The Daily Aztec 11/10/2021

Weds., Nov. 10 - Tues., Nov. 16, 2021 Weekly Print Edition

Vol. 108, Issue 13 www.thedailyaztec.com

San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

Photos by: Brittany Cruz-Fejeran, Eva Handojo, Noelani Sapla, Sara Rott

NEWS

OPINION

MUNDO

SPORTS

The new and improved ARC is open for business

Former Raiders coach’s behavior is despicable.

Serie de peliculas brasilenas promueve lenguajes y cultura.

PAGE 2

PAGE 4

PAGE 10

One year after getting cut, the SDSU Rowing team is still looking for answers.

PAGE 12

2

The Daily Aztec

News

Nov. 10 - 16, 2021 EDITOR: Katelynn Robinson • news@thedailyaztec.com

New and improved, the ARC

expansion offers new features

by Mackenzie Stafford MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

After over a year of expansion on Nov. 8, Associated Students held the Aztec Recreation Center’s grand reopening to present the newly rebuilt gymnasium.

As the news spread through campus it created a major buzz amongst students.

Over 50 students, faculty and staff gathered around the new front doors on the south end of the building awaiting the opening. The doors opened at noon.

The new ARC is nearly complete with 94,000 square feet, two floors, an indoor track, many activity rooms, almost all brand new equipment, a rock wall, different fitness areas and more.

ARC employees were ecstatic with the results and attendance at the reopening event, finally being able to see how all of their hard work paid off.

“I feel like the new ARC will fit a variety of people’s needs and next semester we should have a new basketball court,” ARC employee and SDSU student Rachel Browne said.

The construction on the ARC renovation will continue throughout the upcoming semester until the summer of 2022 in order to finish the basketball court, activity rooms and heart rate monitors throughout the gymnasium. This will result in seven multi-use courts on the north portion of the facility according to the Associated Students website.

“There was some noise with the construction, but I was more excited about more machines and more space,” second year student Marcus Duggs said.

The anticipation for the grand reopening was heightened especially due to the lack of an indoor campus recreation center due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mike Hastings new interim police chief

by Lucelis Martinez SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Photo by Owen Ekstrom

The new and improved Aztec Recreation Center officially opened on Nov. 8.

“It was really hard during the pandemic. I had to go to my friend’s gym,” second year student Parsa Pourmoula said.

In order to follow COVID-19 protocol facial coverings are required in the ARC, there are only touchless water fountains and there is a touchless entry with the Aztec Rec app. This app allows members of the recreation center to access the facility with a barcode and access drop-in events.

The new ARC continued to fill in as time continued, packed with students taking tours, trying out new equipment and fitting in workouts they were unable to get in days before due to the closure of the Aztec Recreation Center

on Nov. 6 and 7 to prepare for the grand reopening.

For one student this was a momentous occasion.

“There was so much equipment, so many happy people working out, probably one of my best experiences on campus so far. I was just thrilled to be a part of it,” a first year student Liam Riley said.

This excitement could be felt throughout the new section of the ARC. Students were able to discover new sections and get a better understanding of the new layout of the recreation center.

To learn more about what the new ARC offers, visit the website

Mike Hastings has become the interim police chief for the San Diego State police department as of last week.

The University Police Department (UPD) sent out a brief email on Nov. 5.

“With this message I would like to share that while UPD leadership has changed, we remain committed to building public trust while cultivating partnerships with our community members and stakeholders,” the email said.

According to the email, UPD will proceed with community-based policing efforts by working collaboratively with the SDSU community to improve engagement and relationships.

Hastings has become the interim police chief after former UPD Chief Josh Mays became the associate vice president of Public Safety and Community Empowerment.

According to the SDSU News center, Hastings joined the UPD in January and has more than 30 years of law enforcement experience.

“It is my belief that upholding a high level of professionalism and accountability within a police department reinforces the quality of public safety everyone deserves,” the Nov. 5 email said.

The email explained that even though leadership has changed hands from Mays to Hastings, Hastings is committed to building upon the community-centered police culture Mays is identified with.

Hastings said in the email he encourages feedback and looks forward to working together with campus partners and stakeholders to collectively identify areas and opportunities of improvement.

ASSOCIATED STUDENTS APPROVES NEW WAITLIST POLICY FOR FALL 2022

by Eugènie Budnik STAFF WRITER

At the University Senate meeting on Nov. 2, the governing body passed a new policy which will change the course waitlist process starting in the fall 2022 semester.

The current waitlist policy ranks students based on multiple factors such as “completion of course prerequisites, total units completed, whether or not the student is already enrolled in a section of the course, and the date/time added to the waitlist,” according to the SDSU Office of the Registrar website.

The new policy, which was introduced by the Academic Policy and Planning Committee, ranks students on the waitlist based on the order in which they are added to the waitlist. Effectively, when space becomes available in a course, students will be automatically added in order of the waitlist to the course over the first five instructional days of that semester.

Pamela Lach, chair of the Academic Policy and Planning Committee, said at the meeting the new policy will “align with the shift to the PeopleSoft Student Information Session, as well our [SDSU’s] move from a prepaid to a postpaid campus.”

The Academic Policy and Planning Committee explained the university’s switch from being a prepaid to a

Photo by Kelly Smiley

The new waitlist system will implement a first-come first-serve system.

postpaid tuition campus and the Senate policy change approved in spring 2021 to the order of registrations which mandates students must register in a seniority based tiered order.

However, the new policy also allows instructors to have the option of adding students to their classes using “permission numbers” in the days leading up to the schedule adjustment deadline. “Permission numbers” are private codes which can be given to

students from instructors which allow them to register in the instructor’s course.

This element of the new policy brought up concerns of favoritism from a few senators.

“I would urge senators to oppose this policy if it means an instructor can select ‘this’ student over ‘that’ student for enrollment in the class rather than an anonymous waitlist,” Senator and philosophy professor Steve Barbone

said. “It could make it possible for it to seem as if some instructors are ‘cherry picking’ their students.”

The creators of the policy fought back against this concern, and instead discussed how this new policy of allowing instructors to invite students to their courses through permission numbers could help instructors keep track of their rosters.

“In creating an automated waitlist, there were quite a lot of faculty who were concerned that they needed to have some degree of control of their rosters to ensure that only students who were prepared would be entering in their courses,” said Associated Vice President for Academic Affairs Stefan Hyman.

Ultimately, 44 senators voted in favor of the new policy, while 22 senators voted against the new policy. Five senators chose to abstain.

Adrianna Redmond, a first year criminal justice and psychology student, found the new policy to be perplexing and unfair.

“I prefer the current policy because I think it is more fair to students,” Redmond said. “I think picking and choosing students to be in your class is a little odd. I don’t feel like the professor should be able to choose who they get to have in class.”

The new waitlist policy will take effect starting in the fall 2022 semester.

Nov. 10 - 16, 2021 EDITOR: Katelynn Robinson . news@thedailyaztec.com

News

Students strive to

restore coral reefs

The Daily Aztec

Social Justice Summit looks to elevate student careers

Photo courtesy of SDSU Social Justice Summit

Guest speakers and workshops centered the Social Justice Summit.

Photo by Mark Little

With over half of the world's coral reefs having been destoyed, students are stepping up to save the coral reefs.

by Christian STAFF WRITER

Houser

The San Diego Arks Project, a project featuring many San Diego State students, builds midwater structures called arks that can help build new coral reefs and restore reefs that have degraded due to microbialization and climate change.

The San Diego Arks Project is led by Jason Baer, an SDSU Ph.D. candidate, who has worked in the Caribbean and San Diego to study the impacts of the arks.

“My passion for coral reefs comes from personal amazement,” said Baer.

“The more you learn about them you realize that not that many people know how much of an economic and cultural value they have around the world.”

Over the last 25 years, half of the world's coral reefs have been destroyed or depleted. This project aims to reverse these damages.

“There are very few environments that are degrading that fast and it is pretty sad to watch,” said Baer. “It is much easier to break something than it is to build it back up.”

Conor Kennedy, a SDSU senior studying International Security and Conflict Resolution (ISCOR) with an emphasis on the environment, said he believes this project is important for students at SDSU who are interested in the environment.

“If SDSU wasn’t doing things like this maybe I wouldn’t have an emphasis on the environment,” Kennedy said.”It’s inspirational to see that doing things here can lead to something in the real world.”

The lab led by Forest Rowher, an SDSU microbial ecologist and virologist, has been working on characterizing the mechanisms of coral reef degradation for about 20 years.

“One of the main findings of the lab in the last twenty years is that coral reef degradation is really mediated by the microbes and the viruses on coral reefs. It starts from human impacts like overfishing and pollution,” said Baer. “As those things change the community structure of the reef. It has big implications for the microbial and viral communities which then cause feedback loops that end in coral death.”

The new focus of the lab is to break the feedback loops that result in coral reef degradation.

Baer and Mark Hatay, an engineer at the SDSU lab, designed the initial structures that aim to fight these feedback loops.

“We tried our best balancing a structure with one that is practical and one that is biologically and physically representative,” said Baer.

The shape of the Arks are modeled after a phage capsid that offers a high surface area to volume ratio. The phage capsid structure resembles an icosahedron which is made up of many triangular faces.

“Three dimensional structure has this funny ability to recruit things,” said Baer.

“Fish flock to it, and it turns out that on those local scales you get these rich biological communities that develop over time.”

These structures slow down water flow in order to offer an internal reef environment that simulates a coral reef.

Jared Brzenski, a Ph.D. student in computational science, works on the project to help predict how the water behaves when going through and around the arks.

“I put it (ark) in a simulation in a virtual tank so I can see the vorticity, the turbulence that it generates and the difference between the outside ambient flow versus how fast it is once it is inside the ark structure,” said Brzenski. “This is just to get an idea that if they place it in a water column with a certain velocity they can expect what the flow over the reef would be. They want to try and match that to the actual conditions on the seafloor.”

Brzenski uses an online modeling software utilizing smooth particle hydrodynamics to test flow on Ark structures by adjusting different parameters such as density and gravity.

“You get a ton of information,” said Brzenski. “Imagine a bunch of tiny marbles and you push them all past the structure and each little marble keeps track of all of its properties for its entire lifetime and then you go back and look at the information and extract something meaningful from it.”

The San Diego Arks Project next step is to implement two of their 750-pound stainless steel and fiberglass structures in Vieques, Puerto Rico.

3

by Eugenie Budnik STAFF WRITER

San Diego State’s career services branch of the Division of Student Affairs and Campus diversity held a two-day hybrid social justice summit on Nov. 4 and 5.

This year’s theme “Bridging Belonging, Career and Calling for Change” emphasized the summit’s focus on social justice in the workplace and in everyday life.

On Thursday evening, the event started with a networking event held in Montezuma Hall and on Zoom, which allowed students, faculty and community members to meet and connect. 2021’s appointed Social Justice Summit Co-Chairs Claudia Martinez and Eunice Flores formally opened the event. Martinez is a member of the SDSU faculty as an experiential learning specialist, while Flores acts as the assistant director for the Center for Student Life.

Griselda Ramirez spoke about her upbringing, as well as her early involvement in political campaigns guided her towards a career in social justice.

“I grew up in the Los Angeles area, and I was able to see inequities between neighborhoods,” Ramirez said. “I always had the question ‘why do neighborhoods look different?’ and that’s when someone told me that neighborhoods that vote get resources. That stuck with me, so

I started volunteering with political campaigns and educating people on why they should vote.”

Ramirez works in the Office of San Diego County Supervisor Nora Vargas and has also built successful civic engagement programs in City Heights.

Rebecca Bartel Nuñez, Ramirez and Daryl Bambridge spoke on a panel on the pathways to finding careers connected to social justice Nuñez is an Associate Professor in the Department for the Study of Religion, as well as the Associate Director of the Center for Latin American Studies at SDSU. Nuñez’s research on structural violence in the Americas has earned her the title of the Fred J. Hansen Endowed Peace Chair at the College of Arts and Letters.Bambridge is a General Manager for the San Diego branch of the Cintas Corporation.

Nuñez explained that her upbringing and politically aware family also propelled her towards a career in social justice.

“I grew up in a household where the values of peace and justice were debated hotly around the kitchen table,” Nuñez said. “What do these words mean? Is it actually possible for the world to be better? Can we work collectively towards a horizon of peace and justice?

This became a conviction and a need to make an impact for me.”

The second day of the summit was held virtually on Zoom. Participants could choose from an array of different workshops hosted by SDSU faculty, staff and prominent members of the community.

These workshops included topics such as social justice internships, identity consciousness within career journeys, how to incorporate activism into your career and much more.

Dr. Ricky Pope of SDSU Counseling and Psychological Services closed out the summit with a session entitled “Striving While Black: Exploring Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Strategies to Manage Wellbeing and Persist toward Upward Mobility.”

Dr. Pope’s session focused on mental health and self care for social justice advocates, and also touched upon strategies to work through racial identity.

“Diversity, equity and inclusion is a lifelong learning process and it has taken center stage in the workplace,” Flores said.

All sessions from 2021’s social justice summit will be available for viewing on the SDSU Career Services website after Nov. 13.

The San Diego Arks Project helps to build new coral reefs and restore struggling coral reefs.

Photo by Anneke Van Der

4

Opinion

The Daily Aztec

Nov. 10 - 16, 2021 EDITOR: Aaliyah Alexander • opinion@thedailyaztec.com

Jon Gruden’s bad behavior is despicable yet not surprising

EDITOR IN CHIEF Catlan Nguyen MANAGING EDITOR Trinity Bland NEWS EDITOR Katelynn Robinson

by daniela ramirez STAFF WRITER

What could be one of the biggest losses for the Raiders yet is not in a game but their head coach.

Jon Gruden “resigned” as the head coach for the Las Vegas Raiders with ten years of misogynistic, racist and homophobic language in emails sent to former football executive Bruce Allen and other elite personnel.

“I do know this, at that point of my life, eleven years ago or ten years ago, I am sure I vented a little bit…” Gruden told The Athletic. However, “vented a little bit” is an understatement.

Gruden’s vulgar thoughts and remarks shared to Allen from 2011 to 2018 is not just a moment of letting off some steam, but is representative of the true beliefs he holds. Gruden is just another privileged white man who got away with it for years and should’ve been fired when the incidents started to occur.

Gruden’s emails range from Caitlyn Jenner to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

The emails were discovered by an ongoing investigation into the Washington football team, which Allen used to manage back in 2004 to 2008.

Allen used his work email, which in turn, is how Gruden’s emails came to light even though it was through his personal email account. The New York Times

was the first news source to review the emails and to share them with the public.

Gruden said in many emails that the NFL needs to stop hiring women, gay people and players who protested against the national anthem. Gruden complained, shamed and disrespected almost everyone he could that didn’t fit his way of life.

In similar emails, Gruden told Allen that Jeff Fisher, former St. Louis Rams coach “needs to stop drafting ‘queers” while Gruden ironically coached Carl Nassib, the first openly gay active player in the NFL. This is not surprising since Gruden also criticized Michael Sam who came out as gay in 2014 while in the NFL. Gruden doesn’t stop there with his “venting” sessions with Allen; the ex Raiders coach then called Goodell a f*ggot and a “clueless anti-football pussy.”

My take: Gruden did not say his opinion of Goodell to his face, so who’s really the pussy?

Not only is Gruden homophobic and sexist, but he is a racist too. Another racist white man living in his privileged, self absorbed world, with his once 100 million dollar coaching contract.

DeMaurice Smith, the NFL players association executive director, worked with Gruden for over ten years. Working on “Monday Night Football” together, Gruden refers to Smith as “Dumboriss” and says the only reason why Smith is on the show

OPINION EDITOR Aaliyah Alexander MUNDO AZTECA EDITOR Noé Sandoval ASST. MUNDO AZTECA EDITOR Karina Bazarte ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Ryan Hardison ASST. ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Cristina Lombardo SPORTS EDITOR Jason Freund ASST. SPORTS EDITOR Andrew Finley SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Amanda Orozco PHOTO EDITOR Noelani Sapla Screenshot from Jon Gruden’s Instagram

Where is ‘cancel culture’ when it comes to an actual person worth punishing?

is as a color analyst.

Gruden also goes on about Smith’s appearance “Dumborris Smith has lips the size of Michelin tires,” he wrote in emails reviewed

by The Wall Street Journal.

All comments were never brought to light until now since Gruden only spoke this way to his favorite ranting buddy Bruce Allen.

For years, Gruden has spoken about NFL officials, sports journalists and prominent figures like our former president Barack Obama. It seemed Gruden had something to say about everyone and everything in the world.

The NFL promotes racial equality yet the franchise hires a

coach that is the poster child for inequality. Jon Gruden is not the only one. There are more coaches and staff that have terrible agendas who are under the table right now just as Gruden was for years.

The NFL was required to force Gruden to resign. If not, the league would be condoning his behavior, parishing the NFL’s whole motto: “It Takes All of Us” referring to the on-going fight to end racism, social injustice and inequality.

This stands for everyone except apparently your coaches, NFL. Daniela Ramirez is a junior studying journalism.

Anti-aging practices won’t keep you young by aaliyah alexander OPINION EDITOR

To be frank, I despise anti-aging propaganda.

I didn’t know how much I detested anti-aging tactics until my Nutrition 313 professor listed off a ridiculous amount of methods some individuals use to prevent aging.

The thought of people going great lengths to disguise a natural process for human beings struck a nerve in me because some individuals don’t get the privilege to see their “older” self due to untimely death at young ages.

I would bet a pretty penny that a 21-year-old who died in a car crash would love to trade places with a 78-year-old in a heartbeat.

Humans weren’t designed to look young their whole life. If we were, then that would be a fact of life, but it’s not.

I view wrinkles and grey hair as a badge of honor. If one makes it as far as getting grey hair and wrinkles, it implies years of growth and life experience.

Whoever convinced people to view growing older as an undesirable process owes an apology to the millions of people getting botox, surgery or spending insane amounts of

Graphic by Aaliyah Alexander Anti-aging propaganda shames a natural process. We need to make aging normal again.

money for anti-aging products.

“Can we go back to bodies being functional and not like barbie suits,” Tiktok user Kiera Breaugh said. “Why do we have the expectation to look 20 forever? Why are we giving it so much power and chasing after it for our entire life?”

I couldn’t agree more.

When I look at my grandmothers and grandfathers, great-grandmothers and grandfathers, great aunts and

uncles, I don’t see “ugliness” and a failure to preserve youth, I see strength, history and beauty.

Instead of wishing I can look 20 forever, I pray I get to see myself 20 years from now.

Knowing one day I won’t have my young body and face prompts me to enjoy and nurture it while I have it and, at the same time, appreciate the thought of it completely changing in the future.

One person I feel embodies the

message of embracing the natural process of aging is actress, singer and television host Tracee Ellis Ross.

Instead of engaging in surgeries, botox and other antiaging tactics, Ross engages in natural routines that she outlined in her “five commandments for staying young”: giggle as much as possible, get your sleep, drink so much water, have as much sex as possible and love with a full and open heart.

To be clear, I’m not opposed to individuals wanting to look and feel healthy as they progress in age — that should be a goal for everyone — but there is a difference between wanting to maintain health and wanting to preserve your teenage body and skin.

At the end of the day, we can’t be “forever young” as Alphaville put it. In fact, you should be grateful if one day you experience a head full of grey hair and wrinkled tattoos.

Until then, take notes from Ross and just drink your water, workout, love, laugh and enjoy the journey of life.

Aaliyah Alexander is a junior studying journalism and international studies.

MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Mackenzie Stafford ASST. MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Jayne Yutig GRAPHIC DESIGNER Hemen Mesfin

STAFF WRITERS Eugenie Budnik Christian Houser Nick Coppo Marian Cuevas Morgan Ray Sumaia Wegner Daniela Ramirez SENIOR STAFF WRITERS Lucelis Martinez Marco Perez Sara Rott CONTRIBUTORS Hailey Risch ________________________________

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Brian Arnold ________________________________

GRAPHIC DESIGN SPECIALIST Luis Valenzuela EDITORIAL 619.594.4190 editor@thedailyaztec.com ADVERTISING 619.594.7807 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.

FOLLOW US /dailyaztec @TheDailyAztec @thedailyaztec /DailyAztecVideo

Nov. 10 - 16, 2021 EDITOR: Aaliyah Alexander • opinion@thedailyaztec.com

Opinion

The Daily Aztec

5

Magic Johnson’s retirement speech

continues to impact people today by trinity bland MANAGING EDITOR

Watching Nelson George’s project “The Announcement” with NBA Entertainment in seventh grade taught me tons about consequences.

I thought the film’s primary objective was to take viewers down a historical path concentrating on former NBA superstar Earvin “Magic” Johnson and his abrupt retirement from the Los Angeles Lakers.

However, it centered Johnson’s journey to publicly disclosing something extremely personal and the influential aftermath of one press conference that became a cultural phenomenon.

It has now been 30 years since that press conference. On Nov. 7, 1991, Johnson made people stop and stare as he announced his retirement as well as confirmation he contracted the HIV virus at The Forum in Inglewood, California.

Thankfully, it’s been awhile since I’ve walked the halls of middle school but “The Announcement” is still captivating and my favorite documentary. I could say it’s because of my fascination with Johnson’s basketball brilliance in the 1980s and my eagerness to learn more about his story aside from athletics, but I’m obsessed with the film’s beautiful depiction of his road to advocacy while also demonstrating the complexities of public perception.

Examining the deep preparation it takes to make an announcement of this

magnitude — Johnson’s retirement coupled with the devastating reasoning behind it and the vastly unknown ways his career and life would change — the film takes viewers on a voyage through the then 32-year-old’s larger-than-life declaration.

Testing positive for HIV in 1991 was widely regarded as a death sentence — meaning fans automatically became terrorized, preparing to watch a beloved sports hero die rapidly and excruciatingly.

Johnson’s announcement officially ended a career that spanned two college seasons at Michigan State and 12 seasons with the Lakers, who drafted him in 1979.

During his time as a versatile point guard, the three-time MVP helped revolutionize the position with incredible passes and court-length drives. Johnson had a surreal ability to know when to shoot and when to pass the ball. His dazzling powers on the court earned him the moniker “Magic.”

Despite his basketball success, charming charisma and dignified 6-foot-9-inch build, Johnson accepted responsibility for his reckless past and handled the dark consequences he faced 30 years ago with grace, courage and even a few appropriate jokes to lighten the awkward atmosphere for everyone.

Nevertheless, Johnson did what he had to do: he forged ahead and deliberately educated the media about a disease most either embarrassingly whispered about or completely ignored, believing — like the superstar himself — it could never happen

to them.

“I think sometimes we think, well, only gay people can get it — ‘It’s not going to happen to me,” Johnson shared in his announcement. “And here I am saying that it can happen to anybody, even me, Magic Johnson.”

Arguably, this is what made Johnson a world-changer.

What patterned tie he chose to wear on that nightmarish day was probably among the things Johnson took into consideration before the announcement, but the questions he were to be asked immediately following the breaking news, the headlines of major newspapers and the discourse on every news station for the foreseeable future were all factors that contributed to his overall trepidation viewers could sense.

Johnson defied odds by not just surviving, but by truly prospering for decades to follow. From his stellar MVP performance in the 1992 NBA All-Star Game, his goldmedal winning participation in the U.S. Olympic “Dream Team” later that year and an emotional NBA comeback in 1996, to his remarkable success as a businessman, philanthropist and ambassador in the fight against HIV, Johnson has continued to live up to his nickname.

Similarly and heartbreakingly, throughout the deadly global impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have been naive and remain uninformed.

With press conferences held by politicians and medical professionals disseminating

Graphic by Shalika Oza

The magic of Johnson’s announcment will never fade.

incessantly changing information about the world as we know it today, it can be overwhelming to stay engaged.

Johnson knew his announcement would be one to remember, obviously. However, the relevance and tenacity of his message are everlasting: you think something couldn’t ever happen to you but it can.

Trinity Bland is a senior studying television, film, media and Spanish. Follow her on Twitter @trinityaliciaa.

6

The Daily Aztec

Arts & Culture

Nov. 10 - 16, 2021 EDITOR: Ryan Hardison • arts@thedailyaztec.com

‘Miku and the Gods’ inspires its actors

By Haley Risch CONTRIBUTOR

“Miku and the Gods,” presented by San Diego State’s Arts Alive, took its audience on an emotional and thought-provoking journey. Through passionate acting and thoughtful set design, the performance led viewers through conversations about death, friendship and the simultaneous importance and impermanence of memories.

“Miku and the Gods,” written by Julia Izumi and directed by Peter James Cirino, follows the story of a young Japanese American girl from a polytheistic background who desires to be a god.

The performance opened on Oct. 29 and completed its final showing on Nov. 5.

It was held virtually and had a limited in-person audience to comply with COVID-19 protocols.

Despite the decision to be presented mostly virtually, which is atypical in prepandemic theater, nothing from the play seemed to be lost. The story and spirit of the actors was conveyed perfectly through the screen. Hope-Elizabeth Dagdagan, the SDSU student who portrayed 12-year-old Miku, had the ability to bring the audience back to their inquisitive and sometimes painful childhood years through her emotive acting.

Cirino explored this aspect of the performance during the “Miku and the Gods” Discovery Series Panel Conversation on Oct. 26.

“I get taken away by the story and by the fierceness [of] this young character that Julia wrote so well, Miku,” Cirino said. “And it makes me long for those

Photo by Mckenna Perry

A performance sequence from the production of “Miku and the Gods,” an immersive play put on by SDSU Arts Alive.

times when I was little, to be that sponge and want to take on the world.”

Miku was struggling to deal with the death of her older brother and wanted to become a god so she could use her powers for good and ensure no more innocent people died. She and her new friend Ephriam, portrayed by Jaiden Sanmarti, sought out how to become a god and slowly learned of the sacrifices they must make.

At the same time, Miku’s grandmother, Grandma Seiko, was afflicted with dementia. She has lively and difficult conversations with her friend Shara, the minor god of war, portrayed by Booker Schrock. They dealt with the process of dying and the idea of memories fading being inevitable.

The elaborate storyline slowly revealed to the audience how all four characters are

deeply connected through death. Through explosive and touching monologues from Grandma Seiko, Shara and Miku the audience is provoked to think about the complexity of memories and death.

The ability of the actors to portray characters far outside of their age range as well as their ability for their emotions to transcend beyond the Zoom screen was fascinating to watch. Justine Elise Banal, who portrayed Grandma Seiko, explained how she was able to relate to her role.

“My grandma is my rock. A lot of who I am today, as corny as it sounds, is because of her. So, it was really interesting to play that opposite role and be that person for Miku in the play,” Banal said.

The audience not only received both the calm and intense acting moments well, but the music, lighting and set design further helped the performance

come to life.

Although the set was static throughout the performance, it was well utilized through use of multiple levels for the actors to walk on and a wall of crystal-like beads which added dimension. The bold, colorful lighting of Act II synced with the mood and made each scene vibrant and visually pleasing.

The costumes also added to the visual beauty of the play. The gods’ costumes were all brilliantly unique and eyecatching. They created a nice contrast from the regular clothes of the human characters. The captivating end scene where the gods finally spoke about their personal deaths was made all the more interesting because of their costumes.

The utilization of different camera angles for the Zoom audience was engaging and made it feel almost as if watching a film.

From the music to where the character stood on stage, everything in the play was well connected and symbolic.

Along with the central themes of the play, Izumi wanted to showcase Japanese American culture. She did so through Grandma Seiko’s onigiri, the use of Japanese honorifics, the practice of polytheistic culture and more. In the “Miku and the Gods” panel Izumi described the importance of having polytheistic representation and how it was a reflection of her own experiences.

“Miku is Japanese American because I am. Her story is not my story, but a lot of me is in her,” Izumi said.

To learn more about the upcoming performances from SDSU’s Arts Alive visit the School of Theater, Television and Film event page or visit the Arts Alive SDSU website.

San Diego State Symphony and Wind Orchestra shine

By Marian Cuevas STAFF WRITER

On Nov. 4, the San Diego State Wind Symphony and Symphony Orchestra performed their “Nothing Gold Can Stay” concert downtown in Balboa Theatre. The program consisted of two sections, each of which featured two pieces.

President Adela de la Torre and the Dean of Professional Studies and Fine Arts attended the event and shared their words and gratitude with the audience at the start of the event. In her brief time on stage, de la Torre stated SDSU will now start sponsoring an evening of gratitude each fall, an event for which the SDSU Wind Symphony and Symphony Orchestra will perform in Balboa Theatre.

This news was well received by music majors, whose pleas have been unattended by the president’s administration. Sade Rains, a third-year piano education major who attended as an audience member, shared her thoughts on this.

“I was surprised to see the president of our school giving a speech about how special the music students are… It was a relief to hear her mention how the music school would begin to receive some new sponsorships,” Rains said.

The performance touched their audience, especially in the context that it took place. “I have been deprived of the concert experience for so long, which is what made this performance even more special,” Rains said. “I feel that my words alone can’t bring the Nothing Gold Can Stay concert justice.”

The venue was a notable element of this event, as Samuel Jiménez, a fourth-year violin education major who performed with the orchestra commented.

“It was such a privilege to… perform

in such an amazing venue with some outstanding music. As students, we don’t always have the privilege to perform in these spaces, and it completely changes our sound into something that is truly astonishing to listen to,” Jiménez said.

The Wind Symphony opened the concert by performing “Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Steven Bryant. This piece, based on the poem of the same title by Robert Frost, captures a simple and familiar beauty.

Bryant discussed how the composition, which was inspired by Frost’s poem, captures a paradoxical descent from dawn to day, embodying the “lucky fall,” the idea that “loss can bring greater good, and is in fact necessary,” Bryant said.

The second work in the program featured Elizabeth Gaitan, a fourth-year vocal performance soprano. “Places we can no longer go” tells the story about the composer’s mother, who has dementia.

It goes from unintelligible blabber to distinct, clear fragments of memories.

For this piece, the soprano starts singing in the audience, further capturing the disorientation dementia patients navigate daily by placing the soloist among the audience members, where many were not able to pinpoint where the voice they were listening to was coming from.

Jiménez, who is also Gaitan’s boyfriend, said this performance was an amazing way to return to music in an indoor space. “[Her] solo in this piece was so emotional and I can’t even begin to express how proud I am of all her hard work and success. The offstage clarinets and triangles plus the space… really brought out the powerful energy this piece had to offer and brought me to tears,” Jiménez said.

The Symphony Orchestra took over for the second half of the program, performing

Photo by Virginia Michel

The SDSU Symphony Orchestra’s performance of “Firebird Suite” was one of the night’s highlights.

“Blue Cathedral” by Jennifer Higdon and “Firebird Suite” by Igor Stravisnky.

“Firebird Suite” was a performer and audience favorite. “[Firebird] has such a special place in my heart, and I am so grateful for being able to perform it with the symphony,” Jiménez said.

Rains, an audience member for this portion of the concert, said this was her favorite piece, as the audience was able to see each section of the symphony shine.

This event also left music majors hungry for more, hoping that their craft will be better appreciated going forward. Rains emphasized the hardship of being a music major while also expressing hope that the larger public will be more appreciative of the arts.

“SDSU’s music program has an amazing group of people that constantly juggle their personal lives, a million one-unit classes, and the stress of mastering their

craft,” Rains said. “Even if you aren’t a music student or a fan of classical music you should definitely take the time to see what we do here in the music building.

My peers have been so inspiring to me and I’m so thankful to have had that experience with them as an audience member.”

Photo by Virginia Michel

Composer Michael Gerdes led the symphony orchestra in their performance of “Firebird Suite.”

Nov. 10 - 16, 2021 EDITOR: Ryan Hardison • arts@thedailyaztec.com

Arts & Culture

Student’s editing expertise leads to viral TikTok fame SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Screenshot courtesy of Kayli Sandoval

The popularity of Sandoval’s TikTok soared during 2020, helping her land elusive job opportunities.

“That’s definitely a signature thing that’s like, that’s a Kayli video if it has the doodles in it,” Sandoval said, “If you were to play one of my videos frame by frame, you can really see my attention to detail which I find to be another one of my signature aspects to my edit. There’s almost something new in every frame if not every three frames.”

Sandoval said she did an edit for a brand in Australia, and drew specific items related to the brand onto it.

Sandoval has been involved with Kolorhouse on campus. Kolorhouse was a brand founded in 2019, which then grew into a chapter. The group encourages community building through creative outlets and mediums of expression.

Kolorhouse founder, Charlie Seith, reached out to Sandoval before classes started this semester but Sandoval took the time to find out what Kolorhouse was all about. She checked out their Instagram, and really liked their message

so she joined right away.

“Being around other creatives is something that I never knew was so important, until I was able to experience it,” Sandoval said. “The first time I was around other creatives was probably the one time that I felt the most inspired.”

Sandoval hadn’t made a video for about four months before that, as she was turning down commissions because she felt like she had to get back into the momentum of in-person classes.

Despite the demand for her work increasing, she says she likes to listen to her heart when choosing what work to do.

“I don’t say yes to every commission because if it’s some brand that just doesn’t really go with my own aesthetic, I don’t really see how we can work together so I definitely am a little bit choosy with who I pick to work with,” Sandoval said. “I definitely think it’s very important to keep my own style with every video that I do.”

Painting with her mom when she was young, and watching interesting documentaries with her dad has inspired her to create some of her own works in the future.

“I vividly remember one of my first edits was like this music video, to Iggy Azalea and Rita Ora’s ‘Black Widow’ and it was my little sister just walking down our driveway and I would just like to film them and put some effects on in Videostar,” Sandoval said. “That was a tragedy but it’s really, really funny to look back on now cause I’ve grown so much as an editor.”

Sandoval said that for every one second of video, she may edit for an hour or more.

“Without art, I would not be sane,” Sandoval said.

One can find that brand video, and others Sandoval has done, by going to her online portfolio or checking out her Instagram, @KayliSandoval.

Brazilian film series enlightens students

By Noé Sandoval MUNDO AZTECA EDITOR

The Behner Stiefel Center for Brazilian Studies at San Diego State is now featuring a film series for its third year.

The Brazil Center has partnered with Language Acquisition Resource Center to provide educational material to students through documentary and narrative films.

It provides both language and culture learning opportunities through cinema.

The film series used to function by having a one-time screening on campus where students can go watch these featured films; however there was a change during the pandemic. The center decided to subscribe to Eventive, an online streaming website for independent filmmakers.

Through Eventive, users have an allotted time to watch the featured film from their own devices.

Currently, as we have returned to the in-person functions, there has been a mixture of both in person screenings and online streaming.

These featured films have covered a wide range of topics and themes concerning from the sociopolitical climate to everyday narrative of the Brazilian people. All these films take place in Brazil and are made by Brazilian filmmakers.

7

Decolonizing Attraction aims to accept all

By Sumaia Wegner STAFF WRITER

By Lucelis Martinez

Kayli Sandoval is a San Diego State student in her third year, studying journalism with an emphasis in media studies and minoring in film. Sandoval enjoys working with mixed media, and has gotten a lot of attention for the style she showcases on video edits, which has brought her many work opportunities with big names.

Sandoval also has 172 thousand followers on TikTok. Sandoval said she downloaded Tik Tok in 2018 because her younger sisters were obsessing over it and as the older, more protective sister, she wanted to look out for them.

When quarantine hit, she started posting more seriously and started uploading content she says she was extremely proud of. Her first viral video got 4.3 million likes and depicted the year 2020 through the lens of Sandoval’s signature edits. It was the first video she created with Premiere Pro, which she found out she had access to as a student.

Since then, Sandoval has gotten to work with big names like Vinnie Hacker, popular TikTok creator and YouTuber.

Some members of Hacker’s video team reached out to Sandoval and asked if she could do some edits for them.

“It was definitely a milestone into the style that I have today,” Sandoval said.

Sandoval’s editing style is fast paced and put together using apps like Adobe Premiere Pro. She likes using camcorders and film photos to give a ‘90s and early 2000s aesthetic. She can’t start an edit without picking out the music, and likes listening to different genres in her personal life. Sandoval said reggae is a must for some mornings.

Being a fan of mixed media, she also likes incorporating collages and using photoshop for a bunch of frames, along with doodles.

The Daily Aztec

movie productions. These laws have been Kristal Bivona is the assistant director under attack due to the governance of the for the Center for Brazilian Studies, and right-wing president, Jair Bolsanaro. she has a background in Brazilian film For the film series, the current film research. available is titled “Aos Olhos dos Ernesto” “We try to bring a wide variety of films,” (Through Ernesto’s Eyes). It tells the story Bivona said. “We have some independent of an elder Uruguayan man, Ernesto, filmmakers who [are] trying to promote living in Brazil who has lived a life of their first film, but we also [have] adventure and love being a photographer, filmmakers who are more experienced.” but has become dependent on others due For the film series, Bivona also has to becoming blind. the chance to interview the directors for The film takes place in these featured films. Bivona the city of Porto Alegre, conducts a Q&A session with Rio Grande do Sul. It the film director for each is the southernmost film and these sessions are metropolitan city in Brazil available through the Center’s and borders the countries Youtube Channel. of Uruguay and Argentina.

Bivona also mentioned that The protagonist of the it is a difficult time for Brazilian film is from Uruguay. The filmmakers nowadays due to film has a mixture of both the sociopolitical climate of Spanish and Portuguese the country. within the film.

The Brazilian film industry Ana Luiza Azevedo, is currently going through a lot Courtesy of Elo Company of changes due to the country’s “Through Ernesto’s Eyes” directed the director of the film, explained that this film governance.

by Ana Luiza Azevedo. showcases the diversity of In Brazil, many arts of work culture that can be found in with cultural significance can Southern Brazil. be funded by the government through “I think these mixtures of languages are the Lei Rouanet and the Lei Audiovisual, very beautiful,” Azevedo said. “It is a way laws that permitted individuals and of generosity so that what matter is not to companies to receive allotments of speak well a language but to communicate funding by the government for arts of and be able to understand and exchange.” work including music, dance, theatre and

On Nov. 1, SDSU’s Women’s Resource Center and Latinx Resource Center hosted an event centered around “decolonizing attraction.”

Decolonizing attraction is learning how to upack identities, experiences and broader cultural systems impacting the ways we experience attraction whether it’d be platonic, romantic, and sexual in forming relationships.

Participants were welcomed in this educational safe space with essential oil fumes and yoga mats to sit on. A fiveminute meditation was led by staff to help ground oneself - given the context of the material that was going to be discussed.

A “zine” (a miniature activity book related to the discussion) and colorful markers were given to participants to fill out while a powerpoint presentation was conducted. Topics of conversation included vulnerability, intimacy, biases, and barriers, and a series of questions were asked in relation to these topics.

Participants then shared personal experiences and examples, which allowed for everyone to engage through their similar feelings and understanding.

The event aimed to ensure participants knew how to better interact with themselves and others. They also explained how to have complex talks with their partners in regard to their identity, and how the system of oppression manifests in intimate relationships.

Senior Camile “Eden” Pino (she/her/ hers), a foods and nutrition major and a Spanish minor, said she appreciated learning about boundaries.

“I feel like I learned how to set healthy boundaries with someone in my family,” Pino said. “I learned about answering with yes-but, not just hard no’s. I really like the aspect of those boundaries.”

Setting boundaries is something everyone should practice, says Josh Imperial, a senior majoring in civil engineering.

“I also agree with setting boundaries,” Imperial said. “A great point is that sometimes you want to practice what you want to say to your partner, so it is good to understand the boundaries you want to set.”

Both Pino and Imperial were happy to have the Women’s Resource Center (WRC) back open since it was closed last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Both agree they would recommend the center as a place to go for other students.

“Myself, being a person of color, I felt super welcome there and I feel like I was a part of the group even though I just met everybody. Everyone felt so inclusive and supportive,” Pino said.

It’s a place where people can come together.

“You feel a sense of community. I know the emphasis is on women, but we are welcoming of all. People can put themselves out there, like we all do,” Imperial said.

The WRC serves women and all people who face gender-based oppression. The center operates with an “intersectional feminist lens” and offers educational and healing events that address the biases of justice involving gender and race.

Jess Chappelear is graduating this year with a major in psychology and minors in philosophy, counseling and social change.

She is a fellow at the WRC, and was asked how to get more students to use the WRC as a resource.

SEE ONLINE

8

The Daily Aztec

Arts & Culture

Nov. 10 - 16, 2021 EDITOR: Ryan Hardison • arts@thedailyaztec.com

San Diego tribute band appears on E! network music competition show

By Sara Rott SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Projected across television screens all over the country, San Diego based tribute band “The Fooz Fighters” traded in live concerts for recorded performances.

“The Fooz Fighters,” like the name can tell you, is a tribute band dedicated to “The Foo Fighters.”

Members include lead vocalist Nicky Rich, guitarist Brent Wright, drummer Boll3t, bass and backing vocals Gui Bodi and guitarist David Tishenkel.

The tribute band rockstars competed on E! Network’s “Clash of the Cover Bands,” their episode will air Wednesday, Nov. 1o.

The only band from Southern California to appear on the show, the band spoke about how the experience was surreal.

“I can speak for everyone when I say this is something that we’ve never done before,” Rich said.

Boll3t spoke about how every detail was taken into perspective, from the crew themselves to the sound quality, he enjoyed the professional side of the show.

The premise of the 10-episode show is to showcase tribute bands in the same genre.

Every week, two bands compete head-tohead against each other. The judges decide who reigns supreme that night, judging on vocals, appearance and overall likeability.

Meanwhile, they get to work with people in the business like Meghan Trainor and vocal coaches to get advice and become better performers.

“The Foo Fighters, a lot of them are shoe-gazers, except for the lead singer and the drummer,” Tishenkel said. ”The rest of the band is just there and don’t really step out front and we emulated that.”

Tishenkel explained how “Clash of the Cover Bands” wanted none of that and

made them step out of that comfort zone.

However, it was a lightbulb moment for them to step out every time they performed.

Boll3t spoke about how the energetic stage presence the band portrays whenever they perform is a big part of their show.

“I think that’s where we concentrate more, we gotta keep the energy flowing,”Boll3t said.

From their time on the show, Fooz Fighters learned there’s not just one person who carries the energy of a show, it’s about the whole band combining their energy.

Rich spoke about how the whole experience was a show up and wait kind of deal, where they would arrive at the studio with no prior knowledge of the schedule ahead.

“There was this, ‘we don’t know what we’re getting into’ and that can be a little intimidating,” Rich said. “But we put on our big boy pants and went out there and did the best we could.”

Many of the performers on the show were cover bands, which are very different from tribute bands. Unlike a cover band, which plays music in the style of various artists, a tribute band sticks to imitating the original performers in movement, dress, appearance and playing music note-fornote.

Rich is the example in this case; he grew his hair out and got Dave Grohl’s exact tattoos to resemble the Foo Fighters’ lead singer.

“It’s an interesting process, but I think whenever we take the stage wherever we are, we are ‘The Foo Fighters,’” Wright said. “The whole band puts their heart and soul into matching the energy.”

Besides performing in front of large crowds, they also take time for the fans, especially the younger ones.

They are currently supporting a 10-yearold boy from Australia who had surgery for cerebral palsy. The little boy was a big

Courtesy of Fooz Fighters

When performing onstage, the Fooz Fighters share a heavy resemblance with their inspirations.

“Foo Fighters” fan, even dressing like Dave Grohl.

“His mother reached out to us and said he would love it if you played a song for him, so I sat down and played a song for him,” Rich said.

The special moments shared between this band and their fans is so powerful.

Although they may see themselves as only a cover band, their fans see so much more.

Understanding this, the “Fooz Fighters” put their time and energy into replicating the real deal for fans. The band is more than happy to help raise awareness and perform at events for good causes.

After the show, the band went on tour and performed in Colorado and Texas.

“I think we played our best shows ever as a band, I’ll go off on a limb, at those shows,” Wright said.

However, the band can’t help but agree that performing in San Diego has special meaning. Either a sold out show or close to it, nothing beats the fan base they have established here.

Rich spoke about how after the taping of the show, COVID-19 issues canceled their shows at one of their favorite places in San Diego, the Belly Up Tavern.

For the local scene, it’s a chance to see this cover band make its comeback after two years of no live performances.

“That’s what makes this show so significant, a lot of the people here at home have not seen the transformation that we’ve gone through pre-COVID-19.”

Rich said.

“Fooz Fighters” are booked to perform at the Music Box on Nov. 20 at 9 p.m. open to ages 21 and up.

Review: ‘Dune’ overcomes its ‘unfilmable’ expectations

By Morgan Ray STAFF WRITER

*WARNING: MILD SPOILERS* The phrase “‘Let’s make a movie out of ‘Dune,’” is enough to strike fear into the hearts of the brave.

Adapting Frank Herbert’s 1965 monolith novel has been one of the most daunting tasks in sci-fi cinema history; from the bonkers tale of Alejandro Jodorowsky‘s unrealized vision to the ambitious yet highly abbreviated 1984 David Lynch adaptation, which he has since disowned.

However, in the words of Lady Jessica, “fear is the mind-killer.”

With Denis Villeneuve (“Arrival”, “Blade Runner 2049”) taking his crack at the storied space desert epic, have we finally received a worthy adaptation of “Dune”… or rather, “Dune: Part One?” Villeneuve’s “Dune” will be a two-parter, with “Part Two” due for fall 2023. “Part One” introduces us to Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), heir to House Atreides, who’s haunted by strange visions of a mysterious woman (Zendaya) that compel him to the planet Arrakis. Perfect timing, because House Atreides has been assigned control of Arrakis, a lucrative source of spice (a.k.a. interstellar fuel), thereby replacing the planet’s brutal overlords House Harkonnen. Upon arrival, Paul’s visions only get stronger and it becomes clear that House Atreides’ presence has an entirely different purpose.

“Dune” has long been deemed

“unfilmable” because of the vast amount of material an adaptation needs to cover — even summarizing the film isn’t easy.

Hence “Dune: Part One”’s nearly threehour run time,but is it better to do the source material justice at the expense of audiences’ attention spans?

Let’s be clear; there’s a lot of information to take in and it can be a bit overwhelming.

Thankfully, “Dune: Part One” trusts its audience and the screenwriters feel no need to explain themselves; unlike the 1984 version, where literal playbills were passed out to explain what/who everything was. If anything, giving theatergoers less explanations allows them to piece everything together. They’ll become more immersed in the world of “Dune” and will be sufficiently primed for “Part Two.” Hell, at this point, we might actually need three parts.

It’s clear that “Dune: Part One” is enamored with its source material. Even the uninitiated can sense this film was created by actual fans of the book and this passion radiates from every gorgeous frame. Hans Zimmer’s potent score sweeps through scenes like a desert breeze and the visuals, oh, the visuals!

The costumes (Jacqueline West, Bob Morgan and Stacy Horn), cinematography (Greig Fraser) and production design (Patrice Vermette) are a stunning reminder of why we watch grand sci-fi epics.

With such imagery, you’d be tempted to completely forget about the performances, which would be a grave mistake. Timothée

Chalamet‘s moody performance continues to confirm all the hype surrounding his name, the supporting cast is absolutely stacked (Zendaya, Oscar Isaac, Javier Bardem, Dave Bautista, etc.) and if you haven’t been paying attention to Rebecca Ferguson, you should be.

Plotwise, “Dune: Part One” gives its dated source material a much needed revamping. For one thing, it’s quite literally driven by female voices: the much more prominent role of Lady Jessica (Paul’s mother), the gender-flipping of Dr. Kymes, even Zimmer’s score with its female choir.

Regarding protagonist Paul, Villeneuve’s adaptation embarks on his “Hero’s Journey” with more caution than its contemporaries.

Paul is aware of the power mechanics and privilege that brought his family to Arrakis, but will his visions bring him to perpetuate that cycle? How much of his “destiny” does he truly have a say in? Can this adaptation avoid making Paul Atreides a “Gary Stu” and/or keep itself from falling into the insidious “white savior” trope? This new “Dune” cycle could be setting itself up for a colossal victory or a catastrophic failure.

“Dune: Part One” has an odd duality; it’s definitely holding back, but this adaptation is still giving everything it’s got. It’s just a matter of whether “Part Two” can find a way to land these beats. There’s a crucial moment where a key character says “This is only the beginning.” That much is clear.

For now though, House Villeneuve remains relatively triumphant.

7.5/10

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Picture of the ominous, desert-laden studio poster for “Dune” outside Reading Cinemas in Grossmont.

Nov. 10 - 16, 2021 EDITOR: Noé Sandoval • mundoazteca@thedailyaztec.com

Mundo Azteca

The Daily Aztec

9

La expansión del centro de recreación abre sus puertas parcialmente a SDSU por Mackenzie Stafford EDITORA DE MULTIMEDIA

Esta historia fue traducida por Noé Sandoval, editor de Mundo Azteca.

Después de más de un año de expansión, el 8 de noviembre de 2021, el cuerpo estudiantil asociado llevaron a cabo la gran reapertura del Centro de Recreación Azteca para presentar el gimnasio recién reconstruido.

A medida que la noticia se difundió por el campus, generó un gran revuelo entre los estudiantes. Más de 50 estudiantes, profesores y personal se reunieron alrededor de las nuevas puertas de la entrada en el extremo sur del edificio esperando la apertura. Justo a las 12 p.m. para la gran inauguración, los que esperaban inundaron tan pronto como se abrieron las puertas.

El nuevo ARC (por sus siglas en inglés) está casi completo con 94,000 pies cuadrados, dos pisos, una pista cubierta, muchas salas de actividades, casi todos los equipos nuevos, una pared de roca, diferentes áreas de ejercicios y más.

Los empleados de ARC estaban encantados con los resultados y la asistencia al evento de reapertura, y finalmente pudieron ver cómo valió la pena todo su arduo trabajo.

“Siento que el nuevo ARC se adaptará a una variedad de necesidades de la gente y el próximo semestre deberíamos tener una nueva cancha de baloncesto”, dijo empleada del ARC y estudiante, Rachel Browne.

La construcción en la renovación ARC continuará durante el próximo semestre hasta el verano de 2022 con el fin de terminar la cancha de baloncesto, salas de actividades y monitores de ritmo cardíaco durante todo el gimnasio. Esto resultará en siete múltiples canchas de usos en la parte norte de las instalaciones, según el sitio web de Estudiantes Asociados.

“Había algo de ruido con la construcción,

Foto por Owen Ekstrom

El Centro de Recreacion de SDSU abrió sus puertas de la expansion para los estudiantes mientras continuan reconstruyendo.

pero yo estaba más excitado acerca más máquinas y más espacio,” dijo Marcus Duggs estudiante de segundo año.

La expectativa por la gran reapertura se incrementó especialmente debido a la falta de un centro recreativo en el campus bajo techo debido a la pandemia de COVID-19.

“Fue muy difícil durante la pandemia.

Tenía que ir al gimnasio de mi amigo“ , dijo estudiante de segundo año Parsa Pourmoula.

Para seguir el protocolo COVID-19, se requieren cubiertas faciales en el Aztec Recreation Center, solo hay fuentes de agua sin contacto y hay una entrada sin

contacto con la aplicación Aztec Rec. Esta aplicación permite a los miembros del centro de recreación acceder a las instalaciones con un código de barras y acceder a eventos sin cita previa.

El nuevo Centro de Recreación Aztecallenándose a medida que pasaba él continuó tiempo, lleno de estudiantes que realizaban recorridos, probaban equipos nuevos y realizaban entrenamientos que no pudieron realizar días antes debido al cierre del Centro de Recreación Azteca el 6 y 7 de noviembre. para prepararse para la gran reapertura.

Para un estudiante, esta fue una ocasión trascendental: “Había tanto equipo,

tanta gente feliz haciendo ejercicio, probablemente una de mis mejores experiencias en el campus hasta ahora.

Estaba emocionado de ser parte de esto ”, dijo Liam Riley estudiante de primer año.

Esta emoción se pudo sentir en toda la nueva sección del ARC. Los estudiantes pudieron descubrir nuevas secciones y obtener una mejor comprensión del nuevo diseño del centro de recreación.

Lo mantendremos informado mientras el Centro Recreativo Azteca continúa las fases finales de construcción. Para aquellos interesados en ​​ la experencia de la expansión del ARC, se puede encontrar por el lado del Viejas Arena.

La universidad se asocia con la aplicación, Bindle,

para verificar el estatus de COVID-19 en eventos por Lucelis Martinez ESCRITORA PRINCIPAL

Esta historia fue traducida por Noé Sandoval, editor de Mundo Azteca.

La Universidad Estatal de San Diego publicó un correo electrónico para toda la universidad sobre cómo amigos y familiares pueden acceder a grandes eventos en el interior del campus esta próxima temporada.

“Para amigos y familiares, la universidad se ha asociado con la compañía Bindle para el uso de una aplicación móvil que facilita la verificación del estado de COVID-19 para el público en SDSU a través de sus dispositivos móviles mientras asiste a ‘megaeventos’ en interiores”, el correo electrónico dijo.

La aplicación se ofrece sin costo y es necesaria para el público en general. Les permitirá probar fácilmente que han sido vacunados o que recientemente dieron negativo en la prueba de COVID. Para obtener instrucciones más detalladas sobre cómo registrarse en Bindle, visite el sitio web de atletismo. También puede aprender a cargar un registro de vacuna y/o los

resultados de la prueba COVID-19 viendo este video instructivo.

A partir del 29 de octubre, los estudiantes, profesores y personal de SDSU deben continuar usando Healtheconnect para acceder a “megaeventos en interiores”, como juegos de baloncesto o conciertos en Viejas Arena, según el correo electrónico de la universidad. Una vez que un estudiante inicie sesión en el sitio web, verá un medallón verde, que prueba su estado de vacunación o resultados negativos de COVID. Según el correo electrónico, el requisito está en línea con las pautas universitarias y del Departamento de Salud Pública de California actuales. Los eventos que involucran a 1,000 o más participantes se definen como “Mega eventos de interior”. ¿No puedes descargar Bindle? Aquí están las otras opciones disponibles.

“Se aceptarán credenciales en papel, como una tarjeta de vacuna de los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades (CDC) de EE. UU. O un resultado de prueba de laboratorio COVID-19 negativo impreso”, decía el correo electrónico. Se debe presentar una copia impresa o una foto de la información en un celular, los días de juego.

Foto de Archivos

La aplicacion Bindle es una forma que varios lugares pueden verificar que la gente está vacunadas y seguras.

10

The Daily Aztec

Mundo Azteca

Nov. 10 - 16, 2021 EDITOR: Noé Sandoval • mundoazteca@thedailyaztec.com

El fútbol masculino cae por segunda vez en casa, 1-0 ante el número 3, Washington

por Juan Daniel Avila ESCRITOR PRINCIPAL

El equipo de fútbol masculino de la Universidad Estatal de San Diego jugó un partido de alto riesgo en un domingo soleado contra el número 3 de la Universidad de Washington en el SDSU Sports Deck.

Los Aztecas (8-6-2) tenían que ganar contra los Huskies (14-2-1) para asegurar una oferta en el Torneo de la NCAA, pero despues de perder ante Washington ha disminuido las posibilidades de llegar a los 48 equipos finalistas que son elegidos para competir. El Scarlet y Black ahora esperan vencer a UCLA el viernes 12 de noviembre para tener la oportunidad de ingresar al torneo.

El único gol de los Huskies llegó a los 91 segundos de iniciado el partido cuando el delantero de segundo año Nick Scardina se metio detrás de la línea defensiva de los Aztecas con un pase directo, tocó el balón alrededor de Jacob Castro y se fue directo a la red.

Los Aztecas terminarían el juego con una desventaja de 14-3 en tiros a gol ante los Huskies, pero según el director técnico Ryan Hopkins, la segunda mitad del partido es quizás fue la mejor actuación que SDSU ha tenido esta temporada.

“Nos tomó un tiempo ponernos en marcha. Uno nunca quiere quedarse atrás temprano, pero ciertamente no con el equipo número tres del país ”, dijo Hopkins después del partido. “Los

Foto por SDSU Athletics

Los aztecas perdieron contra los Huskies de Washington, tienen que ganar el próximo partido para estar en el torneo.

muchachos respondieron, y pensé que éramos el mejor equipo en la segunda mitad y que esos fueron nuestros mejores 45 minutos del año”.

SDSU anotó en el minuto 82 con un toque del defensa internacional novato Tadej Pirtovšek, pero fue suspendido después de ser pitado fuera de juego.

El defensa de ultimo ano Laukoa Santos y Blake Bown lograron conector un par de veces pero no lograron acabar jugadas contentednes. El ortero de los Aztecs Jacob Castro tanbien

tuvo buenos momentos en el partido evitando que le marcaran gol en el segundo tiempo.

Los Aztecas dominarían la segunda mitad con posesión del balón, pero no se presentaría ninguna oportunidad clara, lo que dificultaría que SDSU consiguiera un gol para pasar la defensa de los Huskies.

Una sustitución significable que ayudó a los Aztecas a elevar su desempeño en la segunda mitad fue cuando el entrenador Hopkins movió

al mediocampista junior Arturo Chávez a la línea de fondo para jugar una posición de defensa central.

“Nuestro central principal fue eliminado debido a una suspensión y nuestro otro central se lesionó durante el juego”, dijo Chávez. “Solo tenemos que estar listos para cualquier momento para la convocatoria y eso es lo que tiene de especial a nuestro equipo y todos estamos listos para cuando recibamos esa convocatoria”.

Chávez dijo que el equipo necesita adaptarse a esos primeros momentos de advertencia en el juego para tener una buena actuación contra UCLA. “Esos momentos críticos al comienzo del juego tenemos que salir fuertes, y si lo hacemos contra UCLA tenemos una buena oportunidad contra ellos”, dijo Chávez.

Hopkins todavía tiene esperanzas de que el equipo llegue al Torneo de la NCAA, dice que todo se reduce a un juego.

“Les dije a los muchachos que tenemos un bocado más en la manzana para llegar al torneo”, dijo Hopkins.

“Una victoria en la noche de seniors, podrías colarte en el Torneo de la NCAA para que tengamos que estar listos. Es uno de esos partidos de eliminación, así que se sentirá como un juego de torneo de la NCAA y tenemos que tratarlo como tal “.

Los Aztecas están listos para jugar su último partido de la conferencia Pac12 este viernes 12 de noviembre a las 7 pm contra UCLA en el SDSU Sports Deck.

Serie de películas brasileñas cuenta historias a través del aprendizaje de idioma y cultura latina por Noé Sandoval EDITOR DE MUNDO AZTECA

El Centro Behner Stiefel de Estudios Brasileños en La Universidad Estatal de San Diego presenta ahora una serie de películas por su tercer año. El Centro de Brasil se ha asociado con el Centro de Recursos para la Adquisición de Idiomas para proporcionar material educativo a los estudiantes a través de películas documentales y narrativas. La serie ofrece oportunidades de aprendizaje de idiomas y culturas a través del cine.

La serie de películas solía funcionar con una proyección única en el campus donde los estudiantes pueden ir a ver estas películas destacadas; sin embargo, hubo un cambio durante la pandemia.

El centro decidió suscribirse a Eventive, un sitio web de transmisión en línea para cineastas independientes.

A través de Eventive, los usuarios tienen un tiempo asignado para ver la película destacada desde sus propios dispositivos.

Actualmente, como hemos vuelto a las funciones en persona, ha habido una combinación de proyecciones en persona y transmisión en línea.

Estas películas destacadas han cubierto una amplia gama de temas y temas relacionados desde el clima sociopolítico hasta la narrativa cotidiana del pueblo brasileño. Todas estas películas tienen lugar en Brasil y son realizadas por cineastas brasileños.

Kristal Bivona es la subdirectora del Centro de Estudios Brasileños y tiene experiencia en la investigación cinematográfica brasileña.

“Tratamos de traer una amplia variedad de películas,”dijo Bivona. “Tenemos algunos cineastas independientes que [están] tratando de promover su primera película, pero también [tenemos] cineastas que tienen más experiencia”.

Para el ciclo de películas, Bivona también tiene la oportunidad de entrevistar a los directores de estas películas destacadas. Bivona realiza una sesión de preguntas y respuestas con el director de cine para cada película y estas sesiones están disponibles a través del Canal de Youtube del Centro.

Bivona también mencionó que es un momento difícil para los cineastas brasileños en la actualidad debido al clima sociopolítico del país.

Actualmente, la industria cinematográfica brasileña está atravesando muchos cambios debido a la gobernanza del país.

En Brasil, el gobierno puede financiar muchas artes del trabajo con importancia cultural a través de Lei Rouanet y Lei Audiovisual, leyes que permitían que las personas y las empresas recibieran asignaciones de fondos del gobierno para las artes del trabajo, incluida la música, la danza, el teatro y producciones cinematográficas. Estas leyes han sido atacadas debido al gobierno del presidente de derecha, Jair Bolsanaro.

Para la serie, la película actual disponible se titula “Aos Olhos dos Ernesto” (A través de los ojos de Ernesto). Cuenta la historia de un uruguayo, Ernesto, que vive en Brasil y que ha vivido una vida de aventuras y amor por ser fotógrafo, pero se ha vuelto dependiente de otros debido a quedar ciego.

Grafico por Elo Company

“Aos Olhos do Ernestro”, diregida por Ana Luiza Azevedo, historia de un anciano teniendo que enfentrar su ceguera.

La película se desarrolla en la ciudad de Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul. Es laaustral ciudad metropolitana más de Brasil y limita con los países de Uruguay y Argentina. El protagonista de la película es de Uruguay. La película tiene una mezcla de español y portugués dentro de la película.

Ana Luiza Azevedo, directora de

la película, explicó que esta película muestra la diversidad de culturas que se pueden encontrar en el sur de Brasil.

“Creo que estas mezclas de idiomas son muy hermosas,”dijo Azevedo. “Es una forma de generosidad para que lo importante no sea hablar bien un idioma sino comunicarse y poder comprender e intercambiar.”

Nov. 10 - 16, 2021 EDITOR: Jason Freund • sports@thedailyaztec.com

Sports

The Daily Aztec /

11

Football waves ‘Mahalo’ to Hawaii, defeating the Rainbow Warriors 17-10

By Nick Coppo STAFF WRITER

The Aztecs went on the road and outlasted the Rainbow Warriors of Hawaii 17-10 in a gritty battle on Saturday night. In a game where offense was at a premium, constant pressure on the quarterback, a little trickeration and timely takeaways ended up being the difference.

After the disappointing loss to Fresno State last weekend that knocked them out of first place in the Mountain West, the Aztecs bounced back to nab a muchneeded victory in Honolulu — historically, a difficult place to secure a win. Since 2018, the Rainbow Warriors are 18-7 on their home turf.

The first points of the game came by way of an eight-play, 47-yard drive capped off with a five yard rushing touchdown by senior running back Greg Bell — his seventh of the year.

As the Hawaii offense struggled to move the ball on their first two drives, the defense was able to give the Rainbow Warriors a spark with a strip-sack of senior quarterback Lucas Johnson at the end of the first quarter deep in SDSU territory.

The turnover was Hawaii’s 21st this season — fourth most in the NCAA. The Rainbow Warriors did not waste any time capitalizing on the turnover as junior quarterback Cheven Cordeiro found senior running back Calvin Turner for a 19-yard touchdown to even the score at seven.

A methodical 15-play, 82-yard drive from the Aztecs stalled at the Hawaii 13yard line, which brought out Matt Araiza for a field goal attempt. At least, that is what everyone thought.

Head coach Brady Hoke reached into his bag of tricks and called a fake field goal to catch the Hawaii special teams off guard.

Courtesy of SDSU Athletics

Sophomore linebacker Garret Fountain tangos with a Hawaii offensive lineman. The Aztec defense allowed just one touchdown to the Rainbow Warriors in the 17-10 win in Honolulu.

Sophomore kicker/holder Jack Browning took the snap, bolted to the left side and scampered into the endzone for six points.

“We talk about Matt (Araiza) being a good athlete, Jack (Browning) is a really good athlete,” Hoke said.

It was a play that the team has worked on in practice. Hoke saw an opportunity to capitalize after seeing the formation. “Once we could secure the 3-technique off the double, we knew we had something that would be pretty good for us.”

The Aztecs boasted a 14-7 lead at halftime as both offenses underwhelmed.

For the Aztecs, it was inefficiency on the ground and a few costly penalties that held the offense back from a bigger half.

On the Rainbow Warriors’ side of the

ball, Cordeiro was under constant duress as the Aztecs won the battle at the line of scrimmage over and over again in the first half. Junior defensive lineman Cameron Thomas in particular was making himself known, recording a sack and five tackles.

The third quarter was highlighted with an interception by senior safety Trenton Thompson, his third of the season. The pass rush also got to Cordeiro for three sacks in the quarter, asserting their dominance on that side of the ball. While the defense did their job, Johnson and the offense remained out of sync, totaling only 36 total yards and four offensive penalties.

The fourth quarter began with the Aztecs still holding on to a 14-7 lead. A crucial drive that ate up eight minutes and

26 seconds led to an Araiza field goal that grew the lead to 17-7.

It took the Rainbow Warriors until seven minutes and 43 seconds into the fourth quarter to finally put a sustained drive together. Cordeiro converted on three separate third downs to keep the drive alive. A field goal brought the score to 1710 with under three minutes to play.

While it was not the most efficient game on the ground for Bell (24 attempts, 77 yards), he secured a much needed first down on the Aztecs’ final drive that forced Hawaii to burn all three timeouts.

The Rainbow Warriors had one last shot to tie the game as they regained possession with one minute and 11 seconds on the clock. The burned timeouts proved to be costly on the final drive as Cordeiro moved the ball all the way down to the SDSU 23yard line but ultimately ran out of time as the game came to an end.

With Fresno State defeating the Aztecs last week, SDSU needed to win and get some help from their friends in Boise in order to regain the top spot in the Mountain West.

Senior defensive lineman Keshawn Banks was asked whether the team was scoreboard-watching prior to their tilt with Hawaii.

“We didn’t look at it before the game actually,” Banks said. “All we were worried about was beating Hawaii. If we don’t beat Hawaii, the Fresno State loss doesn’t matter.,” Banks said.

Luckily for the Aztecs, Boise State dominated Fresno State 40-14 which paved a clear path for SDSU to take back control of the conference.

The Aztecs are now 8-1 on the season and take on Nevada and their NFL prospect quarterback, senior Carson Strong next week for Homecoming in Carson.Homecoming

Matt Araiza is punting his way to NCAA history

By Marco Perez SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Since 2013, there have been two punts in the NFL that have traveled more than 80 yards.

In a span of two weeks, San Diego State’s punter Matt Araiza tied that stat. He had a punt of 86 yards against San Jose State and an 81-yard punt against Air Force. His punt against Air Force — from his own end zone — traveled 84 yards in the air from where he was standing.

Think about that; his punt traveled 84 yards in the air.

The ball sailed well over the head of the Air Force punt returner and landed on the Air Force 18-yard line before coming to rest and downed at the Air Force 12-yard line.

Araiza’s performance against Air Force earned him the Gorilla Glue Toughest Player on Planet Earth for the week courtesy of the well renowned Rich Eisen Show.

“That one was 75 in the air from the line of scrimmage, and I believe 84 from where I was standing,” Araiza said, during his appearance on the Rich Eisen Show.

Junior Matt Araiza is on pace to have the best season ever by a collegiate punter and doing so in his first season as the team’s full-time punter and while handling kickoff and place-kicking duties. He is one of only four players in FBS to do all three for their teams.

He leads all FBS schools with a 51.95yard average punt in 56 punt attempts (the record for a season is 51.0 set by Braden

Photos by Andrew Finley

Junior punter Matt Araiza has been the undisputed MVP for the Aztecs in 2021, and has garnered attention across the country for being the best punter in NCAA history.

Mann in 2018). Through nine games this season he has 15 punts of over 60 yards, an NCAA record, and 30 punts of over 50 yards, two off the NCAA record.

Araiza is the first player ever to have a punt of over 80 yards and a field goal of over 50-yards in the same game, and he did that in back-to-back weeks.

“The kicking game and some of the things that Matt (does), let’s call it like it is, is pretty astonishing when you kick a ball 80 plus yards in the air. You don’t see that kind of change of field position very often,” head coach Brady Hoke said of Araiza.

“He’s the MVP as far as I’m concerned right now with how he’s played and what he’s done.”

Kickers and punters are often not given the same recognition and respect given to the skill players on the team. On this team however, Araiza has proven to be just as

important as any other player on the team and hopes to help special team players across the country gain more recognition.

“There’s definitely a lot of position bias,” Araiza said. “In terms of the amount of scholarships specialists get, it’s less than every other position on the field. We’re usually last picked for a lot of things. Being a part of maybe pushing that narrative that kickers and punters can be as important as anyone else on the field, that’s huge to me.”

The play of Araiza this year has led to him receiving national recognition. He was recently named to ESPN’s midseason AllAmerica team.

Former NFL players have taken notice, most notably former Indianapolis Colts punter and radio show host Pat McAfee.

He tweeted out Araiza’s punt against Air Force with a caption that read: “An absolute PISS MISSILE from Araiza.. this

dude is a STALLION #ForTheBrand”.

“That was pretty cool,” Araiza said on being mentioned by McAfee. “All that stuff makes me laugh. A lot of people are really creative on Twitter, especially some of the adjectives he used.”

Araiza credits his success to his offseason program and the work he has put in with his coaches, and said he didn’t attend many kicking camps in high school or while being at SDSU. The Aztec football team has at least four games left this season, as they have already passed the threshold to become bowl game eligible. They hope to have a fifth game and be able to play for the Mountain West Conference Championship.

That gives Araiza plenty of games to punt his way into the NCAA record books as the best punter in collegiate history.

12

The Daily Aztec

The Back Page

Nov. 10 - 16, 2021 Editor: Jason Freund • sports@thedailyaztec.com

One year later, women’s rowing still looks for answers after sudden cut

By Jason Freund SPORTS EDITOR

It has been one year since San Diego State announced that after the 2020-2021 season, the women’s rowing team would be cut as an official sport.

A team that, in their final season, saw 34 out of 44 rowers named to the American Athletic Conference all-academic team — the second-most in team history — is no more.

Initially, there were no plans to drop any sport. Athletics Director John David Wicker, speaking to the San Diego UnionTribune, said there were no intentions of dropping any SDSU sports teams.

“Right now, we’re not looking to drop a sport,” Wicker said in a UnionTribune article published April 15. “We’re comfortable where we’re at and where it is from an equity standpoint. We feel we’re, like, in a pretty good spot.”

Months later, citing the financial constraints brought upon by the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to fit within gender equity compliance under Title IX requirements, Wicker and the athletics department made the decision to cut women’s rowing.

An open letter addressed to the SDSU community from the athletics department supported their decision.

“Ultimately, a number of factors, including financial sustainability and gender equity prompted this decision.

The need to realign the student-athlete population to more closely resemble the overall institution gender composition was a leading factor,” the letter stated.

“The current financial impacts created by the COVID-19 pandemic prompted an evaluation of our sports portfolio with an eye towards the long-term success for our various sports and how to financially sustain that success.”

However, the dropping of women’s rowing, one of many Division 1 sports programs to be cut around the country, is not as black and white as it may seem.

The initial message from the athletics department to all teams followed the early thought process that SDSU was not contemplating cutting sports teams. This message was repeated throughout a series of meetings with staff, coaches and teams.

Then came November 2020 and, out of the blue according to some athletes and coaches, an early morning text was sent to a team captain regarding a mandatory team meeting with athletics on the same day involving all members of the team.

“It was like, a text at 9:30 in the morning,” one women’s rowing athlete said. “Then, they get on and JD Wicker read from a prompt on a Zoom call… he just started reading from a prompt that you can very obviously see that he had written on an app on his second monitor, right from a prompt, and then completely dodged any single question that we had asked.”

This athlete asked to be anonymous to protect their athletic career.

Shortly after the meeting, the San Diego Union-Tribune released an article detailing the dismissal of the team. Initially, coaches were made unavailable to speak with the press, yet head coach Bill Zack voluntarily reached out to the Union-Tribune to add clarification.

“I took it upon myself to email Mark Zeigler and say that I’m available, here is my email address and here’s my phone number,” Zack said. “He did call me and he actually provided me way more background, he knew way more about the process and the decision and rationale than anything that was ever told to me.”

File Photo

San Diego State’s rowing team was discontinued at the end of the 2020-21 school year. Nearly 500 alumni since 1998 had participated in the rowing program at SDSU.

The announcement coincided closely with the fall National Letter of Intent Signings. The NLI’s were not sent out as scheduled, with administration ensuring coaches and recruits that it would be sent out at a later time.

After a while, Zack alongside parents of the recruits objected to the wait time and eventually pressured SDSU to eventually send out the NLI’s to recruits.

However, this wasn’t the end. Players were promised scholarships would remain intact through the next four years of schooling and, despite losing their status as athletes, they would still retain priority access to classes.

This too was a struggle to retain. Shortly after National Girls and Women in Sports Day, players found out via a late-night email that they had lost access to priority registration to classes.

Zack, unaware of the email, said he instead found out the morning after when the active team members, emotional after receiving the email the night before, showed it to him.

“I think that was the most upsetting towards the women,” Zack said.

“They already felt, I was going to say undervalued, but not valued having their team cut.”

Viewing the removal as the school showing lesser support, Zack said he

contacted former rowing sports liaison, Jenny Bramer, in an attempt to get the decision reversed. Eventually, the school relented and returned priority access and some full or slightly reduced scholarships to athletes.

“The issues of remaining on scholarship for those who were already enrolled at SDSU and on the team is murky,” Zack said in an email. “At one point, the AD (Athletics Director) stated that those on full scholarship would no longer receive the cost of attendance stipdend portion of the scholarhip. After objects by me, they backtracked on that.”

According to the athletes, poor communication was a key factor in the numerous questions the athletes had, leading some to wonder if the university cared about their plight at all.

“At my urging, the athletic director promised to generate an individual letter to each student-athlete letting them know what their ongoing scholarship would be, for how long it would be in effect,” Zack said. “To the best my knowledge. those letters were never produced.”

These thoughts of uncertainty lingered into the final season. The remaining athletes who didn’t opt-out of the season said they came into their final season looking to cap off their sport on a powerful swan song.

Photo by Katelynn Robinson

SDSU’s rowing team would train at Mission Bay where they still have an equitment shed.

Emotions still ran high during and after the season. Even with a three-race schedule — down from a 10-race (13 counting scrimmages) schedule during the 2019-2020 season — the athletes still found it difficult to row knowing that the end was near.

“I think it was very good at the beginning, it was a very ‘let’s go out with a bang, let’s show them attitude,’” one player said. “Trying to keep that mindset, trying to maintain that intrinsic motivation and that drive that team has been stellar at in the past… it’s not ‘for nothing’ but there is no end result. It was very hard.”

The team said they did attempt to revive their team in a variety of ways, but each attempt was met with the same denial and response that the decision made was final.

The women’s rowing team at the University of Connecticut was also dropped during the same period of time. Unlike SDSU, UConn temporarily reinstated their team after athletes and coaches filed a lawsuit claiming the school would be violating Title IX, a federal law that guarantees equal access to women in education, including athletics.

The situation with Uconn differs from SDSU as an ESPN article detailing the reinstatement showed that UConn had been inflating participation numbers to skirt Title IX laws and the school had experienced participation gaps. UConn inflating numbers led to less scholarships being rewarded, according to the ESPN article.

Speaking to the Union-Tribune, Wicker cited SDSU’s rising undergraduate male enrollment — listed around 45 percent — as a reason SDSU needed to make the move.

According to Title IX, universities must meet at least one aspect of a “threeprong test” to meet Title IX requirements.

The most common “prong” is to offer participation opportunities that are “substantially proportionate” to the fulltime undergraduate population.

However, the Office of Civil Rights made a clarification of Title IX in 2003 which decried the cutting of sports teams, men’s or women’s, clarifying that “nothing in Title IX requires the cutting or reduction of teams in order to demonstrate compliance with Title IX, and that the elimination of teams is a disfavored practice.”

For now, all that is left for the former rowing team are memories of better days and of their past races.

When asked to comment, SDSU Athletics declined to comment. Wicker didn’t respond to email from The Daily Aztec asking for comment.