11-25-2019

Monday, Nov. 25 - Tuesday, Dec 3, 2019 Weekly Print Edition

Vol. 106, Issue 16 www.thedailyaztec.com

San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

Whistleblower alerts US government about SDSU bunk bed safety

by Katelynn STAFF WRITER

Photo courtesy of Voice of America

Police equipped with riot shields stand guard amid protests against Ecuador’s government and President Lenín Moreno.

Ecuador protests send SDSU students home

by Jadyn Brandt STAFF WRITER

Recent protests in Ecuador have affected San Diego State students’ study abroad experiences this semester.

It is the second instance of unrest in a South American country that has impacted the university study abroad programs. Earlier this semester, deadly protests in Santiago, Chile, affected international business students studying in the Chilean capital.

Now, students studying abroad in Ecuador may be facing the same fate.

The protests, largely in the capital city of Quito, came in response to President Lenín Moreno’s decision to cut fuel subsidies that caused the price of fuel to skyrocket, according to the New York Times. For SDSU students who chose to spend a semester at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, the protests began about halfway through their semester.

International business senior Frank Feeney was one such student. He decided to return to San Diego early and finish his courses online. He said students were given the option to return home, but that he was not required to leave Ecuador.

“It was a situation where they didn’t mandate (returning home),” Feeney said. “I think if (the protests) had gone any further, then they probably would have.”

SDSU International Business Program Director John Putman said students were not required to return home because the situation had not escalated to a point where mandatory evacuation was necessary.

“Part of that was the State Department did not declare mandatory evacuation nor did the California State University System,” Putman said.

“Ultimately, we let the students decide if they want to come home if they feel unsafe for any reason.”

Although the protests took

place in the same city as the university, Feeney said himself and other students were not directly impacted. However, Feeney said curfews and mandatory student checkins were required by both the government and the university.

“Not only were there curfews set by the government, but the university also set some stricter curfews just to make sure we were safe,” Feeney said. “When it got really bad, they would ask us to check-in, say where we were and that we were safe.”

Feeney said he also experienced some issues with transportation both nationally and internationally because of the protests.

“The one thing that did impact me was, because of the second wave of protests, I was on my way to Peru and I had to sleep in the airport overnight,” Feeney said. “They had roadblocks set up and what’s called a ‘toque de SEE ECUADOR, PAGE 2

Robinson

Following the recent death of a San Diego State student who fell off his bunk bed, an anonymous SDSU parent and alumnus has lodged a complaint with the U.S. government alleging the residence hall bunk beds are unsafe, NBC 7 reports.

The San Diego County Medical Examiner ruled Dylan Hernandez’s death was caused by blunt force trauma to the head after he fell off the top of his bunk bed earlier this month, resulting in his death.

SDSU’s Office of Housing Administration said in an email response that the bunk beds meet all necessary state requirements.

“All lofted beds and bunk beds located within San Diego State University residence halls are produced by national manufacturers and meet California State Fire Marshal requirements,” the email reads.

“Rails are installed on the top

of all lofted beds and bunks beds in all SDSU on-campus housing.”

According to the Legal Information Institute website and “A Guide to United States Furniture Compliance Requirements,” California safety standards require that all adult bunk beds have two guard rails, one on each side of the bed. These guardrails should be “no less than 5 inches (130 mm) above the top surface of the mattress when a mattress of the maximum thickness specified by the bed manufacturer’s instructions is on the bed.”

The complaint states concerns surrounding the recent placement of bunk beds in the residence hall due to the newly implemented Sophomore success program, according to a version of the complaint published by NBC 7. The complaint also said cramming three to four adults into a small living space is unsafe, especially with allegedly illegal bunk beds.

Dylan Hernandez lived on the sixth floor of Tenochca residence hall.

Video screenshot by Jack Molmud

Former PSFA departments find permanent home in Adams

by Daniel Guerrero SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Displaced departments from the College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts will not return to the PSFA building.

The School of Journalism and Media Studies, Public Affairs and Tourism and Hospitality were relocated during the spring 2019 semester after dangerous fumes from a botched roof repair to the PSFA building resulted in people getting sick.

The three departments are currently located in Adams Humanities. Five additional

buildings were provided at the beginning of the fall 2019 semester to better accommodate the displaced schools.

After a meeting between school officials and faculty from the three displaced schools, it was announced that none of the displaced schools would return to the PSFA building.

Associate Vice President for Academic Affair Radmila Prislin confirmed the schools won’t be returning to the PSFA building in an email statement.

“Following in-person conversations with university leadership, faculty members in the Schools of Journalism and

Media Studies, Public Affairs and the L. Robert Payne School of Hospitality & Tourism Management have opted not to return to the PSFA Building,” Prislin said. “Those faculty will remain in Adams Humanities indefinitely.”

Public Affairs director Sherry Ryan said the School of Public Affairs was one of the first departments to make it clear they weren’t going back to the PSFA building.

“None of the schools that were previously located there are moving back,” Ryan said.

“Our school was the first to say we refused to go back.”

Journalism and Media Studies Interim Director Noah Arceneaux confirmed in an email the JMS faculty came to decision to remain in Adams Humanities rather than move back to PSFA. “Since relocating to Adams Humanities, the faculty collectively decided to remain in this building and establish it as our new home,” Arceanaux said.

Tourism and Hospitality Management director Carl Winston did not state if his department was returning to the PSFA building.

He did say faculty in his

department are content with their current location at Adams Humanities.

Winston also said the relocation to Adams Humanities was difficult, but his department, which had been located inside PSFA for 18 years, has been able to make the most out of their situation.

“It was a little disconcerting because we had been there for 18 years,” Winston said. “We just made the best of it, but it was definitely disconcerting at the time. We just packed up SEE ADAMS HUMANITIES, PAGE 3

2

News

The Daily Aztec

Nov. 25 - Dec. 3, 2019 EDITOR: Kaitlyn Little • news@thedailyaztec.com

SDSU alum, business owner wins women’s leadership award

by Alexa Oslowski PHOTO EDITOR

Angela LaChica, San Diego State Alumna and business owner, can now add ‘award winner’ to her title of CEO at LaChica Sports.

On Nov. 7, LaChica was recognized by the California Women’s Leadership Association for her leadership within the community.

“Leadership is so important to me,” LaChica said. “So I was really honored.”

LaChica, a San Diego native, decided to stay local and attend SDSU. After graduating from the university, she earned a master’s degree in sports management. She spent many years volunteering and working for sports teams before reading an ad in The Daily Aztec about an open position as a student manager for the SDSU Men’s Basketball Team.

“Isn’t that funny how it came full circle? I mean I was 17 years old, my birthday is in late August, so it was that week that I read it, and that’s 22 years later now,” La Chica said.

LaChica was surprised by the announcement she had won the award.

Her nomination came from a woman who supported LaChica from the beginning of

the company. When she received her award, she dedicated it to coach Steve Fisher, who led the SDSU Men’s Basketball team when she first joined the staff.

“Coach Fisher absolutely set the tone,” LaChica said. “He wasn’t crazy about having a female, and now he was at my wedding. I couldn’t imagine this without him.”

Before launching LaChica Sports in 2007, she was the Vice President of the San Diego Sports Commission. LaChica founded her company after encouragement from players on the San Diego Chargers, whom she met through her role at the commission.

LaChica Sports is an all-female company working with marketing, public relations and media for clients in the NBA, MLB and the NFL. “I do what I can to advance women in our industry and lift each other up,” LaChica said.

After starting her company, she received a call from NBA player Lebron James’ manager inquiring about setting up a basketball camp in San Diego.

“He said, ‘I heard you’re the girl to know in San Diego sports. We want to hire you,’” LaChica said.

After James became a client, the

Courtesy photo of Player’s Coalition

Angela LaChica was recognized by the California Women’s Leadership Association for her incredible leadership.

foundation of LaChica sports was set, and it was up to her to further establish her name and her company.

“From 2011 to 2015, it was a steady hustle,” LaChica said. “I was doing everything I could for cash to keep this going.”

As of now, she handles most travel by herself, and she frequently takes business trips around the country to see clients.

LaChica credits a lot of her success to her support system of family, friends and her

husband.

“For as patient and as supportive as they were, I couldn’t have done that without them,” she said. “I have a husband who is so supportive. I still couldn’t do it without them today.”

The Women to Watch 2020 award is a representation of years dedicated to her work and her business, and still, she spends a lot of time networking and expanding the reach of LaChica Sports.

Fashion, dance highlight 63rd annual International Peace Village

different countries ranging from South Korea to Zimbabwe and everywhere in between, the annual event offered a look into cultures from around the world.

International Student Center Program Coordinator Jamaela Johnson organized the event for her first time.

“This is a tradition of the campus,

and I’ve just been honored to be able to continue with this event and putting my stamp on it,” Johnson.

The event also brought students from around the world to Montezuma Hall.

Johannes Assam and Alexander Hilber are exchange students from Austria majoring in international business.

They took part in the International Peace Village by representing Austria and speaking with students to show them all that their home country has to offer.

Assam said the International Peace Village gives everyone a chance to learn about other cultures.

“I think it just broadens your horizons a little bit because most students maybe only know about the U.S. and not really about other countries,” he said. “So I think it’s very good to get to know that there are other ways of living, other cultures.”

Hilber said coming from Austria as an exchange students gave him and Assam a different perspective given. He added their cultural backgrounds motivated them to represent Austria during the International Peace Village.

“We want to represent our country to

said. “We’re not just calling the university, we actually have a specific person we’re contacting who communicates with us.”

Senior Advisor and Study Abroad Coordinator Maribel Franco said the international business office was able to advise students on how to stay safe during the protest. USFQ was also available to aid students.

“General protest (information) is to shelter in place, avoid any areas of demonstration,” Franco said. “Any recommendations as far as travel is usually to ensure you stay inside and not participate as they can usually escalate. Their on-site university will usually be communicating with students directly as their first line of support with any help or recommendations they may need.”

Jones added that many of the locals whom he spoke to about the protests were apologetic and didn’t want the country’s current unrest to reflect poorly on Ecuador.

“Every single Ecuadorian I spoke to, they all used the same language,” Jones said.

“They would say ‘This is not how my country is. I’m so sorry. I’m ashamed. I’m sorry you

have to go through this.’ They understood the protesters but they said this wasn’t what Ecuador is like. They didn’t want us to think any different of Ecuador after this.”

The decision to leave Ecuador was left up to the students, but Jones said he made the difficult choice to return home because of the instability evoked by the protests.

“Between the information overload, the uncertainty of everything and how quickly things were changing, and then all of the ripple effects of being able to travel around, it was just super unstable,” Jones said. “But it was not an easy decision at all.”

The International Business Program is now developing a new workshop to ensure students are prepared and well equipped to handle a potential protest.

“We’re developing a specific workshop on how to handle different incidents just based on the most recent ones that we’ve encountered,” Franco said. “It’s equipping them with their resources on-site. We’re really helping students understand their support as well as what we can and can’t do for them.”

Photo by Daniel Guerrero

Dance and fashion were on display for the 63rd International Peace Village, held in Montezuma Hall.

by Daniel Guerrero SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The 63rd annual International Peace Village on Nov. 21 featured an international fashion show and dance performances from different cultures in Montezuma hall.

With groups tabling to represent

Ecuador:

continued from page 1 queda’ (curfew) that restricted movement and transportation. We were advised not to go outside of the city of Quito.”

International business senior Ryan Jones was also studying at Universidad San Francisco de Quito through the SDSU program. He decided to return to his hometown in Pennsylvania to finish the semester online. Jones said the staff at USFQ and SDSU were very communicative throughout the protests.

“Universidad San Francisco de Quito was forwarding Embassy updates to us and were giving us the most consistent updates,” he said. “Then the (international business office) was checking in with us and making sure we were okay.”

SDSU’s partnership with the host university allowed for constant contact and updates on the protests.

“We know exactly who to call,” Putman

people here,” Hilber said. “We want to encourage people to go to Austria and to learn a little bit about our culture and European culture. That’s our mission of all of us here today.”

The event’s concept of promoting cultures from around the world captured the interests of some students.

Psychology senior Alysa Gough said the promotion of cultures outside of her own was a reason she chose to attend the event.

Gough said she believes an introduction of different cultures can be beneficial to the community. “It’s important because you kind of get stuck in your own culture and I feel like it’s important to branch out and experience different cultures,” Gough said.

With the different countries and cultures represented, Johnson said the event wouldn’t have been possible without everyone who volunteered to get involved.

“This event couldn’t be possible if we didn’t have our students to volunteer to do booths and have our faculty and staff and departments and multiple organizations on campus,” Johnson said.

During its regular meeting Mon. Dec. 2, 2019 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

News

Nov. 25 - Dec. 3

The Daily Aztec

3

UT, Chappy residents complain of vent dust

by Katelynn STAFF WRITER

Robinson

San Diego State students and parents have voiced concerns about the presence of mold in both University Towers and Chapultepec Residence Halls. However, many of the concerns about mold in the air vents were were actually connected to dust and dirt build up in the filters.

Cynthia Cervantes, director of the Office of Housing Administration, said there have been no confirmed reports of mold in University Towers, and only one report of surface mold in Chapultepec which was the result of a food spill.

“Again, everything comes through our service request system, which then triggers us to do an assessment of their space,” she said. “Then we consult very closely with Environmental Health and Safety. So in every case at University Towers where there has been any concerns we have not found any confirmed surface mold growth.”

Students in living in Chapultepec suspected mold was growing in their air vents a couple weeks ago, and took matters into their own hands.

“Students started opening up their vents on their own and taking pictures of the ‘mold’ and doing their own research, which led to a lot of the students getting nervous about mold in their own vents,” pre-journalism freshman Sophia Torres said Cervantes said what is commonly found in the vents but is mistaken for mold, is merely dust build up.

“What we have found is build up of dust in the vents and that does happen over time,” she said. “We’re also finding when we enter the spaces that the windows are open while the HVAC is running. So that is a contributing factor, it’s not the only factor because you’re kind of pulling that dirt from outside that’s building up on the vents.”

As far as preventative measures go, Cervantes said Housing does monthly safety inspections in which the living spaces are checked for build up in the bathrooms and sinks.

Selden Tearse, parent of an SDSU student, said her daughter lived in University Towers this school year and became very sick. She said she believed her daughter’s symptoms were related to conditions in her dorm.

“She got really sick about a week and a half or two into college and she sort of immediately thought it was her room,” Tearse said. “And so she checked out the

Adams Humanities: continued from page 1

and dealt with it. Now we’re just making lemonade out of the lemons we were handed.”

Similarly, Ryan said the move for Public Affairs was difficult because it happened in the middle of the spring 2019 semester.

“The move kind of created a second job for me and my staff, so our workload doubled because we had to manage the move and had to do our regular job so it was exhausting,” Ryan said.

The decision to not move back to PSFA has some faculty speculating about the future of where the programs will be located if they can’t find a permanent home in Adams Humanities.

JMS professor Roman Koenig expressed concern with the JMS program being left without a home, risking what he referred to as a nomadic program if the program can’t find a permanent home.

Koenig previously taught at San Diego

AC vents and filter and I guess it was really filthy.”

The filters in the air vents in University Towers and Chapultepec are routinely switched out, Cervantes said.

“So the filters, we have a schedule to change those out and it’s typically, depending on the filter, it could be anywhere from three to six months if we are looking at it on a regular schedule,” she said. “But if we are seeing that it needs to be changed before that we will certainly go ahead and change it at that time.”

Senior Director of Environmental Health and Safety Gillian Marks said the cause of several students respiratory problems may not be directly correlated to the University Towers building itself.

“When Cynthia and I speak with most of the parents for the students who have said that they don’t feel particularly well they’ve had some kind of a response, this campus is pretty lucky. It has a nice mix of green space as well as buildings,” Marks said. “And green space is home to lots and lots of naturally occurring background mold.

That’s the environment that we live in.

What happens on the inside of buildings is an association of how we occupy the space and then what happens with the HVAC system.”

Rajali Fox is another SDSU parent whose daughter lived in University Towers last school year. She said her daughter became very sick during her stay in University Towers and had to visit urgent care several times.

“Every week she was on some type of antibiotic, this lasted the whole year,” Fox said. “She developed asthma. We have inhalers. I was there every other weekend. I went to so many urgent cares on Saturdays and Sundays.”

Fox said when her daughter returned home for Christmas she did not have any breathing problems, but when she returned to start school she got sick again. She said her daughter went through five or six breathing treatments during her freshman year.

Marks said she is unaware of any conditions in the University Towers residence hall that would trigger allergies or sickness. She said the urban and dust-filled environment may be a contributing factor to these symptoms since students are traveling from a variety of places.

Cervantes and Marks said they hope they can educate students about way may cause them to become sick and

City College as a full-time professor for the school’s journalism program. He said he experienced a similar situation because the school’s journalism program didn’t have a designated home.

Koenig said he would not want to see the same thing happen to the future of the university’s JMS program in the wake of the decision to forgo its return to the PSFA building.

“It just raises a bunch of questions,” Koenig said. “I don’t want to see the program get permanently displaced.”

Koenig also said he doesn’t dispute the faculty’s majority decision, as his main concern is with the program’s future.

“I’m not critiquing people’s concerns or the decision,” he said. “I just want to make sure we understand the consequences all around.”

Ryan said the issues with the PSFA could be a bigger problem for other parts of campus.

“I think what happened with PSFA is not the beginning and end of the story for SDSU,” Ryan said. “I think we need a sustainable plan so what happened to us doesn’t happen to others.”

Photo by Alexa Oslowski

University Towers residents have faced both flooding and dirt buildup during the fall semester.

how to keep their living spaces healthy.

“Cynthia and her team are reaching out to the students to help them understand what will reduce or eliminate things that might otherwise cause them to have

some type of a reaction,” Marks said. “It may not necessarily be the building, it may be something outside but we’ve got to start somewhere and we might as well help with information.”

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4

Opinion

The Daily Aztec

Nov. 25 - Dec. 3, 2019 EDITOR: Catherine Van Weele • opinion@thedailyaztec.com

What you wear is not a statement of consent

by Athena Jreij STAFF WRITER

Too often when a victim of sexual assault or harrassment comes forward to share their story, they are overwhelmed with questions that scrutinize their actions rather than those of their perpetrator.

One of the most frustrating questions has to be, “What were they wearing?”

This problematic question implies that victims provoke their own sexual assault. Placing the burden of assault onto a victim is known as victim blaming. This attitude suggests their assault was preventable had they not provoked a rapist to, well, rape.

This attitude that we should dress to avoid rape can add the emotional trama for victims of sexual assault and provides an excuse for the actions of the

rapist.

First, this attitude shoves victims into a closet, shaming their voices. Surviving an assault is a feat in itself, as many survivors are already dealing with feelings of shame and guilt after a sexual assault.

However, taking the next step of sharing your experience requires a great amount of courage. As a society, we are silencing victims and are negating the validity of their experiences when we undermine them with such a trivial question.

Secondly, asking a victim what they were wearing unnecessarily sexualizes their body. The argument that a woman wearing revealing clothing warrants her assault is an objectification of her body as nothing more than a sexual conquest. To think that a low-cut top or high-rise shorts

can cause a rape rather than a rapist is essentially saying a victim was “asking for it.”

Furthermore, many women can attest that our bodies are sexualized no matter what clothing we’re in. Fully clothed, women are harassed and raped because women aren’t viewed with the dignity and respect that distinguishes them from a sexual object in the first place.

This question also protects the rapist rather than the victim.

Rapists are insulated from accountability if they can say they raped someone simply because their victim chose to wear a “rape inducing” outfit. Victim blaming is only an enabler for perpetrators to continue to commit egregious offenses by offering them a scapegoat to avoid punishment for their wrongdoings.

Lastly, victim blaming offers

no real solution to the issue of rape. Rather, it merely pushes the blame elsewhere. Advising that women dress conservatively to avoid assault is misguided. It only instills more shame on victims of assault who may not be dressed to those standards.

Victim blaming isn’t constructive in comforting the victim or confronting the issue at hand. Rather, we should show our trust in victims by providing them with comfort in statements like, “It’s not your fault,” “You have options” and “How can I support you?”

So the next time someone poses the question, “What were they wearing?” remember: an outfit can’t give consent.

Athena Jreij is a freshman majoring in journalism. Follow her Twitter @goddsz.

EDITOR IN CHIEF Bella Ross MANAGING EDITOR Dana Tsuri-Etzioni NEWS EDITOR Kaitlyn Little ASST. NEWS EDITOR Michael Cline OPINION EDITOR Catherine Van Weele MUNDO AZTECA EDITOR Alejandra Luna ASST. MUNDO AZTECA EDITOR Diane Lopez ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Ceighlee Fennel SPORTS EDITOR Aaron Tolentino ASST. SPORTS EDITOR Kyle Betz ENGAGEMENT EDITOR Brenden Tuccinardi PHOTO EDITOR Alexa Oslowski MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Amal Younis

Remember the true history of colonization this Thanksgiving

by Sam Mason STAFF WRITER

White people need to be better about acknowledging the true history of this country and the relationship between our ancestors and indigenous people.

They also need to realize the vast majority of American history is a lie.

This is the first thing my U.S. history teacher told me at the start of my junior year of high school. Every story we’re taught in elementary school about the foundation of this country is not true. George Washington never chopped down a cherry tree, Paul Revere never shouted “The British are coming!” on horseback and, most importantly, the colonizers and Native Americans were not friends.

The story of the colonization of America and relationships with indigenous Americans is the biggest lie we teach our children.

I grew up thinking Squanto willingly taught the settlers how to plant crops (you can imagine my horror at the truth I’ve discovered as I’ve gotten older).

We need to recognize the brutal history of colonization for what it is instead of the false narrative we’ve been going off for so long.

I do not consider myself an overly-patriotic person nor do I hate America. However, this country has an odd obsession with its foundation. Christopher Columbus quite literally showed up and murdered and enslaved indigenous populations.

Columbus Day is something that (thankfully) is starting to no longer be celebrated, instead being replaced with Indigenous People’s Day. The idea behind Thanksgiving and our attitudes around it today are problematic. The pilgrims arrived in America and had a grand feast to celebrate their accomplishments of colonization — all on stolen land.

We’ve continued this tradition for hundreds of years; the entire concept that we teach our kids

ASST. MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Jack Molmud GRAPHIC DESIGNER Emily Burgess VOLUNTEER COPYEDITOR Noah Goldbloom

STAFF WRITERS Jadyn Brandt Jason Freund Breven Honda Athens Jreij Sam Mason Lucelis Martinez Juniper Perkins Katelynn Robinson Devin Whatley SENIOR STAFF WRITERS Daniel Guerrero Johann Derek Oribello CONTRIBUTORS Adriana Horne Ryan Hardison Callista Hensen Sofia Longo Reese Savoie Natalie Wilson ________________________________ ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Bryan Diamond ________________________________ GENERAL MANAGER/ADVISER Jay Harn Graphic by Emily Burgess

that Thanksgiving is the result of one big party between the colonizers and the indigenous Americans only perpetuates the controversial nature of the holiday. The same people who spend Thanksgiving exercising an overly-patriotic show of nationalism and see nothing wrong with it are the same people who support Donald Trump and who continue to oppress Native Americans daily (eg. Dakota Pipeline, blatant admiration of Christopher Columbus).

It’s unsettling.

Native Americans are the only group who have the right to speak on what the horrors of colonization means to them.

White people do not — we were the ones on the benefitting end of these atrocities.

We are getting better as a society of being aware that white and Native American relations were never and are still not picturesque. Wearing headdresses at Coachella and being an “Indian” for Halloween are now, for the most part,

frowned upon.

This is more than problematic.

As a country, we need to keep moving in the direction of recognizing and respecting indigenous Americans, rather than continuing the legacy of the man who attempted to destroy them.

Why do we feel pride on stolen land?

Native Americans were murdered and forced off land that had been theirs for thousands of years prior, and then forced to assimilate into European culture.

To this day, Native Americans are still punished for their indigenous heritage.

There are little to no resources on reservations. Native culture is mercilessly appropriated and voter discrimination runs rampant. Our $20 bill bears the photo of a man who forced tens of thousands of Natives onto the Trail of Tears. We called the blatant and forceful removal of Natives for the sake of expansion “manifest destiny.” This country has never stopped being cruel to

those who were here before us.

I am still going to give thanks for my friends and family on Thanksgiving. I recognize how lucky I am to have the things that I do.

However, we all need to do better at recognizing that Thanksgiving isn’t some pride fest to celebrate the “humble” roots of this nation.

Stop thinking Columbus was a good man. He was not.

Stop thinking the pilgrims were unsung “heroes.” They were not.

Yes, times were different. I wouldn’t be here if America was never colonized.

We cannot erase history, but we can do our best to acknowledge the atrocities committed to establish this country and respect those who were affected.

Various tribes spend Nov. 28 in mourning. Let us be thankful and also recognize the loss felt by others on this Thanksgiving.

Sam Mason is a freshman studying criminal justice. Follow her on Twitter @sammmason.

GRAPHIC DESIGN SPECIALIST Luis Valenzuela ________________________________ EDITORIAL 619.594.4190 editor@thedailyaztec.com ADVERTISING 619.594.6977 advertising@thedailyaztec.com PRINT The Daily Aztec publishes 5,000 copies of its weekly print edition every Wednesday throughout the semester WEB Daily content is available at www.thedailyaztec.com QUESTIONS/COMMENTS letters@thedailyaztec.com The views and opinions expressed in this issue do not necessarily reflect those of The Daily Aztec.

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Nov. 25 - Dec. 3, 2019 EDITOR: Catherine Van Weele • opinion@thedailyaztec.com

Opinion

The Daily Aztec

5

We should learn the signs of mental illness

by Adriana Horne CONTRIBUTOR

Mental illness is a health condition involving changes in emotions, thinking, behavior or any combination thereof. They are associated with distress and having problems functioning in social, work or family activities. But many people do not fully understand the dangers associated with mental illness Mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of. Instead, it should be recognized, treated and understood.

Many school shootings are linked to a mental disorder in the shooter that nobody in their life was aware of. This is not to cast blame, but to demonstrate that no one is truly aware of what’s happening in people’s heads and more needs to be done.

School shootings could be preventable if we knew the symptoms and signs of a mental disorder.

April 20, 1999 - Denver, CO The Columbine shooting marks a very devastating time in American society. Students Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, both struggled with mental disorders that no one was aware of. There were several incidents that had occurred before the actual event but, unfortunately, no one noticed the signs.

The lives of 12 students and one teacher were taken because of it.

Dec. 14, 2012 - Newton, CT Adam Lanza, 20, took the lives of 20 students between the ages of six and seven, and six adult staff members. Lanza also faced a mental illness.

Mental illness takes away a person’s thoughts, time and energy.

Nov. 14, 2019 - San Clarita, CA A shooting just weeks ago left two students dead, ages 14 and 16, and three injured. Nathaniel Berhow was only 16 years old when he shot those five students on his birthday. His motives are unknown and are currently being investigated.

Why is it that our country has been ravaged by school shootings for the past 20 years?

Because the government is not taking the necessary action to prevent them. Besides practicing lock-down drills, nothing constructive has been proposed and implemented, leaving many students unaware of what to do when it actually occurs.

Instead of practicing drills, students, teachers and staff should learn what a mental illness is, how to detect it and what can be done to treat it.

Learning this will save the lives of many, including people with mental illnesses.

Mental illness can change the way a person thinks and lives.

Students, parents, staff and teachers need to be aware of symptoms and signs.

Let’s stop school shootings.

Graphic by Tobias Graves-Morris

Inform yourself, get involved and take action.

If you, a friend or a loved one feels that their behavior has

changed in the past months, contact the National Alliance on Mental Illness at 1-800-950NAMI (6264) or info@nami.org.

Adriana Horne is a freshman studying journalism. Follow her on Twitter @AdrianaHorne.

Hands-on projects can create valuable learning oppurtunities

by Catherine OPINON EDITOR

Van Weele

For me, school is about showing up to class and getting all my assignments done. It is not something that is learningfocused.

I attend all my classes on time, but even though I am physically sitting at my desk, I certainly don’t feel present.

Rather, I feel quite disengaged from the curriculum, even in the classes for my major.

This is largely due to lecturebased teaching styles, busy work, long essays on boring prompts and multiple-choice examinations. This classroom structure creates daily monotony.

School becomes about getting through the day, and nothing much more than that. I’m sure many of my fellow classmates would agree.

There is frustration over the education system’s failings to curate engaging academic environments, and it has been like this for quite some time.

Project-based learning where the student is afforded autonomy over their education is an optimistic way forward.

My high school senior project was perhaps the one thing that made me feel like I was genuinely learning important things. A lot of that can be

attributed to the fact that the project required me to engage with the outside world, looking away from teachers and instead towards my peers and people in my community.

We were able to choose what our senior projects would be, with just a few measurable criteria to meet.

Having been enrolled in journalism and photography classes throughout my high school years, I decided to utilize

larger society. And, I was able to formulate my own opinions and establish a personal meaning for feminism.

I noticed that writing so many articles in a short period of time greatly improved my writing. I saw the emergence of my own writing style which helped give me more confidence in my work.

Two of the illustrations in the magazine were drawn by my fellow art students who had

“This one project was far more valuable than any lecture or reading could ever be... It renewed a fading interest in school and education.” the skills I had acquired by creating a magazine. I chose to center the magazine on female empowerment as the #MeToo movement had begun gaining momentum a few weeks prior to the start of my project.

I wrote seven articles on various feminist subjects from egalitarian partner relationships, to normalizing menstruation to representation in the media. Having to heavily research feminist thought enabled me to understand feminism in context to our

agreed to help me out. For this I had to effectively communicate the direction I wanted for the art piece.

Most of the stories were accompanied by my own photographs. I had to come up with original ideas for the content that would exemplify the points I was making in my writing. Then I had to find people willing to model for me and schedule times for photo shoots.

For one series of photographs, I wanted to take portraits of

female business owners in my community. To find people willing to participate, I put out an advertisement on a popular community Facebook page.

This process showed me how to network with others and present myself professionally.

The collaboration it took to produce these art pieces helped me learn to navigate planning around multiple people’s busy schedules, working with others’ creative processes and how the process of producing art in the real world plays out.

To create the magazine, I used Adobe InDesign which is a program I had not used prior to the project. I had to teach myself how to use many of its functions through online articles and videos. I practiced self-sufficiency while gaining a new skill.

By the end of it all, I curated and then articulated my own ideology on an important social issue. I exercised my creativity and improved my writing. I was able to meet and connect with new people I otherwise would not have. And, I further developed marketable hard skills.

This one project was far more valuable than any lecture or reading could ever be. Many of my high school classmates felt the same about their projects whether it was learning how to cook or making their own

music album. It renewed a fading interest in school and education.

Most importantly, our senior projects felt rewarding. I was proud of the end results because it was more than just a grade — it is something gratifyingly tangible.

This is how students should be learning.

There should be a focus on getting students involved in the real world. Schools should connect students with local businesses through internships and mentorships.

These relationships can help foster a stronger sense of community.

This is not to say that traditional education methods through lectures delivered by accomplished professors don’t provide helpful insights, but rather they should be used as supplementary educational techniques.

The best form of learning is hands-on experience.

Students are often underestimated, but the truth is we are tenacious beings with a drive for innovation and creation. We should be encouraging students to pursue their own interests because it can lead to something truly empowering.

Catherine Van Weele is a sophomore studying political science. Follow her on Twitter @catievanweele.

6

The Daily Aztec

Mundo Azteca

Nov. 25 - Dec. 3, 2019 EDITOR: Alejandra Luna • mundoazteca@thedailyaztec.com

Nueva exhibición de arte: Luis González por Lucelis ESCRITORA

Martínez

La Universidad Estatal de San Diego acaba de inaugurar una exhibición en el centro de la ciudad en San Diego.

Esta exhibición es una colección de fotos tomadas por Luis González Palma, artista postmoderno . Gracias a su trabajo ha sido reconocido mundialmente, es orgullosamente Guatemalteco. Por primera vez, su trabajo será reconocido en una presentación solitaria.

SDSU ha sido la universidad que le abriera las puertas a González Palma.

La exhibición será en 725 West Broadway, San Diego, CA 92101, lo cual estará abierta del 21 de noviembre hasta el 26 de enero 2020 y se puede encontrar por el nombre de Mitologias Construidas.

Chantel Paul ha dirigido galerías en el centro de arte y es parte del equipo de encargados del departamento de arte y diseño de SDSU. “Él [González Palma] sí es un artista latinoamericano y ese es su patrimonio, pero el enfoque de la exhibición es la manera en que él trata la fotografía”, comentó Paul. “Él es un artista muy textual y táctil, hay muchos elementos en donde él mismo pinta la fotografía o cose, él usa un estilo y técnica mixta para contar una historia”.

Palma creció en medio de una guerra guatemalteca y su arte ha heredado

Foto de Archivo

González Palma, artista guatemalteco, presenta su trabajo en SDSU.

elementos de lo que él vivió durante su tiempo en su país. Sin embargo, Paul quiso dejar en claro que el arte de González Palma fuera seleccionado como uno de los más importantes para presentar.

Según Paul la gran mayoría del trabajo

de González Palma es relacionado con las personas y como son los seres humanos, como es que se enfrentan a quienes son y sus emociones.

“Estudiantes latinoamericanos pueden encontrar maneras de conectarse por su

trabajo, también está basado en su técnica y como fotógrafo, él es único”, aseguró Paul. ”La idea detrás de presentar su arte, era menos sobre su nacionalidad y más sobre su trabajo como artista y lo que contribuye a la destreza”.

En una conferencia de prensa al colegio de Estudios Profesionales y Bellas Artes en SDSU, González Palma habló un poco sobre cómo él ha construido sus creaciones, las cuales se han presentado en museos de arte de Argentina, Washington D.C.,Boston, Chicago, la Ciudad de México, Los Ángeles y la Universidad de Yale, entre otros.

La exhibición en San Diego es enfocada específicamente en arte creado desde 1990 hasta hoy.

“Lo importante es establecer la relación entre lo emocional y figurativo de un retrato con imágenes abstractas y geométricas”, dijo Palma González. “Estos dos sistemas representan nuestra ansia por entender el misterio de la vida desde diferentes perspectivas”.

La escuela de arte y diseño en SDSU es uno de los grupos que más está promocionando la exhibición de González Palma. Al entrar a su página de internet, la foto más prominente es una titulada Möbius – Virginal por Palma.

Un programa describe cada pieza de arte presentada en la exhibición.

El arte que presenta González Palma está puesto esencialmente para hablar sobre los sujetos y no el mismo.

Opinión: Vapeo, la nueva forma de morir lentamente por Alejandra y Diane López

Luna

¿Estás suficientemente informado sobre qué es el vapeo y qué riesgos tiene? Ha llegado una nueva forma de fumar, la cual ha llamado la atención de muchos jóvenes y adultos en la población americana.

Los cigarrillos electrónicos han llegado al mercado norteamericano y han causado mucha controversia sobre si el “vaping”, como es conocido en inglés, realmente ayuda a dejar de fumar.

La tecnología sigue innovando y esta vez los cigarrillos tradicionales fueron una prueba de ello.

Los fabricantes de los cigarrillos electrónicos afirman que los químicos utilizados para el vapeo no contienen químicos nocivos como los tradicionales.

Sin embargo, médicos aseguran que la

mayoría de los químicos usados para los nuevos cigarros también contienen nicotina y entre otros quimicos.

En muchas ocasiones la nicotina puede ser muy adictiva para las personas, por lo que puede causar cáncer, defectos de nacimiento y otros daños.

Según las estadísticas que se actualizan todos los jueves por el Centro para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades, hasta el 12 de noviembre de 2019, se notificaron a los CDC 2.172 casos de cigarrillos electrónicos o vapeo en 49 estados.

Esto significa que el vapeo, no solo afecta a un par de personas sino a miles.

Las mismas estadísticas muestran que se han confirmado 42 muertes en 24 estados, lo cual oscilaron entre los 17 y los 52 años.

El vapeo no solo está afectando negativamente la salud de los adultos, sino también la de los menores de edad.

El 14% de los pacientes que han sido registrados con problemas de salud por el vapeo son menores de 18 años.

Los expertos aseguran que el caso de envenenamiento por este tipo de sustancias ha ido en aumento, especialmente en niños menores de 5 años.

Joanna Cohen, profesora de Prevención de Enfermedades y directora del Instituto para el Control Global del Tabaco de la Escuela de Salud Pública Bloomberg de Johns Hopkins, dice que vapear no es seguro y que los expertos no son plenamente conscientes de lo que están causando las enfermedades y las muertes.

Hopkins también menciona que las redes sociales y las personas influyentes sociales han expuesto a los jóvenes a cigarrillos electrónicos, vapeo, desafortunadamente muchos menores están expuestos a estos productos.

El peligro de los cigarrillos electrónicos

es que la nicotina estimula al sistema nervioso central por lo que aumenta la presión arterial, la respiración y la frecuencia cardiaca.

Si un usuario consume una alta dosis de nicotina esto puede hacer que la presión arterial aumente, provocando una frecuencia cardiaca anormal y lo lleve hasta la muerte.

La nicotina también puede causar enfermedades severas como cardíacas, coágulos de sangre, úlceras estomacales y aumenta el nivel de dopamina en el cerebro, afectando la parte del cerebro que controla la sensación de placer.

Ahora que ya sabes los riesgos que causa el vapeo, ¿Estás dispuesto a dejarlo y salvar tu vida?

Vapear ha terminado con la vida de muchas personas.

Si no prohíben estos productos, ocurrirán más muertes.

Nov. 25 - Dec. 3, 2019 EDITOR: Alejandra Luna • mundoazteca@thedailyaztec.com

Mundo Azteca

The Daily Aztec

7

La temporada de incendios ha terminado, pero el peligro sigue

Foto por Jack Molmud

Bombero sofoca un incendio de maleza al este del campus y causó evacuaciones.

por Adriana ESCRITORA

Horne

Dos adolescentes fueron detenidos por entrar a un túnel, utilizar una lata de aerosol y desinfectante de manos para alumbrar y causar un incendio.

Sus motivos y acciones no son mencionadas, pero al igual que estos adolescentes planearon este

incendio, otros son por accidente.

Los incendios en San diego, no son ninguna novedad, especialmente con las constantes sequías que ocurren, casi se siente que son inevitables. ¡Pero no! Muchas de las quemazones ocurren por uno mismo.

Algo tan simple como dejar una vela encendida, la plancha, cocinar con el horno o dejar las

lucecitas de tu cuarto prendidas pueden causar incidentes mayores.

Tomar precauciones de tu alrededor puede salvarte la vida.

En Hollywood Hills,cerca del estudio de Warner Bros, 34 acres de tierra fueron quemadas. Aún se desconocen las causas de este incendio.

Muchos residentes que vivían por el área tuvieron que evacuar

sus viviendas por la razón que su vida estaba en peligro.

Este incidente es uno de los más recientes.

Sin embargo, si uno recuerda los incendios pasados , tales como Julián o Jaspar, pusieron la vida de mucha gente en peligro.

En Julián se quemaron alrededor de 2,500 acres mientras que en Jaspar- 83,508.

Los incendios no son predecibles pero sí pueden ser prevenidos.

El gobernador de California, Gavin Newsom, platicó con dos residentes del condado de San Diego para discutir sobre cómo mejorar las medidas de seguridad y regulación de incendios forestales tomadas por compañías de servicios públicos propiedad de inversores.

Otro gran problema que puede causar estos incendios son los cambios climáticos.

El peligro de los cambios climáticos son dados a que nuestra sociedad daña a la madre naturaleza.

De acuerdo con la NASA, el calentamiento global ha sido observado desde décadas. Los factores son gases de invernadero, cambios en el uso de tierra, aerosoles y hollín.

Muchos de estos términos son cuestionables o no entendidos

completamente por nuestra sociedad, pero la realidad es las causas que se mencionan son utilizadas día por día.

La activista Greta Thunberg, de 16 años, está en contra del cambio climático. Greta ha viajado a varias partes del mundo para informar a la audiencia de adolecentes hasta adultos sobre los daños del cambio climático y cómo está impactando nuestro planeta.

No hay ninguna manera para detener el calentamiento global, pero sí hay maneras de como alentar el proceso del conocimiento de la sociedad para motivar a detenerlo en base a este entendimiento de cómo nos afecta.

Para esto, nosotros debemos empezar por el cambio y estas son algunas recomendaciones.

En lugar de usar el vehículo para un distancia corta, trata de utilizar una bicicleta, reducir el gasto de agua, tan simple como reducir el tiempo baño.

Aunque se está acercando el invierno, todavía es importante estar precavido, al igual que en el verano.

Invierte unos minutos de tu tiempo para buscar cómo prevenir incendios o cómo detectarlos y poder salvar el medio ambiente.

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8

Sports

The Daily Aztec

Nov. 25 - Dec. 3, 2019 EDITOR: Aaron Tolentino • sports@thedailyaztec.com

Friesen records milestone with 150th win San Diego State women’s soccer head coach becomes winningest coach in Mountain West Conference history.

by Reese Savoie CONTRIBUTOR

Courtesy of Derrick Tuskan, SDSU Athletics

Aztecs women’s soccer head coach Mike Friesen instructs his players during a game at the SDSU Sports Deck.

They say 13 is an unlucky number.

But this is not the case for San Diego State women’s soccer head coach Mike Friesen, who just ended his 13th season as the winningest head coach in Mountain West Conference history.

With the Aztecs’ 3-2 win over Fresno State on Nov. 7, Friesen made program history by notching his 150th victory.

Friesen said this milestone was the result of years of teamwork, community and growth.

“It’s really a reflection of the years that I’ve been able to be in the program,” he said. “The fun part for me has been to think about all the people who have contributed to all those wins.”

Over his years at the Mesa, Friesen has realized that there is more to coaching than just winning games. He wants to set his players up for success both on and off the field.

“For me, it’s always been about creating a program that’s gonna help (the players) be successful

in life for whatever they want to do,” Friesen said. “My goal has always been to push them to get to their absolute best.”

Friesen’s coaching philosophy recognizes what his players gain on the field is something that can be taken with them well beyond their college years.

Seeing both the athletic and personal growth of his players is something Friesen has found to be gratifying throughout his career.

“The transformation of young girls coming through as recruits, at 15 and 16 years old, to becoming these high-powered women that have all these things going on in their lives. That’s really fun to see,” he said.

Player development isn’t the only thing that Friesen has enjoyed over the past 13 seasons.

He also said that his own growth has been something he takes pride in.

“It’s really fun to look at the progression of myself,” he said.

“It’s definitely been a progression of learning over a long period of time through a lot of different people.”

As far as the upcoming

seasons, Friesen has a lot to look forward to. Much like his accomplishments, his plans for the team are monumental.

“My goal for the program is to win a national championship at some point and I’ve been saying that since I started,” he said.

“That is an ultimate goal for our program.”

Friesen understands that ambitions this high don’t come without a little skepticism, no matter how impressive one’s track record may be.

However, the disbelief is a large part of what makes this particular challenge so appealing to him.

“One of the things I love about coaching here is that a lot of people would say that that’s not possible,” he said. “I love that challenge of other people on the outside saying we can’t do something because I thrive in that environment.”

Amber Salas and Luis Lopez contributed to the reporting of this story.

Reese Savoie is a junior majoring in media studies. Follow her on Twitter @reesesavoie.

Volleyball seniors reflect on final home game on the Mesa

by Breven Honda STAFF WRITER

When a season nears the end, the seniors try to embrace every moment – especially the final home game.

San Diego State volleyball made sure it finished its home schedule on a high note with a four-set victory over Air Force on Nov. 14 at Peterson Gym. Senior middle blocker Tamia Reeves said the match was bittersweet since it was her last home game.

“It’s one of our bigger games for us in conference at home, so we finished well,” Reeves said.

“It’s nostalgic getting to finish all four years here.”

Reeves is one of five seniors in the program who were recognized after Thursday’s victory.

The 6-foot-2 middle blocker said she could not have completed her four years anywhere else but SDSU. “We’ve worked hard for four years, and we’re all coming out in the same class,” Reeves said.

“It’s been a roller coaster with them and really wouldn’t have wanted to spend it with anyone else.”

Head coach Deitre CollinsParker told Reeves that she was too short, too small and wanted to get someone else in her spot.

Reves, who stands at 6-foot2, kept working to not only be a presence for SDSU but also to become one of the best in the Mountain West Conference.

“She was just as feisty and fighting and to where she is one of the top hitters San Diego

Photo by Sam Mayo

(Left to right) Defensive specialist Sam McGrath, middle blocker Tamia Reeves, defensive specialist Loren Teter, Emily Burns and outside hitter Hannah Turnlund pose for a photo on Senior Night before the Aztecs’ 3-1 victory over Air Force on Nov. 14 at Peterson Gym.

State has (ever) seen,” CollinsParker said. “I appreciate that me telling her she couldn’t, only made her prove that she could and she’s respected in the conference.”

The quote “hard work pays off” can be applied to this season.

Collins-Parker said not only Reeves, but the seniors as a collective, made the choice to be better this season.

“It has been so up and down, and they decided this year that they were going to be good,” Collins-Parker said. “They have really worked hard every day.

They have set the tone for the rest. They have been good to the girls younger to them and it has been a while where we had a group that made a decision the team needed.”

One of those younger girls is sophomore outside hitter Victoria O’Sullivan.

O’Sullivan said when she first came to the Mesa, she got a warm greeting that marked the start of many long-lasting relationships.

“Coming in last year, they all welcomed me so much,” O’Sullivan said. “They have become some of my best friends. Seeing them leave is really hard.”

O’Sullivan said the energy of college volleyball has been overwhelming, but the seniors found a way to calm the team down.

“Coming in here is hard, mental-wise,” O’Sullivan said, “Staying mentally tough and having fun. We joke around.

(They try to keep) the balance

between having fun and working hard.”

Playing in front of O’Sullivan is senior outside hitter Hannah Turnlund.

In between the second and third sets, Turnlund said she hoped to enjoy the match because it was her final match at home.

“I told the girls that it is our last night playing here and we want to have fun,” Turnlund said.

Turlund has enjoyed every moment with her teammates, especially the seniors.

“It’s been a great ride with all of them,” Turnlund said. “They have all been here since the start, so it’s been awesome to see them grow and play along great people.”

Despite all the offense, defense gives the team more opportunities on the attacking side.

In addition to Reeves and Turnlund, the other seniors are Emily Burns and defensive specialists Loren Teter and Sam McGrath.

Collins-Parker said back row players like Teter and McGrath have become important pieces to making the season better.

“Our season turned around because of our back row,” Collins-Parker said. “We’ve always been offensive, but to now be offensive and be able to stay in the game because we are making digs and making plays, that changed our season.”

Breven Honda is a junior studying journalism. Follow him on Twitter @BrevenHonda.

Nov. 25 - Dec. 3, 2019 EDITOR: Aaron Tolentino • sports@thedailyaztec.com

Sports

The Daily Aztec

9

Swimmer qualifies for Olympic Time Trials in breaststroke

by Jason Freund STAFF WRITER

Dozens of athletes compete for the chance to represent their country in the Olympic Games.

On Nov. 19, one San Diego State athlete took the next step to get that chance.

In the 100m breaststroke, senior swimmer Morganne McKennan qualified for the U.S. Olympic Time Trials on Tuesday at the Mizzou Invitational Long Course Time Trials.

McKennon accomplished this by touching the wall at 1:09:80, which set a program record for the fastest course time.

The backstroke is McKennon’s specialty as she won the 100m breaststroke at the 2019 Mountain West Championship with a then-record time of 59:50.

Her performance in the 100m and 200m breaststroke assisted SDSU in winning the 2019 Mountain West Swimming and Diving Championship.

The San José native will now get the opportunity to swim at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska at the CHI Health Center Omaha from June 21 to 28.

Should she succeed in Omaha, McKennon will punch

her ticket to compete in the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo for Team USA. The CHI Health Center Omaha held the 2016 Olympic Trials and saw swimmers like Katie Ledecky, Lily King and Katie Meili advance to the Rio de Janeiro Games.

Each woman won at least one gold medal for the U.S., with King and Meili winning the gold and bronze medals in the 100m breaststroke, respectively.

The 1:09:80 time was a full second faster than Mizzou junior Emily Snyder, who finished second in the event.

Also competing in the same event was SDSU sophomore Kristina Murphy, who finished in fifth place.

McKennon wasn’t the only Aztec to break a program record at the Mizzou Trials. Senior Courtney Vincent broke her personal record twice in the 100m fly, finishing with a time of 51:86.

The swimming and diving team’s next competition will take place on Dec. 20 when the Aztecs begin school-versusschool play against Vanderbilt and Seattle.

Jason Freund is a junior studying journalism. Follow him on Twitter @jason_frings.

Courtesy of Derrick Tuskan, SDSU Athletics

Senior swimmer Morganne McKennan swims during a breaststroke event at the Aztec Aquaplex. McKennan set a program record for the fastest long course time in the breaststroke during the Mizzou Invitational Long Course Time Trials on Nov. 19.

Seniors embrace moment of stepping onto field for one last time

by Daniel Guerrero SENIOR STAFF WRITER

San Diego State men’s soccer bid farewell to 11 senior players during its 1-0 loss against UCLA on Nov. 16 at the SDSU Sports Deck.

The 11 seniors include: goalkeeper Max Watkin, midfielder Spencer Madden, defender Mac Clarke, defender Dane Rozas, midfielder Emil Kjellker, midfielder Pablo Pelaez, midfielder Adam Vargas, defender Miles Stray, midfielder Hampus Bergdahl, midfielder Chris Scatterday and midfielder AJ Valenzuela.

The Aztecs (4-12-2, Pac-12 1-9-0) gave their senior players a rare opportunity on senior night as the starting lineup was made up of all 11 seniors – something that has happened just once in 2013 during head coach Lev Kirshner’s 20 years at SDSU. Kirshner said the opportunity for the group of seniors to share one more moment on the field was memorable.

“There’s a lot of history between us, so when you have that many guys with that many years of relationship it is absolutely special,” he said.

SDSU was tied in the contest 0-0 against UCLA but surrendered a goal to Bruins sophomore midfielder Cody Sundquist in the 88th minute.

Despite the 1-0 loss, Kirhsner said he was proud of how the seniors played in their last game together.

“I can’t be happier for how

Photo by Luis Lopez

Senior midfielder Adam Vargas attempts to get past a UCLA defender in the Aztecs’ 1-0 loss to the Bruins on Nov. 16 at the SDSU Sports Deck.

they performed and I would have loved to have gotten a (better) result for them, but their performance was fantastic,” he said. “This night is about the seniors and that 11 that came out for their minutes and had the (Bruins) on their heels, it was a special time for them.”

Senior goalkeeper Max Watkin said the outcome of the game wasn’t the biggest takeaway from the night but rather the effort from the

seniors in their last game.

“This game was just about the seniors and putting on a performance to make us all proud,” Watkin said. “We did that no matter what the score says. That was how we won the game, with a love for one another.”

Watkin has been with the Aztecs as a freshman after coming to SDSU in 2015.

During his time as an Aztec, Watkin has had to deal with obstacles with included an

injury sustained at the start of the 2018 season.

Watkin said his biggest takeaway from his career as an Aztec will be the lessons learned from the challenges he faced.

“Five years is a long time,” he said. “I’ve been through a lot of adversity during my time here, but if that’s taught me anything, it’s to keep going forward, putting your head down and grinding.”

Watkin finished his career with a total of 21 appearances

and played in over 1,700 minutes for the Aztecs.

Watkin said the moments he made on the field were to make those around him proud are some of the things he appreciated over his career at SDSU. “It meant the world to me,” Watkin said. “To play with all these guys and to play in front of my family, that’s all you can ask for regardless of the scoreline.

To make your teammates your friends and your family proud, that’s what life’s about.”

Senior midfielder Adam Vargas joined the Aztecs as a transfer in 2018 after spending two seasons at Southwestern College and one at Cal State Dominguez Hills in 2017.

Vargas said the experience playing the last game at SDSU with a lineup made up of only senior was indescribable.

“You can’t really explain it with words,” he said. “It’s just a feeling. Everybody’s in the same moment together and it’s just great.”

Vargas played at started in 18 regular season games during the 2019 season for the Aztecs.

He said the significance of the last match with all the seniors was something he will look back on as his career playing for SDSU. “Right now, I kind of just live in the moment,’’ Vargas said.

“I feel like a couple years from now I’m going to be able to look back on this (night).”

Daniel Guerrero is a senior studying journalism. Follow him on Twitter @TheDanGuerrero.

10

The Daily Aztec

Arts & Culture

Nov. 5 - Dec. 3, 2019 EDITOR: Ceighlee Fennel • arts@thedailyaztec.com

Nintendo Switch tours college campuses

Photo by Ceighlee Fennel

The Nintendo Switch: Together Tour set up outside the Love Library for students to test their new gaming device.

by Devin Whatley STAFF WRITER

“The Nintendo Switch: Together Tour” made a stop at San Diego State on Nov. 18 and 19. The tour was part of a promotion

for Nintendo’s new gaming device - The Nintendo Switch Lite. At the entrance were two large-size dual Nintendo Switch controllers, where many students posed for photos. Inside the site were stations showcasing a variety of games students could play with each other. At the center

was a large video board displaying students playing each other in “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.” The tour featured games such as “Luigi’s Mansion 3,” “Super Mario Party” and “Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening.”

Students competed against each other in head-to-head matches. The winners would get prizes such as a fanny pack, drawstring bag or a “Super Mario” hat.

Aztec Shops Campus Stores Director Kathy Brown and Vendor Relations Coordinator Rose Olvera worked together with Nintendo to get the event here on campus.

“Nintendo reached out to Rose (Olvera) about the event,” Brown said. “This event was part of them launching the new switch controller. They have been doing this at many different college campuses and they wanted to reach out to us. We thought it would be good for the students to check out.”

Statistics junior Sierra Stein said she enjoyed the atmosphere.

“It was a really fun event,” Stein said.

“I think it’s really neat because a lot of students just go to their classes then go home, but it gives them an opportunity to

do fun things on campus.”

History junior Miles Johnson said the event was a great place to be able to meet and compete against new gamers. It was especially helpful for him because he’s a professional sports gamer.

“This is actually really cool because a lot of people I normally wouldn’t see playing video games came out here to play,” Johnson said. “It’s awesome to have this free event here on campus.”

The goal for Brown and Olvera with this event was to get students to destress from studying for final exams.

“It was great to be able to partner with Nintendo,” Brown said. “This is a good distraction for students because they have been studying hard for finals. This was held to get them to destress and have some fun.”

Overall, Brown and Olvera hope “The Nintendo Switch: Together Tour” can lead to more collaborations with the gaming company in the future.

“We would love to do more events with Nintendo,” Brown said. “Now that they have established a connection with Rose, we hope they can do more things with us in the future.”

Sipping and painting commenced at biannual campus event

by Callista CONTRIBUTOR

Hensen

San Diego State’s Associated Students hosted its bi-annual Sip and Paint event Wednesday night, Nov. 13, for students to immerse themselves in an atmosphere filled with art and free food.

When they entered, students were presented with a painting they were allowed to copy or pull inspiration from.

Step-by-step instructions were projected onto a big screen for students to listen and follow along.

The instructions provided students with a personal guide in recreating the painting showcased in the front.

In light of the holiday season, the painting used for inspiration featured

blue-toned shades that played on winter spirit. It illustrated an illuminated sky using gradients of blue, with a full, glowing moon on a snowy night.

Students were allowed to take direction however they saw fit. They weren’t restricted to copying the painting showcased, and they had the freedom to utilize the supplies with their own creative outlook.

English fifth-year Xiomahara Solis said she enjoyed having the freewill to paint whatever she wanted. She became aware of the event when she came across the flyers posted in the Aztec Student Union, and she attended it with her sorority sisters.

Chair of Union Nights for A.S. and Communications sophomore Desiree

Rearte said A.S. continues to host this event every semester due to its popularity among students on campus.

“We’ve done this event in the past, this is our fifth time and it’s been pretty successful,” Rearte said. “But in general the Union Nights and (Aztec Student Union Board) as a whole put on events for students in a safe environment for them to come and meet other people and to get involved on campus.”

A.S. Programs Coordinator Veronica Perondi said this event is a student favorite, so they try to host it every semester. She’s heard feedback from students stating they particularly seek out this event.

“All the activities that ASUB does is to create a unique environment on campus for students,” Perondi said. “All of our

events are free, they’re allowed to bring guests so you know friends and family from off-campus. But it’s mostly just to provide an opportunity to have fun on campus and to get a break from studying and stress.”

The event was held in Montezuma Hall, and provided an array of snacks and refreshments such as rice krispy treats, brownies and croissants for students to enjoy during the event. The school provided the necessary supplies needed for full participation, including the paint, paint brushes and canvases. Entrance and seating was accommodated on a firstcome, first-served basis.

The event was open to all SDSU students and even allowed for students to bring a plus one if desired.

Student graphic designer creates her own t-shirt company

by Natalie Wilson CONTRIBUTOR

“Thank you for the tragedy. I needed it for my art,” Kurt Cobain said.

Interior design junior Lile Kvantaliani said this quote resonates with her. That’s because it was her toughest experiences that allowed her to create her company, Sublyme.

Kvantaliani created Sublyme just under a year ago. The company sells a variety of art prints she creates that are printed on t-shirts, hoodies and decor.

She said it was a life-changing trip to Asia that inspired to create her company.

“During this trip, I was exposed to so many vibrant colors, and I was inspired to create new designs,” Kvantaliani said.

“After returning back to San Diego, I knew that I wanted to do something more with my art. I had a blank t-shirt and an iron-on transfer paper at my apartment from a recent school project, so I decided to experiment.”

After creating a few samples, she wore her designs around campus which began gaining a lot of attention from strangers and peers.

“I got countless compliments and

requests to make shirts for people,” Kvantaliani said. “I decided to create a website so I could display more options and sell my merchandise. In only one day I had designed and launched my own personal website.”

Art wasn’t new to Kvantaliani. She’s had a passion for designing and making art from a young age. However, until Sublyme, she was never able to figure out what she wanted to do with her passion.

“It wasn’t something I consciously chose, but something that I’ve always been naturally drawn to,” Kvanatalini said. “I think that doing something that excites you is one of the most important things in life, and for me, exploring art is everything.”

Sublyme has gained a lot of attention through social media. Many of her friends also help support her in various ways, including wearing the merchandise and posting it on their online accounts.

After a few months she received news that she would be able to sell her art at a local retail store called Simply Local in North Park.

Kvantaliani continues to strive to make Sublyme unique and closely related to her personal views as an artist.

“In my designs, I often put objects in places you wouldn’t normally (or ever)

see, such as flowers blooming from the human body or replacing the sun with fruits,” Kvantaliani said. “The reason I do this is to show that the world as we see it, is not the only way it can be perceived, and if presented in the right environment, anything negative has the potential to thrive and be positive.”

One of Kvantaliani’s goals is to expand

her exposure outside of San Diego. She wants to have her merchandise in more stores around San Diego and to get more of her friends to rep her merchandise.

For more information, visit her website www.sublymeart.com or follow her instagram @sublyme.art.

Graphics by Lile Kvantaliani

Nov. 25 - Dec. 3, 2019 EDITOR: Ceighlee Fennel • arts@thedailyaztec.com

Arts & Culture

The Daily Aztec

11

Student painter tells personal stories through art

by Johann Derek Oribello SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Inspired by the Renaissance and Baroque periods, artist and studio arts senior Avia Rose Ramm looks to combine the style of these historical times in a more modern setting while dealing with contemporary issues.

Her paintings tackle prevalent issues many teenagers and young adults deal and struggle with today. With a religious touch, as well as taking elements from past artists, her work embraces

vulnerability in even the darkest moments of life.

“I like paint inspired by Renaissance and Baroque style,” Ramm said. “I just paint it in their style with contemporary issues that deal with mainly abuse and mental health. I was (also) raised religious so that has a big impact on me in my work.”

She said she primarily utilizes painting as a creative outlet and coping method, but over time she found a communal aspect in showcasing her art to the world.

“It’s just a coping thing that I do for

Photo Courtesy of Avia Rose Ramm

Avia Rose Ramm stands in front of one of her atworks in a gallery. Not all galleries take in her controversial pieces.

myself, and I noticed over the years people tell me that my work is honest and raw,” Ramm said. “I thought I was alone but then people felt the same way so that’s the inspiration.”

She first took an interest in Renaissance and Baroque style paintings in one of her art classes where she had to do a presentation on the painter who helped influence the Baroque period.

“I had to do a presentation on this painter called Caravaggio who is like the main baroque painter and then I just kind of got obsessed with it,” Ramm said.

Because the raw nature of her art features a lot of nudity and touches on heavy subjects, many local art galleries and outlets refuse to showcase her paintings or work with her.

Nevertheless, she finds comfort in the local underground art scene, and she said she prefers it over larger galleries.

“I feel like San Diego has a really good underground DIY art scene that I really like,” Ramm said. “It’s a lot more closeknit (compared to) the stereotypical (perception of) the art world like New York or L.A., which I’m not a fan of.”

Living in San Diego all her life, Ramm said she wishes to move away sometime in the future to further pursue her artistic endeavors.

“I want to take an artist residency and move somewhere else since I’ve been here forever (in San Diego),” Ramm said.

“New York sounds fun, but I feel like I should baby-step my way there. I went there over the summer and it was really inspiring artistically.”

Her advice to aspiring painters and artists is to spend time practicing your craft. She said putting in hard work is the most important aspect in developing

Photo Courtesy of Avia Rose Ramm

Ramm uses past art styles with contemporary issues.

your artistic abilities to their full potential.

“Practice makes perfect,” Ramm said.

“But my mom always says ‘You’re so blessed with your talent’ and I’m like ‘No, I spent my whole high school career practicing this and at school I spend 12 hours a day in the studio.’ You have to work for it.”

When not working on school assignments, she takes painting commissions on the side. Those who are interested can contact and find the rest of her work on her website at aviaroseramm.com.

Journey to a Shared Humanity event touches on various ‘-isms’

by Juniper Perkins STAFF WRITER

“The Journey to a Shared Humanity” is a series of student performances designed to expose audiences to various forms of discrimination and oppression. It kicked off Monday, Nov. 18, celebrating its 20th anniversary with OneSDSU. Audience members walked silently through a dimly lit Montezuma Hall and watched several skits. Then they participated in group discussions about their experiences and how the program relates to reality.

The first vignette dealt with antisemitism. One actor joked about stereotypes associated with Jewish people while the second defended herself and asked the other to stop. The moment ended with the second actor encouraging the audience to stop being bystanders and to do something if they see something.

“Think before you say something,” international business sophomore and Academic Mentor Amy Nakayama said.

“You never know when you’re hurting someone.”

One skit focused on Islamophobia with a collage of discriminatory tweets and statements from random Twitter users, San Diego State students and the President of the U.S. Another showcased various forms of religious oppression and microaggressions targeting members of Sikhism, Hinduism, atheism and others. “#AfterSeptember11th I grew up without a mom because someone with a gun decided that she needed to answer for it with her life,” one tweet read.

Another flipped homophobia

around, taking stereotypes and remarks commonly used against same-gender couples to target straight people. Instead of bullying same-gender couples, the actors balked at seeing a straight couple kiss and disapproved of straight couples adopting children.

Another skit featured a recording of people chanting “Make America great again!” between retellings of oppressive instances in U.S. history. Posters featured Native American displacement and genocide, Japanese internment camps, President Donald Trump’s denouncement of Latinx people and immigration and black SDSU students’ experiences with racism on campus.

“Was America ever great?” the recording asked.

Other topics included sexism in STEM fields, financial insecurity, body image, ageism in education and transphobia against nonbinary people.

“It leaves a huge impact on someone,” Nakayama said. “It’s the beginning of someone to start thinking about these issues. It touches on sensitive topics.”

The experience ended with an actor demanding the audience to stand facing a wall while she turned off small lights and recited an altered version of the “First they came …” quote by German Lutheran pastor Martin Niemöller. She then asked the audience to turn around and noted there was only one light left.

“One light, one life, my life,” she said, before turning it off. “When they came for me, there was no one else to speak up.”

After the journey, the group was escorted to a small room with chairs organized in a circle. Kurt Lindemann, faculty in residence and communications

professor, along with Damaris Sanchez, second-year graduate student and professor, led a discussion to help the audience process their journey.

“This particular time, as was the case two years ago, I actually participated in that video about ageism,” Lindemann said. “I learned, certainly, something about the various -isms that are addressed, but I think what was more fulfilling and enriching was witnessing the students learn about them. Many of the students already know about them or experience them.”

Lindemann said he hopes others become more mindful about their own privileges, biases and prejudices.

“I think it’s helpful just to witness the various things that you may not think about when you go through your daily life,” he said.

“I definitely think this (Journey to a Shared Humanity) is a very empowering program, and I’m grateful that it has continued for so many years,” Sanchez said. “Unfortunately, we still have these -isms in our society, but I think it’s a great conversation starter for SDSU students.”

Formally titled “The Tunnel of

Oppression,” the program began in 1999 and is performed by San Diego State residence hall students and staff.

The diversity program was originally founded in 1993 at Western Illinois University and was modeled after the Los Angeles Museum of Tolerance.

“I realize there’s a lot of microdiscrimination that I wasn’t aware of in everyday life,” Nakayama said. “For people in these groups, it leaves a huge impact on them. (The “journey”) made me want to pay more attention to that stuff.”

Nakayama said this was her first time attending a “journey,” and she wishes she went last year.

“SDSU is such a big campus and it’s so diverse,” Nakayama said. “People should appreciate that diversity.”

The annual event is free and groups of 25 are created on a first come, first served basis. The performances run every 20 minutes.

The “Journey” is available Monday through Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Correction

staff writer Sydney Faulkoner.

The photo on the aformentioned story was also incorrectly attributed.

The photo credit says it was taken by staff writer Sofia Longo, but it was actually a courtesy photo taken by Ken Jacques, who is a photographer for the university.

The Daily Aztec regrets both of these errors.

In the Nov. 20 issue of The Daily Aztec, the story “‘Lying with Badgers’ stresses family” was incorrectly attributed to another writer. The story says it was written by staff writer Roxana Becerril, but it was actually written by senior

12

The Daily Aztec

The Back Page

Nov. 25 - Dec. 3 , 2019 Editor: Ceighlee Fennel • arts@thedailyaztec.com

Twitter polls rank decades’ favorite albums Swedish bands such as ABBA and the Cardigans. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, and has been certified Triple Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album spawned five number one singles, including “Firework,” “California Gurls,” “Teenage Dream,” “E.T.” and “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.).” By accomplishing this feat, Perry became the second artist in Billboard history, after Michael Jackson, to have five number one singles from one album.

2011: ADELE - 21 Adele’s second studio album “21” chronicles Adele’s various emotions following a dramatic breakup, including themes of anger, loneliness, regret and acceptance. The album includes gospel and Motown influenced production from producers such as Ryan Tedder along with Adele’s emotionally charged lyrics. “21” broke numerous sales records and became the best-selling album of 2011 and 2012 in the U.S. It also won a Grammy for Album of the Year. It is currently the best selling album of the 21st century with over 30 million copies sold.

by Ryan Hardison CONTRIBUTOR

To commemorate the end of the decade, The Daily Aztec’s Twitter page has been asking their followers to vote on the best albums of the decade, beginning with 2010 and ending in 2019. Here are the results so far: 2010: KATTY PERRY - TEENAGE DREAMS Perry’s third studio album “Teenage Dream” combined pop with various rock genres and drew inspiration from

2012: TAYLOR SWIFT - RED Swift’s fourth studio album “Red” is seen as Swift’s official transition from country to pop music because most of her albums after “Red” have been increasingly pop.

“Red” is a pop album that contains rock and country elements, and shows a mature perspective on Swift’s past relationships and heartbreak. The album contained her first number one single, “We Are Never Getting Back Together,” which has been rumoured to be about her ex-boyfriend Jake Gylenhaal. At the time of the album’s release, it had the second highest first week sales by a female artist ever and is currently the 37th best selling album by a woman ever on the US Billboard 200 chart.

2013: LORDE - PURE HEROINE New Zealand singer Lorde released her debut studio album when she was 16. It combined dream pop production with Lorde’s distinct, powerful voice. The album covered various social issues such as the dangers of wealth and fame along with classic pop themes such as romance, anxiety and angst. The album reached number three on the US Billboard 200 albums chart and her lead single “Royals” topped the US Billboard 100 chart for nine consecutive weeks. Besides its commercial success, “Royals” was named one of the best songs of the year by various music sites and named the best song of 2013 by “Slant” and “Consequence of Sound.”

2014: TAYLOR SWIFT - 1989 Swift’s fifth studio album “1989” featured synth-pop production from renowned pop producer Max Martin and, like her previous album “Red”, it focuses on her past relationships and self-discovery.

Supported by three number one singles including “Shake it Off,” “Blank Space” and the “Bad Blood” remix featuring Kendrick Lamar, the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. “Shake it Off” became her biggest Billboard Hot 100 hit to date, staying on the chart for 50 weeks.

“1989” went on to win a Grammy for Album of the Year and was named the Best Album of 2014 by Billboard.

Disney Plus gifts nostalgia to audience with exclusive productions

by Sofia Longo CONTRIBUTOR

From classic Disney cartoons like “Steamboat Willie” to the latest from Marvel Studios, such as “Captain Marvel,” the selection Disney Plus gives its customers is massive. Offering entertainment from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic, the latest streaming service appeals to a huge spectrum of viewers. Disney Plus starts at $6.99 per month. The service also offers a seven-day free trial.

Disney Plus launched on Nov. 12, and thousands of customers were met with technical difficulties with streaming and logging in, but that did not kill the buzz it continues to create. From heavy social media presence to conversations with friends in the dorms, everybody seems to be talking about the news streaming service. Disney Plus taps into childhood nostalgia with many older movies and TV shows available to stream.

“I think it specifically caters to a certain generation,” criminal justice freshman Cheyenne Singleton said. “I feel like it’s specifically catered to millenials who all share that childhood development stage, where we all grew up watching the same stuff. It’s cool because it brings back some commonality.”

Singleton is already planning to

subscribe. Once “The Office” and “Friends” are dropped from Netflix, she said she will cancel her Netflix subscription instead of paying for both.

The New York Times reported that Disney Plus is estimated to have eight million subscribers by the end of December. Netflix will stream Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” starting Nov. 27, which has only been playing in select theaters the past month. Netflix has also recently announced a “SpongeBob Squarepants” spin-off series based on Squidward, but the power of nostalgia is tough to crack.

Criminal justice freshman Ali Maris is already subscribed to Disney Plus and was excited for all the older movies from the Disney vault.

“Some of my favorite (movies) like ‘Aladdin’ and ‘The Little Mermaid’... were my favorite growing up,” Maris said. “I’ve been binge watching those mostly.”

Undeclared freshman Kaylie Nolan said she got excited because her childhood shows were finally available to stream. She has already subscribed.

“I’ve been watching a lot of movies,” Nolan said. “But I’ve been watching ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’ and ‘Good Luck Charlie,’ too.”

Another big pull is the Disney Plus originals — movies and TV shows completely exclusive to Disney Plus

subscribers. This includes the highly anticipated “Star Wars” spinoff show, “The Mandalorian.” Other Disney Plus originals include “High School Musical: The Series” and the live action “Lady and the Tramp”

AZTEC RECREATION Associated Students / SDSU

movie. Disney Plus is already proving to be a challenging competitor in the world of streaming services with the nostalgia it offers to its viewers.

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