GOLDEN GATE XPRESS//
STUDENT-RUN NEWSPAPER PROUDLY SERVING THE SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY SINCE 1927.
// 11.07.12
VOLUME LXXXXV ISSUE 11
ELECTION
PROP. 30: TEMPORARY TAXES TO FUND EDUCATION
This measure would increase state taxes on earnings more than $250,000 for seven years and sales tax by 1/4 cent for four years to fund schools.
YES 53 PERCENT | NO 47 PERCENT
PROP. 31: STATE BUDGET, STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
This measure would establish a two-year state budget and set rules for offsetting new expenditures and governor budget cuts in fiscal emergencies.
YES 40 PERCENT | NO 60 PERCENT PROP. 32: POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS BY PAYROLL DEDUCTION
This measure would prohibit unions from using payroll-deducted funds for political purposes.
YES 45 PERCENT | NO 55 PERCENT
PROPOSITION RESULTS
BY KALE WILLIAMS | kale@mail.sfsu.edu
This measure would increase taxes on earnings using a sliding scale for 12 years. Revenues would largely go to K-12 schools and early childhood programs.
With roughly 75 percent of precincts reporting
PROP. 33: AUTO INSURANCE PRICES BASED ON DRIVER HISTORY This measure would change the current law insurance companies to set prices based on whether the driver previously carried auto insurance company.
YES 46 PERCENT | NO 54 PERCENT PROP. 34: DEATH PENALTY
This measure would repeal the death penalty and replace it with life imprisonment without possibility of parole.
YES 47 PERCENT | NO 53 PERCENT
PROP. 35: HUMAN TRAFFICKING
This measure would increase prison sentences and fines for human trafficking convictions. It would also require human traffickers to register as sex offenders.
YES 82 PERCENT | NO 18 PERCENT PROP. 36: THREE-STRIKES LAW
This measure would revise the law to impose life sentences only when new felony convictions are serious or violent.
YES 69 PERCENT | NO 31 PERCENT
PROP. 37: GENETICALLY ENGINEERED FOODS LABELING
This measure would require labeling of food sold to consumers made from plants or animals with genetic material changed in specified ways.
YES 46 PERCENT | 54 PERCENT
PROP. 38: TAX FOR EDUCATION,
V
ictory for Proposition 30 — Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax measure intended to prevent massive cuts in state funding to education — looked likely Tuesday night as votes continued to be counted. If passed, Prop. 30 would raise an estimated $6.8 billion in additional tax revenue, according to the Legislative Analysts Office, by raising income taxes on Californians earning more than $250,000 a year and increasing sales tax by a quarter percent for a seven-year period. SF State President Leslie E. Wong expressed his relief at the voting public’s willingness to support Prop. 30. “I am very pleased that the voting public decided that California’s future lies with reinvesting in education from the youngest
YES 27 PERCENT | NO 73 PERCENT PROP. 39: BUSINESS TAX FOR ENERGY FUNDING
This measure would require multistate businesses to pay income taxes based on percentage of their sales in California, and dedicate revenue for five years to clean and efficient energy projects.
YES 60 PERCENT | NO 40 PERCENT PROP. 40: REDISTRICTING STATE SENATE
A “yes” vote approves, and a “no” vote rejects new State Senate districts drawn by the Citizens Redistricting Commission. If rejected, districts will be adjusted by officials supervised by the California Supreme Court.
YES 72 PERCENT | NO 28 PERCENT
Source: San Francisco Department of Elections
Check out voter reactions from Election Day and stay updated with online coverage of local and national elections at
PROP. 30 LIKELY TO PASS
EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS
GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG
students to university students,” he said. He also expressed his gratitude to those who helped encourage voters on campus. “Regardless of the outcome, I want to congratulate the campus effort to register over 4,000 new voters,” he said. “I hope we all appreciate the effort by SFSU to support our get out the vote effort. It made a difference. We will continue to focus on the student experience.” Joseph Scimonelli, a 21-year-old history major, knew that Prop. 30 was important when he voted Tuesday. “I want to be a teacher, so that will affect my future now, that’ll affect my career, that’ll possibly affect my children’s future. Definitely 30 is the most important one I voted for,” he said. The tax measure was proposed as a response to drastic cuts to California’s higher education system over the last four years, California State University system spokesman Erik Fallis said before the election.
“We must maintain price, quality and access for students and if we open up the flood gates despite the cuts, the quality of education would suffer,” Fallis said. “We are just not designed to operate that way.” Prop. 30 trailed early in the evening, causing some students such as 18-yearold cinema major Robert Higgs to worry that their votes wouldn’t be able to prevent further cuts to the CSU system. “I voted ‘yes’ on 30,” he said. “I seem to remember being told that California usually doesn’t vote (‘yes’) on tax increases. So I’m disappointed but not surprised.” Tahj Crockom, a 20-year-old business major, saw the taxes as necessary to supplement a system that’s suffered from so many budget cuts. “School’s expensive, so we need help,” Crockom said. “Yeah, why not tax to help the students? Of course that’s common sense.” Matt Saincome contributed to this report.
2 CAMPUS SF STATE SPEAKS OUT WHAT IS THE WEIRDEST THING YOU HAVE HEARD A PROFESSOR SAY?
SARAH TRIUE, 18 BUSINESS MAJOR
This weekend if you pop a pill, you get extra credit.
JUSTICE BOLES, 21 JOURNALISM MAJOR
I once saw a guy get really drunk, do some heroin and throw up. Then he said now I know what it’s like to give birth.
MIRANDA SHAW, 19 MATH MAJOR
I’m gonna come from behind and give it to you face down. He was talking about a test.
11.07.12 | GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG
Gender ambiguity the new norm BY ERIN DAGE | erindage@mail.sfsu.edu
Gender, race and class are all semantic devices used to categorize a person and put them into a certain box. But what happens when people refuse to be put in a box in terms of gender? Those who refuse to be classified as male or female are known as genderqueer. Genderqueer is a form of identity for those who define themselves as neither male nor female, and see it as a spectrum where both feminine and masculine characteristics can be expressed. Seen as a minority in the LGBTQ community in and out of SF State, there are some University students who identify as neither in terms of gender in a culture where people typically identify as male or female. Kevin Kinney, associative director of residential life at SF State, is one of the people responsible for bringing a gender identity and gender nonconformity accommodation policy to residential housing within the last year. “It’s really about being true to yourself and realizing who you are,” Kinney said. “Sometimes it’s not so easy to just check ‘male’ or ‘female’ for students.” Jess Nguyen, a first-year art student, is genderqueer. For Nguyen, feelings of gender dysphoria started at a young age for Nguyen beginning at 9 years old and shopping for training bras with their mother. “My mom made me go shopping with her to try on training/sports bras and I remember absolutely hating the constrained feeling from the tight material against my chest,” Nguyen said. “Throughout elementary school, my peers would hope for a bigger chest while I wanted a completely flat chest.” Nguyen uses the pronouns they, them and their, but is not adverse to having people use he and she interchangeably. Nguyen views SF State as a welcoming campus with organizations such as Everything Great About You and PRIDE at SF State helping them with their needs as a gender variant individual. As historian of EGAY, Nguyen recognizes that there are lesser genderqueers in the group, but other people within EGAY are ultimately accepting. THEY, THEM, THEIR: Jess Nguyen is one of many SF State students who identifies as Though there is positive queer environment at SF State, genderqueer, someone who considers themself to have a gender which is neither male or this does not stop people on campus from assuming certain female. Nguyen had these feelings since the age of 9. Photo by John Ornelas things about Nguyen’s identity. “It’s difficult to explain to people when they ask or on campus,” Martinez said. “It’s unfair not to have them, because assume I am gay or a lesbian,” Nguyen said. “However, I’m if they weren’t there they would force students to choose (which proud of who I am and, even though I still have to explain myself, restroom to use) when there isn’t a choice to make for them.” I don’t mind if the other party becomes more aware.” Campus housing also has an accommodation policy for gender In the study “Exploring Gender Identity and Community identity, or lack thereof, where housing adjustments are made for Among Three Groups of Transgender Individuals in the United those who request it early on. Accommodations such as gender-inStates: MTFs, FTMs, and genderqueers,” written by Rhonda Factor and Esther Rothblum for the “Health Sociology Review” in clusive housing arrangements, regardless of biological sex and 2008, the survey found that of the 52 genderqueer people surveyed listing a person’s preferred name rather than their given name, can be changed on a person’s housing account. the average age for identifying as something other than their Nguyen views these accommodations as important. Though assigned sex was around 20. It was also found that the average age Nguyen requested accommodations, they were not given because for telling somebody about their gender identity was 23. of the extensive housing waitlist. “I’m not exactly ‘out’ to my parents,” Nguyen said. “I would “I feel that it is very important for these types of accommodaimagine they’ve thought about it considering my appearance. I’m tions because if someone does not accept this major factor about out to the rest of the world, though — I’m out to my brother, my our identity. Any situation after that may be difficult or uncomfortfriends and just about anyone who asks.” able to get along,” Nguyen said. “I got very lucky (without having In meeting the needs of students who identify as nonbinary the accommodations) with my living arrangement now because trans*, SF State assists the housing and public restroom needs of those who seek it. Gender neutral restrooms are located in Human- my roommate is queer as well.” Though people around Nguyen may make great assumptions in ities, Fine Arts and Business buildings — and there are 11 gender what they identify as, they chose to look on the bright side. neutral restrooms in Student Health Services. “By not identifying with the gender binary, I feel limitless as Carolina Martinez, a freshman kinesiology student, believes if this is the way it’s supposed to be,” Nguyen said. “I don’t like that gender neutral bathrooms are necessary to meet the needs of to abide with societal norms or expectations of what a girl or boy genderqueer students. should be and that feels absolutely liberating.” “I think that gender neutral restrooms are a good thing to have
CRIME BLOTTER Criminal events at or near SF State
10.31 through 11.06
Medical Assistance
LAUREN LEVY, 19
BUSINESS MARKETING MAJOR
My 5-year-old drew the cover to my book. The cover had a sperm going into an egg. Photos by: Virginia Tieman Reporting by: Ellie Loarca
Nov. 3 at Cox Stadium, officers responded to a report of a juvenile subject with a laceration on her head. Medics responded and treated the subject, who refused medical transportation and was transported to UCSF Medical center by her father. If not in a dire medical situation, having a friend or family member transport you to the hospital will potentially save thousands of dollars. But keep in mind that getting someone to take you in could put you behind people who come into the emergency room in an ambulance.
Restraining Order
A student reported that her ex-boyfriend, whom she has a restraining order against, was in the hallway of the HSS Building Nov. 1. SF State is an open campus that anyone can enter so it’s easy to find people who shouldn’t be here roaming around freely. If you spot a suspicious person or witness any suspicious behavior, contact the campus police at (415) 338-7200 and steer clear of the situation. Do your part to keep our campus safe. Reporting by Brad Wilson
False ID, Battery and Obstruction Officers responded to reports of an intoxicated subject near Taza Smoothies and Wraps Oct. 31. The subject was eventually placed in custody. While in custody, she resisted arrest, kicked an officer and attempted to use a false ID. She was given felony charges for battery and assaulting an officer. In situations like these, just bite your tongue and go to the drunk tank. You’ll get a misdemeanor at worst and get to go home safely the next morning.
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CAMPUS 3
| 11.07.12
Campus DJ makes move to reality TV show BY ERIN DAGE | erindage@mail.sfsu.edu
THE ROAD TO HOLLYWOOD: Danny Myers, senior broadcast and electronic communications art major, was formerly the Fall 2011 host of “Ham Radio” on the BECA program’s radio station KSFS. He made his reality TV debut Nov. 5 on “Love Games: Bad Girls Need Love Too.” Photo by Virginia Tieman
S
F STATE HAS HAD ITS FAIR share of famous alumni — including actors Danny Glover, Jeffrey Tambor and Dana Carvey — once gracing its halls, but the University’s newest aspiring celebrity is taking a different path toward Hollywood stardom. Danny Myers, a senior broadcast and electronic communications art major, recently gained attention as a contestant on the Oxygen network’s reality show “Love Games: Bad Girls Need Love Too.” Though Myers is now a reality show personality, he was formerly the Fall 2011 host of “Ham Radio” on the BECA program’s radio station KSFS and is an aspiring voice-over actor. Myers is one of the bachelors for the this season of “Love Games,” a spinoff of “Bad Girls Club,” a reality show where seven girls bond and party while living in a mansion for three months. The spinoff follows three contestants from various seasons of the “Bad Girls Club” who attempt to find romance in a pool of 13 bachelors. The show was filmed this past summer and premiered Nov. 5.
“Being on reality television can open doors for me in the entertainment industry,” Myers said. “I want to be a voice-over actor and this can help me with that.” Myers previously applied to the MTV reality show “Real World,” but didn’t make the cut. Undeterred, he applied for “Love Games” and was offered a place in the house. Myers described being accepted into the house as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” According to Teri Kennedy, vice president of current programming for Oxygen Media, the network looks for a diverse selection of contestants with specific qualities. “As far as particular qualities, we look for what every woman is looking for in a mate — a sense of humor, unique interests, intelligence — and being easy on the eyes is a bonus!” Kennedy said. “Danny’s self-effacing humor, collegiate charm and all-American, bad boy next door appeal was what drew us to him.” Myers sees his involvement at KSFS and with the BECA program as one of the things that set him apart in the crowd of other hopefuls for the show. “Seeing that I had time in a radio station set me apart from the others,” Myers said. “It was a good
Myers is a bachelor on “Love Games,” where three women attempt to find love among 13 men
selling point for casting, because not many others had a background like mine.” He called his time in the house a learning experience. “One lesson I learned in the house is that when those cameras are rolling you have to be conscious of your actions,” Myers said. “They film 24/7, so it can be hard to think about how your actions can be seen on television all the time.” One of his favorite parts of being on the show was being among diverse contestants. “I really liked being in a house with guys from all walks of life,” Myers said. “There would be one guy from the East Coast, a guy from the South and then people like me from the West Coast.” While not every student on campus enjoys a dose of reality television, there are still those who will be tuning in just to see Myers. Christine Alcantara, a senior studying biology at SF State, has never heard of the show, but will watch the premiere. “I would watch the show in the way that a person from San Francisco supports the Giants; I’m from SF State so I would support my team,” Alcantara said.
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Contact for advertising 415.338.3133 echarles@sfsu.edu
4 CITY
11.07.12 | GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG
Veterans adjust to school life BY ALEX EMSLIE | aemslie@mail.sfsu.edu
8.3% of veterans are female Source: National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics
California has the largest veteran population Source: RAND Invisible Wounds of War Project
31%
of returning troops from Iraq and Afghanistan have mental health conditions Source: RAND Invisible Wounds of War Project
BY CRISTINA RAMOS | cjramos@mail.sfsu.edu
A
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TRIKING OUT INTO THE Afghanistan countryside to find the enemy was “just a job” to City College of San Francisco student and U.S. Army veteran Miles Foltz. As president of the CCSF Veterans Alliance, Foltz helps other student veterans navigate their GI Bill benefits and shift from military to college life, but the transition is not always an easy one. “It can be difficult,” Foltz said. “Being in classrooms full of students who are younger than you and don’t have the same experiences. It can be frustrating.” Combat veteran college students face hurdles ranging from collecting benefits from the federal Department of Veterans Affairs to coping with mental health issues and fitting in among students with very different backgrounds, according to a 2009 Auburn University study titled “Transitions: Combat Veterans as College Students.” “It’s so much harder to be accountable,” student and U.S. Army veteran Paul Hazel said during a workshop at CCSF’s Student Veteran Day Oct. 25. Other students talked about the Army’s battle buddy system in which soldiers are paired up and held responsible for each other. The students brainstormed about starting a study buddy program through CCSF’s veterans center. The lack of structure in college wasn’t a problem for SF State accounting major and Iraq War veteran Ian Goold, who said he got out of the military to go to college. “The biggest thing was not being around military culture,” Goold said as he sat in the new SF State Veterans Corner in Burk Hall Room 153. “This place serves a point of refuge for that.” Goold, who still works as a reservist, was a marine infantryman in Iraq. He described his job as “a ground pounder.” “I occupied space and removed people who the government didn’t want occupying that space,” he said. “When you’ve worked for four years of your life and you know what it’s like to be a grunt, it’s a big realization — the difference a college degree makes.” Of the more than 400 SF State veterans, only about 100 served in combat, according to Rogelio Manaois, SF State veterans services coordinator. Regardless of serving in combat, many student veterans report difficulty transitioning from highly structured military life to self-driven studies. “Overall, in public colleges one of the biggest trends that we’ve seen is campuses are trying to create veteran centers, which may include spaces for veteran students to gather, like a lounge in a way, definitely a center that is a one-stop,” Manaois, who served in the military between 1989 and 1992, said. “Before the post 9/11 GI Bill, you may have had only one person on campus dealing just with the benefit processing, but not necessarily support services.”
There are currently more than 11,500 student veterans enrolled in the California State University system. The VA reported in 2009 that veterans are more likely to attend college or obtain advanced degrees than nonveterans. “Coming here and having that background, it brings about feelings of isolation — that they’re different from the ordinary student on campus,” Manaois said. “The main difference, day-to-day, is you’re always told what to do each day in the military and you know what to expect. When you go to college, you’re put in the situation where you’re making those decisions for yourself.” Bridget Leach, a VA mental health social worker, said she works with students on coping with post-traumatic stress disorder and issues associated with traumatic brain injury. She said the community around student veterans at CCSF can encourage those who could benefit from counseling to seek it out. Leach encouraged other students to remember that veterans are a very diverse population with a wide range of experiences. Most veterans do not know how to respond to a common question Leach urged students to avoid: Have you killed anyone? “That’s really not a question you want to ask someone you don’t know very well,” Leach said, echoing the Auburn study that found the question leads to a significant amount of stress. “They could have experienced some significant losses they may not have processed. By asking that question you’re bringing someone back to a time they may not want to go back to.” Close to 50 percent of college student veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have contemplated suicide, according to the 2011 Student Veterans of America and University of Utah study, and 20 percent have planned to kill themselves. About 7 percent of all undergraduates had seriously considered suicide in the past 12 months, according to recent American College Health Association data. State schools had been working to become more veteran friendly since at least 2006 when then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger created the Troops to College Task Force, but it was only in the past two years that state college campuses began to create one-stop veterans service and support centers, Manaois said. Gov. Jerry Brown signed three bills into law Sept. 21 concerning student veterans. They expand the academic credit students can claim from military experience, increase the time veterans receive priority registration and exempt veterans from nonresident tuition at California Community Colleges. “It helps out when there are other veterans to be around,” Goold said. “It’s like a family. When some boy comes in the room and they’re a veteran, I can insult them, they can insult me, and we’re going to be friends after that.” SF State’s VETS@SFSU club will host a new Veterans Corner grand opening Nov. 9 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in honor of Veterans Day. The new one-stop location for student veterans is located in Burk Hall rooms 153 and 155.
District 7 elects new supervisor
FTER A LONG RACE WITH no clear front runner and no incumbent for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors District 7, Norman Yee pulled ahead and took the victory. “Having chosen District 7 as the place to raise my family 25 years ago, I am pleased that San Francisco State is located in my community,” Yee said. “It’s great to see the energy and vitality that San Francisco State students bring to the nearby merchant corridors.” Current District 7 Supervisor Sean Elsbernd termed out after serving on the board for eight years. Although Elsbernd endorsed Mike Garcia, who is a moderate, Yee was elected with 28.2 percent of the vote. The district encompasses neighborhoods to the west of Twin Peaks, including SF State and Parkmerced, which is San Francisco’s largest residential neighborhood and home to many SF State students. Elsbernd was a stalwart moderate while serving on the Board of Supervisors. Yee was elected president of the San Francisco Board of Education in 2004 and reelected in 2008. A San Francisco native, Yee has lived with his wife in Westwood Park for the past 25 years. He graduated from UC Berkeley with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and from SF State with a master’s degree in education. With Elsbernd’s seat now filled by a progressive,
“
the Board of Supervisors will experience a shift in power after moderates took over in 2010. “I earned a master’s in elementary education at San Francisco State University which launched a three decade career supporting children, families and underserved communities,” Yee said. “I am the current president of the San Francisco Board of Education in part It’s great to see because of the strong foundation SF State the energy and provided. This is why I vitality that am so passionate about San Francisco protecting our public State students system of education bring to the and keeping it accesnearby merchant sible and affordable to corridors everyone.” Yee has made Norman Yee, health care one of his Incoming District 7 priorities by supporting supervisor Healthy San Francisco, a program created by the city that makes health care services affordable and accessible to uninsured residents. Yee also wants to invest more in San Francisco parks and completely restore Lake Merced.
Finally, Yee also wants to increase pedestrian safety with 19th Avenue and Lake Merced Boulevard being danger zones. “I like the idea of having parks cleaned up, specifically safer for children and being more presentable,” Sarah Borders, senior liberal studies major and Parkmerced resident, said. Jasmin Taylor, a 21-year-old journalism major and District 7 resident, said she is actually satisfied with Yee’s victory. “Though I interned for Garcia, I think Yee is a great candidate and I am glad he won,” Taylor said. “His children went through public schools and he knows the issues that public schools face firsthand from his experience on the school board. I found it more interesting that FX Crowley came in second after that article came out about him being sexist. Ranked-choice voting is very interesting in that way.” Yee’s narrow win will make what was once known as a conservative district a swing vote. He has a list of plans to help SF State students and the rest of the district. “I think students at San Francisco State are dealing with some serious transportation and housing issues,” Yee said. “As supervisor, I would look into ways the city can help increase student housing options so there are less commuters and more of a community. I would also work to fully fund Muni so that trains and buses run on time and aren’t overcrowded.” Alex Emslie contributed to this report.
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CITY 5
| 11.07.12 ELECTION
PRESIDENTIAL RESULTS PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA President Barack Obama secured another four years in office when 57.1 percent of California voters reelected him into office. Though he needed 270 electoral votes to win, Obama got 303 votes over Mitt Romney’s 206.
29.91 percent of San Francisco voters turned out to vote for Election Day
Democrats maintained control of the Senate with 51 seats of 100.
21.9 percent of San Franciscans voted by mail 51.81 percent of San Franciscans voted in the 2012 election
Republicans took control of the House of Representatives with 224 seats of 435.
Source: San Francisco Department of Elections, The Associated Press
ELECTION
CITY PROPOSITION RESULTS PROP. A CITY COLLEGE PARCEL TAX
This measure will provide City College of San Francisco with funds the state cannot take away; offset budget cuts; prevent layoffs; provide an affordable, quality education for students; and maintain essential courses.
YES 72.5 PERCENT / NO 27.5 PERCENT
PROP. B CLEAN AND SAFE NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS BOND
The measure will improve the quality and safety of neighborhood parks across the city and waterfront open spaces, enhance water quality and clean up environmental contamination along the Bay in addition to other park upgrades.
erate-income households and change the affordable housing requirements imposed on some private residential developments.
YES 64.8 PERCENT / 35.2 PERCENT PROP. D CONSOLIDATING ODD-YEAR MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS
This measure will amend the city charter to change the election cycle for city attorney and treasurer so that these officers would be elected at the same time as the mayor, sheriff and district attorney.
YES 83.2 PERCENT / NO 16.8 PERCENT
YES 72 PERCENT / 28 PERCENT
PROP. E GROSS RECEIPTS TAX
PROP. C HOUSING TRUST FUND
costs and increase business registration fees.
This measure will create a Housing Trust Fund to support affordable housing for low-income and mod-
This measure will create a gross receipts tax designed to eliminate or reduce the tax on city payroll
YES 70.6 PERCENT / NO 29.4 PERCENT
PROP. F WATER AND ENVIRONMENT PLAN
This measure will prepare a two-phase plan that evaluates how to drain the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir so that it can be restored by the National Park Services and identifies replacement water and power sources.
YES 77.4 PERCENT / NO 22.6 PERCENT PROP. G POLICY OPPOSING CORPORATE PERSONHOOD
This measure will change city policy to deny corporations the same constitutional rights as human beings and make those corporations subject to political spending limits.
YES 80.7 PERCENT / NO 19.3 PERCENT Source: San Francisco Department of Elections
NOTICE In compliance with the Education Code, Section 89900 and Title 5, Section 42408, the University Corporation, San Francisco State’s Audited Financial Report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2012, may be reviewed at: http:// ucorp.sfsu.edu/publicinfo/ UCorpFsFinal2012.pdf
6 SPORTS
11.07.12 | GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG
PLAYER
MEAGAN WRIGHT
WEEK
VOLLEYBALL
of the
Freshman Meagan Wright has been chosen as the Xpress Player of the Week. Wright tallied up 11 kills and six blocks in a victory over Cal State Dominguez Hills Nov. 2.
PHOTO BY TYLER DENISTON/SF STATE SPORTS
BY ROCHELLE ROMERO reromero@mail.sfsu.edu
WORKING THEIR WAY TO THE TOP
Clinching a berth for the first time in school history, the SF State men’s cross country team is headed to Nationals after finishing fourth at NCAA Division II Regionals in Hawaii Nov. 3. The team will head to Joplin, Mo., Nov. 17 to compete with the final 32 teams. Missouri Southern State University will host the event with the men’s race set to begin at 10:30 a.m. central time.
SP OR T S SCHEDUL E FRIDAY (11.09) WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL SF STATE VS. UC SAN DIEGO 7 P.M. (LA JOLLA, CALIF.)
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
EYES
HEAD “I usually spend the whole week before, like every night, visualizing what’s going to happen, things like that, before you go to bed or when you lie down. Visualize yourself killing the hills. Outkicking the Humboldt guy. The race is so mental.” — Ryan Woods
SF STATE VS. SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY 7 P.M. (SAN JOSE, CALIF.)
SATURDAY (11.10) WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL SF STATE VS. CAL STATE SAN BERNARDINO 7 P.M. (SAN BERNARDINO, CALIF.)
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
LEGS
“For cross country it’s mostly legs, mostly endurance, mostly core and back. Just because it helps you align with your legs and strengthen them.” — Brian Trejo
“I like to envision the course. We usually do a run through the course the day before so we get a feel for what to expect. I like to just think about the race and go over it in my head. Lots of visualization. It’s a lot of mental preparation. There’s nothing you can really do at that point that can physically help you out the day of. Just visualizing all the training you’ve put in is going to come out today.” — Brian Trejo
HEART “All for this moment. All for what’s going to happen in two weeks. For the shot to go to nationals. We would be the first team in SF State history to go to do that. This would be the year to do it. There’s no better year to go out as a senior knowing that I was a part of that.” — Brian Trejo
ARMS “The only time arms really come into play is the last half mile. For the most part you’re trying to stay as relaxed as possible during the run. But when you really need to race faster or kick in at the end then your arms come into play. That’s where all our push-ups come into play.” — Tyler Deniston
SANTA CLARA INVITATIONAL (SUNNYVALE, CALIF.)
Monday: Long run for 1.5 to 2 hours Wednesday: Workouts include 1000
ROADRUNNER INVITATIONAL ALL DAY (FRESNO, CALIF.)
For same-day coverage and the Gator scoreboard visit
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TRAINING WEEK
WRESTLING
with hurdles and drills “Just to strengthen our hips, the muscles we usually don’t tend to work out during a run. To help maintain our muscles, lower back, hips and hip flexors. Usually when you get tired your form starts to loosen up.” –David Urista
Tuesday: 1 hour morning run with
strength exercises (including strides) “Strides just to get the legs going, to get the dust out of our legs, instead of just running you get that feeling of going fast.” –David Urista
meter intervals and mile repeats. Mile repeats are running a mile at a certain pace and then get a minute rest and lightly jog to catch breath and then repeat the mile, according to Urista.
Thursday: 1 hour morning run,
strength exercises (including strides)
and relax.” –David Urista
Saturday: Race day!
“Usually the best races are when you just approach it and just run. There’s no thinking going on. If you’re thinking about what you’re going to do before the race, then you haven’t adequately prepared for it. You’re just going to freak yourself out and get nervous right before.” –Tyler Deniston
Friday: 45-minute run day before the Sunday: Easy 45-60 minute run race. “(The) day before we go on an easy run and just go to the trainers if any of our legs are bothering us. After that we just stay off our legs
Overall training: 70-80 miles per week
GRAPHIC BY ELISSA TORRES
EYES ON THE PRIZE: Senior David Urista pushes himself through the training week to physically and mentally prepare for the NCAA Division II Championships. This is the first time in SF State history that the men’s cross country team has qualified for the race after coming up short last year. Photo by Tearsa Joy Hammock
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SPORTS 7
| 11.07.12
EARLY SNOW HITS NEARBY SLOPES BY GERARDO RECINOS | grecinos@mail.sfsu.edu
M
OST SPORTS BEND nature to their will, but snow sports rise and fall at the whim of winter. With two feet of snow already blanketing parts of Northern California, Bay Area snowboarders and skiers are looking forward to the coming season, which holds significantly more promise than last year. “We had a very low snowfall average last year compared to previous seasons,” Simon LeComte, president of the SF State Ski and Snowboard Club, said. “Average snowfall was 70 feet lower than any other year.” According to the Northstar California Resort’s annual snowfall report, there was no snow reported in 2011 until Nov. 8 with only 2.5 inches at the base of the mountain. On the flip side, this season there has already been 15 inches of snow reported in the month of October, previewing what many hope to be a snow-filled season. Although the club hasn’t yet planned its first
event, two feet of snow has already fallen on mountains in Lake Tahoe as of last week’s first snow. “We revolve around snow, and if there is no snow then there is no snowboarding,” he said. Despite the distance between Lake Tahoe and San Francisco, a great number of snowboarders and skiers from the Bay Area drive to the area, usually purchasing season passes to get the best out of the experience. With resorts like Northstar California in Lake Tahoe being a popular destination for winter sports enthusiasts, snowboarders and skiers in San Francisco will be waiting for the Nov. 16 opening day, which is subject to change depending on the weather. “We are definitely excited about the season, and I think what people realized last season is that Northstar can deliver a great product for guests to ski and ride despite what Mother Nature does,” Jessica VanPerniss, spokeswoman at Northstar California, said. LeComte, a junior, started the Ski and Snowboard Club in 2010 during his freshman year, after he realized there was no organization on campus
dedicated to snow sports. He was in need of a place to snowboard after making the move from Southern California, where he often drove out to Mountain High and Big Bear Mountain to hit the slopes. The club currently consists of 105 members who carpool up to Lake Tahoe to save money on gas and make the trip easier on the group. Northstar offers student discounts to help out college students who don’t always have as much disposable income. They can buy the most basic season passes at $339. “You try to set up to see if anyone wants to travel together,” Malcolm Linton, vice president of the club, said. “That way it will be as cheap as possible.” As the season comes upon the SF State snowboarders and skiers, they come together and enjoy the camaraderie of going up to the mountains to do what they love. “I’m definitely optimistic this season, because the snow coverage is early,” LeComte said. “Last season we weren’t able to get out as early, and the season didn’t last as long.”
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11.07.12 | GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG
STAFF EDITORIAL
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Fatigue hurts voting process
As we draw the curtain on this year’s election, there is one In the United Kingdom, election campaigns are limited to four resounding phrase that comes to mind: Thank God it’s over. weeks. The British don’t have to suffer through endless primary Over the last 17 months, we voters have been treated to no debates and “game-changers” — events that rarely ever actually shortage of election coverage. There have been more than 45 hours change the game — and there’s no discernable difference in voter worth of debates. There have been flash, Facebook and Gallup turnout. In the 2010 general election in Great Britain, 65 percent of polls. Our televisions, radios and inboxes have been flooded with the voting age population showed up to the polls, compared with 64 attack ads and solicitations for handouts. We’ve seen an almost percent of American voters in 2008, according to House of Cominescapable blanket of media coverage and we’ve seen media covmons Research Papers and the U.S. Census Bureau respectively. erage criticizing that blanket of coverage. That means that with a year-and-a-half less of being yelled at by But at the end of the day, the thousands of hours of TV time and politicians and pundits, our friends across the pond actually manage millions of dollars spent on campaigning don’t make for a more to get a slightly larger voter turnout. informed electorate — they make for a nation full of people sufferIt’s hard not to long for the old days — days where when we got ing from voter fatigue. fed up with listening to the never-ending campaign rhetoric and As members of the could simply turn off the TV or switch the radio from FM media, much of the to our favorite nonpolitical CD. But things blame falls on our aren’t that simple anymore. Political shoulders. Every quip, campaigns, like a virus, have gaffe or inflammatory infected and spread across the statement uttered by a Internet. And with most people candidate is dissected, being nearly constantly conanalyzed and regurgitated nected to the internet through across a hundred different plattheir laptops, tablets or smartforms by a thousand different phones, there’s now practically no pundits. We at Xpress have gotescape. ten so fatigued with this election Political ads are anthat we don’t really want to write noying, everywhere and this staff opinion. getting increasingly The flood of election covernegative. According age doesn’t necessarily result in to a study by the Pew more informed voters. Choice Research Center’s Project fatigue, being overwhelmed with for Excellence in Journalism, Barack choices of people or propositions Obama and Mitt Romney have received more to vote on, means that people are negative coverage in the media than statistically more likely to vote positive with 27 for the first choice that appears percent of Obama’s on the ballot, according to a study coverage and 44 entitled “Ballot Position, Choice Fatigue, percent of Romney’s coverage being exclusively ART BY KALE WILLIAMS and Voter Behavior.” negative. The same study said that voters overSo here’s to all of you that made it through whelmed with choices vote for the status quo or opt to abstain from all the 2012 bicker-fest, through the incessant talk of the economy, voting on the issue altogether — not the most encouraging approach the unemployment rate and of how many cars the candidates own. to the democratic process. The political barrage and overload is now over. Although at least After such an extended period of campaigning, who wouldn’t half of us are bound to be unhappy with the results of the election, want to get the elections over with as quickly and painlessly as we can all at least be glad that we won’t have to live through that possible? again.
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BY CHARLOTTE BOUDESTEIJN cboudest@mail.sfsu.edu
Less homework, more results
W
HEN I WENT THROUGH MY syllabus for one of my courses this semester, my jaw dropped. “Homework will be 40 percent of your grade.” After the first shock, I started to giggle and thought of something my friends and I used to say to each other before taking a pop quiz in high school: “Longest answer is correct — if not, it’s always answer C.” In the end, it didn’t matter what we did because we would fail the test anyway. For an American, homework being part of your grade might be a very common occurrence, but as a Dutch girl, it left me laughing. I couldn’t imagine that homework was actually part of my grade. The teacher wouldn’t be that strict on it, right? I felt like I was back in high school, unable to plan my own work and tied to deadlines that were set for me. Don’t get me wrong, we do homework in the Netherlands. We are not utterly lazy — at least, most of us aren’t. The homework is just not part of our grade. Our grade is based on a final or an assignment handed in at the end of the quarter. You can hand your homework in and the teacher will give it feedback, but it will not get graded. Teachers would threaten me with it back in high school, but even the threats couldn’t put my lazy self to work. For me, the thing was that I didn’t work at all in high school. Homework did not change much for that. I would complete homework assignments an hour before they were due or, if I was in a good mood, the night before. My grades weren’t that fabulous because of this. Nevertheless, I passed my exams in one year, which I still consider to be a miracle.
Once I started studying journalism, which is what I really wanted to do, everything changed and homework became regular work that I liked to do. I didn’t mind studying my books that much — and if I did, I knew it was for a good purpose. Even though I did not need to hand in articles or drafts, I did it because I didn’t mind doing the work. If I ran out of time to do my assignment, that wouldn’t be a problem either because the teacher did not care. We weren’t there to please them, we were there for ourselves. So the switch was not that big — I was used to doing all the work already. But the strange thing was that it was part of my grade to hand in the assignments, which in my opinion is a bit childish. Of course you want students to do well in class and help them improve — but students can improve their skills without being graded on it in the meantime. Besides, when you run out of time, you hand in half-done assignments — a waste of time for the teacher to read it and a waste of time for you to write it down because it’s going to get you an F anyway. On the other hand, doing the homework might motivate the students to participate more actively in class. I remember from my experience that a lot of people don’t show up to class or start Facebooking in class when they haven’t done the work (I plead guilty to the Facebook part). It stimulates students to actually do the work to study. We Dutchies like to proclaim that we do the work, but let us be real: very few of us actually do it. There are multiple things to consider. As a teacher, you want your students to do the work. As a student, you want to get a good grade — or at least pass the class. We can meet each other in the middle. We students will do the work and you will give us our final grade, a final grade based on a final assignment and a few tests in between. But please, consider not grading us on homework. I’m running out of sleep and time to finish all of it.
cassbeck@mail.sfsu.edu
ABOUT XPRESS The Golden Gate Xpress is a student-produced publication of the journalism department at San Francisco State University. For more information or comments, please contact Kale Williams at: kale@mail.sfsu.edu
CORRECTIONS FOR XPRESS PRINT EDITION 10.31.12
In the “Xpress Voter Guide,” we incorrectly stated that Prop. 30 would raise income taxes on individuals making more than $25,000. Prop. 30 would actually raise taxes on individuals making more than $250,000.
In the story “Prop. 30 might give schools a break,” we misidentified communication studies major Marcela Pimentel as Marcela Pimento.
We regret the errors.
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A WEEKLY SEX COLUMN BY CASSIE BECKER cassbeck@mail.sfsu.edu
Banging basics: losing your V-card
I
hand, do not go through anything nearly as bioT’S SUPPOSED TO BE FUN, logically intensive during their first bout of sexual exciting and meaningful like someintercourse. thing out of the movies, but anyone “Sex should not be painful for them unless who’s lost their virginity knows that it something is wrong,” according to Planned Pardoesn’t always go quite like that. enthood. “For guys, pain during sex can be caused The average age that a person by an infection, an allergic reaction to spermicide loses his or her virginity is roughly or latex, by a physical condition such as having a 17 years old, according to the Kinsey foreskin that is too tight, or by an irritation from Institute. But it’s normal to lose it at any age past previous sexual or nonsexual activities. If a guy is the teenage years. experiencing pain during sex, it’s a good idea to Before getting into the particulars, a cautionary make an appointment with a clinician to check it note: never have sex before you’re ready. Don’t out.” get pressured into it and don’t feel obligated to go Up until that point, a man losing his virginity is along with it because you think that’s what you pretty much the same as every other sexual experishould do. Don’t be embarrassed to say you’re ence, at least biologically. a virgin regardless of whether you’re a man or a “There aren’t really any physical changes that woman. Do it when you feel it’s right and when men experience after losing their virginity. Men you’re truly ready. and boys can theoretically have penetrative sex as Now for the nitty gritty. Socially, it’s a much soon as they are able to achieve an erection, but it’s bigger deal for a woman to lose her virginity than thought that most children don’t start to have erotic for a man to do so thanks to a little piece of tissue feelings about others until they’re about 10 years called the hymen that lines the vaginal opening. old,” said associate professor Chris Moffatt, who The hymen used to be the marker for a woman’s teaches human sexuality at SF State. virginity because of its inevitable destruction Emotionally, however, sex is different for during sex. everyone. As anyone who has lost their virginity “But having a hymen and being a virgin are not can say, the first time is special, but not always in a the same thing. There are other ways that a woman good way. Unless you’ve had an incredible amount can stretch her hymen, including using tampons, of sex with a blow-up doll or other inanimate obinsertive masturbation, riding a bicycle or doing ject, it’s highly possible that you won’t really know gymnastics. And some girls are born with so little what to do to make it a mind-blowing experience hymenal tissue that it appears they have none,” for both parties involved. You might fumble around according to the Planned Parenthood website. and you might feel very awkward and kind of unPerks to having little or no hymenal tissue satisfied when it’s over. during sexual intercourse for the first time include That’s the hard part. Once the cherry is popped, a lack of blood during penetration and far less pain, the sky’s the limit! But always remember to use although most women shouldn’t worry if they excontraception. STIs and pregnancy are very real perience either of these during their first time. possibilities whenever having sex. “Some women experience pain the first time “A woman can get pregnant anytime she has they have vaginal intercourse. They may have so sex with a man. It doesn’t really matter if it’s the much hymenal tissue that stretching it open during first or the 1000th time, as long as she’s having sex first intercourse may cause pain and bleeding,” the Planned Parenthood website states. “Women with a around the time of ovulation. One reason it seems like young women get pregnant so frequently — that lot of hymenal tissue can prepare for first internumber is dropping, by the way — is that young course by slowly stretching the tissue with their adults tend to use contraception less often than older fingers.” adults when they have sex,” Moffatt said. See a doctor if you experience overwhelming So use condoms pain or discomfort, and other protective or excessive bleeding measures, make sure during your first time. Since breaking up with her inner prude, the roommates or Cassie Becker has done it all. Her interest Fortunately, once the in sexual exploration has led her to write parents are out of the hymen is broken it can several blogs and break even more beds. house, and keep having never grow back on its She’s extensively researched and written sex! Remember, pracown. about it — all with a sexy smile. tice makes perfect. Men, on the other
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The Fashion Blueprint The fashion connoisseur outlines ways to avoid the fashion walk of shame. It’s true, you are what you wear and for him, every day is a runway.
BY BRYAN VO | bryanvo@mail.sfsu.edu
Studded hardware becomes fashion trend
D
itch the pretty girl tulle and go get some studs. And I’m not talking about hunky men. This fall, hardware fashion rules. From oversized grommets to metal plating and steel-like details, tough hardware meets sleek style to create visually arresting looks. But these flashy spikes can be done right from your dorm without having to buy overpriced hardware pieces with your student loan money. Drop by your local craft store or simply go online to buy hardware pieces in bulk at a lower cost and update your old clothes yourself. “This is an art and I feel people are embracing that art to make it their own,” Shelley Pierce, customer service representative for Studs and Spikes, said. “Artists and designers are making business by just applying the studs themselves. It takes labor but it’s wonderful craft.” The prickly, pokey, porcupine-like hardware has been spotted on almost every garment and fabric you can think of, from jeans to trench coats to shoes. Brand names and celebs are raging with the hardware look in the high streets. So why not try to apply these metal-tinged studs onto your old pieces for resurgence? Here’s how to apply these bold spikes: Decide where you are going to place your studs/spikes on your garment. Will you be creating a pattern or look? Or will the studs be comfortable in a certain spot? Since each stud comes with prongs, grab small pliers and push the studs into place, letting the bottom prongs pierce through the inside of the fabric. Special pliers help bend and press the prongs securely and tightly onto the material. Once you bend in the rivets, they should stay in place. Behold a cooler embellishment without being forced to fork out your pocket money. The fashion industry has gone stir crazy over personalization and customization. Reworked, remade, distressed and impressed — whatever your crafty penchant tells you, keep your eyes set on the studded duds for the fall.
OFF THE CUFF: Left, Sam Sax reads his poetry during The New Sh!t Show Oct. 25, a biweekly poetry open mic at Viracocha in San Francisco’s Mission District. Right, poets write about an event in their life that changed them forever during a poetry workshop led by Sax before the performance. Photo by John Ornelas
Poets kill the muse with talent BY KIRSTIE HARUTA | kharuta@mail.sfsu.edu
B
EYOND OLD BOOKS AND baubles in the depths of a basement performance space, New Sh!t is happening every second and fourth Thursday. The New Poetry Mission, also known fondly as The New Sh!t Show, has a decade of history in San Francisco, but was inherited and refocused by Sam Sax and Nic Alea just two years ago. The event at Viracocha, an antiques store on top of a Valencia Street performance space, is a show for writers of various styles and experience levels to take the stage and present unheard, often raw and unedited material. “It’s like breaking the ice over and over again for people who have been performing for years,” Alea, a graduate of SF State’s creative writing program, said. “It’s scary for everybody. It’s a vulnerable state. So I think it’s a good place to jump off for people who haven’t had much experience.” As active members in the literary community, Alea and Sax noticed that many poets were recycling the same work, so they set out to challenge people to write without waiting on inspiration. Sax calls this “killing the muse.” “I think to rely on this sort of known specter of inspiration doesn’t really make sense for me,” he said. “I’d rather have the work that I do be intentional instead of some odd object from somewhere in my sub-psyche.” To further encourage the creative flow, Sax facilitated the first preshow writing workshop before Oct. 25 performances. Expecting a low turnout, he was pleasantly surprised to have about a dozen writers attend, who each left the session with a new poem. “We were supposed to write about something we overcame and mine was a flu that came from me growing a mustache because I didn’t have enough airflow to my nose,” Jesse Christian, a third-year communication studies major at SF State, said. After the workshop, the open mic set begins. There is no heckling or booing in the low light of the Viracocha stage on
these Thursday nights, but constructive criticism is usually welcomed. First-time attendee Patel Krupa expressed some discomfort with racial issues brought up within some of the performers’ work. “I really like the space, but I think some of the poems have a lot of whiteness embedded into them, which made me flinch,” Krupa remarked. “But I enjoyed myself.” Krupa particularly enjoyed writer Joshua Merchant, one of the featured performers for the Oct. 25 show. Much of Merchant’s work deals with the intersections of queerness and black identity, as well as his family and his home in Oakland. “I want to acknowledge that I’m ushering the audience into a space that’s challenging,” Merchant said. “But I feel like it’s still my personal life, my experiences, and I’m not going to discredit any of that — they’re still valid.” The other featured performer of the night was Caitlin Gill, who has become a staple in the San Francisco comedy scene. In the only stand-up act of the night, Gill mused about how poetry open mics are better than comedy ones, because poets work with more emotions. “There’s a lot of benefit to artists just hanging out with each other,” Gill said. “It’s nice to rub shoulders with poets. I do it on purpose a lot because it’s different from my medium, and it’s nice to appreciate the inspiration and reflect on what drives people to create different art than my own and see how that influences what I do. And I hope vice versa.” Diving into a show like this may sound daunting, but poet Tatyana Brown insists that it is a rewarding experience. She encourages newcomers to step up to the mic, not just for themselves, but to keep the literary community alive. “If you stop expecting the experience to be perfect and you just let yourself be excited about the fact that you’re doing something new, it really is one of the more exciting new experiences you can have,” Brown said. “And it only gets better!” The next New Sh!t Show will be at Viracocha Nov. 8. Nic Alea will facilitate a workshop beginning at 7 p.m., and the show will start at 8 p.m.
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A R T S A N D E N T E R T A I N M E N T 11
Voice winner aims to improve lives
HEN THE WINNER OF SF State’s Voice competition was announced in Jack Adams Hall Oct. 25, Anna Nguyen seemed to freeze, standing with her mouth agape in complete surprise at hearing her name, while the enthusiastic crowd erupted with cheers and shouts. It was the first singing competition Nguyen had ever participated in and after more than 1,000 total votes cast, she received the most among the 16 contestants. Nguyen was surprised with the results of SF State’s Voice as she had never entered a singing competition before. “The announcement kinda went through one ear and out the other,” she said. “I couldn’t process the whole thing. I was not expecting to win.” While many talented singers pack up their belongings and head for Los Angeles with dreams of stardom, Nguyen’s future plans are much more pragmatic. She is working on a biology degree with an emphasis in physiology, and hopes to go to medical school after graduation and become a pediatrician. “I’ve always liked working with kids ever since I was young,” the 20-year-old said. “I didn’t like growing up without health care and I don’t want that for
others. I didn’t have that peace of mind and I want to provide that for them.” The constant anxieties she and her family faced without health care made a strong impact on her desire to help others. Although Nguyen would love to sing professionally someday, she believes that goal is not as practical as her goal to become a doctor. She also believes that these seemingly disparate paths share a certain similarity: the ability to improve others’ lives. “Although doctors can heal medically, I feel that I can also heal people’s souls with music,” Nguyen said. “Becoming a doctor is just something that seems more logical and practical right now. I think I can have both of them (music and an education) in my life.” Though new to competitive singing, the vocalist has been singing for most of her life. Nguyen grew up in Oakland and as a child sang Vietnamese karaoke for her parents, immigrants from Vietnam. After joining the choir in high school, Nguyen fell in love with performing. Now she takes advantage of every opportunity to sing for an audience. “I love performing,” she said. “It’s what I do.” Kris Domingo, Nguyen’s team leader in the competition, recognized her affinity for performing and wanted her on his team. “It was amazing working with her, I’m so proud
of her,” Domingo said. “She worked so hard. I’m not surprised that she won at all.” Vic Cataag has been Nguyen’s boyfriend for more than five years. He believes that she will be successful no matter what path she chooses for her future career. “She works hard and she has a passion for both (her education and music),” 22-year-old Cataag said. “Every time she gets a chance to practice singing she has to double or triple her effort to get her practice in because of school. I think she’s going to be a successful person because she’s a hard working person.” What is perhaps most important to Nguyen is that she remain humble. The small exposure she has already received from winning SF State’s Voice has provided her a glimpse of life in the limelight and the feeling of being recognized by people she doesn’t know. “Ever since I’ve won the Voice, I’ve kinda proven to myself that I can remain humble,” she said. “It’s weird when people are looking at me and I don’t know if it’s because I won the competition or something else. I don’t want to get caught up in fame and all that; I never want to forget where I came from.” While balancing school and her passion for music, Nguyen does not worry about what the future has in store for her. “I’d rather live a quiet, normal life and have music on the side,” she said. “But who knows, anything can happen; it’s wherever God takes me.”
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Left, SF State’s Voice contestant Anna Nguyen, 20, rehearses by reading over the lyrics for her song before hitting the stage at the top 16’s group performance inside Jack Adams Hall Oct. 25. Right, Nguyen is announced as the first winner of SF State’s Voice, hosted by Student Life. The organization plans to make competition an annual event. Photos by Sam Battles
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