Spring 2014 Week 6

Page 1

Thursday, May 8, 2014

What’s in a Noun?

Asians Attack, Students Learn

The terrible power of labeling

Show raises awareness of diversity

OPINION, PAGE 6

SCENE, PAGE 4

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Hoops Program Campaign Support Goes Viral Continues Run of Mediocrity It’s been nearly 20 years since men’s team played in March Madness Brendan Weber

The Santa Clara With 15:26 remaining in the second half of an NCAA Tournament matchup between Santa Clara and the University of Arizona in 1993, the Broncos found themselves in a deep hole, down 13 against the No. 2-seeded Wildcats. Against all odds, the 15th-seeded Santa Clara squad, led by future twotime NBA Most Valuable Player Steve Nash, pulled off one of the most shocking upsets in the history of college basketball, knocking off the highly touted Wildcats 64-61. If that victory was the high point of Santa Clara basketball, the program may have hit rock bottom at the end of the 2011-2012 campaign. In the finale of their West Coast Conference schedule, the Broncos fell to Loyola Marymount University, capping the first winless conference record in program history. The magic of Nash and the thrill of winning an NCAA Tournament game are a distant memory. It has now been nearly two decades since the Broncos have been able to punch a ticket to compete in the Big Dance. So what’s been holding Santa Clara back? Much of the responsibility for the recent state of the men’s basketball program rests with current Head Coach Kerry Keating, yet he remains content and focused on the goals at hand. “I’m happy with where we’re at and where we’re going,” said Keating. “I know exactly where we can get to. It’s just a matter of everyone else around us in the school, the community and everyone in administration understanding that it’s going to take a lot of support and belief in that.” The cloud of disappointment hanging over Santa Clara basketball has grown larger each year since the late 1990s, dating back to the end of former Bronco Head Coach Dick Davey’s career. Over 15 seasons, he compiled a .569 winning percentage and coached the squad to three NCAA Tournament appearances. In spite of his overall accomplishments, such as helping in the maturation process of Nash as well as taking Santa Clara to the NCAA Tournament, Davey’s teams sputtered during the early 2000s. Keating eventually replaced him following the 2006-2007 season. During Keating’s seven years at the helm, the Broncos have posted a sub-.500 mark of 114-121 overall, including a 39-67 record against fellow WCC opponents. That winning percentage is the lowest among Santa Clara head coaches in almost 90 years of the program. Under Keating’s leadership, the team has clinched just two winning seasons, zero WCC titles and has never finished a See MEN’S, Page 7

COURTESY OF MAX REESE

Students gather on the lawn in front of Swig Hall to promote Fossil Free SCU with candles spelling out the word “divest.” A movement spearheaded by the Santa Clara Community Action Program, Fossil Free SCU seeks to dissolve any relationships the university has with companies that invest in fossil fuels.

Student group urges university to cut ties with corporations Eryn Olson

The Santa Clara With the help of their recent music video featuring bright-colored vests and socially conscious hip-hop, the Fossil Free SCU divestment movement has gained the attention of the Santa Clara community and beyond. Fossil Free SCU is a coalition of the GREEN Club and B-LEJIT, two environmental justice groups in the Santa Clara Community Action Program. In its SCU Fossil Fuel Divestment Statement of Support, the group requests that Santa Clara “immediately freeze any new investment in fossil fuel extraction companies” and “divest from direct ownership and any commingled funds that include fossil fuel public equities and corporate bonds within five years.” They also state that this would help advance the university’s goal to be carbon-neutral by 2015. On April 22, Earth Day, Fossil Free SCU released an online petition addressed to President Michael Engh, S.J., and the Santa Clara University Board of Trustees to compel the university to divest from companies

Steps Toward Sustainability Campaign to eliminate plastic water bottles NEWS, PAGE 3

that extract fossil fuels. The petition states that divesting from such companies will further the Santa Clara mission to “build a more humane, just and sustainable world.” Divesting entails removing investments of capital from corporations and was first successfully used to protest apartheid in South Africa. The movement against fossil fuel companies is now spreading across the nation — Seattle, San Francisco, Portland, Ore., and the Santa Clara Valley Water District have already divested. In January, 17 foundations collectively divested $1.8 billion, and higher education is also contributing. On April 6, Stanford University announced that it would divest from coal companies. Fossil Free SCU plans to circulate four separate petitions which target students and general community supporters, alumni, faculty and staff. Senior Hannah Rogers, the president of Fossil Free SCU, said, “It has become increasingly clear to me over the year that this is the fight of our generation.” On April 23, Fossil Free SCU debuted their “Divest It Like It’s Hot” music video in the Benson Memorial Center. Sophomore Roscoe Escobar composed the lyrics as a parody to Snoop Dogg’s well-known “Drop It Like It’s Hot.” The video has received attention from the Huffington Post and has garnered over 10,000 views on YouTube. According to the Santa Clara Fossil Fuel Statement of Support, the university can

“create an avenue for long-term financial stability, remain true to its core values and continue to be a leader among Jesuit universities in sustainable action and social justice.” Senior Zach Milkis, a volunteer for Fossil Free SCU, said that the movement is playing an advocacy role because climate change impacts the poorest countries, which are least equipped to deal with its effects. “Those that will inevitably be affected the most are those without a voice to do anything about it,” Milkis said. Sophomore Sean Reilly, president of GREEN Club, said that there is no target goal for the petition but that a benchmark is roughly 1,500 people, equivalent to the size of one university class. So far, the petition has over 500 signatures. Because Santa Clara is a private institution, it is not obligated to reveal its endowment sum or investments. Rogers said that their next task will be asking the Board of Trustees to disclose the university’s investment portfolio. According to Milkis, now that they have support from students, Fossil Free SCU is aiming to capture the attention of the administration. “I think we just want to let them know that we are not going away and that the pressure is going to stay on,” said Milkis. Contact Eryn Olson at eolson@scu.edu or call (408) 554-4852. WHAT’S INSIDE

News ................................. 1 – 3 Scene ......................................4 Opinion ...................................6 Sports .............................. 7 – 8


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