Spartan Daily Vol. 160 No. 31

Herrlin resigns from A.S. Board

By Enrique Gutierrez-Sevilla STAFF WRITER

The Associated Students board of directors held a meeting to approve the resignation of A.S. director of internal affairs Magnus Herrlin and discussed funding for three recognized student organizations on Wednesday at the Student Union. Herrlin was not present at the meeting.

According to Ikaika Rapanot, A.S. vice president, Herrlin’s resignation has been effective since March 30.

Rapanot quoted a statement from Herrlin during the meeting saying, “I’m grateful for the privilege and opportunity to have represented the student body of San Jose State University. I enjoyed working with my fellow board members. I intend to continue uplifting the voices of the student body in other ways.”

There were no points of discussion regarding the resignation, and the board eventually approved it.

During a March 30 A.S. meeting, the board discussed Herrlin’s misconduct of not attending meetings without communicating his

Health science lecturer honored with SJSU award

By Dylan Newman STAFF WRITER

Flowers and algae: experts talk Bay Area biodiversity

By Rainier de Fort-Menares NEWS EDITOR

Sunrise Silicon Valley, a Bay Area based nonprofit organization, hosted a webinar with local experts in the biodiversity field on Wednesday.

Aditi Anand, webinar host and hub coordinator at Sunrise Silicon Valley, said the organization’s goal is to mobilize youth in Silicon Valley to demand climate change action from the local to national legislative level.

The webinar featured three keynote speakers who presented their research on different topics based on biodiversity in the Bay Area.

Sticky monkey-flowers

The first keynote speaker, Tadashi Fukami, is a professor of biology and earth system science at Stanford University. He studies

community ecology, a research topic that examines the interactions between different species and ecosystems.

“When we think about biodiversity it’s not, of course, just a list of species that are found in an ecosystem – it’s also about relationships [between] those species and that’s what we study,” Fukami said.

He said a lot of his field work is conducted at Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve, a field station that is a part of Stanford’s campus.

Fukami researches microbial communities in the nectar of sticky monkey-flowers, a plant that is native to California. His research found that there is a relationship between the microbes that live in the nectar of these flowers and how pollinators, mainly hummingbirds, interact with them.

“What we found is that when you have bacteria in nectar, then hummingbirds don’t like going to nectar – maybe because it’s just the nectar is too sour,” Fukami said. “Then plants are also in trouble because they need

San Jose State honored health science and recreation lecturer Kevin Roe with the 2022-23 Outstanding Lecturer award.

Roe has taught at SJSU since 2011 and has spent 25 years working and volunteering for public health organizations including ones advocating for gay men’s sexual and community health, HIV prevention and against anti-gay violence.

way because some students at San Jose State can be somewhat shocked and horrified to hear somebody talk openly and expressively.”

Anji Buckner, assistant professor for the Department of Public Health and Recreation, said she’s known Roe since they were earning their master’s in public health at SJSU.

Buckner said Roe’s life experience forced him into public health as he has actively advocated for his own life and fellow members of the LGBTQ+

I never hold back on anything that I’ve experienced either as a professional or as a community member.

Kevin Roe health science and recreation lecturer

Roe said his life’s experience as a member of the LGBTQ+ community has helped him be a better lecturer.

He said by sharing his personal experiences, he was able to aid students from the LGBTQ+ community, even if it didn’t always work in his favor.

“I never hold back on anything that I’ve experienced either as a professional or as a community member,” Roe said. “I think sometimes it might get in the

community as a man with HIV.

“His experiences and perspectives related to disparities, equity, healthcare discrimination and policy are essential to understanding our history and our potential,” she said. “I appreciate that Kevin is always ready for meaningful confrontation that will invite change.”

Buckner said they both share

MATTHEW GONZALEZ | SPARTAN DAILY

Associated Students Board controller Antonio Maldonado speaks while sitting next to the empty chair of resigned Director of Internal Affairs Magnus Herrlin during the A.S. Board meeting in the Student Union on Wednesday afternoon.

SCREENSHOT BY RAINIER DE FORT-MENARES

Damon Tighe explains the effects of the algal bloom at Lake Merritt during a webinar on Wednesday.

LECTURER

Continued from page 1

similar philosophies on the potential impact of the program because they were both practitioners before coming into teaching.

“We have a shared understanding, based on our own experiences, but also in watching the journey of so many students over the years, that people can leave our program and really make a difference in the community,” she said. “Because of this perspective, we aim to teach practical, hands-on skills and perspectives that can be applied in the real world.”

Roe now lives in Ohio and conducts his work in a virtual setting.

He said when he was a student, he remembered sitting in large lecture halls 400 feet away from the instructor. He said he is trying to do the opposite for his classroom by involving the students as much as possible so they could effectively learn from him.

“I try not to do ‘banking education’ where I just throw

BIODIVERSITY

Continued from page 1

hummingbirds for pollination.”

information out to people and expect them to absorb it,” Roe said. “I always try [to] wrap things around, trying to get as much student participation as possible.”

Fukami’s research examined how much bacteria and yeast were observed inside the nectar of sticky monkeyflowers. The results found that flowers with an abundance of yeast had little to no bacteria and flowers with an abundance of bacteria had little to no yeast.

“For example, if you have yeast growing well in flower, then they might keep bacteria in check so that the bacteria wouldn’t be growing and through that, indirectly, yeast might be helping to keep the plant pollinator mutualism intact,” Fukami said. “The point I wanted to make here is that by doing ecological research to tease apart different interactions that are going on, we can have a better understanding of how biodiversity is maintained – because we have mutualistic and antagonistic interactions and it’s all connected.”

Algal Blooms

absence to the board, according to the A.S. Executive Committee Agenda from the same day.

In addition, the agenda reported that Herrlin said the A.S. Board and the SWANA coalition are Anti-semitic and Anti-Zionist.

“Clearly this board has antisemitism and anti-Zionism,” said Herrlin during the March 22 A.S. board meeting.

A.S. director of student resource affairs Michael Chadwick said Herrlin’s departure changes the dynamic of the board.

“He’s a good fighter for students because he will stay strong on his beliefs, although it depends what the beliefs are,” Chadwick said. “His best intentions is to help the students but out of doing so, he has some strong beliefs that don’t necessarily align with values that we should have.”

The A.S. board also focused the attention on funding requests from student groups.

He said the coronavirus pandemic was a public health issue that was relatable to every student in his classes and it resulted in students having a better understanding of their

The second keynote speaker, Damon Tighe, is a curriculum training specialist at Bio-Rad Laboratories.

Bio-Rad Laboratories is a California based company that develops and manufactures products for life science research, according to the company’s website.

Tighe said he is a naturalist who became interested in studying the biodiversity in Lake Merritt in downtown Oakland. His research came from observations he made in Lake Merritt, the epicenter of a large algal bloom event that negatively affected wildlife in the entire San Francisco Bay.

Initial signs of the algal bloom event were in July 2022, when discoloration of the lake acted as a sign that something was wrong, according to a Sept. 2, 2022 Oaklandside article.

“I happened to be down there doing a collection of a fungal sample and came over the edge of the lake to just see that there was just this massive die off,” Tighe said. “So all of these organisms I’ve been used to seeing for years under the water were all of a sudden out of the water.”

He said over the next couple of weeks he observed and recognized a harmful

One student organization that attended the meeting and requested funding from the A.S. board was the Air Corps Leading Club.

The organization trains SJSU students to become Air Force reserve officers, according to its webpage.

Junior student Stephanie Tran represented the Air Corps Leadership Club and asked for $2,681.81.

She said the club was introduced by the Air Force ROTC program at SJSU.

The organization seeks funding for apparel and plans to host an event to commemorate the club’s history with SJSU.

“The aim of this event is to extend the visibility of the organization across the university, and consequently the face of the university,” Tran said.

She said funds for apparel will help represent the university and Air Force in a professional way.

A.S. controller Antonio Maldonado refuted the initial request and motioned to the board $2,090.81.

“There’s a limit for a reason,” Maldonado said. “I’m speaking from the perspective of equity, the perspective of

own degrees.

Roe was also the advisor for the Pre-Physicians Assistant Society student organization and the Queer Public Health and Recreation Collective. He

algal event occurring across the entire San Francisco Bay.

Tighe said one organism impacted the most by the algal event were white sturgeons, the largest freshwater fish in North America.

“So this is a major impact on a very sensitive kind of group that probably is going to take a while to recover and the danger is that we have these events going forward,” he said. “We have, I think, a pretty strong possibility of not having sturgeon in our waterways going forward.”

Tighe said white sturgeon is one of many organisms impacted by the event.

In his research, Tighe found the reason for the water color change in parts of the East Bay was because of an organism called heterosigma akashiwo.

Tighe said heterosigma akashiwo is an algae in many port cities around the world and it’s mainly associated with large fish die offs.

“So with this information, I got a little bit more worried when I saw this entering Lake Merritt,” Tighe said. “A lot of these fish were literally suffocating –so they’re up at the surface trying to get oxygen.”

fairness.”

Another club seeking funding was the Industrial Designers Society of America club.

Awal Usmane, junior and treasurer for the club, petitioned a $2,700 fund to help the club visit the Nike Headquarters in Portland, Oregon.

Usmane said the club recently had SJSU alumni Chuck Eichten, the current design director of Nike, to speak at one of the club’s events where Acton invited them for a tour.

“Nike is a very established brand, well known and very successful,” Usmane said. “We’re going to meet a lot of designers there.”

Chadwick was in full support of the club’s request.

“If it means meeting someone that’s a previous SJSU student and they have ties, it could possibly make these students have a good opportunity of going to another big company like this,” Chadwick said.

A.S. agreed to the $2,700 request of the Industrial Designers Society of America club.

The Moss Landing Marine Laboratories

said while he hasn’t worked with the Pre-Physicians Assistant Society for a few years, he’s trying to figure out how to keep the Queer Public Health and Recreation Collective alive.

Roe, who was the founder of the organization, said he thought the Queer Public Health and Recreation Collective should have someone who can advise the club in-person.

“For me as a lecturer, you have a choice of just doing your classes or getting deeper involved in departments and the university,” Roe said. “I chose that route which is more exciting and more engaging.”

Monica Allen, Public Health and Recreation department chair, said Roe’s obligations as lecturer with the university doesn’t require him to advise any student organization, but he has done so on his own time.

“He doesn’t get administrative time for serving in [advisement roles],” Allen said. “But for years he was the advisor.”

California Native Garden Foundation

The final keynote speaker, Alrie Middlebrook, is the executive director and co-founder of the California Native Garden Foundation.

The California Native Garden Foundation is a nonprofit organization that aims to create carbon-neutral urban land and protect ecosystems services, according to the organization’s website.

Middlebrook is an advocate for certain initiatives that address climate change. The initiatives include a change in how cities use land by having more regenerative farms and native gardens; the opening of an “agrihood” in Santa Clara county that would have a selfsustaining garden, affordable housing for seniors and creating summer curriculum for San Jose Evergreen Community College based on forest ecology and conservation agriculture.

Follow the Spartan Daily on Twitter @SpartanDaily

was the last organization to ask ASB for funding.

Luke Gardner, Research Faculty and CA Sea Grant Aquaculture Specialist, spoke to the committee through Zoom.

According to Gardner, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories is a community of 90 graduate students studying marine science to improve and investigate marine environments.

Gardner said the marine lab is seeking funding for apparel and brochures or flyers to print for publicity.

“Each student conducts their own original project on their specific area of interest that usually leads to a journal publication,” Gardner said.

A.S. President Nina Chuang was in favor of approving the lab’s $1,493.80 request.

“This is the start of such great research and elevating our university to new ventures,” Chuang said.

SCREENSHOT BY DYLAN NEWMAN

Health science and recreation lecturer Kevin Roe speaks to a member of the press over Zoom.

Follow Dylan Newman on Twitter @th3dylanproject

Professor talks importance of counseling

By Mat Bejarano STAFF WRITER

Esther Hugo, a San Jose State professor in the college of education, had been a high school counselor for years and understands the impact that counselors have on their students.

Hugo recently published an article in the National Association for College Admission Counseling’s “Journal of College Admissions” about Riverside County’s College Comeback program.

The program was offered to the graduating 2020 high school class with one-on-one support regarding the college enrollment process, assistance, and filling out their application Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), according to the Riverside County Office of Education website.

“I really believe that counselors can be so impactful to students in terms of helping them find their futures,” Hugo said. “There are so many students who are still left out because the process is complicated. It’s not clear. It’s not necessarily linear, and they really do need support and guidance.”

The effect of Riverside County’s College Comeback program hit home for Hugo.

Hugo highlights in her article, “Reengaging College-Bound Students Amid the Pandemic’s Aftermath,” a program that pushes for more students to complete their FAFSA.

FAFSA is a service where students can apply for federal grants, workstudy funds and loans. In addition, many states and colleges use students’ FAFSA information to determine state and school aid, according to studentaid.gov

This helped turn into California Assembly Bill 469, in which the bill requires school districts to share

data on how many students are completing their FAFSA every year, according to California Legislative Information.

“Affordability is the biggest obstacle for students going to college, they don’t think they can afford it,” Hugo said. “So students are often surprised when they complete the FAFSA and are eligible for institution, state and federal dollars, they’re able to go.”

Yuri Nava, who is one of the College Comeback counselors, has 19 years of prior school counseling experience.

She said counselors served as a bridge between students and their future colleges.

“We had kids with 3.9 GPAs and some who were valedictorians heading to UC’s who couldn’t figure out how to get started,” Nava said in Hugo’s article.

In the U.S., the graduating high school class of 2020 college enrollment decreased from 66% in 2019 to 63%, according to a May 2022 National Center for Education study.

Nava said students had many different barriers to clear such as lack of resources when applying to colleges.

“Many universities had limited office hours, they had limited workshops, and it was just really

difficult to navigate for students and that’s where College Comeback came in,” Nava said. “This was a group of counselors who were meeting students after hours, on the weekends and in the evenings.”

She said counselors would help students after hours, including a story about personally scheduling a student’s college appointments at midnight while the student worked at Amazon.

“This group of counselors that got together didn’t mind waiting and helping kids with those things and putting in those extra hours, we love what we do,” Nava said.

Nava said the counselors for the College Comeback program were

proud to have their work displayed in Esther’s article.

“What our county office did is bring a group of educators together, they saw a need and said, ‘We know you guys can lead some change ideas and create a program that can help kids’ and I think Esther really helped amplify that,” Nava said.

Robin Ellison, a counselor for the Val Verde Unified School District, has worked as a high school counselor for 16 years.

She said she was all in to be featured in Esther’s article.

“Working with Esther was like a dream. She was just so personable, so friendly to work with. She felt like she was our champion,” Ellison said. “She was championing what we were doing in Riverside County and you know she wanted to have it published so it could reach many other communities.”

Ellison said she felt responsible to make sure that students not only got into college but also helped them until they are fully enrolled.

“We want to make sure that they don’t just get accepted into these colleges but are we going to help them show up and be in that seat come August and September?” Ellison said.

Hugo said she hopes other school districts adopt the College Comeback program.

“I still think there’s a lot of students who got lost out there. And we need to get them back on track and help them realize their futures longer term rather than short term,” Hugo said.

Follow the Spartan Daily on Twitter @spartandaily

PHOTO COURTSEY OF ESTHER HUGO

Esther Hugo (right) smiles for a selfie next to Executive Director of College of Riverside County Office of Education and Career Readiness Catalina Cifuentes (left).

Students DIY photo frames

By Christine Tran STAFF WRITER

The Student Union played relaxing, lo-fi music as students raced inside for Fun with Frames on Wednesday, the second event of the Spartan Sensory Series.

Students received a package upon entering containing flower stickers, a photo frame, burlap, buttons, yarn and popsicle sticks.

While sitting down to create her multi-purpose frame, pre-nursing freshman Ella Cereno said she was making it for herself.

Cereno said Fun with Frames was one of the few Student Union events she attended this semester and she likes doing DIY crafts.

“My friend actually showed [the flyer] to me and we like plants and it seemed pretty cool to attend it,” Cereno said. “I’m trying to get into it, because I’m not a very creative person.”

Cereno attended the event with her friend, Julianna Ruidera, who is also a prenursing freshman.

Ruidera said she heard about the event on the SAMMY app and it interested her because she

likes expressing her creativity. Ruidera said she was making the frame for herself to decorate her dorm.

Ruidera said she and Cereno wanted to attend the event because they both were available during the event’s time frame.

“My friend being free, me being able to go with friends and also me liking flowers,” she said.

With less than five weeks left of the spring semester, doing arts and crafts in a peaceful environment could be helpful for students to take their mind off of schoolwork.

Management information systems senior Carla Jean Ucol said the event was a stress reliever in the middle

of her day.

“I like the vibes of the music and the free snacks and everything they made, everyone here [is] very welcoming,” Ucol said.

Ucol said she decided to spend part of her day at the event because it fit in her schedule.

“I didn’t have anything to do after class and I have an hour gap before going to work, so I thought it would just be something fun to do instead of just sitting around doing nothing,” she said.

Ucol said she has other creative hobbies like journaling, painting and scrapbooking. However, she has never done a DIY frame.

“I’ve always seen people do it on TikTok with the pressed flowers and stuff, but no, I’ve never like, gone out and got the supplies myself to do it,” Ucol said.

Fun with Frames provided SJSU students a new arts and craft activity to try, a chance to spend time with friends to leave their school-related stress.

‘Sremm 4 Life’ actually surprises me

By Brandon Nicolas STAFF WRITER

Rae Sremmurd came out “swanging” in 2015 with their debut album “SremmLife,” including club hits “No Type” and “Come Get Her,” which brings back horrific memories of high school dances.

Brothers Slim Jxmmi and Swae Lee make up the Mississippi duo, balancing melodic trap rap with southern inspirations like Outkast and Lil Wayne.

Their fourth studio album “Sremm 4 Life” released Friday and is the latest installment in the Sremm series.

I had low expectations going into the album being that I never associated myself with the party demographic, but was pleasantly surprised by the diverse production choice.

The first three tracks off the record caused me to almost skip the album entirely out of boredom.

The tracks included repetitive hooks from Swae Lee and lousy bars from Slim Jxmmi over generic trap production that featured punchy 808s, predictable rhymes, and syncopated rim shots sprinkled throughout each track.

It wasn’t until the fourth track, “Not So Bad (Lean Gone Cold)” that I physically sat up from my chair.

On the track, Swae Lee sings “My

Rating:

lean’s gone cold, I’m wonderin’ why I got out of bed at all/ Three-pointfive clouds up my window, and I can’t see at all/ And even if I could, it would all be gray But these racks stack up too tall (yeah)/ It reminds me (Reminds me), that it’s not so bad, it’s not so bad at all.”

Any fan of the genre will instantly recognize Dido’s “Thank You,” sample, which was popularized by Eminem on his song “Stan.”

Artist: Rae Sremmurd Release Date: April 7, 2023

Genre: Hip-hop/rap

As if Swae Lee’s rendition of the nostalgic hook isn’t enough, the song features a drill beat – a sound that dates back to Chicago in the early 2010’s and has become a staple sound in mainstream music today.

The song “Activate,” featuring Future, is my preferred cookiecutter luxury trap song because the duo’s delivery feels playful on top of being arrogant.

Amidst a boastful verse, Swae Lee raps “One strike, two strike, three strikes, you’re out/ Pin stripes, Louis V, standin’ on the dugout/ Turnpike, dirt bike, swerve left, swerve right/ Activate, activate, kamikaze bombs-flier,” and I couldn’t help but rock my shoulders to his melodic flow.

The next two tracks titled “Flaunt it/Cheap” and “Sexy” feature old school hip-hop production

reminiscent of ’90s gangster rap including orchestral hits, DJ scratches and synths that transports the listener into a convertible driving along the west coast.

On the latter track, Slim Jxmmi has crass flows similar to Eazy-E, making the track more appealing because it sounds like something I’ve heard before.

The eleventh track, “Something I’m Not,” has my favorite bars of Slim Jxmmi on the entire project.

He raps, “I grew from the mud, like a plant in a pot/ I pop like a Jack in the box, my stock went straight to the top/ Got big rocks that make the temperature drop, yellin’ R.I.P. my pops/ Wishin’ I could press ‘Rewind’ and get lil’ Michael out that box/ And it’s fuckin’ with my mind, but the grind don’t ever stop.”

ILLUSTRATION BY MYENN RAHNOMA

All I’ve ever heard Slim Jxmmi rap about was women and money, so it’s refreshing to hear him reflect on his come up and rap about something relatable.

The final track “ADHD Anthem (2 Many Emotions)” shocked the hell out of me because of its rage rap production.

On the track, Swae Lee sings about his frustration with copycats and losing a loved one before tagging in Slim Jxmmi, whose verse details his use of drugs and liquor to escape his emotions.

Overall, the album delivers what a fan of trap rap would expect, as well as diverse production featuring hiphop, drill, rage and house that can all be played at any function.

PHOTOS BY CHRISTINE TRAN | SPARTAN DAILY

SJSU freshmen Ella Cereno and Julianna Ruidera work on their projects at the Fun with Frames event in the Student Union on Wednesday.

Management information systems senior Carla Jean Ucol maps out her picture frame with dried flowers.

Pokémon Stadium busts onto Nintendo Switch

By Jeremy Martin

Have you caught them all?

Don’t worry, now you can catch them all over again! Pokémon Stadium was added to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership this past Tuesday.

The Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership is an extension of Nintendo Switch Online that allows users to access more features, including the Nintendo 64 library of console video games.

The extension to Nintendo’s online service also lets players access a library of Game Boy Advance video games, a Sega Genesis video game library and other fun extras.

I am very excited to say that I played this Nintendo 64 classic in the best way possible.

Just the thought of playing a classic like Pokémon Stadium online with my Nintendo Switch at a tap of a button is insane.

Pokémon Stadium is the 23rd Nintendo 64 video game to be offered through the Nintendo Switch Online library, according to an April 4 IGN article.

The video game lets players battle with 3D versions of classic Kanto Pokémon, according to the same IGN article.

Pokémon Stadium is a video

game I jumped on and couldn’t wait to battle it out with my team of beefed-up big boys.

Watching Blastoise, Charizard and Venusaur hack and slash at various other 3D Pokémon right in front of me never sounded so amazing.

Pokémon Stadium is one of my favorite video games of all time and I’m extremely excited that I can see all my favorite characters on my flatscreen TV in high definition.

Just thinking about it reminds me of the good ol’ days when I used to play it on my brother’s Nintendo 64. Having been born with a congenital heart disease, I also have a plethora of memories playing Pokémon Stadium in the hospital, keeping myself occupied when I needed to stay there.

I have memories playing as an older teen staying at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford in Palo Alto.

I used to love going to the game room and watching 3D Pokémon fight on screen, then playing the outstanding selection of mini games also included on the cartridge.

After playing this absolute classic again, I have to say, it’s just as good to play now as it was back in the day.

Every single piece of Pokémon Stadium’s gameplay remains intact, along with those unique mini games.

Players can choose between all the main game modes, including Quick Battle, Gallery, or event battles at the Pokémon Stadium.

This requires the functionality of the Nintendo 64 transfer pack, which is not compatible with this version of the video game.

Players would normally use this to connect their Game Boy cartridge to their Nintendo 64 and use their own Pokémon from their save files on their Game Boy video games.

Players can still access the multiplayer mode of the video game, but any multiplayer feature that utilized the Game Boy’s functionality won’t work, according to Nintendo’s website.

Once inside the Pokémon Stadium, players are able to choose between a variety of game modes.

The stadium includes modes where single players can challenge themselves in four different tournaments or even face off against the gym leaders in the Kanto region, on top of having a four player multiplayer experience, according to the IGN article.

I had a great time battling with all my favorite Pokémon, but had even more fun with the mini games.

Some of my favorites include Sushi-Go-Round, Clefairy Says and Magikarp’s Splash.

Sushi-Go-Round lets players take control of a Lickitung and move around with the left Nintendo Switch Joy-Con, trying to use the A button to lick up the most plates of sushi before time runs out.

The A button will make your Lickitung extend its tongue and lick up the sushi on each dish. But watch out! Some plates are too spicy, causing your Lickitung to burn their tongue and frantically run around the inside of the circle, momentarily disabling your Pokémon.

It’s always comical to see your Lickitung whale out a cry in pain and run around highlighted in red.

Clefairy Says is a memory game.

In this mini game, the player must use the directional buttons to reiterate a series of commands presented on a chalkboard by a Clefairy, made to look like a teacher.

You and three other players whose characters are also Clefairy, must press the directional buttons correctly and in the same order as the teacher does. You and the other players get bopped on the head with a mallet for every incorrect command.

Playing this mini game is extremely entertaining and tests a person’s memorization skills. It always puts a smile on my face at the end, when the players’ commands are reviewed and they face the consequences.

This is just so hilarious to see, especially when it’s seen a lot clearer on my Nintendo Switch.

Rather than relying on memory, Magikarp’s Splash relies much more on speed.

Magikarp’s Splash is a mini game where players take control of a Magikarp and try to flop into the air, high enough to press little tickers at the top of the screen.

The Magikarp who has the most times pressed on the ticker out of four players wins.

These are just a few of nine total mini games included in Pokémon Stadium.

The other mini games include Rock Harden, Ekans’ Hoop Hurl, Dig! Dig! Dig!, Snore War, Thundering Dynamo and Run, Rattata, Run.

Pokémon Stadium is an amazing video game, whether you choose to battle 3D Pokémon through multiple matches or have the time of your life with your friends, playing the extremely rich library of mini games.

Pokémon Stadium was originally absent from the Nintendo Switch Online library when Nintendo had added both Pokémon Snap to the platform and later Pokémon Puzzle League. Both video games have been available on the platform since July 18, 2022, according to the Pokémon website.

Fans of the original Nintendo 64 Pokémon video games can finally experience almost every entry in their full glory on the Nintendo Switch platform.

Hopefully Pokémon Stadium 2 isn’t too far away from being added to the platform as well.

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.

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

ILLUSTRATION BY MYENN RAHNOMA AND SAM DIETZ

GRAPHIC BY VANESSA TRAN

From local gym to Judo champion

Judo is an unarmed Japanese martial art that takes discipline, patience and strength, but, for Conor Uyekawa, it’s a way of life.

Uyekawa, a photography junior, was born and raised in Orange County and was introduced to judo at a young age by his father.

“It was something I was never planning on doing in my life,” Uyekawa said.

He said he remembers his father leaving the house on Tuesday and Friday evenings and asking him where he was going.

It wasn’t until Uyekawa was six years old that his father took him to the Norwalk Judo Dojo –the family’s local dojo in Orange County.

“I was pretty naive and thought that he was going to take me to, like, Disneyland or something,”

Uyekawa said.

He said the world of judo overwhelmed him at first and it was not until a year into the sport that he would find fulfillment in competing.

“It definitely gave me a lot of maturity growing up compared to other sports,” Uyekawa said. “I think each and every sport has its own purpose as to why you learn about respect and build camaraderie during these team events.”

Uyekawa attended Los Alamitos High School, balancing judo and wrestling for four years.

Some of his judo achievements from this time include winning

the Judoka of the Year award in 2016 and the Junior Olympics for -55kg (120lbs) in the summer of both 2018 and 2019, representing Norwalk Judo Dojo.

He is a two-time Collegiate Nationals Champion and will

him and for him to take his own time to teach me was a really big honor.”

He said his introduction to competing at the collegiate level was a slow crawl because of his familiarity with local and regional tournaments, which helped him prepare

next four to five years,”

His freshman year was a challenge because COVID-19 pandemic caused classes to be held online, and he said the transition toward online practice was a difficult experience.

“But at the same time,

collegiate level.

“It was nice to finally be here and to practice, but at the same time, there were still restrictions,” Uyekawa said. “We still had to wear masks and keep our distance outside of practice because we didn’t want to risk

Uyekawa said. “There’s also the opportunity to claim a team title granted to the top three teams with the most wins per individual athlete.”

Not only would Uyekawa and the Spartans walk home victorious from the Collegiate Nationals in 2022, but he also received the “Athlete of The Year” plaque the following year in addition to the Spartans taking 1st place on home soil.

Mechanical engineering freshman Weston Uyekawa is Conor’s brother and fellow Spartan judo team mate.

“I always felt like I was always competing with my brother,” Weston said. “But competing together has been a great experience – watching my brother win and my teammates fight.”

participate in the World University Games in China later this year, representing not only San Jose State, but the U.S.

“[Conor] is a fighter,” SJSU head judo coach Kosuke Tanaka said. “He is a very kind and soft person, but when he starts fighting in practice and in tournaments, he’s on fire and he doesn’t want to lose.”

Tanaka said he first saw Uyekawa at a high school championship in Los Angeles, but it would be years before they met in person.

“When I first met him, I was pretty intimidated because Japan is one of the more superior countries in the sport of judo,” Uyekawa said. “Getting the opportunity to meet

for national competitions.

“It was definitely tough at times because I was always used to competing consistently – that’s how I understood what I needed to work on for the bigger tournaments,” Uyekawa said. “Since coming here, it was like, ‘I have three months until the next competition’ and, ‘It’s not guaranteed that I will compete due to postponing the tournament because of COVID-19 or if I were to get injured.’ ”

When applying for colleges, Uyekawa said he took judo programs into great consideration.

“I saw [SJSU] had a really good judo program . . . it was set in stone for me,” he said. “That’s what I wanted to pursue in the

you have to work with what you got,” Uyekawa said. “I thought to myself, ‘It’s better to have something rather than to have nothing –sitting around doing my own thing.’ ”

Tanaka said he used this time over Zoom to teach the history of judo techniques and the sport as a whole.

At home in Orange County, Uyekawa said he ran on the treadmill and lifted weights to maintain his physique and weight after practice on Zoom.

“We were still able to actually be on the mat and that itself was a big sense of relief,” Uyekawa said.

He said the careful sparring at Norwalk Judo Dojo prepared him for tournaments at the

somebody getting sick.”

As coronavirus restrictions continued and Uyekawa transitioned into campus life in fall 2021, he said he managed to stay disciplined and patient for the opportunities to come.

The Dallas Invitational and the President’s Cup are held in Texas and were among the first national tournaments the Spartan Judo team encountered following the peak of the coronavirus pandemic which included all age groups separated into three divisions.

“Those kinds of tournaments are a lot more competitive since we’re competing against the best of the best in the U.S.,” Uyekawa said. “We’re going against people around the world with different judo backgrounds, different training styles and different techniques.”

After competing in the Texas tournaments, he said he analyzed his diet and training regiment and started making changes to prepare for the Collegiate Nationals.

While the Spartans trained rigorously for these two tournaments, he said he kept his eyes on the Collegiate Nationals being that it pertains only to college students.

“That tournament, I would say, is a lot more important to us because you get the opportunity to claim a spot in an international competition every other year,”

Conor Uyekawa said winning the Collegiate Nationals a second time helped prove to himself that he deserves the title.

“I can honestly say that was the first time I ever broke down crying after winning a match,” he said. “Not because I won in the final or because I was able to maintain my title, but because of the raw emotions that came into that tournament and also being on home turf – it drove me to want to come out on top.”

The Spartan judo team is scheduled to attend the Golden State Open in Los Angeles at the end of the month and the Senior Nationals in Washington at the end of the semester.

“This would not have been possible without my teammates at San Jose State and my teammates back at Norwalk Judo because without them I would not be in this position to tell my story,” Uyekawa said. “Also my family too who raised me to be this humble, respectful man and I want to show them that I can work hard and make them proud.”

By Brandon Nicolas STAFF WRITER

PHOTO COURTESY OF CONOR UYEKAWA

Conor Uyekawa celebrates after taking down an opponent at a Judo tournament earlier this year. Uyekawa majors in photography and has been on the judo team for three years.

“It definitely gave me a lot of maturity growing up compared to other sports,” Uyekawa said. “I think each and every sport has its own purpose as to why you learn about respect and build camaraderie during these team events.”

Conor Uyekawa Junior Judo athlete

BRANDON NICOLAS | SPARTAN DAILY

SJSU junior judo athlete Conor Uyekawa, stands in front of Yoshihiro Uchida Hall on Thursday afternoon.

The Willow Project will destroy the Earth

work trying to defend the planned project.

Domimique Huber STAFF WRITER

In the heart of Alaska’s pristine wilderness, the controversial Willow Project looms large, threatening to undermine decades of conservation efforts and opening the door to irreparable environmental damage. This multibilliondollar oil drilling project, spearheaded by powerful American oil corporation, ConocoPhillips, promises temporary economic benefits at the expense of one of our planet’s fragile ecosystems.

As we face the forbidding realities of climate change, it’s time to question the wisdom of allowing such a harmful project and consider the consequences of prioritizing profit over the planet’s health.

Originally presented under the Trump administration in 2020, the Willow Project has become the source of much controversy since the Biden administration approved it in March, according to one CNN article.

The approval of the

project came as a surprise to many, in light of promises Joe Biden made during his 2020 presidential campaign.

In his efforts to win votes, he claimed there would be no more oil drilling on federal lands during a 2020 debate with former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.

Obviously, Biden lied. Or at the very least, he made promises he knew he couldn’t keep.

The Willow Project, which is the largest proposed project of its kind, would take place in the National Petroleum Reserve, Alaska, according to a March 15 USA Today article.

The project would allow ConocoPhillips to drill about 576 million barrels of

oil over a span of 30 years, translating into 239 million metric tons of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere in that time span, according to a March 15 Al Jazeera article.

The Willow Project will cost about $7 billion, according to a March 14 Reuters article, and wouldn’t start producing oil until 2029, according to an official analysis published by the State of Alaska Department of Revenue.

I’m not an energy expert, but there must be another way to use $7 billion in six years that will have the desired results without violating the biggest piece of pristine land in the country.

Climate activists, groups of Alaskan Natives and

millions of ordinary people have spoken out against the Willow Project.

In one letter written by members of the native Nuiqsut community, leaders wrote, “They are payoffs for the loss of our health and culture . . . No dollar can replace what we risk . . . It is a matter of our survival.”

A Change.org petition amassed over 3 million signatures from people all over the United States who are against the planned drilling.

Alaska Natives who live close to the proposed site have also voiced concerns for their health and the health of the landscape around them.

However, it has been known for years that the

U.S. government is heavily connected and influenced by corporate interests.

In 2022, the oil and gas industry spent $124.4 million, which went to lobbying the federal government, according to a Feb. 22 report by Open Secrets.

Although many people are fervently protesting the project, the system that is supposed to protect them still allows it and we must question who that system is really working for.

The government has created this legislation in favor of lobbyist groups, not in favor of environmental purposes or of the people.

Alaskan politicians and prominent folks in the oil industry have been hard at

They have claimed the project will lessen the U.S.’ dependence on other countries for oil and bring billions of dollars to Alaskans, according to Grist, a climate-focused media organization based in Seattle.

Those who argue that the Willow Project will bring in economic benefits and energy supplies that would outweigh the harms are losing sight of the bigger picture.

All that money and control will mean nothing on a burning planet.

There are people trying to stop the project and the fight is not over yet.

Environmental and Indigenous groups have come together to file a lawsuit against the Biden administration.

Some have encouraged people to join or begin grassroots efforts to organize against the Willow Project in whatever way they can, whether that be striking, spreading the word or voting.

As long as ordinary people keep showing up and demanding justice and change, we have a fighting chance to stop the destruction of the planet, and in turn, the human race.

Schools need to stop banning books

Christine Tran STAFF WRITER

“The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie was the first book I read in high school, during my freshman year English class.

My eighth grade English teacher told our class the texts we would read in high school would be much more challenging to interact with. I was anxious for the beginning of the next semester because of this, among other reasons, but I was pleased “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” was a graphic novel. I loved reading comic books in middle school for the fun illustrations and text bubbles, so it was the perfect book to transition to a high school curriculum.

The 2007 graphic novel is written from a firstperson perspective about Junior, who grows up on the Spokane Indian Reservation, and chooses to go to a public high school outside of it. The novel is based on Alexie’s real experiences surrounding poverty and alcoholism. He left the same reservation as a teenager, according to a Dec. 13, 2016 Dallas Morning News article.

Aside from it being a funny and easy read, the graphic novel was my first exposure to the reality of many Native Americans’ lives.

To put things in perspective, I attended a poorly ranked middle school in my district. A student I was shadowing on a high school tour actually pointed at a desk and asked if my classrooms had “one of these.”

This allowed me to widen my viewpoint on prejudice against Native Americans that is overlooked in my own community.

It wasn’t until I read the graphic novel that I

themselves into a world where they don’t resemble the main character. In general, I think it’s crucial for students to dissect their own racial biases and judgements toward a group of people they may know

that many parents believe high schoolers won’t come across the content anyway - puberty, alcohol, slurs, violence and more.

It’s straight up censorship to restrict students from reading

imposter syndrome every time I stepped foot in those classrooms. The graphic novel resonated with me when Junior chooses to leave the reservation school for a better education.

one these. My history classes touched on past, Khan had no about how Reservations were to Americans

touched on the past, such as Genghis Khan sharing DNA with millions of people, but I had virtually no knowledge about how the past affected Native Americans.

first created to relocate Native Americans so European Americans could settle on their lands, but 13% of the American Indian and Alaska Native population still reside on reservations, according to the 2020 Census from The Office of Minority Health.

True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” taught me that people I’d never encountered or learned much about were still being affected by the United States’ history. The world wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine, as I had previously thought.

first on a list of the top 100 most banned and challenged books from 2010 to 2019, according to the American Library Association.

In the story, the protagonist, Junior, attends a predominantly white high school that has a Native American mascot.

Knowing “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” is deprived from other students’ education nationwide genuinely upsets me. It should be taught in every high school’s English classes because while reading the novel, students transport

it for being a required reading for freshmen at the Midland Public Schools because of the content Alexie wrote, according to Marshall Libraries.

Book bans are justified as a means to protect children from mature topics, but I find it amusing

material they can feel seen by or learn about experiences they’ve never gone through

“The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” was unfortunately the only book in four years of my English classes that was written by a Native American author. Banning this graphic novel is discriminatory, since it is one of the most popular young adult novels about the Native American experience. While Alexie helped readers like me acknowledge his unique experience, it’s also a form of representation for other Native American teenagers navigating through life.

Some parents believe they have the authority to decide what their children are exposed to in education. However, they should accept the fact that young adults need books to turn them into well-rounded members of society. Reading literature about a person of color or written by a person of color can teach young adults about empathy regarding all racial backgrounds.

I found myself relating to Junior in many ways, even though I’m not Native American

He was the only Native American at his high school and, similarly, in middle school I was the only Asian student in my grade, other than my cousin. My white peers in high school English classes received a more advanced education prior, so I had

In an environment that fosters learning, representation matters in everything high school students consume and restricting them will only do more harm than good.

GRAPHIC BY JILLIAN DARNELL

GRAPHICBY JILLIAN DARNELL

GRAPHIC BY JILLIAN DARNELL

Education needs more queer books

Stephen Chbosky.

Jillian Darnell OPINION EDITOR

The LGBTQ community is a significant part of history, but according to most school curriculums in the US, queer people don’t exist.

When I was in high school, the only LGBTQrelated book I read was “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker, which is an amazing book in itself. “The Color Purple” discussed Black woman autonomy, discovering one’s own body, the importance of female relationships and friendships and the exploration of sexuality.

But how come after over a decade of learning I only learned a single queer story? There has been plenty of debate of the lack of diversity in books in the classroom, according to a March 9, 2022 Edutopia article, “Studies of children’s books indicate that most of the characters within the sample are White, ranging from half to 90 percent of the illustrations. Characters who represent Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities are about 10 percent of the illustrations or fewer, with some ethnic and racial groups featured at 1 percent.”

Edutopia is a part of the George Lucas Educational Foundation that aims to improve education for children.

Most school curriculums push the classics such as Shakespeare, Charles Dickens and Fitzgerald. It seems the education board doesn’t understand that students should learn multiple perspectives and ways of life, not just the cishet male complaining about the white male experience. I wanted to gauge my eyes out at books like “Lord of the Flies” and “The Catcher in the Rye.” With the lack of diversity in culture and ethnicity, there’s even a larger gap in LGTBQ representation.

According to the same Edutopia article, there’s barely any representation

for LGBTQ themed books, especially for transgender and intersectionality, “Nonbinary and transgender characters are rarely portrayed, and those characters of intersectional racial/ethnic and gender identities may be presented in limiting and problematic portrayals, with occasional affirming depictions.”

Teachers recognize that there should be more inclusive learning for students that are a part of the LGBTQ community to be represented.

Juno Dawson taught sex education and wellness for years and realized there wasn’t enough education on the LGTBQ community. To offer students an expansion on sexuality and gender education, Dawson wrote and published “This Book Is Gay,” which discusses sexuality, gender and how to preserve wellbeing in queer relationships.

“This Book Is Gay’’ was claimed to have inappropriate themes, but it was meant for young adults to learn about LGTBQ sex education safely and healthily. By banning this book, and others like it, LGTBQ youth won’t be able to gain access to lifechanging information.

This isn’t just about health wellness of LGTBQ, but also representation. There are so many books on the banned book list that celebrate diversity and queerness, such as “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe.

“Gender Queer: A Memoir” is a book about Kobabe’s struggle of being nonbinary in a world that is steeped in gender norms only acknowledging two genders.

“It’s very hard to hear people say ‘This book is not appropriate to young people’ when it’s like, I was a young person for whom this book would have been not only appropriate, but so, so necessary,” Kobabe said in a Dec. 19, 2021 NBC article. “There are a lot of people who are

health services, and without proper support, it can lead to dire consequences, according to a May 5, 2022 NPR article, “45% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year. Additionally, nearly 1 in 5 transgender and nonbinary youth attempted suicide.”

One of my favorite novels that detail the coming out experience is “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe” by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, a novel about a young teenager named Ari realizing he’s falling in love with his best friend Dante.

Both Ari and Dante are first generation MexicanAmericans and learn to fall in love with life as they grow up with another, Dante is the first to come out as gay and is faced with the harsh homophobic world of the 90s.

Ari struggles with himself, an internal battle of denial and restraint towards the idea of being gay. To me, this happened to be the most reliable and transparent coming out experience I’ve read,

inside and outside the community no longer see LGBTQ as harmful.

LGBTQ individuals aren’t living a particular lifestyle, we are simply existing. Books like “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe” shows that.

Although stories of systemic homophobia and transphobia are important, it’s equally as significant to read stories of queers simply existing.

There is an essential need to read about body dysmorphia, being closeted, police brutality against the LGBTQ community - but sometimes, in order to normalize these stories, they should focus on what matters at the center of all these issues. Queerness and identity existing without facing adversity can be interesting enough.

As someone who is queer, I understand why there’s so many coming of age stories talking about resistance to the status quo, being different and thus facing the multitude of issues in the world because of it. But I’m tired of reading just “us against the

or a person that identifies outside the gender binary be simply comfortable with themselves.

A book that does this well would be “One Last Stop” by Casey McQuiston.

This novel felt like a love letter honoring the LGBTQ community from before creating a foundation for now.

The characters from this narrative have stuck with me, a scene in particular that stood out to me was when the character Niko, a transgender male, had his photo of his young self hung up on the fridge pretransition. When the main character pointed it out and asked who that little girl in the picture was, Niko claimed who he was in the photo not being shy of his identity then and now.

It’s such a privilege to be in that reality to be surrounded by people who accept you for who you are and in turn accept yourself. I love and want to read more stories where it’s just a transgender person existing, being comfortable in their identity. This should be the goal of society.

In face of all the issues, it’s so hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Especially now with “Don’t Say Gay” laws being implemented around the country and queer couples fearing their right to marriage will be taken away.

“[When I was learning about sex in the ‘90s] It was the shadow of HIV and AIDS as well. So I was very scared of sex,” said Dawson in an April 5 Rolling Stones interview. “I made some very risky choices. And I just didn’t want that for the next generation. I wished there was a way that young queer people could go out into adulthood armed with better knowledge, and ways of being smart about sex and dating.”

However, “This Book Is Gay” has become one of the most banned books in the U.S., according to the Advocate, alongside “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by

questioning their gender, questioning their sexuality and having a real hard time finding honest accounts of somebody else on the same journey. There are people for whom this is vital and for whom this could maybe even be lifesaving.”

It is so essential for kids who are growing up to see people who align with different identities that they themselves could identify with. I remember the first time I started to question my sexuality and gender identity, it was so lonely thinking I was the only one feeling this way because of the lack of representation.

LGBTQ youth barely have access to mental

because even when there’s family and friends you have to come out to - the hardest person to come out is yourself.

One of my favorite moments in the book that still sticks with me to this day is when Ari realizes that he finds Dante to be beautiful. In a world where there is war and people that would beat up others for being gay, finding beauty in that mess isn’t really a bad thing at all.

To me, that’s the importance of queer novels, or any queer story for that matter. It’s meant to show love as pure, well-meaning and beautiful no matter shape and size, so people

rest of the world” stories.

They’re needed, they are incredibly essential to education especially to cishet people who don’t understand the oppressive queer experience. But dear god, I just want to read more stories of two people falling in love, a simple romance, or an individual growing into their gender queer identity.

It’s important to address the issues surrounding the perception of the LGBTQ community, but it’s just as important to read stories of them just existing. I feel like sometimes I’m so overwhelmed with all the issues, that I don’t get to see a real love story unfold

More agonizing, the fear that transgender youth will be forced to de-transition to their original birth sex because of a law that is ignorant, controlling and cares more about ensuring body dysmorphia is at the height of reasons of teens committing suicide rather than the ongoing issue of school shootings.

Seriously, our country is more concerned about a story of queerness rather than kids being shot and killed on their school campuses? Please reorganize your fucking priorities America, this is bullshit.

To me, that’s the importance of queer novels, or any queer story for that matter. It’s meant to show love as pure, well-meaning and beautiful no matter shape and size, so people inside and outside the community no longer see LGBTQ as harmful.