CFA advocates for free speech
By Saturn Williams STAFF WRITER
The California Faculty Association is organizing across the state against new policies limiting free speech on California State University campuses.
A newly revised Time, Place and Manner policy went into effect on Aug. 15 for students and nonrepresented employees, according to a web page from The California State University system.
This policy prohibits certain forms of assembly on campuses, including a ban on staged encampments, according to the full text of the policy.
While awaiting bargaining on the policy, the California Faculty Association released multiple statements criticizing the implementation of the interim systemwide Time, Place and Manner policy on its website.
Shamako Noble, a field representative for the California Faculty Association chapter at SJSU, said the policy feels like an oppressive overreach of power in response to protests over the past academic year.
“We definitely feel like this is a disproportionate and oppressive response to student, faculty, staff and the public’s right to speak freely,” Noble said. “(And) to have the opportunity to assemble in (the) community as they mobilize against things that
are important to them.”
The union filed an unfair practice charge with the California Public Employment Relations Board against the Board of Trustees of the California State University, according to a Sept. 5 press release from the California Faculty Association.
The charge alleges that the directive, which was announced on Aug. 28 by the California State University chancellor, was an attempt to push through
blindsiding the union.
“We expected them to engage based on the agreed meet and confer process, and they did not, so we were absolutely surprised by it,” Noble said.
This move by the administration is a violation of the Higher Education Employer-Employee Relations Act, according to a Sept. 5 press release from the California Faculty Association.
The Higher Education Employer-Employee
within the California Faculty Association, said she supports the opposition of the statewide union to the California State University administration’s actions.
“We need to take a coordinated and hard stance against Time, Place (and) Manner policies and their updates,” Kil said.
Kil plans to submit a resolution at the California Faculty Association’s fall assembly in October to implement protections on free speech for faculty
Faculty Association at San José State has refused to provide her guest status to attend the assembly, forcing her to fundraise for her own travel and attendance.
Noble said the SJSU’s chapter of the union is waiting for statewide actions to play out before a mobilization takes place on the ground and to expect a statement on Time, Place and Manner in the coming weeks.
stated motivation for these policies,” he said. “But I also again ask, ‘Who defines safety? Safety for whom?’ ” Among the future actions planned by the California Faculty Association in response to the chancellor’s directive and Time, Place and Manner policy, the union may strike, according to the same Sept. 5 press release from the union’s website.
We definitely feel like this is a disproportionate and oppressive response to student, faculty, staff and the public’s right to speak freely. (And) to have the opportunity to assemble in the community as they mobilize against things that are imortant to them.
Shamako Noble Field representative for the California Faculty Association Chapter at SJSU
policies restricting behavior on campuses without properly meeting and conferring with the union, according to the Unfair Practice Charge Form.
Noble said he was on a call with another California Faculty Association member when the unilateral directive dropped,
Relations Act establishes the rules for collective bargaining in the California State University system, according to a web page from the California Public Employment Relations Board.
Sang Hea Kil, a member of the Caucus of Rank-andFile Education Workers
within the union’s collective bargaining agreement.
“In that academic freedom resolution, we're going to try to embed a lot of these Time, Place and Manner policies, because these (policies) are really an attack on our academic freedom,” Kil said.
She said the California
“The ideal situation would be minimizing the imposition of the various problematic dimensions of (Time, Place and Manner),” Noble said. “(And to) minimize those impacts on students and faculty throughout the state and locally.”
Mari Fuentes-Martin, vice president of Student Affairs and the designated university official for the Time, Place and Manner policy at SJSU, said the restrictions are necessary in creating a safe environment on campus.
“Given the climate of not only (the) United States, but around the world, people are escalating their expressions which is really fine if we’re safe,” Fuentes-Martin said.
“But when it disrupts the learning process for other students, we have to take some control to ensure that they still have a place to learn.”
Noble said the question of safety should be decided by the campus community
“We understand that to a degree, safety is a motivation or at least a
“My understanding is that filing a (Public Employment Relations Board) charge about the interim Time, Place, Manner policies will eventually lead us to the pathway to strike,” Kil said.
Kil said she is unsure if the union can handle a strike at the moment, citing the lack of a strike fund at the local or statewide level.
Noble said he hopes the meet and confer process on the Time, Place and Manner policy will result in the upholding of academic freedom at SJSU and across CSU campuses.
“I think we want to see the repression stop, I think we want to see academic freedom thrive,” Noble said. “I think we want to see a campus where surveillance is not common practice and to be expected by people who are just trying to express themselves and exercise both their academic and citizen rights.”
Free Speech Project comes to SJSU
By Charity Spicer & Jackson Lindstrom STAFF WRITERS
Students and faculty gathered in the Student Union Theater for Georgetown University’s Free Speech Project symposium from Sept. 19 to 20. San José State University hosted the two-day symposium “Free Speech at the Crossroads: A Silicon Valley Dialogue” in partnership with Georgetown University, The Knight Foundation and The John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships.
The Free Speech Project was founded in 2017 and is directed by Sanford Ungar at Georgetown University and has become a hub for upholding First Amendment rights as an independent and nonpartisan initiative, according to The Free Speech Project website.
Speakers at the event included SJSU professors, attorneys, news reporters and tech company leaders who discussed some of the threats to free speech, Section 230 (within the Communications
enjoyed the conversation on hate speech since there are multiple facets to the issue.
“I do agree on both sides that having a hate speech law will be good going forward,” Brown
Georgetown University. Some of these issues consist of college protests, Heckler’s Veto, foreign policy, and regulations on technological platforms.
Ungar said one of the main purposes of The
Smita Hashim, chief product officer of Zoom, the discussion being moderated by Gloria C. Duffy, co-president and co-CEO of Commonwealth Club World Affairs
One problem that a lot of universities have is that they make decisions based on political expediency and short-term decisions. The hard thing is . . . to articulate your values, be clear about which principles you hold to dear and to really adhere to those.
Ralph Richard Banks Professor of law at Stanford University
of California.
Decency Act of 1996), the development of artificial intelligence and its effect on society.
Teairra Brown, an SJSU public relations and radiotelevision-film major in her second year, said that she attended the event for a class requirement and
said. “But that will impact marginalized groups when it comes to speaking out about things … especially who is making the law.”
There have been a total of 996 global free speech issues in the past seven years, according to the Free Speech Tracker from
Free Speech Project is to bring attention to the depletion and threats to free speech.
“We don’t know the results of this election yet, but we may have a real free speech crisis coming up,” Ungar said.
Ungar said that oftentimes people advocate for free speech but only when they agree with it, which is one of the largest issues plaguing free speech rights.
Friday’s free speech dialogues expanded on more ideas about free speech, all with different speakers from the day before.
Emilio Garcia-Ruiz, editor in chief of the San Francisco Chronicle, spoke at the event with other panelists, about the relevancy of privacy in the digital age.
The other two speakers were Tiffany Li, professor of law at University of San Francisco, and
“We take (free speech) for granted,” Garcia-Ruiz said. “It’s an absolute key to a successful society for people to be able to speak their minds.”
He said that the relationship between free speech and privacy can be seen with the example of someone posting something online that becomes very public, now that you can find anything with just a simple Google search.
Ralph Richard Banks, professor of law at Stanford University, spoke with other panelists about students’ right to protest while still keeping hate speech at bay.
“One problem that a lot of universities have is that they make decisions based on political expediency and short-term decisions,” Banks said. “The hard thing is ... to articulate your values, be clear about which principles
you hold to dear and to really adhere to those.”
All of the panelists agreed that students have a right to protest, but they should follow the time, place, and manner policies, a regulation that states people have the right to speak, provided the time, place and manner is appropriate.
To try to keep the conversation interesting, however, Banks brought up points of disagreement on the basis on which universities protect the First Amendment.
Banks’ point of contention between the panelists was that the primary goal of a university should not be to uphold the First Amendment, but rather to have a “vibrant learning atmosphere.”
“We should be doing the analysis ourselves, rather than simply deferring to the Supreme Court and how it has interpreted the First Amendment,” Banks said.
Ungar said he plans to work on the Free Speech Project for the foreseeable future, hopefully for as long as he can.
“Talk about it, read about it, find the free speech elements of everyday events and experiences that some people don’t necessarily recognize as free expression issues,” said Ungar. Follow
CHARITY SPICER | SPARTAN DAILY
Eric Goldman, a professor of law at Santa Clara University (left), and Monika Bickert, the head of global policy management at Facebook, talk about privacy and technology.
CHARITY SPICER | SPARTAN DAILY
Sanford J. Ungar, director of the Free Speech Project at Georgetown University, speaks on a panel.
Celebrity chef cooks up at library
By Israel Archie STAFF WRITER
San José was in for a treat as a world-renowned chef hosted a cooking demonstration at the City Hall Rotunda on Saturday afternoon.
Chef Martin Yan, who is known for his cooking show “Yan Can Cook,” led the demonstration based on recipes from his newest cookbooks “Best of Yan Can Cook” (2023) and “My Asian Kitchen” (2024).
His TV show first premiered in Canada back in 1979 before coming to the United States in 1982 and filming over 3,500 episodes, according to a Feb. 14 2018 KQED article.
“For me, it is an honor and a privilege and I hope to come back again sometime,” Yan said.
The Signature Author Event was put on by the San José Public Library as a way to raise money to invest in the library, according to the San José Public Library Foundation website.
City librarian Jill Bourne said she was satisfied with the outcome of the event and the amount of people that came.
“We were really excited to have such a large crowd,” Bourne said. “It’s clear that Chef Martin Yen was really popular and attracted
community members from all over.”
Bourne said the demonstration event showed the diversity in the kind of reading material the library has to offer.
“We’re looking at celebrating different types of authors who have materials in the library,” Bourne said. “It’s a different way to raise awareness and raise interest and remind people of all of the different types of books you can find in the library.”
The event opened up with a lion dance in honor of the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, which is celebrated when the moon is at its brightest and fullest according to a Smithsonian web page.
This is a holiday for families to come together and celebrate the harvest of that time of the year underneath the moonlight, according to the same web page.
This was followed by a dragon dance from Chef Yan with a smaller dragon than usual.
“I never get a chance to practice really well,” Yan said. “Hopefully one day, I’ll do a better job.”
According to Yan, the lion dance is used in Chinese culture as a way to scare away evil spirits and bring good luck and fortune for the rest of the year.
Yan welcomed the audience as he went down
the line, having people touch the dragon’s head while giving away chopsticks and other cooking supplies such as knives and sharpening sticks.
“As a television show host, you know that you are reaching millions of people,” Yan said. “Some of these people want to say hello, make friends and reconnect.”
Yan showed the audience how to make a simple stir fry with chicken and vegetables including bell peppers, onions and celery.
Yan also taught cooking tips such as how to sharpen, hold and properly use a kitchen knife.
These tips included keeping your fingertips tucked when cutting and always using a sharp knife.
Jose Castaneda, a local San José resident, helped Yan with his demonstration by sautéing ingredients in the stir fry and doing a pan flip for the crowd.
“It was surreal and unbelievable being with someone that is
so experienced and so knowledgeable and versed in that field,” Castaneda said.
Castaneda said he was happy with the turnout of the event and voiced the importance of having events like these in the community.
“The library is the cornerstone of a community,” Castaneda said. “They create these events to get people to come together and a lot of times we are so busy with our own personal lives that we forget the little things.”
Yan shared the same
sentiment when it comes to the value of putting on these kinds of events.
“A lot of people are overworked and a lot of people are depressed and having an event like this brings the community together,” Yan said. “People can get reconnected and learn to appreciate each other.”
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Vendors keep San José popping
#4: Peedy Lee, creator
#1: Plants from Plant Slut the Plant Shop are displayed in ceramic pots that were locally handmade from cement.
#2: Tiffany Lau, founder of Made by Tiffany, sets up shop at the “End of the Summer Market” in San Pedro Square.
#3: Visitors wander down San Pedro’s square-painted floor, eyeing the array of pop-up booths set up on Saturday.
of Seto Arts, stands behind her booth with a display of handmade ceramic crafts that she created.
ANAHI HERRERA VILLANUEVA | SPARTAN DAILY
ISRAEL ARCHIE | SPARTAN DAILY
Chef Martin Yan stands on a platform with several audience members at the San José Public Library on Saturday.
Katy Perry lacks passion in ‘143’
Katy Perry’s new album “143” released on Friday and it is a failed attempt to regain the singer’s past glory.
Perry is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, after selling 100 million digital records, according to an Aug. 8, 2019 article from Recording Industry Association of America.
Growing up, anytime her songs came on the radio, my sister and I happily sang along to her hit “Firework” and my personal favorite “Teenage Dream.”
Perry’s songs made me feel good and lifted my spirits whenever I heard them play.
Unfortunately, her seventh studio album, which features 11 tracks, did not live up to the pop star’s reputation.
The album’s leading track, “WOMAN’S WORLD,” was released on July 11 as a single and is Perry’s attempt at empowering women.
Her lyrics, “She’s a winner, champion / Superhuman, number one,” helps capture the theme of feminism, similar to several of her past songs.
In her song, “Firework,” which was released in 2010, the
lyrics, “You don't have to feel like a waste of space / You're original, cannot be replaced,” touches on real feelings that many women face, such as not feeling like they are enough.
As I listened to “WOMAN’S WORLD,” I couldn’t help but feel like I already heard it a million times because it wasn’t anything different.
Perry doesn’t touch on any serious issues that women face in today’s world but instead uses superficial lyrics such as, “Fire in her eyes / Feminine divine / She was born to shine.”
“WOMAN’S WORLD” seems more like a dispassionate, half-assed song that throws a bunch of lyrics praising women together and calling it a day.
Long gone is Perry’s charm from previous songs that were released throughout her successful career such as “Last Friday Night” and “Hot N Cold.”
I still hoped that Perry would return with the witty and fun songs I grew up listening to including “Roar” and “Firework.”
Not only is her leading track filled with disconnected lyrics but controversy surrounds several of her music videos.
Perry is receiving backlash for collaborating with producer and songwriter Łukasz Gottwald, who also goes by
his producer name, Dr. Luke.
In 2014, pop star Kesha alleged that Dr. Luke had drugged and raped her in 2005, according to a Aug. 16, 2023 article from Rolling Stone.
Following the lawsuit, many of Perry’s fans criticized her for collaborating with Dr. Luke.
“The truth is, I wrote these songs from my experience of my whole life going through this metamorphosis, and he (Dr. Luke) was one of the people to help facilitate all that,” Perry said in a podcast interview on “Call Her Daddy” with podcast host Alex Cooper, according to a Sept. 4 USA Today article.
This controversy affects the album because it seems unsettling that an album made by a woman for women is collaborating with someone who has been accused of sexual harassment.
The album name “143” doesn’t give any emotional depth to this album even though Perry said it means “I love you,” according to a July 12 article from Cosmopolitan.
At the end of the day, the numbers just exemplifies the surface level approach Perry takes with this album.
“GIMME GIMME” featuring rapper 21 Savage, sounds like a mix of electronic programming and nursery rhymes.
The fourth track, “I’M HIS, HE’S MINE” featuring Doechii, has a more uplifting beat and this jolt of energy that was much needed in the album.
But much like the rest of the album, her lyrics are monotonous and makes me question if her decision to leave American Idol for this album is something she will regret.
Perry left American Idol in February 2024 after seven years on the judging panel to focus on her singing career,
according to a Feb. 19 article from Forbes.
The lyrics, “I’m his main, I’m his side,” contradicts the feminist tone she attempts to establish in her album since it minimizes her to her partner’s food.
I see that she’s trying to say she’s her partner’s main girl and side piece, but the way it was put seems like she’s something on his plate instead of a partner.
added to my playlist, but I will note “NIRVANA” is credited to 12 contributors, according to a webpage from GENIUS. This is a lot for a song that is not a masterpiece
“ARTIFICIAL” featuring JID, describes Perry’s album in one word.
By the time her album reaches the tenth track, “TRUTH,” it’s clear that all the songs have similar themes, which are
‘WOMAN’S WORLD’ seems more like a dispassionate, half-assed song that throws a bunch of lyrics praising women together and calling it a day.
“ALL THE LOVE” has a nice, cheerful beat and the simple lyrics are not bad compared to the rest of the album.
The lyrics, “Now there’s poetry in every moment / All the lost that I ever lost (came back to me)” is about the singer finding love again even though she had already given up on romance.
I didn’t find my favorite song from Perry’s album until the eighth track, “NIRVANA” which sounds new and exciting, with an 80s’ music tone and clublike feel.
The lyrics, “Dancing in blurry lights / Found you in paradise / Floating in the diamond sky,” reminds me of a song I’d listen to in my car with friends while we’re driving around at night. This song will definitely be
repetitive and derivative.
The pop singer ends her album with “WONDER,” which is a cute finish to a boring album since it features Perry’s daughter's voice at the beginning.
“WONDER” is undeniably sweet but by the end of “143,” it’s hard to savor it because the album fell flat.
Her stale lyrics sound like they are 143 years old, and collaborating with Dr. Luke amid the ongoing controversy feels very off-putting for an album that is clearly trying to appeal to a female audience.
GRAPHIC BY SOFIA HILL
By Alejandra Gallo STAFF WRITER
Artist: Katy Perry
OPINION
Fantasy football completes week three
By Israel Archie STAFF WRITER
I am eager to see how these players will impact the rankings week in and week out with the National Football League coming back into season.
Fantasy football is a game where you choose a team of real football players from different teams and win points according to how well the players play each week, according to the Cambridge Dictionary.
Some picks are more obvious than others, while some picks continue to surprise fans as the season progresses.
The more obvious picks will be players that consistently have good seasons like Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Joshua Jefferson.
One pick that I was not expecting to be so valuable is New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara.
Kamara already has 285 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns in only three games and the Saints are currently the No. 1 team in the NFC South, according to an ESPN web page.
He also currently ranks second among all the running backs for ESPN fantasy football, according to another web page from ESPN. This should tell you everything that you need to know.
Another valuable pick
that happens to come from the same team is Saints quarterback Derek Carr, who has had a good season so far as well.
Carr currently has 585 passing yards and six touchdown passes in his first three games making him a gold mine for fantasy points right now, according to the same web page .
I know it is still early in the season but a lot of times these first few games might set a tone for how the season might go.
Unfortunately, the next few weeks won’t be looking so good for the Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco.
Pacheco fractured his fibula against the Cincinnati Bengals in week two and is expected to miss six to eight weeks of game play, according to another web page from ESPN.
By that point, the season is already going to be halfway done so it would be impossible to maximize fantasy points with him.
Pacheco is coming off a season where he scored seven rushing touchdowns and averaged 4.6 yards per carry, according to a different web page from ESPN.
Not to mention he is a two-time Super Bowl titleholder after the Chiefs won its third Super Bowl title against the San Francisco 49ers, according to a Feb. 12 article from
NBC News.
I thought he was going to be one of the best fantasy players this season after seeing his stats, but someone can get hurt on any given Sunday.
For those who are also in this situation I would consider picking up running back Kareem Hunt.
The Chiefs just picked Hunt up on Sept. 17 and it seems like he is going to be the main source of their ground game these next coming weeks.
While it was a long time ago, Hunt’s first stint with the Chiefs was arguably the best that he had ever played.
In his rookie season, Hunt had over 1,300 rushing yards and averaged roughly five yards per carry which led to eight touchdowns for the season, according to a different web page from ESPN.
While we might not see that level play again from Hunt this season due to wear and tear after being
picked up as a free agent, it looks like there is still some use for him on the ground.
He might be good enough to reel in some fantasy points.
Playing fantasy football is a good way to follow the game and stay up to date on a player’s performance.
As long as you do it for that purpose and as a way to bring your favorite players together, gambling should not be a concern since it is not naturally a
part of fantasy football. With 14 more weeks left in the regular season, the best fantasy football picks have plenty of time to change.
I like what I am seeing right now and I am looking forward to what the rest of the season has in store for fans.
