01-27-2014

VOLUME 100, ISSUE 37

MONDAY, January 27, 2014 jenna Mackey, Senior staff photographer

Men’s basketball wins in OT | P6 Kevin sorrano, staff photographer

Women’s basketball wins at home | P7

____________________ Upcoming Issues

02/6

Spring Sports

02/20 Clubs

03/6

New student union is open for business | P2

Wesley Beights, staff photographer

Restaurants & Bars ____________________

Get up-to-the-minute news @ thedailyaztec.com / opinion

Attend success fee forum or pay the price of apathy P4

/ news

/ entertainment

Minority grad rate improving at SDSU P3

Alumna finds theatrical success P8

San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper since 1913

2 NEWS

MONDAY, January 27, 2014

#aztecstudentunion

kevin serrano, staff photographer

Aztecs welcomed to Student Union Luke henning

THE OLD NEW Construction for the original Aztec Center began in the 1960s. The center was intended to serve a student body of 10,000.

File Photo

So many opportunities for YOU to be a Candidate in the Associated Students

GENERAL ELECTIONS! Applications now available in the Associated Students Office, 3rd Floor of the Aztec Student Union.

DEADLINE to submit application is Thursday, Feb. 13th at 4:00 pm.

To learn more about the A.S. General Elections, checkout as.sdsu.edu/govt/elections To learn more about A.S., checkout as.sdsu.edu

See union P11

A.S. General Elections are March 17th - 20th on the SDSU WebPortal

On Wednesday morning, San Diego State President Elliot Hirshman and Associated assistant news editor Students President Josh Morse welcomed students and faculty to the Aztec Student Union. However, many parts of the building are still under construction.

“We’d like to welcome you all to your new campus living room,” Hirshman told the crowd of 200 or so gathered on the steps on the north side of the 206,000-square-foot building as the drone of power tools continued behind him.

The majority of the construction for the $104 million building was completed in time for the spring semester, but the western part of the ground floor of the union, which includes the new Aztec Market and the various food vendors, is still unfinished.

Construction was delayed last year because of the discovery of several utility pipes under the building site. Originally, the building was supposed to be finished in time for the Fall 2013 semester, but the discovery of the pipes set the project back several months.

The businesses on the lower floor are expected to be open within the next month.

All construction on the structure should be complete in time for the official grand opening of the building on March 7, Hirshman said.

Despite the incompleteness of the building, spirits in the crowd remained high. The crowd buzzed with excitement as Hirshman and Morse gave their welcome speeches.

Following the opening ceremonies, the Aztec Student Union Board, in conjunction with A.S., provided a free continental breakfast to all in attendance. Students, faculty and staff lined up around the main courtyard of the student union to wait for food as music from a string duo reverberated throughout the new space.

ASUB Commissioner Dara Majdi served food alongside the other A.S. volunteers dressed in matching Student Union shirts. The work for ASUB is far from finished, Majdi said as he rushed from station to station.

“We still have a long way to go before the grand opening,” Majdi said.

Morse said the grand opening of the union will include an entire week of events starting on March 7, showcasing everything the new facilities have to offer the SDSU community. He and Majdi encouraged students and faculty to tour the building and make use of the facilities that were functional, such as Aztec Lanes and the Aztec Recreation Center Express.

Though the building is not officially open, A.S. has several activities planned for the next month, including basketball viewing parties, which will be held in the 300-seat theater, Morse said. These activities are designed to get students oriented with the building, Vice President of External Relations Javier Gomez said “We want the union to be filled at all hours it’s open,” Gomez said.

Many students gathered, including anthropology senior R.J. Anaya, seemed simply relieved that the building was open.

“Most of all I’m just happy it’s done,” Anaya said.

NEWS

MONDAY, January 27, 2014

#SDSUDiversity

3

Minority grad rates improving at SDSU luke henning

assistant news EDITOR San Diego State has recently been recognized for improvements in its six-year graduation rates for minority groups in the past decade by The Education Trust, a national nonprofit group that advocates for education equality.

The Education Trust cited SDSU as an example, along with seven other colleges around the nation, in its “Learning From High-Performing and FastGaining Institutions,” a practice guide it distributes to American universities annually. This is the second time the group has recognized SDSU. Within the guide, the group wrote that graduation rates for Latino students, who currently make up roughly one-third of the SDSU student body, almost doubled, jumping from 31.4 percent in 2002 to 58.8 percent in 2011. Graduation rates also increased significantly for black students at SDSU, from 28.6 percent in 2002 to 55.8 percent during this time.

The average graduation rate for all students increased 72.2 percent with about two-thirds of the student body now graduating in less than six years.

The Education Trust President Kati Haycock said the recent recession and the growing income inequality that has followed has made the issue of education equality significantly more important throughout the U.S. “Leading colleges and universities are teaching us that just letting more students in isn’t enough,” Haycock said.

“Colleges need to assume their share of responsibility for making sure students have the supports they need to complete their degrees.”

The change in graduation rates can be attributed to the large variety of programs SDSU offers to students, including Casa Azteca and the Early Start program, SDSU Media Relations Manager Beth Chee said.

“The report highlighted common elements that were present across all

eight universities: deeply and publicly committed campus leadership willing to make student success a high priority and the early and ongoing use of data to identify problems and evaluate solutions,” Chee said.

At an open forum in December recently appointed Vice President for Student Affairs Eric Rivera told faculty and staff that one of his main goals during his time at SDSU has been to see an increase in graduation rates. Rivera said he has always approached this problem by focusing on evaluating data.

This data-based approach serves as the groundwork to all the programs he has helped create on campus, Rivera said.

“The results from the data we collect are seldom what we expect,” Rivera said during the forum.

For example, the Casa Azteca program was put into place after Rivera’s student affairs team found commuter students were significantly more likely to leave SDSU in the first two years than students who lived on campus.

The enrollment data also revealed that a large block of commuting students were Latinos. Casa Azteca was designed to specifically combat this loss of students by giving commuters a support community comparable to the experience of on-campus students.

“Without our data we would have never known the true root of the problem,” Rivera said.

Though graduation rates at SDSU have mostly leveled out between various racial groups, Rivera said there is still work to be done.

“Despite the recent improvements, our job is far from over,” Rivera said. “We can rest when we have 100 percent student retention.”

SDSU also ranks No. 13 in the nation for the number of undergraduate degrees given to minorities, according to the Diverse Issues in Higher Education publication, and last October received the 2013 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine.

A recent report recognized SDSU for improvements in its six-year graduation rates among minority groups. courtesy of thinkstock

ATTENTION: ALL SDSU STUDENTS All SDSU students are invited to attend advisory open forums to solicit student input on the following proposed increase in campus mandatory student fees: Shall a new mandatory Student Success Fee be established effective Fall 2014? The proposed fee level per semester, if this fee is approved, will be determined through a series of public forums and consultations with interested regularly-enrolled students at San Diego State University, except those exclusively attending Imperial Valley Campus.

OPEN FORUM TIMES DATE

TIME

LOCATION

HOST ORGANIZATION

Monday, Feb. 3

11:00 am

Templo Mayor, Aztec Student Union

Monday, Feb. 3

3:00 pm

Templo Mayor, Aztec Student Union

Monday, Feb. 3 Tuesday, Feb. 4 Tuesday, Feb. 4 Wednesday, Feb. 5

6:00 pm 12:30 pm 4:00 pm 1:00 pm

Fowler Athletic Center Auditorium Templo Mayor, Aztec Student Union Templo Mayor, Aztec Student Union Templo Mayor, Aztec Student Union

Associated Engineering Student Council SDSU Ambassadors & Undeclared Student Council Student Athletes

Wednesday, Feb. 5 Thursday, Feb. 6 Thursday, Feb. 6 Friday, Feb. 7

4:00 pm 8:30 am 12:30 pm 11:00 am

Templo Mayor, Aztec Student Union Templo Mayor, Aztec Student Union Templo Mayor, Aztec Student Union Templo Mayor, Aztec Student Union

Monday, Feb. 10

10:00 am

Templo Mayor, Aztec Student Union

Monday, Feb. 10 Tuesday, Feb. 11 Tuesday, Feb. 11 Wednesday, Feb. 12 Wednesday, Feb. 12 Thursday, Feb. 13 Thursday, Feb. 13 Thursday, Feb. 13 Friday, Feb. 14

6:00 pm 8:30 am 4:00 pm 9:00 am 3:00 pm 12:30 pm 4:00 pm 7:00 pm 10:00 am

Templo Mayor, Aztec Student Union Templo Mayor, Aztec Student Union Templo Mayor, Aztec Student Union Templo Mayor, Aztec Student Union Fowler Athletic Center Auditorium Templo Mayor, Aztec Student Union Theatre, Aztec Student Union TBD Templo Mayor, Aztec Student Union

Monday, Feb. 17

10:00 am

Templo Mayor, Aztec Student Union

Monday, Feb. 17

1:00pm

Templo Mayor, Aztec Student Union

Tuesday, Feb. 18 Tuesday, Feb. 18

10:00 am 1:00 pm

Templo Mayor, Aztec Student Union Templo Mayor, Aztec Student Union

Wednesday, Feb. 19 Wednesday, Feb. 19 Thursday, Feb. 20 Thursday, Feb. 20

12:00 pm 4:00 pm 8:30 am 4:00 pm

Templo Mayor, Aztec Student Union Templo Mayor, Aztec Student Union Templo Mayor, Aztec Student Union Theatre, Aztec Student Union

College of Sciences Student Council

College of Arts & Letters Student Council Afrikan Student Union

Associated Students Graduate Student Association United Sorority & Fraternity Council College of Health & Human Services Student Council College of Professional Studies & Fine Arts Student Council Associated Business Students Council Honors Council College of Education Student Council

Friday, Feb. 21 12:00 pm Templo Mayor, Aztec Student Union _________________________________________________________________________ Please attend one of the scheduled open forums to learn about the proposed fee increase, ask questions and have your voice heard.

Please bring your current SDSU Card ID to the forum of your choosing.

Daniel Hord’s aztec sculpture is one the symbols of SDSU. monica linzmeier, Photo Editor

To review additional information about the proposed fee increase, visit http://studentsuccessfee.sdsu.edu. Forum dates, times and locations are subject to change.

4 opinion

MONDAY, january 27, 2014

who’swho

#studentsuccessfee

Editor In Chief Leonardo Castañeda Managing Editor Ana Ceballos News Editor Hannah Beausang assistant News Editor Luke Henning Sports Editor Adriana Bush Opinion Editor Madison Hopkins Entertainment Editor David Dixon Features Editor Elisse Miller Copy Chief Caitlin Johnson Assistant Copy Chief Erik Dobko Copy Editors Maria Del Carmen Huerta Photo Editor Monica Linzmeier Art Director Carlos Jimenez Production Designers Mark Anthony Santos Gabriela Flores Web Editor Victor Escoto _____________________________________ Advertising Director Jesse Castañeda

courtesy of thinkstock

Attend success fee forums or pay the price of apathy madison hopkins opinion EDITOR

This semester, Aztecs will have the opportunity to have their voices heard.

No, I’m not talking about the mayoral or Associated Students elections, although you all should utilize your right to vote in those as well. I’m talking about finally standing up and having a say in what we pay in San Diego State tuition and fees.

In response to declining state revenue, lost tenure-track and tenure faculty members, closing sections and being broke in general, SDSU is proposing a new fee for students. But rather than administration simply imposing its will on students and forcing them to pay the fee (which they could very well do), students are being given the chance to attend educational forums and vote on the proposed fee. The results will then go to the Campus Fee Advisory Committee, which will make a recommendation to President Elliot Hirshman. Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs Kathryn LaMaster assured that the president will act in favor of the student body’s opinion. From Feb. 3 to Feb. 21, these forums will be held twice daily at the Aztec Student Union at varying times to try and accommodate as many students wishing to attend. And if there’s one thing I can get across to each and every one of you, dear readers, it’s to please just go.

As a student body, Aztecs aren’t exactly known for their dedication to civic engagement on campus. Last March’s A.S. election was commended for its recordbreaking high voter turnout of 18 percent.

That’s right, the grand total of 5,138 votes cast out of more than 30,000 students was the highest voter turnout in recent A.S. history. I think we can and should do better than that, especially when it comes to dealing with our own money.

The university is going out of its way to include students in the decision-making process, and the least we can do is go out and hear what it has to say. Even better, we can do more research on our own. You can look to The Aztec during the next few weeks to get a full rundown of exactly what these fees will do, but to be eligible to vote you’ll need to attend at least one of the information forums.

Once there, you’re not voting only on whether or not to impose a fee, but also for how much of a fee. According to LaMaster, a $500 fee increase that would be implemented during the course of the next four years would be ideal, but the administration is also willing to consider options ranging from $200 to $400 to accommodate students’ differing economic situations. Of the new revenue, 90 percent would be directed toward hiring new tenure and tenure-track faculty, and the remaining 10 percent would be for academic programs to be decided at the discretion of a student committee.

Once you’ve gone to a forum, you will need to vote immediately following it.

Therefore, it’s also important to remember the downfalls. Obviously, you’ll potentially be missing an extra $500 per semester, and I don’t need to explain why that could be a bummer for some and economically devastating for others. But another question students need to consider is if this

is just one more step down a slippery slope of fee increase after fee increase.

To put this into perspective, let’s take a look at how tuition and fees have grown during the past several years. In the fall of 2004, tuition and fees for a full-time undergraduate student were $1,468. This semester, it’s $3,383. That’s a 230.45 percent increase. “But what about inflation?” you might ask. Well, I thought about that too, and with some serious help from an economics major, I was able to figure it out. Overall, inflation from 2004 to 2014 was approximately 23 percent. This means tuition has increased at a rate 10 times faster than the rate of inflation. If tuition had stayed proportional to the purchasing power of 2003, tuition and fees would be $1,805 today. As most of us recently paid a fee much larger than that for this semester, I think we can agree that some serious fee hikes have taken place—none of which I had the opportunity to vote on.

The purpose of this story isn’t to sway you one way or the other regarding the decision before us. There’s bound to be a range of opinions on the topic, all of which are valid and deserve to be heard. But the only way that’s going to happen is if everyone attends at least one of the forums.

A failure to do so is essentially accepting your fate as a powerless child subject to the control of a tyrannical parent who takes away your allowance when you don’t do all your chores. Go to the forum and do your part. At the very least, now when you complain about paying exorbitant tuition prices, you’ll know it was decided fairly among your peers and not just one more dictation from “the man.”

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LIKE us facebook.com/dailyaztec follow us twitter.com/thedailyaztec write us tips@thedailyaztec.com _____________________________________ The Aztec has been San Diego State University’s independent student newspaper since 1913.

opinion

MONDAY, january 27, 2014

#saveyourself

5

Mo’ money,

Mo’ problems

No money,

courtesy of mct campus

morgan rubin

senior staff Columnist I have this one friend—lets call him Trevor. Trevor has a part-time job, just as many full-time college students do. And also like many college students, he has grants and a small scholarship here and there, but mostly loans.

What’s interesting about Trevor is that despite his financial standing, he has the newest iPhone and Xbox games, and goes out to eat almost every day.

On the surface, there’s nothing wrong with this, but considering the fact that he’s more than $60,000 in debt, has no savings account (or rather, nothing in it), and complains about paying rent each month, I’d say his lifestyle is a bit overthe-top.

I’m sorry if I don’t sound sympathetic, but Trevor is not alone in his way of living, especially among millennials. The more I hear people talking about spring break trips to Cabo and VIP tickets to

BIGGER

the Jay-Z concert, the less I hear about saving for the future. According to a survey done last year by the Employee Benefit Research Institute, millennials are actually less likely to save for retirement than employees 10 years ago were.

But lets take a step back. Say you’re living the “Trevor lifestyle” your senior year, waiting to get that much-needed post-graduation job—but it never comes.

By then, you have to start paying for your loans, rent (assuming you aren’t living with your parents), and all the other expenses that come with being a grown-up. Having just a small cushion for when things don’t go as planned can go a long way.

The good news is that, because of the economic crisis, it’s not our fault that saving money is harder than it used to be. A study by the Pew Research Center has found that young adults acquire much more debt than older adults did during and after the Great Recession.

problems of scholarships go unclaimed, mainly because people simply don’t know about them. The interesting thing about scholarships is that you don’t necessarily need to have a 4.0 GPA to get one.

They’re available to students for things such as race, disability, organization membership, religion, hometown and countless others. All it takes is a Google search to find one that could potentially be the right fit for you. If I have one regret in my entire college experience, it would be that I didn’t take advantage of those opportunities earlier on. Needless to say, it would have saved me a whole lot of grief, not to mention quite a few bucks.

So whether you’re like my friend Trevor and spend money now without thinking of the future, or you’re a person that does a little saving here and there, college students always have to be extra aware of money. It’s something we as a generation need to work on if we plan on maturing into financially stable adults.

The economy has gotten significantly better in the last few years, but we are still not in a position to ignore our responsibilities, both present and future.

We also have to look very closely at debt: how to avoid it and how to get rid of it when we do accumulate it. Avoiding it is difficult. College is expensive, and not many people can afford to enroll in classes without a loan or two. Last year, one in five households in the U.S. owed money for college loans. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned from dealing with finances as a college student, it’s that federal loans, the loans we are offered through AidLink, are much easier to manage than private bank loans. While federal loans can be excused in certain circumstances, private loans—and the heavy interest that comes with them— will definitely stick with you.

Of course, the ideal situation would be to not have loans at all. And for this, I have one word: scholarships. There’s an old rumor that says each year millions

Wherever, whenever.

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6 SPORTS

MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014

Aztecs keep on winning #AZTECMBB

Xavier Thames #2

AZTEC PLAYER OF THE GAME

PTS AST STL REB

31 4 3 3

Senior guard Xavier Thames scored a career high 31 points, 10 of which he scored in overtime, in Saturday’s game against Utah State University. JENNA MACKEY, SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

TERENCE CHIN STAFF WRITER

The San Diego State’s men’s basketball team was predicted to finish fourth in the 2013-14 Mountain West preseason media poll, but SDSU is proving everyone wrong as the Aztecs earned their 17th straight win.

It took overtime for SDSU to fend off the Utah State University Aggies in a tight 74-69 road victory on Saturday, Jan. 25 in Logan, Utah. This marked the Aztecs 17th straight victory of the season.

It didn’t come easy for SDSU as the Aggies kept a competitive game throughout. In the first half, the Aztecs shot 33 percent from the field, but

maintained a 28-24 advantage at the half.

SDSU never really put USU away in this one until the final buzzer at the end of overtime. The Aztecs were outscored 33-29 in the second half with a lift from senior forward Spencer Butterfield who led the charge for USU with 19 points and eight rebounds.

It looked as if the Aztecs were going to win holding a 57-54 lead with 16 seconds remaining. However, Butterfield nailed a 3-point shot over junior forward JJ O’Brien from the right wing with two seconds remaining to tie the game at 57, forcing overtime.

Senior guard Xavier Thames had a night to remember scoring a career high of 31 points leading all scores. Ten of his points

came in the overtime period.

His biggest moment couldn’t have come at a better time, when SDSU needed a bucket clinging onto a 63-62 lead with less than two minutes left to play. Thames nailed a 3-point shot with 51 seconds left giving the Aztecs a 66-62 advantage, which seemed to be too much for the Aggies to overcome. From there, SDSU held the ball as it knocked down eight of its last 10 free throws to seal this victory.

After the game, head coach Steve Fisher couldn’t be any prouder of his team’s victory in USU’s hostile environment.

“This is what you’re going to have when you get on the road. This is college basketball anywhere,” Fisher said. “This is my first trip here and it’s an incredible

atmosphere. They have fans a lot like ours, who are so supportive of their team.”

On the week of Jan. 20, The Associated Press Top 25 and USA Today Coaches polls ranked SDSU as the No. 7 team in the nation. With losses from No. 3 Michigan State University, and No. 4 Villanova University this week, it’s safe to say that the Aztecs will move up in national rankings.

Perhaps, SDSU may be ranked a top five national program this week.

After this hard-fought road victory, SDSU returns home to face Colorado State University at 4:05 p.m. this Saturday at Viejas Arena. Students can pick up tickets for Saturday’s home game as early as Jan. 27, according to goaztecs.com.

#SDSUSWIMTEAM

Swimming and diving finishes regular season undefeated KRISTIAN IBARRA STAFF WRITER

For the fifth consecutive season the Aztecs remained undefeated at the Aztec Aquaplex. KELLY SMILEY,

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Senior swimmer Livvi Sefton and three others were honored in a pregame ceremony for their final performances on Saturday. KELLY SMILEY, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The San Diego State swim team capped off a perfect season with a 144-126 victory against its crosstown counterpart, the University of San Diego Toreros, on Saturday afternoon at the Aztec Aquaplex.

The Aztecs are 11-0 for the 2013-14 season.

“It’s really exciting going undefeated,” senior swimmer Livvi Sefton said. “We swam against our conference rivals, Boise State, over winter break and came out on top, so I think it has given us confidence going into the championship meet.”

This year’s campaign marked the fifth consecutive season the Aztecs finished undefeated at the Aztec Aquaplex, where they have lost only three times since opening for the 2007-08 season.

There isn’t any obvious reason for the team’s success at home, Sefton said.

“It’s not much different swimming at home than any other pool,” she said. “We always try to get a home pool feeling wherever we are in warm-up.”

Sefton, along with three other senior

swimmers and divers, including Jordan Hanna, Mikaela Macklin and Anna Steiner, were honored in a pregame ceremony for their final performances at the Aztec Aquaplex.

Sophomore swimmer Whitney Weisz took the spotlight on Saturday’s meet, placing first in the 50-yard, 100-yard and 200-yard free style. Her 23.77 second mark for the 50-yard free style was the seventh-fastest time ever recorded at the Aztec Aquaplex, according to goaztecs. com.

Saturday’s meet also marked the second time these teams have met in the last five months. The Aztecs took an 18-6 victory in the first meeting.

The Aztec divers were also present during Saturday’s event, placing first in both the 1-meter and 3-meter boards. The divers will compete next weekend at the Air Force Diving Invitational in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Both swimmers and divers will be back in action in three weeks, when they will attend the Mountain West Conference Championships at the Palo Alto College Aquatic Center in San Antonio.

SPORTS

MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014

#AZTECWBB

7

SDSU takes down Utah 88-72 ETHAN BAILEY STAFF WRITER

The San Diego State women’s basketball team defeated the Utah State University Aggies by a final score of 88-72 on Saturday, marking the team’s fourth win in its last five games.

Despite being statistically outshot in the second half, the Aztecs managed to keep grinding and regained a double-digit lead after the Aggies made a run to put themselves within 10 points of the Aztecs at the midpoint of the second half.

With 10:04 left in the game, senior guard Danesha Long was fouled and sank two crucial free throws to give the Aztecs a 9-point lead. Less than two minutes later, freshman guard Ariell Bostick recovered a Utah State drop and passed the ball to senior center Cierra Warren, who converted a layup for two points. Warren finished the game with 20 points and seven total rebounds in 27 minutes on the court.

With momentum on their side, the Aztecs continued to pressure the Aggies on offense and defense. Bostick dribbled the ball to the Aggie side of the court and spun through the middle of the Utah State defense, scoring on a layup and drawing a foul. She converted on the following free throw and finished the game with 18 points, two rebounds and two steals.

“I just fed off my teammates,” Bostick

said after the game. “As coach keeps saying, ‘You can’t be a freshman anymore,’ so I’m just trying to step up as a leader and I’m growing every day.”

Bostick attributed her explosive offensive performance against the Aggies to her getting more shots in at practice.

“I also let my defense help my offensive game,” Bostick said. “If I can lock down a player on defense, I know they can’t lock me up on the offensive end and it’s pushing me to be a better point guard.”

Head coach Stacie Terry had plenty of good things to say about Bostick emerging as a leader on the team.

“We kind of go as she goes, and it’s a lot of responsibility to have as a freshman and we talk about it every single day,” Terry said after the game. “When she has really managed the game—and her scoring is wonderful, but I’m not really looking at that—her assist-to-turnover ratio has improved. I’m most proud of her because she’s learning to be a point guard.”

The Aztecs opened the game by winning the tipoff and scoring quickly thereafter on a jumper by Warren. After eight early lead changes, SDSU regained a lead it wouldn’t give up for the rest of the game after a long three-point shot from junior forward Chairese “Desi” Culberson.

SDSU’s explosive offense and a sloppy first half from Utah State combined for a 47-27 Aztec lead at halftime.

Ariell Bostick #3

Deajanae Scurry #12

The Aztecs defeated the Utah State Aggies 88-72 on Saturday for their second consecutive win. ALL PHOTOS BY WESLEY BEIGHTS, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

#AZTECWTENNIS

Women’s tennis edged by Long Beach State PATRICK CARR

that are close to them in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.

STAFF WRITER SDSU, led by a doubles and singles victory from lone senior Laura Antonaña Iriarte, The first road trip of the season turned into a were outdone by the rest of the 49er lineup. close loss for the 46th-ranked San Diego State Antonaña Iriarte, who women’s tennis team, was named Mountain as it was dropped West Women’s Tennis by 45th-ranked SDSU, led by senior Player of the Week Long Beach State on Laura Antonaña last week, teamed Saturday by a score Iriarte, were outdone up in doubles with of 4-3. by the rest of the 49er junior Kristin Buth If the match lineup. to win 7-5 against on Saturday said 49ers freshman Julie anything, it proved Gerard and junior that the Aztecs are Karolina Rozenberg. competitive with teams

That would be the Aztecs’ only doubles win, as LBSU won the other two doubles matches to pick up the doubles point. The 49ers’ freshman Laura Eales and freshman Holly Reid defeated Aztec sophomores Isabelle Hoorn and Tami Nguyen 6-3. Aztec sophomore Dora Somoracz and junior transfer Hailey Johnson were also beaten with a score of 6-4 by sophomore Ebba Unden and redshirt freshman Maeva Razakasoa.

Antonaña Iriarte took her singles match against Unden to a third-set tiebreak, where she prevailed 6-7(6), 6-1 and 10-4. Nguyen also needed a third-set tiebreak to take down Gerard by scores of 4-6, 7-5 and 10-5.

Freshman Kennedy Davis also notched a

singles victory for the Aztecs by beating freshman Hayley Thompson 6-2, 3-6 and 10-8.

However, LBSU had already clinched the match victory by the time Nguyen and Antonaña Iriarte finished their singles matches. Johnson suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Rozenberg, which sealed the match for the 49ers.

Somoracz and Buth also lost their singles matches earlier in the program, which helped LBSU to the win.

The Aztecs, who dropped to a record of 2-1, will host University of California, Davis (1-1) next Saturday, Feb. 1 at 12 p.m. at the Aztec Tennis Center.

8 Entertainment

MONDAY, January 27, 2014

#michellecaron

Alumna finds theatrical success david dixon

entertainment editor Michelle Caron is the lighting designer of a play now showing at the Cygnet Theatre, “Maple and Vine.” She’s a San Diego State alumna and has worked on many shows around the world.

The Aztec: Can you tell readers a little bit about yourself and what inspired you to become a lighting designer?

Michelle Caron: I was inspired to become a lighting designer by accident. I started as a performing arts major in my undergrad, mostly as an actress. When I came back from studying abroad in Europe, I had a couple of extra credits to fill and took a lighting design course on a whim. It was really fun and I had an opportunity to design a show at my school in Scotland and continued working after I graduated.

TA: Did SDSU help train you for this position?

Lighting designer Michelle Caron has worked on Cirque du Soleil shows including “Corteo,” “Quidam” and “Ka.” photo by kevin serrano, staff photographer

MC: I got my master’s at SDSU. I had a professional career before I came here. However, one of the things that I really appreciated about this school was the faculty. They are incredibly dedicated to the success of their own students and they all have an excellent professional background that they can draw from to instill great ideas in their students.

“There are a lot of really talented people working, and sometimes there isn’t a lot of work. You have to distinguish yourself in some way to be competitive from a business aspect.”

-Michelle Caron

TA: What are some of your favorite shows that you’ve worked on and why?

MC: In terms of from a work perspective, (when I) toured with Cirque du Soleil for a couple of years before I came to SDSU. I toured with “Corteo” and “Quidam” and worked on “Ka” in Las Vegas for a while. I wasn’t on the design team there, but I worked on the electrical team.

What all three shows taught me is that to create and maintain an amazing looking show takes a lot of work. You can’t cut quarters, and while this can be frustrating, the final product is always better for the work you put on early on in the process.

From an artistic perspective, I had the opportunity to assist a lighting designer, Robert Wierzel, on the Boston Lyric Opera’s production of “Madama Butterfly.”

Our tech was when Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast. We lost a couple of days and had a bunch of people who got stuck out of town, because of weather, traffic, etc. A combination of watching consummate professionals put together a show—put together against high-pressure circumstances—and have it be a gorgeous production was really excellent.

TA: What’s the most difficult aspect of your profession?

MC: There are a lot of really talented people working, and sometimes there isn’t a lot of work. You have to distinguish yourself in some way to be competitive from a business aspect.

TA: Any advice for students studying lighting design?

MC: Learn about lots of different things. Don’t feel like you can’t be interested in something just because you don’t think it applies to lighting design. It’s good to know about technology and how the process works, but if you love history, art, comic books, etc., don’t feel like you should ignore those passions. Lighting design is so collaborative that it’s really important to form relationships and friendships with the people you work with.

ENTERTAINMENT

MONDAY, January 27, 2014

#seanfanning

Aztec designs a dream career david dixon

entertainment editor Sean Fanning is the scenic designer of “Maple and Vine.” He is a San Diego State alumnus and has worked on shows all around San Diego, including The Old Globe and the San Diego Repertory Theatre. He was generous enough to take part of an email interview about his career and work on the show.

The Aztec: How did SDSU train you for this position?

Sean Fanning: At SDSU, I studied with Ralph Funicello, who is the Powell Chair in Set Design, as well as professors Beeb Salzer and Nick Reid. The latter two are now retired from their positions.

They are all wonderful, hugely influential people in my life as a designer. The core aim of the MFA program in design at SDSU is to provide both real and theoretical design experiences, and foster collaboration among the design areas while helping to increase the students’ repertoire of skills. This equation is slightly different for each student, as they all come from various educational backgrounds and experience levels.

As an incoming student, much of my abilities as a designer were self-taught, and much acquired from a much smaller Bachelor of Arts program at Sonoma

9

State University. But there were very clearly holes in my set of skills-aspects of the job that were still unfamiliar to me, and a cruder design aesthetic that would benefit from refinement. Ralph would tell me that I did this myself, but I believe that it was through him that I learned much of what got me where I am today - not only in sharpening my abilities and tastes as a designer, but also how to bring greater honesty, humility and conviction to my process.

TA: For “Maple and Vine,” What were some of the challenges of creating a set that represents a house in the 1950s?

SF: The interesting thing about “Maple and Vine” is that Ryu and Katha’s house is not actually in the 1950s, but a modern day recreation of the 50s.

The fictional re-enactment group, the Society for Dynamic Obsolescence, has carefully researched and revived the period within their gated community where it is always 1955. In this sense, the SDO’s 50s, while technically accurate, are more idealized and artificial. It is like imagining a community that was born yesterday, out of only furniture and food advertisements of the period, and by people who were not even alive at the time. So, the challenge, really, is that everything must be incredibly specific and seem incredibly new.

Sean Fanning has worked on acclaimed shows all around San Diego. He is the scenic designer for the show “Maple and Vine.” Photo courtesy of Ken Jacques

TA: Any advice for students studying set design?

SF: You should never stop learning, never stop being fascinated by things.

Our brains are constantly forming new connections. Listen to your gut; often your first instinct is, if not technically correct, the most emotionally honest.

It is very, very important to love what you do, to love your work. That is what will keep you coming back to it time and time again. In the same breath, I’d say it’s important to not let the work

represent your value as a person. This pitfall is so common in the business-I would say it has been the cause of ruin for many great artists. You will do a lot of projects that you love, and a lot of projects that, for whatever reason, are not as successful. Your work does not define you. You define it.

Students younger than 30 can watch “Maple and Vine” for $20 and enjoy a post-show mixer on Feb. 7 by becoming a member of the discount club, CygNext.

“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” was a strong fantasy epic. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros

#2013films

Catch up on The Aztec’s favorite films of 2013 With last year being such a strong one for cinema, the entertainment writers have decided to share their favorite films of 2013. The majority of these movies are available on DVD, so catch up with them during a much-needed study break. If you can’t, there’s always spring break.

David Dixon

Entertainment Editor 10 The East 9 Star Trek: Into Darkness 8 Before Midnight 7 Saving Mr. Banks 6 The Way Way Back 5 Fruitvale Station

4 Short Term 12 (Directed by San Diego

State alumnus, Destin Daniel Cretton, and now out on DVD.) 3 Mud 2 Gravity 1 12 Years a Slave

Alek Sanchez Staff Writer 10 Gravity 9 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 8 This Is the End 7 Dallas Buyers Club 6 American Hustle 5 Her 4 The Wolf of Wall Street 3 Fruitvale Station 2 Don Jon

1 The Kings of Summer

Courtney Brown Staff Writer 10 Gravity 9 Mud 8 This Is the End 7 The Place Beyond the Pines 6 Dallas Buyers Club 5 The Way Way Back 4 Blackfish 3 The Wolf of Wall Street 2 Inside Llewyn Davis 1 Her

Jamie Ballard

Staff Writer 10 The Great Gatsby

9 Tiger Eyes 8 August: Osage County 7 The Secret Life of Walter Mitty 6 Blue Jasmine 5 This Is the End 4 Frances Ha 3 Before Midnight 2 Girl Rising 1 Captain Phillips

Ryo Miyauchi

Senior Staff Writer

3 Blue Is the Warmest Color 2 Before Midnight 1 Frances Ha

10 FEATURES

MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014

#BUSINESSTIME

Alumn teaches raw business skills KELLY HILLOCK

university and its student body on a more intimate basis. He teaches a one unit, credit/no credit class that’s open to students of all majors who stand in As an Aztec who was a businessman for upper-division criterion. This is offered 30 years, lecturer Craig Stevens brings as a once-a-week course on Wednesdays his expertise to students in Business for 50 minutes. The class is titled “Explore Administration 402.

Business Career Development,” but Stevens climbed the corporate ladder Stevens has given it a nickname that fits after earning his more to his liking: bachelor’s degree in “Business World finance from San Brought to You: Diego State, then “I don’t think any kid Abrupt, Raw and started his own should be let out of Unfiltered.” company. When SDSU without these The class focuses he returned for his skills.” on the skills son’s orientation at - Craig Stevens needed to land his alma mater he that first interview, was impressed with internship or job. the university.

Stevens structures “I was blown away,” the class to emphasize networking and Stevens said. public speaking skills, so students entering With a son continuing his legacy, their career will feel comfortable in a Stevens was inspired to reconnect with professional setting. Stevens sums this his former college. He became chairman class up with three words: “learning, of the SDSU Orange County Alumni leveraging, networking.” With a Association, joined the College of Business straightforward approach, Stevens offers Administration’s board and eventually SDSU students an opportunity to learn the decided he wanted to work with students ropes of the real world before being cast directly. into it upon graduation.

Now, Stevens reconnects with the SENIOR STAFF WRITER

COURTESY OF CRAIG STEVENS

“I don’t think any kid should be let out of SDSU without these skills,” Stevens said.

In his class, Stevens makes a point to meet with each of his students one-on-one, to better understand their goals and how he can contribute to their success. Stevens

hopes his students leave his classroom with a momentum that leads to employment.

“I tell my classes, ‘I view you as a client.’

My goal is to provide a service to them,” Stevens said. “I think they appreciated that approach.”

Stevens’ class offers a variety of guest speakers during the course of the semester, allowing students the opportunity to meet professionals and hear their advice.

Despite Stevens’ claims of not being involved enough during his time as a student at SDSU, he has overcompensated by giving back to his alma mater and demonstrating the true qualities of a lifelong Aztec. In addition to his passion for empowering students, Stevens hopes to build a stronger Aztec foundation. With an alumni network of more than 200,000 and a substantial representation, Stevens believes in mutual support between SDSU graduates and the value of the SDSU experience.

“We are all part of the same family,” he said.

With all of that passion for the Aztec legacy, Stevens gives students more than a typical classroom experience.

“Broad, direct, unfiltered—they get it like a firehose,” he said.

Basketball.

Concerts.

Football.

Theater.

Humor.

Print.

Politics.

Fashion.

Web. Movies.

Mobile.

Music.

We Know SDSU.

news

MONDAY, january 27, 2014

help wanted

union from p2

Vetready - PT sales reps-ASAP! Promote Veteran job fairs. Base pay + Comm.

Fax resume – oran@vetready.org 619-277-9099 - www.vetready.org

condos for rent SDSU Aztec Center Opens as the first permanent student union in the California State University system. file photo

The first $56 student fee increase for the union passes in 2006.

Another referendum passed in 2010 for a $94 fee increase.

File photo

File photo

Aztec Center closes: May 31, 2011 Groundbreaking ceremony: June 1, 2011 Demolition complete: Aug. 11, 2011

The projected Fall 2013 Aztec Student Union opening is delayed because of the discovery of several utility pipes.

Kevin Serrano, staff photographer

Welcome home address: Jan. 22, 2014 Official ribbon cutting: March 7, 2014 (scheduled) Kevin Serrano, staff photographer

2BR/1.5BA Condo. $1195/mo rent plus Security Deposit. Quiet Complex, Laundry Room, Pool, Gated. 619-593-3620. __________________________________

11

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Walk to SDSU. $550. 619-582-8412. __________________________________ The Daily Aztec does not endorse or support and has no affiliation with the products or services offered in the Classifieds section.

12 THE BACK PAGE

monDAY, january 27, 2014

#onlinedating

App-rehensive dating

D

uring winter break I decided I had the time to reenter the dating realm. Why not? I didn’t have any pressing homework and I wouldn’t be pushing aside any sort of needed study time.

So as advised by many friends, as well as recent statistics that claim three out of five gay couples meet online, I ventured into a new version of online dating. I want to emphasize the “new version,” because as the Internet is ever-progressing, so is online dating.

We all know there’s an app for everything. I’m quickly discovering that dating apps have no limitations. Partnerless individuals can find an app for dinner dates, movie dates or other romantic encounters with absolutely no prior dates.

To each their own, but I’m just looking to meet people outside of the classic bar scene in Hillcrest.

Suddenly, I was attacked by my personal skepticism. I’ve often heard of the amount of mentally unstable people one must encounter before actually meeting a person worth going on a second or third date with. There’s also the fear of meeting a cannibalistic, voodoo-practicing cheapskate who doesn’t tip waitresses or wouldn’t be able to hold a decent dinner conversation.

Because of this fear, I decided to withhold my online dating endeavor from my often worrisome mother.

After overcoming my own anxiety, I completed step one—downloading an app. As I began entering my email address and physical attributes into my profile, I prepped myself for several rounds of crazies and some good old-fashioned

annie beltran staff writer

disappointment.

The dating app I chose required a profile picture and a username. My initial instinct, which I thought was standard for people to get to know me, was to use my actual name as the username.

However, I quickly became aware that I’m the only person online who thinks of my real name as a proper first introduction.

If I could redo my username, I would replace my boring first name with one of these names: Dr.SpockEnthusiast, CheckersChamp, or whatever I think is the most catching for possible suitors, such as StillListeningtoTLCFanMailAlbum.

For the profile picture I asked my roommates to help choose a selfie that would effectively exhibit my all-around good looks. Since we live in a democratic household, my roommate T-Bone, the cat and the hamster all had equal vote on which one of my Facebook pictures would display my, “Hi, I’m not crazy, and if we date, you shouldn’t be either” persona.

Step three of this process was a personal summary. Now, I’ve written several resumes, cover letters and created a LinkedIn profile, yet my professional summary didn’t seem to create the appeal possible suitors may be looking for from me.

I started with a little white lie about my short stature by giving myself an extra inch of height. I’ve been short for 25 years—I started life as a short, 4-pound baby. I almost crashed a marketing class once, so as a branding expert, I decided 5 feet offered more amorous appeal than my actual height of 4 feet 11 inches. Everything else on the summary was the truth and nothing but the truth, I swear before this very The Aztec back page.

words

70 Graph’s x or y 71 Nintendo’s Super __ console

The dating app uses questions to help users find matches. These questions range from endearing to completely inappropriate. Of course, for more reasons than fear of a future professional colleague finding my online dating profile, I skipped anything I didn’t want Jesus or my parents to find out.

Such a process, and I hadn’t even taken a stab at talking to people online yet.

This is what the entire process is for, right? I want to meet new people outside of an exhausting late night bar scene filled with cross-eyed after-hours humor. But the messages from potential dates started flowing in. When other users find me attractive they send me a direct message or a “wink.”

This was almost like real life, except when I started communicating via email with other single women, I questioned whether they were real because there was no voice or actual person in front of me.

Of course, I wondered if upon meeting a person from the dating app, would she be the person she represented online? What do I do if she’s not? What if she realized I lied about my height too? What if she sees me for our introductory date and realizes that she misinterpreted everything I had written about myself? What if I’m her version of voodoo-crazy disappointment?

At the moment of writing this column, I‘ve yet to go on a date. Since I’m new to online dating, I’m realizing that I’m missing the link to meet a person outside of the Internet. Big Head, my friend named for the amount of melon he carries atop his shoulders, said I’m being too forward. I’m still confused about how my asking a girl for a date on a dating website has become too forward.

Nevertheless, I shall continue. Readers should plan on reading about my encounters via the online dating realm.

numbers

Down

Across

1 Apply, as with a cotton swab 4 Dinner bills 8 Defeat decisively 14 Dean’s email suffix 15 Overlook 16 “Respect” singer Franklin 17 Hitchhike 19 Rented 20 Write back 21 Amazement 23 Pod fillers 24 Out of the wind 25 Far from being in agreement 28 More in need of moisturizer 30 __ noire: dreaded thing 31 Before today 33 Contact lens care brand 35 Indian prince

39 What a pep talk is meant to do 43 Pixieish 44 Strong veiny cheese 45 Chanced upon 46 Chess corner piece 49 Pizazz 51 Graduation garb 55 Quantity of 53-Down 58 Grifter’s game 59 Diminish 60 Prima __: opera star 61 Schoolchildren 63 Time relaxing in a chalet, and where the first words of 17-, 25-, 39-, and 51-Across may appear 66 Some nuclear trials 67 Earth’s natural satellite 68 Archaic 69 Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo

1 Actress Messing of “Will & Grace” 2 “I challenge you to __!”

3 Took out, gangland-style 4 Conservative Brit 5 Bordeaux boyfriend 6 Offer at Sotheby’s 7 Great bargain 8 “Honor Thy Father” writer Gay 9 1,000-year Eur. realm 10 Come back into view 11 In a total fog 12 Use wool clippers on 13 Owned, in the Old Testament 18 K.C. Royal, e.g.

22 E.B. White’s “Charlotte’s __” 25 Ball-__ hammer 26 Normandy river 27 Naturally lit courtyard 29 Clothing patch type 31 Pale or malt brew 32 Baseball’s Hodges 34 PC-to-printer port 36 “Sesame Street” puppeteer 37 Had a meal 38 FDR successor 40 Italian dessert sometimes made with espresso 41 Like much post-Christmas business 42 Drudge 47 Black Sea port 48 Old USSR spy gp.

50 Golf instructors 51 TV from D.C. 52 Sharp, as an eagle’s eyesight 53 Photocopier supply 54 Only U.S. president born in Hawaii 56 Foot-to-leg joint 57 Hotel cleaning crew 60 Cozy rooms 62 U.K. business abbr.

64 Chicken __ 65 French king

HOW TO PLAY: Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box contains every digit 1 to 9.

Difficulty Level:

2/4

ALL SOLUTIONS AVAILABLE ONLINE AT WWW.THEDAILYAZTEC.COM or IN OUR NEXT ISSUE’S CLASSIFIEDS CROSSWORDS, SUDOKU, AND HOROSCOPES COURTESY OF TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES INC., ©2014.

disclaimer

The views expressed in this issue do not necessarily reflect those of The Aztec.

Express your concerns by emailing letters@thedailyaztec.com

arc.sdsu.edu

thefuture

Today’s Birthday (1/27/14) - You’re strong and getting stronger this year. Grow health, fitness and service before August.

Fun with children, family, friends and community provides the joy that flavors your work to greatest profit. Fix up your place and gather the clan in springtime. A new phase of romantic partnership begins after the 6/10 eclipse. Take peaceful time to balance the pace. Quiet your mind, and enjoy your garden.

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

Aries (March 21 - April 19) - Today is a 7 - Confer with your team and make a plan accounting for each of your abilities. Use their ideas and approach. You’re already ahead of the game. Talk about what you’re learning. Wax philosophical.

Taurus (April 20 - May 20) - Today is a 6 - Complete financial paperwork: invoices, expense reports, tax forms... If you don’t understand, don’t be afraid to ask. Get in touch with old clients or friends who can provide new work. Choose love you can depend on.

Gemini (May 21 - June 21) - Today is a 7 - A good partner helps you get farther, and could also provide a unique opportunity that you wouldn’t discover otherwise. Provide motivation, plus facts, and win the prize.

Collect an old debt as a bonus.

Cancer (June 22 - July 22) - Today is an 8 - You can find the right words to make an excellent deal. Get busy and take advantage of your great productivity today. Include time for romance. Let your partner share your appreciation. Provide a healthy dose of great service.

Leo (July 23 - Aug. 22) - Today is a 7 Indulge passion and imagination. It’s a nice day for romance. Write a love letter and seal it with a kiss. But don’t forget your career obligations. You find the balance. Share fun and laughter.

Virgo (Aug. 23 - Sept. 22) - Today is a 6 - Study new ways to save at home. Pay attention to unnoticed or forgotten stuff.

Spend wisely to improve your decor. Keep your promises. Your plans develop as you go along. Good news comes from far away.

Libra (Sept. 23 - Oct. 22) - Today is a 7 - Your past work speaks well for you.

Make new friends. Check out an interesting suggestion. For a fresh perspective, ask a child. Cash in coupons and ask for help.

Team projects go well. Consider new possibilities.

Scorpio (Oct. 23 - Nov. 21) - Today is an 8 - Renew career activity. Consult an experienced and trustworthy financial advisor. Take action to forward your next profitable adventure. Friends offer good advice. Chat in private. Find a smarter method at work. Go for it.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 21) Today is an 8 - Write, record or organize about your new escapade. Include new support or information. Do it for love. Write a practical document. Find just the right tone.

Private efforts bear fruit. Mutual admiration grows with a partner.

Capricorn (Dec. 22 - Jan. 19) - Today is a 7 - A roommate helps you understand.

Share the pertinent facts. Your input is appreciated. Dexterity solves a problem.

You’re on a roll. Keep saving as much as you can. Introspection and quiet prove soothing.

Aquarius (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18) - Today is a 7 - Have a private conversation with a supervisor or at home. Allow yourself to get persuaded. Ask questions and take notes.

Run errands. Watch for hidden agendas.

Work smarter as you assimilate new ideas.

Pisces (Feb. 19 - March 20) - Today is an 8 - Work on the plan you made. Gather new information. Use your wit and charm.

Friends keep you on track to profit. You’re gaining respect. Contact your team and talk about the important things.