Xpress Fall Issue 8

MASTER of GEEKERY

the

Stephanie Cortes, nerd JERK mastermind, crochets cross-stitched plushies for her online shop on Etsy.com. Her current line is inspired by Nintendo characters. Photo by Kevin Skahan

GOLDEN GATE XPRESS// After a rise in complaints from residents and business owners, nudists might have to cover up or face a minimum $100 fine

SUPERVISOR PROPOSES PUBLIC NUDITY BAN

BY ELLIE LOARCA | emloarca@mail.sfsu.edu

STUDENT-RUN NEWSPAPER PROUDLY SERVING THE SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY SINCE 1927.

SEE PLUSHIES PAGE

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// 10.17.12

VOLUME LXXXXVI ISSUE 8

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nudists to put down a pad or towel when sitting down in a ARING TO BE BARE MIGHT public shared space. result in a hefty fine following the Rich Pasco, founder and coordinator of the Bay Area introduction of proposed legislation Naturists, believes that passing the new legislation would that could ban public nudity in San violate certain freedoms.

Francisco.

The legislation has been brought SEE NUDISTS ON PAGE 5 on by the influx of nudists spending their afternoons at the Jane Warner Plaza at the corner of 17th and Market streets.

Scott Wiener — supervisor of District 8, which includes the Castro — introduced the legislation Oct. 2 following a recent increase in public nudity and a number of complaints.

Despite nudity currently being prohibited at parks and restaurants, this legislation would stretch that ban to include nudity in public spaces such as streets, sidewalks, plazas and public transit systems.

Violators would be fined $100. If caught again within a year, the fine would increase to $200 and a third violation could result in a misdemeanor. Still, nudity would continue to be permitted at parades, fairs, festivals and public beaches.

“I thought this was something that would come and go, but I’ve been hearing complaints about (nudity) everyday and something has to be done,” Wiener said.

Previous to the introduction of this legislation, SCANTILY CLAD: Bay Area Naturists believe the proposed ban is an infringethe Board of Supervisors unanimously passed an ment on their rights. The group of nudists is in support of making more areas ordinance commonly referred to as the “skid mark available for public nudity. Photo by Hang Cheng/ Xpress archives law” last year, which Wiener also drafted. It requires

Prop. 35 aims to crack down on human trafficking

BY ANGELA RAIFORD

araiford@mail.sfsu.edu

PART FOUR IN A SERIES OF SIX STORIES EXAMINING CALIFORNIA’S PROPOSITIONS

In addition to the many propositions on the ballot this November, voters will get the chance to decide on an issue with ramifications that will reach far beyond the state.

If passed, Proposition 35 will impose stiffer penalties for convicted human traffickers. Among the proposed penalties are increased prison terms and fines, but the proposition also includes a mandate for human trafficking training of law enforcement and for sex offenders to disclose their online account information.

As defined by U.S. federal law, human trafficking is the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision or obtaining of a person for labor or services through the use of force,

Increased prison sentences and fines are just some of the penalties the proposition looks to impose on convicted human traffickers fraud or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, debt bondage or slavery.

Proponents of the bill state that while prisons are dealing with overcrowding, those institutions were meant for human traffickers, who are “driven by greed, are instigating rape and torture on children and women, and treating people like lifeless and soulless things,”

according to the California Against Sexual Exploitation Act website.

Human trafficking is the fastest growing and second largest criminal industry in the world today, right behind drug trafficking and illegal arms, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“We do realize that sex trafficking is high in San Francisco,” said Jasmin Taylor, assistant director of the SF State Women’s Center and senior journalism student.

However, she sees some faults in the proposition that she thinks need to be worked out.

“What would they be doing beyond training police officers?” she asked. “We should SEE FIGHTING ON PAGE 5

2 CAMPUS SF STATE SPEAKS OUT WHAT ARE YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT PUBLIC NUDITY?

DAVID BROWN, 22 RADIOLOGY MAJOR

It’s legal to walk around naked, but you can’t pee outside? I don’t understand.

10.17.12 | GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

BY ERIN DAGE

erindage@mail.sfsu.edu

Lack of state funds result in student burden

In an economic climate where tuition fees support the University more than the state of California does, scholarships have become even more pertinent. While more scholarship money is being awarded to students than in previous years, fewer financial opportunities are now offered at SF State.

The University processed more money for scholarships in 2011-12 than 2008-09. A total of $3.4 million was awarded in 2011-12, as compared to $2.9 million during 2008-09, according to SF State budget books.

“I think that people should be able to obtain a higher education easily,” political science major Molly Linares said. “The tuition fees are too high and the state should be supporting the school more actively.”

The number of students applying and winning scholarships has decreased by 9 percent since 2008-09, despite the increasing amount given per scholarship. According to University spokeswoman Ellen Griffin, about 2,021 people were awarded scholarships in the 2008-09 year. In the 2011-12 year, it was down to 1,839 people.

In 2008 the amount of money awarded to the University by the state began to shrink, causing administrators to look for alternative sources of revenue. In the 2007-08 year,

tuition fees and other support made up 36 percent of University funding, while state support made up 64 percent. The 2012-13 year tuition fees and other support totals 69 percent with state support at 31 percent, according to the SF State Office of Budget Administration and Operations.

To make up the gap in funding, many look toward scholarships. Currently, 70 recipients receive funding through the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program, which covers all in-state registration fees for eight semesters and offers a chance to register early for classes.

But incoming students will not have the chance to benefit from the program. The program has not admitted any new applicants since Fall 2011 due to a lack of funding, according to Gail Evans, administrator of the program and dean of undergraduate studies.

“We have admitted 20 scholars every year. However, we did not admit any this year due to fiscal restraints,” Evans said.

The Presidential Scholars Program is not the only University scholarship program that has suffered a decrease in funding.

According to Kirill Chernomaz, assistant professor in economics at SF State, the department has had to skip giving out some scholarships over the past few years. This

year, the department was able to give out three scholarships — the George Feliz Scholarship, the Don Scoble Scholarship and Ramona K. First Scholarship.

“Like many departments, there isn’t as much funding coming in,” Chernomaz said.

“A couple years ago we couldn’t give out scholarships due to that.”

Chernomaz thinks the higher volume of cash awarded during 2011-12 might be linked to a slight improvement in the economy, as compared to 2008-09.

“Some of the scholarships come out of an endowment, and the places that give away the money generate the money that could be used for that,” Chernomaz said. “(The 2008-09) year was a bad year for the economy, so that could explain why there was less money given away for scholarships.”

According to Paul Atwater, presidential scholar and film major at SF State, scholarships are a way for students to gain access to what they deserve — an education.

“I think in principle, scholarships are meant to help students get the opportunities they deserve,” Atwater said. “In fact, these days they seem all but required for most students, what with the tuition costs of higher education.”

Professor proposes new shuttle design

BY MICHELE BIRD | mbird@mail.sfsu.edu

RACHEL RUSTON, 20

CRIMINAL JUSTICE MAJOR

I think it’s part of the San Francisco culture that everyone can do what they want.

GINE CAPRARI, 24

ENGLISH GRADUATE STUDENT

I say heck yes to nudity. If we establish an urban area for nudists to go, then keep your children away.

Long lines and extensive wait times are an irritating daily reality for passengers who use SF State’s free shuttle service.

To counteract common transit issues, SF State decision sciences professor Robert Saltzman has proposed implementing two-door, low-floor shuttles to maintain service as well as minimize passengers’ wait times as ridership is projected to continue to rise in the next few years. While campus planners have shown support for the proposal published in the online journal “Service Science” July 2012, an official replacement date for the new shuttles has not been decided, largely due to lack of funding.

“The challenge for campus planners is to find funding to purchase or lease and operate new shuttles,” Saltzman said. “In the current budget climate, it will probably take many years before all the shuttles are replaced, but there is an effort being made now to replace one of the older shuttles, which was recently taken out of service.”

The two door and low floor features of the new shuttles will decrease wait time because passengers will be able to load and unload simultaneously, according to Saltzman. He also mentioned that the low floor will create one step for passengers versus three steps on the current model.

Saltzman explained that the new shuttles would have a higher seating capacity ranging from 39 to 46 passengers as compared to the current capacity of approximately 30. According to University Transportation Committee co-chairs Wendy Bloom and Jason Porth, some techniques will include comparison of shuttle models, capacity, fuel type efficiency, and purchase and maintenance costs.

“Use of the shuttle as well as BART ridership increased between 2008 and 2011,” Bloom said. “Almost 25 percent of the

campus population uses BART currently.”

Budgeting plays a role in the decision of implementing updated shuttle services. The parking and transportation department gets its funding from the parking program that provides campus parking facilities, according to SF State budget officer Franz Lozano. He also mentioned that the parking program is self-supporting and receives its revenues from parking fees and fines from students, faculty, staff and guests.

The cost of an updated shuttle would run more than $200,000, while the current models cost roughly $89,000, according to Reggie Parson, deputy chief of the University police department.

“At this time we don’t have a budget for these type of shuttles,” Parson said. “We are self-funded and we don’t get any money from the University.”

Campus planners are taking Saltzman’s proposal into consideration and will be analyzing the shuttle service themselves. Despite the lack of funding, Parson is on board with the shuttle services. “(The shuttles) provide a more affordable way for the SF State community to get to campus,” Parson said. “The shuttle program has also been a way to improve the parking situation on campus and the surrounding areas.”

With lengthy lines pushing shuttle wait times anywhere from five to 30 minutes depending on the time of day, students have vocalized their annoyance.

Donna Nguyen, a sophomore, commutes from Castro Valley on BART. She finds the shuttle beneficial because it’s free and has fewer stops compared to Muni, but wants to see improvements.

“The shuttles are too small to accommodate all these people,” said Nguyen, a kinesiology major.

CRIME BLOTTER Comedic interpretations of criminal events at or near SF State

10.10 through 10.16

No Shirts, No Shoes, No Facebook FRED DODSWORTH, 61 CREATIVE WRITING AND GENDER STUDIES MAJOR

I really don’t care about public nudity. I’ve seen a lot of naked people in my life and it doesn’t make me feel uncomfortable, but we live in a perverted society.

Nakedness is not the same as sexuality.

Photos by: Virginia Tieman Reporting by: Ellie Loarca

Officers received a call about a topless subject using a computer at the HSS Building Oct. 13. When confronted, the subject repeatedly gave incorrect identification. SF State has strict regulations regarding one’s own virtual adventure on the internet, so please, gentlemen, stay off Chat Roulette while browsing the net on campus. You’ve already been caught in an embarrassing act, so just meet officers halfway and identify yourself so police do not have to identify you as “that guy with the weird nipples.”

Party, Bro? Officers cited a subject at The Towers at Centennial Square Oct. 12 for possession of marijuana under 28.5 grams and a minor in possession of alcohol. This gentleman, who is not yet of legal age, was most likely about to join in the act of being crossfaded — the stage of being high and drunk simultaneously. While you may appear to be cool among your peers as a partying college student, your parents are paying a lot for you to get an education young one.

Let’s go to class and leave the blow, booze and hookers at Gary Busey’s house.

Reporting by Brad Wilson

I Ain’t Saying He’s a Gold Digger A student reported that his backpack was stolen at Mary Ward Hall Oct. 13 between midnight and 12:20 a.m. for a total reported loss of $2,000. Unless this bag was adorned with Prince Imhotep’s golden beetles, something good was stowed away in that bag. Remember not to bring your Cuban cigars and autographed bibles to school, and keep your glass dildo collection locked in a safety deposit box.

GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

BY BRAD WILSON bradw949@mail.sfsu.edu

CAMPUS 3

| 10.17.12

Energy group pushes student collaboration

A

N ACT AS SMALL AND seemingly insignificant as turning off the lights before leaving the house could have a bigger impact than students might think.

As a joint collaboration between California Public Interest Research Group and AmeriCorps, the CALPIRG Energy Service Corp is focused on getting students engaged, involved and educated about energy conservation, preservation and efficient energy use. The collaboration is in its first year at SF State and already has 43 members after arriving on campus more than a month ago.

“Energy is one of those issues that is getting swept under the rug because we don’t see the immediate effects of it,” Max Meltzer, campus organizer for CALPIRG, said. “But everyone uses energy. The best way to solve this is to reach out to future generation college kids. If we can reach one person and they can affect another person, it would help to have some positive impacts.”

POWER: Max Meltzer, left, campus organizer for CALPIRG, canvases with fellow volunteers to ask Parkmerced residents about their energy consumption habits. Photo by Jessica Worthingon

With this being CALPIRG’s first year on campus, it’s still trying to get University recognition and gain more awareness of its presence on campus. CALPIRG representatives visit campus often to encourage student involvement through weekly tabling and have events planned for major holidays.

CALPIRG, which operates in 42 different states, is part of a large network of nonprofits called U.S. PIRG. Meltzer’s biggest goals include educating more than 3,000 school children in San Francisco about energy efficiency, how energy impacts the environment and how and why they should conserve energy.

“CALPIRG has its hand in issues that affect college students directly or indirectly,” Meltzer said. “Whether that be health care or lowering the cost of education, closing tax loopholes so more money goes into education. The energy service core is a joint collaboration.”

Professor Mark Starik, who taught courses about the role of energy in the world economy at George Washington University, proposed these courses at SF State early this semester – now offered through the College of Business – with Starik leading the class.

“This is a complex issue,” Starik said. “Forming an educated opinion and then taking an appropriate action, when the former often takes time and the latter often takes money, can be challenging.”

One negative consequence of wasting energy is the arctic ice shelf shrinking, according to Meltzer. He said the arctic ice shelf has reduced to half the size it was in 1980. Meltzer said arctic shelves are melting because the earth is warming, which has to do with global warming and is linked to over-consumption of nonrenewable energy like coal, oil and gas.

“As we continue to burn that dirty fuel, it sends pollution into the air and in turn, warms the earth, causing the ice shelves to melt,” Meltzer said.

CALPIRG hands out energy pledges to people that include some energy conservation tips such as turning down the heat or air conditioning, changing old light

bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs. CALPIRG also suggests plugging electronics into power strips and turning them off when not in use.

CALPIRG organizers emphasize how easy it is to save energy and that some of the smaller actions have the biggest impact.

“If every household in the U.S. just switched two of their regular light bulbs for two energy-efficient CFL bulbs, the amount of money that we would save on our electric bill would be equivalent to about $1.2 billion,” Meltzer said. “The amount of pollution that would be curbed would be as equivalent to taking over a million and a half cars off the road.”

Some students do what they can to conserve energy.

Biology senior Albert Wong remembers a television show to remind him about saving energy.

“Whenever I leave a room, I think about this episode from MythBusters to turn off my lights,” Wong said.

Other students focus on the financial side of saving energy but are unaware of how simple it can be.

“It’s more about the electricity bill,” international relations major Taka Nagashima said. “For the most part, I’m not really conscious about it.”

Around Halloween, Meltzer and his team are thinking of doing a tabling event where they have facts that scare people into saving energy.

“We’re also going to have the options of students signing up for what we call a reverse trick-or-treat where we will go around with candy, knock on doors and give people candy in exchange for taking an energy pledge,” Meltzer said.

He also said CALPIRG has opportunities for students to sign up and help teach about energy in schools.

“We can learn more about renewable energy and support it when we can,” Starik said. “Purchasing affordable renewable products and services, encouraging businesses and other organizations to make similar purchases, and making community and civic decisions to encourage more investment in renewable energy development.”

4 CITY

10.17.12 | GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

BY ALEX EMSLIE aemslie@mail.sfsu.edu

W

HAT DO A banana peel, an empty soda can and that essay you never picked up last semester have in common? They’re all trash, and in San Francisco, they have an increasingly small chance of ending up in a landfill.

San Francisco has reached a milestone by diverting 80 percent of its garbage into recycling, composting and reuse programs, signifying another step toward the city’s goal of zero waste by 2020.

San Francisco one step closer to zero waste The SF Environment department and its waste hauler, Recology, now have eight years to eliminate the remaining 20 percent of landfill garbage from the waste stream to reach the goal set by the city’s Board of Supervisors.

Zero waste is “a vigorous goal, and a very high standard,” said assistant professor Jennifer Blecha, who teaches a class on the geography of garbage in the geography and human environmental studies department. “Nobody has reached it, but it’s pretty inspiring. San Francisco is doing a great job.”

Half of the approximately 440,000 tons of rubbish San Francisco still sends to

Half of the remaining 20 percent of waste still going to landfills could already be recycled or composted if sorted correctly.

Eighty percent of the city’s discards are now either recycled or composted. San Francisco has now composted more than 1 million tons of “green bin” materials.

San Francisco recycles about 600 tons every day.

Recology provides 20 distinct recycling programs for the city.

Source: Recology and SF Environment

DOWNLOAD XPRESS MAGAZINE ON YOUR IPAD Go to the iTunes App Store, Search for previous Xpress Magazine as

Xpress Mag • Xpress Mag 2 • Xpress Mag 3 in the Education category Choose and install the FREE application For advertising contact the GGX Advertising office 415.338.3133 echarles@sfsu.edu

landfills every year is missorted and could be recycled or composted, according to Recology and SF Environment. The final 10 percent is made up of materials not currently recyclable or compostable by Recology.

“We’ve picked all the low-hanging fruit, so it is getting harder and harder,” Jack Macy, SF Environment commercial zero waste coordinator, said.

Even more important than diversion for achieving zero waste is reducing what gets discarded in the first place, Macy said. Ten years ago, San Franciscans threw about 880,000 tons of trash into landfills.

Now the city discards about 440,000 tons, the lowest amount on record, Macy said.

Reducing what gets thrown into landfills will mitigate several strains on the environment, according to Blecha.

Toxins buried in dumps have a tendency to mix with rainwater and create a poisonous mixture called leachate, which can pollute the water table. Landfills are also some of the biggest producers of the greenhouse gasses carbon dioxide and methane.

“If we can capture 40 percent of the municipal solid waste that is organic material and put it back on the land — what a waste to have it go into a hole in the ground,” she said. “We should stop calling it waste and start calling it our resources.

We think it’s normal to put ‘waste’ in a hole in the ground.”

The city’s recent ban on plastic shopping bags could remove thousands of tons of nettlesome “plastic film” from the waste stream that clogs recycling sorting machines. Macy said it might only add up to a fraction of a percent of the 1.6 million tons of recyclables, compost and trash Recology handles every year.

“How do you meet a challenge? You bring a combination of solutions,” Reed said. “It’s kind of like cooking dinner — you’ve got a recipe and a list of like nine ingredients.”

SF State microbiology major Ren Newman said the zero waste goal seemed like a positive thing, depending on its cost. He said it would be hard to get people to sort their discarded materials.

“On campus, it’s nice because they have all the cans next to each other with pictures telling you what goes in which place,” he said. “It almost makes you feel like a bad person not to (recycle correctly).”

Reed emphasized the importance of source sorting, an industry term for residents sorting trash, compost and recyclables. He said once people learn about the huge positive impact composting has on the environment, they are more likely to participate in sorting.

For example, San Francisco compost is used to nurture ground-cover crops between the rows of traditional agriculture on local farms, Reed said. The plants pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

“It’s been estimated that if every city in the U.S. replicated this program, we could offset 20 percent of America’s carbon impact,” Reed said.

Macy knows his department can’t depend on 100 percent source sorting to achieve zero waste. That’s why the department is planning a “futuristic zero-waste facility” with the technology to mechanically separate recyclables from the mixed garbage that makes up what experts call municipal solid waste, Macy said. Reed described an optical laser system already in place in San Francisco’s main recycling plant that can recognize and sort different types of plastic.

SF Environment aims to fire up the new facility before the 2020 zero waste deadline and keep San Francisco a leading city for waste diversion.

“The number of different types of recycling programs we provide is more than any other city in North America,” Reed said. “Because garbage is different depending on where you go.”

GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

CITY 5

| 10.17.12

BIRTHDAY SUIT: Pedestrians stop to take photos of participants of the NUDE IN event near Castro Street Plaza Sept.

24, 2011. Photo by Hang Cheng/ Xpress archives

Nudists might have to cover up CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

“I’m not sure what Wiener’s intention is here, but the government has no business in setting dress codes,” Pasco said.

Bay Area Naturists is a collective of nudists who believe in the wholesomeness of the human body and living out their daily lives clothing free. They are in support of making more space available for nudists.

“We don’t need to be making laws, we need to be designating certain areas for acceptable nudity,” Pasco said.

Pasco has been a participant in the annual Bay to Breakers foot race for the past 12 years.

He said he has received positive feedback and hardly any complaints while running nude.

“People will say ‘Go, naked people, go!’ but a vast majority of the general public don’t really care,” Pasco said.

California does not presently have a law in place that bans nudity, although the indecent exposure law results in a misdemeanor if violated. Indecent exposure, also known as public indecency, requires sexual intent or a lewd act in combination with exposure of genitals.

“Jane Warner Plaza serves as a town square

in the Castro. Use of this small space as a nudist colony is fun for the nudists, but not the neighborhood as a whole,” Wiener said.

Those who frequent the area tend to agree.

Mark Mornin, a customer service representative at ROLO, a shop located on Market Street, works just a stone’s throw away from the plaza.

“I’m tired of it. I think there is a time and place for nudity, like the Folsom Street Fair and such, but it’s just not an everyday thing I want to see,” Mornin said. “Customers come in all the time with shocked faces and I honestly think it’s bringing down our neighborhood.”

Jeff Cope, a senior philosophy major at SF State, believes the ban contradicts San Francisco’s character.

“If this isn’t the place where you can bare it all, I don’t know where else you could,” Cope said. “It’s a freedom we have here in San Francisco to live and let live.”

The proposal was pushed to the City Operations and Neighborhood Services Committee Oct. 2 for review, and will later be passed along to the Board of Supervisors.

PART FOUR IN A SERIES OF SIX STORIES EXAMINING CALIFORNIA’S PROPOSITIONS

Fighting human trafficking

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

be spending more money on education, not on putting these people in prison.”

Others are even more dissatisfied with the proposition and believe that people might be misled to vote yes.

“We are concerned about the effects this ballot measure will have on trafficked victims, sex workers and our families, as well as voters who are being misled about what this ballot measure will do,” said Maxine Doogan, who is president of the Erotic Service Provider Legal, Educational and Research Project.

Doogan said that the ESPLER Project submitted the opponent’s portion of the proposition’s summary offered in the voter guide. She is concerned that the proposition has several flaws, mainly that the proposition wouldn’t fix human trafficking because it focuses on prostitution rather than the labor aspect of human trafficking.

“It’s an anti-prostitution piece of legislation, plain and simple,” she said. “We know that this law is not going to protect anybody.”

Zoe Woodcraft, a communications consultant for social change from Full Court Press Communications, works with Vote Yes on 35.

Some supporters on the Vote Yes on 35 website claim to have been abused

by human traffickers when they were between the ages of 12 and 14. Others just want to protect California’s women and children.

The website states that the proposition would heighten awareness and allow California residents to work on cleaning up the sex trafficking industry.

Prop. 35 would direct 70 percent of revenue collected from the projected fines to agencies and nonprofit groups providing direct services to victims. Another 30 percent would go toward trafficking prevention, witness protection and rescue operations.

It is estimated that annual state and local costs would total “a couple of million dollars” and rise if arrests increased, according to the League of Women Voters of California website.

The costs would not be offset by revenue allocated to victims’ services.

Perla Flores, program director of the Women’s Center at SF State, said she thinks the proposition is a good stepping stone for what is already in place, but thinks the initiative could do more to fix the problem of human trafficking in the United States.

“Should we settle for whatever proposition is there, or should we try to make it better?” Flores asked.

Danielle Steffenhagen contributed to this report.

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6 ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

10.17.12 | GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

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

Saturated tone pairs well with earthy hues

S

tep aside, gamboge orange.

There’s a new color on the block and it’s bold. The hottest hues for the fall right now are a showcase of darker tones and shades.

But there is one blistering color that is catching the most attention on the runway and in retail stores this fall — it’s red’s ultra sexy cousin, oxblood.

Oxblood is a dark, deep red along the lines of reddish brown, almost like red wine through a crystal glass or chocolate mashed with strawberries.

With a mix of scarlet and burgundy, oxblood is drenched with a dramatic pop that keeps your eyes peeled. The oxblood color is not too stuffy and pairs well with darker tones, black leather or simply the tone by itself.

But where did the color oxblood come from? Apparently, you can concoct this stunning color, and you won’t have to chase an ox around with a knife.

The red pigment can be gained by a few hours of boiling the emaciated roots of a Dogwood tree, according to the Tailors & Seamstresses of Marrach, an organization dedicated to clothing fabrics and coloring. The very dark oxblood color cast can be slapped onto a garment that’s treated with mordant, a substance used in binding or dyeing to fix the coloring matter.

“Aside from the deep teal, oxblood is splashed all over fashion right now,” Emily Emig, apparel design and merchandising major, said.

“I started shopping more purposely for that color and since it’s so bold, I couldn’t wait to rock the oxblood.”

Oxblood is this year’s Halloween orange. Make it bloody, but don’t overdo it. Treat oxblood like you’re cooking with a chili pepper, a little goes a long way. Don’t make it a main focus because that would give too much energy — and we all know we don’t like someone who’s too much.

This saturated color adds depth to this season’s earthy shades and jewel tones. Oxblood is not overly masculine and can be neatly done with houndstooth or thick polka-dot prints.

From leather jackets to dresses to chunky scarves, it’s this season musthave color for both genders.

“Oxblood can definitely be a color for the conservative folks who aren’t confident to wear electric red,” said Emig, who noted this year’s fashion show theme at SF State in December, hosted by FNA, will somewhat revolve around oxblood.

As a blend of a plum lipstick and a sheer, bubbly merlot, this vampy hue is everywhere and it’s here to stay.

PLUSH PLAY: Stephanie Cortes is so infatuated with the “geek” scene that she got married at the Alternative Press Expo. Photo by Kevin Skahan

Passion for plushies sparks Etsy career

BY KIRSTIE HARUTA | kharuta@mail.sfsu.edu

F

Indeed, Cortes seems to be doing “all the things” as well. On AST-TALKING AND FUN-LOVING, top of promoting her shop at conventions and fairs, and teaching Stephanie Cortes has made it her mission to the crafting community as a certified Etsy educator, Cortes has make people smile through her passion for nerdy recruited intern Christel Macabeo to help with everything from crafting. crocheting to promoting.

The 29-year-old San Francisco native is “I was at J-POP SUMMIT last year and I saw her stuff was like, the “geek mastermind” behind nerd JERK, an ‘Oh, that’s what I do!’” Macabeo said. “So we started talking and Etsy shop featuring handmade plushies, crosswe were like, ‘Oh, we have the same nerd personality!’ And we just stitched art, comics and more. The journey to clicked.” designing her own geeky brand all started with a boy and a plush And if Cortes’ many endeavors don’t penguin. keep her busy enough, she got married “It was 2005 and I was dating Oct. 13 at the Alternative Press Expo. this guy (who attended SF) State,” “I was telling my friend I want to get Cortes said. “I thought, ‘I’ve got to married somewhere cool, but that didn’t impress him. He’s a geek, how do cost a lot of money, and he said, ‘Why I do this?’”

APE community unites for don’t you get married at APE?’” she said.

Her answer was to stay up “At first, I laughed — a lot.” all night crocheting a penguin nerd JERK wedding at the But Cortes realized it was actually for him. She met him for a date Comic-Con convention at a good idea. She and Roger L. Moore, the next day, sleep deprived and an OkCupid success story, were wed uncertain of how he’d react to her

by Cody Vrosh of Binary Winter Press goldengatexpress.org quirky gift. among friends, family, fellow APE ven“He said, ‘It’s the cutest thing dors and attendees. ever. I’m going to call it Penguin “I’ve been working alongside Steph Seymour Hoffman,’” she recalled. for many years; we exhibit at a lot of the From there, Cortes realized same shows,” Vrosh said. “She said they were getting married at that she had the skill to make better quality plushies than the ones APE, and I said ‘Oh, that’s awesome.’ And she said they still need she and her friends had seen for sale online. She began crocheting to find some sort of reverend or officiant, and I said, ‘well hell, I Bob-ombs, characters from Super Mario and tapped into a market can get ordained for that.’” that she personally enjoyed serving.

The couple’s wedding was a success, thanks to the support of “I kind of used it as an in with cute geek guys,” she admitted.

APE and fellow artists. Cortes even had her dress specially made Soon though, Cortes’ crafting came to a halt. She dropped out by independent designer Rebecca Saylor. of college when her grandfather became severely ill so she could “The fact that there’s a wedding (at APE) is really appropriate, be his full-time caretaker. After his death, it took two years for her because this place is kind of about love,” Vrosh said. “So them to begin crocheting again. showing their love here is not only appropriate, but will be acceptA conversation she had with her grandfather inspired her to ed very much.” honor him by working hard and proving herself as an artist.

Next Cortes is planning an entire rebranding of nerd JERK. As “He asked me — in grumbly, angry Spanish — ‘Are you going of next year, she will no longer crochet Nintendo-themed plushies, to make any money with this? Are you doing this for a reason? and will instead debut a new line of creations.

Are you actually having fun?’” she said.

“It involves a long-standing tradition of wrestling,” she teased To the first question, Cortes can now say yes; she is making cryptically. “It also involves hot sauce, and it involves the Genius money through her shop. She had one answer for his other two Bar at the Apple store.” questions.

Cortes is set to do a sneak preview of her new creations at the “Duh, I love it,” she said.

Renegade Craft Fair in Los Angeles this December. She is also Crafting is truly Cortes’ passion. She now lives with and cares looking to local galleries to display her work closer to home. for her grandmother while running nerd JERK. She has learned Along with her shop rebrand, Cortes is planning to write a through conversations with her grandmother that creativity has run book. Having overcome many obstacles to get to where she is as a in her family for generations, from her carpenter grandfather to person — an artist and a businesswoman — she wants to share her her sketch artist mother. experiences with those who might relate.

Her grandmother has taken to comparing her to her eldest “I had a lot of rapid growth and I decided it needed to be sister, Hilda, whose attitude, talents and even stature are reflected shared because vulnerability and tactful honesty speak a lot to in Cortes.

“Hilda decided she wasn’t going to take crap from anyone, and people that need inspiration,” she said. “I’ve gone through a lot.

But just because you fail, doesn’t mean you can’t do awesome she would crochet all the things and sew all the things,” Cortes things.” said.

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A RTS A N D EN T ERTA I N M EN T CALENDAR

FOR MORE INFORMATION GO TO GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG Maker’s Mark Cocktail Party: Free 1st Round of Drinks Oct. 18 6 - 8 p.m. FREE Wreck Room

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ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT 7

| 10.17.12

Chamber music series defies tradition

T

BY MATT SAINCOME | saincome@mail.sfsu.edu

HE EXCITEMENT BUZZING around the corridors of the Creative Arts Building for the 57th season of the Morrison Artists Series can be heard just like the music reverberating throughout its chambers.

Funded by Edward Hohfeld, administrator of the Charitable Trust endowed by the Alexander Morrison estate, the series has been able to sustain itself over the years. A longtime friend and law firm partner of Morrison, Hohfeld believed that high-quality chamber music should be available to everyone, not just those who had the money to pay for a ticket to the symphony. Since it began, the series has hosted more than 350 admission-free concerts.

Hohfeld thought that music should be taught to students by providing them the opportunity to learn from the best contemporary musicians. That is why every artist performing at the series will also host a master class. Richard Festinger, artistic director of the event, will give a lecture before each performance.

“These are top ensembles. They don’t get any better.

We bring the best ensembles,” Festinger said of the series’ lineup.

Tickets for the performances normally range from $60 to $100 as the ensembles playing are of the highest caliber, according to Festinger. He chooses all the performers who play the series and prepares multimedia presentations to correlate with the performance.

“I don’t talk too long. I know people really want to hear the music and not me,” Festinger said.

Students in the SF State music department will be able to sit down and learn from some of the greatest chamber musicians of the day, according to Festinger. The Juilliard String Quartet, one of classical music’s most prestigious ensembles, has been around since 1946 and is probably the most well-known playing the series.

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The ensembles will teach master classes the day of each concert, working to help improve student ensembles.

Concerts that take place Sunday will have Monday classes. But none of the classes will be limited to just SF State students.

The series will also invite students from local high schools and arts colleges from around the city to join.

“People who haven’t heard much, or any classical music, you always have to start somewhere — this series is a great way to start,” Festinger said.

Sandra Halladey, relations officer of the College of Liberal and Creative Arts, runs the box office for the series. She said the chamber music series got so popular that it had to turn people away at the door for some concerts last year — but this event isn’t just for the diehards.

“It’s like going to see Lady Gaga, man,” Festinger said, jokingly.

The series defies traditional perspecIN KEY: The Alexander String Quartet, featured group for the Morrison Artists Series, has tives and offers some surprises. participated in the admission-free concerts for the past 22 years. Photo by Andy Sweet “A lot of students have discovered that a lot of chamber music now is not stuffy Oberlin Conservatory of Music,” Halladey said. old white man music, as we tend to think The Jasper String Quartet, winners of the 2012 of it sometimes. A lot of groups we have for this series are Cleveland Quartet Award, kicked off the series Oct. 14 at young,” Melinda Zarrett, assistant to the associate dean of McKenna Theatre. the College of Liberal and Creative Arts, said.

“These are people at the top of the chamber music There is a side of classical music that is like a museworld, so an opportunity to hear them for free is big,” um, according to Festinger, but the ensembles he chose Zarrett said. for this event aren’t like that. Some will even be playing The Morrison Artist series began Oct. 14 and will run pieces written as recently as five years ago, and when they through April 19, 2013. For the full schedule with times do play the old, they play it like it is new. and venues, check the College of Liberal and Creative “We’re excited for the first event featuring the Jasper String Quartet, which is actually the quartet in residence at Arts event calendar.

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8 OPINION

10.17.12 | GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

STAFF EDITORIAL

KALE WILLIAMS

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

ANGELA RAIFORD

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Scholarships key to higher education

W

E ALL KNOW THAT A COLLEGE workload is hard enough, but adding a job or two jobs on top of that can be nearly impossible. When higher education is the key to unlocking a promising future, every little bit helps.

That’s where scholarships come in.

But the state of California — with its education system originally designed to provide free schooling to all residents — has steadily decreased available funding to the higher learning institutions, which forces colleges and universities to raise tuition and decrease certain available scholarships, making it even harder to receive an education in a state full of impacted schools. It’s a slippery slope without a winner.

Scholarships provide endless opportunities to students who can’t afford to pay for school. They pick up the slack when loans, grants and financial aid are not enough. They allow students to attend schools offering exceptional and nationally recognized programs such as the broadcast and electronic communication arts program here at SF State and UC Davis’ veterinary program.

The ultimate virtue of scholarships is that they never have to be paid back, setting students up for the future better than anything else possibly could because, upon graduation, these students won’t have to worry about trying to pay it all back.

Ambitious, hardworking students seeking scholarships are the state’s workforce for the next generation. Why are we trying to make graduating harder for them? Tuition and living costs in California are higher than almost everywhere else in the country. The state needs to do all it can to make sure people stay here as assets to the economy.

The state budget that funds our University is not a bottomless pool of cash and the solution to our financial woes is not to try and siphon away funds from some other suffering institution, but to increase the supply from which we all draw.

While California’s corporate tax rates are among the highest in the nation, there are numerous tax credits and deductions that significantly diminish how much cash the state takes in. This money flows into the state’s funding of education and every time we allow breaks, we reduce the available funding. Our state is unique among oil-producing states in that we do not charge oil companies an extraction tax, a tax that nets other states hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue.

Additionally, California charges businesses the same tax rate regardless of their size. That means that the mom-and-pop dry cleaner that pulls in $100,000 pays the same tax rate as Apple, which pulled in

RACHELE KANIGEL

ART BY KALE WILLIAMS

more than $26 billion in revenue for fiscal year 2011.

This state needs to reevaluate its present position on higher education and remember where it came from. California used to be the vanguard of this nation’s education system, but by diminishing its available educational funding not only is it making California schools harder to pay for, but it’s also making attending these institutions less attractive for future students.

Politicians and state policy makers like to flaunt their stance on the importance of education and how investing in today’s students is key to this country’s success — but this current shift in higher education funding doesn’t mirror their rhetoric.

There needs to be a new goal for the state to make college more affordable and a renewed focus on the importance on an educated populace. The cost for not doing so is just too high.

FACULTY ADVISER kanigel@mail.sfsu.edu

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PHOTO ADVISER tucker@mail.sfsu.edu

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BY NOEMY MENA

mena@mail.sfsu.edu

Wiener ban too restrictive for SF

ONLINE ADVISER jgarnier@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 Cassie Becker at:

From Bay to Breakers to Folsom Street Fair and SF Pride Parade, people flock to the city to see what San Francisco’s culture is about.

It’s fairly safe to say there’s nothing like an SF party once the clothes start coming off.

However, in the last year, city Supervisor Scott Wiener has begun to crack down on the city’s public nudity policies. In November 2011, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed one of his legislations, San Francisco Penal Code 1070.1, prohibiting nudity in restaurants and on public benches. Wiener — who represents the Castro, Noe Valley and Glen Park neighborhoods as a part of District 7 — introduced new legislation Oct. 4 to ban nudity on streets, plazas, parklets and public transportation.

Wiener created the legislation to protect innocent bystanders from the exposure to genitalia, and although the intention has great value, the idea of controlling where someone can get naked needs to be revisited.

If you’ve visited any of San Francisco’s events, you’re more likely going to pay attention to a fire truck’s blaring sirens or a homeless person’s rant than a naked individual walking down the street. As a San Francisco native, I’ve encountered my fair share of public nudity at a very young age, from the countless events around the city and I’ve never felt uncomfortable seeing men or women exposed. I’ve always believed nudity is synonymous with freedom and self-love and it is evident in those who express it by letting it all hang out.

In San Francisco, nudity is prohibited in public parks, on benches and if used for sexual purposes. For example, flashers and those

engaged in sexual acts are in violation of the law. On the other hand, nudity in California is legal as long as it’s not done in a sexual demeanor. California Penal Code 647(a) states, “a person violates when he/she solicits anyone to engage in or engages in lewd or dissolute conduct in any public place or in any place open to the public or exposed to public view.”

Wiener thought about proposing the ordinance earlier in his political career, but believed the issue “would run its course and that the legislation wouldn’t be necessary, but it did not and instead it has gotten more extreme,” according to his website. After receiving complaints from his constituents about the increasing number of nudists congregating at Jane Warner Plaza on a daily basis, Wiener decided it was time to address the issue again.

I am in favor of banning nudity on public transportation for sanitation reasons. Each time I sit down on a Muni seat, I should not have to worry about whose cheeks were on it last. I don’t even want to imagine standing on a crowded bus or train. Other than that, the ordinance is utterly ridiculous because it allows the city to regulate what individuals can do with their own bodies, which should never happen. Nudity shouldn’t be controlled by law.

In this age where people are insecure about their body weight, why not learn from nudists who believe in being comfortable in their skin, and thus exposing all of it? Not only should public nudity continue to be legal, but it also should be respected and embraced. Public nudity is not sexual, it’s liberation.

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 10.10.12

In the article “Law will protect students’ social media information,” we incorrectly reported that Kaplan Test Prep’s survey revealed the percentage of schools using Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to evaluate prospective students.

The study showed that universities actually used social media for recruitment, not evaluation.

We regret the error.

GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

| 10.17.12

9

O

THE INS & OUTS A GUEST SEX COLUMN BY KALE WILLIAMS kale@mail.sfsu.edu

When an adolescent who is too young to understand the fictional element of raunchy videos starts watching it, the often sexist and misogynistic content can have serious repercussions

Internet pornography distorts perception

But porn is everywhere these days. It’s not like NE GREAT THING you can just wander around the internet and avoid about getting off to internet running into pornography. A study published in the porn is that you can find pretty Official Journal of the Academy of Pediatrics found much anything you’re looking that 42 percent of kids between 10 and 17 had been for. From the run-of-the-mill scenes of two attractive people exposed to internet porn, and of those, 66 percent had come upon it by accident. making passionate love to the Porn is also overwhelmingly made for and dirtiest fecal play rape scenariconsumed by men. A study published in the journal os — if you’re into it, the internet has it for you.

But the internet has now provided accessibility to “Professional Psychology: Research and Practice” in 1999 found that males make up roughly two-thirds a wide array of pornographic material. Many young of porn consumers, which means that porn is often people just learning their way around the sexual aretailored toward men and their fantasies of subservina are being exposed to images that may be hard for their young minds to interpret. These days, like many ent women.

There’s nothing wrong with a little dominance aspects of humanity, the internet has changed the way we consume porn, putting thousands of hours of or submission in porn if that’s what you’re into, but children exposed to this kind of gender-based power porn, free of charge, literally at our fingertips. dynamic run the risk of interpreting this behavior as The problem isn’t with porn itself; the probthe norm instead of fantasy role-playing. lem lies with our inability to talk about sex. Sexual Sex is a two-way street, on which both genders education in school typically doesn’t start until 7th must travel. In a world already struggling with or 8th grade, and with nearly 30 percent of children sexism and misogyny, porn often serves to reinforce exposed to porn by age 13, according to a study by the School of Behavioral Sciences at Penn State Har- the subservient roles women play in popular culture. risburg, we’re sending kids out into a vast wilderness Introducing boys to sex through porn without any explanation of how sex works in the real world is not a of internet porn with no context to evaluate it. good way to set them up for a healthy adult sex life.

But placing all the blame on schools isn’t fair The trick isn’t to hide away the porn in a lockbox because much of the responsibility for teaching kids about sex should fall to the parents. Our button-down or blanket your computer in passwords and security programs — childlike curiosity has a way of getting culture, which uses sex to sell almost everything, past those types of measures. The solution is to stop still treats it as a taboo topic of conversation. I’m treating sex like some sort of taboo topic. If you have sure talking to kids about sex isn’t easy, but it has to a little brother, cousin or nephew who is coming into be easier than dealing with a kid who grows up with porn-viewing age, strike up a conversation with him a sexual dysfunction from seeing porn they don’t about how porn differs from real life sex. understand.

And if you grew up watching internet porn, At the risk of sounding ancient, I’ll admit that my remember that porn is meant to satisfy your fantaown first exposure to porn came at a time before it sies, not mimic what sex is like in the real world. If was all over the internet, when it was still a rare and you find yourself watching a particularly lewd scene sacred thing. The odd nudie magazine pilfered from that you want to act a friend’s older brother was out, discuss it with something to be treasured your partner and lay and coveted, and in the Kale Williams began consuming porn out some ground rules. absence of that, a glimpse when it was only offered on VHS tapes.

If you’re lucky, you of some side boob or the Since then he has made his way through magazines, erotic slideshows, LaserDiscs might just be able to beginning of Baywatch was and now the latest great bastion of turn that fantasy into usually enough to make a pornography: the internet. reality. deposit in the spank bank.

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10 S P O R T S

10.17.12 | GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

PLAYER

IRIS TOLENADA

WEEK

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

of the

SP OR T S SCHEDUL E FRIDAY (10.19) MEN’S SOCCER SF STATE VS. CAL STATE MONTEREY BAY 12:30 P.M. (SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF.)

WOMEN’S SOCCER SF STATE VS. CAL STATE MONTEREY BAY 3 P.M. (SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF.)

SATURDAY (10.20) WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL SF STATE VS. CAL STATE MONTEREY BAY 7 P.M. (SEASIDE, CALIF.)

MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY CCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS TBA (LA JOLLA, CALIF.)

WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY CCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS TBA (LA JOLLA, CALIF.)

SUNDAY (10.21)

Senior Iris Tolenada has been chosen as the Xpress Player of the Week.

Tolenada racked up her 10th double-double of the season with 37 assists and 12 digs in a match against Humboldt State Oct. 12.

PHOTO BY TYLER DENISTON/SF STATE SPORTS

Team captain turns coach

BY GERARDO RECINOS | grecinos@mail.sfsu.edu

M

CHANGING PLAY: In a major career shift, goalkeeper Mike McNeill is moving from the net to the sideline as he takes on his new role as assisant coach of the SF State men’s soccer team. Photo by Sam Battles

IKE MCNEILL WATCHES THE ball’s path as it cuts through the air toward the keeper, judging the potency of the strike and the movement of the ball. He decides what the next move should be all in a matter of seconds.

But McNeill isn’t in front of the net, the former goalkeeper for the SF State men’s soccer team is now taking on a different role as one of its assistant coaches.

Though he knew coaching was what he eventually wanted to do, McNeill’s latest line of work came at an unfortunate price. A recent back injury cost him the rest of his season after playing only 66 minutes in conference play. The Gators ultimately lost the game to UC San Diego 1-0.

“It’s been a tough four years here,” McNeill said. “I’ve been injured more often than I haven’t, but being injured has given me a new perspective and I think (it has) prepared me as a coach. I see how the college game works here, and coach (Joe) Hunter and coach Kelly (Coffey) put me under their wing.”

Neither head coach Hunter nor assistant coach Coffey could be reached for comment.

As a player, McNeill was a team captain and respected member of the team, according to other players, including senior Sasha Chalak.

“The rest of the team loved that Mike joined the coaching staff because they knew that he would still be a part of the team and be supportive. And his presence really helps the younger guys,” Chalak said.

According to McNeill, he has always known that he wanted to be a collegiate soccer coach and started taking steps toward this goal at age 15.

“I’m still a long ways away from it, but I feel like I got a good jump on it when I was young. I’ve known what I wanted to do since I was young,” he said.

At 15, McNeill was balancing playing competitive club soccer and acquiring coaching credentials that would eventually give him

the opportunity to coach competitive soccer teams and set up clinics for local club soccer teams in his hometown of Oakdale, Calif.

While training teams, soccer club directors from Oakdale and Modesto approached him about the possibility of setting up soccer clinics. These clinics gave McNeill a forum to show younger players some skills they couldn’t get from their regular club coaches. With the help from his parents, he was able to set up a string of summer camps for the top club soccer teams in Oakdale.

“My mom and dad helped a lot when it came to the hard stuff, like registering the players and the insurance for every player, but it ended up being worth it,” McNeill said.

He worked through the journey of coaching players at a young age, while constantly learning about the game himself. Even as a kid, McNeill demonstrated his leadership skills and the ability to coach his peers.

As a goalkeeper, McNeill was able to survey the entire team so he can effectively mentor less experienced players from all different sides of the game.

“I talked to a couple of my teammates before becoming an assistant coach and they said that it wouldn’t be too much of a change because I’m on the field,” McNeill said. “I was coaching anyway.

I was always screaming at my defenders and midfielders, coaching them. On the other side, as a goalkeeper, I always have to know where the defenders need to be and where the attackers are coming from as well.”

While he still finds it strange to suddenly be on a different side of the ball out on the pitch, McNeill said his prior relationship with the players strengthens their bond. He considers himself to be the middle ground between the players and coaches, and thinks that he can bolster the entire team’s communication.

“I think his experience as a player will help the younger players in a way in which they will look up to him, as well as relate to him for the simple fact that he already went through what some of the young players are going through,” said senior midfielder Edgar Villagrana, who has played with McNeill for four years.

MEN’S SOCCER SF STATE VS. CAL POLY POMONA 11:30 A.M. (SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF. )

WOMEN’S SOCCER SF STATE VS. CAL POLY POMONA 2 P.M. (SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF.) For same-day coverage, go to

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STANDING TALL: Mike McNeill helps to conduct pregame warm-ups, one of many duties he will perform as an assistant coach.

Photo by Godofredo Vasquez

GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

S P O R T S 11

| 10.17.12

Team camaraderie flourishes with Gator pride FIST PUMPING: The wrestling team, one of the many teams to show up and support fellow SF State athletetic programs, geared up in singlets to cheer on the women’s volleyball team. Photo by Jessica Worthington

BY CAITLIN BYRNE | cmbyrne@mail.sfsu.edu

C

HANTS ECHO THROUGH the halls of the gym as the Gators take on another fierce competitor. It’s not just fans and families who have gathered to watch the teams fight for victory, but fellow student athletes as well.

As the rest of SF State strengthens its bonds as a community, Gator athletes have already established camaraderie during their years as teammates. The student atheletes show support for one another through attending University games and cheering on their fellow Gators.

Senior cross country runner Tyler Deniston believes the support from other teams throughout the season is far more apparent than that of the student body.

“Sure, there are certain cliques naturally, but for the most part, the athletic teams interact positively and support one another,” Deniston said. “As is custom, you’ll be close to your own team members, but some of the best friends I and most other student athletes have are not on their own teams. In a University that unfortunately receives very little support by both the student body and community, we have each other to lean on to support and cheer each other on through a winning season or mediocre season.”

Not only do the athletes play a role in building relationships between teams, coaches also take on the role of developing and stressing the importance of intersquad camaraderie.

“There is a special bond between the coaches and student athletes at SF State. They each have the same goals of being the best they can be either on the court, diamond, track, mat, course and our classroom,” Joe Danahey, sports information director, said. “The teams led by the athletic administration and coaches do a great job of going to each other’s contests and supporting each other.”

Some teams even go as far as to dress up for certain matches. Junior wrestler Dylan Phillipy takes pride in the wrestlers’ support for the volleyball team, and makes sure the wrestlers’ presence is known at each and every match.

“We go to every volleyball game! It’s just a given,” Phillipy said. “The wrestlers dress up a lot. One time we showed up in singlets and polos. For (the) breast cancer (awareness game) we wore spaghetti straps and just supported. We have no shame. We always try to go in there and be as loud as possible and make sure we win.”

As important as support for fellow Gator teams can be, unity within each team is crucial.

“We bring in a campus rec guy that does team building with them. I have various programs we do

SCORES FROM THE LAST WEEK OF GATOR SPORTS

MEN’S SOCCER

L L

OCT. 12 SF STATE VS. CAL STATE STANISLAUS 0-1

OCT. 14 SF STATE VS. CHICO STATE 0-3

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

W L

OCT. 12 SF STATE VS. HUMBOLDT STATE 3-0 OCT. 13 SF STATE VS. CAL POLY POMONA 1-3

WOMEN’S SOCCER

L W

OCT. 12 SF STATE VS. CAL STATE STANISLAUS 2-3

OCT. 14 SF STATE VS. CHICO STATE 2-1

WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY OCT. 13 SANTA CLARA INVITATIONAL 2ND OF 21

MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY OCT. 13 SANTA CLARA INVITATIONAL NO TEAM STANDING

“

with the kids to get to know each other,” head wrestling coach Lara Jensen said. “This year we’ll have seven or eight new kids so they try to blend in. Seems in the first five to six weeks here that it’s going pretty well.”

Despite the final score, Gator teams try to keep the spirit alive in the locker room as well as in the stands.

Coaches and athletes work together to form tight-knit relationships that ultimately drive the success of the season. Friendships extend past We have no the endgame buzzer, and the shame. We always Gator sports community contry to go in there tinues to develop and grow. and be as loud as “It’s definitely a family,” possible and make Phillipy said. “It’s definitely sure we win a brother and sisterhood. No matter how different you are, Dylan Phillipy, you can all share the same wrestler kind of athletic drive with one another. We all respect it.”

Rochelle Romero contributed to this report.

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