SJSU president, AS talk agenda
By Israel Archie STAFF WRITER
San José State student government organization, Associated Students (A.S) hosted its first in-person board meeting of the semester on Wednesday.
The board covered 14 different items which ranged from housekeeping duties to petitions for cultural expression.
Much of the housekeeping included things such as removing and appointing different board members to different committees because of scheduling.
In the board meeting, there was a motion to add extra time to the meeting and A.S. directors were still not able to address everything on the agenda.
“We had a lengthy agenda so we
had to table board reports,” A.S. Director of Communications Geoffrey Agustin said.
The board was also greeted by SJSU President Cynthia Teniente-Matson who went into detail about the new initiatives centered around the newly instated Time, Place and Manner policy on campus.
This was preceded by a report from Student Affairs Vice President, Mari FuentesMartin, who covered the oversight of things such as student involvement and student conduct.
Fuentes-Martin also offered more insight in regards to the Time, Place and Manner policy as she spoke before the board, explaining more of what this policy entails.
The boardmembers were later introduced to a presentation delivered by Alan Gouig, who serves as the president of the Filipino Alumni Network.
The SJSU alumnus talked about the plans for the construction of a mural on campus highlighting Filipino farmworkers.
Leonardo Plazola, A.S. Director of Student Rights and Responsibilities, discussed his resolution concerning the federal recognition of the Muwekma-Ohlone Tribe.
Plazola said his fellow
This policy reserves the right for students and staff to exercise their right to protest as long as it doesn’t endanger anyone else or disrupt university events, according to (the California State University Time, Place and Manner Policy document).
colleagues to support this cause as the Muwekma-Ohlone people fight to get federally recognized once more.
The aerospace engineering senior’s efforts were well received by the board of directors. While this was the first board meeting of the year for everyone, it was also the first ever in-person board meeting for A.S. Vice President, Chima Nwokolo.
Nwokolo was elected as vice president in April allowing him to serve in his first term at Associated Students.
Nwokolo, a political science senior, presided over the entire meeting from calling the meeting to order and adjourning the meeting.
“I was very excited,” Nwokolo said. “I will admit we had a lot of
items on the agenda.”
In the board meeting, there was a motion to add extra time to the meeting and A.S. directors were still not able to address everything on the agenda.
“We had a lengthy agenda so we had to table board reports,” A.S. Director of Communications Geoffrey Agustin said. Nonetheless, the computer engineering junior said that it was a very productive meeting.
The first meeting of the semester wrapped up and posted on their website, students can go back and look further into what was discussed.
SJSU’s Gambarin to work with CSU
By Sofia Hill STAFF WRITER
Katelyn Gambarin, the director of Legislative Affairs for Associated Students, has been involved in student government at San José State since her first semester of college, and since then she has been making a difference.
In her position, Gambarin, along with the A.S. president, will support and uphold the wants and needs of San Jose State University students by collaborating with local government offices and officials, according to Associated Students SJSU.
Gambarin was also recently been elected as vice chair of the Cal State Student Association, with candidates spanning from different CSUs.
According to the Cal State Student Association website, CSSA is an organization led by California State University students to ameliorate the lives and experiences of every student attending the CSUs by representing students and attesting to their needs.
Associated Students (A.S.) and the Cal State
Student Association are intertwined to best support students across all the 23 CSU campuses, according to the CSSA website.
Associated Students SJSU President, Ariana Lacson, said that Gambarin served as vice chair for the A.S. board of directors prior to her new position as vice chair for the Cal State Student Association. “She’s familiar with how being a vice chair works so that was optimal for her new position.”,
Gambarin has continuously held a position in Associated Students since joining from the Fall semester of 2022 to now, the Fall semester of 2024.
Now starting her third year at SJSU, she has held four different positions in total in A.S., including the position of student at large, ethics officer, director of internal affairs, and currently, the director of legislative affairs.
“I’ve been a part of Associated Students since my very first year, and I have absolutely fallen in love with it,” Gambarin said. “I feel like I’ve really grown as a person and as a leader in this space.” Leonardo Plazola, A.S.
director of Student rights and Responsibilities said, “She has a wealth of experience and knowledge.”
“(Gambarin) is such a valuable member of our board and I cannot imagine it without her,” Plazola said.
Gambarin interned for California 25th District Assemblymember Ash Kalra, giving her experi-
ence in local government and legislation. Kalra represents eastern San José and a majority of Downtown San José, including the part that holds our San José State campus.
“I think that internship really affirmed my desire to stay in government or work in government,” she said. “I don’t know in what capacity I would want to
do that, but I do know that doing this kind of work is very rewarding.” Gambarin stressed the importance of students being involved in their community and staying informed.
“The legislation that’s passed that affects this area affects you,” she said. “It’s just really about showing students that you have a
say in what happens in this area. You have the ability to voice who you think is going to make change that will benefit you and your future.”
Katelyn Gambarin (left) votes with her fellow Associated Student
ISRAEL ARCHIE | SPARTAN DAILY
SJSU Student Affairs Vice President Mari Fuentes-Martin with directors from Associated Student discuss agenda items including the Time, Place and Manner Policy.
Students speed date for new friends
By Anahi Herrera Villanueva STAFF WRITER
San José State University hosted its annual Speed Friending event and gave students a chance to meet new people in a different way on Wednesday.
Student Involvement hosted its fourth annual Speed Friending event during Weeks of Welcome.
Speed Friending encourages all students to connect with new people over shared interests with each round consisting of new topics with participants moving to tables depending on their interests, according to SJSU’s webpage.
Keri Toma Loehrer, director of International Students and Scholar Services, organized this event along with Student Involvement.
“The main thing is that people are having fun and are getting to meet new people, and finding connections,” Toma Loehrer said.
Weeks of Welcome aims to support new and returning students to campus as they transition into SJSU, according to the Student Involvement webpage.
Student Involvement at SJSU organizes spirit-filled programs, special events, live music and free food, according to the Student Involvement, Division of Student Affairs webpage.
Weeks of Welcome runs from Aug. 19 to Sept. 23 featuring several clubs and organizations
that SJSU has to offer, according to the same webpage.
People gathered underneath the tents at SJSU’s housing squad as they made their way to check-in, receiving their identifiable wristbands.
Then, they settled in at one of the tables waiting for the rounds to begin.
Design studies junior, Abby Abuan, said she had the goal of making connections with new individuals.
“I really got to talk to people
when we were talking about music,” Abuan said. “We’re talking about previous concerts we’ve been to and planning on going in the future.”
Activities included a largescale Jenga, a large-scale Connect 4 and a game of cornhole.
It wasn’t just games that were at the event, but also Kona Ice along with other food items.
Freshman Kyle Ingalla lined up for the shaved ice at the Kona Ice food truck after attending
the entire event.
“I was already on campus so why not?” Ingalla said. “It’s been good meeting new people. I would’ve just been at the Student Union waiting for another event I want to go to start.”
He said he was able to connect with multiple people by talking about one of his favorite common interests, sports.
“Turns out we both played in the same competitive swim team and talked about the coaches and teammates,” he said.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
ANAHI HERRERA VILLANUEVA | SPARTAN DAILY
San José State students circulate through different tables to make friends with similar
way at tables on
A group of students engage in a friendly competition of cornhole and other carnival-themed activities during the Speed Friendin g event at the Housing Quad.
ANAHI HERRERA VILLANUEVA | SPARTAN DAILY
Follow Anahi on Instagram @a.nahi.h
Campus Burgers is smashing
and the location is perfect because it’s right by campus so students save on transportation,” said Martinez.
Look no further because a new burger joint is now providing a good alternative for San José students and locals on a low budget.
Campus Burgers opened on July 27 across from SJSU’s Hammer Theater Arena, according to its official Instagram page.
The restaurant offers juicy burgers, crispy fries and ice cold drinks with a subtle decor by only having red stools by the window while you are waiting for your order, while maintaining a traditional American fast food menu.
Its menu has affordable prices with items ranging from $1.99 to $4.99 for hamburgers, cheeseburgers, double cheeseburgers, fresh-cut fries and sodas.
Walking in, the smell of their delicious smash burgers, topped with thinly sliced onions, then flipped and topped with classic American cheese whirled through the air.
The menu offers a total of six items making it easy for customers to fall in love with the simplicity of what they have to offer.
Customers can eat a full meal complete with a single cheeseburger, freshly cut fries, a beverage of choice just with $10 and walk out with change.
The taste of the burgers actually will surprise you with the attached price tag. Yes there was some grease to it, but it is just enough for you to ignore. It still holds the quality of what some other establishments provide.
Natalie Martinez, an engineering freshman at SJSU, said that the food was very affordable and the location of the restaurant is convenient.
“I thought it was very affordable
“Its (location) is also convenient for when you stay up late studying, and you’re hungry.”
Martinez said since it’s right by campus so SJSU students can save time if they are up studying and need a quick snack to take a break from possible long sessions.
The convenience and location of Campus Burgers is perfect for students and locals looking for a meal on the go. While it is in a location that many students can take advantage of, it can be a good alternative to other surrounding restaurants including the establishments on campus.
“I think this place would be perfect if they expanded the menu a little bit more,” Martinez said. “Such as adding milkshakes or even possibly some choice of lemonades.”
Another San José resident, Yerelin Isidor, said she was impressed with the burgers after she ordered and paid just $10 for two cheeseburgers and fries.
There are few places in San José where you can find an enjoyable meal for less than $10, but at this establishment you can comfortably feed up to two people with just that amount.
This restaurant is a great example showing how some food prices can be too expensive.
If Campus Burgers can stay afloat by maintaining an inexpensive menu, restaurant owners could turn their focus on the amount of customers instead of food prices.
“I thought the cheeseburger would just be meat and cheese,” Isidor said. “I was glad that it included sauce, onions, as well as pickles.
Cyril Kadmusow, a business major at De Anza College, said
“Their burgers start off at $2 while their drinks and fries are $4,” Kadmusow said. “It’s convenient for students who go to SJSU as well as residents that live Downtown knowing it is not cheap living here.”
Campus Burgers had a reasonable “price to taste” ratio for students and residents.
“Their burgers start off at $2 while their drinks and fries are $4,” Kadmusow said. “It’s convenient for students who go to SJSU as well
as residents that live Downtown knowing it is not cheap living here.”
The interior of the restaurant is the weak point of Campus Burgers. There is nowhere to sit inside so you have to take your order elsewhere to enjoy.
There will typically be a high volume of customers with it being an inexpensive establishment.
“One of the biggest problems I faced while waiting for my food was how it was always crowded indoors,” Isidor said.
Campus Burgers is open Mondays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to midnight and it is only closed on Sundays.
The menu prices are what draws customers to try this place. Their establishment is very grab and go which is very easy for people that are in a rush.
As for the overall taste of the burgers, it was very surprising that the restaurant is able to produce this kind of result with the attached price tag of it.
Follow Spartan Daily on X (formerly Twitter) @Spartandaily
HUNTER YATES |
SPARTAN DAILY
By Hunter Yates STAFF WRITER
HUNTER YATES | SPARTAN DAILY
The interior of Campus Burgers can be seen illuminating from the outside window of its entrance.
By Jackson Lindstrom STAFF
San José State University football held it’s first pep rally to get campus excited for its first football game of the season on Wednesday.
The game will be at home for the Spartans, who will be facing off against Sacramento State
University on Thursday at 7 p.m. according to the SJSU event calendar.
Mari Fuentes-Martin, SJSU Vice President for student affairs, hopes this event gets school spirit up and encourages students to go to the game.
“As we get later into this season, we’re going to
be playing teams from our conference, and that should (get) a bigger turnout,” Fuentes-Martin said.
Associated Students (A.S) event director, Kenne Jackson, Event Director, explained that A.S. have been planning the rally for around two to three months.
“Over the summer we meet, we talk about getting athletics involved, football, getting the president to come,” Jackson said.
Jackson says another goal of the event was to celebrate the kick off for the fall season for SJSU sports, which included the appearance of the women’s basketball team.
Lines going back several tens of students could also be seen at the event as students lined up to get free pizza.
Leading the rally was the SJSU marching band and cheerleading
team, who played music and danced together throughout the event.
Head coach of the cheerleading team, Heather Gallegos, has been preparing the team for this event since August.
“They practice three days a week, and they also lift weights twice a week; we’ve been preparing for a really long time,” Gallegos said.
The marching band, dance team, and cheerleading team will put together what they have practiced on Thursday for their halftime show.
Fabio Wilhelm, an international transfer student
from Switzerland said he’s planning on going to the game.
“We don’t have American football in our country, so we are super excited to see the Spartan(s) win,” Wilhelm said. Fuentes-Martin hopes for as many students to come out as possible for the first football game of the season.
“I’m really enjoying all the school spirit that I’m seeing and I hope that means we get people to turn out for the game,” Fuentes-Martin said.