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Students protest with signs and chants on Thursday against an arrest of a Palestinian San José State University student that had an altercation with an Israeli group on campus.
Students march against an arrest By Nikita Bankar STAFF WRITER
The Freedom Road Socialist Organization held a rally in front of the Student Union on Thursday to support an 18-yearold Palestinian student who is facing criminal charges and suspension for an interaction with the Jewish Student Union and Students Supporting Israel. On Sept. 12, Omar allegedly expressed his criticism of the state of Israel towards both student organizations, according to a petition on change.org. The Palestinian militant group Hamas launched the unprecedented assault on Israel on Oct. 7 with hundreds of gunmen infiltrating communities near the Gaza Strip, according to a Nov. 3 article from BBC. In response, the Israeli military began striking targets in the strip, according to the same site. Hamas is Gaza’s de-facto government, and is also an Islamist group which is committed to the destruction of Israel, designated as a terrorist group by the United States and many other countries, according to the same article by BBC. Omar asked the students, “Are you aware that you are supporting a country that kills people?” according to the same site.
In response to Omar’s comments, one of the students tabling told him that she does not care about those lives lost. Omar walked away, and then allegedly threw a juice pack at the student’s direction, according to a Sept. 12 report from SJSU University Police Department. There was an immediate response to this matter by the University Police Department (UPD), and a corresponding follow-up email by the Office of Student Conduct and Ethical Development (SCED), according to an email sent by Patrick K. Day, vice president for Student Affairs, and Dawn Lee, Ph.D., interim chief diversity officer. Omar was arrested for violating civil rights by force or intimidation and for battery towards one person, according to the same police report. He was issued a 14 day Notice of Withdrawal of Consent to Remain on SJSU’s campus and was booked into the Santa Clara County County Jail, according to the same source. A Notice of Withdrawal of Consent to Remain on Campus is a document informing a person that they have lost their consent to be on school grounds, according to a webpage from Casetext. Diane Rojas, child development senior, said SJSU stated that the students
commentary was an act of violence, but that it does not seem like this is what actually happened. “That part on San José State is disappointing,” Rojas said. “It seems they’re choosing sides. We haven’t even heard anything from San José State highlighting what’s going on.”
It’s just sad to see the world that we’re living in. It’s not getting better. It’s just sad to see that we’re all separated and not really together. Emily Than
sociology senior
Rojas also said it is disappointing to see that SJSU is condoning this behavior. “There’s children dying on both sides, and that’s why a ceasefire is important,” Rojas said. “I’m pro-Palestine, there are more innocent lives on that side being taken, and they’re fighting against occupation.” More than 12,700 Palestinians – two-thirds of them women and minors – have been killed since the war began, according to
Palestinian Health authorities, who do not differentiate between civilian and militant deaths. About 4,000 people are reported missing, according to the same site. Nas Ahmed, Santa Clara resident and activist, said the university treats people differently based on their race. “Those who are brown and Black and minority and Muslim have been mistreated like secondary second class citizens,” Ahmed said. “I don’t see what is wrong with what this student did, they have nothing but frustration. Nobody asked him what his story was, they just arrested him and threw him in jail for hours.” In the same email sent by Day and Lee, it stated unfortunately, the SJSU campus has not been immune to hateful actions targeting Jewish student communities. The email stated that these incidents have had significant impacts on Jewish students, faculty and staff, causing people to feel unsafe, unseen and unheard. Near the end of the message, it said SJSU will always work to be an inclusive community. Ester Alper, molecular biology junior, said she hopes one day Palestine is free from Hamas. “There are Palestinians in Gaza right now protesting Hamas, which is dangerous
because Hamas would kill them once,” Alper said. “I don’t think people are truly pro-Palestinian. They’re just anti-Israel.” Alper said Israel is a country that is quite diverse, where people have many different backgrounds, not just Jewish people and Israelis. “Israel has 9 million people, and Israel’s goal is to protect those 9 million people, not because they’re Jewish, but because they’re human beings,” Alper said. “Unfortunately, way too many Palestinians have been killed, but that’s the cost of war.” Sociology senior Emily Than said it’s sad to see that people don’t understand the meaning behind “Free Palestine.” “It’s literally a genocide that we’re witnessing for years now,” Than said. “I do still need to educate myself more about the situation, but I know what is right and what is wrong.” Than said it’s discouraging that she can’t do much more than signing petitions and sharing posts. “It’s just sad to see the world that we’re living in,” Than said. “It’s not getting better. It’s just sad to see that we’re all separated and not really together.”
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Silicon Valley remembers trans lives By Navin Krishnan
Silicon Valley Pride is an organization that has been celebrating LGBTQ+ rights San José State students, faculty, since 1975. local residents and alumni came Nov. 30 is a day of significance together Saturday night at the because it is in memory of Student Union Theater to celebrate transgender people who lost their Trans Awareness Night hosted by lives to violence, according to the Silicon Valley Pride. Glaad website. STAFF WRITER
The night was packed with poets, stand-up comedians, and dance ensembles by SJSU alumni. Susan Ellenberg, member of the County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors, kicked off the event with a recognition of SJSU’s community and its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
“It truly is an honor to be here,” Ellenberg said. “It’s an honor to be here celebrating trans lives, trans joy and sharing the community with all of you. There is nothing more beautiful than human beings who are living their truest, most authentic lives.” Chief Marketing Officer for
Silicon Valley Pride and SJSU alumnus Saldy Suriben said the organization has hosted multiple events dedicated to LGBTQ+ pride, including Silicon Valley Pride Night, the Pride Health Fair, Drag Bingo and Pride Block Party. REMEMBRANCE | Page 2
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NEWS
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2023
SJSU talks hotel housing project By Lamar Moody STAFF WRITER
San José State will be expanding student housing next year to the heart of Downtown San José in an attempt to lower commute times and make housing affordable for students. SJSU held a press conference on Thursday to announce a new housing project at the Signia by Hilton San José where it will convert empty hotel space into affordable housing units for undergraduate students. The Signia Hotel is located across the street from Plaza de César Chávez Park and is a three minute walk to SJSU. SJSU President Cynthia Teniente-Matson said the university will lease the property in partnership with Throckmorton Partners to transform the Signia’s South Tower complex into a student community by Fall 2024. Throckmorton Partners is a privatelyheld investment platform focused on multi-family housing assets (affordable, student and market rate) according to its website. “Today we celebrate the opportunity that our students have been asking for and that is for our university to increase our inventory in undergraduate housing in Downtown San José,” Teniente-Matson said. “We’re excited to see a Spartan village in the Paseo, bringing vibrancy and light to this area and
REMEMBRANCE Continued from page 1 He said the nonprofit organization held event to support and shed light on the transgender community. “The reason I joined Silicon Valley Pride is because I wanted to give back to the community,” Suriben said. “Also, I have a passion in event planning and I have a passion for bringing authenticity and supporting the local LGBTQ+ community here.” She said 35% of transgender youth live in states that have passed bans on gender-affirming care according to a website from UCLA School of Law. Some states, such as Oklahoma, Texas and South Carolina have considered bans on gender-affirming care up to the age of 26, according to the same website. She said in the past decade, over 310 transgender and gender non-conforming people have lost their lives to violence, and one-third of whom were killed in the past three years, according to the same source. In 2022, 80% of victims were people of color and
LAMAR MOODY | SPARTAN DAILY
Patrick Day, SJSU’s Vice President for Student Affairs, speaks during the even addressing future housing for students.
being right adjacent to (Plaza de César Chávez) is just incredible.” Teniente-Matson said the support from the city has been tremendous. She said the San José Downtown Association has consistently supported initiatives for SJSU to expand into the downtown area. The San José Downtown Association represents more than 2,000 businesses, nonprofits and property owners who work collaboratively to enhance the downtown experience, according to its website. Teniente-Matson said the Chancellor’s Office staff recognizes the importance of reducing commute time and providing affordable housing for students. She said affordability
was a critical element in what they were trying to establish. Teniente-Matson said the Higher Education Student Housing (HESH) program granted the university $89 million in debt services to allow the university to deliver more beds across the existing and new housing stock. As part of the 2021-22 budget package, the state created the HESH program to promote the construction of affordable on-campus housing. Campuses at the University of California (UC), California State University (CSU) and California Community Colleges (CCC) may apply for grants, according to the Legislative Analyst Office website. “SJSU is growing, and so
50% were black transgender women, according to the same website SJSU President Cynthia Teniente-Matson also attended the event and said she recognizes the event as a way of celebrating the SJSU community, the SJSU student body, faculty and staff and anyone who comes to San José State. “It’s gatherings like this where we can come together and share experiences to build an environment where everyone is welcome and everyone feels seen, heard and supported,” she said. She said she is proud of the community for not only embracing people who are transgender, but for the LGBTQ+ community as a whole. SJSU alumna Danni Villalobos said her return to SJSU was sentimental and she embraced the opportunity to spread awareness while entertaining the local crowd. “I do a lot of things with the community now. One of the things we helped plan today was the showcase,” Villalobos said. “I used to perform here at SJSU. I was part of the LGBTQ+ group on campus. It was known as QTIP. It definitely hits home.”
She said bringing the community together and bringing people of different genders and identities together in one place, people can empower and inspire the next generation of students to be more educated about diversity, equity and inclusion. “I think (being transgender) means that I definitely live a life that people aren’t going to understand,” Villalobos said. “There’s always going to be people that don’t know where I come from and the choices I make. But there are people that are going to understand who I am and what I’m about.” She said finding the silver lining in terms of her purpose involves finding her identity and that’s why there are LGBTQ+ communities, pride days and trans awareness days to convey a message. She said she understands some people don’t have the opportunity to speak out for the community and has made it her intention to speak out for those who don’t have the same privilege. “Keep fighting for what you believe in and keep being authentic and true to yourself, because at the end of the day you will have a community backing you up,” Villalobos said.
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EDITORIAL STAFF
The Spartan Daily prides itself on being the San José State community’s top news source. New issues are published every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday throughout the academic year and online content updated daily. The Spartan Daily is written and published by San José State students as an expression of their First Amendment rights. Reader feedback may be submitted as letters to the editor or online comments.
EXECUTIVE EDITOR MATTHEW GONZALEZ MANAGING EDITOR JILLIAN DARNELL PRODUCTION EDITOR ALICIA ALVAREZ NEWS EDITORS IRENE ADELINE MILANEZ ALINA TA A&E EDITOR ALEXIA FREDERICKSON SPORTS EDITOR MAT BEJARANO SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR BOJANA CVIJIC
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is the energy surrounding what our downtown can become,” said San José Mayor Matt Mahan. “A building that has been sitting empty will soon be full of life as 800 young people move in.” Patrick Day, vice president for Student Affairs, said SJSU is moving forward and more into downtown. “With a waiting list of 600 plus students that I was looking at in the summertime, we definitely need more housing. That waiting list is telling us that students who want to come to San José State want to live on or near campus and we’ve got to meet that demand,” Day said. He said not only does SJSU need more student housing but also needs
to create more affordable options and this project allows the university to create regular student housing, but also some affordable opportunities in this space. Omar Torres, San José city councilmember and SJSU alumnus, said unfortunately students who live around campus have to experience substandard living and landlords who do not maintain their property. Torres said it was an honor to vote for the extension of the hotel to be converted into student housing. “The acquisition of Signia by Hilton San José by SJSU is a significant development and it aligns with our vision to create an environment that exposes students to a wealth of opportunities
while urban living,” Torres said. “Downtown living offers a unique blend of cultural, artistic and economic experiences and we believe this investment will greatly enhance the overall student experience.” Torres said the proximity of institutions like the San José Museum of Art, concert halls, theaters and the Tech Museum will provide our students with access to a better understanding of different cultures and educational experiences. Charlie Faas, SJSU vice president for Administration and Finance, said in the next seven to eight months the Signia by Hilton San José will be redesigned into a student-housing building. Faas said 700 to 800 students will be able to live there and will have dining facilities, gaming and study lounges, meeting rooms and a gym. “We don’t want the students who will live here walking all the way over to campus to get their meals, so there will be meal options here,” Faas said. Faas said UPD will be monitoring what’s going on up and down the Paseo, making sure it’s well lit and safe. “The whole idea of being here and being close to, whether it’s Nirvana Soul, a block away or clubs on South First Street, it’s good urban energy,” Faas said. Follow the Spartan Daily on X (formerly Twitter) @SpartanDaily
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Pettie Page peforms on stage during the Trans Awareness Night event on Saturday.
Sera Fernando, SJSU alumna, said it’s great to see a transgender awareness night and celebrate trans-awareness week at SJSU. Fernando said she graduated from SJSU in 2008 and currently serves as the Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion officer for Silicon Valley Pride. “In terms of me selfidentifying as a transgender Filipino woman, my background is really a lived experience,” Fernando said. “I came out around 10 years ago. For me, trans awareness is about amplifying
and uplifting the stories and the challenges and barriers that transgender folks face as well as (honoring) all the trans lives lost to anti-trans sentiment rhetoric and bias,” she said. Fernando said the collective goal of the event is not just to celebrate transgender joy, but also to be aware that lives of transgender folks are not all rainbows and butterflies. “If we really want to create a space that’s safe and inclusive for everybody, we really have to be intentional and think about intersectionality, especially the transgender
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community,” Fernando said. She said celebrating the transgender community is one step, but this is one of many events and many that should be recognized. “I’m blessed to have the opportunity to serve the community in all sorts of facets,” Fernando said. “My statement to the transgender students at San José State is that you belong, you are loved.”
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EMAIL: spartandailyadvertising@gmail.com CORRECTIONS POLICY The Spartan Daily corrects all significant errors that are brought to our attention. If you suspect we have made such an error, please send an email to spartandaily@gmail.com. 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.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2023
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MOVIE REVIEW
The new ‘Hunger Games’ movie broke my heart By Alicia Alvarez
true to the previous installments within The Hunger Games universe, Making a fictional with dark themes and a future dictator attractive thread weaving through and morally gray should the story that binds each be criminal. movie together. Lionsgate The movie adaptation broke the movie into of Suzanne Collins’ 2020 three parts, much like the novel “The Ballad of original novel by Collins, Songbirds and Snakes” which allows the audience is a beautifully curated to easily follow the work of art, even though development and demise it made a fictional soonof Lucy Gray Baird’s and to-be war criminal a little Coriolanus Snow’s horrific too handsome. story. The movie is focused While I adored the on the ever-hated dictator feature as a whole, it felt from the original series, rushed. President Coriolanus The movie has a Snow of Panem, in his runtime of 2 hours and younger years. It also 38 minutes, which is gives further introspection a fairly short movie in into the creation of The comparison to the three Hunger Games and plants hour behemoths I’m used the seeds of the revolution to from the series. that we see in Collins’ While I rarely enjoy other novels within the sitting in a theater for series. more than three hours, We follow as Snow I would have happily is assigned a tribute to booked out my entire mentor, a young woman afternoon for a longer from District 12 named version of “The Ballad of Lucy Gray Baird. Songbirds and Snakes.” The audience is All three segments presented with a grapple lacked a lot of detail and between the desire for important aspects that power and love as the two created character depth starting characters fight and development. for their lives in their own While I’m able to fill ways. in the holes with context I stomped my way into from the novel, many a movie theater on Nov. moviegoers don’t have 17, opening night, with the background needed my popcorn in hand to fully understand the and my heart prepared dynamics of Snow, Baird to break. I’m surprised and other supporting I didn’t end up with characters. mascara stains in my snacks by the time the “The Mentor” credits rolled. Lionsgate once again The first segment of released a bullseye-hitting the movie, “The Mentor,” movie for “The Hunger focused on Snow’s Games” franchise that involvement in The makes die-hard fans like Hunger me swoon. Games and his The feature kept experiences at the prestigious Capitol Academy, the equivalent movie of high school. review While a few characters from the book were cut “The Ballad of from the movie, the ones that made it into Songbirds and the feature were watered Snakes” down and lacked the Rating: depth that the book gave them. Directed by: There were Francis Lawrence complexities within the Starring: relationships between Tom Blyth, classmates and tributes Rachel Zegler that were nowhere to Genre: be found in the movie dystopian, science and made the overall fiction sentiment weaker. Collins illustrates a beautiful internal PRODUCTION EDITOR
dialogue that gave readers a glimpse into the twisted and menacing nature of young Coriolanus Snow. The relationships between the characters could have acted as an expression of the lack of internal dialogue we see in the book from Snow. While much of the detail from the novel I was hoping to see was cut, I still adored the first section of the movie. The sets were beautifully done, with imagery that reminded me of the 1930s and ‘50s along with gorgeous costumes. Snow slowly believing that his tribute, District 12’s Lucy Gray Baird, could win the 10th annual Hunger Games is heart wrenching. It was even worse as I watched him fall in love with her, knowing how the story ends. and more the Snow and Baird show. I’m not complaining though, the The second section of actor who portrayed Snow the movie focuses on The is enthralling in his own Hunger Games and Baird’s right. subsequent winning of Casting my new-found them. Hollywood heartthrob Watching Snow risk Tom Blynth as the young his entire reputation and Coriolanus Snow was future for a woman from a criminal act. The the districts that he claims character is already to despise had my heart compelling enough soaring. with his paranoia and I was rooting for Snow cruelty without slapping and Baird the entire a gorgeous face to the second segment as if I name. didn’t know their fates. Characters kept calling Again, I adored the Blynth’s Snow gorgeous costuming, the sets and throughout the movie, the music is absolutely and they weren’t wrong. intoxicating but the While this section felt second section is even rushed, what made it to more rushed than the the screen is incredibly first. entertaining and worth Every decision I watching. watched Snow make that led to his descent into “The Peacekeeper” madness felt rushed and unexplained. It seems After being caught as though the Lionsgate cheating to ensure Baird’s expected all of the win, Snow is exiled to be a audience to read the novel peacekeeper, the military before settling into the police of Panem. He is theater’s seats. able to bribe his way into I would have loved to District 12 to have the see Snow and Sejanus, chance to see Baird again, a very important side hoping she’s still alive character, develop after her victory. friendship. The lack In the third and last of attention to the segment of the movie, interactions between the audience watches as all other characters Snow becomes entranced beside Baird and Snow by Baird’s songs and is extremely prevalent personality even more. during this segment. This segment feels like It felt less like a movie the least rushed out of about the dystopian world the three, with a lot of the of The Hunger Games, character development “The Prize”
ILLUSTRATION BY TRACY ESCOBEDO
happening during Snow and Baird’s moral conflicts. My heart slowly broke while watching Snow betray the people who loved and trusted him most. I watched the final nail be driven into his morally corrupt coffin as he took the spot as heir to a family fortune after killing the family’s only son. I was held on the edge of my seat the entire time despite knowing exactly what was going to happen in each scene. While I was unsurprisingly upset by the ending of the movie, I think it gives incredible context as to why Snow has such a visceral reaction to Katniss Everdeen decades later. I will absolutely watch this film again and probably re-read the entire series soon after just to find all of the hidden meanings and connections that Collins so expertly curated. The soundtrack far exceeded my expectations. Each song emphasized the emotions of the scene and “Can’t Catch Me Now” by Olivia Rodrigo had me in tears. Baird’s songs, sung by Rachel Zegler as she portrayed the character, were enchanting. Her mildly midwestern accent for the role gave the music a beautiful twang that had
me thumping my feet like I was in the makeshift bar with everyone else on screen. While she was a controversial actress before this role with her outward dislike toward a new rendition of Disney’s Snow White, she portrayed Lucy Gray Baird perfectly. I can’t imagine anyone else bringing the tragic story of Baird to the big screen better than Zegler. I wish I could say I was one of the strong soldiers in the audience, not falling for both Snow and Baird, knowing how toxic they both were in their own way, but I wasn’t. I try to justify my attraction to the soonto-be-dictator Snow by saying he hadn’t committed war crimes yet. My “I can fix him” mentality apparently now extends to fictional men, which isn’t surprising. I think this makes the movie all the more compelling actually, making the audience feel for and even fall for characters they know turn out to be horrible. I just need to re-read the original series to restore my hatred for the man with hair as icy as his heart. Follow Alicia on X (formerly Twitter) @alicialvarez02
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2023
CONCERT REVIEW
Nessa Barrett rocks San José Civic Center By Christine Tran OUTREACH EDITOR
TikTok influencer turned pop star Nessa Barrett proved she is indeed an angel on earth at her concert at the San José Civic Center on Monday. Barrett rose to fame in 2020 when her lip-syncing videos gained traction on the app, but she successfully distanced herself from being a social media sensation to pursue her music career. She has an edgy style and writes gothic songs inspired by her mental health issues and real life problems. This was one of three final concerts as she concludes her North American tour, Church Club for the Lonely, according to her Twitter. During another night of mindlessly scrolling on TikTok, I stumbled upon a video of Barrett on tour and was enamored by her vocals, stage presence and especially her interactions with the crowd while she sang. I was instantly sold and decided to buy tickets to the San José concert for myself and my three friends on Sunday night. I never thought I would support a TikTok influencer’s singing career, but Barrett pours her whole heart into some of the most painfully beautiful lyrics I’ve heard. Her music speaks to emotionally unstable women in their twenties, hence why I can personally resonate with her songs about mental health and failed relationships. The San José Civic Center almost seemed too big of a venue for Barrett to take on compared to the smaller, more intimate venues she performed at when she started her tour in October. I was worried about the concert’s atmosphere since the floor wasn’t filled and it’s
GRAPHIC BY ALICIA ALVAREZ
sad when the crowd doesn’t engage with the artist. Her diehard fans were adorned head-to-toe in her merch and pink cowboy hats, the energy of the crowd instantly quelled my anxieties as they roared when the lights flickered while Barrett took the stage. She sounded powerful when she opened with “scare myself ” from her 2021 EP “pretty poison.” Later, she apologized to the audience members for being sick, and I couldn’t have even guessed that because Barrett’s voice was beautiful during her performance. The stage design was simple yet effective. The entire stage was pitch black with only a single white cross placed on top of a platform. Barrett was joined by guitarist and producer Dan Geraghty and drummer Sage Weeber
performing on opposing sides of the cross. I didn’t know some of the songs she performed, but I was perfectly content with swaying my body to all of them because Barrett is so fun to watch on stage. Her movements were minimal for her slower, depressing songs when she just sang against a sparkly silver microphone stand but I still ate it up. She addressed the crowd again before performing her latest single “club heaven” and said that she hoped the song could be healing for all the audience members. Fans at the very front of the stage raised roses in the air for Barrett, as the song is a tribute to her best friend Cooper Noriega, who died in 2022. I am lucky enough to have never experienced losing a friend in that capacity, but I
was blown away by Barrett’s talent to capture a tragic loss in a lighthearted way. Once Barrett sang the first two lines of “lie,” I swear I had an out-of-body experience from start to finish. It was surreal to hear the song I was patiently waiting for since the night began and when she raised her middle fingers up near the end of it, you can bet I did too. “Die first” was undoubtedly the song of the night, so much so that me and my friends kept repeating the chorus long after the concert ended during the car ride home. During “die first,” we wrapped our arms around each other and sang along with Barett. It is arguably the biggest hit of her 2022 album “young forever” and she said she feels Cooper is with her every time she listens to it, according to a
Seventeen article. The energy of the crowd shot right back up with “BANG BANG!,” the eighth track on Barrett’s most recent EP “hell is a teenage girl.” Barrett finished off the night with “BANG BANG!” and let her fun personality shine through as she ran around on stage under the flashing lights. I loved seeing her aim the microphone towards her guitarist and drummer as they each mouthed the song’s outro, “I’ve got intrusive thoughts.” Her drummer hit a feisty drum solo just before Barrett fell to her knees onstage as she finished the closing number. I was pleased with Barrett’s overall performance and it reaffirmed to me that buying concert tickets on a whim is always a great idea. The Church Club for the Lonely Tour isn’t something I expected to go to this year, but perhaps doing more spontaneous things can help me hold onto the spirit of a teenage girl forever. I hope to see Barrett again in a much bigger venue again someday because I truly think she’s slowly but surely finding her place in the music industry as a serious recording artist, despite her TikTok origins. She proves with Church Club for the Lonely Tour that she can easily put on a heartstopping show with simply a huge white cross, her heavenly voice and a dream.
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RHOM RECAP
Breast cancer and divorce take over Episode 3 By Matthew Gonzalez EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Well, Guerdy’s breast cancer diagnosis is now common knowledge among “The Real Housewives of Miami” cast, largely against her wishes. Episode 3 picked up where the previous installment left off, as Larsa and Guerdy continued their awkward fight-turned-cry session. When Guerdy eventually let Larsa in on the diagnosis, Larsa’s first words were “How was I supposed to know that?” I want to make something very clear. I’m not defending Larsa for her anything but supportive initial reaction, but I feel like we need to cut her some slack. The book of fighting with someone who unbeknownst to you, has cancer is yet to be written, so I can understand the initial disarray, but at some point you have to know how to toss your feelings aside and be there for your friend. As the conversation went on, Larsa kept talking and explaining her confusion, to the point where Guerdy had to say “Stop!” Guerdy explained that she needed a safe space to be herself, and that she was telling Larsa about the status of her health in confidence. Guerdy said this is a testament to their friendship and that she is now the fourth woman in the group to be let in on the secret. Larsa seemingly agreed to
keep the information she had just been told to herself … or so we thought. In what I believe to be the funniest moment in Bravo editing history, the scene cut and my television screen read “Six hours later.” My TV then cut out and suddenly the transition credit read “No literally, six hours later.” Only hours later at Larsa’s welcome back party she ends up telling Guerdy’s secret to the rest of the cast. Yes, she outed Guerdy’s breast cancer diagnosis. I really don’t know what Larsa’s excuse is going to be in defense of this messy behavior, but in any case, I can’t think of a situation where I would think to myself: “Welp. This feels like a good time to ring the bell on my friend’s life-threatening illness.” It just felt gross. Watching this scene felt gross. I love Larsa and I love the relationship she has with Marcus, but I can’t get behind this level 0f treachery. The rest of the ladies reacted with tears and compassion so that gave me some hope that there might be an ounce of humanity in this rather grim episode. Larsa wasn’t the only one telling people close to Guerdy about her diagnosis. Russell, Guerdy’s husband, had the heartbreaking duty of telling his children their mother has cancer. This was one of the most touching parts of Episode 3. He clearly had no idea how
to impart this devastating information onto his sons, but was nothing short of supportive, reassuring Guerdy that she was not a burden and that he’d be by her side for this journey. Another person who offered Guerdy support was Martina, Julia’s partner. Martina had previously been diagnosed with both throat and breast cancer and is now in the final stages of radiation therapy. This was another bright spot of the episode. Watching Guerdy and Martina talk about their experiences was enlightening. It also felt good to see Guerdy be treated with love and kindness, I could tell she was hurting. A dialogue I wasn’t expecting to weave its way into the episode was the correlation between race and illness. Guerdy said to Martina and Julia that she Googled something along the lines of “Black women breast cancer” and was unable to find images of Black women who are struggling with the illness. While white women are more likely to develop breast cancer, Black women have the higher likelihood of dying from the disease according to a Breastcancer.org webpage. To me, this intensifies Guerdy’s situation and tugs hard at my heartstrings, and even though we now know that she has (thankfully) beat her cancer, it is still terrifying to think about the unfair medical disposition that Black people are wrongfully
GRAPHIC BY ALICIA ALVAREZ
placed in. Continuing with this episode’s theme of despondency, halfway into Larsa’s welcome back party, Lisa starts dejectedly speaking about her divorce and I’m starting to sense an overall “we get it” vibe from the other ladies. Marysol, who has often had Lisa’s back for the past two seasons even mentioned that her persistent complaining about her ex-husband might drive her current man, Jody, away. I agree with Marysol. Talking too much about your ex in front of your new partner is a recipe for disaster, and I’m afraid Jody might not be the only one suffering. Lisa’s kids were an integral part of Lisa’s storyline this episode. As her children yelled for her attention, she was seen on the phone with Jody, consumed in conversation about her ex.
And even when she eventually sat down with them, viewers could see she was in a bad mood, eventually snapping at her son. While I can’t necessarily empathize with Lisa, as I’ve never had a rich husband cheat on me, I can see she cares about being a driving force in her children’s formative years and in order to do so, she’ll have to stop Lenny from having this much emotional power over her. This was definitely a darker episode of RHOM, and while I’m glad the South Beach ladies are bringing the drama and deep storylines, I would like to see these women come together and rally around each other.
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SPORTS
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2023
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Canilao’s Commentary: SJSU claims bowl eligibility By Nathan Canilao SENIOR STAFF WRITER
PHOTOS BY ANGEL SANTIAGO | SPARTAN DAILY
SJSU running back Quali Conley rushes in for a 20-yard touchdown against San Diego State University at CEFCU Stadium.
SJSU pushes past SDSU to win its fifth straight By Nathan Canilao SENIOR STAFF WRITER
For the third time in four seasons, the San José State football team reached bowl eligibility as the Spartans defeated San Diego State 24-13 at home on Saturday night. Quarterback Chevan Cordeiro passed for 174 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Junior running back Quali Conley rushed for 155 yards in 13 carries and scored a touchdown. The Spartans (6-5, 5-2 MWC) not only reached bowl eligibility, but Saturday’s win has the potential to put them in the Mountain West Football Championship game if they beat the University of Nevada, Las Vegas this Saturday. “This was a huge night for
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us and a huge night for Spartan football,” said SJSU head coach Brent Brennan. SJSU got off to a slow start offensively as the Spartans totaled just 155 yards of total offense in the first half. SJSU’s lone touchdown in the first half came when Cordeiro found junior tight end Dominick Mazotti in the back corner of the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7-7 in the second quarter. A Kyler Halvorsen field goal toward the end of the first half tied the game at 10 a piece going into halftime. The Spartans struck first in the second half after Conley found a hole on the left side of the offensive line as he rushed in for a 20-yard touchdown to give SJSU a 17-10 lead at the end of the third quarter. As the fourth quarter got underway, a heavy amount of rain and high winds suddenly covered the field. San Diego State (3-8, 1-6 MWC) had its shot to tie the game late, but couldn’t convert. Aztecs’ running back Jaylon Armstead rushed in for a 2-yard touchdown, but the score was called back after a holding penalty. SDSU eventually settled for a field goal to cut the SJSU lead to 17-13 with under 9 minutes left in the game. On the ensuing possession, a 57-yard rush from Conley set up the Spartans in enemy territory.
Getting to the Mountain West Conference title game will end up being decided by a computer should San José State beat UNLV next week. Currently, the Spartans sit tied for second place in the conference with Air Force and Boise State. For the Spartans to reach the title game, they must win next week against UNLV and other things must go their way. On Friday, Boise State will host Air Force. Like SJSU, both teams need a win to get to the title game. Here’s where it gets tricky. According to Mountain West officials, If SJSU wins, there would be a three-way tie between the Spartans, UNLV and the winner of Boise State vs. Air Force. The three-team round-robin comparison wouldn't break either tie, meaning the conference would decide who gets to the title game based on computer rankings. SJSU has some advantages in this scenario. Assuming they win against UNLV, the Spartans would have beaten a then-conference leading Fresno State and the current first place team in the Mountain West in UNLV. If Utah State wins against New Mexico, the Spartans would have wins over three bowl eligible teams this season. Though UNLV, Air Force and Boise State have more wins over bowl eligible teams, the computer could give SJSU the nod considering the standings of the teams the Spartans beat this season. The Spartans 1-5 start to bowl eligible is a cool story, but the quality of wins are just not there even with a win over UNLV on Saturday. According to CBS college football rankings, the Spartans are 90th in the country. UNLV and Air Force both cracked the top 50 and Boise State is at 68th. Could a win over UNLV move the Spartans higher? Maybe. But who knows how the computer calculates who has better wins or losses. Many within SJSU’s athletic department are not happy with the Spartans’ conference title game fate being left to a computer. One source close to the team said, “Why are we getting punished for playing a real schedule? We played two teams in the top 25 and USC. Who did everyone else play?”
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SUMMARY SJSU’s Kairee Robinson scores a touchdown in the fourth quarter against SDSU extending the Spartans’ lead Saturday.
Running back Kairee Robinson finished off the drive by scoring on a 5-yard rushing touchdown to give SJSU a 23-13 lead. The score gave Robinson 16 touchdowns on the season, breaking the SJSU single-season TD rushing record held by Johnny Johnson (1988) and Deonce Whitaker (2000) who each had 15. On San Diego State’s final offensive possession, SJSU safety Tre Jenkins intercepted Jalen Mayden to ice the game for the Spartans. The Spartans who started the season 1-5, have rattled off fivestraight wins to get to the sixwin bowl eligibility mark. The last time the Spartans beat both rival San Diego State and Fresno State was in 2006. “It feels good,” Cordeiro said about Saturday’s win. “We finally get to show people
what kind of team we have. We worked really hard in the offseason, went through the grind and it’s showing.” The Spartans are scheduled to play at noon Saturday against UNLV at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. A win could give SJSU the nod to enter the Mountain West title game if things around the conference break their way. To the surprise of many within the SJSU athletic department, the game was not flexed to be on Fox or CBS – the two Mountain West Television partners. Instead, the game will be streamed on the Mountain West Network.
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SDSU....... 7 SJSU......... 0
3 10
0 7
3 — 7 —
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TEAM STATISTICS SDSU SJSU FIRST DOWNS................ 18 19 RUSHING.......................... 183
181
PASSING............................ 117
174
TOTAL YARDS................. 300
355
AVG. YRDS. PER PLAY... 4.6
7.2
PENALTIES-YDS............. 1-10
1-15
TIME OF POSSESSION.. 35:16 24:44 3RD DOWN CONV......... 7-16
4-8
PLAYS................................ 65
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SPORTS
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2023
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
Spartans end season with a win By Lamar Moody STAFF WRITER
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ANGEL SANTIAGO | SPARTAN DAILY
San José State senior outside hitter Letizia Cammillucci hits the ball in the Spartans’ last match of the season at Yoshihiro Uchida Hall Thursday.
Conroy and middle blocker Yazmin Pitpit. Pitpit had a season-best 7 kills and 5 digs to go with 3 blocks against the Aztecs. “I came out here with no nerves tonight. My main focus was to play for my teammates and leave it all out there tonight,” Pitpit said. Cammillucci finished with the Spartans with 3 aces, 5 kills, 7 digs, 2 blocks and led the Spartans with 3 aces. “Our senior leadership tonight is what I think gave us the inspiration and motivation to play well and bring home the dub tonight,” Cammillucci said. The Spartans started the match with a dominating first set. Junior middle blocker
Brooke Slusser contributed early in the first set with 2 digs and a kill. Junior middle blocker Brooke Bryant added 2 kills in the first set. The Spartans got hot early pushing the lead to 15-5, ultimately taking the first set 25-15. “From the beginning of the night, the vibes were great,” Cammillucci said. “We were all emotional but ready to play for the seniors tonight.” SJSU started out flat in the second set and trailed early 4-0. The Spartans continued to fight and rallied back against the Aztecs to tie the match in the second at 15-15. Despite tying the set, the Spartans couldn’t push past the
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back from an injury so my main focus tonight was to help my teammates as much as possible by keeping the ball in play and giving everything I have.” Pitpit said this isn’t the season they wanted but she’s excited to see how they build off of this and move forward with the program. “I’m super proud to leave this program better than I found it. The hard work, love, values and dedication the girls put in just makes me so proud to be a Spartan,” Pitpit said.
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JOKIN’ AROUND What happened to the magical tractor?
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Aztecs, dropping the set 25-22. Later in the third set, SJSU found itself down 16-12 but ended up taking the match into extras and pulling out the win 27-25. Midway through the fourth set, SDSU gained a slight edge over SJSU, leading 20-15 but the Spartans fought to the very end and came back to win the fourth set 25-22 and snapping its six-match losing streak. Cammillucci said she’s happy her team was able to come out with a victory to end the season because of struggles they’ve had this season. “I’m really happy that we were able to fight back from being down and win the game,” Cammillucci said. “I’m coming
It turned into a field.
The San José State women’s volleyball team snapped its sixmatch losing streak beating San Diego State University 3-1 in the Spartans’ season finale. The Aztecs (9-20, 4-14 MWC) outscored the Spartans (13-18, 4-14 MWC) in four sets 63-61, but SJSU emerged victorious at Yoshihiro Uchida Hall. “I’m so proud of our seniors and happy for our program,” SJSU head coach Todd Kress said. “I’m glad we were able to gut one out towards the end and win on a good note for our seniors who’ve done so much for this program.” Kress said it’s been a rough season for a number of different reasons but to finish the season with a will help carry momentum into the spring and into next fall. “Jiana Lawson is coming back next season, but it’s going be tough losing the other three senior leaders who all played a vital role in our win tonight,” Kress said. The three senior leaders are outside hitter Letizia Cammillucci, libero Lauren
25. Newscaster Couric 26. Impressive poker hand 27. Roundish shapes 28. Billion add-on 29. Shoulder muscle 30. A land of the Tigris and Euphrates 31. Half of Mork's farewell 35. Teen's big date 36. They're not too nimble 37. Well thought of 39. Pioneer computer 40. Hall of Famer Monte 42. Merited 43. Slips away from 44. Assistants, essentially 47. Chooses 48. Theatrical object 49. Irish Free State 50. Round, bushy hairstyle 51. Neck feature 52. Certain native Canadian 53. ___ out a living 55. Small bit of work 56. Sculling instrument
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