The Daily Aztec 9/8/2021 by The Daily Aztec

Weds., Sept. 8 - Tues., Sept. 14, 2021 Weekly Print Edition

Vol. 108, Issue 4 www.thedailyaztec.com

San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

Candidate Kevin Kiley speaks on upcoming recall election

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

OPINION Remote learning should have been an option for students with COVID-19 related concerns. PAGE 5

ARTS & CULTURE Editorial photographer Serena Tran shows off her talent! PAGE 7

Photo by Jayne Yutig

Recall election candidate Kevin Kiley makes appearance at City Hall protest.

MUNDO El nuevo estadio de SDSU, Aztec Stadum continua en construccion para el ano 2022. PAGE 8

SPORTS SDSU needs comeback to defeat New Mexico State. PAGE 10

by Jayne Yutig ASSISTANT MULTIAMEDIA EDITOR

The California gubernatorial recall election is set for Sept. 14 and voters are divided on whether or not to remove Gov. Gavin Newsom from office. The special election was born out of frustrations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Restrictions and mandates have polarized the nation with California being the only state in the nation to successfully initiate an effort to remove its governor. Newsom’s handling of the state’s efforts were the most restrictive in the country. But after multiple scandals including a private dinner

News............................... 2-3 Opinion..........................4-5 Arts & Culture ............... 6-7 Mundo............................8-9 Sports..........................10-11 The Back Page.................. 12

Newsom. Marin said Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota and Gov. Ron Desantis of Florida are examples of how to govern while still respecting individual freedoms. Both governors have received support for their opposition to government mandates, but citizens in their respective states have endured the worst of the pandemic. South Dakota has experienced the largest increase in COVID-19 cases in the nation since the annual Sturgis motorcycle rally while Desantis has signed a law that will withhold the pay of school administrators that impose vaccine and mask mandates. “They have a huge following because they stand for the

people and not their own pockets and personal interests,” Marin said. Marin attended a campaign rally at the Waterfront Park in Downtown San Diego in support of one of the candidates for governor, California Assembly member Kevin Kiley. Kiley is one of over 40 candidates hoping to secure enough votes to replace Newsom if the recall passes. Kiley said college students should pay attention to this election because young people have the most at stake. “We have made this state so SEE RECALL ELECTION PAGE 3

San Diego Afghan community reacts to U.S. withdrawal, shares why they march by Catlan Nguyen & Adam Correa

EDITOR IN CHIEF, STAFF WRITER

INDEX

party during California’s stayat-home order, over 1.6 million Californians exceeded the signature threshold to certify the recall election. Voters in San Diego County like Tania Marin support voting yes on the recall because she said basic freedoms are what is at stake in the special election. “Whether you’re Republican or Democrat, if you believe something that’s great,” Marin said. “But no one should be forced to do anything. You should have the choice, the freedom of choice, and that’s why so many people come to America.” Marin said the closing of businesses during the pandemic warrants the recall of

The United States government is currently receiving backlash for both the removal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and for the lack of Afghan refugees being allowed to enter the country. President Biden addressed the Taliban’s hostile takeover of Afghanistan on Aug. 16 stating

“I stand squarely behind my decision [to withdraw troops]. After 20 years, I’ve learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw U.S. forces.” The suicide bombing that occurred in the Kabul Airport killed 170 Afghan citizens and 13 U.S. service members sparked even greater unrest. SEE AFGHAN PHOTOS PAGE 3

Photo by Catlan Nguyen

The words “Forever My Flag” resonated for the local Afghan community in attendance.

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News

Sept. 8 - 14, 2021 EDITOR: Katelynn Robinson • news@thedailyaztec.com

University confirms 96 COVID-19 cases by Lucelis Martinez STAFF WRITER

San Diego State released a universitywide email encouraging students to be mindful of COVID-19 during the Labor Day weekend. As of Sept. 7, the university has confirmed 96 COVID-19 cases on SDSU’s main campus, with at least 792 tests administered at the time of the Sept. 3 email release. The university has confirmed one COVID-19 case at the Imperial Valley campus. The email contained a message from a White House briefing, given by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), warning people not to travel if they have not been vaccinated. “This fall, individual COVID-19 cases that are confirmed will be posted to the COVID-19 Dashboard and shared in the COVID-19 Weekly Digest,” the email said. Public health teams will inform and guide those who have been in close contact with those positive with COVID-19, according to the email. “If any individual close contacts are identified, a case management team

contacts each individual to provide them with information and direction, including any instructions for quarantine per U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance,” the email said. SDSU offers self-administered COVID-19 testing options via kiosks installed around campus, 24 hours a day for students and employees. “Faculty, staff, students and auxiliary employees with RedIDs may pick up a self administered COVID-19 test kit at the vending machines,” the email said. The tests are not the same as rapid at home tests. Results are available between one and three days later. The tests are $1 or students can follow the instructions on the kiosk to gain free test credit. The Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson and Johnson vaccines are available at Student Health Services. As of Sept. 3, over 95.2% of SDSU students are vaccinated, according to the email. Additionally, the email mentioned the ongoing Aztec Nights Events. “These events are designed to provide an outdoor, social space for you to meet and celebrate with other students in a safe environment,” the email said.

Statue of Samuel T. Black, the first president of SDSU.

Photo by Amal Younis

2021 national suicide prevention week by Katelynn NEWS EDITOR

Robinson

Anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts are common mental health issues among young adults. Moving out, attending college and establishing a career are clearly major stressors. The pandemic is in no way lessening the stress of young adults venturing out into the world on their own. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States and the second leading cause of death for people between the ages of 10-34. “In May 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, ED visits for suspected suicide attempts began to increase among adolescents aged 12–17 years, especially girls,” the CDC report said. “During February 21–March 20, 2021, suspected suicide attempt ED visits were 50.6% higher among girls aged 12–17 years than during the same period in 2019; among boys aged 12– 17 years, suspected suicide attempt ED visits increased 3.7%.” Needless to say, it is true when people say you are not alone. All this being said, resources and programs are available. The month of September is set aside to initiate openminded conversations and discuss potential solutions. The Suicide Prevention Lifeline website provides a list of coping mechanisms for living during the COVID-19 pandemic. The site recommends limiting media consumption and getting reliable health information for direct sources such as the CDC. San Diego State students have a variety of mental health services available. Student Health Services and Counseling and Psychological Services offer mental health resources including counseling, therapy and workshops. Students who would like to speak with a therapist can call the

following phone number, 619-5945220, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. for a 15-minute consultation, according to the Counseling and Psychological Services website. A schedule of group therapy and workshops are available during the Fall 2021 semester. The sessions are designed for specific needs and individuals. Some of the programs listed are “Womxn of Color Empowerment Group, Living with Loss and Body Wisdom.” Additional workshops include mindfulness and mediation practices, targeted to improve sleep, academic performance and relaxation, according to the website. The National Suicide Prevention Hotline 800-273-8255 is available 24 hours a day.

Photo by Sara Rott

Calpulli Student Health Center located on Hardy Avenue.

Graphic by Catlan Nguyen

News

Sept. 8 - 14, 2021 EDITOR: Katelynn Robinson news@thedailyaztec.com,

The Daily Aztec

Afghan photos:

continued from page 1 Protests and demonstrations have spread across the nation showing solidarity with Afghan citizens and communities. A protest organized by Sana Heshemi brought together hundreds of activists who marched the streets of downtown San Diego. The Taliban initiated a caretaker government on Sept. 7. Loyalists dating back to the 1990s have been appointed as acting cabinet ministers, according to the New York Times.

Photo by Catlan Nguyen

PHOTO BY ADAM CORREA

Photo by Catlan Nguyen

The crowd chanted “We want refugees!” later in the march all around downtown.

Recall election:

continued from page 1 difficult for young people to grow up in,” Kiley said. “Kids coming out of college today, you can get a good job, work really hard, do everything right but not be able to afford a down payment on a home until you’re in your 40’s.” A recent SurveyUSA poll conducted for The San Diego Union Tribune shows 5 percent of voters supporting Kiley, well behind front runner Larry Elder who is at 27 percent. Despite the gap in support, Kiley said the person he is running against is Newsom and he won’t contrast himself with any other Republican candidates.

Photo Catlan Nguyen

“I’m seeking to differentiate myself from Gavin Newsom, he’s my opponent in this race. I think he’s led the state in the wrong direction and I seek to lead it in a totally different direction,” Kiley said. Kiley said his qualifications in Sacramento are what sets him apart from any other candidate in the race. “I’m the one person running who’s been fighting in the legislature,” Kiley said. “I’ve been a member of the California legislature for five years. If the recall is successful, I’d be ready on day one to actually implement the changes that we really need here.” Kiley has sat on the higher education committee during his time in the California legislature and said he has fought against the consistent increase in tuition at California State Universities.

Photo by Catlan Nguyen

The variety of signs shows support for Afghan citizens and puts U.S. and NATO on blast.

“We have a very large budget in California, we pay a lot of taxes and I don’t see any reason why we should keep asking our students to pay more to get a good education,” Kiley said. San Diego State College Democrats President Maya Banks said her organization is counting on students to turnout and vote no on the recall despite low enthusiasm to participate. “The gap between winning and losing for Newsom is tiny,” Banks said. “I think it’s a super important election for Democrats in particular to vote in because we’re seeing Republicans (are) more likely to vote because it’s a way to get Newsom out of office.” Multiple controversies involving Newsom during California’s stay-athome order drew criticism from both Republicans and Democrats. But Banks

Photo by Catlan Nguyen

said that doesn’t warrant removing Newsom from office. “I think it was definitely a misuse of his power,” Banks said. “But does that really say he’s a danger to the citizens of California?” The results of the election will ultimately come down to voter turnout and Banks said that is what concerns her the most. “The problem is going to be that if we have too many Democrats who decide to just not fill out their ballots and not vote in this election, there’s a good chance a Republican will come to power. But that Republican will not be widely supported throughout the state,” Banks said. Every voter in California has been mailed a ballot and will have the opportunity to vote in-person on Sept. 14.

Opinion

The Daily Aztec

Sept. 8 - 14, 2021 EDITOR: Aaliyah Alexander • opinion@thedailyaztec.com

Language curriculum is not effective, new method needed

Photo by Aaliyah Alexander

Spanish textbook from Spanish 201

by brenna martinez CONTRIBUTOR

Whenever the topic of high school language classes pops up in discussions, one statement gets thrown around nearly every time: “I took three years of the language and can’t even hold a basic conversation!” Students are quick to accuse their language teacher of being bad at their job or incompetent if they are not fluent or highly proficient at the end of their high school language studies. However, this experience cannot be tied back to a language teacher’s ability to teach.

The fact of the matter is that schools approach language education in the wrong way. We are taught foreign grammar concepts in our native language, tested on conjugations and drilled to repeat scripts — which, in the end, does not properly equip us to learn the language, as articulated by leading linguist Stephen Krashen. The most important factor necessary in acquiring a second language is input. Input refers to the language information we receive from reading or listening to content with the second language embedded such as conversations,

passages from books, movies, etc. Krashen proposes that we only develop a mental representation of a second language through input and the things we are explicitly taught about a second language in our native language will do next to nothing for acquisition. So, in other words, the hourlong lessons that were given to you in English about how the second language conjugates verbs, forms plurals and all other technical information did not help you to acquire the language. Input is crucial to language learning and it is one thing our language classrooms lack the most. Just think about how many hours you actually get exposed to the language you’re learning in these settings. In most language classrooms, the instructor does not speak in the second language for the majority of class time. Even if they did, you would still only be receiving about four hours of input every school week, depending on how frequently that particular class period meets. It can take hundreds of hours of input and study to reach basic levels of proficiency in a second language. If you dedicate time outside of the classroom to seek meaningful input, you could reach proficiency a bit faster, but the reality is that traditional classrooms are not designed for students to reach high proficiency in a foreign language due to time

constraints. There are also other misconceptions about “selfstudying” a language. Recently, interest in at-home language learning has increased with various blogs and Youtube videos circulating on “how to” learn a foreign language in a month. Some may think that this self-study route will help individuals reach fluency much faster than a traditional setting, but this is not the case. Do not be discouraged if you were diligently dedicated to your Duolingo streak and found yourself not being able to hold a conversation after a month of daily use. To be clear, language classrooms or apps aren’t useless because they can serve as guides for deeper learning. Every linguist will tell you that there is no shortcut to learning languages. Language is not a behavior that can be drilled — it’s something that requires time to build as a system in your brain. As long as you go into your language learning journey focused on experiencing comprehensible input while carving out time to practice — and remember that time is not something you can cheat — you will see success. Brenna Martinez is a junior studying linguistics and English.

9/11 attacks still hit too close to home by trinity bland MANAGING EDITOR

“It was a sunny Tuesday morning, the weather was actually nice for September in D.C., you never would’ve thought...” my dad would always say when recalling the day the world changed. The September 11 terrorist attacks, historically known as “9/11,” left America in terror and in unexplainable grief after nearly 3,000 people, three of whom were SDSU alumni, were killed in New York City, Washington, D.C. and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Even more Americans were injured and still suffer from the day’s impact through PTSD. Twenty years later, there is an overwhelming share of Americans who are either far too young to remember the devastating event or weren’t born yet. Younger generations have had to hear the stories of people who lived through historical tragedies. My mom worked at the Federal Bureau of Investigation headquarters in D.C. at the time and would tell me over the years how petrifying it was to hear about the planes crashing into the Pentagon, only minutes away from the F.B.I., and she realistically wondered if her workplace would be the next target.

Her vivid recollection of how the elevators in her building were packed with people leaving due to the state of emergency seemed movie-like. Like my parents, Americans who were old enough to witness this tragedy remember the moment they first learned of the attacks — where they were, who they were with and the way it made them feel. I think about how my mom could have been hurt that day or perhaps far worse but instead, my family and I were okay and that’s the story we get the privilege to tell. However, others have more unfortunate stories to tell, and it is important that we continue to recognize this as well as how blessed many of us are. Two decades after the attacks, the focus needs to be on the families who lost loved ones or are still impacted — both physically and emotionally. I’ve read the books. I’ve watched the special documentaries. Being from D.C., I’ve seen the memorials. I’ve visited the museum exhibits. I drive past the Pentagon on a regular basis. It all hits too close to home every time — not only because my hometown was one of the cities directly affected but as an American citizen, my heart aches at the nightmare that has struck families across the country.

As the 20th anniversary of 9/11 approaches, every American should say the same as if it happened to them — because it did. On Sept. 12, 2001, the world was a completely different place for all of us. Anti-Muslim violence became prominent and increased security occurred not only on a national level but on a local premise as well. About a week after the attacks, President George W. Bush spoke to the nation and called for the “war on terror.” “Our war on terror begins with al-Qaeda, but it does not end there,” Bush said in his address then. “It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated.” Troops invaded Afghanistan in early October of 2001 with several objectives: one being to murder Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks. Under the Obama administration, America was successful in bin Laden’s murder. On Aug. 31, President Joe Biden declared the end of the war in Afghanistan, which lasted for nearly two decades, making it the longest war in American history. This had negative impacts as the Taliban quickly took control of the Afghan government.

We all have left voicemails for someone we love. Hearing Brian Sweeney’s final voicemail on 9/11 to his wife, Julie, will always be chilling. The possibility of it being your last one forces you to turn inward and consider the terrifying prospect of it becoming a sudden reality as it did for the Sweeneys. Bill Biggart sacrificed his life in the name of journalism to photograph the destruction of the Twin Towers to the best of his ability, capturing the jarring 9/11 images we all can easily identify today. Making it even more personal, the journalist in me recognizes how essential storytelling is and it fuels my deep respect for Biggart’s contributions to photojournalism. After twenty long and painful years, this is a day that is impossible to forget because of its deadly legacy that has tainted our country forever. It changed the way we view war, peace, our safety and fellow Americans. No matter where you’re from, Sept. 11 should and will always hit too close to home. Trinity Bland is a senior studying television, film, media and Spanish. Follow her on Twitter @ trinityaliciaa.

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

STAFF WRITERS Lucelis Martinez Adam Correa Flower Smith Evelyn Martinez Xiomara Villarreal Gerardo SENIOR STAFF WRITERS Marco Perez CONTRIBUTORS Morgan Davidson Niamh Moore Lindsey Anderson Brenna Martinez ________________________________

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Brian Arnold ________________________________

GRAPHIC DESIGN SPECIALIST Luis Valenzuela EDITORIAL 619.594.4190 editor@thedailyaztec.com ADVERTISING 619.594.7807 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.

Opinion

Sept. 8 - 14, 2021 EDITOR: Aaliyah Alexander • opinion@thedailyaztec.com

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Remote learning should be offered to students due to ongoing pandemic by lindsey anderson SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Over the past few months, San Diego State has operated like an invincible force. In the midst of a worsening global pandemic, SDSU has been treating itself as if the rules don’t apply — bringing 33,000+ students back onto campus with a large majority of freshmen once again crammed into dorm rooms. Communal bathrooms don’t seem to be a cause for concern, floors with over 120 students between three hallways don’t seem to be an issue, classrooms full of students — vaccinated or not — are the least of all evils, even in the midst of a virus variant that spreads within one second of exposure. The COVID-19 Delta variant introduced a completely new nightmare to tackle, but SDSU seems to believe that it’s all over. With vaccine requirements and mask mandates in place, the university functions as if it has everything under control: for one, it doesn’t, and for two, campus should have never fully reopened to begin with. In-person class attendance for fall 2021 should have never been a requirement. The pandemic is evolving, new variants are emerging, new age groups are getting sicker and fewer people are believing in the deadly effects of the virus, yet here we are — reinstating class as it was before COVID-19. And the worst part? We had no choice. As a last-semester senior who didn’t feel safe returning to campus, I was faced with an impossible decision: move back to San Diego and put myself in the middle of COVID-19’s breeding ground or delay the last four months of my education until a safer scenario presented itself. Although I was fully vaccinated, the efficacy of vaccines is waning with time and I knew my chances of contracting COVID were increasing as time moved forward. However, there were 18 units and four months of college left for me and it didn’t really seem worth it to delay my

degree any longer. Obviously, I wasn’t the only one. By requiring students to return to campus this fall, SDSU forced them to choose between their personal health and safety and the viability of their education. Every COVID-19 update the university sent forth had the same foundational message: vaccines were required, in-person attendance was required and if not, there would be no degree. Amidst these requirements was great disregard for students with hesitations. There are students who have immunocompromised people at home and professors with kids too young to be vaccinated. There are students who fear the fraternities and sororities who party like COVID-19 never existed, and then there are those students who are just simply afraid. Unfortunately, an ear for these students with highly reasonable concerns just doesn’t exist. You come to campus or your education halts. How is the university, whose sole purpose is to educate its student body, fulfilling its mission by blatantly denying an education to those who just don’t quite feel safe yet? A choice should have been given. Students should have had the opportunity to decide if they wanted to return to campus this fall or stay online for another semester. Professors should have been allowed to choose their teaching format rather than receiving explicit instructions by the university to never use Zoom again. It is feasible to record a class session and post it online for students who have chosen to remain at home, leaving class participation grades limited to accommodate the differences in learning formats. I exercised my basic right to speak my mind of such things, but SDSU wouldn’t have it. They have since prioritized their profit over their people and the feeling of being powerless against such an important institution has been deeply upsetting. I’m starting to wonder if maybe that was their

point all along: to abuse their power. My recent experiences with SDSU have had no friendly or supportive component. It is strictly business and I am inhuman. Instead of putting the concerns of their students first, SDSU rushed into a decision they were in no position to rush into, and now we are here: all 33,000 of us on

Photo by Aaliyah Alexander

Learning from home is an effective option for students who are still concerned with COVID-19.

campus. My question now is not if I will get sick but when I do get sick, will the university humanize me then? I guess only time will tell. Lindsey Anderson is a senior studying rhetoric and writing.

Photo by Aaliyah Alexander

SDSU regulations for returning students on campus.

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Arts & Culture

Sept. 8 - 14, 2021 EDITOR: Ryan Hardison • arts@thedailyaztec.com

‘Dragstravaganza’ brings glitz, gloss and glamour back to Hepner Hall by Niamh Moore STAFF WRITER

This year’s Dragstravaganza organized by the San Diego State Student Pride Center brought glitter, glamour and fierceness to Aztec Nights. The show featured San Diego’s best drag queens, who took the stage by storm and completely blew the audience away. Upon entering the event, all students were required to have their student ID ready and were handed a raffle ticket that was entered for a chance to win free merchandise during the performance. Hepner Hall was completely lit up with dancing rainbow lights as the audience of students awaited the queens to come on stage. The turnout was substantial, with close to one hundred students in the crowd at the beginning of the night — which only increased as the night progressed. When the drag queens came out on stage, it is safe to say that they SLAYED. The show was hosted by Ms. Amber St. James and Luxe The Drag Queen, both of whom were extremely excited to be back performing at SDSU. The drag queens lip-synced songs ranging from Ariana Grande to 90’s classics as they served their best looks. Wearing stilettos, they did cartwheels, the splits, stood on chairs and so much more showcasing their pure talent. All the queens that performed are part of a San Diego-based group called “Sisters of St. James.” Even though not all the

Photo by Brittany Cruz- Fejeran

Amber St. James performing on stage in front of Hepner Hall during 2021 Dragstravaganza.

drag events at SDSU have been named Dragstravaganza, this group has been working closely with the university for the last 6 years to bring action-packed nights of drag to the students. Amber St. James (they/them/she/hers) is a drag legend who refers to herself as a “Kickass Bearded Black Activist Queen.” She thought that this year’s event had an amazing turnout. “I’d say that last night felt like coming home. After being able to plan and build these kinds of shows with SDSU for the last 6 years, it felt amazing to come back

again and slay like nothing had ever changed.” Said St. James, “The crowd’s energy was the lit-est it has ever been, truly a historical moment for SDSU drag especially because that was the first time we’ve ever done the event outside of Hepner Hall.” Luxe The Drag Queen (she/her/hers) also praised the ecstatic energy the performers received from the crowd. She says she looks forward to performing in front of SDSU students again next month. “The thing I love the most about performing at SDSU is just how electric

the crowd is always! There is a level of support and adoration that comes from SDSU students that is unmatched anywhere else,” Luxe said. “The fact that the drag shows SDSU holds are quick to become full-blown concerts with people jumping up and screaming. With everyone filming to save that moment it is an experience you truly couldn’t find in Hillcrest with such intensity.” The drag queens were not the only performers at Dragstravaganza. The hosts picked four lucky students out of the crowd to take part in a challenge. In this challenge, the four participants wore wigs that resembled different pop icons. When they heard their pop star’s song start to play, they had to bring their fiercest dance moves to the stage. The students brought their all and made the crowd go wild. The winner received a poster signed by all the queens. Dragstravaganza brought students from all walks of life together to bond over a night of dancing and stilettos. The crowd laughed, danced and their immaculate energy filled the school’s front plaza. The “Sisters of St. James’’ group will be making a return to SDSU on Oct. 30 2021, for their Halloween themed show “Scream Queens”. This show will also be hosted by Amber St. James and Luxe The Drag Queen. For those who missed the event, the “Sisters of St. James’” group hosts frequent shows in San Diego. The Instagram for the group is @hausofstjames and @sosjphaus where they post updates for future shows.

‘Shang-Chi’ is worthwhile but not without its faults by Morgan Davidson CONTRIBUTOR

Marvel Studios’ “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” sets a new precedent, yet seemingly takes a step back. It is the first Marvel movie to feature an Asian hero who dazzles audiences with spectacular fight scenes and humor while simultaneously watering down the story of Chinese Americans. The star is Shawn (Simu Liu), the average 20-something in San Francisco: living in a small studio apartment, working a minimum wage valet job and slightly irresponsible. He spends his days working and partying with his equally irresponsible best friend, Katy (Awkwafina). Shawn is hiding his true story from her. Shawn’s true name is Shang-Chi. His mother (Fala Chen), who died when he was a child, was a martial artist from another dimension whose powers rivaled his father’s (Tony Chiu-Wai Leung). Shang-Chi’s father is a millennia old warrior, with the power of the 10 rings bound to his arms. After his wife dies, he becomes hell bent on avenging her and making Shang-Chi a powerful fighter. That’s still not the whole family. ShangChi has a little sister, Xialing (Meng’er Zhang), who defected from the family to create her own fighting ring empire. When Shang-Chi is sent a cryptic postcard, he is recalled to his family to finally put their issues to rest. For the most part, the story is well paced and intriguing. But because the story does not start at Shang-Chi’s true beginning, the story’s pace came to a halt with inserts of Shang-Chi’s backstory. Shang-Chi needs to be carried by the characters around him before he can

truly shine at the end of his story. This is slightly compensated by the fact that the supporting cast can stand on their own and keep the audience engaged. Xialing, for example, is an incredible fighter who runs her own dark web fight ring. Katy, who serves as viewers’ comic relief, really shines simply by being played by Awkwafina. It’s a shame her and Simu Liu don’t have the chemistry or script to create some amazing humor. One of the main themes of this movie is the culture of Chinese Americans. For the first few acts of the movie, Chinese American culture is wonderfully represented and respected. Katy lives in a multi-generational household with her traditional grandmother and mother who pester her about finding a better job and getting married. The music in the movie also reflects Asian Americans as a whole with songs by BIBI, NIKI, keshi and more Asian artists. Yet, this appreciation of Asian and Chinese Americans becomes lukewarm in the final acts of the movie. Most of the final act involves superficial marks of Chinese culture. While the fight choreography is visually interesting, the shallow understanding of Chinese culture leads to a goofy end fight scene. With respect to those who have not seen the movie: spoilers in the next paragraph. The last act feels uncreative. There was almost no Marvel flair besides Shang-Chi’s magic bangles. During the final battle, Shang-Chi learns he has the power to summon a dragon, known as “The Great Protector,” from a mystical pond. He flies on this dragon with his sister to defeat his father while the army of warriors from another dimension do magic martial arts below them. The movie sticks to the stereotypes of American-made Chinese movies or

Courtesy of Awkwafina and Marvel Studios

Screenshot of Awkwafina’s Instagram celebrating the release of “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.”

popular Chinese films. Think of “Kung Fu Panda” with some inspiration from “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” While there is nothing inherently wrong with these movies, it waters down Chinese people and Chinese Americans to be Kung Fu masters with dragon powers. That’s not to say these tropes were done poorly or with malice. However, the filmmakers simply could have done away with them or written them in a fresh way. “Crazy Rich Asians” is a perfect example of proper Asian representation without feeling cheesy or shallow.

These factors alongside a lack of advertising for this movie have caused audiences to question if Marvel was truly interested in having an Asian Avenger or if they felt it was just a cross off of a list of races needed in order to have a diverse cast. Hopefully, Marvel hears these concerns and make the changes necessary to create a better film for Shang-Chi’s sequel. This Avenger truly has the potential to create a powerhouse series for Marvel; they only have to give Shang-Chi and the audience the respect they deserve.

Sept. 8 - 14, 2021 EDITOR: Ryan Hardison • arts@thedailyaztec.com

Arts & Culture

The Daily Aztec

Nursing student develops a strong passion for high-quality photoshoots by Flower Smith STAFF WRITER

A nursing junior at San Diego State, Serena Tran is a passionate photographer who is growing every day with her artistry. Tran’s passion for photography began when she was younger, when she would take family photos for her sister on vacation or go around her neighborhood with her friends to take photos. “I would go on what I called ‘photoshoots’ but it was really mainly a way of hanging out with my friends while also taking pictures,” Tran said. It was then that Tran decided to apply to her high school’s journalism program, mostly for fun, but to also take pictures. This is what really pushed her interest in photography. Fast forward to the next school year, Tran became the photo director of her school’s journalism team. “I really just became known, I guess, as a photographer,” Tran said. Tran specializes in editorial photoshoots, but she is also known for her graduation shoots within the SDSU community. SDSU graduate Carolina Barrios discovered Tran’s photography account by searching through Instagram hashtags and then quickly came across Tran’s website that explained pricing packages for shoots. Barrios discussed the main reason she decided to book with Tran for her graduation pictures. “I fell in love with the style of her pictures and just how glowy they looked,” Barrios said. Barrios also talked about her experience with Tran. “It was my first time doing photography service,” Barrios said. “She made it really comfortable. She guided me and she would give me pointers throughout the session.” Tran makes it apparent to build trust and communication before a session. She emphasizes that the shoots are centered around the client. “I think it’s really important that you just let the client know that this is about them and anything they say about you or your photography, you will not take it

One of Tran’s portraits from her instagram photography account @tranography.

personally,” Tran said. As a photographer, Tran said she is not pretentious about her equipment. In fact, she likes to keep it simple and stick to what she is most familiar with. She started out with her parent’s DSLR camera and still continues to work with a Nikon D5300 DSLR that has an 18 to 35 mm with an aperture of f/1.8 lens. Tran takes pride in her artistry and can spend hours perfecting her concepts. Since crafting her concepts with photography, she finally found her niche in editing. She currently uses the software Adobe Lightroom, which is a photo management and photo editing application. Tran’s sister, Alison Tran, has been part of her sister’s photography journey since day one. “She has this talent of being able to edit all her photos to make them all look similar,” Tran said. For inspiration, Tran takes to Pinterest and other photography pages on Instagram. She is heavily inspired by @marinawphoto for concepts and @ shotzbyalex for editing on Instagram.

Photo by Serena Tran

When it comes to planning out concepts and other ideas for photoshoots, she turns to @marinawphoto because of her nature-inspired work. “Because I do really enjoy shooting in nature and because she lives in Utah, she has so much nature around her,” Tran said. “It inspires me to kind of adventure around my area to try to find stuff.” Tran’s developed complex and unique style of photography has given her the

opportunity to take advantage of the world around her. “There are so many good places that you can take pictures that you don’t really think about that could create,” Tran said. “It’s really what the camera sees.” She goes on to explain that you can make the most with what you already have. “There could be a pile of trash right next to you and no one needs to know about it, it’s just how you frame the picture and how you propose it,” Tran said. For future projects, Tran can see herself possibly shooting for engagements events. She also expressed these photoshoots are less stressful because there are opportunities for additional shoots. “Couple pictures are so fun to take because you can feel the love, you can feel the energy,” Tran said. One of the biggest takeaways for Tran is that photography is a very hands-on skill and it takes time to learn and grow. “You kind of just see where it takes you and as you learn to develop your style personally more, it will just come with time,” Tran said. “It’s just one of those things where you just need to be exposed to eventually what you’re looking for and then once you find that, you can kind of start to build on that.” For now, Tran will continue her photography as more of a hobby than career choice. In the meantime, Tran will continue to donate 25% of her profits to her favorite charities. To see more from Tran, check out her photography account @tranography on Instagram.

Photo by Serena Tran

Tran has done several graduation photoshoots and sees herself doing engagement shoots in the future.

Photo by Serena Tran

Tran uses various locations in San Diego County for her photoshoots and takes inspiration from her surroundings.

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Mundo Azteca

Sept. 8 - 14, 2021 EDITOR: Noé Sandoval • mundoazteca@thedailyaztec.com

La inauguración del Aztec Stadium planea ser en septiembre del 2022 por Xiomara escritora

Gerardo-Villarreal

La comunidad de San Diego está contando los minutos y las horas para que llegue el momento en el que el Aztec Stadium, su nombre en inglés, retumbe con gritos y emoción. Está previsto que el estadio abra sus puertas el 3 de septiembre del 2022 para iniciar la temporada del fútbol americano de los Aztecas, el equipo de futbol americano de la Universidad Estatal de San Diego contra la Universidad de Arizona. La instalación anticipa tener 35,000 asientos de capacidad con la habilidad de subirlo hasta 55,000 en un futuro. El estadio lleva más de un año en construcción y es parte del proyecto SDSU Mission Valley campus. En el sitio oficial del Aztec Stadium y en palabras de la Presidenta de la Universidad Estatal de San Diego Dra. Adela De La Torre. “El SDSU Mission Valley campus es fundamental para el futuro de nuestra universidad y permite a la Universidad Estatal de San Diego expandir su impacto económico y educativo en nuestra región.”, dijo De La Torre. El Director Asociado Ejecutivo de Atletismo Derek Grice dijo que una de las metas más importantes de la creación del estadio es que el Aztec Stadium sea realmente orig-

inal para la ciudad de San Diego. “Nuestro equipo de diseño se tomó a pecho el crear una experiencia inolvidable para los residentes de San Diego,” dijo Grice. “Esto va a implicar en varios sentidos tal como en la arquitectura del estadio, en el uso de paisaje, al igual que tomar ventaja del clima haciendo secciones al aire libre, y también con nuestros servicios de comida.” Aparte de esa meta importante, Grice comentó que otro objetivo fundamental es que el estadio no sea nomas para juegos de fútbol americano sino que también sea para múltiples usos en el cual se pueda utilizar los 365 días del año. Por ejemplo, juegos de fútbol americano, futbol soccer, lacrosse, rugby, al igual que conciertos, eventos familiares, banquetes, mercados, y mucho más se llevarán a cabo en el estadio . “Queremos crear algo que sea como un espacio especial para la comunidad,” dijo Grice. “Un lugar que esté disponible para ellos y sea un enorme surgimiento para todos, no nomas para estudiantes de la Universidad Estatal de San Diego pero también para San Diego en general.” El 14 de julio, el equipo de la compañía de construcción Clark, que son los que están trabajando en este proyecto, alcanzaron un éxito. Colocaron la última pieza de acero estructural en su lugar y celebraron con una ceremonia tradicional.

Foto por Noelani Salpa

Los trabajadores del acero insertan la última viga en el Estadio Azteca, completando la parte estructural del estadio.

La pieza de acero fue firmada por todos los invitados especiales que atendieron la ceremonia ese día. Desde ese logro, el equipo ha estado trabajando en situar el concreto. Como bien es cierto debido a la pandemia también se les han presentado ciertas dificultades para avanzar adecuadamente. Sin embargo, Grice dijo que cuentan con un increíble equipo de constructores que han trabajado incansablemente para estar

al día con el plan de trabajo de acuerdo al calendario estipulado. Grice expresó su emoción con respecto a que cada día se acerca más la fecha en que el Aztec Stadium esté disponible para todos. “Hay elementos de los que estoy muy emocionado que la gente ya vea,” dijo él. “Hemos estado diseñando el estadio en un ambiente experimentado donde cada vez que la gente vuelva a visitar, vean algo diferente”.

Septiembre Amarillo es el Mes de la Prevención del Suicidio, siendo prevalecente en la comunidad latina por Lucelis ESCRITORA

Martinez

El mes de septiembre se conoce como el mes donde el enfoque esta sobre la prevencion del suicidio y temas relacionados, y es llamado septiembre amarillo. La Universidad Estatal de San Diego ha bienvenido a sus estudiantes de nuevo, para el semestre otoñal. Un artículo publicado por el Club de Niños y Niñas de América detalla algunas realidades de la situación. “Muchos estudiantes a través de la nación están lidiando con cambios repentinos a sus vidas sociales y sus rutinas diarias, la inhabilidad de acceder educación, inseguridad alimentaria, y algunos pueden hasta experienciar ambientes de casa inseguros (emocional o físico),” dice el artículo. Al regresar a clases en persona, las ansiedades que existían se reemplazan con otras. Pero, los retos a la salud mental no son exclusivos a la pandemia. Un artículo publicado por Purdue University detalla las expectativas para el mes de Septiembre. “Para ayudar a aumentar conciencia and abrir el dialogo sobre el suicidio, Septiembre es reconocido anualmente como el Mes Nacional de Concientización sobre la Prevención del Suicidio,” el articulo dice, “Como parte de eso, Sept.5-11 es reconocido como la Semana Nacional de Concientizaciòn sobre la Prevenciòn del Suicidio y Sept.10 como el Dia Nacional de Concientizaciòn del Suicidio.” Los Centros de Control y Prevención

de Enfermedades (CDC) reportan que el suicidio es la decima causa principal de muerte en los Estados Unidos, y las tasas de suicidios en los Estados Unidos han aumentado 33% desde 1999 hasta 2019, dicta el articulo. La comunidad hispana tiene una diáspora de etnicidad y culturas, e individuos quienes la componen. La manera en que cada rasgo se presenta y manifiesta a veces tiene patrones. Anthony Marquez es un estudiante de tercer año en SDSU, estudiando kinesiología pre-fisioterapia. “Yo calificaría mi cultura como mexicana,” dijo Marquez, “Algunos aspectos de eso incluyen el Día de los Muertos, fiesta con piñatas, posadas, quinceañeras, y aspectos más pequeños como el tener algunos tacos de asada al lado de un vendedor.” Para Marquez, la cultura mexicana cree en la familia colectiva en vez de en el individuo. Marquez es un estudiante universitario de primera generación, él ha sentido un nivel abundante de presión de su familia. “Con eso, mientras crecía en la secundaria, experiencias,me llevaron a tiempos duros y psicológicamente desafiantes,” dijo Marquez. Él ha combatido contra la depresión, hasta el punto de temer los momentos en los que estaba solo. “Sin embargo con la ayuda de mis amigos y mi mama,pude encontrar ayuda,” dijo Marquez, “Más de, yo creo que es importante reconocer que la depresión puede convertirse en una condición seria,

Deseñado por Freepik

El cuidar la salud mental es primordial para prevenir el suicidio ya que puede venir de problemas mentales como la depresion y la ansiedad.

entonces es nuestro deber como amigos, o hasta extranjeros siempre prestar un oído para que las personas expresen sus preocupaciones.” Ivan Osuna es un alumno graduado de SDSU. ““Soy mitad Dominicano y mitad Mexicano,” dijo Osuna, “Desde mi mama aumentando el volumen de la bachata y el

merengue en las mañanas mientras limpiando la cocina, hasta atendiendo las comidas familiares en los fines de semana, la lista continúa.” Para Osuna, el crecer entre las culturas dominicanas y mexicanas le han traído felicidad y le han permitido conectarse con gente con quien él se identifica. VER EN

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Sept. 8 - 14, 2021 EDITOR: Noé Sandoval • mundoazteca@thedailyaztec.com

Mundo Azteca

The Daily Aztec

La elección revocatoria para destituir al gobernador de California, Gavin Newsom

Foto por Jayne Yutig

Manifestdores en el centro de San Diego expresan su apoyo para el nuevo candidato de gobernador.

por Jayne Yutig EDITORA ASST. DE MULTIMEDIA

Esta historia fue traducida por Noé Sandoval, editor de Mundo Azteca. La elección de destitución del gobernador de California está programada para el 14 de septiembre y los votantes están divididos sobre sí o no destituir al gobernador Gavin Newsom de su cargo. La elección especial nació de las frustraciones causadas por la pandemia del COVID-19. Las restricciones y los mandatos han polarizado a la nación, siendo California el único estado de la nación que ha iniciado con éxito un esfuerzo para destituir a su gobernador. El manejo de Newsom de los esfuerzos del estado fue el más restrictivo del país. Pero después de múltiples escándalos, incluida una cena privada durante la orden de quedarse en casa de de California, más de 1.6 millones de californianos sobrepasaron el requisito de firmas para certificar la elección de destitución. Los votantes en el condado de San Diego como Tania Marin apoyan votar sí a la revocatoria porque dijo que las libertades básicas son lo que está en juego en las elecciones especiales.

“Ya sea que sea republicano o demócrata, si cree en algo, eso es grandioso”, dijo Marin. “Pero nadie debería ser obligado a hacer nada. Deberías tener la opción, la libertad de elección, y es por eso que tanta gente viene a Estados Unidos”. Marin dijo que el cierre de negocios durante la pandemia justifica el retiro de Newsom. Marin dijo que la gobernadora Kristi Noem de Dakota del Sur y el gobernador Ron Desantis de Florida son ejemplos de cómo gobernar sin dejar de respetar las libertades individuales. Ambos gobernadores han recibido apoyo por su oposición a los mandatos gubernamentales, pero los ciudadanos de sus respectivos estados han soportado lo peor de la pandemia. Dakota del Sur ha experimentado el mayor aumento de casos de COVID-19 en la nación desde el rally anual de motocicletas Sturgis,mientras que Desantis ha firmado una ley que retendrá el pago de los administradores escolares que imponen mandatos de vacunas y mascarillas. “Tienen un gran número de seguidores porque representan a la gente y no a sus propios bolsillos e intereses personales”, dijo Marin. Marin asistió a un acto de campaña en el Waterfront Park en el centro de San Diego en apoyo de uno de los candidatos a

gobernador, Kevin Kileyla, miembro de la Asamblea de California. Kiley es uno de los más de 40 candidatos que esperan obtener suficientes votos para reemplazar a Newsom si se aprueba el retiro. Kiley dijo que los estudiantes universitarios deberían prestar atención a esta elección porque los jóvenes son los que más están en juego. “Hemos hecho que este estado sea tan difícil para que los jóvenes crezcan”, dijo Kiley. “Los niños que salen de la universidad hoy, pueden conseguir un buen trabajo, trabajar muy duro, hacer todo bien, pero no poder pagar el pago inicial de una casa hasta que tengan 40 años”. Una encuesta reciente de SurveyUSA realizada para el San Diego Union Tribune muestra que el 5 por ciento de los votantes apoyan a Kiley, muy por detrás del favorito Larry Elder, que tiene un 27 por ciento. A pesar de la brecha en el apoyo, Kiley dijo que la persona contra la que se está postulando es Newsom y que no se contrastará con ningún otro candidato republicano. “Estoy buscando diferenciarme de Gavin Newsom, él es mi oponente en esta carrera. Creo que ha llevado al estado en la dirección equivocada y yo busco llevarlo en una dirección totalmente diferente ”, dijo Kiley. Kiley dijo que sus calificaciones en Sacramento son lo que lo distingue de cual-

quier otro candidato en la carrera. “Soy la única persona que se postula y que ha estado peleando en la legislatura”, dijo Kiley. “He sido miembro de la legislatura de California durante cinco años. Si el retiro del mercado tiene éxito, estaría listo desde el primer día para implementar los cambios que realmente necesitamos aquí “. Kiley se ha sentado en el comité de educación superior durante su tiempo en la legislatura de California y dijo que ha luchado contra el aumento constante de la matrícula en las universidades estatales de California. “Tenemos un presupuesto muy grande en California, pagamos muchos impuestos y no veo ninguna razón por la que debamos seguir pidiendo a nuestros estudiantes que paguen más para obtener una buena educación”, dijo Kiley. La presidente de los Demócratas de La Universidad Estatal de San Diego , Maya Banks, dijo que su organización cuenta con que los estudiantes participen y voten no a la retirada a pesar del escaso entusiasmo por participar. “La brecha entre ganar y perder para Newsom es pequeña”, dijo Banks. “Creo que es una elección muy importante para los demócratas, en particular, para votar porque estamos viendo que los republicanos (son) más propensos a votar porque es una forma de sacar a Newsom del cargo”. Múltiples controversias que involucran a Newsom durante la orden de quedarse en casa de California generaron críticas tanto de republicanos como de demócratas. Pero Banks dijo que eso no justifica la destitución de Newsom de su cargo. “Creo que definitivamente fue un mal uso de su poder”, dijo Banks. “¿Pero eso realmente dice que es un peligro para los ciudadanos de California?” En última instancia, los resultados de las elecciones se reducirán a la participación de los votantes y Banks dijo que eso es lo que más le preocupa. “El problema será que si tenemos demasiados demócratas que deciden simplemente no llenar sus boletas y no votar en esta elección, hay una buena posibilidad de que un republicano llegue al poder. Pero ese republicano no contará con un amplio apoyo en todo el estado ”, dijo Banks. VER EN

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Los aztecas se quedan en empate 1-1 con los mustangs de Cal Poly San Luis Obispo en el partido de futbol masculino por Juan ESCRITOR

Daniel Avila

El equipo de fútbol masculino de La Universidad Estatal de San Diego (1-0-2) merceció un empate de 1-1 en el partido contra la Universidad Politécnica del Estado de California en San Luis Obispo (1-1-1), el 3 de sept. Esto marca los primeros tres partidos invictos consecutivos por primera vez desde 2016. Los aztecas anotaron en el primer minuto de la segunda mitad y luego vieron a los Cal Poly Mustangs, por su nombre en inglés, anotar el empate en el minuto 55. El defensor de primer año Tadej Pirtovsek, de Maribor, Eslovenia, logró

anotar el único gol para los escarlatas y los negros después de rematar un remate de cabeza del junior Kyle Colonna en un tiro de esquina que fue lanzado por el estudiante de segundo año Iñigo Villaldea. Este fue el primer intento de tiro colegiado de Pirtovsek y el primer gol de SDSU en un córner en 2021 Los mustangs empatarían el juego 10 minutos después tras un saque largo al área chica de los aztecas. La pelota atravesó a varios jugadores antes de aterrizar a los pies del junior Max Kleinhammes, que pondría el balón en el fondo de la red azteca. Este fue el primer gol que los aztecas permitieron en todo el año en un lapso de 255 minutos.

Los mustangs superaron a los Aztecas 12-7 en tiros al arco con el portero de primer año de SDSU, Jacob Castro, recolectando cinco atajadas de gol y permitiendo su primer gol del año. Los aztecas solo han perdido en el medio tiempo tres veces en los 13 partidos que han jugado con el entrenador en jefe Ryan Hopkins. Los escarlatas y negros regresan a casa el viernes 10 de septiembre para recibir a UC Davis en el SDSU Sports Deck. Los Aztecas también estarán en casa durante sus próximos siete partidos durnate la temporada. Juan Danial Avila es un estudiante de último año especializándose en periodismo.

Gráfico por Noé Sandoval

Los aztecas empataron 1-1 con los mustangs de Cal Poly San Luis Obispo el 3 de septiembre 2021.

The Daily Aztec

Sports

Sept. 8 - 14, 2021 EDITOR: Jason Freund • sports@thedailyaztec.com

SDSU scores 28 unanswered points en route to 28-10 comeback victory

By Jason Freund SPORTS EDITOR

Like last year, the San Diego State Aztecs struggled to pass the ball at the start of this season. However, just like last year, the running game picked up the slack. After missing two games and rushing for just 100 yards in the last three games of the 2020 season, senior running back Greg Bell exploded for a career-high 165 yards on 20 carries as the Aztecs scored 28 unanswered points in the second half to beat the New Mexico State University Aggies 28-10. At first, it was looking like SDSU’s 2020 struggles through the air would come back to haunt them at Dignity Health Sports Park. After winning the starting job over senior Lucas Johnson and sophomore Jaydon Maylon, senior quarterback Jordon Brookshire appeared flustered in the first half as constant pressure forced him to scramble out of the pocket and make ill-advised and off-target throws. Passes that Brookshire did complete were short passes for little yardage. Even though his receivers dropped catchable passes, Brookshire did complete a 42yard pass to the wide-open senior Kobe Smith…which was immediately negated due to a holding call. Undisciplined play resulted in unnecessary penalties that set the Aztecs back on offense, while a soft zone defense was picked apart by Aggies junior quarterback Jonah Johnson, who went 34-for-56 while passing for 326 yards and a touchdown.

Head coach Brady Hoke was upset about his team’s wayward first-half mistakes but noticed the improvements made in the second half. “In the first half, we had way too many mistakes. We made too many penalties and we did not have enough discipline in all areas,” Hoke said. “At the same time, Coach Kurt Mattix did a really good job in the second half with change-ups. I am proud of our football team. With SDSU defenders either giving too much space or getting beat in manto-man coverage, the underdog NMSU squad shut out the Aztecs en route to a 10-0 halftime lead. Coming out of the locker room, SDSU made necessary adjustments to counter NMSU’s quick pass-oriented offense. After receiving the ball to start the

second half, Brookshire completed passes of 18 and 24-yards to put the Aztecs in scoring range. Bell did the rest, breaking away from the NMSU defense to score a 23-yard touchdown, his first since the Nov. 21 matchup with Nevada. Bell’s touchdown rejuvenated the Aztecs as both sides of the ball showed marked improvement in the second half. Brookshire, who ended the game 7-for-20 with 115 passing yards and an interception, used his feet to score an 18yard stumbling touchdown. Senior Andrew Aleki’s pick-six and senior Jordan Byrd’s 43-yard touchdown on a reverse sweep gave SDSU a commanding 18-point lead. After being repeatedly thwarted in the first half, the SDSU defense broke through in the second half. After being

Photo by Noelani Sapla

The SDSU defense forces New Mexico State quarterback Jonah Johnson (10) to rush a pass.

put under constant pressure, Johnson was intercepted three times, including the aforementioned Aleki interception. The Scarlet and Black won the battle in the secondary as well, breaking up seven passes while senior corner Taylor Hawkins intercepted a 50/50 pass intended for redshirt junior Terrell Warner. The unheralded hero of the game was junior punter Matt Araiza, who punted nine times during the game. Since 1996, 2,087 punters have punted the same amount of times. Araiza’s average of 56.8 yards per punt? Good for second-best amongst those punters. Two of the junior’s nine punts went for over 70 yards, including a 77-yarder in the second quarter to pin the Aggies to their own four-yard line. His feats didn’t go unnoticed by both his teammates and his coaches. “He did a great job and flipped the field position, helping the defense,’ Hoke said. “I am really proud of how he did, even kickoffs, every one of them was in the endzone. His ability is definitely a weapon for us.” Still, the mistakes made throughout the game were noticeable. Junior offensive lineman William Dunkle was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after a play was completed and a missed communication on special teams caused a muffed punt to bounce right back to the Aggies. The offense cannot rely on running plays alone to supplement the offense and needs Brookshire to realize his potential to avoid becoming one-dimensional and predictable.

Football to face first Pac-12 opponent in week two By Andrew Finley ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

San Diego State football erupted in the second half of their week one matchup versus New Mexico State, putting up 28 unanswered points en route to defeating the Aggies 28-10. The Aztecs (1-0) hope to keep that momentum rolling in week two. However, their next opponent has more clout than their previous one, as the Aztecs take their first road trip to the University of Arizona — their first of two Pac-12 opponents on SDSU’s schedule. The Wildcats (0-1) are in search for their first win since Oct. 5, 2019 and their first winning record since 2017. Arizona’s week one matchup was a neutral site game in Las Vegas, Nevada versus Brigham Young University. The Wildcats never had a deficit exceeding 14 points and outscored BYU in the second half, but ultimately fell to the Cougars 2416. Despite the loss to BYU, head coach Brady Hoke says Arizona isn’t a pushover. “Second half they played very well against BYU,” Hoke said. “I think they’re a very physical team.” Offense First-year head coach Jedd Fisch has a large resume as an offensive football coach. His most recent employer was the New England Patriots, who hired him as a quarterback coach under legendary head coach Bill Belichick. Aztec’s defensive coordinator Kurt Mattix says Arizona’s offense has a “pro personality” because of coach Fisch’s background. “Coach Fisch spent so much time in the NFL, as well as college,” Mattix said. “Their offensive coordinator’s pass game

is from UCLA, their run game I think is from the Seattle Seahawks.” Similar to how NMSU played SDSU, Arizona threw the ball frequently with a 42-to-58% run-to-pass ratio in their game against BYU — a game in which they trailed the entire game. The Wildcats like to line up in three-receiver sets with a tight end, often in a bunch formation. They’ll also go with two receivers on each side and run two tight end sets. Coach Mattix says the Arizona offense looked familiar in film. “You watch (Arizona’s) spring game and it sort of really mirrored what the (Los Angeles) Rams are doing,” Mattix said. “Formationally, they’re going to do a lot of different shifts and trades in tight end sets and snug sets, and do a lot of what the Rams do.” Passing game The Wildcats are led by redshirt freshman quarterback Gunner Cruz. In his first ever college start in week one, Cruz was efficient — completing over 75% of his 48 pass attempts for 336 yards and a touchdown. Cruz gave up one interception in the fourth quarter, and was sacked four times against the Cougars. Cruz wasn’t picky about who he threw the ball to in his first game as five players received four or more passes with four of those receivers eclipsing fifty yards receiving. Mattix says there’s a reason Cruz spreads the football around. “Their receivers are pretty fast, comparable to other teams we’ve seen,” Mattix said. Arizona’s main target is redshirt junior receiver Stanley Berryhill III who hauled in 12 catches — doubling the amount of catches as the second receiver — for 109 yards against BYU. Out of the backfield, sophomore

running backs Michael Wiley and Drake Anderson caught six passes each and combined for 92 yards receiving. Senior wide receiver Tayvion Cunningham brought in four passes for 59 yards and redshirt junior BJ Casteel hauled in five catches for 53 yards and a touchdown. Two tight ends had catches in week one as well. Senior Bryce Wolma and freshman Alex Lines combined for three catches for 37 yards. Coach Mattix says that Berryhill and Cunningham are two guys the Aztecs will need to keep an eye on. “Jersey number one (Barryhill) and 11 (Cunningham) are the two top guys for them that we’re sitting down and saying like, hey, we need to know where they are on every snap,” Mattix said. “Our peer coach indicated to us that getting jersey number one is an extreme honor at the University of Arizona, and they’re not going to give that to just anyone.” Run game Though the base of their offense is through the air, the Wildcats boast a strong run game that ran 31 times for 129 yards — 4.2 yards per carry — against BYU. The bulk of the rushing comes from Arizona’s two running backs Wiley and Anderson. Wiley got 15 carries for 64 yards while Anderson got eight carries for 36 yards. Neither of the two backs lost yards on any play in week one. The only loss of yards on the ground came from the quarterback position with Cuz losing 48 yards on his four sacks. Aside from the sacks, Cruz rushed the ball seven times for 29 yards while fellow freshman quarterback Will Plummer got a carry and gained a yard. Defense The Wildcats had a pretty quiet night

on defense versus BYU, giving up 207 passing yards and 161 rushing yards on 34 attempts — 4.7 yards per carry. Arizona got to the quarterback just once while being unable to create any turnovers. They like to run a 3-4-4 cover-one with a safety dropped down and the corners often in press coverage. Arizona also ran with five down linemen in a “bear” front, and liked to rush four or more defenders in any defensive formation. The leading tacklers for the Wildcats are senior linebackers Anthony Pandy and Treshaun Hayward in addition to senior defensive lineman Trevon Mason with eight total tackles each. Hayward and Mason each recorded a tackle for a loss as well. Arizona had eight total TFL’s while only recording one sack by sophomore defensive lineman Kyon Barrs. Overall The Pac-12 is not an easy conference to play in with five AP Top 25 teams — three of which are in Arizona’s division. The fact that they’ve been winless since 2019 could very easily be due to the strength of their conference. That isn’t to say the Wildcats were never good in the Pac-12, but being in a Power-Five conference is tough when teams have to play up to some of the best teams in college football and you’re not one of them. Since this football program’s last victory in October of 2019, the Wildcats have played nothing but Pac-12 opponents, and BYU last week— who were ranked in the top 10 last season. Most teams in college football — not just Arizona — struggle to win each week with similar schedules. The Aztecs will be just the second nonconference team Arizona will play since their losing streak began, and they’ll be hungry to get that elusive first win on their home turf.

Sept. 8 - 14, 2021 EDITOR: Jason Freund • sports@thedailyaztec.com

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Women’s soccer loses fifth straight By Marco Gonzalez and Adam Correa STAFF WRITERS

San Diego State Aztecs (1-5-0) continued a losing streak that totals to five straight. The Aztecs lost 3-0 to the Washington State Cougars (2-0-1) Thursday night, and 2-1 to the Long Beach State (3-2-0) Sunday night. Three of the five teams the Aztecs have lost to are ranked in the Top 40 of the NCAA D1 women’s soccer rankings. Head coach Mike Friesen wants to challenge his teams with their non-conference schedule. “If you look at our schedule we are playing, basically, three of the four Final Four teams from the last full season (2019),” Friesen said. “We want our team to see what it looks like from a competitive standpoint. Record wise, I’m never fearful of losing games. We want to play the absolute best schedule we can to put ourselves in a position to win it all at some point.” Washington State Thursday Sept. 2 The Cougars opened the scoring in the 17th minute. Senior forward Elyse Bennett found space on the right side to get a cross off. Her cross found senior midfielder Sydney Studer on the back post and her header found the back of the net. Washington State kept the game in the Aztecs half for most of the first half. SDSU was outshot 8 to1 and the score could have been more than 1 to 0 if it weren’t for key saves made by the Aztecs’ sophomore keeper Alexa Madueno. Madueno finished the game with nine saves. “Alexa has had a monster of a year already,” head coach Mike Friesen said. “I’m excited about the level she’s playing at. She is keeping us in games and giving

us a chance. I think that it is motivating the group in front of her to continue to work and deal with things that are really difficult.” The Aztecs didn’t get their first shot on goal until the 77th minute. Freshman defender Trinity Coker got a bouncing ball 25 yards away from goal. Her shot had some power on it, but went right into the hands of senior Cougar goalkeeper Marissa Zuchetto. Bennett had been using her speed to get behind the Aztec defense all game and was able to get behind the defense to help set up the Cougars second goal in the 85th minute. She made a run from the midfield and got into the right side of the Aztec box. She played a pass on the ground to the back post to wide open junior forward Grayson Lynch for a tap-in open goal. Lynch would get her second goal of the match two minutes later when she took advantage of an SDSU defensive error. She intercepted the ball from an Aztec

defender and fired a shot into the top left corner, past Madueno. The Aztecs are a young team, with many underclassmen getting minutes early in the season. For freshman midfielder Alexys Ocampo, she is using the minutes given to her to get used to the speed of the collegiate game. “The level is way faster and more competitive,” Ocampo said after Thursday’s game. “I have to be more aggressive and be able to keep the ball more. I’m also playing a new position, so I’m having to learn how to play a new position while playing at a high level, but it’s really different from high school.” Long Beach State Sept. 5 The Aztecs totalled 19 shots with seven shots on goal against the Beach. Long Beach’s junior forward Lena Silano scored twice: once on a penalty kick and another assisted by senior teammate Kaylee Ramirez. Before the game, SDSU head coach Mike

File Photo

The Sports Deck at SDSU is the home of Aztec soccer.

Friesen told his team that he wanted them to shoot more to create more opportunities. “We need to be better finishers,” Friesen said. “I think we had multiple chances in the first half to put a ball on the ground in a corner and we hit it high.Even on our services we created so many opportunities for service and hit the first defender.” In the first 23 minutes, the Aztecs were strong against the Beach with a lot of pressure and scoring chances. CSULB got their first scoring opportunity in the 24th minute — a corner kick that was headed on goal and stopped by SDSU goalkeeper, Alexa Madueno. Midfielder Denise Castro — who scored the only goal for the Aztecs and now has two goals this season — said they needed more energy tonight. “I just feel that determination to want to score goals is what we need but I feel like overall we did a really good job,” Castro said on Sunday. Defender Malia Kaleiohi, who played the full game and had four shots, said the positive was the strong start but the negative was giving up the penalty kick and a goal in at the back post. “It was definitely a frustrating game, there were some tears shed so I think hopefully this will be a strong realization that we need to work on some things together,” Kaleiohi said. “Whether that’s focusing more on trainings at pieces, listening, we just have a few little things to get better that’s gonna turn the game around completely.” The Aztecs play next against the University of San Diego at Torero Stadium on Friday, Sept. 10, at 7:30 p.m. The next home game will be against the University of California Los Angeles at the SDSU Sports Desk on Sunday, Sept. 19, at 6 p.m.

Men’s basketball notes: Michigan added, new assistant By Austin Turke and Nick Coppo CONTRIBUTORS

San Diego State basketball added a big contender to its schedule with the addition of an East Coast trip to Ann Arbor against the potentially top-ranked Michigan Wolverines on December 4. The matchup provides the Aztecs with an excellent opportunity to boost their tournament resume when the season concludes. Michigan comes into the season after claiming the number one seed in the NCAA tournament East Regional bracket and climbing to the Elite Eight before falling to UCLA. The Wolverines will return three essential starters, including former freshman All-American Hunter Dickinson and are projected as the eighth best team in the country. SDSU comes into the season following a Round of 64 exit and are deficient of last year’s star talent with both Matt Mitchell and Jordan Schakel departing. However, seniors Trey Pulliam, Adam Seiko and Nathan Mensah return along with the young talents of junior Keshad Johnson and sophomore Lamont Butler. Aztecs went out and added four significant transfers, headlined by the senior star player Matt Bradley. The personal significance of SDSU playing Michigan This matchup has historical significance between the two coaches. Aztec coach Brian Dutcher was the former assistant coach at Michigan and will return for the first time since his final season in 1998. Additionally, Dutcher used to coach the present day Michigan coach, Juwan Howard. The two of them were a part of the notorious “Fab Five,” which will be in college basketball lore forever. Over the years, the Aztecs have been reluctant to add opponents to the schedule that feature long distance travel. This matchup will be the first in Aztec program

Photo By Jason Freund

Adam Seiko (2) looks on as Trey Pulliam (4) goes up for a layup against Colorado State.

history against Michigan. In fact, this will be the Aztecs first matchup against a Big Ten School in 25 years — an 82-70 win against Northwestern in 1996. This Michigan scheduling displays Dutcher’s willingness to bolster the Aztecs’ NCAA tournament resume by any means necessary. In addition to the Michigan game and conference foes, the Aztecs’ other prominent matchups include a road game against BYU, a home game against Arizona State and a neutral site tournament over Thanksgiving which include Georgetown and potentially USC. The season tips off on Nov. 9. Jaydee Luster Hired as Assistant Basketball Coach The San Diego State Basketball program has hired Jaydee Luster as an assistant

coach to join Brian Dutcher’s staff. After losing assistant Jay Morris to USC, the hunt was on for a fresh face and the decision ultimately was made to hire Luster, who comes over from the University of the Pacific. Luster described this as not just another job but a “dream opportunity.” Growing up in San Diego, he was able to witness the rise of SDSU basketball at the precibus of the dynasty that Steve Fisher, Dutcher and others worked so hard to build. Luster had an illustrious career for Hoover High School — which is about two miles from his current office at Viejas Arena. He is San Diego’s all-time CIF leader in assists (857) and steals (559). Those 559 steals are the third most by a

high school player ever. Apart from his impressive individual accolades, Luster and the Cardinals won two league titles and one CIF Championship across his four years at Hoover. Luster spent his freshman season of college at New Mexico State but transferred to Wyoming after just one year. He was made a captain before ever playing a game in Laramie, which should bode well for his success in building relationships among the players and his fellow coaches at SDSU. As well as his knack for relationship building, head coach Brian Dutcher also mentioned his recruiting experience and skill development. His coaching experience stems from the University of Arizona as a grad assistant, Bradley University as Director of Basketball Operations, the Dallas Mavericks as a player development coach, and finally, spent the last five years alongside Damon Stoudemire at Pacific. “We’re really excited to have him,” Dutcher said. This homecoming for Luster seems like a match made in basketball heaven. While SDSU has had great success inside the Mountain West for the greater part of the 2010s — winning seven conference tournament titles from 2010-2021 — a lengthy NCAA Tournament run has eluded them. The Aztecs have not reached the Sweet 16 since 2014 including some heartbreaking losses to Houston and Syracuse in 2018 and 2021, respectively. With plenty of returning players, a few key transfers and some new blood by the name of Jaydee Luster in the coaching staff however, the Aztecs are set up to have another successful season and could have their sights on loftier goals than just a Mountain West title. The Aztecs will tip-off conference play on New Year’s Day against conference rival UNLV in Las Vegas at the Thomas and Mack Center.

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Sept. 8 - 14, 2021 Editor: Ryan Hardison • arts@thedailyaztec.com

Hella Mega: a rock n’ roll ‘Holiday’ by Nicholas STAFF WRITER

Ebadat

Weezer, Fall Out Boy and Green Day turned Petco Park upside down on Aug. 29 with a truly mega concert that shook the East Village after a year and a half without live music events. An audience ranging in age showed up to support their favorite bands. This concert was a musicfilled night, made for people who wanted to let loose of everything holding them down. Weezer was the first of the headline performances, with the stage decorated to match the theme of their latest album, “Van Weezer.” Three turquoise lightning bolts struck the stage of pink and purple boxes, giving off the retro ‘80s electro pop rock vibe that their new album’s sound promotes. The band walked out to Van Halen’s “Jump” starting their slot with one of their new songs called “Hero.” Lead vocalist, Rivers Cuomo, came out swinging his guitar while rocking a mullet, a studded leather jacket and blue jeans. There was no doubt that even the younger audience goers could feel the ‘80s nostalgia. The starting slot was the hardest of the three to take on for the bands. In addition to the early time, the sun was still shining, but Weezer prevailed by hyping the crowd up to guitar riffs with an energy that provoked a hypnotic head bobbing from everyone. There is nothing like hearing “Feels like Summer” live while basking in the glow of the San Diego sunset off East Village skyscrapers. However, some unfortunate fans on the right wing of the stadium were blinded for much of their performance (maybe feeling summer a little too much). Many fans of Weezer displayed the winged “W” call-sign with their hands and got featured on the jumbotron, along with people dancing and passing beach balls at the floor seats. Cheers mostly came for their most popular songs like “Island in the Sun” or “Beverly Hills,” but the loudest was for their cover of “Africa” by TOTO; it may have hurt the band’s egos a little, but they did not let it show as they continued to rock on. They then made a joke as they transitioned to the intermission with their song “El Scorcho” by zooming in on a Green Day

Weezer performing songs from their latest album “Van Weezer” in front of a crowd filled with all generations of rock fans at Petco Park.

fan’s t-shirt to the lyrics, “I asked you to go to the Green Day concert.” Next up was Fall Out Boy who were introduced by a Twilight Zone-esc Rod Livingston mimicking the classic host Rod Serling’s delivery of the late ‘50s and early ‘60s show. The band came out in mostly casual attire with T-shirts and jeans except for the drummer, Andy Hurley, who went shirtless showing off his tattoo-covered torso. The “Believers Never Die” album cover inspired a set design of cobwebs and bones paired with epic pyrotechnics blasting to the songs’

suggestions like in “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark.” The band made a successfully entertaining transition from Weezer’s theme of the past icons to the eerie chaos that goes so well with Fall Out Boy’s music. Straight from the beginning of their set with “The Phoenix” to even the lesser known newer titles like “Bob Dylan,” the band never ceased to impress with their abilities to entertain the crowd. In the middle of Fall Out Boy’s set, bassist Pete Wentz admitted to the crowd of adoring fans that before the tour was set in motion, they were asked if people

Fans light up the stadium with their phone flashlights as Green Day finish up their set and the long day of rock-filled festivities.

Photo by Nicholas Ebadat

even like rock anymore to put on a show of this magnitude. Wentz got his answer from a packed stadium of all generations screaming to defend their beloved genre. As entertaining the rest of their set was, professing their love for the genre was some of the band’s only audience interaction. When a pink bunny mascot in Billie Joe Armstrong’s iconic black dress shirt and red tie hyped up the packed stadium (while being “arrested” and escorted off the stage), the definitive headline act, Green Day, was ready to take the stage. The band did not need much decoration on the stage, but the diagonally hanging stage lights foreshadowed their performance… blowing the roof off the place. Beginning with the fast-paced hit “American Idiot,” the band let loose and only slowed down to let the audience catch up. Armstrong warmed the crowd’s voices by playing imitation games and long winded “AyOh’s.” He also understood the nature of his songs by telling them to shine their lights for “Boulevard of Broken Dreams.” There was an additional nudge to San Diego being an inspiration to the band when he said the song “She” was about a girl he (Armstrong) dated from here. The band interacted with the audience the most out of the three headline acts, but to top it off, they brought a fan on stage to play a guitar solo with him to “Knowledge” by Operation Ivy and gave him the guitar afterwards. With excellent timing, Armstrong knew how to direct the masses to leave the stadium smiling. The theme of the night peaked when Green Day shared a common sentiment that everyone could relate to: being trapped inside and socially distanced for a year and a half. To that point, he assured the audience this was their time to “go crazy” and proceeded with the song “Still Breathing” to transition to the back half of their show. As the last send-off was set in motion, Armstrong stood alone on stage with an acoustic guitar and sang “Good Riddance,” reiterating his goal to give the audience the time of their lives in an era of unpredictability.

The Daily Aztec 9/8/2021

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