Spring 2013 Issue 15

Workers’ rights brought to light

BY JOE FITZGERALD

jfitzger@mail.sfsu.edu

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After the disaster in Bangladesh, safety monitor asks students to be concious retail consumers

HE COLLApse of a Banglaa deshi garment factory building, which produced American and European retail clothing, reverberated around the world. The tragedy left 1,127 low-wage workers dead and thousands injured caused by alleged neglect of safety standards by building owners.

SF State recently identified its connection to this far-flung tragedy. Students are at the opposite end of a global commodity chain that starts with clothes production by low-wage workers, and ends in the hands of U.S. consumers. Friday, May 10, SF State students got to hear about that chain from someone who had seen the factories with his own eyes.

Workers Rights Consortium Deputy Director Ben Hensler spoke to a gathering of about thirty students in Professor John Logan’s international labor class at the downtown campus, and the message was clear — SF State students should pay attention to where their clothing comes from, he said.

The consortium bargains for workers’ rights in garment factories worldwide, fighting for safe fire exits, fair wages and lunch breaks. Just this past Monday they secured a legally binding contract with H&M and other companies securing safer buildings and

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fire safety for workers in Bangladesh, according to the New York Times — where just weeks ago over 1,100 people were killed when a crumbling factory collapsed on its workers.

When workers saw a crack in the building, Hensler said, “they left the building in fear.”

“But the next day the managers told them if they did not go back,” he said, “they would lose their jobs.”

And that’s when the walls fell. One woman, according to the Times, spent 17 days under the rubble.

Bangladesh is the second largest garment exporter in the world, though within a few years it will likely eclipse the top exporter, China, Hensler said.

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// 05.15.13

VOLUME LXXXXVI ISSUE 15

HITTIN’ IT: An eccentric group of people play volleyball at the Conservatory of Flowers during Bay to Breakers May 15, 2011. Photo by Gregory Moreno / Special to Xpress

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Bay to Breakers to ban backpacks, require bibs

BY BRIAN RINKER | brinker@mail.sfsu.edu

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HEN BAY TO BREAKERS officials announced that this year's race would now include backpacks to its list of banned items, Bob Hearn didn't mind. The 47-yearold software company CEO wasn't going to bring a backpack to the race anyway. He plans to run the race just like he did last year: wearing only a silver sequin G-string and a hat.

Instead of carrying a backpack, Hearn pins a Ziploc plastic bag with his car keys and a folded trash bag to the bill of his hat. The large trash bag has arm and head holes cut out so he can wear it after the race.

Even though he runs the race almost nude, Hearn is there to compete, running the Bay to Breakers for time, “which means a backpack would be impractical,” he added.

Hearn has run many races including 89 marathons, but only runs Bay to Breakers in a G-string. He does it just for fun. Like Hearn, many runners are there to compete and have fun. The 102-year-old race is a costume clad party spanning 7.5 miles from the Embarcadero to Ocean Beach, with around 30,000 registered runners plus another 30,000 coming just for the party.

Over the years, race officials have attempted to crack down on the massive party by banning alcohol, pets, floats, shopping carts and all other things with wheels.

After the Boston Marathon bombing, where two pressure cooker bombs hidden inside backpacks exploded near the finish line killing three and wounding hundreds, Bay to Breakers officials announced that this year's May 19 event would prohibit runners from having bags, backpacks and containers larger than 8.5” x 11” x 4”. Officials also warned that they would be strictly enforcing the registered runners-only rule on the race way, ejecting all people without a race bib.

“You will be hard pressed to find a bag that small,” said Rich Pasco, coordinator for the Bay Area Naturualist, a nudist organization, referring to new bag regulation.

For 15 years, Pasco, 62, has run the race naked, wearing only a backpack. In it he keeps a pair of shorts, t-shirt, wallet, car keys, a water bottle and a camera. The last five years, he's run it naked with his wife, who also wears a backpack.

“It's not like we have too much stuff,” he said. “It's just there's not many bags made that small.”

Pasco said that the backpacks allowed in the race are small, basically the size of two reams of paper. Good luck finding a bag that size or smaller at the sporting goods store, he added.

Foot races around the country, such as Bay to Breakers, are banning backpacks and tightening security in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing.

“It’s good to have more security,” said Ben Franich, president of the Gator Triathlon club at SF State. "Something like a marathon is hard to secure.”

Bay to Breakers spokesperson DeeDee Taft said it will be difficult to enforce all the rules because the race is spread out over seven Basically, if miles, but said everyone you are not involved will do their a registered best to enforce them. participant and Around 1,500 you are on the volunteers will be course you will working and they're all kindly be asked encouraged to be on the to exit the race look out, added Taft. course Private security will be enforcing the new and DeeDee Taft, old rules along with Bay to Breakers more than 3,000 other spokeswoman people from various city agencies who will also be helping in an official capacity.

“Basically, if you are not a registered participant and you are on the course you will kindly be asked to exit the race course,” Taft said. “And if you are sporting an extra large backpack, it will most likely be SEE SECURITY ON PAGE 4

2 CAMPUS SF STATE SPEAKS OUT WHAT’S THE CRAZIEST THING YOU’VE EVER SEEN AT BAY TO BREAKERS?

WHITNEY BULMER, 21 THEATER ARTS MAJOR

The craziest thing I saw was my boyfriend gave birth at the finish line. We wrapped up a cabbage patch doll and a water balloon and stuffed it up there.

CAITLIN STARK, 20

ARCHAEOLOGY MAJOR

One time I saw a group of people fish swimming upstream. There was a group of people running the wrong way against you. They were dressed in pink fish costumes.

EVAN RIVERA-OWINGS, 21 LIBERAL STUDIES MAJOR

I’ve seen some really cool costumes, some naked people, some drunk people.

People bring alcohol in really creative ways. I’ve seen people bring alcohol in floats.

MAHALIA LECLERC, 21

HEALTH EDUCATION MAJOR

There was a girl walking around with a full on Golden Gate Bridge around her.

There were these cops funneling everyone and telling them to drink their beer. They weren’t cops, but everyone was listening to them.

Photos by: Gabriella Gamboa Reporting by: Coburn Palmer

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Study tips for every student type

BY KRISTEN MARTZ | kmartz@mail.sfsu.edu

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them develop your understanding," Horvath said. "Instead of just ROM ALL-NIGHTERS TO INTENSE memorizing things, talk about it, try to get into it a little deeper and cramming sessions, many students will go to connect it to what you are pretty confident about already.” extreme lengths to get that much desired grade.

But before studying in a group, Horvath endorses Tanner's strateWhile these habits may get the quick grade (if gy of identifying what you understand and what is confusing to you. successful), there are some recommended strat“Try to specifically recognize what you already do know — find egies to better understand the material. a way to arrange your notes in some way that says, ‘I have a pretty SEPAL, Science Education Partnership and good idea, I know these particular pieces,’ and build from there, Assessment Laboratory, at SF State is coninstead of trying to just sort of memorize everything just screaming ducting various research projects on how students learn — more at you,” Horvath said. specifically, how students learn science.

If studying with a group of students doesn’t help to clarify “One of the most important things you can do is figure out what confusing subjects, Tanner recommends making use of office hours you don't understand or what doesn't make sense to you — and that's really different to the approach that students often take, which to meet with professors.

“I think that a lot of students can be really intimidated by is cramming a lot of information in their head, retaining it for an faculty, and yet faculty are a fabulous resource. Go to office hours. exam and then forgetting it,” said Kimberly Tanner, SEPAL direcYou're paying for your education here — go to that faculty memtor and associate professor at SF State. ber or that TA to work through confusions with you," Tanner said.

Founded in 2004, SEPAL is an active research laboratory run by "And don't be embarrassed or intimidated because if you undera community of scientists who are developing methods to meastood it, you wouldn't be in class.” sure how students are learning. Through this research, the group While students may think that fully trying to comprehend the has found many ways to improve teaching and learning methods. subject matter, rather than just memorizing information for an Currently, they are working directly with professors and students to exam, is too time-consuming, Tanner asserts that it is much better figure out exactly how the classroom works. in the long run.

"We are really trying to understand what exactly kind of “It's really clear that identifying confusions and clarifying conteaching is going on in the biology department. We've never been fusions, identifying misconceptions and correcting those misconable to previously just ask professors 'Okay, what are you doing in ceptions are a really great way to learn your classrooms?' and we've never things for the long term as opposed to just been able to ask students 'What do to pass this exam,” Tanner said. you perceive is going on in your Conceptual learning may not be the classroom?' so we're just starting to “quickest fix,” but students are realizing watch, research, understand the kind that it is the best answer. of teaching practices that faculty “If you think about it, putting a little and students perceive are being used more effort in now will definitely pay off in classrooms," Tanner said. for later exams. The more you can underLearning and teaching methods stand now, the less you have to cram as overlap in more ways than one would you advance in school,” said Devan Lane, think, as Tanner explains that teaching a 21-year-old hospitality tourism manageis the best way to learn. ment major.

“If I had one piece of advice for Tanner admits that the stress can be students — study with other peooverwhelming and it’s very tempting to ple in your class in a small group, memorize to get the quick grade, but it because it's really easy to trick may not be the best solution. yourself into thinking, ‘I understand “I was an undergrad and I memorized everything and I'm in the clear,’ to pass a lot of exams, I'm very empathetic until you have to try to explain it to with students. But, as a result, I had much somebody else," Tanner said. "As less understanding at the end of college soon as you have to start explaining than I wish I had had,” Tanner said. it to somebody else, that's when you As for how to get the best out of your can identify gaps in your knowledge education and ace your finals, Tanner has and confusion.” a few quick tips.

Larry Horvath, SF State assistant “Study in groups, identify confusions, professor in the science education visit your faculty, go get your money's department, recommends studying worth,” Tanner said. in groups to get the “teaching to While finals may be overwhelming learn” experience. and stressful no matter what study tactic “When you've tried to make you use, Tanner reminds all students to connections with what you already HANDS ON: Kimberly Tanner, SEPAL director and associate take a deep breath and remember what’s do know, use other people to talk to professor of SF State, leads a group study session in the SEPAL truly important in education. and discuss it and support it and help classroom. Photo by Gabriella Gamboa.

International student of the week Name: Yexin Xiong Age: 24 Major: Industrial Design From: China, last studied in Millbrae, Australia First thing she noticed about the U.S.: There are a lot of immigrants and more opportunities for jobs. The people here are so different in the way of thinking and culture and food of course.

Things you miss about home: The friends that I grew up with back home, however the people in the exchange program have become like a new family. Here the IEEC has events for the new people to get to know each other, which has been a lot of fun.

Future Plans: After graduating this spring, Yexin sees herself staying in California and hopes to go to Los Angeles for graduate school. She looks forward to using her degree in industrial design to design daily life products like house and kitchenware.

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CAMPUS 3

| 05.15.13

A stretch a day keeps the doctor away

BY HOLLY NALL | hnall@mail.sfsu.edu

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TUDENTS EVERYWHERE ARE doing it: at home, at work and on campus. Unsafe practice can result in chronic pain, exhaustion and even disease. Many are not aware of the risks, but using the computer can be hazardous to your health.

As the semester draws to a close, students spend increasingly long hours hunched over the computer writing papers and cramming for exams — a potentially dangerous habit that can wreak havoc on their health and productivity.

Erik Peper, a holistic health professor at SF State, has devoted much of his research to this topic, which he refers to as "technostress." The combination of intense computer use and high work demands can result in physical problems if healthy habits are not developed.

Peper teaches healthy computing habits as part of the Ergonomic Safety Program, offered each year at SF State.

The program, which trains University staff to educate their peers on skills such as ergonomics and self-awareness, was awarded with the California Governor's Employee Safety Award in 2004.

"I try to switch up my computer time with equal time off the computer, because I know sitting in one spot is detrimental," philosophy major Grant Robertson said.

Robertson works at the Call Center on campus, where he often sits at the computer for extended periods. "The Call Center certainly adds more computer time to the day, but the chairs have good support to help out."

According to the Ergonomic Safety Program's website, using ergonomics to arrange your workspace is an effective way to reduce strain and injury while working at the computer. Sit in a supportive chair, adjust your monitor to eye level, and position your keyboard and mouse so that your elbows are at a 90-degree angle. Keeping your body in an upright position will reduce the strain on your neck, back and arms.

"It's okay to put our body in a somewhat uncomfortable position, however when we do the uncomfortable

GIMME A BREAK: Erik Peper, holistic health professor, incorporated stretching activities into his classes to build up energy from his students who are stuck sitting behind desks all day. He shares the exercise of balancing against a student’s back for the class to try out. Photo by Frank Leal

position for too long, it works against us," Assistant Professor Richard Harvey said.

Harvey, who is also in the holistic health department, often focuses on stress management in his research and has collaborated with Peper on several projects.

"When people are under deadlines, or there's a lot of pressure to get something done," he said, "we often override our pain signals — we ignore our discomfort."

According to Peper, taking frequent breaks and remaining active while working is another vital component of computing health. "Taking many breaks really reduces exhaustion and illness," he said. "People who take many breaks have much fewer symptoms."

Taking frequent breaks from work may seem counterintuitive, but according to Peper, "your productivity doesn't go down, it goes slightly up."

Incorporating regular breaks into your work flow can be a difficult habit to build, so Peper teaches a program called Stretch Break to all of his students.

Stretch Break runs in the background, prompting the user to take breaks at chosen intervals. Once the "Time To Stretch!" reminder appears on the screen, the user can click through to hear relaxing music and see an animated demonstration of a stretch or series of stretches to perform.

After noting the effectiveness of "Stretch Break" in

research studies, Peper recently made arrangements with Para Technologies, the distributor of the software, to donate a license of the software to SF State. Faculty, staff, students and family members are all able to download and install the software free of charge.

Para Technologies President Arthur Saltzman said the donation was the result of a collaboration with Peper on the latest version of Stretch Break. "He gave permission to incorporate his Healthy Computing Email Tips into the program and I agreed to donate a license to SF State," he said.

"I think the program Stretch Break would be a great benefit to have at the Call Center," Robertson said. "We often feel cramped because we have to sit down for such a long time and a stretch break would be nice."

It is possible to bypass or delay the stretches when the reminder pops up, but Peper encourages all users to follow through with the prompts. "The real key is to say 'I could learn and train myself to take those breaks,'" he said. "When you actually do it, I can promise you an improvement in energy by the end of the day."

Windows users can download Stretch Break at bit. ly/sbSFSUwin. Mac users can get their copy from bit.ly/ sbSFSUmac For both versions, the user name is bringit, and the password is home63.

4 CITY

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Activist details impact of factory work CONTINUED FROM THE FRONT PAGE

Bangladeshi garment workers make an average of 24 cents an hour, Hensler told the students.

Students across the country have demanded their administrators join the consortium’s list of self-reporting schools, but out of 180 universities, SF State isn’t on the list of recent reports.

University spokesperson Ellen Griffin did not respond to emails about SF State’s self-reporting to the consortium at the time of publication.

SF State is on the list of affiliated schools, but according to the website, “If the name of a college or university that is affiliated with the WRC does not appear on the pull-down menu, it is because the WRC has not received data from that school for the most recent reporting period.”

Most of the SFSU branded apparel sold on campus is available at the bookstore, which is run by Follett Higher Education Group, a company based in Illinois that runs more than 900 bookstores in the U.S. and Canada.

Elio DiStaola, the director of public and campus relations for Follett, said SF State sells a wide variety of brands at its bookstore: Camp David, Champion, Jansport, New Era, Topsox, Zepher and Twins, to name a few.

Follett has its own methods in place for ensuring fair wages and working conditions, DiStaola said, adding that they also belong to the Fair Labor Association.

“Manufacturers all over the globe are hard to manage, but once you have these codes of conduct and methods in place...we visit facilities every year,” DiStaola said.

A New York Times story last year featured criticism of the Fair Labor Association's standards.

“The FLA does some good work, but we don’t

Cellphone theft on the rise in San Francisco

BY GUADALUPE GONZALEZ ggonzale@mail.sfsu.edu

Pedestrians and distracted commuters are easy prey for cellphone theft

think it’s appropriate for them to call themselves independent investigators because they’re in part funded by companies," Scott Nova, the director of the Workers Rights Consortium told the Times.

The Follett company’s labor and safety codes of conduct — which prohibit child labor and require fair wages — must be signed by each of their vendors.

Notably though, many of the factories that are signed on with Follett haven’t been inspected by the Workers Rights Consortium, which inspects garment factories all over the world.

Among the world’s garment factories, one in particular has a sparkling reputation for actually paying a living wage, Hensler told the SF State students — Alta Gracia, in the Dominican Republic.

SF State sells some apparel from Alta Gracia, and Follett sells its apparel in about 120 of its 900 stores, DiStaola said.

The relatively low supply of garments from factories like Alta Gracia, he said, is more a matter of what the customers are asking for.

“This conversation we’re having is popular in some segments of higher education,” DiStaola said, “and crickets in other parts of higher education.”

As for SF State, there's only one way the University can provide totally ethical clothing, DiStaola said.

“For us it’s about demand,” he said. “If it’s selling through, you’ll see more of that product in the store.”

When his lesson about Bangladeshi factories was done, Cassandra Carrillo, a 23-year-old sociology major, asked Hensler a question: “Being so close to this, how conscious are you about where you’re buying clothes for yourself?”

Hensler chuckled as he answered.

“I had trouble with it for a long time. Maybe that’s why I dress like a dope,” he responded.

C

Security tightens in light of Boston Marathon CONTINUED FROM THE FRONT PAGE

searched and you will also be asked to leave the race course."

The San Francisco Police Department has been in collaboration with the FBI terrorism task force and have been in contact with Boston police, all in an attempt to help better secure this year's event according to Albie Esparza, spokesman for the San Francisco Police Department.

“We want it to be a safe one for everyone, and for people to live life normally and go to Bay to Breakers like the years before. We are still going to air on the side of caution,” Esparza said, adding that safety and security is their rule.

Esparza said the police will not be enforcing the rules or bans set by the Bay to Breakers people — that's the responsibility of the race officials.

Franich plans on competing in the Bay to Breakers for the first time.

“It won’t take away from the race, if anything it might make it more competitive,” Franich said.

While the Boston Marathon was devastating, it hasn't deterred Franich from participating in foot races.

“I'm more worried about a knee injury or a dog attack than a terrorist bombing,” he said.

After he finishes the race, Franich will double back and run to the party.

SF State apparel and design major Annmarie Bustamante, 21, loves Bay to Breakers. Last year she dressed as octo-mom wearing overalls and carrying baby dolls.

In previous races, Bustamante walked with friends in the “back of the pack” crowd, drinking beer out of thermoses and water bottles.

She said the new rules sound awful. This year, Bustamante plans to compete for the first time. She's going to dress either as a sexy Mulan or a sexy Xena warrior type character and hopes to finish the race in less than an hour and a half.

“It will be so hot running, I don't want to wear much,” Bustamante said. “I want to breathe.”

Many people understand the reasons for tightening security for races, but fail to see how prohibiting runners from carrying backpacks will protect them.

“It seems strange,” Hearn said.

“There are so many giant costumes, it's not like you're protecting anybody by banning backpacks.”

In a way, Hearn and other scantily dressed or nude runners are doing their part to help out security by running in full disclosure.

parts of the city, that intersection has been a hotspot for ELINA CURATO BITTERLY REsuch transactions. There, plainclothes officers sell supposed members the times her phones have stolen phones. been stolen: one time at a club and "Basically cut the head off the snake," Manfredi said. another on the bus on her way home "If you stop the buyers from purchasing the phone then from SF State. the suspects who are trying to steal the phone won't steal it “It was super crowded and I was anymore." holding the top bars and when I went Cellphone theft has also been a problem at SF State. to grab my phone, it was gone and the According to University spokesperson Ellen Griffin, there bastard had already turned it off,” said Curato, an SF State were 28 cell phone thefts in the 2012-2013 academic year. graduate.

Ten have occurred within the past two months.

She got on the 29 bus in front of the University, and The SF State Univerrealized her phone was sity Police Department gone by the next stop at has posted tips on their Stonestown. website to prevent rob“It was stolen within beries like not wearing four minutes of me getheadphones connected to ting on the bus,” Curato electronic devices when said. walking and not wearing Curato is one your cellphone on your of many victims of belt. cellphone theft, a The website also crime which is present advises to not lend your throughout cities in the phone to strangers since United States, especially "grab-and-go" inciSan Francisco, where dents have occurred on half of all robberies last campus, where suspects year were cellphone ask victims to borrow related. their phones to make a According to San call then run off with the Francisco Police Officer TUCK IT AWAY: Commuters who take public transportation have been targeted by phone when it’s handed Carlos Manfredi, the cell phone thieves. Commuters are often unaware of their surroundings making them to them. Four out of the high rate of thefts may easier targets of theft. Photo by Samantha Benedict 28 cell phone thefts on be in relation to San campus were classified Francisco being a dense as such. city with many disIn response to the tracted pedestrians and high rate of cell phone theft, efforts to decrease the crime are commuters. Many of the thefts happen on San Francisco now being pushed onto the phone industry.

Municipal Transportation, where thieves snatch phones and Recently, San Francisco District Attorney George tablets out of peoples’ hands.

Gascón urged cellphone makers to develop technology that Manfredi reiterated some common advice to avoid bewould disable a phone if it is stolen, something like a killscoming a victim: Be aware of your surroundings. witch. As of now, he called the industry's efforts "anti-con"If the bus is going to stop, stop what you are doing, sumer" and "socially irresponsible." look up, look around, put your phone down or put it in your There are apps available for Android and Apple devices pocket. And when the bus is in movement again you can go like "Plan B" and "Find My iPhone" that can help recover a back and look at it," he said. stolen phone by tracking it. However, if the phone is turned The San Francisco Police Department has taken action off the tracking is unavailable. to combat the crime, including a public service announceFor now, SF State students like Miki Fukai, who had ment campaign on Muni and on the radio, warning San her iPhone stolen at the school's downtown campus, have to Franciscans and visitors to be aware of their surroundings, and a sting operation where they arrest people buying stolen stick to other methods of cellphone theft prevention.

"Now I always zip up my purse and never keep it in my cellphones off of 7th and Market Streets. This operation has pocket," Fukai said. "I've had it happen to friends, and I been in effect for a few years, Officer Manfredi said. really thought it wasn't going to happen to me."

Although the sale of stolen property happens in many

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| 05.15.13

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT 5

Alumnus’ film breaks new ground for SF State

BY LOVELIE FAUSTINO | faustino@mail.sfsu.edu

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HILE WAITING TO learn if he was accepted into the Cannes Film Festival, Joey Izzo received an unexpected email from the festival requesting more information. Having submitted his short film for a slot in the prestigious film festival that receives 16,000 student films, the 28-year-old film graduate was anxious to know the verdict.

“I thought it was a weird, cruel joke. Why would you ask me about these things and not accept me?,” Izzo said.

He sent them the queried information and two hours later received an email that urged him to check his spam folder.

“And sure enough there was an e-mail saying, 'Congratulations, you’ve been accepted into the official competition at Cannes Film Festival.' That was amazing, my eyes went blurry and I ran downstairs and told my girlfriend we got in.”

Izzo’s 18-minute short film, “Stepsister,” is the first film from a SF State alumnus to be chosen for Cannes Cinéfondation Film Festival; the festival's program meant to showcase the works of emerging international filmmakers.

“Stepsister” stars comedian Brent Weinbach, author Beth Lisick and San Francisco-based stand-up comic Anna Seregina. It’s a dark comedy about a girl named Anna who is threatened by her stepbrother’s fiancée, Beth. Izzo talks about how he was inspired to create the film while conversing about it with friends and listening to conversations around the Lower Haight neighborhood.

“I would overhear about the ‘right’ people that should be living in the Lower Haight versus

the ‘wrong’ people. It’s really about the class division that exists in this area. It creates this hostile nature, but hidden underneath the surface,” Izzo said. “It’s not the biggest divide of SF, it’s a neighborhood divide that’s kind of catty at first, but potentially has deeper significance. This movie is an exploration of these characters trying to find common ground.”

Izzo, who earned his B.A. and M.F.A. in the cinema program at SF State, says his filmmaking was inspired by a number of cinema professors at SF State, including Bill Nichols. He worked with Izzo on his thesis project and has witnessed his progression toward his cinema career.

“Joey Izzo is a natural born filmmaker. He has ‘it,’ that intangible, intuitive feel for what makes a character vivid, a situation rich and a scene memorable,” Nichols said. “Some learn how to get better at it with hard work, and some, like Joey, refine a talent or creative bent through practice, but begin with an exceptional sensitivity to how a given artistic medium works."

Jesse Dana, 33, the cinematographer for “Stepsister,” attended SF State with Izzo and earned his B.A. in cinema studies. The two SF State graduates have been collaborating since college, having made five music videos and two other short films together. As a peer, Dana has always recognized Izzo’s talents and uses his time with Izzo to grow as a cinematographer.

“I've always thought that Joey is someone to watch; even in undergrad it was apparent that he had a deeper understanding and command of cinematic language,” Dana said. “Joey is a very collaborative filmmaker. He is very good at recognizing good ideas around him and incorporating them in to the film. We are always trying to find the best version of whatever we are working on and I find that very rewarding.”

When it comes to Izzo’s time at SF State, he credits the school for his current success. Izzo hopes to show students, especially in the cinema program, that they are just as good as the rest of the schools represented in Cannes.

“I hope I represent SF State well, I feel more indebted to these people than I do represent them. There’s a lot of creativity at SF State and in San Francisco. And we do a lot with very little,” Izzo said. “These other schools have these connections already in place whereas we have had to build them from the ground up. Now we’ve made it to the international scale. We’re just as good as any of those other schools.”

And when it comes to advice, Izzo has some unconventional words of encouragement for SF State’s newest filmmakers. “A lot of the times people like to paint themselves in a box.

You want to be free to change everything you believe in at any given moment,” Izzo said.

“Go outside of your comfort zone and do the thing that you’re the most afraid to do. There’s value in that.”

CANNES CANNES: Joey Izzo, SF State alumnus on the set of his movie “Stepsister,” which will be shown at the Cannes Film Festival. Courtesy photo of stepsistermovie.com

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6

Professor stays glassy with creative side After graduating art school, Nathan Watson has managed to stay busy and keep his creative endeavors going at full force.

With a master's in fine arts and bachelor's in history, Watson says one of his greatest achievements is to be able to work on behalf of other artists while still being able to be a full-time artist himself.

Currently, Watson teaches glass blowing and glass casting at SF State as well as a kiln casting class at Sierra College in

PHOTOS AND TEXT

BY ANDY SWEET | asweet@mail.sfsu.edu

Tahoe over the summer.

He is the executive director at Public Glass, a non-profit studio and art school where they teach, design and offer sales at their studio space. He works for Connect Art International, a company that deals in setting up galleries for art spaces and museums.

He does the glass component of the Kettle Collective, a design collective, and has sculptural work and sheet rock work at Refusalon gallery.

"Glass in its clarity is one of the most honest materials," said Watson. He also appreciates glass as a medium for its beauty and fragility.

Watson has been blowing glass for 15 years and has been teaching at SF State for five.

Glass blowing, according to Watson, is something that you invest your heart and soul into — much like a relationship.

"I engaged it as a partner," Watson said.

Here is a week in the life of Nathan Watson.

ABOVE: Watson blows a glass cup at Public Glass, a nonprofit glass workshop in the Bayview.

The cup is one of many for an event called Hot Glass Cold Beer that features live music and artists doing live glass blowing.

RIGHT: Watson a Kentucky native, attends a Kentucky Derby party that featured a whiskey tasting event with friend and colleague Evan Venaas. Venaas is also one of the primary staff members at Public Glass.

ABOVE: Watson and Robin Humphreys, operations coordinator, work in the office at Public Glass during the youth program they put on over the summer.

RIGHT: Watson watches as student David Colton rolls out glass during a one-on-one class session at SF State.

TOP: Nathan Watson heats up some glass in a furnace at SF State’s glass workshop.

BOTTOM: Watson recreates a part from an antique chandelier called a commission while student Minami Oya helps at SF State’s glass workshop.

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ON SET: The student crew of writers, performers and cinema majors made the short film with the working title “Home Sweet Home” possible in just one day of shooting.

All in a day’s work PHOTOS AND TEXT BY VIRGINIA TIEMAN | tieman@mail.sfsu.edu

Narrative directing is a class that brings together writers, performers and cinema majors who collaborate for one main goal — to make a short film. For this course’s final project the students collaborated with the advanced cinematography and the writing and performing for film and theatre classes to combine talent and skill.

Currently titled “Home Sweet Home,” this short film directed by Ariel Sinelnikoff and written by Cody Lewis lets the mind explore

a dystopian future where each household has robotic systems called A.I. Shot in just one day, the film stars Drew Reitz as Das, the only actor on screen who finds out he is infected with a virus, changing the course of the story.

Narrative directing teaches students how to direct actors and scripts, and each short film will be screened for all to see May 21 at SF State in the Fine Arts Building in the August Coppola Theatre at 7 p.m.

TOP: Oliver Phipps, assistant director and cinema major, hammers in the set for the final scene in “Home Sweet Home,” that will be played in the August Coppola Theatre at SF State in the Fine Arts Building.

MIDDLE: Favienne Howsepian, first assistant camera, holds the clapboard to begin a scene.

BOTTOM: Drew Reitz, main actor, stands to make sure the composition of the frame is correct for the upcoming shot.

TOP: Favienne Howsepian (left), first assistant camera, and Corryn Deegan (right), sound recordist, take a nap during the two hour break they got from the 12-hour shoot for the currently titled short “Home Sweet Home.”

BOTTOM: The crew for sets up a shot during their one day shoot for their short film.

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T A WEEKLY COLUMN BY BRIAN RINKER brinker@mail.sfsu.edu

Abscesses, addiction and second chances Reflections on a hospital stay after the near-loss of a limb, during the depths of heroin addiction

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was so intense that I would wake up in the middle HE PAIN WAS of the night in agony, my thigh throbbing. It was agonizing. I told the doctor unbearable. in the emergency room to Instead of seeking medical attention like slice open my thigh and drain a normal person, I went and found the largest the pus. Once he could do syringe I could. The abscess was deep in the that, I would be on my way. muscle tissue, so I had to jam the needle in, all the There was an abscess deep way to the hilt, before I struck pus. I pulled the in the muscle and my thigh plunger, drawing up a yellow gooey liquid. Then had swelled to almost twice its normal size. The I unscrewed the barrel of the syringe, leaving the doctor told me I needed surgery and a three-day needle sticking out of my swollen abscessed thigh, IV drip of extra strength antibiotics.

I could lose my leg or die, he pleaded. I wasn't and squirted the pus out into an old aluminum can.

I did it again and again until the pain subsided. so sure. Maybe he was wrong. I was terrified of Sometimes I forget how bad my life was as a not having heroin, and a stay in the hospital would junkie. While I rarely think about getting high or be annoying. He then told me that I would have drunk anymore, I do struggle with the rigmarole plenty of pain medication. I reluctantly agreed.

Abscesses are pus-filled infections that junkies of normal daily living. I get caught up worrying about my school grades and wonder if I'm on the get all the time. They form when an intravenous right career track. I'm still haunted by what people drug user injects bacteria-infested drugs or when think about me. Do my old friends still like me? the dirt and grime on the skin is pushed through by the puncture of the syringe. They are nasty and What about my new ones?

When my self esteem drops, when I feel like dangerous, and I got them constantly.

I'm just not good enough, this is when the doubt It wasn't my first abscess, so thought I could and fear comes flooding in and I can easily get handle it myself. Injecting black tar heroin, overwhelmed and drown in self-loathing. My with dirty needles, by an inexperienced hand perspective begins to shift for the worse. Like the had caused most of my more accessible veins to time I was walking around my neighborhood in collapse or harden. I had taken to injecting heroin the Tenderloin and I saw a scraggly, hunched over into my muscles, like in my ass, shoulders and man snatch up a tiny piece of tinfoil littered in thighs — all of which at one time or another had the street. I thought "What a score!" He probably deep intramuscular abscesses. found some drugs. My body filled with warmth When I came to after surgery, I had a hole and I wished that it was me who found that piece in my left thigh the size of two grapefruits. The of garbage. I was jealous. surgeon said he removed over a liter of pus. Two Sometimes I catch glimpses of people shootdrainage tubes were inserted in my leg above and ing up on the street. I see the brown liquid in the below the rotten wound. The gaping hole was syringe and the blood dripping down their arms packed with gauze, which needed changing daily. and I remember the excitement, the relief, of hitBefore the nurses could change the dressing, they ting a good plump vein and the hot rush of heroin. would increase the dosage on my moraine IV drip, In times like these, I don't think about the plus give me an extra shot of morphine from a abscesses or the infections. I don't think about the syringe to help with the pain. junkies who die from infections or the countless It wasn't enough. They had to hold my leg down, pull out the gauze and pack clean ones in. I limbs hacked off because abscesses went too long screamed, clenching the metal rails of the hospital untreated. I just think about the escape.

Today, the struggles of sober life are challengbed. ing. But when I really think about it, and compare The doctors and nurses had saved my leg. But my life now to the pusjust barely. I had waited filled one of my junkie until the last minute before past, everything seems finally going to the emerJournalism student Brian Rinker pretty good. My life is takes the ideals of full disclosure gency room. For weeks, I and transparency to an exteme level truly wonderful, thanks hobbled around on a cane, when he reflects on his days as a to having set the bar so hoping the abscess would heroin junkie. low. just go away. The pain

05.15.13 | GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

10 STAFF EDITORIAL

Finals: bane of my existence KALE WILLIAMS

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

BRAD WILSON

PRINT MANAGING EDITOR bradw949@mail.sfsu.edu

ADRIAN RODRIGUEZ

ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR arrodrig@mail.sfsu.edu

ELISSA TORRES

ART DIRECTOR elissat@mail.sfsu.edu

WYATT McCALL

MULTIMEDIA EDITOR wmccall@mail.sfsu.edu

NENA FARRELL

PRINT COPY CHIEF haydee@mail.sfsu.edu

SAM MOLMUD

ONLINE COPY CHIEF smolmud@mail.sfsu.edu

VIRGINIA TIEMAN

PRINT PHOTO EDITOR tieman@mail.sfsu.edu

JESSICA WORTHINGTON

ONLINE PHOTO EDITOR jlwphoto@mail.sfsu.edu

ELLIE LOARCA

CAMPUS EDITOR emloarca@mail.sfsu.edu

ERIN DAGE

CITY EDITOR erindage@mail.sfsu.edu

MATT SAINCOME

A&E EDITOR saincome@mail.sfsu.edu

LINDSAY ODA

OPINION EDITOR loda@mail.sfsu.edu

F

INAL EXAMS, END of semester projects and bouts of nightlong cram sessions are upon us. With all the talk of assignments, worth a quarter to a third of our grades, it could be difficult not to crumble — or at least crack — under the pressure.

Tackling the task of closing out a semester can seem tedious and the University should be better preparing students for the hectic end of semester woes.

In the University’s mission statement, among the goals of SF State, is the ability “to create and maintain an environment for learning that promotes respect for and appreciation of scholarship...to promote excellence in instruction and intellectual accomplishment.”

The majority of courses at SF State, however, seem to stray from teaching technical and practical skills in problem solving and team collaboration, failing to mirror the progressive evolution of the workforce environment. Instead, instructors often use antiquated examination styles. Statistical and factual memorization is not only tiresome — but a wasted effort.

Standardized testing, such as Scantron and bubble form type tests, has proven to be less beneficial to students and seems to be an easy way out for educators. It’s a lot easier to grade a huge stack of finals if all you have to do is feed them through a machine.

Often, our finals are preceded by a study guide distributed in class with the instruc-

ART BY KIRSTIE HARUTA kharuta@mail.sfsu.edu

tions boldly stated by the instructor, “MEMORIZE.” Although, this may be easier for professors, it does nothing for the students’ education.

Having a brain full of memorized facts isn’t going to help you in today’s workforce unless you plan on being a full-time contestant on Jeopardy. Today’s job market demands workers who can think critically and solve problems on the fly, skills which

are diminished, not strengthened by standardized testing.

Students who aren’t visual learners, and instead use tactile and auditory stimulation to understand complex ideas and theories have a harder time taking multiple-choice exams and memorizing written content.

Multiple-choice tests won’t serve many students who are asked to perform in a difficult environment.

But until our professors recognize the futility of Zeus forms and number two pencils, we’re stuck with the system we have. So remember to keep things in perspective.

The last thing you want to do is stress out before a daunting week of finals. Allowing oneself to be too stressed out might actually be a deterrent to success. According to a piece by US News discussing tactics for getting through college finals, realistic timing and allocation for de-stressing are of paramount importance.

It’s important to set aside time for rest, exercise and eating.

So make the most of the system we have, fellow Gators. A few more weeks and it will all be over.

DAN NELSON

ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR danelson@mail.sfsu.edu

JONATHAN RAMOS

ASSISTANT A&E EDITOR jonaramo@mail.sfsu.edu

HOLLY NALL

BY LINDSAY ODA

oda@mail.sfsu.edu

Faux foodies pollute unique SF food scene

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR hnall@mail.sfsu.edu

RACHELE KANIGEL

FACULTY ADVISER kanigel@mail.sfsu.edu

KEN KOBRE

PHOTO ADVISER ken@kobre.com

JESSE GARNIER

ONLINE ADVISER jgarnier@sfsu.edu

JUSTIN OROZCO

CIRCULATION jaorozo@mail.sfsu.edu

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

EVA CHARLES

ADVERTISING & BUSINESS echarles@mail.sfsu.edu

SADIE CROFTS

STUDENT GRAPHIC DESIGNER sgcrofts@mail.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 Lindsay Oda at:

Giants won the second World Series in three years. Niners went to the Super Bowl. Warriors are in the playoffs. There has been a lot of smack talk about bandwagoning and Bay Area teams in the past few seasons. Bona fide sports fans, your points are valid. Bandwagoning is a real issue. But I’m here to expose posers in the San Francisco food scene, an epidemic like that of Bay Area sports.

I came to SF State from the humble suburbia of Castro Valley in the East Bay. My senior year of high school, the first Indian restaurant opened. Thai food was becoming more accepted. I was suffocating in a suburbia of families and retirees who didn’t venture much further than the Italian chain restaurant Rigatoni’s and tart frozen yogurt. My family and I would eat out in the city, Oakland or Berkeley as much as we could for special occasions. Castro Valley just didn’t cut it.

When I came to San Francisco for college, I was excited to dive into the food scene — to be with others like me. I wanted cohorts willing to search for the freshest ciabatta and unafraid to venture the Tenderloin for Pakistani kebabs.

But what I found was worse than the small-town, picky eaters at home: foodie posers. Foodie posers feign food knowledge and adoration for their own recognition.

With every young, trendy city and a growing food culture comes the annoying, inescapable problem of foodie posers. Who isn’t a self-proclaimed foodie in San Francisco? Anyone who has taste buds and can write a Yelp review is a foodie. Anyone who enjoys going to Off the Grid on Friday nights is a foodie. Anyone who Instagrams their plated salad is a foodie. Anyone who buys organic is a foodie.

People back home don’t act like they’re foodies. They eat crap, and aren’t ashamed of it. Here, being a foodie is “cool” and makes you “cultured,” so everyone pretends to be one.

I’m willing to bet half of self-proclaimed foodies don’t even like to cook. They are young people with enough cash to buy expensive, beautifully plated food and then tweet about it.

Just because this salmon blends Japanese, French and Californian cuisine, doesn’t mean it tastes good. Just because the interior of this restaurant is charming with a chalkboard menu, reclaimed wood tables and mismatched dining ware means the setting will be perfect for Instagram, but doesn’t mean the food will be cooked properly.

Here’s my deal. Since being a foodie makes you “cool” and “cultured,” everyone latches onto food trends. Suddenly, any place that serves a certain cuisine or dish is incredible. Ramen is a popular food.

It’s different. It’s complex. But every new ramen house will not necessarily be the bomb. It will most likely be some joe trying to make a dime off of a food trend, imitating art in the cheapest, most efficient way possible, but charging extravagant prices.

Bona fide foodies will know this and spot fakers in a second.

Foodie posers will be fooled into writing positive Yelp reviews, bragging about their transcendental experience.

I appreciate the wide curiosity and genuine interest San Francisco has in new unusual foods. It gives exotic cuisines a fighting chance. It allows the small, divey restaurants to stay alive.

What I’m annoyed with is the pretention around “cool” foods that don’t deserve the hype and praise. I’m annoyed with the people who parade them around for their own recognition. And dammit, will you stop Instagraming your burrito? (How different can this Instagramed burrito be than the last?)

Where are the tastemakers? Where are my bona fide foodies? I know you’re out there. I still have hope. I will dig through the Instagram rubbish and amateur Yelp reviews to find you.

loda@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 Kale Williams at: kale@mail.sfsu.edu

CORRECTIONS FOR XPRESS PRINT EDITION 5.08.12

In the article “Young adults shed online dating stigma” we incorrectly identified Julie Feinstein Adams as Julia Fienstien Adams and the photo caption mistakenly said she had been married for four years. She has been married for seven.

In the same article, we incorrectly identified Match. com and OkCupid.com as the top searched dating sites on Google in 2012.

The top two dating sites are Plentyoffish.com and Match.com.

We regret the error.

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T A WEEKLY ENVIRONMENTAL COLUMN BY ELISSA TORRES elissat@mail.sfsu.edu

Hemp’s environmental benefits outweigh stereotypes Examining the environmental benefits of industrial hemp and the legality of its current usage

SFSU FALL EMPLOYMENT

GOLDEN GATE XPRESS ADVERTISING OFFICE

STUDENT DESIGNER WANTED FOR FALL 2013 QUALIFICATIONS • Knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) • Flash and web design programs are helpful • Thorough understanding of layout design • Excellent written and verbal communication skills • Creativitiy!

TO APPLY Send resume to Eva Charles Golden Gate Xpress Ad Office, HUM 302 (415) 338-3133 echarles@sfsu.edu

HERE’S A CERTAIN green plant with a reputation for its psychedelic effects and that was also known to help Bob Marley get through his days.

Marijuana gets all the fame, but lesser known is its family member: industrial hemp. This column is about hemp's gift to us all — the latest material used to make eco-friendly products.

Hemp and marijuana are both members of the cannabis family but have completely different uses. Industrial hemp has been used for industrial and agricultural purposes as an alternative to everything including wood, gasoline and plastic. Marijuana on the other hand affects the nervous system. It has been used for both medicinal purposes, as a pain killer, and recreationally to alter the senses.

In 1998, a study titled "Environmental Economics" found that hemp is very environmentally friendly and is a carbon negative raw material, limiting harmful carbon footprints.

The hemp plant requires little-to-no pesticide and herbicide use, meaning it does not put any unnecessary chemicals into the ground.

Hemp is a woody fiber, more fibrous than its munchie-inducing cousin, and is commonly mixed with other organic fibers like cotton or silk to make clothing fabric. The oil extracted from hemp seeds can be used in oil-based paints, moisturizers and plastics. Paper, textiles, clothing and biodegradable plastics are some of the most valuable items produced using hemp.

China is the leading producer of hemp ahead of Europe, Chile, North Korea and Canada. According to Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, industrial hemp is legal in Canada. In 1994, Canada began doing research on the usefulness of hemp. They discovered that industrial hemp fibers and seeds could be used for various manufacturing purposes. March 12, 1998 hemp was legalized in Canada.

North Dakota, Vermont, Colorado, Kentucky, Maine, Montana, Oregon and West

Virginia have individually passed laws that endorse hemp use in their states, according to the North American Industrial Hemp Council.

However, growing hemp is still illegal under federal law.

Unfortunately, industrial hemp is not legal in the United States because many aren’t aware of the differences between industrial hemp and marijuana. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, it is illegal to grow hemp in the United States without a special DEA permit.

"Many Americans do not know that hemp and marijuana are both parts of the same plant and that hemp cannot be produced without producing marijuana,” DEA Administrator Asa Hutchinson said in a statement on the DEA website.

One of the ways hemp differs from marijuana is that hemp has little-to-no tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), it actually contains below 0.3 percent of the psychedelic chemical. This means hemp will not get you high, while marijuana, however, contains anywhere from 2 to 20 percent THC. Known as “anti-marijuana” among its proponents, industrial hemp will actually remove high doses of THC in marijuana plants if planted near them. If smoked, hemp will make the smoker sick due to the lack of THC. In order to create a more sustainable country, endorsing and legalizing products that are more sustainable is a must. By endorsing and using industrial hemp, the amount of trees, fossil fuels and other non-recyclable products will significantly decrease. The environmental benefits are so great that a distinction between hemp and marijuana must be made.

When Elissa Torres isn’t rescuing wounded marine mammals or hugging trees, the environmental studies minor spends her time writing this column.

It’s based on equal parts opinion, statistics and life experiences. If you don’t like it, read and recycle.

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