NEWS
THE MATADOR
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014
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California adopts ‘yes means yes’ sexual consent bill to protect college students continued from page 1
Photo by Stacy Chau
San Gabriel cafeteria workers serve meals modified to fit the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) food standards to students during lunch.
District cafeteria food policies change according to new nation-wide standards Stacy Chau The Alhambra Unified School District (AUSD) implemented new changes within the District’s cafeterias, such as the inclusion of new specialized staff to assemble the food and more nutritious items in the menu. Although the district claims to have changed for the better, there has been a significant reduction in portions as well a 75 cent increase in the regular price, making the current price $3.25. “I feel like it’s unfair of the school to increase the prices and make the portions smaller,” senior Elton Hong said. “There are students who get little to no food at home due to their families’ low income,” Due to new requirements by the United States Department of Agriculture, the inclusion of an increased amount of fruits and vegetables per serving, control over the amount of calories, proteins, and fats to be consumed a day, and a decrease in sodium level are now components of the menu that the District menu adjusted to. “I don’t notice a difference in the quality of the food, but the pizza slices, sushi, teriyaki chicken, and orange chicken meals have gotten smaller,” junior Ruby Leal said. “On a positive note, this could be a good thing because it can help us control how much food we eat.” In addition to new staff members and changes to the food, the process of distribution has also been changed. In the previous years, all of the food had been cooked on-site, at the school the food was to be served at. Presently, the food is
being produced in the District’s central kitchen and shipped to the sites where half the staff members from the previous years are currently working at. “[The changes within the cafeteria] are better overall because they save a lot of money, and you don’t have to have too many ovens running,” school cafeteria manager Leina Cheng said. The District insists that assembling the food in the central kitchen will leave a positive impact on the schools and allow the district to have more control on how much students are consuming. “ T h e q u a l i t y a n d t h e re c i p e w i l l b e standardized,” William Fong, AUSD Assistant Director of Food and Nutrition Services, said. “Before, you may go to one school and think the spaghetti tastes different from the other schools. By making the food in the central kitchen, the food will all taste the same and the quality will definitely be much better. Doing this will give us [more] control on what students are putting into their bodies too.” According to Fong, the District has an additional method for selecting the items for their menu. “Another change is [the implementation of] our food fairs. [Every November] we have vendors come out and invite students, parents, administrators, and principals to taste the food from the vendors,” Fong said. Subsequently, the taste testers take a survey and select their favorite foods from the vendors, and the top three items that have scored the highest in the survey will be included in the menu.
“I’m glad it actually defines what consent means,” Ma said. “Hopefully it establishes a ground where rape is more preventable and victims can have an easier time with gaining justice.” Silence or lack of resistance does not constitute as consent under the bill, and it specifies that a person who was asleep, drugged, drunk, or unconscious cannot grant consent. Lawmakers outlined that consent can also be nonverbal, using gestures such as nodding or moving closer to the person as an example. As a future incoming college freshman, senior Justine Pham believes the bill would benefit those who have been taken advantage of on campuses. “Although they might have chosen to be under the influence of certain substances, I doubt anyone ever intends on being raped or sexually assaulted,” Pham said. “This [bill] would help remind me that I am protected in some way.” Adviser of the National Coalition for Men Gordon Finley criticized the bill in an editorial, dubbing it the “campus rape crusade bill,” and believes that the new legislation would presume the guilt of the accused. However, advocates of sexual assault victims support the change and believe it will challenge the notion that victims must have resisted sexual assault in order to have a valid case. UC President Janet Napolitano has announced that the system will establish an independent advocate to support sexual assault victims and that an advocacy office will be arranged on every campus.
Student Congress to meet, represent pupil interests, opinions Hanfrey Deng The first Student Congress will meet next week to represent the students of San Gabriel. The Congress will be comprised of students from each fourth period who come together to hear information regarding events happening on campus. The Associated Student Body (ASB) will use Student Congress to give announcements and spread information throughout campus. Additionally, Assistant Principal of Business and Activities Chris Takeshita will be present during the meetings to answer questions and address concerns. “[We also] ask [for] feedback,” ASB President Qi Guo said. “For example, if we had [started Student Congress] earlier, [we could have asked if] the students wanted to have the [Homecoming] dance after the game.” Student Congress is being continued from the previous year to help circulate more information throughout school. Takeshita says Student Congress was created so that both he and ASB could “get more information out to the people.” “We can get more kids involved [in school], and ASB can get their message out a little more,” Takeshita said. “[We can] get news spread back to classrooms so more kids hear things.” Apart from hearing information, students will also be able to ask questions. Takeshita hopes that it will help “more kids [be] informed and knowledgeable of what’s going on around campus.” “[I hope] kids [use] that as a forum to express things they want to see happen at San Gabriel to ASB,” Takeshita said. Student Congress’s first meeting will be held next week in the Multipurpose room.
STOP Club spreads unity among students S yd ney Tri eu
Photo by Sydney Trieu
Students speak to and accept fliers from STOP Club members during the performance at the Pancake.
Colorful tie-dye shirts, powerful singers, and words of advice resonated throughout the Pancake as the Students Together Organizing Peace (STOP) Club put together a performance to promote peace at San Gabriel High School on Oct. 1-2. Across the two days, student speakers, such as senior Claire de la Roche and sophomore Kiana Gonzalez, talked about a variety of subjects, ranging from bullying and verbal abuse to the acceptance of fellow classmates. “We want everyone to understand [these problems] and help [each other],” Gonzalez said. Their goal was not just to inform the student body of these issues. They also encouraged others to step in and do something. “We’re all different so it’s understandable that it’s hard to accept one another,” Roche said. “Everyone is their own person. We can’t change them, but at least we can change how we see [them]. [In a bad situation], if you show [victims] that you have the power [to change things], in turn, they’ll find [the power] in themselves,” Singers also added their voices to their cause, including freshmen Anni Zhong and Leslie Alcon, and senior Sam Suarez, who sang “Counting
Stars” by OneRepublic, “One and Only” by Adele, and “Use Somebody” by Kings of Leon, respectively. Alongside the student speakers, performers, and volunteers, PE teacher Carla Fujimoto, adviser Kelly Malone, and Naomi Walters, who runs the girls’ locker room, helped put the event together. Students who wanted to pledge to speak up against bullying signed a poster, filling it up with swirling names and colorful signatures. Tie-dyed shirts and socks were sold to promote the idea that though people all have different colors and stories, in the end, we are all one. Through the efforts of the STOP Club, students now know where they can find a place where people care.