04-12-2018

Wednesday, April 25 - Tuesday, May 1, 2018 Weekly Print Edition

Vol. 104, Issue 32 www.thedailyaztec.com

San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

Faculty union condemns Aztec mascot, moniker

by Will Fritz NEWS EDITOR

The union representing most California State University faculty voted last week to condemn San Diego State’s mascot, as well as those of two other CSU campuses.

In a vote at the California Faculty Association 87th annual assembly in Los Angeles on April 14 and 15, members denounced the Aztecs moniker, the mascot’s human representation and “the usage of spears or weapons that connote violent and barbaric representations of Indigenous cultures.”

The resolution states SDSU is “on Kumeyaay land and the Kumeyaay were not consulted to create a culturally appropriate mascot.”

The CFA also condemned two other CSU mascots — the CSU East Bay Pioneers and the CSU Long Beach 49ers — as being representative of “a genocidal history against Indigenous peoples in California,” though it says CSU Long Beach “has worked to address their problematic mascot ‘Prospector Pete’ with truth-telling, fostered healing, and collective unity with the local Indigenous peoples.”

CSU San Marcos and CSU Channel Islands were both

referenced for having “proactively worked with the local Indigenous community on whose land they reside to establish a campus identity that is rooted in place” and having “worked with the Chumash to create a culturally appropriate mascot,” respectively.

Faculty Association Vice President Charles Toombs, who is a professor of Africana Studies at SDSU as well as the campus’ CFA chapter president, said the resolution was initiated by the organization’s Indigenous People’s caucus of the Council for Affirmative Action within the CFA before passing with support from the whole assembly.

Toombs declined to speculate on what effect the resolution may have on the mascot.

“There’s a lot of discussion going on from different people about the Aztec mascot and we’ll certainly see what the task force recommends when it completes its work,” he said.

Brandon Jones, who just finished his time as SDSU’s College Republicans president, said he thinks the mascot is a non-issue.

“The mascot debate started by students and faculty on campus SEE MASCOT, PAGE 2

Photo by Kelly Smiley

San Diego State’s Aztec mascot at a Mountain West tournament game in Las Vegas in March.

Chancellor White: No tuition increase for 2018-2019

by Will Fritz NEWS EDITOR

Tuition levels will remain the same at California State University campuses next year, the chancellor’s office announced April 20.

The CSU Board of Trustees was set to discuss the issue in May. The board first considered

raising tuition at a meeting in January after California Gov. Jerry Brown’s office released a budget proposal that many officials said significantly underfunded the 23-campus university system.

CSU Chancellor Timothy White said in a statement that despite the budgetary concerns, tuition will remain unchanged for the 20182019 academic year as “our state’s economy is strong and many

lawmakers support the CSU.” Tuition rose just last year, when the Board of Trustees approved a $270 increase for full-time undergraduate students in March 2017.

White said the decision to keep tuition flat was not made lightly.

“There will be serious adverse consequences if state funding falls short of meeting our university needs,” he said. “Without sufficient

additional dollars, campuses will need to reevaluate staffing levels, programs and services. We would be put in the situation that less is achievable with insufficient funding – less than our aspirations and goals, less than our state’s needs, and less than our students’ expectations.”

The governor’s budget proposal in January allocated $92 million — to the CSU system for fiscal

year 2019.

That may not be the final number, as the final state budget won’t be voted on until June.

But it’s a less-than-ideal starting point, administrators said after the proposal was released.

“We expected $102 million,” SEE TUITION, PAGE 2

2

News

The Daily Aztec

April 25-May 1, 2018 EDITOR: Will Fritz, news@thedailyaztec.com

Graduation season leads to confetti blitz

by Lauren J. STAFF WRITER

Mapp

Students in white dresses, black graduation gowns and red San Diego State sashes have filled the walkways near Hepner Hall on weekend afternoons all month.

Surrounded by photographers, graduating seniors eagerly await the chance to have their portrait taken beneath the iconic building.

Salwa Khan, an industrial psychology sophomore, has taken photos of 10 graduating students so far this semester, with another eight students left to be photographed.

“Almost everyone has the classic three things that they’ll bring: confetti and glitter, they’ll have champagne or cider or something like that, and balloons,” Khan said.

After the crowds of students leave, confetti, deflated balloons, open champagne bottles and empty beer cans have been left behind.

“The University Police Department has received complaints regarding littering, and we encourage students to be responsible and avoid leaving props on campus,” said Raquel Herriott, SDSU Police Department spokesperson, via email.

Herriott added that having or drinking from open alcohol bottles is not allowed on campus, except for in the case of licensed restaurants and special events Photographer Deshani Kandekumbura, a 2017 kinesiology graduate, has taken photos of four students so far

Photo by Lauren J. Mapp

Champagne, confetti, balloons and a graduation gown near Hepner Hall.

this year at various schools throughout Southern California.

While taking photos of a student at SDSU on April 21, she saw bottle caps, champagne corks, bottles and cans left behind at camera-friendly spots around campus.

“I think that they should be mindful of that,” Kandekumbura said. “Yesterday, there were a lot of people popping bottles and there was alcohol everywhere.

The girl that I shot yesterday wanted to sit somewhere, but there was alcohol spilled there.”

Confetti — used in the classic, wish-blowing portraits — can be found in several spots on campus, including the bridge near Scripps Cottage, the turtle pond and Hepner Hall. After students are done taking photos, the confetti is often left in their wake.

“A couple of them will try to sweep up as much as possible, but most of them, I would say, leave (the confetti),” Khan said.

After seeing her peers post graduation photos on Instagram throughout her time at SDSU, English and political science senior Kristen Klinetob decided to have her portraits taken also.

She said she was laidback when it came to the aesthetic that she wanted for her photos, and she decided not to use props like confetti.

“As far as Hepner Hall goes, I have seen it all four years and the leftover (confetti) is always there,” Klinetob said. “I’m OK with that, but it does really bother me when I went down to the koi pond and saw tons of confetti in the water, where the turtles and the koi fish are. I do have to wonder on campus, and on Hepner Hall, who eventually cleans up that confetti.”

Facilities custodians clean up photoshoot locations that are university-owned, while a contracted custodial services company cleans all Associated Students-owned locations, Herriott said.

Some students said they don’t plan their confetti shots ahead of time, but instead use the confetti that other students had already abandoned.

“Yesterday, we saw a lot of

places where the confetti was just on the ground, so we just picked up confetti off the ground and they re-blew it,” Kandekumbura said.

Unwanted pests like skunks might be attracted to the scents left behind by the champagne.

“The big one that I do have a concern with would be the champagne — it gets everywhere.

Hepner Hall reeks of champagne for like months,” said Khan, who also took graduation photos in 2017. “Yesterday I was shooting and there was a skunk problem.

I don’t know what skunks see in champagne, but they really like the scent and there are skunks all around Hepner now.”

Armed with confetti, champagne and balloons, Tiana Bragg, psychology senior, was ready for her photoshoot in front of Hepner Hall on April 22.

Bragg planned to do her confetti photos on paved spaces away from the koi pond so that she wouldn’t disturb the habitat of the pond. She said it might be helpful to have warning signs near the pond to make people aware of the dangers confetti presents to the animals there.

“We’re not going to go over by the koi pond, because I know that’s like really bad,” Bragg said.

“I know people want to do it for the photos, but it’s definitely something to be taken into consideration, I guess. I feel like people aren’t really aware that it’s not good for the turtles and stuff.”

She added that she would try to clean up her confetti, but didn’t plan to put too much effort into it.

Ousted Brazilian president visits SDSU on international tour

by David Santillan SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR

The impeached former president of Brazil spoke at San Diego State on April 18 about the controversy surrounding her removal and the contentious political climate in her country.

In the midst of Brazil’s complex and troubling political situation, the former president visited college campuses in Spain and California to talk about the events that led up to her impeachment while attempting to garner international support to free former Brazilian president and current presidential candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison on corruption charges last year.

Rousseff, who was elected as Brazil’s first female president in 2011, was accused of corruption when she broke Brazilian fiscal laws by moving funds between government budgets.

Impeachment proceedings soon followed, beginning on Dec. 2, 2015 and ended Aug. 31, 2016, when she was officially removed from office and replaced by vice president Michel Temer, leader of the opposing political party. Rousseff maintains her innocence and cites ulterior

motives for her ouster.

“There is no basis for my impeachment,” she said during her speech.

Rousseff claimed that gender roles, misogyny and corruption were some of the reasons why she was removed from office.

Eduardo Cunha, the politician who organized Rousseff’s impeachment, was sentenced to 15 years in prison just a few months after her impeachment proceedings began for his own corruption scandal.

There was a clear divide in the audience during Rousseff’s speech, whose supporters cheered her on when she was interrupted several times by protesters.

Brazilian-born San Diego resident Luiza Marques was one of the protesters present at the event.

“Dilma has an agenda,” Marques said. “They talk about the (political) party for the workers, but that’s not what they do. They steal from Brazil.”

Rousseff responded back to the protestors through her speech, saying that her administration was the first to address the corruption within the government.

The audience members also served as an example to Rousseff’s explanation of how polarized politics have become in Brazil.

She attributed this phenomenon to the societal issues some Brazilians face, adding that many of the country’s government problems are rooted in its history with slavery and its current conditions with poverty and racism.

“I believe that inequality

compromises democracy,” Rousseff said.

Kim Capille, a Brazilian student studying marketing at SDSU and a supporter of Rousseff, had a more positive outlook on the current political situation.

“I would like to believe that we’re just in a place that’s messy

and that it will get better,” Capille said.

Brazilians are set to vote in presidential elections in October 2018. Lula is currently leading in the polls despite his incarceration.

It is yet unclear whether if he will still be eligible to run for office.

Tuition:

fairly compensated.”

Crystal Little, SDSU director of budget and finance, said university officials have been “planning conservatively with the assumption of no tuition fee increase for 2018/19 …”

“Campus budget committees will continue to meet over the next few weeks to finalize a 2018/19 budget recommendation to be approved by the President in May,” Little said.

SDSU President Sally Roush also released a statement after White made his announcement.

“All of us must continue to advocate for adequate state funding that preserves quality education and improves access for qualified students,” she said.

“The CSU community will work over the next few months to persuade legislators to fund the system’s most pressing needs.”

Mascot:

continued from page 1 SDSU Director of Budget and Finance Crystal Little said in February.

And even that number was lower than the $282 million the CSU initially requested.

White asked for support in advocating for increased funding from the state.

“So, our ask of the state is this: #ChooseCSU and fund our shared priorities,” he said. “Our ask now being considered by the state for funding is just for the university’s most pressing needs.

We all want students to have the clearest and most life-changing path to graduation. We all want high-quality degrees to meet the needs of the state’s economy and society, today’s and tomorrow’s.

We all want faculty and staff to be

continued from page 1 years ago is nothing more than background noise at this point for the majority of the campus community,” he said.

The Native American Student Alliance, which in recent years has led the fight to retire the mascot, did not respond to a request for comment.

When reached for comment, SDSU spokesperson Cory Marshall said she would “point back to our timeline for the Aztec identity decision.”

“The deadline for the special task force to provide information and recommendations is April 30. President Roush said she intends to make a final decision about the Aztec identity and mascot no later than May 31,” Marshall said.

News

April 25-May 1, 2018 EDITOR: Will Fritz, news@thedailyaztec.com

The Daily Aztec

3

What’s next for San Diego State’s controversial College Republicans leader?

Two weeks from graduation, The Daily Aztec sits down with Brandon Jones for a final debriefing

by Will Fritz NEWS EDITOR

You’re arguably the most prominent College Republican right now. What’s it like being in the news so much?

I would say it’s interesting.

You know, when I got elected as College Republicans president, I mean, I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into.

And things just started coming our way. You know, with the associate dean of the library calling Republicans terrorists, I didn’t know what to do with it. It just kind of happened and things started rolling. But it’s good, I think that my job was to give us a voice on campus and I think that I probably went above and beyond that.

So that wasn’t even intentional?

No, I mean, like, the press releases and stuff like that… we were just really trying to have a voice on campus and it snowballed because of the climate of the universities in our country today. And places like Fox News and stuff like that, they eat it up.

What would you say that climate is on our campus?

There’s a definite liberal bias. I don’t know if...I think it would be hard-pressed for anybody to deny that universities lean to the left. If they don’t think so, I’d like to have a conversation with them and think it would be better for both of us. But I mean, we’ve had plenty of examples at San Diego State, just at San Diego State, that I’ve dealt with, that— I mean, it’s clear liberal bias in the form of what they’re teaching, how they’re teaching it, how they’re using the classroom as kind of a platform for their agenda. Stuff like that.

What have been some of your favorite moments from this year?

Some of my favorite moments...I mean, definitely going on Fox News. I’m not

gonna be, like, naive in the fact that that was a very awesome experience. It’s something I never thought I would be able to do.

And it’s scary going on live TV and talking in front of 2, 2-and-ahalf million people at six o’clock in the morning, that’s definitely a different experience. But besides that, just, I mean, it is fun going toe-to-toe, I think, with these liberal professors on campus, because they don’t know how to respond. They just go straight into their talking points or to calling us racist or whatever. And that’s not to say that there aren’t good professors. I’ve had great professors at SDSU in the political science department. Mikhail Alexy, for example, international theory professor — awesome guy. Ex-communist, turned like, American patriot, grew up in the Ukraine, awesome story, awesome guy. And then there’s professors that are not so great, unfortunately. But everybody has a place in this world and everybody has a place on campus, and so it’s their right to be on the left just as much as it’s mine to be on the right.

Have you gotten into any arguments with professors over politics?

In the classroom, I try not to go there. I’ll go to office hours if I want to discuss something.

The only notable one that I could think of is probably Emannuel Saccharelli. I tried to question him a little bit on the Marxist theories early on in the Marxism course that I’m taking. But nothing that’s ever in my opinion gotten unprofessional. It’s always been — I mean, I would like to think — I have great respect for Saccharelli, as a person, and I hope he would say the same about me, although we’re on completely opposite sides of the political spectrum.

But yeah, definitely nothing that’s ever gotten unprofessional.

What would you say you’ve learned over the past year?

I mean, the biggest thing, obviously, is leadership. You’re

Photo by Kelly Smiley

Brandon Jones, now-former president of SDSU College Republicans, near the Education and Business Administration building on April 23.

leading a group of students who didn’t necessarily have a direction, from what I saw in previous years.

And all of a sudden, I mean, just by default and by really putting your words into actions, I became their leader. I was their go-to guy as well when something happened on campus, they were coming to me asking for advice. And besides that, I mean, I’m a political science major, I work in politics in San Diego. This is kind of like my comfort zone, politics. So I would say leadership is probably the biggest thing.

You’re graduating this year.

What’s next for you?

So right now, I’m working on a congressional campaign here in San Diego. Omar Qudrat for United States Congress. He’s running in the 52nd district against Scott Peters, and he is a Muslim. He’s the first Muslim Republican to get endorsed by the San Diego County Republican Party, so despite the letters that I may have written to groups in the past, he is a Muslim Republican.

And then I’m also running a state assembly campaign up in the 76th assembly district.

So your immediate future is just the midterms?

Yeah, we’ll see what happens

after June 5. I could be unemployed after June 5. If that happens then I’ll probably be going up to Oregon or Minnesota.

I have a couple job offers up there on some campaigns, so we’ll see.

Any last words for the university and administrators?

Uh, no I’m not gonna go there, but I just think that some of the professors and some of the administrators are going to be happy that I will be getting my degree and moving on.

Interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

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4

Opinion

The Daily Aztec

April 25-May 1, 2018 EDITOR: Dana Tsuri-Etzioni, opinion@thedailyaztec.com

EDITOR IN CHIEF Andrew Dyer MANAGING EDITOR Lilly Glenister NEWS EDITOR Will Fritz ASST. NEWS EDITOR Jasmine Bermudez OPINION EDITOR Dana Tsuri-Etzioni MUNDO AZTECA EDITOR Jocelyn Moran ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Cami Buckman SPORTS EDITOR Abraham Jewett ENGAGEMENT EDITOR Alex Piscatelli PHOTO EDITOR Kelly Smiley MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Mirella Lopez ASST, MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Tristi Rodriguez SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR David Santillan

VOLUNTEER COPY EDITORS Illustration by Mirella Lopez

Student newsrooms need support The issue: Student media is in dire straits. Our take: Support student media any way you Declining revenue is forcing university newsrooms can — donate, advertise with us or just share our across the country to cut coverage. content. We need all the help we can get.

The Editorial Board The decline in local newsrooms at daily newspapers has been ongoing since the mid-2000s. There are fewer journalists covering local governments, schools and courts than there were 20 years ago.

Student newsrooms have been affected as well. Declining advertising revenue and the decimation of classified advertising has left student publications reeling. Publications that were once profitable and independent are slashing budgets, staff and — in many cases — turning to their universities to bail them out.

The shrinking viability of student newsrooms has a ripple effect. Not only are there fewer reporters to cover student governments, organizations and university administrations, but, as a result, there are fewer trained journalists entering the professional ranks.

For this reason, student newspapers across the U.S. are participating in the #SaveStudentNewsrooms day of action.

The Daily Aztec is not alone in facing these challenges, but, in coordination with student media organizations coast-to-coast, we are looking to raise awareness about the value of the work we do and how it can be supported.

The Daily Aztec has had its own challenges. Ten years ago, the paper printed four days per week, and paid not only its editors, but its writers and photographers as well.

The last several years has seen that output decline. The paper went from four times a week, to twice and now once a week. While we update and publish stories daily online, the loss of a daily print product hurt in both the training of writers and editors and in the amount of advertising it could sell.

By 2012, the newspaper was operating in the red.

A patchwork arrangement was made with Associated Students to save the paper. Every semester, the editor in chief of the newspaper goes before the A.S. Finance Committee and asks for a subsidy. That subsidy — which is less than half our operating budget — is not guaranteed year-to-year, but has allowed the paper to continue publishing despite the decline of advertising revenue.

This arrangement is far from ideal. Although the paper is editorially independent from A.S., the subsidy does leave us open to criticism, especially when it comes to how we cover student government, A.S. and the administration.

One look at the adversarial investigative reporting done by The Daily Aztec over the years renders those critiques moot. It was The Daily Aztec that investigated the expulsion of the Phi

Kappa Theta fraternity and the university’s coordination with its national chapter to cover up the details of its numerous infractions.

It was also The Daily Aztec that first reported on the state’s findings of racism and discrimination in Ozzie Monge’s classroom, a story that was picked up by national and international news outlets.

The reporting done by student news organizations is valuable. No one else — not local TV, newspapers or magazines — are minding the store in the way college journalists are. As we lose them, we lose the first-line watchdogs for institutions that manage multi-billion dollar budgets, and whose decisions affect the lives of tens of thousands.

The Daily Aztec isn’t dying, but it is limping. Most of our cameras are five to six generations old. Many of our newsroom computers are almost ten years old. Most of our office chairs are broken and our carpet is stained from a decade of late-night coffee spills. We cannot afford to send our staff to valuable journalism conferences — opportunities to hone skills and network with other student journalists go unrealized.

The students — and we are all students — at The Daily Aztec often work into the small hours of the morning reporting, editing and designing the newspaper and website. This work is a service, and those who do it consider it a calling. We are resilient, and accustomed to doing more with less, but there is only so many cuts we can make before our ability to do this job is critically compromised.

Anyone can donate to The Daily Aztec via our website and the Campaign for SDSU donation page. However, what is needed is a long-term solution.

Our arrangement with A.S. is year-to-year, and everyone from the university president to the editor in chief knows the arrangement cannot continue in perpetuity. Minimum wage will rise the $15 per hour, and we are bracing for further cuts.

If you are a current or former student at SDSU, and want to show your financial support, please consider donating. If you are not able to donate, consider sharing one of our stories on social media using the hashtag #SaveStudentNewsrooms.

And, if you are a business owner, or event planner, consider advertising with us. We print 5,000 copies of the newspaper weekly, 750 of which our staff personally hand-out on Thursdays at the farmer’s market.

We will keep doing the work. It is up to this community to ask itself how much that work is worth, and if it’s worth losing for good.

Brian del Carmen Katherine Cooke SENIOR STAFF WRITERS Nicole Badgley Sofia Bert Cassidy McCombs Emely Navarro Alex Noble Julianna Ress Sydney Sweeney Kayleigh Venne STAFF WRITERS Kyle Betz Jessica Dochstader Sydney Faulkner Lauren J. Mapp Chance Page Vladimir Salazar Angelica Wallingford Justin Wylie STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Sam Mayo Kayla Asencio ________________________________ ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Connor Brooke SALES MANAGER Peter Saridakis ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES George Saridakis John Weil Josh Diaz Rauda Valerie Barrientos Miguel Souza Kaden Cowles ACCOUNTING & CONTRACTS Tyler Burnett Meah Mapp ________________________________ GENERAL MANAGER/ADVISER Jay Harn GRAPHICS COORDINATOR Quentin Skaggs ________________________________ EDITORIAL 619.594.4190 editor@thedailyaztec.com ADVERTISING 619.594.6977 advertising@thedailyaztec.com PRINT The Daily Aztec publishes 5,000 copies of its weekly print edition every Wednesday throughout the semester WEB Daily content is available at www.thedailyaztec.com QUESTIONS/COMMENTS letters@thedailyaztec.com ________________________________ The views and opinions expressed in this issue do not necessarily reflect those of The Daily Aztec.

April 25- May 1, 2018 EDITOR: Dana Tsuri-Etzioni, opinion@thedailyaztec.com

Opinion

The Daily Aztec

5

U.S. intervention in Syria will do more harm than good for all sides involved

by Chance Page STAFF WRITER

The U.S. appears to be inching closer to an intervention in Syria.

The recent airstrikes carried out by the U.S., along with the United Kingdom and France, combined with open talk of a confrontation against Syria and its allies by President Donald Trump, suggests that there’s a possibility of a fullscale U.S. invasion, to overthrow Bashar al-Assad and establish his replacement.

Al-Assad’s brutal war against his own people, including the use of chemical weapons, has already created a nightmare situation for the people of Syria.

The death toll, at the last widely accepted count, was 470,000 in 2016. It’s a testament to the chaos and suffering caused by the conflict, that many monitors of the Syrian Civil War have stopped counting the death toll entirely.

A few years earlier, there might have been room for military action to swiftly topple al-Assad and transition power to his opposition.

However, a military intervention now would not bring about a quick end to the war, and a smooth transition of power to a democracy. Instead, it will only prolong conflict, as the war has expanded to include several sides.

Even if al-Assad were removed

by the U.S., conflict would continue between the U.S. and ISIS, Jabhat Fateh al Sham and its allies — and the Turkish-backed Syrian Free Army. Replacing alAssad would be a long and messy process, and would likely require a lengthy occupation.

Intervening in Syria would not end the suffering caused by the Syrian Civil War — it would only prolong it, and the suffering of the Syrian people along with it.

Even disregarding the human costs that would come from this intervention, removing any moral or ethical concerns and just looking at the U.S. “national interest,” an intervention would still be counterproductive.

Intervening, and assumedly toppling al-Assad, would leave a massive power vacuum.

With several sides possessing irreconcilable differences still holding power, Syria would further descend into chaos.

Even if the U.S. government is willing to sustain the human and monetary costs of this conflict, there’s no suggestion that it will help stabilize the region.

Past examples, such as occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan, indicate that even occupations lasting a decade or more do not guarantee that the U.S. leaves a stable, united democracy in its place.

Another likely consequence

Illustration by Adriannah Esparza

of a Syrian intervention is deepening the hatred of the American government in the region — one stoked by previous interventions ranging from the CIA’s involvement in a 1954 coup in Iran, to the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, to present-

Why the arrest of a ‘Smallville’ star has me completely shook

by Will Fritz NEWS EDITOR

I can’t remember how old I was when I watched “Smallville” for the first time. The show, which premiered in 2001, depicts the life of a teenage Superman. My father, ever the superhero dork, watched it throughout my childhood.

I was basically raised watching late 90s and early 2000s teen dramas, as my dad, who was 19 when I was born, wasn’t too far removed from his teenage years at the time.

And it was watching “Smallville” that gave me my first introduction to the field of journalism.

Allison Mack, one of the regulars on the show, was arrested last week by the FBI on suspicion of sex trafficking. She’s accused of recruiting women to join a cult that branded its members with the initials of its leader and forced them to have sex with him.

It’s too soon to say whether she’s guilty, but it’s a pretty horrifying accusation. I don’t even know what I would say say to the victims of this sex cult. There are just no words.

On a personal level, it’s especially horrifying to me because I wouldn’t be here in this dingy, windowless dungeon of a newspaper office if I hadn’t grown

up watching Mack’s character.

She played Chloe Sullivan, the editor in chief of the Smallville High School newspaper.

Inquisitive and fearless, she never backed down from a good story.

Clark Kent was cool because he had superpowers. But, Chloe was cool in her own right.

Watching “Smallville” now, it’s obvious that the writers weren’t totally clear on how the journalism world operates — how Clark managed to land a job at The Daily Planet with no news experience other than writing for The Torch at Smallville High is beyond me. But problems notwithstanding, seeing Mack’s character on TV was the first time I ever knew what a reporter was.

Years later, when I was applying to go to San Diego State, the application asked what I wanted to major in. At the time, I had no idea. I was a JROTC cadet in high school, but I wasn’t sure if I could see myself trying to go into an actual career in the military. I knew I wanted to do something important, but I didn’t know what. Scrolling through the list of majors, I got to “journalism.”

I remembered how cool I once thought that job sounded.

I thought of the great effect journalists have had on society, from bringing down the Nixon administration to exposing NSA

surveillance. And, digging deep into my childhood, I thought of the effect that Chloe, with no superpowers, had on her world.

I checked the box to major in journalism. And here I am.

Without Chloe Sullivan, it’s possible that there would be no Will Fritz.

None of those public record requests and investigative stories would have happened. I never would have considered reporting as a potential career if I had not spent elementary and middle school watching “Smallville.”

It also had a different effect on me. I moved around a lot as a kid, spending time in San Diego, San Angelo, Texas, Vacaville, California and Sacramento before moving back to Southern California in high school.

Watching TV shows with my dad and my brothers was one of the few things that didn’t change all that much. Every now and then, when I’m feeling super nostalgic, I’ll turn on one of those dorky teen shows my dad used to watch, like “Smallville.”

But now I can’t watch it without thinking of the despicable crimes Mack is accused of committing.

It’s like I can’t go home again.

Will Fritz is a junior studying journalism.

day drone strikes.

This can only lead to negative consequences for the U.S. future, as it helps drive recruitment for terrorist groups and, in nations with some form of democracy, might lead to the election of a more anti-American government.

While it’s almost unthinkable to not do something to topple al-Assad and help Syrians, a U.S. military intervention would only create a wave of new problems.

Chance Page is a junior studying journalism and political science.

Letter: USD students should hold university accountable through #MeToo movement If you have watched the #MeToo movement unfold around the nation, but have no clue how it affects you directly on a daily basis, you’re not alone.

That was me, until a few weeks ago, when I sat down with a friend and heard for the second time about the alleged sexual harassment concerning Douglas “Papa Doug” Manchester — or maybe more commonly known to students from the Manchester Hall Admissions Building.

When I came across articles published by the Voice of San Diego, Washington Post, The Hill and the San Diego Union-Tribune, I was in awe.

Unfortunately, I was not surprised by sexual harassment allegations. But, I was surprised that university officials had not made any sort of statement, and still have not to this day regarding Manchester, the donor of at least five buildings to University of San Diego, including a child development center.

When Manchester accused a woman of being opportunistic who received a settlement from him for unwanted hugs, he furthered the culture of victim-blaming, something the university should not stand for.

The message the Manchester Admissions Building sends to future students is that the

university is not only aware of this behavior, but is compliant with Manchester’s behavior being swept under the rug, yet again.

Manchester’s presence on the USD campus is a clear example of how the university does not properly respond to allegations of sexual assault or acknowledge the trauma of survivors. In light of the #MeToo era, university officials should come forward and discuss the allegations surrounding Manchester in a public forum.

The university must create a responsible policy surrounding donorship that aligns with University of San Diego’s core values, which the students should hold them accountable to.

Jessica Dockstader is a peace and justice graduate student at the University of San Diego.

Editor’s Note: The editor in chief of the USD Vista said they were unable to run this letter due to spacing limitations.

However, the #MeToo movement is a pertinent issue, especially on college campuses, and perspectives should be shared regardless of the university discussed.

6

Mundo Azteca

The Daily Aztec

April 25- May 1, 2018 EDITOR: Jocelyn Moran, mundoazteca@thedailyaztec.com

Ex presidenta brasileña, Dilma Rousseff, habla sobre su destitución por Vladimir ESCRITOR

Salazar

Dilma Rousseff, la depuesta ex presidenta de Brasil, se presentó en la Universidad Estatal de San Diego el 18 de abril, en donde relató sobre su destitución de la presidencia y sobre la situación política de su país.

Rousseff se convirtió en la primera presidenta de Brasil en el 2011 y fue removida de su puesto político en agosto del 2016 debido a acusaciones de haber abusado de cuentas públicas, en donde se le culpaba asimismo de la crisis económica del país.

Rousseff aclaró en su discurso su versión de lo que ocurrió al momento de ser desterrada de la presidencia y las razones por las cuales fue removida.

“Nunca habían atacado a alguien de la misma manera que lo hicieron conmigo”, dijo Rousseff.

“Solo estoy comparando”.

La ex presidenta dijo que se le hacía injusto la manera que la atacaron políticamente debido a que hay otros políticos que son responsables de la corrupción y desigualdad en el país, y no fueron atacados de la manera que ella fue.

Siendo la primera presidenta

de Brasil, también dijo que fue discriminada debido a su género y que era juzgada a base del hecho de ser mujer.

“A mí me catalogaban obsesiva compulsiva, pero a un hombre, lo catalogaban como dedicado y trabajador”, dijo Rousseff. “Yo era considerada emocionalmente inestable, y un hombre era considerado una persona sensible”.

En la segunda mitad de su discurso, se enfocó en hablar sobre la situación socioeconómica de Brasil y en abogar a favor del ex presidente y candidato a la presidencia del 2018 Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, el cual fue encarcelado debido al lavado de dinero.

Lula fue presidente de Brasil desde el 2003 hasta el 2011.

Se entregó a las autoridades, y comenzó su sentencia en prisión el 7 de abril de este año, lo cual pone en duda su campaña.

Cientos de personas asistieron a la conferencia de Rousseff, en donde había gente a favor y en contra de ella.

Luiza Marques, residente del condado de San Diego y originaria de Brasil, dijo que estaba en contra de Rousseff debido a que defiende a Lula y que está en contra de su gobierno.

Foto por David Santillan

Ex presidenta de Brasil, Dilma Rousseff, habla ante la audiencia en la Universidad Estatal de San Diego.

“Ella era una terrorista, robo bancos, fue destituida”, dijo Marques. “Ella no representa a los brasileños”.

Durante la conferencia, varias de las personas que asistieron a protestar su presentación gritaban para tratar de interrumpirla.

Comenzando el discurso, Rousseff señaló a los que

protestaban en su contra, y les dijo “tengan cuidado, porque están entre una audiencia que no apoya lo que ustedes dicen”.

La gente que asistió fue otorgada auriculares que traducían lo que Rousseff decía debido a que la conferencia fue en portugués.

Varios de los asistentes que fueron eran de origen brasileño, como

Pedro Kuroiwa, el cual discutió durante la mayoría del discurso con opositores de Rousseff que la interrumpían.

“Yo les decía que se callaran”, dijo Kuroiwa. “Vine a ver su discurso, no a escucharlos a ellos”.

A pesar de que hubo discusiones entre los asistentes, nunca recurrieron a la violencia.

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April 25-May 1, 2018 EDITOR: Cami Buckman, arts@thedailyaztec.com

Arts and Culture

The Daily Aztec

7

REVIEW:

‘Anna in the Tropics’ heats up campus

by Sydney Faulkner STAFF WRITER

San Diego State’s theatre department shatters the ceiling with the performance of “Anna in the Tropics” directed by CJ Keith.

The production features a nuclear cuban family who owns a cigar factory in 1920s Tampa, Florida.

The lives of the factory workers suddenly heat up when the new lector, Juan Julian, comes to town and stirs their feelings, all because of a book called Anna Karenina.

“Anna in the Tropics” is a roller coaster of emotions with twists of love and tragedy, and a million laughs in between.

Computer engineer senior Madeleine Rasche saw the performance and enjoyed it.

“I absolutely loved the mother in the play, she was so funny and Alexis Park played the part flawlessly,” she said.

Theatre performance senior Alexis Park described her character, Ophelia — the mother — as the rock of the family.

“It was really challenging to take on the roll of a woman in her 50’s as a young 20-something,” Park said.

However, “Anna in the

Cast of “Anna in the Tropics” take the stage during their April 26-29 performance in the Don Powell Theatre.

Tropics” did not shy away from some very tough scenes.

Food and nutrition freshman Allison Rasche described “Anna in the Tropics” as having so many quick turns and not enough time to process the weight of what was happening.

“With so many things happening I wasn’t sure what the overall message was because my emotions were all over the place,” Rasche said.

Theatre performance junior Matt Tornero was plagued with the name “bad guy” for his

Courtesy of Ken Jacques

character in the performance.

Although his character was the least liked and did some awful things, Tornero studied further and dug deeper into the true understanding of his part in “Anna in the Tropics.”

“I feel like my character

CheChe felt out of place from the family because he was only half Cuban.

“Because of that he shouted louder and abused his power to try and make others feel the pain he was feeling. I feel like I can relate to his struggle in that sense on a personal level because I am of Latino descent,” Tornero said.

For Alexis Vierra, a theatre performance freshman playing Marela in “Anna in the Tropics” her role was a huge self victory.

“I have been acting since I was four years old but was always in the ensemble, so getting a lead in ‘Anna in the Tropics’ was a huge deal for me. I felt like I had to prove myself,” she said.

When she first started reading the script, she felt as if her character, Marela, was extremely naive and it was hard to connect.

However, after studying Marela deeper she discovered that she is actually extremely perceptive, which made her acting so much more focused.

“Anna in the Tropics” runs at 7:30 p.m. from April 26-29 in the Don Powell Theatre.

Tickets are $17 for students and seniors, and $20 general admission. Children under the age of 6 are not permitted in the theatre.

8

Arts and Culture

The Daily Aztec

April 25-May 1, 2018 EDITOR: Cami Buckman, arts@thedailyaztec.com

SDSU students dig archaeology professor

by Angelica STAFF WRITER

Wallingford

It began as a childhood experience cracking open shale on the side of a mountain in Monterrey that started a lifelong love affair with history.

“I was mesmerized that evidence of the past could be found hidden in the ground around us,” Seth Mallios, longtime San Diego State anthropology and archaeology professor said. “That delight has never left me and led me to the fields of archaeology, anthropology and history.”

His students, who site his immense passion for uncovering things and his interesting perspective on the past, see him as an inspirational figure.

Amethyst Sanchez, an anthropology and sociology major, credits him and their many chats to changing her perspective and giving her the drive to achieve her goals.

“Without him, I probably would only have minored in anthropology, which is now the field I want to spend my life working in,” Sanchez said. “I would have missed out on so many incredible opportunities to do actual anthropological work before even earning my degree.”

Long before he called SDSU his home, Mallios’ career as an anthropologist started in Virginia, where he taught the introductory anthropology and the Jamestown Field School in Historical Archaeology courses at the University of Alabama.

After his move to San Diego, he noticed the stark contrast between the ways regional history was looked at between the two cities.

“I also know that seeing different areas of the country where, in some places, the past is revered and you would never think of developing over a cemetery,” Mallios said. “You can’t go into a grocery store without someone telling you that they are a descendant of John Smith or Pocahontas and then coming out here and it being just the opposite.”

His first major project in San Diego was a gravestone project where he discovered many of the graveyards were intentionally paved over for freeways, buildings and roads.

“I wasn’t expecting too many surprises and the joke was on me because 75 percent of San Diego’s cemeteries have been developed over and I had just come from Jamestown…” Mallios said.

“Everybody there is so into talking about the past, thinking about the past.”

In the classroom, Mallios’ passion for

Seth Mallios surveys old movie set sites from the 1920s and ‘30s at Buttercup Dunes in Imperial County, CA.

history is passed on to his students. One of his fundamental teaching philosophies is that students need hands on experience in the field to really understand what excavating is like in the real world, compared to the glamorized version of it that appears on TV. “Dr. Mallios lets the students go through every process of a dig,” Farnsworth said.

“We measured the units, we dug the dirt, we screened the dirt, we mapped the walls of our unit, we filled out the paperwork, we took soil samples and we were able to experience a real dig.”

Recently Mallios was named official university curator, a title he takes just as serious as his studies or excavations.

“It is rewarding to see the university formally acknowledge the importance of its own history and culture,” Mallios said.

“I believe that these distinctive aspects should be celebrated and preserved, and this position allows me to do that.”

Jamie Lennox, an associate professor of anthropology and one of Mallios’ former students, is the current interim director

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of SDSU’s collections management program and has assisted him with numerous projects over the years.

One of the major projects was coauthoring the five-volume book set titled “Let It Rock!” which was a retrospective of all the live events hosted at San Diego State.

“It’s a very meticulous process – you cast a wide net and literally go through everything very slowly and carefully,”

Courtesy of Seth Mallios

“I never knew about the history of SDSU,” Shannon Farnsworth, anthropology and history major, said. “In class we read his book ‘Hail Montezuma’ and then went on a scavenger hunt to some of the historical places on campus.

It makes me really proud to go here and I feel more connected to the school and my fellow classmates.”

Mallios’ current passion project is working on a book on the history

“I was mesmerized that evidence of the past could be found hidden in the ground around us. That delight has never left me and led me to the fields of archaeology, anthropology and history.”

– Seth Mallios, SDSU anthropology and archaeology professor

Lennox said. “You take copious amounts of notes, as you frequently will need to revisit something or retrace your steps.”

Together with Lennox, Mallios has preserved artifacts from SDSU’s colorful past including multiple WPA mementos such as benches, plaques and murals — some of which are preserved in the campus library.

“These clues to an earlier time when the campus was much smaller, when there was no city around it,” Mallios said.

“That gets to a deeper understanding of not only San Diego State’s place in the community, but the hundreds of thousands of people that experienced it here on campus.”

Mallios sees SDSU’s history as more of a grey area than just black and white.

He cites well known places on campus like Hepner Hall as examples of how buildings that have been seen as divisive have underlying meanings like the Muslim influence on the construction of SDSU’s iconic hall.

of Nate Harrison, San Diego’s first permanent African American resident and frontiersman. He brought four of his students with him to excavate on Palomar Mountain during spring break to uncover new artifacts about Harrison and explore San Diego’s history back when it was known as the “Selma of the south.”

He hopes his book will be slated for release at the end of 2019.

After all these years, Mallios says he still gets the same feeling when he discovers something new, it’s the same sensation he had when he was five cracking open shale looking for fossils.

The same one he feels when uncovering new things at the Nate Harrison site and the gravestones he explored when he first moved to San Diego.

“There is the thrill of finding something that has been lost or forgotten,” Mallios said. “The contentment of seeing how this missing piece helps make sense of the chaos of today’s world.”

April 25- May 1, 2018 EDITOR: Abraham Jewett, sports@thedailyaztec.com

Sports

The Daily Aztec

9

Mila Chaves wins MW Championship Senior golfer takes first place for first ever collegiate victory while Aztecs finish second overall for third straight year

by Abraham Jewett SPORTS EDITOR

San Diego State women’s golfer Mila Chaves held a perilous one streak lead going into the final hole of the Mountain West Championship in Rancho Mirage, California on April 18.

The SDSU senior from Asención, Paraguay, was doing all she could to hold off UNLV sophomore Mackenzie Rain, who had battled back with a birdie on the seventeenth hole to set up a dramatic finish.

This was not unfamiliar territory for Chaves, who as a freshman three years ago stood on the same course with a share of first place in the conference championship final.

Chaves had played remarkably then, helping lead SDSU to its first ever team Mountain West championship while setting a course record with an opening round score of 66.

The individual crown would elude her, however, after Chaves was forced to accept second place, losing on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff against New Mexico’s Manon Molle.

Chaves finished third at the event the next year, before a back injury during her junior year kept her watching from the sidelines as thenfreshman teammate and fellow Paraguayan Fernanda Escauriza won the conference crown.

This year, finally, Chaves would not be denied.

Both Chaves and Rain shot par on the final hole, vaulting Chaves to not only the Mountain West championship, but to her

first ever collegiate win.

“It’s my last year, obviously I wanted to finish well in the team and obviously also in the individual,” Chaves said. “But yeah, I mean it doesn’t get better than winning conference.”

The penultimate hole nearly tripped Chaves up, after her tee shot on the par-3 hole landed approximately 70 feet from the pin, while Rain — who was two strokes back — landed her tee shot mere inches from the hole.

Rain tapped in for birdie, and while facing a putt which could undo her championship hopes, Chaves was able to get within about a foot of the hole before tapping in for par.

Chaves explained that while she was aware of how close the score was, she chose to remain focused on her own game down the stretch and going into the final hole.

“I knew how the match was standing, and I was just trying to play my game and keep focused, because I can’t really control what (Rain) does,” Chaves said.

Head coach Leslie Spalding walked the final nine holes with her senior, and said that winning on this course, in this event, was perfect. “(Mila) just really loves playing there, and so I think it’s a perfect victory for her to take home,” Spalding said. “To make it at the end of your career, and to get the win and to come home with it being a conference champion is pretty dang cool. A long time coming.”

As a team, the Aztecs finished in second place behind UNLV

for a third straight year, ending with a +16, compared to a +8 for the Runnin’ Rebels.

Spalding said that while she is happy with her team’s performance — their season best finish up to that point was fourth — the goal never is to finish in second place.

“I think we intend to win it and finishing second isn’t exactly what we want to do,” Spalding said. “I think our team has been good enough to win it every year, and so second to me is not necessarily success, but it’s not failure either.”

While UNLV was flanked by a small but hearty contingent of fans, Spalding said that the Aztecs had no such base, which fans the flames even more of an already heated rivalry. “(There is) definitely a rivalry.

They tend to have about 20 people following and we have like nobody following really, so they’re kind of loud and we quietly go about our business,” Spalding said. “So yah, it’s a little frustrating not to take home a championship with players I think are very capable of doing so.”

Next up for SDSU is a trip to the NCAA regionals, with the team finding out where it will compete on April 25. The possibilities range from staying in California, to heading to Texas, Florida or Wisconsin.

No matter where the Aztecs end up playing, Spalding said her team will be ready.

“I’m confident in my teams ability to play anywhere we get,” she said, “so wherever it is, bring it on.”

Photo courtesy of Derrick Tuskan/SDSU Athletics

Senior Mila Chaves competes during the March Mayhem Tournament at the Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, California, on March 26.

Baseball clinches series with 7-0 thumping of Fresno

by Justin Wylie STAFF WRITER

San Diego State baseball captured its weekend series, beating Fresno State University 7-0 after scoring in four consecutive innings Sunday afternoon at Tony Gwynn stadium.

SDSU improved its record to 26-14 on the season with the victory, while the Bulldogs drop to 23-16.

The Aztec scoring got started in the fourth inning, after junior first basemen Jordan Verdon led off the frame with his sixth home run of the season to give the team a 1-0 advantage.

Verdon said after the game that the win would go a long way towards helping the team compete for a Mountain West Conference title.

“This is huge, this is a turning point in the season,” Verdon said. “It’s one of those weekend that takes us a long way later into the season giving us confidence and gives us a chance to win the conference outright.”

The Aztecs grabbed another run in the fifth inning after sophomore second baseman

Photo by Kelly Smiley

Photo by Kelly Smiley

Senior infielder David Hensley hits the ball during the Aztecs 7-0 victory over Fresno State on April 22 at Tony Gwynn Stadium.

Jacob Maekawa led off with a single, before a one out bunt by freshman outfielder Matt Rudick advanced Maekawa to second base.

After the bunt, senior outfielder Chase Calabuig laced a two-out single up the middle to drive in Maekawa from second base and make the score 2-0.

The Aztecs scored again in

the sixth, after a three-run home run by junior designated hitter Chad Bible.

Before the scoring concluded in the seventh inning, a bases loaded two-RBI single by junior catcher Dean Nevarez extended SDSU’s lead to 7-0.

The seven-run cushion was more than enough for the Aztecs pitching staff, who were able to finish off their first shutout of

the season.

Senior pitcher Jorge Fernandez (4-3) was credited with the victory, completing six innings in just his second start of the year while allowing four hits and striking out seven.

“Holy cow, what a pitching performance by (Fernandez),” had coach Mark Martinez said.

“Unbelievable confidence on the mound, he pounded the

strike zone... we needed a big start from him.”

For Fresno, freshman starting pitcher Jaime Arias was pegged with his first loss on the year, after pitching 5.1 innings and giving up seven hits, four runs (three earned) and striking out three.

Following Fernandez six innings, senior pitcher Jacob Erickson came on and delivered two scoreless innings, before senior pitcher Ray Lambert closed the door on the win.

The Aztecs now stand alone in second place in the Mountain West Conference standings, and Martinez credited winning the series with putting the team in a good position as they head into another weekend of conference play. “(Winning the series) puts us in a position to win the conference, and obviously we still need some help from some other teams, but we’re in position down the stretch,” Martinez said.

SDSU will look to keep the good times rolling against University of Nevada, Las Vegas, which the team welcomes in for a three-game set starting April 26 at Tony Gwynn Stadium.

10

Sports

The Daily Aztec

April 25-May 1, 2018 EDITOR: Abraham Jewett, sports@thedailyaztec.com

Women’s tennis honors seniors, falls to San Jose State as postseason looms

by Abraham Jewett SPORTS EDITOR

All eyes were on San Diego State women’s tennis junior Jenny Moinard on Saturday afternoon at the Aztec Tennis Center.

Moinard was the last player left competing for SDSU during its regular season finale against San Jose State, and a match victory hung in the balance.

The Aztecs had already let a 3-2 advantage slip through their fingers, and Moinard would need to come back from a 4-0 deficit in the deciding third set to send her team into the postseason with a win.

Moinard fought back to within 4-3 – loudly rejoicing with every point she inched closer – but in the end, it was not enough. Moinard fell by a score of 6-4, ending the match – and the regular season – on a sour note.

The 4-3 loss dropped SDSU to 1012 on the season, and improved the Spartans to a record of 12-8.

Despite the setback, Aztecs head coach Peter Mattera praised Moinard, who leads the team in singles victories and was riding an eight-match winning streak coming in. “(Moinard’s) a warrior out there, and has really been so rock solid for us all season,” Mattera said. “She’s been great and she never stops fighting. Almost got there, it was one or two points that probably separated her from getting that set.”

The match appeared to be the Aztecs’ to lose early on, after the team followed it’s 13th doubles point of the season with first set wins in four of their six singles matches.

The Spartans roared back from there, winning four singles matches to hand SDSU its fourth home loss of the season. “(SJSU) fought back and unfortunately we didn’t have quite enough response,” Mattera said. “It was close, but that’s college tennis, thats the way it goes.

We knew they were going to be a good opponent so congrats to them, too bad for us. We really would have liked this one but such is life.”

Along with winning the doubles point, SDSU received strong showings from freshman Abbie Mulbarger and junior Magda Aubets, both of whom defeated their Spartan opponent in straight sets.

Another bright spot for the Aztecs occurred before the match began, as the team honored seniors Jana Buth and Paolo Diaz in a pre-game ceremony as part of Senior Day. “I think it’s very nice that we have a match to recognize the seniors every year, and something since I (was) a freshman I can be looking forward to,” Diaz said. “I think it’s very nice that we do it, it feels very special.”

Buth agreed that it was a special day, but said that the final home game of her Aztecs career left her with mixed emotions.

“It’s nice, and of course for me it was a

Sophomore Mia Smith (right front) and junior Jenny Moinard compete in doubles during the Aztecs 4-3 loss to San Jose State on April 21 at the Aztec Tennis Center.

Photo by Abraham Jewett

court, a couple thousand feet, and we don’t have any idea really what the other side has got for the Mountain Division, so you just need to come ready to play.”

One area of potential concern is that SDSU has not won a match away from home this season, something which Mattera said should be a non-issue on a neutral court.

“Everybody except Boise is going to be playing on a neutral court, so I don’t think it will have an impact,” he said.

“Every match is a new day, and you go out on the court that you’re assigned to and you go out there with energy and confidence, as much as you can muster, and you try to take care of business, and have some fun along the way.”

weird feeling at the same time too, where I know I’m going to go out for the last time to play a home match,” Buth said.

Both seniors lost in their singles matches, but came up big for the team after the pair clinched the doubles point with a come-from-behind 6-4 victory. “(Winning doubles) especially on the last home match it was nice… at least yeah we got the doubles point,” Buth said.

Mattera said that it was an emotional day as he prepares to say goodbye to his two seniors.

“Both (Diaz and Buth) are such good kids, great players, great students, it’s always kind of a little bit of an emotional day for me and I’m sure them too,” he said. “The seniors have been nothing but awesome, and I already miss them.”

Next up for the Aztecs is the Mountain West Championship, which will be hosted this year by Boise State and will run from April 26-29.

SDSU finished the year 1-3 in conference against its Western Division foes, and will be the No. 4 seed in the upcoming tournament, set to face off against No. 5 University of Wyoming in the quarterfinal round on April 27.

Before the Aztecs found out their seed, Mattera said the team would need to be ready for whatever happens, including the possibility of playing a not-sofamiliar opponent.

“We’ve toured the entire Western Division now and it’s very equal, there’s a lot of parity, nobody really stands out,” Mattera said. “We’re all going into neutral

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Seniors Jana Buth (left) and Paolo Diaz (right) were honored during a pre-game ceremony at the Aztec Tennis Center on April 21.

Photo by Abraham Jewett

April 25-May 1, 2018 EDITOR: Abraham Jewett, sports@thedailyaztec.com

sports

The Daily Aztec

11

Julian Escobedo bulks up for Aztecs

by Justin Wylie STAFF WRITER

As an athlete, repetition is something one battles with every day during practice in order to reach their full potential.

For San Diego State baseball sophomore outfielder Julian Escobedo, repetition has been his best friend and has allowed him to be successful up to this point in the season.

Escobedo is another local guy the Aztecs coaching staff has been able to keep in San Diego. During his high school years, he played ball for Eastlake High School in Chula Vista.

Escobedo came in as freshman weighing 165 pounds, and relied on his speed and wiry frame to roam the outfield.

However, Escobedo took the summer coming into his sophomore year to solely lift and gain weight, and he has transformed his build to a sturdy yet speedy 180 pounds while standing at 5-foot-11-inches.

“My weight training has improved my swing, my endurance and my play in the outfield,” Escobedo said. “My style of play made a big change being able to hit the ball with more power.”

Not only has the weight helped him hit more consistently and for more power, Aztecs head coach Mark Martinez feels it separated him from the other outfielders in the conference.

“For me, he’s one of the best outfielders in our league. That is what he’s grown into,” Martinez said. “He’s a great defender, the work he does out there has

changed and he’s paying more attention in his preparation.”

Escobedo’s maturation physically is the most visible transformation for a bystander to see, but his maturation between his ears is what has allowed him to secure the starting center fielder position for the Aztecs.

Escobedo’s success was not instant, however.

Escobedo struggled mightily to begin the season, hitting under .200 before an unprecedented series against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo where he got a hit in seven of 12 at bats.

Escobedo made some minor adjustments in not only his mechanics ,but his mental approach to his at-bats.

He said his goal became “just putting a good at bat together every time and trying to spray the ball to all fields, that was probably my biggest change in mindset.”

The adjustments he has made have left a mark on his stat line, ever since he began putting them into effect.

Escobedo now leads the Aztecs in runs scored, is second in on-base percentage and walks and is hitting a healthy .328 average. “(Escobedo) is still figuring out what his identity is… but he has been doing a great job doing that,” Martinez said.

The Aztecs coaching staff have the luxury of having Escobedo for potentially two more years, and the ceiling for the young ball player remains yet unknown.

Escobedo will continue to help the Aztecs on both sides of the ball, tracking down would-be hits from opposing teams and wreaking havoc on the bases as SDSU pursues another NCAA tournament run.

Photo by Kayla Asencio

Sophomore outfielder Julian Escobedo smirks during the Aztecs 9-6 victory over Cal State Fullerton on April 15 at Tony Gwynn Stadium.

Swim & Dive hosts San Diego in final friendly meet

by Kyle Betz STAFF WRITER

San Diego State Swim & Dive enjoyed fun-spirited competition against the University of San Diego on April 20 at the Aztec Aquaplex.

The Aztecs competed against the Toreros in numerous heat events, including freestyle, butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke. Times were kept, but final results were not posted.

Additionally, seniors who were part of the 2017-18 team did not participate in the event.

The meet was friendly before the start of the long-course season, which SDSU will use to prepare for their 2018-19 campaign. Competitions held during the long-course season are held in 50 meter pools; however, pools are regulated to 25 yards during the collegiate season.

Head coach Mike Shrader said the meet was a good opportunity for the Aztecs to prepare for the long-course season.

“With our sport, it’s year-round, so all these kids train with clubs in the summertime. This is a good time to get ready for the long-course season and keep everybody going,” Shrader said.

Junior swimmers Anna Stahlak and Rachael Kelch — the lone seniors for SDSU next season — were showcased, and Shrader praised both athletes following the meet. “(Stahlak and Kelch) did a really nice job today. They both competed really well and they were really good leaders for us today,” Shrader said.

The meet included a 200 meter mystery relay, where two swimmers from SDSU and USD were randomly paired up and assigned to compete in a lane. Before the

Photo by Sam Mayo

Redshirt freshman Gianna Haugen competes during the Aztecs meet with San Diego on April 20 at the Aztec Aquaplex.

relay, swimmers were given time to select their individual styles of swimming and plan the order of swimmers.

Kelch said the mystery relay added a competitive yet fun aspect to the meet.

“It really puts a uniqueness on our sport that’s so set in stone on what we’re supposed to do and how we’re supposed to do it,” Kelch said. “It just gives the girls something extra to do and something fun.”

Although mystery relays are not conventional, Stahlak said the relay was welcome among the athletes that competed.

“Everybody’s here to have fun, but it’s competitive too, so it’s fun to mix things up for once instead of it being so strict event-wise. I think everybody enjoyed that, to say the least,” Stahlak said.

Stahlak said the Aztecs had a strong showing after recently competing at the Arena Pro Swim Series at Mesa in Mesa, Arizona from April 12-14.

“I think we performed pretty dang well

because most of our team just came from a big meet, but we kind of got right back into training 20 hours,” Stahlak said.

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April 25-May 1, 2018 Editor: Cami Buckman • arts@thedailyaztec.com

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