowen came out screaming at us, Knute Rockne style, trying to fire us up, saying ‘there no athlete like a football player!’” said Overstreet, who played for the team during the 1989 season. “And then we came out for the second half and got our butts kicked.”

SF State's football program was active for 64 years, from 1931-1995, and while the end of its days were not successful, with a 30-80 record over their last 10 seasons, the team was a powerhouse in the Far Western

Conference during the 1950s and ’60s, winning the conference 12 times in 20 years.

According to Overstreet, it didn’t matter that the team wasn’t great.

“We were a team and we loved the game,” he said.

The introduction of the CAL-NOW, a 1993 agreement between the California Branch of the National Organization for Women and the California State University System, called for equal athletic opportunity among genders at CSUs, and SF State was far from equal. The decree came in response to the CSU’s failure to comply with Title IX. Without the funding to add sufficient women's programs, the decision was made to cut football, the school’s largest male sports program, according to a 1995 San Francisco Chronicle article.

Two decades later, football has remained a memory at SF

State, and according to former Gators football player and SF State’s current chief of police, Reggie Parson, it will likely stay that way.

“Football is not fiscally sustainable,” Parson said. “(Bringing the program back) would require a fiscal commitment that would be too difficult to bear.”

For Overstreet, who left the team six years prior to its demise, it was the suddenness of the sport’s removal that was so difficult.

“I remember the shock on people's faces,” Overstreet said.

“They had just gotten a new coach from (University of California, Berkeley), a new class of players, and they were all blind-sided by the news.”

Under Title IX and the CAL-NOW decree, CSUs were required to keep the percentage of female athletes within 5 percent of the overall female student population. In 1995, SF

GATOR GAMES RECAP WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTY

MEN’S CROSS COUNTY

9/17

1

st

9/17 1st Place at 7260 meter SF State Quad Meet, Drew Feldman (2nd) 23:11.00, Michael Garaventa (6th) 23:29.00, Benji Preciadio (9th) 23:38.00

9/17

4

WOMEN’S

VOLLEYBALL

9/19

th

9/17 4th Place at 5800 meter SF State Quad Meet, Samantha Lopez (17th) 23:24.00, Morgan Gilmore (19th) 24:50.00, Nicole Novales (30th) 26:05.00

9/22

W L

3-0

2-3

9/19 Win 3-1 vs Cal State East Bay 25-17, 25-17, 22-25, 25-17 9/22 Loss vs Chico State 2125, 25-13, 20-25,28-26, 12-15

State had a student body that was 59 percent female, but only 34 percent of student athletes were female, according to the same San Francisco Chronicle article.

Many involved with SF State still lament the fallen program.

“We would have more school spirit and a sense of community on campus,” said senior psychology major Holli Rodriguez. “Football makes students passionate and proud of their classmates, and it would be nice to show love for our school.”

Overstreet said he believes football at SF State is more than a sport.

“SFSU needs football,” he said. “Having football diversifies student culture and adds an unbelievable opportunity for kids to play and learn pride and camaraderie.”

Whether or not SF State Gators football ever takes to the field again, certain memories

will live on forever, according to the ex-players. Both Overstreet and Parson recounted a historic Oct. 17, 1989 practice, when the players were on the field for the Loma Prieta earthquake.

“I still remember utter disbelief watching the condos swaying,” Overstreet said. “How’s that for memorable?”

Twenty years after the fact, Gators football leaves behind a legacy of pride, according to Parson and Overstreet.

“We were a competitive football program with guidance and support from a core of amazing coaches,” Parson said, alluding to legendary head coaches like Rowen and Joe Verducci, as well as assistant Gators coaches turned NFL head coaches Andy Reid and Mike Holmgren.

Not to mention, as Overstreet put it, “We could play ball too.”

WOMEN’S SOCCER 9/18 9/20 9/22

T W W

0-0

MEN’S SOCCER 9/18

4-1

5-1

9/18 Tie 0-0 vs Stanislaus State 9/20 Win 4-1 Cal State East Bay, Scoring 1:42 Isabella Nizario ; 48:06 Bianca Lowe; 48:56 Kayleen Belda; 86:39 Kimber Lohman 9/22 Win 5-1 vs Holy Names University (Calif.) Scoring 13:34 Danielle Vidal; 48:44 Kayleen Belda, 53:53 Vanessa Penuna; 69:13 Autumn Fox; 73:55 Shannon Rauschnot

9/20

L W

0-2 3-1

9/18 Loss 0-2 vs Stanislaus State 9/20 Win 3-1 vs Cal State East Bay, Scoring 15:11 Robert Kelly, Assist Armando Flores; 57:57 Armando Flores, Assist Emmanuel Serrano, Emmanuel Jimenez; 77:00 James Aguirre, Assist Nolan Parker

SPORTS 9

Wednesday, September 23, 2015 goldengatexpress.org

Rugby team bonds on the pitch

P

CHRISTOPHER CONTRERAS

cdcontreras3@mail.sfsu.edu

ushing sleds, White, the team has tackling looked good so far this bags and preseason and he said yelling at the he is impressed by the top of their team’s self reliance. lungs on the turf field “It’s a very self-led of the West Campus team, being a club Green, SF State’s rugby team. I’d rather not players practiced hard dictate too much of the to bounce back from practice,” White said. last season, in which White brings a they failed to notch a lot of experience and single victory. knowledge to the “Last season was a club. He’s played and little bumpy. We started coached rugby for over out playing the previous 20 years, including year's league champion, at the University of Stanford, and had quite Arizona. Prior to SF a few injuries,” said State, White coached senior and third-year at San Jose State captain Lukas Zanoli.

University for three In a game that lasts years and is now also 80 minutes and requires the head coach of 15 players on the field Google’s company at all times, lack of rugby team. bodies can hurt a team Alex Muhn, a more than lack of skill, second-year player, Zanoli said. said he was excited “We had a really to have such an bad start last year, and experienced coach. that kind of just brought "Having someone down the morale, and with so much we had problems last experience is great year with numbers,” for such a new team," Zanoli said.

BRIAN CHURCHWELL / XPRESS Muhn said.

Injuries were a Although the COLLIDE: Zeth Tutupoly (left) demonstrates proper tackling technique during SF State’s Rugby team practice on the West Campus Green Friday, problem due to the team’s first league Sept. 18. underwhelming turnout game isn’t until next of students last season, Zanoli said.

January, they have several chances during Sevens Rugby Championship, hosted Angeles and University of Oregon.

According to head coach Dean White, the preseason tournaments to display the

by University of California, Berkeley in Sixth-year head coach Dean White team has about 40 players this year. chemistry they have built.

November. Division I schools expected said the team thinks they have what it Those extra bodies will come in They played in their first tournament to compete at the tournament include takes to compete with the powerhouse handy when the team plays in the PAC Sept. 12, finishing 1-3.

Stanford, University of California, Los teams in the conference. According to

10 opinion

Wednesday, September 23, 2015 goldengatexpress.org

GOLDEN GATE Planned House's

NASHELLY CHAVEZ

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

DARCY FRACOLLI

MANAGING EDITOR dfracoll@mail.sfsu.edu

RISTI TEWOLDE

ONLINE SUPERVISING EDITOR tewolde@mail.sfsu.edu

EVA RODRIGUEZ

ART DIRECTOR erodrig2@mail.sfsu.edu

HARLAN FROST

ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR hfrost@mail.sfsu.edu

EMMA CHIANG

PHOTO EDITOR echiang@mail.sfsu.edu

AVERY PETERSON

NEWS EDITOR averylp@mail.sfsu.edu

CREO NOVENO

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR cnoveno@mail.sfsu.edu

KALANI RUIDAS

LIFESTYLE & CULTURE EDITOR kruidas@mail.sfsu.edu

REID CAMMACK

OPINION EDITOR reidcamm@mail.sfsu.edu

press

Parenthood bill infringes on women's rights STAFF EDITORIAL

The U.S. House of Representatives announced its intention to violate the inalienable rights of American citizens Friday, when it voted to deny millions of women access to affordable reproductive health care.

The House passed a bill to freeze all federal funding for Planned Parenthood Sept. 18. According to the bill text, the plan would withhold funding from the non-profit and their affiliates for one year unless they agree to stop providing abortions during that period.

The bill is nothing short of extortion, trading federal funds for a woman’s right to choose and continuing the Republican onslaught against a right that was guaranteed to women 40 years ago by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The House vote came in the wake of the release of a series of heavily edited videos by a pro-life group, which paints Planned Parenthood as a profit-hungry, morally bankrupt organization.

As Republicans hide their intentions behind the smokescreen of the videos,

VINCENT FAUSONE IV

republicans are attacking planned parenthood after a series of deceptive viral videos raised panic among anti -abortion advocates their history of attempts to defund Planned Parenthood suggests that they have other motives. Mother Jones compiled a timeline of Republicans moves against the non-profit over the last 35 years, and it demonstrates a continuous, calculated persecution of the organization.

Whatever they declare their goals to be, their actions would ultimately deny low-income people the only form of reproductive health care accessible to them.

And women aren’t the only ones affected. Planned Parenthood also provides men with STD tests; colon, prostate and testicular cancer screenings; sexual orientation counseling and access to male

birth control.

The cut in federal funding would save $450 million annually in money going directly to Planned Parenthood, but most of that savings comes from Medicaid reimbursements that would be reabsorbed elsewhere by the system. Furthermore, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that because of that and additional costs incurred to Medicaid from the thousands of additional pregnancies per year, the total savings to the federal government would be a measly $235 million over the next 10 years.

But it’s not about the money or political agendas. It’s about the lives of the millions of Americans who will lose access to one of the only reputable and affordable reproductive care services available to them in this country and the incalculable toll that thousands of unwanted pregnancies will take on their personal and professional lives.

It’s unacceptable that an ultimatum now stands between a woman and her right to affordable health care.

SPORTS EDITOR vfausone@mail.sfsu.edu

GENESIS CHAVEZ-CARO COPY EDITOR gchavezc@mail.sfsu.edu

LULU OROZCO

MULTIMEDIA EDITOR ohlulu@mail.sfsu.edu

JOCELYN CARRANZA

ASSISTANT MULTIMEDIA EDITOR jcarranz@mail.sfsu.edu

JESSICA NEMIRE

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR jdn@mail.sfsu.edu

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PRINT ADVISER kanigel@mail.sfsu.edu

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FACULTY ADVISER toland@sfsu.edu

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PHOTO ADVISER tucker@sfsu.edu

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ADVERTISING & BUSINESS echarles@sfsu.edu

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

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STUDENT GRAPHIC DESIGNER ggxads@sfsu.edu

WRITE US A LETTER

The Golden Gate Xpress accepts letters no longer than 200 words.

Letters are subject to editing.

Send letters to Reid Cammack at: reidcamm@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 Nashelly Chavez at: nashelly@mail.sfsu.edu

Stop counting calories and bite into veggies

T

SAMANTHA LUSIGNAN slusigna@mail.sfsu.edu

he crinkle of a Nabisco snack draws my attention as I zero in on the woman sitting two desks across from me. My heart breaks as I hear her boast to her friend: “Look girl, I’m being healthy!

It’s only 100 calories!”

What she thinks of as a health-conscious snack is what I know to be poison. Not only is she filling up on the with the dreaded p-word — processed foods — she is also depriving herself of wholesome and basic nutrition.

People should focus on the quality of their food instead of worrying about the number of calories they consume. Reward your body with simple nutrientdense foods that will help keep the fat off forever. You’ll see that eating natural foods can also improve mood, energy level and overall physical appearance.

I learned this six months ago after deciding to make a lifestyle change. I had skin rashes due to sensitivities to gluten and

burgers and ice cream. I took the initiative to completely transform my body with the best nutrition and exercise and learned that it’s not how much you put in your body, but what you put in your body that counts.

People who really care about their health

GRAPHIC BY HARLAN FROST

processed foods. I constantly felt lethargic and I was holding excess weight. On top of that, I was sick of feeling self-conscious and struggled to shop for simple things like jeans. I decided that I had had enough of treating my body like a trashcan, eating In-N-Out

should be snacking on raw nuts, fruits, vegetables and lean meats for a healthy and more sustainable snack. Eating foods like these will keep the body fuller, more satisfied and and often cost less money as opposed to buying pre-made foods.

I have been training my body like a lean, clean, eating machine because I’m working to become my best self. I eat every two hours and never sweat over going over my calorie count. I might look like a weirdo popping open the cooler in my car to eat my pre-made meals every two hours, but at least I know how to pronounce the ingredients in my food and know that I am getting the optimal nutrition that will sustain a better life.

Sure, if students fill their bodies with only 100-calorie snacks, a salad and a sandwich throughout their whole day, they might lose weight.

In the end, though, they will not get the optimal results that they would following a clean and natural diet.

I write this piece not to judge others for what they choose to put in their bodies, but to share some insight for what worked for me and can work for others. There are many people without the tools to change and transform. Hopefully with this information, they can start becoming their best self.

opinion 11

Wednesday, September 23, 2015 goldengatexpress.org

Reid It and Weep is a weekly column highlighting the frequent disappointments in contemporary pop culture.

W

REID CAMMACK

reidcamm@mail.sfsu.edu

henever I feel down about my life, I look at the comment section of online news articles. Because, even if I think my life is going downhill, I can always find comfort in knowing that I’m not an old, white person who likes to angrily comment and scream into the Internet.

Recently I found myself in the depths of a New York Fashion Week Facebook post. A commenter, whose profile picture was giving me a glammed-down, recently-divorced Kate Gosselin vibe, was very upset that supermodel Kendall Jenner was so involved in this year’s fashion week. She claimed that Jenner was only there because of her family name and didn’t deserve to have a spot on the runway.

This TLC-reality-star wannabe was overly concerned about the 19-year-old’s rapid career advancement, and for no reason. Jenner isn’t the only person in the world who has gotten somewhere through her name and connections.

Literally everyone uses their personal connections to help their careers, and there is no reason to bully Jenner for doing just that.

Jenner has taken the modeling world by storm. Just last week, she walked for Givenchy, Diane Von Furstenberg, Michael Kors and Marc Jacobs at New York Fashion Week. And in the past, she’s been the face of Fendi, Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs, Givenchy and Balmain. And to top it all off, Forbes just named Jenner 2015’s 16thhighest-paid model.

No, Jenner would not have reached this level of success at 19 if she was born into a random, middle class family, but she wasn’t. Jenner is the daughter of a world-famous Olympian and a fame-hungry vampire.

There is no universe where she wasn’t going to grow up to be a household name.

Jenner has even said that her name almost killed her modeling career. “I had to work even harder to get where I wanted because people didn’t take me seriously as a model because of the TV show,” Jenner said in an interview with LOVE magazine. “It was great when people didn’t recognize me. I was like, ‘Thank you. Please don’t recognize me.’”

Model Arisce Wanzer wrote an open letter to Jenner last year talking about the struggle of getting to fashion week. She said many aspiring models go broke trying to

Kendall Jenner faces backlash book gigs, and they have a generally terrible time trying to make it in the fashion world. To her, it’s unfair that a “reality TV star” didn’t face the same struggles.

While, yes, it’s terrible that many models have to work so hard just to try and live their dreams, that struggle is the same for any industry. No matter the job, some people are going to be excluded because others used their connections to nab the position, especially in arts and entertainment.

Many potential actors didn’t get jobs because of celebrity children like Jaden Smith, Miley Cyrus and Kate Hudson and no one blames them for it. Celebrity children-turned-models like Lily Collins, Georgia May Jagger and Sophie Dahl took many jobs away from aspiring models, but no one is writing them open letters.

Liza Minnelli wasn’t the subject of these letters 40 years ago, so why are we just now deciding to hate celebrity

children?

Unlike her sisters, who will just slap their name on products, take butt selfies and inject too much of what I assume is expired Crisco into their lips, Jenner is actually building herself up with talent. She isn’t just a random reality star who needed a hobby. She wouldn't have made it this far in the industry already if she weren’t excelling at her job.

Jenner has already proved herself in the fashion world; she doesn’t need to prove herself to these Facebook moms. So, to online commenters like the low-rent Kate Gosselin, I say please quit your full-time job of being terrible and let Jenner live her life. She’s using her connections and doing what anyone else would do in her situation. Leave the girl alone and go back to making poor hairstyle choices.

ILLUSTRATION BY REID CAMMACK