Students scrutinize dorm policies
Regulations from University Housing Services leave students unsure on housing options for upcoming academic year
By Nicole DeVries STAFF WRITER
San José State’s dorm policies shape student life by regulating quiet hours, guest visitation and general housing rules designed to provide safety, though some students believe there is room for improvement.
Over the past few years, dorm life has undergone continuous changes, particularly as policies have adapted in response to shifting COVID-19 regulations.
The pandemic introduced stricter regulations for sanitation and social distancing, but with the lifting of mask mandates, many of these rules were relaxed.
Students were no longer required to provide proof of residency for dorms like the Campus Village B Suites, offering them greater freedom to come and go.
SJSU offers several different dorming facilities, each varying in style, accommodations, and requirements.
Living in different dorms at SJSU can come with vastly different experiences for students including varying levels of convenience and amenities.
for security reasons,” Pingree said.
A major issue among students living in the dorm is the guest check-in policy.
Some students believe it’s too restrictive while others appreciate the added security in campus housing.
Residents are permitted to bring one guest into the building beyond lobbies and common areas, according to the SJSU University Housing Services webpage.
Beyond guest visitation, access to cleaning services and supplies is another challenge for students.
In dorms like Campus Village Building 2, University Housing Services provides cleaning supplies or lost keys, but Campus Village C Suites and Joe West Hall “Classics” residents must go to Campus Village Building 2 to access these resources.
“It would be helpful if cleaners were assigned to the bathrooms in CVC (Campus Village C Suites) like in other dorms. Vacuums should be available in the CVC lobby instead of having to walk to CV2 (Campus Village Building 2) to get them,” Pingree said.
For students preparing for the next academic year, navigating the housing portal has posed additional difficulties.
and I have had trouble figuring out assignments for next year. We’ve considered not dorming but the easy commute to class is too convenient.”
With the opening of
It’s frustrating because we feel like we’re not getting the full picture of what we’re agreeing to when choosing our dorms and it makes planning for next year even more stressful.
These differences often result in disparities in maintenance and accessibility to shared resources, leading to concerns from students.
Ainsley Pingree, a firstyear justice studies student and Campus Village C Suites resident, feels that while the policy has its benefits, it could be adjusted to match the lifestyles of students.
“Quiet hours have helped me get to sleep at a normal hour but the guest policy can be frustrating. It should only have to be enforced at night
Ireana South, a third-year kinesiology student and Campus Village Building
A resident has encountered issues with the housing portal, especially when trying to understand agreements and housing assignments.
“The housing portal is so confusing. It’s never clear what you’re agreeing to when choosing a dorm,” South said. “My roommates
Ireana South Third-year kinesiology student
Spartan Village on the Paseo in Fall 2024, SJSU introduced an additional housing option featuring 700 student beds, according to the SJSU Administration and Finance webpage.
This new housing option features full bathrooms, along with dining and kitchen areas, a fitness center and study lounges.
Applying for housing in
the upcoming semesters, Spartan Village on the Paseo provides students with more options, but fails to address the ongoing issues of the current student housing.
“It’s frustrating because we feel like we’re not getting the full picture of what we’re agreeing to when choosing our dorms and it makes planning for next year even more stressful,” South said.
Although these new features offer students convenient access to new comforts, the guest policy plans to remain the same Spartan Village on the Paseo.
Despite this expansion, many existing policies remain the same, leading students to question whether current dorm regulations effectively meet their needs.
The check-in process remains a point of contention as residents believe it creates unnecessary hurdles for students navigating college.
Some students believe guest policies in the dorms, cleaning responsibilities and
check-in procedures should be reconsidered to create a more student-friendly experience
Chandhana Pagidimarri, a first-year public health student and Campus Village Building 2 resident, said that college students, given their age and maturity, should have more freedom when it comes to campus housing policies.
“I get that we don’t want a bunch of people constantly staying over but as long as my roommates are okay with it,” Pagidimarri said. “There should be more exceptions because we’re in college.”
The dorm rules can create tension between roommates as they try to accommodate each other’s guests while staying within the constraints of the regulations.
Many students feel that these policies create obstacles in their daily lives, making it harder to live comfortably in shared dorms with these regulations.
The Spartan Daily reached
out multiple attempts to obtain a response from Kevin Kinney, Director of Residential Life and University Housing Services at SJSU, but he declined to comment.
For now, SJSU residents must navigate the current dorm policies while hoping for adjustments that better accommodate students' needs.
Pagidimarri explained that the rigid policies often clash with the realities of living in shared spaces and the difficulty of balancing respect for her roommate’s space with following dorm rules.
“I think the rules need to be more flexible,” Pagidimarri said. “It’s hard to balance respecting her space while also following the rules which doesn’t always make sense with the reality of living with roommates.”
INFOGRAPHIC BY NICOLE DEVRIES | SPARTAN DAILY
SJSU ravers caught in conduct case
By
San José State’s electronic dance music club, Up & Up, is currently derecognized pending a conduct investigation but continues to move forward through events and activities.
The investigation is being conducted by Student Conduct and Ethical Development, a division of Student Affairs that looks into violations of student conduct, according to an SJSU webpage.
Up & Up Event Coordinator Alan PerezVazquez said the decision for the club to go unrecognized by the school was one made by the club itself.
In order for a club to be a recognized student organization (RSO), the club must have a minimum of five enrolled and matriculated SJSU students with two of them being a president and treasurer, according to a webpage from the university.
“We kind of weighed the pros and cons of staying recognized and going unrecognized and realistically, the only thing that it was doing for us was allowing us to table on
7th Street,” Perez-Vazquez said. “So we decided that it was better for us to go unrecognized while fully cooperating with the investigation.”
The Up & Up executive board said that the altercation which launched the investigation was at After Hours, the venue
Perez-Vazquez said. “It was just people looking to start something and we just happened to be on the wrong end.”
Before being investigated, the club was in the process of competing in a ticket presale contest against other colleges nationwide to win a concert for the
Perez-Vazquez said that although the club has been on campus since 2019, it did not become recognized by SJSU until 2022, a fact that was one of the club’s reasons for going unrecognized again.
While the club’s executive board has said that it is cooperating with Student
Conduct and Ethical Development for comment, but the office declined to comment because of the ongoing investigation.
Associated Students also involves itself in club and organization affairs, according to the SJSU Associated Students Student Affairs webpage.
There’s just a lack of organization within the investigation. They didn’t reach out for a roster, they just went through our social media and contacted people who aren’t even on the team and who haven’t even been a part of the team for the last two years.
where the club hosted a presale party on Feb. 15, according to a Feb. 12 Instagram post.
“Out of the entire 35 people on our roster, nobody witnessed it because it had nothing to do with our organization,”
Vanessa Valenzuela Up & Up president
school, according to a Feb. 24 Instagram post.
This is a competition that the club won last semester, according to an Oct. 21, 2024 article from the Spartan Daily. Up & Up lost the presale contest this spring semester.
Conduct and Ethical Development regarding the investigation, members have also expressed dissatisfaction with how the investigation is currently being managed, including the club president, Vanessa Valenzuela.
“There’s just a lack of organization within the investigation,” Valenzuela said. “They didn’t reach out for a roster, they just went through our social media and contacted people who aren’t even on the team and who haven’t even been a part of the team for the last two years.”
The Spartan Daily reached out to Student
The Spartan Daily also made multiple efforts to reach out to A.S. but the student government organization didn’t comment in time for publication.
At the start of the investigation, Social Media Manager Dom Hernandez talked about how the conduct office initially reached out to a different Dominic Hernandez who had no affiliation with the club.
“They didn’t even confirm or look at the roster with our organization and got the wrong Dominic Hernandez for an interview,” Hernandez said.
When it comes to club recognition, Student Involvement, another division of Student Affairs, is placed in charge of the recognition process, according to the SJSU Student Involvement webpage.
“I was transitioning into presidency this semester and they didn’t update the forms and technically I’m officially the treasurer on school documents even though I’m leading as the president,” Valenzuela said. “It kind of shows a lack of care and not really doing stuff for the students.”
Marcus Whitehouse, who is listed as the treasurer, according to the same Instagram page, said he did not receive any forms from Student Involvement to fill out.
“How are you going to hold us accountable when you never reached out to any of us?” Whitehouse said. “Let alone, I’m supposed to be the treasurer of this semester, (but) never got a confirmation or joined the canvas. We went about the process as diligently as possible and yet we get backed up for following the rules.”
While the club is inactive from a university standpoint, it is still continuing to host events, including an event it held on Friday at Nexus Night Club, according to a March 11 Instagram post.
Israel Archie SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Students grow well-being with plants
With midterms wrapping up and students looking for ways to de-stress, the Student Union hosted its Paint and Plant event on Tuesday to help students with just that.
In the San José State Student Union Ballroom, students were encouraged to paint pots and bring a piece of nature into their personal spaces from 1-5 p.m., according to a March 13 Student Union Instagram post.
Simranpreet Kaur, a third-year management information systems student, said she heard of the event through her friend, who sent her a picture of the poster that was displayed in the Student Union.
“So far, this has really helped because last week was really stressful with the midterms,” Kaur said. “So I think this is really helpful with stress relief. You can just forget any of your stress and just focus on mindfulness.”
During final exams, 32% of students experience greater levels of stress, according to the National Library of Medicine.
Carolina Ma, events and programs coordinator at SJSU said that originally, Paint and Plant was to take place during next month’s sustainability series of events but was pushed forward to better accommodate students' needs.
“De-stressing before
or even after midterms seemed like a better route for us to go,” Ma said.
“This event happens every school year and I think it’s because it allows students to connect with their inner child and overall creativity.”
Art can sometimes be used as a tool to help people express themselves during therapy as it has been seen to increase dopamine levels, which could be beneficial for those experiencing chronic depression and anxiety, according to Sage Neuroscience Center.
The Student Union provided small ceramic
pots, paint, paintbrushes, soil and seeds during the event, while students simply had to check in with a QR code before entering the Student Union ballroom.
April Coleman, a fourthyear physiology student, shared how entering the event went for her and her friend.
“As long as you have the Sammy App, there usually isn’t any issue since they have a QR code to scan,” Coleman said. “We got our pot and painting supplies, but it felt like they weren’t fully prepared when we got inside. They haven’t given us our soil or seed yet and
when asked for a plate to mix colors, they looked a little flustered.”
The Sammy App is SJSU’s official app where students have access to seeing what events are occurring on campus as well as staying connected with other students, according to the App Store.
“The app allows coordinators to see the data of how many check-ins are done during the event and use the info to see what’s popular to bring it back and this event has been one of our more popular ones,” Ma said.
Events like Paint and Plant are covered by a
Student Union fee, which is included in SJSU students' tuition charge, according to the Bursar’s office.
Paloma Hubbard, a graduating psychology student said how this event has helped her both mentally and financially.
“I think this has definitely helped de-stress. It's like a fun, cute thing to do. You don't have to go anywhere or spend your own money,” Hubbard said. “When everything is so expensive, events like these give students the chance to take a break from school. All you have to do is show up.”
Not only is painting linked to helping with stress levels, but gardening is as well. One study showed that engaging with a garden or nature in general helps distract people from their problems, according to a March 27, 2019, Forbes article.
Casey Chow, a second-year business student and event and program student assistant, shared how they are looking to cater to more students.
“We are always looking for different ideas and see what students wanna see and how this program can grow in the future,” Chow said. “We want to cater to everyone and diverse how the student body is that speaks to everyone and shows everyone is seen and we wanna hear opinions from everyone.”
By Anahi Herrera Villanueva STAFF WRITER
ANAHI HERRERA VILLANUEVA | SPARTAN DAILY
Psychology student Paloma Hubbard paints her pot with verdant leaves before filling it with soil and seeds.
John Cena transforms into a bad guy
Bryan Reos STAFF WRITER
When John Cena announced his retirement, not one wrestling fan could’ve predicted that after over 20 years of him to be the character playing a babyface and a good guy, for his final wrestling year he would turn to be the bad guy.
The shocking heel turn happened at the World Wrestling Entertainment Elimination Chamber 2025 and to say shocking is an understatement.
For the past two decades John Cena has worked hard to build a noble career over his slogan hustle, loyalty and respect based on his personas morals and what he wishes to represent in his storylines, according to a November 15, 2013 Ring the Damn Bell article.
n Bell
24, 2024 CNN article.
Having controversial and shocking storyline moments like Cena’s, helps restore that connection with old and new fans, creating one of the most successful times for the company.
The WWE was struggling to gain popularity and keep fans like the once adored “Attitude Era” that lasted from the late 1990s and early 2000s with stars like Johnson, Undertaker and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, because of often convoluted storylines and narratives that don't interest fans, according to a June 4, 2018 Bleacher Report article.
He was able to take this persona and turn it into an A-list career transcending wrestler to a blockbuster actor and pop-culture icon.
WrestleMania when Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson came back, he pushed himself to the main-title scene removing Rhodes out of the
It’s WrestleMania season – the “Super Bowl” for wrestling – and all the big storylines and twists that were built up over the past year usually come to a conclusion at this event.
Currently the storyline goes as follows, Cody Rhodes was booked into a two-year build up that hinted at him becoming the top champion. However, in last year’s
doing the right thing was finally a bad guy.
ke nto an nding Bowl” ll the he to scene removing Rhodes out of th picture. so that the
Fans had a problem with this and voiced their opinions, as the support for Rhodes was so overwhelming that the storyline was changed to return to Rhodes’ story and win the WWE championship in last year's WrestleMania, according to a Feb. 16, 2024 SB Nation article.
After Cena’s Elimination Chamber match that he won this year, Rhodes comes out to make a decision.The
six-man-single elimination match guaranteed Cena a match at WrestleMania for a championship.
Rhodes, the current WWE champion, was asked to sell his soul and align with Johnson and Travis Scott alongside him, who plays heels which Rhodes refused, according to a March 2 SB nation article.
Cena celebrated the refusal and reached over to Rhodes for a hug, in which Johnson gestured to him with a slice over the neck removing Cena’s smile signaling his attack, according to the same source.
The arena grew quiet at the idea that the guy they grew up cheering and always
After Cena’s attack, the WWE was able to grab multiple headlines on ESPN, showing that despite the controversial decision to have such a drastic change of character for what is Cena’s final year in the ring, it will only grow the company.
Wrestling in the past decade has lost its mainstream appeal and with other real life controversies like former CEO of the company Vince McMahon’s sex scandal, the public view of the company is negatively tainted, according to a Oct.
The arena grew quiet at the idea that the guy they grew up cheering and always doing the right thing was finally a bad guy.
The shift from the way storylines are told within the company from a decade to now, where things from the past in stories can be brought back up and listening to fans have made the company extremely profitable.
The wrestling promotion was able to bring in a revenue of $1.33 billion in 2023 compared to 2020 $0.97 billion showing the immense growth the company has been through, according to the CompaniesMarketCap webpage.
Despite the current storyline, Cena’s journey to becoming a pop-culture icon to entertain us and all the charitable acts he does, he will be missed from where it all started for him in the ring.
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ILLUSTRATION BY SAMA ELBARAMAWI | SPARTAN DAILY