01-23-2019

Wednesday, Jan. 23 - Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019 Weekly Print Edition

Vol. 105, Issue 19 www.thedailyaztec.com

San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

WHAT’S INSIDE

California College Republicans void formal recognition of SDSU chapter

OPINION: YOUTH, STEP UP

by Michael STAFF WRITER

Young candidates may be the answer to taking down Trump in the 2020 election.

PAGE 5

BROKEN RECORDS Track & Field sees two school records fall on the same day PAGE 3

Cline

The San Diego State College Republicans lost its official, recognized status on Dec. 23 after the California College Republicans judicial board revoked its charter. Now, 10 state

chapters have voted to remove themselves in protest of CCR leadership.

Associate Justice of the CCR judicial board Matthew Vitale ruled on Dec. 23 San Diego State College Republicans President Madison Marks-Noble violated an organization bylaw that prohibits the leaking of private

and confidential information.

The private conversation was between Marks-Noble and CCR Chairwoman Ariana Rowlands.

According to court documents, Rowlands referred to Chico State Republicans President Sarah Morcott as a “bitch.”

Marks-Noble sent a screenshot of the conversation to Morcott,

who later produced a copy to CCR Parliamentarian Kimo Gandall. Gandall, who did not return a request for comment from The Daily Aztec, alleged the screenshot was in violation of an SEE COLLEGE REPUBLICANS, PAGE 2

Thousands of activists fill San Diego streets for third annual Women’s March

by David Santillan ASST. NEWS EDITOR

Despite recent accusations of anti-Semitism, thousands of activists gathered in downtown San Diego for a third consecutive year to participate in the Women’s March, advocating for various causes including gender equality and LGBTQ rights, while also protesting the president.

Two years ago, the Women’s March became the largest protest in U.S. history following the election of President Trump.

Now, in the midst of the nation’s longest government shutdown, the platform of the march has widened to include issues such as immigration reform and gun control.

“I’m marching today to support all of my women, I

RESIDENTES MARCHAN Activistas se unen a la Marcha de las Mujeres por la tercera vez durante el cierre de gobierno.

PAGE 11

SPRING CONCERT GUIDE From ASAP Rocky to Muse, read up on the best upcoming shows in San Diego.

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Photo by Bella Ross

Advocates took to the streets in downtown San Diego on Jan. 19 for the third annual Women’s March San Diego.

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College Republicans:

continued from page 1 organization bylaw.

The CCR bylaws prohibit “unauthorized, public disclosure of personal communications” in conversations over social media or within group chats. Such communications are those on public sites “which would be damaging to the reputation” of the organization or harm the “personal and/or professional relationships of the injured party.”

Marks-Noble said she initially supported the passage of the specific bylaw as an important measure against the leaking of official state organization communications. She said the bylaw was misused to litigate a screenshot of

Women’s March: continued from page 1

raised by women, ” UC San Diego graduate student Antoinette Ronquillo said. “For change to happen you need to be there an participate.”

Monica Boyle, an executive board member of Women’s March San Diego, said this year’s march sought to celebrate the newly elected women in office following the 2018 midterms, which led congress to host a record-high number of 102 female congresswomen.

No PCAT Required

Jan. 23-29, 2019 EDITOR: Bella Ross • news@thedailyaztec.com

a personal conversation to retaliate for political purposes, considering MarksNoble had earlier announced her candidacy for state leadership on a slate in opposition to Gandall’s.

Vitale found Marks-Noble’s screenshot was disseminated without Rowlands’ authorization and harmed the professional relationship between Rowlands and Morcott. His ruling stripped Marks-Noble and Morcott of their good standing with CCR. The ruling also revoked charters for their college chapters. Vitale’s opinion cited accountability of all organization members as a principal consideration.

“Without a method of holding members accountable, the bylaws and other governing documents may as well cease to exist,” Vitale said.

In protest of CCR leadership, the executive boards of ten chapters voted to de-charter their organizations. The ten chapters criticized the case as a mere “petty, personal dispute” in a Jan. 16 press

release.

“CCR has deteriorated into a dysfunctional mess ran by a small social clique that is more focused on ‘punishing’ dissatisfied chapters and members,” the press release said.

Additionally, in a separate press release, UC Riverside College Republicans President Alan Nguyen alleged interference and harassment by state organization officials during a chapter meeting on Jan. 17. Nguyen said officials attended the meeting unannounced, with one berating him in front of chapter members. UC Riverside was among the ten state chapters that dissociated their clubs from CCR. “The state organization is willing to publicly attack local chapter presidents if it means preserving power and control,” Nguyen said.

CCR also issued a press release, calling the dissociation of state chapters a “failed attempt to seize power.” They also

criticized the chapters’ accusations against state leadership as unsubstantiated.

“They have divided college republicans across the state in an effort to destroy this organization,” the press release said.

While the San Diego State College Republicans chapter has lost its charter, the club can regain its good standing with the state organization if it appoints a new president or members restructure the club’s governing documents under new leadership, according to Vitale’s ruling.

Marks-Noble remains president of the organization and said she plans to meet with chapter members this week to discuss future plans, which may include following the ten chapters that voluntarily dechartered from CCR. She said she believes more chapters will move to dissociate themselves from the state organization in light of the current situation.

“I won’t let some distant entity dictate what happens in my club,” Marks-Noble said.

“There’s been an incredible number of women that have stepped up into positions of leadership,” Boyle said.

“We’re here to celebrate (them); we’re also here to put a spotlight on many of the challenges that we still face.”

Across the nation, activists supported the Women’s March despite controversy surrounding one of its co-chairs, Tamika Mallory, after she publicly supported Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan who is known for having made antiSemitic comments in the past.

According to a report by the National Review, this caused the Women’s March to lose the sponsorship of the Democratic

National Committee and a number of other significant donors.

While this controversy might have pushed some to stay home form this year’s march, many others still turned out, with an estimated 20,000 attendees having filled the streets of downtown San Diego on Jan. 19. By contrast, USA Today reported roughly 60,000 attendees at the Washington march, compared to the estimated 500,000 two years ago.

San Diego State public relations senior Angelena Lufrano attended the march and said she hoped the event sent a message to the administration about the people they’re representing.

“I think they need to see all the people that are out here and all the different types of people that they’re meant to represent, and really get people (that look) like us into power and get our voices heard,” Lufrano said.

Locally, Assemblyman Todd Gloria

(D-San Diego) said San Diego elected officials are looking to tackle some of the issues that were being highlighted at the march, such as family separations at the border, immigration reform, equal pay and women’s reproductive rights.

“I think, first and foremost, we have to listen,” Gloria said. “Listen to these voices that have historically been marginalized in the public debate and then take action upon what we hear.”

In regards to statewide issues, Gloria attributed the root of many problems to economic injustice, citing the current affordable housing crisis as an issue he thinks should be considered a top priority.

“I think, if we prioritize (the housing crisis), we can work on other issues like health care, education and criminal justice reform, the other issues that are very important,” Gloria said.

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Advocates took to the streets in downtown San Diego on Jan. 19 for the third annual Women’s March San Diego.

Jan. 23-29, 2019 EDITOR: Bella Ross, news@thedailyaztec.com

News

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3

Three SDSU students awarded prestigious NASA fellowships for individual research

by Daniel Guerrero STAFF WRITER

Three San Diego State students have been awarded NASA fellowships to fund their individual graduate research and give them first-hand experience working with NASA scientists.

Analytical chemistry graduate Haley Swanson and aerospace engineering graduates Sergio Sandoval and Adrian Rivera received the fellowship awards, giving them the opportunity to work with NASA scientists over the next three years and to be provided funds by NASA to

further their respective fields of research.

Swanson, who graduated from University of Tampa Bay with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and is currently working on receiving her masters and doctorate degrees from SDSU, said she is thrilled to have gotten this opportunity.

“I could never picture myself, in my wildest dreams, being a part of NASA,” Swanson said.

Swanson said she is especially thankful for this award because it was the last opportunity for her to apply for the fellowship.

“This was kind of my only shot,” Swanson said. “I put

everything I had into the application.”

Swanson’s main focus in research has dealt with the origin of life and possible chemical reactions that may affect it.

Because of this, Swanson said this made her research unique compared to the others submitted for the award. “(Mine was) the only originof-life related project, which is one of NASA’s core aims,” Swanson said.

Analytical chemistry and biochemistry professor Greg Holland said Swanson has been his student for the past four years and has been a great student and

Three SDSU students are taking home fellowships from NASA to fund their own individual research projects.

mentor.

“It’s been great working on this project with her, she’s a really good student, and she’s a really good mentor (to the undergraduate students),” Holland said.

Sandoval, another fellowship recipient from SDSU, grew up in Tijuana, Mexico and earned his bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering at Georgia Tech before starting in SDSU’s master’s program.

Sandoval said receiving NASA’s funding will allow him to continue expanding his research proposal that has the potential to make space exploration more

Courtesy photo

cost efficient. In the last year, he also has worked with NASA’s Mission Planning and Trajectory Design.

“We’re developing a new method for entry descent landing for spacecrafts, specifically for (those sent to) Mars,” Sandoval said.

Sandoval also said working with aerospace engineering professor Ping Lu helped him with what he has accomplished. “(Lu) was the biggest help,” Sandoval said. “I have never had a professor that puts himself out there for his students. Thanks to him, all this happened.”

Rivera, the third fellowship recipient from SDSU, has researched how spacecrafts can limit damage and prevent failures during takeoffs and landings, with Aerospace engineering professor Satchi Venkataraman as his mentor. He is pursuing a joint doctoral degree in structural engineering at SDSU and at UCSD. He graduated in May 2018 with his bachelor’s in aerospace engineering.

Rivera said he hopes the fellowship allows him to help NASA’s future in space exploration.

“I hope the funding helps with humanity to get into space and to further along technology with it,” Rivera said.

He said receiving the fellowship makes him feel humbled and lucky because of its competitive nature.

“I was extremely lucky,” Rivera said. “I’m really fortunate and humbled to be able to receive a NASA fellowship. It’s a very competitive fellowship.”

Researchers piece together remnants of the past with 3D Greek digital photographic library

by Nakia Richardson STAFF WRITER

In a tech-savvy world, SDSU’s Classics department is adopting more innovative means in which students can take a look at ancient artifacts – without having to travel thousands of miles across the globe.

“Some of the most important pieces are sherds … there’s one piece in New York, four pieces in Florence, two pieces in Paris in the Louvre,” Dr. Danielle Bennett, a professor in the Humanities department said. “3D design is going to bring them all together in the digital library.”

As a child, Bennett said she had a love for studying the ancient world and always wanted to know more about the lives of those who lived in archaic times. After obtaining her bachelors from the University of Missouri, Columbia and both her Masters and PhD in classical and near eastern archaeology from Bryn Mawr College, she said she discovered

just how little we all know about the past.

“Most of the pottery that is found in excavations and are broken – we don’t have the entire story,” Bennett said.

Bennett said the problem with museums is they have thousands of broken pottery sherds in the back and not on display. Many pieces have been sold through markets or have been separated by the researchers themselves and placed in multiple museums worldwide.

With this in mind, she said her goal is to document each sherd found, place all of them in a database and allow observers to search for connections.

Professor Elizabeth Pollard, associate professor of history said most of what we see in museums are not what most people in ancient Rome and Greece would have used on a daily basis. They are the remnants of the rich or the elite.

“It’s extremely innovative what she’s doing – taking computational

photography – what’s not neat, not the most beautiful and taking things that aren’t museum-worthy quality and putting them all together,” Pollard said.

Computational (metric) photography or photogrammetry, according to the National GeoSpatial Information of the Republic of South Africa, is the process of using pictures to obtain measurements that record the shape, position and size of the object being analyzed. It is also commonly used to obtain coordinates of locations.

Once Bennett gets a grant approval from the Dean’s office, her first step is to take lots of pictures from different angles.

After that, engineers will compile all of the photos and, with specialized computer software, make all photos 3D. Bennett said the user can see the manufacturing directions of the artifact, how it was painted, what needed to be drawn and how it tells a story. Her colleague, professor Pollard said it can also

show fingerprints from 2500 years ago along with multiple other details and stories that cannot be seen with the naked eye – all soon to be accessible from Love library.

“You can turn the objects over and see what is on the bottom of the 3D models and connect it to the 3D printer,” Bennett said. “You can print your own greek vase.”

Bennett said her hope is, once the project is complete, it can be

used in the classroom setting and for research purposes. Students would get to work hands-on with the library and participate in photogrammetry composition – a skill that can be put on a resume.

“Students creating digital projects get hands-on experience,” Pollard said. “This will bring attention to the innovative quality of the university.”

Courtesy photo

The 3D digital photographic library will help to tell a story about ancient artifacts.

4

Opinion

The Daily Aztec

Jan. 23-29, 2019 EDITOR: Kemi Giwa • opinion@thedailyaztec.com

Mr. President, end the shutdown

by Shayne Jones STAFF WRITER

As the government shutdown enters a month and counting, democracy is nothing more than a cacophony of flaccid arguments drowned out by the egotistical mutterings of a man drunk on power.

The shutdown, which has officially broken the record as the longest in U.S. history, begins and ends with each party’s refusal to budge in its convictions regarding border security.

Haven’t we learned by now not to accept anything at face value?

Especially if that face is a pruny, cheeto-dusted “businessman” with a Hitler complex?

While he and the Democrats butt heads during negotiations— ’negotiations’ being a generous term—on potential funding for President Donald Trump’s inaugural promise of a border wall, nearly one million federal employees have been either mandated to work without pay or worse, furloughed.

Among those furloughed are public and national park custodians who, until Dec 22 2018, maintained and eliminated waste in natural wonders such as Yosemite.

Park toilets are overflowing with putrid excrement, garbage bins toppled over, campgrounds trashed; a conservationist legacy pioneered by presidents past, tarnished by indecency and vandalism.

Several major parks have even threatened to close indefinitely.

Superintendent David Smith of Joshua Tree National Park moved to close the grounds after reporting that vandals had “cut locks off of closed entrance gates, killed Joshua Trees and driven vehicles illegally in closed parts of the park, creating new roads through pristine desert areas.”

In a press statement released Jan. 9 by the National Park Services on the potential closure of Joshua Tree National Park, NPS announced that with aid from recreational fees, the park would in fact remain accessible to the public—but most of the damage is irrevocable.

Human life is at stake, too. A hiker fell to his death at Yosemite while chasing after his dog on a trail with bad conditions due to the fact that there were no workers to help with the maintenance of it.

It was Christmas Day. Not four days before that, a 14-year-old girl met the same gruesome end at Horseshoe Bend

Overlook in Arizona.

This shutdown has, quite ironically, trespassed the moral boundaries generated by congressional arguments for or against border security and is now seeping quickly into the cracks of our National Park System, our agriculture inspection and our livelihood.

Trump’s childishly stubborn

“America is far from ‘great,’ politics are at standstill, and it’s all so that border ruffians can spend money (that we don’t even have) to deter people whose cultural thread is woven tightly, and might I say, crucially, into our national fabric.” resolve to “Make America Great Again” is having real, domestic implications.

America is far from “great,”

politics are at a standstill, and it’s all so that border ruffians can spend money (that we don’t even have) to deter people whose cultural thread is woven tightly, and might I say, crucially, into our national fabric.

This shutdown needs to end; that truth is clearly evident.

It needs to end for fathers who are unable to feed their children, for wolves whose dens were demolished by dunces doing donuts in the Joshua Tree desert, and for at least a fraction of our remaining national treasures to evade destruction.

But the end will not come at zero cost, and I mean that both literally and metaphorically.

Something is eventually going to have to give, and I hope passionately that what does is not the Democrats’ refusal to build a wall.

But if it does, I’m ready to fight for those who have lost the right to fight at all.

We have to save what’s left of our national integrity.

And that, Donald Trump, is something that you nor any government shutdown can take away from us.

Shayne Jones is a junior studying journalism.

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 Alejandra Luna 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 Amal Younis ASST. MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Mirella Lopez GRAPHIC DESIGNER Katherine Cooke

STAFF WRITERS Kyle Betz Michael Cline Daniel Guerrero Shayne Jones Kaitlyn Little Antonio Márquez Nakia Richardson Tristi Rodriguez Madeleine Schwarz Miles Streicek Brenden Tuccinardi Catherine Van Weele ________________________________

Time to act on climate change right now

by Catherine STAFF WRITER

Van Weele

The United Nations came out with a report in October warning us if we don’t get our act together soon, the damage climate change will have on our planet will become irreversible.

The evidence of climate change has been mounting throughout the last several decades, and yet we remain apathetic and complacent to the slow destruction of our home planet.

We are already beginning to see the harmful effects climate change has on our planet.

Global warming is triggering the ice caps in the Arctic to melt which, in turn, is causing sea levels to rise.

As a coastal city, the consequences of this matter will likely be seen significantly here in San Diego.

The homes and businesses located by the shoreline will eventually be underwater as the ocean moves further inland.

It would hurt the environment, and the economy as well.

This is not the only repercussion that we have seen.

The massive fires in California over the past few years were caused by heat and drought — both brought on by climate change.

An increase in extreme weather and irregularity in precipitation patterns could also cause a decline in agricultural production,

leading to food shortages.

Higher annual global temperatures may result in an increase of heat-related illnesses and cause longer allergy seasons.

We are already witnessing the damages of climate change, but our willingness to actively promote and support the wellbeing of the planet is as low as ever.

Our indifference may be attributed to the way our brains evolved to process information and danger.

The human brain is wired to respond to immediate and direct threats.

Climate change is a gradual, cumulative danger that has no visible effect on our day-to-day lives; our brains are unable to fully comprehend to this issue of great quantity and complexity.

Most people understand climate change can negatively affect others, but do not believe it will harm them personally.

Thus, we are left feeling impartial to climate change.

We need to find a way to overcome this impartiality.

It’s been suggested if the media alters the way they present information regarding climate change, it can influence the way we comprehend information on climate change and its effects.

Instead of the narrative that we are all doomed and incapable of reversing our fate, the use of selective framing will help people believe they have the ability and

duty to take action.

This means that media organizations, like television networks and news outlets, should take steps to frame climate change differently when presenting to various demographics.

Tailoring how drastically climate change will impact specific demographics will make

“It’s been suggested if the media alters the way they present information regarding climate change, it can influence the way we comprehend information on climate change and its effects.” them more responsive.

In a study conducted by the Social Science Quarterly, they found the way an article framed climate change to address different moral values of various ideological groups influenced the level of support toward environmental issues.

For example, presenting climate change as a security risk or a human rights risk, then individuals will assign it great importance.

The study used several different

framing perspectives centering around science, religion and economics.

A positive scientific framing focused on what we can do to improve the planet as opposed to negative scientific framing expressing how we will continue damaging the planet through our actions.

Religious framing equated preserving the earth to protecting God’s creation.

Economic framing emphasized socioeconomic equity and the potentially heavy costs in response to climate change in the future and that it would be more cost effective to invest in the environment now.

The study found positive scientific and economic framing reduces the polarization of climate change and garners more support.

The Trump administration continues to roll back on important environmental policies, and it is our responsibility to push back.

If not, the effects of climate change will only worsen and if the recent UN report is accurate, our time to fix our ways is running out.

We must find a way to care enough to take action by changing our habits and supporting environmentalist legislation to protect our home planet.

Catherine Van Weele is a freshman studying political science.

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Jan. 23-29, 2019 EDITOR: Kemi Giwa • opinion@thedailyaztec.com

Opinion

The Daily Aztec

5

Young people can make a difference in 2020

by Kemi giwa OPINION EDITOR

Alas.

Campaign season has begun.

Perhaps a bit early, to some — but for good reason, of course.

The primaries will be crowded, and each Democratic candidate knows they need to make their case to the American people.

A clear and compelling case for why they are the best person to take on Trump, rehabilitate the country and refocus the country’s energy into priorities the majority of Americans genuinely care about — the economy, healthcare, gun policy, immigration reform and more.

Now, similar to the 2016 presidential election, television pundits are already beginning to berate young people for our lack of participation.

While some of the critique is fair, any critique suggesting that young people don’t care is simply untrue.

We do.

But for those of us not impacted by widespread voter suppression, or other concerted efforts to derail certain groups of people from voting — we can and absolutely must channel this collective concern for the state of our union into bold, unrelenting action.

By doing this, we can ensure that after Jan. 20, 2021, we

no longer have to deal with a president who refers to neonazis as “fine people” or black athletes as “sons of bitches,” one who holds 800,000 federal workers hostage in order to con the American people of their hard-earned money all for an unnecessary 2,000 mile wall, or one who authorizes the separation of families and the caging of children.

The list goes on, and the only way to stop this nonsense is

about the policies that matter and more importantly, about how critical this moment in time is.

Consolidating and fortifying the majority in the House is crucial, and regaining the Senate and the White House is key to keeping this sinking ship afloat.

But, this will take a lot of hard work.

Work that can’t wait until a few months before November 2020.

complacency.

Also important is making sure we support the Democratic nominee.

Whoever it may be.

Now, this isn’t to suggest that we shouldn’t be critical of all candidates, we should.

They need to be put through the ringer, their past voting records should be analyzed in depth.

We must hold them accountable, viciously challange

“...we can ensure that after Jan. 20, 2021, we no longer have to deal with a president who refers to neo-nazis as ‘fine people’ or black athletes as ‘sons of bitches,’ one who holds 800,000 federal workers hostage in order to con the American people of their hard-earned money all for an unnecessary 2,000 mile wall, or one who authorizes the separation of families and the caging of children.” action.

If there is anything last November showed us, it’s that grassroots organizing really does work.

Organize.

Protest.

Knock on doors.

Volunteer to phone bank.

Post on social media.

Talk to your neighbors.

Talk to your friends.

Talk to them about the candidates that inspire you,

The work starts now.

We can’t take the impressive surge in political activity and excitement amongst young people for granted.

We musn’t risk thinking, “Oh well, my friends are all voting, so I don’t think I need to” or “My vote doesn’t count, so I won’t vote.”

There is far too much at stake to let the importance of this election slip our minds, and we can’t afford to languish in

and demand they answer to us.

This isn’t a request, it’s a requirement.

But, we should do that while understanding what’s on the line, and remembering the importance of giving people the space to grow, evolve and explain.

And to those who aren’t finding the slate of potential nominees particularly appealing, just remember: an imperfect candidate is better than a

Republican president.

Every single Democratic candidate will be problematic in one way or another, but there won’t be a candidate more problematic than Donald Trump.

As far as House or Senate races go, if you’re not satisfied with the ways in which the elected officials in your community are representing and you think you can do better, run.

After this past November, we now have a Congress with an unprecented amount of people of color, women and young people.

This is because our voices resonated with the rising demographics of this country and those tired of business as usual, status quo politics.

Our perspecitives on issues ranging from healthcare and minimum wage to jobs and social justice makes sense.

I also especially implore young people of color and women to run.

Representation in spaces where we’re given the opportunity to shape policy isn’t something we should take for granted.

Figure out where you fit in and what you have to offer in the fight to generate a massive blue wave, and get to work.

Kemi Giwa is a senior studying public relations and political science.

Pay attention to the crisis in South Africa

by Miles Streicek STAFF WRITER

Since the summer, the African National Congress government of South Africa, under president Cyril Ramaphosa, has been looking to make changes to their constitution to allow, the seizure of land without compensation.

They plan to use these new powers to displace thousands of Afrikaner farmers in the Orange Free State and redistribute the land to the African majority.

These land confiscations will devastate their agricultural sector.

We in America have to do something about this before South African descends into chaos.

But things looked very different 25 years ago.

South Africa was integrating its society socially and economically.

According to “Trading Economics” the economy was growing at 4-6 percent per year.

Nowadays, integration has stopped, growth is now anywhere from 2 percent to in the negatives.

What is going on?

To understand the crisis that faces the diverse African Republic, we have to look at the historical backdrop for modern South Africa.

The nation was under a severe institutional system of racial segregation for decades between the end of the second world war and 1991.

This system favored the two white ethnic groups who were given voting rights and economic opportunity, the other groups were not.

It was to the point where the average South African would almost never interact with someone outside of their group.

This all came to an end as the last minority rule president, F. W. de Klerk, decided to roll back apartheid laws and open the elections to all races.

The native African tribes were simultaneously revolting against the minority government and in conflict with one another.

The future looked dark, and de Klerk correctly viewed ending apartheid as the only way to save South Africa from oblivion.

The first multiracial election in South Africa resulted in the lawyer and civil rights icon, Nelson Mandela, winning by a landslide.

He was carried by the black African vote but also received large numbers of votes from the white and mixed-race population because Mandela strongly supported a marginally popular idea with the African majority,

the Rainbow Nation.

Mandela believed that South Africa could only succeed and prosper as a nation if they left their racist roots behind.

He recognized that instead of a nation wrot with tribal warfare,

“Unless we Americans do something to stop them, South Africa has no future other than racial conflict and national decline.

Many, here in the U.S. are advocating for a stop to the land seizures...” a nation united in its natural diversity is the path to prosperity for all.

His presidency was marked with the complete restructuring of South African society.

Mandela did everything in his power to oppose the radical wings of his African National Congress (ANC) who demanded a black ruled nation to replace a white ruled nation.

The ANC soon forgot Mandela’s

message.

The black African nationalism became the dominant ideology within the ANC. They have been inspired by the genocidal maniac dictator of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe.

Zimbabwe also had its own, lighter form of apartheid ruled by its white British minority.

Mugabe, as soon as he won a civil war against the British minority, decided to expel or murder the British, which led to the complete polarization and collapse of Zimbabwean society into the nation it is today, among the poorest countries in the world.

The ANC, historically, argues that they are on land stolen from indigenous African tribes.

But those farmers are descendants from a pioneer group called the Voortrekkers who fled from the British ruled Capetown to the African interior, in an area that was previously depopulated from Zulu and Bantu wars.

They didn’t steal anyone’s land, and even if they had, it is absurd to punish people for the deeds of their ancestors.

The situation could be summed up by Julius Malema of the far-left EFF party stating “I'm saying to you, we've not called for the killing of white people, at

least for now.”

Unless we Americans do something to stop them, South Africa has no future other than racial conflict and national decline.

Many, here in the U.S., are advocating for a stop to the land seizures, including President Donald Trump.

I would personally advocate for imposing tough economic sanctions on the country.

The U.S. has an enormous sway economically everywhere on earth, and therefore restricting trade from and to any country has a devastating effect on their economy.

It is the single most powerful, non-violent weapon for change that our country has in it’s arsenal.

Countries respond to sanctions and often capitulate their goals to conditionally reopen trade.

The ANC would likely backtrack their new racist policies in exchange for the prolonged gravy train that is trade with the US. We sanctioned South Africa during its old apartheid days and they cracked under the pressure, we should do the same with their new apartheid.

Miles Streicek is a sophomore studying economics.

6

News

The Daily Aztec

Jan. 23-29, 2019 EDITOR: Bella Ross • news@thedailyaztec.com

Journalism department gets new internship coordinator

by Kaitlyn Little STAFF WRITER

This semester, Laura Castañeda will be joining the San Diego State School of Journalism and Media Studies as its new internship coordinator, where she said she is looking forward to providing students with some much-needed guidance.

A graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Castañeda said she immediately got a job when she graduated at the Chicago ABC station, WLS. However, she said upon entering the job, she didn’t know what she was doing.. For this reason, she said she keeps this experience in mind when teaching because she doesn’t want students to be in the same situation.

“I don’t want students to go through what I did,” Castañeda said, “I want them to be prepared. I want them to know the vocabulary, I want them to know when somebody mentions something, I don’t want them to get wide-eyed, I want them to know exactly and seamlessly what somebody is asking them to do.”

After gaining a significant amount of experience in the field, she became a reporter in Tucson, Ariz. for a few years

before moving to San Diego to work for KGTV Channel 10, an ABC affiliate. Her career then left on an unexpected path when she decided to teach at San Diego City College, spending 17 years as a professor and eventually as department chair. During this time, she freelanced and produced her own show for KBPS called “Stories de la Frontera,” which won two Emmy awards.

With many years of experience under her wings, Castañeda said she is hopeful she will be able to enlighten students in her new position.

“I love to mentor,” Castañeda said. “I love to teach students something that I know they don’t know.”

Despite being new to campus, she said she already has plans to make some changes to the internship program in upcoming semesters after she gets a better feel for the campus. ”For now, as I’m walking in the doors, trying to wrap my head around everything that’s involved and doing the internship, we’re not going to be making very many changes for spring semester,” Castañeda said.

“But, going forward, I definitely have some great ideas I want to propose to them to try to make it easier and better for everybody that’s involved.”

She said many students from her past have grown to do big things, such as Telemundo 20 TV host Guadalupe Venegas and broadcaster and meteorologist Crystal Egger. Castañeda said she constantly pushes her students to work their hardest and strive in their department, something she thinks is central to her new position. “(Professors are) like coaches,” Castañeda said. “We push people, we encourage people, we mentor people and then, really, the rest is up to them. I have a lot of tenacity and any student who has had me before will tell you that I don’t give up easily. So when I see somebody that has what it takes to be successful in journalism, marketing, public relations and advertising, I’m gonna push them, and that’s what I’ve done in the past.”

She said one of her goals in this position is clearing any student confusion about internships.

That way, even if students do not qualify for the journalism and media studies internship class or they have not taken the prerequisites, they can come to an orientation to learn about the internship process on Jan. 23 from 11 a.m. to noon in PSFA 309 or on Jan. 25 from noon to 1 p.m. in PSFA 309.

Courtesy photo

Laura Castañeda will assume her new role as the journalism internship coordinator this semester.

Snakes’ vision subject of latest university research

by Chelsey Crowne STAFF WRITER

San Diego State doctoral student Hannes Schraft wanted to determine if snakes’ unique abilities to “see” infrared (IR) spectrums aids them in seeing at night. Although his expectation was to confirm that they do, his experiment’s findings indicate otherwise.

It’s common knowledge that snakes use IR light to hunt prey.

They are able to do this because of the pit organ, a specialized, heat-sensitive membrane on their faces. However, a snake’s visual

acuity at nighttime is on par with a cat’s, it was previously unclear if they tap into this additional sensory channel to see in the dark.

Last summer, in Yuma, Ariz., Schraft and his team of assistants wrangled groups of sidewinder snakes in order to study their night vision capabilities. One group’s eyes were blocked with duct tape, another had their pit organs covered with beeswax, another received both treatments and a final control group received neither. Snakes’ “seeing” ability was determined by how well they were able to find target bushes, which are often warmer than the

desert sand.

In a university press release about the experiment, Schraft said snakes without blindfolds found the target bushes just fine, regardless of whether or not their pit organs were covered. However, blindfolded snakes behaved a lot more erratically and were unable to find the bushes at all.

“When you look at the physiology of a snake, it should totally be able to find those bushes using IR senses, but they don’t use or pay attention to that information at all,” Schraft said.

“They totally rely on the eyes.”

In previous research, Schraft studied if rattlesnakes use their IR

senses to focus on cooler, typically slower prey, which might be easier to catch. As he reported in the Journal of Comparative Physiology, the snakes didn’t appear to show any preference for a particular temperature of lizard.

His work confirmed previous findings that rattlesnakes instead pay the most attention to temperature contrasts between prey and its surroundings.

Schraft said his fascination with snakes began with the corn snake and ball python he kept as a child, but developed into a professional interest after he met biology professor Rulon Clark at an animal behavior conference.

Intrigued by Clark’s work with rattlesnakes, Schraft decided to make them and their pit organs the topic of his dissertation.

“There’s a big mystery in the brains of snakes about how they put that thermal imaging together with the visual imaging,” Clark said.

Clark said the rattlesnake pit organ doesn’t work quite like a thermal imaging camera as many often picture because it isn’t a lens-based system. Instead, it probably works by creating glows or sharpening the images that the eyes see. Schraft’s findings support this hypothesis.

Crime report: Computer theft, trespassing, burglary

by Kaitlyn Little STAFF WRITER

Burglary It was reported around noon on Jan. 2 that an individual broke into the kitchen area of the Faculty Staff Club on Dec. 28 and Dec. 29.

Around 8 a.m. on Jan. 3, a nonSDSU student was arrested and taken to San Diego Central jail for breaking into a maintenance shop and for possession of a controlled substance at the Villa Alvarado Apartments.

Trespassing Two men were found with a shelter made of blankets and crates near the recycling center

at University Towers Residence Hall around 9 a.m. on Jan. 8.

Theft Around 11:30 a.m., a new iMac computer was was reported stolen from inside the Theta Chi fraternity house on Jan. 2.

On Jan. 7 around 10:45 a.m., a non-SDSU student was cited for the theft of five clothing items from the Aztec Shops Bookstore.

Two Dell monitors and one Dell universal docking station were reportedly stolen from the Professional Studies and Fine Arts building around 3:20 p.m. on Jan. 11.

A golden jacket, valued at $2,000, was reportedly stolen from the Women’s Softball Field around 6:45 p.m. on Jan 14.

Photo by David Pradel

Jan. 23-29, 2019 EDITOR: Abraham Jewett • sports@thedailyaztec.com

Sports

The Daily Aztec

7

Track & Field athletes set new records

by Aaron Tolentino ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

San Diego State Track & Field broke two records on Friday, Jan. 18, at meets more than 1,000 miles away from the other.

Freshman Nyjari McNeil, in her first collegiate race, set a new school record at the Dr. Martin Luther King Invite in Albuquerque, New Mexico, after posting a time of 1:30.22 in the 600m run to break Ellison Grove’s time of 1:31.48 from 2017.

Meanwhile, at the UCS Pole Vault Summit in Reno, Nevada, senior pole vaulter Bonnie Draxler cleared 14 feet and 3.75 inches to set a new school record of her own.

The mark broke Draxler’s own school record of 14 feet and 1.25 inches, which she set 328 days earlier at last year’s Mountain West Indoor Championships.

It was also the eighth best jump among all women at the meet, which featured some of the best in the world.

For McNeil, she said over the phone she did not expect to break a school record at that distance.

“I was kind of surprised when my coaches told me that I broke the school record because originally, I thought it wasn’t that

good of a race,” McNeil said. “It was my personal best by three seconds and a school record, so I was really happy.”

It was quite the debut, considering the last time she laced up a pair of track spikes was during her days at Franklin High School in Reisterstown, Maryland.

McNeil said it was a significant feat to beat her personal best by as much as she did.

“In high school, when I ran 600 (meters), I only got the chance to run it like once a year,” she said.

“I would only (have a personal record) by maybe half a second.”

McNeil’s main event is at 800 meters, so setting a school record in the 600 meter run gives her confidence moving forward. “(The 600m run) prepares me for my split in the 800, so it’s kind of a confidence run when I run the 800,” McNeil said.

“Hopefully, that’ll get me to the times I want to run in that race.”

Like McNeil, Draxler was pleasantly surprised to have set a new school record despite not exactly going for it.

Draxler did not find out she had broken her own school record until after the competition was completely over.

The fifth-year senior from Wisconsin said over the phone

she does not pay attention to the distance she needs to clear because it distracts her mentally.

“Lately, I’ve been trying not to pay attention to the height of the bar,” Draxler said. “It can kind of get into your head, and I don’t want to really worry about it.”

Draxler had already cleared the Aztec record, but those numbers were put up unofficially. It was now a matter of performing under the bright lights of an official meet.

She approached things with a easy-going demeanor knowing this feat was not something she had already done before.

“I know that was there,” Draxler said. “It’s just about executing and doing what I do in practice, staying confident in pole vaulting, enjoying myself but having fun knowing I can do it.”

The UCS Pole Vault Summit featured elite competition, including past pole vaulters from the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Draxler said she relished the opportunity to go up against pole vaulters of that caliber.

“They have an elite competition Friday night so all the best in world,” Draxler said. “I was lucky to compete with all the professional vaulters.”

Draxler’s goal moving forward

Courtesy of San Diego State Athletics

Then-junior pole vaulter Bonnie Draxler competes at a meet during the 2018 season.

is to qualify for the indoor national championships, and she said she must stay at that level during the high-stakes meets in the near future.

“The biggest thing is to qualify for nationals,” she said. “You

have to be in the top 18, so essentially (I need) the same kind of performance.”

To qualify, she must be in the top 18 and pole vault over 14 feet.

She did both on Friday.

Good from Jan 18 - Feb 28, 2019

8

Sports

The Daily Aztec

Jan. 23-29, 2019 EDITOR: Abraham Jewett • sports@thedailyaztec.com

McDaniels named Player of the Week

by Kyle Betz STAFF WRITER

San Diego State men’s basketball redshirt sophomore forward Jalen McDaniels was awarded Mountain West Player of the Week on Jan. 21.

The honor, which is the second of McDaniels’ career, comes following the Aztecs’ 9777 victory over New Mexico on Jan. 15. He shot just over 50 percent from the field, scoring 24 points and collecting 11 rebounds while contributing four assists.

McDaniels also added a block whilst earning his third straight double-double.

Prior to the win, McDaniels had never recorded threestraight double-doubles in his collegiate career.

In his second season, McDaniels has already improved his game on the Mesa.

In his redshirt freshman campaign, McDaniels did not appear on the starting lineup until a late December contest against Wyoming. He finished the season scoring 10.5 points and recording 7.5 rebounds per game.

McDaniels has been a catalyst on offense for the Aztecs this

season, ranking first in points per game (15.9) and rebounds (8) while starting all 17 games going into the teams matchup with Fresno State on Jan. 22.

Finishing five games with double-doubles, McDaniels has only scored less than 10 points in a game once this season.

It is solid numbers for a player who almost did not return to the Aztecs for the 2018-19 year.

After the end of his redshirt freshman season, McDaniels declared for the 2018 NBA Draft without an agent, giving him eligibility to return to NCAA men’s basketball.

McDaniels worked out for numerous teams during the draft process, but eventually went undrafted and returned to SDSU rather than signing with an NBA team as a free agent.

After the draft process, McDaniels said he had support from his teammates and coaches, but going undrafted swayed his decision to returning to college basketball.

“There was a lot of support, just doing what’s best for you pretty much. Going to those workouts, of course I was thinking, ‘I don’t want to come back to school, I’m trying to get

to the NBA,’” McDaniels said to The Daily Aztec before the season. “Just making the best decision for me, that’s pretty much it.”

Although the Federal Way, Washington product has had a successful spell at SDSU, McDaniels’ season took a disorderly turn last month when he was sued for allegedly filming and sharing sex videos as a senior in high school.

McDaniels was accused of filming a sex act performed on him in a car and on a Federal Way High basketball teammate in a closet. The videos were reportedly distributed amongst his teammates in a group text message.

SDSU addressed the allegations, saying there were no charges against McDaniels and he would remain enrolled as a student and a member of the men’s basketball team.

McDaniels’ brother, Jaden, could potentially be coming to the Mesa next season.

Jaden is a five-star, highlytouted recruit from Federal Way High. Jaden narrowed his college decision list to five schools, including SDSU. Jaden visited the campus last October and his college decision is to be made later this year.

Photo by David Pradel

Sophomore forward Jalen McDaniels puts up a shot during the Aztecs’ 65-60 victory over CSUN on Jan. 1 at Viejas Arena.

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Sports

Jan. 23-29, 2019 EDITOR: Abraham Jewett • sports@thedailyaztec.com

The Daily Aztec

9

COLUMN

Women’s basketball relying on youth

by Tristi Rodriguez STAFF WRITER

There is something special and unique about the San Diego State women’s basketball team.

After examining nonconference play and a current 1-3 Mountain West Conference record, the conclusion is this team is special because of how talented they are at such a young age.

With the loss of many key players in last season’s senior class, head coach Stacie Terry was unsure what this season was going to bring early on.

“We’re extremely, extremely young,” she said before the season. “Right now, we don’t know what this team is going to be. So we’re just really focusing on being competitive and being disciplined in the action. We’re going to see where this year takes us.”

It was clear from the start.

Going back to the first game of the season, a 63-53 win at home over Biola University, the top three scoring leaders were underclassmen.

Sophomore guards Téa Adams and Najé Murray led the Aztecs with a combined 33 points, with freshman guard Mallory Adams contributing 12 of her own.

Sophomore guard Najé Murray drives to the hoop during the Aztecs’ 69-66 loss to Boise State on Jan. 5 at Viejas Arena.

The three guards combined for 30 of the team’s 50 rebounds that game.

Freshman guard Sophia Ramos soon got into the loop and is now a major component to the team.

Ramos is averaging 14.6 points and five rebounds a game.

In conference play, the underclassmen have accounted for 189 of the Aztecs’ 243 points. That is 77 percent of an

impact that the young athletes are making.

Now, that is not to say that the upperclassmen do not help the team out, most of the upperclassmen contribute defensively or with rebounds.

In sports, it is common to see teams with the upperclassmen as key players and leaders. Even with this exact same team last year, the seniors led and the freshmen were… freshmen.

Photo by David Pradel

However, times have changed and the term ‘freshmen’ doesn’t mean what it used to. The underclassmen have found themselves taking up leadership roles this season.

Not only are these young athletes contributing with numbers, they have shown a great amount of emotional support. Whether they are on the court or off, they are constantly coaching and encouraging their

teammates.

Adams said she did not expect to be put in this position as a young player, but her team helps with the pressure.

“This has been a much bigger role than I ever imagined it would be so early,” she said after a 6358 loss to UCSB in December, a game in which she led the Aztecs with 17 points. “But we’re with a really good group that understands that we’re stressed and fragile sometimes, and they just really keep us calm.”

Ramos agreed and said that the relationship she has with her team off the court transitions to the court.

“I think coming in our coaches kind of prepared us for what we were coming in for,” she said in December. “But you can never prepare yourself until you’re actually here. We’ve been lucky enough to have some really good teammates who have really welcomed us in and allowed us to adjust to the college life off the court, which has made it that much easier on the court.”

The way the young athletes play together now is already impressive but will only improve in the future.

It’s both scary and exciting to see how good this team is going to be in the next couple of years.

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Sports

The Daily Aztec

Jan. 23-29, 2019 EDITOR: Abraham Jewett • sports@thedailyaztec.com

Photos: Tennis begins with dual meets

by Abraham Jewett SPORTS EDITOR

It was a big opening day for San Diego State tennis on Jan. 20 at the Aztec Tennis Center.

Both teams shared sun-drenched courts to get their seasons underway, with the men falling 5-2 against UC Santa Barbara and the women going an undefeated 7-0 against Sacramento State.

The women won all three of their doubles matches before finishing off the Hornets with victories in all six of their singles matches.

The match-clinching point came courtesy of junior Mia Smith, who defeated Carolina Chernyetsky by a score of 6-2, 6-3 on the No. 1 court.

The team will look to continue its hot start with a match against UC San Diego on Jan. 26 at the Aztec Tennis Center.

The men’s loss to start their season, meanwhile, was its second in as many years, after a seven-year opening match winning streak was snapped last year following a loss to Loyola Marymount.

Both of the team’s points came from singles play, thanks to victories from senior Sanders Gjoels-Anderson and junior Rafael Gonzalez Almazan.

Sophomores Jan Kirchhoff and Ignacio Martinez got the Aztecs off to a fast start in doubles play, sweeping the Gauchos duo of Victor Krustev and Joseph Rotheram 6-0, but losses in the other two matches cost the Aztecs the point.

The team will look to get on track when it takes on UC Davis on Jan. 26 at the Aztec Tennis Center.

Photos by Abraham Jewett

Junior Fabian Roensdorf follows through on a serve during his doubles match on Jan. 20 at the Aztec Tennis Center.

Freshman Shakhnoza Khatamova swings at the tennis ball during her doubles match on Jan. 20 at the Aztec Tennis Center.

Junior Rafael Gonzalez Almazan follows up on a swing during his doubles match on Jan. 20 at the Aztec Tennis Center.

Sophomore Abbie Mulbarger follows through on a hit during her doubles match on Jan. 20 at the ATC.

Senior Sander Gjoels-Anderson goes for a hit during his doubles match with junior Rafael Gonzalez Almazan during the duos doubles match on Jan. 20 at the Aztec Tennis Center.

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Mundo Azteca

Jan. 23-29, 2019 EDITOR: Alejandra Luna • mundoazteca@thedailyaztec.com

The Daily Aztec

11

Manifestantes apoyan a comunidades minoritarias en la Marcha de las Mujeres

by Alejandra Luna EDITORA DE MUNDO AZTECA

Por el tercer año consecutivo, se llevó a cabo la Marcha de las Mujeres donde residentes del condado de San Diego protestaron en Waterfront Park.

El evento empezó a las 10 a.m el 19 de enero con música, bailes, comida y la bienvenida a todos los asistentes por Nora Vargas, quien fue la vocera de la marcha.

Este día no solo fue dedicado para los derechos civiles de la mujer, sino para apoyar a todas las comunidades minoritarias, tales como la de LGBT y a los recipientes del programa DACA. A las 12 p.m., los manifestantes comenzaron a marchar hacia la calle Harbor Drive, después Pacific Highway y terminaron de regreso en el parque.

Nora Vargas, vicepresidenta de relaciones con la comunidad en Planned Parenthood de Pacific Southwest, dijo que la marcha es para que la comunidad sea más fuerte y logre los cambios que todos merecen.

“Estoy marchando con ustedes porque somos fuertes juntos y nuestra comunidad no puede esperar más por cambios”, dijo Vargas. “También estoy caminando para representar a mis padres y familia quienes

todos los días luchan para asegurarse que las familias tengan acceso a la igualdad”.

En esta protesta pacífica, se encontraba gente de todas las edades y género.

Claudia Coronel, estudiante de preparatoria, asistió por tercera vez a la protesta apoyando la equidad de género.

“Me gusta venir mucho a esto porque se me hace que sí podemos hacer la diferencia, y la gente debería de captar que solo queremos igualdad”, dijo Coronel. “Soy feminista y no significa que quiero ser mejor que los hombres, significa que quiero ser igual que ellos”.

Entre la multitud, se podía leer carteles con frases como, “Mujeres solo quieren tener derechos fundamentales”, “Los derechos de las mujeres son derechos humanos”, “No seremos calladas” y “Deja florecer la igualdad”.

“Yo he hecho estas cosas desde chiquita”, dijo Jocelyn Bernal, estudiante de UC San Diego. “Mi mamá nos ha llevado a marchas y a protestas. Aprendí de ella que muchas personas no tienen una voz, como los inmigrantes, y yo tengo el privilegio de estar aquí”.

Asimismo,mujeres aprovecharon para pedirle al presidente Donald Trump que deje de separar a familias y que

Foto por Alejandra Luna

Estudiantes llevaron carteles a Waterfront Park en apoyo a los derechos civiles de las mujeres el 19 de enero.

Foto por Alejandra Luna

Residentes del Condado de San Diego se unieron para la tercera Marcha de las Mujeres en Waterfront Park el 19 de enero.

llegue a un acuerdo con los demócratas.

“Mi papá fue deportado en febrero del año pasado”, dijo María del Consuelo Zacarías, quien trabaja para el Departamento de Finanzas del Zoológico de San Diego. “Todos

los inmigrantes aquí son los que hacen la nación de EEUU”.

Zacarías dijo que la protesta ha sido su segunda marcha, y espera que con este tipo de protestas, se logre un cambio en el gobierno y para los grupos minoritarios.

La marcha duró alrededor de cuatro horas con discursos de agentes locales y ambiente familiar.

“Juntas somos más fuertes, juntas somos más fuertes”, la multitud gritaba con sus carteles en sus manos”.

Muchos protestaban la separación de familias y la detención de niños.

Foto por Bella Ross

Foto por Bella Ross

La comunidad de San Diego protestó en las calles del centro de la ciudad.

Foto por Bella Ross

Además de los derechos de las mujeres, los letreros tenían que ver con la separación de las familias y el cierre de gobierno.

12

The Daily Aztec

COLUMNA

Mundo Azteca

Jan. 23-29, 2019 EDITOR: Alejandra Luna • mundoazteca@thedailyaztec.com

Mi primer semestre como estudiante de primera generación no fue nada de fácil bueno.

La mañana del 27 de agosto, entré a mi primera clase de periodismo, y en cuanto me senté, saqué mi celular para decirle a mi mamá que lo habíamos logrado como planeamos años atrás.

Recuerdo que entró el maestro como en las películas, y nos empezó a dar la lección del día.

Era tanta la emoción que sentía que no recuerdo casi lo que dijo.

me dijo que respirara y me sentara. Fue cuando le dije que no podía con todo el estrés de la escuela y no poder ayudar a mi familia, y que entonces me saldría de la escuela. Lo bueno es que me acordó todo lo cuanto que había luchado para llegar a la universidad.

Como estudiante de primera generación que entra a la universidad, no sabía qué hacer

“Muchos estudiantes como yo estamos haciendo camino para las futuras generaciones que algún día seguirán nuestros pasos como periodistas, doctores o lo que se les ocurra inventar como carrera en un futuro”.

Cortesía de Antonio Márquez

Antonio Márquez, un estudiante de primera generación, habla sobre su experiencia durante su primer semestre en SDSU.

by Antonio ESCRITOR

Márquez

“Voy a ir a la preparatoria San Diego High School, San Diego City College y a la Universidad Estatal de San Diego”, fue lo que siempre le decía a la gente cuando me preguntaba cuál era

mi meta de grande.

El agosto pasado, al fin llegué a SDSU, después de solicitar tres veces, finalmente pude decir que era un Azteca. Caminé los pasillos, los cuales yo recorría con mi madre de chiquito cuando ella me decía que algún día yo llegaría a ser un estudiante de la universidad, pero yo no lo

creía.

No fue fácil mi primer semestre porque no solo era una escuela mucho más grande en comparación con el colegio comunitario San Diego City College, sino también había estudiantes que eran mucho más jóvenes que yo, y me entró miedo de no ser lo suficientemente

No podía creer que después de noches de no poder dormir, tareas y sacrificios, al fin había llegado.

Los días pasaban y aprendí poco a poco, gracias al programa de EOP, quienes me guiaron acerca de lo que tenía que hacer para seguir adelante, junto con el apoyo de los consejeros.

Fue hasta finales de septiembre, donde yo ya no podía seguir. Los nervios me quitaron la felicidad que tenía, y poco a poco, sentía que no podía con mis clases, pero después me acordé de los consejos que me daban City College, y hablé con mi consejero, entré en pánico,

y me sentía frustrado. Después, me concentré en lo bueno de la universidad que fue mi show en KCR, y la hora del soñador y poco a poco fue pasando el semestre.

Este semestre, sigo aprendiendo y creciendo como estudiante y ser humano, pero sé que no estoy solo. Muchos estudiantes como yo estamos haciendo camino para las generaciones del futuro que algún día seguirán nuestros pasos como periodistas, doctores o lo que se les ocurra inventar como carrera en un futuro. Pero eso sí, ahorita es mi turno de apreciar y gozar lo que es ser un Azteca en SDSU.

La profesora Laura Castañeda se une al Departamento de Periodismo en la Universidad Estatal de San Diego

by Kaitlyn ESCRITORA

Little

Este semestre, la profesora Laura Castañeda llegará a la Universidad Estatal de San Diego como la coordinadora de pasantías para los estudiantes en el Departamento de Periodismo.

Ella dice que espera poder ofrecerles a los estudiantes ayuda y guía, algo que no tuvo cuando estaba estudiando.

Graduada de la Universidad de Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Castañeda dijo que pudo conseguir trabajo después de graduarse en la estación de ABC en Chicago. Sin embargo, dijo que cuando empezó, no sabía lo que estaba haciendo. Por eso es que ella tiene esta experiencia en mente cuando enseña sus clases; No quiere que sus estudiantes estén en esa misma posición.

“No quiero que estudiantes pasen por lo que yo pasé”, dijo Castañeda. “Quiero que estén preparados. Quiero que sepan el vocabulario, quiero que sepan lo que alguien se refiere a cuando mencionen algo”, dijo Castañeda.

“Quiero que sepan exactamente lo que alguien les está preguntando hacer”.

Después de tener la experiencia, se convirtió en reportera en

Tucson, Ariz por algunos años antes de moverse a San Diego para trabajar en KGTV Canal 10.

Sin embargo, su carrera cambió de camino cuando decidió ser profesora en el colegio comunitario San Diego City College. Allí, pasó 17 años enseñando a estudiantes.

Mientras tanto, también era productora para su propio

“Los profesores son como entrenadores.

Los empujamos, los animamos, les ofrecemos consejos, y después, la responsabilidad es de ellos”.

– Laura Castañeda Coordinadora de Pasantías

segmento en KPBS que se llamaba “Historias de la Frontera”, el cual ganó dos premios Emmy.

Con tantos años de experiencia, Castañeda dice estar llena de esperanza que podrá inspirar a estudiantes con su nueva posición.

“Me encanta ser una consejera”, dijo Castañeda. “Me encanta

enseñarles a los estudiantes algo que no saben”.

A pesar de ser nueva en el campus, dijo que piensa hacer algunos cambios al programa en los semestres que vienen.

“Por ahorita, estoy tratando de aprender sobre todo lo que está involucrado, no vamos hacer muchos cambios en el semestre de primavera”, dijo Castañeda.

“Pero mirando hacia adelante, definitivamente tengo unas buenas ideas que quiero proponer para hacer el programa más fácil para todos”.

Por lo tanto, Castañeda dijo que está empujando a sus estudiantes a esforzarse y a ser exitosos, algo que cree va ser crítico como la coordinadora.

“Los profesores son como entrenadores”, dijo Castañeda.

“Los empujamos, los animamos, les ofrecemos consejos, y después, la responsabilidad es de ellos”.

Dijo que una de sus metas es poder contestar las preguntas que han causado confusión sobre las pasantías. Puede ser contactada a través de su correo electrónico lcastaneda2@sdsu.edu.

“Cuando veo a una persona quien tiene el potencial de ser exitosa en el periodismo, en el marketing, en las relaciones públicas o en la publicidad, voy a empujarlos, y es lo que he hecho”.

Cortesía de Laura Castañeda

Jan. 23-29, 2019 EDITOR: Julianna Ress • arts@thedailyaztec.com

Arts & Culture

The Daily Aztec

13

Jazz-trained music student pursues EDM

by Julianna Ress ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

With all styles of music more accessible than ever, it’s common to see artists expand their craft across genres, rather than limiting themselves to one label.

Music junior Benjamin Watson spent the bulk of his music career studying and performing jazz on live instruments before making his foray into EDM and DJing, now producing tracks on computer-based softwares.

Growing up listening to Michael Jackson and the Beatles in a musicallyinclined family, Watson said he had early exposure to various genres.

“Whenever me and my family would all hang out together — grandparents, aunts, uncles — we would all just get together and jam,” Watson said. “Usually just like rock songs, but sometimes jazz.”

He picked up his first instrument, an alto saxophone, in middle school, and eventually found success as one of the top musicians in his high school’s classical and jazz bands.

Growing up in the San Fernando Valley, he attended Sherman Oaks Center of Enriched Studies.

He was then selected for the Los Angeles Unified School District’s jazz ensemble.

“That really opened up everything,” he said. “(The other musicians selected) were, like, prodigies. I was the worst one by far. It just made me ten times better, sitting next to them and learning and listening.”

Watson entered San Diego State majoring in jazz studies, but after a friend taught him how to produce EDM tracks with production software Ableton Live, he decided to study music composition instead.

“I’ve always loved EDM, and I’ve always wanted to get into it,” he said. “I was getting a lot of ground playing saxophone, but if I was the best saxophonist in the school, that would be really awesome, but I can’t really make full-length tracks or albums just all by myself. Ableton gave me the opportunity to make full-length EP’s, albums, songs just on my computer.”

The musician said jazz’s improvisational nature, which he described as a way of composing music on the spot in real time, informed his transition across genres and methods of creating music.

“It was kind of weird for me going straight to a laptop in my bedroom from performing on stage with my saxophone,” Watson said. “When it came to coming up with melodies for my songs, like chord structure and how to produce and compose music on a computer, it was a little bit easier.”

Though his specific style of music is hard to characterize, he describes his genre as future bass EDM with emphasis on melody and sometimes incorporating elements of trap.

Some of his biggest influences are saxophonist Cannonball Adderley and DJ’s San Holo, RL Grime and Droeloe.

“Watson’s music comes from a place of deep positivity,” economics and music junior Matt Guadagno, who’s also one of Watson’s frequent collaborators, said.

“A lot of his music serves the purpose of giving the listener more of an overall experience than just a song.”

Watson said he uses samples of philosophers and collaborates on lyrics with vocalists in order to create a narrative in his projects.

“If you just want to turn off your brain and listen to my music, I want you to have fun and enjoy it,” he said. “But if you want to turn your brain on and think about the tracks and what they mean to each other, I like to have those people who want that extra step.”

He performed at the SDSU vs. UC San Diego DJ battle at House of Blues in April

2018, which led him to a DJing gig at Bassmnt.

He can also often be found performing at parties.

Watson has also racked up a significant number of plays on SoundCloud.

His most played track, a remix of Alessia Cara’s “Growing Pains,” currently stands at over 10,000 listens.

He said reaching out to people individually to share his music, plus the opportunities he’s encountered as a member of Aztec Music Group, have helped his music reach a wider audience.

He said hearing the music he uploads online provides a more accurate snapshot of the kind of artist he is than hearing him DJ live.

“I don’t focus a lot on the art of DJing,” Watson said. “I’d say I’m a producer first.

When it comes to performing the music I DJ at these clubs and parties, it’s nowhere near the style of music I produce. That’s the standard — I need to make everybody jump up and down and have fun — but a lot of my music isn’t like that.”

In the future, he said he plans to release an EP and hopes to continue DJing larger venues.

He’s opening for the DJ Ghastly at Bassmnt Jan. 26, and his music can be found on SoundCloud.

Courtesy of Benjamin Watson

Music junior Benjamin Watson said he grew up listening to an eclectic selection of music.

Courtesy of Benjamin Watson

Watson has DJed at Bassmnt in downtown and can regularly be seen performing at parties.

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Arts & Culture

The Daily Aztec

Jan. 23-29, 2019 EDITOR: Julianna Ress • arts@thedailyaztec.com

Thom Yorke plays sold out San Diego show

by Spencer white STAFF WRITER

Thom Yorke’s Dec. 17 performance at the Observatory in North Park sold out instantly, and he did not disappoint his eager fans.

Yorke, famous for his work as the frontman for critically acclaimed rock experimentalists Radiohead, toured this year in support of his solo release “Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes,” which originally came out in 2014, the same day it was announced on BitTorrent in an effort to combat streaming services like Spotify.

Yorke played as part of a trio with longtime producer and collaborator Nigel Godrich and visual artist Tarik Barri, who created live visuals that played throughout the concert. .

The show began with cellist Oliver Coates, who previously collaborated with Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood on both of his scores for Paul Thomas Anderson films “There Will Be Blood” and “The Master.”

Coates also collaborated with Radiohead on its 2016 record

“A Moon Shaped Pool.”

Coates spoke to the audience about being from Stoke, England and the raving culture he took part of in the early ‘90s, an influence which permeated through his music.

The heaviest moments came when Coates would pick up his cello, bending the sound to create powerful distortion that mimicked the sound of an electric guitar, wailing throughout the venue.

Yorke started his set with a rhythm and flow that entranced the crowd.

On stage, Yorke and Godrich operated modular synths and drum pads, opening the set with a new song and songs from “Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes.”

The energy really broke through when Yorke started singing “Black Swan” off of his first solo album, “The Eraser.”

The chugging bassline paired with Yorke’s avant-garde lyrics like, “You cannot kick start a dead horse / You just crush yourself and walk away / I don’t care what the future holds / ‘Cause I’m right here and I’m today.”

Yorke also manipulated his vocals throughout the show, remixing songs on the fly with ease.

At times, the show was very ambient, only to suddenly explode with color, claps and basslines that saturated the air.

The live visuals done by Barri varied from song to song — bright and vivid colors for some, while others were more dreary black with white images akin to longtime collaborator Stanley Donwood’s art that Yorke has been known for over the years, with some grid-like patterns similar to the album art for “Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes.”

Yorke had minimal interactions with the crowd, only stopping songs to the audience, approaching the fans at the barricade occasionally.

The show concluded with two encores.

The first included “Atoms for Peace” and “Default,” which were highlights of the night, along with other songs from “Atoms for Peace” and Yorke’s side project with Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea.

Photo by Spencer White

Thom Yorke brought his latest tour to the Observatory in North Park Dec. 17.

The second encore featured a solo piano performance from Yorke, performing the song “Suspirium” from the movie “Suspiria,” a remake of a classic horror film Yorke wrote the score for this year.

Yorke, who last performed in San Diego with Radiohead

in 2008 at the then Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre in Chula Vista, gave the audience a night they will not soon forget.

Hopefully, it will not be another 10 years until San Diego gets another taste of the prolific singer’s excellent live show.

Student DJ incorporates travel experiences into music

by Brenden STAFF WRITER

Tuccinardi

DJing has changed since the phenomenon became popular in Europe in the 1940s and spread to the U.S. soon after.

It started as merely playing recorded music in nightclubs and on the radio.

Today, it has evolved into something almost entirely different. With the rise of Soundcloud and other music sharing platforms, anyone with a phone or computer can record and produce music.

Devin Michalec, a senior marketing major, is part of the next generation of DJs and musicians using the internet to distribute their homemade mixes, generate a fan base and jumpstart their careers.

Michalec had a passion for DJing and electronic music

from a young age. He said he remembers listening to his mom’s CDs of several New York DJ’s and the music of Tiesto.

In middle school, he began listening to deadmau5 and Skrillex, and he fell in love with EDM and further developed his love of DJing.

“I remember I got a little plastic DJ controller from Bed, Bath and Beyond and I really dreamed about [DJing], but a lot of people made fun of me for wanting to do it,” Michalec said. “Not a lot of people are into that stuff where I am from.”

Michalec is from a small town in Pennsylvania and came to San Diego State with plans to broaden his horizons.

“I thought to myself that if I really wanted to understand more people and how other people act, I needed to get away as far as possible and see what

Courtesy of Sara Bluhm

Michalec said his experiences traveling inspire his music.

other parts of the world were like,” Michalec said.

During his first year at SDSU, he upgraded from his Bed, Bath and Beyond controller and got his first piece of real DJ equipment and began experimenting, practicing and getting better day by day.

Kayla Arnold, a business management senior, lived in the same residence hall as Michalec their first year at SDSU and has been a fan ever since.

“I like how Devin’s music incorporates a lot of rap and hip hop music, rather than just EDM,” Arnold said. “He plays music that is universal and unexpected, which always gets people moving.”

This is the effect Michalec hopes his music has on people who listen to it, in addition to taking them on a journey.

His travel and experiences inspire much of the music he creates.

“When I record my own mixes, I like to tell a story through them,” Michalec said. “I take inspiration from wherever I have gone and memories from these experiences and try to find the best way to express that and put it out there in a mix.”

However, he has found that it is challenging to accomplish this in a way that engages audiences and remains fresh.

Having studied abroad in Vienna, Austria this past semester, Michalec said he was able to experience music in a different cultural context and has been trying to incorporate this into his new music.

“People in California love to listen to hip-hop and not so much the melodic dance music (of Europe), but I am trying to find a way to cross genres, which is pretty tough,”

Courtesy of Sara Bluhm

Marketing senior Devin Michalec said his interest in electronic music sparked early.

Michalec said.

When he is not creating music or performing, Michalec collaborates with other musicians at SDSU, like senior construction engineering major Jacob Andrews.

Michalec and Andrews have collaborated on several occasions.

Michalec has produced some of Andrews’ songs.

“I’ve only worked with one

other DJ, and it wasn’t the best experience,” Andrews said. “Working with Devin was different because he’s a friendly, down-to-earth dude who simply loves music. He is super open-minded and allows the artist to be creative with no restraints.”

Michalec releases his music on SoundCloud under the name Nived and is going to be releasing a demo pack soon.

Jan. 23-29, 2019 EDITOR: Julianna Ress • arts@thedailyaztec.com

Arts & Culture

The Daily Aztec

15

A guide to San Diego’s spring concerts

by Kelly Kerrigan STAFF WRITER

While 2018 was a great year for the music industry, leaving us with incredible, groundbreaking, new albums and artists, 2019 has potential to be even better.

Spring is here, and some must-see acts are stopping by San Diego on tour this year as well.

Here’s a complete guide to all the best upcoming shows this spring: Wednesday, Jan. 30: ASAP Rocky at Valley View Casino Center The New York City rapper, famous for his fashion sense, will be dropping by the Valley View Casino Center soon on his “Injured Generation” tour.

ASAP released his latest album “Testing” in 2018, as well as a new single “Sundress,” which is a remix to psychedelic rock band Tame Impala’s song “Why Won’t You Make Up Your Mind?”

Songs You May Know: “ASAP Forever,” “LSD” Songs You Should Listen To: “Everyday,” “Fashion Killa” Monday, Feb. 4: Still Woozy at Soda Bar Recording under the name Still Woozy, Sven Gamsky, an Oakland native indie artist, makes his music in his garage back at home.

He creatively produces beats to complement his soothing voice, which has led to the

making of songs the indie world has raved about. The solo artist has not yet released an album, but will be performing at Coachella in April.

Songs You May Know: “Goodie Bag” Songs You Should Listen to: “Habit,” “Wolfcat” Saturday, Feb. 16: Panic! At The Disco (with Two Feet) at Valley View Casino Center Singer Two Feet will open up for Panic! At The Disco’s upcoming tour, and he’s known for his mellow beats led by his powerful guitar riffs.

Panic! At The Disco frontman Brenden Urie’s vocals have greatly contributed to the band’s continued success since their its album in 2005.

The band’s latest album “Pray for The Wicked” showcases the band’s evolution, as well as its mastery in producing ‘80s inspired punk rock records.

Songs You May Know: “High Hopes,” “Miss Jackson” Songs You Should Listen To: “This Is Gospel,” “Dying in LA” Sunday, Feb. 17: Illenium at OMNIA DJ and producer Illenium has made a name for himself after appearing on numerous festival lineups this past year, including Coachella, Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo.

Illenium has contributed largely to EDM’s popularity over the last year, becoming a household name in the

Photo by Jimmy Fontaine

Pop-punk act Panic! At the Disco is set to perform at Valley View Casino Center Feb. 16.

electronic world, known for his vibrant remixes of popular songs.

Songs You May Know: “Crawl Out of Love,” “Feel Good” Songs You Should Listen To: “Where’d U Go,” “Don’t Let Me Down” Thursday, Feb. 21: Justin Timberlake at Pechanga Arena San Diego Justin Timberlake encompasses pop stardom in his elaborate, impressively executed stage performances.

While rumored to be headlining Coachella this spring, his name ultimately was left off the lineup, but fortunately he is coming to Southern California this February to perform his latest album, “Man of the Woods.”

From acting to singing to boy band-ing, Justin Timberlake has done it all, with his wideranging talents all tying back to his roots as a natural performer.

Songs You May Know: “Can’t Stop the Feeling,” “Mirrors” Songs You Should Listen To: “Say Something,” “Take Back the Night”

Photo by Ryan McGinley

Pop icon Justin Timberlake will play Pechenga Arena Feb. 21.

March 2 and 3: CRSSD Music Festival at Waterfront Park CRSSD Festival happens twice a year at Waterfront Park in downtown San Diego, and on March 2 and 3, the 21+ festival returns with a stacked lineup.

Electronic and house artists such as Odessa, Petit Biscuit, Whethan, Lane 8, Jungle, Tourist and Phantogram are all set to perform at the festival this spring.

“CRSSD is a really unique music festival, and Waterfront Park is a really good location for it,” marketing senior Chloe Krois said. “It is the perfect excuse to go see electronic artists while having a good time with your friends, and you don’t have to travel far from (San Diego) State for it.”

Tuesday, March 5: Muse (with Walk the Moon) at Valley View Casino Center The critically acclaimed rock group Muse will return to San Diego on its “Simulation Theory” tour.

The band has now released eight albums and has shown no signs of slowing down throughout its fruitful career.

Alt-pop outfit Walk the Moon, best known for wedding reception anthem “Shut Up and Dance,” is set to join Muse on tour.

Songs You May Know: “Uprising,” “Madness” Songs You Should Listen To: “Pressure,” “Animals” Tuesday, March 19: Catfish and the Bottlemen at House of Blues The UK rock band has created quite the name for itself since its first album “The Balcony” in 2014.

Since then, its fanbase has grown globally, and its touring has been nonstop.

This year, the band already released new single “Longshot,” and a new album is reportedly on its way.

Songs You May Know: “Kathleen,” “Cocoon” Songs You Should Listen To: “Longshot,” “7 (Acoustic)” Thursday, March 21: Ringo Starr at Harrah’s Resort Southern California The legendary Beatles drummer is visiting Southern California on his tour this spring.

The rockstar has released various albums since the Fab Four broke up, but often incorporates a combination of songs from the Beatles and his solo career into his performances.

Songs You May Know: “Photograph,” “Yellow Submarine” Songs You Should Listen To: “Give More Love,” “You’re Sixteen”

Sunday, April 7: Mt. Joy at The Music Box For only having one album under its belt, this indie folk band’s self-titled debut is authentic and powerful due the band’s technical prowess as well as its emotionally driven lyrics.

Mt. Joy has seemingly perfected its ability to deliver passionate tracks, which come to life in its impressive live performances.

“I saw Mt. Joy live in September, and I had gone to their show without knowing any of their songs,” marketing junior Audrey Espinosa said. “I was shocked by how incredible they sounded live, and ever since then, I cannot stop listening to their music.”

Songs You May Know: “Silver Lining,” “Sheep” Songs You Should Listen To: “I’m Your Wreck,” “Mt. Joy” Other Concerts: Thursday, Feb. 7: KISS at Viejas Arena Thursday, Feb. 7: Marc Anthony at Pechanga Arena San Diego Thursday, Feb. 14: Hockey Dad at SOMA Sunday, Feb. 17: Post Animal at Casbah Thursday, Feb. 21: Bob Segar & The Silver Bullet Band at Viejas Arena Thursday, March 7: YG at Valley View Casino Center Saturday, March 9: Summer Salt at The Irenic Saturday, March 16: Noname at The Observatory North Park Sunday, March 31: Michael Bublé at Pechanga Arena San Diego Tuesday, April 2: Vince Staples at The Observatory North Park Tuesday, April 9: T-Pain at The Observatory North Park

16

The Back Page

The Daily Aztec

Jan. 23-29, 2019 Editor: Julianna Ress • arts@thedailyaztec.com

Scene at State: The power of ’90s nostalgia

by Madeleine STAFF WRITER

Schwarz

There’s no denying it: the ’90s are back.

In square necklines, scrunchies and cropped cardigans, the decade has woven itself back into today’s trends.

Though many student proponents of ‘90s fashion were too young to have donned the period’s clothing in its prime, their desire to test drive the decade’s finest is palpable on campus.

And while some ‘90s trends pertain only to certain styles (think Phoebe Buffay versus Rachel Green), one cut of skirt is slipping its way into a variety of closets. Enter the mid-length skirt: highwaisted and reaching through mid-calf to compliment frames of all sizes.

Silk or chiffon, hip-hugging or freeflowing, chic or bohemian, the midlength skirt’s many forms make for a versatile slice of the past.

Equal parts nostalgic and modern, this flattering cut of skirt is both on-trend and timelessly classic.

Communications senior Sydney Belilty and marketing junior Alyssa Rowean are big proponents of the ‘90s-inspired trend and its versatility across all wardrobes.

Both senior stylists at Free People, the two gather inspiration from customers and coworkers of all styles and are fearless when it comes to experimenting with new looks.

Rowean chose neutral tones to go with her floral Free People skirt, donning an ivory sweater from the same brand. From her fingers dangled a tiny straw bag with yellow flower embroidery, purchased at a street fair in the Bahamas.

How do you describe your style?

I feel like I never know how to answer this. I would like to say my style changes a lot.

It honestly depends on my mood and how I’m feeling that day.

I like to mix it up and try new things. I dress in a way that makes me happy and confident. Right now, I really have been

liking the western trend and dressing with florals.

What draws you to mid-length skirts?

I like midi skirts because they are super versatile and easy to dress up a simple tee or tank top.I love the feminine touch that a midi skirt has and how comfortable they are.

Where’s your favorite mid-length skirt from?

Free People, of course.

What advice would you give someone looking to style a mid-length skirt?

I think the best part about skirts in general is you can always find one that meshes well with your personal style — don’t be afraid to try it!

Mix different patterns and colors. They are so easy to wear so have fun with it!

Belilty chose a darker approach, pairing her sleek black Free People skirt with a crop top and denim jacket of similar hue.

A leg slit accented her black Free People booties, topped off with a fistful of silver rings for witchy flair.

How do you describe your personal style?

I’d say my style is influenced by neutrals and staple pieces. I love wearing simple basics like black turtlenecks.

I have a relaxed style — I love being comfortable and that’s a huge factor in deciding what I wear! I also love rings.

What draws you to mid-length skirts?

The mid-length skirt is a great staple for me.

It makes a look dramatic, yet girly at the same time. It’s also a really versatile piece because you can pair it with a lot of tops and get completely different looks.

I love that I can wear it as a day or night look.

Photo by Madeleine Schwarz

Marketing junior Alyssa Rowean and communications senior Sydney Belilty are both senior stylists at Free People.

I’ve worn graphic tees with it and a felt hat for a boho look, or a sweater for something more cozy.

Where’s your favorite mid-length skirt from?

Although it’s not currently in my closet due to a lack of funds, I am obsessed with the Naomi skirt from Réalisation.

It’s a chic ‘90s-cut mid-length slip skirt with a beautiful cheetah print.

My favorite one I own is a thrifted red skirt from Buffalo (Exchange). It was only $10, and I live in it.

At first, I was skeptical because it’s

AZTEC ADVENTURES Associated Students / SDSU

S’MORES NIGHT Monday, February 4 6–8:30pm Scripps Cottage

Photo by Madeleine Schwarz

Belilty said she loves rings and accessorized her look with several silver ones.

Stop by any time for a tasty free s'more and get info about amazing Aztec Adventures outdoor programs at SDSU!

a vibrant skirt with a print of florals, mushrooms and butterflies, but when it’s on, it becomes more muted and looks great with a simple black top.

What advice would you give for styling a mid-length skirt?

Be bold! It doesn’t matter if the print is vibrant, it can be toned down with simple neutrals.

If you want to make the look casual, pair it with a graphic tee.

A denim jacket with booties is also a great look that is easy and you can’t go wrong.