Spring 2014 issue 15

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MAY 14, 2014 ISSUE 15 VOLUME XCVIII GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG SERVING THE SAN FRANCISCO STATE COMMUNITY SINCE 1927

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Family calls for justice

BY CHRIS SANCHEZ sanchezc@mail.sfsu.edu

JESSICA CHRISTIAN / XPRESS

DEMONSTRATION: Joshua Conneley stands outside of the Hall of Justice building Thursday, May 8 holding a sign for his cousin in protest, asking the District Attorney’s office to file charges against the man accused of killing him Saturday, May 3.

Family and friends of an SF State student, who was shot and killed, when he mistakenly entered the wrong apartment, urged the District Attorney this week to investigate the incident and press a murder charge on the shooter.

Starting last Wednesday, family and friends staged a three-day long protest outside San Francisco’s Hall of Justice, holding signs that say “Justice for Stephen,” asking for answers from police.

“We want justice for my brother and we want

his killer to be put in prison and locked up,” said Guillermo’s brother Marc Guillermo. “We can’t bring my brother back, but this could happen to anybody and we’re just trying to prevent this from happening again.”

Amisi Sudi Kachepa, 68, admittedly shot and killed 26-year-old Stephen Guillermo early Saturday morning in a SOMA apartment building on the 900 block of Mission St. where they both lived, according to police. The District Attorney’s office FAMILY CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

STUDENT HOUSING

RACHEL ASTON / XPRESS

PETITIONING: Rachel Zamora, a senior sociology major, signs a petition to put a halt to the privatization of the Cesar Chavez Student Center Thursday, May 1 in front of Cafe Rosso.

Ownership change likely in Student Center

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BY CHLOE JOHNSON | chloej@mail.sfsu.edu

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JESSICA CHRISTIAN / XPRESS

CRAMPED: Jesse Saeteurn sits on his bed in his 8-by-8 room at his Ingleside home Tuesday, May 13.

ith the end of the semester around the corner, a big question looms over hundreds of students: where are you going to live this summer?

Living in the U.S.’s most expensive city according to Expatisan means single bedrooms run in the several hundreds, and actual apartments cost triple that. Many of these student leases, whether in an illegal in-law or a high-rise with multiple other people, often end between May and August, depending on when students arrived in the city and signed a lease.

Many students like Nigel Boyette, a 20-year-old junior, call Parkmerced home.

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HOUSING CRISIS CLOSES IN ON STUDENTS

BY NENA FARRELL haydee@mail.sfsu.edu

“It wasn’t too crowded, it was a two bedroom house so each of us, two of us got one bedroom each,” said Boyette, who has lived in Parkmerced since his sophomore year after leaving the Village at Centennial Square.

After his first year of living in Parkmerced, his two roommates moved out and Boyette and his roommate Ben attempted to find an affordable apartment on Craigslist.

They found the options in their price range weren’t livable situations.

“Ben found something on Craigslist I believe, and it was a really cheap room on Holloway,” Boyette said. “Man, that place was a mess. It was cheap for a reason. The kitchen, sticky. We get to our ‘room’ and HIGH CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

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F State plans to shift control of the Cesar Chavez Student Center from an independent organization to the university’s corporate entity UCorp starting on June 30, a move that may threaten the employment of 125 student center employees, according to a union representative.

According to Donna Olivera, a member of the Coalition to Stop Synergy (CSS), an anti-privatization student group, the university will end the union contract with the Western Conference Teamsters 856, which the building’s custodians have been working under for the past seven years.

CSS is accusing the university of union busting tactics, and said the effort to privatize the Student Center is violating the labor rights of custodial workers in the building.

“We want transparency from the university, extension on the lease, and whatever the custodial workers want,” said Patricia Martinez, a member of CSS, at a May 1 rally. “We don’t want people to lose their livelihoods.”

Jason Porth, the Executive Director of UCorp said that accusations of union busting and other unethical practices by his company are false, blaming the upset on misinformation.

“There’s no interest in privatizing anything,” said Porth. “UCorp’s role in this is as a partner.”

Porth also said that he met with CSS for over an hour on April 17 to discuss the terms of GROUP CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

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MAY 14 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

Family protests for DA to press charges

XPRESS YOURSELF WE ASKED SF STATE STUDENTS:

How do you feel about using study drugs recreationally?

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You don’t need it.

So many people in the world are successful and study without them.

MAHMOD ALMOUSAWI, FRESHMAN

JESSICA CHRISTIAN / XPRESS

SOLIDARITY: (ABOVE) Friends and family of Stephen Guillermo, the SF State student shot and killed, stand in front of the Hall of Justice with signs, asking the District Attorney to file charges against the man accused of killing him Friday, May 9. (BELOW) The door handle of the apartment where Stephen Guillermo was shot and killed Saturday, May 3.

METEOROLOGY

CONTINUED FROM THE FRONT PAGE

I use Adderall because I have severe ADHD and it helps me focus on my assignments, and without it I probably would not get anything done or I would probably slack off more than I do already.

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SONYA FETT, FRESHMAN STUDIO ART

released Kachepa from custody pending further investigation on the incident.

Police officers found Guillermo’s body inside Kachepa’s apartment, according to Officer Gordon Shyy, a police spokesman.

Kachepa later surrendered to police and was arrested in connection to the shooting.

The case has raised questions of whether or not the castle doctrine applies to the case and is cause for the grounds of Kachepa’s recent release from custody.

California’s castle doctrine allows the use of deadly force inside one’s personal residence, so long as that person “feels a reasonable fear of imminent peril of death or great bodily injury.”

The castle doctrine is California’s version of the “stand-your-ground” law, a similar self defense law that is not restricted to one’s residence or property.

“Stephen was not threatening, he was non-violent — he was even inebriated and somewhat incapacitated. How is that man a threat?” said Guillermo’s uncle Emil Guill-

ermo.

According to the Guillermo family, Guillermo came home intoxicated when he exited the apartment elevator on the wrong floor and accidentally tried to enter Kachepa’s apartment.

Police found Guillermo dead inside the apartment around 1:40 a.m. Saturday morning. Kachepa told police that Guillermo had broken his doorknob.

Police have released very little information about how the doorknob was broken and why Guillermo’s body was found inside Kachepa’s apartment.

According to Marc Guillermo, he and his brother had previous interactions with Kache-

pa in the 18 years they lived in the building.

“No one really knew (Kachepa),” Marc Guillermo said. “He was not a person who would say hello to you. He would just go about his business.”

Family and friends said they would continue to stand outside the Hall of Justice this week until police release more information on the incident.

According to Emil Guillermo, the family met with Police Chief Greg Suhr last week to ask for more transparency in the case.

“Whatever law the District Attorney is hiding behind sounds like it’s all in favor of the shooter and not the poor, innocent victim,” Emil Guillermo said. “We need to reconsider what happens when shooters make mistakes. Are they allowed to shoot without consequences? I don’t think so.”

The DA’s office has not disclosed whether charges will be pressed against Kachepa. A request for comment from the D.A’s office was not returned at the time of publishing.

Additional reporting by Andrew Cullen

High cost of housing stresses students CONTINUED FROM THE FRONT PAGE

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I think our society as a whole is fixated on drugs and I think Adderall is just a representation of the need that we have on drugs. I used to be prescribed ADHD pills when I was a kid and I think it’s sad that much of our society is on these kind of pills.

PETER RAPINE, SENIOR COMMUNICATIONS

Photos and reporting by: Madison Rutherford

there’s cracks in the walls, there’s like silicone on one of the electrical outlets...The guy was like ‘Yeah, this is your room.’”

After that experience Boyette and his roommate had to look elsewhere for housing.

“We ended up just going to Parkmerced, finding Tomas (the third roommate), and living in here which is a one bedroom,” Boyette said.

Boyette’s living situation is one many students adopt, putting in as many friends and Craigslist renters they can find into the Parkmerced apartments to achieve both cheap rent and a quick commute to campus.

“I mean it’s a little bit expensive, obviously,” Boyette said. “It is better than dorms.

Dorms are awful in my experience.”

For his final year, with his roommate graduating, Boyette has found a room in a house where he’ll have cheaper rent than splitting a room in Parkmerced. But cheap rent comes at the price of seven other people living in the same house.

The house has four original bedrooms, and four more created out of a converted living room, half of the kitchen and a small room that looks like it must’ve been a glorified broom closet.

Jesse Saeteurn lives in this room. It fits him and his airbed.

“I found it on Craigslist,” said Saeteurn, a 22-year-old transfer junior. “That was my last option I had so I came to look at the place.”

Saeteurn knew that moving to San Francisco meant high prices, and that the chances of finding a large — or even normal sized room — at an affordable price were near impossible.

“I can fit a twin size bed, maybe a small little desk, but I think that’s about it.” Saeteurn said. “You can’t fit much in my room.”

Boyette currently lives in the Lakeshore neighborhood, while Saeteurn lives in Ingleside, two of the more inexpensive neighborhoods in San Francisco. According to Zumper, the cheapest neighborhoods for a one-bedroom are Outer Mission/Excelsior with a $1,575 average per month, Outer

Richmond at a $1925 average and Bayview at $1950. The runner-ups are Outer Sunset at $2,000 and Lakeshore at $2,150.

The numbers only climb higher the closer units are to downtown.

Rental options under $1,000 are the least available units in the city, but the prices grow exponentially after that. There are more than 60,000 units available for over $2,000 rent, according to the American Fact Finder.

The limited options below the $1,000 mark are what many students compete for over places like Craigslist, hunting for the next deal.

Channa Thorton, a 21-year-old senior knows that finding the next best place is often about timing as much as it is about finances.

She and her roommate have been sharing a bedroom since 2010 and trying to leave since 2011, but haven’t been able to find a place.

“We’ve been trying to move since at least our second year here, but sometimes things come up,” Thorton said. “Sometimes you gotta pay so much in the beginning, up front.”

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MAY 14, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

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Stephen Guillermo Nov. 27, 1987- May 3, 2014

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BY CHRIS SANCHEZ | sanchezc@mail.sfsu.edu

tephen Guillermo, an SF State student who was passionate about world affairs and dedicated to financially supporting his family, died May 3 when he mistakenly entered his neighbor’s apartment in the South of Market building where he lived in San Francisco. He was 26.

According to his family, Guillermo had been drinking when he returned to his apartment building on the 900 block of Mission Street the night of the incident. Instead of reaching the fifth floor where he lived, he accidentally got off on the third floor where he tried to enter 68-year-old Amisi Sudi Kachepa’s apartment, where he was shot upon entry. Officials pronounced him dead at the scene.

Friends and family remember him as an affectionate and soft-spoken person.

“The best way to describe him was that he was always willing to take care of people. He was always smiling and in every picture he had that same smile,” said his brother Marc Guillermo.

Family members stressed that the circumstances behind the incident that claimed his life did not reflect Guillermo’s unaggressive personality and any violence would be uncharacteristic of him.

“Stephen was a gentle, kind, loving, almost childlike character. The cliché is that ‘he really couldn’t harm a fly,’ but he really didn’t have that kind of instinct in him,” said his cousin Emil Guillermo.

At the age of eight, Guillermo and his family emigrated from the Philippines to the United States seeking financial stability.

Guillermo attended City College of San Francisco before transferring to SF State where he was slated to graduate in June with a bachelor’s degree in international relations. He would have been the first in his immediate family to receive a college degree.

Guillermo loved to travel. He often enjoyed taking road trips and took an interest in learning about the politics of foreign countries. He had aspirations to work as a diplomat at an international embassy, family and friends said.

SF State professor and Chair of the International Relations department Sophie Clavier remembers Guillermo became enamored with the material in her introduction to international relations class. Clavier was Guillermo’s educational advisor who helped him decide what classes to take at the University.

“He was always making sure that he was on the right path and doing the right thing in school. You wish everybody was a student a like him,” Clavier said.

A few years ago Guillermo came to Clavier for help with school when he was struggling with personal problems and helped devise a curriculum to help him, she said. While Clavier never found out what problems he was struggling with, she speculates it may have been because of his father’s death.

When Guillermo’s father died in 2010 after a battle with cancer, he became the primary source of his family’s income by taking on two jobs and still attending school full-time.

“My brother was a second father of mine when my dad passed away. He didn’t ask any questions or complain he just stepped up to the plate,” said his brother Marc Guillermo.

Guillermo was an avid baseball fan. His favorite team was the San Francisco Giants and often attended games during their season.

On Monday, the Giants honored Guillermo at AT&T Park during Filipino Heritage night and a photo of him was shown on the scoreboard that said “Filipino American, Giants fan, taken too soon.”

The Guillermo family is seeking to have the University allow him to graduate and receive his degree posthumously to honor his death.

“If he could be given the degree it would a tremendous acknowledgement of one of his greatest achievements. It would be a kind of justice, not the ultimate justice that we seek, but it would be a very consoling gesture from a a part of the University,” Emil Guillermo said.

COMING SOON

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MAY 14, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

MEGAPHONE: Donna Olivera, a senior political science major, shouts to the crowd in protest of the privatization of the Cesar Chavez Student Center Thursday, May 1.

RACHEL ASTON / XPRESS

Group pushes for custodians’ rehire CONTINUED FROM THE FRONT PAGE

the deal.

Student Center custodians were given pink slips the week of April 21, according to Martinez.

The University plans to offer the workers their old jobs back under a new contract with the University’s union after the current lease ends. According to Olivera, the custodians will lose their seniority, including some who have worked for the Student Center for over 30 years.

“We received an appointment letter in which we were offered

to keep our current salaries in the transition, yet we were informed that we would lose all seniority, vacation hours and sick leave, which we have accumulated based on our years of service,” said a representative from the Student Center Operations Department in a letter May 1.

According to Peter Koo, the Executive Director of ASI, merging the Student Center with UCorp will result in better services and a more efficient use of student fees.

In the past, departments did many functions from both ASI and the Student Center. If the merger goes

USE OF STUDY DRUGS UP DURING FINALS

JESSICA CHRISTIAN / XPRESS

through, everything will be done by one central organization, said Koo. Student representative Celia Gonzalez said some of the University’s motivations are potentially positive, such as saving students’ money. However, she said the University behaved unethically by not cooperating with the custodians’ union or with students.

Gonzalez also said she was frustrated that ASI’s student representatives did not know about the merger from the beginning, since the University has been planning the merger for 13 months and only

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told ASI about its plans in October 2013, as previously reported by Xpress. ASI did not get a copy of the merger agreement until May 7, according to Gonzalez.

“We have about a month to discuss all this stuff,” said Gonzalez at an ASI meeting May 7. “If they’ve been talking about this for two years, why did it take until today to get this document?”

ASI will have a meeting to discuss whether they approve of the conditions of the merger at the beginning of June, and will need to make their final decision by June 30, said Gonzalez. If all parties

cannot agree on the conditions, 125 custodians could potentially lose their jobs, according to the union representing the workers.

“If the University makes a job offer, they have to take the jobs or they don’t have jobs,” said Gonzalez. “It’s not respectful and honorable to the hard work they’ve done.”

Porth said that rumors of layoffs are false.

“Everyone who’s employed with the Student Center or with ASI will still have a position,” Porth said. “There will be a place for everyone.”

BY JAYDA MCCLENDON | jmcclend@mail.sfsu.edu

ith finals week approaching, students are more likely to be found in the library than in the pub, and some who are buckling under endless workloads may look to study drugs to stay focused.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, an estimated 5 percent of Americans between the ages of 18 and 25 who did not have ADHD used prescription drugs like Adderall and Ritalin in order to improve their concentration while studying.

“There may be some increase in focus for a short time and the person will be able to stay awake longer, but retain less,” said Michael Ritter, director of Creating Empowerment through Alcohol and Substance Abuse Education. “Studying for shorter periods when rested is the best way to foster retention.”

Ritter said the perception is that these drugs, used for people with ADHD, will help the average person be more focused while studying, which is only partially accurate.

Prescription drug abuse is a concern for the University according to Ritter, especially since students have access to these medications as more of the drugs are being prescribed in general. He added that the Student Health Services is extremely cautious about prescribing these medications and have strict guidelines and limits.

“I disagree with using drugs as a study aid,” said Richard Harvey, a health education professor.

“Taking a pill to solve a problem may have a variety of unintended side effects, such as the potential for addiction, or bad interactions with other drugs.”

Harvey, who regularly has discussions with his students about stimulant and depressant drug effects and interactions, added that misusing drugs to address difficulties with time management is not the solution.

“I also remind students that too many drugs on board, simultaneously interacting is a leading cause of illness or death in the country,” Harvey said.

The side effects of Adderall vary depending on the individual, according to the Food and Drug Administration, but often include trouble sleeping, mood swings and dizziness. It can also lead to cardiovascular problems, such as disrupted heart rhythm and increased blood pressure.

Joanna Llamas, a senior health education major said that she doesn’t prefer to use study drugs and that her alternatives are time management and relaxing when she is stressed out.

“By taking these drugs, students are able to focus more on their finals, making it unfair to other students who chose not to utilize the drugs,” said Llamas. “I would feel like a cheat(er) if I ever took Adderall and Ritalin during my finals.”

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MAY 14, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

Rare mummy displayed on campus

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TRAIN TRACKS: Edward Collins, a graduate student in the Museum Studies program, checks on the train he created for the Egypt Calls You! exhibit in the Humanities Building Wednesday, April 30 showing the trip along the Nile on the Egyptian Railways.

BY CHLOE JOHNSON | chloej@mail.sfsu.edu

rare ancient Egyptian mummy is on display at the Becker Corona Gallery in the Humanities Building, as part of the “Egypt Calls You!” exhibit, which opened April 16 and will run until May 15.

Nes-Per-N-Nub is the only intact mummy in the Bay Area, and is part of the “Egypt Calls You!” exhibi.

The mummy, which dates from between 945 and 783 B.C., is the exhibit’s centerpiece, but the museum is featuring several other ancient Egyptian and ancient Greek artifacts. In life, he was a high priest of the god Amun.

The mumy was wrapped in linen and encased in three intricately carved and decorated sarcophagi, each one layered over the other like Russian nesting dolls. “(Egypt) had the first navy, the first medicine, the first everything,” said africana studies major Richard Polote. “They don’t tell you that. You always hear a Eurocentric view.”

Professor Linda Ellis curated the exhibit with help from four museum studies students. The exhibit is composed of artifacts from SF State’s permanent collection that are rarely open for public

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RACHEL ASTON / XPRESS

viewing.

Wealthy San Franciscan Adolph Sutro purchased most of the Egyptian artifacts during his around-the-world tour in 1883.

“Basically, he was purchased off the streets,” Ellis said of NesPer-N-Nub. “There were no laws then. Plunderers would just set up shop.”

During the Victorian era, individuals would have parties where they unwrapped mummies for morbid curiosity, or to find the jewels that were often wrapped up with them, according to Ellis.

SF State acquired Nes-Per-NNub in 1972, after he had a long post-mortem career on display in a museum at the Sutro Baths and a short stint at the University of California, Berkeley.

All record of how Sutro acquired the mummy were destroyed in the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, according to the gallery’s website.

The exhibit also includes Egyptian funerary items, ancient Greek pottery, a replica of the Rosetta Stone and an electric model railroad made to look like one in

Cairo during the 1950s, complete with a model of the Nile River and the surrounding desert.

The model train is part of the gallery’s effort to reach out to families of children with Asperger Syndrome or Autism Spectrum Disorder who are fascinated by trains, according to Ellis.

“People have asked if we’ve gotten cursed,” said museum studies student Allyson Ferrari, as she showed Nes-Per-N-Nub to a group of schoolchildren. “I personally haven’t seen any ghosts around here.”

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Arts & Entertainment

Dress accordingly San Francisco, summer is upon us

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BY MADISON RUTHERFORD | maddie@mail.sfsu.edu

RACHEL ASTON / XPRESS

PHOTOS BY JENNY SOKOLOVA / XPRESS

an Franciscans have a multi-faceted arsenal of rain gear and are well-versed in the concept of bundling up when the fog rolls in, but they are a bit thrown off when the sun comes out.

Unlike most cities where it is hot in the summer and cold in the winter, San Francisco is known to exhibit characteristics of all four seasons in the span of a day. On a sunny day in San Francisco, Dolores Park becomes replete with an equal amount of cold beer and summer style. However, dusk is usually a harsh reminder that summer doesn’t really exist in San Francisco.

Nonetheless, the recent heat wave is a gleaming harbinger that summer is fast approaching.

It’s no secret that San Francisco weather is wildly moody, but that doesn’t mean style has to be sacrificed. There are a slew of ways to embrace the sun, but still be well equipped for San Francisco’s temperamental temperatures.

“I definitely have to pull out a pair of shorts when the heat wave strikes and set the leather jacket aside,” said Roanne Quiozon, a comparative and world literature major at SF State who interns for a college fashion website and has her own fashion and lifestyle blog.

“I just make a series of simple swaps, such as switching from pants to shorts, skirts and tights to skirts without the tights, or boots to loafers.”

Denizens of the “Foggy City” are no strangers to layers. SF natives know better than to leave the house without a jacket, no matter what the weather is like. Sunny days are great excuses to wear skirts, dresses and shorts, but it’s always safe to bring a coat, jacket or scarf just in case.

“San Francisco throughout the year has a lot of different climates depending on where you are in the city, but also what time of day it is, so that’s something that’s literally ingrained in the culture,” said street style photographer JT Tran, who founded Thesfstyle.com and co-authored Street Fashion Photography: Taking Stylish Pictures on the Concrete Runway. “You never know, it’s very often that it could be a nice day, but as soon as the sun starts to go down, it’s freezing… so people are very used to having a jacket or just having lots of layers so they can adjust as necessary.”

This season, San Francisco residents are retiring dark colors and embracing whites and pastels. “I’ve been seeing a lot of white for this season,” said Tran. “I think this summer there’s going to be a lot of people wearing more white than usual.”

Lighter alternatives to dark, heavy fabrics and accessories that add a unique pop of color are also great ways to embrace the sunshine.

“If I had to pick one fabric or the best color to represent a San Francisco summer I would think a whitewashed denim,” said Maghan McDowell, style reporter for the Sunday style section of the San Francisco Chronicle. “Because this is such a denim city, I mean Levi’s were invented here. And I think that is the ultimate versatile fabric: light denim.”

Pairing white denim with a light jean or chambray shirt and topping it off with colorful accessories creates a polished, playful look that is perfect for sunny days in the city.

“Accessories are an easy way to update your look, or to channel a trend you’re not quite sure how to wear yet,” said Quiozon. “Mint green cat eye sunglasses, baby blue kitten heels, pastel pink on anything...those sort of things remind me of a 50s ice cream parlor and I absolutely adore it.”

Shorts are a must-have for a San Francisco heat wave. Tran recommends high-waisted styles for women and mid-thigh length chinos or khakis for men. Pair it with an element of warmth, such as tights for the ladies and a sweater for the guys, for a polished and weather-appropriate look.

McDowell encourages San Franciscans to embrace their feminine side with skirts and dresses in lightweight fabrics such as linen. She also recommends ditching the ankle booties and acquiring a versatile pair of sneakers or flats.

Quiozon loves the playful fashion choices she sees around campus and in the city when the sun is out.

“During a heat wave, people will lean toward lighter pieces, but without necessarily sacrificing big style,” said Quiozon. “Maybe they can’t wear their favorite flashy coat or vintage dress, but they can make up for it with accessories.” She describes a man wearing a white shirt and ankle cut jeans with lime green loafers, which she thought was a great way to make an otherwise simple outfit unique.

Sunny days are a great excuse to experiment with your fashion choices. So why not take a cue from the sun and brighten up your outfit?

F A S H I O N

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IF I HAD TO PICK ONE FABRIC OR THE BEST COLOR TO REPRESENT A SAN FRANCISCO SUMMER I WOULD THINK A WHITE -WASHED DENIM

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MAGHAN MCDOWELL STYLE REPORTER, REPORTER FOR SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

Arts & Entertainment

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THE SECRET SHOW

Whispers, fliers spread the word on Secret Show Sessions

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SHHHH: Sean Thompson plays guitar while walking through Brooks Park during a Secret Show Session April 26.

JULIO MARCIAL / SPECIAL TO XPRESS

BY KYLE DA SILVA | kdasilva@mail.sfsu.edu

rm yourself with a 40 oz. and a light sweater and get to know a guy who knows a guy. It may be the only way to get into one of San Francisco’s secret shows.

Last October, students Sean Thompson, Brendan Page, Julio Marcial and Peter Ryan began organizing concerts around SF State through their Secret Show Sessions collective to build an organic, spontaneous outlet for the musical community.

“We don’t want anything predictable,” said Page.

“We want to make the city a part of the show, we want to really involve the community,” added Thompson.

The members of the collective do everything they can to reach out and make the shows accessible and inclusive, besides advertising them on the internet.

All three of the shows were promoted through word of mouth and handmade fliers from artists in the community.

“We hint at where the shows might be online, but we really want people to be plugged-in in an organic way,” said Thompson.

The shows mostly feature acoustic acts, but range from folk to hip-hop, surf punk to spoken word, to Page’s own genre, “layered folk fusion.”

“It’s really interesting to see people cross the field and work together,” said Marcial. “We all started this with something dif-

ferent in mind but it’s been really easy for us to collaborate.”

The collective is a picture of artistic diversity. Marcial, the spoken word poet, slings a Nikon camera around his neck and snaps photos incessantly.

Thompson, the musical composition student, carries an electric guitar and Fender practice amp. Page, who plays under the moniker Bobey, carries a large sketchbook and Ryan chips away at his nail polish.

The openness of the shows might feel at times like an open mic night, but the collective insists that they are running organized shows with a definite aesthetic.

Since forming the collective they have put on three shows

in a Parkmerced laundry court, Ryan’s house and Brooks Park near Shields Street in Ingleside, with the Pacific Ocean as the backdrop.

Attendance at shows has grown since the group began in October. Ryan estimates 65 people showed up at the last one, twice as many as at the first.

“I’ve played bigger shows but I’ve never played better ones,” said Page.

Marcial, who recited poetry at the last show, agreed. “Last time I could hear the silence in between my line breaks, “ he said. Still, they haven’t always been so seamless.

“When we had the show at my house off Junipero Serra, the cops shut us down,” Ryan chuck-

led. “We never told the neighbors and I guess we got three noise complaints in 15 minutes.”

Though a few of its members are going home for a while, the collective plans to keep the shows going over the summer and to expand into more central areas of the city.

They said that they want to keep their momentum going, but that really, they just want to keep doing what they love.

“It’s stressful, but it’s fun,” said Ryan. “It’s a lot of hard work.”

“It’s kind of like the whole semester,” added Page. “It takes two-and-a-half months to plan a two-and-a-half hour show, and almost all of the work is done in the last week.”

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BECAfest nominees ready for close-up

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BY ANNA HECHT | ahecht@mail.sfsu.edu

n Oscars-esque awards show is making its way down the red carpet this week in the style of BECAfest 2014. The only difference: the audience will be cheering for fellow SF State students.

BECAfest emulates Hollywood’s awards shows in its annual showcase of broadcast department students and their work throughout the year.

This is the festival’s 18th year celebrating the work the students complete, which was produced in a course called ‘Television Production and Planning.’

“From the very beginning we are producing and putting on a show run by students,” said BECAfest stage director and scriptwriter Lauren Kale.

“The point of the class is to teach us how stressful and ridiculous it is to be in show business.”

Every past BECAfest has featured a specific theme the show revolves around, but the long-standing tradition of keeping it a secret is no different this year.

Production members wouldn’t divulge any details

because it would ruin the surprise element of the event.

The showcase features a fun pacing similar to that of the Oscars or Grammys, where a red carpet leads audience members into Studio One. From there they are treated to music, a presentation of the students’ work and the final awards ceremony.

BECAfest stage director William Maltez provided an even simpler breakdown: “Doors open at 6:30, red carpet, I’ll leave it at that,” he said.

“Sit down (and) just wait for the show. It’s as if you are attending the Grammys.”

The students’ entries are judged in about 14 categories, including video, audio, screenwriting, radio, sound art and experimental video.

When the winners are revealed, they come onto the stage and receive the Becky Award and give an acceptance speech.

BECAfest is even more special because the students direct and produce the show themselves.

Jessica Flynn, a producer of the event, said last year’s festival garnered over 200 people, and she believes this year’s event will be an even bigger

TONY SANTOS / XPRESS

AWARDS: Will Maltez, senior Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts (BECA) student, is restrained on the ground

by Jason Villaroman while Shayne Keator (right) films the faux-protest outside the Business Building Wednesday, May 7, for the upcoming BECAfest award show.

success.

Kale said there will also be an added component of the show for viewers not able to attend the actual event.

“We’re also streaming (the show) live on air,” she said.

“That’s going to be on KSFSmedia.net and so you don’t actually have to attend the

show to watch the show, which I think is one of the best parts about BECAfest because it can be global.”

Kale and Flynn added that a “making of” video, which chronicles the behind-thescenes making of the show, will also be available for viewers a week following the students’

graduation.

BECAfest 2014 begins at 7 p.m. May 16 in Studio One in the Creative Arts Building. The event is free. Those unable to attend can view the live broadcast at: http://ksfsmedia.net/ becafest/becafestlive/.

Paper transformations show that origami is no longer ‘child’s play’ WATCH THE TRANSFORMATION OF PAPER IN THE VIDEO ‘MOVEMENT IN PAPER’ ON

BY ANGELICA WILLIAMS anwms@mail.sfsu.edu

Transforming a sheet of paper into a three-dimensional piece of artwork within minutes sounds like a feat only achievable in the future, but it has been a tradition in Japanese culture for centuries.

Curators June Sakamoto and Vicky Mihara Avery brought this unfamiliar art form to students with the opening reception of “Movement in Paper: the Evolving Form of Origami” this past Thursday, May 1.

“Most art requires a lot of equipment, like with painting you need all the different colored paint, more than one brush and time,” Sakamoto said. “But with origami anyone can do it with a single sheet of paper, anyplace, anywhere and anytime and in minutes, you have completed a project.”

In passing, curator Carolyn Ho spoke with Jon Funabiki, journalism professor, after his show in 2013, titled “Voices from Japan: Tanka --- After the Tsunami.”

She told him she wanted to put on an origami show because it was something she personally enjoyed. A year later, the show is now a reality.

Illuminating the white walls are many three-dimensional paper cranes, as well as various glass cases displaying different types of origami, from sea animals, wildlife and dinosaurs.

GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

PHOTOS BY JESSICA CHRISTIAN / XPRESS

CREATE: Kay Dilena, founder of the Dilena Takeyama Center, pinches her origami paper to form a butterfly during a folding demonstration in the Cesar Chavez Art Gallery Thursday, May 1. Members of the Dilena Takeyama Center set up Movement in Paper: The Evolving Form of Origami, an exhibition exploring the Japanese art of paper folding.

With the light, live jazz music playing in the background and Asian cuisine for all to enjoy, guests were invited to participate in making paper cranes that Artists Martin Sejer Andersen, Goran Konjevod and Bernie Peyton demonstrated.

Later, a screening of “Between the Folds,” a film by Vanessa Gould, featured many different origami crafts-

men and Akira Yoshizawa, an artist who transformed modern origami into real, breathtaking sculptures that do not resemble paper in the slightest.

The curators thanked the small gathering and spoke about the biggest misconception that people can have about origami. “People think of it as child’s play, so having exhibitions like this helps changes people’s perception.

People get blown away with what can be accomplished,” said Avery.

Kevin Umana, a senior fine arts and art history major, said, “There’s different ways to use the mediums of paper, instead of printmaking it can be used for a different purpose. The inside can look simple and the outside eccentric.”

“You’re limited to the characteristic of the paper. It’s flat and you’re trying to make it three-dimensional object out of a two-dimensional paper,” said Sakamoto.

Mathematicians can fall into this art form as well because of the technical folding that math equations can play into them creating a simple crane into a complex crane and not realize the one sheet it took to get there.

The exhibit will be on display until July 15 in the Student Center Art Gallery.

Arts & Entertainment

MAY 14, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

9

LORISA SALVATIN / XPRESS

THE BOYS: (From left) Daren Hasenkamp, Robbie Donovan and Tyler Johnson of Tommy Boys April 29 at The Panda Studios in Fremont, where they are recording their first full length album.

The graduates: meet math rockers, Tommy Boys

BY LORISA SALVATIN salvatin@mail.sfsu.edu

What does one do after getting a college degree? Sit back, start a band and record an album, of course.

After graduating from SF State last year, alumni Tyler Johnson and Robbie Donovan are holding off on their careers to make music.

The band, Tommy Boys, has weaved their way through the San Francisco local music scene since 2011 after their guitarist answered Johnson’s Craigslist post looking for someone to experiment in a new music project.

After one year of writing and another year of playing shows, Tommy Boys continues

to be part of what Johnson calls the “pioneers of math rock in the Bay.” “We have played a lot in the city, but honestly not that many people come to our shows,” said Donovan who sings and plays bass. “But when you’re starting out as a band it’s tough to expect.”

Math rock hasn’t been trending like the surf rock, or sixties revival music streaming through the city’s indie scene, according to Johnson.

“We almost felt it was too much at times, kind of hard to listen to,” Johnson said about starting off strictly composing math rock songs. “Our style kind of evolved to something a little more sensible to the everyday listener.”

Tommy Boys now write their songs with a more basic musical structure, sprinkling more intricate beats and guitar melodies throughout the song to maintain their “mathy” vibe.

“They’re a more polished pop punk band,” said Marissa Cruz, Donovan’s friend.

With a refined sound, it’s just a matter of making their mark in San Francisco.

A band’s options can be limited when booking in the do-it-yourself music scene, said Taylor Bortner, guitarist of a band Tommy Boys played a handful of shows with called Bread Club.

Troubles can arise when booking shows through agents or trying to play 21-and-up venues when a band is underage,

Bortner said.

“There are not many other bands that play our style,” said Johnson.“Sometimes it can be hard to get on a show that’s the best match for us.”

Though the Bay Area isn’t a mecca for math rock, Tommy Boys’ pop-punk sound gets them shows with many postrock bands and emo-revival acts. They’ve played a number of shows in the East Bay and in San Francisco, with their favorites being in smaller venues or at houses. While the crowds may be sparse, the community is tight knit and supportive, Donovan said.

“There are a lot of passionate music fans here, a lot of people who care a lot about their local scene,” said Bortner.

“I think the scene is only getting more cohesive and positive.”

“We don’t have an official release out yet. We’ve been playing for awhile, but I think the reason we started playing shows was because we just had been working so hard getting all these songs together,” said Donovan.

Now that they are out of school and have more free time on their hands, the opportunity to pursue music couldn’t be greater for Johnson and Donovan. With their first full-length album in the works at Fremont’s Panda Studios during the next week, a musical career seems inevitable for Tommy Boys.

As Donovan said, it is only the beginning.

1350 Hours, Conservatively

BY ANGELICA WILLIAMS anwms@mail.sfsu.edu

Not many artists are able to push beyond the boundaries as Leslie Bock does.

She molds, weaves and sculpts basic art materials into something beyond what most art fanatics will initially recognize as “art” today.

Leslie Bock has been crafting ceramics for the past three years and her recent piece, titled “1350 Hours, Conservatively,” is being featured at the Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition in the Fine Arts Gallery.

Bock’s master thesis project was inspired by the stretch of land along Hwy 280 from San Jose to San Francisco, which she drives often.

Having observed the landscape on her drives to the studio she was able to recreate it in her work, which took approximately for 1350 hours to finish.

“There’s a specialness and uniqueness to that landscape because you don’t see too much human interaction,” said Bock.

The piece is made up of 100 different parts from blocks of clay. Each piece took about one minute to craft and the whole project is made up of about 4,000 lbs. of clay. The “landscape” is black and white, lying on the floor, with loops to give the illusion of it slowing building up into small hills of what Bock observed every day on her daily drive to the studio.

According to Gallery Director Mark Johnson, students pursuing their degree are invited to show twice in the Fine Arts Gallery, once in the fall in the Stillwell Exhibition and then their final thesis project in the spring, as a part of their study.

Having already received her B.A. in studio art with a minor in art history from Santa Clara University, Bock wanted to still be a part of the Bay Area art scene, so she came to SF State to pursue her art career.

After moving from the South Bay to the North Bay, the change in pace was beneficial because the art scene is different. “It offers a more metropolitan and cosmopolitan - like urban - take on the art world (and)

LORISA SALVATIN / XPRESS

DIRTY WORK: Leslie Bock shaves strips of clay for her continuous master thesis piece Saturday, May 10. Her current inspiration is the landscape she passes on I-280 as she drives up from her home in San Jose.

access to art galleries,” said Bock.

Bock plans to graduate this spring and ultimately be a professional artist and continue to contribute to the art world

with what she has learned here at SF State.

Bock’s work will be on display until Saturday, May 10, then reinstalled on May 17 at the Root Division on South Van Ness.

10

Opinion

MAY 14, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

‘Justice for Stephen’ should not mean jail time for Kachepa ANDREW CULLEN

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF culle010@mail.sfsu.edu

JORDAN HUNTER

PRINT MANAGING EDITOR jordanh@mail.sfsu.edu

NENA FARRELL

ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR haydee@mail.sfsu.edu

NATALIE YEMENIDIJAN ART DIRECTOR nataliey@mail.sfsu.edu

EVELYN CAICEDO

ART ASSISTANT ecaicedo@mail.sfsu.edu

BAILEY RIDDLE

COPY EDITOR briddle@mail.sfsu.edu

JESSICA CHRISTIAN PHOTO EDITOR jac@mail.sfsu.edu

BRADLEY FOCHT

NEWS EDITOR bfocht@mail.sfsu.edu

DAVID MARIUZ

NEWS EDITOR dmariuz@mail.sfsu.edu

L

BY ANDREW CULLEN | culle010@mail.sfsu.edu

ike all students, Stephen Guillermo wanted a break from studying before finals week, where he could just focus on having fun.

After a night of drinking with his friends, he walked into his apartment complex, but onto the wrong floor.

Then he walked into the home of Amisi Sudi Kachepa, who saw Guillermo as an intruder, and fired the shot that abruptly ended his life.

As journalists, Stephen’s tragic death took different tolls on all of us.

At times, he is a story; at times he was a number.

Nothing was more powerful than the statement from his cousin Emil Guillermo who said, there will be no “happy Mother’s Day” for his mother this year, a mother who lost her son all too early.

Everyone seems like an enemy when you feel broken down an empty, but despite the tragic occurrence of Stephen’s death, Kachepa should not rot away in jail for what, in the moment, he perceived as legitimate self-defense.

Some have criticized Stephen for being inebriated during the incident, but as his family has said, Stephen was a 26-year-old college student in

the middle of finals, who has supported his family since his father’s passing.

He deserved a drink. He deserved, just like all of us, to have a night where he could just focus on having fun.

There should be no blame placed on what happened Saturday night.

Stephen lost his life, and Kachepa will probably spend the rest of his with the nightmare that he accidentally killed a young man who was not ready to pass.

Both of these men shared more than just an apartment complex; both of their lives were destroyed in an instant.

It’s easy to immediately want to place blame. It’s easy to use this tragic death to once again open the “gun control” debate, or to bring up the “stand

your ground law” question.

But what is difficult, and yet so integral is forgiveness.

Stephen’s family describes him as “loving, gentle and caring.” The way we can remember him is to carry on those values.

So as the community calls for #justiceforstephen, remember that the best way to see him justified is to carry on what he left behind. Remember to care for one another, to love one another, to be gentle and kind to one another.

I didn’t know Stephen, but from what I do know, he would want his passing to carry meaning and to not be taken in vain.

The best way to honor him is to carry on the values his family says he exemplified: by spreading love, kindness and gentle compassion everywhere we go.

LAUREN SEWARD

A&E EDITOR lseward@mail.sfsu.edu

ANNASTASHIA GOOLSBY OPINION EDITOR agoolsby@mail.sfsu.edu

CURTIS UEMURA

SPORTS EDITOR cuemura@mail.sfsu.edu

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SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR michaeld@mail.sfsu.edu

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MULTIMEDIA EDITOR raston@mail.sfsu.edu

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PRINT ADVISER kanigel@mail.sfsu.edu

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MULTIMEDIA ADVISER tucker@sfsu.edu

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PHOTO ADVISER ken@kobre.com

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ADVERTISING & BUSINESS echarles@mail.sfsu.edu

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WRITE US A LETTER The Golden Gate Xpress accepts letters no longer than 200 words.

Letters are subject to editing.

Send letters to Annastashia Goolsby at: agoolsby@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 Andrew Cullen at: culle010@mail.sfsu.edu

Beauty should not be defined by photoshop

BY EMILIA ROSALES | eer@mail.sfsu.edu

Ever wonder who decided a skinny frame, blonde hair and clear skin was the ideal image of beauty? Ever wonder what influenced you to put those clothes on this morning? Well, it all started in 1966.

Lesley Lawson, more commonly known as Twiggy, was a mid-1960s model and actress. Twiggy’s thin build, big eyes and lush lashes coined her her nickname and the title “The Face of 1966.”

She is remembered as one of the first international supermodels and her body became the bar for what models in the industry should look like.

It is not only models and the fashion industry that have an effect on individuals’ perceptions of what beauty is, but the unavoidable advertisements that are constantly circulating our world.

The use of Photoshop should be regulated in advertisements not only for the mental and physical welfare of children and young adults, but for an ideal and more realistic notion of what beauty really is.

Photoshop is used for a wide range of reasons other than just advertising and most photos that we see now have been transformed in some way or another. Only after the photo has been worked and reworked is it presented to the public.

Florida Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and California Congresswoman Lois Capps disagree with the excessive editing and decided to take action.

The pair introduced the Truth in Advertising Act to Congress in March, suggesting the Federal Trade Commission monitor the use of Photoshop in advertisements.

Yes, times have changed

and Photoshop can be used by anyone who has the ability to learn the techniques of photo editing; but why would people in the advertisements want to be “corrected?”

The swayed ideal image of beauty and the idea that Photoshop is a necessity to look perfect and flawless is devastating to one’s self-esteem and can lead to other harmful effects, such as eating disorders.

According to National Eating Disorders, 60 percent of elementary school girls in the U.S. are concerned about their weight or becoming fat.

Of the elementary school girls who read magazines, 69 percent say that the pictures influence their concept of the ideal body shape and 47 percent say that this makes them want to lose weight.

ART BY JORDAN CERMINARA

Body image and weight becomes a huge concern for children and young adults after seeing ads of beautiful women who seem to have impeccably sculpted bodies.

When someone — boy, girl, woman or man — is concerned with their weight, the next thing they focus on is their food consumption.

The average American woman is 5’4” and weighs 165 pounds. The average Miss America winner is 5’7” and weighs 121 pounds. There is

something severely misconstrued in society if we are supposed to idolize an adult woman who has the weight of a teenager.

Action needs to be taken in how industries portray beauty and how this reflects onto a child’s perception of their own body.

Banning Photoshop usage in advertisements would create a new, fresh meaning to beauty and give children the opportunity to develop these ideals on their own.

12

Opinion

MAY 14, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

For Gun Control

I

Regulate gun possession, promote a safer nation

BY JORDAN HUNTER | jordanh@mail.sfsu.edu

believe in the United States Constitution. It has worked for more than 200 years, however, I also believe in gun control and common sense.

It is hard to read the news and see a three-year-old child find his mother’s gun in her glove box and shoot himself in the head.

This should not be happening. The public is getting a

hold of guns too easily and the government needs to review its legislature on the possession of firearms immediately.

To clarify, this is about gun control; laws and policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession or modification of firearms.

This does not mean there should be no guns. There should be no humans killing other humans because they have easy access to a firearm and they do not know how to properly use it.

There have been 12 mass shootings – where 12 or more people have died – in the United States since 1949, half of them happening within the past six years, reported by TIME Magazine in September 2013.

This trend is not and never will be beneficial to the U.S. Why is it so simple to possess a firearm? Who should be allowed to carry one? Shouldn’t a background check take longer than two days? The answer is yes.

Too often, firearms end up

in the hands of people who are not fit to take on that responsibility and often times, this responsibility leads to unfortunate accidents.

As reported last week by Xpress, a 26-year-old SF State student was shot to death in the South of Market neighborhood after he attempted to enter the wrong floor apartment.

The man who lived in the apartment had no way of knowing that the man he thought was attempting to break into his home was an innocent young man who just had a little too much to drink.

If this man did not own a gun, purchased legally or illegally, this accident could have been prevented.

Gun supporters try to say that taking away the public’s right to bear arms will create a tyranny or let a dictator, like Adolf Hitler, rule the society as a totalitarian.

Again, gun control; not gun extinction. Everyone has the

right to protect themselves, but when 67 percent of gun owners claim to own a gun for protection against crime, it seems that society has a paranoia to be randomly attacked.

Here are some statistics for you. There were a reported 307 million people living in the United States as of 2009.

According to firearm manufacturers, there are 300 million firearms owned by civilians, 100 million of those being handguns.

There were 16,000 murders in 2008, 67 percent of those were deaths by firearms.

Now you cannot sit there and say, “well people buy them illegally.” That’s not what we are fighting for.

We cannot control the black market and illegal trade, but we can control how easy it is to purchase a firearm and ammunition.

It must be regulated in order for the country to feel safe.

Against Gun Control

W

e lcome to the United States, home of beer, cheeseburgers, free speech and lots of guns.

We also have an entire system of laws that protects our right to enjoy all four of these things.

Our founding fathers believed that a citizen’s right to bear arms was important enough to be in our constitution. According to this document, we have an equal right to own a dog, a car or a gun; all of which can kill if not treated responsibly.

While guns may be a source of fun for some and personal safety for others, they have another role for citizens.

Owning a gun is an American right that should not be restricted ART BY JORDAN CERMINARA

According to our forefathers, they defend against tyranny.

In 1938, Hitler passed gun legislation that disarmed anyone who could oppose him, killing 16 million Jews in the years following.

In 1929, Joseph Stalin did the same and killed nearly 20 million citizens by 1953.

These are not isolated incidents. A disarmed public is free game for any dictator or common criminal.

Fast forward to 2009.

Since then, countries throughout the world like Egypt, Libya, Syria, Venezuela, Turkey, Greece and recently Ukraine are either on the verge of complete collapse or engaged in a bloody civil war against their own governments.

Many U.S. citizens have the naive notion that this kind of thing would never happen here; but do you trust your government that much?

Then to say that citizens don’t need guns but the police do, is hypocritical.

We allow officers to carry guns because we are convinced that they possess the responsibility to do so, despite the astronomical number of cases of police officers abusing their power.

Wayne LaPierre, vice president of the National Rifle Association, argued that anyone wishing to obtain a gun, no matter the reason, should have to go through the same rigorous training to ensure responsibility.

We should prevent guns from reaching the hands of criminals or the mentally unstable; just as we should keep driver’s licenses away from alcoholics and sex offenders from living near schools and parks.

These individuals have proven to be irresponsible in

BY ANDREW CULLEN | culle010@mail.sfsu.edu

society and as a result, are now restricted from certain liberties.

Restricting guns altogether is the equivalent of closing down all of the nation’s parks because they offer ease of access for child molesters.

The notion that banning guns prevents homicides is false.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the majority of guns used in violent crimes are illegally obtained.

Gun control only restricts the rights of law abiding citizens.

Firearm proponents argue that the mere owning of a gun increases the risk of death in a household.

This is true, but it is usually because the guns are in an accessible place where they can be quickly reached in an escalated argument.

However, the second half

of this study from the Harvard Law Institute, which often left out, shows that “approximately 90 percent of adult murderers have adult records,” including major felony accounts.

If all guns were banned, would those gunshot homicides turn into knife attacks instead? Those with an inclination to commit evil acts will do so regardless of firearm laws.

Make no mistake, guns are dangerous and making them easily obtainable is even more so.

Dangerous things, such as booze, cars, dogs and guns need moderation and regulation. But the simple fact that these things can be dangerous should never be enough to keep them out of our hands completely.

It only means that as a society, we need to act responsibly. After all, this is the home of the free.

Sports

MAY 14, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

13

ATHLETES OF THE YEAR

Gator seniors honored by athletic department

BY TAYLOR LONIGRO lonigro@mail.sfsu.edu

s the end of the semester approaches, tension is high as everyone is cramming for finals and submitting last projects.

And aside from that usual regime, the SF State Gator athletic teams patiently wait to see who will be deemed Athlete of the year. The Department of Athletics held its annual banquet last Wednesday on campus at Jack Adams Hall in the Cesar Chavez Student Center where wrestler Isaiah Hurtado and track and field member Tiana Wills both received Athletes of the Year.

Graduating senior, Tiana Wills, has been competing in track and field since her junior year of high school. A little un-

RACHEL ASTON / XPRESS FILE PHOTO

ACCOMPLISHMENT: Tiana Wills, SF State senior and track athlete, poses at the track at SF State Tuesday, February 25.

sure about what she wants to do after college, she is still excited to take on her future goals. And they are big ones.

“I might want to coach, but if everything works out right with track/high jump and I am able to jump 6’3”, I will be in San Diego training at the

Olympic Training Camp,” said Wills. “If I am not able to jump 6’3”, then I will continue and go forward with becoming a high school history teacher.”

Wills claimed her fellow track and field teammates as her biggest athletic influences, and was pleasantly surprised to hear

her name called.

“During the ceremony, I remember sitting there thinking to myself ‘it’s not going to be me,’” said Wills. “I was very surprised that I actually won.”

If Wills does not make the Olympic Training Camp as she hopes, she plans on moving back to her hometown of Moreno Valley after graduation.

Isaiah Hurtado had an exciting year. After placing eighth overall in the National Wrestling Championships and becoming the 62nd All-American at SF State, Hurtado was recognized as this year’s male Athlete of the Year.

The Sacramento native will also be graduating at the end of this month and will be off to fulfill his dreams of becoming a private investigator or elementary school teacher. Even though he has no future plans to continue his wrestling career, the sport pressured him to do his best in his academic career as well.

“Athletics have affected my academics tremendously ever since the start of my wrestling career,” said Hurtado. “Wrestling has always been a privilege so it influenced me to reach for aca-

demic success just so I could go out there and be able to wrestle.”

With many other athletes waiting to hear their own names called up to the podium, Hurtado was overjoyed and proud when he heard his name.

“It feels great to be recognized as Athlete of the Year,” said Hurtado. “It could have went to a number of different athletes from other sports, so I felt so honored to go up on the stage and receive the award.”

This is the wrestling team’s third consecutive year receiving an Athlete of the Year award and head coach Lars Jensen could not be any prouder of Hurtado and the rest of the team.

“His hard work paid off in the end,” said Jensen. “Even with his biggest challenge of maintaining his weight, he was able to reach his goal of becoming an All-American and finally Athlete of the Year.”

Ending their college careers on a high note with an honorable athletic title, Wills and Hurtado are off to fulfill their hopes and dreams. Athlete of the Year is just another award to add to their long list of accomplishments throughout their SF State career.

14

Sports

MAY 14, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

RACHEL ASTON / XPRESS

FORMER ATHLETE: Justine Hernandez waits for customers at Mozzerella Di Bufala Pizzeria at 69 West Portal Ave. Tuesday, May 13. Hernandez was forced to quit the soccer team and pick up a job because the sports scholarships did not offer enough funding for her.

Lack of funds hamper SF State athletics

J

BY CURTIS UEMURA cuemura@mail.sfsu.edu

ustine Hernandez scored the game-winning overtime goal in SF State soccer’s season opener Sept. 5. By the end of October she stopped appearing in games.

By January she was off the team. Hernandez was forced to quit the team in order to work full time and pay for her tuition.

“I was already on federal financial aid, but my parents could no longer support me financially in terms of rent, food and school supplies,” Hernandez said. “If I wanted to continue going to SF State – which has always been my dream – then I had to get a job and support myself.”

Hernandez was on a soccer scholarship, but the amount of money did not make much of a dent in her expenses.

“I was very fortunate and grateful to receive as much money as I did,” she said. “But in the grand scheme of things the amount only covered two months of my rent and barely purchased all of my books for a single semester.”

Plus the amount of time she had to commit to the sport left her no time to supplement her scholarship.

A standard day for Hernandez started at 6:30 a.m. and contin-

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

CSU East Bay

1,000,000

$927,264

CSU Los Angeles Humboldt CSU Chico Scholarship money allotted to athletes in the CCAA conference

CSU Stanislaus Cal Poly Pomona Sonoma State

$579,433

CSU San Bernardino CSU Monterey Bay CSU Dominguez Hills San Francisco State

$357,909

UC San Diego

ued with a full-load of classes and work, and ended with soccer practice before getting home at 10:30 p.m.

Justine’s story may be extreme, but her situation is hardly so. SF State doesn’t have the funds to be able to offer adequate scholarships to their athletes so they don’t have to have such a packed schedule.

Aside from team commitments, the NCAA has strict rules that require full-time enrollment and a minimum of a 2.0 GPA. The NCAA gives schools a

finite amount of scholarships it can offer, which is different for each sport. But due to SF State’s lack of funds, it is nowhere close. “(Basketball) is not remotely close to their 10-scholarship limit, less than that, they are at two,” said Interim Athletic Director Bill Nepfel. “Now most of the teams in our conference are not at 10 either, but most of the teams in our conference have more than we do.”

SF State was awarded approximately $357,000 in scholarships last year according to the

This illustrates the disparity in scholarship money between San Francisco State and the other schools in their conference.

Equity in Athletics Data Analysis, which is second to last in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, despite having the largest undergraduate population at 22,000 students.

Conversely Cal State East Bay gives out the most scholarship money in the CCAA with around $927,000.

SF State also falls well below the conference average of about $603,000 in awarded scholarship money.

“We just haven’t quite generated enough funds,” Nepfel

said. “I think ultimately we need to find new and larger sources of revenue.”

Baseball head coach Mike Cummins said that it’s a tough sell to get kids to come play at SF State without money to give them.

“I think I have $6000 for next year, so not even tuition,” Cummins said. “It’s a matter of selling opportunities for them to play and then beating the bushes and trying to find the diamond in the rough.”

The difficulty with recruiting players, and even losing recruited players like Justine Hernandez, makes it an uphill climb for SF State to return to CCAA relevancy.

Instead of lacing up her cleats, Hernandez now spends her time working in West Portal.

Despite making the difficult choice to walk away from soccer, she said that she doesn’t regret it at all.

“Leaving the team was the hardest decision that I’ve ever had to make because I love soccer so much, and I loved my teammates,” she said. “But when it came down to my personal happiness and well-being, collegiate soccer just could not provide that for me anymore. It was becoming a chore rather than something I enjoyed doing. Soccer, unfortunately, was a full-time job that didn’t pay the bills.”