09-26-2018

Wednesday, Sept. 26 - Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018 Weekly Print Edition

Vol. 105, Issue 7 www.thedailyaztec.com

San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

HISPANIC HERITAGE ISSUE

Alumnus opens up about DACA experience

by Rodrigo Polanco CONTRIBUTOR

“Maldita sea!”, Ivan González, a 2018 San Diego State alumnus, said as he thought about the way he felt during his senior year at University City High School.

The phrase is, roughly, Spanish for “damn it.”

At that time, California had begun discussing the California Dream Act, which would give undocumented students the opportunity to apply for financial aid in order to attend a college or university in California. In 2011, it was signed into law.

“I felt relieved,” González said when recalling the moment he found out.

He said with the financial help he received through the California Dream Act, he began to realize how blessed he was to be able to

receive an education in order to help his family.

“I couldn’t get DACA until my last semesters at SDSU,” González said. “But, I was still proud because I got help through the California Dream Act..”

He said at the same time, he felt isolated because he was one of the only students to apply for the California Dream Act while his classmates applied for FAFSA. However, as soon as he began applying, he realized he wasn’t too different from his peers because he was filling out the same applications to the same universities.

“I started to feel like any other student,” he said.

González came to the United States with his family using a tourist visa, and they stayed in the country after the visa had expired.

When he was young, he said he would travel constantly between the U.S. and Mexico because the

rest of his family was in Mexico.

“Family is extremely important to me,” González said.

He said one of the things that motivated him throughout college and continues to motivate him throughout his career is the fact that he is the first person from his family to attend and graduate from a university.

González said he would always tell himself that things could be worse, and that perspective motivated him to work tirelessly in school.

When choosing a major to pursue, González realized he was good at science, technology, engineering and math. His dad and other family members worked in construction since he was little, which motivated him to choose civil engineering.

When starting his first semester at SDSU, González said he struggled because of the environment. He said he felt

Illustration by Katherine Cooke

excluded, especially because he did not join any activities or groups within the university.

In order to distract himself from the issues surrounding his status as an undocumented student and

the future of DACA, he joined a fraternity.

“Having responsibilities, living in the moment and staying focused on what I had to accomplish helped me,” González said.

WHAT’S INSIDE

STADIUM BATTLE

RECIPIENTE DE DACA

PROFESOR DE SDSU

PABLO PELAEZ

PUMPED UP

SDSU calls SoccerCity campaign statements ‘misleading.’

Egresado de SDSU habla sobre su experiencia como un recipiente de DACA.

Un profesor y autor de SDSU habla sobre la literatura.

SDSU men’s soccer captain Pablo Pelaez leads his team on the field.

Student DJ strives to take rythms to new heights.

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News

The Daily Aztec

Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, 2018 EDITOR: Bella Ross • news@thedailyaztec.com

SDSU calls SoccerCity claims ‘misleading’

by Bella Ross NEWS EDITOR

A letter issued by San Diego State demanded the SoccerCity campaign “refrain from inaccurate and misleading statements” regarding the university in a letter Sept. 21, as both the SoccerCity and SDSU West campaigns approach the final month of election season.

The letter, written by Vice President for Business and Financial Affairs and Chief Financial Officer Tom McCarron, called four statements regularly made by the SoccerCity campaign “particularly egregious.” He also requests claims made by the campaign about SDSU be accompanied by the disclaimer, “None of these statements have been validated or endorsed by San Diego State University.”

The letter begins by demanding the SoccerCity campaign stop asserting SDSU’s plan for Mission Valley would “require new student fees or taxpayer funds.”

The letter said the campaign’s claims that SoccerCity’s proposal saves the university money are misleading.

Lastly, McCarron said SoccerCity’s claims that their plan makes accomodations for the university and that the university does not seek to pay market value for the land, are both untrue.

In a statement, Friends of SDSU spokesperson Katy Temple said these inaccuracies express the SoccerCity campaign’s disinterest in genuinely supporting the university as an institution.

“It is clear that SoccerCity does not have San Diego State University’s best interests at heart and blocks the University’s growth potential,” Temple said.

Responding to the letter, which was addressed to FS Investors amd SoccerCity spokesmen Nick and Mike Stone, Nick Stone said these claims of inaccuracies are not in line with SoccerCity’s interest in expressing the truth.

“Every statement made by our campaign is carefully vetted for accuracy and truthfulness,” Stone said in a statement.

“We’ve provided a highly detailed response to SDSU with support for the statements in question. We will continue communicating honestly with the voters about the many benefits our plan provides

Photo by Ray Gorospe

SDCCU Stadium, the possible future site of either SDSU West or SoccerCity. SDSU officials criticized claims made by SoccerCity in a letter issued Sept. 21.

for all San Diegans.”

In response to the SDSU’s letter, which was sent to SoccerCity officials on Friday, Sept. 21, Stone issued an extensive 12page letter refuting claims that they were inaccurate in their campaign claims.

Multicultural Greek organizations a home for students

by David Santillan ASST. NEWS EDITOR

Psychology senior and Lambda Sigma Gamma President Valentina Valenzuela said her first months at San Diego State were met with a lot of culture shock.

Coming from the Bay Area, she knew no one at SDSU, other than one other student from her high school.

Valenzuela said even though she made friends her freshman year, she was still missing that “family feeling” on campus, until she joined Lambda Sigma Gamma, a multicultural sorority.

Lambda Sigma Gamma is one of many multicultural fraternities and sororities at San Diego State that gives focus to cultural identity while inspiring students to succeed academically.

While multicultural fraternities and sororities are still considered social Greek organizations, they place more emphasis on the cultural identities of its members and are governed under the United Sorority and Fraternity Council at SDSU. “I was just walking around one day, and these girls approached me, and they were so comforting,” Valenzuela said.

Valenzuela, who was a sophomore when

she was approached by members of the sorority, said she still had not declared a major at that point and didn’t know what she wanted to pursue before joining the sorority. Three years later, Valenzuela was able to find her major with the help of her sorority sisters and pursue an officer role within the organization.

“I wasn’t that involved in high school,” Valenzuela said. “Now, I’m sitting here, my final year, as (the Lambda Sigma Gamma) president.”

Accounting senior and Nu Alpha Kappa President Edgar Galvan said he also found home in his multicultural fraternity during his freshman year at SDSU. “I’m a first-generation Hispanic student and, when I came to SDSU, I wanted to find a place where I could relate to a lot of people,” Galvan said.

It was Galvan’s desire to meet people who shared his background and goals that led him to join Nu Alpha Kappa.

“My first year, I didn’t know if I wanted to be in a fraternity,” Galvan said.

He said his hesitation stemmed from hearing about the party reputation some fraternities had. But, after learning more about Nu Alpha Kappa, Galvan decided to give the fraternity a try.

“A lot of us, I think, had the same goals of one, making our parents proud and our families proud (and) two, making sure that the future generations also have a good example going forward,” Galvan said.

According to the National Multicultural Greek Council’s website, multicultural fraternities and sororities were founded as a result of the lack of support networks for Latinos and other minorities entering college campuses.

The mission of the National Multicultural Greek Council is to promote multiculturalism within these Greek organizations while advocating justice, equality and empowering its members.

However, while some of these multicultural Greek organizations were historically founded by certain ethnic groups, many are embracing members from diverse backgrounds to make their chapters more inclusive.

Child development senior and Sigma Lambda Gamma President Jennifer Hernandez said despite her sorority being Latina-based, her chapter has members from various ethnic backgrounds.

“We strive to empower all women, regardless of their background or culture,” Hernandez said.

“...We remain steadfast in our adherence to factually supportable statements and will continue to work tirelessly to fact check our work before we say things publicly,” Stone said in his letter to McCarron.

Correction:

In the Sept. 19 edition of The Daily Aztec, the story titled “Burglaries, robberies up; vehicle thefts down at SDSU” incorrectly attributed the number of robbery cases to burglary cases. The Daily Aztec regrets the error.

Associated Students (A.S.) is currently accepting applications for the following volunteer leadership positions:

Justice & Elections Coordinator Applications can be picked up in the Associated Students Office, located on the third floor of the Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union.

DEADLINE: FRI. SEPT. 28, 2018 @ 4 PM

619-594-6555 as.sdsu.edu

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Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, 2018 EDITOR: Bella Ross, news@thedailyaztec.com

News

The Daily Aztec

3

Students talk campus safety with SDSUPD

by Daniel Guerrero STAFF WRITER

Associated Students hosted the second ever Campus Safety Week from Sept. 18 to 21 in an attempt to raise awareness of campus safety procedures ranging from transportation safety, self-defense and even the potential threat of an on-campus shooter.

A.S. partnered with the San Diego State University Police Department to help organize safety resources for students, faculty and community members.

Attendees also gathered information on drugs and alcohol and talked with SDSUPD representatives regarding their campus safety concerns.

“We want students to know their voices are heard and we are providing various resources for them,” Good Neighbor Vice Chair of A.S. Campus Community Commission Parnaz Boroon said, “We started it last year, and we thought we needed it because we needed to raise awareness about safety on campus.”

Each day of the four-day event focused on a different aspect of campus safety.

“Our goal is to increase awareness about safety resources and options on campus and draw attention to certain topics that students might be interested in, whether it’s transportation, self-defense, alcohol and other drugs,” university police spokesperson Raquel Herriott said.

Some of the week’s interactive

events, like “Drug and Alcohol Awareness Day” and “Coffee with UPD,” allowed students and attendants to interact and get to know SDSUPD officers. This interaction is something that SDSUPD police Lt. Matt Conlon said he believes is important to students and community members. “(Campus Safety Week) is an opportunity to be out here in the public to meet people and get some exposure to the students so

that we are more approachable,” Conlon said. “Any opportunities we have to come out and meet people and talk to people is time well spent.”

Mathematics teaching sophomore Alex Welch said informational expositions like “Drug and Alcohol Awareness Day,” were good lessons in being safer in the community.

“I learned that the potency of alcohol and drugs is the same,” Welch said. “The amount you

For the Chicano student organization Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanx de Aztlan de SDSU’s 50th anniversary, the group plans to continue its legacy of guiding high school students to a future in higher education.

On Nov. 10, M.E.Ch.A de SDSU will hold its 48th annual high school conference in Montezuma Hall.

The conference brings together high school students to focus on spreading cultural awareness, improving political consciousness and providing access to necessary resources for underrepresented high school students that allows them to pursue a higher education, according to M.E.Ch.A de SDSU’s website.

The theme of this year’s high school conference is a “Liberation of Students: A New SelfDetermined Consciousness.”

Senior and M.E.Ch.A. chair Omar Alejandro said he hopes establishing strong connections with high school students will help them start thinking about their futures early and allow them to start developing cultural awareness and a political

For the future, Boroon said she hopes the event will become more notable and attract more people.

“I think it’s really important for people to know about,” Boroon said. “I know it’s been really hard for us to get the word of Campus Safety Week out, especially since school just started. So, the goal is that by next year, we’ll have the word out so we have more people attending.”

Courtesy photo

SDSU students gathered with SDSUPD and Associated Students for Campus Safety Week from Sept. 18 to 21.

M.E.Ch.A guides the path to SDSU for underrepresented students

by Shauny Silas STAFF WRITER

have doesn’t matter, it’s the potency. If you think you’re good, you might not be. Just get an Uber home.”

Political science graduate student Casper Andersen saw the information from the events as knowledge students may already know, but felt like it was a good idea for A.S. and SDSUPD to reinforce the safety procedures.

“It’s kind of obvious, but still, I think (Campus Safety Week) is a good idea,” Andersen said.

consciousness before they start college.

“Nobody is learning by themselves,” Alejandro said.

“Knowledge is built up from other people. M.E.Ch.A’s focus changes a little bit every year depending on what’s going on in the community around us and what is being emphasized during that time. But, we are always focusing on culture, higher education and political consciousness.”

Social work senior and M.E.Ch.A member Marlene Martinez said one of the best experiences she has had in the organization has been during the high school conference.

“It’s lots of months of work that gets put in, but once everything comes to life, it’s amazing,” Martinez said. “A lot of students come from low-income communities and high schools that don’t provide them with enough resources to get a higher education.”

Once students begin their education at SDSU, M.E.Ch.A also offers a mentorship program and the opportunity to become a part of a circulo within the organization.

Circulos meet outside of weekly meetings to discuss topics surrounding the community and

political issues at the time.

Circulos are formed by members within the club and are divided between men, women and non-binary individuals.

“Circulos are a very good way to talk about what is going on in a community,” Alejandro said.

“We discuss things you typically wouldn’t talk to someone about and give people the opportunity to connect with like-minded people.”

One of the reasons Martinez said she joined the organization was because it stood by social justice issues and she wanted to find her own community on campus.

“I was also in M.E.Ch.A in high school, so I thought it would be a good idea to join in a college environment,” Martinez said.

“M.E.Ch.A in college is different because in high school, we only talked about what we could do.

Now, we actually get to apply our skills and get out to advocate for underrepresented groups.”

Martinez said one thing she wants everyone to know is that M.E.Ch.A is open to people from all different cultural backgrounds, not just one.

“Everyone feels like they’re a part of one big family in M.E.Ch.A,” Alejandro said.

SDSU West initiative leads the way in endorsements

by Bella Ross NEWS EDITOR

The morning of Sept. 19 came with a fresh batch of endorsements for the SDSU West initiative as a number of elected officials gathered to express their support for the project.

According to a Friends of SDSU press release, the group was also intentional in voicing their “strong opposition” to Measure E, otherwise known as the SoccerCity initiative.

Those present included Rep. Scott Peters, Rep. Juan Vargas, California Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins, California State Senator Ben Hueso and California State Assemblymember Todd Gloria.

Local officials including San Diego City Council President Myrtle Cole, San Diego City Councilmember Chris Ward and San Diego City Councilmember David Alvarez were also present.

“I am proud to join elected officials from across the region in supporting Measure G,” Atkins said. “Measure G requires full environmental review and multiple opportunities for public input. It is also the only initiative that ensures the stadium site’s revitalization is in line with the

community’s vision; appropriate environmental mitigation for neighboring residents and businesses is delivered; and restoration of the San Diego River is prioritized.”

When looking at endorsements, the SoccerCity campaign has trailed behind SDSU West for months.

The end of August marked a high point for SDSU West when they secured a major endorsement from the San Diego Democratic Party as well as from the San Diego County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Asian Business Association, among others.

FS Investors partner and SoccerCity spokesperson Nick Stone said in a statement that their campaign stands out in another way.

“While Measure G has been courting politicians and city hall insiders, we’ve been working to earn the support of regular San Diegans who are excited about SoccerCity and appreciate that Measure E will produce twice as much tax revenue for the city as Measure G, pay fair market value for the land, provide for SDSU’s need, and transform the site into a place that offers something for everyone — all at no cost to taxpayers,” Stone said

4

Opinion

The Daily Aztec

Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, 2018 EDITOR: Kemi Giwa • opinion@thedailyaztec.com

Women’s bodies are under attack again

by Kemi Giwa OPINION EDITOR

With all the chaos upending Washington right now, the topic of abortion and the status of Roe v. Wade has recentered itself and become the topic of much conversation.

Controlling a woman’s body is the absolute definition of patriarchy. Full stop.

As of right now, anti-abortion groups and activists are working tirelessly to close down abortion clinics across the country.

As a result of their efforts, these activists have successfully closed down clinics in many cities — even clinics here in San Diego County.

Thanks to their efforts, there are now seven states with only one abortion clinic available to its citizens.

Let’s be clear: any attempt to restrict women of their right to choose is an attack on their existence, and an assault on their humanity.

In no way does some congressman from Alabama, the hot head in the oval or the six old white men in the highest court in the nation have the agency to tell any woman what to do with her body.

And despite all arguments to the contrary, a woman’s decision to have an abortion is tremendously responsible, courageous and commendable.

Consider the financial strain, the emotional, physical and mental trauma that a woman endures during and after her decision.

Once she has weighed out all of her options.

Once she has officially deemed herself incapable of having this baby while simultaneously being able to care for herself, her family and other responsibilities.

This is an incredibly difficult decision for her.

But it is her decision.

Her executive decision on her life over her body.

And that is her fundamental right.

Controlling a woman’s body will not only affect her psychologically and emotionally, but it’ll also impact her future.

It’ll affect what jobs are available to her, what education she’ll be able to obtain, her income. Essentially, every single aspect of her life.

And as long as men who can’t possibly understand what bearing a child is like continue to exert their ignorance and privilege by making decisions on experiences they will never have, women will never achieve any sort of existence beyond secondclass citizenship.

As Roe v. Wade hangs on a limb, we risk reverting back to the days where women were forced to take the matter into their own hands.

This comes in many forms — clothes hangers, opium, leeches up vaginas and much more.

With these dangerous abortion methods, women run the risk of permanent harm or even death.

In fact, black women will feel the impact of a possible Roe v.

Wade reversal the hardest.

As it’s black women who are disproportionately impacted by efforts to restrict legal abortion.

But, one thing activists must keep in mind is if abortion is made illegal, women will find a way. As they have for years.

The abolition of Roe v. Wade only means that illegal abortions will increase, and deaths will too.

So, if Republicans and biblethumping Christians really care about life, then what about the woman’s life? Whose lives do they care about? That of an unborn fetus? Or that of a living, breathing human?

Another thing to consider, if these same men in Congress and these same Christians actually cared so much about life, where were they when Michael Brown was shot to death and left to lie in a pool of his own blood for four hours?

Where were they when 11-year-old Tamir Rice was shot for simply being a kid?

Where were they when Trayvon Martin was hunted down like an animal for doing nothing more than grabbing a snack and existing?

It seems as if, instead of protesting in front of abortion clinics and projecting their religion and pseudo-Christian morals onto others, they should keep that same energy and apply that same protection to the lives of black folk who lose their lives every single day at the hands of police officers.

They should instead pause those abortion clinic protests, and go protest in front of police stations and congressional offices.

Police stations where the cultural of racial antagonism is put into practice and applied to the killing of black boys and men, and congressional offices where the people we put into office remain inactive and indifferent to these deaths.

Both either take human life, enable the taking of human life or both.

If these activists truly cared about the preservation of human life, they’d value all life.

Ultimately, women deserve to make decisions about their lives.

This decision is between the women, their families, their doctors and their religious figure(s).

Not between hundreds of old white men on the senate or house floor.

Kemi Giwa is senior studying public relations and political science. You can follow her on Twitter @_KemiG

Learning to embrace both my African and Latin roots

by Jasmine Mouzon STAFF WRITER

According to the 2017 U.S. Census, more than 9 million people in our country identify as multiracial.

I am one of those 9 million people.

I am black and Mexican.

My mother is MexicanAmerican and my dad is AfricanAmerican.

My parents did a great job of making sure I acknowledged both cultures and embraced both identities.

For that reason, I never really put much thought into the idea of being “mixed.” I guess you could say that I was naive and color blind because I was never really forced to recognize one identity over the other.

I am originally from Southeast San Diego, but I moved to Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico at the age of five in an effort to attain financial stability.

I commuted to San Diego for school, but other than that I was always in T.J. My first culture shock was when I moved there, almost everything changed in a matter of minutes.

When I was introduced to the neighborhood kids, I was given odd looks and it was as if everyone around me was whispering about how different I was.

I remember my stepdad

getting defensive and saying to my neighbors, “Ella es morena, pero habla español,” which translates to, “yes, she is black, but she speaks Spanish.”

I was dumbfounded because up until that day, no one had ever spoken negatively about my skin color.

It was then that I was forced to prove my identity as a Latina and explain to those who were curious why I was much darker than the average Mexican.

After living in Tijuana for a couple of years, I felt like I was going through an identity crisis.

People would always ask which side I identified with more, and I genuinely had no idea what to say.

I was raised in a Mexican household, but I had an Afrocentric father who reminded me about the importance of black identity, remaining “woke” and acknowledging both cultures.

I also had a Mexican mother who said I needed to learn more about my Hispanic roots.

Going to school, I typically hung around my black friends, and when I went back home, I hung out with my Mexican neighbors.

It was as if I was living two separate lives.

I just wanted to be me without being questioned about why I was the way I was.

Being a part of both the Latin and black community, I deal with a lot.

It’s no secret that both cultures clash.

Both cultures are guilty of perpetuating stigmas about the other.

For example, I’ve had some Mexican family members tell me not to date black men because they don’t want me to dilute the family by having dark children.

I’ve had Mexican friends who refuse to believe that Afro-

“I was raised in a Mexican household, but I had an Afrocentric father who reminded me about the importance of black identity, remaining ‘woke’ and acknowledging both cultures.”

Latinos are actually Latinos, even though it’s been proven time and time again that they do exist.

They refuse to believe this, because they don’t want to acknowledge the fact that many of them have African heritage as well.

Their attempt to distance themselves from blackness is proof that anti-blackness runs deep in the Hispanic culture.

On the other hand, my black family members have made jokes about Mexicans only being

good for domestic work.

They’ve also cracked jokes about how Mexicans are overly fertile and have “way too many kids.”

Sometimes I feel stuck in the middle when I hear both cultures I love, speaking negatively about one another.

Therefore, rather than picking one side as I got older, I decided to educate both sides of my family on the issues that both communities have in common.

I educate my Mexican family and friends on the beauty of black culture and all it has contributed to society.

I educate my black family on Mexican culture and how diverse Latin America is.

I also go out of my way to educate both sides about the systemic oppression and obstacles that we both face.

As a member of two of the most oppressed groups in the country, it is my duty to encourage both sides of my friends and family to work together, and to love each other.

I was taught to love being a nubian and appreciate my Latin roots.

And I just want both of my cultures to love and appreciate one another.

In the words of the great Nipsey Hussle, “black love, brown pride.”

Jasmine Mouzon is senior studying Africana studies. You can follow her on Twitter @jasmouzon

EDITOR IN CHIEF Will Fritz MANAGING EDITOR Jocelyn Moran NEWS EDITOR Bella Ross ASST. NEWS EDITOR David Santillan OPINION EDITOR Kemi Giwa MUNDO AZTECA EDITOR Vladimir Salazar ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Julianna Ress ASST. ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Lexington Howe SPORTS EDITOR Abraham Jewett ASST. SPORTS EDITOR Aaron Tolentino ENGAGEMENT EDITOR Dana Tsuri-Etzioni MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Mirella Lopez ASST. MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Amal Younis

VOLUNTEER COPY EDITOR Katherine Cooke SENIOR STAFF WRITERS Sofia Bert STAFF WRITERS Cristian Alvarez Kyle Betz Daniel Guerrero Alejandra Luna Lauren J. Mapp Kyle Betz Kyle Saunders Shauny Silas CONTRIBUTORS Antonio Marquez Rodrigo Polanco ________________________________ ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Josh Diaz SALES MANAGER Valerie Barrientos ACCOUNTING & CONTRACTS Samir Sandhu Meah Mapp ________________________________ GENERAL MANAGER/ADVISER Jay Harn GRAPHIC DESIGN SPECIALIST Luis Valenzuela ________________________________ 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.

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Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, 2018 EDITOR: Vladimir Salazar • mundoazteca@thedailyaztec.com

Mundo Azteca

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5

Columna: My experiencia al llegar a EEUU y como recipiente de DACA por Antonio Márquez CONTRIBUYENTE

Esa mañana que desperté el 4 de julio de 1993 no creía que mi vida iba a cambiar tanto en un solo viaje.

Cuando llegamos al aeropuerto, mi ojos solo veían hacia arriba donde volaban los aviones, y veía cómo cada uno volaba a su rumbo. No sabía a dónde iba a ir, solo que mi destino era un lugar llamado San Diego que estaba en los Estados Unidos.

Cuando eres un niño, no sabes si está bien lo que haces pero tienes la curiosidad de saber qué va a pasar en cuanto hagas las cosas, pero este día no iba a ser una travesura, iba a ser una travesía a un lugar desconocido pero que me brindaría oportunidades que nunca más tendría en la vida.

En cuanto llegamos a Tijuana, ya sabía que estábamos cercas porque tiempo atrás, mi mamá me había comentado que íbamos a entrar a una oficina donde me iban a preguntar a cuál escuela iba en los Estados Unidos y que yo solo contestara cuando me hablaran. Su amiga me hizo pasar por unos de sus hijos y cuando me separé de mi mama para cruzar “La línea” fue cuando sentí temor pero a la vez un poco de esperanza que cuando nos volviéramos a ver fuera en un lugar mejor y lejos de la pesadilla de donde estábamos.

No tenía una vida de sufrimiento pero tenía una vida donde no iba a superarme y a los siete años, yo ya sabía eso y también que yo no quería regresar al mismo lugar.

El momento llegó de cruzar y agarrando la mano de una desconocida, me pare en frente del oficial y solo pregunto ver los famosos papeles que tiene que tener uno al momento de cruzar, y con un gesto de su

mano nos dejaron pasar para los Estados Unidos.

Las únicas memorias que tengo de llegar a San Diego es entrar a la carretera interestatal 805 y solo iba acostado, y cuando llegamos a la casa donde íbamos a vivir, estaba lleno de palmeras pero yo pensaba que las palmeras solo crecían en la playa.

Esa noche, cuando vi los fuegos artificiales en el cielo, pensé que era porque ya había llegado ese día, y es que en Guanajuato, donde nací, había fiestas, y para celebrar, reventaban cohetes y hacían castillos de fuegos artificiales.

Ese año, al empezar la escuela, me llamaban la atención porque no contestaba cuando me hablaban, y es que yo me llamo Antonio no Anthony, como ellos me nombraron. Así pasó el tiempo, y poco a poco, gracias al show de los power rangers, aprendí inglés y empece a participar más y más como cualquier estudiante y nunca me sentí diferente.

No fue hasta que llegue a preparatoria que me di cuenta que era indocumentado. Fue cuando íbamos a aplicar a las universidades y mi sueño era ir a la Universidad Estatal de San Diego, pero en el momento que le comente a mi mama que necesitaba mi seguro social, ella me dijo que yo no tenía uno.

No lo podía creer. Desde chiquito, fui a Disneylandia, viajé con mi escuela a Arizona y tenía buenas calificaciones pero aún así no podía ser como los otros y seguir mis sueños de estudiar en la universidad.

Sufrí mucho y me sentí primido al saber que todo lo que había hecho fue en vano porque ni aunque hiciera miles de horas voluntarias en mi comunidad iba a obtener esos nueve números que los otros estudiantes sí tenían.

Aunque mis calificaciones sufrieron mucho, mi consejera

me comentó de una beca que se llamaba la Price Scholarship que le daba diez mil dólares a los estudiantes para ir al colegio comunitario de San Diego.

Me gradué en el 2004 en un viernes, y el lunes empecé el colegio donde poco a poco fui viendo lo difícil que era ser indocumentado.

Los programas como EOPS o Puente tenían ciertos requisitos y no había ayuda para estudiantes como yo.

Cuando iba a la oficina de ayuda financiera, me daba vergüenza pedir información porque al fin del dia, sabía que no me podían ayudar. Nada me detuvo, y me gradué en el 2008 con un título universitario de preparación básica en comunicaciones.

Después me ofrecieron un puesto en Univision San Diego después de ser seleccionado para hacer mis prácticas por un año, no pude decir sí al puesto porque aún no tenía esos nueve números.

Ese verano, terminé trabajando en McDonalds, donde la primera vez que mandaron a limpiar el baño sentía que fracase como hijo y como estudiante.

Aunque yo había hecho todo bien, terminé en un trabajo que no quería.

Aun seguí adelante, y cuando se me presentó la oportunidad de ir al estado de Washington, me fui, y fui a trabajar a la pisca.

Después de una oportunidad de ayudar en KDNA, una radio comunitaria, escribí para El sol de Yakima, un periódico comunitario, y gracias a esos trabajos, cuando se anunció el programa de DACA, pude aplicar y obtener finalmente eso nueve números que me darían la oportunidad de terminar mis estudios.

Durante la espera por mi permiso de trabajo, fui voluntario de ONE AMERICA, una orga-

Foto cortesía de Antonio Márquez

Antonio Márquez, junto con su mamá, recibe un diploma en la primaria.

nización en el estado de Washington que nos llevó de gira por todo el estado para ayudar a la gente, y así contar nuestras experiencias con la comunidad.

Al regresar a San Diego, no fue fácil entrar a la universidad, pero seguí aplicando, y poco a poco, fui aprendiendo que seguir tus sueños no es fácil, pero es muy importante.

Apliqué a SDSU por primera vez en el 2015 y me negaron la entrada. Entonces terminé otro título para poder aplicar el siguiente año.

Esperé el año y aplique de nuevo, y me dijeron que era muy difícil entrar con un enfoque en periodismo para mi carrera, pero entonces esperé, y me negaron de nuevo y de nue-

vo obtuve otro título.

La tercera vez, finalmente me dijeron que sí y con cuatro títulos de colegio comunitario en comunicaciones, periodismo, sociología, y ciencia del comportamiento y estudios chicanos.

Finalmente, llegué a la universidad donde finalmente tengo el apoyo de EOP y el Área de Recursos para los Estudiantes Indocumentados.

Sigo siendo un soñador que en esta era presidencial no pierde la esperanza de que algun dia pueda ser ciudadano de el país donde me crié.

El miedo nunca lo he tenido pero lo que sí tengo son las ganas de seguir adelante, como siempre.

Egresado de SDSU habla sobre ser recipiente de DACA por Rodrigo Polanco CONTRIBUYENTE

“¡Maldita sea!”, dijo Ivan González, egresado en ingeniería civil de la Universidad Estatal de San Diego, mientras recordaba cómo se sentía durante su último año en University City High School.

En este tiempo, California comenzó a hablar sobre el California Dream Act, lo cual le daría a estudiants ayuda financiera para asistir una universidad en California. Se pasó el California Dream Act en el 2011.

“Este es el momento perfecto, me sentí muy aliviado”, dijo González.

Era lo que decía en su último año de preparatoria, en camino a la universidad. González dijo que se enteró de que sí iba a

poder recibir ayuda financiera para la universidad por medio del California Dream Act. Con el apoyo, González empezó a darse cuenta que tenía la bendición de tener la oportunidad de recibir una educación para poder sacar a su familia adelante.

“No pude recibir DACA hasta mis últimos semestres en SDSU”, dijo González. “Pero aún estuve orgulloso porque recibí ayuda con el California Dream Act”.

Esta ayuda le dio la sensación de aceptación y oportunidad.

González dijo que en ese tiempo, sabía que iba a aprovechar la oportunidad y tener éxito.

Sin embargo, al mismo tiempo, se sintió un poco aislado porque era uno de los únicos estudiantes que aplicó para el

California Dream Act, mientras otros aplicaban para el FAFSA. Al momento de aplicar, González se dio cuenta que no era tan distinto a los demás debido a que comenzó a llenar las mismas solicitudes para ir a los mismos colegios que otros estudiantes. Es ahi donde encontro similitud con los demas.

“Me sentí como cualquier otro estudiante”, dijo González.

González emigró a los Estados Unidos junto con su familia usando una VISA de turista, y prolongaron su estancia después de que se venció. Desde chico estuvo viajando constantemente entre EEUU y México porque allá estaba el resto de su familia.

“La familia es muy importante para mí”, dijo González.

Una de las cosas que motivó a González durante su carrera fue

el hecho de que es el primero en su familia en asistir y graduarse de la universidad.

Al analizar su situación, González dijo que siempre se decía a sí mismo que las cosas podrían estar peor. El tener esta perspectiva lo motivaba para trabajar arduamente.

Al momento de decidir qué carrera embarcar en la universidad, González se dio cuenta que era bueno en temas relacionados con ciencias, tecnología, ingeniería y matemáticas. Su papá y sus familiares habían trabajado previamente en construcción desde que él era joven, lo cual lo acabó motivando para realizar una carrera en ingeniería civil.

González dijo que el primer semestre de universidad se le hizo difícil debido al ambiente.

Se sintió excluido y no se involucró en actividades dentro de la universidad.

Para distraerse de los problemas que ocurrían en relación a su estatus como indocumentado, González se unió a una fraternidad para tratar de encajar dentro de la comunidad de la universidad.

González dijo que el estar involucrado en un grupo donde tenía responsabilidades que cumplir lo mantuvo ocupado y distraído de los problemas que ocurrían con DACA. “Me ayuda el tener responsabilidades, vivir en el momento, porque mantiene mi enfoque en lo que tengo que cumplir”, dijo González.

Hoy en dia, González trabaja con la misma empresa en la que estuvo como becario.

Mundo Azteca Egresado de SDSU y recipiente de DACA habla de su experiencia como estudiante y como inmigrante

6

Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, 2018 EDITOR: Vladimir Salazar • mundoazteca@thedailyaztec.com

The Daily Aztec

por Alejandra ESCRITORA

Luna

Irving Hernández, recipiente de la Acción Diferida para los Llegados en la Infancia, se graduó con un título en ingeniería aeroespacial de la Universidad Estatal de San Diego.

“Nunca me mintieron mis padres de que no era de aquí”, dijo Hernández, egresado de SDSU. “Estaba consciente, pero en realidad, no sabía lo que significaba ser indocumentado aquí en Estados Unidos”.

En octubre del 2000, la vida cambió para Hernández y su familia.

A la edad de cinco años, Hernández dejó su ciudad natal, Acapulco, Guerrero, para comenzar una nueva vida en EEUU. “Mi papá se vino a los Estados Unidos cuando yo tenía tres años”, dijo Hernández “Después, en el 2000, èl quiso tener una familia aquí en EEUU”.

Hernández dijo que durante toda su vida, tuvo muchos retos que sobrepasar y uno de ellos fue el inglés.

“Cuando estaba en la primaria, batallaba mucho con el inglés”, dijo Hernández.

Después de graduarse de la primaria, Hernández pudo mejorar el inglés comenzando a sobresalir en matemáticas y física. Al empezar la preparatoria, sus buenas calificaciones ayudaron a Hernández estar en clases de honores y eventualmente en clases de A.P. Asimismo, llegó a practicar dos deportes diferentes como polo acuático y atletismo, y también formó parte del grupo de música, participando en eventos como el día de los veteranos.

“Me gradué con un 4.2”, dijo Hernández. “Creo que era el número 12 de mi clase”.

En el 2012, antes de que Hernández comenzará la universidad, se empezó a hablar del programa DACA. La mamá de Hernández fue quien lo llevaba a diferentes foros, logrando que una organización llenará sus papeles para entrar al programa de DACA. Hernández dijo que para finales de octubre, ya tenía su permiso de trabajo y comenzó a trabajar de asistente para un bufete de abogados dos semanas después.

Uno de los retos que Hernández enfrentó fue cómo pagar la matrícula de la universidad. No tuvo ayuda monetaria por el gobierno, por lo que tuvo que pagar su

colegiatura de su propio bolsillo.

“Gracias a Dios, me gradué sin ninguna deuda de la Universidad Estatal de San Diego”, dijo Hernández.

Dijo que cuando se dio cuenta de la importancia de lo que era DACA en su comunidad, comenzó a actuar no solo para él sino para poder ayudar su comunidad.

“Empecé a trabajar con Alianza San Diego, proyectos aquí y allá, con mi iglesia”, dijo Hernández.

“De ahí, empecé a conocer las personas correctas y estar involucrado, para cuando llegó la fecha que fue el 5 de septiembre del 2017”.

El 5 de septiembre, la administración del presidente Donald Trump anunció que DACA sería terminado.

Por el momento, no se ha llegado un acuerdo concreto o una decisión final en relación a lo que ocurrirá con los recipientes de este programa.

Hernández también ha viajado tres veces a Washington D.C. para hablar con representantes y senadores acerca de DACA. “Mi propósito en esta lucha no es algo simplemente para los de DACA, sino que algo que no perjudique a nuestra comunidad, no es de negociar”, dijo Hernández.

Foto cortesía de Irving Hernández

Irving Hernández da un sermón en el Día de la independencia mexicana.

“Mi familia, mis amigos que no tienen papeles, no son negociables”.

Hernández dijo que sus padres nunca lo educaron de una forma que él se tuviera que sentir la víctima y siempre le enseñaron a

estar orgulloso de quién es y de dónde venía.

“Yo nunca me sentí una víctima, ni caminando por San Diego State, yo siempre estuve muy orgulloso de mis raíces, de lo que es ser un inmigrante”, dijo Hernández.

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Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, 2018 EDITOR: Vladimir Salazar • mundoazteca@thedailyaztec.com

Mundo Azteca

The Daily Aztec

7

Comparando culturas entre universidades en EEUU y Chile por Rodrigo Polanco CONTRIBUYENTE

Durante el semestre de la primavera del 2018, me fui de intercambio a Santiago, Chile. Estudie en la Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, sin saber que era una escuela privada. Por la razón que mi licenciatura es en negocios internacionales con un énfasis en español y estudios latinoamericanos , tuve la oportunidad de ir con el programa entre la Universidad Estatal de San Diego y la UAI. Mi semestre duró cinco meses, desde finales de febrero hasta principios de julio. Mis estudios consistieron en cinco clases en total, y solamente dos eran en inglés, otro fue enseñado en castellano y los últimos dos en español-chileno.

La universidad donde yo estuve, es un poco grande en comparación con otras universidades en Chile. Además, hay alrededor de 11,500 estudiantes, incluyendo estudiantes de pregrado y estudiantes de maestría.

Esta escuela tiene dos campus principales. Uno en Viña del Mar, Chile, que está en la costa.

El campus en el que estaba actualmente enlistado fue en Peñalolén, en la ciudad de Santiago.

El campus de Peñalolén está situado en una ladera de la mon-

taña en el sureste de la ciudad.

La universidad cuenta con cinco edificios principales para los diferentes facultades, y otros para recreación como el gimnasio y canchas/campos. Estos edificios no están al lado del otro; de hecho, estudiantes necesitar abordar un autobús para llegar de un edificio a otro.

Además, cuando se compara con SDSU, parece haber más interacción entre estudiantes.

Siento que muchos estudiantes en SDSU están más ocupados con otras responsabilidades o se sienten más aislados en un campus tan grande con miles de otros estudiantes. Con UAI siendo una escuela más pequeña, es más fácil hacer amigos y pasar el rato entre las clases.

También, me fijé que el ambiente del campus era más relajado. La escuela se aísla de la ciudad haciendo que sea calmado.

Otra cosa que noté fue que los estudiantes toman una siesta casi en todas partes; es mucho más común que en SDSU. Sin embargo, hay algunas similitudes.

Para empezar, encontré muchas organizaciones diferentes que varían de las organizaciones estudiantiles, que vendían cosas o llegan a los estudiantes para involucrarse más en el campus. Otras veces fueron organizaciones externas como un ban-

Foto por Rodrigo Polanco

Desde la Iglesia San Cristobal, se podía ver la vista de Santiago, Chile

co o algunos otros vendedores; Incluso vi a la compañía Patagonia reparando ropa rasgada o desgarrada para estudiantes.

Una cosa que me gustó fue un evento patrocinado por Red Bull llamado Batalla de las Calles. Era la final de una competencia de batallas de rap entre gente joven no alistada en la universidad.

El campus también cuenta con salas de estudio para estudiantes, pero uno tiene que reservarlas con tiempo, a diferencia de las habitaciones de la biblioteca del Love Library que se encuentran en una primera base. La biblioteca es mucho más pequeña en comparación con el de la SDSU,

pero tiene mesas para estudiar, algunas computadoras y salas de estudio. El laboratorio principal de la computadora estaba situado al otro lado del edificio, a donde los estudiantes podían imprimir tareas.

Durante mi tiempo en la universidad, usaba una pantalla para buscar donde estaban mis clases. Había varias pantallas en todos los edificios que se desplazan a través de la sesión de tiempo de la clase, el nombre de la clase, el profesor dando la clase y el número de habitación y el edificio donde la clase se llevaba acabo. A veces el número de habitación puede cambiar sin

que los estudiantes sepan. No era como en SDSU donde hay un tiempo establecido y la ubicación de las clases encontradas en la programación en línea, pero UAI tenía una aplicación en que permite ver la lista de clases en el teléfono.

En comparación con la cultura entre los EEUU y Chile, el de Chile es muy lento en el movimiento del trabajo. Al mismo tiempo, entre la capital, el movimiento es más rápido pero también es normal que uno llegue 30 minutos tarde a una cita.

Algo que me hizo sufrir fue que no había salsa o chile buena para complementar mi comida sin sabor. Un dicho en Chile decía, “La mejor comida en Chile es la cocina peruana”. Mucha comida era suave y carecía de sabor.

Otra cosa que se me dificultó fue el lenguaje chileno. Hablaban castellano mezclado con el lenguaje nativo de mestizo. Por ejemplo, para decir aguacate, decían palta, y para decir elote, decían choclo.

Además,se me complicó comprender la jerga ,por ejemplo universidad, lo cortaban a uni- o la U. Chile, en lo personal, no es el mejor país para aprender el español o castellano. Mis amigos internacionales batallaron bastante con el idioma, debido a la manera que hablaban.

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Mundo Azteca Autor y profesor de SDSU habla sobre la literatura 8

Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, 2018 EDITOR: Vladimir Salazar • mundoazteca@thedailyaztec.com

The Daily Aztec

por Vladimir Salazar EDITOR DE MUNDO AZTECA

Dentro de la facultad de español en la Universidad Estatal de San Diego, hay un profesor que ha publicado varios textos a través de su carrera, maneja un programa para estudiantes de intercambio en Mérida, Yucatán y tiene dos maestrías, una en educación y una en español.

José Mario Martín-Flores ha logrado esto en su vida. Martín-Flores es un profesor de la facultad de español, en donde otorga clases de literatura y de cultura mexicana.

Nacido en un pueblo cerca de Guadalajara, Jalisco, Martín-Flores fue profesor de filosofía y letras en México, antes de trasladarse a los EEUU para estudiar su doctorado en UC Irvine.

Una de las principales razones por la cual optó mudarse de México fue debido a la falta de oportunidades que existen en el país en relación a carreras como la de literatura y la de filosofía.

“México vive una crisis económica y de instituciones muy grave desde los años 70s”, dijo Martín-Flores. “Comenzaron a cerrar facultades de historia, antropología, sociología, literatura, así que dije ‘ya no tengo trabajo’”.

Debido a su desempeño laboral como profesor, a Martín-Flores le dieron como premio la oportunidad de poder estudiar en EEUU. Desde entonces, Martín-Flores nunca ha regresado a vivir a México.

Una de las razones principales por la cual optó por quedarse, fue los avances tecnológicos que beneficiaban a una persona ciega.

Cuando Martín-Flores vivía en México, la mayoría de la ayuda que él recibía conforme a su ceguera provenía de sus siete hermanas o de un grupo de mujeres jubiladas que hacían trabajo de voluntario para ayudarlo.

“Todo era en braille, no existía la tecnología que me pudiera leer las cosas como en una pantalla”, dijo Martin-Flores.

Antes de que existiera tecnología apropiada para una persona ciega, si no leía un libro en braille, se grababa casetes con el audio del libro.

“Al final de mi doctorado, tenía como 2,500 casetes”, dijo Martin-Flores. “Más de 5,000 horas de grabación de libros, y todas mis notas tenía que hacerlas en braille”.

Los problemas de ceguera de MartínFlores no fueron algo con lo que nació, a sus 8 años, comenzó a perder la vista.

“Yo desde los 8 años perdí la vista, mi problema es el nervio óptico, tengo glaucoma”, dijo Martín-Flores. “El nervio óptico tiene 1 millón de fibras, y desde los ocho años, ese millón de fibras, solamente funciona el cinco por ciento.Así que estoy viendo el mundo a través de un hilito, casi invisible, es casi un milagro”, dijo Martín-Flores.

Al tratar de averiguar qué carrera o profesión iba a embarcar, Martín-Flores probó el periodismo, pero decidió que no era lo suyo.

“Yo quise estudiar periodismo y trabajé como periodista, y me resultó muy agrido”, dijo Martín-Flores.

El no poder explicar las cosas a detalle, o la intención del hecho, son algunas de las razones por las cual Martín-Flores dijo que prefirió la literatura al periodismo.

Al pasar por unas clases de literatura Martín-Flores se dio cuenta de su pasión.

“Cuando pasé por las clases de literatura, dije ‘No, esto es lo que quiero hacer’”, dijo Martín-Flores. “Me decía mi mamá ‘pero si no puedes leer’ y le dije ‘no importa yo veré la manera… pero es lo que me gusta y sí, ni modo’”.

Años después de haberse mudado a EEUU y haber terminado su doctorado, Martín-Flores comenzó a escribir y publicó su primer libro en 1995, titulado

“Ámbitos”, el cual está compuesto por 100 haikus, poemas japoneses, que por lo general son poemas que consisten de tres líneas.

Su segundo trabajo literario era un poema largo, en donde se enfoca en conmemorar la muerte de su madre.

El tercer trabajo literario de MartínFlores, titulado “Encanto de la Hoja”, fue un libro que fue publicado en Argentina en donde relata una historia más personal sobre el ser autoexiliado.

“Nosotros salimos no porque nos persiguiera la policía, o porque hubo fugas a deshora, ni amenazas telefónicas”, dijo Martín-Flores. “Salimos por la precariedad económica, por las restricciones profesionales, y llegamos acá en esta diasporosidad”.

Debido a que lleva años viviendo en EEUU, Martín-Flores ha analizado cómo la literatura latinoamericana ha crecido dentro del país.

“EEUU ya no es simplemente un refugio, si no, un núcleo productor de cultura hispánica”, dijo Martín-Flores.

Comenzó a dar clases en la SDSU en el1999, en donde también es asesor de los estudiantes de maestría.

Una de las razones por la cual optó en establecerse en San Diego es debido a los parecidos que la ciudad tiene a México y por el hecho de ser ciudad frontera.

Martín-Flores también dijo que en el Departamento de Español de la SDSU ha tenido alrededor de 350 estudiantes que se reciben en la carrera de español, y le ha dado clases a alrededor de 3,500 estudiantes en donde el español es su segunda lengua.

Laura López, una asistente del profesor Martín-Flores, que es estudiante de intercambio de España, trabaja con él dos veces por semana.

Dijo que el trabajar con el profesor la ha expuesto a aprender de una cultura que es distinta a la de ella.

López también dijo que algo que admira del profesor es que no se deja consumir por sus problemas de ceguera.

“A pesar de todas las dificultades y las adversidades que tiene por el tema de la ceguera y su dificultad de hacer ciertas cosas es el optimismo con el que lo lleva”, dijo López. “Como al final, el nota, siente y sabe cosas que yo, por ejemplo, viendo no me doy cuenta”.

Brenda Vázquez, egresada y asistente de los profesores en la facultad de español, dijo que una de las razones por las que continuó en la carrera y comenzó a tener una pasión por la literatura fue gracias al profesor Martín-Flores.

“Es un profesor que sabe mucho”, dijo Vázquez. “Cada vez que hablas con él, le aprendes algo nuevo”.

Al final del día, la meta de MartínFlores como profesor es influir a sus estudiantes y contagiarles la pasión por la literatura y por la cultura que él posee.

Martín-Flores considera que cada acto humano termina siendo un acto político, por ende, la literatura para él no solo es algo personal, si no una reflexión de lo que ocurre en nuestros alrededores.

“La literatura en especial, es una reflexión, es el contra espejo de la política”, dijo Martín-Flores. “De todos los sueños incumplidos, de todas las promesas fatuas, la literatura es el espejo en el que se mira, deformante a veces, se mira la realidad”.

En este momento, el profesor acaba de finalizar la escritura de un libro de historias cortas titulado “Corre Moscas”, que son cuentos que dialogan con moscas.

“Son cuentos rápidos, veloces como las moscas”, dijo Martín-Flores. “Y como las moscas, donde paran defecan, mis cuentitos, también donde los lees, queda alguna marca que incomoda”.

Martin-Flores planea ingresar este libro a concursos para ver si gana algún premio, y si no gana , buscará editoriales para que pueda ser publicado.

Foto por Vladimir Salazar

Profesor José Mario Martin-Flores habla sobre la literatura en su oficina.

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Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, 2018 EDITOR: Abraham Jewett • sports@thedailyaztec.com

Sports

The Daily Aztec

9

SDSU defeats Eastern Michigan in overtime

by Kyle Saunders STAFF WRITER

John Baron II walked off the field after missing a 36-yard field goal, one which could’ve given San Diego State football a second-half lead against Eastern Michigan University.

The senior kicker was given a chance to redeem himself not once, but twice, kicking a 51yard field goal with 1:16 left to tie the game in regulation before kicking a game-winning 38-yard field goal in overtime.

The kick ended a tug-of-war game and gave SDSU a 23-20 victory over Eastern Michigan on Sept. 22 at SDCCU Stadium.

Baron said missing kicks are a part of football, but he was glad to get a chance to make up for his mistake.

“You’ve got to forget about it. That’s part of the job. You’ve just got to move on,” Baron said.

“You feel like you hurt the team, but it always feels good when you get another chance and get to go out there and redeem yourself.”

The Aztecs (3-1) overcame 17 unanswered points by the Eagles, and were shut out for the entire second half before tying the game at 20 following Baron’s field goal with 1:16 left in the fourth quarter.

SDSU won the overtime coin toss and deferred the ball to EMU, and two plays later, redshirt freshman Darren Hall recorded his first career interception against EMU quarterback Mike Glass.

“It means a lot,” Hall said about his interception. “I was just going out there trying to make a play and just win the

game for us.”

EMU (2-2) trailed 17-3 until late in the first half, but were able to capitalize following an interception by redshirt junior quarterback Ryan Agnew, driving 34 yards in four plays to cut the Aztecs lead to 17-10 with 26 seconds left in the half.

Agnew finished the game with 176 yards and two touchdown passes, both in the first half, but said the interception was a mistake that shifted momentum going into the break.

“I think honestly why they played so well in the second half was because I threw that interception, gave them all the momentum,” he said. “(It) could have been a whole different ballgame the second half, and (Baron) wouldn’t have had to save the day.”

The Eagles tied the game at 17 on their first drive of the second half, scoring on a 37yard touchdown pass from Glass to junior wide receiver Arthur Jackson III. The game would remain tied until the final three minutes of the fourth quarter.

EMU took the lead behind the leg of freshman kicker Chad Ryland, who knocked a 24 yarder in with 3:18 left to play.

Then, with 1:26 left in the game, Agnew rolled out to his right from the EMU 32-yard line, looked downfield and connected with junior tight end Kahale Warring near the 10yard line, but an early whistle blew the play dead because the referee believed Agnew had stepped out of bounds.

Replay showed Agnew was clearly in bounds, but head coach Rocky Long said the team

Photo by Kareem Jones

Junior tight end Parker Houston is lifted up in the end zone by his teammates after catching a second quarter touchdown during the Aztecs’ 23-20 victory over Eastern Michigan on Sept. 22 at SDCCU Stadium.

did not let it affect them.

“We pride ourselves in not worrying about the officials,” Long said. “I mean, they made a terrible call. Might have cost us the game. But it’s one of those thing.”

The Aztecs had to overcome the loss of junior running back Juwan Washington, who exited the game early in the third quarter with an apparent arm injury and ended the game standing on the sideline with his

arm in a sling.

Long said the injury was an upper chest strain, but early reports are that it is not that serious of an injury.

“The doctors seem really positive that he’s going to be okay,” Long said.

Sophomore running back Chase Jasmin filled in as the main running back after Washington’s exit, finishing with 101 yards on 16 carries.

The Eagles took advantage

of the SDSU secondary for 236 passing yards, including two receptions of 50-plus yards.

EMU appeared to come to life in the passing game after switching from senior quarterback Tyler Wiegers to Glass, who finished with 153 yards through the air with one touchdown and one interception.

SDSU now enters a bye week before heading to Idaho to start off conference play against Boise State University on Oct. 6.

Women’s swimming wins first dual meet of season

by Kyle Betz STAFF WRITER

San Diego State swim and dive won its first double dual meet of the season at the Aztec Aquaplex on Sept. 21, outscoring Nevada and Washington State by a score of 158-142-134, respectively.

The victory was SDSU’s second meet win of the season, following its win over the University of San Diego in the Aztecs annual pentathlon on Sept. 14.

Head coach Mike Shrader said he noticed improvement following the pentathlon and the team’s first full week of training.

“We were better than we were last time out,” Shrader said. “We got some good, tough training this week, and I was really happy with the way we competed.”

SDSU placed first in six of ten relay events, and was led by junior swimmer Alma Thormalm, who was a part of the winning relay teams in the 150-yard fly (1:16.43), 150yard back (1:17.73) and 200yard free (1:36.75).

The Aztecs also claimed first place in the 150-yard

Photo by Sam Mayo

SDSU senior Rachael Kelch competes during a dual meet against the Nevada and Washington State on Sept. 21 at Aztec Aquaplex.

breast (1:30.34), 500-yard free (4:30.97) and 1500-yard free (15:18.63).

Freshman swimmers had a significant impact for SDSU, as Cathy Cooper and Mia Ryan helped SDSU’s A-team win the

500-yard free.

Shrader said facing a fellow Mountain West opponent and a Pac-12 team brought an extra level of competitiveness.

“Anytime you’re facing somebody in your conference

that you’ll see (later on), that’s always great to compete against them and see where you are,” he said. “Having the Cougars down from Pullman was really nice.”

Sophomore swimmer Larisa Tam had the third-fastest time

in the 150-yard breast at 29.93 and swam in six different relays.

Tam said that the one of the most difficult aspects of a relay meet is its fast pace.

“You’re one after another, you’re going all out, and then you have to get back up, do another (race) again,” Tam said.

Sophomore swimmer Ava Howard swam behind Tam in the 200-yard free, helping SDSU’s B-team earn a third place finish at 1:38.60.

Howard said that although the Aztecs won, the team faced adversity throughout the meet.

“I know a lot of people swam things they don’t typically swim, so that was a little hard,” Howard said. “We all kind of pushed through and we ended up winning.”

SDSU will head to Malibu, Calif. on Oct. 4 to face Pepperdine in a dual meet, before traveling to Fresno to participate in the Fresno Invitational from Oct. 5-6.

Howard said the team will be able to continue having success in future meets as long as they stay focused.

“I think just keeping up our training, what we’re doing now, and just keeping our focus will help us in the future,” she said.

10

The Daily Aztec

Sports

Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, 2018 EDITOR: Abraham Jewett • sports@thedailyaztec.com

Soccer captain leading the way for SDSU

by Cristian STAFF WRITER

Alvarez

Pablo Pelaez has played an important role for the San Diego State men’s soccer team.

Not only does the redshirt junior midfielder contribute goals and assists for the Aztecs, he also spiritually represents the heart of SDSU soccer as its team captain.

Seven games into the 2018 season, Pelaez has tallied up ten points, four goals and two assists while playing a total of 489 minutes.

Pelaez’s most recent goal was scored from the penalty spot in the first minute against UNLV on Sept. 24 at the SDSU Sports Deck.

Pelaez said it was great to score against the Rebels, who beat the Aztecs during their previous meeting in 2016.

“It was a tough pill to swallow when we played against them two years ago,” Pelaez said. “To come back and score this goal, and ultimately get the victory, was a really good feeling.”

Pelaez currently leads the Aztecs with four goals, and has been linked to many of the scoring chances this season.

Head coach Lev Kirshner said he enjoys having a player like Pelaez on his team. “(Pelaez) is a wonderful player,” Kirshner said. “He is a better human being, and the team loves him.”

His fighting spirit and leadership is exactly why Pelaez wears the captain’s armband for SDSU. However, Pelaez said his captain status does not separate him from his teammates.

“It’s nothing that separates me from the rest of the team,” Pelaez said.

hometown hero has produced, starting off his collegiate career with seven points on two goals and three assists, while sharing a team lead of 40 shots.

By the end of the 2016 season, Pelaez was recognized as one of the best players in the Mountain West Conference.

Pelaez received multiple accolades, including Second-Team All-Pac-12, College Soccer News Second-Team All-Freshmen and First-Team All-Far West Region from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).

“I want to keep to keep on scoring goals, getting assists and making this team the best I can.”

– Pablo Pelaez, redshirt junior midfielder Photo by Abraham Jewett

Redshirt junior midfielder Pablo Pelaez chases after the ball during the Aztecs’ 2-1 victory over UC Irvine on Sept. 9 at the SDSU Sports Deck.

Pelaez said he is happy with his performance thus far this season, but is not content, with a lot of soccer yet to be played.

“I try to take it game by game,” he said.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to get some goals in the back of the net.”

Pelaez said he aims to finish this season with a consistent style of play while

continuing to contribute to the team’s success.

“For me specifically, I want to keep on scoring goals, getting assists and making this team the best that I can,” he said.

Prior to joining the Aztecs, Pelaez played for Mt. Everest Academy in San Diego.

Since his debut in the 2016 season, the

In the following year, Pelaez played 11 games and had five shots on goal. However, his season ended early when he suffered a devastating injury.

Now, after months of recovery, Pelaez has looked unstoppable for the Aztecs.

Pelaez will get his next chance to showcase his talents when SDSU travels to Stanford on Sept. 27 for the start of Pac-12 conference play.

Photo by Kareem Jones

Junior running back Juwan Washington stands on the sidelines with his arm in a sling during the second half of the Aztecs’ 23-20 victory over Eastern Michigan on Sept. 22 at SDCCU Stadium.

Starting running back injured, to miss six weeks

by Kyle Betz STAFF WRITER

San Diego State football junior running back Juwan Washington is expected to miss up to six weeks with a clavicle fracture, which he suffered during the team’s victory this past weekend over Eastern Michigan.

Washington exited the game in the second quarter, before returning to the sidelines in the second half to watch the game with his arm in a sling.

Head coach Rocky Long announced the news at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, and said Washington should not need surgery to fix the fracture. “(The fracture) wasn’t too bad and it’s still attached,” Long said. “(Doctors) think it’ll heal in six weeks on its own.”

Despite the six-week prognosis, Long cast doubt on Washington returning this season, but said he remains hopeful.

“He might not play by the end of the season. Hopefully he will,” Long said.

Washington has been the Aztecs feature tailback this season, averaging 5.2 yards per carry. He leads the team in rushing yards (513) and touchdowns (5).

Sophomore Chase Jasmin will fill in for Washington at starting running back. On 43 carries this season, Jasmin has recorded 233 rushing yards and one touchdown.

Long said the team will use the bye week to determine who will be placed behind Jasmin in the depth chart.

“We’ve got a little bit of time to figure out who’s gonna be the second guy in,” Long said.

Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, 2018 EDITOR: Julianna Ress • arts@thedailyaztec.com

Arts & Culture

The Daily Aztec

11

Student DJ finds local success in EDM

by Nathan Godderis CONTRIBUTOR

Journalism junior Gustavo Cristobal has only been mixing music for three years and is still learning how to produce his own EDM music, yet he’s already experienced notable success.

Cristobal became an EDM fan in his senior year of high school, and this discovery, turned his life around completely, after he had to drop out of Arizona State University.

“I discovered this music and, I feel like it made me happy,” Cristobal said, “Some of it is meaningless, some of it actually has meaning to it, and that’s one reason why I love this so much and feel like pursuing it more. Once I get to producing, I feel like I’ll become even more happy to express myself.”

At Aztec Music Group’s San Diego State vs. UC San Diego DJ battle, hosted at House of Blues in April, Cristobal came out on top in a competition between the most talented DJs at the two schools.

With sounds that energized the crowd and amazed the judges, his ability to mix music is something that sets him apart from the rest.

It’s led him to perform at venues like Bassmnt in San Diego and Avalon in Hollywood.

Journalism senior Sarah Anderson, who watched Cristobal’s victory at the DJ battle back in April, found that he delivered the infectious grooves the audience was looking for. “(Cristobal) is such a crowd pleaser,” she said. “He knows what the people want, and he delivers. It was really clear that he had won the DJ battle before it was over.”

Cristobal recalled a big moment in his life was when he went to Electric Daisy Carnival, an EDM festival in Las Vegas, and was able to see his favorite artists.

“I wanted to go to (EDC) in 2016, all of my friends dipped out. I didn’t let them stop me, so I decided to go out there alone,” Cristobal said. “It made me realize how you need to be more open and actually talk to people. I feel like that’s really influenced who I am now, just because I’m not afraid to do a lot of things anymore.”

This moment was not only important for his passion in music, but it was also a turning point in his well-being.

“That was like the most happy I’ve ever been, and just to get to experience a whole vibe like that, it’s amazing and I’ve been going for the last three years,” Cristobal said.

One of the DJs he saw at EDC, Deorro, is a big inspiration for

Cristobal.

Deorro is Mexican-American and mixes cultural music with EDM, something he admires.

Raised in Temecula, Cristobal recognizes his Mexican heritage as a big part of his life. “(Deorro)’s Mexican like I am, and he started DJing because he wanted to, and he makes Mexican mashups and whatnot,” he said. “He gets Mexican music and mashes it up with some EDM, maybe I’ll eventually get to that too when I learn how to make mashups.”

Although Cristobal has ambitions to play at EDC himself one day, at the moment, he’s focused on his academics at SDSU, and plans to graduate by the end of his senior year.

He will continue pursuing his future as a DJ as well and is optimistic about the future.

He hopes to continue to inspire people in some capacity, whether it’s music-related or otherwise.

“Everyone’s telling me I somehow stand out compared to everyone else,” he said. “I’m just doing what I like, and if it goes somewhere, cool. If it doesn’t, I’m not tripping. For the most part, I just want to influence people in some type of way, whether it’s my music or my field of study. I just want to make an impact on someone’s world.”

Courtesy of Gustavo Cristobal

Journalism junior Gustavo Cristobal has DJed at local venues, like Bassmnt.

Courtesy of Gustavo Cristobal

Cristobal came home victorious after a DJ battle at House of Blues in April.

Tamarindo puts a Latin twist on classic comfort food

Photo by Lauren J. Mapp

Tamarindo’s pescado Vera Cruz features lightly fried and crisped white fish with a variety of vegetables and cilantro rice.

by Lauren J. STAFF WRITER

Mapp

When walking into the wanderlustful Tamarindo Latin Kitchen and Bar, guests are transported to the far-reaching corners of Latin America.

From the highly danceable music drifting through the airwaves to the Havana-inspired facade on the wall, being inside of Tamarindo doesn’t feel like you’re still in San Diego.

“When we were designing the look of it, we wanted to make it look like we were in a zócalo, which is a town square in a Latin American country, and have that feel of where people gather and talk and get together and mingle,” District Manager Steve Blasingham said.

Opened in May 2017, the North Park restaurant uses ingredients and dishes from

Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean Islands and Spain as inspiration for its fusion-style menu.

“We really focus on comfort food with a little bit of a Latin twist,” said Ray Ha, general manager. “We’re really targeting for something that is a little more innovative and taking Latin America as an inspiration for it.”

While creating new menu items, Blasingham sometimes draws inspiration from his grandmother and greatgrandmother’s cooking. His grandmother was from Morelia, Michoacán in Mexico and his great-grandmother was born in Spain and raised in Morelia.

“Sometimes, when we’re tasting something, I can see myself sitting in my great-grandmother’s kitchen when I was a little kid and her serving it to me, and I go, ‘This reminds me of great-

grandma,’” Blasingham said.

Aside from aiming to serve modern twists on classic dishes, the team at Tamarindo also strives to serve healthy comfort foods. “(For) the food, we wanted it to be fresh, good, local, whenever we can, healthier than maybe some traditional Latin American dishes, but still definitely have its roots in Latin American flavors,” Blasingham said.

One of the most popular dishes from the current menu is the short rib glazed with tamarindo and served atop a corn puree with sauteed baby kale and heirloom tomatoes.

Salty notes from the braised meat are balanced with the sweetness of the glaze, Ha said.

“Tamarind is one of my favorite flavors, in general, from South America,” Ha said. “I’ve been

to Costa Rica, Honduras and El Salvador, and it’s just something that’s very unique in that region.”

To create this plate, the short ribs are slow roasted in a combi oven that allows the cooks to control for humidity, in addition to controlling for heat and time, Ha said.

The result is a tender short rib that doesn’t get dried out in the oven and practically melts off the bone. In addition to a diverse menu, Tamarindo also offers a list of cocktails made with housemade ingredients.

“Our cocktail program is definitely a focus of ours, and a lot of our cocktails are handcrafted,” Ha said. “A lot of mixers or infusions are done inhouse, we make a lot of our own syrups, we make a lot of our own juices — we juice in-house, by hand.”

The restaurant’s namesake cocktail — the Margarita Tamarindo — reinvents the classic margarita by including tamarind, a spicy tajin salt rim and a shot of mezcal on the side.

“A lot of people don’t realize that there are a lot of spirits created from agave, and mezcal is one of them,” Ha said. “We try to introduce people to a little more of the smoky side of an agave spirit like mezcal with the (Margarita Tamarindo).”

Tamarindo serves happy hour every day from 3 to 6 p.m., and specials last all day on Tuesdays, along with $4 tacos, tostadas and sopes. Adding to their Taco Tuesday offerings, Tropical Thursday specials will be revealed in October along with a a newly updated menu featuring several Caribbean Island-inspired dishes.

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Photo by Lauren J. Mapp

Tamarindo’s chai flan is served with cinnamon sugar-dusted tortilla chips.

The Daily Aztec does not endorse or support and has no affiliation with the products or services offered in the Classifieds section. To place an ad in print or online, please visit www.thedailyaztec.com/classifieds

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The Daily Aztec

The Back Page

Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, 2018 Editor: Julianna Ress • arts@thedailyaztec.com

New Spider-Man game impresses fans

by Angelica STAFF WRITER

Wallingford

Coming off the massive hits at the box office, the folks at Marvel decided to dust off the controller and team up with Insomniac Games and Sony PlayStation to revisit the world of gaming.

What could have been an insufferable, generic superhero gaming experience was made into an immersive, nearly flawless game that’s sure to be the textbook superhero game for years to come.

At face value, “Spider-Man” feels like just another chapter in the epic of Peter Parker’s life.

Donning his signature blue and red suit, you weave through the streets of New York stopping villains and saving civilians from harm.

What the player gets is an immersive experience that just doesn’t compete with any one of the myriad of “Spider-Man” games, or even films, that have been released over the past two decades.

Where this games succeeds the most, and what most of the games and films in the series failed to do, was capture the essence of what it is to be Spider-Man. It takes off the proverbial spider mask and shows the iconic superhero for who he truly is: a guy trying to balance his life out and do the right thing.

On one hand, he’s a tough crime fighter taking down New York’s criminal elite; on the other, he’s dealing with things that everyone struggles with: love, family, career and mortality.

The game starts with your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, equipped with his signature, sassy comebacks and a popular social media account, taking selfies at death-defying heights and mingling with the people of New York, all while keeping the city safe.

His day job is working as an assistant for Dr. Otto Octavius, a scientist experiencing a fall from grace due to immense jealousy and guilt from his former friendship with Mayor Norman Osborn.

Other well-known characters from the franchise’s past include Peter’s beloved aunt May, former-Daily-Bugle-editorturned-conspiracy-theorist-radio-host J. Jonah Jameson and Parker’s love interest Mary Jane Watson, who’s a reporter with a penchant for getting caught in SpiderMan’s web of enemies.

The boss fights are something to behold.

They don’t feel like a series of standard ones from past video games.

It feels like an actual fight, not a series of code that reacts to a particular attack.

While the first major boss fight,

Courtesy of Insomniac Games

Spider-Man clings onto fragments of a building during a fight in “Spider-Man,” released in September for PlayStation 4.

featuring an angry and charging Kingpin, was a generic combat tutorial at best, the rest bring an atypical experience, which highlights the game’s fluid combat system.

The momentum doesn’t stop when you move from the fan favorite villains to common street criminals.

The way the player moves from villain to villain is an excellent exhibition of flawless fluidity that the game captures so well.

This style of combat feels more at home in “Spider-Man” than it did in another stellar superhero gaming classic, “Arkham Knight.”

While Batman is just as idolized as Spider-Man, the parkour laced combat moves feel more at home with Spidey than they do with the Dark Knight.

The inclusion of Mr. Negative is a welcome surprise and interesting turn from the usual selection of Spider-Man’s cavalcade of villains.

In this incarnation, Mr. Negative, AKA Martin Li, is aiming to take over Kingpin’s territory and using the deadly Devil’s Breath virus to do it.

While our web-slinging hero stops him, the effects the virus leaves has consequences felt throughout the rest of the game concluding with an epic rooftop fight against Spider-Man’s mentor-turnedmadman Otto Octavius, now known as Doctor Octopus.

Aside from the main missions, sleuthing with MJ and the next incarnation of Spidey, Miles Morales provides a refreshing break from beating up bad guys.

Courtesy of Insomniac Games

Spider-Man fights off Electro during one the game’s most memorable boss battles.

Another high point is stripping off the iconic spider suit and playing as Peter Parker, the scientist.

The mini games include gene splicing, chemical arrangement and circuit puzzles that range from absurdly easy to so difficult, you’re practically close to throwing your controller across the room.

Where the game falls flat is when it comes to innovating the open-world format.

“Spider-Man” utilizes age-old tropes and while they are familiar to anyone who has played any open-world game, they become repetitive fast.

The side missions could become monotonous after a while, but they don’t take away from the overall enjoyment of

the game.

However, while the open world doesn’t provide any groundbreaking features, it’s the perfect medium to highlight the stellar web-swinging.

It’s your main mode of transportation and it’s the best way to navigate from mission to mission around the vast landscape and tall buildings.

Despite its few shortcomings, “SpiderMan” succeeds in providing an in-depth story which immerses the player in every aspect of Peter Parker’s world.

With the fluid combat system, multitude of mission and stellar graphics, this game is well worth picking up the controller for a few hours and swinging through New York City.

Intramural Sports

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

TOURNAMENT FALL 2018

OCT 6 9am–5pm South Mission Volleyball Courts Don’t miss out!

Register Now! Courtesy of Insomniac Games

One of the features in the new video game is taking selfies at death-defying heights.

arc.sdsu.edu/intramurals