11-10-2014

MONDAY, nov. 10 - wednesDAY, nov. 12, 2014 • VOLume 101 • ISSUE 27 ¡lee undog m pÁ

AZTEC HOMECOMING kristian carreon

#aztecwsoccer

! a ec zt A 6

ina

Meet this year’s royalty • P3 Homecoming game • P7

KAtie, you’re a

firework PRINT EDITION

The Aztecs lift the Mountain West regular season trophy. They earned after a 1-0 victory against Colorado State University on Oct. 26. kristian carreon, senior Staff PhotograPher

Senior midfielder Katie Perry scored the overtime goal that won the Mountain West Tournament Championship for the third straight year.

SNEAKPEEK

Three’s typically a crowd. That’s never the case when talking about championship trophies.

On Saturday night in front of a raucous crowd at the SDSU Sports Deck and the loud distant rumbling from the KGB Sky Show at Qualcomm Stadium, the top-seeded San Diego State women’s soccer team captured its third straight Mountain West Championship title with a 1-0 victory against the University of Wyoming.

The feat was made all the more impressive after winning it the previous two years and with a group of a lot of new players.

“Coming into this year we knew everybody was going to come after us and I think that’s the thing that kind of separates this championship from the other two is how hard it’s been throughout the regular season,” head coach Mike Friesen said.

Senior midfielder Katie Perry’s overtime game-winning strike gave SDSU a deserved win against a Wyoming squad bent on upsetting the tournament hosts and seeking revenge for a 5-2 drubbing earlier in the season at the hand of the Aztecs.

It was scoreless going into overtime, but with SDSU’s 10 corner kicks and 23 shots, a lot of people in the crowd were thinking SDSU had plenty of opportunities to cash in.

Senior midfielder Kelsey Booth forced senior keeper Alex Boehm into a firsthalf save with a slow rolling shot. On the ensuing corner kick, sophomore defender Jen Rupey missed a wide-open header.

Perry came close early on with a 20yard shot that ricocheted off the post.

If anyone was keeping track of possession, the Aztecs might have had the ball about 80 percent of the game, which was mostly played in Wyoming’s half.

Friesen said the fact that SDSU pinned Wyoming in one half of the field sort of changed how his team approached the match in the second half.

“There’s so many bodies that at some point we had to really create something by going quickly for it,” he said.

Because of that, SDSU was vulnerable to counter attacks and was almost burned if not for two wasted chances late in the

P2 Student’s accidental death photo from melissa kennon’s facebook

game by the Cowgirls.

Wyoming freshman forward Kaitlyn Lomsnes nearly stunned the home crowd when she was clean through against Aztec junior keeper Melanie Vaughn, but Vaughn snatched the ball before Lomsnes could fashion a chance.

With nearly a minute left, Cowgirl sophomore forward Laurel Ramer was wide-open with the ball and sent her shot on its way toward Montezuma Road.

In overtime, the Aztecs finally found the quality chance they’d been seeking but hadn’t found all night.

Sophomore forward Morgan Darling controlled a perfect long ball and set up Perry who smashed in from just outside the penalty box, sparking wild celebration scenes on the field and in the stands.

“We work so hard and we never give and I knew we were going to score,” Perry said. “We just had to be patient.”

Now the Aztecs wait and prepare for their first opponent in the NCAA Tournament as they try to make up for the first-round loss to the University of California, Los Angeles they had in 2013-14.

P8 All about Aztec basketball kristian carreon, senior Staff PhotograPher

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2 NEWS

NOV. 10 - 12, 2014 • THE DAILY AZTEC EDITOR: DAVID HERNANDEZ • NEWS@THEDAILYAZTEC.COM

#MELISSAKENNON

Student dies from falling off rooftop DAVID HERNANDEZ NEWS EDITOR ____________________________________ A San Diego State student died Friday, Nov. 7, after falling from the roof of Paseo Place Apartments near SDSU. Melissa Kennon, 19, fell from the roof of the five-story apartment complex on Lindo Paseo at 3:55 a.m. and was transported to Scripps Mercy Hospital.

She was in critical condition and died at 9:50 a.m.

The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office deemed the death an accident, according to its press release.

San Diego Police Department officer Frank Cali said Kennon was with a male student on the roof and it appears she got too close to the edge, where she fell between 40 to 60 feet.

Cali said alcohol was involved.

The student that was on the roof with Kennon, whose name is being withheld as he undergoes counseling, said a set of stairs on the fifth floor of the apartment complex leads to a door that gives access to a ladder that leads to the roof.

“Everything is completely open,” he said.

Paseo Place Apartments did not return calls for comment and closed early on Saturday.

Kennon was a psychology sophomore,

according to a press release from SDSU. Vice President for Student Affairs Eric Rivera expressed his condolences on behalf of the university in a statement on Friday.

“Our community is deeply saddened by the passing of Melissa Kennon,” he said. “Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with her family, friends and loved ones, who have shared with us how much Melissa loved SDSU. It is heartbreaking when a young life is lost. We will honor Melissa by sharing strength and support with one another as we process through this difficult time.”

Kennon was a member of SDSU’s Kappa Delta sorority. Sara Stelzer, who died due to meningitis in October, belonged to the same sorority.

Kappa Delta published a statement on its Facebook on Saturday, Nov. 8.

“Our chapter is deeply saddened to have lost another very special sister so soon,” the post read. “Melissa will be greatly missed, but her memory will live on in all who knew her. Her family and friends are in our thoughts and prayers. Rest in peace beautiful.“ In its statement, SDSU reminded students that emergency counseling is available for students affected by Kennon’s death. Students can call Counseling and Psychological Services at (619) 594-5220 or visit its website.

PHOTO FROM MELISSA KENNON’S FACEBOOK

news 3

nov. 10 - 12, 2014 • THE DAILY AZTEC editor: david hernandez • news@thedailyaztec.com

#homecoming

Homecoming crowns new royalty Emely Navarro staff writer ____________________________________ San Diego State’s “Aztecs Ignite the Night” homecoming festivities came to an end Saturday, Nov. 8, at the football game against the Idaho Vandals at Qualcomm Stadium.

At halftime, the 14 members of this year’s homecoming court walked the red carpet on the football field’s sideline.

Brandon Ishikata and Sarah Roldan were crowned SDSU’s 2014 homecoming king and queen. The 2013 king Jordan Harrison and 2013 queen Sonia Holzman were present to crown Ishikata and Roldan.

Before the crowning, the 14 members of the homecoming court said being part of the homecoming court was a great experience.

“This has been the best experience for me,” 2014 nominee Onochie Ani said. “Being selected as one of the 14 top students to represent your school is extremely humbling.”

After the king and queen crowning, Ishikata and Roldan rode a convertible around the entire football field.

Surrounded by friends and family after their ride, the couple felt overwhelmed with happiness.

“I did not expect to win,” Roland said.

“All my classmates in the court are such amazing leaders and people that I was

humbled to be with them.”

Ishikata shared similar sentiments.

“I am overwhelmed with emotion, but it is all happiness because just to represent my ambassadors and also represent being an Aztec is just so prideful,” he said.

Next semester Ishikata and Roldan will be working together to fund a community service event with the money endowed to them from the school to inform people about students with disabilities.

“I am going to do an ‘abilities’ fair to promote and teach about different people with disabilities and have a rally to teach everybody about how to be inclusive,” Roldan said.

Ishikata, a dancer and member of the

Student Ambassadors, said he would love to put on a service project for the arts.

The theme “Aztecs Ignite the Night” showcased the fire and passion igniting the spirit that comes with being an Aztec, Assistant Student Life Advisor Richard Eberheart said.

He said one of the most successful nights was the talent show on Tuesday because it showcased the talents of various clubs on campus, bringing many organizations and students together. This year teams sang, tap-danced, rapped and even made music with everyday supplies all contributing to the energetic atmosphere of homecoming, Eberheart said.

#veterans

War Memorial ceremony honors veterans emily brennan staff writer j.D. Hodges staff writer _____________________________________ In honor of Veterans Day, San Diego State held a wreath laying ceremony on Nov. 7 to commemorate fallen Aztecs and add a new name to the SDSU War Memorial.

The ceremony took place in front of the concrete monolith for the first time in three years. The previous years the ceremony was held in front of the trolley station.

In addition to the new setting, meditation benches were added to the memorial this past year. Art department professor Jess Dominguez designed the benches.

“We are privileged that the campus architectural committee approved our addition and we invite any of you, especially students, to take time and enjoy the benches and enjoy this present spot that we have here,” Chairman of the SDSU Alumni Association’s War Memorial Committee Martin Wojtysiak said.

The committee honored Col. Clinton Gaddy of the U.S. Army Air Forces, who was a member of Phi Kappa Delta and played on both the tennis and swimming teams. He later married fellow alumnae Helen Grace. Gaddy served during World War II, and on Feb. 26, 1945, Col. Gaddy’s plane went missing over Burma and was

never found.

“Today we honor Colonel Gaddy’s bravery and sacrifice,” SDSU President Elliot Hirshman said. “We can never thank our military enough for their service, for taking care of others, and for protecting our freedom. Our commitment to the values of the fallen must be as great as our sadness at their passing.”

President of the Student Veteran Organization Erika Armenta and 1961 alumnus and former Marine Dan Leonard also spoke.

Armenta shared personal stories of the strength and recovery she witnessed during her seven years of service as a naval hospital corpsman.

“We owe it to them to not take life for granted, to challenge ourselves even in the difficulties we may face, to help others and do it all with a smile and sense of humor,” Armenta said.

Leonard shared his war story as well as the struggles and hope that came along with serving.

He participated in nuclear experiments on the Marshall Islands during his service in the 1950s.

“I think it is a wonderful thing that we

“

have this sort of memorial on the campus to remember these guys,” Leonard said.

“Any student that comes by I want you to stop for a minute and think about saying a prayer for one of these guys and then think about the guys who I served with who are dead and say a prayer for them too.”

The seven wreaths were donated

by SDSU, the Alumni Association, the Veteran Alumni Association, The Joan and Art Barron Veterans Center, the Student Veteran Association, the San Diego American Legion and the Air Force Association.

Members of SVO and SDSU’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps units stood watch at the War Memorial from 6 p.m. on Thursday Erika Armenta, until 10 a.m. on when the SVO president Friday, wreath laying ceremony began.

Chris Wetherington, the SVO student representative for the war memorial committee, organized the watch.

“The vigil is to remember and honor the Aztecs who sacrificed their lives for us and our country, and it is the responsibility of the SVO and the school to do that every year,” Wetherington said.

SDSU is one of only a few schools west of the Mississippi Valley with a memorial

We owe it to them to not take life for granted...”

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that honors its student veterans that died in service.

“It’s really surprising,” Wetherington said. “I come from a military background and family, and the fact that so few schools remember their students that have served and died is amazing to me, because you should never forget what our service members have sacrificed and are still sacrificing.”

Journalism junior Anna Conkey volunteered as a watch stander.

“As a veteran and member of the Student Veteran’s Organization at SDSU, it is my privilege to represent those who have attended SDSU and then gone on to give the ultimate sacrifice while serving this country.” Conkey said. “I think this memorial is extra special because it is one of the few memorials on universities nation-wide, and I think it’s important to remember our fallen comrades-in-arms, especially with Veterans Day coming up.”

Conkey said.

Liberal studies junior Alexa Henderson and liberal studies sophomore Faith Ryan walked by the watch standers on Thursday.

“I like how the school is recognizing the people from (SDSU) that have fought and died for our country,” Henderson said.

Ryan shared a similar sentiment.

“I like that we have a memorial that honors veterans who have died all year, and the fact that the student veterans and ROTC students are out there all night is very admirable,” Ryan said.

4 OPINION

NOV. 10 - 12, 2014 • THE DAILY AZTEC EDITOR: ELPIN KESHISHZADEH • OPINION@THEDAILYAZTEC.COM

Who’sWho?

#SDSUREPUTATION

EDITOR IN CHIEF Monica Linzmeier

Aztecs hurt school image

MANAGING EDITOR Madison Hopkins

Several controversial issues have taken center stage on campus this semester. But are the issues worth the potential repercussions?

ASST. NEWS EDITOR Camille Lozano

ANTHONY BERTEAUX SR. STAFF COLUMNIST ___________________________

R

acist, transphobic, sexist and classist: These are all words I’ve heard this semester used synonymously with San Diego State. As a student here, I can’t be the only one who has noticed the “glass half-empty” attitude associated with the recent doings of this campus. These allegations attack all fronts of the institution that is our alma mater.

What we fail to realize is these attacks aren’t coming from external sources.

Looking at the bigger picture, this semester has consisted of a series of controversial events attacking our school’s reputation.

This semester alone, SDSU has been associated with a sexual assault audit, students have questioned the racial implications of crime alerts, as well as the school mascot, and others have protested an inequality of gender neutral bathrooms.

However, the wake of such allegations leaves students in a terrifying predicament. We need to stop pointing fingers at our school administration and look at each other to realize where the real problem lies within the student body.

When we take it upon ourselves to bash our own school without probable reason or due process, we damage our own reputation along with this institution’s.

It’s becoming more apparent that students make allegations without understanding the extent of how these issues relate to our administration.

For example, every time an alert has described a suspect as African American, students haven’t missed a beat before overtly labeling SDSU as racist. Before joining in on herd mentality, it’s important to note these suspect descriptions are drafted from the recollection of the victim filing the report. There comes a point when students should be held responsible for their actions.

Aside from the poorly constructed racial criticisms, those who accuse the school of misconduct fail to acknowledge any of the steps taken to irradiate these issues.

The sexual assault program went into complete overhaul.

Eight gender-neutral bathrooms were added last semester in light of student

concerns, and gender-neutral housing is now offered through dorm registration.

Programs such as the Guardian Scholars Program and financial aid for those living in poverty are also part of the list of services ignored

by SDSU’s finest critics.

Despite these efforts, the school remains a convenient target to bash on. Calling the school racist, transphobic and negligent is much more comfortable than dealing with the larger issue at hand, which happens to be the students and the decisions they make.

Personal responsibility for all students is crucial in understanding how misled everyone is in trying to discredit our administration.

All fingers are pointed toward the university without any insight into where these issues stem from or how they are resolved.

Even the mascot resolution, which discredited the school as racist by using the Aztec Warrior, didn’t propose suggestions for a replacement mascot, a replacement moniker for “Aztec,” or a way to find the funding required for such a change — all it did was pull the race card on SDSU. This doesn’t account for constructive criticism or genuine concern, it’s just laziness.

This trend doesn’t seem to be going away in the near future. As a student body, we have to acknowledge that issues such as trans violence, racism, sexual assault and poverty don’t get resolved by changing policies, but by changing minds.

These issues exist because of the actions and beliefs of a culture — it isn’t something resting in the palms of this administration. No policy is going to put an end to these concerns. Pointing fingers and antagonizing the administration won’t promote cooperation toward the implementation of change.

If you’re going to make a personal choice to attend a school only to bash on it’s administration, you need to reevaluate your life decisions.

Not only is bashing the school destroying your reputation as a future alumnus, but it damages your fellow Aztec’s morale and degree reputation. Our actions ripple beyond our reach. There’s a difference between bashing and constructive criticism, and it’s time this student body recognizes that. Should they fail to grasp this concept, there are hundreds of other colleges to choose from. We all know we’d be happier without them.

PRO

KC STANFIELD ASST. OPINION EDITOR _________________________

W

ith all the recent talk of a potential mascot change, I would like to take this opportunity to suggest a pinata for San Diego State’s official representation.

With the amount that SDSU has been metaphorically battered with bad press and studentorganized protests all semester long, this new icon only makes sense. This school has been criticized about its handling of sexual assault reports, debates surrounding the alleged racist connotations of the mascot and now, the lack of gender neutral bathrooms.

But let’s not be deceived by feeling apologetic for this school, because it deserves every bit of criticism that’s been thrown its way.

Every single one of these issues is important in it’s own right and needs to be properly addressed. In this process our school may look bad, but SDSU is responsible for every ounce of blame it gets in for its wrongdoings. We wouldn’t allow a company to get away with an oil spill that happened on its watch, and we hold our university to the same logic of accountability.

Not everyone is so cynical that their first priority is to needlessly smear the school. Students who speak up by constructively criticizing the school, or protesting for change are attempting to improve SDSU. Only apathetic people couldn’t care less with the happenings of this school. Students who get involved in campusrelated issues by speaking up care enough about SDSU to attempt making a difference.

Every student has his or her rights protected under the First Amendment to protest peacefully and speak out in whatever form he or she pleases.

Those who have a message want their voices heard, and that’s completely justifiable. The active voice of students is the most peaceful solution when it comes to positive changes on campus.

Turning a blind eye for the sake of our school’s image

doesn’t make these issues disappear. For progress to be made, speaking out is the first step.

Granted, how the school is improved against social issues is incredibly subjective. But that’s the whole point of debates.

When two ideologies clash, something is bound to change as long as one side understands the other.

Let’s take the mascot debate, for example.

Whether the Aztec Warrior is offensive or respectful is a valid concern in need of discussion because one person disagreed with the status quo. Regardless of the rights and wrongs of the situation, understanding of both sides comes from open debate. Silencing students means accepting SDSU as a stagnant institution. Even President Elliot Hirshman recognizes the importance of free speech.

“It is critical to present a range of perspectives so students can understand issues and develop frameworks for thinking about these issues,” Hirshman said in his blog post.

Although he was referring to the conflict between Israel and Gaza at the time, it would be crazy to encourage silence just to improve the currently infamous reputation of SDSU. We can’t just idly sit back and get used to it. People might not know about a certain issue (cue to the suddenly-forgotten Ice Bucket Challenge) until someone speaks up.

Unfortunately, SDSU isn’t going to fix itself without a little encouragement and criticism.

SDSU is an entity with the power to fix and change these issues. The push of public pressure is the quickest way to seek action and change. Sure, it might not look too great for SDSU’s track record, but considering how it’s ranked No. 152 nationally, we’ll still look preferable to any future employer.

It’s our responsibility to call out SDSU whenever it messes up or fails to address a problem, whether deliberate or out of ignorance.

The worst thing to do is nothing. We have the civic duty to criticize our school when we believe it’s doing something wrong.

Otherwise, the school will just become some form of dystopia looking perfect on the outside, while its students still suffer.

CON

NEWS EDITOR David Hernandez

SPORTS EDITOR Kristian Ibarra ASST. SPORTS EDITOR Terence Chin OPINION EDITOR Elpin Keshishzadeh ASST. OPINION EDITOR KC Stanfield ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Nick Knott ASST. ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Ryo Miyauchi FEATURES EDITOR Kelly Hillock ASST. FEATURES EDITOR Olivia Litsey PHOTO EDITOR Jenna Mackey VIDEO EDITOR Wesley Beights DIGITAL CONTENT EDITOR Kelly Gardner ART DIRECTOR Kate Leonard PRODUCTION DESIGNER Mark Anthony Santos VOLUNTEER WRITERS Patrick Carr Mike Heral Anthony Berteaux Emely Navarro Emily Brennan J.D. Hodges Ventura Olvera Sarah Tanori Courtney Brown Chelsea Baer Jamie Ballard VOLUNTEER PHOTOGRAPHERS Kristian Carreon Kelly Smiley __________________________________ ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Tony Disarufino SALES MANAGER Adam Zabel SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Radbeh Rabaz ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Alfonso Barajas Sarah Richardson Kamila Sikorski Teak Switzer ACCOUNTING & CONTRACTS Michael Bratt Kim Le __________________________________ STREET TEAM Emily Alvarenga Shelby Snyder Conor Nordberg Paige Plassmeyer __________________________________ GENERAL MANAGER Jay Harn GRAPHICS SPECIALIST Chris Blakemore __________________________________

What’sWhat?

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OPINION 5

NOV. 10 - 12, 2014 • THE DAILY AZTEC EDITOR: ELPIN KESHISHZADEH • OPINION@THEDAILYAZTEC.COM

YOU TALKED. WE LISTENED.

#VOICEOFSDSU

A

s an independent paper on campus, we encourage free speech and thought. The goal of a newspaper is to be a platform for dialogue and intelligent discourse, which sometimes means taking on unpopular

topics.

As such, our opinion columnists are given the opportunity to express ideas and tackle topics bigger than themselves.

We try to reach as many readers as we can with our words and we are always

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

C

ontrary to popular belief, there is no such thing as reverse racism. Racism by social application is when one race establishes dominance and oppression over others (see Tim Wise). An individual of any race can be a bigot or prejudice, but reverse racism implies that Black Americans have the ability to oppress White Americans, not likely.

“Racism forces people of African, Asian, Latin, and Native American descent to explain their values and choices against white ‘norms’” (Simpson, 1995), which is exactly what I am doing in this letter.

Let’s also understand that regardless of how long ago Jim Crow and similar laws were “eradicated” (or re-designed) that White Americans are the most privileged overall as a group because of the long history of oppressing others.

That does not mean every White individual has the exact same benefits, nor does it mean that all White people are bigots who oppress others, it means that “the odds” are usually in their “favor” by way of a system that White Americans mostly benefit from.

This is similar (but not identical) to heterosexual and male privileges respectively.

Thus, wearing whiteface does not have the same historical implications as blackface. White women are of the highest privilege brackets in America, only second to white men. At most, the film White Chicks played on stereotypes of white, blonde, privileged women.

I’m sure someone was insulted, but nevertheless the roles are not “reversed” and it still does not have the same implications.

The 8-year-old boy who dressed up as MLK in blackface was a complicated situation.

Unfortunately, the backlash he

experienced can potentially make him more resistant to understanding how his innocent tribute to an American hero symbolized the same pain and injustice he fought and died to eradicate.

While being color blind seems like a gentle attempt to navigate the complexities of race in this country, it completely undermines the fact that people’s experiences and beliefs are different because of their skin color, language, religion etc. and it neglects to acknowledge the privileges of individuals who do not come from an extensive history of oppression.

San Diego State has a Cultural Competency Program but is appears to be under-utilized. The writers at The Daily Aztec have a responsibility as journalists in a diverse world to understand the histories of the multifaceted people referenced. Intentions are relevant, but so is our history.

Race in America is a difficult river to navigate because there is no consistent foundation where all people can learn about the American histories of all people.

We must seek this education and understanding ourselves, that is how we can move forward.

If we sparked enough interest to publish an article on what we should and shouldn’t get offended by, can we keep it long enough to have a productive dialogue with the Africana Studies department and Afrikan Student Union? We know everything is not intended to express prejudice, but they do have racist associations that are still relevant today.

Sincerely, Kristyl JL Smith Miss Phi Bet Sigma Western Region Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, San Diego - Executive Director

looking for feedback from those we communicate with.

The Daily Aztec is not the voice of one, but strives to offer voices to many.

To fulfill that role, we decided to publish several comments and a letter to the editor in response to the opinion column “Society paints racist views,” published on Oct. 30, available to read online at TheDailyAztec.com.

We encourage anyone looking to carry on the conversation, for any current and future content, to do so online or with a letter to the editor.

ALISDAIR B. WRITES...

W

hile I can see the validity of the intentions of this article’s argument (urging the world and the system that operate within to stop holding prejudices and discriminating people based off the color of their skin); the overall content and idea that blackface is not and should not be considered racist is totally misinformed, ignorant, and offensive. I honestly don’t know where to start. As you addressed, it’s roots are found in film where white actors painted their skin to act as hyper-stereotypical black characters. Problematic in that the reason actors did this was because directors would not cast black actors and these portrayals were if not always, primarily hyper-stereotyped, inaccurate, and offensive. Saying that today in a world that is far from being post-racial, this historical weight doesn’t transfer over is unfair and wrong. Maybe it doesn’t look like that to you, but that is only your opinion. Your example of the eight year old dressing up as Dr. Martin Luther

ALI Y. WRITES...

I

wouldn’t think it would be racist if an African American girl dressed up as Barbie for Halloween, blonde wig and all. Or for a white guy to dress up as a Native American for Halloween. As long as they aren’t doing it to try to make fun of or mock another race, I personally don’t find it racist.

Blackface to make fun of black people would clearly be racist. I

King Jr. who was attacked on the internet exemplifies your true intentions of saying that it can have innocent intent of celebrating strong historical figures, but I think you fail to see the historical significance and offensiveness that blackface is. Why does a kid have to alter his biological appearances to complete a costume. In my opinion, wearing a button up and nice dress pants would suffice in portraying MLK. If a kid of color wanted to dress up as a president, should he use make up to change the color of his/her skin? No … you addressed how this occurred in White Chicks and seemed to imply how this is an example of reverse racism (a concept I don’t find valid). Yes, White Chicks is a movie where actors of color depict stereotypical white upper class females. What I view as the critical difference between blackface and what occurred in White Chicks is that people who look white are not discriminated against by the system (by system I mean people who hire employees, call the police/who the police target, etc) the way that people of color are.

don’t think people understand what the article is saying. At least in my analysis, the article isn’t supporting blackface, but saying that it is possible to do it in a respectful, non-racist way.

Now, if you think that black face is never non-racist, that is a valid critique of this article, but saying that SDSU promotes racism is not. I would never want to attend a school that supports racism and I think that SDSU at least tries to support diversity.

6 mundo azteca

nov. 10 - 12, 2014 • THE DAILY AZTEC editor: david hernandez • news@thedailyaztec.com

#cine

Festival de cine captura la cultura ventura olvera EscRitora _____________________________________ La sociedad estudiantil de lengua, artes y culturas hispanicas (SELACH), junto con el departamento de español y portugués de la Universidad Estatal de San Diego (SDSU), se ha dado a la tarea de celebrar la nueva ola del cine iberoamericano con la comunidad estudiantil.

El festival de cine iberoamericano tiene como propósito enriquecer intelectualmente a la communidad de SDSU mediante cinco películas recientes de España, México, Argentina y Brasil, las cuales han sido proyectadas gratuitamente en el cine del Conrad Perbys Aztec Student Union. El festival comenzó el 4 de noviembre y culminará el 13 de noviembre.

Los individuos interesados en asistir, deben acudir a las taquillas del edificio a partir de las 5 p.m. el día de la proyección para obtener su entrada a la película.

“Chico y Rita” y “Amazonia Eterna” serán presentadas a las 7 p.m. el 12 y 13 de noviembre, respectivamente.

Las películas que conforman el repertorio reflexionan sobre cuestiones que se refieren a los antecedentes culturales de muchos estudiantes de SDSU, según la coordinadora y profesora de español, Liana Ewald.

“Es importante que los estudiantes hispanos y aquellos de otras comunidades

aprendan acerca de sus culturas y de otros grupos latinos”, dijo Ewald. “Entonces, hasta cierto punto tiene que ver con la concientización del campus. Queremos cultivar esa conciencia del mundo hispano”.

En SDSU, aproximadamente el 29 por ciento de los estudiantes de pregrado y 17 por ciento de los estudiantes de posgrado son de origen hispano, según datos de la oficina de admisión.

El festival contribuye al diálogo que

logren aprender sobre sí mismos y los demás, así como patrimonios culturales y sociales de su entorno. El festival pretende contribuir a la realización de estos objetivos, mediante las cinco películas que tratan temas de valores históricos y actuales, así como desafíos y triunfos de América Latina y España.

Las películas —“También la lluvia”, “Aquí y allá”, “Infancia clandestina”, “Chico y Rita” y “El Eterno Amazonas”—examinan la privatización del agua y la influencia

“

Es importante que los estudiantes hispanos y aquellos de otras comunidades aprendan acerca de sus culturas y de otros grupos latinos”.

- Liana Ewald, profesora de español

tiene lugar tanto dentro como fuera de las aulas de SDSU respecto a cuestiones tales como el medio ambiente, la globalización, los derechos humanos, la política internacional, la familia, la inmigración y el exilio, la adolescencia, la historia y la memoria y el género, dijo Ewald.

Un punto importante en el plan de misión y objetivos de la universidad es fomentar el desarrollo intelectual y creativo de los estudiantes, para que

de las empresas multinacionales en Bolivia, la experiencia fronteriza de las naciones de EE.UU. y México, la dictadura y la resistencia de Argentina en el año de 1970, la música cubana y el jazz latino, y la industria sostenible en la Amazonia, respectivamente.

Las películas son una combinación de drama y documental, y aunque han sido originalmente grabadas en español o portugués, todas tienen subtítulos en

inglés. En conjunto, dichas películas han recibido nominaciones y premios en los festivales alrededor del mundo, tales como el festival de Cannes en Francia.

Se espera que este evento se convierta en un festival anual en la universidad, dijo la presidenta de SELACH, Carmen Poqui.

“Hasta ahora estamos muy contentos con los resultados que hemos obtenido”, dijo Poqui. “Creemos que tener un evento como este cada año va a crear no solo una conciencia para el departamento de español y portugués, sino también informará a la comunidad acerca de los problemas actuales de otros países, a través del medio artístico de la película”.

El festival también es patrocinado por el Centro de Estudios Latinoamericanos, el Departamento de Estudios Chicanas y Chicanos y el programa de negocios internacionales de SDSU. Un beca del ministerio de educación, cultura y deporte español y el grupo de distribución de películas Pragda proporcionó fondos para proyectar las películas en SDSU. Además, la organización de Estudiantes Asociados (A.S.) de SDSU ha financiado gran parte del festival.

Las cinco películas son parte de una lista más grande que fue seleccionado por un comité que incluye a los organizadores del Festival de Cine de Toronto; el Festival de Cine de Berlín; y Latinbeat, un festival anual del Lincoln Center de cine latinoamericano.

#inmigración

Profesor invitado habla sobre la migración Emely Navarro escritora _____________________________________ La inmigración a EE.UU. ha disminuido recientemente en comparación con los últimos siete años, según Rodolfo Cruz Piñero, profesor de El Colegio de La Frontera Norte en Tijuana.

El Departamento de Sociología y el Centro de Estudios Latinoamericanos organizó la conferencia con Cruz Piñeiro, quien habló sobre la migración Mexicana para explicar este cambio en la inmigración.

La sesión del 28 de octubre, “Los Cambios en la Dinámica de la Inmigración Mexicana a los EE.UU y Frontera Norte de México”, se enfocó

en las cuestiones generales de la inmigración Mexicana y los cambios que este fenómeno ha producido en los últimos años.

“Existen alrededor de 34 millones de mexicanos en los Estados Unidos”, Cruz Piñeiro dijo. “22 millones son de 2 y 3 generaciones que viven aquí y alrededor de 11.8 son nacidos en México, pero están viviendo en los Estados Unidos”.

De estos números, alrededor de la mitad fueron inmigrantes indocumentados y ahora tienen residencia en EE.UU. El número de migrante ha comenzado a disminuir a causa de la crisis económica, el aumento de la violencia y la seguridad en las ciudades fronterizas.

Las encuestas de población y de la comunidad Americana muestran

que durante los años 2001 y 2006, la migración Mexicana disminuyó debido a que EE.UU. tiene un mejor sistema para controlar el flujo de inmigrantes indocumentados en las ciudades fronterizas. EE.UU. aumentó el número de agentes en la frontera, de 4,000 agentes de seguridad en 1992 a más de 21,000 en 2011, además de haber construido más de 600 millas de muro en la frontera de México. Todo esto, además de un alto porcentaje de desempleo para inmigrantes indocumentados, hace más difícil el cruce para los migrantes, Cruz Piñero dijo. Las ciudades fronterizas tienen mayores niveles de desempleo en comparación a EE.UU y el miedo de no encontrar trabajo en las ciudades fronterizas o en EE.UU. también

desalienta que los migrantes crucen, agregó Cruz Piñero.

Cruz Piñeiro también dijo que el número de mexicanos regresando a México de EE.UU ha llegado a un punto culminante en los últimos años. La principal causa de el retorno han sido las deportaciones, fenómeno que ha separado a muchas familias, dijo Cruz Piñero.

“Entre 2005 y 2010 hubo casi un millón de personas que regresaron a México en contraposicion de un promedio de 100 que fueron deportados durante el ano de 1985”, Cruz Piñeiro dijo.

Piñeiro cree que informando los estudiantes sobre esto les ayuda a ser más conscientes de lo que esta sucediendo en realidad.

nov. 10 - 12, 2014 • THE DAILY AZTEC editor: kristian ibarra • sports@thedailyaztec.com

sports 7

#aztecfb

COMMENTARY

Kaehler, Aztecs showing character Despite not dominating the Vandals, the Aztecs proved capable of holding strong in a close one.

Ethan Bailey Senior Staff Columnist ____________________________________

T

he San Diego State Aztecs football team narrowly averted disaster on Saturday night, winning a game that was closer than even the scoreboard

indicated.

It wasn’t pretty, but a 35-21 Aztec win is still a win — even if the University of Idaho entered the game with a 1-7 overall record.

“In college football today, it doesn’t matter who you’re playing,” head coach Rocky Long said after the game. “It’s how you play, you know?”

If that statement doesn’t perfectly sum up the Aztecs’ 2014 season, I don’t know what does.

This Aztecs team fights. It scratches. It claws. It puts fans on the edges of their seats and forces them to feverishly gnaw at their fingernails.

Even still, the team is in contention for a Mountain West title heading into the rest of the season with a 5-4 overall record (3-2 MW).

Some might say this was an ugly win against an awful team. But ugly isn’t the

right word.

Saturday’s game was a character win.

I shudder at the clichéd nature of what I just wrote. I’m sure a couple of my professors are shaking their heads about it too.

But if the cleat fits, you should probably wear it.

Long acknowledged after the game that Idaho’s Vandals came out swinging, playing with more physicality and intensity than what SDSU had seen on tape.

The Aztecs opened with a 65-yard touchdown drive capped off by a 24yard scoring pass to senior wide receiver Ezell Ruffin. By the way, it’s nice to see Ruffin getting back into the swing of things after missing time with an injury.

But more on that later.

Idaho answered SDSU’s score with one of their own on a 75-yard touchdown drive. The Vandals and Aztecs traded blows throughout the first half, each scoring once more on long, grinding drives. It set the tone for the remainder of the game.

Tied at 14 against seemingly one of the worst teams in the country, it would have been easy for the Aztecs to be overly dismayed at halftime.

But they showed character.

Long told the team it was in for a fight during the halftime break.

“Whether they expected it or not, it

was a game,” Long said. “(The players) better have the will to do whatever they needed to win, and so they stepped up.”

My guess is that Long’s actual phraseology was less publishable, but his words must have been inspiring either way.

The defense came out and stuffed the Idaho offense for three straight quick three-and-outs, before the offense drove 61 yards for another touchdown behind three completions from senior quarterback Quinn Kaehler and a short touchdown run from junior running back Chase Price.

Kaehler is a big reason as to why I’m saying this game was a character win. He’s been victimized by opposing defenses and critics alike this season but bounced back in a big way on Saturday evening, completing more than 60 percent of his passes for 249 yards and three touchdowns. He was also sacked four times, but stood tough in the pocket and committed no turnovers.

In other words, he showed character.

Part of his success is owed to Ruffin, who caught four passes for 86 yards and two touchdowns. Last week was Ruffin’s first game back from injury and he had little-to-no affect on the game.

Saturday was obviously a different story and Ruffin’s impact moving forward will help the other Aztec receivers, including

sophomore Eric Judge who zipped past multiple Vandal defenders en-route to a 58-yard touchdown in the game.

But even with Kaehler’s high level of play, the game was close in the fourth quarter. Down by only a touchdown, the Vandals carved up SDSU’s defense and were in Aztec territory just three plays into a drive that started at Idaho’s own 26-yard line.

Soon enough, it was third and two for the Vandals inside the Aztecs’ 10-yard line. Remember the fingernail chewing I was talking about?

And then just when it needed it most, the defense showed ultimate character.

Sophomore defensive lineman Alex Barrett forced the Idaho runner to fumble the ball, which was recovered by senior linebacker Josh Gavert, giving the Aztecs momentum they would give back on their way to a homecoming victory.

Looking forward, Long said he feels good since the team won. The Aztecs go on the road next week against Boise State University and then finish the season with home games against Air Force Academy and California State University, San Jose.

If the team is to fulfill its goals of being the Mountain West champion, it has no choice but to keep showing great character in tight games.

Because scratching out close wins is just how the 2014 Aztecs do things.

8 sports

nov. 10 - 12, 2014 • THE DAILY AZTEC editor: kristian ibarra • sports@thedailyaztec.com

#aztecwbb

Sea Lions flop late against Aztecs ryan posner staff writer ____________________________________ San Diego State’s women’s basketball team edged out a 55-52 win against Point Loma Nazarene University on Saturday at Viejas Arena in its first and only exhibition match of the season.

The Aztecs were able to stave off the Sea Lions thanks to a clutch layup from junior forward Deidra Smith to put the Aztecs up three points with just 36 seconds left in regulation. Pivotal free throws from junior point guard Ahjalee Harvey with 20 seconds left that put the game on ice for SDSU. SDSU has been without Harvey since before conference play due to a knee injury. She scored eight points in 27 minutes in her return, but struggled from the field going 1-7 and 1-5 on 3-pointers.

Another player returning from injury was junior forward Erimma Amarikwa, who only played seven games last year

before undergoing a season-ending hip surgery.

Amarikwa helped the Aztecs jump out to a 29-19 lead in the first half. She led the team with 12 points on 6-10 shooting.

“Her potential is limitless,” head coach Stacie Terry said in a preseason press conference. “She’s just a tough kid and when she turns it on, she’s hard to stop. She’s going to make a huge impact on the team this year.”

The Sea Lions came storming back though with an 18-4 run, which gave Point Loma a 37-33 lead about halfway through the second half. A key factor in the Sea Lions comeback was improving on their 15.4 field goal percentage in the first half, by making 64.7 percent of their field goals in the second half.

SDSU was able to hang on, though, thanks to the crucial play from Smith and Harvey.

A lot of credit for the win goes to the post-play though; something Terry knew would be the team’s strong suit

#aztecmbb

COMMENTARY

even before the season started. team’s two blocks on the day.

“Our post presence is pretty good,” One of the other players who she said. “We’ll be looking to get got at least five rebounds was the ball inside quite a bit this the Mountain West’s Women’s season.”

Preseason Freshman of the Year The Aztecs post presence McKynzie Fort who grabbed six was alive on Saturday rebounds while racking up six afternoon, as they outpoints. rebounded Point Loma “McKynzie (Fort) is a freak-athlete 45-24, and had four and was a great signing for us,” players with at least Terry said. five rebounds Fellow freshman guard compared to just Cheyenne Greenhouse one for the Sea got the start in her Aztec Lions. debut, but struggled Smith led scoring just two points the team in — both on free throws — rebounds with while going 0-3 from the eight, edging field. out senior Now the Aztecs set f o r w a r d their sights on the first Khristina game of the season Hunter by against California one rebound.

State University, Hunter also Sacramento, on Friday kelly smiley, Staff PhotograPher had one of the Nov. 14, at Viejas Arena.

#aztecwbb

COMMENTARY

To thrive Aztecs No ‘Show’ for the must sharpen spears ladies inside Viejas Patrick Carr senior staff columnist ____________________________________

F

or an exhibition game, it was loud. By my guess, around 10,000 fans saw San Diego State men’s basketball easily dispatch Point Loma Nazarene University 74-45 on Friday night.

Just like the Radiohead song “No Surprises,” there weren’t a whole lot of shocking moments for SDSU — lots of rebounds and stifling defense, but with plenty of turnovers and incompetency from 3-point range.

That’s why it’s a step in the right direction for SDSU. Now the Aztecs know what they’re good at and what they need to improve on.

They’re good at a lot of things like rebounding and defense, but the offense will need to get better if they want to survive.

Here’s the good: SDSU dominated rebounds and scoring inside the paint.

Try a 44-28 rebounding advantage and a lopsided 52-18 advantage scoring under the bucket.

Junior guards Winston Shepard and Skylar Spencer helped the offense a ton, grabbing 10 of the Aztecs’ 16 offensive rebounds.

SDSU’s defense was at its usual suffocating self. Point Loma had 15 turnovers with a fair number of those caused by the Aztecs’ full-court press, which senior forward J.J. O’Brien said after the game that the press could be

massively improved.

The dark side of the turnover equation was SDSU’s 13 turnovers; which were sometimes a result of bad passing and other times were the Sea Lions taking advantage of an Aztec team that’s still getting used to playing alongside each other.

But because of SDSU’s defense and size advantage, Point Loma shot a miserable 31.6 percent from the floor.

The Aztecs were also at their usual standard for shot-blocks with Spencer responsible for three of SDSU’s four rejections.

More good news for the Aztecs: freshman guard Trey Kell justified his starting role as point guard. He scored 10 with two assists and a smart steal that he took down the court for a twohanded dunk.

One of his assists was a beautiful pass from the 3-point line inside to Shepard who finished with a two-hand jam.

Also nice to hear for SDSU fans, the Aztecs shot 50 percent from the floor, including Shepard who went 7-14 with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

But they made an appalling zero 3-pointers. They went 0-8 and the absence of sophomore guard Matt Shrigley for the next four weeks might not help.

Shrigley suffered a dislocated elbow when he went up for a dunk and was hauled down from behind.

And the Sea Lions actually led this game with 11:55 to go before SDSU woke up and went on a run. Against a lower division opponent in Point Loma, the Aztecs got away with a slow start.

But once the real season starts, SDSU will also need to start a little faster.

Now the Aztecs know what they’re good at and what they need to improve on ... the offense will need to get better if they want to survive

mike heral senior staff columnist ____________________________________

I

know a place on campus that is almost so quiet that it hurts your head. It’s a place where you have more elbowroom than a Lake Michigan beach in the middle of February. It’d be perfect to get some homework done if it wasn’t for an annoying sound erupting seemingly every 10 minutes.

No, it’s not Love Library and its outof-place coffee stand. It’s Viejas Arena, believe it or not, and it’s a fortress of solitude for every San Diego State women’s basketball game.

Call it the anti-men’s basketball experience. The men get the glory because they are perceived as SDSU’s best hope for a major athletic championship. Their games are sold out and students must line up — and miss classes — just for the chance to get inside. And once there, there certainly isn’t tranquility, and a student swinging his or her elbows near overly amped up fans isn’t in his or her best interest.

But there’s a funny thing about this comparison between teams, and here’s how it plays out by the banners swinging from the arena rafters.

One. That’s the difference in banners between the two teams since 2009.

One. The difference between NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearances for our athletics teams in the same span.

Zero.

And that’s also the difference between Mountain West Championships, regular season or tournament, between them. They each have five.

Do you see the pattern? So why does the student base embrace one and shun the other? After all, it isn’t every

women’s collegiate sport that is poorly attended here. Women’s soccer and its three consecutive MW Championships fill the SDSU Sports Deck. Softball also boasts capacity crowds. Now, both of those stands are smaller than Viejas but neither baseball nor men’s soccer draw as disproportionately as basketball.

Perhaps an answer can be found by examining another number: Thirty-three.

That’s the difference in the number of telecasts between SDSU men’s and women’s basketball. Every men’s regular season game will be televised but not one single women’s game will be. And, no, I’m not counting the ridiculous MW-internet thing they call TV. Even collegiate media can be blamed for shutting out our ladies. While this paper did include a couple women’s articles in its special basketball issue, bloggers don’t. If a fan’s only exposure to this sport was through new media, then he or she can’t be blamed for not knowing it exists. Whereas men’s basketball lunacy was officially reached when writers reported on a “secret” scrimmage with all the gusto typically reserved to reporting on peace accords, no one lifted a finger to punch out women’s practice coverage.

It’s a shame because these athletes deserve their fellow student’s support just as much as the limelight-hogging men. They shouldn’t have to play every home game inside a valley of redbacked chairs. The laundry they wear identifies them as Aztecs in the same way it does for the men.

There’s also a certain element of extra joy involved in watching a game with an outcome that doesn’t seem to already be predetermined. Watching the men struggle to score through another game where they are still better than almost every MW opponent makes for a frustrating night, but watching the women battle is more dramatic. Given the lack of knowledge we have about this team, it could be awesome or awful — but we won’t know unless we watch.

nov. 10 - 12, 2014 • THE DAILY AZTEC editor: nick knott • entertainment@thedailyaztec.com

entertainment 9

#artsalive

Benches receive bold revamping Sarah Tanori staff writer _____________________________________ The teal and gray benches around campus are essentially the history of San Diego State. They date back as early as the 1930s when they were first installed.

With the collaboration of the SDSU art department and Arts Alive, these benches are being completely revamped this year. The plain color aesthetic will be no more as art students team up to bring their original designs onto 19 benches all around campus.

The project began last semester as an assignment exclusively for an upper division course. In fall 2014, the class was open to all students by the project coordinator, professor and studio art lecturer David Fobes.

Students broke up into teams and created their own blueprint of the benches. This included finding a color palette, making and testing stencils and presenting a Photoshop rendering of what the real bench would look like.

Not all of the drawings were chosen, however. The process of having a design

selected consisted of presenting the design to Fobes, who then presented it to the Arts Alive board and eventually to the dean of the arts department for approval.

On Monday, Nov. 3, Fobes invited guest artist Monty Montgomery to perform a demo for the students of the Design One class as part of the collaborative process. Montgomery’s demo involved painting a campus bench himself for the students, with stencils and spray paint.

Monty Montgomery is a contemporary pop and abstract artist whose primary focus is the connection between artist and environment. Picking up the energies of objects and nature is especially important in a project of this caliber as it is a representation of the school itself.

The SDSU bench project isn’t just an assignment. In a time when art programs are in decline, it’s a confounding statement that students, staff, and San Diego community members are coming together through their fundamental love of art. These lively benches will be popping up around campus in the upcoming week, so take a closer look.

MUSICIANS WANTED! DO YOU WANT TO BE FEATURED IN A WEEKLY VIDEO ON THEDAILYAZTEC.COM? Contact our Entertainment Editor: entertainment@thedailyaztec.com for more info, and prepare to be famous!

WWW.THEDAILYAZTEC.COM

COME SEE OUR

STREET TEAM!

We’ll be passing out papers at East Commons, West Commons, and various other places on campus!

Stop by and grab a paper, any day of the week!

Select benches received an artistic upgrade after students submitted designs to be painted on them. jenna mackey, photo editor

#robmachado

Belly Up hosts annual benefit show courtney brown staff writer ___________________________________ The third annual Rob Machado Foundation Benefit Concert will take place on Nov. 10 and 11 at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach. This year features another talented lineup of musicians with acoustic performances by the Goo Goo Dolls, Run River North, Timmy Curran and Austin Burns.

Rob Machado is known around the world as a legendary surfer and a passionate environmental activist. He created the nonprofit Rob Machado Foundation in 2004 to educate young people about how to contribute to a healthy earth.

All proceeds from the benefit concert at the Belly Up Tavern will go directly to programs within RMF to promote environmental responsibility in schools and at beaches.

“We’re all very lucky people and this is our chance to give back,” John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls said.

Due to tickets selling out so quickly in previous years, the benefit now spans two days. The event will also feature an auction, which includes surfboards signed by Machado, a guitar signed by Mike Ness of Social Distortion, Taylor acoustic guitars signed by members of the Goo Goo Dolls and more. The donations from the auction go a long way in raising money for the cause, Rzeznik said.

“Everything has to start at a grassroots level,” he said. “We’re raising money to help with these very important programs.”

Rzeznik has a lot of fond memories from playing at the Belly Up in previous years. One of his favorite

on stage... rob machado foundation benefit concert when nov. 10-11, doors open at 7pm where belly up tavern in del mar

parts about the RMF Benefit Concert is the tiny dressing room that everyone has to share. The iconic, intimate venue located in Solana Beach is a staple of San Diego music culture.

“It’s one of those classic sorts of venues, it’s really infinite,” he said.

The benefit also has a way of bringing together the community.

Neighboring business Culture Brewing Company will be holding a RMF Benefit Concert pre-party at their brewery and tasting room. Twenty-five percent of all sales from 5 to 9 p.m. will go to RMF. With the funds raised this past year, including sales from the sold-out 2013 benefit concert, RMF was able to make a huge impact in the surrounding San Diego communities. The foundation installed new trashcans at Cardiff State Beach made from 100 percent recycled material, co-sponsored the Grow Your Own program at the Solana Center, and sponsored Family Ocean Night at Cardiff Elementary.

The RMF Benefit Concert is an awesome local event with an even better cause. Doors open for both nights at 7 p.m.

10 features

nov. 10 - 12, 2014 • THE DAILY AZTEC editor: kelly hillock • features@thedailyaztec.com

#aztecspotlight

Aztec awarded scholarship honor Kellie Ferguson Staff Writer ___________________________________ San Diego State’s own Andrew Coba was awarded the Marine Corps Scholarship this year. This is his third time receiving the scholarship, and he was chosen to speak at the 32nd Annual West Coast Campaign Celebratory Gala.

The Marine Corps Scholarship is awarded to the children of military families who demonstrate financial need, or to children whose parents were killed or wounded while serving as U.S. Marines or Navy Corpsmen.

The scholarship was created to honor the families of those who have served by providing them with the means necessary to pay for a college education.

General Martin F. Rockmore started this foundation 52 years ago in response to a World War II Medal of Honor recipient who could not afford to send his child to college. The scholarships have since provided thousands of dollars to the children of Marine and Navy Corpsmen, honoring their service by helping fund their children’s educations.

Coba is studying civil engineering at SDSU. He is in his final year, but he plans to continue his education and build experience through interning after graduation. Coba’s father is Marine Captain Javier Coba. Coba explained that his father has provided him inspiration, not only through his work in the Marine Corps, but also through his own academic progress. While serving as a Marine, his father went back to school, overcoming obstacles to become an officer and continue his education. Coba took his father’s

Civil engineering senior Andrew Coba has won the Marine Corps Scholarship three times. courtesy of andrew coba

ambition as an example for his own life.

“I believe my father has been a great influence in my life,” Coba said. “He has set the bar high, and has always demanded a sense of engagement and commitment from my sister and me. He’s pushed us to realize our true potential, and he does this through example. I believe because of this I have gained the motivation and the vision of success. I try to always apply that.”

Not only has his father been an inspiration to Coba, but he also raised him with a sense of discipline and leadership specific to the Marine Corps family background. Coba believes his background and the leadership skills he has learned will help him in his future career.

“I believe that those values I learned in my Marine Corps upbringing

definitely connect with the image of an engineer,” Coba said. “Engineers are leaders in their own way. They are meticulous, organized. They have to be disciplined and dedicated, as well as able to improvise when challenging problems arise.”

The discipline and leadership skills innate in Coba led to him being selected to represent his fellow scholarship recipients at the 32nd Annual West Coast Campaign Celebratory Gala.

“It all originated from my being seasoned at getting these awards,” he said. “At each ceremony we have leadership activities, because leadership is a cornerstone in the Marine Corps. They want to continue that legacy through this organization. I guess they saw potential in me, and they offered me the opportunity to speak. I

accepted, because I felt it was a great opportunity, and I felt I was ready.”

Coba spoke alongside names such as David McCallum, an actor on NCIS, Lieutenant General Terry Robling USMC, who was the Guest of Honor, and Margaret B. Davis, the President and CEO of the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation.

“The gala was a thrill, and it was an honor to represent the voice of my fellow recipients of the scholarship,” Coba said.

The scholarship also gives him the opportunity to use the award in a way that exemplifies the pride and honor of the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation.

“The financial support is a blessing,” Cobra said. “Internally, it’s also been a driving force. I feel now that I belong to something greater than me, and I have to give my best efforts to represent it honorably.”

This sense of belonging to something greater than him is also what led Coba down the path of civil engineering.

“I wasn’t interested in the abstract, electrical engineering like my father got his masters in,” he said. “I was more inclined to structures; the large, monumental kind of projects. It would be a dream come true to be a part of something larger than me.”

The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation has granted Coba the privilege of representing his peers as an award recipient.

Through his own hard work and discipline, Coba is using his award to carry out the tradition of commitment and leadership the foundation promotes.

#aztecspotlight

Student remains strong despite illness Olivia Litsey asst. features editor ____________________________________ The sophomore slump is a conceptual struggle that exists for a lot of San Diego State students — the whirlwind of freshman year comes to an end, and many wonder if life will ever feel the same again. For psychology sophomore Taylor Clark, this struggle is more than just a concept.

Clark was diagnosed with lupus in the beginning of September. She began to feel pain that she described as minimal only a month earlier, and chose to consult her doctor after it persisted and increased. Clark got the diagnosis unusually quickly — the combination of the positive results of two blood tests she took and the pain she was experiencing allowed her doctors to determine that she had lupus.

Lupus is an autoimmune disease with no known cure that can be defined by an overactive immune system.

Autoantibodies attack healthy tissues and cause damage to many different parts of the body, which leads to pain and inflammation. According to the Lupus Foundation of America’s website, the disease generally affects women from ages 15 to 44.

Life has changed drastically for Clark since the onset of this disease. She previously lived an active lifestyle and was capable of accomplishing many tasks in a day, but now there are days where her pain is too severe to get out of bed. She must make sacrificial decisions

every day.

“If I am going to get ready for my classes today, that might mean I don’t have energy to make myself dinner later,” Clark said. “You don’t know what the day’s going to bring, you don’t know how you’re going to feel, what you’ll be able to get done. It’s kind of hard to make plans.”

Some bigger decisions had to be made as well. Clark spoke with her family and her doctors about her status as a student and a resident advisor on campus, but rather than letting go of her job or leaving SDSU to go home to Northern California, she decided to stay.

“I have to be feeling productive, so I knew I wouldn’t like that. As nice as it would be to be home with my family, I just know staying home for a long period of time would just make me feel lazy,” Clark said.

Clark has had to make some changes, though. She uses Student Disability Services’ cart service to get to her classes, and her professors have been understanding of her situation enough to be more lenient regarding her attendance and the way she turns in assignments.

One of her favorite activities, spending a day at the beach, is now out of the question due to physical limitations and a medication that makes her sensitive to the sunlight. She cannot spend as much time with her friends as she would like because she has less energy to expend.

As a result, Clark spends more time inside than she did before, and has found herself able to commit more time to her studies — and other indoor activities.

Psychology sophomore Taylor Clark was diagnosed with lupus last September. megan wood, senior Staff PhotograPher

“I’ve developed a passion for Criminal Minds on Netflix,” she said with a laugh.

Having lupus has changed Clark’s outlook on life. She has learned not to make assumptions about people. She spoke of an incident in which a woman in car yelled at her for crossing the street too slowly.

“You don’t know what they’re going through and what’s affecting their behavior,” Clark said. “So I’m telling myself this as I’m getting mad at this lady for yelling at me. Maybe she has something going on with her too.”

Clark’s goals include graduating from SDSU and hopefully attending graduate school, which will aid her pursuit of a career in counseling psychology.

Clark has found the support of people

in her life to be helpful throughout this experience, from the love of her parents to those who are understanding of her situation in her dorm. She has a webpage where she can share her story, as well as receive monetary donations to help with medical expenses and kind words that she feels have improved her attitude.

“You would be surprised how many people are willing to help or reach out to you,” she said.

By sharing her story, Clark hopes that those with good health will gain a new perspective and learn to view it as a luxury.

“You really don’t understand how good you have it until you don’t have it,” she said.

features

nov. 10 - 12, 2014 • THE DAILY AZTEC editor: kelly hillock • features@thedailyaztec.com

11

#artinmotion

Art students contribute to painting Chelsea Baer staff writer ____________________________________ San Diego State is home to a constantly growing and flourishing art department.

Talented students with specialties in backgrounds ranging from jewelry making, painting and drawing and ceramics inhabit the northern side of campus and create masterpieces daily.

The Painting II class adds beauty to campus one stroke at a time, with a large, ever-changing painting displayed outside of the art building for all to see.

The “Painting in Progress” painting is meant to exhibit the unique talents that each student can contribute while working together on one cohesive piece.

“I think that the collaborative project is an excellent way to showcase how talented the class is as a whole, while illustrating how they can adapt new ideas and methods of painting,” art senior Hannah Long said.

Professor Carlos Castro, a new faculty member at SDSU, teaches the class.

Each weekend a pair of students paints their addition on the canvas and it’s displayed for an entire week before another pair of students gets to leave their own mark on the project.

“I think the class mural is really cool because it gets the whole class involved in a collaborative work,” art senior Lauren Scott said. “Also, it’s really interesting to see everyone’s unique styles come together and how the piece is constantly changing.”

As of Nov. 6, the ‘Painting in Progress’ mural features a bat. jenna mackey, photo editor

The painting began with an eyecatching, bright orange fox centered on the canvas, drawing interest from students far and wide. During the following week, a colorful background with abstract shapes and symbols filled in behind the fox.

The painting had been hanging for weeks, providing a backdrop for many Aztecs’ Instagram photos. However, for a short period of time, those passing by may have found this giant work of art hard to locate. This is due to a recent

controversy.

The painting was removed after two students in the class added a large male body part as their contribution. This new addition was not well received and as a result the painting was removed and locked up.

Since this occurrence, the pair of students painted a dinosaur over their original work on the canvas.

“We didn’t want to paint over it, but we did it to appease everyone,” studio art senior Ilse Almazan said.

Students can continue to expect to see new changes to the evolving project each week.

“That’s the beauty of it,” Director of the School of Art and Design Kotaro Nakamura said.

The “Painting in Progress” is one of many projects being done by the art department in an effort to increase visibility of the arts on campus and in the community around us.

“It’s a way of making art mean something to people,” Nakamura said.

CROSSWORDS

Across 1 Digital periodical, briefly 5 Part of CBS: Abbr.

9 Comics title character who married Irving 14 Kitchen floor covering, in Kent 15 __ Ness monster 16 Earth pigment 17 Sooner State city 18 Architectural S-curve 19 Rays of light 20 Taking the top spot 23 Roman fountain 24 Volcano in Sicily 25 “What’s happenin’?”

28 In the least favorable case

31 Brit’s “Bye-bye” 32 Cleopatra’s undoing 35 Slim and muscular 36 Annie with a gun 38 With 40-Across, remaining focused 40 See 38-Across 41 Gold purity measures 42 Brother of Cain 43 Item in a P.O. box 44 This, in Seville 45 Fed up with 48 For what reason 49 Capricorn’s animal 50 Creates 54 Betting it all 58 “Hot corner” base 60 Cowboys

quarterback Tony 61 R&B singer India.__ 62 Exposed 63 Explorer __ the Red 64 Reject as false 65 Brass or bronze 66 CPR pros 67 It’s a long story Down 1 Put into office 2 Insignificant 3 Japanese cartoon style 4 Premium chocolate brand 5 Walk laboriously, as through mud 6 Quotable Berra 7 The stuff of many postcard photos 8 Burglaries

9 Hooded snake 10 King beaters 11 “It’s not true!”

12 Pants bottom 13 Decade tenths: Abbr.

21 Knucklehead 22 Chanted 26 Sch. with a Chattanooga campus 27 Subscriptionbased home entertainment 29 Churchill of the United Kingdom 30 Charity’s URL ending 31 Fight stopper, for short 32 Cockeyed 33 Hidden supply 34 Free-spirited socializer 37 Poise 39 Former NBA center __ Ming 40 U.K. award 42 Painting or sculpture 46 “No argument from me” 47 Electrical capacitance units 49 Dizzy with delight 51 Divided country 52 Barely managing, with “out” 53 Parting words, perhaps after the visit suggested by the starts of 20-, 38-/40- and 54-Across 55 Twistable cookie 56 Fail to mention 57 Mythical birds 58 TV schedule abbr.

59 Actor Holbrook

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12 the back page

nov. 10 - 12, 2014 • THE DAILY AZTEC editor: kelly hillock • FEATURES@thedailyaztec.com

#thestruggle

Workaholics Anonymous jamie ballard staff writer ___________________________________

T

his week, are you: A) Studying for your classes, B) Working part time C) Staying active in your student organization of choice, or D) All of the above?

My pick is D).I am a full-time student, working two jobs and staying active in a few student organizations.

And I’m far from alone. Nearly any college student you talk to at San Diego State will tell you that they’re busy — really busy. They might be involved in Greek Life or Associated Students, they might be studying and working nonstop to maintain that 4.0 GPA; or they might be working multiple jobs to pay their tuition.

Influenced by an increasingly hectic world, we tell ourselves that being busy is good, being idle is bad.

But is that correct? In some cases, I’d argue that it is: after all, being a productive and active student is better than being an apathetic and slothful one. But I think that it’s often taken too far. Being involved in one organization isn’t enough, you have to join three. If you aren’t up until 2 a.m. studying, you aren’t trying hard enough. And to bring in the social aspect, if you aren’t partying on the weekends, you aren’t “making the most of your college experience.”

I don’t think that this rise

in overwhelming activity and the rising rates of depression and anxiety among college students is a mere coincidence.

We glorify being busy. In a way, I think we relish telling other people how insanely busy we are because it means that we must be important and our lives must mean something.

If we’re busy achieving something, at least we aren’t totally failing, right?

And there’s just a tinge of pride in your voice when you tell someone “I can’t, sorry, I’m just too busy tonight.” (Damn right I’m busy with all my important things to do!) It’s a complaint that feels good.

I freely admit that I fall into this camp. While I like telling other people how busy I am, I hate feeling obligated to be doing something all the time.

Though I actually am lucky enough to have two jobs that I really enjoy, and manageable classes, stress adds up. I, and many of my peers, feel overwhelmed and tired much of the time. So what’s a college student to do? Grin and bear it? Sob deeply? Call mom?

I tend to go with the last option. I call my mother and complain, because she has to love me anyway. Her advice is to cut back on something. While I tell her “I can’t do that, Mom!” I’ll admit now that she is right. While some activities are obligatory, sometimes you can give an extra activity up. If you’re anything like me, you won’t be able to quit something without an insane amount of guilt or flip-flopping.

But as a survivor of quitting an optional activity, let me tell you: it’s worth it. That club or team or volunteer panel will go on without you. It will probably be there when or if your schedule calms down. And those extra few hours a week can be heavenly.

Idleness, down time, lazy ­ day, whatever you call it — it’s important to your mental health. Without it, some students might struggle with severe anxiety, depression, panic or stress. Sometimes, you have to take time, curl up with some popcorn, binge-watch a series on Netflix, and not feel bad about it.

THINKSTOCK

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We remember

Senior Staff Photographer Kristian Carreon grabbed this shot of the ceremony held in honor of fallen Aztec military.

PLEASE NOTE: The views expressed in this issue do not necessarily reflect those of The Daily Aztec.

Express your concerns by emailing letters@thedailyaztec.com

Experience It.

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HOROSCOPE happy Birthday (11/10/14) - It's easier to accomplish your aim this year, especially now with Mercury, Venus, the Sun and Saturn in your sign.

Results won't happen by themselves, but efforts bear abundant fruit. Passion adds momentum. After 3/20, romantic adventures bloom with creative energy.

After 4/4, cool it down with a quiet, introspective phase. Organize, plan and review. Discover love.

HOW IT WORKS: 10 is good, 1 is bad.

Aries (March 21 - April 19) - Today is a 7 - Home's a good place for you over the next couple of days. Provide family support. Let a friend inspire you. Graduate to the next level. Make household improvements. Give it an unusual twist. Play with color.

Taurus (April 20 - May 20) - Today is a 7 - Finish a study project now.

Writing and recording go well, especially regarding articulating dreams and possibilities. Visualize success, and put that into words or pictures. Teach efficiency and conservation. Go for it.

Gemini (May 21 - June 21) - Today is an 8 - Focus on making money. Beauty need not be the most expensive choice.

Discuss your dreams. Listen to partners and colleagues for their view. Imagine the entire plot before committing funds.

There's fantastical bounty possible.

Cancer (June 22 - July 22) - Today is an 8 - You're even more powerful than usual for the next two days. Personal matters demand attention. Go for what you really want. Add a glamorous touch, just for fun. Work faster to make money.

Leo (July 23 - Aug. 22) - Today is a 7 Today and tomorrow seem retrospective.

A breakthrough comes after careful consideration. Demonstrate compassion toward others. You can get whatever you need. Something's coming due. Let people know what you want. Friends help you make a valuable connection.

Virgo (Aug. 23 - Sept. 22) - Today is a 7 - Your friends really come through for you over the next few days. Envision a dream future. Fantasies may have to be delayed, but take notes anyway. Make another home improvement, or collage how you want it. Play house.

Libra (Sept. 23 - Oct. 22) - Today is a 7 - Consider career advancement today and tomorrow. Step into leadership. Take responsibility for a matter of importance.

Let your imagination wander. Follow your inner vision, and create an impression. Act quickly on a bargain.

Scorpio (Oct. 23 - Nov. 21) - Today is a 7 - Make travel plans for the future.

Household members are receptive.

Avoid reckless spending. Go for a brilliant innovation. An unexpected windfall opens new possibilities. Imagine where to go, and what to study. Dreams can come true.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 21) - Today is a 7 - Consider an investment in your education to grow a profitable skill.

Handle financial planning first. Friends offer good advice. A surge of passion lets you know you've found it. Get your partner aligned.

Capricorn (Dec. 22 - Jan. 19) - Today is a 7 - Best results come through collaboration with partners today and tomorrow. Finish what you promised to do, and dare to make new promises. Accept a gift, and share your appreciation. Talk about your dreams.

Aquarius (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18) - Today is an 8 - Today and tomorrow could get busy. Good news comes from far away. Your team comes up with a good plan. The details are important, so get involved. Visualize a job completed.

Someone finds you fascinating.

Pisces (Feb. 19 - March 20) - Today is a 6 - Romance is a growing possibility over the next few days. Travel may be involved, or an exploration. Keep listening. New opportunities arise. Don't fall for a trick. Organize, clean and declutter. Recycling works again.