02-20-2019

Wednesday, Feb. 20 - Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019 Weekly Print Edition

Vol. 105, Issue 23 www.thedailyaztec.com

San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913 p

WHAT’S INSIDE

Escobedo knocks it out of the park

by Tyler Whitehead CONTRIBUTOR

San Diego State baseball powered its way to an 8-4 victory over the University of San Francisco Dons on Friday night at Tony Gwynn Stadium, led by the bat of junior outfielder Julian Escobedo. Batting in the cleanup spot he was only a triple shy of completing the cycle.

The outfielder from Chula Vista had his confidence and swagger on full display as he went 3-for-5 with a double, home run and five RBIs in SDSU’s first regular season game.

COURSE RESERVES Library Course Reserves give students an opprotunity to save big on textbooks.

PAGE 3

BASKETBALL FACES TEST Men’s basketball set to face off against No. 6 Nevada in conference matchup.

Photo by Raymond Gorospe

Junior outfielder Julian Escobedo rounds the bases during the Aztecs’ 8-4 victory over San Francisco on Feb. 15 at Tony Gwynn Stadium.

SEE ESCOBEDO, PAGE 7

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New HalalUniversity takes over Aztec Corner for sophomore housing certified AZTECS OVERCOME RAIN Water polo defeats University of Toronto in rainy exhibition match.

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CHIPS AND SALSA Un cortometraje, producido por estudiates, gana en festival.

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Next year’s residents to experience significant rent increases

by Olivia Li STAFF WRITER

Aztec Corner, a student apartment complex that was previously independent from San Diego State, will be leased by the university to house more than 600 sophomores starting fall 2019.

The new master lease, which gives the university the right to control the building for three years and control students’ leases on the property, is a solution to the growing need of places for SDSU students to live on campus.

This year’s freshman class is the first that will be required to live on campus through their sophomore year if they are considered nonlocal as part of the Sophomore Success Initiative. The university

defines students as local if they live south of the state Route 56 in San Diego County.

“We are looking at Aztec Corner to expand what we currently already have as far as our apartments,” Director of Housing Administration Cynthia Cervantes said. “Aztec Corner gives us an additional 606 beds so it helps us with accommodating our sophomores.”

Aztec Corner was previously master leased by SDSU in the fall of 2007 and, with the success of the first master lease, SDSU was approached again for a threeyear master lease that will begin in fall 2019. The agreement will continue until fall 2022 and SDSU will manage all leases and license agreements for the residents.

Located on the corner of Montezuma Road and 55th Street, students who want to live at Aztec Corner will be allowed to choose from a one bedroom, one bathroom apartment or a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment, according to the SDSU Housing website. Aztec Corner will only offer shared rooms, and unlike any other housing option on campus, the complex will have full-size beds.

While Aztec Corner will be in the middle of the on-campus housing price range, it will be significantly more expensive per month than when the complex was independently owned. Under SEE AZTEC CORNER, PAGE 2

WILDFIRE DOCUMENTARY “Wilder Than Wild: Fire Forest and the Future” is screened at SDSU. PAGE 10

FOLLOW US /dailyaztec @TheDailyAztec @thedailyaztec /DailyAztecVideo

Photo by Bella Ross

Aztec Corner, previously independently owned, will be leased by the university starting fall 2019.

restaurant to open in East Commons

by Nakia Richardson STAFF WRITER

The Halal Shack, a mediterranean restaurant focused on Muslim dietary needs, is set to replace Dickey’s Barbecue in San Diego State’s East Commons beginning next fall.

Upon opening, The Halal Shack will become the first restaurant on campus that is specifically tailored to the dietary needs of the Muslim community.

Halal-certified food is food that’s considered acceptable for consumption according to the Quran’s guidelines. When it comes to eating meat, poultry or fish, the meat must be treated humanely before killing and must be ritually slaughtered, among other guidelines.

The menu features a build-ityourself system with different bases such as rice, lettuce and “zoodle” bowls as well as a naan quesadilla and wrap option that can be customized with an array of toppings and sauces, according to the The Halal Shack’s website. The shop also offers two vegetarian protein options, falafel and hummus, that can be added to any base.

SDSU Dining Services Director SEE HALAL SHACK, PAGE 3

News

Feb. 20-26, 2019 EDITOR: Bella Ross, news@thedailyaztec.com

Aztec Corner:

continued from page 1 SDSU Housing, a bed in Aztec Corner will cost $1,139 per month while this year’s current residents are paying $824 per month for a bed in a one bedroom, one bathroom apartment and $784 for one in a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment.

However, SDSU will offer a number of amenities that are not enjoyed by Aztec Corner’s current residents. For instance, utility bills are included in SDSU’s rent aside from any electric charges that exceed $35 per person in the apartment, whereas current residents at Aztec Corner pay their full electricity bills. Moderate upgrades to the countertops and cabinets will also be made ahead of the fall 2019 move in and students will be given an Aztec Recreation Center membership, access to Philo TV, S.T.A.R Center services and other campus-wide amenities.

As is the same with Aztec Corner’s current residents, the apartment will come fully furnished and include a TV in all rooms.

Aztec Corner residents will have to sign an 11.5-month license agreement at a cost of $13,094 per year. For students

who wish to add a meal plan, the cost is an additional $1,600 for the Walkabout meal plan, which features a $880 food balance per semester, and $2,000 for the Power Hike meal plan, featuring a $1,125 food balance per semester according to the SDSU Housing website.

Aztec Corner will become one of three campus housing

complexes that offers an 11.5-month lease, including Granada and Montage on College. Students who are only looking to live on campus only while classes are in session may opt for a nine-month lease at complexes such as Villa Alvarado or South Campus Plaza.

Biology freshman Abigail Simpson said she is excited to

The Daily Aztec

see the university presenting new options for housing.

“I think Aztec Corner is in a pretty good location and I’d rather live in an apartment than a dorm for second-year housing,” Simpson said.

Political science sophomore Sierra Nagle, who currently lives at Aztec Corner, said she would recommend other campus

housing options, specifically Granada, which also offers 11.5-month license agreements and is cheaper by $360 a year for a shared room.

“I’ve only been to Granada as an on-campus living apartment and I can say that one is so much nicer than Aztec Corner,” Nagle said.

Graphic by Katherine Cooke

While Aztec Corner had lower rates prior to being leased by SDSU, the university will offer next year’s residents amenities such as an ARC membership, utilities will be included in rent and the apartments will feature moderate upgrades.

I CHOOSE TRANSIT. Moving to my own rhythm.

BUS & TROLLEY PASS

Special student discount. Unlimited rides all semester.

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On sale until March 1 at the Viejas Arena Box Office.

NOW ACCEPTING CREDIT CARDS.

Price includes a $20 University subsidy. Current, valid college student picture ID required.

sdmts.com/college

News

Feb. 13-19, 2019 EDITOR: Bella Ross, news@thedailyaztec.com

The Daily Aztec

3

Long-underutilized Course Reserves give students opportunity to save on textbooks

by Brenden STAFF WRITER

Tuccinardi

The ever-increasing cost of textbooks has forced some students to turn to Malcolm A. Love Library’s largely underutilized Course Reserves, where students have access to free, short-term textbook rentals at the Circulation and Course Reserves desk under the dome.

Course Reserves allows students to check out a selection of textbooks and equipment for four or six hours at a time, with some materials being available for longer. The library also offers course readers, learning aids, CDs, DVDs and some eBooks.

“Textbook affordability has become an obstacle for a lot of students,” Course Reserves Director Adrian Montano said.

“Course Reserves is about increasing accessibility.”

The program, which could allow students to save money on their textbooks, is available to all SDSU students. However, the library does not have reserves for every class, textbooks are available on a firstcome-first-serve basis and there may only be a few copies of a textbook available per class.

“We have a lot of returning students checking out books,” Montano said. “The reason for the two and four-hour time limits is to make sure other students have access.”

Jenna Bisla, public relations junior and library liaison, said she is currently heading a campaign to bring more attention to Course Reserves.

“It’s never too late to use Course Reserves,” Bisla said. “While the best time is at the beginning of the semester, students can always come to the desk and see what’s available.”

In fall 2018 Montano said there were

Halal Shack:

continued from page 1 Shack originated in Albany, New York, with its original location being on the town’s State University of New York campus. In SDSU’s case, he said a group of students on campus had been pushing for more halal options on campus.

“They are very health-conscious (with) their menu, and it does satisfy the needs of the Muslims that were looking for halalcertified food,” Melchior said. “So, it does give them a destination.”

Finance junior Mo Afifii, who identifies as Muslim, said because many restaurants on SDSU’s campus and in San Diego are not halal, the best practice for Muslims is to

Photo by Bella Ross

Course Reserves offers students an opportunity to rent their textbooks instead of buying them.

over 7,000 checkouts.

However, Course Reserves is not a new development. The library has provided the service for several years and continues to grow the collection of textbooks available.

Since 2015, Montano said the library has used Student Success Fee funds to purchase new textbooks and replace damaged copies.

Professors must submit a request for a textbook to be included in Course Reserves.

Sociology professor Amy Wong, who has made the textbook for her sociology 101 class available through Course Reserves for the past 20 years, said this process is made very easy.

“I think everybody should have access to information,” Wong said. “By students having to pay for textbooks, we are already ranking, stratifying and making it harder

for some people.”

While textbook prices continue to rise, the library continues to expand its collection. Each fall Montano purchases new textbooks and additional copies of textbooks already available.

Textbooks are also added to the collection by students donating ones they

have purchased.

These frequently replace worn out or damaged materials.

To find out which course materials are available for check out, visit the Circulation and Course Reserves Desk under the dome, call (619) 594-6793 or visit the Course Reserves website.

Applications are due tomorrow!

look for alternative options. He said these kinds of difficulties in finding halal-certified foods have led many Muslims to cut out meat altogether.

“They either go for the salads, or nothing,” Afifi said. “We mainly don’t eat pork, but when it comes to the halal meat, it’s being extra strict about it. It’s a huge proportion over here – at least of the Muslim proportion – who really don’t eat any meat.”

Afifi said he’s very excited to see the place is opening on campus as it is a much better and healthier option. “(Halal-certified food is) not that different,” Afifi said. “It’s actually healthier to slaughter the animals that way. It’s way better than stunning the animals, and it’s more humane because the animals don’t suffer that much.”

For more information, visit as.sdsu.edu/elections or call 619-594-6555.

A.S. Elections are March 25-28, on SDSU WebPortal Photo by Bella Ross

The Halal Shack will replace Dickey’s Barbecue in East Commons next fall.

Opinion It is not anti-Semitic to criticize AIPAC or the state of Israel 4

Feb. 20-26, 2019 EDITOR: Kemi Giwa • opinion@thedailyaztec.com

The Daily Aztec

by Chance Page STAFF WRITER

Despite widespread accusations to the contrary, Ilhan Omar’s two tweets that she was heavily criticized for (and eventually she apologized for) were not antiSemitic.

Rather, they’re truthful evaluations of a scenario where money could potentially influence government officials to support Israel’s illegal and unjust occupation of Palestine, and overall, the lack of sufficient measures against the influence of money and lobbying in politics as a whole.

In the first tweet, in response to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s threats to her for her opposition to the Israeli occupation of Palestine, she implied that money influenced the staunch efforts to suppress protests against Israel.

Plenty of money is given by pro-Israel donors and PACs (political action committees) to Congressional representatives and other elected officials — McCarthy, for example, raked in $33,200 from such groups, which puts him at 49th out of 435 representatives.

People and groups who donate to political officials do so in part

because they want them to share the same policy positions that they do.

It follows, then, that donors who support Israel would use their money on pro-Israel candidates, and that politicians want to adopt positions that please their donors.

For example, senators from both parties voted for a bill that, in part, seeks to suppress the proPalestinian BDS movement in ways that violate the spirit of the First Amendment by encouraging states to penalize businesses who participate in the boycott or divestment of Israel.

It isn’t anti-Semitic to say that Congress people might be influenced by proIsrael donations, but rather acknowledging the outsized influence money can have in our political system, regardless of the beliefs of those who donate.

In the second of Omar’s tweets, she accused AIPAC, a pro-Israel lobbying group, of being behind some of those payments.

By the strictest of technicalities, AIPAC doesn’t directly pay politicians, but there are a number of workarounds.

In addition to serving as the most prominent pro-Israel lobbying group, AIPAC recognizes members who donate at least $5,000 to “pro-Israel politics”

in its Congressional Club and it has established a huge portion of the pro-Israel PACs in the United States and placed AIPAC officers in charge.

While AIPAC doesn’t directly fund candidates, it recognizes those who do and establishes the groups that allow for extra donations to candidates.

Omar’s second tweet also properly represented the situation.

However, Omar still received much criticism for these statements, including from members of her own party, until she was forced to apologize for anti-Semitism that never existed.

This was a case of a bad faith argument actually working.

McCarthy, whose threat started this situation and who criticized Omar for her remarks, also pushed the conspiracy theory that George Soros, a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust, was trying to rig an election, even with no factual evidence to back that statement.

Donald Trump has also pushed his own fair share of baseless Soros theories, as well as making his infamous “good people on both sides” remark about the events at Charlottesville last year, when one side prominently featured Nazis.

The point here is that many of Omar’s critics have actually

done anti-Semitic things, and leadership or rank-and-file of both parties should not have criticized Omar for her remarks.

It is not anti-Semitism to say that pro-Israel donors donate money to candidates who they expect to hold support for proIsrael policies.

It is not out of the question for donor money to influence policy.

Nor is it anti-Semitism to criticize the state of Israel for the oppression it has brought on the Palestinian people It is anti-Semitism, though, to accuse a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust of funding a conspiracy to control the government through shadowy means, or use the stand-in term “globalist” when using anti-Semitic tropes, or call Nazis good people.

We must be vigilant against anti-Semitism.

The recent shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue shows that the fight against it is far from over.

But opposing oppression and speaking truth to the corrupting influence of lobbying money is not anti-Semitism.

In those tweets, Rep. Omar said nothing wrong.

Chance Page is a senior studying journalism.

The Green New Deal is a terrible idea

by Miles Streicek STAFF WRITER

On Feb. 7, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of the Bronx and Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts submitted a resolution to Congress calling for the creation of the Green New Deal.

The proposal is an extreme 10-year plan to restructure American society to completely eliminate fossil fuels as well as greatly expand public assistance, including Medicare for all.

Unfortunately, as ambitious as it sounds, the proposal is a completely impossible task and would bankrupt our already deeply-indebted country.

Ocasio-Cortez and her allies are framing this plan as the ultimate solution to climate change and our planet’s increasingly deteriorating condition.

But the methods and details of the proposal would be disastrous and counterproductive.

It calls for the banning of all air travel, tearing down all airports and renovating or rebuilding every building in the entire country to be more environmentally-friendly.

Although I support expanding green energy, the idea of powering the entire country exclusively on zero-emission

renewables in ten years seems far-fetched.

Especially considering the fact that technology just isn’t there yet, and all that’s proposed to aid companies in developing said technologies is low-interest loans.

We don’t quite yet have the ability to meet our power needs with only renewables.

That can’t just be willed into existence and the attempt to do so represents an emotional response to looming environmental problems that need to be looked at logically.

Simply cutting off fossil fuels would result in everyone losing power and that isn’t a serious option.

So the best thing to do would be to expand green energy and reduce the carbon footprint of fossil fuels outgoing into the future.

But the Green New Deal ignores this basic fact and is therefore doomed to fail.

One might think that based on the title, the Green New Deal is a plan for tackling the worsening state of the global environment, but it’s much more than that.

It also includes various economic reforms that generally would destabilize finances around the country.

This includes nationalizing

utility companies so that they will be under full control of the government, forgiving home loans and student debt in the hundreds of billions.

This deal calls for the decarbonization of all U.S. industries.

According to a June 2018 study from McKinsey and Company, decarbonizing steel,

“...the idea of powering the entire country exclusively on zero-emission renewables in ten years seems farfetched...” ammonia, concrete, and cement alone would cost between $11 trillion and $21 trillion.

That would all only be the tip of the iceberg.

It includes establishing Medicare for all, estimated by George Mason University at $32.6 trillion for the first ten years, and “Economic security for all those unable or unwilling to work.”

This coupled with a federal jobs guarantee, is completely

ambiguous in total cost, but likely in the hundreds of billions.

When you consider that the buying power of the entire U.S., according to the International Monetary Fund, is $20.4 trillion.

Ask yourself, is this idea even possible?

No, it isn’t, in fact, it would destroy our economy — beyond hope of return.

The reality of the Green New Deal proposal is that it is extreme, impossible and Sovietlike in scope.

It’s more similar to Mao Zedong’s Great Leap Forward than the original New Deal.

Its environmental plans, such as banning air travel, would bankrupt the country and do absolutely nothing to actually improve our air.

That coupled with almost a dozen major programs, such as Medicare for all or debt forgiveness mounts to a combined cost that is way too expensive for the world’s largest economy to pay for.

Don’t be fooled by this Green New Deal in your desperation to find an answer to climate change It will not save our planet, it will only take our society back decades.

Miles Streicek is a sophomore studying economics.

EDITOR IN CHIEF Will Fritz MANAGING EDITOR Jocelyn Moran NEWS EDITOR Bella Ross ASST. NEWS EDITOR David Santillan OPINION EDITOR Kemi Giwa MUNDO AZTECA EDITOR Alejandra Luna ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Julianna Ress ASST. ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Lexington Howe SPORTS EDITOR Abraham Jewett ASST. SPORTS EDITOR Aaron Tolentino ENGAGEMENT EDITOR Dana Tsuri-Etzioni PHOTO EDITOR Michael Abshear MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Amal Younis ASST. MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Mirella Lopez GRAPHIC DESIGNER Katherine Cooke

SENIOR STAFF WRITERS Kyle Betz Michael Cline Kaitlyn Little Lauren J. Mapp STAFF WRITERS Kanissa Duran Sydney Faulkner Breven Honda Sydney Karlos Kelly Kerrigan Dylan Meisner Chance Page Noé Sandoval Miles Streicek Tayza Than Brenden Tuccinardi CONTRIBUTOR Tyler Whitehead ________________________________ ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Josh Diaz SALES MANAGER Valerie Barrientos ACCOUNTING & CONTRACTS Samir Sandhu Meah Mapp ________________________________ GENERAL MANAGER/ADVISER Jay Harn GRAPHIC DESIGN SPECIALIST Luis Valenzuela ________________________________ EDITORIAL 619.594.4190 editor@thedailyaztec.com ADVERTISING 619.594.6977 advertising@thedailyaztec.com PRINT The Daily Aztec publishes 5,000 copies of its weekly print edition every Wednesday throughout the semester WEB Daily content is available at www.thedailyaztec.com QUESTIONS/COMMENTS letters@thedailyaztec.com ________________________________ The views and opinions expressed in this issue do not necessarily reflect those of The Daily Aztec.

Feb. 20-26, 2019 EDITOR: Kemi Giwa • opinion@thedailyaztec.com

Opinion

The Daily Aztec

5

Israel is not illegally occupying Palestine

by Dylan Meisner CONTRIBUTOR

There are two troubling misconceptions of Israel and its conflict with its neighbors, particularly Palestine.

These misconceptions are responsible for the continued existence of Boycott Divest and Sanctions, or BDS. BDS is a movement common on college campuses across America that is anti-Semitic by nature, as it seeks to economically strangle the world's sole Jewish state through boycotts, divestments and sanctions.

The two major lies are that Israel is illegally occupying Palestine and that the Israeli policy of building civilian communities is a substantive barrier to peace.

Occupation: Israel is not illegally occupying Palestine, despite BDS’s claims on the contrary.

The argument that an illegal Israeli occupation is taking place in Palestine is comically ignorant of international law.

It requires believing a twofold lie — first that there is a military occupation, and second that said occupation violates international law.

The myth of Israeli occupation of Gaza is just that, a myth.

The Israeli military ceased operations and completely withdrew from Gaza in 2005, making it impossible for a military occupation to exist currently.

Any attempt to muddle those facts is to be deceptive.

There is categorically no Israeli occupation in Gaza.

As for the charge of an illegal Israeli occupation in the West Bank, it is completely legal according to the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Article 8 clearly outlines the necessary conditions for an illegal occupation to occur, and these guidelines clearly exonerate Israel from any such charge.

Some of these guidelines are: The occupant does not acquire sovereignty over the territory.

Israel does not possess the sovereignty of Palestinians in the West Bank.

The West Bank held autonomous and free elections in all the land they possess per the Oslo Accords of 1993, in which they continue to democratically elect the Palestinian Authority.

The occupying power must respect the laws in force in the occupied territory unless they constitute a threat to its security or an obstacle to the application of the international law of occupation.

The sole purpose for any military presence in the West Bank is to prevent further attacks against Israel.

When Israel does not have any military presence in the region,

“In short, Palestine consistently launched violent attacks against Israel before, after and during pauses in the settlement policy. ” it results in a rash of suicide bombings or other violent attacks.

The settlements: BDS claims that the Israeli policy of building civilian communities in the West Bank, and the alleged Israeli occupation are significant obstructions to a lasting peace deal being struck.

This is a lie told by the opponents of the Jewish state for the sole purpose of delegitimizing the Zionist claim to historically Jewish land.

It is an effective lie, nonetheless, as it sets the stage for the last charge — that Israel is illegally occupying Palestine.

This is a false premise that, if granted, skews the blame for the current conflict to fall squarely on the shoulders of Israel.

First off, Judea and Samaria, or Greater Israel, are historically Jewish land.

One need not reference the Talmud or the Torah or any other Jewish holy book to make this argument, as it is one supported by science and historical fact.

Greater Israel, known as Eretz Israel at the time, was the eternal homeland to the Jewish people for thousands of years, before that Caliph Omar expelled the Jews from Israel in 637 AD. This is a commonly observed historical fact, one backed by all relative anthropological and archaeological data.

It therefore follows that holding Jews living on Jewish land as being settlers with others in the region would be akin to suggesting that Native Americans have erected settlements across Alaska, or any other American state with a high indigenous population.

As for the charge that Israeli settlements are a significant barrier to peace — this is also a lie.

Israel has been in a defensive war since its inception.

The settlements may not be helping the strained relations

between Palestine and Israel, but the former has been antagonizing the latter since 1948.

The settlement policy only began after the Six-Day War in 1967, and after Israel vacated all of its settlements in 2005, the constant shelling by Palestine did not stop.

Despite every Israel abandoning every farm, every house and every shop in all of the settlements, the Palestinian offensive continued.

In short, Palestine consistently launched violent attacks against Israel before, after and during pauses in the settlement policy, invalidating the claim that settlements are the causation of the conflict.

It also debunks the claim that Israel withdrawing settlements (again) would lead to any meaningful peace deal.

It is necessary to speak to truth to lies, and when speaking truth it is duly necessary to give it full context.

Do the settlements pose some obstruction to a coveted twostate solution?

Yes, they do.

But it is the Gazan shells, not settlements that are the true barrier to a just and lasting peace.

Dylan Meisner is a freshman studying political science.

Universities need to address mental illness

by Sydney Karlos STAFF WRITER

As many of us already know, mental illness is a growing problem.

With social media seen as a staple routine in teenagers’ lives, mental illnesses seem to be much more common.

A growing concern throughout institutions across the country is the fear of students being overworked and as a result, developing anxiety or depression.

These conditions pervade schools throughout the country, so why aren’t colleges speaking up about the mental health of their students?

Many people on Twitter talk about the “mental breakdowns” they have near the end of the semester due to stress from school and work.

According to Gregg Henriques from Psychology Today, there are studies that have found that “between a quarter and a third of students meet the criteria for an anxiety or depressive illness during their college experience.”

Despite this fact, still, college administrators don’t talk about mental illnesses as much as they speak about healthy eating or exercising.

The number of students who suffer from mental illnesses does not seem to be decreasing.

In fact, the rate of mental illnesses has increased.

According to Psychology Today, a study conducted in 2000 found that “the average high school student has the same level of anxiety as the average psychiatric patient did in the 1950s.”

Not only is this fact disturbing, but it also shows us how little our society does to help those

The fact that suicide is currently the second most common cause of death among college students is terrifying.

This must be seriously addressed.

And more students should know this.

Colleges must bring awareness to the fact that students suffer from mental illnesses and it is nothing to be ashamed of.

percent of the more than 1,000 college students surveyed—both male and female—said they had or previously had eating disorders.”

On the other hand, Psychology Today reports that “30 percent of students met the criteria for a diagnosis of alcohol abuse.”

The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation states that alcoholism is typically not been

“Colleges must bring awareness to the fact that students suffer from mental illnesses and it is nothing to be ashamed of. Many students shy away from seeking professional help when they’re stressed or anxious because they believe that it is a part of the college experience.”

suffering from mental illnesses.

People turn a blind eye to mental illness thinking it can cure itself or simply go away on its own, but we can see that is not true.

Colleges do not want to address the facts of mental illness because that means that they will have to come to terms with the fact that there is something seriously wrong with their institutions.

Not once during my undergraduate career, so far, have schools worked to educate us on the prevalence of mental illness.

Many students shy away from seeking professional help when they’re stressed or anxious because they believe that it is a part of college.

Working long hours at work or at school isn’t healthy.

All-nighters and long, exhausting school weeks should not be a part of the college experience.

This should not be normalized.

Anxiety and depression are not the only illnesses that college students can suffer from.

Eating disorders and alcohol abuse are also common.

Henrique says, nearly “20

seen as a mental illness, but according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, “alcoholism is classified as a substance abuse disorder.”

Many people see alcoholism as a physical disease instead of a mental one which feeds into the stigmatization of mental illnesses in society and on college campuses.

We can attribute such high rates of mental illness to the academic and financial expectations placed on students.

Not only is college getting more expensive, but the requirements

for school are growing.

Bachelor’s degrees are becoming less important as workplaces are looking for people with higher education experience, such as a master’s degree or a Ph.D. Additionally, college tuition is also skyrocketing.

According to Emmie Martin of CNBC Make It, tuition from 1987 to 1988 was between $3,000 and $15,000.

Now, tuition is between $10,000 and $34,000.

This financial burden places a lot of stress on students trying to pay for school and maintain a good GPA. Wondering “what am I doing with my life?” occurs a lot during a student’s undergraduate career.

Many students are trying to figure out if they want to go to graduate school, take a year off or begin their career immediately.

All these things students have to think about add to the already growing amount of stress they have with classes.

Colleges need better resources for students suffering from mental illnesses, and they also need to do a better job of having these conversations.

By starting the conversation, colleges can help end the stigma against mental illnesses.

Sydney Karlos is a freshman studying journalism.

6

Sports

The Daily Aztec

Feb. 20-26, 2019 EDITOR: Abraham Jewett • sports@thedailyaztec.com

Photo by Raymond Gorospe

Freshman infielder Brian Leonhardt steps on home plate during the Aztecs’ 9-8 loss to San Francisco on Feb. 16 at Tony Gwynn Stadium.

Baseball makes return to the Mesa

by Breven Honda STAFF WRITER

San Diego State baseball split a doubleheader against San Francisco on Feb. 16 to finish the opening weekend with its first series victory of the year.

The Aztecs followed up a win in Friday’s season opener with a 9-8 loss on Saturday afternoon and concluded the series with a 6-3 victory in the nightcap against the Dons at Tony Gwynn Stadium.

“It was great to win two out of three,” head coach Mark Martinez said. “Opening weekend (has) a lot of anxiety and adrenaline… guys are excited.”

Martinez said he was happy the team was able to rebound from the loss in the first game of the doubleheader.

“What I’m mostly proud of was the way we lost the first game,

and the way we came back and won,” Martinez said. “(It) shows a little bit of character for us.”

Heading into the ninth inning of the first game, the Aztecs were winning 8-5, but a four-run ninth inning pushed the Dons ahead.

SDSU had a chance in the bottom of the ninth, but wasted a leadoff bunt single from freshman infielder David Alamillo and a walk from freshman infielder Brian Leonhardt, after sophomore infielder Casey Schmitt struck out and sophomore catcher Joe Fitzhugh hit into a double play to end the game.

Junior outfield Julian Escobedo went 6-for-12 over the three-game series and hit a home run Friday night in addition to finishing off the weekend with eight RBIs. “Escobedo had a phenomenal weekend,” Martinez said. “I’m

sure that will gets votes for Mountain West Player of the Week.”

Escobedo, a local product from Chula Vista, hit the go-ahead two-RBI single in the seventh inning of SDSU’s final victory and said he continues to have the same approach at the plate.

“Just trying to hit the ball hard,” Escobedo said. “Put up good at-bats and just trying to hit line drives.”

Playing a doubleheader can be challenging, but Escobedo said it will help the team out in the long run.

“It’s a good task for us early in the season because there is a long road ahead of us,” Escobedo said. “We’re looking good, we are looking sharp. Hopefully, we can keep doing things that we’re doing.”

Escobedo is one of four players on the team from nearby Eastlake High School. One of

his Titan teammates, Leonhardt, went 4-for-7 in the doubleheader and contributed two doubles, including some insurance in the nightcap with an RBI single to score Escobedo.

Leonhardt said it is difficult to play in a doubleheader, but knew the team could fight through it.

“It’s tough, but we’re a mentally tough team,” Leonhardt said. “It was all about the rest. Coming to the training room early, get in the game and be mentally tough.

It’s never physical, it’s just all mental.”

The Scarlet and Black were effective with their backs against the wall over the weekend, with 16 of their 22 runs coming with two outs.

The Dons (1-2) came out early in the first game on Saturday, scoring three runs in the first inning. But, in the bottom frame, the Aztecs responded by scoring four, all with two outs.

Leonhardt said it is important for the team to keep innings alive with two outs.

“That’s huge,” Leonhardt said.

“We want to be the best two-out hitting team in the country.”

The Aztecs were prolific striking out batters over the weekend, finishing with 17 in their win on Friday and achieving 15 punchouts in both games of Saturday’s doubleheader.

The strikeout-parade was the first time in the Mountain West era that SDSU struck out 15 or more batters in three consecutive games. The 47 strikeouts are the most in three-game series since SDSU joined the conference.

“I think our pitching staff performed beyond expectations,” Martinez said. “You don’t expect to go 17, 15 and 15.”

Editor’s note: The Aztecs defeated No. 25 UC Irvine 9-3 on Feb. 19 at Tony Gwynn Stadium.

Men’s tennis defeats San Francisco in drama-filled match

by Tayza Than STAFF WRITER

Sophomores Jan Kirchhoff and Ignacio Martinez were stormed by their Aztec teammates, after the pair won the deciding doubles match, 7-6, to win the point and give San Diego State men’s tennis the win over University of San Francisco on Sunday Afternoon at the Aztec

Tennis Center.

Traditionally, the doubles matches are played first, but due to the threat of rain, the teams decided to play the singles matches first, as it is possible to win the game with four singles victories.

“It was a step in the right direction today and what a way to get it with the match knotted up at three all,” head coach Gene Carswell said. “Mother nature cooperated and a gave us

a winner to play doubles.”

With the score 2-2 in singles, Kirchhoff was able to fend off USF’s Romeo Midtgaard Jivaj in three sets on court four (61, 3-6, 6-3) to give SDSU a 3-2 lead.

All eyes were on court three to see if the Aztecs would be able to go home without playing the doubles match.

Martinez fought hard, but he wasn’t able to pick it up during the third set (4-6, 7-6, 0-6).

The doubles matches did not start according to plan, after junior Nicholas Mitchell and freshman Gavin Spencer lost their match on court two (2-6).

Meanwhile, on court one, the pair of Andersen and Gonzalez emphatically won their match 6-3.

The fate of the whole match rested on court three, where Kirchhoff and Martinez appeared hungry for the win.

“It’s not about tennis

anymore,” Kirchhoff said.

“It’s about who is the better competitor and who is the bigger team.”

Both pairs fought hard, and the match came to the score of 6-6. With the game resting on the next point, Kirchhoff and Martinez were able to pull it off and win the point.

“My hats are out to these guys because, I thought they fought really hard,” Carswell said. “It’s a good team victory.”

Feb. 20-26, 2019 EDITOR: Abraham Jewett • sports@thedailyaztec.com

Sports

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7

Softball loses against Grand Canyon

by Karissa Duran STAFF WRITER

San Diego State softball wrapped up the Campbell/Cartier Classic with an 8-0 loss against Grand Canyon in the back end of a doubleheader on Saturday at the SDSU Softball Field.

The loss, which dropped SDSU’s record to 6-3 on the year, came after the Aztecs defeated UC Santa Barbara 1-0 earlier in the day behind a shutout from junior pitcher Marissa Moreno.

Grand Canyon struck early in the nightcap, scoring two quick runs in the top of the second inning. The Antelopes were hot offensively, producing solid hits, finding holes on the field and scoring when runners were on base.

Grand Canyon senior utility player Sierra Smith produced three hits for the Antelopes, scoring twice and batting in one runner.

SDSU head coach Kathy Van Wyk said she was hoping the weekend was going to end on a better note after having a successful three wins going into Saturday night’s game.

“It was unfortunate that we had to end our weekend this way, because we had done so well

prior to tonight’s game,” Van Wyk said. “But, we talked about a lot of things that we need to continue to work on as a team.”

The Aztecs went through two pitching rotations, bringing in redshirt freshman MJ James into the game in the top of the third inning and junior Marissa Moreno in the top of the seventh inning.

James said she walked out onto the mound in the third inning looking to turn the game around for the Aztecs.

“I came into the game and just wanted to shut the other team down because of the amount of momentum they had on us,” she said. “We were doubting ourselves as a team and our confidence was not there tonight.”

Despite Saturday night’s loss, Van Wyk is excited about James’s potential.

“I can’t even begin to tell you the improvement MJ has made since the fall to now, and she is only going to get better and better,” Van Wyk said. “Other than missing a few targets tonight, she did a really great job.”

The Aztecs struggled to take advantage of opportunities when runners were on base, not being able to produce hits in crucial moments.

Junior outfielder Kristen Parker

felt the Aztecs could have done more on offense to help out their pitchers.

“We were lacking those big hits in those big moments, but we try not to focus on the negatives and just focus on the positives,” Parker said. “(It) was hard ending the weekend on a rough note but we definitely know what we need to work on and just learn from tonight.”

“We were doubting ourselves as a team and our confidence was not there.”

– MJ James, redshirt freshman pitcher Van Wyk said she is proud of her team going 3-1 in this tournament and looks forward to the rest of the season.

“We are not even close to being as good as we can be and once we start putting everything together I am excited to see what is going to happen with this team,” Van Wyk said.

The Aztecs have their next game against Cal State Fullerton at Anderson Family Field on Feb. 20.

Photo by Raymond Gorospe

Redshirt freshman MJ James pitches during the Aztecs’ 8-0 loss to Grand Canyon on Feb. 16 at SDSU Softball Stadium.

Aztecs welcome No. 6 Wolf Pack to Viejas

by Aaron Tolentino ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

The last time Nevada came into Viejas Arena, San Diego State men’s basketball defeated the then-No. 21 Wolf Pack in a close 79-74 victory on March 3, 2018.

Six days later in the Mountain West Conference semifinals, the Aztecs handily defeated Nevada 90-73.

The two teams will square off again 348 days later at Viejas Arena on Wednesday night, and senior guard Jeremy Hemsley said Nevada has been looking for its revenge.

“I’m sure if it was the other way around, as soon as that game ended and schedule came out for the next year, I would’ve circled (the SDSU) game first. I know it’s going to be an intense game,” Hemsley said.

With a 24-1 record, a 10game win streak and a No. 6 ranking in the AP Poll, the Wolf Pack have been a more formidable team this year than the one that made the Sweet Sixteen last year.

Nevada returns three of its five starters from last year, including twins Cody and Caleb Martin, who both forewent the NBA Draft to stay for their senior seasons. It also added two fifth-year graduate transfers – forward Tre’Shawn Thurman and guard Corey Henson.

Experience should not be a problem for the Wolf Pack.

Sophomore guard Matt Mitchell said this year’s Nevada team is better than the one the

Photo by Sam Mayo

Senior guard Jeremy Hemsley looks onto his opponent during the Aztecs’ 94-77 victory over UNLV on Jan. 26 at Viejas Arena.

Aztecs defeated twice at the end of last season.

“I think they’re a little more deadly this year,” Mitchell said.

“They have five fifth-year seniors in the starting lineup. They have that age and veteranship just to show that they’re older and that they’ve been through it.”

Despite all the advantages that seem to be in Nevada’s favor, head coach Brian Dutcher said the Aztecs have the edge in two things – playing Nevada later as opposed to earlier in the season and home-court advantage.

“Maybe the freshmen would have not been prepared for (Nevada) early in the conference season,” Dutcher said. “I think we’ve won 12 in a row in this

building in the conference...

We’re playing better basketball.”

The Wolf Pack are loaded with talent at every position, and the Aztecs will likely not gameplan to stop one particular player.

Since Nevada plays uptempo, all five of its players on the court are capable of being a threat in transition.

Dutcher said he knows how formidable the entire Nevada team can be with the fast pace they play.

“We’ll just have to set a defensive game plan to try to slow them down,” Dutcher said.

“They’re all capable of scoring.

It’s not a game where you stop this one guy, you’ll have a

chance to win . They do a great with rolling with whatever the hot hand is that game.’’

Hemsley said, however, he looks forward to facing against Caleb and Cody Martin.

“I want the twins. The twins, I want them. I like that matchup,” Hemsley said.

Hemsley added what a win against a top-10 team in the nation would mean.

“I think it would just say we’re a tough team and we’re well-coached,” he said. “If we win the game, it would say that we’ve come a long way from the team that you guys saw in Maui.

We’ve worked hard and this is just another game to show the work that we’ve put in.”

Escobedo:

continued from page 1 SDSU’s first regular season game.

He came up big with two outs in the bottom of the third inning by hitting a single to right field to knock in two runs, which were the first runs of the game and gave the Aztecs the momentum.

Then, his home run in the bottom of the fifth was smashed straight into a palm tree out in right field to put SDSU up 5-2.

Escobedo said it was great to finally begin the 2019 season.

“It felt great playing someone other than ourselves for inter squads for the whole fall and winter,” he said.

Escobedo said he tried to keep a cool demeanor, which helped him during the game and hitting at the plate.

“A lot of nerves the first home opener, but I just tried to stay short and have a good time with a smile on my face,” he said.

Escobedo stayed hot as the weekend wore on, finishing the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday going 2-for-5 with 1 RBI in a 9-8 loss to the Dons.

SDSU bounced back in the second game of the doubleheader, winning 6-3 as Escobedo went 1-for-2 with two RBIs in the series rubber match.

Escobedo finished the series with a .500 batting average to go along with 1 home run and 8 RBIs. Head coach Mark Martinez said Escobedo has worked hard through his years playing for the Aztecs.

“He’s a tremendous baseball player,” Martinez said.

Feb. 20-26, 2019 EDITOR: Abraham Jewett, news@thedailyaztec.com

Sports

The Daily Aztec

8

Water polo overcomes Toronto, rain

by Breven Honda STAFF WRITER

No. 25 San Diego State water polo defeated University of Toronto, 11-3, in an exhibition match on a cold and wet Feb. 14 at the Aztec Aquaplex.

SDSU had 16 steals and the offense materialized during a 9-2 second half, en route to the victory.

“It was a great win,” head coach Carin Crawford said. “We continue to play three lines of very young players who are getting valuable experience.”

With a 2-1 lead, Crawford attempted to keep her players warm and ready by having them do sprints during halftime, after what she thought was not the best half for the Aztecs.

“I felt that we started a little slow,” she said. “To only have two goals to show for dominating at halftime, was not up to our standards, but we picked it up in the third quarter and sophomore driver Lindsey Peterson sparked a little run.

The run would total up to an 8-0 streak that lasted from the Aztecs’ first goal in the opening period until the 6:04 mark in the fourth quarter.

Peterson, who scored backto-back goals to start the third period during the big run and

three all together, recognized the slow start and how to overcome it.

“We weren’t expecting this at all,” she said. “I feel like we did have a rough start, but throughout the game, we came together as a team.”

The Aztecs overcame their rough start by scoring nine goals after halftime, and Peterson said the early difficulties helped the team identify problems it needed to fix.

“Exhibition games help us work out the kinks,” Peterson said. “It also brings more depth to our roster.”

The Aztecs have depth on the defensive side with four goalkeepers, led by senior captain Maura Cantoni, who finished with five saves on six shot attempts in two quarters.

Cantoni said her focus is on winning and keeping her teammates attentive, no matter the conditions.

“We had to get people motivated today because it is hard to get in the pool when it is raining,” Cantoni said.

Despite the conditions, the other captain, senior driver Hannah Carrillo, who scored once and added four assists, said the team needs to improve on their problems before the heart of the season.

“Just swimming really hard

Photo by Aaron Tolentino

Sophomore driver Karli Canali handles the ball during the Aztecs’ 11-3 victory over Toronto in an exhibition at the Aztec Aquaplex on Feb. 14.

because it has been a problem for us,” Carrillo said. “Working on communication has also been a weak spot for us.”

Carrillo said the exhibition games help herself and her teammates get ready to face good competition ahead. “(These exhibition games) gives us another opportunity to play against people that aren’t ourselves since we are so used to scrimmaging against each

other,” Carrillo said. “It helps us get a better intensity.”

The intensity is something that will have to be worked on when the Aztecs head up to UC Irvine for the Barbara Kalbus Invitational next weekend with their first game being against No. 1 Southern California.

For Crawford, it will not only be trying to beat the Trojans, but also how playing a No. 1 team will affect them for the future.

“We have played well against some of the top-ranked teams, so I know we can score goals against tough opponents, but we got to get some wins,” Crawford said. “(Southern California gives us) a great opportunity to test ourselves against the No. 1 team, but I feel like it’s going to be what happens after that.”

The Aztecs return to action at the Aquaplex on March 6 when the face Villanova.

Feb 20-26, 2019 EDITOR: Alejandra Luna • mundoazteca@thedailyaztec.com

Mundo Azteca

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9

‘Chips and Salsa’ gana mejor película en español en los premios de cine de AT&T por Alejandra Luna EDITORA DE MUNDO AZTECA

“Chips and Salsa”, un cortometraje producido por tres estudiantes de la Universidad Estatal de San Diego, ganó en la categoría de mejor película en español en el festival de cine de AT&T el 24 de enero.

Todo surgió en la clase de guionismo donde cada uno de los universitarios presentó la trama de su historia a sus compañeros.

Jonathan Sotelo fue quien escribió “Chips and Salsa”, representando a la comunidad hispana y experiencias personales.

“Decidí escribir la película en español para hablar directamente con el público latino”, dijo Sotelo, co director, estudiante de SDSU y escritor de “Chips and Salsa”. “La película fue inspirada en mi vida personal, sin darme cuenta que había escrito mi propia historia”.

Después de haber escuchado la historia de Sotelo, Martha Rodríguez, estudiante de primer año de producción y la co directora del cortometraje, dijo que sintió un gran interés por el guión, ya que hablaba de una familia latina y la diferencia de idiomas.

“Me encantó como se miraba, como se oía, yo me imaginaba a las personas”, dijo Rodríguez.

“Oír una historia aunque sea en inglés pero que sea mexicanos, me inspiró mucho”.

La película relata la historia de una familia hispana, quien está a punto de celebrar la navidad junto con sus seres queridos.

Su hijo Joaquín decide decirle a sus padres que es transexual en un día muy importante para ellos.

“Queríamos poner a una familia mexicana porque es muy tradicional”, dijo Rodríguez.

“Nosotros los hispanos usamos la navidad muy familiar, es algo íntimo”.

Al principio de la película, nunca se vieron las caras sino solo las acciones de los actores para transmitir una reflexión a la audiencia. Los rostros de los personajes se vieron cuando Joaquín le confiesa a sus padres que es transexual.

“Nosotros hicimos eso, para que sienta el público lo que la mamá está sintiendo” dijo Rodríguez.

Joyce Rocacorba, productora de este cortometraje y estudiante de producción, dijo que se identificó con la historia, aun cuando fue traducida al español para darle mejor sentido.

“Creo que cada uno de nosotros compartimos parte

Cortesía de Martha Rodríguez

El equipo de producción graba el cortometraje de “Chips and Salsa” para los premios de cine de AT&T.

de nuestra cultura”, dijo Rocacorba. “La cultura filipina y la mexicana no son tan diferentes, y no fue tan difícil de entenderle”.

Después de meses de preparación y de conseguir a todo su equipo de producción y a sus actores, decidieron hacer su proyecto en grande sin saber el éxito que tendría.

“No imaginé que llegaríamos tan lejos porque es algo grande AT&T, y pensé que necesitábamos algo más

producido porque había más competidores”, dijo Rocacorba.

El haber ganado en este festival, según ellos, los ha hecho unirse más como equipo, demostrando que las comunidades minoritarias también pueden formar parte de la cinematografía.

“Fue increíblemente valioso ganar y experimentar ese momento en mi vida”, dijo Sotelo. “Me encantaría centrarme en la representación queer y latino”.

Sotelo, Rodríguez y Rocacorba se encuentran preparando un segundo cortometraje donde seguirán representando a las comunidades minoritarias como LGBT, la cultura filipina y latina.

Rodríguez recibió una beca para asistir al programa de verano de 2019 de la Escuela de Artes Cinematográficas de la Universidad del Sur de California. Además, el corto será transmitido por DIRECTV en América Latina.

Egresado de SDSU comparte consejos con estudiantes sobre cómo encontrar éxito en conferencia de liderazgo por Noé ESCRITOR

Sandoval

El 16 de febrero, estudiantes universitarios se reunieron en el Montezuma Hall para escuchar las palabras de aliento de Jordan Harrison, quien se graduó de la Universidad Estatal de San Diego en el 2014 y asistió a Harvard para la escuela de posgrado, graduándose en el 2018.

Durante su discurso, Harrison habló sobre cómo convertirse en mejores líderes para un mejor mañana.

La conferencia de liderazgo de SDSU es un evento anual en el que los estudiantes pagan para asistir a varios talleres, coordinados por la organización Student Life and Leadership.

La sesión de Harrison fue realizada en medio de este evento.

La plática de Harrison se trató de cómo encontrar el éxito a pesar de donde uno viene.

Además, contó la historia de su vida como universitario.

Dijo que se involucró en clubs y organizaciones donde recibió premios por sus acciones.

Asimismo, Harrison habló de tiempos difíciles en su vida, debido a que se sentía

Foto por Antonio Márquez

Jordar Harrison da un discurso sobre sus experiencias personales el 16 de febrero en Montezuma Hall.

invisible, y compartió cómo el trabajo duro y la perseverancia cambiaron su vida.

"Todos los días tenemos que romper físicamente las barreras, así como mentalmente y socialmente", dijo Harrison.

Harrison afirmó que tener

inteligencia emocional es una forma de convertirse en un mejor líder para los demás.

Resaltó la necesidad de ayudar a otras personas sentirse visibles y escuchadas.

Sus palabras reconocieron que en tiempos difíciles, se

debe tener consciencia de que nadie está solo.

"La empatía es una de las formas más poderosas de conectarse entre sí", dijo Harrison. "Permite desarrollar la capacidad”.

En la conferencia, Jordan

también incluyó presentaciones de alumnos de secundaria con los que trabaja .

Explicó cómo él ha servido como mentor para estudiantes con problemas en la escuela secundaria a través de ayudándoles con conflictos personales y académicos.

"Nuestro trabajo no es rescatar a las personas que han fracasado, sino recibirlos y amarlos", dijo Harrison, explicando que ser un líder no significa corregir a otros sino apoyarlos.

Sus palabras conmovieron a la audiencia a medida que entendían más sobre lo que significa ser un líder.

"Es impresionante la forma en que se presenta, realmente sentí la energía que tenía", dijo David Romero, estudiante de SDSU y presidente de la alianza de gerontología.

Romero dijo que asistió al evento para aprender sobre las diferentes maneras de ser un buen líder.

"Pensé que era increíblemente poderoso", dijo Siona Amrgousian, estudiante del colegio comunitario Glendale.

"No hay mucha gente que puede relajarse y cautivar a la audiencia como lo hizo él".

10

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Arts & Culture

Feb. 20-26, 2019 EDITOR: Julianna Ress • arts@thedailyaztec.com

Wildfire documentary screens at SDSU

by Lauren J. Mapp SENIOR STAFF WRITER

When the Rim Fire in Tuolumne County became fully contained in September 2013, it was on record as the third-largest fire in California state history, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Burning almost 257,314 acres in less than a single month, the Rim Fire lasted from Aug. 17 to Sept. 6, 2013, Cal Fire reported. It then became the inspiration for a documentary film about the progressively worse Californian wildfires in the 21st Century. “(The Rim Fire) was an example of a different kind of fire — it was really a poster child for the ‘megafire,’” filmmaker Stephen Most said during a panel at the Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union at San Diego State on Feb. 12, 2019.

Wildfire documentary “Wilder than Wild: Fire, Forests and the Future,” was screened preceding the panel as part of a One SDSU Community event. Directed by Kevin White and written by Most, the documentary describes the history of fires in California and recent megafires.

The filmmakers define megafires as “wildfires that cover at least 100,000 acres, burning a larger proportion of the land at high intensity,” according to the movie’s website.

Cal Fire reports that 15 of the 20 largest fires in California’s recorded history have taken place since 2002.

While wrapping up the film, a new “largest wildfire” in California — the Thomas Fire of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties — burned 281,893 acres, destroyed 1,063 structures and killed two people in December 2017.

Less than a year later, and only four months after the release of “Wilder than Wild,” the Mendocino Complex fire in Northern California burned 459,123 acres, setting a new state record, according to Cal Fire.

During the panel, Cal Fire Deputy Director Mike Muller said the large, extreme fires that have occurred throughout the state have become normal events.

“If you talk to any firefighter, regardless of the patch on their shoulder, the Camp Fire set a new normal, and that term ‘new normal,’ it’s not ‘new’ anymore,” Muller said. “This is the ‘normal.’ We are living in it.”

The film details some of the issues causing an increase in megafires in recent years, including climate change, drought cycles, high fuel build up of dried plant materials and the destruction of trees by bark beetles, all of which make the forests more vulnerable to fire.

High-intensity fires continue to increase in frequency, but as U.S. Forest Service fire ecologist

Philip Riggan said, the science has not caught up as a way to evaluate and mitigate the damage from these events.

“These folks that are doing this incredible job on the ground and saving lives and working to protect property, they’re dealing with the ‘art of fire,’” Riggan said. “We need, from our university background here, to do more to try and build the ‘science of fire.’”

Riggan said he is working to create a model that accurately emulates the behavior of these large fires, but such simulations

are still under development.

“We don’t even really understand exactly how fire spreads,” Riggan said. “When I saw the film tonight, one of the things that I kept concentrating on was looking at how fast the flames were moving.”

The film also highlighted some short-term solutions that may help to decrease these events over time.

Long practiced as a form of forest management by some indigenous Californian tribes, prescribed fires are now starting to be implemented as a

preventative measure to large, unmanageable wildfires.

Advocating for more people to become actively involved in ecological preservation and fire prevention, Most said he hopes the film will inspire others to get involved.

“One way to avoid (megafires) is by being proactive and saying, ‘OK, we need to burn some of this landscape so that we don’t have a huge fire under conditions we don’t want,’” Most said. “Our whole attitude has to change about our relationship with fire.”

Photo by Lauren J. Mapp

Filmmaker Stephen Most speaks during a panel after a screening of “Wilder than Wild” on Feb. 12.

Valentine’s Day Film Festival spreads love on campus

by Brenden STAFF WRITER

Tuccinardi

Despite the dreary weather outside, San Diego State’s Don Powell Theatre warmed up with the sound of laughter and the feeling of love on Feb. 14.

Once again, SDSU’s School of Theater, Television and Film hosted the annual Valentine’s Day Film Festival, where six student films screened.

Each film, while very different in style, story and tone, contributed to the warm

Valentine’s Day atmosphere by providing different perspectives on romance and love.

The selection of films ensured everyone in the audience would find something they liked, drawing from both recent and past student films.

The film that started the night off was “Sweet Tooth”, a stop-motion animation telling the story of a cartoon doodle come alive. The short film first premiered at the Emerging Filmmakers showcase in 2017.

“Sweet Tooth” was a close

collaboration between friends, and SDSU alumni, Kelse Whitfield, Lucas Hespenheide and Marguerite Davidson. Since its premiere at SDSU, the short film has gone on to screen in 14 other film festivals in the U.S. and abroad.

“It is really cute that (‘Sweet Tooth’) is in the Valentine’s Day Film Festival because we like to call it a ‘true’ love story,” Whitfield, the film’s director, said.

The film is a playful twist on a love story, but when considering

Courtesy of Erin Martinez

Erin Martinez, Ross Graham and Isabella Mangione work behind the scenes of “Alone Together.”

the process behind stop-motion animation, “Sweet Tooth” is a greater testament to these three friends’ love for cinema.

The opening scene alone, a stop-motion time-lapse, required a lot of work and lighting manipulation, Whitfield said.

“We had to move the light by a quarter inch every single frame, and we had to have different gels for different colors,” Whitfield said. “The five-second clip took us almost an entire day to shoot.”

While “Sweet Tooth” was a favorite among audience members, “Alone Together,” directed by senior production major Erin Martinez, took home the audience choice award.

This short film approached the classic love story from a different angle. Martinez said she drew inspiration from her own experiences and decided to depict two people’s experiences after breaking up.

“I really wanted to focus on the idea of seeing the story from both sides,” she said.

The film achieves this through a split screen format, depicting two people’s separate but interconnected lives. This format created a unique set of challenges, Martinez said.

“It was really tricky because it was like we were making two films,” she said. “We didn’t have a lot of shots on each side of the screen, but combined, we had

about 120.”

While “Alone Together” was not a film audiences would expect to see at a Valentine’s Day film festival, it was well complemented by the other films that played that night.

“Romance Is Dead” directed

by Todd Jackson, uses music and singing to tell the story of someone trying to bring their lost love back to life, in the process realizing his friend was there for support all along. It put a comical spin on an issue that people unfortunately face.

“The Cactus and The Pansy,” directed by Sergio Duarte, uses clay animation to show how two people can eventually grow to love one another. While director Sean Brandt’s “A Pursuit of Falling” walks audiences through the emotional trials of trying to make a relationship work using emotive lighting and minimalist cinematography.

Whether they were musicals, dramas and comedies, all of the films screened at the Valentine’s Day Film Festival showcased a deep love for filmmaking and the art of cinema while also telling stories to which audiences could relate.

The next film festival to be hosted by the School of Theater, Television and Film will be the Spring 2019 of the Emerging Filmmakers Showcase May 15 and 16.

Feb. 20-26, 2019 EDITOR: Julianna Ress • arts@thedailyaztec.com

Arts & Culture

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11

Student-penned musical hits the stage

by Sydney Faulkner STAFF WRITER

The new musical “To Be Alive” made its debut at the Don Powell Theatre at San Diego State on Feb. 15.

“To Be Alive” takes place in San Francisco and is told from the perspective of a 20-year-old who dropped out of college and is searching for his life purpose and place in society.

The musical addresses the amount of pressure placed on young people to know what exactly they want to do in life and be successful quickly.

The books, music and lyrics for the production were by theatre arts sophomore Josh Concepcion, and it was directed by theatre performance junior Ross Graham.

It was put on and sponsored by the Skull and Dagger Dramatic Society.

“I started gaining inspiration for this show when I was a junior in high school reading a study about the higher levels of stress measured in students attending university,” Concepcion said. “I looked around at my friends and realized it checked out. It seemed as if they were grasping onto this anxiousness about college, job concerns, their families and relationships. I wanted to write a script that dealt with these issues of social anxiety, fear of the unknown, the spontaneity of life and accepting the world for what it is instead of what it should be.”

Graham said the Skull and Dagger Dramatic Society seeks to provide theatre students a space to be creative and develop as performers.

“We work hard to make sure that all of our students can have extra opportunities to perform in as professional of a manner as possible,” he said. “It was great to see everyone involved in the production grow as individuals.”

Theatre performance junior Marcus Rutledge said he found his role as the character Ben highly relatable, and hopes the character resonated with audiences.

“I connected a lot with Ben upon my first reading of the script,” he said. “The topic of legacy is brought up in the show and Ben searches for his purpose, and whether or not he will succeed in his pursuit of being a writer. As someone pursuing a career in the creative arts, I also wrestle with my doubts about my future and whether or not it’s worthwhile.”

John Michel, a theatre performance junior, played the character of Dylan Collins, who is Ben’s best friend.

He felt he could also see himself in the character.

“When I first read the script, I pointed out how much I felt like the same person as my character,” he said. “Dylan was always trying to move toward his future and trying to move forward. He is really someone who always enjoyed a good time, his friends and the little slices of life.”

“To Be Alive” contained some heavy themes and several moments that left the audience in tears.

The character of Ben in particular endures many hardships: he suffers a head injury from a car accident, he has a strained relationship with his alcoholic father, his high school sweetheart cheated on him in their house and the woman he falls in love with dies of a heart complication shortly after their relationship began.

“Heavy content can sometimes be the easiest and most fun content to play on stage if you allow yourself to safely jump into the emotion,” Rutledge said.

“People want catharsis when they go to the theatre.”

Theatre performance sophomore Noah Leach said his role as Ben’s father, Doug,

led him to see the complexities of a flawed character.

“When I was (cast) as Doug I was scared because I had never played someone who had so much baggage,” Leach said.

“I thought about how a parent who spent a majority of their child’s life in a haze would feel if they finally woke up and came to. What I loved about Doug was that he wasn’t just a villain. He had an incredible story arc because he had that want to fix his relationship with his son.”

While “To Be Alive” had some highly emotional scenes, it also had some light, comedic moments.

One of the production’s highlights was when Michel had to perform a very provocative song to his breakfast cinnamon roll.

“My character finally just let loose and didn’t care anymore about what anyone thought,” Michel said of the scene.

“However, the song really had me asking if I wanted to invite my mother to see it.”

Theatre performance sophomore Shelby Beltran, who played Olivia, said it was exciting to watch the original musical come to life.

“My favorite part of the whole process was building brand new characters that had never been put on stage before,” she said. “Since the musical is brand new, I got to build and create my character, Olivia, into my own vision. I was able to take some creative risk and bring someone to life from paper.”

Beltran also said she hopes the audience left “To Be Alive” reflecting on its many teachable moments. “‘To Be Alive’ hits home for a lot of people,” she said. “I hope the audience could connect with at least one character’s story and realize they’re not alone in their endeavors.”

Lexi Vierra, a theatre performance sophomore, is on the Skull and Dagger Dramatic Society Board as secretary.

She said the process of building the musical from its inception was a memorable, and is a source of pride for everyone who took part in the production in some capacity.

“I am incredibly proud of everyone involved with ‘To Be Alive,’” Vierra said. “As someone who worked more behind the scenes, I truly got to see and appreciate everyone’s role throughout the process. This is the first time Skull and Dagger has ever done something to this scale and I am honored to have been a part of it.”

Skull and Dagger Dramatic Society will be presenting “Spring Awakening: A Children’s Tragedy” April 12, 13 and 14 in the Experimental Theatre at SDSU.

Photo by Josh Concepcion

Ben (Marcus Rutledge) listens to voicemails from his father Doug (Noah Leach) in “To Be Alive.”

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The Daily Aztec

The Back Page

Feb. 20-26, 2019 Editor: Julianna Ress • arts@thedailyaztec.com

What to know about 2019’s Grammy victors

by Kelly Kerrigan STAFF WRITER

This year’s Grammy Awards tried to put a fresh spin on the awards ceremony, addressing social issues throughout and hiring Alicia Keys as host, whose messages reminded the audience and listeners alike about love, positivity and music.

The nearly four-hour ceremony was filled with live performances from artists like Miley Cyrus, Travis Scott, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dolly Parton and Jennifer Lopez. This year, the award winners showed more diversity than ever before, showcasing many artists that were not expected to win. Here’s a rundown of some of the award winners and what to know about them.

Kacey Musgraves Kacey Musgraves scored a few Grammys this year, one of them being Album of the Year for her record “Golden Hour.” The country singer and songwriter is notable for her rather contemporary take on country music.

Musgraves began her music career back in 2013 and since then has released four albums, been awarded six Grammys and four CMA Awards, showing how respected she is not only in the country music field but in the music industry at large.

Musgraves uses her music to touch on hot-button social issues like gender roles, marijuana use and sex, setting her apart from many country artists who tend to steer clear of those issues.

She is currently beginning her “Oh, What A World” tour and will be performing at Coachella this April.

Childish Gambino Donald Glover, also known as Childish Gambino, is not afraid to put his beliefs into music. Glover won the Grammys for Record of the Year and Song of the Year for his track “This is America.” The song touched many people, as its catchy sound lured listeners into hearing what the rapper had to say on social issues and racial divisions.

Glover’s award for the record highlighted the power musicians can hold when they showcase their opinions throughout their

music. Along with Musgraves, Gambino will be performing at Coachella this year as a headliner.

Gambino is known for his other songs “Sober,” “Feels like Summer” and “Redbone” and is one of the best-known rappers in the industry, averaging more than 12 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

Cardi B Cardi B took home the Grammy for Best Rap Album for her record “Invasion of Privacy.” The Bronx native is known for her unfiltered truthfulness and is not afraid to talk about her life in the public eye. She’s open about everything, from her dislike of President Trump, to her relationship with Migos member Offset, to how much money she’s made as a rapper. Her songs “Bodak Yellow” and “I Like It” have reached the ears of millions and have earned her much popularity.

H.E.R. R&B singer H.E.R. was awarded the Grammys for Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Record for her self-titled EP. The 21-year-old’s stage name stands for “Having Everything Revealed,” which reflects through her vulnerable, raw music.

The R&B singer showcased her authentic nature during her live performance at the awards, as she casually belted out vocals while looking cool with a sparkly jumpsuit and translucent guitar.

Her most popular tracks “Best Part” and “Could’ve Been” feature fellow alternative R&B artists Daniel Caesar and Bryson Tiller.

Dua Lipa The singer took home the awards for both her nominations as Best New Artist and Best Dance Recording for her featured song “Electricity” by Silk City, which was produced by the distinguished producer Mark Ronson. Lipa made her way into the music industry via YouTube and gained ground with her hit song “New Rules.”

Since then Lipa has had success with subsequent singles like “One Kiss” and “IDGAF.” During her award speech at the BRIT

Photo by Markus Prtizi/Warner Bros. Records Press

Pop singer Dua Lipa took home the award for Best New Artist at this year’s Grammys ceremony.

awards, Lipa discussed feminist issues saying, “I want to thank every single female who has been on this stage before me that has given girls like me – not just girls in the music industry, but girls in society – a place to be inspired by and look up to and have allowed us to dream this big,” attributing some of her success to the women who have taken risks before her.

Stone, lead singer Josh Kiszka addressed the comments that denote their sound to something of the past saying, “When you are doing something truthful, it’s easy for someone to say, ‘That sounds like this band from the ‘60s and ‘70s. It’s the throwback sound.’ In that response is the answer: That is because music meant something during that period — a lot more than it does now.”

Greta Van Fleet The young rock band scored its first Grammy award for its EP titled “From the Fires.” The band was nominated for four Grammys total including Best New Artist and Best Rock Performance.

While the band tends to deal with criticism from classic rock fans, Greta Van Fleet has been hotly debated in the rock music industry over the past few months due to the band’s close similarity to Led Zeppelin.

The band released its first album “Anthem of the Peaceful Army” late last year, and says fans should expect a new album by the end of 2019.

The group of rockers from Michigan have seemingly been on tour since the release of its EP, and has created a fan base ranging from all ages.

In a recent interview with Rolling

Lady Gaga Lady Gaga is currently experiencing another peak in her already-illustrious career.

The pop star stripped down in her recent album “Joanne,” in which she opened up about her personal life to the world, showcasing her incredible talent, strength and proficiency as a singer and songwriter.

Gaga took home Best Pop Solo Performance for her song “Joanne” and won an award with Bradley Cooper for her original song “Shallow,” which was featured in the Oscar-nominated movie “A Star is Born.”

She recently released a documentary on Netflix called “Five Foot Two” which displays the rather harsh aspects of life she has learned to overcome since becoming an international pop star.

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Photo by Sue Kwon/RCA Records Press

Rising artist H.E.R. received a surprising nomination for Album of the Year, and won Best R&B Album.

arc.sdsu.edu/groupfitness