SJSU clubs honor lives with vigil
By Jackson Lindstrom STAFF WRITER
San José State clubs Students for Justice in Palestine, Students for Quality Education and Students for a Democratic Society held a vigil Wednesday on Tower lawn.
The vigil provided electric candles and roses for community members and students to pay respects for those who died.
Last year, Palestinian nationalist group Hamas attacked Israel and killed over 1,200 people, according to an Oct. 7, 2023 U.S. Department of State press briefing.
Since the events of Oct. 7, approximately 41,000 Palestinians have been killed
in the conflict, according to the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs, which cites the Gaza Health Ministry.
Over 33,000 of these deaths have been caused by air and artillery strikes from the Israeli military, according to a BBC Article, which cites the same health ministry.
Adnan Chatila, a fourthyear mechanical engineering student, said he thinks it’s important to know about the conflict.
“It’s important to be here because ... the Palestinian cause is something we want to show other people who might not know the intricate details about what’s going on,” Chatila said.
Students and supporters at the vigil said they knew
people from Palestine who had lost friends or family.
“A lot of my friends are from Palestine,” Chatila said. “I have several friends from Gaza specifically, and their family is broken up.”
Seth Heller, a second-year biology student, shared his thoughts on the conflict.
“Since we’re far from Palestine and everywhere like that, I feel like it's good to support them, even from a distance, to make sure that everyone is aware of what's going on,” Heller said. “This is not a war, but a genocide.”
Genocide is defined the intentional systematic killing of a certain group of people, typically of a specific shared group, according to the Oxford dictionary.
Some students feel that
the conflict in Palestine fits that definition after tens of thousands have been killed and tens of thousands more have been injured.
Ian Petrola, a fourth-year psychology student, agreed that the conflict is an ongoing genocide, saying the grief of those with family in Palestine should be fully expressed.
“It’s been a full year of violence ... There were many innocent lives taken during this matter,” Petrola said. “It’s not even a war, it’s a genocide and I feel that these people deserve to be remembered.”
Atef Samie, a transfer biology student, said he thought the conflict needed more coverage and recognition.
“Awareness is really important, especially with
topics that don’t get enough and proper coverage,” Samie said. “So by doing this over time, it brings that awareness and coverage to light.”
Heller agreed, referencing different kinds of coverage of the conflict in the news.
“There’s so much mixed media out there, we’re just trying to bring this into true light because we see it on the news, how everything’s being manipulated under the American government,” Heller said. “We’re just trying to show the bare, unfiltered light of what’s going on in Palestine.”
After the speeches concluded, pictures of people who had been killed in the conflict were laid out for attendees to observe.
Once the attendees were
done looking at the pictures, they stood in a circle around the pictures for a two-minute moment of silence.
Murtaza Haider, a secondyear industrial engineering student was another student at the event who felt connected to those who had been killed.
“Personally, I’m Muslim, so you feel love for your Muslim brothers and sisters,” Haider said. “(I’m) here to show support for the oppression that’s happening in Gaza.”
Students learn activism via senses
By Anahi Herrera Villanueva STAFF WRITER
César E. Chávez
Community Action Center offered students an immersive experience while promoting community involvement on Wednesday at Tower Lawn.
Rhythm of Resistance: A Journey Through Bay Area
Activism allowed students to learn about the history of activism through their five senses, according to a Sept. 23 Instagram post from the César Chávez Community Action Center.
Some activities offered were writing about what students would change if they had power, reading activism through poetry and music, and a Play-Doh art workshop.
Ange Grate, the events and outreach assistant for the César E. Chávez Community Action Center, helped coordinate the event.
“This event was created for the ‘In Solidarity series,’ (which is) about Bay Area activism and activism
within California,” Grate said.
The “In Solidarity” series supports student leaders on campus through leadership development while focusing on social justice issues providing them with tools for the workforce, according to the Associated Students website.
Grate said the event hosts different on-campus organizations and outside sources to help students express what activism means to them.
The organizations present included LEAD Filipino, A.S Campus Community Garden and the SJSU Black Student Union.
Students in attendance at this event were encouraged to go to each booth and learn more about each organization.
After visiting each booth, students would receive a stamp on a paper they received when they checked into the event.
Students were also able to go to the tasting booth and redeem their completed stamped paper for boba.
“The takeaway is being
able to reflect as a member of the community and how you can be an activist through all the different resources that we have on our campus, and within our community as a whole,” Grato said.
Diana Garcia Rodriguez, department coordinator at the César E. Chávez Community Action Center, said she has been working alongside Grate to bring the event to life.
“This is something (Grate) has been wanting to do since the summer,” Garcia Rodriguez said. “It’s to bring folks together and make it a very fun, high impact, low stakes event.”
Garcia Rodgruiez and Grate hoped to get students excited about the upcoming election and explore different movements that impact the Bay Area.
“Our hope is that folks love their community so much that they are inspired to create change,” Garcia Rodriguez said.
Marnelli Canosa, a health equity and outreach coordinator for LEAD Filipino, said she wants
students to focus on civic engagement beyond the upcoming election.
“Within the nonprofit circles, we talk about how to get folks engaged past the election,” Canosa said. “Bill(s) go through a cycle and so does civic engagement. Staying engaged holds our representatives and elective officials accountable.”
Canosa said she was giving students a look into the past about voting history and how people with multiple ethnicities weren't able to vote until recently.
Eesha Patel, a first-year business student, saw a flyer for this event on Instagram and was by the tents on Tower Lawn.
“I wanted to be more
connected with campus, especially as a first-year,” Patel said. “It’s important to be informed and educated, especially for people advocating for social justice that is affecting real people in real-time.”
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JACKSON LINDSTROM | SPARTAN DAILY
Political science major Natalie Martinez (left) goes in to hug Associated Students Director of Legislative Affairs Katelyn Gambarin (right) during the vigil.
Students stand at a booth to play with putty while learning about activism.
ANAHI HERRERA VILLANUEVA| SPARTAN DAILY
SJSU supports Filipino mural
By Israel Archie STAFF WRITER
San José State’s student government organization Associated Students (A.S.) passed a resolution to approve the Filipino-American History Mural project.
Construction can start for a mural honoring FilipinoAmerican farm workers, according to the Resolution In Support Of Filipino American History Mural Project.
The plan is to paint the mural near the side of the Diaz Compean Student Union, according to the same resolution.
A.S. President Ariana Lacson, who is of Filipino heritage, said she is happy to witness this resolution being passed.
Lacson said she had been working with the committee on this project since July and it
was a very large portion of the time spent in the committee.
“It makes me really excited to see that (A.S.) and the rest of the board is supporting this project, especially with all the work that we put in,” Lacson said. “I think it was a very emotional moment for me. There (is) a lot of feelings of gratitude and excitement.”
A.S. Vice President Chima Nwokolo said the Lobby Corps committee was working on this resolution.
“It’s really historic because it’s good recognition (for) all the Filipino-American farmworkers and student advocates (who) have put all of their strength and work into this community,” Nwokolo said.
The Lobby Corps committee makes recommendations to the president and board of directors based on the impact of state and federal legislation on college students, according to the A.S. web page.
It’s really historic because it’s good recognition (for) all the FilipinoAmerican farmworkers and student advocates (who) have put all of their strength and work into this community
Chima Nwokolo A.S. Vice President
They advocate for funds for the project by proposing the idea of the mural to different clubs and organizations on campus and emphasizing the importance of this project, according to the same web page.
Lacson said she is glad to be a part of this commemoration of Filipino American History Month and mentioned that her parents are both Filipino immigrants.
“They were teenagers, and had to support themselves and be on their (own) two
feet away from all of their family and their lives in the Philippines,” Lacson said. “So it really means a lot to me.”
Geoffrey Agustin, the A.S. director of communications, said he was excited to be present during the passing of the resolution.
“Being able to do that and represent my community in this way was amazing to me,” Agustin said.
Alan Gouig, founder and president of the Filipino Alumni Network, worked with the committee on the resolution.
“What we’re aiming for is October 2025,” Gouig said.
“October is Filipino History Month and that would be perfect for an unveiling.”
Agustin said the proposed budget for this project is $40,000 and they seem to be rapidly approaching their goal.
“The proposed budget of $40,000 seems like a lot,” he said. “But seeing the support come from various groups shows widespread support
Katelyn Gambarin, A.S. director of legislative affairs, said they received a donation from the university president Cynthia Teniente-Matson.
“$25,000 was donated by the university president,”
Gambarin said.
Gambarin said A.S also received $10,000 from its budget and extra money raised by Filipino community members and others in support of the mural.
“I hope that we can continue to work and represent different student groups on campus,” Gambarin said. “Students are amazing activists and they are a catalyst for change and I hope (that) will only continue going forward.”
Refugee advocacy sparks in Bay Area
By Anfisa Pitchkhadze STAFF WRITER
San José community members reflect on their experiences and advocacy for immigration rights.
There are 1 in 40 residents in Santa Clara County that are refugees, which is more than 50,000 people, according to a web page from the county.
Ana Navarrete, the program director of SJSU UndocuSpartans is an immigrant from Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas in Mexico who came to the United States when she was only nine months old.
“It was the experience seeing their struggles as I grew up, seeing how hard they worked to take care of myself, my brother and my sister,” Navarrete said.
Navarrete said she witnessed the struggles her family went through and realized that she wanted to make a difference in helping individuals who went through similar situations.
She said she became heavily involved in the California DREAM Act because she is empowered to provide support for other undocumented students as a student who
knows what it is like to be undocumented.
The California DREAM Act was passed in 2011, allowing undocumented students to apply for financial aid and scholarships to attend colleges and universities in California, according to the CA Gov website.
“I have gotten to meet so many students with such diverse experiences that it has really inspired me to figure out ways to be creative and support our students,” Navarette said.
Betty Duong, the chief of staff for the Santa Clara County Supervisor, gave her entail about how individuals can provide stronger immigration policies.
“We need to make sure that the rapid response network includes San José State as a campus and that as part of the deployment of the rapid response network,” Duong said.
Duong said she is aiming at protecting immigrant rights and providing the best legal support for refugees and undocumented individuals.
She also said her goal is to ensure that educational institutions like SJSU can
be active participants in protecting refugees and immigrants.
Duong said she has hopes that Santa Clara County and SJSU can form a partnership to bring in better support like communication support.
“I think it would be really valuable for the California State University (system), the youth and the California community colleges to have a plan that's more intentional and that really engages key individuals
across campus and the campus community,”
Duong said. She said the drive to push CSU and community colleges toward incorporating immigration support establishes an understanding of refugee advocacy.
Refugee advocacy provides a call and support for struggling students and asylum seekers to be protected under global level, according to The UN Refugee Agency website.
Huy Tran, the executive
director of Services Immigrant Rights and Education Network, said he has had personal experience with his family struggling as refugees.
“My parents are refugees and they came here to escape war, to escape the threat of life and physical harm and danger and the threats to their families, to look for security, to look for a life that was away from these dangers,” Tran said.
Tran said everything he witnessed and recalled,
he found it as a wake up call for him to educate more people about the difficulties refugees faced and how they are seen by other races. He said he also reflects on how not only his family, but also other families immigrated to the United States for a better life.
ISRAEL ARCHIE| SPARTAN DAILY
CHARITY SPICER | SPARTAN DAILY
rights at the Student Union on Sep. 17.
Netflix shows new side of murder
By Hunter Yates STAFF WRITER
The Menéndez brothers get to tell their story in a recent Netflix documentary after the disappointment of a prior project.
The documentary “Menéndez Brothers,” was released on Monday and included prolonged interviews of Lyle and Erik Menéndez about the 1989 murder of both their parents.
It focused around the 1989 murders of José and Kitty Menéndez, who were murdered by their sons Lyle and Erik.
The brothers testified in court that it was self defense that caused them to murder their parents because of alleged abuse, according to an Oct. 8, Newsweek article.
This follows the biopic “Monster: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story” created by director Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan.
Public interest in the case skyrocketed from Murphy and Brennan’s controversial drama, which Erik claims to be full of blatant lies, according to a Sep. 25 statement by Erik released on X formerly known as Twitter.
Lyle and Erik provide exclusive interviews of over 20 hours to the documentary’s director, Alejandro Hartmann, according to an Oct. 8 Rolling Stones article.
The documentary extends past the interviews of the brothers and focuses on the timeline of the crimes they committed.
Throughout the documentary, it tells the chronological story of how the murders took place, the police investigation, the brothers
ALBUM REVIEW
arrest and the mishaps of the first and second trial.
Journalist Robert Rand spoke in the documentary, providing information about the case as he originally covered the murders after they were committed on Aug. 21, 1989 for the Miami Herald.
“Beverly Hills was the American dream and people wanted to live in those mansions and have that kind of money,”Rand said in the documentary. “In the 1980s, Beverly Hills as well as the rest of the United States, was in (an) era of greed.”
New York Times journalist Alan Abrahamson was also featured in the documentary and felt that at the time, Beverly Hills was maybe the safest place to live in America.
“At the time Beverly Hills was maybe the safest place to live in America, and how murders do not happen, as well as (how) two boys don’t kill their parents,” Abrahamson said.
This adds context as to why the police didn’t think of the brothers as prime suspects until the boys started spending large amounts of money on expensive cars, jewelry, and clothes.
Their inheritance money could have been Erik and Lyle’s motive for murdering their parents.
Following the first 24 hours, the brothers had shotgun shells in the trunk of Lyle’s car and gunpowder residue on their hands, according to Erik.
The first trial took place in 1993, which resulted in a mistrial because the jury was deadlocked for over a month and couldn't come to a collective decision if the brothers should be charged.
Deadlock is when a jury is unable to reach a verdict by the required voting margin, despite making honest attempts, according to a Cornell law web page.
The second trial then took place in 1995, which resulted in a sentencing of life without parole for the brothers.
During this trial, Judge Stanley Weisberg limited certain testimonies that related to the brother's abuse claims and didn’t allow the jury to vote for the option of manslaughter, according to the documentary.
This added a major concern to the viewer because the brothers and the defense had to find a new and better way to present their case in court.
I felt this was unfair to the brothers because they truly believed that they were defending themselves and had to find a different strategy to sway the jury in their favor.
At the end of the documentary, the brothers explain how they have dealt with life behind bars.
Even though the brothers have been locked behind bars for decades it seems to me that they have endured life in prison and they do have regrets of murdering their parents.
After 21 years of being in separate prisons, the boys reunited in the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, California.
Both of the brothers found their way to deal with being separate from each other all these years.
In Netflix’s documentary, Erik found that art was an important part of his daily routine and is a powerful outlet that helps him get through life in prison.
Painting is how he expressed himself after being away from his brother Lyle for
all these years.
In the documentary, Erik blames himself for the crimes that were committed and finds fault for the reason why his brother is in jail.
“I went to the only person (Lyle) who has ever helped me, that has ever protected me, ultimately this happened because of me, he was arrested because of me,” Erik said.
Lyle has always viewed himself as someone who should always protect his younger brother and in some ways, he viewed that he couldn’t protect his brother knowing that they are in different prisons.
“I feared that I could not protect him (Erik), I felt no peace like a part of me was across the state,” Lyle said.
“I fought for decades to be reunited with my brother.
It is obvious to me that Lyle has always deeply cared about Erik especially when it comes to the alleged sexual abuse
that occurred to him and his brother.
Both of the brothers were allegedly sexually abused by their father but Erik was the one that couldn’t take it anymore.
Erik blames himself because he had a hard time living with himself after the murders, and decided to see his therapist, Dr. Jerome Oziel. Oziel and on these recordings, viewers can hear Erik confessing to the murders.
Despite a new generation of support and advocacy for the Menéndez brothers, Erik does not want their crimes to be forgotten.
“I do worry and I do think that it is important that the seriousness of my crime not be minimized or diminished,” Erik said.
Thee Sacred Souls tap a ’60s feel
By Sofia Hill STAFF WRITER
Thee Sacred Souls released their 12-track-long second studio album, “Got a Story to Tell,” Friday and their new album might contain even more hits than their last.
The band is composed of three men from San Diego: Josh Lane as the lead vocalist, Salvador Samano on bass and Alex Garcia is on both guitar and drums.
Their album is a throwback of the ’60s album, which coincidentally was named, “Got a Story to Tell” by a band named “Kavetts.”
“Got a Story to Tell” has been heavily anticipated following the success of their self-titled debut album released in 2022. “Can I Call You Rose?,” the first track on their debut album, garnered much success after it went viral on the social media platform TikTok, with over 419,400 videos using the song.
“Got a Story to Tell” is a 38-minute long album, and the cover art is reminiscent of 1960s vinyl covers you might
see at your local record store.
I was intrigued and excited to listen to this album, knowing that their music typically has a vintage flair to it. Their sound reminds me of the ’60s rock band, Tommy James & The Shondells.
The album opens with “Lucid Girl”, a great intro song accompanied by soulful echoing vocals, soft but punchy drums and buttery bright guitar notes.
The chorus is sweet and playful, “She’s a lucid girl (Lucid girl, lucid girl) / She can’t be held down by this world / Can’t be held down by this world.” A pattern you’ll notice when listening to this album is that most of the tracks, if not all, are love songs or songs about relationships.
However, I don’t mind as I typically tend to prefer songs about love and adoration.
The eighth track,“My Heart is Drowning,”is a heartbreaking ballad and seems to be written from the perspective of someone who regrets hurting their partner and ruining their relationship.
The first verse begins,“Like
album review
“Got a Story to Tell”
Rating:
a fool with my selfish ways / I have to make you cry / Never did I ever think / What it would be like if you left my side.”
Although the lyrics aren’t very complex, I think it goes well with the older ’60s and ’70s style of music that is in tune with the band’s image. The lyrics are simple and digestible, making it easy for listeners to play during any time of the day or night.
“Stuck in the Mud”is a song about comparing the process of falling in love to being stuck in actual mud and becoming trapped and engulfed in it as you sink in.
It is one of the catchier tracks on the album and both the verses and choruses use an echo technique, making it hard to forget the lyrics or get them out of your head.
“Deep he goes / Mmm, deep, he goes / Kiss by kiss / Mmm, deep he goes / Stumbling a bit further / Mmm, deep, he goes / The boy’s been hit” shows great imagery of his comparison.
A complaint I did have about the album is that a lot
Artist: Thee Sacred Souls Release Date: Oct. 4, 2024
Genre: R&B/Soul
of the songs sounded the same and blended together because the band used similar arrangements.The same instruments like the guitar and drums were used throughout the album which made it hard to differentiate which song was playing while I listened to it.
One of my personal favorite songs on the album,
“I’m So Glad I Found You, Baby,” is a beautiful love song not only because of its harmonious sound, but also its lyricism.
The lyrics, “Every night I sleep, I pray up to the sky / After all the gifts I’ve seen,
since you stepped in my life / Oh, there’s a girl who’s changed the world for one man” to me, comes across that he’s found the love of his life.
The tender and warm background vocals that repeat in the chorus, “I’m so glad that I found you / I’m so glad that you found me,” remind me of 1950s love ballads such as songs by The Everly Brothers.
“I’m So Glad I Found You, Baby” was the perfect song choice to close the album, and perfectly encapsulates the sounds heard and the emotions felt throughout the entire album.
I was pleasantly surprised by the album, “Got a Story to Tell”, as I never really fully listened to Thee Sacred Souls’s previous album before. Overall, I would recommend this album to anyone looking for good love songs to listen to, or anyone looking for something easy listening to put on in the background.
GRAPHIC BY KAYA HENKES-POWER, PHOTOS FROM FLIKR
GRAPHIC BY SOFIA HILL
SF Giants make big front office move
By Alejandra Gallo STAFF WRITER
The future for the San Francisco Giants may be looking up after the team fired their president of baseball operations.
The Giants franchise named Buster Posey, a former catcher for the team, as its new president of baseball operations on Oct. 1, according to an Oct. 7 Sports Illustrated article.
The team fired President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi after six years with the Giants because of the team’s disappointing results in the latest season, according to a Sep. 30, Yahoo Sports article.
I didn’t know much about Zaidi when he was hired, but throughout the years, I didn’t see any notable differences in the team’s winning. The team actually seemed to be declining with him after he took the position.
The Giants have missed the playoffs five times during the last six seasons, according to the same Yahoo Sports article, and their past glory is long gone.
The team’s most recent wins in the World Series were in 2010, 2012 and 2014, according to an ESPN web page.
I hold fond memories of the Giants because baseball was the only sport that I understood
and enjoyed watching with my dad when I was little.
I distinctly remember their 2014 World Series Championship and my absolute joy when I saw fireworks go off right outside of my house as Posey and Bumgarner ran to each other for a hug.
The team’s winning percentage was .577 in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016, according to a May 19, 2019 FiveThirtyEight article.
However, since then, the team’s winnings have slowly declined.
When Bruce Bochy left the Giants in 2019, it was even more controversial because it felt like the team would never be like it used to be.
Giants Chairman Greg Johnson reportedly
appointed Posey to this position because he was looking for someone who could lead the team to winnings, according to a Sept. 30, Newsweek article.
Naming Posey as the new president of Baseball Operations is a fantastic idea because he is very passionate about this team and he was a player during their glory years.
I thought he didn’t have any previous experience with this role when he played with the team during the franchise’s best years and when he helped the Giants win the 2014 World Series with former Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner.
Bob Melvin became the team’s 39th franchise manager after 20 years
as a Major League Baseball (MLB) manager, according to this Oct. 24, 2023 ESPN article.
In 2022, Melvin, who previously was the baseball manager for the San Diego Padres, led the franchise to its first National League Championship Series since 1998, according to a Feb. 22, Sports Illustrated article.
Melvin was a good option because he had a long history managing baseball teams, but when it came to the execution, it didn’t go as I thought it would.
He felt pressured after his first year as manager, and decided to leave after a tough season. He reportedly was not getting along with Padres general manager A.J.
Preller, according to a March 8. Sportico article.
Melvin replaced Gabe Kapler, who was fired with three days left in the 2023 Giants’ season, according to a Sept. 29, San Francisco Chronicle article.
I originally thought replacing Kapler was a good idea because I never felt that he had a good connection with the team.
If anything, he reminded me of how sad it was when Bochy, someone who adored the Giants and rooted for the team because of his love for the players, left.
However, Melvin only managed to up the Giants’ win total by just one point, according to this article.
Posey is scheduled to
be named the team’s new general manager once Melvin’s contract is over, according to an Oct. 6 San Francisco article. I think he will do a great job at picking a new manager because he, like Bochy, has a deep connection to the Giants. He may already be thinking of two potential candidates; Thad Levine and Billy Owens, according to the same article. This may be a good thing for the team who have had a rough couple of seasons. With Posey’s exceptional experience with the team, he may be the best person to replace Melvin.
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GRAPHIC BY ALEJANDRA GALLO