The voice of De Anza since 1967 Volume 58, Issue 1
Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024
lavozdeanza.com
De Anza hosts Stanford blood drive
By Mackenzie Jardine EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
The conference rooms rumble with laughter and catchy pop music as nurses move around the plethora of tables and donation stations in the Hinson Campus Center on Jan. 25 for the quarterly blood drive. Students, ready for donation, move in and out of the area, checking in at the front table and then sitting for their turn. When donors are called they follow a nurse into a private blue tent area, where they have their blood levels checked and see if they are fit for donation. After the exam, they are led to a chair and put into a reclining position as the nurse in charge of them begins the process of donation. The whole process takes about 45 minutes and can save lives. Blood cannot be manufactured which makes the importance of donating blood extreme. Greg Klein, 57, a nursing trainer that has been employed at Stanford Blood Center for five years said that the blood center is highly regulated by the FDA and that blood has a shelf life, depending on the product. “If it’s platelets (a part of blood cells that initiates blood clots), it’s
Stanford Blood Center nurses move around conference room A and B while they prepare to take in donators on Jan. 25. as short as five days. We test for all known communicable diseases and (the testing) takes about two or three days depending on the product so the shelf life (of a platelet) would be (about) three days,” Klein said. “Whole blood, which is what we’re doing here (at the blood drive) would be about 35 to 42 days.”
Jerick Toledo, 29, is a nurse that was hired by Stanford Blood Center after a 12-to-13-week training program. The program ensures that all nurses understand blood pressure, needle technique and what makes a potential donor eligible or not. The eligibility varies from person to person so having a big donor pool is necessary.
PHOTO BY MACKENZIE JARDINE
“We try to expand our accessibility to everyone,” Toledo said. “Our main goal is to supply blood for patients that need it.” Blood types can equate to eligibility, despite (the blood drive) taking any and all people. O positive and O negative are universal donors, but the positive and negative typing of the blood actually makes a difference, negative being
superior, Toledo said. Blood drives hope that people become lifelong donors. College students tend to be younger which allows them to donate many times throughout their lifespan. It’s important for people to enjoy the experience and want to come back again and again, Klein said. Su Myat Wutye (who prefers to go by Su), 21, an electrical engineering major, always had a desire to donate blood in her home country but couldn’t because she was only 18 at the time. Soon after that, COVID-19 hit, causing her to miss her chances all together. Su said that when she came to the U.S., she still had that desire. “I saw the advertisement in the cafeteria and (thought) why not give it a try? I wish to help in any type of way,” Su said. Donating blood can have people hesitant between the potential woozy feeling and the large needle, but Isabel Nelson, 22, psychology major assures it’s easy and has great benefit. “You can save a life. It’s really simple and just a little prick,” Nelson said after donating. “I feel fine. It’s a good thing to do. People should donate.”
Join La Voz Bot students inhibit precious campus resources PAGE 3
Winter Club Day PAGE 4
Bands of the bay: Hemorage PAGE 6
How to join La Voz PAGE 7
‘Saturn’ bedazzles Fujitsu Planetarium PAGE 8
Track and field athletes discontent with athletic department, president By Ann Penalosa and Leila Salam
MANAGING EDITOR, FREELANCER
Track and field athletes, coaches and alumni confronted De Anza College’s administrators with their grievances about the athletic department’s handling of their 2023 season overall, as well as their lack of support during various pending legal investigations, at the Media and Learning Center on Wednesday, Jan. 10. The team mainly aimed to speak to College President Lloyd Holmes, Athletic Dean Eric Mendoza and Athletic Director Ron Hannon, while Chancellor Lee Lambert was invited as an observer. Mendoza and Lambert did not speak throughout the meeting. Several of the team’s older concerns, raised in their earlier meeting with Chancellor Lambert on Sept. 27, 2023, as well as new grievances were
not answered during this meeting, as President Holmes said he would follow up with individual students afterwards. Mattis said that sports administration told him when he came back that there was no funding for the new equipment. However, the football team recently received at least seven new blocking sleds which cost over $2,000 a piece, with more new equipment inside a shed which La Voz was not able to access. Another complaint was alleged unprofessional favoritism within the teams by the athletic trainer. Additionally, two female athletes came forward saying that members of the football team had sexually assaulted them in fall quarter, one during a football game, and she said that the Title IX (Title IX prohibits sex-based discrimination in education) lawyer in charge of that case dismissed it despite that player confessing to assaulting her. The other said she never
Student athletes meet with De Anza College administrators in the Media PHOTO BY LEILA SALAM and Learning Center on Jan. 10. not that.” heard back from her Title IX lawyer. Assistant Coach Jerry Duong said who’s like a brother to me,” LaVigne The athletes do not know why their said. “What he did and how he went the last minute notice about the Coast cases were not addressed. Conference Championship meet’s about it was not the way he should Robert LaVigne, 20, a communew location negatively impacted have. He didn’t go to coach Mattis nications major, the former Student athletes’ ability to compete and even himself and say, ‘I don’t want to be Athlete Advisory Council President some of their grades. on the team;’ he simply said to himand an athlete for both football and “A lot of our athletes schedule self, ‘I’m not going to show up any track and field, said that he is close classes around conference; they were more and that’s what it’s gonna be.’” friends with the student Mattis had a not allowed to change things when LaVigne said the argument heated argument with, resulting in an it was so last minute. They found between the student and Mattis got investigation and him being placed out the day before conference, even blown out of proportion “to make it on paid administrative leave in the though the (athletic department) made seem like Mattis was a racist, a bigot, middle of the spring 2023 season. the decision four days after Mattis and picking on one of the only Black “Coach Mattis was just trying to was put on leave,” Duong said. (athletes) on the team. As someone teach. This (player) is somebody who is Black myself, Coach Mattis is See Page 2 for continuation.
2 NEWS
New California laws to know FEB. 13, 2024
With the New Year came new laws By Vincent Scrivens
safe, California will keep fighting,” Newsom said. “The data proves they save lives: California’s gun death rate is 43% lower than the rest of the nation. These new laws will make our communities and families safer.” Labor and housing laws have passed which have improved benefits for jobs and have created more opportunities for affordable housing in California.
NEWS EDITOR
New California laws that came into effect on Jan. 1 have introduced new benefits, rules and regulations for citizens and businesses. Laws relating to criminal and civilian treatment have been updated to adjust officer conduct, increase penalties and rules for certain convictions and create a new emergency alert for missing black women and children.
SB-3: Increases California’s minimum wage to $16 per hour. The bill requires the Director of Finance to annually adjust the minimum wage.
AB-2773: Police officers must announce the reason for traffic and pedestrian stops before beginning their investigation.
SB-616: Expands the amount of sick days available to workers from 3 to 5 (or 40 hours) and makes an employee eligible for at least 5 additional sick days or paid time off after 6 months of employment.
AB-600: Courts can recall sentences and adjust them in accordance to new or updated laws.
SB-700: Employers can no longer discriminate against employees for marujana usage outside of work.
AB-791: Defendants charged with life without parole can no longer be released on bail during their appeal process.
AB-12: Caps security deposits at the equivalent of one month’s rent.
AB-701: Increases the penalty for distributing or selling fentanyl by adding years to a sentence depending on the amount the convict possesses. SB-14: The human trafficking of a minor is now designated as a “serious felony.” SB-673: Creates a new emergency alert for missing black women and youth known as “Ebony Alerts.” AB-645: Permits the start of a speed camera pilot program in Long Beach, San Jose, Oakland, Glendale, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Laws such as AB-701 and SB-14 strengthen the punishment for crimes which have escalated in societal effect in recent years. There was a 49% increase in people prosecuted for human trafficking from 2011-2021, and 70,601 deaths related to fentanyl overdoses reported in 2021. AB-2773 also provides civilians more protection and information prior to being investigated during Track and Field continued from page 1. “There was no communication from (administration) and all the athletes had already talked to professors beforehand saying, ‘Hey, I have (a meet) this day, I have to leave during this time,’” Duong said. Assistant track and field Coach Alyx Tripp said she was frustrated at the administration’s lack of communication with students, both when it came down to rescheduling Coast Conference Championships as well as meeting deadlines for transfer and scholarship prospects.
A bear’s head with a star for an eye, over the text of AB-2773. SB-35: The Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Act allows families and first responders to request court-ordered mental health treatment to people experiencing critical psychotic disorders. All counties in California must implement this program by Dec. 1. Bills such as AB-352 and SB345 were made in the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022 where abortion was made illegal in several states and people began traveling to other states where the procedure is legal. “In a medical setting, people should never fear that their information will be used against them,” Assemblymember Rebbeca Bauer-Kahan, author of AB-352, said in a bill analysis on May 18, 2023. “Patients who live in states with abortion bans are traveling to access needed care, but those patients risk their safety when they return to their home state.”
a stop. In a Senate Committee on Public Safety hearing held on June 21, 2022 the author of AB-2773, Assemblymember Chris Holden, said the bill “brings transparency to the service of protecting our public.” Medical laws and programs have been passed which tackle the issues of drug addiction, mental health and privacy. AB-352: Requires companies that manage electronic health records to maintain the confidentiality of all records related to sensitive medical services such as abortion, genderrelated care, and pregnancy loss. SB-345: Protects healthcare providers and people from legal action against them by other states that have criminalized or limited the aforementioned sensitive services. AB-663: Makes the deployment of more mobile pharmacies easier and allows them to carry medications used for treatment of opioid use disorder. “I understand what you (Hannon) are saying about the situation,” Tripp said, “But what about our athletes that need communications with those four-year colleges that they had been talking to for months.” Mattis was in charge of helping athletes with scholarships as well as arranging recruitment at four-year universities. Hannon said that the reason that the administration did not allow communication between Mattis and the athletes or the assistant coaches was to protect the integrity of the investigation. “When you have a personal matter, we’re limited in the amount
PHOTO BY ANN PENALOSA
De Anza College President Lloyd Holmes responds to a statement from someone on the track and field team.
of information we can provide,” Hannon said. “We couldn’t speak to the details of what happened in (Mattis’s case) because, as an employee, that person has rights, and any discussion about the details of that situation potentially violates his rights.” Mattis said that even though he is the person who is supposed to be protected in this investigation, he still does not know what he was accused of in the investigation itself. “So, I waive them. These are my rights, I would like to know what I was accused of,” Mattis said. “The only person that (witnessed the incident) was Eric, besides these track people. What did I do?” Holmes responded by saying, “I don’t know.” Mattis also said that “It’s been written that I confessed to something that I haven’t confessed (to). When it says I attacked a student, that I threatened violence on him? I never confessed to that, so I’m curious about what I did. We all want to know.” Holmes said he was “certainly not here to discuss a personal issue, and so I’m just not going to do that.” So far, no new details have come out about Assistant Coach Dylan Duvio’s firing either. LaVigne raised a separate concern about Head Football Coach Joe D’Agostino, a white man who used the n-word while speaking to his
ILLUSTRATION BY MACKENZIE JARDINE
On Sept. 26, Governor Gavin Newsom signed twelve gun control bills, some of which are now in effect: SB-2: Removes the requirement for “good cause” for citizens when applying for a concealed carry permit and identifies sensitive locations where concealed carry is restricted such as schools, various government properties, and public events. AB-455: Defendants in mental health diversion can no longer own firearms if ordered by the court. AB-732: Defendants convicted of a felony or specified misdemeanor must surrender their firearms within 48 hours of a conviction if they are not in custody. AB-92: Anyone who is prohibited from possessing a firearm can no longer possess body armor. “While radical judges continue to strip away our ability to keep people
SB-423: The state government is authorized to streamline affordable housing projects if the local government is failing to meet housing planning goals. This is an extension and amendment of SB-35 which was passed in 2017. SB-4: Allows religious institutions and nonprofit colleges to develop housing on their property. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2023 consumer price index, at the end of last year the U.S. saw an average increase of 3.4% in the price of all consumer goods. “In most jurisdictions, the process to approve new housing is arduous, unpredictable and expensive,” Senator Scott Wiener, author of SB-423, said in a bill analysis. “It often requires multiple levels of approval from local governments and navigation of an environmental review process that greatly empowers opponents of new housing.”
PHOTO BY ANN PENALOSA
Track and Field Head Coach Nick Mattis asks President Holmes to tell him what he is accused of. team. LaVigne said he felt as though the athletic department “brushed it off like it was nothing,” he did later say it was briefly addressed, but not in a way that was “meaningful to the team.” “When he said that, instantly you could feel the tension in the room. It was like as soon as that happened, almost everybody on the football team thought to themselves, ‘this is no longer my coach,’” LaVigne said. When asked for comment, Holmes responded that he “appreciated the opportunity to meet with members of the Track Team,” and that “though many of the steps taken are confidential, I can assure the team that the
administration listened and has taken action as appropriate.” When asked about any steps that were not confidential, Holmes reiterated “administration’s support of all of our students,” but did not comment on any concerns in particular. Read the full story on our website.
OPINION LAVOZDEANZA.COM
3
Bot students inhibiting precious campus resources
Scammers displace real students in need By Editorial Board
Ghost students continue to overwhelm De Anza and its faculty to the detriment of actual students this winter quarter. On June 27, the spring 2023 La Voz Editorial Board wrote about “ghost” students at community colleges. This editorial will reach further with data from a Google Form that La Voz emailed to every part-time and full-time instructor listed in De Anza’s directory. Ghost, bot or phantom students are fraudulent students, who often use artificial intelligence to get through classes. They enroll in college and apply for financial aid, receiving the awards but not doing the work or taking part in classes. These bots take resources away from real students, whether that be financial aid (Which appears to be in danger due to continuous promise cuts partially brought on by bot enrollment), or by limiting spots in classes. De Anza moved online during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to offer online classes. Bot students are more likely to show up online, specifically in asynchronous classes; It’s easier for them to skate by when there are no face to face discussions or required participation. 38 surveyed faculty members got back to La Voz about bot students and their feelings on the scam. This survey was done anonymously; the form did not collect names or emails, just the instructional staff’s responses. The answers to 13 multiple-choice questions show: whether professors are part time or full time, what modality they teach their
ILLUSTRATION BY MACKENZIE JARDINE
classes in, if they heard of bot students before, if they had bot students in their classes and if they were aware of any measures De Anza had to prevent bot students. This data has been edited and condensed and placed into a graphic. The form also included some long-form answers, and the surveyed professors’ consensus was they aren’t aware of any preventive measures De Anza has, but that administrators would drop bots in their classes before the quarter takes place. One instructor said they now teach at Foot-
hill and “(were) very well informed about bot students and what to look for.” Another instructor said that, “They (administration) have been asking instructors to look through their rosters … to ‘make (the) administration aware’ of any bot students (but there were) no guidelines on how to spot them.” Professors often had to take matters into their own hands by dropping suspected bot students; emailing those who had not shown up or turned in any work, or those who had turned in work but not shown up; and hosting Zoom meetings with students to ensure they were real
and reporting potential bots to admin. Bot students take away from real students and faculty. Real students can and do miss out on classes they need because bot students take up these spaces. Once bot students are dropped from a course, that course might dip below the minimum number required to operate and the class is canceled, affecting part-time faculty and their pay the most. Bot students also affect financial aid: this is the biggest pinpoint of their scam. The bots sign up for financial aid and receive it from the school, taking the resources away from actual students who need it. Bots also take time and resources away from the faculty, both administration and instructors, as they work to remove the bot students from rosters around the college. This questionnaire made it clear that De Anza needs to have more wide-spread preventive measures. There needs to be administrative help. More staff can and should understand the existence of bot students and how to spot them. This can lead to faster removal of these scammers, allowing real students to receive the spaces in classes they need and the financial aid they require. This problem will never be completely solved as the sheer number of bots continues to grow, but more transparency from administration about their defense measures and the number of bot students affecting the campus and financial aid, more training and bot related workshops for faculty, a comprehensive plan every quarter and setting up a task force specifically to combat bot students can save De Anza instructors and students a lot of frustration and heartache.
Trump’s campaign undermines American values motives similar to those behind Trump’s Constitutional integrity vent involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection. Tarikh, 62, a political science proburied under treason by fessorIshmael at De Anza for 18 years and an attorney, further explained the clause of the 14th Amendinsurrectionist ment Section Three.
By Lion Park OPINION EDITOR
On Dec. 19, Colorado became the first state to disqualify former President Donald Trump from the 2024 primary ballot election. Following the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision, Maine barred Trump from its primary ballot on Dec. 29. Despite Trump’s disqualification from Colorado and Maine, the issue extends beyond the primary ballots, Trump’s actions and demeanor question his competency to run for president once again. The two states’s decisions are related to Trump’s involvement in the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, where right-wing protestors attempted to overthrow the 2020 presidential election by attacking the United States Capitol building in Washington D.C. Robert Ovetz, 57, a political science professor at De Anza for 12 years, explained the situation around Trump’s disqualification. “This is pretty unprecedented; what’s significant is that this issue of President Trump promoting, organizing, and advocating an insurrection is still a major issue. And it’s something that has not been dealt with, even though the house investigation of summer 2022 found extensive and irrefutable evidence demonstrating President Trump engaging in insurrection,” Ovetz said. “I would call it a coup attempt.” Trump’s disqualification is attributed to the 14th Amendment Section Three. “We can’t forget the seriousness of this,” Ovetz said, “we had a sitting president, who called a right-wing fascist movement to the Capitol, then provoked them to march on the Capitol building to hunt the Vice President and the Speaker of the House to interfere with the counting of the ballots.” According to Constitution Annotated, an excerpt states that “no person shall be an elector of the President under the United States, having previously taken an oath, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion.” Although the disability can be removed by a two-thirds vote from Congress, the historic implication of Section Three was made to pre-
“What a civil society cannot endure, is when there is the flouting of the law, the highest law in the land for the United States of America is the United States Constitution. All other laws flow from the United States Constitution in one way or another,” Tarikh said. Ratified in 1868, just three years after the end of the American Civil War, the 14th Amendment was written following an estimated loss of 800,000 lives in both the Union and the Confederacy. “The wisdom of the legislators at the time said, ‘We cannot allow people who have tried to destroy the United States of America,’ that would be those who joined the Confederacy, fought for the Confederacy, or held office under the Confederacy, ‘to hold the highest offices in our government,’ because that would be the allowance of treasonists to sit in a government after they have acted to destroy that very same government,” Tarikh said. The effects following the Civil War became the structures of a united society seen today as new amendments were ratified for the sake of liberty and justice. By such laws, American society stood upon equal ground to improve social issues, rather than repeating another civil war. “In a society that not only prides itself but absolutely is dependent upon the rule of law, we could end up with a person holding the highest office in the land who was a convicted felon,” Tarikh said, “that would be the absolute opposite of what it means to follow the rule of law.” Currently, Trump faces 91 indictments of criminal offenses in four criminal cases, which includes a charge of a conspiracy felony. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, it is common practice in the United States for felons to lose their right to vote. The only exception of such practice exists in the District of Columbia, Maine and Vermont, while the other 48 states prohibit felons from electing while being incarcerated. “In many jurisdictions in the United States, a convicted felon can’t even vote. That’s exactly what section three was seeking to make sure that we don’t allow someone to become president who has engaged in an insurrection or rebellion against the United States,” Tarikh said. If Trump is elected president in the 2024
ILLUSTRATION BY NELLO PUELLES
election, the criminal judiciary system and the U.S. Constitution will contradict what they both stand for. In recent years, the younger demographic has led massive social movements and demanded change at a greater rate than before. Bob Stockwell, 59, a political science professor at De Anza since 2004, explained the significant potential that the upcoming generation can impact through united action. “People who are younger are far less likely to turn out to vote. What happens in our system is (that) young people don’t turn out, and it’s in part because young people’s lives are so difficult, so how do (they) find the time to get educated on the candidate? On the issues? How to register? How to engage in this process?” Stockwell said, “because it’s time consuming.” A Democratic system depends on the participation of its people, and the involvement of all aspects of a political spectrum. A civil resolu-
tion can only be made by a unified agreement in a compromisable elective system. “Young people can pay attention, can engage with each other, can organize with each other, for example, the importance of this particular election, and about elections more generally,” Stockwell said, “you can build a community and build power, and it doesn’t have to be boring, nor does it necessarily have to be a TikTok video.” Politics reaches far beyond simply Trump’s disqualification, and impacts the lives of everyone living in the United States. “Why do we care about politics? Because we care what happens to people. Because we love people, and we want people to be better off. We don’t want them to be discriminated against, we want them to be able to actualize themselves. That means us working together to achieve those things.” Stockwell said.
4
PHOTO ESSAY FEB. 13, 2024
White chess pieces stand firm at Chess Club's table in the Sunken Garden, on Jan. 25.
Soft plushies line De Anza eSports club's booth.
Jhenaro Flores, 19, an astronomy major, holds up AerospaCS's prize wheel before setting it up at the club's table.
Zhixiang Zheng, 18, a business major, and Tina Le, 18, business major, point to Phi Beta Lambda (De Anza's chapter of Future Business Leaders of America)'s poster board.
winter club day
Anita Huang, 19, computer science major and K-Pop Dance Club's secretary, takes center as the club's members dance to "Back Door" by Stray Kids.
by Ann Penalosa Managing Editor
La Voz staffers table alongside other programs and clubs in the Sunken Garden.
Members of K-Pop Dance Club dance to "Rock With You" by SEVENTEEN in the Sunken Garden on Jan. 25.
Connie Lin, 19, president of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association and a data science major, tables for her club with free boba and chocolate.
Stickers, pins and candy lines the LGBTQ+ Alliance's table.
Inter Club Council Chairperson Joel Ng, an economics and business administration major, tables on club day.
Michelle Lee, 19, a biomedical engineering major and K-Pop Dance Club's events coordinator, starts in center as her subgroup performs "ASAP" by STAYC.
5 Baseball team is off to a rocky start SPORTS LAVOZDEANZA.COM
A late game surge by the Reedley Tigers sends De Anza to 0-1 By Eric Kindred SPORTS EDITOR
De Anza College baseball has not won a season opener since 2019, and that trend continued Friday as the Mountain Lions fell 11-1 against the Reedley College Tigers. The game began as a pitchers duel with Mountain Lions’ righthanded sophomore pitcher Ethan Rowland only allowing five hits, one run, and striking out four batters through five innings to keep pace with Tigers pro prospect and UCLA commit Will Gagnon. But Gagnon shut down De Anza’s few glimpses of momentum and the Reedley bats took over late after Rowland exited the game. Despite the loss, starting pitcher Rowland came away from the game with a positive outlook ahead of Saturday’s rematch with Reedley. “I was ecstatic about only allowing five hits through five innings,” Rowland said. “We are looking forward to responding against Reedley tomorrow.” In the second inning, a throwing error by Rowland on a pickoff attempt to first base helped Tigers outfielder Mikey Ramirez move into scoring position. After Rowland responded with a strikeout, Tigers third baseman Jonathan Callison drove Ramirez home with a hit to left field that put Reedley ahead 1-0. After the Reedley scoring play, De Anza second baseman Mitchell Finck came off the field with an injured shoulder. Freshman Yuchan Park entered the game to replace Finck. First baseman Joseph Lomeli was the first to get on base for De Anza
Joseph Lomeli (4) awaits the next pitch after getting De Anza’s first hit vs Reedley on Jan. 26. with a lead-off single in the bottom of the second inning. Two batters later, freshman left fielder Kurt Beckmann drew a walk from Gagnon which moved Lomeli into scoring position. For a moment, during the next at-bat, it looked like De Anza would tie the game when freshman catcher Gabriel Salazar-Mata made solid contact on a ball that lined into right field, but the ball was caught by Reedley outfielder Trevin Paulson. The brief scoring opportunity provided hope as one Mountain Lion could be heard loudly from the dugout hyping the team up by yelling, “We can win this game!” Hope
would continue in the top of the third inning as a threat from a lead-off walk would be shut down with a double play started by Mountain Lions third baseman Daniel Major. Gagnon then took control of the game striking out six of the next seven De Anza batters. Until Gagnon gave way to his bullpen in the eighth inning, no other Mountain Lion would reach scoring position. Mountain Lions’ center fielder Minjae Kim would offer a couple moments of optimism however, with singles hit against Gagnon in the fourth and seventh innings. Coming off a season in 2023 which saw him
hit .298 and lead the team with seven home runs, Kim has high hopes for 2024. “My goal is to hit more home runs this season,” Kim said. “I also want to improve my average and hit over .300” Reedley would prove too strong for De Anza late in the game, putting together 11 hits and 10 runs in the game’s final four innings after Rowland turned the ball over to his bullpen. A six-run ninth inning for Reedley would seal the fate for De Anza’s fourth straight season opening loss. Even with the tough loss, Mountain
PHOTO BY ERIC KINDRED
Lions head baseball coach Don Watkins came away from the game proud of his team’s effort and hopeful for a bounce back game in the rematch with Reedley on Saturday, Jan. 27. “We competed for six (innings) … I was impressed that we battled, we got a couple hits off of (Gagnon),” Coach Watkins said. “We’re going to be competitive tomorrow again. We got a four-hour bus ride there to Reedley and then we’ll get after it … it’s going to be fun.”
Club profile: Ultimate frisbee gaining popularity on campus Newer club harnesses inclusivity and fun
By Eric Kindred SPORTS EDITOR
De Anza’s Ultimate Frisbee club has only been in existence for about one year but they have still managed to build a group of over 30 people who meet at either Memorial Park or Monta Vista High School in Cupertino every Sunday to play the sport. Club leader Jayden Lee, a 19-year-old engineering major, explains that the best thing about the club is more than just playing the game. “The spirit of the game and sportsmanship is the most enjoyable thing about our club,” Lee said. Vice President Kate Wang appreciates the club’s ability to be inclusive of all experience levels. “The club is beginner friendly and we teach the game as we play,” Wang said. The club also wants the students to know that their sport doesn’t come with a big learning curve. “It is played similar to American Football, with two end zones. One person throws the frisbee to another to try and reach the end zone,” Lee said. “But there is no contact and it’s also unique because once the frisbee is caught, you stay in the spot you caught it … you cannot run with the frisbee.” There are also multiple ways that game play can be structured. In the competition run by the Ultimate Frisbee Association, which is the top
PHOTO BY ERIC KINDRED
Ang said. “And then she was like, ‘I’ve never felt this friendliness and openness’ and so she opened up completely through her involvement in the club.” The sport of Ultimate Frisbee stands out from most sports in that it is player controlled. Competition is not officiated but instead trust is given to each player to know and uphold the rules. The Ultimate Frisbee Club benefits from this type of structure as it would be difficult to provide officiating in a club setting. All of this provides reason for Ang to be optimistic about the club’s growth potential. “We’re averaging about thirty people per meeting and the community and energy is what has drawn people to come and stay,” Ang said. “If we had a promotional run, we could probably get more people but what we’ve been seeing is people just keep coming back.” De Anza Ultimate Frisbee can be reached through their Instagram account @deanza_ultimatefrisbee and is open to all De Anza students.
The Ultimate Frisbee club banner displayed for winter quarter club day on Jan. 25.
professional Ultimate league in the world, play “goes by quarters from first all the way to the fourth quarter” club founder Ian Ang, a 21-year-old computer science major, said. There are also other tournaments and competitions where the game “has a point cap and the first team to 15 wins,” Ang said.
For recreational play during club meetings, “you just play until you want to stop,” Ang said. The club divides their members into teams to play from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. every Sunday. Ang is proud of the inviting culture that has been developed in the club. “Ultimate Frisbee is a really fun sport but the testimonies that we get
from people is that the energy is great and everyone is just really welcoming.” Ang said. Ang highlighted one example of a member who mostly kept to themselves before joining the club, but then opened up to many new friendships after joining. “She only had one or two friends,”
ILLUSTRATION BY MACKENZIE JARDINE
A graphic of two ultimate frisbee players.
6 FEATURES
Bands of the bay: Hemorage FEB. 13, 2024
ILLUSTRATION COURTESY OF HEMORAGE
A San Francisco’s thrash band on their inspirations, unconventional touring style
By Mackenzie Jardine EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
“Pull up right behind them,” Drummer Ron Roussell said to lead vocalist and guitarist, Jon Orc. Orc rounds the corner in their bus, quickly met with the flashing red and blue lights of six cop cars parked down the street. Bona “Toby” Pak, backup vocalist and guitarist, jumps into action, setting up the speakers and amps as soon as the bus rolls to a stop. The show, their first in almost four months, must go on, even with the present danger of police interference. Hemorage is a thrash band from San Francisco that Orc and Pak started in 2007, with Roussell joining in 2021. Thrash is a subgenre of metal known for having a strong punk influence and a harsh, heavy sound. Orc said he started the band after a trip to Africa, despite having no prior musical background. “Every night, there would be drum circles,” Orc said. “They let me join in one night and I played along with them, it was easy for me. From that point on, I (wanted) to be a musician; when I got back (to the U.S.) I started the band.” Pak said his passion for music began to grow around high school. “I went to church a lot in Oakland, so I got really into the music aspect of church and around that time. I had been getting more into rock music. I’ve got the essentials of thrash music,
Cover art for Hemorage’s latest single, “Dying Breed”.
PHOTOS BY MACKENZIE JARDINE
Jon Orc, lead singer and guitarist of Hemorage, sings to the gathered crowd of fans, with cop cars flashing their lights in the distance. “There’s a lot of greats that came out of here (the bay),” Orc said after but then (other genres) really resonate schedule and don’t have to deal with Roussell. “The mixture of people with my soul and I want to put that promoters. The freedom,” Orc said. in the bay is really cool. There’s no into the heavy music,” Pak said. “We don’t have to talk to anybody in other area that’s mixed how we are the industry.” Roussell said he joined the band later in their career after several years Their fan base continues to turn out mixed.” The band released their latest sinof being their neighbors. for shows hosted on random city gle on Dec. 7 titled “Dying Breed,” “I have a studio on this side (of the corners with fierce loyalty. with another single coming soon. city) and was 150 feet away from “I think it’s the renegade aspect of ”It’s a collab with Gary Holt from them for 10 years,” Roussell said. it (the mobile stage). It’s unexpected,” Exodus,” Orc said. “We’re working “Something happened with their Orc said. drummer and they needed me to fill “They like being outside,” Roussell on it. February, probably.” in; it went well, so I became their Hemorage is a fully independent said. “It’s a different avenue.” drummer. It was that easy.” “These past three years outside not band. From their merch, to their singles, to their tour, they run all of it Hemorage has a unique way of many other bands have been doing themselves. playing shows and gathering crowds. this,” Pak said. The band has purchased a total of Pak and Orc design and print the Hemorage said the bay and its four buses on their mission and isn’t merch, with a recent dive into merch people have been a key point in the keen on stopping the mobile stage ex- band’s inspirations in music. with their logo embroidered. perience. Their current mobile stage “We make all our own merch; “I’m from New Jersey, so after is an Americans with Disabilities Act high school I moved out to the West when people buy it, it’s made with (ADA) bus that was decommissioned Coast because of music. All my faour own hands,” Orc said. “Another at some point in time. cool aspect to our band is that we vorite bands that were doing it how I “We go wherever we want (in the wanted to do it were out here. It made have the visual vision to it and our mobile stage). We don’t have to load own style image, so everything we do sense to me,” Roussell said. in or out gear, we can set our own (is because) we were inspired to do it.
Drummer, Ron Rouessll, plays for the on looking crowd
Guitarist and backing vocalist, Bona “Toby” Pak, shreds on his guitar during their set.
Foreign kids struggling to find an identity in their new home country
De Anza student raises awareness for foreign adoption with film screening
By Sonny La STAFF REPORTER
South Korea’s Intercountry Adoption program was started in 1953 and has since relocated around 180,000 Korean transracial adoptees to the United States, Sweden, the Netherlands, France, Australia and a dozen more countries. Jamie Dy, 21, majoring in liberal arts with an emphasis in social & behavioral sciences at De Anza College, hosted a film session for a documentary called “Side by Side,” which was directed by Glenn Morey. This is a class project she’s working on and its purpose is to raise awareness and start a discussion about the Intercountry Adoption program. A number of babies and kids in this adoption program spend up to six months in an orphanage in their new country before they are picked up by their future parents. Other adoptees were personally delivered by a family member to a random stranger. Meanwhile, there are newborn babies who were dropped off at the doorstep of random strangers’ houses. There are also certain adoptees who were the result of adultery.
PHOTO BY SONNY LA
Jamie Dy, Student Project Host of “Side by Side” film session introduces the film to peers. One adoptee from the film shared her personal experience. “When you’re abandoned in a public place, and there’s no record (of the) birth mother, or father. There’s no identifying information (and) nobody left a note.” Many thousands of multiracial babies were born from a relationship between American GI soldiers and gijichons, which is a Korean military prostitute. As a result, Korea started the Intercountry Adoption program in an effort to purge the country of these mixed-race kids that they labeled as “human refuse.” The journey of an adoptee’s struggles start from the moment they land in a foreign country. An adoptee from the film, living in Milwaukee, illustrated his life. “The way I like to describe it is that basically, I grew up feeling like
a Martian who had been grabbed from outer space in a spaceship.” As these adoptees transitioned from childhood towards adulthood, they struggled to fit in an environment and culture that was deprived of people who looked like them. An adoptee from the film, living in Australia, tried putting talcum powder on her face because she thought that it was her skin color that made her different. Mae Lee, a chairwoman of Asian American and Asian studies, and a De Anza College professor in Asian American and ethnic studies, offers her take on this film. “For me, the film has so many touch points with Asian American studies, even as it focuses on the diaspora of Korean adoptees around the world,” M. Lee wrote in an email interview. “I found
the kind of racialized marginalization described by the speakers to be uncanny in their similarity. As a Korean child adoptee, so many experienced parallel derision for their physical features (skin, nose, eyes, etc.)” An American adoptee from the film said, “I think the way I internalize that experience was (that) I was bad. I was defective. There was something wrong with me. So I sort of grew up with that self-concept.” Even after these adoptees grow up and get a chance to revisit their home country, they face certain challenges. A second American adoptee from the film shared what her biological mother said to her after they met for the first time. “I know you’re my daughter. But the last time I saw you, you were three and now, you’re this grown woman. I don’t know who you are.” It’s not only the struggles to reconnect to the adoptee’s biological family that they have to overcome but adoptees also have to contend with whether their home country is willing to accept them back as one of their own. “This is my interpretation as being a part of the tribe, kind of in some distant outer ring and not a very well accepted ring either,” said the Milwaukee adoptee from the film. “I strongly urge any Korean adoptee who is interested to go visit (South Korea) but I also advise
them that if they think that it’s going to be an easily integrated experience, they should think again.” Debbie Lee, a Dean of the Intercultural and International Studies Division at De Anza College that oversees Ethnic Studies, Global Studies, Women’s Studies and the World Languages, had more questions than answers after watching this film. D. Lee wrote in an email interview, “How do we make adoptees not feel like they are outliers? Sometimes they are rejected by Korean society because they are not seen as real Koreans, while they may feel rejected by their host country since they are not quite seen as real Americans or real French, etc.” The Milwaukee adoptee from the film adds, “I thought that by going to South Korea, I would be able to put all my puzzle pieces together and I just ended up with more puzzle pieces.”
Scan The QR Code To Learn More About “Side By Side”.
ART & ENTERTAINMENT LAVOZDEANZA.COM
Editorial Board
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Editor-in-Chief Mackenzie Jardine Managing Editor Ann Penalosa Communications Chair Samara Williams News Editor Vincent Scrivens Sports Editor Eric Kindred Art & Entertainment Editor Ingrid Lu Opinion Editor Lion Kim Park Multimedia Editor Nello Puelles Social Media Editors Ann Penalosa Samara Williams Mackenzie Jardine Copy Editor Lauren Bui
Staff members Anna Bhogra Ruben Aguilar Nayeli Garcia Sabrina Kulieva Preena Patel Andreina Carnero Timothe Vachellerie Leart Grbeshi Sonny La
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About us
In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, this chart about zodiac signs will show you some potential compatibilities with other signs. Zodiac signs are based off of your birthday, where you were
born and at what time. Sun signs are divided into 12 seasons. Each sign has unique characteristics and the combination of different signs in your natal chart help make up the person you are. In
addition to your sun sign, you also have a sign for the moon and each of the planets, as well as a rising sign. Different planets correspond with different aspects of your personality. Your moon
sign relates to your emotions, Mercury relates to communication, Venus is the planet of love and Mars is the planet of passion. To find out more information, you can visit astrology.com.
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ART & ENTERTAINMENT
DA Voices: ‘What are your Valentine’s Day plans?’
LAVOZDEANZA.COM
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By Andreina Carnero STAFF REPORTER
“DA Voices” is a recurring feature that spotlights De Anza College’s diverse community voices Patrons order and enjoy their drinks in Pekoe’s bar-like atmosphere.
Emmanuel Vercher, 19, a computer science major, says he plans on spending time with his girlfriend. “I think it’s going to be really good. It’s the first year I get to celebrate since it’s my first relationship, so I have high hopes for it and I’ve already been planning for it,” Vercher said.
Elena Bandong, 18, a psychology major, says she will spend Valentine’s Day with her friends. “I’m not going on any dates,” Bandong said. “But my friends and I are planning to hang out at one of our houses and exchange Valentine’s Day themed cookies and watch movies,” Bandong said.
Shanel Ojaja, 20, business administration major, said she will spend Valentine’s Day with a friend. “We will go out and have a picnic,” Ojaja said. “We will have meals together and spend time together since both of us are single.”
Pekoe Tea Bar: Moody boba shop opens in San Jose Modern, bar-themed bubble tea stop wins over Bay Area youth
By Anna Bhogra STAFF REPORTER
Ed Greene, 20, a computer science and engineering major, says he may not celebrate the day. “[It will] probably be like any other day,” Greene said. “I might go to the gym or go to [my] classes that day. I do not have a valentine.”
Monica Ganesh, EPS counselor, says she will celebrate Valentine’s Day with her six-year-old daughter. “We always have a little Valentine’s Day celebration together,” Ganesh said. “She loves chocolate donuts, so we get a heart-shaped chocolate donut every year.”
Jennifer Park, 24, nursing major, says she has not made plans yet. “I don’t have any Valentine’s Day plans,” Park said. “I do have a boyfriend that I’ve been with and we’re probably gonna get dinner or watch a movie,. But, because I’m a nursing student, I will probably be studying.”
Fujitsu Planetarium’s ‘Saturn’ show bedazzles Film immerses viewers in Saturn’s discovery
By Ingrid Lu
Pekoe Tea Bar, with only 5 locations in the United States so far, brings a new excitement to boba culture. With most boba stores having a cafelike ambience, Pekoe’s atmosphere is somewhat akin to a bar, thus the name. One location being in Maryland and one in Virginia, the Bay Area holds three Pekoe Tea Bars with two in San Jose and one in Sunnyvale. Open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to midnight, Pekoe caters to the younger generations for a place to hang during the day or after a night out. Greeted by exceptionally friendly staff at the east San Jose location, I ordered their award-winning “Foxy Brown” black assam tea, which was unfortunately sold out; Pekoe offered me with samples of any flavors I wanted due to the inconvenience. In addition to their intriguing lightbulb cups, Pekoe also offers a split cup where customers can get two flavors, one on either side. I ordered the “Gold Mine” and “Thai Me Up” milk teas with the standard sweetness levels. The “Gold Mine” consists of golden jasmine tea infused with golden brown sugar and brown agar nuggets. The “Thai Me Up” is a Thai tea infused with spices and topped with honey black pearls. Prices at Pekoe are a bit higher compared to other San Jose boba shops, with most drinks starting at $6.50. I waited for my order in the white communal seating couches under the hanging lightbulbs; the lighting of the store was dim, with modern purple and pink LED lights to enhance the bar-like mood. After only a few quick minutes of waiting and listening to the loud club music that Pekoe plays, my order was ready. The standard sweetness was a bit too for my liking, even as someone with a sweet tooth, but the quality of tea and tapioca pearls were immaculate. Pekoe uses organic syrups and premium loose tea leaves in their drinks. The tea itself is no better or worse than your local boba tea shop, but the theme seems to be what attracts the crowd. Rating: 7.5/10
ART & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
On Saturday, Jan. 20 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., De Anza’s Fujitsu Planetarium screened “Saturn: Jewel of the Heavens,” a light show featuring immersive 3D animations and a voiceover. A hushed silence fell over the room and as stars began to rapidly spread across the sky, Saturn and its rings formed their familiar orbit. The light show opened with revolving images and a short description of the European Enlightenment, which ushered in a previously unprecedented era of scientific discovery. The narrator introduced Saturn as an enigmatic celestial body which scientific intellectuals saw and studied from Earth. The camera spins towards a large model of the planet, depicting its atmospheric storms, craters and rings in detail. This goes hand-in-hand with descriptions of human attempts to reach and explore Saturn, such as initial fly-bys during the Space Age and the Cassini-Huygens research
PHOTO BY INGRID LU
Saturn spins into view onto the Fujitsu Planetarium’s 360-degree screen. mission. As the film progresses, the narrator goes on to explain other aspects of the Saturnian system, including Titan, Saturn’s largest and most famous moon. The show ends with speculation on the future of human interactivity with Saturn, ruminating on its mysteries and whether we can solve them. The film is projected onto a 360-degree dome, which brings the immersive quality of the show to new
heights, the camera and Saturn orbiting in tandem. In one breathtaking scene, the film takes a closer look at Saturn’s rings as the 3D model brings the viewer into the swirling circles of ice and rock. The seats also allow for audience members to lean back and view the projection from overhead, simulating the experience of stargazing on a far grander scale than could be done on Earth. Read the full article on the
PHOTOS BY ANNA BHOGRA
Two Pekoe drinks sit on the bar in front of the Pekoe logo on Jan. 28.