Spartan Daily Vol. 160 No. 7

ATM scam devices found at SJSU

By Enrique Gutierrez-Sevilla STAFF WRITER

A video was released Tuesday on Instagram by San Jose State student Andy Gordiano who noticed a black triangular skimmer device at the Bank of America ATM at the SJSU ATM Kiosk.

The video, showing the skimmer hidden on the right-hand side of the keypad and camouflaged into the machine, has reached a total of 67.3k views on Instagram.

The University Police Department (UPD) released a Community Safety Advisory on the same day warning students and faculty about the security threat to the university community.

The Bank of America ATM at the SJSU ATM Kiosk was tampered with two deep insert skimmer devices, according to the UPD Community Safety Advisory.

The ATM alerted an error for failing to accept deposits which was not related to the skimmer device, and a technician retrieved the two skimmer devices in the machine.

Deep insert skimmer devices are illegally installed on ATMs to steal cardholders information. Skimmers are placed inside the card reader and sometimes placed outside of the ATM machine. Skimming costs financial institutions and consumers

Organization connects Black engineers

By Matthew Gonzalez STAFF WRITER

The Black Alliance of Scientists and Engineers at San Jose State has helped Black students connect to professionals in the engineering field since 1977.

Folarin Erogbogbo, Black Alliance of Scientists and Engineers advisor and biomedical engineering professor, organized an event called Black Engineer Week.

The event aimed to exemplify one of the group’s goals: connecting Black engineering students with Black professionals in the field.

Erogbogbo said, although the idea was well received by others in the engineering department, he realized it would ultimately be up to him to take initiative in developing the event.

“I ran [Black engineer week] by some people and they thought it was a good idea and there was a potential to support, but no support came through,” he said. “So I figured either I don’t do it or I do it on my own.”

Erogbogbo said one of the first things he wanted to address was how he could recruit more Black students into the college of engineering.

In Fall 2022, the Black students enrollment rate in the college of engineering was 1.96%, according to a SJSU.edu webpage.

“So that means if there are 50 students in a class, on average how many Black students would be in a class? One,” Erogbogbo said.

The lack of Black students in engineering classes has not gone unnoticed.

The organization’s fundraising chair Hailey Smith said having no other Black students in her classes impedes parts of her learning process.

“In most of my classes, I’m pretty much the only Black person, if anything, Black female and sometimes only female,” She

said. “Sometimes it’s very hard to connect with my classmates, to set up study sessions.”

The organization’s co-president Anaiya Williamson said race and gender-based isolation can impact a student’s thought process.

“Especially, as a woman, sometimes I was afraid that I wouldn’t be taken as seriously and people would disregard my ideas,” Williamson said. “They would make me feel less than just because of my gender and my race.”

Smith said she notices microaggressions in some of her classes, but being in the Black Alliance of Scientists and Engineers and meeting people who resonate with similar struggles makes being a Black student easier.

“There’s a lot of underlying racism that goes on in class, a lot of people might not realize it not being Black,” Smith said. “But being Black you see those microaggressions and it’s nice to be able to come together with people that have like minded spirits.”

Erogbogbo said he thinks Black students coming into the engineering program already have the ability to succeed, but cultural

Erogbogbo said juggling cultural differences while being the sole

of things,” Erogbogbo said. “I get into class and nobody likes to do that, what that means is I have to go build a social life outside of my class.”

Smith said being an engineering student has presented her with new stereotypes she doesn’t feel apply to her.

“A lot of people just think engineers are these nerds, and we just are into computers, Black people will tell people to have fun,” Smith said. “We like to party, we do all the regular stuff.”

Smith said the lack of Black people in science, technology, engineering and mathematics is discernible and makes seeing successful Black people in the field important.

“There’s not many Black people in the tech field and engineering,” Smith said. “So when I hear a fellow Black person [and] they’re in a very high position at their company, it is very resonating.”

differences add another layer of intangible issues.

“But if you now add all these other factors and you don’t understand their cultural wealth, you might not know how to cater to that difference,” he said.

Black student in classes creates a difficult duality that other students don’t have to deal with.

“For example, let’s say I come from a particular community and I like a particular kind of music and I like to do particular kinds

Williamson said seeing Black female engineers speak offers a refreshing perspective on success and resonates with her deeply.

“For me when I see a Black female engineer, I can envision her struggling in college, just how I am,” Williamson said. “I can imagine her younger self and I can relate.”

ATM | Page 2

ENRIQUE GUTIERREZ-SEVILLA | SPARTAN DAILY

Kinesiology sophomore Kody Lee uses the reported tampered Bank of America ATM on campus. University Police said the tampered ATM is part of an active investigation.

ENRIQUE GUTIERREZ-SEVILLA | SPARTAN DAILY Photos of Black engineers line the wall during the Black Engineers Week Exhibit at MLK Library.

Follow Matthew Gonzalez on Twitter @MattG2001

There’s not many Black people in the tech field and engineering. So when I hear a fellow Black person [and] they’re in a very high position at their company, it is very resonating.

Hailey Smith

SJSU Black Alliance of Scientists and Engineers fundraising chair

Wilkinson lab sparks SJSU students

By Jillian Darnell OPINION EDITOR

Four alumni of the San Jose State Wilkinson Neurophysiology Lab took part in groundbreaking research that won a Nobel Prize earlier this year, and the lab continues to foster students who make noteworthy discoveries.

The Wilkinson Lab is a Neurophysiology laboratory founded and run by associate professor of biological science Katherine Wilkinson.

The lab is interested in understanding how the body senses information from the environment according to its website.

“It is a pretty basic science lab where we’re just trying to understand how these neurons work, and then what happens when they go wrong,” Wilkinson said. “And so we’ve got a few different projects going on in the lab, that are aiming to understand and identify some of these molecular players, and then also look at different diseases.”

Students of the Wilkinson lab have been doing experiments on mice to understand more about neurons and their activity.

Wilkinson said these experiments are carried out ethically because she is the chair of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.

The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee is an organization that ensures that the human care and use of animals are carried out in a respectful, ethical, and responsible manner.

The Wilkinson lab started 10 years ago, and it offers students the opportunity to engage in a professional environment.

“There’s a joke in a lot of research-heavy institutions that the undergrads are there to wash the beakers, and that’s about all they do,” Wilkinson said. “That’s not the case here in SJSU. They’re actually doing the lab work. And many of the students that have done really well in the lab have gone on to biotech jobs in the area.”

Wilkinson said the lab is entirely student-driven. She said she works as a guide and offers resources even if all the work is done by the students.

Biomedical graduate student

Nikola Klier worked on research in Wilkinson’s lab from 2016 to 2020, and his research was included in the Nobel prize winning-publication.

Klier said it was possible for the students to earn the Nobel Prize award for their publication because of

Continued from page 1

Wilkinson’s collaborative efforts.

“I believe Dr. Wilkinson was phenomenal,” Klier said. “The amount of investment she has into finding the types of people who do really groundbreaking novel science in this area, being able to get their help with our research, and having our research helps theirs which results in our most recent publication.

She said there’s a strong sense

undergraduate was kind of amazing,” Ortiz said. “[Wilkinson] also accepted me into her lab as a Master’s student [she] kind of allowed me to further my education that way.”

Molecular biology senior Sonika Saraiya, who works on the optogenetics team in the Wilkinson Lab, said she has found several opportunities because of her work in the lab.

a week during their designated shifts to carry out their research.

“I do think it’s a really good environment to be in,” Ortiz said. “I think that’s one thing that I really like about SJSU is that it’s so undergrad driven and people like me are able to get a lab manager position, whereas I think at other schools, I wouldn’t have had that opportunity.”

Saraiya, along with biological

in Anaheim for a research conference,” Saraiya said. “It was specifically for minority scientists and we got to present posters of our research and I think that was a life changing experience, if not humbling. Everybody was doing the same thing as me and I learned so much.”

Saraiya also said the Wilkinson lab is notably diverse with the number of female students outnumbering the amount of male students.

“I really like the way the lab is majority female and student led,” Saraiya said. “I feel like the lab is so well run, everyone just works well together. It’s been going on for 10 years now and it’s very respectable research.”

of community that Wilkinson lab fostered by ensuring everyone has some involvement and gain experience with different projects.

Klier currently studies at University of California, Santa Barbara in the Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology

Ph.D. program.

Physiology graduate student

Serena Ortiz works as the lab manager for Wilkinson’s Lab. She said she has gained years of experience through her research in the lab.

“The fact that I was trusted with so many big things as an

more than $1 billion each year, according to the FBI website.

Some skimming devices have pinhole cameras to capture a customer’s 4-digit personal identification number. Often, skimmers are disguised as a part of the cash machine, according to KrebsOnSecurity, an in-depth security news outlet that conducts investigative reporting on cybersecurity.

Criminals use skimming devices to steal data to create fake credit or debit cards and steal from victims’ accounts.

Captain Frank Belcastro said, SJSU has never had similar incidents of skimmer devices being on the campus’ ATMs.

“I am not aware of any technology that would detect these devices, but I understand that the design of some ATMs may not be amenable to the installation of these devices, I’m not an expert,” said Belcastro. “There are many videos available on the internet showing how they are installed”.

UPD is under an active investigation and in contact with the Bank of America to monitor suspicious financial activities.

“We have not had any reports from students and staff regarding being victimized,” Belcastro said.

Belcastro advises students and staff to check their bank accounts frequently, protect their

Katherine Wilkinson associate professor of biological science

Optogenetics is the biological technique of using light to control and monitor neuron activity within a cell, according to a NeuronUp, a neuroscience website.

The lab uses updated technology specifically engineered for the experiments.

“We have always had access to a lot of resources, kind of like at the snap of a finger, we got whatever we wanted,” Saraiya said. “We were able to order things because our department puts a lot of emphasis on undergraduate research.”

The students work three days

PIN number and change the PIN periodically.

UPD requests people who have recently used SJSU’s ATM Kiosk to check their bank accounts and look out for suspicious activity. If someone falls victim, follow up with your financial institution to acknowledge fraud and report the incident to UPD.

Kinesiology sophomore Kody Lee, who was using one of the machines at the ATM Kiosk, said he saw the news on the trending Instagram post which made him worry.

“I think it’s pretty scary we’re being attacked like that, I wouldn’t expect anything like that to happen here,” said Lee.

He said he believes people should take a look at the ATMs before using them and recommends cameras be installed for safety to see if people are tampering with the machines.

Information about when the device was placed is currently unknown, according to the UPD Community Safety Advisory.

Anyone who has information related to the skimming incident please contact UPD at (408) 924-2222.

sciences senior Denise Virgen, were selected and funded by the RISE program, a program that supports students internationally by funding them.

The RISE program invested in both Saraiya and Virgen’s attendance at the Annual Biomed Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists. The two students were able to present their research on optogenetics and had the opportunity to meet with other minority scientists who had similar goals.

“Through this lab I’ve gotten the opportunity to join a program

send a letter to the editor

The lab currently has twenty members and is still looking to grow in the future.

“The lab is allowing me to confirm that this is what I want to do, what I want to pursue,” Saraiya said. “I really enjoy physiology and it is a really good opportunity to practice skills that are so advanced. I’m really honing in on what skills I really want to be doing for the rest of my life in medical school.”

Follow the Spartan Daily on Twitter @SpartanDaily

Letters to the Editor may be placed in the letters to the editor box in the Spartan Daily office in Dwight Bentel Hall, Room 209 or emailed to spartandaily@gmail.com to the attention of the Spartan Daily Opinion Editor.

Letters to the Editor must contain the author’s name, year and major. Letters become property of the Spartan Daily and may be edited for clarity, grammar, libel and length. Only letters of 300 words or less will be considered for publication.

Published opinions and advertisements do not necessarily reflect the views of the Spartan Daily, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication or SJSU. The Spartan Daily is a public forum.

IN BRIEF

Incident: armed barricaded suspect

Location and Time: private residence on S. 12th St. on Wednesday at 6:57 p.m.

San Jose Police responded to a possible shots fired inside a private residence near South Campus. When officers arrived, more shots were heard. Officers contained the suspect and property and started communications with occupants inside the residence.

JILLIAN DARNELL | SPARTAN DAILY

Molecular biology senior Sonika Saraiya examines a muscle dissection through a microscope at the Wilkinson Lab at SJSU on Wednesday.

There’s a joke in a lot of research-heavy institutions that the undergrads are there to wash the beakers, and that’s about all they do.That’s not the case here in SJSU. They’re actually doing the lab work.

Chicana studies grad wins scholarship

By Dominique Huber STAFF WRITER

Marlene Andrade, Chicana and Chicano studies graduate student, is one of the recipients of the Sally Casanova Scholarship for her research on how communities of color use their traditional and cultural practices to promote and uphold sustainability.

The Sally Casanova Scholarship provides students with resources to prepare them for doctoral programs, according to a California State University webpage.

She focuses on the contributions that women of color make to environmental justice.

Three graduate students at SJSU were awarded this scholarship for 2022-2023. Andrade, along with another Chicana/o studies student, is one of the first in her department to receive this scholarship.

“That’s pretty huge and also very disappointing, because ... why is it until now?” Andrade said. “It just made me feel really proud for the discipline ... A lot of folks don’t want ethnic studies and we’re particularly a small department. Small but strong.”

She said dedicated scholars are essential, as there is a lot left to be learned in ethnic studies.

“I think this is just a reminder for us to continue creating scholarship that impacts the whole community and to further literature and research that is important.”

Andrade is a first-generation student from the San Fernando Valley in her third year as a graduate student at SJSU.

She completed her undergraduate degree in sociology and Chicana/o studies at CSU Northridge where she worked for Youth Speak! Collective in San Fernando.

Youth Speak! is a youth-driven organization uplifting young students of color and helping them to cultivate leadership skills to pursue higher education and create positive change in their

communities, according to its LinkedIn page.

Andrade said her time there exposed her to students who were aware of the injustices facing them as young people of color, but were actively trying to combat them.

An important project Andrade worked on with the collective was the restoration of a local park that had been neglected and vandalized.

“It was important for me to witness their willingness to want to restore the park,” Andrade said.

“It was part of not only the [Youth Speak!] legacy but also their high school legacy and just having to tie their cultural backgrounds into that.”

She said, as she witnessed the students’ dedication to reclaiming the space as an outdoor sanctuary for their community, she was reminded of her youth and the environmental issues that lurked in the background of her memories.

“I grew up in a community with really bad air quality as well and our living conditions weren’t good either,” Andrade said. “Their personal experiences really made me question my own experience and look at the environment in a more critical lens.”

Andrade said, during that time, she developed an interest in environmental justice that has since shaped her work in higher education.

Through the Sally Casanova Scholarship, Andrade will receive $3000 to continue pursuing her research.

“I hope this scholarship really kind of highlights the work I’m trying to do but also why it’s significant and connected to the department and the discipline of Chicanx studies,” Andrade said.

The scholarship will also grant her the opportunity to participate in a summer research program with a faculty member in her field at a doctoral granting institution.

Additionally, the scholarship includes mentorship at SJSU during which Andrade will be

further guided on the path toward her doctorate.

Amy Leisenring, associate dean of inclusive student success, said the application process for the scholarship includes three essays, a detailed budget plan, transcripts and a faculty letter of recommendation.

“To apply definitely takes a commitment. It takes a pretty concrete understanding of what it is that you want to do and why,” Leisenring said.

She also said applicants must show that they have a feasible plan for impactful research in their field, have strong plans to pursue a doctoral degree and return to teach in the CSU system.

“I was certainly very impressed with her application. I remember that she had a very strong application to begin with,” Leisenring said.

As a first-generation student of color in a non-traditional field, Andrade said, at times, she felt discouraged in her studies.

“Often, as a person of color in our

community, we don’t get highlighted much,” said Andrade.

She said she didn’t see many people like her being recognized for their scholarly accomplishments.

Christine Vega, Chicana/o studies assistant professor and one of Andrade’s mentors at SJSU, said there is a need for people like her to keep pushing forward.

In the U.S., a mere 0.2% of Chicanas have doctoral degrees, according to a 2020 study by Northern Illinois University.

Vega said this data speaks to the lack of representation that Chicana scholars have to look up to in higher education. She said she believes Andrade will play a part in filling this gap once she obtains her PhD and becomes a professor.

“Her contributions are gonna be super significant in terms of how we think about Chicana environmentalists who are using critical scholarship around race, ethnicity, gender and the environment,” Vega said. “What I

can say is that we need more work like that.”

Andrade said she has completed her applications to pursue her doctorate in ethnic studies.

Looking to the future, Andrade said she is excited to hear back from the doctoral programs she has applied to.

She also said she wants to move forward in her education to highlight the joy communities of color find in practicing sustainability within their cultures.

“Often we hear about environmental injustice ... the air quality and the proximity to waste,” Andrade said. “I want to continue to highlight women of color in environmental justice and how they find joy in organizing and supporting their community.”

PHOTO COURTESEY OF MARLENE ANDRADE

Marlene Andrade doing volunteer work at the SJSU Campus Community Garden on San Salvador Street.

Follow the Spartan Daily on Twitter @SpartanDaily

San Jose Foos brings humor and exposure

By Christine Tran STAFF WRITER

Instagram account San Jose Foos has become more than just a source of entertainment for the city – from comedic relief to features on small businesses, its Instagram has amassed 118,000 followers since December 2019.

Founder Anthony Gomez, hailing from Whittier, California, initially created the widely popular account to share memes about San Jose.

“The username was the first thing I typed in when I made the Instagram account. I think [my family and friends] joked about it because they were like, ‘You’re not even from San Jose,’ I’ve only been living here for five years now,” Gomez said.

Advertising junior Tatiana Rivas, who’s from Southern California, said she followed San Jose Foos for the eccentric content that’s unique to the city.

“Besides the comedy side of the account, I really enjoy how it [creates] a lot of exposure in San Jose.” Rivas said. “For instance, I didn’t know about new restaurants and events in the area and have considered going because of the account.”

Gomez hosted the San Jose Toy Drive at Oak Grove High School on Dec. 10, 2022, where each family was given a maximum of three toys.

Gomez said he’s most proud of how San Jose Foos started out as a joke, but became something that is able to impact the community positively.

moments, but I’m going to say one of the bigger ones is the toy drives.”

Outside of San Jose Foos, Gomez is a full-time creator who specializes in social media, video editing and photography. His current project, Good Cult, is a partnership with his colleague, who goes by Cola.

Good Cult is meant to bring people together and provide experiences. The project expresses creativity through many forms like making unique clothing and accessories, according to its website.

located in San Pedro Square.

“600 to 800 people came out. We’ve been able to do big things like these events together. You know, it isn’t just me, it isn’t just [Cola],” Gomez said. “It’s a joint effort for sure. There’s also about 20 or 30 people [on the team]. It takes a cult.”

The duo now has their own studio in Downtown San Jose with shelves filled of Good Cult’s hoodies, tees and hats.

“I was trying to develop a brand and I had gone through a few different iterations of a clothing brand idea. They all were unsuccessful,” Cola said. “[Good Cult] went silent for a few years and then me and [Gomez] got back to work and brought it back to life.”

Despite not being born and raised in San Jose, Gomez said he strives to make a significant impact on the city and its people.

San Jose, Gomez said he strives to ke a on the and eople.

He said The Sourdough Eatery on 848 N. First Street is one of his favorite sandwich shops. After posting it on San Jose Foos, the shop went viral.

Gomez said he realized the Instagram account could have a positive effect when he began to spotlight local businesses that deserved more recognition.

t one of favorite sandwich ps. After posting it on San Jose Foos, lized ount egan that erved

“To this day, they don’t charge me for a sandwich. They are super happy and they always tell me how much they can pay me. But I don’t want money for it,” he said.

To this don’t me for andwich. y me. But I don’t want aid.

“The first year, we gave out about 5,000 toys. This last December, we gave out about 15,000 toys.” he said. “Just being able to give all those kids toys and being able to spread joy like that throughout the world… there’s a couple of significant

toys.he said.Just all those kids and able to th e wo rld… there’s a of s ig nificant

“We met when [Gomez] was live streaming a protest on San Jose Foos and his phone was going to die and the stream was going to end,” Cola said. “I was nearby and had a portable charger so I went over and brought it to him.”

Gomez said if anyone is interested in creating a page like his, you should come up with a plan.

over and it to him.”

On Oct. 30, 2022, Gomez and Cola sold out a Halloween costume party at Blanco Urban, a venue

On Oct. Gomez and s old out a at Blanco a venue

“Figure out what you want to post, what your niche is, and then go from there. You just need action and consistency.” Gomez said. “[When] you get your first like, don’t be bummed because another account has a million likes. Be glad that you got your single like and just keep going

out what you want to need said. “[When] you get first account a likes. Be that you got your from there.”

Follow the Spartan Daily on Twitter @SpartanDaily

Sampson discusses racial equity

By Brandon Nicolas STAFF WRITER

Actor and activist Kendrick Sampson encourages students to use their voices and creativity to challenge acts of discrimination during San Jose State’s Spartan Speaker series on Wednesday, which welcomes Sampson as the first guest speaker of the spring semester.

Best known for his performances on CW’s “The Vampire Diaries,” ABC’s “How to Get Away with Murder” and HBO’s “Insecure,” Sampson uses art to produce nuanced portrayals of Black lives in his work.

Sampson was born in Houston, Texas to a small family, where he was shunned by his extended family for his parents’ interracial relationship.

“I got ostracized before I even made it to Earth,” he said.

Away from television screens, he said he utilizes his voice to empower marginalized communities and shed light on issues of inequity.

“Sampson highlights the intersectionality of industry, personhood and passion,” said Jahmal Williams, Director of Advocacy for Racial Justice.

Williams is a standing member of the Campus Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, which works to identify and address inequality, racial and systematic injustice in the community and on campus.

In 2018, Sampson and Tia Oso founded BLD PWR, a production company with the mission of reimagining Hollywood.

By building community and highlighting storytelling, BLD PWR aspires to challenge those in power by taking authority into its own hands, according to its website.

In the summer of 2020, Sampson co-organized a demonstration in Los Angeles which resulted in him suffering injuries from police baton strikes while being struck with several rubber bullets, according to a June 2020 Variety Magazine article.

In response, he penned a letter to the entertainment industry as a whole, asking Hollywood to recognize its inequities, divest the police of their funding and invest that money into the Black community to produce empowering Black stories, according to the Variety Magazine article.

“There hasn’t ever been a time when we haven’t had to advocate for ourselves in some way,” Sampson said. “Even if it’s just to say ‘Why am I being treated differently from everybody else?’ ”

Sampson continued to share a time when his high school step team was disbanded for “behaving like thugs.”

A step team is a group of people that perform a dance art that originated in Africa accompanied by percussion, spoken word and clapping, according to Step Afrika!

“You might have done activism and not even know it – I know I did,” Sampson said.

In order to be in the step team, Sampson was told to join the junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps as a young teen.

His response was starting a petition and learning how other schools in his area had step teams permitted.

“We did it, and it was my form of resistance,” Sampson said. “But I didn’t ever think that was activism.”

“Music and art is tied to emotion, to memory,” Williams said. “When you’re able to dive into those vulnerable parts of people, it’s past seeing and hearing – it’s feeling.”

He said these two mediums are perfect when helping people discern prejudice and struggling communities.

“When I got into acting, I didn’t realize a lot of the problems I would run into as a little Black kid,” Sampson said.

Sampson said being an activist is not always in the cards for some, but it is something Black people tend to become.

Activism’s purpose is to combat social justice issues in a community, an affair that transpires on our campus frequently.

Advertising sophomore Kayla Booker said she would visit The Black Leadership and Opportunity Center to seek a safe place as a Black student before working at the center last August.

“Today, I was in the bookstore and my friend and I were looking for a book, and one of the employees yelled at us,” Booker said.

She said the employee assured her that a section of the bookstore was closed off to the public when it was open. When she asked for assistance to find the book, the employee responded rudely.

Fellow Black students and friends of Booker experienced a similar fate in the bookstore.

“I can’t be certain it was racism, but I felt that it was targeted,” she said.

Williams said these micro and macro-aggressions occur when people do not fully understand

the depths of relating to one another racially.

He said when stereotypes, biases and prejudice are absorbed while being raised, there are bound to be leaks in a place as diverse as SJSU.

Williams features two steps in preparing students for racial injustices, preparing students for situations involving racial injustices and how students should respond when the situation arises.

The goal is to decrease the number of injustices that occur and increase the support students have on campus.

Williams said this could only be possible with the right resources, strategies and people in place to affirm these steps. “Avoiding those conversations and lessons does nobody a service,” he said.

Williams used Sampson as an example for students to not let their journey at college remain linear.

“Fighting against systems of oppression, building towards racial equity – all that can happen through whatever degree you end up getting,”

ILLUSTRATION BY LAUREN BONNAR

Williams said. “I think his journey shows that.”

Sampson is an actor, who is a vocal activist and artist who uses his skill set to help his community.

“Your purpose is not a career,” Sampson said. “My purpose is not acting, it’s liberation.”

He said there’s no success without collective effort and how it’s impossible to be successful by yourself.

Sampson said liberation is tied to success, therefore, students cannot become liberated by themselves.

Booker said she enjoys creating art which causes her to feel more connected to the pieces she comes across on campus and in the community.

“When I see art around the city or on campus, it makes me feel inspired,” Booker said, “It’s a mood lifter.”

Did Harry Styles deserve Album of the year?

Harry Styles is a popular British singer and songwriter whose music career began 13 years ago when he auditioned for The X Factor (UK) on season seven as a solo contestant.

During his time on the show, Styles joined a boy band with Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik, known as One Direction.

Styles is currently touring across 16 countries and is taking his “Love on Tour” show to Australia on Feb. 20, according to his official Instagram HQ.

The 29-year-old pop star also starred in two movies last year, “My Policeman” and “Don’t Worry Darling.” It is a testament to Styles’ success following his third studio album, “Harry’s House,” released on May 20, 2022.

The pop-funk album “pulled off the neat trick of making his music at once elegant and more refined but also warmer and more intimate,” according to a May 2022 Rolling Stone article.

On its debut, “Harry’s House” received the most first-day streams in its genre on Apple Music, according to Forbes in May 2022.

“Throughout the album, Styles’ singing is as conversational as his lyrics, making romance feel like a hopeful, at times fragile, dialogue between equals,” according to the Rolling Stone article.

It is no surprise that on Sunday, Styles was nominated for six different categories at the 65th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.

However, it came as a huge shock to many when he won Album of the Year and even Styles looked in awe of winning the most prestigious award of the night.

Styles received Best Pop Vocal Album for “Harry’s House” earlier that night and went on to compete against many acts in the industry including Beyoncé’s “RENAISSANCE” for Album of the Year.

After earning four Grammy awards that night, Beyoncé became the most decorated artist with 32 awards in total.

Styles won his first Grammy in 2021 for Best Pop Solo Performance of his song “Watermelon Sugar” and he took home two more Grammys within two years.

Right on cue, Beyoncé superfans, or “The BeyHive”, heckled Styles as he accepted his Album of the Year award, chanting “Beyonce should’ve won!” in the audience. Honestly, how many more Grammys does an artist of her stature need?

As if Styles defeating Beyoncé wasn’t enough, his acceptance speech for the award proved to be the cherry on top as the biggest controversy of the night.

“This doesn’t happen to people like me very often and this is so, so nice,” Styles

Beyoncé should have won the Grammy for Album of the Year instead.

said in the closing sentence of his speech. “Thank you very, very much.”

Styles’ speech caused an uproar on social media because it was deemed as tone-deaf and a public display of white privilege. It comes across as a desperate grab to cancel the pop singer over his Grammy win, considering the outcry over Beyoncé losing to him.

“Harry styles said “this doesn’t happen to people like me very often” and I gotta be honest I can’t think of a type of people this happens for more,”,” one Twitter user said.

Styles has gained popularity over the last few years and his net worth reflects that, standing at a whopping $120 million.

Fans today know him as a performer with great stage presence who makes bold statements in his attire, but Styles actually comes from humble beginnings.

By the age of 7, Styles and his older sister Gemma were raised in the village of Holmes Chapel in Cheshire only by their mother Anne. When Styles auditioned for The X Factor, a British talent TV show.

He was only a 16-year-old working at a bakery.

“My mum’s always told me that I’m a good singer,” Styles said to X Factor judge Simon Cowell on why he came to audition in 2010. “I wanted to come and ask from the people [the judges] who know.”

“Those in positions of influence within the arts, however, tended to be from privileged backgrounds, and to favor those who were the same,” according to a Jan. 25 article by Vice. “8% of actors, musicians, and writers were from working-class backgrounds [in the UK].”

The statistics were not promising for someone like Styles to enter this industry, which he seems to allude to in the speech.

In fact, Styles did not have enough star power to continue through the reality show as a solo contestant alongside his castmates.

He was brought back to be a part of One Direction but still finished in third place, receiving worldwide recognition only after the show.

One Direction announced a hiatus in 2015 after releasing five record-breaking studio albums in six years.

Oftentimes, it is difficult for previous members of boy bands to make a name for themselves while launching solo careers. Like, where did members of The Wanted even go?

Styles is an exception to this and arguably the most successful among his former bandmates, since he is the first among the five to win a Grammy for his solo album.

We shouldn’t consider ourselves experts on celebrities and their personal lives before fame and fortune. For Styles’ case, doing so undermines years of hard work for the sake of wildly false accusations. I personally find it refreshing to see Styles keep Beyoncé on her toes.

“Harry’s House” is an outward expression of his creative freedom postOne Direction and it’s time for artists like Styles to take the stage. Sorry “BeyHive,” better luck next year!

Every time Beyoncé comes out with an album, it changes the cultural landscape of the music industry. So you would think that the Grammys would see that excellence and finally award her album of the year.

You would think wrong.

On Sunday – yet again – Beyoncé lost Album of the Year for a fourth time for her incredible and groundbreaking work on 2022’s “RENAISSANCE” to former One Direction member Harry Styles, for his album “Harry’s House.”

Of all the nominees that could’ve won that night, which included Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny’s critically acclaimed and massively popular “Un verano sin ti,” Lizzo’s “Special” and Kendrick Lamar’s “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers,” I was absolutely not expecting for Styles to be the winner in that category.

Now, I enjoyed a few songs off of “Harry’s House.” I had fun with “As It Was” and “Matilda” as both were songs I constantly had repeating on my commutes.

You also couldn’t escape the album because it was, quite literally, everywhere.

Whether the album is being played in commercials, in Target when you would be looking for your shampoo in aisle 27, or even on every single video that would pop up on your “For You” page on TikTok, it was annoyingly inescapable.

Even during the Grammys, Styles couldn’t hide the fact that his performance during the ceremony was mediocre at best.

It’s just him trying and nothing could help him transcend the persona people think he has on stage.

This performance is the perfect metaphor for what “Harry’s House” is: a glitzy pop record that seemed like it was designed for the Recording Academy’s voting board, something to razzle and dazzle, but just like Style’s Gucci knock-off Elton John outfits, it falls flat.

To give Styles the benefit of the doubt, the stage malfunctioned during the performance where he and his dancers had to quickly adapt to the situation, according to a Tuesday BBC News article.

When he was awarded Album of the Year, he had the gall to get up on that stage and say, “This doesn’t happen to people like me.”

Yes, the Grammys are notoriously known for not giving out awards to British white men for their music.

Many people came to Styles’ defense after the comment, saying he came from a working-class home with a single mom, that it doesn’t really happen to people like him, nor does it happen to boy-band members, according to Twitter posts from the night of the win.

This didn’t stop Paul McCartney, nor Justin Timberlake (both white former boyband members) from winning Grammys in the past.

Whatever Styles meant, the comment was embarrassingly tone-deaf. Even with your “working-class hero” background, it’s still ignorant to say.

It isn’t Styles’ fault that he won Album of the Year over Beyoncé. My criticism of Styles stems from the fact that we have seen people like him win time and time again.

Mediocrity and commercialism will always win, that’s just how the Grammys roll.

One of the more infamous examples of this is at the 2012 Grammys, when hiphop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ “The Heist” beat out Kendrick Lamar’s “good kid, m.A.A.d city” the most acclaimed album of that year, for best Rap album.

A win so mystifying, Macklemore texted Lamar an apology for beating him in the category, according to a Jan. 28, 2018 Vox News article.

Beyoncé didn’t leave the Grammys on Sunday empty handed as she officially became the most awarded artist in Grammy history, with 32 wins and 88 nominations.

Even in her losses, Beyoncé finds a way to make history.

Of her 32 wins, however, only one of those wins was in a major category, according to a Sunday Daily Beast article.

A Black woman has not won in the Album of the Year category since 1999 with Lauryn Hill’s “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill”, according to a Monday Time Magazine article.

Only three Black women have won Album of the Year in the Grammys’ 65-year history. Considering the influence and mark Black women have on the greater cultural landscape, that’s hard to hear.

All four times Beyoncé was nominated for Album of the Year, she has lost to a white artist whose albums have been argued as less culturally significant, according to the Time Magazine article.

It also just seems to be that the Grammys just doesn’t like Beyoncé.

In an article published Feb. 2 by Variety Magazine, five Grammy voters spoke anonymously about who they have decided to vote for in the ceremony.

A voter described as a music veteran in his 70s said in the interview he would choose ABBA’s album over Beyoncé’s.

“With Beyoncé, the fact that every time she does something new, it’s a big event and everyone’s supposed to quake in their shoes – it’s a little too portentous,” the Academy member said in the interview.

Portentous means to be done in a pompous or overly solemn manner to impress, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

It seems a little “portentous” to completely disregard a critically acclaimed and popular album because someone feels as though Beyoncé is doing “too much.”

But that always seems to be the main critique of Beyoncé. She works with too many people, the public loves her too much, she doesn’t deserve it because she already gets the praise.

And yet, the Grammys still need her for its own reputation and ratings, while still giving her shallow backhanded praises.

Beyoncé herself is all too aware of this, expertly summarizing in her 2022 hit “HEATED,” “Monday I’m overrated, Tuesday on my dick.”

Christine Tran STAFF WRITER

Bojana Cvijic STAFF WRITER

Harry Styles fully deserved the Grammy award for Album of the Year.

PHOTO COLLAGE BY JILLIAN DARNELL VIA WIKIMEDIA

Is the Super Bowl still worth watching?

football players suffer injuries because of their time in the league.

Just a few months ago, viewers witnessed an extreme example of this when NFL star Damar Hamlin collapsed after being tackled and was later found to have suffered a cardiac arrest.

I have no interest in supporting the process during which this type of suffering happens.

Of course, when one thinks of the Super Bowl, one might think of the commercials.

Dominique Huber STAFF WRITER

People love to act like the Super Bowl is a “must-see,” and a “great American tradition.”

They talk about the game itself as if it’s supposed to be exciting. They talk about the commercials that are supposedly so entertaining. They talk about the halftime show like it is a reason to sit through the entirety of the championship’s broadcast.

But, what do you miss if you don’t watch the Super Bowl? Nothing. If anything, you gain four hours of your life that you won’t have to waste on watching an underwhelming display that only really provides about 30 minutes of entertainment.

Let’s start with the central aspect of the Super Bowl which is football.

Football is a hallowed American tradition. Some folks will scream, cry, fight and even get tattoos in the name of the sport.

Viewers consumed a total of 370 billion minutes throughout the regular season in 2021, according to an NFL Communications webpage.

I simply don’t see the appeal.

It’s a bunch of people running back and forth, knocking each other down and, for what feels like a good amount of time, simply moseying around.

There are some moments of attentiongrabbing action, but even those aren’t really enjoyable.

Why would I want to see players getting violently knocked to the ground, risking their health and safety just for other peoples’ entertainment?

Every time I see a player get tackled and piled onto by four other opposing players, I cringe.

It’s no secret that many professional

In the times that I have been begrudgingly convinced to watch the game, the commercials did offer some respite from the boredom of the football itself.

If we’re being honest though, many people have come to agree that Super Bowl ads have declined in entertainment value over the past few years.

Last year in particular, a multitude of people took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the ads, with some calling them “blah” and “officially dead.”

Back in the day, you could sit down during the Super Bowl commercial breaks and your eyes would be glued to the screen the entire time.

Recently, the commercials have lost their appeal. Sure, you might catch a really cool one here and there, but it’s not worth sitting through 5 boring commercials just for 30 seconds of entertainment.

I’ll admit that a Rihanna halftime show is enticing. The chance to see her perform after all these years is one that certainly should not be missed.

However, for those who don’t want their Rihanna concert bookended by a football game, YouTube is the perfect option. You don’t have to watch the Super Bowl to see Rihanna make her comeback. You can watch her performance at your leisure and give it your full, undivided attention the way it deserves.

Like many others, I gave the Super Bowl a chance. I watched it with my family for years. Each year, my care for the Super Bowl fumbles down.

The Super Bowl is upon us once again, and the two teams facing off against each other for the Lombardi Trophy are the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs.

As an avid fan of the NFL, my calendar is cleared a year in advance for the second Sunday in February.

I was surprised to hear that some people don’t even watch the Super Bowl, but that shouldn’t even be a question.

Everyone that’s anyone should watch this game. Yes, the Bay Area is once again not represented in the Super Bowl, but just because the local team isn’t in the game doesn’t mean people should not watch it.

Not only do most people watch it because they enjoy football, but it’s a once-a-year special tradition for Americans.

Some decide to take time off work the whole weekend and the following Monday so they can relax and have a good time watching America’s game.

Some people don’t even like football but decide to watch the Super Bowl for the commercials. The Super Bowl is known for some of the funniest and most iconic commercials over the years.

The Super Bowl might be one of the only times viewers actually enjoy watching ads. Let’s be real, nobody likes watching commercials, especially if they are shown during shows on television, but when it comes to the Super Bowl, everyone is tuned in.

Another big reason to watch the game is for the halftime show. This year, pop icon Rihanna is the featured artist who many people grew up listening to.

Rihanna recently has been on a seven-year album hiatus. What better way to make her return none other than the big game itself where almost all eyes of the country will be on her performance?

Personally, I am excited to see her perform some of her biggest hits. In terms of the game itself, every year is different.

One never knows what type of game we will see, whether it will be a complete blowout or a nail-biter.

The 2022 Super Bowl was watched by 99.18 million viewers in the United States while NBA Finals averaged only 12.4 million viewers in six games according to a Statista study.

The Super Bowl, to me, has always been a good time even if it’s between two teams I don’t like.

I just enjoy the big game every year and hope for an actual battle between the two teams and not just a blowout.

The most recent performances over the years have been fantastic as well and I expect no different this year with Rihanna.

I firmly believe the Super Bowl is such a big event, and I believe that Super Bowl Sunday and the Monday after should be a national holiday in the U.S. since it is mainly watched in the states.

This Sunday will be a day that many will tune-in and watch even if it’s just for a quick minute.

The Super Bowl is one of the most talked about events every year including all the buzz leading up to the event.

I hope we can all enjoy a fantastic game, performances and all the commercials coming out of it.

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.

ILLUSTRATION BY CAROLYN BROWN

No, the Super Bowl is simply a waste of everybody’s time, there is better stuff to do.

Oscar Frias-Rivera STAFF WRITER

Yes, the Super Bowl is still a fun and exciting watch for everyone who tunes in.