Fire erupts in Student Union on Tuesday
By Kaya Henkes-Power EXECUTIVE EDITOR
A fire started in San José State University’s Student Union building around 2 p.m. on Tuesday.
Frank Belcastro, a captain for the University Police Departmen (UPD), said it occurred while someone was cooking oil and it caught on fire.
In reaction to the fire, the individual threw water on the fire causing it to rise which resulted in the
sprinklers turning on, according to Belcastro.
To safely extinguish a grease fire, one must use either a fire extinguisher, cover the pan with a lid, or sprinkle the fire with baking soda, according to a May 9, 2021 to a WCBS News 2 article.
Because oil is less dense than water, the water will go under the oil to the surface of the pan creating steam and expanding it, according to the same article.
Michelle Smith-
McDonald, the senior director of media relations, referred inquiries to Charlie Faas, the vice president of administration and finance.
“When the sprinkler system is deployed in the kitchen, there is a lot of clean-up that has to be done,” Faas wrote in an email statement. “The restaurants cannot open until the kitchen can be safely returned to service.”
Following the fire, six restaurants were closed but are scheduled to open today,
according to the Dine on Campus website.
The Spartan Daily reached out to the Spartan Eats marketing manager, Amanda Paletta and she declined to comment on the matter.
UPD and the San José Fire Department responded to the incident roughly around the time the fire began.
“Anytime there is a fire alarm, per our university safety policies, the entire building must evacuate until the source is identified,
contained and we are given the all clear by San José Fire and University Police,” Fass said.
An email sent out from UPD through AlertSJSU confirmed that the building was evacuated and closed due to cleanup at 2:19 p.m.
A number of student workers were reached out to at the Student Union and said they knew about the fire but no further information.
Belcastro confirmed there were no injuries reported following this incident and
there is no continued
Faas wrote that the kitchen staff is trained on safety protocols upon hiring and periodic safety training but there is additional scheduled training.
“We are in the process of scheduling additional safety training for all staff to ensure safety protocols are followed accordingly,” Faas wrote.
Racist graffiti found throughout campus
By Jackson Lindstrom STAFF WRITER
San José State’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion sent out an email stating that graffiti had recently been found on campus containing hateful remarks on Friday.
The graffiti contained racial slurs that were described as anti-Black, Islamophobic, anti-Semitic and politically motivated, according to the email.
Frank Belcastro, a captain for the University Police Department (UPD), said investigations are still ongoing.
“There was an incident in housing where a male student and a Black male non-student wrote on whiteboards. They wrote the n-word,” Belcastro said.
“We know who the student is ... the other incident (was) in MacQuarrie Hall in a gender-neutral stall bathroom ... it said ‘10/31, warning mass bomb kill Muslims, Jews, (liberals), Trump 2024,’
and a swastika.”
Belcastro said it’s unknown who wrote in the bathroom stall but the job of UPD is to arrest the person if they are able to find out who wrote it
The identity of two people of interest in the graffiti incidents has already been found, according to the same email.
UPD also informed the FBI in case of possible involvement from any hate groups, according to Belcastro.
“We want to know: ‘Is there a group behind it?’
‘Is there an individual that (the FBI) knows?’ ‘Is there an indication of anything else going on in the area?’ ” Belcastro said.
SJSU stated in the same email that the actions were staunchly against both the California State University Discrimination Policy and the Student Code of Conduct.
Eniola Odumosu, a fourth-year public relations student, said the incident was shocking but not
surprising.
“When I read the email, it was just heartbreaking as a person of color ... I'm a migrant too, so it's not my first time seeing things like that,” Odumosu said.
“While it hurts, I’m kind of numb to it.”
Reported hate crimes
“One of the stalls (wrote) basically the same thing but it eliminated ‘Trump 2024’ and did not talk about (liberals), ” Belcastro said.
Melissa Martinez, a second-year communications student, said it would not be surprising if something
When I read the email, it was just heartbreaking as a person of color ... I’m a migrant too, so its not my first time seeing things like that. While it hurts, I’m kind of numb to it.
Eniola Odumosu
Fourth-year public relations student
have seen a significant surge, jumping from 33 cases in 2019 to 89 in 2020, according to San José Police Department (SJPD) crime statistics.
Another incident occurred on Wednesday, again at MacQuarrie Hall, in another bathroom.
similar happened again.
“I think it’s a little more unexpected because we’re in San José, it’s a very diverse college, Martinez said. “You wouldn’t think people are crazy enough to actually spray paint and do these things around campus.”
SJPD reported record high numbers in 2021 with 116 hate crimes being reported, according to the latest crime data from SJPD.
Belcastro said it would be very difficult to find who left the graffiti in the bathroom stalls in MacQuarrie Hall.
“There’s no cameras in the hall, no timeframe of when exactly it happened,” Belcastro said. “No one’s come forward, we haven’t found any witnesses, so right now we don’t really have any leads to go on.”
Belcastro said the SJSU community should report any incidents similar to the recent instance of the graffiti to UPD.
“We need the help of both our students and staff,” Belcastro said. “If you see something out of the ordinary, give us a call.”
Belcastro said these incidents appear to be isolated and aren’t connected, but UPD needs the help of students and staff to prevent similar
incidents.
“I feel like the timing is weird because the election’s coming up,” Odumosu said. “Why would you choose to do that now?”
Odumosu also said that the person who did it probably just did it to create a reaction or to hurt people.
Martinez thought similarly, also saying it was likely an ignorant or uneducated person.
“(It was) just to make someone’s day bad,” Martinez said. “It’s just the kind of life we live in, sadly.” SJSU stated in its email that it is doing what it can in working with UPD to ensure whoever is responsible faces consequences.
“We all sign things (when) we join the school, like that you have to be respectful of others,” Martinez said. “Hate speech and things like that (are) not okay.”
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Kids get sugared up at trunk-or-treat
By Alina Ta COPY EDITOR
Editor’s Note: Each of the children’s last names are not included in this story for privacy purposes.
A dozen children from Columbus Park’s houseless community dressed up for Halloween to participate in trunk-or-treat with numerous houseless advocates in San José.
Trunk-or-treating is when adults park in one spot, open their trunks and give out candy to children, according to an Oct. 31, 2023 article from NPR.
Children dressed as a variety of characters ranging from SpongeBob SquarePants to the Slasher and marched towards the intersection near the Guadalupe Community Garden ready to receive bags of goodies.
On the intersection of Walnut Street and Asbury Street, houseless advocates from a handful of advocacy groups stood next to their cars with open trunks filled with goodie bags, candy and other types of food.
Katherine Davis, an unhoused resident who lives at Columbus Park, said this was the first time the unhoused community in the area celebrated Halloween together.
“The kids really loved it. I'm the one that had to go tell them that Shaunn from (Unhoused Response Group) and Kelly was (going) taking them to go get their costumes,” Davis said. “They were able to pick them out themselves. They were really excited that day.”
Between two of the cars was a table filled with food, including a small tower of boxes filled with pizza and a box of donuts decorated with colorful icing and vampire teeth.
Shaunn Cartwright, a houseless advocate and one of the founders of the Unhoused Response Group, was one of the volunteers who decorated the donuts before driving to Columbus Park to finish organizing the event.
The Unhoused Response Group is a team of volunteers that provides support and supplies to unhoused residents throughout the South Bay, according to a July 9 CBS News article.
Cartwright said it decided to organize a trunk-or-treat at Columbus Park because the encampment has an unusual amount of children and families.
“We felt that it can’t be that great being unhoused at a camp so we thought that we would give them the best Halloween that was possible,” Cartwright said.
Cartwright said she and other volunteers ensured the children got nice costumes before celebrating trunk-ortreat on Saturday. At the beginning of October, Cartwright and two other volunteers went to Spirit Halloween with the children to let them pick their costumes.
The children ran around inside the pop-up store and activated the interactive displays.
“(They had) a great time running around the store, making all the (displays) scare you and jump out … They had a blast,” Cartwright said.
She said the donors and the advocates underestimated
how much the costumes
would cost, but she and other volunteers bought some of the costumes online at a cheaper price to make sure each child could wear a costume at trunk-or-treat.
Angel, who lives at Columbus Park with his family, wore a pink inflatable costume of Patrick Star.
Angel said he and his cousin chose costumes that resembled characters from SpongeBob because they always dress up together.
“We dress up together, my cousin, me and my brother, my cousin, SpongeBob, Patrick and Squidward (Tentacles),” Angel said.
He said he and his family have been living at Columbus Park for a year and this was his first time celebrating Halloween at the encampment.
Davis said the children’s
parents were also very excited to celebrate Halloween.
“They were excited because for the parents, you have to buy the costumes, but they had organizations that put in money for the kids to buy, get their own costumes and pick them out. So that was a big thing,” Davis said.
She said the youngest child is three months old and the oldest is 16 and there are around 13 to 15 minors at the park.
Davis also said that it’s hard to celebrate the holidays at Columbus Park.
Cartwright said some unhoused community members have different reactions to celebrating the holidays for different reasons.
“Some people totally ignore (the holidays) because it's just a painful reminder,” she said. “You'll see other camps go out of their way (to celebrate).”
Cartwright said she has seen one encampment set and decorate a real Christmas tree with presents underneath near San José Community College.
She also said some unhoused community members have a difficult time celebrating the holidays because it reminds them of a time when their loved ones used to be alive or when they used to be housed.
“I want to try to make it to where the kids enjoy the holidays,” Davis said. “You know, even though my kids are growing, I'm not a grandma. So just to see (and) to make sure these kids have a good holiday.”
A.S. hosts it’s monthly town hall meeting
By Hunter Yates STAFF WRITER
San José State’s Associated Students (A.S.) hosted its monthly town hall meeting on Wednesday.
A.S. advocates the student voice through nine departments that provide services to the campus community, according to a SJSU web page.
The goal of these meetings is for the A.S. student government to advocate for changes about certain issues, policies and ideas with what occurs on campus.
The meeting covered four different topics ranging from Time, Place and Manner policy to the effect of a 6% increase in tuition over the next five years.
Dawn Lee, SJSU interim associate vice president and dean of students, shared information on the policy.
“We don’t discourage amplified sound as long as it is within the correct time
frame,” Lee said. Time, Place and Manner policy refers to when the university can regulate when an individual can speak, according to a SJSU web page.
“Our first goal here is to make sure that there is a balance between supporting, free speech activities and also making sure classes can happen,” Lee said.
Ethan Maruyama, a third-year pre nursing major and member of SJSU’s Students for a Democratic Society, asked the board several questions on the policy.
Students for a Democratic Society is an activism organization that focuses on multiple issues, according to its Instagram page.
“I have heard people say that it is unnecessarily restrictive as it only gives us a certain time frame to hold rallies and hold public demonstrations,” Maruyama said.
Jon Tucker, an SJSU student involvement
director discussed when the Time, Place and Manner policies are implemented.
“11 a.m. to 2 p.m and 4 p.m. to 9 p.m Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on the weekend,” Tucker said.
Another topic discussed was the recent increase in tuition by the California State University.
In 2023, Trustees at the CSU voted to increase tuition each year by 6% to try to lower a deficit of $1.5 billion, according to a Sept. 15, 2023 Associated Press article.
Teairra Brown, a second-year film and public relations student and SJSU’s A.S. director of student resource affairs, talked about her personal experience with free application for federal student aid (FAFSA).
“Coming from someone who does come from a low-income family, the 6% increase is impacting me a lot,” Brown said. “Especially when it comes to paying for this (tuition).”
FAFSA is a way for a student to access federal grants, loans and workstudy loans making it the largest aid to college students, according to a Federal Student Aid web page.
Brown said FAFSA did send out an email a couple weeks ago and the email said that they will try to
help more students by opening up more grants to more students. The increase in tuition is required to help support faculty and staff and to maintain certain school facilities, as well as support students with financial aid to assist students academically, according to a Sept. 15, 2023 Associated
Press article. “When I was invited to come here, I made sure that I could be here to help answer questions to shed light on the misperception about Time, Place, and Manner,” Lee said.
ALINA TA | SPARTAN DAILY
A child gives his parent love bites while dressed up as the Disney character, Stitch, during the Columbus Park trunk-or-treat e vent.
HUNTER YATES | SPARTAN DAILY
Dawn Lee, interim chief diversity officer, talks at San José State University's Associated Students monthly town hall meeting on Wednesday.
No tricks, just treats at SU festival
By Anahi Villanueva Herrera STAFF WRITER
The San José State University Student Union’s Fall Festival encouraged students to leap into the fall spirit on Wednesday.
Hosted at the Student Union Ballroom, the event offered activities like tote bag painting, photobooths, jumbo Jenga and cornhole, according to an Oct. 26 Student Union Instagram post
Hennessy Ortiz Marquina, a third-year psychology student, said this was not the first event where there was a lot of interest in attending.
“I’m glad that we got to the event early because there have been previous events where it gets full and we aren’t able to enjoy the event,” Ortiz Marquina said.
After students checked in through SJSU’s Sammy App, they received a lanyard and were directed to snacks and refreshments.
SJSU Sammy App is the official app for SJSU students to have access to any sort of services or information at their fingertips, according to the SJSU webpage.
Snacks included Peter’s Kettle Corn, a small business from Oakland, with kettle popcorn like Caramel Pumpkin Spice, Saigon Cinnamon Sugar and Caramel & Cheese.
For drinks, Alpine Spiced Apple Cider and Swiss Miss hot chocolate were offered alongside
an array of tea options such as maple apple cider, decaf pumpkin spice and cinnamon apple chamomile.
“I got the caramel pumpkin spice popcorn, I had never heard of these flavors but was interested in trying them,” Ortiz Marquina said. “It was better than I expected it to be and I can only really describe it as it tasting like fall,”
Students had the option to paint a tote bag, or a cat, pumpkin or ghost
ceramic plant pot.
Once students received their items, they were able to enjoy their snacks and begin painting at any open table.
Chatter filled the room and the occasional clanking of wooden Jenga blocks crashing down was followed by laughter.
Alongside the activities, an announcement was made for people to enter in a costume contest.
Allen Duong, a graphic design transfer student, signed up for the costume
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contest as Makima from Chainsaw Man.
“Right now I am painting a tote, I’m trying to recreate Makima from Chainsaw Man and just kind of using this to de-stress from midterms,” Duong said.
“Chainsaw Man” is an anime show based on the manga where the main character turns into a demon with chainsaws and joins a similar organization to the police, according to an Oct. 22, 2022 Vulture article.
Duong’s handmade costume took him roughly five days to make and ended up winning first place.
Fall Festival was not the first event that Duong had attended at the Student Union, and he encouraged those who are first-time freshmen or transfers to put themselves out there.
Several students
“My favorite horror movie right now is ‘Evil Dead Rise.’ It's just so gross and when they kind of turn into a rat king, it’s so disgusting (and) I love it. I think I’ve watched it like three or four times.”
“I just watched the ‘Scary Movie’ (franchise), like ‘Scary Movie (1 through 5).’ It’s a parody of actual Halloween movies (and) even though it’s not really like “scary,” every movie is different.”
finished their painted items and some began to explore the other activities offered.
East Bay Face Painters
student allowed her to get out of her comfort zone and get more in touch with the San José community. “I love SJSU so far
I love SJSU so far but it’s difficult to make connections since I commute, but coming to these events have made me love the people on campus and I really feel at home.
also offered students free face painting and balloon animals.
Alyne Duong, a firstyear microbiology student, received two flower face paint designs and a unicorn balloon animal.
For Alyne, attending this event as a first-year
but it’s difficult to make connections since I commute, but coming to these events have made me love the people on campus and I really feel at home,” said Alyne Duong.
“ ‘The Conjuring.’ My sister likes (the) holiday, spooky stuff like that so honestly, I just watch whatever she watches. Honestly, I think it’s the story.”
SATURN WILLIAMS | SPARTAN DAILY Nidhi Sharma, a computer engineering graduate student, paints a miniature ceramic pumpkin at the Student Union Ballrooms on Wednesday.
Follow Anahi on Instagram @a.nahi.h
Brooklyn Baird Forensic Science freshman
Denise Guillen Psychology junior transfer
Marisa Barragan International business sophomore
CAMPUS VOICES
Alyne Duong Microbiology first-year
SJSU students bring gourd vibes only
#1: Students gather around tables in the ballroom to paint tote bags and planter pots with materials provided by Student Union, Inc.
#2: A photo of first-year aerospace engineering student Isabelle Cook dressed in her Gandalf costume from “The Lord of the Rings” sits in a lineup of other costume contest participants.
#3: Khushi Khasgiwala and Lasya Reddy Kotha, fourth-year business administration students, play a game of giant Jenga on the floor of the Student Union Ballroom.
#4: A San José State logo is carved into a large pumpkin sitting in front of a backdrop at the festival on Wednesday.
Halloween changes like the seasons
Anfisa Pitchkhadze STAFF WRITER
As the seasons change, the temperature drops down and with Halloween today, the spirit of the holiday hits differently as a college student.
The spirit of Halloween that was once alive with excitement and blended in the spooktacular vibes during my childhood seemed to have dimmed as I got older.
The ghoulish dark night of Halloween was filled with children roaming the streets with their costumes as the night glimmered with the soft glow of jack-o’-lanterns.
A Halloween tradition I remember is pumpkin carving, that brought out the vibes of the holiday when gathering with friends.
The festival known as Samhain indicated for All Hallows’ Eve, better known as Halloween, falls on Oct. 31st, according to a Britannica article.
The spooktacular holiday has now morphed into a nostalgic passageway back into the sentiments of childhood.
As a child, Halloween was a time that fulfilled joy on such a ghoulish and chilling night.
Dressing up in costumes allows you to assume another identity, which excites people for Halloween.
The tradition of wearing costumes has been going on for over 2,000 years where individuals would dress up as souls of the dead and demons, according to an Oct. 5 CNN article.
Individuals would also wear disguises as a way to trick spirits by looking like them, according to the same CNN article.
It put a smile on my face to see the variety of costumes children wear whether it was a character, monster or superhero.
I am filled with wonder seeing children and young adults get creative with their costumes.I remember the times when my elementary school classes threw Halloween-themed parties and put on a parade and it makes me want to go back in time to my childhood.
once felt like a carefree day, is now weighed down by the heavy burden of assignments and interrupts of spending time with other people. Since entering college, I find myself sitting in my room most of the time when I should be celebrating the
my assignments at the last minute, I can’t help but think about the fun memories from the past.
The day of Halloween is when I replay the good times of the day from my elementary, middle and high school years. I purposely reminisce about roaming
I cherished those special moments of munching on Halloween treats and watching scary movies while having a blast with my friends. However, that excitement faded away as I got older. Now, the holiday feels more like a regular day amid midterms and mounting assignments.
while some would return to their homes, according to a Britannica site. Gone are the days of walking down to strangers’ houses from door to door, our bags growing heavier with every sweet and savory candy. I recall my friends and I would wear our store bought costumes and our hearts race through the roof while piling up on candy-filled bags.
The joyous anticipation of Halloween has become overshadowed by the continuous demands of academia from my classes.
Responsibilities are getting stacked up, and what
thrilling day of Halloween.
Global Connections hosted a Halloween crafting event that offered decorating masks and telling ghost stories, according to an Oct. 21 San José State calendar page.
However, because I am piled up with finishing
around the festive and decorative neighborhoods of where I lived with my friends.
The jack-o’-lanterns’ presence in Halloween dates back to an old British and Irish festival where individuals who passed on go on to the otherworld
An estimated number of 72.8 million people under 18 years of age are expected to trick-or-treat in the United States, according to a Sept. 30 United States Census Bureau report.
Now as I pass by through neighborhoods and on my
way to campus, the flashback of houses getting festive for Halloween is not the same as it once was.
The number of houses adding decorations is declining and I recall seeing every house on the block showing off their decorations out on the yard when I was a kid.
As a child, it is typical to participate in trick-ortreating or other kid-friendly activities while in college, students tend to party hard. With a handful of students far from home, students dress what they want as they party away, but all that does is suck the true spirit of the holiday.
Sororities and fraternities host holiday parties like Halloween to give students a chance to get together and dress up while being served alcoholic beverages. It seems that Halloween in college is only truly celebrated if students party and get drunk.
Perhaps it is not just the holiday itself that has changed but also as we get older, we view the holiday differently when we grew out of trick-or-treating for example.
Halloween will forever be a favorite holiday of mine and as I continue to replay the memories in my head on this spooky day.
GRAPHCS BY ANFISA PITCHKHADZE | SPARTAN DAILY