11-18-2015

weekly PRINT EDITION

wednesDAY, november 18 – sunday, november 22, 2015 volume 102, Issue 15

SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1913

W W W . T H E D A I LYA Z T E C . C O M

ON THE INSIDE... hackers get grant P2 editorial P5 anime club P7 student dancer p12 student artist p15 cover designed by kaylee andrews, production designer

2 NEWS

NOV. 18 - 22 , 2015 • THE DAILY AZTEC EDITOR: QUINN OWEN • NEWS@THEDAILYAZTEC.COM

#HACKERTEAM

Hackers get $25K for new network EMELY NAVARRO SENIOR STAFF WRITER ____________________________________ The Cyber Defense Team recently received $25,000 from San Diego State through the Student Success Fee to create a digital network to practice hacking.

Cyber Defense Team President Alex Salerno plans to create a network where team members can get handson experience hacking and protecting the computer system.

Since the money was given through the Student Success Fee, the Cyber Defense Team will not be allowed to use the money until the start of the spring semester.

Once it has the money, the team will build a hacking network where members will be able to attack, destroy and rebuild as many times as they want. The network is reverted back to its original state every morning at 3 a.m. so students can feel free to experiment.

“One of the reasons I think we got this money is because this is setting the infrastructure for future computer security related training,” Salerno said.

“We are going to build this system that everybody can use, given if you’re in a computer security course or the club,

to teach people how to do this stuff.”

Felicia Vlahos, SDSU’s information security officer, encouraged the team to apply for the Student Success Fee funds.

She works closely with the team and said computer science students need a way to practice their skills outside the classroom. When Salerno mentioned he wanted to create this network she was all-in on the idea.

The team is open to anyone from any major, meaning every student has access to this new network.

“Anyone can use this new training network to maybe go from knowing very little to becoming moderate in computer defense skills,” Vlahos said. “Even a moderately well-trained individual is going to offer way more than a computer science student who just graduated with the academic experience.”

Peter Bartoli, the club’s faculty advisor and an adjunct computer science professor, said being a part of the club and getting this experience can help students land better, highpaying jobs.

“There are many six-digit salary paying jobs out there that cannot find enough good people in computer security,” Bartoli said. “The fact that Alex’s team is getting second out of

JACOB SISNEROS SENIOR STAFF WRITER ____________________________________

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SAN DIEGO

competition circuit.

By placing second in the CCDC invitationals, the team will move forward to qualifiers in addition to placing in the top 1 percent in game one of two in the National Cyber League competition.

Funds for innovation

SAN DIEGO

LEASE FOR

10 teams in the CCDC (Collegiate Cyber Defense Competitions) Western Regionals is huge and will really help them when applying for jobs.”

Founded this year, SDSU’s hacking club has rapidly grown and has already garnered accolades in the national

#MOXIEFOUNDATION

Hablamos Español

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A relatively new group on campus, The Cyber Defense team gathers every week to polish their hacking skills.

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The Moxie Foundation’s latest donation of $5.1 million helped it win the Outstanding Philanthropic Organization award last week.

The San Diego chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals honored The Moxie Foundation at a luncheon on Nov. 9 in celebration of the 43rd annual National Philanthropy Day. Dani Dawson, president of the AFP San Diego chapter, said more than 1,200 people attended the National Philanthropy Day luncheon and nine honorees were chosen from a field of more than 100 nominees.

Dawson said The Moxie Foundation was chosen for the Outstanding Philanthropic Organization award for its work in the San Diego community and specifically with the entrepreneur community at SDSU. “We want to highlight the time, talent and treasure of the philanthropic community in San Diego,” she said.

The Zahn Innovation Center at SDSU was created with earlier donations by The Moxie Foundation, which was founded in 1998 by Irwin Zahn.

The $5.1 million donation will be used to create the Zahn Innovation Platform, the Zahn Chair of Creativity and Innovation, the Zahn Professorship of Creativity and Innovation, and the Irwin Spirit of Innovation Prize.

The Zahn Innovation Platform will be housed in the Engineering and Interdisciplinary Sciences Complex, which is set to open in 2018 along with Lavin Entrepreneurship Center under the new name of the William E. Leonhard Entrepreneurship Center.

Irwin’s son, Peter Zahn, the president and director of The Moxie Foundation, said the goal of the new center is to open

up entrepreneurship opportunities to everybody on campus.

“While of course we would love to see engineering and students in there, as well, the idea is really to create campus-wide interdisciplinary teams,” Zahn said. “That’s when experiences and mentors can be the most fulfilling, when there really is inclusion of a wide range of members in the university community and the disciplines that they are studying.”

Zahn said he is looking forward to the expanded Zahn Innovation Platform and hopes to attract more people to SDSU’s entrepreneurship opportunities.

“I think San Diego State already plays a significant role in the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the San Diego region,” he said. “There are great contributions made by faculty, staff and students in terms of adding to the body of knowledge, starting new ventures and mentoring and helping others in the community who want to start new ventures.”

Zahn said entrepreneurship involves risk taking, empathy and the flexibility to change courses if things aren’t going as planned.

“The idea is that you really keep reassessing and looking for new ways to accomplish your objectives,” he said.

Irwin and Peter Zahn are originally from the New York area so they named their foundation The Moxie Foundation after the word “moxie,” a term from the Northeast used for generations to mean guts or determination.

Zahn said there is even a Moxie soda that still exists in New England, although he said don’t go in with high expectations for the drink’s taste. On the other hand, Zahn said he has nothing but high hopes for entrepreneurship in San Diego.

“My hope is that in the future entrepreneurship is going to become embedded in the ethos of the university culture,” he said.

NEWS 3

NOV. 18 - 22 , 2015 • THE DAILY AZTEC EDITOR: QUINN OWEN • NEWS@THEDAILYAZTEC.COM

#STATEGOVERNMENT

State legislators speak on campus

Assemblymember Weber represents District 79.

CALIFORNIA STATE ASSEMBLY

State Senator Marty Block represents District 39.

CALIFORNIA STATE SENATE

ADRIANA MILLAR SENIOR STAFF WRITER ____________________________________ Assemblymember Shirley Weber and Senator Marty Block spoke on campus to student leaders on Nov. 13 as part of San Diego State’s first Government Outreach Day. The event was designed to give SDSU students and professors a chance

to speak directly with legislators and to share their perspectives.

The event was organized by three Lobby Corps members, a studentat-large group under the Associated Students External Relations Board, as well as A.S. Vice President of External Relations Tyler Aguilar.

Sarah Bentley, Lobby Corps chair and organizer, said the event allowed people to put faces to the names of legislators discussing issues that affect students.

“Because a lot of times when you go into lobby, which is the purpose of Lobby Corps, you don’t necessarily have those personal connections to where they really have a feel for your campus and what you’re advocating for,” she said.

#CSUBUDGET

More SDSU money ADRIANA MILLAR EMELY NAVARRO SENIOR STAFF WRITERS ____________________________________ An expansion in the California State University’s final budget for this year will allow San Diego State to invest $3.4 million in the university, which is more than originally planned.

The final budget for the CSU, signed

by Governor Brown on June 24, provided $59 million more than the preliminary recommendation of $157.5 million.

SDSU’s budget for the 2015-2016 school year was designed around this proposed budget, which was suggested in May. As arranged in a budget agreement, the largest portion of the new funding will be allocated to support the increased number of San Diego resident students accepted to SDSU. With the extra funding, the university hired nearly 60 faculty members and provided more course sections in the fall.

“This is in addition to the dozens of faculty members already hired through funding provided by the Student Success Fee,” Vice President for Business and Financial Affairs and CFO Tom McCarron said in an email.

Although the largest portion of the extra funding will primarily go toward increased academic support, some will be used for initiatives that support either critical institutional needs or strategic plan initiatives.

“These include efforts to enhance student success, such as increasing graduation rates, and providing more opportunities for students to have transformational experiences, such as studying abroad and participating in research and internships,” McCarron said.

Funding usage is determined by requests within Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, University Relations and Development, and Business and Financial Affairs.

Once reviewed, they are sent to various committees including the Academic Resources and Planning Committee of the University Senate.

From there, the requests are presented and voted on by the President’s Budget Advisory Committee.

The budgeting process also includes some input from students.

“There is student representation on both of the aforementioned committees as part of our university’s shared governance model,” McCarron said.

your paper.

Both Weber and Block have a long history as former faculty at SDSU. “The two of us are kind of unusual in that we both come from a highered background and we both really understand higher-ed,” Block said at the event.

Although Weber and Block’s responsibilities now cover the entire state of California, they both still care a lot about SDSU, Block said.

“I think it’s fair to say San Diego State has a special place in our hearts, and we often think of San Diego State when we’re doing things for the whole system,” he said.

The legislators talked about a wide range of topics affecting students during the discussion session.

“I think a lot of really good topics were brought up,” Aguilar said. “I liked the challenging questions from the students, and it was really good to see the legislators on their heels.”

Students asked about legislation concerning increasing graduation rates, student success fees, racial profiling, future DREAM centers in the California State University system and possibly making Qualcomm Stadium an SDSU site.

Although the event was open to the public, it was not intended to be a public forum due to the smaller size of the

Council Chambers, Bentley said.

Only about 10 additional chairs were provided for members of the public, besides those who were invited.

Students Overcoming Struggle Chair Jeanette Corona said the space didn’t provide accessibility for a lot of students.

“Automatically, I feel there’s an assumption that students aren’t going to be present,” she said. “It makes us as students feel like we don’t matter, or they don’t care about our presence, because we want to be a part of this.”

A diverse array of student groups and professors were invited to the event, Bentley said.

“Of course we were interested in finding organizations that really rang true with the legislators in attendance, but we were also looking for organizations that would really give them a great … overview of San Diego State,” she said.

Bentley said invitations were based on information from Student Life and Leadership, as well as previous contacts.

Corona, who is also a member of the Association of Chicana Activists, was part of a student group that was not invited.

“We want to help make change, and we want to be part of these discussions, but how is that going to happen when, one, we’re not being invited (and) two, we’re not even being included,” she said.

4 SPORTS

NOV. 18 - 22 , 2015 • THE DAILY AZTEC EDITOR: PATRICK CARR • SPORTS@THEDAILYAZTEC.COM

#AZTECWBB

SDSU aims to part with red sea

Who’sWho? EDITOR IN CHIEF Kelly Hillock MANAGING EDITOR Matthew Bain NEWS EDITOR Quinn Owen ASST. NEWS EDITOR Torrey Bailey

BY THE NUMBERS (2014-15) 8: SDSU’S rank in the MW for women’s basketball attendance average 604: Women’s attendance average 12,414: Men’s attendance average

SPORTS EDITOR Patrick J. Carr ASST. SPORTS EDITOR Ryan Posner ASST. OPINION EDITOR Joseph Ciolino ARTS & LIFESTYLE EDITOR Olivia Litsey ASST. ARTS & LIFESTYLE EDITOR Ryo Miyauchi PHOTO EDITOR Megan Wood DIGITAL CONTENT EDITOR Annalise Dewhurst VIDEO PRODUCER Daniel Galuppo PRODUCTION DESIGNERS Kaylee Andrews Hannah Lingle-Veale

San Diego State women’s basketball averaged 604 fans per game last season, No. 8 in the Mountain West.

CALVIN EMBLETON, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

JACOB SISNEROS SENIOR STAFF WRITER ____________________________ There is one constant in photos of the San Diego State women’s basketball team playing at Viejas Arena in recent years: the red sea.

Not the body of water, but the sea of empty red seats in the background of photos.

The Aztecs went 12-19 overall last season and averaged around 604 people at each home game. The men’s basketball team, by contrast, went 27-9 last season and has averaged a sellout attendance of 12,414 people since 2012.

The raucous student section known as The Show at SDSU has largely been a no-show at women’s basketball games.

Todd Greenbaum, director of marketing, sales and fulfillment at SDSU, said the disparity in attendance between men’s and women’s basketball games is a nationwide problem that marketing departments are trying to correct.

“We do a lot to try and promote women’s basketball, and men’s basketball almost promotes itself (at SDSU),” Greenbaum said. “I would actually say we almost put more into trying to make students aware of women’s basketball to try and close that gap (in attendance) a little bit.”

Several giveaway nights are planned for women’s basketball home games this season and specific promotional nights are targeted to different groups of fans.

Greenbaum said the most effective promotion each year

is National Girls and Women in Sports Day, during which they invite children to miniclinics put on by the women’s volleyball, tennis and golf teams at SDSU. Greenbaum said around 1,500 fans attended that game last year.

Athletics marketing directors around the MW have a monthly conference call during which they discuss which marketing strategies are most effective for each sport.

“Women’s basketball is a topic every call because it is (an entire) MW issue,” Greenbaum said.

MW women’s basketball games averaged around 1,717 fans at each game last season and around 7,356 fans at men’s basketball games.

Both of those numbers were a decline from the previous season.

Nick Popplewell, assistant athletic director of marketing at Colorado State, said the MW instituted a Women’s Basketball Marketing Team of the Year award for this year to encourage marketing departments to focus on women’s basketball and increasing attendance.

He also sent out a women’s basketball marketing toolkit with marketing strategies including branded roster cards, autograph signings after games and ball kids rebounding for the players during warm-ups.

Popplewell said the marketing toolkit gives marketing departments a good chance at growing its fan bases and he has seen it work at numerous places.

One place that hasn’t

struggled for attendance at women’s basketball games is the University of New Mexico, with an average home attendance of 5,168 last season (average of 14,571 attended UNM men’s games).

That’s around 2,000 more than the next highest MW school, University of Wyoming, with an average of 3,228 per game.

UNM marketing manager Jon Washington said the team has a large following of fans mostly in the older demographic.

“We have a fan base that has been around a long time,” Washington said. “A lot of the same season-ticket holders return every year.”

He said he balances his marketing efforts to students and the surrounding university population by having the women’s basketball players travel to the homes of some season-ticket holders to handdeliver their season tickets and has the players hand out tickets to their games to students on campus.

Popplewell said he likes to get the team of student-athletes out in the community to gain support for the program. “(Social media) is important, but people need to get to know people,” he said. “That tie, that relationship is really what drives attendance.”

Greenbaum said he thinks the SDSU women’s basketball team is making strides in getting more community members to come to the games.

He even moved back starting times for weekday games to 6:30 p.m. from 6 p.m. in an

effort to make it easier for fans to make it to games.

“We have a fairly new coaching staff and they’re bringing in new recruits,” he said. “They’re bringing in the right kind of people and I think it’s connecting with the community.”

Head coach Stacie Terry is entering her third year with SDSU and brought in a new staff of assistant coaches when she was hired.

The Aztecs’ former head coach, Beth Burns, resigned in 2013 under some controversy and filed a lawsuit against the university in February 2014.

The lawsuit alleges Burns was unlawfully terminated following an incident in which she struck an assistant coach twice during a game.

Burns resigned as the winningest coach in SDSU women’s basketball history and led the team to a program record of 27 wins in 2012-13 season.

Women’s basketball attendance reached a peak during the 2008-09 season when games averaged 1,281 fans. The attendance has been in an overall decline since that season.

The goal for the marketing department is to see a 10-percent increase in overall attendance for the season and Greenbaum said he has already seen an increase in the number of season tickets sold this year.

The next home game for the Aztecs is Thursday, Nov. 19, at 6:30 p.m. against UC Davis, during which they will be looking to turn the tide on their season and stem the tide of the red sea.

VOLUNTEER WRITERS Jacob Sisneros Emely Navarro Adriana Millar Mackenzie Boss Jimmy Janszen Kalah Siegel Liliana Cervantes Nicole Menges Christine Whitman Nicole Sazegar Nancy Kirk Lilly Glenister Sarah Tanori Cami Buckman VOLUNTEER PHOTOGRAPHERS Calvin Embleton Meghan McCarron _____________________________ ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Radbeh Ravaz SALES MANAGER AJ Swamy ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Alexis Evans-Bendel Alex Gamboa Christopher Garcia Kamisha McKnight Keon Siavoshani Kelsey Silver Camilla Vesterløkke Matthew Volk John Weil ACCOUNTING & CONTRACTS Alfonso Barajas Kalie Christensen _____________________________ GENERAL MANAGER Jay Harn GRAPHICS SPECIALIST Chris Blakemore _____________________________ ADVERTISING 619.594.6977 advertising@thedailyaztec.com EDITORIAL 619.594.4190 editor@thedailyaztec.com PRINT The Daily Aztec publishes 5,000 copies of its weekly print edition on Wednesdays.

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The Daily Aztec has been San Diego State University’s independent student news source since 1913.

NOV. 18 - 22 , 2015 • THE DAILY AZTEC EDITOR: JOSEPH CIOLINO • OPINION@THEDAILYAZTEC.COM

OPINION 5

#EDITORIAL

First Amendment is for everyone EDITORIAL STAFF ____________________________________ The protests on the University of Missouri campus effectively accomplished their goal when the university’s president and chancellor resigned after inadequately handling a variety of racist incidents.

Unfortunately the Mizzou demonstrators detracted from their movement recently by using force to deny fundamental, First Amendment rights to professional and student journalists.

A video, which has since gone viral on YouTube, shows one student photojournalist attempting to document an on-campus demonstration.

He is blocked, harassed and pushed by demonstrators. The student filming the exchange slips through the barricade of

demonstrators and finds himself in the center of the grass field. He then asks to speak to two students.

He’s immediately targeted by Melissa Click, a mass communication assistant professor at the university, who is participating in the camp-out demonstration.

“You need to get out,” Click says. “You need to get out. You need to get out. Hey who wants to help me get this reporter out of here? I need some muscle over here.

Help me get him out. Who’s going to help me?”

Click has since apologized for her absurd behavior and resigned from her post with the journalism school where she worked but did not teach.

The attempts to backtrack and apologize don’t sufficiently address the massive movement against student and

professional media that was seen on the university’s campus two weeks ago.

At its worst, the event could be characterized as a coordinated attempt to stifle First Amendment rights.

At its best characterization, it was a grotesque display of mob mentality where several acted on the distorted motives of a few.

As a student news organization, we hope to never see this type of behavior on the San Diego State campus.

In our collective experience as student journalists, activists on the SDSU campus have been largely helpful and interested in having their story told.

We are proud to serve a campus community that understands the vital role that journalists serve.

It’s disappointing to see these actions detract from the activists’ central

message, which intended to push back against pervasive and institutionalized racism within their campus community.

As colleges nationwide are fighting back against injustices on their campuses, we ask the students here at SDSU to continue being cooperative with the media trying to tell their stories. And if you have something to say, join our conversation and write a letter to the editor. We want the voices of our community to be heard in a respectful, educated environment.

We, the editorial board of The Daily Aztec, believe the First Amendment is not solely about preserving the profession of journalism and its importance to a democracy.

It's about standing up for the fundamental rights of faith, assembly and expression — which we all share as Americans.

#ETHICS

Is SeaWorld still proving to be unethical?

JIMMY JANSZEN STAFF COLUMNIST ____________________________________ Since CNN’s documentary Blackfish was released in 2013, SeaWorld’s stock and park attendance has plummeted.

In order to bounce back from the stigma of the mistreatment of marine life, SeaWorld has planned to phase out its killer whale show at its San Diego location by 2017.

But obviously SeaWorld isn’t solely doing this for the treatment of its animals.

It’s to positively invert their profits.

SeaWorld does, however, do good things for marine life. On top of operating its three theme parks, SeaWorld helps with the rehabilitation of animals.

Its website reads, in part: “Working in partnership with state, local and federal agencies, our rescue teams are on call 24/7 assisting animals that are orphaned, ill, injured or in need of expert care. Our goal is to successfully

rehabilitate animals for return to the wild.”

The rehabilitation of animals is a virtuous service SeaWorld provides, but when profit is its motive while holding marine life captive, that’s when SeaWorld is unethical.

SeaWorld’s plan to phase out its killer whale show doesn’t eliminate the captivity of the whales altogether, but plans for a larger tank without theatrics. This is what SeaWorld is calling its Blue World Project.

According to the Blue World Project website, the aim is “advancing the global understanding of killer whales, educating and inspiring conservation efforts to protect those in the wild.”

This is a contradiction in itself because they’re not protecting “those in the wild” if they are not in the wild, but in a tank for viewing pleasure.

Over the past two years overall attendance has fallen, but millennials still make up 32 percent of all attendees, according to its president and CEO Joel Manby.

This can be partly attributed to SDSU’s Viejas Arena providing discounted SeaWorld tickets to students.

And while millennials make for a large chunk of SeaWorld’s attendance, viewers age 18-49 dominated the viewership of Blackfish when it first aired on CNN with an average of 688,000 — the most of any age group.

“I think SeaWorld’s plan to phase out the killer whale show is a good thing,” said biology freshman Chris Bourne.

“But it still doesn’t make me want to go to the park. Why would I want to support a company that is obviously putting money first and animals second?”

The overall thought of millennials has leaned more toward distrust in SeaWorld, rather than accepting the way the company treats its animals.

The negative press of SeaWorld peaked when “Jackass” star Steve-O was arrested in Los Angeles after he climbed a 100-foot crane with an inflatable orca whale with the words

“SeaWorld Sucks” and proceeded to light fireworks from the crane. He pleaded no contest to trespassing and illegal use of fireworks, and was sentenced to 30 days in jail and given three years probation.

This stunt came after his 2014 protest in San Diego where he changed a freeway sign on I-5 from “SeaWorld Drive” to “SeaWorld Sucks”.

“I think what Steve-O did was great,” theatre arts freshman Tanner Ratcliff said. “He has such a large following, so he can spread the message to people who maybe haven’t seen Blackfish.”

Whether SeaWorld’s Blue World Project will win over the minds of weary costumers, the fact that the company is still keeping orcas captive is unethical.

SeaWorld needs to stick solely to its animal rehabilitation program because it is a great service to our oceans.

But because profit is the company’s ultimate motive, SeaWorld will continue to lose the trust of millennials and like-minded individuals.

#FALLBREAKFORSDSU

SDSU needs to implement a fall break MACKENZIE BOSS CONTRIBUTOR ____________________________________ With the increasing amount of stress and pressure placed on college students, the need for a break from school seems to be more present than ever.

San Diego State should consider implementing a break in the fall semester in order to give students a few days to recuperate after midterms and prepare themselves for the next round of essays and exams coming their way.

A fall break is a pause from classes that is separate from Thanksgiving break and usually takes place during October.

The break gives students around two to three extra days off from the stress of school.

And this isn’t just a random idea conjured up during a particularly stressful study session.

More and more schools around the nation are implementing these fall breaks.

Some universities that have chose to implement a fall break include: Arizona State, Duke University, Texas Christian University, Notre Dame, Indiana University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and many more.

Other schools, such as University of Colorado, Boulder, choose to give students a fall break in a different way.

Boulder cancels classes on the Monday and Tuesday of Thanksgiving week in order to give students the full week off.

ASU is one of the schools to implement a “typical” fall break.

This year ASU’s break took place

Oct. 10-13, giving students an extra Monday and Tuesday off from classes to unwind.

SDSU should take note of these other schools’ systems and consider implementing a fall break so students do not need to wait until Thanksgiving to have a brief break from their classes.

Adding a fall break would be extremely beneficial for students’ mental health and would allow them to feel more relaxed and confident when approaching their second round of midterms and other coursework in the winter.

It would also give students the option to relax and de-stress, or choose to use fall break as a time to catch up on their coursework if they are feeling behind.

According to a 2008 mental health study conducted by The Associated Press and mtvU, “eight of 10 college

students say they have sometimes or frequently experienced stress in their daily lives over the past three months.”

However, implementing a fall break would not be an easy task due to the many rules and regulations implemented through the state of California and the Chancellor’s Office of the California State University system.

“Adding a fall break would take a week off the semester as it is, which would either need to be added back at the beginning or end of the semester,” said Gordon Clancy, professor of sociology at SDSU. The 2014-15 academic and holiday calendar was approved by the SDSU Senate on Dec. 2, 2014.

Although there are many roadblocks, implementing a fall break would be extremely beneficial to the mental health of SDSU students.

6

NOV. 18 - 22 , 2015 • THE DAILY AZTEC EDITOR: OLIVIA LITSEY • FEATURES@THEDAILYAZTEC.COM

#WHATISART

SDSU contemplates definition of art OLIVIA LITSEY ARTS & LIFESTYLE EDITOR ____________________________________

This year, The Daily Aztec decided to delve into art as a concept and a campus. We looked into art students’ San Diego State experience from beginning to end (see p. 11), those working to hone their craft (see Alexis Park on p. 7, Edrian Pangilinan on p. 12 and Chelsey Magaoay on p. 15), as well as SDSU art exhibitions (see the SDSU Downtown Gallery on p.

13 and an Italian photography exhibition on p. 14). You can find all of this and more in the pages of this special “What is Art?” issue.

Be sure to check out our website to view a video version of our man on the street-style “What is art?” questionnaire (see p. 8-9).

Reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to share your thoughts.

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NOV. 18 - 22 , 2015 • THE DAILY AZTEC EDITOR: OLIVIA LITSEY • FEATURES@THEDAILYAZTEC.COM

#PERFORMINGARTS

Park puts improvisation skills to use KALAH SIEGEL STAFF WRITER ____________________________________ In the theatrical production of “Wizard of Oz,” stuffed animal Toto isn’t scripted to unceremoniously fall out of Dorothy’s basket. This was, however, Alexis Park’s introduction to improvisation.

As Dorothy in her first grade rendition of “Wizard of Oz,” she learned the importance of quick thinking while performing live and simultaneously stole the show when she booted Toto offstage with her ruby red slipper so that her castmates wouldn’t step on him.

The theatre arts sophomore used this same skill to improvise during a callback audition that landed her a leading role in the School of Theatre, Television and Film’s production of “Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights.”

The play will run Dec. 2-6 at the Don Powell Theatre. Students and community members will be able to watch Park transform into Mephisto, the cunning creature of havoc. In

short, Mephisto is the devil — literally.

“She is malicious, fun, clever, sultry and just plain awful,” Park said.

“With this show, we have the unique experience to create our characters from scratch.”

Few will confess personal traits they can channel to play the devil on stage, but Park admits two.

“Mephisto’s evil intentions removed, we both share persistence and determination,” she said. “When we face problems, we find solutions. If a door is locked, we break a window.”

Of course, literal window-breaking is not in Park’s wheelhouse. Behind the scenes, she’s a member of Alpha Delta Chi, the Christian sorority on campus.

“It’s been a running joke how ironic it is that the girl in the Christian sorority is playing the devil,” she said.

Park credits the Bible as a reference that she and fellow cast members utilized for character work — a logical resource considering the production’s connection to the Old Testament.

At its most basic level, the show concentrates on the question, what happens when one sells his or her soul

to the devil? In playwright Gertrude Stein’s modern retelling, Dr. Faustus sells his soul to Mephisto for electric light.

“It’s completely abstract in nature,” Park said. “Everyone is going to leave with different perceptions of what actually happened.”

In addition to revitalizing a classic tale, Stein also revolutionizes the viewer experience.

The audience is just as much a part of the show as the actors on stage.

“An average person would go to see a play and expect to be quiet, silence their cell phone and be very serious about pretending they aren’t even there for the actor’s sake,” theatre arts senior and cast member Sara Dotson said. “In this play, the audience is acknowledged throughout and asked to participate.”

Equally distinctive is the creative freedom director Peter Cirino expects of his actors.

While each individual largely composes his or her own character complex, the respect and trust within the team must be unwavering.

“Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights” opens Dec. 2 COURTESY OF ALEXIS PARK

#ANIMEANDMANGACLUB

Students bond over appreciation for anime

The SDSU Anime and Manga Club meets on Fridays at 3:30 p.m. in the Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union..

COURTESY OF ASHLEY LOPEZ

LILIANA CERVANTES STAFF WRITER ____________________________________ Whether it’s cosplaying as Goku from “Dragon Ball Z” or a member of the Survey Corps ready to defend humanity against giant Titans, some San Diego State students enjoy the lively, imaginative world of anime and manga in their spare time.

The Anime and Manga Club on campus celebrates Japanese animations and comic books while providing a fun, friendly environment for students to share their similar interests.

Regular meetings are from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. every Friday in room 132 of the Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union.

During meetings, students share and watch a new series of anime each week, followed by friendly conversation that in many cases leads to members bonding over their love for these stories.

“It’s kind of nice having events like the club or an anime convention where you know everyone around you likes the same thing you like and that there’s no judgment there,” computer science freshman Ashley Lopez said. “I feel a lot of people are instantly comfortable and it’s really easy to just talk to someone.”

Undeclared freshman Anna Bowman said she initially got into anime because of its unique, aesthetically pleasing art styles, such as the adorable chibi style.

Chibi style, also known as “super deformed” style, consists of characters usually having large heads, huge round eyes and small, unproportioned bodies.

Bowman said the style is one of the easier anime styles to draw.

Anime and manga art branches out into several different artistic styles that range from the more colorful and actionoriented styles to darker, scarier and more

grotesque tones.

“The art style is just really expressive,” Lopez said. “It’s less about trying to look like a real person and trying to look more like what we feel.”

While Japanese anime definitely has a strong fan base and components of detailed, beautiful art, Bowman said there are several contrasts from Western animations that won’t appeal to everyone.

“It definitely is not for everyone because the writing style is really weird to get into at first,” Bowman said. “It’s either very slow and dialogue-heavy or very manic as opposed to Western animation, (which) has a lot more movement and a lot more plotlines going on, but it makes sense.”

A common hobby among students that love the world of anime and manga is cosplaying at some of California’s most notable pop-culture conventions.

Cosplay, an abbreviation for “costumeplay,” is a frequent act by comic book fans to elaborately dress up and represent some of their favorite characters.

Fans cosplay at conventions such as the famous San Diego Comic-Con International, Anaheim’s Anime Expo or Los Angeles’ Stan Lee Comikaze Expo.

Like many other cosplayers, Lopez said she sews and paints her own costumes and also makes the occasional accompanied weapons out of Styrofoam or paper mache with a hot glue gun and several carpentry tools.

“Hot glue is a best friend of cosplayers everywhere,” she said. “It’s just exciting to live as one of the characters that you love.”

Cosplay photo shoots are another entertaining part of the cosplay, anime and manga fan community.

Lopez said many of the photographers that attend the conventions are professional photographers and have adapted their photography and editing styles to compliment and capture the fun community.

Anime and Manga Club member and economics senior Tommy Newton said he also loves to cosplay and has dressed up

as Marvel’s “X-Men” superhero Wolverine and “Attack on Titan” main protagonist Elmer Fudd.

“This generation seems to love celebrating our childhood,” he said. “It is very common now to see people wearing shirts with Disney characters or popular cartoons from the ‘90s like ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.’ The movie industry integrating with the comic book industry is a big part of it.”

Newton said sometimes the costumes don’t turn out as perfect as desired but that doesn’t matter: Fans enjoying themselves and having fun is what cosplay is all about.

This pop subculture is known for open, friendly and passionate fans that make any convention feel like a big costume party.

“There’s something for everyone,” Lopez said. “Anyone should try watching it because even if you don’t like one anime, another one won’t be the same.”

During its regular meeting Mon., Dec. 7, 2015 the Associated Students Board of Directors will vote on some important

BYLAW AMENDMENTS. Copies of proposed changes are available to interested individuals upon request from the Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union's Information Booth and the A.S. Office, located on the third floor of the student union.

Comments regarding the proposed changes are welcomed in advance.

619-594-6555 as.sdsu.edu

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NOV. 18 - 22 , 2015 • THE DAILY AZTEC EDITOR: OLIVIA LITSEY • FEATURES@THEDAILYAZTEC.COM

#WHATISART

What is art to you, fellow Aztecs?

The Daily Aztec took to campus to ask San Diego State students and faculty what art is to them. The answers ranged from the simple response of energy to the way people express themselves.

"ART IS A FORM USED FOR EXPLORATION AND EXPRESSION, IT'S A WAY FOR SOMEONE TO SHOW THEIR OWN VIEW OF THE WORLD AROUND THEM." -SULAMITA PANDURO

"ART IS A REFLECTION OF WHAT'S INSIDE YOU, SOMETHING YOU CAN PUT INTO WHATEVER MEDIUM YOU LOVE.” -DAVE WILWAYCO

"ART IS EVERYWHERE.” -KELLY HILLOCK

JESSE MADRIGAL SOPHOMORE, ENGLISH

BERNADETTE TAN FRESHMAN, GRAPHIC DESIGN

"ART IS ABOUT EXPRESSING WHO YOU ARE WHEN YOU CAN’T REALLY PUT IT INTO WORDS."

"ART IS LIFE. I CONSIDER EVERYTHING ART — TO ME, THE WAY A PERSON WALKS OR EVEN THE WAY A PERSON DRIVES. IF YOU PUT ENOUGH EFFORT INTO SOMETHING, IT BECOMES ART."

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NOV. 18 - 22 , 2015 • THE DAILY AZTEC EDITOR: OLIVIA LITSEY • FEATURES@THEDAILYAZTEC.COM

"ART IS A SPECIFIC WAY TO EXPRESS YOURSELF,"

"ART IS ENERGY." -CLARISSA CLO

-EMMA FAULKNER

DAVID ROSEN FRESHMAN, SOCIOLOGY

"TO ME ART IS BEAUTY IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER. IT’S WHATEVER YOU BELIEVE HAS VALUE TO YOU, EITHER IN WHAT YOU WANT TO EXPRESS OR BE EXPRESSED TO YOU. ANYTHING CAN BE ART AS LONG AS YOU SEE IT AS ART."

"ART IS INDIVIDUALISM BECAUSE ALL ART IS REPRESENTED DIFFERENTLY AND DIFFERENT TO EVERY PERSON." -NICOLE STOROZHENKO

"ART IS WHATEVER YOU WANT IT TO BE, THERE ARE NO LIMITS." -CRYSTAL WILLIAMS

OLIVIA KESSEL FRESHMAN, PSYCHOLOGY

"ART IS A WAY FOR YOU TO EXPRESS YOURSELF AND DO WHATEVER YOU FEEL WITHOUT BEING JUDGED."

"ART IS CREATIVITY AND FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION." -MARION CUNNANE

ELOISA BIANCHI FRESHMAN, JOURNALISM

"ART IS ANYTHING YOU DO TO EXPRESS YOURSELF — YOU DO A DRAWING, OR A PAINTING OR DANCING OR JUST ANYTHING THAT MAKES YOU HAPPY." PHOTOS BY EMELY NAVARRO, SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Student at Zahn Innovation Center

entrepreneurship starts here Named one of America's Most Entrepreneurial Universities by FORBES Magazine, San Diego State University is a hub of student invention and innovation. U.S. News & World Report recently ranked SDSU's undergraduate entrepreneurial program No. 8 among the nation's public universities. With its strong commitment to student success, international experiences, impactful research and entrepreneurship, SDSU is taking its place among the nation's leading public research universities. SDSU.edu

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NOV. 18 - 22 , 2015 • THE DAILY AZTEC EDITOR: OLIVIA LITSEY • FEATURES@THEDAILYAZTEC.COM

Arts Alive allows students to participate in all forms of innovative art-making.

EMELY NAVARRO, SENIOR STAFF WRITER

#ARTSALIVE

Arts Alive caters to SDSU programs ALISSA KASAWDISH STAFF WRITER ____________________________ The good thing about art is that one doesn’t have to be an artist to be a part of something creative. Arts Alive San Diego State allows students all over campus to participate in all forms of innovative art-making.

According to its mission statement, Arts Alive provides opportunities for students, faculty and staff to interact with art as part of an artsrich, educational community on campus.

“We do this by finding opportunities to make campus arts even more visible,” social media coordinator Jessica Ordon

said.

Arts Alive promotes the arts on campus in many different ways.

The organization hosts several interactive pop-up performances and events around campus. Events take place outside of the Love Library, Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre, Thursday’s farmers’ markets or the music building.

“We promote the arts by giving everyone an opportunity to participate in art-making, whether it is at our Thursday jewelry-making booth at the farmers’ market, in a class or even via social media,” Ordon said.

The jewelry and metalwork event takes place from 12-2 p.m. every Thursday at the farmers’ market until

Dec. 3. Students can join other students and faculty in SDSU’s jewelry and metalwork program to design their own wearable works of art. Students can create anything from a dog tag to a bracelet to wear and remind themselves of their individual creativity.

“Arts Alive allows individuals to get involved on campus in a fun way that can expose them to different cultures and arts,” public relations senior Asael Ruelas Vaquera said.

Other upcoming events include a clay and metal sale from 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. on Nov. 17 and 18 at the lobby of the School of Art and Design building. Student work from the clay and metal program will be showcased and sold

to students wanting to add an artistic touch to their surroundings.

The organization works with the School of Theatre, Television and Film, the School of Art and Design, the School of Music and Dance and the university’s creative writing program. Between these programs, more than 350 arts-related events happen during the academic year, Ordon said.

One upcoming Arts Alive music event is the Electronic Music Marathon from 5-9 p.m. on Dec. 9 at the Smith Recital Hall. At the concert, students can watch performances of electronic music composed by students from the School of Music and Dance program.

Arts Alive also has a new

musical in collaboration with the SDSU theater students and the La Jolla Playhouse in the works.

Arts Alive also spotlights many other diverse programs that students might not know about, such as SDSU’s opera program, a furniture design and woodworking program, and the SDSU Downtown Gallery near the Museum of Contemporary Arts San Diego.

“Arts Alive is here to make a big deal out of these programs so that more people are aware and can enjoy them,” Ordon said.

With all of these forms of art made available by Arts Alive SDSU, students can easily get involved and stay in touch with the hidden talents on campus.

#SDSUALUM

Alumna finds home in San Diego improv JOE GILMORE STAFF WRITER ____________________________ For San Diego State graduate Jewell Karinen, improvisational theater not only gives her the opportunity to act on a regular basis but also a chance to meet like-minded people and show off her creative talent.

Unlike other forms of performance art, improv doesn’t use a script. Everything is made up on the spot.

“It’s sort of like a dance party,” Karinen said. “Everyone agrees that we’re going to do this cool thing for the next 20 minutes, and if it works, it’s going to be awesome. It’s just unlike real life and I really think real life is overrated, which is why I’m an actor.”

Karinen has been making her presence known both on and off the stage by working with the San Diego improv community.

She’s currently the manager of Sidestage Improv and a member of numerous improv groups, including an allfemale group at Finest City Improv, and multiple other independent groups. She also teaches classes for aspiring improv artists.

Her passion is tied to her time as a theater student.

Karinen has been doing improv for five years and has been involved with Sidestage and Finest City for two years.

She got her start in her high school theater classes, eventually joining her school’s improv club. She then began taking classes at Southwestern College during her senior year.

“I took an improv class there for two semesters, every Monday for four hours, and it was awesome,” she said.

She’s also the social media strategist for Sidestage Improv.

As the social media strategist and manager, she’s responsible for all of the company’s promotion and advertising ideas.

“I like that stuff,” she said.

“I’m good at that stuff, so it is really cool to do it for something I actually care about.”

Karinen attributes some of her advertising knowledge to the journalism program at SDSU. After a semester at New York University and a few semesters in community college, she eventually found her place as an advertising major at SDSU.

San Diego State theater alumna Jewell Karinen now works for both Sidestage Improv and Finest CIty Improv.

COURTESY OF JEWELL KARINEN

“It all just sort of came together for me to transfer to SDSU and go into the advertising program,” she said.

“And I just got lucky that it was great.”

During her time at SDSU, she took classes on social media, community and development and media strategy, among

others.

She was involved with many campus organizations during her time as a student. She worked for KCR College Radio on its social media and helped launch its blog. She was also the social media assistant for the Department of Childhood and Family Development,

using social media as a tool for recruitment.

Karinen cannot guarantee newcomers that Finest City’s first improv show will make them laugh, but she’s sure of one thing.

“You’re going to see a bunch of people go on stage and take a risk,” she said.

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NOV. 18 - 22 , 2015 • THE DAILY AZTEC EDITOR: OLIVIA LITSEY • FEATURES@THEDAILYAZTEC.COM

#ARTSTARTSHERE

The journey of an SDSU art student NICOLE MENGES CONTRIBUTOR ____________________________________

CHRISTINE WHITMAN SENIOR STAFF WRITER ____________________________________

The visual and performing arts learning community on campus is not just a residence hall but a safe haven for student artists to express themselves and foster connections that last throughout their time at San Diego State and beyond.

“It’s really cool to be able to talk and live with people that are in your same classes and have the same interests as you,” said Gaby Coronado, a television, film and new media freshman with an emphasis in production.

Coronado said the community provides many opportunities to network and develop connections with people from various arts disciplines.

The creative environment is beneficial to the residents for academic purposes, and it also creates a close-knit community for the artistically inclined students.

“When everyone else is there making music or filming something in the area, it’s easily accessible to find friends who are interested in the same things you are,” theatre arts freshman Nicholas Luine said.

The living community has provided residents with a plethora of opportunities for collaboration, be it for academic or personal projects.

“My roommate is a filmmaker, so that works out great because I’m an actor, so we collaborate on films and stuff,” Luine said.

The community not only allows students to explore their own art disciplines, but it also exposes them to other artists’ work.

“I feel like I’ve become more open to trying new things because it’s just really inspiring to see how everybody works,” TFM freshman Jada Johnson said.

Johnson said it has been fascinating living in the community as an inexperienced art student because there are people from many different fields of art. There are actors and filmmakers, as well as students with no academic connection to the arts community, just an appreciation for it.

Dance freshman Brystan Bailey said the learning community provides a builtin support system for the artists.

“One day my agent called and I needed a recording of myself for a commercial, but right across the hall from me is a film major so I asked them to help me,” Bailey said. “And stuff like that happens all the time.”

Bailey was once performing in a show for Performance Forum, a class for dance majors. She thought a lot of people weren’t coming to it because of scheduling conflicts, but when she told her floor about it, they all seemed excited.

“Those connections are something that are really cool to have, not just for our careers but for friendships,” Bailey said.

Theatre arts freshman Chantel Branscomb said the living community is currently planning a showcase month, called the Maya 3 Arts Festival, coming up next month. The film and live performance festival will have singers and student films, as well as a dance performance by Branscomb.

“It’s going to be a mish-mosh of everything that people take an interest in on the floor,” she said.

Branscomb said the festival will be a representation of why the residents live in the learning community and why they love to be in the arts.

San Diego State offers a variety of art programs providing students with a unique opportunity to grow within their own definitions of art.

Although art is conceptualized differently at different schools, each emphasis comes together to create one cohesive message plainly seen by the student body: Art is what a student makes it.

Following in her father’s footsteps, theatre performance junior Emma Faulkner has advanced from makebelieve to real life, always finding a place to perform from an early age.

“The excitement of live theatre is something near and dear to my heart,” Faulkner said. “It allows you to use that childlike innocence and imagination to suspend your beliefs into a different world.”

Faulkner enjoys digging deep into anything and everything theatre, from its history to the strategies of its actors.

“Every relationship in theatre is specific and unique,” she said. “You have to be open to other actor’s ideas and accept that their ideas may be better or more applicable than your own.”

The theatre program gives Faulkner an opportunity to hone her craft and create her own definition of art.

“Being a theatre performance major has been a whirlwind, but I can create in an aspect I love most,” she said.

After the idea to create a high school newscast went rogue, film production senior Dave Wilwayco has never looked back — although he’s met several challenges along the way.

“The biggest challenge of being a cinematographer is translating visuals from the script,” Wilwayco said. “You have to translate the emotions people experience collectively as an audience subtly.”

Throughout his time at SDSU, Wilwayco has done almost everything, from filming in a helicopter to filming abroad in Nicaragua and the Philippines.

“It’s crucial to learn how to collaborate effectively and understand everyone,” he said. “You have to be able to trust other students’ talents.”

Wilwayco looks forward to the future after graduation.

He knows the professional connections he has made throughout his time at SDSU will help him achieve his goals.

“I’m not even done with my last semester and I’ve already done so much at this school,” he said. “I’m so grateful for the opportunities I’ve received.”

From an early age, dance senior Sulamita Panduro couldn’t imagine doing anything except performing with a professional dance company.

“Some dancers love teaching or choreographing but my passion is performing,” Panduro said. “Being under the lights onstage gives me this indescribable feeling in life. I can’t compare it to anything else.”

Panduro appreciates the small size of the department.

She said it allows her to build meaningful relationships with professors and other dancers, who support each other throughout the length of the program.

“The dance department has been more than just my professors and peers, it’s been my family,” she said. “My

Chantel Branscomb is a theatre arts freshman.

NICOLE MENGES, CONTRIBUTOR

Nicholas Luine is a theatre arts freshman.

COURTESY OF NICHOLAS LUINE

Gaby Coronado is a TFM freshman.

COURTESY OF GABY CORONADO

Crystal Williams is a theatre design junior.

CHRISTINE WHITMAN, SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Sulamita Panduro is a dance senior.

CHRISTINE WHITMAN, SENIOR STAFF WRITER

experience here has really helped me find my individuality.”

Throughout the years, the dance program has steered Panduro into becoming the dancer she has always dreamed of being, but more importantly, allowed her to do something she loves every day.

“Not everyone gets the opportunity to be in their body enjoying their passion like I do,” she said.

For painting and printmaking junior Troy Guard, the decision to major in art was instinctive, although his instincts have changed through the years.

“When I first started getting into art, I supposed it was more about pretty pictures,” Guard said. “Over time, it became more about creating something that had a message.”

Guard consistently raves about the faculty.

“Professors blow me away with their ability to out-think me,” he said.

“Sometimes you can be surprised when you figure something out, but someone else comes and shows you a better way that you were not able to see initially.”

Although Guard is excited to be involved in large on-campus collaborations, he looks forward to traveling the world.

“I want to see what my art takes on in another cultural setting,” Guard said.

For a girl who loves all things beauty, the decision to pursue theatre design was stress-free for junior Crystal Williams.

“The design program requires a lot of work and pushes your limits,” Williams said. “But in pushing your limits, it prepares you for your professional life.”

Although the theatre design program has several challenges, Williams has experienced nothing but positivity over the years.

“Everyone from staff to students is so helpful and encouraging within the department,” she said. “There’s so much talent in the department and I am just lucky to be completely immersed in it.”

In pursuing theatre design, Williams has a place to let her imagination run wild.

Eventually, this led her to realize her true passion of costume design.

“My favorite part of theatre is being able to see a costume or wig I helped create come to life,” Williams said.

More than anything, Williams looks forward to getting paid to dress up.

12

NOV. 18 - 22, 2015 • THE DAILY AZTEC EDITOR: OLIVIA LITSEY • FEATURES@THEDAILYAZTEC.COM

#STUDENTART

Student choreographs for a cause NICOLE SAZEGAR STAFF WRITER ____________________________________ Dance junior Edrian Pangilinan only joined his middle school dance program to be in the same class as his girlfriend at the time. Although that relationship ended, Pangilinan’s relationship with dance had just begun.

Pangilinan views dance as a medium through which he can let go of his shyness and express the hero within him.

“I’m very passive-aggressive and peaceful, but when I dance, I feel powerful,” he said. “I feel like I can be really brave and courageous.”

Eventually, dance became his calling.

Pangilinan choreographed for the San Diego Young Choreographers showcase in 2013. He and a friend choreographed a piece using his wheelchair-using dancer friends who always dreamed of performing on a public stage.

Working on this piece made Pangilinan realize he could use the form of movement to make a difference in the world.

The piece centered on the liveliness and diversity of public transportation in San Diego. At the time, Pangilinan could only afford to use public transportation to commute around the city and he wanted

to portray the different people from the different walks of life that he encountered on the bus or trolley.

For a while, he struggled to find his voice in the dance community and convince people to take him seriously as a performer and choreographer. Once he worked on the piece with his dancer friends, he found the courage to stand up for himself, and everything fell into place.

“Around this time, I realized that I am me, and that I shouldn’t try to be like anyone else,” he said.

Pangilinan said his biggest accomplishment was creating his dance documentary, titled “This is My Reality (a docu-DANCE-ry).” He asked his friends about the biggest social injustices they have faced and used the interviews to portray their problems through dance. Because of his involvement in the LGBTQ

own problems that I failed to recognize that there is a bigger world around me and there are bigger issues beyond me,” he said.

Pangilinan has been part of multiple high-caliber productions.

He was in The San Diego Trolley Dance in 2012, 2013 and 2015, an annual event hosted by the San Diego Dance Theater in which 50 dancers are hired every year to create a production of site-specific work.

He was also a part of two different San Diego Fringe Festival productions. The first production, “Victor Charley” in 2014, won an award for audience favorite and a top-seller award. The second production in 2015, called “Hip Hop Cabaret,” won Most Astounding Production.

Despite all of his success within various dance communities in San Diego, Pangilinan has finally found a family in the dance department at San Diego State.

“I feel like I’ve become more intellectual as a dance-maker,” he said.

“I feel like my ideas are now actually being supported and encouraged as opposed to being told to follow general dancing. I

appreciate the dance community here.

We’re tiny, but it’s very intimate. I feel like we’re a family.”

“I think (Pangilinan) is a really committed dancer,” dance senior Mario Jaimes said. “He has so much to offer and give to the program, and he’s only been here for three months. He’s already doing so much for us and he seems so excited to just dive in and learn.”

Pangilinan’s ultimate dream is to travel the world and choreograph dances that portray social injustices.

“In regards to creating choreography, my focus has always been to try and speak out about something,” he said. “I feel like in that way, I’m able to have more power towards making my voice heard.”

Pangilinan never meant to take up dancing, but his involvement in the dance community has changed his life for the better.

community, he feels a responsibility to speak out about social injustices.

“I felt like I was so focused on my

Edrian Pangilinan has been involved in three annual San Diego Trolley Dance events.

COURTESY OF EDRIAN PANGILINAN

13

NOV. 18 - 22, 2015 • THE DAILY AZTEC EDITOR: OLIVIA LITSEY • FEATURES@THEDAILYAZTEC.COM

#DOWNTOWNGALLERY

Exhibit expands beyond paintings NANCY KIRK STAFF WRITER ____________________________________ As people admired the selection of paintings at the opening reception of the art exhibit “Presence” last week, a less traditional form of art may have gone unnoticed.

She made sure no dust was left unswept and that the windows sparkled; she’s a cleaning lady who immigrated from Mexico and speaks no English, and she’s the alter ego of performing artist and MFA student Claudia Cano.

Rosa was at the art opening on Nov. 5, not Cano, and she could have almost been mistaken for an actual maid. The apron that hung around her waist and covered a modest peach-colored dress was one aspect of the character Cano created.

Rosa is more than a maid. She is a social and political statement about immigrants and the way society acknowledges them — or more accurately — the way it doesn’t.

“It’s part of the performance,” Cano said. “It’s always been in the mind of confronting the audience and making them feel uncomfortable. It’s a way of creating an acknowledgement of the people who actually work and make a living cleaning.”

The character of Rosa has been hired to clean at various art venues throughout San Diego via an invoice as if she was a

real person. The exhibit’s organizers, Tina Yapelli and Chantel Paul, invited Rosa to perform at the opening reception of “Presence” because of its explicit focus of the female identity and its “breadth of physical, psychological, social and political states of being.”

Yapelli curated Presence, choosing artwork related to women from the Matthew and Irish Strauss Family Foundation Collection, a private collection that often loans its artwork to galleries to promote an appreciation for contemporary art.

“My intention was was to show the diversity of expression in terms of how women are represented in the Strauss’ art collection,” Yapelli said. “(The exhibit is) an excellent opportunity to see world class art from 1850 to the present day from one of the most important private collections in the country.”

On the wall hung paintings, from an intimate scene of a freshly showered naked woman to a piece titled “Self Portrait” that depicts the Statue of Liberty in a Pakistani wedding dress and jewelry.

Meanwhile Rosa hung onto her broom.

Cano is pleased to offer audiences an alternative and unique form of art at shows like this one, which primarily focuses on more traditional art such as paintings or sculptures. Cano is also the only performing artist in the entire MFA program.

“It makes you question and it’s

confrontational,” she said. “What is art?

Why only make art on the walls?”

Cano often interacts with the audience in all of her improvised performances, but she said the relationship between Rosa and the audience is a two-way street. They can give Rosa orders and she will do them, but Cano understands that many people may not acknowledge her at all. Despite some people’s reluctancy or hesitance to speak directly to Rosa, her goal is to raise awareness about the work available for immigrants.

“You know, the taxi driver that came from Kenya? He was a doctor or architect and now he drives a taxi,” Cano said.

“These are the elements of immigration and a lot of people are misplaced politically and economically.”

Although Cano has no plans to perform at Presence again, she encourages everyone to go see the exhibit, which will be on view for free through Jan. 25 of next year. She stressed the overall value of visiting museums and surrounding oneself with art, but believes that this particular exhibit is one of the most important that the gallery has shown.

“The arts can change the mind of people. Next time you meet Rosa, I hope you get a chance to talk to her,” she said, perhaps metaphorically.

Rosa mopped the entire floor of the gallery at the end of her shift, with just a few people still lingering around at the end of the art opening.

Cano plays the alter ego of Rosa at “Presence.”

COURTESY OF CLAUDIA CANO

14

NOV. 18 - 22 , 2015 • THE DAILY AZTEC EDITOR: OLIVIA LITSEY• FEATURES@THEDAILYAZTEC.COM

#PHOTOGRAPHY

SDSU tells stories of Italian migrants LILLY GLENISTER SENIOR STAFF WRITER ____________________________________ Beginning in mid-November until fall 2016, San Diego State will host a photography exhibition in the Love Library that emphasizes aspects of the migrant condition.

The exhibition, called “The Energy of Migration in Captivity: A View from Italy,” will display 31 photographs from awardwinning Italian photographer Mario Badagliacca’s 2014 collection “Letters from the CIE.” The photos portray the struggle of migrants from different backgrounds detained in Centers for Identification and Expulsion in Italy.

Funded by SDSU’s Common Experience program, the exhibition curator is Dr. Clarissa Clo, associate professor of Italian and director of the Italian Studies program at SDSU. “With Clarissa Clo’s contribution, we’re thinking of energy now as kind of this constrained energy if you put people in detention centers who could otherwise be active members of society,” said Jose Preciado, director of Academic Engagement Programs. “(The exhibit) provides an opportunity for students, faculty and the whole campus community to look at this and look at these experiences, and to see that these migrant situations are happening in different

places and different contexts around the world. It brings to light that maybe we need to start thinking about human movements in a different way than we have in the past.”

Clo began the initiative for the exhibition last year after reading an article in Italian newspaper La Repubblica about one of Badagliacca’s solo projects displayed at St. Andrews University in Scotland. Less than a month later, after attending a conference on colonialism and migration in Italy, she was put in touch with Badagliacca. Plans for a curation of Badagliacca’s “Letters from the CIE” at SDSU were put into works at that time.

Clo, a scholar of migration among other topics, brought the initiative to SDSU’s Common Experience in hopes of making a connection to the classes she currently teaches that cover Italian migration.

The exhibit will focus on a situation not widely publicized and will bring visibility to the conditions that migrants face in Italy when they are detained in CIEs. According to Badagliacca’s description of his project, the common demographic of CIE detainees are migrants who have been living in Italy for many years and, after losing their jobs, cannot renew their residence permit. If stopped by the police, they are detained in the CIEs and sent back to their country of origin. In many cases, they are separated from their

“The Energy of Migration in Captivity: A View from Italy” is coming to SDSU this month.

COURTESY OF MARIO BADAGLIACCA

families and children who were born in Italy.

“This is a phenomenon that has not been covered in the media, that has sort of been kept a part from civil society,” Clo said. “Unless you know someone (who has been affected by the CIEs), it’s not something that you’d find out on your own because they are kept away from city centers.”

Clo said when she began the process of looking for funding and putting the exhibit together a year ago, there was no way of knowing that the refugee crisis in Europe would have grown to the extent it is at now.

Along with the Common Experience, Clo was interested in putting the exhibition on at SDSU in order to make a connection between the current refugee

situation in Europe and San Diego, a border region itself.

“We are living in a border region, and we always want to think in relation to other border regions,” Clo said. “I would say that migration is the condition of 20th and 21st centuries, and so we want to pay attention to a phenomenon that is not going away.”

Clo went on to say wishing people away cannot be the solution.

Migration has been a part of the human experience since its inception.

“The Energy of Migration in Captivity: A View from Italy” exhibition will provide a platform for students and the SDSU community as a whole to see how the energy associated with migration can be wasted when it is constantly perceived as a crisis situation.

#SDSUART

Art classes give students space to express CAMI BUCKMAN STAFF WRITER ____________________________________ San Diego State offers a handful of unique courses among its variety of classes for students to fulfill their artistic needs.

Tucked inside the intricate design of the art building are classrooms for courses dedicated to the art of furniture making.

Furniture design and woodworking deals with the basic techniques of woodworking and the principles of design of furniture.

The courses are offered from the basic undergraduate introduction level, such as

Intro Woodworking, and continues up to the advanced graduate level.

“Some of the furniture we design in the class can be referred to as studio furniture, and making the furniture functional is not a necessity,” said graduate student Nathaniel Hall, who currently teaches the intermediate-level undergraduate furniture course.

For example, students were assigned a project in which they had to design a tray.

Students could interpret a tray in whatever conceptual or practical form they perceived.

“How do you successfully incorporate your artistic elements and materials into

Some woodworking classes do not require student-made furniture to be functional.

MEGHAN MCCARRON, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

a functional object that falls under the furniture category?” asked course teacher assistant Joshua Torbick, who graduated from the furniture design program last spring. “It’s hard to elevate an object that you would find in your home or business into something that could be considered a piece of art.”

The functionality of furniture may be a debated topic among those in the industry, but Hall believes it is important for his students to learn the technical skills of woodworking in order to become successful with one’s conceptual work.

“The goal of why we’re here is to create emotion with the products we produce,” Hall said. “It’s pretty empowering when you are able to do so, and I try to push that concept to all my students.”

Unconventional art classes are offered not only to art majors.

The dance program has unique classes for its students, as well.

Dance sophomore Natalie Thomas has had her fair share of experiences in various dance classes. In her Modern Dance 1 course, Thomas participated in a warm-up exercise in which students spent 45 minutes shaking.

“People were yelling, people were shaking each other and people were even twerking for 45 minutes straight,” Thomas said.

Another activity in the class involved an exercise in which students were responsible for improvising choreography.

Students had to walk down one flight of stairs while improvising choreography in 30 minutes.

Interpretation is a large element of what makes these dance classes one of a kind.

In professor Leslie Seiters’ and professor Jess Humphrey’s Dance Making course, students can interpret any presented topic into a dance of their choice.

“From a personal standpoint, taking

these classes helps me to get out of my comfort zone and get more creative,” Thomas said.

Outlandish exercises help students when applying their technical skills in a choreographed routine.

“Having the experience of shaking for a long period of time, or walking down one flight of stairs for half an hour, helps me when I have to learn set choreography or put my leg behind my head,” Thomas said.

For students interested in learning the hands-on methods to designing jewelry, SDSU also offers course to satisfy that desire.

Introduction to Jewelry and Metalwork, taught by assistant professor Kerianne Quick, focuses on the creative design and construction of metal in jewelry and other small objects.

“If I say the word jewelry, you may think of (Tiffany & Co.) jewelers or diamonds, but there is this whole avant-garde world of making jewelry,” Quick said.

The course introduces students to the contemporary aspect of jewelry while also learning the basic metalworking skills to be a bench jeweler.

One project students completed involved an assignment in which they had to design and create a metal box to contain something intangible, such as love or sunshine.

“Jewelry classes are great for anyone wanting to improve their finger dexterity or even their hand-eye coordination,” Quick said.

She encourages learning the skills of metalworking for students who want to become dentists, surgeons or even pianists.

While not everyone wants to become a furniture maker, dancer or jeweler, SDSU offers a plethora of artistic classes for students interested in exploring their creative and interpretive sides.

15

NOV. 18 - 22, 2015 • THE DAILY AZTEC EDITOR: OLIVIA LITSEY • FEATURES@THEDAILYAZTEC.COM

#STUDENTART

Student strives to educate with art SARAH TANORI SENIOR STAFF WRITER ____________________________________ A sophomore majoring in studio art, Chelsey Magaoay isn’t a run-of-the-mill pretty artist or egotistical creative. The San Diego State artist strives to educate the public about nature — its fragility, its

“

Valley, California, Magaoay has always seen life through a quirkier lens. She describes her hometown as something comparable to that of a storybook — small, endearing and picturesque.

With inspiration on every corner, it’s no coincidence she developed a love for all things art.

One former SDSU professor, Joshua

SHE HAS TREMENDOUS SKILL IN DRAWING, USING ANY TOOL, AND WAS A REAL ASSET IN THE CLASSROOM.”

- Joshua Torbick, former SDSU art professor

visual aesthetics and its importance for all.

Names such as Banksy and Shepard Fairey are tossed around when one mentions art that starts a conversation — work assumed to be political at best.

However, Magaoay’s message to her audiences is a little less predictable and a bit more indirect.

She stresses the importance of nature with a modest yet critical approach.

Her affinity with the natural world is reflected in several of her pieces, which include elements such as leaves, trees, flowers and more. As a big inspiration to her work, she notes Vincent van Gogh, a painter famous for depicting the emotionality of nature in his pieces.

Growing up in the tiny city of Grass

Torbick, took notice of her presence in the classroom. Magaoay left a lasting impression on Torbick when the artist enrolled in his Drawing I course back in fall of 2014.

“She has tremendous skill in drawing, using any tool, and was a real asset in the classroom,” Torbick said. “She showed significant growth over that semester, evolving quickly from pretty pictures to tackling deeper artistic content.”

Magaoay is challenged in her classes to experiment with all mediums in the book, whether she likes it or not. Delving into the unfamiliar is a trial for anyone, but she takes on these projects with an open mind, welcoming critique and no fear of failure.

Currently, her favorite mediums are

CROSSWORDS

ACROSS 1 Home of the Nobel Peace Center 5 Loafed 10 Wharf 14 Scandinavian royal name 15 Black, in Bordeaux 16 Johnson of “Laugh-In” 17 Lose it 20 Takes advantage of a cloudless night 21 Grating sounds 22 “Oui, oui,” across the Pyrenees 23 1-Across locale: Abbr.

24 Lose it 30 Kentucky college or its city

31 Cod cousin 32 __ gratia artis: MGM motto 34 Spot in the control tower 35 Lose it 37 Twosomes 38 Brillo competitor 39 Alert 40 Packers quarterback Rodgers 41 Lose it 45 NASA affirmative 46 Big name in speakers 47 Prophetess 50 Works like a demon 55 Lose it 57 Lowly worker 58 True-crime author Dominick

Magaoay is challenged by various mediums in class.

COURTESY OF CHELSEY MAGAOAY

ink and paint. Although these are at the opposite ends of the artistic spectrum, Magaoay thrives off not being tied down by a particular style.

“Now that I’ve taken more art classes in the last year, I believe art is all about pushing myself to use formal elements of art, like line and color, and create work that will start a conversation,” she said.

As for her future in art, Magaoay hopes to start a company that brings together diverse artists of varying backgrounds and styles to launch galleries, as well as

Magaoay’s affinity with nature is reflected in her art.

COURTESY OF CHELSEY MAGAOAY

art events for the community.

Much like what happened with Van Gogh’s career, history has proven many iconic artists receive praise and honor post-mortem. Magaoay wants to challenge that notion by creating a space where the public can celebrate creative minds of the present day to inspire and encourage generations to come.

“Art is more powerful in the numbers,” Magaoay said. “It is ever-changing and it’s a big community that any person can appreciate.”

CLASSIFIEDS

59 Wine barrel sources 60 Applies gently 61 Hilarious types 62 Bout enders, briefly DOWN 1 Sounds of amazement 2 Blind part 3 Basalt source 4 Exceed, as one’s authority 5 One way to pay 6 Humdinger 7 Poem piece 8 Coastal raptors 9 Opus __: “The Da Vinci Code” sect 10 Persian Gulf native 11 “Exodus” novelist 12 Resting upon

13 Hankerings 18 Stomach discomfort 19 Orwellian worker 23 Footwear company named for a goddess 24 Serf of ancient Sparta 25 __ whiskey 26 Music from monks 27 “The Pit and the Pendulum” monogram 28 World’s smallest island nation 29 Clean and brush, as a horse 30 Air gun pellets 33 Form 1040EZ info 35 Rubberneck 36 60 minuti 37 Lacks the courage to 39 Virginia of the Bloomsbury Group 40 On the briny 42 Synthetic fabrics 43 Not answering roll call 44 Satisfies the munchies 47 Calif. law force 48 Lower intestinal parts 49 “We’re not serving liquor,” briefly 50 Spitting sound 51 “That isn’t good!”

52 Minn. neighbor 53 Northern Nevada city 54 Meeting of Cong.

56 New Deal pres.

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nov. 18 - 22, 2015 • THE DAILY AZTEC editor: OLIVIA LITSEY • FEATURES@thedailyaztec.com

Taking it to the tweets: What is art?

Here's what some San Diego State students are posting on Twitter about their own unique definition of art.

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dancing on two wheels

San Diego State student Sepehr Dastgheibi snapped this photo of his friend Mario Saldana. Share your photos by tagging @TheDailyAztec.