n e d o l a te
February 24, 2016
GGX
XPRESS
Issue
Students march in support of Ethnic studes page 5
Faculty showcase personal stories through artwork in student-run exhibit
JULIO MARCIAL / SPECIAL TO XPRESS
Claire Ogden (left), a fine arts major, and Nikkie Stutts, a studio art major, shared a tender moment while observing Victor De La Rosa’s “Mission Suite” textile posters at the Art Faculty Exhibition in the Fine Arts Gallery Tuesday.
COURTNEE BRIGGS cbriggs@mail.sfsu.edu
ASHLEY BOWEN
anbowen@mail.sfsu.edu
T
he Fine Arts Gallery was bustling Tuesday night, with faculty and student conversations echoing throughout the large room. The white walls were well-lit, highlighting the faculty members' artwork while students were immersed
in their professors' personal pieces. Four intricately woven tapestries showcasing four different residents of the Mission were hung up on a wall, staring back at viewers. The tapestries were part of SF State associate professor Victor De La Rosa's "The Mission Suite," a series featured in the Art Faculty Exhibition, which opened Tuesday at 4 p.m. in the Fine Arts Gallery. The work was originally supposed to be installed at the 16th and Mission BART plaza last November, but after BART objected to the content of one
#5
Volume CII goldengatexpress.org
of the pieces, De La Rosa had to decide whether to only show three of the four pieces. He ultimately chose not to work with BART and instead collaborated with students to show the collection on his own at the station for a few hours. The art faculty exhibit will be the first time the pieces have all been shown since. “I’m glad that it’s actually going to be on the campus, and I’m also very proud that the content of the work never became an issue between the college, the school or the gallery,” De La Rosa said. “Everyone is just looking at it
for its merit.” Carman Gaines, a junior majoring in art history and studio art, said she enjoys learning from the inspiration behind the faculty’s work. “Pretty much all of the faculty are artists and professors so it’s great to see what inspires them and their teaching practice,” Gaines said. The faculty exhibit, which
faculty art show Continued ON PAGE 6
Sustainability of new wellness center focus of community meeting MADELINE MANSON
mmanson@mail.sfsu.edu
Capital Planning, Design and Construction met Tuesday, Feb. 22 in Jack Adams Hall with the campus community to discuss the sustainability features of the new Mashouf Wellness Center. The $85.6 million Mashouf Wellness Center will include cutting-edge water and energy efficiency, and plans to obtain a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. “We think this will not only promote health and wellness on SF State’s campus, but will also bring together the students of SF State to create a greater sense of community,” said Cameron Morgan, an environmental studies major and one of the sport clubs student managers for the campus recreation department. “As a student, I am not only excited for the building, but the way in which it’s being built.” Architects working on the facility were present to answer questions about the design and sustainability. “In our research, there are only two other student rec centers in the country that are LEED Platinum, and so this would be the third,” said Mitch Fine, project architect and manager. “This is very important, not just to the community, but to the students. It’s something that they felt really strongly about, and it’s something that we wanted to help them achieve.” Water conservation plans brought up in the meeting include recovering 10,000 gallons of water per week from pool filter backwash and 4,700 gallons of water per week from shower and lavatory fixtures, according to the Mashouf
Mashouf Continued ON PAGE 3
Students meet as financial issues loom for Ethnic Studies
ethnic studies ON PAGE 4
RYAN ZARAGOZA / XPRESS
A crowd gathered outside of the Ethnic Studies & Psychology Building to chant lyrics and poetry following the student meeting on Tuesday.
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Wednesday, February 24, 2016 goldengatexpress.org
NEWS
SF State prepares for installation of new, eco-friendly water fountains MADELINE MANSON
mmanson@mail.sfsu.edu
F
iltered water bottle filling stations and drinking fountains will soon replace five standard water fountains on campus. The Office of Sustainability and President Leslie E. Wong initiated this project, which was supported by students and staff in large numbers after protestors filled the pouring rights open forum last semester. “They will help remind people that they are actually helping the environment by not using plastic water bottles,” said Nick Kordesch, the administrative analyst for physical planning and development. These filling stations will be free to use and will supply filtered water to students and staff. “Our water is of high quality already, but we have heard so many requests for filtered water from the campus community," Kordesch said. "If that’s what it takes to get people to transition from plastic water bottles, then it's worth a try." Features will also include chilled water and a small digital screen that will display how many disposable water bottles have been saved, according to Kordesch. The water bottle filling systems will be installed on the first four levels of the J. Paul Leonard Library, along with one in the Student Services Building. "These are high-traffic
areas that are frequented by students,” said Cailtin Steele, the director of sustainability and energy at SF State. The date of the first installment has yet to be finalized. “Five will be installed by the end of the spring semester,” Steele said. “This is a replacement project. Each new water bottle filling station will replace an older model water fountain.” According to Kordesch, they plan to retrofit up to 30 drinking fountains across campus. Some fountains have already been equipped with a cheaper water bottle filler, which sits on top of the fountain and allows you to fill up a bottle more easily. Retrofitting of existing drinking fountains started in 2013, when they installed 11 spouts, one in each building. Exact locations can be found on SF State's website. “The funding comes from money that we've saved from previous energy efficiency projects,” Kordesch said. “For example, we installed more efficient lighting in the parking garage and all the money we saved from the cheaper electricity bill, plus some grant money from CSU, goes towards other sustainability projects like the bottle fillers.” The Office of Sustainability, Wong, the Environmentally Concerned Organization of Students, The Green Initiative Fund and other student organizations have been working together toward a more sustainable and less waste-
PABLO CABALLERO / XPRESS
SF State student Alexander Garduna stops to refill his water bottle at a filling station near the Village Thursday.
producing campus. "I think it's a really great idea, especially because plastic water bottles could be very expensive," said Rachel Parry, an American literature and creative writing student. In order to help the city of San Francisco reach the goal of zero waste by 2020, this system will decrease the number of non-reusable bottles on campus. The Office of Sustainability is promoting reusable bottles or canteens, according to SF State's Zero Waste by 2020 Initiative website. SF State's website shows
WE ASKED SF STATE STUDENTS:
that, as of 2009, SF State diverted more than 71 percent of its waste from the landfill, and continues to work toward a higher number. In past semesters, SF State has taken a variety of different steps in making the campus more sustainable, including planting native plants able to withstand drought conditions, installing a computeroperated irrigation system and
developing of the Mashouf Wellness Center, which will include state of the art energy and water conservation methods, according to SF State Sustainability Initiatives.
s s e r p X ourself: y
How safe do you feel on San Francisco public transportation, and why?
“I take Muni a lot and have my share of stories. Public transportation is really concerning.”
nick urbonas, 25 English major
“I feel pretty safe. Nothing bad has ever happened to me (on public transportation).”
Corbin Harris, 23 BECA major
“On a scale of 1-to-10, I’d say a six. If I’m with a friend I feel more safe than travelling alone.”
haley bennett, 19
Communicative disorders major
“I feel pretty safe because there are so many people around. If I was getting stabbed someone could help out.”
nick cos, 19
History major
“I feel medium-safe. Basically as safe as anywhere else in the city. There can be culture clashes because sometimes people just have different expectations of personal space, volume and smell.”
leora turko, 36
English major
Wednesday, February 24, 2016 goldengatexpress.org
NEWS
3
MADELINE MANSON / XPRESS
A model of the Mashouf Wellness Center, named after SF State alumnus Manny Mashouf, on display at a meeting organized by the Capital Planning, Design and Construction group Tuesday in Jack Adams Hall.
Sustainability of new wellness center highlighted at community meeting Mashouf continued from the front Wellness Center website. Energy conservation plans include solar tubes that will provide natural lighting, displacement diffusers designed to provide heating and cooling, and a variable air system to maximize cooling. The website also claims the energyefficient lighting will help reduce energy consumption by 36.7 percent. An 18,000 square foot area on the roof will be dedicated to a 295 kilowatt solar panel system, producing 354,000 kilowatt hours per year. That means this facility would have more than 51 percent savings in electricity over baseline. There are also plans for drought
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tolerant plants to surround the center that will need little to no irrigation, but water drainage systems would provide the little water the plants need. “I feel like the Mashouf Wellness Center will help add to activity space in bringing people together and building community,” said Pam Su, the director of campus recreation. “It’s really about student success and helping students be successful inside and outside of the classroom.” According to the SF State website, in addition to the energy-efficient features, plans for the new 118,700-square-foot facility include a climbing wall, a two-
San FranciSco PeninSula
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eST. 1851
K-12 teachers and administrators are in demand.
court gymnasium, swimming pools, an elevated jogging track, cardio and weight training facilities, exercise studios, racquetball courts, a massage therapy room and an outdoor recreation center. The Mashouf Wellness Center will be built at the corner of Font and Lake Merced Boulevards, and construction began in August 2015. The project is estimated to be completed sometime in 2017. This $86.5 million facility is primarily funded by students through a fee already included in tuition costs and donations. Manny Mashouf, a political science alumnus of SF State and the founder and
chairman of Bebe Stores Inc., donated $10 million to the center, the largest donation SF State has ever received. Students will be able to access the center at no cost, but certain luxuries such as massage therapy and equipment rental will be at an added cost. Alumni memberships to the facility are also in progress. “I graduated last May; I’m really excited for something like this on campus, and I think that it’s a step in the right direction,” SF State alumnus Miguel Guerrero said at the meeting.
}
California K-12 enrollment is approaching 6.3 million. Teachers and administrators are in demand.
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FROM TRAUMA TO ACTIVISM FROM TRAUMA TO ACTIVISM Filling the void left by those who lost their lives at the hands of law enforcement
Filling the void left by those who lost their lives at the hands of law enforcement
FROM TRAUMA TO ACTIVISM Filling the void left by those who lost their lives at the hands of law enforcement
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Wednesday, February 24, 2016 goldengatexpress.org
NEWS
RYAN ZARAGOZA / XPRESS
Spulu Pacific leads students in a chant of Kendrick Lamar lyrics and an Assata Shakur poem outside the Ethnic Studies & Psychology building after the student meeting Tuesday.
Students meet as financial issues loom for Ethnic Studies JEREMY PORR
jporr@mail.sfsu.edu
G
raduate and undergraduate students in the College of Ethnic Studies met Tuesday to discuss and finalize their demands in the face of financial difficulty for the college. Students and faculty learned last week that the College of Ethnic Studies is facing financial difficulty and may face cuts, the Golden Gate Xpress previously reported. According to Jonathan Morales, director of news and new media at SF State, the proposed cuts students have heard about aren’t actually cuts at all, and are instead a more multi-faceted financial issue. “What’s been happening is the College of Ethnic Studies has been spending more than its budget allocation, and the University has been covering that with reserve funds from the academic affairs department,” Morales said. “That money is now depleted. We understand how that can be seen as a cut by some people, but in fact the University is no longer able to cover the college’s expenditures over its budget allocation.” Tuesday's meeting included a wide array of cultural organizations on campus, members of the Black Student Union and graduate students in the Ethnic Studies department. Hanna Wodaje, vice president of the BSU, said she is worried about how the potential cuts will affect her ability to graduate. “On behalf of the Black Student Union, we want (the administration) to know that we will not tolerate any of this, and this won’t go through,” Wodaje said. Sofia Cardenas, a third-year women
and gender studies major, said she was saddened to receive news that the office in which she works, the Ethnic Studies Student Resource and Empowerment Center, would no longer exist as a result of cutbacks. "We found out last week by word of mouth that these cuts would be pretty drastic," Cardenas said. "Another intern in ESSO proposed we attend the department chair meeting to get more information." According to Cardenas, students weren't invited to the meeting, but they also weren't told that they couldn't attend. Shortly after confirming with Ethnic Studies faculty what Cardenas and her peers had heard, the students in attendance walked directly into the Administration Building to demand President Leslie E. Wong's presence at a student and faculty forum 9 a.m. this Thursday in Ethnic Studies room 116. Wong echoed Morales’ statement in an e-mail sent out to students Tuesday afternoon. “When budget gaps have been discovered in other programs, a strategy was developed that allowed the program to continue while arranging to pay back its debt to the University within a set timeframe,” Wong said in the email. “In the case of the College of Ethnic Studies, no reimbursement plan has been requested. But the college has been asked to adapt to new budgetary discipline moving forward.” According to a factsheet distributed at Tuesday’s meeting by Students for Equitable Education United in Solidarity, with the University out of funding to help it, the College of Ethnic Studies will need to cut its budget 15 to 17 percent, resulting in the potential dismissal of non-tenured lecturers and the loss of 40 percent of Ethnic Studies classes, in addition to other student and faculty programs.
RYAN ZARAGOZA / XPRESS
SF State Students sign a banner to be hung in the College of Ethnic Studies stating why they believe in ethnic studies on Tuesday.
Abby Li, a psychology major who also works with Cardenas at ESSO, said she finds a lot of value in the College of Ethnic Studies. "We need to know about our backgrounds," Li said. "We need to know about the injustices that happen so we don't make the same mistakes and we learn from them." Since last Thursday's meeting, faculty in the College of Ethnic Studies have also published their own set of demands, including a call for the restoration of all funding to the College of Ethnic Studies, increased funding allocations for lecturers in the college, an evaluative review of Provost Sue Rosser and an independent audit of the academic affairs budget. Philip Klasky, ESSO Advisor and professor in American Indian studies, sees
the potential cuts to the department as a huge loss. “Ethnic Studies is essential,” Klasky said. “I think it’s essential in order to build a populous with critical thinking skills. Ethnic Studies is a right – it’s not a privilege, it’s not something that you add on to an education – I think it has to be part of the foundation of an education.” As for Cardenas, she sees the potential cuts to the department as a loss for the entire campus, not just majors within the department. "Ethnic Studies is a representation of the people on our campus, whether you're in the program or not," Cardenas said. "You can't deny the fact that there is a certain level of empowerment in knowing that your campus respects and celebrates the diversity that you're a part of."
Wednesday, February 24, 2016 goldengatexpress.org
NEWS
5
LAUREN SALDANA / SPECIAL TO XPRESS
General Union of Palestine Students members are joined by the Pilipino American Collegiate Endeavor Tuesday as they march from Malcolm X Plaza to the Ethnic Studies and Psychology Building in solidarity with prisoner Mohammed Al- Qeeq and to raise awareness of proposed budget cuts to the Ethnic Studies Department.
Palestine student group demonstrates solidarity with imprisoned journalist JOSUE DE LOS SANTOS dlsjosue@mail.sfsu.edu
T
he General Union of Palestine Students came together at Malcom X Plaza Tuesday afternoon in a demonstration of solidarity with Palestinian journalist Mohammed AlQeeq, who is being imprisoned without charges by the Israeli government and is currently on a hunger strike. Rabab Abdulhadi, associate professor of race and resistance studies and an advisor and founder of GUPS, spoke about
the potential loss of certain departments within the College of Ethnic Studies. Abdulhadi is also the head of the Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas Initiative, a minor program in Ethnic Studies, and said the program is on the verge of being shut down. “(Ethnic studies) is a place to produce justice-centered knowledge,” Abdulhadi said. There are only 16 students enrolled in the program. Abdulhadi said she wants the program to become a major.
Living with HIV Have a financial need www.sfsu.edu/~aidsinfo/financial. html The Cindy Kolb AIDS Donation Fund provides grants for SFSU students who are living with HIV. The grant can be used for any special need that you might have. The process is simple and the requirement is that you are currently enrolled, have a financial need and are HIV positive.
GUPS rallied at the plaza and marched to the College of Ethnic Studies in opposition to potential loss of funding. Abulhadi encouraged students to make their voices heard and help fight to preserve not only the historic College of Ethnic Studies, but also the AMED program. “We have to make sure we preserve the College of Ethnic Studies here today,” Abdulhadi said. “This is our home. When we come together, nobody can stop us."
STEVEN HO / SPECIAL TO XPRESS
Dr. Rabab Abdulhadi, associate professor of ethnic studies/race and resistance studies, speaks to students about Palestine in Malcolm X Plaza Tuesday.
G g x Gators, remember to
Recycle!!
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Wednesday, February 24, 2016 goldengatexpress.org
LIFESTYLE & CULTURE
JULIO MARCIAL / SPECIAL TO XPRESS
Sam Stollerman, a studio art major, views Sean McFarland’s “Lighting Strike July 25 2013” at the Art Faculty Exhibition in the Fine Arts Gallery Tuesday.
Faculty showcase personal stories through artwork in student-run exhibit FACULTY SHOWCASE Continued from the front
runs through March 17, will showcase the work of 11 faculty members in the department, including De La Rosa. The exhibit is presented once every four years and is planned by students in associate professor Mark Johnson’s exhibition design course. It is one of two exhibits showcasing the work of professional artists that relate to the curriculum and research of the art faculty, according to Johnson. “For the past 20 years, one of these two annual professional exhibitions is reserved as a faculty exhibition to give art students the opportunity to see the real work of their professors,” said Johnson, who is also the director of the Fine Arts Gallery. De La Rosa said the exhibition not only offers students experience in their potential field, but gives faculty members a chance to showcase their work to students. “It sort of shows everyone
the breadth of skill, talent and experience that the faculty has to offer the students,” De La Rosa said. Jeff Downing, a ceramics professor, showcased a memorial piece he created for his late father. Downing said this entire exhibit was a key learning experience for students. “I think they’ll have a better understanding of what faculty does in their own time in their professional practice,” Downing said. “I, for myself, don’t teach what I do. I teach so students can develop their own voice, so they get to see me and how my work looks out there since a lot of my shows are not in San Francisco. So it’s kind of an access to the work.” Ines Diot, a junior majoring in art history and studio art, was the installation manager of the exhibit. She said she learned how to help bring an artist’s vision to life within the exhibit space. “What I take away from it is really organization skills and communications skills, because I had a team of installers, like
JULIO MARCIAL / SPECIAL TO XPRESS
Mario Laplante’s pieces “Foster,” “Picturesque” and “Headband” caught the attention of Leslie Samson-Tabakin (left) and Sarah Woodard, both students enrolled in the Master of Fine Arts program. The pieces are on display through March 17.
JULIO MARCIAL / SPECIAL TO XPRESS
Ines Diot, a junior studying art history and studio art at SF State, poses for a portrait Tuesday. She is the installation manager of the Art Faculty Exhibition.
six or seven of us, and I had to communicate with everyone constantly to see what was being done to relay it to Mark and also communicate with the artists and the faculty on how they wanted their art to be displayed,” Diot said. Johnson said the exhibition prepares students for professional
careers in galleries and museums. “It was really nice being a part of the exhibition design experience, because it was kind of like practice,” said Renee Villasenor, a senior art history major. “It’s a good testing strip for everyone in the class.” While working with the art is one of his favorite parts
of the course, Johnson said collaborating with the students is more meaningful. “There is no question that the best part of the job is working with SF State students,” Johnson said. “The current cohort is a great example – they are passionate, committed and professional.”
Wednesday, February 24, 2016 goldengatexpress.org
LIFESTYLE & CULTURE
New design gallery expects to offer innovative exhibitions EMILY CHAVOUS
S
echavous@mail.sfsu.edu
F State began construction on a 2,000-square-foot design gallery over winter break on the lower level of the Fine Arts Building. The gallery, set to open Fall 2016, is part of a larger project that includes the new dance studio that opened this semester in the Creative Arts Building and the reopening of the Global Museum. The University intends to transform the Fine Arts Building into an exhibition space and the Creative Arts Building into a performance center, according to Daniel Bernardi, interim dean of the College of Liberal and Creative Arts. “Students should be able to walk into (the Fine Arts Building) and see a movie on a 2K projector, see some art in the gallery, see some mummies in the museum, walk down the hallway and go into the design gallery and see some design art,” Bernardi said. Though most students haven’t heard much about the project yet, senior product design major Adrienne Trio, 22, said it’s an exciting move in the right direction. “We don’t really have anywhere to display our work,” Trio said, pointing out the small, wall-mounted case inside the south entrance of the Fine Arts Building. “There’s just
that little casing when you go through the door, and that’s not a really good space to display everyone’s work. I feel like (the gallery) makes our major more official.” The design gallery will be open to the public and will offer an array of exhibits representing all design fields: product design, graphic design, interior design, apparel design and everything in between. In addition to showcasing campus work, the design gallery plans to offer educational discussion forums, guest lecturers and exhibitions from outside the University. Gallery director Joshua Singer said the first showing is set to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Black Panther Party in October and will feature a collection of 1960s and 1970s radical underground newspapers curated by Black Panther Party historian Billy X Jennings. “It’s an exhibition which was put together at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and it’s traveling here,” Singer explained. “The idea (behind the design gallery) is it’s not only a way to bring in work from the outside world, but it’s also to educate our students. A class will support the gallery, so they’ll sort of get things rolling at the beginning of the semester, and then have our first showing.” University administration allotted $1.2 million from the overall facility budget toward the construction of the design gallery and the adjacent Global
GRAPHIC COURTESY OF RICHARD ORTIZ
SF State’s design gallery is set to open on the lower level of the Fine Arts Building in Room 115, seen from above in this proposal sketch.
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TAYLOR REYES / XPRESS
Joshua Singer, director of the new design gallery, stands in the future doorway of the exhibition space to be completed this fall in the Fine Arts Building.
FLOOR PLAN COURTESY OF DSK ARCHITECTS
The upcoming design gallery, which is set to open on the lower level of the Fine Arts Building in the fall, will be across the hall from the planned museum studies storage space, as depicted in this proposal sketch.
Museum, but the approved budget proposal requires that the college acquire an additional $500,000 through fundraising to complete the project by summer. While it is uncertain where the extra funding will come from, Bernardi said the college excels at raising money. “Things always cost more than you think,” said Todd Roehrman, interim chair of design and industry and associate dean of the College of Liberal and Creative Arts. “You always wish you had more money, you always want to do things a little bit differently, but you make do with what you have and you make it work.” Bernardi said he considers campus buildings to be living
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spaces that must evolve alongside the SF State community, and sometimes that means reimagining the space of the college to allow for new growth. “The University has to flex to demand,” Bernardi said. “Otherwise we’re not meeting the student interest. The (design and industry) department always wanted a gallery. They’ve probably wanted one for 40 years.” The Fine Arts Building currently accommodates the 150-seat August Coppola Theatre, the Fine Arts Gallery and the Martin Wong Gallery. Singer said the design gallery will be a huge asset for the school. “There’s overlap between
fine art and design, but design is its own practice,” Singer said. “I think a lot of people often don’t understand what it is. Design is everywhere. Everything we look at has been designed. Everything. So (the gallery) gives us an opportunity to share that. There’s really a lot of interesting stuff out there.” Roehrman said the University’s go-ahead on the gallery couldn’t have come at a better time. “This program is really poised for growth,” Roehrman said. “We want to communicate to the world what a great faculty we have, what a great student body we have and what a great experience it is to study design at SF State.”
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Wednesday, February 24, 2016 goldengatexpress.org
OPINION STAFF EDITORIAL
oldaetne Inaction is no longer an 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
MIRANDA BOLAR
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR mbolar@mail.sfsu.edu
ASHLEY BOWEN
LIFESTYLE & CULTURE EDITOR anbowen@mail.sfsu.edu
JESSICA NEMIRE
OPINION EDITOR jdn@mail.sfsu.edu
TYLER LEHMAN
SPORTS EDITOR tlehman@mail.sfsu.edu
CHRIS DEJOHN
COPY EDITOR cdejohn@mail.sfsu.edu
JOCELYN CARRANZA
MULTIMEDIA EDITOR jcarranz@mail.sfsu.edu
option for climate change
N
ew research released Monday definitively linked the recent global increase in coastal flooding to rise in sea level as a result of man-made global
warming. Though climate change is an issue scientists have been aware of for decades, it’s also been a problem people feel distant from, because many of the effects of climate change have been virtually nonexistent in the average person’s life. However, in the past few years, some of the more immediately damaging consequences of climate change have begun to emerge. Monday’s reports provided compelling evidence that, if we continue to do nothing, the ocean will continue to rise and cause incalculable economic and infrastructural damage. And yet, Republicans continue to treat climate change like a crackpot theory espoused by tinfoil-hat-wearing fauxscientists. Just last February, longtime Republican Senator James Inhofe brought a snowball onto the Senate floor and offered
it as proof that global warming could not be real. And while Inhofe was widely mocked by liberals and moderates alike, conservatives continue to market the sentiment behind his stunt to the American electorate. Anyone with even a basic understanding of climate change will tell you that this is not how it works at all. Even if a single location at a certain time feels “unseasonably” cold, as Inhofe put it, this does not disprove the mountain of data that suggests otherwise. And it certainly doesn’t mean that if climate change were real, seasons would cease to exist and snowfall in Washington D.C. – in the middle of winter no less – would suddenly become impossible. It’s because of people like Inhofe that climate change has been consistently deprioritized by politicians, even those who understand the damaging effects humans have on the environment. The conservative bully pulpit has battered moderate Republicans, who are afraid of losing their seats to Tea Party candidates or looking too left-wing in a presidential primary to stand up to their colleagues.
As of 2010, about 40 percent of the world’s population lived in coastal areas, according to the United Nations. Threequarters of the world’s biggest cities are in coastal areas. The scope of this problem and the potential displacement of hundreds of millions of people can no longer be ignored. Congress has let climate change take a back seat for far too long, but perhaps now that its members’ business and property interests are threatened, they’ll finally take action. One thing is certain: If we continue to do nothing, thousands of years of culture and history will erode along with our coastlines.
DARCY FRACOLLI Editor-in-Chief
GRADY PENNA
Social Media/Online Editor
Bible thumpers should hate less and love more
KELSEY LANNIN
ASSISTANT MULTIMEDIA EDITOR klannin@mail.sfsu.edu
GRADY PENNA
SOCIAL MEDIA/ONLINE EDITOR gpenna@mail.sfsu.edu
RACHELE KANIGEL
PRINT ADVISER kanigel@mail.sfsu.edu
JESSE GARNIER
FACULTY ADVISER jgarnier@sfsu.edu
KEN KOBRE
PHOTO ADVISER kkobre@sfsu.edu
EVA CHARLES
ADVERTISING & BUSINESS echarles@sfsu.edu
ARUN UNNIKRISHNAN I.T. CONSULTANT arun@mail.sfsu.edu
SAMANTHA LOPEZ CIRCULATION
EVA RODRIGUEZ
ILLUSTRATION BY REID CAMMACK
STUDENT GRAPHIC DESIGNER ggxads@sfsu.edu
WRITE US A LETTER The Golden Gate Xpress accepts letters no longer than 200 words. Letters are subject to editing. Send letters to Jessica Nemire at: jdn@mail.sfsu.edu
ABOUT XPRESS The Golden Gate Xpress is a student-produced publication of the journalism department at San Francisco State University. For more information or comments, please contact Darcy Fracolli at: dfracoll@mail.sfsu.edu
REID CAMMACK
reidcamm@mail.sfsu.edu
I’ve always had a strong, “you-do-you” policy when it comes to religion. You do you, and you believe in what you want, as long as you aren’t harming anyone. Growing up, I remember sitting in my Sunday school class and thinking, “Hey guys, this isn’t for me. You all look ridiculous with your hands in the air. But you do you. It’s not harming anyone.” It wasn’t until I started attending more adult services that I saw how ignorant some people can be. My mom’s church had
sermons that slut shamed my mid-2000s queen Fergie, my step-mom’s church handed out “Yes on Prop 8” signs like they were candy, and my dad’s church featured a testimonial from a sobbing mother who struggled with living with her lesbian daughter. The one thing all these people had in common, from the slut-shaming sexists to the homophobes, was they backed up all their opinions with the Bible. All those people need to realize, that even if you have an ancient book to back up your claims, that doesn’t make you right. Religion can be used for good, but spreading hate isn’t helping anyone. When Manny Pacquiao was
dropped by Nike this week for homophobic comments in which he compared gays to animals, I went to his Facebook profile hoping to see hoards of people dragging him through rainbow-colored mud. Instead what I saw were hoards of people encouraging him to keep following God and writing open letters to the gays that let them know God loved them, He just hated their lifestyle choices. Bible verse after Bible verse was quoted to back up Pacquiao’s claims. I understand there are Bible verses that can be interpreted to be anti-gay, but that doesn’t mean you have to listen to them or interpret them in a way that makes you vehemently homophobic. The words in the
bible were written by a bunch of men who didn’t clean their own balls on a regular basis, so why are we still taking them at face value thousands of years later? I’m honestly tired of reading and reiterating why the Bible shouldn’t be taken literally. If we’re taking the Bible literally, you shouldn’t boycott Nike because they accept queer people – boycott them because their standard shoe model features an average of 30plus materials, according to Nike. Leviticus 19:19 clearly states that you shouldn’t “wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.” If we’re going to listen to a bunch of dead, dirty-balled men, we should at least listen to all their insightful words. Stop getting tattoos, getting divorced, shaving your face, eating shellfish and wearing jewelry. I understand that it will be hard for conservatives to clutch their pearls when they see a gay couple in public if they can’t wear jewelry, but I’m sure they’ll manage somehow. The only fond memories I have of going to church when I was younger were when I engaged in community service and actually helped people. I’m sure I would have had a lot more time to do those things if I spent less time hearing about how Fergie was channeling Satan in the video for “I Gotta Feeling.” If people spent more time focusing on doing good than hating people because an old book kinda told you to, we would live in a better world. And if Pacquiao spent less time hating gay people, maybe he would have more time to focus on actually winning big Vegas fights.
Wednesday, February 24, 2016 goldengatexpress.org
OPINION
Cis actors continue to take credit for trans rights JORDAN VAIL
jmv@mail.sfsu.edu
W
hen I heard the news that a movie would be made based on the life of transgender pioneer Lili Elbe, I was cautiously optimistic. When I heard that Eddie Redmayne, a cisgender actor, would be playing Elbe, that optimism plummeted. This isn’t the first time a cisgender actor has been cast in the role of a transgender person. In fact, Redmayne’s casting is just the latest in a long, disappointing trend. Critics have lauded cis actors who play trans roles and called their work important, groundbreaking, even radical, but in reality, casting trans people in Hollywood movies would be the more radical move. “Dallas Buyers Club” was criticized for putting an established cis male actor (Jared Leto) in the role of a trans woman, yet the movie and Leto went on to win several Oscars. “Transparent” came under fire for the same problem with Jeffrey Tambor, but the show and Tambor also went on to rake in several awards. During the BAFTA Awards in London, Redmayne spoke to BBC News, which tweeted that the actor said it was “extraordinary” how trans issues have only come into the mainstream media following “The Danish Girl.” I hate to shatter his illusion, but trans people have been around long before this movie, and have been campaigning to bring trans rights into the mainstream for decades. Cis allies are an important part of trans progress, but we need them to listen, and we need them to speak up for us and not speak for us. I can accept that it was a slip-up, but I can’t ignore it and I can’t hand-wave it away like so many others have. If you’re a cis person and you’re going to take on the task of playing a trans role, and you really feel it’s your right and that you’re the best person for the job, then you need to learn, you need to listen and you need to use your platform to truly help the community. A lot of people have also come to Redmayne’s defense, saying that his
ILLUSTRATION BY EVA RODRIGUEZ
9
comment may have been misinterpreted, and that while his wording might have been poor his intentions were good. There is a part of me that can’t fully blame him. While the trans community is incredibly helpful among one another, we still have mixed emotions about giving cis people access to these conversations. Redmayne’s comment incensed a lot of the trans community, myself included. The comment displayed a level of cluelessness that is unacceptable for an actor who claimed to have spent months studying and receiving guidance from trans women in preparation for his role. Where are all those enigmatic trans women apparently hired to educate cis male actors about the lives they’re supposed to portray? Leto and Tambor also mentioned having a wealth of trans consultants to come to for advice. I for one am very wary when a cis person says they have “some questions for me.” It usually means they want to ask me very specific questions about my identity or very broad questions about trans identity as a whole. I’m not a spokesperson for the trans community. You have a computer in your pocket. You can access Google for free. It’s not my job to educate you. I can't be the only one who notices how absurd it is that these movies and shows have the resources to find and hire (at least I hope they’re getting paid) trans consultants, but not, I don’t know, actual trans actors. “The Danish Girl” is being sold as a movie that will make a difference for the trans community, but so were other movies before it, and yet, transphobic violence has been reaching historic rates, with more trans people reported killed in 2015 than any other year, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Hollywood needs to stop pretending that trans actors don’t exist. Trans actors not only exist, but they’re in need of work. When you cast a cis person in a trans role, you’re taking away roles that were written for them.
Kanye’s ego shines through on new album JOSUE DE LOS SANTOS dlsjosue@mail.sfsu.edu
Kanye West has unapologetically put his ego on full blast in his new album, "The Life of Pablo." I’m not one who agrees with everything he says or does, but that’s the Kanye of today – an egotistical artist who says and does what he wants. Kanye recently admitted on Twitter that his ego is his biggest enemy. I can see how Kanye purposely let his ego take center stage in "TLOP" to make a statement to his critics. As Kanye pointed out, he’s a “38-year-old-8-yearold” who needs to let the whole world know that he’s evolved. I've been a
Kanye fan since "The College Dropout," and his artistry and sound have also evolved. But his enemy was also my enemy when listening to "TLOP." Even though there was plenty for me to enjoy and appreciate on the album, like the gospel sound, I felt conflicted when he began rapping misogynistic lyrics. Although I’m a Kanye fan, I don't appreciate lyrics that demean women. In “Famous," Kanye’s ego blares through the first verse and he goes after Taylor Swift's success with the lyric, "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex – Why? I made that bitch famous (God damn) – I made that bitch famous." These lyrics refer to the infamous 2009 VMAs when Kanye interrupted Swift’s acceptance speech. Kanye
went on a Twitter rant in response to the backlash over his lyrics, saying he asked for and got Swift's approval to use “bitch” as a term of endearment, which her spokesperson denied, according to a statement released to Jon Caramanica. Since when do women find “bitch” a term of endearment? I remember when Kanye rarely used that word in that manner, but he’s evolved through the years, and this is who he is now. In “Highlights,” Kanye uses his own wife, Kim Kardashian, as a way to defend his masculinity and display her as a trophy by referencing Ray J's song, "I Hit It First," referring to the fact that Ray J and Kim made a sex tape together. We get it Kanye, you got the girl, whom you deeply love, but why go out of your way to respond to Ray J.
Regardless, "TLOP" is a great album. Although I hoped it would be following a true gospel sound, it does begin with the gospel-inspired sound of “Ultralight Beam," but Kanye hits us with his own gospel about his ego, which I believe was his intention. Yet again, Kanye provides a magnifying-glass into his life where we see his ego shine brighter than ever before. Maybe that’s the reason some love Kanye, because he’s true to his persona. I don't care if Kanye received consent from both Swift and Kim to call them "bitch," because such language shouldn't be used nonchalantly. I've come to accept who Kanye has become, but I'm not a fan of his ego.
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Wednesday, February 24, 2016 goldengatexpress.org
SPORTS
Triple overtime victory and near comeback send off graduating Gators TYLER LEHMAN
tlehman@mail.sfsu.edu
MEN’S Nothing less than a triple overtime gauntlet victory would have done justice to the SF State men’s basketball team on senior night. The Gators defeated the Sonoma State Seawolves 80-76, clinching a playoff berth in the California Collegiate Athletic Association tournament. Floyd Wormley, Andre Jones, Jon McMurry and Justice Howard, all seniors, were honored before tipoff for their last ever game at The Swamp. “If there was any way I wanted to go out, it was just like this,” Wormley said. “We grinded it out and got the win. It was a beautiful, beautiful game.” Wormley was one of the top performers for the Gators, with 10 points, nine rebounds and six assists on the night. He also hit a 3-pointer with 16 seconds left to go in the second overtime period to tie the game at 69, which sent the game into its third installment of overtime. “The second (Wormley) had the ball, I was yelling at him to shoot it,” McMurry said. “I was almost on the court getting a technical. When that went in I was hyped.” The Gators shot only 33 percent from the field in the game, but head coach Paul Trevor said there were two key things that kept them in the contest despite the poor shooting. “We preach two things to win games when we aren’t shooting well, and that’s to defend and play with toughness,” Trevor said. “That means doing the little things, like diving for a loose ball or fighting for a rebound.” Defense closed out the game for the Gators when guard Treaven Duffy flew to the ground to deflect a bounce pass to Sonoma State center Luke Cochran. With 12 seconds left, Duffy snagged the loose ball and called a timeout, which sealed the victory for the Gators. “I was so proud of (Duffy),” Trevor said. “I thought, ‘He just won the game for us,’ and he did the little things that we’ve been preaching, like diving after loose balls.” Trevor said he wanted to cry after the emotional win, but had to remain tough
for his guys. In a moment of reflection, an emotional Jones said he wouldn’t have wanted his career to end any differently. “I’ve been here for five years, and came onto the team as a walk-on,” Jones said. “To be around these guys, and this group, my last year – I wouldn’t want it any other way.” The Gators still have two regular season games left on their schedule. Both games are on the road, the first against 13th-ranked UC San Diego Saturday, Feb. 27. The last game of the Gators’ season will be against Cal State San Bernardino Sunday, Feb. 28.
WOMEN’S In what would be four seniors’ last game at The Swamp on senior night, the SF State women’s basketball team came up just short of an epic comeback against the Sonoma State Seawolves. The Gators lost 50-44, in large part due to a sluggish first half in which they shot only 22 percent from the field, and 1-for-10 on 3-pointers. “We lost that game in the first half,” head coach Dennis Cox said. “I thought we weren’t really in the game mentally at the start, and you can never take a team for granted in this conference.” The Gators turned the game around in the second half and nearly tied it. Despite an 18-point deficit with a little more than five minutes to go in the third quarter, the Gators battled back to close the lead to two points in the fourth. The Gators resilience to fight back against a monumental lead was just the nature of their character, according to senior Jen Garcia. “This game was a big eye opener for us,” Garcia said. “We didn’t give up and we fought like we always do, but we came up just short.” The Gators hit 11 shots in the second half, as opposed to only making five in the first. The offensive explosion in the second half for the Gators was launched by guard Felicia Villarruel, who hit four 3-pointers. A costly turnover with a minute left in the game was the nail in the coffin for the Gators though, who
SOFTBALL
2/20
L 3-1 W 8-2
2/21
Softball 2/20 Doubleheader vs Cal State San Bernardino Game 1 L 3-1 Sara Higa went 1-for-3 with an RBI. Starting pitcher Jenny Obbema pitched seven innings and gave up three earned runs. Game 2 W 8-2 Jennifer Lewis, Aryn Guzman and Marisa Andrade each hit two RBIs. Starting pitcher Megan Clark won her second game of the year. She threw seven innings and gave up two earned runs.
CONNOR HUNT / XPRESS
SF State Gators guard Tatsiana Dashkevich (14) goes for a layup against Sonoma State Seawolves guard Madison Burroughs (23) at The Swamp on senior night Saturday.
couldn’t score enough to surpass the Seawolves’ lead. The night didn’t end how Naila Washington, Tatsiana Dashkevich, Brooke Shimazaki and Garcia envisioned, but nonetheless the emotional seniors said they were grateful for every minute of Gator basketball that they’ve played. “This moment just means so much – with your family watching you and all the emotion,” Dashkevich said. “We always have the ability to fight and try to win, so this team is just a great family.” The moment wasn’t lost on Garcia, who said her last game at The Swamp was a rude awakening for the real world ahead. “Now it’s time to be an adult and go out into the real world,” Garcia said. “I’m going to miss practice. I’m going to miss coaches yelling at me because
they care. But now it’s time to go into the real world and pay bills and get a career.” Cox said he wished the outcome of the game had been different, but he had nothing but the highest of praise for his graduating seniors. “I’ve coached a lot of great teams, but I’ve never had two captains better than (Dashkevich and Washington),” Cox said. “(Shimazaki and Garcia) came on the team as walk-ons and I didn’t even know if they’d be with the team this year, but they’ve been tremendously supportive the whole year.” The loss doesn’t knock the Gators out of playoff contention, but their last two regular season games are must wins to try to get into the postseason. SF State’s next game will be on the road against 20th-ranked UC San Diego on Saturday, Feb. 27.
GATOR GAMES RECAP
L 7-0 L 1-0 Softball 2/21 Doubleheader vs Cal State San Bernardino Game 1 L 7-0 Starting pitcher Lindsey Cassidy gave up four earned runs in four and two-thirds innings pitched. Game 2 L 1-0 Starting pitcher Jenny Obbema suffered a tough luck loss after pitching seven innings and only giving up one earned run.
BASEBALL
2/19
W 3-2
2/20
W 5-1
2/21
W 7-5
Baseball 2/19 vs Academy of Art University W 3-2 Chris Nicholson, Joe Chedid and Jake Faulkner each hit an RBI. Starting pitcher Ryan Bohnet pitched five innings and gave up one earned run. Baseball 2/20 vs Academy of Art University W 5-1 Alex Kotheimer, Chad Thurston and Andrew Breen each hit an RBI. Starting pitcher Matthew Hernandez won his first game of the season. He pitched seven and two-thirds innings and gave up no earned runs. Baseball 2/21 vs Academy of Art University W 7-5 Bryce Brooks went 3-for-4, hit two RBIs and scored two runs. Starting pitcher Joe Chedid pitched five innings and gave up four earned runs.
Wednesday, February 24, 2016 goldengatexpress.org
SPORTS
11
Former Giants’ minor league catcher turns to coaching CHRISTOPHER CONTRERAS chrisdc@mail.sfsu.edu
A
fter 10 years in minor league baseball, nine of which he played in the San Francisco Giants’ minor league system, new SF State assistant baseball coach Tyler LaTorre is thrilled to begin a career in coaching. Just last March, LaTorre signed a one-year contract with the Milwaukee Brewers and was playing for the Biloxi Shuckers, the Brewers Double-A team. Five months later, he got the call he had been waiting for. It wasn’t a call up to the majors, but it was an offer to start coaching, something he had always wanted to do. “When you get to play 10 years, you always wonder what’s next,” LaTorre said. “It’s always been in the back of my mind that I wanted to get in college coaching.” LaTorre, who’s played with Giants pitchers Madison Bumgarner and Tim Lincecum, among others, got the call from
new head baseball coach Tony Schifano. Schifano and LaTorre are both former UC Davis Aggies and have cultivated a relationship over the years. “Tyler has always been in the back of my mind as a guy that I could offer a coaching job,” Schifano said. “However, he’s been busy playing professional baseball.” At age 32, retiring from baseball was a tough choice, something LaTorre said he had to discuss with his wife and family. “When he offered me this opportunity, he didn’t put any pressure on me,” LaTorre said about Schifano. “I don’t want to look back and regret I stopped playing.” Whether or not LaTorre will fit into Schifano’s team, he certainly has the experience to succeed. In 10 years of professional baseball, LaTorre played for seven different minor league teams and appeared in 455 games, 305 of those at catcher, his main position. On offense,
QING HUANG / XPRESS
SF State assistant baseball coach Tyler LaTorre poses for a portrait in the Don Nasser Family Plaza Thursday, Feb.11.
he batted .243 with 292 hits, including 60 doubles and 14 home runs. LaTorre played in every minor league division, including his last four years in Triple-A, the highest division of minor league baseball. Playing in the Giants minor league system, he was able to play with several famous Giants before they became superstars. In 2006, when the Giants signed LaTorre, they also drafted Lincecum in the first round. Remembering his first year, LaTorre chuckled when talking about Lincecum. “Lincecum and I were drafted in the same year, so we were teammates all the way from A-Ball,” LaTorre recalled.
“He went up to the big leagues a little quicker than I did.” LaTorre has caught pitches from Lincecum, Bumgarner and Matt Cain, learned from storied catchers like Bengie Molina and helped mentor younger catchers like Buster Posey. “He was rookie of the year, won a world series, and then next year in spring training he’s asking me questions about the catcher’s position,” LaTorre said about Posey. “He obviously knew – he was humble enough to know that he wasn’t as good as he wanted to be.” LaTorre’s time with those athletes in the minors before they became superstars has caught the attention of Gators baseball. Peter Reyes, a fifth-
year pitcher, is glad to have LaTorre on the team. “It’s pretty cool, knowing that he caught those guys,” Reyes said. ”He got to catch some of the best pitchers in the world, and now he’s teaching us.” LaTorre said he is able to pass on invaluable lessons to his players. “I’m not going to teach a kid to hit like Buster Posey,” LaTorre said. “But I sure am going to show him some techniques that Buster uses by video analysis or just by telling him Buster would do this, or Brandon Crawford would do that.”
Caught reading the GGX at the library! Bianca is a Political Science Major & transfer student from Santa Barbara City College!
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