Spartan Daily Vol. 161 No. 17

Restroom catches fire on campus

By Matthew Gonzalez EXECUTIVE EDITOR

A fire on the third floor of the Boccardo Business Center left San José State students scrambling on Wednesday morning.

Elaine Lê, academic adviser and building marshal for the business tower, said the fire broke out in the women’s restroom somewhere between 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.

“When I spoke with students, they had told me they just sat down for their class when the

alarm went off,” Lê said. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

Accounting senior Michael Stephenson said there was a great sense of urgency when fellow students in his class, located on the third floor, heard the alarm.

“Everybody jumped because the alarm, but people were just like ‘Yeah, alright,’ ’’ Stephenson said.

“People got up, and grabbed their stuff really quick.”

Similarly, business marketing senior, Anabel

Cuevas said the expression on her professor’s face was the catalyst for a scary realization.

“The professor is giving a lecture and out of nowhere he looks startled, and I realized there was a loud noise,” Cuevas said. “Yeah it [the fire alarm] caught me off guard for like a second, and then everybody just started walking out.”

Cuevas said she and her classmates in groundlevel classroom 022 were some of the first people to be evacuated from the building.

“It was mainly our class [outside] at first, and the class next to us,” Cuevas said. “And then slowly the crowd started coming because everybody was coming down the stairs.”

Lê, who was working in the Student Success Center on the first floor of the business tower said her immediate reaction was to clear out any occupants of the building. She said when she got to the third floor, the hallways were relatively unscathed, but conditions in the women’s restroom were worse.

“I went to the third floor, the highest floor and was going to evacuate any folks in the (women’s) restroom and there was a lot of smoke and it was hot,” Lê said.

Lê said when she went to evacuate the women’s restroom, the stalls in front of her weren’t visible, having been engulfed in smoke. She said the experience was jarring.

Aaron Klemm, senior director for energy, utilities and sustainability at SJSU said while the San José Fire Department contained the flames,

health and safety standards in regards to air quality are a secondary, but equally important threat.

“When the fire department had determined there was no longer an active fire threat, that doesn’t mean it’s fully safe to occupy [the business tower] to our health and safety standards,” Klemm said.

Follow Matthew on X (formerly Twitter) @matthewgnzlez

VTA discusses future transportation projects

By Brandon Nicolas SENIOR

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) hosted a community outreach open house event to promote the Valley Transportation Plan 2050 (VTP 2050) at the Roosevelt Community Center Wednesday evening.

VTA provides sustainable transportation options including bus, light rail and paratransit services throughout the greater Santa Clara Valley County, according to its website.

The VTP 2050 is the countywide transportation plan and policy framework for developing future transportation projects, according to its website overview.

Adopted after VTP 2040, the plan identifies existing and future highways, local streets and roads, transit and bicycles, each with dedicated programs aiming to better and expand transportation for the community, according to the same source.

VTP 2040 is a part of VTA’s Bart Silicon Valley Phase II, the largest single public infrastructure project ever constructed in Santa Clara County, according to its website.

Estimated to carry 55,000 passengers each weekday, the Phase II will include the construction of BART stations at 28th Street/Little Portugal Station, Downtown San José Station, Diridon Station and

Santa Clara Station, according to the same site.

Set to be completed by 2040, students, faculty and staff would be able to take BART transit from Santa Clara Station into Downtown. There is also a projected connection to Berryessa/ North San José Station.

The VTA open house featured several tables each decorated with information posters about specific programs under VTP 2050. Attendees at the event were encouraged to participate in providing feedback by talking to VTA staff and participating in active surveys.

Senior Transportation Planner John Sighamony spoke at the event supported by a presentation about the plan.

VTP 2050, proposed in Nov. of last year, started with public input to determine county goals for the next 25 years, Sighamony said.

He also said the plan is currently in the development phase until Feb. of next year and is set to be fully adopted by summer.

“We’ll then develop the document beginning in the spring,” Sighamony said. “That takes into account whole strategies, projects and what we need to be doing to make those projects happen.”

Sighamony said the open house is a great opportunity to gather input from community members whose voices are not

generally heard.

Data Scientist Mirae Lee said she takes public transportation bi-weekly for recreational purposes.

She said she was curious to know what long term plans of VTP 2050 were and stopped to chat with VTA staff.

“I take the bus to get to events, grocery stores . . . really just to get around the city,” Lee said.

She said her household is in the process of becoming less dependent on driving as a means of transportation and referred to walking or biking as good alternatives.

“In general, I just wanted to learn more about what plans there were to decrease commute times,” Lee said.

Sighamony said the VTA Visionary Network plan aims to reduce wait times when using light rail or bus and increase ridership.

“A lot of our major routes are 15 minutes,” he said. “If we get it down to 10 minutes, people will be more like, ‘Okay I can wait ten minutes and the bus will be there.’ ”

Sighamony said in addition to the shorter wait time, bus station restoration and transit speed will be monitored. VTA would have to work with the city to adjust transit and bus signal priority.

“It’s like the biggest bang for your buck, you know, and some of these projects are important

projects, but some of them are very expensive,” he said. “This is something that our riders could use.”

Associate Principal Woody Hanson works for SITELAB urban studio, an urban design firm working with VTA to produce a community rich environment surrounding 28th Street/Little Portugal Station.

He said the upcoming BART stations will implement transit-oriented development, an active and dense development plan set to surround the stations.

“The goal is to bring people to the station, and when they arrive at the station, they know exactly where they are,” Hanson said.

Hanson said it’s important for 28th Street/Little Portugal

Station to represent its neighborhood because it’s not a downtown station.

Hanson greeted attendees and gave them colored stickers to place on different panels representing what they want to see built in their community.

“It’s a transit oriented development that’s rooted in the character of the neighborhood, so community engagement is really important,” he said. “With this neighborhood, we need to better understand what it needs, what stories it’s telling and how we can imbed that in future development.”

MATTHEW GONZALEZ | SPARTAN DAILY

Students gather outside of San José State University's James F. Boccardo Business Education Center building after evacuation because of a fire on Wednesday morning.

STAFF WRITER

Attendees listen to a speaker at the VTA event on Wednesday.

BRANDON NICOLAS | SPARTAN DAILY

Community talks campus safety

By Lamar Moody STAFF WRITER

Campus Safety is key for thriving college students. When the San José University Police Department patrols campus they reassure safety in our community.

SJSU PD is in charge of making sure all staff and students are safe.

The University Police Department has about 24 peace officers and over 50 civilian personnel, according to a website from the department.

This includes Parking Services, library security, housing security, police cadets and administrative staff, according to the same source.

S. Calderon, University Police Department library community officer, said it's important for him and his colleagues to talk to the community and constantly remind them that if they see something that may be suspicious, troubling, or harmful, they need to reach out right away.

"Specifically for the library, I believe it's all about visibility,” Calderon said. “People seeing us doing our foot patrol on every floor, every few minutes makes people feel more safe."

If there is any type of disturbance or threat to the library, the library community officer’s handle it right away. Calderon said that if law has to be enforced then they will contact the police officers at the university.

"Also communicating with staff to see if there are any ongoing issues we can fix,” Calderon said.

Calderon also said that SJSU police officers have a one mile jurisdiction from campus, meaning they can patrol surrounding neighborhoods around campus as long as it's within the one mile radius.

Calderon said police cadets on campus have jurisdiction in all areas of campus. They patrol parking garages, classroom

buildings, housing quads and other campus areas that are heavily occupied.

University Police officer Brandon Clark said there is a difference between patrolling the campus during the day compared to the night.

“Daytime officers deal with campus environments,” Clark said. “We nighttime officers deal with making sure certain parts of the campus are locked and secured like bathrooms, and classrooms or other areas around the housing quad."

Clark said that it's so much other different stuff that goes into law enforcement. He said everyday is different and he never knows what to expect. Officers patrol the surrounding campus neighborhoods to make sure traffic laws are enforced.

"We have traffic enforcement over on 9th and San Salvador because there's dorms over there and students are constantly walking to and from classes,” Clark said.

Officer Clark also said blue phones are placed in certain areas of

the campus and are used for calling emergency assistance right away.

According to the SJSU website, Bluelight emergency phones are located all across the campus including in residence halls and parking garages. The website suggests that when walking on campus, take note of where the Bluelight phones are located and use them when needed. Pressing the red button on the blue phone calls emergency assistance right away,” Clark said.

The university offers a safety escort program, SJSU Safe Ride Program, Run, Hide, Fight Training and Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) Training, according to a website from University Police. All these services are accessible to all students and faculty.

Communications freshman

Nick Elliot said that he feels safer living on campus rather than living near campus.

“I feel safe living on campus because my friends and peers are around me. There’s a lot of homeless people who post up near campus and it’s scary,”

Elliot said. "I feel safe on campus because friends and campus police are always easily accessible.”

Business junior major Yojit Sharma said that living on campus is much safer because there's always people walking around campus and UPD is one call away. Sharma also said how living off campus in San José can be a bit alarming because your neighbors might be people who aren’t students, who don't relate.

“At least while living on campus, I'm

surrounded by other people who have similar interests,” Sharma said. Sharma described the constant traffic on and off campus, saying that the campus is most active during the day around 1 p.m.

Early in the afternoon, when walking up Seventh Street to campus, Sharma said he feels the safest because there is always something going on and there are always students outside.

"I live off campus now but when I lived on campus, I felt more safe because there's always friends around campus, especially during the day, the campus is hella active," Sharma said.

"Overall I feel like our campus is pretty safe,” Sharma said. “I feel like our university does a great job with safety but if there was anything they could improve on, it would be adding better lighting in some of the areas of campus. It can be pitch black in certain areas of the campus."

Correction

On Tuesday, Sept. 26, the Spartan Daily misrepresented a motion concerning Reid Hillview Airport's future plans. The motion regards eliminating lead exposure from its operations.

The Spartan Daily regrets this error.

GRAPHIC BY ALICIA ALVAREZ

UPD holds ‘Stop the Bleed’ event

By Navin Krishnan STAFF WRITER

It takes one person to stop the flow of blood, but stopping the flow of the number one preventable cause of death after injury takes an entire movement.

The San José State University Police Department honored the national public awareness campaign and charitable organization Stop the Bleed with an event on Wednesday at the University Police South Campus building.

The purpose of the event was to train the general public to recognize and respond to bleeding after injury.

Sgt. Chris Zonsius of the San José State Police Depart, has an array of experiences including time with the armed for Zonsius said the main reason he took over this position is because of his experience as active duty on the Coast Guard and as an Emergency Medical Technician in the Coast Guard.

Zonsius said the program is called “Tactical Combat Casualty Care Training,” a more in-depth version of Stop the Bleed.

While the Stop the Bleed event was not a combat-based event, the methods were discerned during actual combat situations in war.

He said the only difference is that in a combat situation, more often than not the injury

would be because of an active shooter. He said in a situation on campus, a more ideal situation would be a car accident.

“We never know what could occur. In my tenure here in the University there has been many accidents, there have been many issues that have taken place around the campus,” Parking Services manager Eric Cross said.

“There was an incident several years ago here at

the Marines, the National Association of Medical Technicians and the Committee of Tactical Combat.

“The American Surgeons just noticed that there was a need to provide the ability to stop life-threatening bleeding at the scene,” Zonsius said. “They were basically looking at the CPR mode and how CPR has saved lives. We want to give people the opportunity

because it’s those few seconds that can make the difference.”

Chris Zonsius said there are three aspects of being able to help as a bystander.

First, Notify the police as soon as possible and put the line on the speaker phone.

Then, try to find the source of the bleeding, high volume bleeding or pools of blood.

Finally, try to find

going to use when you’re off campus,” Zonsius said. “When you’re out on a Sunday or Saturday, having a good time with your friends and something happens – someone injures themselves on the bicycle or motorcycle or you run across a car accident –this could have you, your family or a friend in an emergency situation.”

Zonsius passed out tourniquets and gauze

treat heavy and potentially life-threatening bleeding.

“I travel back and forth from Sacramento to San José every day, I’ve been witnessing a lot more accidents on the freeway," Cross said. “It should matter to any individual whether it is a student or not to have a good working knowledge of medical treatment or first-aid treatment for someone in the event that they’re injured.”

the (nearby) 7-Eleven store and our officers were there to try to assist and provide medical assistance. Unfortunately, I think that individual did not make it,” he said.

The seminars became significant after 20 children and eight adults lost their lives in a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. according to the Stop the Bleed website.

Stop the Bleed came from four different organizations, according to Zonsius: the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma, the American College of

to do the same kind of thing.”

“Our police department here are well-trained and they are very concerned and compassionate about community and to the students here on campus,” Cross said.

Executive Assistant for Chief of Police Rachel McConell said that although she isn’t sworn in as a police officer, the training at Stop the Bleeding could help her save a life.

“(The mission) is to educate people so that in their everyday lives, they can step into an emergency,” McConell said. “You can save a life,

Rachel McConell Executive Assistant for Chief of Police

anything to compress the wound as soon as possible.He said another technique to stop a deep wound from bleeding is to pack the wound with gauze. He said this technique is fundamental if the wound is around the neck, armpits or a region where a device called a tourniquet cannot be used.

Zonsius said a tourniquet is a strap used to tie around bleeding limbs to manually cut off circulation to avoid complications after injury.

“I believe it benefits San José State students because this is something you are more than likely

for everyone attending the event to practice with rubber-made limbs and wounds.

He said bystanders would be able to apply these procedures to everyone except the extremely young. He said in the event that a small child or adolescent needed to be attended to, an “Israeli Bandage,” a softer alternative to a tourniquet can be used.

According to the CanaPhem California website, the Israeli Bandage is a combatproven alternative to a tourniquet. It is a multipurpose elasticized bandage that is used to

Cross said he travels back and forth from Sacramento to San José every day. He said everyone, not just students, should be prepared and have a good working knowledge of first aid and general medical procedure in the event it happens to someone she or he knows.

“We all have blood in our bodies, but none of us know what’s going to happen in the next thirty seconds in life,”

Rachel McConell said. “So, If you’re a walking, breathing human being, you should do the best you can for your personal safety and the lives around you.”

Sgt. Chris Zonsius of San Jose State Police Depart performs a demonstration of how to use

the Bleed’ event on Wednesday.

We all have blood in our bodies, but none of us know what’s going to happen in the next thirty seconds in life.

Doja Cat’s ‘Scarlet’ is stunning

By Aaliyah Roman STAFF WRITER

Los Angeles rapper and singer Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini, commonly known as Doja Cat, released her fourth album “Scarlet” last Friday, and there’s only two words to describe how I felt: pure excitement.

Doja Cat first gained notoriety with her viral song, “MOOO!,” where she rapped about cows. It was definitely an entrance into her career.

A friend once told me she thinks Doja Cat tries to be more unique in the music industry, which I’m now beginning to see. Comparing her current persona to that of her previous albums, “Hot Pink” and “Planet Her,” Dlamini’s persona has shifted from girly pop to absolute demon.

With “Scarlet,” Dlamini fired back against complaints about her public image and ability to rap.

Many fans turned the other way in fear of being “possessed” by the demonic imagery.

While it is true that her change in character (and my absolute fear of anything on the side of the demonic) altered my love for Doja Cat as an artist

Being a woman that listens to modern-day rap, I definitely appreciate this style of music coming from a woman in the music industry, and it made me realize how much more there is to come from Dlamini.

I am a huge fan of what Doja Cat is doing in the female-rap game. Among the other female rappers I listen to, including Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat is one of the most talented and unique.

“Scarlet” has more rapping than any of her previous albums, and it feels like a new side to Doja Cat’s music has been unlocked.

The album had what I felt

album review

“Scarlet”

Rating:

Artist: Doja Cat Release Date: Sept. 22, 2023

Genre: pop, rap

newer albums lacked, consistency but the album as a whole definitely could’ve been shortened up a bit, as it got pretty repetitive.

By the time I got to “96”, the sixth song on the album, I grew tired of her high-pitched voice and hoped she would switch it up or give me more vocals.

It’s like Dlamini read my exact thoughts because shortly after, the song “Gun” started playing. This one has to be at the absolute top of the list for me because the rap flow and well-produced beats complemented each other.

It makes me feel like a hot girl but also a cool girl. I can imagine myself rolling around in my little Honda with my windows down, bumping this song with my bass obnoxiously turned all the way up.

Another song that impressed me was “Agora Hills.” The unexpected beat drop after the first eight seconds reminded me that when I’m driving, a Doja Cat song will not be skipped, at least not in my car.

I can definitely see this song blowing up and being one of the more popular songs from the album just because it’s catchy and fits well with current popular music trends.

Dlamini’s nonchalant attitude shines brightly as she makes a play on modern-day rap lyrics. I actually laughed out loud after hearing certain lines in the song, and after I looked up the lyrics, I

was in utter shock.

The song starts off like a love song and then proceeds to have some pretty out-of-pocket lyrics. Listening to Dlamini singing “I wanna show you off” and then looking up the lyrics to see the line “Don’t give a fuck where the penis been” was when I knew there way no way she is actually being serious.

It’s played off as if it’s a game to her, but whatever the game was, she was killing it.

To add that cherry on top, One of the lines she ends the song off is “Baby, you are literally cappin’ to me right now / Like, why are you cappin’? / You just cap so hard . . .” and I just burst into laughter thinking, ‘Yup she’s a genius.” ’

I will say “Agora Hills” is definitely for the girls. I can’t see a man listening and actually appreciating the humor Doja Cat offers.

The album has a song titled “Wet Vagina” with lyrics like“Baby, can you call me back? I miss you / It’s so lonely in my mansion” from “Agora Hills,” directly addressing the backlash to her demonic persona as to say “you may feel that way, but I’m that girl and I’m hella successful.”

I love the lines “Y’all been pushin’ "Satan this” and “Satan that” / My fans is yellin’, ‘Least she rich,’ you need that pact,” from “Skull and Bones.”

She continues with these

themes on the album’s first single “Attention,” which was released on June 16.

With a creepy melody, she sings “Baby, if you like it, just reach out and pet it / this one doesn’t bite, it doesn’t get aggressive.” The track sounds like she’s hypnotizing her listeners, as a way to make fun of people who are scared of her.

Even though most of the album is playfully spiteful i, Dlamini also had wholesome songs like “Go Off” and “Love Life” that showed how far she’s come and how happy she currently is.

“Go off”, to me, was Dlamini hyping herself up. I saw myself listening to it while I did my makeup and got ready for the day.”

Then there’s “Can’t Wait” and “Often” where Doja Cat is giving us the actual sound of her voice in vocals and, in “Can’t Wait,” 2000’s R&B vibes.

I personally think the album was well thought out and introduces another side to what Doja Cat offers in the music industry.

ILLUSTRATION BY TRACY ESCOBEDO

Modesty is the new bohemian

gaps of exposed skin to keep them from being a so-called “distraction” to men.

Melany Gutierrez

WRITER

STAFF

I hate modesty.

I hate the way it sounds, what it means, the pressure it puts on me.

I hate the misogynistic tone it carries and the fact that people think it's valuable and pleasing.

Modesty has done nothing for me but tear me down when I want to feel confident. Modesty exists as a constant reminder that I will always be perceived as an object to be leered at.

Nothing but a doe-eyed creature prancing around in a skirt and crop top, subject to whatever impure thought that escapes a man’s mind and comes out of his mouth.

Modesty is not my friend. If it died today I wouldn’t miss it.

Before I continue, let me just introduce you to this contradictory idea that many people are probably going to disagree with or have a hard time accepting: modesty is the new bohemian.

It's unconventional and an uncomfortable subject to bring up in a public forum because it's often seen as a personal attack or as a way of invalidating women, neither of which I ever wish to do when I discuss modesty.

But modesty is the new counterculture, it's the middle ground in between the two extremes available to the swinging pendulum and we’ve gone way too far to one side.

Society has been enforcing modesty so that women cover any and all revealing

That always made me think, why is it my fault that boys can’t keep it in their pants at school and that the mere sight of my shoulders or thighs arouse them at age 13.

The concept of modesty has put women through generations of oppression, forcing them to lack individual style and expression. Is it not supposed

so much so that shopping in women’s sections online or at stores is sometimes hard when you don’t want something that shows all of your stomach and your chest.

We don’t talk about modesty enough in Western culture.

When we do talk about it, it’s usually as a parent, teacher or authority figure explaining to a young girl that she has to cover up because of the perverse thoughts of a man.

that I needed to do for other people, always men.

I had never even considered the idea that modesty could be something I can do for myself and that could be a source of autonomy.

I let all of these negative associations sit with me for years, and eventually it simmered, boiled, overflowed and flooded. I chose not to care, I chose to do whatever felt best for me.

to it or just added on to its definition.

I’ve heard about Christian women who incorporate veiling into their outfits.

Veiling is a signifier of modesty and devotion to God. Christianity, Islam, and Judaism all have some form of it.

I’ve seen beautiful videos of Muslim women creating such colorful and coordinated ensembles with their modest attire and hijabs.

or disliked my physical appearance.

I never hated the way I looked, even when people commented about weight gain or loss or acne.

I grew up with room for error and room to grow into my own person thanks to my mother and older sister.

But I think, and it’s not to say the blame is on anyone who raised me, if I had more comfortable conversations about modesty growing up that didn't include misogyny in between the lines, I wouldn’t have spent so much time wearing things that were a little exposing or things that did not express who I am as a person.

to be my job to use my fashion choices as freedom of expression to rebel against that?

Modesty is based on this naive assumption that if I were half naked and exposed I would feel ashamed.

What is wrong with loving my body instead of being afraid or ashamed of it?

I think my body is heavenly, divine, every curve intricately sculpted.

This is how I thought of modesty since my teen years.

I think when I became aware of my sensuality and womanly wiles is when I decided to own my confidence in my body without shame.

If I were to see myself publishing an article with this title back then, I’d probably laugh in my own face, stage a protest against myself or something to that effect. I’d never believe it’s me. Modesty has become a foreign concept

“Cover yourself, your uncles are coming over, that's no way to dress in front of family.”

“You can't wear that at school, there are boys around.”

These are two things I, like every other woman, has heard at some point in their life.

When you first heard this, the way I see it, there were two paths a young woman could have taken as a response.

She either thought “Screw you,” to the misogynistic context of modesty. Or truly believed she did something wrong.

Whichever path someone takes, they have to recognize that these ideologies have a negative perception of modesty because of this confining box people were put into as children.

Modesty was always framed to me as something

I’m not saying that notion is wrong, people should do what is best for them, but there’s a lot to consider here.

Immodesty has been used as a tool of liberation by previous waves of feminism, and we as the next generation have been brought up to adopt those tactics of immodesty as the norm.

I thought I had to choose between feminism and modesty, as if those were two opposing ideas.

They're not opposing ideas and pitting them against each other is harmful to both.

There is no right or wrong way to be a feminist, and we should not try to enforce our opinions through shame.

Modesty can mean so many different things, it can have religious relevance or just sentimental value.

I’ve seen so many people talk about their journeys with modesty on social media, whether they journeyed back

I see women now bringing out their long skirts and cozy sweaters for fall.

It makes me happy to know that women like this were either brought up in a household that taught them or they learned on their own what modesty can mean when you let go of the negatives.

Because it’s taken me years but I finally rewired my brain to know that modesty is only for myself.

I’m not going to pretend I know anyone’s personal experience with modesty, if it's positive or negative.

But what I do know is that no woman should be any less important to listen to just because of their connection to modesty, they should not be forced to give modesty up to be part of something else.

I was so lucky, I grew up with a healthy relationship with my body. I was happy, I rarely worried about

I want that for my daughters one day, I will have those comfortable conversations about modesty with them. Teach them to love their bodies in every way and understand that modesty is for them, if they want it.

I think that’s what we should want to provide for the next generation of young women, a healthy balance between freedom and modesty.

Because my body was intricately designed and sculpted into beauty to be dressed in any way I want.

The truth is I love modesty, it makes me look at my body differently, it makes me feel infinitely warm and happy, it makes me feel confident and divine. I would dearly miss it if it went away.

I love its many definitions, I love what it has added to my life.

Modesty is my love letter to my body, making up for all that time that I thought modesty was meant for someone else.

ILLUSTRATION BY JOANNA CHAVEZ

I want that for my daughters one day, I will have those comfortable conversations about modesty with them. Teach them to love their bodies in every way and understand that modesty is for them, if they want it.

Graded: SJSU football through Week 5

By Nathan Canilao SENIOR STAFF WRITER

It hasn’t been the ideal start for San José State as the team sits at 1-4 going into its Oct. 7 matchup against Boise State.

The Spartans have played a gauntlet of a schedule with consecutive losses to two Top-20 teams (USC and Oregon State), a reigning conference champion (Toledo) and an undefeated conference foe (Air Force). The rest of their schedule doesn’t get any easier with games against San Diego State and Fresno State in late October.

With the team on a bye week, here are some grades for each position group:

Quarterback: B

Quarterback Chevan Cordeiro has dealt with a lot this season. From injuries to the offense to a difficult schedule, he has really had to put the team on his back.

The 2023 Mountain West Preseason Offensive Player of the Year has passed career milestones while also being one of the only offensive playmakers on the roster. He has thrown for 1,022 yards and 6 touchdowns this season. However, he threw interceptions in backto-back games including the game-losing pick-

six against Toledo and struggled to find a rhythm in the Spartans’ 45-20 loss to Air Force on Friday. It’ll be interesting to see if the bye week will help him get out of his interception slump.

Running backs: B+

Surprisingly, this position group has been one of the more consistent groups this season.

Kairee Robinson is on track to have a career year. He has scored a touchdown in every game he’s played and is living up to the Doak Walker Watch List award that he received back in August.

Freshman running back Jabari Bates has been a pleasant surprise this season, playing a vital role in the Spartans’ passing game. Junior transfer Quali Conley has been up-and-down this season, but has played well in short-distance situations.

The running backs have not been able to get the ball consistently because the team has been playing from behind for a majority of the season. With the carries the group has taken, they have done a formidable job establishing a good rushing attack.

Wide receivers: D+

To be fair, SJSU has been without Preseason All-Mountain West Conference receiver

Justin Lockhart all season because of an undisclosed injury and won’t be getting him back.

But, the wide receiver group has been one of the reasons that this offense has regressed. Aside from junior wide receiver Nick Nash, there hasn’t been a wide receiver that has consistently played well this season.

Juniors Malikhi Miller and Charles Ross have combined for 26 catches for 322 yards in 5 games and 1 touchdown. Nash has 25 catches for 234 yards and 3 touchdowns in the same amount of games. If the Spartans’ offense is going to get out of this slump, SJSU will need another playmaker on the outside to stretch the defense.

Offensive line: A-

After being one of the team’s weak points last season, SJSU’s offensive line has been strong up to this point. Led by veterans Jaime Navarro and Anthony Pardue, the Spartans have allowed just 6 sacks.

In the first five games last season, SJSU’s offensive line gave up 17 sacks.

Tight ends: C+

When SJSU’s tight ends have played, the group has been very effective in both the run and passing game. But the problem is the Spartans haven’t really played that often.

Tight end Dominick Mazotti missed a game because of injury. Starting tight end Sam Olson injured his knee against Toledo and is still questionable to start next week’s game against Boise State.

If SJSU can get back to full strength at the tight end spot, the group can help win games down the stretch.

Defensive line: F

SJSU’s defensive line has been the group that has struggled the most thus far. After losing all-conference defensive tackles Junior Fehoko and Cade Hall, the D-line has struggled to sack the quarterback and stop the run.

The Spartans have just 6 sacks and have allowed 216 average rushing yards a game. What was the team’s biggest strength last season has now turned into the team’s biggest weakness.

Linebackers: D

SJSU’s defensive line has held this defense back, but the linebackers are also culpable in the team’s failures in stopping the run.

Against Air Force, the Spartans gave up 400 yards rushing. A lot of the Falcons’ scheme attacked the second level of the defense where linebackers had to make open field tackles.

Juniors Bryun Parham and Jordan Cobbs have kept this group steady, but the Spartans need other linebackers to help in coverage and stop the run.

Defensive backs: C+

SJSU’s defensive backs struggled to start the season, partly because it had to face USC and Oregon State.

But lately they have been a lot better. Spartan defensive backs shut down Toledo quarterback Dequan Finn as SJSU allowed just 92 yards passing and intercepted Finn once.

Special teams: A+

By far the best group SJSU has is its special teams unit.

The Spartans rank first in the Mountain West and fourth in the nation in special teams efficiency. SJSU recovered three onside kicks this season, all of which came in critical moments of the game.

Senior punter Alex Weir currently ranks fourth in the Mountain West in net punt yards. Junior kicker Kyler Halvorsen has been one of the most efficient kickers in the conference and has not missed a field goal this season.

Coaching Staff: D

With two bowl appearances, Brent Brennan has been the reason that SJSU has had success in the past four seasons.

But even he will tell you he has to be better.

“I need to do a better job coaching this team,” Brennan said after the loss to Air Force Friday. “I'm as disappointed and as crushed as all the fans.”

In their last two games, the Spartans’ have been outscored 42-7 in the second half and is a big reason why the team sits at 1-4. The offense has looked anemic and the defense can’t stop a nosebleed.

For the Spartans to finish the season strong, they will have to start with better coaching.

BRANDON NICOLAS | SPARTAN DAILY

The San Jos é State football team does pregame warmups before its first win of the season against Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo on Sept. 9 at CE FCU Stadium.

JULIA CHIE SPARTAN DAILY

Defensive line coach Joe Seumalo (left) and head coach Brent Brennan (right) greets the defense off the field in the Spartans’ 45-20 loss to Air Force on Friday.