Spring 2016 Issue 1

n e d o l a te

Check out the February Event Calendar on page 6

January 27, 2016

GGX

Issue 01 Volume CII goldengatexpress.org

XPRESS

Road sharing with ride-sharing leads cab cooperative to bankruptcy CODY MCFARLAND

cmcfarla@mail.sfsu.edu

When it comes to getting around San Francisco, students have a wide range of options.

Despite filing for bankruptcy Friday, the city's largest taxicab co-op, Yellow Cab Cooperative Inc., remains one of those options.

Though many students surmised SF Yellow Cab filing for bankruptcy reflects the burgeoning app-based ride-sharing market, pointing to companies like Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc., many were unconvinced this means the end for the city's traditional taxicabs. "(Yellow Cab) is facing some

stiff competition from ride-share programs," said English student Katie Brandt, 26, who is getting her master's degree. "But I don't think they will be obsolete any time soon."

Brandt said she uses both Uber and Yellow Cab, and the deciding factor for which one to choose depends solely on convenience in that given moment. When outside an airport or nightclub, she can simply walk up to a taxi and go, no app necessary.

"I don’t even have to take my phone out," Brandt said.

Others, such as 21-year-old hospitality and tourism major Melia Shimabukuro, said they prefer app-based services for their convenience

and value.

"Uber and Lyft feel a lot safer than a cab, and they are definitely cheaper," Shimabukuro said. "For me, it's easier to take out my phone and use the app, and then a driver is there within minutes."

Shimabukuro said she bases her judgment on past experience and that erratic driving and a lack of conversation between her and cab drivers shaped her distaste for taking taxis.

"I know way more people who use Uber and Lyft than

BY APHIC

GR

REID

CAMM

taxis," she said. "I'm surprised, but not that surprised (that Yellow Cab SF filed for bankruptcy)."

Business Insider reported that at the Digital-Life-Design Conference in Munich last year, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick revealed that San Francisco's taxi market is about a $140 million per year business, while Uber's annual San Francisco revenues were $500 million per year. Uber's San Francisco revenues were reported growing at an annual rate of 200 percent, and the number of its rides was anticipated to triple each year, according to the article.

ACK

taxi Continued ON PAGE 2

Gators center on pace to shatter single-season blocks record TYLER LEHMAN

tlehman@mail.sfsu.edu

I

n sports, the saying goes, “Defense wins championships.” In basketball, one of the best facets of a great defense is a defensive anchor down in the paint. Freshman Kiara Ginwright is the Gators’ defensive enforcer down low, and she is on pace to shatter the school record for most blocked shots in a season.

Ginwright has 69 blocks on the season.

She averages four blocked shots per game, facebook: /GoXpress

the best in the nation for Division II, which puts her on pace to finish the season with 109 blocks. The SF State record is currently held by Trina Easly, who had 77 blocks during the ’84-’85 season.

Ginwright ranks third in school history, and there are still 10 games left to play.

Ginwright towers over her competition at 6 feet 5 inches tall, with a massive wingspan. She can swat the ball from the arc of the shot or smother the ball away from her opponent with her long reach.

KIARA Continued ON PAGE 11

instagram: @goldengatexpress

twitter: @XpressNews

Winter break leaves campus desolate ASHLEY BOWEN

anbowen@mail.sfsu.edu

Students have settled back onto campus after the long hiatus of winter break as reuniting smiles, crowded walkways and lingering lines in the bookstore signify the beginning of the spring semester. However, just a few weeks before, SF State was a barren ghost town for those who decided to call campus home for the more than five-week-long break.

“I work and I had no desire to go home, and I have a lot of friends in the city,” said Zeneve Diaz, a junior majoring in dietetics who lived in the Towers at Centennial Square for the break. “Everyone was gone, it was super-dead, really quiet, and it was honestly really boring.”

License agreements for the Towers at Centennial Square, Village at Centennial Square, University Park North and University Park South allow students to stay for winter breaks, according to the SF State Residential Life website. In the agreements for the residence hall and the science and technology theme community, students must sign an addendum to the agreement and make an added payment in order to live there between the semesters.

Lauren Diez, a junior majoring in physiology, works as an SF State University Property Management service desk student assistant, which required her to stay for three weeks during the break. While working in the housing communities, she described that the overall atmosphere of the campus was desolate.

winter break Continued ON PAGE 4

QING HUANG / XPRESS

SF State Gators center Kiara Ginwright (30) shoots a free throw against the Cal State Monterey Bay Otters at The Swamp Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016. tumblr: goldengatexpress.tumblr.com

website: goldengatexpess.org

snapchat: @xpressnewspaper

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Wednesday, January 27, 2016

UNIVERSITY CRIME BLOTTER COMPILED BY XPRESS NEWS STAFF

There were a total of 41 incidents campus police responded to at SF State from December 12 to January 21, these were some of the most notable: Saturday, Dec. 12 ROBBERY: A library community services officer was flagged down by a robbery victim in the Creative Arts Building at approximately 6 a.m. Officers searched the area and found no one. The officer took a report and a responding medic transported the subject to UC San Francisco for further treatment.

GEORGE MORIN / XPRESS

Nursing major Daniel Gordon gets into a Lyft ride-sharing vehicle in front of the J. Paul Leonard Library at SF State on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016.

Road sharing with ride-sharing leads cab cooperative to bankruptcy taxi Continued from the front

But SF Yellow Cab is hanging in there.

Yellow Cab SF communications consultant Bob Cassinelli said that between the co-op’s roughly 2,000 drivers and more than 300 owners, everyone has a different take on the bankruptcy situation, but the co-op and its constituents are optimistic and believe it can emerge from its debt.

That debt, Cassinelli said, is nearly $32 million – the result of multiple lawsuits filed against the cooperative for past automobile accidents.

One important thing to note is SF Yellow Cab filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy under federal tax code, which allows a debtor to reorganize its business instead of facing liquidation, according to the IRS Internal Revenue Code.

“A Chapter 11 debtor usually proposes a plan of reorganization to keep its business alive and pay creditors over time,” assistant professor of economics Venoo Kakar said in an email. “People in business or individuals can also seek relief in Chapter 11. Creditors cannot try to collect debts or sue the debtor during

bankruptcy. They could emerge from bankruptcy.”

Cassinelli said that while Uber, Lyft and other ride-sharing services might have had an impact on Yellow Cab’s revenues in recent years, the cause of the filing is directly related

”

“We are sometimes painted as a casualty of these ride-sharing apps, and that is just not the case” -Bob Cassinelli to tort liabilities incurred during a time when the co-op was self-insured.

A tort liability is a legal obligation of one party to a victim as a result of a civil wrongdoing or injury.

Although self-insuring once allowed SF Yellow Cab to save money by reducing its premiums, it also left the co-op at risk of incurring huge losses, which is inevitably what happened, he said.

“We are sometimes painted as a casualty of

these ride-sharing apps, and that is just not the case,” Cassinelli said. “The game isn’t over. Nobody is singing yet.”

Uber did not return interview requests as of press time, and Lyft declined to comment.

As of last week, figures show SF Yellow Cab provides an average of 15,000 fares daily, or roughly 5.5 million fares annually, Cassinelli said, adding that in the last six months more and more drivers have been “trickling back in.”

“We hired nine new employees on Friday (the day of the Chapter 11 filing announcement),” Cassinelli said.

Yellow Cab even entered the smartphone app game to vie for the ridership of those accustomed to getting around using ride-sharing apps. Known as the YoTaxi app, it was made available to the public at the end of December and features card-on-file payment options so riders never so much as have to pull out their wallets to pay, much like Uber and Lyft, he said.

Saturday, Dec. 12 INDECENT EXPOSURE: A female victim reported a man masturbating and exposing himself to her in the laundry room.

The suspect was described as a white male, about 21 years old, with a medium build and brown shaggy hair. An officer responded at 11:05 p.m., searched the area, found no one and took a report.

Tuesday, Dec. 15 SEXUAL ASSAULT: An officer responded to a sexual assault report at 7:22 p.m. on John Muir Drive. The victim was sexually assaulted by an SF State student at an off-campus location in San Francisco a month prior. The officer took an informational report and escorted the victim to Taraval Station to file a report.

Friday, Dec. 18 AUTO BURGLARY: An officer responded to a report of a vehicle burglary on Buckingham Way at approximately 10 a.m. The officer took a report, listing $950 in damages.

Wednesday, Dec. 23 VEHICLE THEFT: An officer was flagged down while on patrol on Holloway Avenue at 12:27 p.m. regarding a stolen vehicle. The officer took a report.

STOLEN PROPERTY: An officer responded to a report around 12:56 p.m. that a subject had been stealing property from the Cesar Chavez Student Center between October 30 and December 10. The officer took a report and forwarded the case to investigations.

Monday, Dec. 28 VANDALISM: Officers responded to reports of a group of juveniles smashing windows of a parked car in lot 25 at approximately 8 p.m. The officers searched the area but could not locate the suspects. The officer took a report and notified the owner of the vehicle.

Sunday, Jan. 10 AUTO BURGLARY: An officer was notified by a subject regarding a vehicle burglary at parking stall #645 at approximately 10 p.m. The responding officer took a report, listing a total loss of $1,310.

Wednesday, Jan. 13 ASSAULT ON OFFICER: A male suspect assaulted an officer around 9 p.m. near Font Boulevard and fled the scene. Officers responded with the San Francisco Police Department to pursue the suspect and eventually passed the case off to SFPD for further investigation.

Thursday. Jan. 21 warrant arrest: While on patrol near the Humanities Building at 2:45 a.m., an officer spotted a suspicious individual.

After making contact with the male suspect, the officer took him into custody for two outstanding warrants. The suspect was taken to County Jail 1 without incident.

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

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News

QING HUANG / XPRESS

Faculty members, organized by the California Faculty Association, march on the sidewalk of 19th Avenue during the protest for higher wages during the CFA’s Fight for Five at SF State Tuesday, Nov.17.

CFA threaten to strike while waiting for decision JOEY REAMS

reams94@mail.sfsu.edu

The California Faculty Association is on the verge of a system-wide strike for a 5 percent salary raise for all CSU faculty members.

Currently the CFA and the CSU are in the fact-finding process, which is when a neutral third party receives a written brief from both sides and writes a report that will essentially become the final verdict. The report is due late March, and if it doesn’t meet the CFA’s expectations, then union members are allowed to go on a strike.

“I think the faculty has spoken and we’re very willing to have a strike,” said Jennifer Eagan, CFA associate vice president. “We have strong

suspicions that the fact finders report will find mostly in our favor, if not entirely in our favor.

We're pretty confident that our version of the facts are the better one.”

The issue of a raise was reopened May 1, followed by a bargaining period that began in July. The two parties had three meetings, and then negotiations broke off. The CFA was offered a 2 percent raise but turned down the offer with the goal of a 5 percent raise.

CSU faculty is attempting to bring attention to the situation by asking all students and faculty to wear red during the first week of school as a part of their "seeing red" campaign.

“We’re hoping a variety of tactics and pressures on a variety of campuses will push the chancellor to settle,” said Sheila Tully, SF State's CFA chapter

”

“I think the faculty has spoken and we’re very willing to have a strike.”

-Jennifer Eagan

president.

The biggest reason why faculty feel like they deserve a pay raise, according to Eagan, is because the economy is doing much better than it has in the past. During the recession, the CSU faculty took a furlough that equalled a 10 percent pay cut and many feel like that was never recovered, Eagan said.

CFA union members have received a total of 2.94 percent in

raises since the budget crisis in 2008, according to CFA reports.

Many faculty members believe now is the time they will have a better outcome due to their increase in support, Tully said.

“I think some of the state legislatures have really expressed strong support for state faculty,” Tully said.

If a strike does ensue, students won’t have class on those days. There will be picket lines on campus, and faculty are encouraging students to join them in support.

This lack of pay affects the students much more than possibly having a few days off from school, especially at SF State. According to a Business Insider report, San Francisco has become the most expensive city in the country, and because of that many faculty members have resorted to living farther

from campus, Xpress previously reported. This decreases the amount of time faculty are able to spend at school helping students.

"A strike is not in the best interest of CSU students," said CSU Director of Public Affairs Toni Molle. "The CSU is committed to serving our students, and will take the appropriate steps to sustain quality education programs that allows students to stay on the path to degree completion."

The CFA union is waiting until the fact finder’s report is released. Until then, all they can do is bring attention to the issue and prepare for a possible strike.

This is the first time the CFA has negotiated with CSU Chancellor Timothy White, who has held the position since 2012.

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Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Lifestyle &Culture

Winter break leaves campus desolate

GEORGE MORIN / XPRESS

Students sit and eat in the near-empty basement of the Cesar Chavez Student Center at SF State on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016.

winter break Continued from the front “The campus was pretty dead after finals ended, and the only students that came onto campus were those who were still living in the dorms or those who were taking a winter session class,” Diez said. “I

”

“Everyone was gone, it was super-dead, really quiet, and it was honestly really boring.”

-Zeneve Diaz

think the reason some students stay on campus is because they either have to work and can’t get time off, they’re on a sports team and have to stay for practice or games, or they live out of state and aren’t able to

afford to go home.”

Jasmine Johnson-Bowles, a freshman majoring in psychology who stayed in the Towers, said she and her roommate came back two weeks early for work in the city.

“It was really empty, and it sucked because the Village Market and Subway were closed," Johnson-Bowles said.

"We couldn’t get food from campus, so we had to grocery shop. Also, when we closed at work late at night, walking back was really creepy since no one was around.”

The month off from school did provide many students who chose to stay with a longawaited opportunity to relax after the strenuous semester.

Odalis Samano, an undeclared sophomore, lived in the Village for the entire break because her mother, who resides in Richmond, recently

GEORGE MORIN / XPRESS

Undeclared major Odalis Samano (left) talks with her friend computer science major Evan Cleggett (right) in the Cesar Chavez Student Center at SF State on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016.

GEORGE MORIN / XPRESS

Healthy U store employee Floral Flavio sits and waits for customers at the Healthy U store in the Cesar Chavez Student Center at SF State on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016.

moved into a smaller space. She said that one of her roommates had also stayed the whole time, and that she noticed there were more students who remained on campus than she had expected.

“I mostly stayed inside, and the Internet was super fast without all the people using it, so I watched movies and TV shows,” Samano said. “I also slept in a lot. I did go outside sometimes, to walk around or go downtown. I mostly went to Stonestown and went shopping or just looked around."

Several resident assistants joined students and lived on campus over break, including Kinsey Thomas, a sophomore majoring in pre-apparel design and merchandising. Thomas said she had to come back

early since she was enrolled in fashion illustration during the

”

“As much as I enjoy peace and quiet, I’m excited for the new semester.”

-Crystal Sepez

winter session.

“A lot of people left, and it was kind of relaxing, since, yes, you’re still in a school setting, but there weren’t as many people and as much commotion,” Thomas said.

Crystal Sepez, an American Indian studies major who lived in University Park South for nearly the entire time, except for a week around the holidays, said she worked in retail to keep her busy.

“Those [students] without jobs keeping them here went home, and most people were gone the last week of December, at least,” Sepez said.

“As much as I enjoy peace and quiet, I’m excited for the new semester.”

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

goldengatexpress.org

Lifestyle & Culture

FDA under scrutiny for putting business interests first

GRAPHIC BY KELSEY LANNIN

P

KELSEY LANNIN

klannin@mail.sfsu.edu

residential candidate Bernie Sanders moved to block President Barack Obama’s nominee for the head of the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday, criticizing his cozy relationship with the pharmaceutical industry, according to Reuters.

The FDA’s current leadership faced similar criticisms last year after an investigation led by the New York attorney general found that the supplements sold by major retailers contained, on average, less than a quarter of what was advertised on the label.

“With regulations as they are, it’s very easy for those companies to make appealing claims to customers,” said Claire Walsh, director of the didactic program in dietetics at SF State. “The researchers who’ve proven some of these supplements could be harmful have a much smaller platform than supplement producers.”

Walsh said the money spent on unfounded treatment is concerning, but

not as concerning as the lack of standardization in the industry, mentioning some cases of prescription drugs being found in supplements.

"As long as I'm not frothing at the mouth or having heart attacks, maybe the placebo effect is enough," said Justin Granados, a broadcast and electronic communication arts senior who takes vitamin B12.

Global dietary supplement sales totaled $32 billion in 2014, according to a Forbes summary of a report in the Nutritional Business Journal. A 2013 Gallup poll found that 50 percent of Americans reported regular use of vitamin or mineral supplements.

“The idea of taking a pill is very attractive, and corporations pick up on that,” said Gretchen Lynn George, assistant professor of nutrition and dietetics at SF State. "Although pills seem easy, our bodies don't necessarily know what to do with it."

George said the FDA only steps in when they catch wind of a problem.

Until then, companies can keep producing pills with no oversight on purity, potency and potential health risks.

“A myriad of reasons could be cited for this – FDA funding, current law,

trade group lobbies against regulation,” Walsh said.

“Many factors play a role.”

Sabrina Guzman, a junior business and marketing major at SF State and GNC employee, takes a fairly casual approach to trying out supplements. Guzman said she gets information about which supplements to take from a mix of reviews online, people she works out with and athletes she follows on Instagram.

“If I follow a certain person and see their results, I want to give it a try,” Guzman said.

Lauren Muckley, SF State’s new health educator, said that the need for supplementation must be evaluated on an individual basis, depending on a person’s typical intake of nutrient-dense and fortified foods.

"Food first," Walsh said. "All the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients in supplements come from a food source. While it's relatively easy to make yourself sick with an excess of a nutrient from a supplement, doing so with food is nearly impossible."

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January

Saturday, January 30:

CREAM Stonestown Grand Opening FROM 12 - 4 p.m.

Guests can enjoy free mini ice cream sandwiches.

JAMES CHAN / XPRESS

A CREAM employee makes an ice cream sandwich for a customer on Thursday, Oct. 29 on 16th Street in San Francisco.

February Tuesday, February 2: "SF State for Bernie Spring Kickoff" will be held in Malcolm X Plaza from 10 a.m to 2 p.m.

Student volunteers from SF State will be tabling and promoting Sanders for President.

Wednesday, February 3: "Rebuilding the San Francisco- Oakland Bay Bridge" will be held in Room 255 of the Creative Arts Building from 1 - 2:30 p.m.

Sponsored by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.

“Mike Daly, a retired steel project construction manager, discusses the massive innovation, skills, creativity and manpower involved in the past and present designs and installations of the Bay Bridge. Enjoy unfettered access through detailed photos, illustrations and insider anecdotes. Gain understanding on the issues discussed in the media. Free,” a description on the College of Liberal and Creative Arts webage said.

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Lifestyle &Culture

Chinese New Year Celebration in Jack Adams Hall in the Cesar Chavez Student Center from 4 - 6 p.m.

Sponsored by the Chinese Program, the Chinese Flagship Program and the Confucius Institute.

MEDLIFE at SFSU fundraiser will be held at Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem from 6 - 9 p.m.

10 percent of all proceeds will go to SF State’s Medlife chapter to fund their trip to Peru in June of 2016, according to the group’s Facebook event page.

February Calendar : Things to do in & around SF state

The Player's Club'sproduction of Adam Bock's "Swimming in the Shallows," directed by Elyssa Mersdorf, will run Feb. 4 -14 in the Lab Theater at SF State.

Vincent Katz and Jane Gregory, "Reading and in Conversation," will be held in The Poetry Center, Room 512 in the Humanities building from 4:30 - 6 p.m.

“Vincent Katz, visiting from New York City, and Jane Gregory, from across the Bay in Berkeley, read from their work for The Poetry Center, to be followed by a conversation between the poets and with the audience. Free,” a description on the SF State Poetry Center webpage said.

5 Friday, February 5:

Spirit Night, "Pack the Swamp," Doubleheader Basketball Game.

Women: 5:30 p.m., Men: 7:30 p.m. Free T-shirts for the first 500 students, according to the official website of SF State Athletics.

Tom Clark and Vincent Katz, "Reading New Work,"at The Green Arcade on Market Street. from 7 - 9 p.m.

“A rare reading (anywhere)

by Tom Clark. It's been better than a decade that we've had the chance to hear and see Tom Clark read his poetry here in the Bay Area. He'll be joined

by Vincent Katz, visiting from New York. Free,” a description on the SF State Poetry Center webpage said.

ASHLEY BOWEN

anbowen@mail.sfsu.edu

Thursday, February 18: Annie Finch, "A Solo Reading and Conversation," will be held in The Poetry Center, Room 512 in the Humanities building from 4:30 - 6 p.m.

“Join us for a solo reading by and conversation with poet Annie Finch, visiting from her home in New England. Free and open to the public,” a description on the SF State Poetry Center webpage said.

New exhibition in the Associated students, inc. Art Gallery in the Cesar Chavez Student Center entitled, "Resiliencies: Poetics of Filipino Diaspora," runs February 4 - 25.

The opening reception will be held Feb. 4 from 5 – 8 p.m.

Senate Plenary Meeting in the Seven Hills Conference Center from 2 - 5 p.m.

Sponsored by the Academic Senate.

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Friday, February 19:

The California Student Union network's "Statewide Student Conference: Organize to Defend Education," runs Feb. 19 - 21 from 12 - 3 p.m.

Yehudi Menuhin Seminar for Chamber Music runs from Feb. 18 - 21 and will be located in the Creative Arts Building.

“This special event provides young chamber music ensembles from throughout California the opportunity to participate in master classes and concerts with the music faculty. Ensembles will compete for cash prizes and music scholarships to SF State. Free,” a description on the College of Liberal and Creative Arts webpage said.

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Thursday, February 4:

Tuesday, February 9:

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

”This February, student unions and other student organizations from across the state will be coming together to strategize and coordinate statewide solidarity under the umbrella of CASU, the California Student Union network,” the group’s Facebook event page said.

“Welcome the Year of the Monkey with a reception and exciting performances by students, all manner of traditional Chinese New Year foods, raffle prizes and ample opportunity to make new acquaintances and reconnect with friends in the Chinese program. Free. R.S.V.P. required,” a description on the College of Liberal and Creative Arts webpage said.

Morrison Artists Series will be featuring the Amphion Quartet with special guest, Bridget Kibbey, on harp. It will be held in McKenna Theatre in the Creative Arts Building from 8 - 10 p.m. Preconcert talk at 7 p.m.

Sponsored by: Morrison Chamber Music Center.

Contact: SF State Box Office.

“Works by Bach, Debussy, Shields, Prokofiev and Caplet as well as traditional Celtic reels,” a description on the Morrison Chamber Music Center webpage said.

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IMAGE COURTESY OF ASI ART GALLERY

Tuesday, February 23: "Art Faculty Exhibition" in the Fine Arts Gallery will be held in the Fine Arts Building from February 23 - March 7.

It will be open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

"The opening reception, held on Tuesday, Feb. 23 from 4 - 6 p.m., will also feature a preview of new choreography

by School of Theatre and Dance faculty Ray Tadio and recent films by School of Cinema Faculty," a description on the Fine Arts Gallery webpage said.

Senate Plenary Meeting in the Seven Hills Conference Center from 2 - 5 p.m.

Sponsored by the Academic Senate.

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Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Opinion STAFF EDITORIAL

oldaetne Cost of Super Bowl celebration outweighs the benefits 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

CODY MCFARLAND

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR cmcfarla@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

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

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

Financial strain and crowded streets make hosting Super Bowl 50 an inconvenience for San Francisco

DARCY FRACOLLI

dfracoll@mail.sfsu.edu

GRADY PENNA

gpenna@mail.sfsu.edu

S

uper Bowl 50 will be held Feb. 7 in Santa Clara, California, but it won’t be the city of Santa Clara that is paying for it, and two members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors introduced emergency legislation Tuesday in an attempt to ensure that San Francisco doesn’t have to either.

San Francisco – the namesake of the 49ers football team, though no longer its home – is playing host to an enormous pre-Super-Bowl complex smack dab in the middle of downtown, and its repercussions will leave residents paying for it with more than just money.

San Francisco’s independent economic analyst released a controller’s report Jan. 15 that detailed the extent of the city’s financial cost, and what San Francisco is paying out of pocket is ludicrous. The NFL should have to reimburse the city of San Francisco for Super-Bowl-related expenses.

Nearly $4.4 million of what the city is spending on Super Bowl events has yet to be funded, according to the report. The NFL has only agreed to reimburse the city for a little more than $100,000.

San Francisco is on the hook for close to $5 million for Super-Bowl-related events, according to the report – all for a team that bailed 45 miles south when San Francisco taxpayers didn’t want to foot the billiondollar bill for a new stadium.

Santa Clara, meanwhile, has contracted with the NFL to have all of their expenses reimbursed, the report said. It’s important to note that Santa Clara’s total expenses for the Super Bowl are more than $1 million less than San Francisco’s.

It’s asinine that the NFL, an organization with annual revenue greater than San Francisco’s total annual budget, hasn’t agreed to reimburse the city whose name is being used to draw visitors to the Super Bowl. The San Francisco 49ers football team has a storied legacy. The Santa Clara 49ers do not, and there’s a reason why they haven’t changed their name.

Super Bowl 50 is likely to be the largest and most extravagant in NFL history. It’s the event’s half-century anniversary, and the NFL’s host committee, which functions as a middleman between the league and the local government, has raised $50 million

specifically for Super Bowl 50 events, the controller’s report stated.

In addition to the financial burden on the city, it’s estimated that more than 1 million visitors will flock to the Super Bowl City complex downtown, closing a significant portion of southbound Embarcadero from Jan. 30 through Feb. 12. Other streets that will be closed for part or all of that same time include Steuart, Main, Spear and Howard streets, according to NBC. Commuters and Muni riders will have to drastically adjust their schedules during this two-week closure, and traffic in San Francisco as well as congestion on public transportation will surely skyrocket despite the return of underground night service on Muni.

Although Bay Area football fans might rejoice at the presence of a Super Bowl wonderland, the overall outcome for San Francisco residents is unequivocally negative. Their city is paying millions of dollars out of pocket for more than a million people to congest the heart of their downtown, and services could be cut as a result.

Hoverboards on campus are cause for concern GRADY PENNA

gpenna@mail.sfsu.edu

On my daily trudges across campus between classes, I don’t usually stop to concern myself with other people’s activities.

Lately, however, I’ve been noticing people riding peculiar new devices called “hoverboards,” and it has me very worried.

While witnessing someone glide around on a hoverboard is a strange sight to behold, that’s not what bothers me. In fact, there are terrifying issues that have come to light about these miniature scooters.

When I first saw someone riding one, I thought they were a pointless invention that essentially replaces walking for people who are perfectly able.

But after seeing more of them, I began to think about how safe these things really are – for the riders as well as those around them. Then, suddenly, the possible dangers of hoverboards became all too real.

Reports about dozens of fires caused by the hoverboard batteries inexplicably exploding began to emerge. Most recently, one is suspected in a house fire in Santa Rosa that killed the family’s two dogs.

The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission has responded to these reports and opened investigations into the incidents, according to a statement on the commission’s website.

“I have directed agency staff to work non-stop to find the root

cause of the fire hazard, how much of a risk it might present, and to provide consumers with answers as soon as possible,” Elliot F. Kaye, chairman of the U.S. CPSC, said in the statement.

When I first heard this information, my thoughts immediately jumped back to the people who ride hoverboards on campus.

If multiple people are using these devices on campus and leaving them in classrooms, there is a legitimate possibility that one could malfunction and damage school property, or even worse, harm students and faculty.

SF State is supposed to be a “no-wheels campus” to begin with. Bicycles, skateboards and the like must be kept in designated areas, but as most students know, this isn’t really the case.

However, almost being knocked over by a skateboarder racing down a path on campus doesn’t bother me nearly as much as the idea of a ticking time bomb in the building that could burst into flames at a moment’s notice.

This is concerning, considering that the possibility of spontaneous combustion is not the only fault with the boards.

There have been increasing reports of injuries and damage caused by people falling off their hoverboards, whether it was their own fault or the fault of flaws in the design of the balancing system of the boards themselves.

“While the fire hazard has generated significant attention, I do not want to downplay the fall hazard,” Kaye said. “Some of

these injuries have been serious, including concussions, fractures, contusions/abrasions, and internal organ injuries.”

The threat of the potential dangers of these products is still lingering, and as a result, huge distributors like Amazon have even begun offering refunds for any hoverboards they’ve sold.

And though new rules are coming to hoverboard riders in California, SF State has taken no steps regarding the possible danger these boards present.

Restrictions should be

ILLUSTRATION BY JARED JAVIER

introduced to confine hoverboards to designated safe areas for storage on campus.

With the rate of hoverboardrelated catastrophes growing every day, I can only hope these restrictions come sooner rather than later.

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

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Opinion

Tatum’s performance drags down “Lip Sync Battle” REID CAMMACK

reidcamm@mail.sfsu.edu

J

anuary is my favorite month of the year, mostly because it’s my birthday month. I spend all month surrounding myself with positive images that remind me of my glorious wonder. But this year, a week into this sacred month, my 31-day-long birthday celebration was ruined by Channing Tatum.

My Facebook and Twitter feed was clogged with videos of Tatum dancing to Beyoncé’s “Run The World (Girls)” and Idina Menzel’s “Let It Go” on Spike’s “Lip Sync Battle.” Tatum dressed up as Beyoncé and “Frozen’s” Elsa for his two performances, donning each woman’s respective makeup, hair and gowns.

Although entertainment media and my Facebook friends raved about how amazing and hilarious they found his performances, for me, it was the start of straight men ruining my 2016.

When queer people put on some hair, a lash and a skirt, they’re labeled a faggot and attacked, but when Tatum does it, he’s universally applauded.

Straight celebrities in drag don’t have to worry about discrimination or the threat of violence like actual queers do.

Even without dressing up in drag, people in the queer community are discriminated against. Gay men are 2.3 times more likely to experience violence and transgender women are 1.6 times more likely to experience physical violence, according to a 2014 report from the Anti-Violence Project.

Supposed “safe spaces” like San Francisco aren’t exempt. Last year’s Pink Saturday event was canceled because of violence against a local drag queen.

People shouldn’t consider any “Lip Sync Battle” performance new or groundbreaking entertainment. The show’s drag numbers are watereddown versions of performances queer people have been doing for years. For

everything on the show, somewhere throughout time, a queer person probably did it first and they probably did it better.

Last year, the premiere season of the show featured Deion Sanders as Madonna and John Krasinski as Tina Turner. After Krasinski’s performance aired, my straight, male friend decided to show me the show’s rendition of “Proud Mary.” The video was nothing more a heterosexual, biological male wearing a fringe dress, singing about never losing one minute of sleeping and worrying about the way things might have been. Hilarious! Original! Edgy!

My friend was shocked when I told him that I had heard the song before and that I wasn’t particularly impressed with Krasinski’s lip sync. “Proud Mary” is a drag queen staple. Every gay man out there has seen it performed by people whose full-time job is to lip-sync.

So why should we be impressed by a straight man attempting a bastardized version of a queer institution? “Lip Sync Battle” is leading ignorant straight men to believe they’re discovering queer culture. They only applaud straight men in drag because they’re dressing up as a joke, and not because they’re actually queer.

Tatum’s rendition of drag isn’t even a healthy one. People only laughed at his performance because he was a man in a dress. What’s funny about a man in a dress? No one laughs at a woman in a suit and tie. Why are we laughing at a man in a dress? Anyone performing in drag should be able to make people laugh with what they’re doing, not just because they’re a dude in a skirt.

When “Lip Sync Battle” can feature more queer people in drag or at least feature drag that is more about the performance than the concept of a masculine man in women’s wear, then maybe I will stop rolling my eyes every time I see their videos shared on my feed. Until then, the show needs to keep straight men out of dresses and start focusing on coming up with original concepts.

ILLUSTRATION BY REID CAMMACK

Amy Schumer labeled feminist despite misogynist “Trainwreck” JESSICA NEMIRE

A jdn@mail.sfsu.edu

ctress Amy Schumer is widely, and wrongly, regarded as a feminist.

Contributing to this misconception are her ballsy speeches, including her acceptance speech for last week's Critics' Choice Award's MVP Award for her performance in the 2015 film "Trainwreck," in which she proudly introduced herself as a "plus-plus-size actress."

She also shared a booty-call story from her college years at the Gloria Awards and Gala in May 2014.

“You will not determine my

story – I will,” Schumer proclaimed at the Gala.

“I am not who I sleep with … I am myself.”

This is all well and good, but it doesn’t mean much considering the sexist ideals of "Trainwreck," which Schumer not only starred in but also wrote the script for.

The film follows a female journalist in her 30s who, after her father tells her as a child that monogamy “isn’t realistic,” fills her nights with drunken one-night stands with random men she meets at bars. The title of the movie in itself raises issues – a woman who enjoys alcohol and casual sex is a trainwreck? None of the movies that focus on men with similar traits are titled “Disaster” or “Mistake.”

In direct contrast to the main character, Schumer’s

younger sister (Brie Larson) is married with a child, a lifestyle choice that Schumer’s character scoffs at, preferring her freedom to do whatever – and whomever – she wants. That is, until she meets a successful sports doctor (Bill Hader), on whom she is assigned to write a profile.

The two begin dating and start partaking in all the cutesy activities that we were previously led to believe Schumer’s character isn’t into: couple's fishing trips, etc.

Their relationship goes astray when Hader wins an award and brings Schumer to the ceremony with him, but Schumer has to leave to take a call from her boss, after she receives several text messages that if she doesn't pick up her phone, she will be fired.

Hader gets mad at Schumer for

leaving – what, she’s supposed to sit in the audience and look all pretty while you claim your award, but her own job doesn’t matter? The two get into a huge fight, and this is somehow assumed to be Schumer’s fault.

Schumer then has a breakdown and turns to her sister for help, who tells her that it might be time to “change her ways,” i.e., abandon her personality and start acting like a "woman" – get the man back, start popping out kids.

Although this is a lifestyle Schumer mocks throughout the film, she suddenly decides that yes, her sister is right, and maybe settling down is the “right” thing to do.

With the help of the basketball team’s cheer squad — whom Schumer had made fun of earlier in the film — she squeezes herself into a tight

little dress and dances for Hader in hopes of winning him back.

The man forgives the woman after she shakes her tits in his face, he doesn’t apologize for anything, they all live happily ever after and Hollywood makes yet another billion dollars for yet another sexist romantic comedy.

Schumer can give humorously self-deprecating award acceptance speeches and flaunt booty-call stories all she wants, but no matter how many articles call her a feminist, it all means nothing if she continues to write and/or star in misogynistic films.

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Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Sports

Midseason review: Defense and depth key to Gators’ postseason push TYLER LEHMAN

tlehman@mail.sfsu.edu

I

t has been an up-anddown season so far for the men’s basketball team, who are looking to make a strong push at the end of the season to secure a playoff spot.

The top eight teams out of the 13 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association make it into the postseason.

The Gators are currently tied for eighth in the conference with Stanislaus State. Overall, the Gators have a 10-7 record, but the team has a 4-7 record in conference games and there are nine games left on the Gators’ schedule – all conference match-ups.

Inexperience has cost SF State in some close conference games, according to head coach Paul Trevor.

“Our major problem is our ability to finish games,” Trevor said. “We get tentative late in the game and don’t knock

teams out.”

The Gators have two losses in overtime this season and a heartbreaking one-point loss to Cal State Monterey Bay on Jan. 2.

While the team may be inexperienced, with six new transfer players and one true freshman, Trevor said they have exceptional depth. The team’s depth allows players to play fewer minutes and get more comfortable with the flow of the game.

“We have a lot of guys who can come in and score off the bench,” Trevor said. “We have so many different guys that can contribute that it makes it difficult for other teams to prepare for us.”

The Gators’ leading scorer, Coley Apsay, averages 11.1 points and 28.3 minutes per game. Apsay is ranked 24th in points in the CCAA, but Trevor said it’s a team effort

IMANI MILLER / XPRESS

SF State Gator Warren Jackson (1) focuses on making a free throw during the men’s basketball game against the Cal State Monterey Bay Otters at The Swamp Saturday, Jan. 23. The Gators won 85-79.

IMANI MILLER / XPRESS

SF State Gator Treaven Duffy (32) drives past Cal State Monterey’s Devin Murphy (4) during the men’s basketball game at The Swamp Saturday, Jan. 23. The Gators won 85-79.

on offense. New players, such as guards Treaven Duffy and Warren Jackson, have been important on offense for the Gators.

Duffy, a transfer from Saint Mary’s College, averages seven points per game and has the third most assists on the team, with 27. He said his biggest challenge this year has been adjusting to a new team and a new system.

“I had to find a way to adjust to a new team real well,” Duffy said. “Over the course of the season, I’ve adjusted much better. I think that individually I’ve just fit the system more. As a team, we are starting to build our identity. I think it’s going to come on the defensive end.”

The defensive side of the

ball is where Duffy and Jackson said they’d like to put their focus for the rest of the season.

The team has plenty of scorers, but depth allows the players to play hard on defense for five minutes, and then be subbed out for other fresh bodies.

“Players go in not expecting to play the entire time, but go in and give it everything they got,” Duffy said. “We know we have another player waiting to come in who can score just as well, so we can go all out on the defensive end.”

Jackson, a junior college transfer who averages almost 10 points per game, said defensive intensity is a key part of the Gators’ identity.

“We pride ourselves on defense,” Jackson said. “It’s

about taking the challenge of not letting your man score and helping another teammate out. It’s about making the right moves to improve your defense.”

The Gators currently rank sixth in the CCAA in scoring defense, only allowing 69 points per game.

Trevor said he loves the unselfishness and intensity of his team, and that their best basketball is still yet to come.

“We have to solidify ourselves and climb up the ladder,” Trevor said. “We are getting better, and it’s possible that this team could be very dangerous in February.”

Welcome back, Gators!

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Wednesday, January 27, 2016

11

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Sports

QING HUANG / XPRESS

SF State Gators center Kiara Ginwright (30) shoots over Cal State Monterey Bay Otters forward Jazmine Johnson (24) in the Gators’ 57-49 win at The Swamp Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016.

Gators center on pace to shatter single-season blocks record kiara Continued from the front

QING HUANG / XPRESS

SF State Gators center Kiara Ginwright (30) drives against Cal State Monterey Bay Otters center Alexa Sperling (32) in the Gators’ 57-49 win at The Swamp Saturday, Jan 23, 2016.

“Basically, for blocking shots, if they put it straight up I try to block it with my left hand because I’m a left-handed shot blocker,” Ginwright said.

“If they try to do anything tricky, and try to go around me, I usually use my right.

I’m basically just trying to get to the side where they are shooting.”

Ginwright said she started playing basketball in seventh grade at the urging of her parents, who could see her natural abilities as a basketball player from a young age. She also played basketball at Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, California.

“I’m really tall because of my parents,” Ginwright said with a smile. “I have them to thank for that. My mom was a cheerleader and my dad never played either. I chose basketball because my parents told me, ‘You are going to be big.’”

Ginwright’s defensive

presence on the backend is a reassuring security blanket for the rest of the team, according to guard Brittaney Allison.

“You trust (Ginwright) to block the shot,” Allison said.

“You don’t have to worry as much defensive wise. You can throw the ball up and she’ll just knock it away every time.”

Head coach Dennis Cox said he is very grateful to have Ginwright on the team, but sees room for improvement in her game.

“She’s such a prolific shot blocker that she means so much to us defensively,” Cox said.

“If we make mistakes on the perimeter, she is such a rimprotector, but there are other parts of her game that she really has to get better at.”

Cox stressed the importance of Ginwright continuing to work on her post-up game, as well as her strength and conditioning.

“We are really happy to have her,” Cox said. “She’s a gem that just needs to be

refined. A piece of clay that we can really mold into something incredible if she puts the work in. The biggest thing she has to do this summer is get stronger.”

Ginwright, despite her success, acknowledged that there is a lot of room for her to improve as a player.

“I have a lot to work on,” Ginwright said. “I want to work on mostly my offense – driving, my shot and getting faster – everything so that I can become an all-around player.”

The most blocked shots in a season for Division II women’s basketball is 219, set

by LaKisha Phifer in 1996.

Ginwright said that as of now, she’s just focused on breaking SF State’s single-season record.

“As a freshman, it would be really great to break the record,” Ginwright said. “I hope I can continue to break more and more records, but for now I think it’s a great accomplishment to be on pace to break the single-season record for SF State.”