Angela Davis joins Speaker Series
By Saturn Williams and Charity Spicer STAFF WRITER
Hundreds of students gathered in-person on Thursday at the Student Union Ballroom to listen to feminist, professor, and activist Angela Davis speak.
Davis is the latest guest invited to talk at San José State as a part of the Division of Student Affairs’ Spartan Speaker Series.
The series is a regular semester program that invites influential figures in activism and education to talk about issues that concern students, according to the SJSU Student Involvement page.
The former Black Panther Party affiliate’s appearance was hosted in collaboration with the César E. Chávez Community Action Center’s “Legacy Month.”
This is an event series in October celebrating the history of activism on campus, according to the center’s Instagram post.
“I just want to say thank you to everyone who’s here
and tell you I’m very happy to be on this campus at this time, I have a long history with San José,” Davis said.
The conversation was facilitated with questions by Shonda Goward, the associate vice provost for Undergraduate Advising and Success, with dedicated time for student questions at the end of the event.
Davis became a spotlighted figure advocating for Black civil rights during the ‘60s and ‘70s as an educator, anti-segregationist, prison abolitionist and Marxist, according to the National Women’s Hall of Fame.
In 1970, she was placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list for her involvement and advocacy for the freedom of the Soledad Brothers, who were on trial for the murder of a Soledad Correctional Training Facility guard in California, according to the Biography section of New York Public Library’s Davis (Angela) Legal Defense Collection.
Davis was acquitted in San José for charges of murder,
conspiracy and kidnapping, The New York Times reported in 1972.
She was accused of assisting in the takeover and shooting of a Marin County courthouse by Jonathan Jackson, the actual brother of one of the convicted Soledad Brothers, according to the same article.
“A fair trial would have been no trial at all,” Davis said after her acquittal to The New York Times.
During her return to SJSU Davis talked about the right of students to protest and said she stood with Palestine.
“It’s not simply about what is happening within the borders of that struggle. It's about what it means for the world,” Davis said.
One of the questions asked during the talk was about how to go about protesting at educational institutions.
Davis said that administrators may not help out with the cause and that students have to take initiative with protesting on campus.
Ada Ochuru, childhood and adolescent development
and Black women’s studies fourth year, said it was important for Davis to express this sentiment in a room full of administrators and encouraging for student activists.
Ochuru said she is involved in several student organizations such as the SJSU Black Honor Society and the African Diaspora Association which gave her spaces to advertise the event to fellow students.
The African Diaspora Association is an organization centered around providing a community unifying individuals with African descent.
Additionally, Ochuru had dinner with Davis and talked with her about Davis’ history with the Black Panther Party in Oakland and how the area has changed since.
Davis said she was fired from her position as an assistant professor of philosophy at University of California, Los Angeles for her involvement in the Communist Party USA and her “inflammatory language” when speaking out about
racial inequality.
Katera Perry, a fifthyear psychology student, said as a student activist for Palestine and other liberation movements, hearing Davis’ words inspired her.
“She said what needed to be said. She didn't cut any edges … she went straight to the point,” Perry said. “It was deep and it was what people needed to hear, especially for student activists on campus, just to keep being inspired.”
When reflecting on her journey in higher education, Davis also highlighted advocacy work with students and said that bureaucracy should not be the end goal in the United States and globally.
Davis practiced that advocacy back in Feb. 2021 when she spoke for the SJSU Human Rights Lecture Series in celebration of Black History Month and discussed Black feminism and socialism, according to the SJSU website.
“I think education is really about assisting students to discover their passion … if you find something that
you’re really passionate about, something that you can stick with…it can last a lifetime,” Davis said.
As someone with an extensive history being a feminist and activist, Davis touched on historical blindness, the dualities of feminism and the fostering of revolutionary thought. Nailah Smith, a first-year human factors ergonomics graduate student, said many of Davis’s statements resonated with her as a Black woman trying to bring diversity to the tech industry.
“I think it’s important to have a real-life historical figure here in front of us, because it forces us to remember that history and if you don't learn your history, you're bound to repeat it … And she (Davis) said this generation has historical amnesia. That word, that little sentence, I wrote it down because that was, for me, the most incredible thing,” Smith said.
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SJSU provides free bike rides to students
By Anahi Herrera
Villanueva STAFF WRITER
Providing students with transportation options, San José State’s free bike ride program gives students the opportunity to explore San José with a safer alternative. In collaboration with the Associated Students (A.S.) Transportation Solutions and Bay Wheels, a Lyft BikeShare program is available for on-campus students to redeem six
free bike rides per month, according to the A.S. web page.
This bike share program allows for 30-minute bike rides seven days a week, 24 hours a day, according to the same website.
Jenna Menifee, a second-year advertising student, said she found this program to be useful.
“I used it as an alternative form of transportation to get to places in San José if I did not have a ride,” Menifee said. “I had a backup system needed
thanks to the program.”
Along with this program being a backup to Menifee’s transportation, she said it brings her an overall sense of security when going around campus and surrounding areas at night.
The A.S. Transportation Solution offices help ease students’ and staffs’ commute to SJSU, according to its department website.
However, the requirement for this program is that the rides must begin in San José
and end in the area, according to the same web page from A.S.
“This program has definitely been helpful,” Menifee said. “Of course, it is up to SJSU themselves to decide, but there are many students in this campus that come far from home and don't have a car or people they can rely on.”
This program is currently in pilot and is exclusively for on-campus housing students, according to the Transportation
Solutions webpage.
When the Spartan Daily reached out to the interim transportation demand management coordinator Adam Hall about the expansion of the program he declined to comment.
Daphne Daniel, a second-year information science and data analytics, said she heard about them throughout her dorm building and housing emails.
“I don’t find the program that appealing for those who live on campus, I think it's easier to walk,”
Daniel said. “Our campus and surrounding areas are small and scooters are more popular and more convenient to use than bikes.”
This program receives funding from A.S. as part of the miscellaneous fee that every fulltime student is charged, according to the SJSU website.
Shonda Goward (left) associated vice provost for Undergraduate Advising and Success, accompanies American political activist, professor and author Angela Davis (right).
Protestors make noise at City Hall
#1: Perry Willig, a volunteer, shouts into a megaphone while holding up his list of chants.
#2: A protester raises a handwritten sign calling for a cease-fire while marching.
#3: Protestors conclude their march on Sunday through the Sonic Runway next to the San José City Hall Rotunda.
#4: Nuha Khan, a political analyst at the American Muslim Alliance, gives a speech to the crowd about her support for Palestine 1 2 3 4
BIKES
Continued from page 1
Emily Chun, a fourthyear business marketing student who lives offcampus, said he has not heard about the program, but was disappointed to find out it was only for those living on campus
“(SJSU) should not charge it to every student, but add it to the fees for people who pay for on-campus housing,” Chun said. “It doesn't seem very fair to be charged for a program I can't even join.”
The program also receives $95,000 in grant funding from the alternative transportation fund provided by University Police Department Parking Services, according to the Transportation Solutions web page.
“I think that this program was put in place for health (and) wellness,” Daniel said. “Especially
safety reasons for students as they travel around campus and surrounding areas.”
Beyond the free bike rides offered, SJSU has up to a $50 reimbursement program for students purchasing bikes and a discounted annual membership for Lyft bikes, according to the another A.S. web page.
Alexis Parrocha, a second-year business finance student, said she has considered signing up for the program.
“We are so close to downtown and we are always encouraged to go explore, and having this would definitely limit the stress of finding a parking spot in downtown,” Parrocha said.
Through the city's parking validation program, those who are looking for parking are offered 90 minutes of free parking in the area with a blue and orange “ParkSJ” sign, according to the Visit San José website.
Parking garages also
A close up of Lyft e-bikes that are propped up throughout downtown
have their own designed parking rate and availability, according to Park SJ. This makes it more difficult to find
parking for a long-term affordable price.
“Not only is bike riding good for the environment, but having this program
makes exploring safer especially if you are new to the San José area,” Parrocha said.
ANAHI HERRERA VILLANUEVA| SPARTAN DAILY
San José for students to put them to use.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
MOVIE REVIEW
‘Joker’ sequel is treble for box offices
By Jackson Lindstrom STAFF WRITER
Exactly five years after the movie “Joker” was released, its successor, “Joker: Folie à Deux,” turned out to be a confusing disappointment thanks to its focus on too much flair and its neglect for character development.
Joaquin Phoenix reprises his role as Arthur Fleck and his performance was the strongest point of the first and second movie.
However, Phoenix was not given the opportunity to show off his acting chops in “Joker: Folie à Deux” the same way because of the film’s lack of dramatic moments.
The same can be said about Lady Gaga’s performance as Harleen “Lee” Quinzel.
“Joker: Folie à Deux” did not necessarily advertise itself as a musical, but the movie uses music sung by Phoenix and Gaga to tell its story.
At the beginning of the movie, these musical
performances added an interesting element that the previous film did not have, but by the middle, the performances were getting very old, very quickly.
The singing served to tell the story in a way that was very different from the original film, but this change felt random and confusing, instead of being a creative decision from director Todd Phillips.
On top of that, I didn’t think the score was very good, as most of the songs were covers. I also wasn’t impressed by the performances.
The performances were not hindered by the actors’ singing abilities, but the tone they used while singing felt like they were trying to mimic how their character might sing.
Staying in character while singing is important, but it felt like Gaga and Phoenix weren’t given the chance to put their all into their performances.
These songs didn’t add much to the story. They mostly showed how the characters were feeling when it was already obvious in the first place, or when something had already been explained.
Rating:
Directed by:
Todd Phillips
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga
Genre: Musical thriller
ALBUM REVIEW
Many of the songs were also simply about Arthur and Harleen falling or later being in love, but the audience doesn’t need that to be reiterated when it’s already been made clear.
“Joker: Folie à Deux” had nearly four times the amount of money for its budget than its first movie, and it does not hesitate to use that money for unnecessary musical flair.
This movie could have
been made without the music. Actually, it probably would have been a better, more enjoyable movie.
Another point of confusion for this movie was its lackluster character development. Quinzel’s character development was puzzling from her lack of clear motive for anything she does in the film.
A primary factor of her actions in the film is that she is obsessed with the Joker, but the real reasoning behind her obsession is never clarified when certain details about her life are revealed.
The first film was a departure from the original concept of the Joker, but it seemed to be
setting up the sequel for Arthur Fleck to become Batman’s archnemesis that is familiar with so many fans.
Without the crafty storytelling that Arthur instilled as the Joker at his core, his character development is flat as a villain with no motive or plan. “Joker: Folie à Deux” also barely addresses one interesting concept from the first movie: Arthur’s condition that makes him laugh uncontrollably.
There are a few scenes where Arthur can be seen laughing at inappropriate times, but they’re hardly a noteworthy part of any of the scenes. It’s not a really interesting part of his character anymore.
What was once an interesting element of his character became a gimmick for Phillips to utilize when it was convenient.
My last point of contention of the film was the ending. The ending didn’t seem justified, especially for what the previous film worked to do in building his character to becoming the Joker.
The Joker committed atrocities in the first film, but audiences sympathized with Arthur because they knew what drove him to the path of madness.
However, unlike the first film, the second film made no effort to make you feel any empathy toward Arthur. Many of the crimes
and villains in the film also went unpunished, leaving a sour taste in my mouth.
Overall, “Joker: Folie à Deux” was not a good movie. It lacked the same vigor that the first installment of the franchise had previously. The movie wasn’t necessarily boring, but it would have been nice to see more out of this film than what was given to the audience.
After watching this disaster of a film, it may have been a better choice to not make a sequel for the first movie.
Lady Gaga masters a new genre
By Anahi Herrera Villanueva STAFF WRITER
Lady Gaga teased the release of her surprise album, “Harlequin,” and it was definitely not what I was expecting.
The album was released on Sept. 27, just 7 days before the film “Joker: Folie á Deux” hit theaters, where Gaga plays Harley “Lee” Quinn alongside Joaquin Phoenix who reprises his role as the Joker.
“Harlequin” is a nod to her involvement in her new acting role which creates excitement among both Gaga and movie fans alike. Featuring 13 tracks composed of a mixture of cover songs and originals. The album follows a classical jazz style, allowing listeners to create a story as they listen.
“Good Morning” starts the album with a delicate and light vocal from Gaga, and then turns to a more
fast-paced and upbeat rhythm for the remainder of the song.
With lyrics like, “When the inmates began to sleep / The stars were shining bright / Now the warden’s on his way / It’s too late to say goodnight,” creates a contrast between the upbeat piano to a prisonlike setting.
Although this type of jazz is not my go-to, it’s a good introduction to the rest of the album. A song that stood out to me was “The Joker,” dials into more of a cinematic musical, instead of the jazzy tune that follows most of this album.
Instead of the jazzy tune that follows most of this album, this song dials into more of a cinematic musical. Paired with what seems to be an electric guitar and drums, Gaga’s voice is stern and ends each lyric with an edgy and sharp note.
“The Joker” is another song that I would also normally not gravitate
towards because I have never really been into jazz music and prefer more classical notes or electronic beats. Gaga’s voice and lyric choice fit well together in this particular song and gave me a triumphant feeling. The lyrics, “The king wears a funny suit, he’s a clown / The crowd rumbles with their roars / And everyone watches as he declines,” really plays into the musical aspect as well as almost portraying her character in the film as heroic.
Referencing the movie title that Lady Gaga stars in, the song “Folie à Deux,” meaning “double insanity” in French, according to Collins Dictionary. “Folie à Deux” is one of only two original songs from Gaga's newly released album, according to a Sept. 24 USA Today article, and is my absolute favorite in the entire album.
The first 36 seconds of this song is a beautiful violin accompanied by other string instruments, which builds an image of a whimsical setting and a fairytale-like feeling.
Lyrics like “In our minds, we’d be just fine / If it were only us two / They might say that we’re crazy / But I’m just in love with you,” brings a delicate melody that gives insight into the complicated and delusional relationship
between them and how, in both of their minds, is fine and maybe even joyous. However, the outside world sees a completely different picture.
Gaga then takes a unique approach to the song "Gonna Build A Mountain," originally sung by Sammy Davis Jr. Gaga’s version of this song starts with a organ which gives a gospel-like feeling.
Then, the song picks up its tempo alongside trumpets which differs from the slow-paced tempo of the original.
The album ends with “That’s Life,” and holds to the album’s jazzy piano theme.
Coupled with Gaga’s
vocals is a chorus singing, “I’ve been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn and a queen” as she highlights the many lives she’s lived and the difficulties that came along with it.
She acknowledges her lows in life but also how she picks herself up and keeps going. The album’s duration is only 41 minutes, but is used quite efficiently. This album is a companion album with the movie
“Joker: Folie á Deux” according to a Harper's BAZAAR article, which allows listeners to gain more knowledge about the characters.
Gaga is known for her iconic pop music
and electric bass sounds so having more of an instrumental album was a bit surprising for me.
“Harlequin” as a stand alone album brought so much excitement even before the release of “Joker: Folie á Deux.” I have been a Gaga fan since I was younger but have never really tuned into any of her jazz work.
Listening to this album not only shows me how talented Gaga can be across different genres but also, how it sets a sort of heroic tone for “Joker: Folie á Deux” without having to watch the movie.
GRAPHIC BY KAYA HENKES-POWERS
Follow Jackson on X (formerly Twitter) @jacklindst
“Joker: Folie à Deux”
ANAHI HERRERA VILLANUEVA | SPARTAN DAILY
Italian festival embraces culture
#1: Multiple luxury Italian supercars line up on the grass for spectators to admire on Sunday.
#2: Family and friends sit at wine barrel tables outside, and enjoy food and beverages at the Italian Cellar Speakeasy Bar.
#3: Members of the Tricarico Social Club, stir authentic pasta sauces at theLittle Italy San José Business District.
#4: Pasquale Esposito, Italian-American recording artist and San José State alumnus, performs with band members.
SJSU tames Wolf Pack in thriller
By Hunter Yates STAFF WRITER
San José State football (4-1, 2-0 MWC) relies on backup junior quarterback Walker Eget to secure a victory on Saturday beating the Nevada Wolf Pack (2-4, 0-1 MWC) 35-31.
Sophomore quarterback
Emmett Brown threw for 170 yards, completed 12 of his 28 pass attempts and threw two touchdowns.
Brown averages two or more touchdowns every game this season, with a total of 15 touchdowns.
Despite Brown throwing two touchdowns he began to struggle during the second half with SJSU’s coaching staff substituting in Eget during the fourth-quarter.
Head coach Ken Niumatalolo described the moment he gave his coaching staff the nod to substitute Eget for Brown.
“I was just looking at coach (Craig Stutzman), and he was getting frustrated and he told Eget to get in there," Niumatalolo said.
“Sometimes in coaching there are all these calculated analytics, but here there weren’t any analytics.”
Eget threw for 141 yards as Brown’s backup and completed 10 of his 13 pass attempts with 0 touchdowns in the fourth-quarter.
During SJSU's final drive Brown came back in and threw two incomplete passes, and Eget came back in to finish the drive resulting in an SJSU touchdown.
The game started strong
SRAC BOOTCAMP
offensively with both teams scoring their first drives of the game which gave proof that it was going to be a shootout game for Saturday night’s contest.
The Spartans didn’t take long to find their rhythm early with senior wide receiver Nick Nash as a big distraction for Nevada’s defense.
This caused junior running back Floyd Chalk IV to rush two touchdowns in the end of the first and third-quarter during situations in the red zone.
The Wolf Pack tied the game 21-21 at halftime, second-half possessions became more crucial throughout the fourth-quarter.
Nevada’s last offensive play of the game resulted in an interception by SJSU senior safety Robert Rahimi to seal the Spartans win.
Nash threw his second passing touchdown of the season with 50 seconds remaining in the fourth-quarter.
“I thought that we were going to be able to get a lot of pull from the defense with me motioning across,” Nash said.
Pro Football Focus has Nick Nash ranked as the third-best receiver in the country with a grade of 89.9, according to its web page.
“I don’t think a lot of it was on Emmett. It was just a team thing,” Eget said. “He fought his butt off, I tried to fight my butt off too, it’s a team sport most of those points were him so we can’t forget about that.”
There were plenty of defensive mistakes including penalties and lots of missed tackles, including a targeting call on SJSU senior defensive back Amir Wallace resulting in an ejection.
“We had a lot of missed tackles and we have to do a better job on wrapping up on defense," junior defensive back DJ Harvey said. “When going up against a scrambling quarterback we have to contain them on the backend and we just have to do better.”
Following the win the Spartans are scheduled to play Colorado State on the road on Saturday Oct. 12 at 12:30 p.m. (PT) at Canvas Stadium in Fort Collins, Colorado.
“Some of our mistakes were self-inflicting wounds and we have to get back to the drawing board and get better,” said Niumatalolo. “The last two weeks we faced two
SRAC bootcamp gives me the sweats
By Alejandra Gallo STAFF WRITER
Bootcamp (BodyPump), a muscle toning exercise offered by the Spartan Recreation and Aquatic Center (SRAC) at San José State was incredibly sweaty and exhausting, but exhilarating.
BodyPump is a fastpaced workout that targets building muscle with barbells of any weight, according to an Everyone Active web page.
I was also captivated to learn that BodyPump has more history than I expected.
In 1968, the Les Mills family opened the Les Mills World of Fitness in Auckland, New Zealand, according to a Les Mills web page.
The gym began offering strength training classes, attracting many women who felt excluded from what was considered a masculine exercise, according to the same Les Mills web page.
Over time, BodyPump became a workout adopted by many because it excluded no one, according to the same web page.
Inclusion is a very important aspect for me because as a beginner, I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to do certain workouts on Monday during the hour-long class.
I was sweating just thinking about the class because all the exercise I do is walking to and from class and occasionally playing
with my dog when he has zoomies.
I was surprised by the equipment we had to use because there were so many, including barbells of different weights, a step deck, a resistance band and a mat.
The class started with a five minute warm-up of weighted squats, lunges and biceps curls.
By the end of the warmup, I was already panting and drenched in sweat.
Though I was getting ready for a big battle and expecting a hardcore teacher who would treat the students like soldiers, the instructor, Susan D’Angelo, pushed all of the students to try their hardest and made sure to provide modifiers for anyone who needed them.
It was also surprising that the class had about 10 students who were women of all ages.
There were five other students who were around my age and five other middle-aged ladies in the class.
All classes the SRAC offers are free to students and members, according to its web page.
The class targets different muscle groups, such as biceps, abs and legs.
Students chose any weight they felt comfortable lifting and could change weights depending on what muscle group they were exercising.
D’Angelo also encouraged us to use lighter weights if we were beginners and helped us
one-on-one if we were in a position that could hurt us. When using dumbbells, the instructor said it was necessary to plant our feet firmly to the ground and slightly lean our upper body toward the floor while also keeping a straight back because a wrong position could lead to a back injury.
We first started with legs, and did three sets of weighted squats and lunges.
Next, we used our dumbbells to do a back workout.
Though the class was very tiring, it helped that the instructor taught us some breathing and stretching techniques for every targeted muscle group.
Something that also helped me complete the workout was the instructor's constant encouragement, yelling “You go, ladies, you’re so strong!” about 30 times throughout the class.
When it came to abs, we did pushups and weighted crutches.
With 20 minutes left of class, I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t just me struggling because even the instructor seemed tired.
I felt elated after the class because even though my legs felt like jelly and my face was bright red with sweat dripping from my forehead, it felt empowering to move my body to its greatest extent and realize my strength.
It also felt nice to be with a group of women of all ages who are trying to stay fit and build their muscle
strength. By the end of the workout, we all clapped and through my panting I realized that BodyPump is for everyone – even beginners – only if you’re willing to test your strength.
San José State quarterback Emmett Brown prepares for a pass against the defensive line of the Nevada Wolf Pack.
ISRAEL ARCHIE | SPARTAN DAILY
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