Spartan Daily Vol. 160 No. 5

Students oppose SDS protest

By Mat Bejarano STAFF WRITER

On Thursday, San Jose State Students for a Democratic Society held a protest against the killing of Tyre Nichols by Memphis police officers with one thing missing: the voices of Black students.

Protestors from the organization formed a small group in front of the Olympic Black Power statue in the early afternoon.

Students for a Democratic Society is a student activist organization that seeks to fight against police terror, racism and women’s oppression, according to their instagram.

As members of the group began to speak using megaphones, more and more Black students openly voiced their frustrations with the event.

Biochemistry junior Kemi Kaka was one of those students who went up to group members to voice their frustrations with the lack of inclusion.

“It’s kind of bullshit, It’s performative at its highest,” Kaka said. “They could have done a coalition with the Black sororities or fraternities that are here, or even the athletes or the students.”

Kaka said she knew about the event, but other students spectating were left unaware of what was taking place.

Political science junior Seyahmi Currie was another student who was demanding more representation of Black students.

“Their hearts are in the right place, but the way that they’re going about it is

BLOC party launches Black History Month

By Christine Tran STAFF WRITER

The Black Leadership and Opportunity Center (BLOC) hosted the Black History Month Kick Off Event at the Student Union Theater on Thursday.

The kickoff was the first of several events planned throughout February to celebrate this year’s theme, “Existence is Resistance,” which was chosen to empower Black voices and identities.

Attendees passed through a gallery walk featuring prominent Black figures such as Huey Newton, who was the Black Panther Party’s co-founder.

The event started with a program that explores visual and verbal concepts relating to oppression and violence towards Black bodies.

“We acknowledge with respect that this content is not the sole representation of experiences of the Black African diasporic community,” said BLOC Program Director Emerald Green.

The first guest speaker, Leon Beauchman serves as president of the Santa Clara County Alliance of Black Educators, an all-volunteer organization organizing events to prepare Black students for the present and future.

Beauchman led a libation, the act of pouring a liquid offering, for Black victims of police brutality.

“It is through community that we have survived. When we were brutally beaten, it was our love for

each other that was the healing bond. When we were lost in the underworld of self loathing, it was our love for each other that was the guiding light of redemption,” Beauchman said.

He said it is important to acknowledge those who lost their lives as a way to combat public erasure of Black victims.

Travis Boyce, department chair of African American studies and director of Ethnic Studies Collaborative, shared his thoughts on the importance of Black history during the event.

Boyce condemned public schools that curtailed racial history for how it has affected the present.

“Today, parents can remove their children from Black History Month curriculum,” Boyce said. “School districts are considering banning or have already banned books by Black authors on topics that address systemic racism.”

Boyce says he advocates for teaching truth and education that’s inclusive of the full American experience.

Ada Ochuru, child and adolescent development sophomore with a double minor in African American studies and Black women studies, performed a dance at the event.

Ochuru performed a selfchoreographed piece using elements of ballet, lyrical, contemporary and jazz.

Ochuru said she has been

KICKOFF | Page 2

SpartUp empowers innovation and ideas

The San Jose State’s Office of Innovation hosted the SpartUp Incubator Program Speaker Series, an event where successful entrepreneurs participated as panelists, on Thursday inside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library.

SpartUp Incubator launch director Michael Ashley said the event is the third of a four part speaker series.

He said the series themes are designed as “four pillars” which include ideation, prototyping, startup planning and pitching.

“The reason pitching is the last pillar of the incubator is because there are a lot of pitch competitions coming up for the startups,” Ashley said. “People who have been working

By Jennifer Yin STAFF WRITER SPARTUP

on their startups all year long are now ready to talk to investors.”

The event showcased Forward Inception founder and CEO Alora Frederick, ParkStash founder and CEO Sameer Saran, Inquis Medical Inc. CTO Jason Fox and Quency Phillips, executive director and CEO of Lighthouse Silicon Valley shared their experience with startups in the Bay Area.

Each panelist had the opportunity to input their own ideas on conversations ranging from building technologies, understanding the market, creating capital and business planning. Saran shared a personal anecdote regarding the importance of marketing.

“I had a seven slide deck and that’s all I had.

| Page2

JENNIFER YIN | SPARTAN DAILY

MAT BEJARANO | SPARTAN DAILY

Biochemistry junior Kemi Kaka speaks to members of Students for Democratic Society during a protest for Tyre Nichols. Kaka said she was disappointed that the protest did not include Black student coalitions.

From left to right: Panelist entrepreneurs Alora Fredricks, Quency Phillips, Jason Fox, and Sameer Saran with SpartUp Incubator Launch Director Micheal Ashley discuss ideas in MLK library on Thursday.

KICKOFF

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practicing ballet for 17 years and also teaches dance classes to youths at her studio and church.

African American studies junior Kiara Johnson performed a rendition of “Fight for You” by H.E.R., written for the 2021 film “Judas and the Black Messiah.”

The lyrics address racism, police brutality, and equality.

“I’ve been singing since preschool and I love jazz and R&B, which are the two main genres that I sing,” Johnson said.

Johnson said she is also a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and that her sisters

SPARTUP

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were at the event supporting her.

“The sisterhood was a big part of why I joined. It is empowering to be around strong and caring Black women,” Johnson said.

Johnson said Black History Month is about celebrating Black joy and to be proud of the history and culture.

BLOC Program Coordinator MyShaundriss

Watkins reinforced the overarching theme of “Existence is Resistance.”

“We exist here and now in this very moment. Today, we are here to uplift and center our collective rights to freedom,” Watkins said.

Follow the Spartan Daily on Twitter @SpartanDaily

PROTEST

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He said they reached out to the Black Leadership and Opportunity Center but was not met with a response.

I had zero product but I had an idea of what the customers might need and that was my first contact with them. In that first call we gave them a presentation and one week later, we had a check in the bank,” said Saran, “They said, ‘we need your product.’”

During the event, conversations and ideas ranged from building technologies, understanding the market, creating capital and business planning sprang to and from.

Frederick focused on the analytics of starting a startup, Saran explained how to garner the attention of investors and consumers, Fox gave legal advice and Phillips added how self identity and preservation is important in navigating through the industry.

SpartUp also worked with founders of Xircle Inc. Seema Vora, Surabhi Gupta and Isita Bagayatkar in hosting their second Founder Fiesta.

Xircle is a student-based app that connects students that go to the same university to hangout, study or do different activities around campus according to the Xircle Inc. website.

“The plan for the Founder Fiesta was to try to connect founders and cofounders and learn how to work together to find a cofounder for their own startup so they’ve been fantastic. I hope you [the guest] got some benefit out of the Founder Fiesta,” said Ashley.

Vora said the first speaker event they hosted had six people while this second one has 34.

Max Rothe, mechanical engineering senior and event moderator, said the success of Founder Fiesta was due to Xircle Inc. changing their prompts and activities, helping maintain new student engagement.

Bagayatkar, who is also co-founder and CEO of Xircle Inc., said, “My thoughts on [Founder Fiesta] is the vibe, I got was a lot of people are in the same place that I was in my sophomore year before Xircle Inc. They’re interested in the space but maybe they don’t have an idea, team or know what the next step is going to be. There are common questions, is it risky and there’s a recession. I think our next Founder Fiesta is to help them on how to get started.”

SpartUp is also preparing for future competitions and conventions.

Ashley said he stresses that SpartUp is not just for students or alumni, but also welcomes faculty, staff and community members to join their program. He also said SpartUp is working on building their international affairs with founders from Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Eastern Europe to talk about centralized challenges they face in their country.

The program has garnered 271 incubators and 25 startups working with real companies in the span of seven months.

SpartUp is scheduled to host its next speaker series on March 2, in preparation for the Sunstone CSU Startup Launch Competition on May 5, at SJSU. SpartUp is expected to host 18 out of the 23 CSU’s, where each university will choose its two best startups to compete for over $200,000 in awards.

more regressive,” Currie said. “Someone out there who’s a part of the Black community went up there and gave her voice and it felt like they didn’t listen to her.”

Currie, who is a member of SJSU Black Student Union, said they felt as though they didn’t give Black students a voice.

“There’s so many Black organizations they could have partnered up with and I’m pretty sure they would be happy to protest something like this,” Currie said.

History junior John Duroyan, who was

Emerald Green, program director of the Black Leadership and Opportunity Center, declined to comment.

David Almeida, former president of SJSU Student for a Democratic Society, said the lack of Black students in the protest was their biggest mistake.

“I completely self criticize on behalf of the organization,” Almeida said. “Next time if we consider doing anything like this again, we will definitely involve the input of Black student voices and leaders of Black student organizations here on campus.”

one of the group’s speakers at the protest, spoke about the importance of making minority communities heard but understands the criticism of the lack of inclusion in their protest.

Duroyan said the protest was held nationwide amongst other Students for a Democratic Society groups as part of their “national week of action.”

He said planning began on Monday and that if given more time they would have reached out to more Black student groups on campus.

“We get orders from national SDS and they do this stuff on very short notice,” Duroyan said. “I think if we had more time to plan protests like this, then we would have gathered a lot more people and gotten a lot more Black voices.”

After the protest, members of organization and Black students discussed what could be done in the future so Black students can feel as though their voices are heard.

“I feel like next time they’ll do a better job of reaching out and better planning, especially when it comes to Black issues,” Currie said. “Although they messed up, how you fix it or how you react to the mistake that you made describes you as a person.”

Correction

Follow the Spartan Daily on Twitter @SpartanDaily

On Thursday, Feb. 2, the Spartan Daily published a story “SJSU provides on campus medical abortions” in which we misquoted Catherine Voss Plaxton about the price of abortion pills, she did not mention pricing.

The Spartan Daily regrets this error.

Students stand next to a poster of Lucy Turner Johnson, the first Black person to attend and graduate SJSU in 1907, at the Black History Month Kickoff Event in the Student Union Theater on Thursday.

CHRISTINE TRAN | SPARTAN DAILY

It’s kind of bullshit, It’s performative at its highest. They could have done a coalition with the Black sororities or fraternities that are here, or even the athletes or the students.

Kemi Kaka Biochemistry junior

INFOGRAPHIC BY CAROLYN BROWN. SOURCE: CAMPUS-WIDE EMAIL

Men’s Basketball

Spartans dominate Wyoming at home

By Jillian Darnell OPINION EDITOR

After a 12-game losing streak against Wyoming, the San Jose State men’s basketball team defeated the Cowboys 84-64, winning their first game against the Cowboys since 2016.

Senior guard Omari Moore scored a game-high 29 points for the Spartans.

Other Spartans had big games as well. Senior forward Sage Tolbert III had 14 points. Sophomore point guard Alvaro Cardenas scored 13 points and dished out four assists.

“There were only a couple of ties which tells you a lot about the performance, to have five and almost six [players] in double figures,” said SJSU head coach Tim Miles. “To have that kind of balance is really important.”

Early in the first half Tolbert III caught an alley-oop pass and threw it down for a huge slam that gave the Spartans a jolt of energy.

“I knew the [dunk] was gonna work but I didn’t think it was gonna be defended,” Tolbert III said. When talking about what he said about the Wyoming defender, Tolbert III said he felt “sorry for him.”

Early in the first half, Wyoming went on an 11-0 run to tie the game at 16 a piece.

SJSU went on a run of its own and scored nine consecutive points at the 11:06 time mark to take back control of the game.

At the end of the first half, SJSU led 39-28.

The Spartans held the Cowboys to 40% from the field and 36% behind the threepointer line in the first half.

Wyoming would make a small comeback in the second half. Senior guard Hunter Maldanado rattled off 11 straight points to bring the Cowboys to within seven points of the SJSU lead.

The Spartans answered with a 23-12 run that put away the Cowboys for good.

Last season, SJSU lost by a combined margin of 18.5 points. Moore said he was happy to finally get a win over the Cowboys.

“Wyoming is a good program, they’ve been good my whole time here. So it’s my first time

beating them,” Moore said. “So it’s great for the program, we’ve been able to really protect the house at our home court, we want to continue building on it.”

Cardenas heavily contributed to the Spartans’ win on Saturday. The point guard from Spain played all 40 minutes and was +20 when he was on the floor.

“Alvaro is a leader for our team, he was voted captain by his teammates,” Miles said. “He’s really a heart and soul kind of guy on this team. It’s great for me, he coaches our team half

the time and harder than I do. He really does care. I expect to have an excellent performance every night.”

The Spartans have obtained the most wins in a season since joining the Mountain West conference with the win over Wyoming. The team only tied twice with the Cowboys throughout the game.

SJSU won the rebounding battle 29-27. Junior center Ibrahima Diallo made a total of 10 rebounds, five on offense, and five on defense.

The Spartans’ next game is scheduled to be on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California as the Spartans face Fresno State. SJSU defeated Fresno State earlier this season 74-64 on Jan. 10.

ENRIQUE GUTIERREZ-SEVILLA | SPARTAN DAILY

Senior guard Omari Moore dribbles up the court during Saturday’s game against Wyoming. Moore finished with 29 points and 6 assists.

Students celebrate Lunar New Year

Both holidays celebrate reflecting from the previous year and make plans for personal growth the next year.

wore her sister’s blue áo dài with leggings instead of with a traditional pair of silk wide-leg bottoms.

“Because there’s always something new to learn and find out about each other.”

A large crowd gathered on Thursday on Seventh Street Plaza to line up for free boba and to watch lion dancers perform outside of the Student Union.

San Jose State’s Center for Asian Pacific Islander Student Empowerment, Associate Students and MOSAIC Cross Cultural Center collaborate to hold the Lunar New Year celebration.

Lunar New Year is celebrated through January and February by Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. Each community celebrates Lunar New Year on a different day depending on which lunar calendar they follow.

Christopher Yang, director of the MOSAIC Cross Cultural Center, said Lunar New Year is a similar celebration to America’s version of New Year.

“It’s a time of renewal. Most of these cultures have some sort of connection with reflecting on the past, looking forward to the future,” Yang said.

Yang said Lunar New Year is not very different from the U.S.’s version of New Year.

He also said Lunar New Year is also a time to celebrate connection and being with our loved ones.

“I think it’s important for us as a campus to recognize the passing of the new year, and for students and staff and faculty to be able to be connected to the campus in this way,” Yang said.

Senior public health student Hoang Tran, wore a light yellow áo dài along with his fellow club members at the Vietnamese Student Association table, where many other clubs tabled for the event.

Tran said many in the Vietnamese community wear an áo dài, a traditional Vietnamese garment, during certain celebrations, including Lunar New Year.

An áo dài is a colorful dress that’s worn by both genders, paired with contrasting silk pants with embroidered designs, according to Remote Lands, an Asia-focused magazine.

Tran said it’s really fun to represent his culture, “Just a little representation of Vietnam, you know?” he said.

Global studies sophomore Lain Nguyen,

“It’s not as traditional as it could be with the usual thin silk pants, but I thought this would be more comfy,” Nguyen said.

Nguyen also said she wore her áo dài to represent her culture. “I thought it’d be nice to kind of represent,” she said.

Around the table, students puppeteered mini lions as lion dancers continued dancing in the center of Seventh Street Plaza.

Surrounding the dancers, a large crowd of students cheering and attempting to give money to the lions, a common tradition in many Asian American communities.

Jinni Pradhan, program director of the Center for Asian Pacific Islander Student Empowerment, said all of these details were intentional.

“Everyone has a kind of an interest point and an opportunity to kind of engage in something that maybe they haven’t learned about or haven’t been exposed to,” Pradhan said.

Pradhan recommends everyone to find that entry point with their friends.

“Invite them out, maybe it’s the free boba that brings people out,” said Pradhan.

She said it does not change the fact that they have a connection to it, whether or not a person grew up with specific cultural traditions.

“Honestly, I do think all students are touched,” said Pradhan. Pradhan sees this connection made through not blood or family history, but instead through friends and loved ones.

In her personal life, Pradhan is used to celebrating Diwali or the Festival of Lights, another common holiday in other Asian American communities. However, she is not a stranger to celebrating Lunar New Year.

Diwali is a religious celebration in Indian culture that celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil, according to a Diwali festival website.

“We’re all a part of this community, this larger community that embraces this celebration,“ said Pradhan. “I think everyone can, you know, feel touched by that.”

CORRECTIONS POLICY The Spartan Daily corrects all significant errors that are brought to our attention. If you suspect we have made such an error, please send an email to spartandaily@gmail.com.

EDITORIAL POLICY Columns are the opinion of individual writers and not that of the Spartan Daily. Editorials reflect the majority opinion of the Editorial Board, which is made up of student editors.

Photos and story by Alina Ta STAFF WRITER

Top: Lion dancers Phillip Tran (top) and Alvin Fung (bottom dancer) perform next to Justin Vo, third year biology and physiology student playing the drums. Bottom left: A drummer (center) and other percussionists perform during a lion dance performance by Rising Phoenix Lion and Dragon Dance Association. Bottom right: Jazlyn Bo, third year business student (right) giving money to a lion dancer from Rising Phoenix Lion and Dragon Dance Association (left).