The Daily Aztec 9/29/2021

Weds. Sept. 29 - Tues., Oct. 5, 2021 Weekly Print Edition

Vol. 108, Issue 7 www.thedailyaztec.com

San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

Climate strikers demand change

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

in front of de la Torre’s office

OPINION It’s finally time to conversations about masculinity.

by Eugènie Budnik CONTRIBUTOR

have toxic

As millions of environmentally conscious people across the globe marched in protest of climate change this past Friday, so did a group of concerned San Diego State students.

SDSU students and alumni gathered in the courtyard of the Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union with protest signs and megaphones in hand.

“I want to acknowledge that today we are standing on Kumeyaay land and there are many Kumeyaay students still here [SDSU] today,” said junior sustainability major Tiffany Curry.

This land acknowledgement proved timely, as the strike occurred on California Native American Day. The first climate strike on SDSU’s campus occurred in September of 2019, after climate youth-activist Greta

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SPORTS Men’s soccer defears Gonzaga to remain undefeated.

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MUNDO Centro de recreación expande sus instalaciones para ofrecer más a los estudiantes de SDSU.

Photo by Brittany Cruz-Ferejan

Students gathered in the Conrad Preby’s Aztec Student Union and marched throughout the campus demonstrating their stance on the university’s impact on climate change.

SEE CLIMATE STRIKE, PAGE 2

PAGE 7

Misinformation clouding your judgement?

Health professionals discuss Covid truths ARTS & CULTURE Modest Mouse rocks the night away at Cal Coast Credit Union Theater.

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FOLLOW US /dailyaztec @TheDailyAztec @thedailyaztec /TheDailyAztec

INDEX News............................... 2-3 Opinion..............................4 Sports.............................. 5-6 Mundo .............................. 7 The Back Page, Arts............ 8

by Cheryl Akpenyi CONTRIBUTOR

On Wednesday, Sept. 22 The San Diego Association of Black Journalists organization hosted an event called “Myth Busting Covid: Fact or Fiction?” The event was open to the public and was about stopping the spread of misinformation surrounding COVID-19.

It was held via Zoom and consisted of SDABJ members, journalists and guest African American doctors with expertise on COVID-19. They said they are leading the way in San Diego to help stop the spread of dangerous beliefs that has plagued many communities, especially the Black and Brown communities.

The beginning of the event was focused on the positive impacts of COVID-19 and their effects on communities.

COVID-19 case rates are declining in San Diego county compared to when the state first opened up. But the case rate for those who are not fully vaccinated is four times higher, experts at the event said.

The guest doctors expressed how they are concerned about the fellow Black and Brown communities that are impacted

by COVID-19. Data from the national level cases indicates black folks have been most heavily impacted. However, in San Diego, they are not experiencing the highest death rates. Still, the reason why the Black community is one of the hardest hit groups is due to a historic lack of adequate conditions, according to Dr. Robert Gillespie.

“Black people are more at risk because of pre-existing conditions,” Gillespie said.

“Things like high blood pressure, diabetes and preexisting conditions.”

The event showed these conditions can be mitigated, with diet and eating healthy as a lifestyle. After seeing what negatively affects African Americans, the best thing to do to lessen the pain is by eating healthy and exercising to better the community.

SEE COVID-19 MYTHBUSTING, PAGE 3

Graphic by Shalika Oza

Doctors dismantle dangerous COVID-19 vaccine rumours and address concerns about how the virus spreads.

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The Daily Aztec

News

Sept. 29 - Oct. 5, 2021 EDITOR: Katelynn Robinson • news@thedailyaztec.com

APIDA Center opens in-person for first time ever, called ‘home away from home’

by Brittany CONTRIBUTOR

Cruz-Fejeran

Decades in the making, the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Center is finally open in person.

The center officially opened during the COVID-19 pandemic last summer and hosted over 300 programs before physically welcoming students to the space. It still needs to be painted and its grand furniture probably will not arrive until next year, but Dr. Virginia LohHagan, director of the center said they are more than ready to serve students.

“We have a space [APIDA students] can call their own,” Loh-Hagan said. “It’s our own little corner of this large SDSU campus and we are going to find many different ways to uplift and amplify the voices of the APIDA community.”

The APIDA Center is open for all students Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on the second floor of the Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union.

The center is building up to be the homebase for all APIDA-focused organizations as well as a safe space for students, Loh-Hagan said.

Last week, they launched regular weekly programming called the “APIDA Center Support Spaces,” led by recently hired program coordinator, Kathleen Dang.

Loh-Hagan said weekly workshops would not have been possible without Dang’s help.

“It is really heartwarming to be here and be available to students,” Dang said. “I want the students to come here feeling secure.”

Another program offered is the APIDA

Photo by Brittany Cruz-Ferejan

The APIDA Center has opened for the first time every on SDSU’s campus. The center was able to host over 300 programs through their virtual platform last school year.

Leadership, Identity, Scholarship, and Togetherness (A-LIST) university seminar offered only to first-year students, is meant to reclaim the model minority myth and foster success in more ways than straight A’s.

The APIDA Center’s ability to host over 300 workshops was through the benefit of a virtual setting. It was hard not to see the students in person, LohHagan said, but the accessibility that Zoom events permitted was one of the things she was grateful for.

Loh-Hagan said she did not have to worry about location, capacity or funding. Speakers were easier to

Photo by Ivan Guzman

Students gathered in protest to demand more emvironmentally sound action from the university. Students gave speeches requesting a proactive climate change approach from the SDSU.

Climate Strike:

continued from page 1 Thunberg gave a powerful speech at the United Nations Climate Action Summit. The Green Love Sustainability Commission of SDSU submitted an Associated Students resolution calling for “SDSU’s Commitment to Climate Action, Justice, and Leadership” which can be read online.

The resolution demands the university commit to full carbon neutrality by 2030, pursue environmentally responsible investing and establish a permanent Climate Action Committee in the University President’s office.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, these demands had to take a

yearlong hiatus.

“Covid makes organizing a lot harder,” said SDSU alumna and former Associated Students Sustainability Commissioner Courtney Ransom.

Ransom was a lead organizer for the 2019 climate strike and made her way back to campus to participate in this year’s climate strike.

“In 2019, we were trying to get the university to commit to doing certain things,” Ransom said. “Now, we are trying to get the university to act on the commitments that we got that year. It’s cool to see the progression happening.”

Along the way, the strike gained momentum and participants joined the crowd as they paraded around campus. However, the group was also challenged with counterattacks from various students passing by.

“Why are you even protesting? We

schedule as well because Zoom created access from different parts of the country. Because of this, some programs will still be offered physically and virtually.

“We want these programs to be available to our Imperial Valley friends and community members [as well],” Loh-Hagan said.

Leiana Lepule, a first year graduate student said the APIDA Center was her home away from home, even though she only lives 30 minutes away.

“It’s the space I’m most comfortable with being a part of a huge institution that [SDSU] is,” Lepule said.

can’t even have cars here!” A student passing by yelled at the group.

The march culminated in a stop on the steps right in front of Manchester Hall, which houses the office of President Adela de la Torre. Students chanted and encouraged the university to divest from fossil fuels, establish a permanent SDSU Climate Action Committee, and invest in more public transportation for students and staff. All of these demands are outlined clearly in the 2019 Associated Students resolution.

However, the organizers of the strike are unsatisfied with the university’s progress towards these goals.

“We’ve been trying to tell the administration to take action,” a protester who requested to remain anonymous said.“We’ve been telling them to rise up. But Adela [de la Torre] does not want to rise up! Use your leadership and rise up.”

The general feeling from the participants of the strike was that their

Lepule said she created many friends through Zoom workshops provided by the APIDA Center. When she finally met one of them in person while walking out of the center, they both screamed in excitement.

“At one point, these were the people we had the deepest connection with through quarantine because we would see them so often,” Lepule said. “It was really nice just to chat in person about that.”

Lepule highlighted that this center is not just a place for students to gather.

It is a place where people can recognize the individual groups of the broad term “APIDA.” “As big of a group the term encompasses, representation for each group is small,” Lepule said.

Loh-Hagan said she shared the same sentiment.

“Collectively, we use that description [APIDA] as a political strategy,” LohHagan said. “So it’s a way to build a pan-ethnic coalition, but we also want to recognise that it’s not a description or an umbrella term because our experiences are so different.”

Lepule said she eventually wants the center to connect with other APIDA organizations outside of SDSU to create a bigger community support system.

“It’s a building block for something so much bigger,” Lepule said. “Hopefully it will happen in our lifetime.”

For the time being, Loh-Hagan said the life that happens at the APIDA Center gives her hope.

“We are like a nest,” Loh-Hagan said.

“Come here when you need us, when you need this space and when you need a community. Also go fly off and do your thing, but know that we are always here. Come back.”

demands were not adequately being heard. By protesting, they hoped to reemphasize the promises made by the university over two years ago.

SDSU put out a statement quickly after the protest regarding the university’s progress on climate change and other environmental issues.

“SDSU has a demonstrated commitment to sustainability locally and globally as evidenced by its strategic plan priorities and construction activities dedicated to sustainable practices,” the statement said.

The statement went on to describe multiple actions taken by the university in regards to sustainability. SDSU’s Climate Action Plan status report can be accessed online.

“The fight lives on,” said sustainability fourth year and media liaison for SDSU Climate Strike Tenaya Bearmar. “Go home, and get some rest. Be ready to continue the fight tomorrow and for the future.”

Photos by Brittany Cruz-Fejeran

Students are shown passionately standing up for environmental policies and principles.

Sept. 29 - Oct. 5, 2021 EDITOR: Katelynn Robinson • news@thedailyaztec.com

News

The Daily Aztec

ARC expansion on the move, COVID-19 mythbusting: completion by summer 2022

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continued from page 1

The doctors were also asked questions about those who are not vaccinated due to certain beliefs and distrust of the vaccine.

This distrust has caused so many to end up on the hospital beds and has led to so many deaths even though it could have been prevented.

“The ones who have not been vaccinated are the ones taking up hospital beds,” Dr. Suzanne Afflalo said.

The doctors said getting vaccinated is vital to save our own lives and the people we love around us.

Dr. Wlima Wooten also expressed the danger of not getting the vaccine and getting COVID-19 can be more painful than already getting the vaccine and getting diagnosed with COVID-19.

“Vaccines are meant to keep us from dying and in the hospitals,” Gillespie said.

This event was held to inform people about how the vaccine is not only fighting COVID-19 but the Delta Variant too, despite the misinformation spreading around.

The panelists said the most important thing to do is wash your hands and keep your distance since it is hard to determine who is vaccinated and who is not. Although the Black community has done much better in San Diego, those who hosted the event strive for the national data to be the same or even better as more are informed about the pre-existing conditions that have impacted many.

The event’s experts said taking down the threat of misinformation on COVID-19 it is labeled as a health crisis.

Photo by Xiomara Villarreal-Gerardo

The Aztec recreation center has been under construction for just over a year. The constructions will come to a close in the summer of 2022 and will include a brand new indoor track, healthy eatery, gender neutral locker room and increased spaces for intramural sports.

by Xiomara Gerardo STAFF WRITER

Villarreal-

San Diego State students have the opportunity to nurture healthy minds and healthy bodies now more than ever with their free ARC membership.

They will also soon have access to the upcoming ARC expansion.

The ARC membership allows access to on-campus facilities including the ARC, ARC Express, and Aquaplex. Additional programs include intramural sports, special events, group exercise classes and indoor rock climbing.

Amy Schiller, Marketing Coordinator at Aztec Recreation, said there are a variety of group fitness classes offered at the ARC such as strength training, cardio, dance, Olympic lifting, barre fitness, boot camp, TRX suspension training, high-intensity interval training, and circuit training, as well as a wide variety of yoga and mind-body classes.

“Our group fitness classes are a great way to engage in a motivating workout and both on-campus and virtual classes are offered on the fall schedule which goes through Dec. 10,” she said.

The ARC also hosts fee-based programs including ENS Credit Classes and Aztec Adventures outdoor programs. They provide an opportunity for students to learn a new skill in dance, martial arts, watersports, fitness, mind-body, as well as climbing and outdoor leadership

skills.

On Thursday, Oct. 7 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., the ARC will be having a Live Well Late Night Virtual Fitness Jam where all classes will be run over Zoom. Live Well Late Night events will be occurring throughout the year as part of the Live Well Aztecs initiative, a partnership of campus resources with the goal of providing programs that support and inspire SDSU students, faculty, and staff to lead healthy balanced lives.

Personal trainers are available for all ARC members, said Schiller. They each maintain their own schedule, rates and payment options. The trainers are there to help members set and attain personal fitness and health goals.

Shawki Moore, Associated Students Vice President of External Relations, said he is most excited about the connection that students will experience from being members of the ARC. “Now that every student is a member, it can serve as a commonplace for students to build connections and bond while prioritizing their mental health and overall wellness of their bodies,” he said.

Aztec Recreation has been constructing a sensational project called the ARC expansion since March 2020. Its anticipated grand opening is scheduled for summer 2022.

Schiller said Aztec Recreation is a program of SDSU A. S. and the ARC expansion is a student-driven initiative to create a modern and inclusive campus

venue that inspires active, healthy living and meets the current and future recreation, fitness, and wellness needs of SDSU students.

“The project demonstrates Associated Student’s ongoing commitment to sustainability as the facility is designed to achieve LEED Double Platinum Certification,” Schiller said. “SDSU will become the first higher education institution in the nation to have a LEED Double Platinum student union and recreation center.”

The ARC expansion will result in a total facility size of 138,000 square feet.

It’ll include features such as a Shake Smart healthy eatery, new genderneutral locker, shower, and restroom spaces, an increase of weight and cardio equipment, an increase of courts to support intramural sports, an increase of fitness studios for group classes such, a quiet lounge, social and study spaces, new climbing and bouldering walls and an indoor 1⁄8 mile running track.

Mark Zakrzewski, A.S. Associate Executive Director said the ARC expansion is such an exciting project for SDSU and the role of recreation programming at a university goes well beyond providing leisure opportunities for the campus community.

“Recreation facilities and programs play an important role in the recruitment, engagement, and retention of students while fostering a healthy, inclusive environment for the entire campus community,” he said.

Photo courtesy of Freepik

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Opinion

The Daily Aztec

Sept. 29 - Oct. 5, 2021 EDITOR: Aaliyah Alexander • opinion@thedailyaztec.com

Put toxic masculinity to rest

Graphic by Hemen Mesfin

We need to start having more conversations on toxic masculinity because it’s long overdue.

by Lindsey Anderson CONTRIBUTOR

The term “toxic masculinity” has been reintroduced to society within the past couple of years amidst growing social movements. This term refers to the cultural norms that create pressures for men to behave in a certain way and leads to a highly narrow definition of “manliness.”

If we look at toxic masculinity as having stemmed from unattainable expectations set for men by society, then we can see the problem is not in the idea of masculinity itself but in what defines it.

The first part of this definition involves knowledge. Men are

expected to know just about everything from fixing cars to refinancing homes — an expectation that has detrimental impacts on men’s learning and growth.

A 2015 study found when men ask for help, they are viewed as less competent and capable, as opposed to women who are viewed as inquisitive and promising.

And this happens all the time.

Recently, a male friend of mine came forward with his own experience with toxic masculinity. He shared that when he asked for guidance on how he should pursue sawing down a large pine tree due to his lack of experience using a large chain

saw, he was met with hostility, aggression and disbelief by his fellow male coworkers.

This is where toxic masculinity comes into play: men are viewed by others, including each other, as less manly and less qualified when they ask for assistance on such things.

The worst part is many of these toxic masculine norms are taught to boys at the earliest stage of development and become further ingrained as they grow older.

In order to illustrate this point, let me introduce you to the three most common phrases told to boys and young men: 1) “Don’t be gay;” 2) “You fight like a girl;” and 3) “Man up!”

The phrase “don’t be gay” creates fear amongst young boys toward showing emotion of any kind. Men are expected to be these stoic, emotionless beings that are deeply affected by nothing, creating a huge divide between “manliness” and vulnerability in showing one’s emotion or sharing one’s mind.

Both phrases “you fight like a girl” and “man up” illustrate the male expectation of toughness.

Along with being knowledgeable and stoic, men are expected to be strong warriors. When they show any sign of physical weakness, men are likened to a woman; and when they express any form of emotion, fear or mental-physical struggle, they are told to be more of a man.

The biggest issue here is that we are the ones teaching these manliness constructs to our children and in doing so,

are creating this unattainable expectation of what a “true man” should be.

When one searches for the definition of “manly” or “masculine” on Google, a list of synonyms comes up. A few of those listed are “well-built,” “fearless,” “knowledgeable” and “handy.” If you look a little closer on the list, you’ll find the antonyms — “effeminate” and “weak.” If you go one step further and look up the definition of “handy,” you’ll find it to be “skillful.” The antonym? “Inept.”

Think about that.

A man who may not be the perfect representation of manly is weak. He is feminine. A man who may not be able to fix a leaky faucet or repair an old car is suddenly inept. He is incompetent, unskilled and inferior because he does not fit the definition of being “manly.”

At the end of the day, it all comes down to the meanings we assign to the biological human body. In doing so, we dictate the ways one should and should not be, defying nature and assigning our opinions to the ways in which people choose to fulfill their lives.

It is time that we rewrite this definition to encompass all men — those who fit the manly norm and those who don’t.

Because men who choose to write poetry, ask questions and display kindness deserve to be just as righteous as Mr. Tough Guy in his big pick-up truck.

Lindsey Anderson is a senior studying rhetoric and writing.

Current grading system is inequitable

by Alyssa Phillips CONTRIBUTOR

Traditional grading is inequitable, proven by any amount of scrutiny.

It’s based on colonialism, a construct that inherently privileges white students over students of color simply because whiteness is the standard by which we grade and are graded — a fact that is both historically true and one we should work hard to rectify.

While it may seem impossible, the solution to systemic inequity within higher education is to dismantle the practice of traditional grading and replace it with more equitable systems that focus on learning instead of grading.

Whenever the word “dismantle” enters the conversation, people get defensive and argue students need to be prepared for inequities they will face in the “real” world — one that will treat them differently based on how well they have mastered Standard Written English.

In other words, some people believe we should continue to use an inequitable system because that’s the way it’s always been and we don’t want to change that until someone else does.

This logic has clearly proven false when confronting historical inequities.

We can’t wait for change to happen especially when systems like this benefit the people in

power. As long as those with institutional power remain untouched by an unjust grading system, we won’t see change initiated.

Change has to start within the classroom for it to truly be equitable.

Traditional grading reinforces learning based on passing the next test or cramming for a final rather than focusing on learning as the goal.

By assigning a letter to everything a student produces, students begin to work only for the letter grade and not for the self-awareness, learning and personal growth that should accompany academic growth.

While inequity should be reason enough to change the way we grade and are graded, we also need to re-center learning in the classroom because learning is the goal and our current system of grading does not suggest that. Instructors need to provide students with the opportunity to learn without getting penalized for failing in the process.

Refocusing on equity in the classroom is how we accomplish that.

Understandably, abandoning traditional grading can feel both overwhelming and impossible to accomplish. However, refocusing equity doesn’t have to mean traditional grading is no longer a viable option and, thus, defunct.

While we do have to acknowledge the systems of

inequality traditional grading promotes through inequitable standards, what matters is that people do the work.

Traditional grading will not disappear overnight (even though it should), but we can avert our attention to the students who are in classrooms disadvantaged by design rather than just fantasizing about a future without traditional grading and discussing concepts with no real application.

We need to make changes to our classrooms now — whether they’re small steps such as discussing inequity in the

classroom or major steps such as implementing labor-based grading.

Centering equity also means centering students and becoming uncomfortable with the unknown and the experimental because students deserve a system in which they can learn and succeed without having to adhere to standards designed to exclude them.

Alyssa Phillips is a second year graduate student studying creative writing. Follow her on Twitter @alyjoye.

EDITOR IN CHIEF Catlan Nguyen MANAGING EDITOR Trinity Bland NEWS EDITOR Katelynn Robinson OPINION EDITOR Aaliyah Alexander MUNDO AZTECA EDITOR Noe Sandoval ASST. MUNDO AZTECA EDITOR Karina Bazarte ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Ryan Hardison ASST. ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Cristina Lombardo SPORTS EDITOR Jason Freund ASST. SPORTS EDITOR Andrew Finley ENGAGEMENT EDITOR Amanda Orozco PHOTO EDITOR Noelani Sapla MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Mackenzie Stafford ASST. MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Jayne Yutig GRAPHIC DESIGNER Hemen Mesfin

STAFF WRITERS Xiomara Villarreal-Gerardo Daniela Ramirez Lucelis Martinez Brenna Martinez Adam Correa SENIOR STAFF WRITERS Juan Daniel Avila CONTRIBUTORS Eugénie Budnik Brittany Cruz-Fejeran Cheryl Akpenyi Davis Ramage Isabella Smith Alyssa Phillips Taylor Harris ________________________________

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Brian Arnold ________________________________

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.

FOLLOW US /dailyaztec @TheDailyAztec @thedailyaztec

Graphic by Hemen Mesfin

It’s 2021 and we’re still using systems that discriminate and hold no true value.

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Sept. 29 - Oct. 5, 2021 EDITOR: Jason Freund • sports@thedailyaztec.com

Sports

The Daily Aztec

5

Aztecs handles Towson to move to 4-0

By Jason Freund SPORTS EDITOR

For the first time since the 2017 season, the San Diego State Aztecs’ (4-0) football team has started 4-0.

They did it without senior running back Greg Bell or senior defensive back Tayler Hawkins — a testament to the team’s depth and resilience.

After Bell left with an injury in the first quarter, three Aztec running backs finished with over 70 rushing yards and combined for four touchdowns as SDSU torched the Towson Tigers (1-3) 48-21 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson.

After the game, head coach Brady Hoke noted that, while his team was sluggish out of the gate, they were able to respond well in the victory.

“I think when you look at Towson (University), they’re a good football team.

And they’ve got some very good players and they’re well-coached,” Hoke said. “I thought we were a little sluggish, not bad, but a little bit to start the football game, but

Photo by Andrew Finley

Senior running back Jordan Byrd rushed seven time for 75 yards and two touchdowns against Towson. Byrd is part of the very deep running-back group at SDSU.

Photo by Noelani Saplan

San Diego State’s captains walking out of the tunnel against Towson to the prepare for the coin toss.

I like how we responded.”

For a moment, it seemed like the Tigers were brewing an upset as the Aztecs stalled out of the gate. Graduate quarterback Chris Ferguson — after completing a 49-yard pass to junior receiver Daniel Thompson IV— led his team to the endzone on a 19yard dump pass to graduate running back Jerry Howard Jr. But SDSU didn’t falter or panic when the senior back went down. Instead, a threeman tag team of seniors Chance Bell, Kaegun Williams and Jordan Byrd trampled the Tigers to the tune of 230 combined yards.

Despite gaining 51 yards of offense in the first quarter, the Scarlet and Black still tied the game on a six-yard touchdown by Williams.

In regards to his team’s performance in the first quarter, Hoke’s message to his team was simple: play better.

“You know, it’s part of getting your team and kicking them in the butt and going out and playing the way they’re capable,” Hoke said.

SDSU roared to life in the second quarter with an 11-play, 90-yard drive capped off by Byrd, who bounced outside and dove past the pylon for a 12-yard score.

The following drive, senior quarterback Lucas Johnson — starting for a second

consecutive time after fellow senior Jordan Brookshire’s injury — threw an impressive fade pass to senior receiver Elijah Kothe in the back of the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown.

It also helps that the defense — after some quick adjustments — grinded Towson’s offense to a near halt. Senior defensive lineman Jonah Tavai and junior lineman Cameron Thomas had a sack apiece while the defense as a whole had seven tackles for loss along with five quarterback hurries.

Junior safety Patrick McMorris — who led the team with eight total tackles — said his defense played like Aztecs in the second half after a slow start.

“I thought we came out a little slow.

But coming into the second half, we played like Aztecs,” McMorris said. “We were playing fast. We were getting to the QB. We were breaking up passes. And we were just playing like I said, like we were just playing like Aztecs.”

Without Hawkins patrolling the secondary, it was up to a pair of freshmen in Noah Avinger and Noah Tumblin to shut down the Tigers’ receivers.

And what a job they did.

Tumblin was second on the team in tackles with four while Avinger posted three tackles, a pass break up and snagged a one-handed interception — likely an ear-

ly contender for play of the year for SDSU football.

The freshman defensive back’s play caught the attention of the junior DB. After the game, McMorris praised both the freshmen and the secondary for their performances.

“I felt like Noah Avinger and Noah Tumblin came out and did what they had to do,” McMorris said. “Avinger had a pick, it was very crucial. It was a great pick too. I just felt like as a DB and as a DB room, we came in and played fast.

Byrd’s 55-yard touchdown run— his fourth touchdown in four games — a 48-yard field goal by junior Matt Araiza, Chance Bell’s 61-yard dash and ensuing one-yard touchdown all but assured Towson was not getting back into the game A running back by committee is certainly a possibility, especially if Greg Bell continues to be slowed down by injuries.

“Greg’s a great athlete and we’re definitely going to need him for the long haul so it was tough kind of seeing that,” Chance Bell said. “(But) like we preach around here, it’s always next man up you know. You never know what you do, your role can change in one play.”

The Aztecs couldn’t have asked for a better start, especially with how the rest of the Mountain West Conference is shaping up.

Fresno State is ranked No. 18 by the Associated Press and is 4-1 in the West Division while Wyoming — in the Mountain Division — has also started off 4-0.

The Aztecs will dodge the Cowboys this year, but a match against the Bulldogs in Carson is still in the cards. Now factor in a potential trap game against Air Force (31,0-1 MWC), a flight to Honolulu to take on Hawai’i (2-3, 0-1 MWC) and home showdowns against Nevada (2-1) and Boise State (2-2, 1-0).

All of a sudden, that 4-0 start just became a lot more important.

Thankfully for SDSU, their bye week has come up at the most convenient of times.

The Aztecs will be off this week before returning to Carson to begin conference play against the New Mexico Lobos (2-2).

Column: Cross Country is far from track

By Daniela Ramirez STAFF WRITER

When most people hear about cross country, they think of runners going around the track. People believe that the sport is the same as track and field.

“Cross country and track are two completely different sports,” junior Jessica Kain said.

The Aztecs headed to Mission Bay for the USD invitational on Sept. 17. This was the first race of the season for seniors Paige Comiso and Natalie Regalado, as well as junior Alex Lomeli.

Running along the Tecolote Shores made for a scenic race on a sunny Friday afternoon.

The Aztec runners run a four mile race on a new course every week. Races can be on dirt, grass and even city sidewalks.

“Cross country is not on a flat surface, and it (has) uneven terrain, “Coach Lusitiana said. “Conditions are completely different.”

Although cross country and track both consist of running, the two sports are very different. Track and field has field events such as jumps, hurdles and throws.

Track and field consists of long, short and midddle distance running. Many cross country runners go into track as a long or middle distance runner.

“There is distance within track, it isn’t just sprinting,” Lomeli said. “We’re also in-

cluded in track.”

Cross country is only a long distance sport. Racing distances can vary from two to four miles. There are no other events added within the sport unlike track and field.

Team scoring in the two sports is different as well. In cross country, every athlete counts. The top five to seven runners are counted as the number they are placed, first place is one point, while 25th place is 25 points. The team with the lowest combined score wins the meet.

In track and field, only the top three from each race gets counted for that event. When only two teams compete, first place is three

points, second place gets two points, and third place gets one point. The team with the most points wins.

Cross country teams are more dependent on each individual runner as opposed to track and field. The sport is a team effort.

“Cross country is more team oriented, the numbers in the race really matter,” junior Lauren Harper said. “Track is more focused on your individual race.”

Running in all sports can be physically and mentally challenging. Running for miles can be grueling, especially when you’re alone.

In track, athletes are surrounded by other runners in close proximity, with fans in

Photo By SDSU Athletics

San Diego State cross country runners line up before the Anteater Invitational on Sept. 1

the stands as well. Cross country races can take place anywhere.

“You have the energy from the track, while cross country is more mentally exhausting because you’re alone somewhere,” Kain said.

Digging deep within an athlete’s mind to find the strength to continue on for four miles is what cross country is all about. Debatably one of the hardest sports when it comes to having the strength within yourself to keep going.

Lusitiana says it’s not about who’s the fastest but about who can focus when it gets difficult.

“Cross country is much harder than track,”Lusitiana said.

During the tough times of running, looking for support from each other is very important to the team. Running for miles side by side creates a bond like no other sport.

“We train six days a week with each other, so we’re a tight group of girls,” Paige Comiso said.

Women’s cross country placed fourth out of eight teams at the Stump Invitation on Sept. 10 and participated in the Cougar Challenge 6K at Cal State San Marcos on Sept. 25. Sophomore Alex Lomeli placed 13 out of 139 runners while running a career best 21:42.5. The team did not qualify to recieve a team score due to the Aztecs not having enough runners to do so. The Scarlet and Black head to Tucson Ariz. to run in the Dave Murray Classic.

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Sports

Sept. 29 - Oct. 5, 2021 EDITOR: Jason Freund • sports@thedailyaztec.com

Men’s soccer shuts out Gonzaga Bulldogs and remains undefeated

By Davis Ramage CONTRIBUTOR

The No. 14 San Diego State Aztecs (7-02, 2-0-0) defeated the unranked Gonzaga Bulldogs (5-4) 2-0 with goals from senior midfielder Laukoa Santos and sophomore midfielder Andre Ochoa at the SDSU Sports Deck on Friday Sept. 24.

The Aztecs got off to a flying start as Santos netted a ball that fell right to his feet

off a deflection in the third minute. A little over two minutes later, team captain Andre Ochoa finished a deflection off the Bulldog goalkeeper to put the Aztecs up 2-0 early.

Senior forward Tevenn Roux was credited with both assists.

“It felt good (scoring so early), we’ve been having pretty good starts recently,” Santos said. “It felt good to get on the score sheet again, it’s been since UNLV my sophomore year.”

This win keeps the Aztecs undefeated and gives them their fifth win in a row, all being shutouts. The loss for the Bulldogs is their first time being shut out all year and can be attributed to the high press defense employed by head coach Ryan Hopkins.

The Aztecs allowed zero shots in the first half, and when Hopkins described the effort that went into achieving this.

“I attribute it to the whole team,” Hopkins said. “You can see how high we press,

Photo by SDSU Athletics

how much we make the attackers work - and then the backline does their job, and we’ve got an unbelievable goalkeeper (sophomore Jacob Castro) when we need him to do something.”

The unbelievable goalkeeper mentioned

by Hopkins is last week’s Pac-12 player of the week, sophomore goalkeeper Jacob Castro. Castro leads the nation in both shutouts (six) and save percentage (96.3%).

The Pac-12 saves leader was only forced to make one stop against the Zags.

“It’s just everybody, everyone’s belief in the system, everyone’s belief in working hard for each other, and understanding what it takes to win,” Hopkins said about not allowing a first-half goal all year.

The Aztec press was visibly frustrating the Zags in the first half with multiple Aztecs swarming to the ball each time the Bulldogs had possession. Gonzaga started to get more comfortable with the press in the second half, but still only managed to put up one shot on goal and one corner.

The only shot for the Zags came 28 seconds into the second half, leading to the first time Gonzaga fans had something to cheer about.

From there, it was smooth sailing for the Scarlet and Black, holding the majority of the possession for the remainder of the half and protecting the early lead provided by Santos and Ochoa.

“The training method coach has us going through, constantly just working on patterns and building relationships,” said Santos on what leads to such fluency in the Aztec attacks.

The Aztecs members said they hope to keep up this great chemistry and extend this historic undefeated streak in what should be a top ten battle next Thursday, Sept. 30 at 7 p.m. in Seattle against No. 3 Washington.

Senior midfielder Laukoa Santos lets out a yell in celebration in the Aztecs victory against Gonzaga. The win makes it nine straight games without a loss for SDSU.

Women’s soccer starts 1-1 against conference foes

By Adam Correa and Taylor Harris STAFF WRITER, CONTRIBUTOR

San Diego State Women’s Soccer team starts 1-1 in Mountain West play over the weekend. Here’s how they stacked up.

Friday, Sept. 24 - SDSU at Colorado State University The Aztecs (3-6-0, 1-0-0) defeated Colorado State (1-3-2, 0-1-0) 1-0 in their first Mountain West Conference game. The lone goal was scored by freshman forward Alexys Ocampo late in the first half.

Ocampo, senior midfielder Daniela Filipovic and senior forward Anna Toohey stood out for SDSU. Ocampo came in for sophomore forward Emma Gaines-Ramos in the 26th minute and brought a lot of determination to the field.

In the 43rd minute, the ball was kicked in front of the Rams goal where senior midfielder Laura Fuentes’s shot attempt was blocked. The deflection came to Ocampo and she buried it top right corner for her first goal of the season to make the score 1-0. Ocampo ended up with two shots on goal in the game.

Filipovic said she was impressive with her ball movement and corner kicks in the second half. She said her corner kicks were placed perfectly in front of the Rams goal but her teammates would fail to capitalize.

Toohey had four shots in the game and two of those were on net. Toohey had a breakaway chance in the 75th minute and her shot was stopped by the Rams goal-

Photo by Adam Correa

SDSU women’s soccer battled against No.3 UCLA Sept. 19 on the SDSU Sports Deck.

keeper. She had very good ball movement throughout the game with very few turnovers.

The pressure was even in the first half but the Scarlet and Black would assert their dominance in the second half. The Aztecs defense was impressive throughout the game with limited giveaways and solid passing.

The Aztecs had a total of six shots on goal to the Rams two.

Sunday, Sept. 26 - SDSU at Wyoming San Diego State Aztecs (3-7-0, 1-1-0) lost 3-1 to Wyoming State Cowboys (5-4-1, 1-1-0) on Sunday afternoon, their second MWC opponent.

The Cowboys started the game off strong with redshirt junior midfielder Jamie Tatum scoring the first goal in the 18th minute. The Aztecs shortly followed suit,

tying the game in the 31st minute with a goal by junior forward Rachelle Elve, who was assisted by Filipovic.

The Cowboys quickly retook the lead with senior defender Savannah Warner scoring the second goal in the 36th minute.

Wyoming increased their lead with a third goal being scored in the 48th minute by sophomore forward Alyssa Bedard.

Despite the three goals that made it into the net, sophomore goalkeeper Alexa Madueno made four big saves to keep the Cowboys from gaining a larger lead.

Senior defender Lauren Dicus had an amazing save on goal in the 78th minute after Madueno stepped out of the box to defend the ball. The ball was blocked by Madueno and then shot in the top right corner. Dicus was able to head out the ball in time, keeping the Cowboys from gaining a 4-1 lead.

Castro had the most shots this game with

a total of four. While only one shot out of the four was on goal, Castro played strong throughout her time on the field, working hard to move the ball up the field.

Junior defender Claire Watkins applied pressure to the Cowboys until the last seconds of the game, having the final shot of the game in the 89th minute.

Both teams faced multiple yellow cards during the game for unsporting behavior with the Aztecs receiving three total yellow cards to the Cowboys’ two.

Wyoming ultimately brought the pressure this game while staying composed and organized the entire 90 minutes, which allowed them to attack the Aztec defense.

The Aztecs had a total of eight shots on goal to the Cowboys’ 16.

The next Aztec Women’s Soccer match will be against Boise State (their third Mountain West team) on Friday, Oct. 1, at 7 p.m. at the SDSU Sports Deck.

Sept. 29 - Oct. 5, 2021 EDITOR: Noé Sandoval • mundoazteca@thedailyaztec.com

Mundo Azteca

The Daily Aztec

Expansión del centro de recreación está programada para el verano 2022 por Xiomara ESCRITORA

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Villarreal-Gerardo

ARC. Cada uno mantiene su propio calendario, tarifas y opciones de pagos. Los entrenadores están ahí para ayudar a los miembros a establecer y alcanzar sus objeAhora más que nunca, los estudiantes de tivos de salud. la Universidad Estatal de San Diego tienen Shawki Moore, el Vicepresidente de Rella oportunidad de mantener mente sana en aciones Exteriores de la Asociación de Escuerpo sano con su membresía gratis del tudiantes dijo que lo que más le emociona gimnasio universitario, llamado el Aztec es la conexión que los estudiantes verán al Recreation Center en inglés, y pronto po- ser miembros del ARC. drán disfrutar de su expansión que está en “Ya que todos los estudiantes son miemproceso de construcción. bros, les servirá como un lugar común para La membresía del ARC, por sus siglas que los estudiantes construyan conexiones en inglés, da acceso a instalaciones dentro e interactúen mientras sea prioridad su sadel campus incluyendo el ARC, ARC Ex- lud mental y el bienestar general de sus cupress y Aquaplex, el centro acuático de la erpos”, dijo Moore . universidad. Al igual que programas como Desde marzo del 2020, el ARC ha estado deportes intramurales, eventos especiales, construyendo un proyecto sensacional que clases de ejercicio en grupo y la pared esca- es su expansión. Se anticipa su gran aperladora interior. tura para el verano del 2022.

La Coordinadora de Marketing del ARC, Dijo Schiller, que el ARC es un programa Amy Schiller, dijo que hay una variedad de la Asociación de Estudiantes de SDSU de clases de ejercicio en grupo que se of- y su expansión es una iniciativa impulsarecen en el ARC, tales como entrenamiento da por estudiantes para crear un campus de resistencia, cardio, baile, levantamiento moderno e integral que inspire una vida olímpico, ejercicio de barras, entrenamien- saludable y activa y reúna las necesidades to de intervalos de alta intensidad, entre- actuales y futuras de recreación, ejercicio y namiento de circuito, entrenamiento de bienestar de los estudiantes de SDSU. suspension TRX, campo de entrenamiento, “El proyecto muestra el compromiso al igual que una gran variedad de clases de que ha hecho la Asociación de Estudiantes yoga y clases de mente corporal. con la sostenibilidad de cómo “Nuestras clases de ejercicios está diseñada la instalación para de grupo son una buena manera lograr el LEED Double Platinum de comprometerte a un entreCertification”, dijo Schiller . namiento motivante, y tanto las “SDSU se convertirá en la primFoto por clases dentro del campus como Freepik era institución de alta educación las virtuales se ofrecen en el calen la nación en tener una unión endario de otoño que abarca estudiantil y centro recreativo de hasta el 10 de diciembre”, dijo LEED Double Platinum”.

Schiller .

La expansión y renovación del El ARC también cuenta con programas ARC resultará en ser una instalación del basados en un costo que incluyen clases tamaño total de 138,000 pies cuadrados. de ENS que cuentan créditos universitarios Incluirá actualizaciones tales como increy el programa de Aztec Adventures. Pro- mentar el equipo de cardio y pesas, agregar porcionan una oportunidad para que los canchas para apoyo de los deportes intraestudiantes aprendan una nueva habilidad murales, agregar salones para ejercicio en en baile, artes marciales, deportes acuáti- grupo tales como, una sala tranquila, escos, ejercicio, mente corporal, al igual que pacios para estudiar y socializar, un restauescalar y habilidades al aire libre. rante saludable Shake Smart, compartiEl próximo jueves 7 de octubre de 6 mentos de género-neutral, espacios para p.m. - 9 p.m., el ARC tendrá un evento lla- regaderas y baños, nuevas paredes de roca mado Live Well Late Night Virtual Fitness para escalar, y una pista de 1/8 para correr Jam donde todas las clases serán por Zoom. adentro.

Los eventos Live Well Late Night seMark Zakrzewski, el Director Ejecutiguirán tomando lugar durante todo el año vo Asociado de la Asociación de Estudicomo parte de la iniciativa del Live Well antes dijo que la expansión del ARC es Aztecs, como una asociación de los recur- un proyecto emocionante para SDSU y el sos del campus con la meta de proveer papel del programa de recreación en una programas que apoyan e inspiran a los es- universidad va más allá de proporcionar tudiantes de SDSU, a la facultad y al per- oportunidades de tiempo libre a la comusonal para que lleven una vida saludable y nidad del campus. balanceada.

“Las instalaciones recreativas y los proEntrenadores personales están dis- gramas juegan un papel importante en el ponibles para todos los miembros del reclutamiento,” dijo Zakrzewski.

Foto por Kyle Betz

El comienzo de la remodelacion del centro de recreación de SDSU en construccion este verano 2021.

Foto por Associated Students

La construcción de la remodelación del centro de recreación de SDSU actualmente en este semestre otoño 2021.

Cómo los estudiantes chicanx celebran el Dia de la Independencia mexicana en el mes de septiembre por Karina Bazarte y Juan Daniel Avila

EDITORA ASSIST. DE MUNDO AZTECA/ESCRITOR

Al otro lado de la frontera, el Día de la Independencia de México, también conocido como “El Grito”, puede ser escuchado, reconocido y celebrado por mexicanos y personas de ascendencia mexicana.

Los estudiantes de la Universidad Estatal de San Diego que se identifican como mexicanos y de ascendencia mexicana compartieron sus experiencias pasadas, expresiones y cómo celebran el Día de la Independencia de México mientras viven en los Estados Unidos y extrañan su hogar, México.

El día de la Independencia de México es comúnmente confundido con la celebración del Cinco de Mayo en los Estados Unidos se celebra el 16 de septiembre.

Muchos se enfocan en la deliciosa comida mexicana y bebidas deliciosas y otros celebran el verdadero significado.

El 16 de septiembre de 1810, México declaró la guerra a España y luchó por su independencia. El líder Miguel Hidalgo sería el hombre que lideraría la insurrección mexicana esa noche del 16 de septiembre de 1810.

Con el legado de Hidalgos de “El Grito” afirmó que México estaba cansado de un gobierno corrupto y quería libertad e igualdad para todo México que son las mis-

mas palabras que los mexicanos de todo el mundo recuerdan y celebran en El Día De La Independencia.

En SDSU, los estudiantes de ascendencia mexicana hablaron sobre sus emociones y pensamientos por los que pasaron; celebrando sus raíces.

Iván Guzmán, estudiante senior de multimedia, compartió la forma en que él y su familia se regocijaron en el día de la independencia de México.

“Yo y mi familia generalmente hace algo pequeño y se juntan”, dijo Guzmán. “Lo matenemos realmente simple, pero también reconocemos que este es nuestro orgullo, esta es nuestra tradición”.

Foto por Karina Bazarte

VER EN

LÍNEA

Estudiantes chicanx de SDSU mostrando su orgullo mexicano.

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The Back Page

Sept. 29 - Oct. 5, 2021 Editor: Ryan Hardison • arts@thedailyaztec.com

Modest Mouse throws it back with nostalgic oldies at Open Air Theatre

By Ryan Hardison ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

Veteran rock band Modest Mouse showed their lasting power as one of the genre’s most enjoyable bands when they performed at the Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre on Wednesday, Sept.

22.

Currently, Modest Mouse is on tour to support their newest album “The Golden Casket” which was released this past June and San Diego served as their second California stop.

Known for songs like “Float On” and “Lampshades on Fire,” Modest Mouse has spent nearly three decades as one of alternative’s most prolific, evolving bands.

Not many groups can say their albums vary as much as Modest Mouse. As much as their roster has changed over the years, the one consistency has been the band’s driving force: lead singer Isaac Brock.

Much of the band’s subject material has been based on Brock’s personal experiences, including his longtime battle with substance abuse.

Despite the location of the concert being just steps from the campus library at San Diego State, the crowd was full of mostly middle-aged concertgoers, which is unsurprising considering the band has been making music since before many SDSU students were born.

The night started out with a sparsely filled crowd, partially owing to freeway traffic and the massive lines at the concession stands.

The first performer of the night was The Districts, an indie rock band from Philadelphia opening for Modest Mouse on multiple legs of their nationwide tour. The members came onto the stage looking like they just finished a shift at the Westfield Mission Valley Vans store but immediately got to rocking without any introduction.

Their brief set started off with “Cheap Regrets,” a song with an insane guitar riff that got most of the crowd up on their feet.

Drummer Braden Lawrence’s performance especially stood out, as his playing had so much force that concertgoers could

feel the thumping pulse from the drum within their chests. The whole band brought really great energy to the stage, a nice comparison to their mellow studio records.

After a prompt 30-minute intermission, Modest Mouse strolled onstage and started off their nearly two hour set with “The World At Large.” Their set definitely contained less movement than the more youthful Districts but garnered a lot of loud cheers every time they began a song, and by the time they started, the arena had filled up quite nicely.

Compared to the Districts’ youthful appearance, the veteran band looked a bit more reserved and weary, probably evident of the band’s changes over the years. Front and center was Brock in a light orange jumpsuit — very prison chic.

Modest Mouse had a more extensive band with three guitarists, a drummer, a violinist, a man who broke out a variety of percussion instruments including a tambourine and a shaker. The instrument most emphasized was the blaring guitars which filled up the venue and bounced off the library windows. Throughout their show, they showed their diverse range, progressing from softly rocking to fullon chaos. Brook especially got in on the festivities by playing the guitar with his tongue and pulling out a banjo for “Satin In A Coffin.”

A particularly loud group in the front section was screaming every lyric and yelling out song requests, proving themselves to be the most loyal Modest Mouse fans. (What are their stans called?

Mousies? Mouseketeers? Mouse Men and mouse women? Either way, there were a whole bunch of them.)

After doing an encore fake-out, where a band says they’re done for the night and actually are just taking a bathroom break and waiting for the crowd to start cheering, Modest Mouse finished off the night with “Float On,” a stone-cold classic part of the legendary video game Rock Band 2. They’d been proving all night why they’re a band worth following for years and years, and Modest Mouse solidified it by playing their biggest hit.

Photo by Noelani Sapla

Modest Mouse lead singer Isaac Brock performing “The World At Large” to open their their set.

Photo by Noelani Sapla

A packed crowd of contergoers on their feet at the Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre on Sept. 22.

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Photo by Noelani Sapla

The Districts’ lead singer Rob Grote enthusiastically singing the chorus of “Cheap Regrets.”

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