11-14-2018

Wednesday, Nov. 14 - Sunday, Nov. 18, 2018 Weekly Print Edition

Vol. 105, Issue 14 www.thedailyaztec.com

San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

University ends pilot partnership with Ofo

WHAT’S INSIDE

OPINION: SPEAKING HATE The racist, sexist and xenophobic language from the right has led to violence across America.

PAGE 4

Conservative student org hosts panel on guns, women’s rights

by Michael STAFF WRITER

DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS El altar en el edificio de Arts y Letters tiene un significado más profundo.

PAGE 6

Photo by Bella Ross

Vandalism of Ofo bikes has been an issue since the company’s partnership with the university began.

AZTECS FALL APART Football collapses in fourth quarter during first home loss of the season.

PAGE 7

CULTURE SHOCK SDSU’s production of “Más” tackles themes of cultural identity and education.

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CORRECTION: In the Nov. 7, 2018, edition of The Daily Aztec, the story titled “Student Political Organizations Talk Hot Button Issues at Campus Debate” incorrectly attributed a quote reading “We need comprehensive immigration reform. We need to change our laws to make sure we can defend our borders by any means necessary” to San Diego State TurningPoint USA representative Jake Siewertsen.

He did not say those words; they actually came from San Diego State College Republicans representative Ryan Orozco.

The Daily Aztec regrets the error.

by Kaitlyn Little STAFF WRITER

A pilot program with Ofo rental bikes and San Diego State has been cut short due to unfulfilled promises and dissatisfaction with the bikes, university administration and student leaders said Tuesday, opening possibilities for new partnerships with different transportation companies in San Diego.

According to an email sent to San Diego State faculty and staff, the bikes will start being removed from campus almost a month and a half earlier than intended.

The initial email sent to students said the program was initially intended to last through Dec. 31.

The end of the partnership does not prevent Ofo bikes from being brought on campus from outside locations.

Associated Students Sustainability Commissioner Cassie Weinberg said the company didn’t follow through with many of their agreements when the program was first established across campus. “(Ofo) promised a lot of things,” Weinberg said. “They said they would be the ones in charge of getting (bikes) to bike racks and getting (bikes) out of ravines and whatever kind of things may happen to them. They said that they were the ones who would be responsible and doing all that stuff, but they have not

followed through with any of that and that’s why there have been bikes in trees, (being thrown) off parking garages and stuff and they’ve just stayed there.”

Weinberg said conversations have started regarding different options for company partnerships with the university, but SDSU has not made any final decisions, said Weinberg.

Among those options are companies like Lime, which Weinberg said is beneficial because the company provide numerous transportation options. However, she said this does not yet indicate an official SEE OFO PARTNERSHIP, PAGE 3

Cline

The San Diego State chapter of the conservative student organization Turning Point USA hosted their first event on campus, a panel titled “Gun Rights are Women’s Rights,” on Nov. 8.

The event featured an allfemale panel consisting of four Second Amendment activists: Anna Paulina, Antonia Okafor, Amy Robbins and Xena Amirani.

The four argued in favor of guns as the ultimate deterrent to violent crimes and sexual abuse towards women.

“Mace and a knife are not going to stop a 200-pound man on PCP,” Paulina said. “However, a .357 (magnum) or a 9mm with hollow points will stop a man coming at me.”

SDSU’s Turning Point USA President Skyler Shibuya began the event with a moment of silence in response to the shooting in Thousand Oaks, Calif., that took the lives of 12 people in a country bar just a day prior to the panel. Shibuya said the shooting was personal to him, given that one chapter member personally knew victims of the massacre.

“This is close to my heart,” he SEE TURNING POINT USA, PAGE 3

New women’s studies course examines #MeToo movement

by Aretha Matsushima STAFF WRITER

In the midst of the #MeToo movement, San Diego State’s women’s studies department is stepping aside from their usual curriculum to offer a special course on current feminist movements for it’s first and only time.

The course, a special section of the class Sex, Power and Politics titled #FeministActionNow, will include guest speakers who will discuss hot-button issues, including the recent #MeToo movement. The class will also reflect on past feminist waves and their integration with other political movements, such as

Black Lives Matter and those of environmental groups.

Women’s studies professor Shogofa Abassi said in order to get a basic understanding of feminism, the class goes indepth about current language being used in women’s rights movements and the interests shared within them.

The class covers “where the interests lie and how those interests formulate certain types of feminism,” Abassi said.

Abassi said women’s movements are essential in representing a broader perspective than the individualism that exists within the industries of our world. “(We will be) looking at different areas of the world, how they are placing people in roles

and allowing functioning of a certain order,” Abassi said.

Students can expect to learn the smaller details of each movement, including the identities of those involved and how they got to where they were.

“Who these people are, their position in society and how they are moving together in one direction,” Abassi said.

With social media changing the nature of political activism, Abassi said the class will take time to look at how online activity compares to alternative forms of political engagement.

“If you have people going on Instagram and just (liking and following people), is that the same as people getting together face to face in the long-term in

producing a kind of movement?” asked Abassi. “If this goes out of style, does the movement cease to exist as (social media) becomes no longer fashionable?”

The class explores the connection between the assignment of gender roles and ideas of manifestation, Abassi said.

“Is gender something that is strictly equal to another or is there a hierarchy?” asked Abassi.

The representation of women in society will also be looked at in different forms.

“As part of larger trends, we’ll look at perhaps how women are presented and portrayed in the SEE #METOO PAGE 3

2

News

The Daily Aztec

Nov. 14-18, 2018 EDITOR: Bella Ross • news@thedailyaztec.com

Dockless scooters gear up for big changes Mayor’s proposed e-scooter regulations, end of Ofo partnership creates new environment for dockless scooters

by Paulette STAFF WRITER

Villicana

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s proposed e-scooter regulations in October that, if passed, could affect San Diego State riders.

Mayor Faulconer’s proposed regulations include limiting the speed of the dockless scooters to 8 mph in certain areas. The scooter companies, such as

Bird and Lime, would also be required to educate riders on local and state traffic laws as well as providing the City with data reports, according to a press release from the City of San Diego.

The press release also said riders would also be required to compensate the city from liability claims related to scooter use and hold a liability insurance policy.

Parking and Transportation

Services Director Debbie Richeson said university records identify only one reported incident in October between a scooter and a bicycle. However, the scooter was not motorized.

Associated Students Sustainability Commissioner Cassie Weinberg said, although the regulations Faulconer proposed would help with the scooter issue on campus, she thinks they need to be more

Photo by David Pradel

After having his bike stolen last week, aerospace engineering freshman Tanner Coleman said he has been using e-scooters to ride back to his dorm after working out at the Aztec Recreation Center.

CALPULLI SUNDOWN SERIES:

detailed if they are going to be implemented on campus.

She said the main problem regarding motorized scooter use on campus is safety.

“People go really fast,” she said.

“I’ve almost gotten hit a few times across the bridge and places around there so I think safety is a big problem.”

Weinberg said another issue with dockless transportation on campus has to do with where users leave the scooters after they’re done with them.

The university just ended their official partnership with the bike-sharing company Ofo after they failed to deliver on their promises, leaving damaged bikes scattered around campus.

Weinberg said the university would consider working with a scooter company in the future, although conversations regarding future partnerships are only preliminary at this time.

Since Ofo’s time at SDSU, the university has installed more bicycle racks throughout campus. Weinberg said these racks could potentially be used to park motorized scooters in the future if the university decides to partner with another company.

“I think it’s kind of all up in the

air,” she said. “With Ofo leaving campus, I think there’s going to be more of a conversation of what do we do about these scooters since that’s definitely a better mode of transportation for a lot of students because that’s what they’re using these days.”

Richeson sent out an email Oct. 17 reminding students that there is an acceptable use policy for motorized scooters, bicycles and skateboards.

“We’ve connected to the companies, all of them, and because there is no resolution yet of what the final policy is going to be, it’s hard to partner with them,” Richeson said. “But we are in discussions to figure out how we can best work in the meantime to ensure that people are safe on campus.”

Biology senior Natalie Duarte said she thinks e-scooters are too dangerous for pedestrians and the people riding them.

“I’ve almost got ran over a few times,” she said. “I just feel like it gets really crowded and people are walking around trying to get to class so it’s really hard when they’re just riding everywhere.”

She said she thinks Faulconer’s proposed regulations may help regulate the issue on campus.

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Nov. 14-18, 2018 EDITOR: Bella Ross, news@thedailyaztec.com

News

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3

Photo by Michael Cline

(Left to right) Anna Paulina, Antonia Okafor, Amy Robbins and Xena Amirani spoke on gun rights and women’s rights on Nov. 8 as part of an event put on by Turning Point USA.

Turning Point USA: continued from page 1

said. “This is close to the hearts of everyone in the organization.”

Shibuya said he wanted to host a proSecond Amendment event in the wake of the suspension of the Del Mar gun show. He was inspired by hosting an all-female panel

#MeToo:

continued from page 1 media and advertisements, film and literature, and the aspects of gender,” Abassi said.

Business administration freshman Kylie Lafrades said she appreciates the new addition of current movements in the course content as they are a key component of women’s representation as a whole.

“I think that this new portion will introduce new perspectives to students that may have a limited understanding of women’s rights, or how contemporary movements affect women’s treatment today,” Lafrades said.

English teaching sophomore Dylan

Ofo Partnership: continued from page 1

partnership.

“The original thought was to have bike sharing as the main thing but it seems like students are more receptive to scooters, so I think that’s why something like Lime would be cool because they do bikes and scooters,” said Weinberg. “I’m sure we’ll explore whatever options are out there in San Diego, but right now, Lime works.”

Some students said they believe the university’s decision to end their partnership with Ofo could possibly help to decrease traffic on campus. Despite not using the Ofo bikes, computer science graduate student Rodney Alacon said fewer vehicles on campus could be safer for students.

“It doesn’t really affect me,” Alacon said.

“The only way it affects me is that it’d clear up any chance of collision because I skate around campus with my (skateboard).

That just means less chance to get hit by someone else.”

Electrical engineering freshmen Brandon Owens said, with the reckless behavior and

when he was researching gun rights activists, stressing the importance of conservative groups to highlight underrepresented communities.

“Many people paint Turning Point and other conservative groups as being misogynistic or sexist,” he said. “We do care about women in a genuine way.”

Two activists, Paulina and Okafor, cited first-hand experiences in arguing in

Corliss said he supports the class because of its importance and relevance, but that it needs more exposure if it seeks to reach those who are unfamiliar with such movements.

“The only issue I could see with it is an echo-chamber effect in terms of who would be enrolling in the course,” Corliss said.

“It’s likely that the kinds of students that this class would attract would already be in support of these movements and have an informed opinion about them.” #FeministActionNow, a three-unit course, would fulfill a General Education requirement for three units under the Social and Behavioral Sciences category. The class is a special section of its original course, titled Sex, Power and Politics, or Women’s Studies 375. It can be identified with four in the footnote criteria. The class is scheduled for Monday’s from 4 to 6:40 p.m.

lack of rules on dockless bikes, removing them from campus could have definite benefits in increasing student safety.

“I feel indifferent because I always walk on campus and if anything, I feel like the campus would be I guess, in a sense, more safe because there is less people biking,” Owens said. “And, not everyone follows the bike rules so sometimes you have someone biking right next to where someone is walking and that can get dangerous if someone is not paying attention.”

The final removal of Ofo bikes is still being arranged with the company, but Weinberg said the company has been unresponsive to the university’s emails.

Weinberg said it is important to remember there is still a large variety of other sustainable transportation options for students on campus aside from Ofo bikes.

“Trolley, buses and even just either having your own bike (are some options),” Weinberg said. “Or, you can still use Ofo. They’re still bikes. They’re just not the bikes that are best for our school.”

Weinberg said students who continue to bring Ofo bikes on campus are asked to use them responsibly.

favor of gun rights. Paulina described how past burglaries perpetrated by her landlord convinced her to apply for a concealed carry permit. Okafor, a survivor of sexual assault, argued the Second Amendment is an authentic reflection of feminism saying female students facing threats of sexual assault on college campuses would be better protected by the Second Amendment.

“Perpetrators are people who are evil and who want to do harm, regardless of what the law is,” Okafor said. “We are not empowering women to take preventative measures.”

Robbins said her family values in her younger years were what informed her views on gun rights. She said proper training and gun safety are important deterrents, especially for females in precarious circumstances. Robbins also described female gun ownership as “the most empowering thing.”

Amirani, a 19-year-old USC student, started the “March for our Rights” organization to represent future gun owners of America. She described the numerous crime reports she receives daily from USC campus police in Los Angeles, a city with strict gun ordinances. Amirani raised additional concerns over state efforts to raise the legal age of gun purchases from 18 to 21, a regulation that wouldn’t account for young women who live alone or lawabiding citizens.

“The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun,” she said.

“The only people my friend and I know who have guns are the gangsters who obtained

them illegally.”

All four women criticized modern feminism for failing to empower women.

Paulina, in arguing in favor of women bearing arms, said women and men are “biologically different” and argued women could feel more confident knowing a firearm could stop a potential threat.

Okafor and Amirani criticized campuses that banned mace and other forms of self defense. Okafor called firearms “the great equalizer,” advocating for any tool women can use at their disposal to defend themselves.

The event drew a crowd of over 100 people from multiple sides of the political aisle. Junior management information systems student Benjamin Cunningham attended to inquire about solutions to shootings across America – with the hope that liberals and conservatives could come together to prioritize solutions and tackle political polarization.

“I thought it would be interesting to see the conservative viewpoint on gun rights is,” Cunningham said. “I think people should be more focused on solutions than picking sides. There is a fear of open discussion that is troubling.”

Junior psychology student Jonny Ramon said he attended because he felt political events are important to enrich his college experience. He also said the event was personal to him as a conservative student. “(It’s nice to know) there’s a group on campus that you can go to and not get chastised the moment you walk through the door,” Ramon said.

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Opinion

The Daily Aztec

Nov. 14-18, 2018 EDITOR: Kemi Giwa • opinion@thedailyaztec.com

Right-wing fear mongering is jeopardizing America’s safety

by Chance Page STAFF WRITER

Last month, America woke up to the news that explosives were sent to the households of prominent left-of-center political figures including the Clintons, the Obamas and George Soros, as well as the offices of CNN, which has been critical of President Donald Trump and is one of his favorite targets on Twitter.

In San Diego, the building housing the Union-Tribune newspaper had a bomb scare when suspicious boxes were found outside its downtown offices, but the packages turned out to contain nothing more than children’s books, shoes and other miscellaneous items.

Later that week, a white man shot two black people in a supermarket at Kentucky, and allegedly told an armed bystander, who was white, “whites don’t kill whites.”

After that, there was another shooting, this time at a Pittsburgh synagogue.

The shooter, who posted anti-Semitic remarks on his social media and told police he wanted all Jews to die, killed 11 worshippers and wounded several others The events of this last month — two shootings and a bomb threat — prove that fear-mongering

speech and the promotion of right-wing conspiracy theories by the American right-wing leads to violence.

These attitudes didn’t start with Trump’s campaign or presidency, but his rise legitimized the hateful speech he used to gain support, and as a result, encouraged further hateful acts.

The far-right has used George Soros as a scapegoat for any farfetched left-wing conspiracy they can concoct, accusing Soros of funding everything from election fraud to government sabotage of Trump programs to the recent migrant caravan.

Soros is Jewish, having survived the Holocaust in his youth while living in Nazioccupied Europe.

While much of the language framing Soros as the backing force behind these false claims about left-wing conspiracies isn’t explicitly anti-Semitic, allegations of a global Jewish plot to control the world is a common anti-Semitic trope, and Soros and “globalists” serve as clear standins for the Jews in this scenario.

Stoking anti-Semitic attitudes will lead to acts of anti-Semitic violence like the Pittsburgh shooting.

Racism against AfricanAmericans and other ethnic minorities has been used as a

tool to consolidate power since the colonial era, with the Virginia Slave Codes of 1705 enhancing the position of the white working class while stripping the few rights that Africans possessed.

This allows elites to retain their power by keeping the white working class allied with the rich instead of their fellow workers.

The spread of these attitudes has also led to violence, as perpetuating stereotypes of the inherent violence of minorities is used to justify police brutality, widespread incarceration for minor crimes and rising white supremacist attitudes.

The latter likely played a part in motivating the Kentucky shooting.

Now, the demonizing of groups to preserve right-wing power has spread to those they view as political opposition, such as journalists and left-of-center politicians.

Allegations of “fake news,” liberal bias in news and vast conspiracies to undermine the right have allowed conservatives to discredit criticisms of their policies in the eyes of their base The hatred this kind of speech provoked preceded acts like the wave of suspicious packages sent to news organizations and liberal politicians, along with the shooting at the office of the Annapolis, Md., newspaper

Capital Gazette in June.

Plenty of people, including politicians from both sides and news organizations, have drawn similarities between the far-right and far-left.

However, this is a false equivalency.

The left hasn’t used language targeting certain ethnic or religious groups, or women, or right-wing politicians and news organizations.

There hasn’t been a spate of violent acts conducted by those on the left.

Perhaps it isn’t the explicit intent by many or even most right-wing politicians to spark violent acts or extreme hatred toward these groups.

But at this point, the intent of the speakers doesn’t matter; what matters is the impact of the words.

Racist, sexist, homophobic, anti-Semitic, anti-journalist, anti-liberal speech sparks violence towards the group that speech demonizes.

Those on the right must immediately denounce this language and call for the president to stop encouraging these violent and dangerous attacks on the media, politicians and the American people.

Chance Page is a senior studying journalism.

Stop ‘cancelling’ people, help them

by Angela Rojo CONTRIBUTOR

“You’re cancelled.”

This might be one of the most feared phrases in 2018, especially if you’re someone with a large platform.

“Cancelled” is one of the newest terms to be added to the socialmedia-slang dictionary.

It’s taken a whole new definition to the word we knew before.

According to Urban Dictionary, cancelled is “to dismiss something or somebody; to reject an individual or an idea.”

Essentially, this practice encourages a community to blackball, isolate and shun an individual from society.

This could mean by no longer purchasing their music or art, supporting them or talking about them at all.

2018 has been a big year for “cancel culture.”

It seems as though every month, a new person is targeted and thrown a “# (insert name of ‘canceled’ celebrity here)________ isoverparty.”

Some of the most notable examples from this year would be former Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn, the beauty guru Laura Lee, actress Rowan Blanchard, rapper Kanye West and most recently Kelvin Peña, aka Brother Nature.

Although “cancelling” is proven

to be one of the more popular practices in social media, the implications and consequences are actually quite problematic.

Here’s why: 1. Everyone makes mistakes, so does that mean we should cancel everyone?

There’s this idea, particularly throughout social media that everyone, especially celebrities, should be perfect, and make no mistakes, and if they do, they should be “cancelled.”

Instead of dismissing them forever and denying them the opportunity to learn, we should be more willing to educate them about what they did and why it was wrong.

The thing is, people grow up with different contexts, and not everyone is raised with the same values and knowledge.

They could have grown up during a time when jokes were edgier, or they could be from communities with different standards of what constitutes as offensive behavior.

So perhaps they never learned why saying or doing certain things are not socially acceptable to everyone.

That’s why we can help by educating them about it.

2. Realize that people change.

Brother Nature is a young man who rose to fame via the internet after videos of him casually hanging out with and feeding

animals went viral.

Recently, problematic tweets from Brother Nature’s twitter account surfaced.

However, these tweets date back all the way from 2011 to 2012.

Let’s be honest, many people have done or said things that were ignorant and wrong in the past, but sometimes they mature and

“Instead of dismissing them forever and denying them the opportunity to learn, we should be more willing to educate them about what they did and why it was wrong.” realize why their actions were wrong.

Cancelling a person because of their past behavior, instead of who they are now, doesn’t make sense.

Remember, people change and learn from their mistakes.

3. Stop throwing their mistakes in their face.

When groups of people collectively decide to cancel someone on Twitter, they often hope that the “cancelee” will

acknowledge their mistakes and apologize.

However, once they do that, they are immediately ambushed with tweets calling them and their apology fake.

People accuse them of just apologizing because they were caught, or an attempt to try to save their career.

Maybe this is the case, but honestly, what else could they do?

They’ve apologized. They’ve learned from it.

Isn’t this the ending that everyone wants?

However, even after the “cancelee” apologizes and it seems like everyone moved on, there are still people who throw the cancelled person’s mistakes right back in their face.

They continue to use it against them, even if they show signs of improvement.

The whole concept tries to eliminate “problematic people” while the practice is problematic itself, it’s a paradox.

Ultimately, it’s important not to dismiss people, but instead, educate them.

Realize that people change and grow.

Stop throwing people’s mistakes back in their face after they’ve apologized and shown obvious signs of growth and improvement.

Angela Rojo is a freshman 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 Vladimir Salazar ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Julianna Ress ASST. ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Lexington Howe SPORTS EDITOR Abraham Jewett ASST. SPORTS EDITOR Aaron Tolentino PHOTO EDITOR Michael Abshear MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Mirella Lopez ASST. MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Amal Younis ENGAGEMENT EDITOR Dana Tsuri-Etzioni GRAPHIC DESIGNER Katherine Cooke ________________________________ SENIOR STAFF WRITERS Sofia Bert Lauren J. Mapp STAFF WRITERS Michael Cline Daniel Farr Sydney Faulkner Breven Honda Kaitlyn Little Aretha Matsushima Chance Page Angele Rojo Kyle Saunders Tayza Than Brenden Tuccinardi Paulette Villicana Spencer White STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Raymond Gorospe Weicheng Han ________________________________ ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Josh Diaz SALES MANAGER Valerie Barrientos ACCOUNTING & CONTRACTS Samir Sandhu Meah Mapp SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Kaden Cowles Miguel Souza ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Sammy Attar Alexis Alexander Courtney Barbato Evan Baumbach Alex Barrientos Blake Catherine ________________________________ GENERAL MANAGER/ADVISER Jay Harn GRAPHIC DESIGN SPECIALIST Luis Valenzuela ________________________________ EDITORIAL 619.594.4190 editor@thedailyaztec.com ADVERTISING 619.594.6977 advertising@thedailyaztec.com PRINT The Daily Aztec publishes 5,000 copies of its weekly print edition every Wednesday throughout the semester WEB Daily content is available at www.thedailyaztec.com QUESTIONS/COMMENTS letters@thedailyaztec.com ________________________________

Nov. 14-18, 2018 EDITOR: Vladimir Salazar • mundoazteca@thedailyaztec.com

Mundo Azteca

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Presentan en SDSU simposio sobre abuso a los derechos humanos de migrantes por Diane López y Alejandra Luna

El 9 de noviembre, el Departamento de Estudios Chicana y Chicano de la Universidad Estatal de San Diego patrocinó el simposio de abusos de los derechos humanos y familias en la frontera de EEUU y México.

El simposio tomó lugar en el Scripps Cottage de SDSU donde la mayoría de los presentadores eran profesores de diferentes colegios comunitarios y universidades de California como UCLA, Pomona College, UC Davis y otros más.

Victoria González-Rivera, una profesora de estudios chicana y chicano de SDSU fue quien condujo y también presentó el simposio que empezó a las 12 p.m. y terminó a las 4 p.m.

Los presentadores vinieron a hablar a los estudiantes y a la comunidad de San Diego sobre los problemas de derechos humanos que se están presentando entre familias fronterizas, y hablaron sobre ideas de cómo detener el racismo que existe en EEUU hacia los inmigrantes.

“Estoy aquí no solo como investigador, sino también como activista queer para informar a la gente sobre lo que está sucediendo”, dijo Suyapa Portillo Villeda.

“Realicé algunas entrevistas y espero dejarles algunas ideas de los intercambios que estoy tratando de generar entre las personas, no solo las historias que quiero contar”.

Asimismo, Portillo habló sobre su investigación en Centroamérica y cómo la violencia y el racismo hacia grupos minoritarios afecta a la sociedad. Es por eso que las minorías tales como LGTB están emigrando a la frontera buscando asilo político en EEUU. “La realidad es que nadie quiere ir a Honduras”, dijo Portillo.

“Honduras es duro, nadie es amigable ahí”.

La activista compartió con los asistentes sobre cómo el machismo en Honduras persiste en la sociedad. Para los hondureños, es mal visto ser transgénero, y es por eso que son humillados y violentados.

“Mi propia familia no quería socializar conmigo por miedo”, dijo Portillo.

Lesly Abrego, una profesora asociado de UCLA, dijo que en el 2014, hubo un aumento de migración y que se vio más durante ese verano. También, mencionó que la migración de centroamericanos ha aumentado durante los últimos años, la cual ha llamado la atención de muchos.

“Cada año, los centroamericanos que son detenidos y de-

portados aumenta, en particular hay un plan en la frontera sur que Obama puso en lugar”, dijo Abrego. “En el 2014, se detuvo 21,000 personas en los EEUU y 1,700 eran niños”.

Abrego explicó que las deportaciones masivas y separaciones de familias se dieron desde la presidencia de Obama, sin embargo, no fueron tan expuestas a los medios como las actuales deportaciones que ha realizado el presidente Trump.

Igualmente, la profesora señaló las malas condiciones donde los niños son colocados al momento de ser separados de sus padres.

Durante el simposio, la audiencia podía hacer preguntas a los presentadores de historias y comentar lo que pensaban sobre los acontecimientos de violencia y racismo que ocurre en el país no solo en Centroamérica sino también en EEUU. Arely Zimmerman, una profesora del colegio de Pomona, dijo que casi siempre se habla del tema de inmigración, y por lo general, los mexicanos son el objetivo principal y que los centroamericanos se quedan en segundo plano y son referidos como daño colateral.

“Estamos bombardeados con estas cosas todos los días y la propagación racial está en los inmigrantes en este momento”, dijo

Foto de Alejandra Luna

Arely Zimmerman habla sobre la separación de familias inmigrantes en la frontera.

Zimmerman. “Creo que la mayoría de nosotros hablamos sobre los números de cómo se dirigen a los mexicanos”.

Varios otras temas que están afectando a los centroamericanos fueron presentados, las cuales incluyen abusos contemporáneos a los derechos humanos en Nicaragua y en las políticas de asilo de EEUU, solidaridad, identidad y poética centroamericanas, y Los legados del genocidio: enmarcan-

do la migración maya a EEUU. Asimismo, este simposio habló más detalladamente de todo lo que ha afectado a las familias fronterizas y que algunos medios de comunicación omiten hablar o enseñar y que mucha gente no está enterada del grave problema que habita en estos países Interesados pueden contactar a la profesora Victoria GonzálezRivera, ya que grabo la conferencia.

Vetusta Morla y Aterciopelados hablan sobre sus respectivas nominaciones en los Grammy’s Latinos por Vladimir Salazar EDITOR DE MUNDO AZTECA

Los Grammy’s latinos son uno de los premios más prestigiosos de la música latina dentro de EEUU. Artistas de la música hispanohablante de nivel mundial son otorgados premios, ya sea por mejor álbum, canción, presentación de álbum, entre otras categorías.

Dentro de estas nominaciones, existen varios géneros de música como el alternativo. Álvaro Baglietti, bajista del grupo Español Vetusta Morla y Andrea Echeverri, vocalista de Aterciopelados, ambos artistas nominados a mejor álbum y canción alternativa, hablaron de la importancia de ser nominados a los Latin Grammys.

Vetusta Morla, un grupo de España, fue nominado por primera vez a los Latin Grammy’s por su álbum más reciente, “Mismo Sitio distinto lugar” y su canción “Consejo de Sabios”.

“Nunca me lo había preguntado por qué no nos habían nominado antes la verdad”, dijo Baglietti en una conversación por teléfono desde Madrid, España. “Pero quizás tiene que ver por que la energía está más ahí (EEUU), una producción más a lo grande”.

Para Baglietti, esta nominación le recordó un poco a la primera vez que Vetusta Morla fue nominado en España por la produc-

Foto cortesia de Aterciopelados

Aterciopelados son nominados a mejor album alternativo con su nuevo material “Claroscuro”.

Foto cortesia de Vetusta Morla

Vetusta Morla es una banda española nominada por primera vez a los Grammy’s Latinos.

ción de su primer disco, “Un Día en el Mundo”.

Aunque Baglietti dijo que la música no se hace con la finalidad de ganar premios, el hecho de que sean nominados dentro de la comunidad latina es algo que aprecian como grupo.

“Nos esforzamos por compartir nuestra música”, dijo Baglietti.

“Que nos valoren allá es un reconocimiento muy especial”.

Andrea Echeverri, vocalista del grupo colombiano, Aterciopelados, dijo que el hecho de que el nuevo álbum, “Claroscura”, sea nominado, es importante para la banda debido a las herramientas promocionales que se abren alrededor de los Grammy’s.

“Es como también una excusa

para invitar a la gente a escuchar el álbum, el cual es muy chévere”, dijo Echeverri.

El álbum Claroscura es el primer álbum de la banda después de 10 años. Aterciopelados es un grupo recurrente en los Grammy’s latinos. En el 2007, su álbum “Oyé”, ganó el Grammy a mejor álbum alternativo, y han sido nominados otros años por mejor canción de rock y por mejor álbum del año.

Echeverri dijo que el grupo tardó una década en realizar un nuevo álbum, debido a que cada integrante estaba trabajando en proyectos como solistas, los cuales dijo que a final de cuentas, terminaron siendo de provecho para cada integrante y para la

creación del nuevo álbum.

Ambos grupos también son nominados a mejor canción alternativa, Aterciopelados por su canción titulada “Dúo” y Vetusta Morla por “Consejo de Sabios”.

Echeverri dijo que como artista, se le hace raro ver como una canción del álbum es preferida sobre otras debido que, al momento de crear un disco, todas las canciones del disco están ahí por que le dedican mucho tiempo. Conforme a “Dúo”, Echeverri dijo que desde que salió el álbum, ha sido una canción que a resonado con el público.

“A mucha gente le gusta, tiene esta cosa autobiográfica, tiene mucho humor, no se, tiene fuer-

za”, dijo Echeverri sobre “Dúo”.

Baglietti dijo que la canción “Consejo de Sabios” fue la primera canción en la que trabajaron cuando se juntaron para crear el nuevo disco. Para Baglietti esta canción es un ejemplo de como Vetusta Morla ha evolucionado.

“Es una canción que araña, que te araña un poco el pecho y te saca un poco lo que hay adentro”, dijo Baglietti. “Es una canción que desde el principio me pareció una evolución para Vetusta Morla”.

Este año la ceremonia de los Grammys latinos tomará lugar el jueves 15 de noviembre en el MGM Grand Garden Arena de Las Vegas, Nevada y será televisado por Univisión.

6

The Daily Aztec

Mundo Azteca

Nov. 14-18, 2018 EDITOR: Vladimir Salazar • mundoazteca@thedailyaztec.com

Altar del Día de los Muertos conmemora a muertes ocasionadas por el gobierno

by Jocelyn Moran JEFA DE REDACCIÓN

El Día de los Muertos es una oportunidad para que las familias puedan celebrar a los que han fallecido. Sin embargo, el altar en el Departamento de Estudios Chicana y Chicano tiene un significado más profundo.

Este año, el departamento decidió dedicar el altar a las muertes ocasionadas por las intervenciones del gobierno.

Específicamente, conmemora a los que perdieron la vida en el masacre de Tlatelolco en el 1968, en donde la policía de México mató a cientos de estudiantes.

“Este año, 2018, se celebra el 50 aniversario de la masacre de estudiantes en Tlatelolco, que fue un momento muy duro en la historia de México, que por mucho tiempo, estuvo silenciado”, dijo Norma Iglesias-Prieto, una profesora en el Departamento de Estudios Chicana y Chicano.

Iglesias-Prieto dijo que el otro tema del altar es la muerte real y figurativa de las familias migrantes de México y Centroamérica que fueron separadas en la frontera por el gobierno de EEUU. “El elemento que podía

articular ambos fenómenos es exactamente el papel del estado en las muertes”, dijo Iglesias-Prieto.

“Entonces, nos permitió unir estos dos temas a partir de pensar en la responsabilidad del estado en muertes de jóvenes, niños y familias”.

Maricruz Carrillo, una estudiante de posgrado, dijo que el tema de las separaciones de las familias es muy importante ahorita en EEUU. “Me encanta que usaron este tema para el altar para resaltar que (la separación de familias) está sucediendo más de lo normal”, dijo Carrillo.

Además de representar un tema a través de un altar cada año, Iglesias-Prieto dijo que es importante hacerlo para recuperar la tradición mexicana.

El 1 de noviembre, el departamento llevó a cabo un evento, en donde la profesora Coral Mcfarland Thuet cantó varias canciones. Alrededor de 50 estudiantes y profesores se unieron para ver la presentación y tomar café con pan.

“Decidí venir porque realmente es muy importante saber de tu cultura”, dijo Carrillo. “Siento que mi familia, por ejemplo,

Foto por Jocelyn Moran

El altar estará disponible para que estudiantes lo visiten en el tercer piso del edificio de Arts y Letters.

por estar aquí en la frontera, no lo celebramos mucho. Y hoy en la mañana, pensé, ¿Por qué celebramos Halloween y no celebramos el Día de los Muertos’”?

Iglesias-Prieto dijo que la celebración es una oportunidad para no estar de luto, sino recordar a los seres queridos.

“Pero también el sentido de recuperar su enseñanza, su amor

y sentir que están con nosotros en el recuerdo y que vienen a vernos y compartir con nosotros ese día”, dijo Iglesias-Prieto.

Carrillo dijo que sus ojos se pusieron llorosos durante unas de las canciones porque le llegaron al corazón.

“Esta cultura es tan bonita que tenemos, y la canción reflejaba todo el activismo y de estar allí

uno para el otro”, dijo Carrillo. “Y el pan estuvo muy rico”.

Además de fotos que han sido puestas en el altar, también hay información que estudiantes pueden leer para informarse sobre la masacre de Tlatelolco.

El altar estará disponible para ver en el tercer piso del edificio de Arts y Letters hasta el 15 de noviembre.

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Nov. 14-18, 2018 EDITOR: Abraham Jewett • sports@thedailyaztec.com

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Aztecs collapse in fourth against UNLV

by Kyle Saunders STAFF WRITER

San Diego State football blew an 11-point fourth quarter lead en route to a 27-24 loss to UNLV on a chilly Saturday night at SDCCU Stadium.

SDSU (7-3, 4-2 MW) saw its lead evaporate after two fourth-quarter Rebel touchdowns, before an interception thrown by junior quarterback Ryan Agnew with 1:23 left in the game sealed the fate of the Scarlet and Black.

“Little miscommunication, bad throw,” Agnew said. “Can’t have that.”

Agnew finished with 187 yards and a touchdown but failed to lead the Aztecs to any points in the fourth quarter.

“They didn’t change anything defensively,” Agnew said. “They just wanted it more than we did.”

UNLV (3-7, 1-5 MW) completed its comeback after senior running back Lexington Thomas’ second touchdown run of the night, a 75-yard score with 1:53 left to play.

Thomas finished with 133 yards on 21 carries to lead UNLV, which finished with 199 yards on the ground.

Senior defensive back Parker Baldwin said the defense suffered a let down with the Aztecs holding a big lead. “(It was) just complacency,” Baldwin said.

“We got up by 11 and we felt like the game was over.”

SDSU head coach Rocky Long made the switch from senior quarterback Christian Chapman to Agnew in the second quarter.

Going into the game, it was expected that the Aztecs would deploy a dual-quarterback system, but Chapman was never reinserted following a second quarter 13-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Tim Wilson Jr. Chapman was 8 for 10 with 92 yards and a touchdown and an interception at the time of the quarterback change.

“At halftime, we decided (Agnew) was playing better than Christian, so he didn’t play the rest of the half,” Long said. “We thought he was moving the ball better because we weren’t controlling the line of scrimmage, so a mobile quarterback has a better chance to extend plays and make plays.”

Agnew had success through the air linking up with Wilson, who had a career night posting 123 yards on five catches and finishing with two touchdowns.

The Aztecs led 14-13 at halftime thanks to touchdowns from both air and ground.

In addition to Chapman’s touchdown toss, junior running back Juwan Washington was able to take the ball in from four yards out with 33 seconds left to send the Aztecs into the break with the lead.

Washington finished with 66 yards on 21 carries, 56 coming in the second half after rushing for only 10 yards on 11 carries in the first.

SDSU was susceptible to long pass plays in the opening half, giving up completions of 77 and 46 yards, and found themselves trailing 13-7 after Thomas scored from two yards out in the second quarter.

UNLV jumped out to a hot start in the first, after sophomore quarterback Max

Photo by Weicheng Han

SDSU sophomore warrior Tariq Thompson attempts to make a tackle on UNLV senior running back Lexington Thomas on Nov. 10 at SDCCU Stadium.

Gilliam found junior wide receiver Darren Woods Jr. for a 77-yard completion, with SDSU sophomore warrior Tariq Thompson securing a touchdown-saving tackle on the play.

The Rebels would eventually settle for a field goal, one of two in the first quarter from senior kicker Evan Pantels.

The Aztecs struggled offensively in the first quarter, as their three drives resulted in two three-and-outs and the Chapman interception, while being held to six yards on the ground.

SDSU now heads to Fresno State next Saturday, Nov. 17, to take on the WestDivision leading Bulldogs.

[1] Photo by David Pradel

SDSU middle blocker Tamia Reeves (left) and outside hitter Hannah Turnlund attempt to block a shot from Boise State middle blocker Morgan Hughes during the Aztecs five-set victory on Nov. 3 at Peterson Gym.

Volleyball looks to end the season on a high note BRING IN THIS AD

by Breven Honda STAFF WRITER

San Diego State women’s volleyball (9-20, 7-9 MW) looks to end the season on a high note.

On the latter of a two game road trip for the Scarlet and Black, they won in Albuquerque, New Mexico despite being down an 0-2 heading into the third set .

That was the first time since 2013 at Colorado State when the Aztecs came back to win despite being down 2-0 in a road game and first since Oct. 19, 2017 when the Aztecs erased a two set deficit at home.

The momentum of the comeback victory will hope to continue into the final homestand.

Senior middle blocker Deja Harris understands that this will be her final two games of her Aztec career, but that is not stopping her of focusing on the upcoming games.

“It’s going to be a bittersweet situation,” said Harris. “It will be the last week, it will be my last two games here as an Aztec, it will be the end of my career. I think it will be exciting, but sad.”

Even before the Aztecs played CSU Bakersfield on Aug. 24, they were projected to finish tied for third with Boise State in the Mountain West Conference standings behind Wyoming and Colorado State.

“We’re pretty determined on being where we were placed preseason,” Harris said. “That’s definitely something we’re striving for.”

Heading into the final homestand, the Scarlet and Black are behind UNLV and Wyoming (10-6) for third place being three games back and a total of four teams are in the Aztecs’ way The Aztecs finish up the regular season at home playing against Nevada on Nov. 15 and San Jose State on Nov. 17 at Peterson Gym.

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Nov. 14-18, 2018 EDITOR: Abraham Jewett • sports@thedailyaztec.com

Aztecs win season opener vs. Hawaii

by Daniel Farr STAFF WRITER

San Diego State women’s basketball tipped off its season with a 58-57 win against University of Hawaii on Nov. 9 at Viejas arena.

The Aztecs led for over 30 minutes, but found themselves down by one with less than a minute remaining after Hawaii’s senior forward Leah Salanoa got fouled and hit two free throws to capture a 57-56 lead.

SDSU sophomore guard Te’a Adams, who finished with 15 points, six rebounds, and three

“To be able to win a game early on, tight like this, it’s only going to help us grow.”

– Stacie Terry, SDSU Head coach

assists, hit the game-winning shot with seven seconds left to hold off the Rainbow Wahine fourth quarter comeback.

“It felt pretty good,” Adams said. “I missed five [shots] before that, but I made that one that counts so that’s all that matters.”

Head coach Stacie Terry said

being in a close game this early on will help the team moving forward.

“To be able to win a game early on, tight like this, it’s only going to help us grow,” Terry said. “Now we can go back and say okay we’ve been in these situations and this is what we like to do.”

In the fourth, Hawaii tied the game 53-53 with 6:10 left.

Then, SDSU sophomore guard Naje Murray ripped the ball away from sophomore guard Courtney Middap, passing the ball to Adams, who converted a layup to give the Aztecs a two point lead with just over five minutes remaining.

Murray, who nailed one of her team-high four threes at the first-half buzzer, has been asked to take on a larger role this season.

“There is a role change from last year to this year to last year. I think that’s important knowing that,” Murray said.

“Having to be more of a leader.”

SDSU also received a big contribution from freshman guard Sophia Ramos, who finished her first game in an Aztecs uniform with 14 points, six rebounds and three assists.

The Aztecs had a 7-0 run in the latter stages of the second quarter snapped by sophomore guard Julissa Tago, who led the Rainbow Wahine with 12 points in the first half.

The Aztecs, however, held

Tago to only one point in the second half.

“The adjustment that we made with (Tago) was we were just staying connected,” Terry said. “She comes in and she’s instant offense, so we just were focusing on the second half and making sure we were there to contest.”

Sophomore forward Makenna Woodfolk had sixteen points for Hawaii, but left points at the free-throw line, connecting on only 4-of9 attempts.

The Aztecs went into the final quarter with a 49-40 lead, but were outscored 17-9 in the period.

SDSU shot poorly in the final quarter, converting on only 30 percent of their shots.

Adams said she would like to see the team play more to its strengths.

“We really need to get to the paint, our offense is really surrounded by that,” Adams said.

Editor’s note: The Aztecs are now 1-1 after a 60-43 road loss against Santa Clara on Nov. 13.

SDSU struggled from the field, shooting just 27 percent, including 0-for-7 from three point range.

Te’a Adams led the Aztecs with 10 points in the loss.

SDSU’s next game will be on the road against Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 15.

Photo by Raymond Gorospe

Sophomore guard Najé Murray goes up for a layup during the Aztecs’ 58-57 victory over Hawaii on Nov. 9 at Viejas Arena.

Hockey splits doubleheader against Arizona State

by Tayza Than STAFF WRITER

San Diego State hockey got a dose of revenge against Arizona State University on Nov. 10, defeating the Sun Devils 5-2 in the second game of a two-day doubleheader.

The Aztecs lost 5-3 last night against ASU, but redeemed themselves in front of the home crowd at the Joan Kroc Center.

“It was really a mindset change tonight,” assistant coach Clark Oliver said. “I think they showed better quality as a team, they played more as a unit tonight. We’re just overall proud of the overall effort from the guys tonight.”

The win improved the Aztecs to a record of 6-4-1.

SDSU had a blazing start to the first period. Forward Derian Theberge scorched one into the net on a nifty pass by winger Aaron Mayer during the fourth minute of the game.

“I know we wanted it a lot more since we lost yesterday,” Theberge said. “We were playing a lot faster, working harder, and it was a lot better than yesterday.”

Later in the period, forward Elisha Reece found Theberge on the break and Theberge easily knocked the puck in making the score 2-0.

With ASU’s confidence

Forward Tristan Macalolooy prepares to shoot the puck during the Aztecs’ 5-3 loss to the Sun Devils on Nov. 9 at the Joan Kroc Center.

dwindling away, Aaron Mayer scored a powerplay goal in the last minute of the period to make the score 3-0, finalizing a perfect start to the game for the Aztecs.

The second period also started well for the Aztecs.

Elisha Reece found the back of the net in the sixth minute to give the Aztecs a commanding 4-0 lead.

Despite their big lead, the Aztecs could not capitalize on two power play opportunities in the second, and paid for it as ASU creeped back into the

game with two goals.

With the game now 4-2, the Aztecs and ASU fought for control of the game in the third period, until winger Mason Cook snuck one past the net with three minutes to go thanks to a Devyn Taras assist.

“It feels good to set the homies up,” Taras said.

“Everyone realized this morning that we were not playing our game yesterday, so coach told us to go out there hard and just be smart, and we did exactly that.”

Photo by Tava Kessler

Photo by Tava Kessler

Forward Zac Mencimer competes in a face off during the Aztecs’ 5-3 loss to the Sun Devils on Nov. 9 at the Joan Kroc Center.

Nov.14-18, 2018 EDITOR: Abraham Jewett • sports@thedailyaztec.com

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9

Aztecs versus Rebels in photographs

Junior running back Juwan Washington celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the Aztecs’ 27-24 loss to UNLV on Nov. 10 at SDCCCU Stadium.

Photos by Weicheng Han

Senior linebacker Ronley Lakalaka attempts to take down UNLV junior wide receiver Brandon Presley during the Aztecs’ 27-24 loss to UNLV on Nov. 10 at SDCCU Stadium.

Sophomore wide receiver Tim Wilson Jr. catches one of his career-high five receptions for 123 yards and two touchdowns during the Aztecs’ 27-24 loss to UNLV on Nov. 10 at SDCCCU Stadium.

Junior quarterback Ryan Agnew looks for room to scramble during the Aztecs’ 27-24 loss to UNLV on Nov. 10 at SDCCU Stadium.

Redshirt freshman running back Chance Belll carries the ball during the Aztecs’ 27-24 loss to UNLV on Nov. 10 at SDCCU Stadium.

10

Arts & Culture

The Daily Aztec

Nov. 14-18, 2018 EDITOR: Julianna Ress • arts@thedailyaztec.com

Viral pop star Clairo searches for live voice

by Julianna Ress ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

Twenty-year-old pop progressivist Clairo stopped at San Diego’s House of Blues on Nov. 2, and a year and a half after becoming an online star, it was evident she’s still searching for her live voice outside of an internet platform.

Born Claire Cottrill, Clairo became a social media sensation in 2017 when her homemade video for the self-produced song “Pretty Girl” went absurdly viral — it currently stands at more than 23 million views on YouTube.

The video is incredibly simple, with Clairo mouthing along to the song into a webcam as the lyrics scroll by karaokestyle, but something about it is inexplicably endearing. It’s a soft, teenage daydream wrapped in a sheen of millennial pink — a relic of ‘80s keyboard synthpop as much as it is a brand new offering of digital age bedroom pop and vaporwave.

“I could be a pretty girl / I’ll wear a skirt for you,” she sings on the track. “I could be a pretty girl / Shut up when you want me to.”

But it wasn’t until her single “Flaming Hot Cheetos” started receiving similar attention,

though not on quite as large a scale as “Pretty Girl,” that it was clear Clairo had curated a sound as original as it was a product of its time and platform. Over atmospheric, looped synths — almost twinkling like a passageway to Clairo’s stream of consciousness — she laments the “old days” and a lost lover.

Opening with the lyric, “Sometimes I feel like I just wanna go back to my old ways,” it’s funny to hear Clairo, 18 at the time of “Flaming Hot Cheetos’” release, long for the past, until reminded that on the internet, the distance between the “old days” and the present could be as small as a meme cycle ago.

She released her debut EP “Diary 001” earlier this year, and it captures Clairo at a transitional point in her career, hoping to keep the attention of her newfound audience while still hitting that niche, intimate, dream pop that sets her apart from other pop conceptualists.

For instance, she opened her set at the House of Blues with “B.O.M.D.” (an acronym for “boy of my dreams”), a cut from “Diary 001” produced by PC Music’s Danny L Harle. A fine song, but it hits an odd middle of the balance Clairo is striving for — losing the delicate grace of her earlier work, but not quite reaching the bold

Photo by Michael Abshear

Clairo became a pop sensation when her video for “Pretty Girl” went viral last year.

experimentalism of PC Music to be novel in a different way.

Still, “B.O.M.D.” does fare better live than her chilled out viral hits. It’s fun, easy to sing along to, and certainly seemed like a highlight to the young fans in the audience.

Her House of Blues performance was the biggest headlining show of her career so far, and the average age of concert-goers skewed young, to the point where there were several parental chaperones in attendance.

Yet to put a full-length release — something as traditional as an album seems unnecessary for a forward-thinking artist like Clairo — she performed various singles going back to her YouTube and SoundCloud days, as well as recent collaborations and tracks from “Diary 001.”

After a string of “Diary 001” songs, 2017 single “Get With U” showed the opposite end of Clairo’s artistic spectrum compared to “B.O.M.D.” The recorded track showcases Clairo just above a whisper over muted, extremely lo-fi production and soft, stomping percussion. The lyrics are minimal because they’re secondary to the feeling they evoke from Clairo’s delivery.

Live, the song came off as a sort of call-and-response with the audience, shedding the heart-wrenching intimacy that comes with listening to the song through headphones.

Among her best performances of the night was “Drown,” a recent collaboration with fellow Generation Z producer Cuco.

Slinky glitches accompanied Clairo’s hushed tone and a catchy bounce that translated effectively to a live audience.

“Flaming Hot Cheetos” followed, and it suffered similar faults as “Get With U.” However, she performed the song twice, the second time with minimal instrumentation so the

Photo by Michael Abshear

Clairo, 20, performed at the House of Blues Nov. 2, playing songs from her recent EP “Diary 001” as well as singles from her YouTube and SoundCloud beginnings.

audience could be heard singing along. This presented a unique way to create an intimate space for her music, with Clairo and her fans relating, as peers, to the shared experiences she evokes in her lyrics.

She closed the main set with “Better,” a collaboration with electronic producer SG Lewis.

It’s a fun, sweet song with discoinspired elements that make it one of the more upbeat tracks in her catalog, but still allows her crisp, comforting voice to shine.

She encored with “Pretty Girl” and “Diary 001” standout “4Ever,” a triumphant ending outlining what she’s accomplished and where she could go next.

“Is it ever gonna change?” she sang in “4Ever,” an infectious, love-tinged song about fearing the unknown in a relationship.

“Am I gonna feel this way forever? / Are you gonna be around for me to count on?”

A burgeoning young artist, it’s exciting Clairo is willing to toy with her sound and expand her network of collaborators so thoughtfully and openly. With all the time in the world to grow, she’s already mastered virality, perhaps now the greatest asset in pop, and has established a sound that doesn’t really need to be translated live to be great.

A live show is a couple hours, but the internet is constant, and Clairo excels where it counts.

Punk rockers Alkaline Trio ignite the House of Blues

by Spencer White STAFF WRITER

“Not only the sexiest crowd of the tour, but also the best crowd of the tour,” Alkaline Trio’s guitarist Matt Skiba said to the audience during the band’s Oct. 15 show at House of Blues.

The punk trio, made up of Skiba, who is also known for being the newest member of Blink-182, bass player Dan Adriano, and drummer Derek Grant made a stop San Diego for a sold out concert in support of its new album, “Is This Thing Cursed?,” which came out in August.

The concert included songs from the new album, as well as an additional line-up of 20 years of hits.

The band started the show by dropping a giant backdrop with its name and signature skull in a heart logo, and played two songs from its album “Good Mourning,” “We’ve Had Enough” and “Blue Carolina.”

The concert kicked into high gear when the band played the song “Armageddon,” which featured Skiba screaming through the stage monitors like a distress call.

For the fourth song, “Blackbird,” the lead single from the new album, the band dropped a new backdrop.

This time its logo was placed within an old school telephone, reminiscent of the “Is This Thing Cursed?” album cover.

“I love when bands express themselves with background art,” environmental science sophomore Hanna Rueter said.

“It makes the show more fun and I get to know the band a little better.”

On “Blackbird,” as well as “Demon and Division” and “Is This Thing Cursed?,” all cuts from the new album, the band sounded inspired and in high spirits, with the title track getting the best response out of the crowd.

“Is this thing cursed? / My haunted head aches so

much worse / Than those that can’t remember / How dismemberment works,” Adriano and Skiba harmonized.

Other highlights included fan favorite “Sadie,” when Skiba dedicated “I Wanna Be a Warhol” to a new love and Adriano dedicated “Every Thug Needs a Lady” to opener Los Angeles-based punk band Together Pangea.

The heaviest moment came through the song “Clavicle,” where the band exhilarated the audience with big sounds from the two orange amps that Adriano and Skiba both had on their sides of the stage.

The band ended the main set with “This Could Be Love,” which only left the fans in attendance hungry for more.

When Alkaline Trio returned for its encore, a fan in the crowd was yelling for the song, “Radio” which the band ended up closing the show with.

The night concluded with Skiba and the entire crowd screaming, “I’ve got a big fat

f—–g bone to pick with you my darling / In case you haven’t heard I’m sick and tired of trying / I wish you would take my radio to bathe with you /

Plugged in and ready to fall.”

It was a cathartic way to conclude a night of pulsing punk rock.

Photo by Spencer White

Alkaline Trio performed at the House of Blues Oct. 15.

Nov. 14-18, 2018 EDITOR: Julianna Ress • arts@thedailyaztec.com

Arts & Culture

The Daily Aztec

11

‘Más’ explores culture, based on true events

by Sydney Faulkner STAFF WRITER

San Diego State’s production of “Más” tackles many difficult topics regarding the real life dismantling of the Tucson Unified School District’s Mexican American Studies program, also known as “Más.”

The production is a docudrama written by playwright Milta Ortiz and directed by Peter Cirino.

“Más” follows the lives of the students, educators and politicians involved in the 2010 Arizona House Bill 2281, which effectively banned the MAS program.

The MAS program, or Mexican American Studies Department program, was created in the late 1990s to provide students with learning material regarding their cultures, taught in a space that fostered a community based on shared experiences.

The story of “Más” is brought to life in an abstract sweat lodge where dancers represent the Mexican deities of life’s natural forces.

The show featured many pieces of personally intimate poetry. However, for the cast this wasn’t any normal story.

Kennedy Jean Garcia, a theatre performance senior, took on the role of Flor. “‘Más’ is not just a story, and I was not just a character,” she said. “Flor was a real person

who lived through this. This was her life, her friends and her truth. I researched and researched to make sure I was accurately portraying who she is and her life. I approached my character with education so I could give the (most accurate) performance possible.”

However, “Más” is filled with some very heavy themes that can overwhelm the audience at some points, according to Garcia.

“During such a divisive political climate, it is important to have productions like ‘Más,’” she said. “People don’t reach across cultures to try and understand them, but pieces like ‘Más’ can do that. ‘Más’ deals with dehumanization of a race because of a lack of education. There’s violence, sexual assault and conflict, at what cost? Theatre isn’t supposed to be good feelings all the time, but something that will give you new thoughts and perspective on something that is really important.”

Marissa Rodriguez, a theatre performance sophomore, portrays the character of Jen, which according to her, turned out to be a difficult role to take on.

“Jen was a challenge for me, she is a real persona and has had to go through so much more than I have in my personal life,” Rodriguez said. “I researched her life as much as I could so I

could shape her in the best way possible. My time portraying Jen has hit me hard. It is a heavy role. What Jen and the other characters went through in real life is so important, and we are just here to share their truth and acknowledge everything they went through.”

Jonathan Esquer, a communications senior, portrayed the character Poder, and said the role gave him an opportunity to shed light on important issues.

“Taking on this role was really interesting,” he said.

“Someone lived through this, and it is both an honor and fear to tell their story. I wanted to do him justice, and as actors, we all only hope to portray our characters as best as possible.”

SDSU theatre alumni Stephanie Kwik and Alexis Park were very moved by the performance of “Más”.

“I was so struck by the complexity of the performance,” Kwik said. “The different voices, different perspectives and different reactions of each character on such a major life event was so interesting to see.”

For Park, the performance of “Más” was its own experience in its entirety and the interwoven narratives were compelling.

“Más” ran from Nov. 2 to 11, and the next SDSU theater production will be “R + J,” a “Romeo and Juliet” adaptation, in February.

Courtesy of Arts Alive SDSU

Mario McMurry, Jonathan Esquer, Adriana Becerra, Matt Tornero, Kennedy Jean Garcia, Sahar Hakimi, Mario Vega, Marissa Rodriguez, Sabrina Solorazo and Diana Ramirez in “Más.”

Courtesy of Arts Alive SDSU

Kennedy Jean Garcia, Mario Vega, Matt Tornero, Sahar Hakimi, Adriana Becerra and Teryn McMurry hold out their fists to symbolize their fight for MAS.

Student horror short film puts a twist on a witch hunt

by Brenden STAFF WRITER

Courtesy of Guillermo Areizaga

“The Den,” a short horror film, reverses the roles of a witch hunt.

Courtesy of Guillermo Areizaga

“The Den” director Guillermo Areizaga said the script was reworked to make a deadline.

Tuccinardi

Students in San Diego State’s television, film and new media studies program premiered their short horror films in front of a sold-out audience at the Howling Halloween Film Festival Oct. 31 in Don Powell Theater.

The festival featured a selection of short horror films by student filmmakers, each one bringing a distinct interpretation to the genre.

One such film was “The Den,” directed and co-written by Guillermo Areizaga, a senior production and communications major.

“The Den” is a dark fantasy film that reverses the roles of a traditional witch hunt horror film.

The story revolves around a witch as the protagonist and a group of trespassing teenagers as the antagonist, forcing audiences to wonder who is the real monster in the film.

“The story originally started as horror, and as we developed it, it started changing into something else,” Areizaga said.

“We wanted to stay away from gore and make an atmospheric type of film.“ “The Den” approaches horror from a unique perspective, and the idea was born out of a single shot Areizaga filmed for a project in a television, film and new media class.

He used the shot as a trailer to build excitement around the project and recruit his crew.

Areizaga said the perfect shot project was a fantastic springboard for writing the rest of the story for “The Den.” He wrote the film with his friend, and producer of the film, Ashley McCann, a senior production major.

“We are pretty good friends,” McCann said. “It was fun to collaborate with Guillermo.”

After the completion of the story, Areizaga and McCann began looking for the perfect location to film “The Den.” McCann found the ideal location, a campsite near Descanso, California.

Filming, which took place over two nights, presented the students with some challenges.

Although the campsite allowed the core members of the crew to stay overnight, other members of the crew drove nearly an hour to the filming location each day.

In addition to transportation, the film also required generators to power lights and other equipment since the film was shot entirely at night.

With such a short window to film — from sunset to about midnight — the cast and crew were required to adhere on a very strict schedule.

“On the first day, we planned to shoot 24 shots, and on the second day, we were planning on shooting around 20 shots,”

Areizaga said.

However, filming did not go as planned.

Areizaga said the film went through some edits in order to meet a tight deadline.

“On the first day, we only got through eight shots,” Areizaga said. “We had to cut and rework the script in order to finish filming on time. On the second day, we were so on top of it that we finished exactly at the stroke of midnight.”

While the location played an essential role in the making of “The Den,” it is clear a large portion of the film’s resources went into production design.

The exceptional set decoration adds depth and realism to such a fantastical and scary story.

“We put a lot of time and money into production design,” McCann said. “And it really paid off.”

“The Den” is the first film that Areizaga has directed, although in the past he has been involved in many of his classmates’ projects, as editor and sound designer.

“The Den” was featured in both the Emerging Filmmakers Showcase as well as the Best of the Best Fest.

The next opportunity to see more student films is the Emerging Filmmakers Showcase on Dec. 18 and 19 at 7:30 p.m. in the Don Powell Theater.

Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online.

12

The Back Page

The Daily Aztec

Nov. 14-18, 2018 Editor: Julianna Ress • arts@thedailyaztec.com

Ariana Grande, Carly Rae Jepsen deliver necessary variations of self-empowerment

Photo by Ted Eytan/Illustration by Michael Abshear

Ariana Grande released “Thank U, Next” two days after Carly Rae Jepsen’s newest single “Party for One” came out.

by Julianna Ress ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

Ariana Grande has her first U.S. no. 1 hit.

Thinking back on her illustrious career, it’s hard to believe she hadn’t topped the Billboard Hot 100 until now.

The Nicki Minaj-assisted stationary bike jam “Side to Side” peaked at no. 4, Iggy Azalea collab “Problem” topped out at no. 2 and “Sweetener” lead single “No Tears Left to Cry” debuted at no. 3 and never gained a spot.

What’s even more noteworthy is that among her sexiest singles and Max Martin-produced hits, her first no. 1 is the most personal track in her catalog.

“Thank U, Next” surprise dropped Nov. 3, 30 minutes before Grande’s muchpublicized ex Pete Davidson was to take the stage as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live,” and in it, she namechecks her exes: rapper Big Sean, dancer Ricky Alvarez, late musician Mac Miller and, yes, Davidson.

“Thought I’d end up with Sean, but he wasn’t a match,” Grande croons to open the song. “Wrote some songs about Ricky, now I listen and laugh / Even almost got married, and for Pete I’m so thankful / Wish I could say thank you to Malcolm, ‘cause he was an angel.”

After a media field-year of Grande and Davidson photo ops, with matching tattoos, an alarmingly fast engagement and a song literally called “Pete Davidson” on Grande’s recent album in between, the two reportedly broke it off in midOctober.

In the short time between reports of their break up and the release of “Thank U, Next,” it seemed there was some unresolved bad blood between the two: he joked about their split in an “SNL” promo, which apparently prompted Grande to tweet (then delete), “for somebody who claims to hate relevancy u sure love clinging to it huh [sic].”

All of this is important because “Thank U, Next” is a song that’s as much context as it is substance. Watching Grande’s glow of new love, culminating in a joyous, excellent album “Sweetener,” only for it to end in social media spats was concerning, especially for her legion of fans.

Not to mention her ex, Miller, died of an overdose in September, which she

partially received unjust blame for, and it’s only been a year and a half since her Manchester concert was the site of a suicide bombing — she has every right to be heartbroken.

Centered around the line, “I’m so f-----g grateful for my ex,” “Thank U, Next” nails the precarious line between ill-will and well wishes, until you realize it doesn’t matter how she feels about her exes — it matters how she feels about herself.

The second verse has Grande singing of a new love, saying that she “met someone else,” until she reveals who it is she’s describing.

“I know they say I move on too fast, but this one gon’ last,” she sings of her new love. “‘Cause her name is Ari, and I’m so good with that.”

It’s profound and moving that after everything Grande’s been through over the past couple of years, or even weeks, that it’s led her to learn and love new things about herself.

And the song itself is a reminder that, even at the top of her career, self love is necessary and pain isn’t avoidable.

Two days before “Thank U, Next” dropped, Canadian pop outsider Carly Rae Jepsen released “Party for One,” her first single since non-album track “Cut to the Feeling” came out in summer 2017.

Jepsen is about as opposite of Grande as it gets.

Since her 2012 inescapable smash “Call Me Maybe,” like her peers Charli XCX, Tove Lo and Tinashe who tasted chart-topping success before taking an artistic and commercial career turn, she’s transformed into a source of worship for online pop devotees.

Jepsen’s 2015 record “Emotion” was a critical favorite and is already a cult classic, even though it underperformed commercially.

Failing to recreate the ubiquity of “Call Me Maybe,” but finding different kinds of success, has left Jepsen at a weird crossroads in her career.

She said on Instagram Live the night “Party for One” dropped that the song was “three years in the making,” before correcting herself, clarifying that it was not the song that took three years to make, but the “process of getting this song out.”

Though she didn’t explicitly say her label or any kind of mismanagement was to blame for this delay, it certainly wouldn’t

Strengthen your swimming skills!

be surprising for such an artist — Charli XCX recorded an entire follow-up album to 2014’s “Sucker” which was scrapped due to leaks and label disagreements, and she’s just dropped EPs, singles and mixtapes in the meantime.

Jepsen has yet to follow up “Emotion” with a full-length release, having only put out an EP of “Emotion” B-sides, a single and a couple features since then.

Jepsen, a charming romantic whose biggest asset is her music’s simultaneous relatable personality and exhilarating peaks, putting out “Party for One” amongst all this speculation isn’t as important as the context of “Thank U, Next,” but it is important for establishing the spectrum of necessary female selfempowerment.

“Party for One” takes place after a vague break up with a vague ex, and like the specified exes in “Thank U, Next,” he doesn’t really matter, but understanding Jepsen’s position in her career adds another layer to the lyrics.

“You don’t want my love / If you don’t care about me / I’ll just dance with myself / Back on my beat,” Jepsen celebrates on the track.

There’s not a tangible sonic step forward from Jepsen’s previous work on “Party for One” because there doesn’t need to be — it just sounds like her. It’s an ode to having fun with yourself, taking a break from all the pressure in the world to just enjoy the person you are.

Hearing Jepsen, who often sings of crushes and heartache, basking in her own self-worth is inspiring and crucial for many female listeners.

On the surface, it’s easy to lump “Thank U, Next” and “Party for One” together as variations of the same song, but those degrees of difference are notable for how they portray different kinds of self love, for women by women, and both equally necessary.

These songs are especially significant considering a couple of the biggest hits of 2018 have been female empowerment anthems by men.

It’s fitting that the song “Thank U, Next” knocked off the top of the Billboard Hot 100 is Maroon 5’s “Girls Like You,” a boring song marketed as some sort of blanket empowerment anthem — its video cycles through a collection of famous women, like Ellen DeGeneres, Camilla Cabello and Millie Bobby Brown.

The lyrics don’t convey much of anything besides Adam Levine declaring,

“I need a girl like you,” whoever that is.

Drake’s “Nice for What,” which topped the Hot 100 for eight weeks this year, is a legitimately great song, and though it also has a music video featuring a collection of famous women, it’s clear more thought was put into who would be featured in the clip. Among those included are Letitia Wright of “Black Panther,” Bria Vinaite

“It’s profound and moving that after everything Grande has been through over the past couple of years, or even weeks, that it’s led her to learn and love new things about herself.” of “The Florida Project” and Issa Rae of “Insecure.” Plus, it’s directed by a woman, unlike the video for “Girls Like You.” But Drake himself isn’t always exemplary of feminist allyship. On one of the Los Angeles stops on his recent tour, he brought noted abuser Chris Brown on stage to perform with him, and at a recent party, he dressed up as rapper Fabolous, who was arrested for domestic violence earlier this year.

That’s not to say Grande and Jepsen always are or always will be perfect examples, but providing women the space to mess up or feel pain and reckon with it in their art is more powerful than men offering uncomplicated views of womanhood, which they then unknowingly — but predictably — make problematic by simplifying women to one unified experience or by failing to address their own inconsistencies.

Female self-love exists on an infinite spectrum, and Grande and Jepsen exhibit its nuances as women at differing points in their lives and careers, loving themselves for different reasons.

In a time when women can feel really hopeless, it’s songs like these that can provide a sense of belonging with yourself, shared with those who resonate with the different shades of self love.

Normalizing and broadening the scope of female self love and empowerment starts with creating space for vulnerability, and Grande and Jepsen make excellent leaders.

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