Spartan Daily Vol. 161 No. 38

WINNER OF 2023 ASSOCIATED COLLEGIATE PRESS PACEMAKER AWARD, NEWSPAPER/NEWSMAGAZINE NAMED BEST CAMPUS NEWSPAPER IN CALIFORNIA FOR 2022 BY THE CALIFORNIA COLLEGE MEDIA ASSOCIATION AND CALIFORNIA NEWS PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION

Thursday, November 16, 2023

Volume 161 No. 37 SERVING SAN JOSÉ STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1934

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BRANDON NICOLAS | SPARTAN DAILY

Political Economist Sharat G. Lin explains the history of the conflict between territories in the Middle East that eventually led up to the Hamas terrorist attacks on Oct. 7.

SJ talks history behind Hamas attacks

By Brandon Nicolas SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The San José Peace and Justice Center hosted a Palestine-Israel primer speaker event on Wednesday to educate the community on Middle Eastern conflicts that led up to the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks.

On Oct. 7, Palestinian armed groups in Gaza launched thousands of missiles toward Israel and entered Israeli towns through the perimeter fence of Gaza killing and capturing Israeli forces and civilians, according to a United Nations webpage.

The Israeli military in response returned targeted artillery in the Gaza Strip.

Sharat G. Lin, political economist and a scholar of the Middle East, opened the event by sharing his experiences as a photo-journalist.

“I’ve seen a lot of the action,” Lin said. “I was captured by a Palestinian militia that was based in Syria for 24 hours in 1973.”

After taking photos of damaged buildings as a result of conflict between the Lebanese army and Palestinian guerillas, Lin said he was detained by Palestinian soldiers in Beirut after being caught outside after curfew.

Lin said when he was released by Palestinian soldiers, and was again arrested on curfew charges by the Lebanese army during his walk home to his dorm at the American University of Beirut.

“I understood why it happened because they were worried about spies, U.S. intelligence and U.S. agents operating in Lebanon,” Lin said. “It was a very scary experience, but I understood that this was a struggle for their survival.”

Lin said the events that took place on Oct. 7 was a response to the conflicts between Israel and Palestine that had occurred for nearly 100 years.

Retired business analyst Susanne Shalit said she attended the event to learn more about the historical context of conflicts leading up to the Oct. 7 attack.

“I was down in Santa Barbara when I heard the news,” Shalit said.

“We were horrified ... My family is Jewish and my mother was born in Palestine.”

Shalit said attending the event helped her gain a different perspective, conflicting with what she sees on the news.

She said she wanted to learn more about Zionism and how that led to a retaliation from Hamas.

Lin said the beginning of the series of violent conflicts between Hamas and Israel can be traced back to the rise of the Zionist movement.

“The movement did not gain traction in terms of encouraging Jewish migration to Palestine until the Holocaust,” Lin said.

Zionism is an international movement that aims to establish a Jewish national or religious community in Palestine and supports

the protection of a modern Israeli state, according to the MerriamWebster dictionary.

Near the end of World War II, the Zionist movement worked to secure Palestine as a national home for the Jewish community, but faced retaliation from Palestinian indigenous groups, according to a United Nations webpage.

This led to numerous violent conflicts until the United Nations partitioned Palestine into two independent states, one for Palestinians and the other for the Jewish community, leaving Jerusalem as an internalized state, according to the same webpage.

“The Zionist militias accelerated their attacks on Palestinian religious towns in what is known today as ‘Nakba,’ ” Lin said.

Nakba, which means “catastrophe” in Arabic, refers to the mass displacement of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, according to a United Nations webpage.

The displacement of Palestinian civilians only intensified with the increase of Jewish immigration and the Zionist goal of establishing a Jewish state in Palestine, according to the same source.

Lin said the Jewish state has terroristic origins by using deadly force to expel thousands of Palestinians from their homes with no intention of letting them return.

“What we are seeing increasingly in the past two years from the Israeli

government in Jerusalem is that act of raids,” Lin said. “These raids are becoming more brazen, becoming more frequent and becoming more brutal.”

He said Hamas is not just a military organization, but the government of Gaza that provides social services and administers public health.

According to a Oct. 31 Council of Foreign Relations article, the United States, European Union and other countries have designated Hamas as a terrorist organization because of rocket attacks and armed resistance against Israel.

Lin said the U.S. is the only country that has the power to influence Israel to stop bombing the area and to end ethnic cleansing in Gaza.

“If you look at the news, it looks like Biden has pleaded with the Israelis to not attack the hospitals,” he said. “And yet the Israelis did a full military assault on Al-Shifa Hospital.”

Al-Shifa Hospital, one of the main hospitals in Gaza, was bombed shortly after the U.S. publicly supported Israeli’s claims that Hamas allegedly had infrastructure beneath the hospital, according to a Nov. 15 BBC article.

Lin said he calls on President Joe Biden to revoke the U.S. weaponry used by Israel to retaliate against Hamas on a basis of morality.

“The U.S. has a lot of non-lethal weapons to use to pressure Israel and has not used them,” he said. “We are only asking to take this one step at a

time to bring about (a) full cease-fire, which would enable the exchange of prisoners.”

Joan Simon, coordinator of the San José Peace and Justice Center, said it was a crucial decision for her to host the event to better educate people about the history of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

“We're so misrepresented by the media that the only way is to tell the truth, and we need a historical background to do that,” Simon said.

Simon said she and her team at the center strive to hold a discussion at San José State to better inform students about conflicts in the Middle East.

She also said she stands in solidarity with Palestinian and Israeli students on campus who feel attacked by the media and have experienced distress from misinformed individuals.

“We are with you and we are on your side,” Simon said. “It’s important to know that even though (Hamas) is the enemy and cause of the problem to begin with, the people are here with you.”

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SWANA holds open forum

By Dylan Newman STAFF WRITER

DISCLAIMER: This story mentions Myenn Rahnoma, who is a former staff member of the Spartan Daily.

Around a dozen students met at the San José State Community Garden for the SWANA Open Forum, where members from the group shared their personal and cultural experiences alongside pastries and hot garden-grown mint tea on Wednesday morning.

The SWANA Initiative at SJSU is a group of students seeking to open a center to act as a sanctuary for students with cultural backgrounds in Southwest Asia and North Africa, according to an Aug. 28 SWANA Instagram post.

SWANA is a depoliticized term for the “Middle East” that does not have roots in colonialism and eurocentrism, according to another Instagram post from the OPEN FORUM | Page 2

DYLAN NEWMAN | SPARTAN DAILY

Members of SWANA talk during an open-forum meeting for the group to express cultural experiences.

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NEWS

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2023

BART discontinues paper tickets

By Navin Krishnan STAFF WRITER

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) announced it will discontinue its production of paper tickets and will be replacing them with Clipper cards beginning on Nov. 30.

BART started selling paper tickets at the San Francisco International Airport station (SFO) in October of 2022 and sold paper tickets because of global supply chains’ consequential effects on the local plastic card inventory, according to the BART website.

Since the region now has a substantial supply of cards, BART will be eliminating the sale of all paper tickets, including the sale of red paper tickets at customer service windows, according to the same source.

Every other station besides SFO has physical Clipper cards available to purchase at vending kiosks. This will be discontinued after the November deadline, according to the same source.

BART is trying to introduce the “Next Generation Clipper” system, according to its website.

The “Next Generation Clipper” system is an “allin-one” transit card with the option to tag a credit or debit card at the BART fare gate and create a Clipper system that can be accessible with Apple Pay or Google Pay, according to an Oct. 27 BART webpage.

BART is aiming to fully transition to this system by 2024, according to the same webpage.

“I don’t like the switch to Clipper cards only,” BART rider Francesca Wilson said. “Anyone who rides infrequently has to buy a whole card, which they might throw away. A waste of even more resources than paper cards. I’m against this change.”

Wilson said she isn’t the only one who would benefit from lowering fares or make other environmental changes.

She said recycling paper tickets is better for the environment than producing plastic cards.

“I would bring in plants

OPEN FORUM Continued from page 1 organization published on Sept. 2.

SWANA stands for Southwest Asian and North African, and is a much broader term that includes more countries, according to a 2021 Associated Students SWANA Resolution.

Ariana Shah, Associated Students director of intercultural affairs, led the discussion and asked the group questions about being part of SJSU’s campus community, and what they’d like to see from the administration.

Vice president and cofounder of the SWANA Initiative Tara Al-Rehani said while she doesn’t feel excluded, she doesn’t really feel represented at SJSU because the SWANA community does not have a dedicated center for them to gather.

Al-Rehani said while applying for college, it was frustrating to mark herself as white when her ethnic background is in the SWANA demographic.

“When I was applying, there was no Southwest

NAVIN KRISHNAN | SPARTAN DAILY

A Bay Area Rapid Transit rider uses a paperless Clipper Card to pay for his transportation and open the security gates at a BART station.

and trees, make other environmentally friendly changes,” Wilson said.

Neeraj Chandra Penumaka, a San José State computer science junior and BART rider, said his convenience is the top priority for him.

“I feel really happy about paper tickets being removed from BART because it reduces the stress of buying new tickets each time you run out and we also save paper in that manner,” Penumaka said.

He said uprooting the ticket system makes it easier for travelers because it eliminates the process of printing several tickets.

Penumaka said it may also reduce long lines and clutter.

“The Clipper card can be used several times by adding money from credit or debit cards and it can be easily replaced if it is not functioning properly,” Penumaka said.

He said as a result, the strenuous part of getting a new ticket on each trip is reduced.

Penumaka said if he could change one thing on BART,

he would provide internet access, so travelers could work while riding in the train cars.

“I have never used a ticket myself, but I have seen others use them adding the correct amount of money,” Penumaka said.

Penumaka said purchasing a new ticket each time they get off at a stop tends to become an unnecessary source of frustration.

Saanvi Madhura, Santa Clara County resident and frequent BART rider said there are both pros and cons to the change.

“I think it’s a good thing because with paper tickets you have the risk of losing them,” Madhura said. “If it’s digital then there’s no risk of losing your ticket.”

Madhura said this upgrade is the best thing that could have happened to BART and its passengers because it shows BART officials are thinking about the future and the environment.

“I think the pros, like I said, is that there is no risk of losing (the tickets),” Madhura

Asian and North African, or even Middle Eastern (option),” Al-Rehani said.

“My entire life has always been like, white, and then in parenthesis, Middle Eastern.”

Fatema Balkhi, forensic science sophomore and member of the Afghan Student Association at SJSU, said while she and other SWANA students don’t always feel outwardly excluded at the university, there is no dedicated space created for their demographic.

She said it would be nice for there to be a center for SWANA students instead of having to go through the struggle of connecting with members of her community on her own.

“People in SWANA, we don’t have a center or a kind of space where we can start out from,” Balkhi said.

“It’s usually people meeting each other through class or a friend of a friend ... if SWANA (had a center) there, then at least there’s a space where everyone can go and start making friends.”

She also shared her personal experience of being a target of Islamophobia.

Balkhi said a group of

students told her to “Go back to your country you bitch, you’re a fucking terrorist.”

She said the remark came from individuals in the line formed outside of the Student Union when the President of Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk, spoke on campus last month.

Turning Point USA is a conservative group founded by Kirk in 2012, according to a Politifact webpage.

Balkhi said she reported this incident to the administration and allegedly was told she’d get a report back, but she still has not received it.

She said she found it offensive that she has to be the person to keep reaching out even though she doesn’t feel safe on campus anymore.

“I do not feel safe going into the classroom,” Balkhi said. “I do my job, I do my part and then I still have to reach out.”

She also said she felt there has been an increase in Islamophobia on campus this semester.

Balkhi said she witnessed an Islamophobic attack last week and reported it to the administration, but has heard nothing back since

said. “Most people have a and therefore cannot access smartphone. You can have the Clipper app. the app and it’s really Madhura said the biggest element that riders are looking forward to is the convenience of having your ticket on your phone and ditching the line.

She said the average rider can reload their card, check his or her balance and know exactly how much money is needed whether they are going to the next city or on an excursion around the Bay Area.

Madhura said however, BART innovators should spend less time making ticketing more convenient and try to change other aspects of BART. She said the first thing that should be addressed is safety.

“I think safety is one Saanvi Madhura thing that would really be Santa Clara County resident my concern,” Madhura said.

“How are they trying to enforce that and keep the convenient. You can track riders safe? Certain stations your balance. You can plan used to have a lot of grabahead if you need to put and-go, people taking laptops money in your account.” and running out before the Madhura said her biggest train closed.” concern is if somebody Her other concern is doesn’t have a smartphone, enforcing security to make

How are they trying to enforce that and keep the riders safe?

Certain stations used to have a lot of grab-andgo, people taking laptops and running out before the train closed.

sure people don’t get a free ride without actually paying for it.

Madhura said BART used to run on an honor-based system.

“They expect everybody’s paying and giving their due,” Madhura said. “That’s not always the case. If there are not enough funds, they cut all the services, which impacts the people that are actually paying and riding regularly.”

Madhura also said this change is a good thing because with paper tickets you can easily lose them to theft versus always having it on your phone.

However, Madhura’s stance on this change remains supported by her experience using similar light rails in multiple countries.

“Personally, I like it,” Madhura said. “It’s very convenient.”

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DYLAN NEWMAN | SPARTAN DAILY

SWANA members gather to talk about cultural experiences on Wednesday morning.

then.

Balkhi said she and former Afghan Student Association president and now SJSU alumna, Myenn Rahnoma, sat down with President Cynthia Teniente-Matson to discuss including a space for SWANA in the university master plan.

She said President Teniente-Matson allegedly told them that “We cannot have a center for every single minority.”

“That kind of put us off guard,” Balkhi said.

She said she’s seen with

her own eyes students try to communicate with the administration and the administration says an answer and that’s it, and when they try to fight it then there’s an issue.

She said she is witnessing students trying to communicate with the administration, Wahhab Salemi, political science sophomore and the president and cofounder of the SWANA Initiative, said there’s a lot more that could be done for SWANA students.

“You have so many

places that already have fully functioning, institutional representation that’s continuous,” Salemi said. “Whereas over here, I think we’ve kind of been left behind and so it’s kind of sad because I feel like there’s such a large population here too that identifies as SWANA.”

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NEWS

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2023

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Spartans feast on food from the Bay 1 2

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1. Sofi Cipriano gets her order from the Holy Chile Mole food truck during the Taste of the Bay event on Wednesday afternoon.

2. Alexis Villena hands tote bags to event attendees during the Taste of the Bay event.

3. Rob Manansala, otherwise known as DJ Devere, spins some records on Seventh Street Plaza.

4. Students line up to order from a food truck during the Taste of the Bay event on Wednesday afternoon.

5. An event attendee walks away from the Hole Chile Mole food truck with his sandwich.

6. Jovi Wong (left) and Jonah Dela Cruz (right) receive their food orders at the event on Wednesday.

PHOTOS BY JULIA CHIE | SPARTAN DAILY

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2023

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PHOTOS BY DOMINIQUE HUBER

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1. A timeline of women wearing pants including historical documents and graphics posted at Larisa Usich’s art exhibit, “Who wears the pants?”

2. Post-it notes from attendees of the art exhibit.

3. Usich's art piece titled “The Story of Some American Pants.”

4.Continued timeline art piece in Usich’s exhibit.

5. A seating area and a line of pants displayed as part of Usich’s art exhibit.

Exhibit takes on pants and patriarchy

By Dominique Huber STAFF WRITER

Students pondered the topics of bodily autonomy and gender norms while tearing pants apart in the San José State University art building on Wednesday.

Larisa Usich, MFA candidate in spatial arts, held her participatory art exhibit called “Who Wears the Pants?” from Nov. 7 to 16.

Through her art exhibit, Usich explored the typical norms and restrictions on clothing, the history of wearing pants and how people’s identities contribute to their performance of gender through clothing, according to an SJSU Events Calendar webpage.

She said the idea for the exhibit was originally inspired by the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022 and what it meant for bodily autonomy.

Usich’s art included colorful weavings, as well as a diverse collection of pants and an informational wall of articles describing the history of requirements and social standards for women’s clothing.

On the wall, Usich wrote that women were not allowed to wear pants in the United States Senate until 1993.

All women in the United States were also prohibited from wearing pants until 1923 when Attorney General Harry Daugherty time declared that it was legal, according to an article published by the Adam Smith Institute.

Usich said it’s important to think about the history of pants and clothing restrictions because the issues behind them are still present today.

“Anyone can look at their own family’s past and the things passed down to them about notions of gender,”

Usich said. “We so easily internalize these things that have been historically passed down over time as notions without almost even being aware of it.”

Cindy Deras, sociology senior with a concentration in women, gender and sexuality studies, said she visited the exhibit with a group of her peers.

Deras said Usich’s display on the topic of restrictions on women’s clothing made her think of her grandma who is in her 90’s and does not wear pants to this day.

She also said the standards for women’s clothing back then were just a small part of a larger set of expectations placed on women and how they should live their lives.

“The standards are having as many kids as possible, getting married and staying in that marriage that obviously does not make you happy, and just doing the wifely

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The Spartan Daily prides itself on being the San Jose State community’s top news source. New issues are published every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday throughout the academic year and online content updated daily.

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Reader feedback may be submitted as letters to the editor or online comments.

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duties,” Deras said.

Deras said the fact that she’s able to wear pants freely today makes her feel powerful and reminds her that she doesn’t have to meet those same misogynistic standards.

Usich said the gender norms and regulations around clothing often seen in societies around the world are partially about having control over girls and women.

“There’s something about that that feels really wrong,” Usich said. “I rail against this idea that you must not want to play roughly and that you need to look like a doll and be there to be looked at and not to move how you want to through the world.

Tanya Bakhru, women, gender and sexuality studies professor, brought students from her class titled “Sexualities and the Body” to see and participate in the exhibit.

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She said it is important to expose students to the topics explored in the art exhibit because they have a lot of relevance to everyone in American society.

“All these issues are so personal in our lives, but they’re also political,” Bakhru said. “It’s important that we think about them because they affect us on a daily basis.”

She said the handson nature of the exhibit encourages students to think about the issues of bodily autonomy, equity and freedom in a different way.

At a table in the middle of the room, attendees worked with deconstructed pairs of pants and other clothes, modifying them with needles, scissors, looms and other tools.

Usich said this was meant to help attendees interact with the topics of the exhibit in a hands-on way and inspire them to

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think deeply about them.

Usich looked for attendees’ perspectives on these topics and offered notepads and pens, along with the prompt: “How do you wear pants?”

One attendee wrote, “I wear pants largely against my will but largely because if my legs are observed I will die on the spot.”

Another wrote, “I wear pants because I don’t want to shave.”

Usich said she wanted to bring up these topics to spread a message about the kind of world she’d like to live in.

“Let’s be a world where we can all not only wear what we want, but move how we want through the world and be free to manage our own bodies,” Usich said.

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EDITORIAL POLICY Columns are the opinion of individual writers and not that of the Spartan Daily. Editorials reflect the majority opinion of the Editorial Board, which is made up of student editors.

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OPINION

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2023

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The holiday season can be a time of self-love Aaliyah Roman STAFF WRITER

The holiday season is finally here and, if I hear one more person say it is cuffing season, I’m going to lose it.

For those who don’t know, cuffing season occurs when winter begins, the weather gets colder and people feel the need to get into relationships, according to an Oct. 17, 2022 article by the Cleveland Clinic.

It’s as if once it starts getting colder, people’s hearts get warmer, and all of a sudden everyone is in a relationship.

I get it, the holidays are filled with feelings of warmth, joy and laughter.

Of course people are going to want to share that with others.

However, society has romanticized the holiday season to the point where I no longer look forward to it, and social media is to blame.

Go on Instagram and you’ll see couples going out on dates to pumpkin patches, getting matching pajamas and going out to Christmas in the Park.

Christmas in the Park is a non-profit organization that displays Christmas-themed decorations, trees and entertainment in San José during the Christmas season, according to its website.

Meanwhile, single people are cooped up in their rooms consuming all that heartwarming ing content and feeling lonely.

It’s not a good feeling, ose who especially for those are single, going through n a breakup or even asonal experiencing seasonal depression. ession is Seasonal depression a real thing. perience When you experience ression, this kind of depression, lly your body literally ls of has reduced levels in D and serotonin, vitamin melatonin which h are all essential to our bodies, according to a fact act sheet by the National Institute of Mental Health. h.

If you’re already dy going through a hard time ime and scrolling on yourr phone like the rest of us, s, you’re bound to feel down wn about it.

It sucks because se in reality, relationships hips on social media are surface ay it but level. I hate to say not all of them are as m. jolly as they seem.

Social media has the power to make itt seem

like everyone is living their best lives and in return, make you feel like you should be doing the same and that’s not realistic.

Don’t get me wrong, I am a lover girl at heart and I am not hating on relationships as a whole.

I’m also not saying every relationship is corrupt and that we

should all just be single for the holidays.

I would hope that people realize there is so much more joy to be experienced and shared within the next few months, with or without a significant other.

It’s totally OK to spend this time with friends and family. We can take a break from our busy lives

as college students to go back home and spend time with our families.

Go to the pumpkin patches with your girls.

Watch Christmas movies and drink hot chocolate in your cute pajamas with your siblings.

We can check up on those who are struggling with seasonal depression.

Friendsgiving where

GRAPHIC BY ALICIA ALVAREZ

friends gather and cook up a nice Thanksgiving meal to share together could suffice.

Love doesn’t solely apply to romantic relationships. Love can be platonic.

If that doesn’t work, we always have ourselves too.

The holiday season can also be a time for selflove.

Go on solo d drives and look at all the Christmas lights. Take the th time to find yoursel yourself a nice Christmas present. pre Forget cuffin cuffing season.

Let’s do bulking bulkin season, hit the gym and an work towards the bo bodies we desire.

Most people in their 20’s are trying to find themselves and figure out where they fit in this world.

It can be daunting dau and it doesn’t help h when you’re worried about finding a boo for cuffing season.

With that be being said, let’s cater to our ou own growth and make ma sure we take care o of ourselves these holidays because there is so much mu more to life than a rela relationship, and people fai fail to realize that.

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The top four best zodiac signs according to me Maya Benmokhtar STAFF WRITER

I’m not afraid to admit that I will judge a book by its cover and quite frankly the same applies to someone’s zodiac sign.

Zodiacs are assigned from constellations through which the sun passes at a specific time. The signs are described as a cluster of stars in the sky that are grouped together in a particular pattern and therefore have ave been given a specific name, me, according to a video by Crash Course.

A person's particular sign of the zodiac is the one that the sun was in when they ey were born, according to the same video.

While each of the 12 zodiac symbols has its pros and cons, as a Sagittarius, us, I have my own thoughts on how well my sign gets along long with others.

Here’s my ranking of the top four zodiac signs to get along with.

freedom-loving according to the same article.

As a Sagittarius, I can confirm that there might be some truth to these attributes. Sometimes I go for a simple grocery shopping trip that turns into a new tattoo session.

When I show my parents my impulsive tattoo decision, I get hit with “Why would you do such a dumb and rushed thing like this?”

I have the perfect answer every time, “Because YOLO (you only live once).”

Being spontaneous and free-spirited makes a Sagittarius one of the best partners, whether it's y romanticallyy or p platonically.

We are always down for new adventures and anyone is guaranteed a good time with a Sagittarius by their side.

2. Gemini The zodiac sign, Gemini, is the sister sign of Sagittarius.

Geminis are born between May 21 and June 21.

Despite all the negative talk about the Gemini sign, it is one of my favorites in the zodiac.

I have always heard the saying that “Geminis are two-faced,” and I agree 100%. However, this is exactly what I adore about Geminis. They are able to flip the switch whenever needed.

My partner is a

Gemini and watching his everyday interactions, if someone gets on his bad side, he is able to put all his emotions aside and put on his devil horns. No mercy, you get what you deserve if you fuck with Geminis.

Honestly, it's respectable.

3. Cancer After careful consideration, Cancer has also made the list.

Cancers are born between June 22 and July 22.

This sign can be described as emotional, caring and creative.

Out of all my friends,

whenever I am in need of reassurance or someone to help me make light of a difficult situation, I go to a Cancer. From my experience, their emotional intelligence is elite.

I am the type of person to be extremely negative when something is not going as planned. In these situations, I call my Cancer friends and they always have the sweetest and positive things to say.

I’ll call my favorite Cancer, Hailey, and have a meltdown on the phone. It could be something as dumb as me losing my shit because all of a sudden I hate all my clothes and decide I have nothing to wear for a night out.

She'd offer to come help me pick an outfit, go

1. Sagittarius I would not be true to o myself if my top zodiac ranking did not start with th Sagittarius.

According to an article le on ZodiacSign, a websitee that offers information on each zodiac sign and its als characteristics, individuals born between Nov. 22 and Dec. 21 fall under Sagittarius. ne Some traits that define sive, this sign best are: impulsive, humorous, curious and

GRAPHIC BY ALICIA ALVAREZ

shopping, or bring a cute top she has that she knows I've been eyeing. Why would she go out of her way to do such a selfless thing? Simple, it’s because she’s a Cancer.

4. Taurus Being that there are 12 zodiac signs, it is extremely difficult to narrow down the top four, but the zodiac sign that takes my last spot is Taurus.

Those under the Taurus zodiac are individuals born between April 20 and May 21.

My love for the Taurus sign might be biased as it is my mother’s zodiac.

However, the reason I love this sign is because of its strong personality traits, like being down-to-earth, reliable and from personal experience, extremely loyal.

Don’t let these strong personality traits fool you though, Taurus signs also know how to stand their ground and they are only loyal to those with good intentions.

It's essential to approach astrology with an open mind and recognize that personality and compatibility are complex and multifaceted.

Each of the 12 zodiac signs has different compatibility with other signs, so it is important to explore the specific qualities, interests, and communication styles that contribute to each individual zodiac sign, especially those you surround yourself with.

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SPORTS

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2023

FOOTBALL

SJSU looks to extend winning streak

By Nathan Canilao SENIOR STAFF WRITER

San José State head coach Brent Brennan said every game in November is important, but this one might be the most consequential of them all.

The Spartans are scheduled to play San Diego State University on Saturday, a team that’s tied for the worst record in the Mountain West Conference with the University of New Mexico.

A win will not only get the Spartans to the six-win bowl game eligibility mark, but propel their chances to get to the Mountain West title game as they currently sit in second place in the conference.

“This is obviously a huge game for our football team,” Brennan said in a Tuesday press conference. “We have not had success against (SDSU) in the past. They’ve been the top program, the entire time I’ve been in this conference.

They’ve done an incredible job.”

Despite the success in recent years, the Aztecs have not been great this season. They have just one conference win against the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and rank in the bottom of the Mountain West in almost every statistical category.

On Monday, San Diego State announced that head coach Brady Hoke will be stepping down at the end of the season.

“It’s something that my wife Laura and I are looking

UPCOMING GAME SJSU vs. SDSU Nov. 18 @ 7:30 p.m.

TV: CBS Sports Network

MAYA BENMOKHTAR | SPARTAN DAILY

SJSU junior wide receiver Isaac Jernagin celebrates after scoring a touchdown against Fresno State at CEFCU Stadium on Saturday.

all except one, so they’ve been better than us.”

SJSU has only beaten the Aztecs once in the Brent Brennan era – a 28-17 win at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif., during the 2020 season.

The Spartans’ run game has been surging in the last few weeks. Against Fresno State on Saturday, senior running back Kairee Robinson rushed for 200 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Robinson is one touchdown away from breaking the SJSU’s single-season-rushing record.

He is currently tied with Deonce Whitaker and Johnny Johnson with 15 rushing touchdowns.

“It definitely is an honor for

forward to,” Hoke said about his retirement in a Tuesday news conference. “We’ve done this a long time. I’m proud of what we’ve done at each and every stop and here at San Diego State.”

Though the Aztecs have underperformed this season, the motivation of playing in Hoke’s final two games could give San Diego State some extra juice coming into this game.

“I would absolutely expect that,” Brennan said about anticipating more motivation from the Aztecs. “They love their coach. The other part of it is that every time we play these guys, it’s a hard-fought game.

The truth is they’ve won them

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1. Monastery resident 5. Change, as a motion 10. Either horn of a crescent moon 14. Off, as a note 15. Voice range 16. Seat of King Olaf V's rule 17. Singer's concern 18. Lose underpinnings 19. Stand on hind legs 20. Put this down on paper 21. Continental headquarters, 1777-78 23. Like an oak leaf 25. Sports buff 26. Robin Goodfellow, e.g.

28. Not for one time only 33. California-Nevada resort lake 34. Clink glasses 35. Took off 36. Brief scrapbook item 37. Supporting beam 38. It has feathers and flies 39. Nothing alternative 40. Promote 41. Char 42. Stomach 44. Word with front-end or

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JOKIN’ AROUND Did you hear about the new corduroy pillows?

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“It’s an emotional day for the guys who actually are realizing it’s their last game at (CEFCU) stadium,” Brennan said. “The guys we’re talking about are really special guys that have been very impactful on and off the field. I hope there’s just a lot of people here to celebrate the seniors that are playing their last game.”

The game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday at CEFCU Stadium.

They're making head lines.

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SUDOKU PUZZLE Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE 1

sure for sure,” Robinson said about the record. “But like I’ve been saying all year, shout out to the big homies on the offensive line. They’ve been doing their thing all year and putting in the work this season.”

Saturday will also be the last home game of the season, meaning it will be senior day for many of the team’s graduating players.

Among the 17 seniors being honored are Robinson, quarterback Chevan Cordeiro, offensive lineman Jaime Navarro and Anthony Pardue, twin defensive backs Tre and Andrew Jenkins, safety Chase Williams and defensive lineman Noah Lavulo.

muzzle 45. It aids moving 46. Devout 47. Historic site of 1775 52. Took the flag 55. Aleutian Island 56. "The Turn of the Screw" girl 57. Pants specification 58. Malleus or hyoid 59. Poe's corvine visitor 60. He lived 905 years 61. It's useless without runners 62. Comets, to the superstitious 63. Former Miss America host Parks DOWN 1. Spumante source 2. Unexpected advantage 3. Boston battleground 4. Literary "before" 5. Lolling 6. European thrush 7. Chemical suffix 8. Lymph ___ 9. "Jaws" star 10. Sun's halo 11. Exploitative type

12. Tailings matter 13. A sweater uses it 21. Stand up and be counted 22. Cut calories completely 24. Run rampant 26. Brown ermine 27. Picasso or Neruda 28. Play reveille 29. Bridge seat 30. 1777 battle site 31. Word on a tag 32. Board 34. Horseback ride 37. The way ferries travel 38. Face on a wrist 40. Type of muffin 41. It flattens as it ages 43. Drew out 44. Word with "Run" in a 1976 sci-fi film title 46. Bridge maven Charles 47. Picked-up items 48. Unholy figurine 49. Word with sugar or walking 50. "Rio Lobo" actor Jack 51. Travel randomly 53. Scent or aroma 54. Hatchling's home 57. Internet branch

SOLUTIONS

NOVEMBER 15

B A D E A I L E D F I N E A L E X L L A N O O N T O T O N E G L O O M R A H S C H I M N E Y S W I F T H A M P E R N A Y S A Y T R I M A G I T A T O H A P F A S T F O R W A R D O T O S G O T O B I E F L E E T S T R E E T S A L F A T C A T S R T E I A S S U R E E R N A N I R A P I D T R A N S I T M A G I P R E E N A P S E O B I T E A R N A T E A M D E N Y R E N A L E R N S

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