SJSU recognized by Journal
By Charity Spicer STAFF WRITER
The Wall Street Journal recently ranked San José State as No. 4 on its list of top public universities and 16 overall in the nation.
The U.S. News & World Report rated the engineering, computer science and business programs as some of the best in the nation despite not offering doctorate degrees based on departments within SJSU, according to their website.
Aakash Krishnan, a second-year computer science student and lab instructor at SJSU, shared that the handson approach that SJSU upholds influenced his choice to come to SJSU.
“The (computer science) department (at SJSU) is probably better than the rankings would place it at because, if you were to look at UC/ CSU systems, they have completely different purposes,” Krishnan said.
While UC Berkeley and Stanford University typically get the majority of attention nationally for their computer science programs, SJSU provides a more intimate and resourceful experience, according to Krishnan.
“My brother goes to (UC) Berkeley. His maximum interaction is with grad students who are there to grade the class or just lead lab section,”
Krishnan said. “Here it seems they’re placing the students, like peer connections, as learning assistants in classes… to interact directly with students and ensure that you can discuss it with questions you have with someone who has done the course before you.”
On SJSU’s Computer Science program catalog and website, the majority of in-person major classes are after 3 p.m. and are taught by visiting lecturers, utilizing Peer Connections for assisting students.
top universities.
“When looking for colleges, I was looking for ones that were primarily based around a lot of businesses or opportunities that were relating to that,” said Abraham. “San José is a hub because Google and Apple and all these other businesses surround it.”
On choosing where to go after high school, Abraham said that the reputation of SJSU’s computer science department made it an easy decision for her.
helped her make connections with other students and gave her the opportunity to work on projects surrounding Virtual Reality.
Due to a budget constraint, SJSU recently let go of all their graders for the computer science program for classes of 75 students or less, according to Abraham and Krishnan.
“So (SJSU) is, in my opinion, extremely underfunded. They have a pretty high rate of faculty coming and lecturers just leaving the department because they’re getting
their most recent faculty salary schedule. While UC Berkeley assistant professors–the lowest division of ranking–can make a maximum of $101,400 annually, according to their 2024 salary scales report.
Thomas Huynh, a firstyear kinesiology student, said that the overall scenery and campus experience has been great so far.
However, Brandon Sanares, a first-year SJSU student shared that some of the biggest areas of improvement at SJSU would be the parking and the student housing facilities.
So,
The (computer science) department (at SJSU) is probably better than the rankings would place it as because if you were to look at at UC/ CSU systems, they have completely different purposes.
Aakash Krishnan
Second-year computer
science student and lab instructor
“The hot water, they keep shutting it off and shutting it back on a lot. It's not constant whether you have to take a cold shower or a hot shower that day,” Sanares said.
Despite these hurdles of transportation, housing, and financial support, SJSU has kept up its reputation for academics and job placement as shared by students.
(SJSU) is in my opinion extremely underfunded. They have pretty high rate of faculty coming and lecturers just leaving the department because they’re getting payed elsewhere.
Maya Abraham, a second-year computer science student who was previously homeschooled, talked about why she chose SJSU over other
Abraham said she was able to do an internship her freshman year through Engineering Success at SJSU. She said the program
paid better elsewhere,” Krishnan said.
At SJSU, the maximum an instructor or lecturer can make annually is $80,124, according to
“If you’re looking for a career related path, then the CSU system is pretty good, especially SJSU because we have involvement from Amazon, Adobe and all the tech companies in the area in the curriculum development itself,” Krishnan said.
Aakash Krishnan
Second-year computer science student and lab instructor
Local businesses thrive in Downtown
San José pushes for small business owners to call downtown their new home for potential businesses.
Matt Mahan, the mayor of San José, announced that he had cut a deal with new businesses interested in moving to the downtown area, according to a Sep. 23 newsletter.
Businesses that come to lease a spot downtown for longer than four years will be exempt of the city’s business tax and even receive two free parking passes, according to the same newsletter.
Mahan said that for a business with around 50 employees, this deal could allow this business to save over $40,000 in the next two years.
With this deal, Mahan hopes to have big and small businesses settle in downtown San José instead of neighboring cities.
Along with the city of San José, the Downtown Association and MOMENT have launched the third project opening two storefronts that six shops will call home, according to an August 9 news release from the city of San José.
The Downtown Association is an association that represents small businesses, nonprofits, and business owners to work together to create a positive downtown experience for its visitors, according to its website.
MOMENT is a program that seeks to fill vacant spaces and promote businesses in San José,
On Tuesday, the Spartan Daily published a story titled, “Students gather to watch VP debate,” in which we misidentified Norah O’Donnell.
The Spartan Daily regrets this error.
I knew this opportunity would not be presented to me by my hometown or anywhere else. I had already seen my business thrive in this area so working with (Downtown Association) has just been wonderful.
Contreras Co-owner of Cositas Contreras
according to its website.
San José Made created MOMENT in 2018 where 14 parking spaces in San Pedro Square were changed to small storefronts for local business owners, according to the same website.
Sandra Contreras, originally from Sonoma County the co-owner of Cositas Contreras, is one of these small businesses that have made downtown their latest home and have seen the impact.
“I knew this opportunity would not be presented to me by my hometown or anywhere else,” Contreras said. “I had already seen my business thrive in this area so working with (Downtown Association) has just been wonderful.”
Cositas Contreras was created in January 2021 under the name Creations by Sandra, according to a MOMENT San José
Instagram post. Contreras then continues to describe Cositas Contreras as part of a Latina-owned collective named Sueños.
“I knew this opportunity would not be presented to me by my hometown or anywhere else,” Contreras said. “I had already seen my business thrive in this area so working with (Downtown Association) has just been wonderful.”
This collective includes three businesses, La Paloma Imports, Coistas Contreras, and MiGi Cera Candles, according to Sueños’ Instagram.
Cositas Contreas sells resin-made items, embroidery, and other similar crafts that are all handmade by the artists, according to the owner.
Along with the products that Contreras creates, she also carries over 25 different Latino-owned small businesses and their
products to provide them with a space to showcase and make passive income.
Alex Stettinsk chief executive officer of the San Jose Downtown Association was present at the recent grand opening of another small business that had received help from the Downtown Association.
“San José Downtown Association is working hard with the city to beautify and clean up downtown and (Paleta Plaenta) is part of that change,” Stettinsk said.
In the same Sept. 23 email sent by Mahan, daytime customers could bring more business to the downtown area and could save small businesses, since at the moment it is mostly thriving on nights and weekends.
Lizbeht Perez Rodriguez, a second year digital media art student, said San José
Downtown could provide more entertainment options.
“I would like to see more affordable food places like Campus Burger as well as small businesses such as Suenos that support local artists and overall showcase their talents,” Perez Rodriguez said. Perez Rodriguez felt that having a business such as Sueños helped her connect with her culture here in San José and served as inspiration since she is also a Latina artist. For Contreras, the real turning point was having the city’s support.
“(Small business owners) don't have to stress about having higher rent or making a certain amount of sales because of the help that Mahan and the Downtown Association are providing for these small businesses,” Contreras said.. “It’s having the flexibility of the rent that makes it comforting that our business will continue as a storefront.”
GRAPHIC BY ANAHI HERRERA VILLANUEVA
By Anahi Herrera Villanueva STAFF WRITER
Students become master chefs
#1: Maddy Kraatz, a fourth-year nutritional & dietetic science student and cooking instructor for the San José State University’s Cooking Healthy, Eating Well classes (CHEW), dices ginger and onion.
#2: A group of students begin their cooking journey by sautéing ground beef and onions for the beef bulgogi dish on Wednesday.
#3: Katelan Liang, a fourth-year nutritional food science student and CHEW demonstrator, splits up white rice for students to enjoy with their dishes.
#4: Students finally get to munch on their self made dish after cooking up a storm at the Student Wellness Center.
SHOW ANALYSIS
Menéndez Netflix series is unfair
By Hunter Yates STAFF WRITER
The controversial Netflix drama, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story,” explores multiple perspectives on the Menéndez brothers’ case.
The second installment of the “Monster” collection, created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, shows the trauma and troubled upbringing that led the brothers murder their parents.
The biographical crime drama anthology television series follows the brothers through the murder trial and their testimonies.
It centers around the 1989 murders of José (Javier Bardem) and Kitty Menéndez (Chloë Sevigny) executed by Lyle (Nicholas Alexander Chavez) and Erik Menéndez (Cooper Koch).
It isn’t easy to play characters who were traumatized by their father for years and carry loads of emotions that pack a punch to the audience with a huge sense of understanding and remorse.
Chavez and Koch portray this story based on real events with their performances, portraying Lyle and Erik.
It isn’t easy to play characters traumatized by their father for years and carrying loads of emotions that pack a punch to the audience with a huge sense of understanding and
remorse.
As viewers watch the show, the true meaning of “monsters” is constantly reinforced through the series and for a viewer who does not know the case, they could think that it is referring to the brothers.
The term “monster” morphs as the episodes go by when the parents José and Kitty are fully introduced in later episodes.
I think the real monster of the story is José. Throughout the show he is responsible for all the trauma caused to both of the boys, by yelling at them, mocking them, as well as abusing them.
Throughout the testimony he is the center focus of the damage caused to Lyle and Erik, the brothers talk about the abuse that was caused to both of them starting at the age of six years old.
José throughout the show would push the brothers to do things they didn’t want to do. For example, he forced Lyle to get a hairpiece just because he was losing a little bit of hair which isn’t something a normal parent would do.
Bardem’s performance throughout the series is intimidating and effective with the understanding of the brothers’ real life testimony.
Later in the series, you start to realize that the abuse didn’t start with José, but continued through him.
Sevigny does a good job telling the story of how the brothers were treated. Throughout the show, viewers find out that Kitty is just as responsible as José because she lets the abuse continue.
This leaves it up to the audience to decide who in the Menéndez family are true monsters.
I empathize with the Menéndez brothers because reliving these experiences in the ‘90s is nothing but brave.
The highlight of the show is episode five, “The Hurt Man,” which has a 32 minute dialogue of Erik explaining his sexual abuse to his lawyer, Leslie Abramson (Ari Graynor).
When “Dahmer –Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” was released, families of his victims mentioned that Murphy never reached out to them, according to a Sep. 27 Slate article.
This seems to be the case since the Menéndez family criticized Murphy for inaccuracies in the newest installation of the “Monster” series, according to the same article.
I think the show accurately presents what Los Angeles represented in the early ‘90s. However, there are many inaccuracies about what happened during the case.
For example, in the show, Lyle was talking to an undercover journalist who was recording all their conversations in jail and
the recordings in the show are much different in real life.
Murphy said he is no longer interested in anything related to the Menéndez brothers and he has no interest in talking to them, according to an Oct. 1 Hollywood Reporter article.
Lyle’s character is portrayed as a very cocky, spoiled and angry young adult, which in many ways is difficult for viewers to grasp if they’ve seen Lyle’s court testimonies.
The Menéndez brothers are currently serving life sentences with no chance of parole in separate prisons.
Erik’s wife, Tammi Menéndez, issued a statement on Sept. 19 on X (formally known as Twitter) on how he truly
felt about the show.
Erik explains in the statement how the portrayal of Lyle saddens him and how the show tends to be dishonest about the conditions of the crime.
“Those awful lies have been disrupted and exposed by countless brave victims over the last two decades,” said Erik Menéndez. “Who have broken through their personal shame and bravely spoken out. So now Murphy shapes his horrible narrative through vile and appalling character portrayals of Lyle and of me and disheartening slander.”
If critics and viewers are finding faults in the show, I say it isn’t on the actors but more so on the creators.
The show isn’t a direct biography of the brothers, it is more of a biography
of time and place. How there was plenty of injustice going around in Los Angeles including the Rodney King riots. What the show is good at is exposing a new generation to the case of the Menéndez brothers.
The story of the Menéndez brothers is a case that challenges everyone's moral compass if what they did was for the greater good.
Overall, this series gives the audience quantities to the original ruling of the Menéndez brothers case, it was popular in the ‘90s and it will be repopularized for a new generation with this show.
GRAPHIC BY KAYA HENKES-POWERS, PHOTO BY FLICKR
ISRAEL ARCHIE | SPARTAN DAILY
Toph needs to be solid in ‘Avatar’
Anfisa Pitchkhadze STAFF WRITER
Nearly 20 years after airing on Nickelodeon, Netflix greenlit the beloved animated series “Avatar: The Last Airbender” to a liveaction adaptation series in February.
The Netflix adaptation stars Aang (Gordon Cormier), Katara (Kiawentiio), Sokka (Ian Ousley), Zuko (Dallas Liu), Fire Lord Oza (Daniel Dae Kim), Iroh (Paul SunHyung Lee) and Azula (Elizabeth Yu).
Like the original series, the Netflix adaptation is set in a fictional universe where civilizations of mainly East Asian and Indigenous descent are divided into four nations based on Earth’s classical elements; earth, water, fire and air, according to a Feb. 22 article from Time Magazine.
The series focuses on 12-year-old Aang who is the last survivor of the Air Nomads and the Avatar and was trapped in an iceberg for a century, according to a Feb. 22 Vulture article.
The Avatar is the master of all four elements and is the world’s only hope to stop the Fire Nation from conquering other nations in the Hundred Year War and the Fire Lord from taking over the world, according to
the same article.
Aang is not alone as his friends Katara and Sokka join his side for the beginning of his quest.
Meanwhile, the exiled Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation is determined to restore his honor by capturing the Avatar.
He is accompanied by his tea loving Uncle Iroh while Zuko’s sister Princess Azula is in a pursuit to stop the Avatar’s plans.
The live-action series’ first season recorded 41.1M views in its first 11 days, according to a Sept. 26 TV Guide article.
Netflix’s version saw quite a success for its first season, although the series brought in mixed reviews for viewers.
“Avatar: The Last Airbender (2024)” did not match up to the animated series, but it was still an enjoyable action-packed series.
However, it finished Season 1 with an intriguing cliffhanger.
Anticipation is building for the series’ upcoming season as the second and third seasons were announced for renewal on March 6, according to the same article.
Cormier, Kiawentiio and Ousley are all expected to return as the primary characters for the second season.
Liu, Yu and Sun-Hyung Lee will also reprise their roles in the next season to continue their characters’ quests from the first season.
Fans such as myself are brewing with excitement to
follow the ongoing journey of Aang and his friends in the upcoming season.
I predict that the second season will go more in depth about the war and the plans of putting an end to the conflict.
Meanwhile, Aang and his friends may explore more of the Earth Kingdom.
It will be interesting to see Earth Kingdom cities like Gaoling and Ba Sing Se coming to life as the main characters spend a significant amount of time there in the second season, “Book Two: Earth,” in the original animated series.
The upcoming season will also be getting an introduction to a fan favorite and my all-time favorite character in the series, Toph Beifong (Miya Cech).
Toph is a 12-yearold blind girl and an earthbending master who later becomes part of Aang’s Team Avatar as she teaches the Avatar earthbending.
Part of the Netflix’s adaptation will likely have “Avatar” fans seeing Aang develop more of his bending skills.
I am excited to see Cormier learning more waterbending and earthbending in the upcoming seasons
Cech has acting experience under her belt, featuring in both of Netflix’s original drama mini-series “Beef” and the comedy drama film “You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah,” according to a Sept. 19 article from Tudum.
It is exciting to see Cech
playing a significant role like Toph, but I am curious about what Cech’s portrayal of the iconic character will look like.
To me, Toph is the best character in the cartoon and I hope Cech can match the character’s sassiness and her tough love towards Team Avatar in the original.
I thought Netflix’s weakest points in the first season is how the writers gave the main characters bland personalities.
Aang, Sokka and Katara were all portrayed as serious and did not show much of their fun and loving side.
For example, Sokka was the comic relief in the original cartoon by Nickelodeon and cracked jokes while also showing
his serious side when appropriate.
Ousley’s portrayal of Sokka did not showcase his comedic side enough in the live action series.
Netflix needs to improve on their writing in the second season because it will be significant in making the actor’s characters more memorable.
I will be highly satisfied if Netflix adds more personality in the character’s lines, especially with Toph.
A question that also is leaving me scratching my head is how Netflix will follow the actors’ ages.
The Nickelodeon series had three seasons where its plot on Aang’s journey in the series took the course of a year.
I don’t think it will be possible for Netflix to cram in a year of events with the actors significantly looking older moving on. It will be somewhat of a challenge for Netflix to exactly follow the cartoon’s storyline because audiences will physically see the actors aging.
Netflix may have to merge events at different times and still figure out a way to tell a smooth story on screen. Time will tell how the upcoming season goes as fans wait for the main cast to return along with the new addition to Toph.
GRAPHIC BY ANFISA PITCHKHADZE , PHOTO BY FLICKR
FOOTBALL
Nash pushes Spartans to another level
By Jackson Lindstrom STAFF WRITER
Nick Nash always dreamed of being able to play on a Division 1 National Collegiate Athletics Association football team.
Similar to other kids, he would throw around a football outside with friends and family, hoping one day to be the best of the best.
However, only so many of these kids are selected to play football on the national stage.
Nash began playing football at around eight years old, and is now living his dream as a San José State Spartans wide receiver.
“I think (it) was always a dream of mine, of course, like it is any kid’s,” Nash said. “Luckily for me, that dream was realized.”
He said his parents were among his biggest supporters.
His dad, Kenny Nash, is a former wide receiver for SJSU according to the SJSU Spartans website.
“My dad was a football player, and a big time football fan,” Nick Nash said. “We’d watch football on Sundays together, and that’s what drew me to (football). Every halftime would play catchup and I’d force him to come out and play catch with me.”
Emmett Brown, the Spartans’ starting quarterback, said Nick Nash has a great work
ethic.
“Nick is just a hard worker in general. You always see him putting the extra work in,” Brown said. “His confidence comes from outworking everybody.”
Nash has become one of the best wide receivers in any conference in the NCAA and places fourth in all conferences for receiving yards, according to the ESPN website.
He is currently first in the Mountain West conference in receiving yards, having 637 yards received, according to the same website.
SJSU’s head football coach, Ken Niumatalolo said Nash has had a lot of help that developed him into the person he is today.
“I met (his) mom last week — what an amazing woman, recognizing all she’s done raising him ... He’s a great young man,” Niumatalolo said.
He said that Nash is not just a good player but also a leader to the team.
“The way he leads is more by example,” Niumatalolo said. “He’s a competitor, and I love that.”
The Spartans currently rank second in the Mountain West Conference with 1 win against other teams in the conference and an overall record of 3-1.
“I think what I do on the field gives people energy and it gives people almost like a sort of hope,” Nash said. “They know me,
they’ve seen me ... I think it gives them that energy, like, ‘Okay, we got this, we can do this.’ ”
Nash said he’s grateful for all the support he’s received and that he’s made friends from playing football.
“We hang out all the time,” Brown said. “(We’re) really good friends. (We) love to play poker, golf, you name it.”
Still, amidst the fun of playing football, Nash is
constantly doing things related to his sport and spends around 80% of his time practicing, playing and thinking about football.
“It can be amazing at times, (and) it can be stressful at times,” Nash said. “ It’s a full-time job playing football. At the end of the day, this is a business, and you have to work really hard at what you do to perfect your craft.”
Though he did not claim to be great when he was younger, his work ethic has given him some of the best statistics.
“I think I was pretty average,” Nash said. “I think I just loved to play the sport. I never really knew how I stacked up against other competition, but I thought I was pretty good.”
Focusing on the present and the future is what
keeps him positive after times when he makes mistakes or his team takes a loss, he said.
Nash hopes following his career at SJSU he will continue playing football after graduating.
“I’m going to try out for the NFL, and if that doesn’t work out, we’ll see,” Nash said.
Follow Jackson on X (formerly Twitter) @jacklindst
PHOTO COURTESY OF SJSU ATHLETICS
SJSU redshirt senior wide receiver Nick Nash embraces his teammates on home field at CEFCU stadium.
