Collision Averted

Issue 78.12

2

Intro

Katie Cortez, Editor-in-Chief editorinchief@lbunion.com Richard Mejia, Managing Editor manager@lbunion.com Ashley Rodriguez, Advertising Executive ashley.lbunion@gmail.com Nathan Zankich, Web Manager web@lbunion.com Amanda Del Cid, Social Media Manager Andrew Linde, Podcast Producer

SPRING BREAK PART TWO: CANCELLED This week I realized that not only do I feel a disconnect between myself and my classmates because of the age difference, (I’m 25 and most people in my classes are just turning 21-22), but I feel different from them because they have a millenial mindset.

I’ve been watching “The OC” in the office all week since the entire series was released on Hulu, but very few people knew what the show was or had even heard of it—but we can all agree that Marissa is the worst character.

I forget how young a lot of the people on campus are, and it has slowly started to make sense to me why very few people get my mid2000s pop-culture references.

Several of us at the Union Weekly have been debating whether or not we are technically millenials, and have decided that there should be a different catagory for those of who remember what a pre-9/11 world was like. We remember when people could stand at the airport gate and wait for their loved

ones to get off the plane. We remember when immigration policies and the U.S. government spying on American citizens were not hot-button issues.

What true millenials don’t realize is that angrily complaining about things rarely gets you the outcome you deserve. Just because you’re legally an adult at age 18 doesn’t mean that you’re an actual adult. Trying to force your views down people’s throats makes you more of an annoyance than anything.

No one cares what you have to say if your logic doesn’t make sense. Yes, sometimes angry protests are necessary, but only as a last resort.

As most of the campus knows, adjunct professors who work at California State University campuses were scheduled to go on strike this week. They were fighting for better pay and after months of negotiation, the California Faculty Associtation won their battle without having to stop teaching

Graphic by Sam Orihuela

classes. Through discussion, these adults were able to have their needs met without protesting to make their statements heard.

Although many students were hoping for a second spring break, I am happy that our professors were given the pay-raise. It’s a testament to those professors who made sure that our studies could continue if the strike happened. Some sent out adendums to their syllabi so we wouldn’t be behind in school work even though we would be missing almost a week of classes. Whoever said that professors don’t care about their students is crazy. They wouldn’t choose to work in a classroom if they didn’t want to, and they’re finally getting higher pay they deserve.

Now, back to “The OC” bubble I’ve been living in for a week.

Ktez

ART & DESIGN Sam Orihuela, Art Director artdirector@lbunion.com John Mueller, Graphics Illustrator illustration@lbunion.com EDITORIAL Amanda Del Cid, News Content Editor news@lbunion.com Peter R. Clark, News Design Editor travel@lbunion.com Elizabeth Nguyen, Opinions Editor opinions@lbunion.com Bailey Mount, Community Editor community@lbunion.com Alejandro Ramos, Athletics Editor athletics@lbunion.com Kaila-Marie Hardaway, Food Editor food@lbunion.com Amanda Dominguez-Chio, Culture Editor amanda@lbunion.com Madison Gallegos, Culture Editor madison@lbunion.com Elliott Gatica, Music Editor music@lbunion.com

Andrew and I want to do the unthinkable and eat every item on the Nugget Bar and Grill’s menu. We have take-home menus and check off each item, and each week we’ll talk about a different Nugget meal.

Andrew Linde, Entertainment Editor entertainment@lbunion.com Peter R. Clark, Travel Editor travel@lbunion.com STAFF WRITERS

Andrew: Before spring break I found perhaps the most delicious non-macaroni-based item to be served at the Nugget: Beach Fries. The Nugget’s own thick french fries covered in nacho cheese along with corn, black beans, and jalapenos.

Where tortilla chips normally go, fries

Beach Fries

Lauren Hunter, lauren@lbunion.com Sylvana Uribe, sylvana@lbunion.com Emily Ayers, emily@lbunion.com Jordan Daniels, jordan@lbunion.com Elizabeth Campos, liz@lbunion.com Matthew Gozzip, matt@lbunion.com Abraham Alapisco, abraham@lbunion.com

have taken center stage. I could not have thought of a better swap myself. Definitely don’t forget to grab a fork, because it gets messy with all those toppings on the fries. I’m a glutton for cheese-based foods and there is plenty of cheese on the Beach Fries. I loved eating it so much, I had it twice in twentyfour hours. That’s dedication to cheese!

Katie: I am no stranger to spicy food. I might not wlllingly put Cholula or any other type of hot sauce on the majority of things I eat, but I’ll still eat the spiciest curry or hot wings if they’re there. If you’re a big fan of the Nugget’s buffalo chicken sandwich, then you should definitely give the buffalo fries a try.

Topped with blue cheese crumbles and buffalo sauce, the buffalo fries will set your

COPY & ASSISTANT EDITORS Carissa Pope, Karen Ruiz, Sheila Sadr, Abril Burstein

Buffalo Fries tastebuds on fire. The fries are drenched in the buffalo sauce and the Nugget’s serving is enough to be a meal all on its own. While I enjoyed the tangy heat of the sauce mixed with the rich taste of blue cheese, Athletics Editor Alex Ramos did not. Ultimately the heat was too strong for him and he had to abandon his fries for a glass of water.

Disclaimer and Publication Information: The Union Weekly is published using ad money and partial funding provided by the Associated Students, Inc. All Editorials are the opinions of their individual authors, not the Union Weekly, ASI nor CSULB. All students are welcome and encouraged to be a part of the Union Weekly staff. All letters to the editor will be considered for publication.

However, CSULB students will have precedence. Please include name and major for all submissions. They are subject to editing and will not be returned. Letters may or may not be edited for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and length. The Union Weekly will publish anonymous letters, articles, editorials, and illustration, but must have your name and information attached for our records. Letters to the editor should be no longer than 500 words. The Union Weekly assumes no responsibility, nor is it liable, for claims of its advertisers. Grievance procedures are available in the Associated Students business office.

CONTRIBUTORS Julia Velasco-Aguilar, Jorge Lopez, Luis Martinez, Brienne Wolfe, Mara Hernandez, Karrie Comfort COVER DESIGN BY: Sam Orihuela FEATURE DESIGN BY: Sam Orihuela CONTACT US Snail Mail: 1212 Bellflower Blvd. Suite 116 Long Beach, CA 90815 Phone: 562.985.4867 E-mail: lbunion.info@gmail.com Classifieds: classifieds.lbunion@gmail.com

@UnionWeekly

Opinions

3

Let’s Be Direct Here Why it’s difficult to date in your twenty-somethings The first guy I dated broke it off with me at McDonald’s.

“I’m just not sure I’m a good guy for you,” he said.

At first, I laughed. I thought the appropriate response was to say, “Yes, you are,” because I knew—in all my then sixteen years of expertise—that guys only said that because they were insecure and needed a girl to fix them. Never did he directly say, “Hey, I think we should stop dating.”

I didn’t realize what had happened until he dropped me off back home and said, “You took that really well.”

Looking back, I realized that I had inadvertently entered the realm of online dating—and with that came the continuing problem of communication in not just mine, but in every young adult relationship today.

I use the term “online” dating loosely.

There’s no actual word yet for relationships that start over social media. The trend of starting a relationship without asking the person faceto-face started peaking when I entered high school. Cell phones made communication easier and faster. People became connected at the touch of a few buttons.

Now, in my world of burgeoning sexual

and romantic awakenings, cell phones became receptacles of desires we were too afraid to speak of out loud.

For example, McDonald’s guy asked me out on our first date through text. A year prior, another asked me out over the phone.

This one broke it off through text.

Both times, each said something along the lines of “I’m not sure I’m a good guy for you,” rather than delivering the hard fact that they had no interest in dating me anymore.

That became—and still is—the new way of communication for my generation. Interest is expressed in a like on your Facebook profile picture. Dates are proposed over the phone and breakups tend to happen the same way.

People will say, “Oh, we’re just talking” when asked about a person they’re interested in. Most of the time, that talking is online.

Dating used to be a harrowing experience but now, through this lack of real communication, it’s something easy to achieve and easy to get rid of once a problem arises.

I only remember being asked out in person once during high school.

I found it very embarrassing.

It was a guy saying, “Yes, I like you and I want to take you out and get to know you

better,” instead of texting me if I wanted to “go have coffee sometime.”

It was direct communication. There was no hinting or pussyfooting around. But by that time, it was a remnant of an archaic age without cell phones and thus considered romantic by most people around us. He did something that should have been the norm.

Four years later, the world my friends and I try to traverse in hasn’t changed much.

My roommate frequents Tinder. So far, she’s been let down by three guys who got too scared to go on a date with her in person. My colleagues who are several years older than me try their hand at the dating pool and get stuck when trying to put their relationships into concrete terms.

“There’s something going on, but we’re ‘playing it cool’,” they say.

For all of us, to directly communicate our desires and intentions toward other people is a demonstration of either “neediness” or “weakness.” Meeting in person means shedding your “online” persona and trying to work your actual charm on a person.

It means telling your date how handsome he looks when you go out. It means saying, “I want to see you again,” when you drop her off.

By Brienne Wolfe Contributor It means taking off your Scooby Doo monster mask and hoping that the other person will like the scared little person inside.

And it’s hard.

Four years later along with twenty years of expertise, I’m back in the dating saddle again.

This guy tells me I look beautiful whenever we go out. I make a face. He tells me that he likes seeing me. I tell him the same —through text. Sometimes, I tell him over the phone if I’m feeling brave.

We both grew up in the dawning of a new age of communication. Stepping off the digital path and saying—in our own nervous voices—“Yes, I want this,” is scary. It’s not normal anymore. It’s hard work.

But at the end of the day, hearing about someone’s desire for you is a lot better than smiling at a text message.

So put down the phone, look him in the eyes and tell him that you’re interested in dating him. Tell her that she’s someone you want to get to know better.

So maybe one day, when another boy breaks up with another girl at McDonald’s, he can actually admit what he’s doing and give her a reason why.

4

News

A Look Into Desperate Times Different perspectives of the Syrian refugee crisis

By Elizabeth Campos Staff Writer International Studies Student Association offers a look at the Syrian refugee crisis through a different lens.

The International Studies Student Association, in collaboration with organizations such as Future Underrepresented Educated Leaders, Muslim Student Association, Chicano Latino Studies, La Raza Student Association and Black Student Union, put together California State University Long Beach’s Humanitarian Week. This weeklong event is meant to bring awareness to the campus on issues that the community encounters.

On April 5 the International Studies Student Association presented “Uprooting: the Syrian refugee crisis,” an event where people shared their experiences as refugees, family members of refugees and volunteers in refugee camps.

The event that took place in LA2-109 began with Richard Garcia, executive chair of ISSTA, defining terms common to immigration conversations. Words such as “asylum seeker,” “diaspora,” “integration” and “uprooting” were discussed to give the audience a better understanding of the discussed topics.

Hannah Ghazel gave the audience a closer look into what Syria refugees go

through, using her family’s journey from their homeland to Sweden as an example.

“It was about 22 days from Syria to Lebanon, from Lebanon to Turkey,” Ghazal said. The methods of transportation during this period of time consisted of approximately 15 buses, four boats, two trains and the rest of the journey was by foot.

While telling the trials and tribulations that her family members went through, Ghazal shared that they also went through a lot of injustices, Ghazal said. Life vests were given to them at the beginning of a boat trip, that were initially supposed to be a cruise ship, and were later taken away from them.

When arriving in Europe, the life vests were given back to them to give the impression that they had been worn all along.

Jordan Hattar, international studies CSULB Alumni and creator of help4refugees. org, discussed his life changing experience helping refugees in the Zaatri refugee camp in the Arab nation of Jordan.

Hattar on witnessing the conditions in which the refugees live, as well as how they cope with the everyday struggles that they face.

He elaborated on the fact that even when bombs destroy the camps and kill individuals of all ages, the coping mechanism that the refugees rely the most on is smiling.

“There’s hurt right under the surface,” Hattar said.

To conclude the event, Omar Wawieh, a 20-yearold Syrian refugee shared his journey to America.

Wawieh only speaks Arabic and Ghazal, who carefully explained comments and questions of both Wawieh and the audience, translated his words.

Wawieh came to the United States six months ago and that Hannah Ghazal translates Omar Wawieh’s words from Arabic to English (Elizabeth Campos/Union Weekly) living has not been easy. With his parents and siblings, he has and it made realize how little ‘the land of struggled to find a job, obtain welfare and opportunities’ is doing for refugees like him,” adapting to the American lifestyle.

Gaby Hernandez, anthropology major, said.

He and his younger siblings have “We should have programs where they are experienced racial discrimination since taught how to navigate simple things like moving to the U.S. His siblings have been obtaining a job or renting a house. Overall, accused of causing unrest and possibly these types of events motivate me to keep planning acts of terrorism. looking for ways to help people.”

When the audience asked what type of The event was followed by FUEL’s help Wawieh needed, the 20-year-old with “Undocumented” event and Humanitarian dreams of a law degree answered that they Week continued with the Black Student [the audience] can go to his house to meet his Union hosting a talk with a member of the family.

Black Lives Matter Long Beach chapter.

“Omar told us about his struggles

Breaking the Silence Sheding light on sexual abuse involving children

By Sylvana Uribe Staff Writer Activist and educator Amita Swadhin navigated through the topic of sexual assault by reminding people that in addition to survivors’ wounds, there are also sources of joy and resilience that make each day bearable.

As part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, the film “Secret Survivors: Using Theater to Break the Silence” and Q&A session with Swadhin were hosted in the Beach Auditorium on Apr. 7.

Swadhin has worked with survivors in schools and connected with people by sharing her story as a genderqueer, femme queer woman of color and as a survivor of sexual abuse.

“I happen to have a life that I’ve created where my wounds are very public at this point, but that’s not most people’s reality,” Swadhin said. “I also experience so much beauty in being able to share that with the world and… realize that maybe my experience

is actually much more common than what I like the Department of Asian and Asian was led to believe as a child.”

American studies to screen the film to the Swadhin was a participant in the 2012 campus community, intending for it to be an film, which features the narratives of others aid in destigmatizing notions about survivors who were abused as children. According of assault. to the documentary, the sexual abuse of a “I’m hopeful that [attendees are] going to child affects 1 in 4 be able to think girls and 1 in 6 boys. through how The documentary to have these intentionally omitted conversations specific details of in a public space each abuse incident, because this but did identify is not an open the perpetrators conversation,” and how survivors Dr. Kar said. “It’s grappled with healing not something afterwards. that’s discussed, Dr. Kar is a but yet we all professor in the know someone Women’s, Gender, who has been and Sexuality Studies assaulted program and hosted or who has the event. She wrote to survived assault, grant committees and and who lives Amita Swadhin (Sylvana Uribe/Union Weekly) connected with groups with that trauma

everyday.”

Piecing together a broken spirit following trauma takes time and with regards to those experiences Swadhin said, “We might have to carry them for the rest of our lives, but maybe we can actually get to a point in our healing where we are wearing our wounds instead of them wearing us.”

Swadhin led willing audience members in a grounding meditation after the documentary was shown since its content was of a sensitive and triggering nature. As the evening wound down, the strength in voicing trauma for oneself and others was stressed as was maintaining the hope that healing is a possibility within reach for survivors.

“All of us as human beings have the capacity to commit great acts of harm and also really wonderful acts of love,” Swadhin said. “If we’re struggling to live in that language of love and we’re more accustomed to the language of violence, I would say that’s some level of societal responsibility that we have to help people retrain ourselves.”

News

Groups Clash on Campus

5

ASI Runoff Election Update

Pro-Palestinian and Israeli students preach equality During the event, Eid spoke about issues in the West Bank and on the Gaza Strips being a consequence of influences by the Islamic In popular media, the conflict between Israel State and the Hamas, a Palestinian-Islamic and Palestine is seen as long-standing and fundamentalist organization. He made a destructive. On several college campuses, point to explain that the Israeli-Palestinian there is a climate of anti-Israel sentiment, conflict is not as deep on a citizen-level which has been seen through efforts of between a majority of Palestinian and Israeli organizations, such as Students for Justice in population. According to Eid, the anti-Israel Palestine. protests are a result of The 49ers for Israel misinformation. organization on California “[Anti-Israel protesters] State University, Long are disconnected from the Beach’s, campus, a Prorealities,” Eid said. “They Israel organization, hosted have never been in the West their Israel Week last week in Bank or in the Gaza Strip. attempts to highlight Israel, They have no idea what is despite the sentiments. the conflict. They have no However, during a discussion idea how the Palestinians they held Wednesday which are surviving. They have no featured Palestinian human idea who is feeding us. They rights activist, Bassem have no idea that we are the Eid, Students for Justice in builders of the settlements.”

Palestine staged a sit in and Photo Caption for Jordan’s Article (Jordan Daniels/Union Weekly) The conflict between walk out in protest of the event. is not as a strong, so I figured what better Israel and Palestine continues to grow in the “We are here to advocate for the full state way to increase unity and diversity than by middle east, but there has not been much of Palestine liberation,” said Sarah Suliem, inviting a Palestinian and hear what he has dialogue between the groups at CSULB. a representative of the SJP organization. to say and listen to his personal accounts [of “There have been efforts,” Suliem said “We do not believe in the two-state solution the conflict]. I thought it would be a really on the topic of a dialogue between 49ers for as a successful and plausible idea for our valuable opportunity for the campus.”

Israel & SJP. “However, members are openly Palestine people.”

According to Shaddaei, 49ers for Israel against dialoguing and normalizing their The two-state solution refers to the idea was not aware that SJP was going to protest oppression.” of separate the State of Palestine and the the event, but wishes they would have stayed State of Israel to achieve equality. However, and listened to Eid speak.

By Jordan Daniels Staff Writer

boundaries and borders of the two states are constantly under dispute, which deepens the conflict. There have been several IsraeliPalestinian peace talks throughout the years, yet none of successfully reached an agreement.

“I feel that our campus has not heard diverse voices,” said Tali Shaddaei, President of 49ers for Israel. “As a Jew, my narrative

TEDx comes to CSULB Discussing topical matters and how to repair them

By Matthew Gozzip Staff Writer On April 9, the USU ballroom became a platform for advocacy and critical thinkers as the TEDxCSULB event was held for the very first time. The event is closely structured after the TEDTalks of inspirational and educational reputation that have exploded online over the past several years.

For its inaugural run through, TEDxCSULB was able to address a multiplicity of issues. The variety of speaker topics rivaled that of a series of encyclopedias as scientists of international notoriety shared the stage with masters of media arts and social program paladins alike.

Despite differentiating in their respective campaigns of championing, all the presenters shared a common thread: they are all part of the CSULB family. The speakers were a collection of faculty, alumni and current students at Long Beach State that each had a dedicated issue they wanted to address.

Compared to the TED talk conference presentations, the roster of speakers at the TEDxCSULB conference may not have

appeared as distinguished. That may have been intentionally part of the plan from the very beginning.

TEDx conferences are modeled after the original conference and certain standards must be met by these conferences in order for them to get approved by the TEDTalks

“TEDx conferences are individual events that generally talk about topical matters...” governing body but the affiliation pretty much stops there.

The TEDx conferences are individual events that generally talk about topical matters that are in need of repair.

Speaker Dale Lendrum, a 52 yearreturning student at CSULB, called for a reformation of the California Correction and Rehabilitations system after being in jail for most of his adult life and recognizing the lack of reintegration of the incarcerated peoples in to society.

Student speaker Agatha Gucyski

tackled the problem with higher education accessibility for students that live in high poverty areas in the state, citing the absence of equal opportunities for more advanced learning and outlining the effects of having these limited options for those in poverty.

Many of the speakers touched upon regional issues that the audience could relate with and understanding while also informing people of potentially new solutions in their calls to arms.

Many of the critiques that come with the TED conference talks center around lack of mutuality between the speakers, the audience and the organization itself that seems to be focused on entertainment quality through profits. Even though it was not as extravagant as the TEDTalks of pop culture lore, the inaugural TEDxCSULB event achieved success.

Familiarity between the speakers and audience created an environment of much more intimate understanding than they would have expected.

TEDxCSULB was our conference, our people, talking about our culture and our world.

By Lauren Hunter Staff Writer This past week the ASI run-off elections came to a close. The run-off election was held because each candidate did not receive the majority number of votes to win in his or her category.

The run-off election was for the positions of president, vice president and treasurer.

The top two candidates for president are Marvin Flores and Oscar Acevedo. However, the presidential run is now put on hold due to Acevedo allegedly breaking campaigning rules.

Acevedo gave out gift cards to different places and chips to try and win voters. Flores, who has a seat in the senate, filed a complaint against Acevedo. The ASI Judiciary Panel is now investigating the means in which Acevedo campaigned. The presidential campaign is postponed until further notice.

According to the ASI website they will notify the student body when a decision has been made.

The candidates for the run-off election for vice president are Logan Vournas and Novy Savannah Bowman. According to the ASI blast email about voting, Vournas’s platform was for students’ voices to be heard. She wants to add parking lot sensors in the structures, more scholarships for students, a full food pantry and wants to end tuition increases.

Bowman’s platform was to create a new vibe at CSULB, more student events and more fundraising opportunities. Vournas’s ideas worked because she won the run-off election against Bowman. Vournas took the vice presidential win.

Gio Smith and Mariam Balogun faced off again in the run-off election for the position of treasurer. Balogun’s platform was to increase the amount of scholarships students can get, keep up on budgets and wanted to showcase that ASI can fund student organization events.

Unfortunately for her, her stances did not win her the position of treasurer. Smith took the win with his major platform being transparency. The transparency platform came after the incidents regarding safety here on campus.

Smith’s transparency stance stretches beyond that and into the finances of ASI. He wants to make sure the students know where their ASI fees go and wants to create more scholarships and advantages for students.

This is an ongoing story and will be updated when the ASI Judiciary Panel makes their decision regarding the presidential campaign.

6 Food

Crisp and Divine

Course One

A look at a special event at Taste winebeer-kitchen Story and photos by Peter R. Clark Recently, I had the opportunity to visit an event hosted by Taste and Phantom Carriage. This event was hosted at Taste wine-beer-kitchen, a restaurant located on Broadway in Long Beach. Phantom Carriage is a brewery in Carson that specializes in sour and wild beers.

The event started at 6:30 p.m. Dinner was $55 a person, and consisted of four courses.

Each course was paired with a beer brewed

by Phantom Carriage. When I arrived, I was seated at an assigned seat. I was fortunate to be seated right across from the founder of Phantom Carriage, Martin Šváb. We spoke about many things throughout the night, and I gained a better understanding of Phantom Carriage’s mission and his passion behind providing great beer. It was an awesome experience.

Vegetarian options were available, however they were not listed on the menu and I did not have an opportunity to try them.

The first course was a Winter Mesclun Salad. It had an earthy taste, like plants, which was probably from the diverse amounts of greens. The chevre cheese in the salad offered an interesting saltiness and the tangerines provided a nice sweetness. The pistachio nuts added a great crunch. The acidic dressing paired well with the beer on offer, a wild berliner-weisse, a sour Germanstyle wheat beer, called Broadacres. The beer was nice and slightly sour, and tart.

The second course was a North African Style Mussels. This dish had a charmoula broth that provided a nice sauciness to the dish. The sausages provided a little spiciness, and were perfectly cooked and swimming in the broth. I wished that I didn’t have to deal with the mussel shells in this dish, but they were cooked quite well and tasted fresh. The bread was toasted and provided a nice way to sop up the broth.

The beer paired with this course was a hoppy grisette-style farmhouse ale called Annalee. It is their attempt on a Belgium-

style pale ale. This beer paired well with the spiciness of the sausage, and it tasted very light and refreshing. It was a little hoppy and funky.

The third course was the main course which was called Grilled Mary’s Chicken.

The chicken was perfectly cooked, tender, charred in a few areas, and surround by beurre blanc — a white butter. It was over a bed of rice, which had a small hint of coconut.

The mangos and passion fruit added a nice air of sweetness to the dish. Macadamia nuts added a nice crunch to the dish.

The beer that was paired with this dish was a wild Belgian blonde called Muis. It cut well through the sweetness of it. The beer had a grassy taste and complemented the chicken very well.

The fourth course was dessert and it was called a Funky Banana Split. It had pepper ice cream which added a bit of spiciness, but it was tamed by the cherry ice cream. The pepper ice cream was surprisingly good.

Overall the majority of the sweetness in this dish came from the banana, and even with it, the dish wasn’t as sweet as I expected. The banana was sliced and the entire dish was drizzled with chocolate sauce. As with the other dishes, pecans added a nice crunch to the dessert.

The beer that was paired with this dish was a dark farmhouse ale called Dolores. It was stout-like, but also had some notes of spices. It was very light for a stout beer, with some tastes of cloves.

To close the night, the people from Phantom Carriage provided everyone with a bonus beer. It was an imperial stout that was very boozy. It was aged for six months in Heaven Hill whiskey barrels. It was about 12 percent alcohol by volume and you could taste it. This was a slow drinker. It was very good and heavy, and had a taste similar to what I expected with a barrel aged stout.

This was great event to attend and I enjoyed every second of it. I hope to go to more events like these in the future.

Course Two

Course Three

Course Four

Travel

7

Falafel Makes Friendship Tales of a Libertarian in Washington D.C.

By Karrie Comfort Contributor I cannot sleep on planes, which is not a delightful discovery to make at midnight on a tiny tin can. I arrived in D.C. at 6:30 a.m. local time after having slept a total of maybe 15 minutes. Welcome to the capital.

I arrived in D.C. for a Libertarian political conference, specifically the International Students for Liberty Conference, complete with around 2,000 other liberty-minded individuals.

Shenanigans were bound to follow.

Unlike my first trip for the organization

seeking out a challenge to their worldviews.

There were conservative panels on gun rights, Christianity and liberty. We were even graced with the presence of His Serene Highness Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein.

But there were also things that might be considered more “liberal” on our current political spectrum. Quite a few marijuana legalization groups were there, and even a Russian anarcho-feminist band called Pussy Riot. It hardly gets more scandalous

kind and passionate.

One of my personal favorite student groups, Young Americans for Liberty hosted a social at a pizza place called the “Mellow Mushroom.” Not really sure what was mellow about it.

A strong Brazilian contingent, who have seen socialism ravage their country firsthand and are taking it back with freedom. There were a few Haitians too; the international crowd was the most diverse in ideas and some of the most interesting people to talk to.

wall behind the staircase, it was a seriously well-decorated house.

The whole night ended with a lovely Uber ride with my favorite people, and we made yet another falafel trip.

If you ever find yourself in D.C., Amsterdam Falafel is a must. It tastes especially incredible at 1 a.m.

We all stumbled completely drained back to our hotel and—like conferences and fun people tend to do—suddenly found the energy to stay awake till 4 a.m. talking.

The California liberty team: David, Karrie, Conor, Henry, Nick, Kevin (Kerrie Comfort/Contributor)

back in July to Denver, I was going with a group of my now friends who, just a little under a year ago, had been complete strangers to me. And now here we all were eating mediocre Dunkin Donuts food and overly sweetened coffee. Life is rad.

Most of our time was spent listening to speakers and attending workshops at the Marriot Wardman Hotel which was not a bad hotel. I may or may not have ordered room service tea and chocolate. Spoiling myself occasionally, I have decided, is acceptable since all I am doing is completing the job of my nonexistent beau. I’m just being proactive.

The conference was wonderful. I was exposed to such a wide range of ideas that it truly was a good experience for anyone

than that.

But it does get crazier. Vermin Supreme, a satirical presidential candidate as well as local legend, arrived with his usual black boot worn atop his head. His platform? Mandatory teeth brushing to fight the “continued oral decay in America.”

Mocking socialism, he offered “free ponies,” and when asked how he would pay for these so-called free ponies, he clarified brilliantly: “they’re free ponies. That means they’re free.” Touché Vermin, touché. He also, as he points out, is the only candidate that promises to travel back in time and kill Hitler. Can’t argue with that.

But I, as always, enjoyed the people I met the most. There were a group of student leaders from Hawaii who were so

There was a whole table of people arguing about whether or not Donald Trump was a liberal frontman, since he had largely funded only liberal candidates, including the Clintons, and was being used to divide the Republican party.

Did Bernie Sanders stand a chance against the establishment Democrat Hillary Clinton?

Was Ted Cruz really Count Dracula?

Only the best questions survived, as you can see.

A house known as Casa de Libertad had a house party a little outside of the city limits and, as always, lived up to its name. With a huge American flag gracing the living room’s wall and pictures of renowned libertyminded figures like Ron Paul decorating the

We talked about everything from the Dark Triad Personality Test and to what extent it predicts psychopathic tendencies to whether or not Asian men are less likely to be ‘date-able’ because they are seen as feminine.

Only the best thoughts were fed by pizza ordered by my friend’s Brazilian roommate.

The conference ended, and we all went our separate ways, taking flights back to our respective homes, with significant exhaustion accompanying everyone.

But we also have some impressive memories now. A worthwhile exchange if you ask me.

8

Athletics

Location, Location, Location In the second of a three-part series, we look at how geography can play a big part in reviving Long Beach State football

By Matthew Gozzip Staff Writer Looking past the financial hurdles and prospectively towards the possibility of a program being resurrected, a football team can potentially flourish at Long Beach State.

The university is centrally located between three of the largest hotbeds of player talent in all of California: the Los Angeles area, Orange County and the Inland Empire.

Many of the premier recruits will most likely opt to attending the bigger name schools but the parity in college football has continued to shrink. High school and junior college athletes are graded on a point scale based on advanced measurements and analysis.

According to 24/7 Sports, a website dedicated to creating composite rankings of recruits based by class year, out of 6,000 best high school football athletes that were ranked in the class of 2012-2016, more than 600 players hailed from California.

Long Beach State can sign some great talent that may not be as highly recruited as other players for whatever reason. The city of Long Beach has enough talent itself to field a college football team. Polytechnic High School has produced more NFL players

than any other school in the nation and Long Beach City College was the top ranked junior college program in the nation this past year.

Attracting talent, especially homegrown, should not be a huge problem if LBSU had a

is another alternative that was used by the CSULB football team at one point.

These are both solid option but the more attractive options for home games would be from newer venues. The Stubhub Stadium was recently built and can house a sizable crowd of 30,000 people.

Stubhub has been used for state championship football games and can be converted overnight if needed be for an event the next day.

It is a smart initial option and if the program generates enough notoriety the

“Long Beach State can sign some great talent that may not be as high recruited.....” football program.

In regards to the playing location, there are a variety of possible sites. As of now, there is not suitable area to build football stadium on campus but there are several smaller venues in the general vicinity. Veterans Memorial Stadium was a location for many Long Beach State home games so it is a proven solution. If the scheduling conflicts with LBCC occur, Edison Field in Anaheim

LBSU football program can move up to the most luxurious option for home games: the City of Champions Stadium. A state of the art facility that can hold upwards of 80,000 plus occupants, the City of Champions Stadium is the future home of the Los Angeles Rams. It would be a great pitch to players to potentially who are considering playing for Long Beach State and would serve as a very unique draw for fans. The University of Southern California football team shared occupancy with the Rams when they were originally in Los Angeles at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Their arrangement can serve as a basis for framework with Long Beach State.

Comedians and Hoops One man’s foray into basketball through comedy

By Andrew Linde Entertainment Editor

“This isn’t sudden death, this is basketball...” ...said Coach DJ Bizzy during the first game of the spring season for the women’s basketball “C” upper division rec league. It was the Pistol Shrimps against the Ba Dunka Dunks.

For the first time in my life I knew who I was rooting for: the Shrimps.

I found myself in the heart of Los Angeles watching a basketball game with my friends on a Tuesday evening. I was never one for sports. I didn’t play in any school leagues, my family doesn’t have a team that we rally around, and I never really sought out sports.

What drew me to the Pistol Shrimps was podcasts. More specifically the podcast called Pistol Shrimps Radio.

Hosted by comedians Matt Gourley and Mark McConville, they take on the personas of sports commentators and call the game as it happens. In the first season they frequently invited guests such as Paul F. Tompkins and Colin Hanks to help give color commentary.

The Pistol Shrimps also weren’t a very strong team. But thanks to the show I got to know the player’s names and enjoy the game.

It wasn’t even my idea to attend one of

their games. One of the perks of living so close to Los Angeles is having access to burgeoning comedy and improv. Another perk is being able to watch those same comedians play basketball. The Pistol Shrimps are made up of actors, writers, and producers of funny content. One of their more famous players is Aubrey Plaza, probably most well known for her role in “Parks and Recreation.” It was truly astounding to watch Plaza play a mean game of ball.

A friend who also listens to Pistol Shrimps Radio suggested we make the trek to North Weddington Gym. And now we go every week.

Last season the Shrimps made it to the the finals, but were beat out by the Blouses.

Unfortunately the Shrimps started this new season with another loss, but only after tying and going into overtime. My friends and I had never seen a more thrilling and heartbreaking game. The final score was 34-32, with the Ba Dunka Dunks overtaking the Pistol Shrimps in overtime.

FEATURE

9

By Alejandro Ramos After all the uncertainty, we can finally say this: the strike will not be happening. For the past couple of weeks, the threat of a strike loomed over the heads of students, faculty, and administration of the California State University system. Money was on the line between the administration and the faculty, and as such neither side was willing to fold until they got theirs. When it seemed like teachers would have to leave their classrooms to get their point across, the administration and the teachers’ union came to an agreement, and just like that, things went back to normal. But how did we get here? And what does this mean for students? The Union Weekly spoke with the chapter head of the California Faculty Association (CFA) for California State University, Long Beach to get the breakdown of the negotiations between the CFA and the CSU.

10

FEATURE

“The university is managing the administration in a really poor fashion. It’s managing it not in the best interest of student instruction.”

Months of negotiating and deliberation came to a head on April 6, when Chancellor Timothy White reached out directly to Jennifer Eagan, the president of the California Faculty Association (CFA). The CFA and its supporters were poised to strike for five days just a week later, and this was a last ditch effort to come to an agreement.

According to Doug Domingo Foraste, the CFA chapter head in Long Beach, it was the first time Chancellor White had involved himself in the negotiations. It was serious, as the strike had the potential to be the largest in the history of public education in California. It would’ve included CFA members from all 23 CSU campuses.

Foraste estimated that 2,000 of 2,300 faculty members from Long Beach were going to strike.

“When we fight for a salary increase, we’re not just fighting for ourselves.

We’re fighting for our students as well,” Foraste said.

Over the span of two days, both parties worked to reach the agreement that has postponed the strike. It involves a 10.5 percent general salary increase spread out over the next 15 months and a 2.65 percent step increase for eligible faculty members for the 2017-2018 year.

In addition, the minimum increase for promotions was raised from 7.5 percent to 9 percent starting July 1, 2016. These changes will remain in effect through June 30, 2018, which is when the contract will end and a new one will be ratified.

“I didn’t get the 50 percent increase in my salary that I dreamt about but it’s pretty good,” Foraste said “I’m voting for it. That should tell you something.”

The agreement is deemed tentative for the time being, as it still has to be approved by the members of the union.

They will have a week to vote on it, starting April 22. From there, the Board of Trustees will ratify it in late May, at which point it will go into effect.

“Presumably, it will get ratified. I think most people are happy with it,” Foraste said.

The road to this outcome was not a short one—it goes all the way back to when the current contract was ratified in November of 2014. That contract came with the promise of a three percent salary increase for 2014-2015 followed by a two percent over the following two years. It also came with a small side note: the CFA would be able to reopen the issue of salary starting in May 1, 2015.

FEATURE

It goes without saying that they jumped on the opportunity, but quickly met a wall.

According to Foraste, the CFA and the CSU reached impasse after two sessions in July 2015, went into mediation in August 2015, then went to impasse again. It was at this time that they turned to a neutral fact finder, per the guidelines of the Higher Education Employer-Employee Relations Act. Both sides presented their evidence to the fact finder in January 2016. The fact finding report was presented to both parties in mid-March and was followed by a 10-day blackout period, giving them time to review it and negotiate before it became public.

“The fact finder report was a big issue,” said Doug Domingo Foraste, chapter head of the CFA’s Long Beach. “It validated everything we had said at the CFA. The CSU is hard pressed to justify their position because the neutral fact finder had said the CFA is right.”

The fact finding report recommended that the CSU pay the salary increases the CFA asked for as doing so was “in the best interest of students.” The CSU had remained adamant in its claim that it didn’t have the money to do so, even after the report came out. Their reasoning was that it is too late into the fiscal year to make any changes to the budget. According to their official dissent of the fact finding report, moving money that had already been allocated for other projects would create a deficit.

According to Foraste, the CSU did not show interest in reaching an agreement, as communication between the parties had been scarce. He believes the threat of a strike and the bad press that would come with it forced their hand. He also thinks there may have been pressure from the state and the board of trustees, although this is his own personal speculation.

“They’re more afraid of a strike than

we are,” Foraste said. “It would make them look rather incompetent if they have management that doesn’t treat their faculty well.”

Though the negotiations were between the faculty and the administration, it was the students who stood to suffer the most during the strike. It would’ve been disruptive to their class time and their schoolwork, Foraste stated.

“There’s not a single faculty member on this campus that wanted to strike,” Foraste said.

Despite the imminent threat of a strike, many students were confused and lacked information on the issue, even the week before it was scheduled to happen.

Those who were up to date on the matter supported the faculty.

“I wouldn’t say I’m being dragged into the conflict because I support the faculty,” Gladys Morales said. “I think it’s better to say that I’m showing solidarity because this conflict also affects me as a student.”

According to Foraste, students receive better instruction when their teachers are able to vvmake themselves available for office hours and give them proper feedback and critiques on their work. The salary increase being granted will allow some professors and lecturers to expand and provide this level of attention moving forward.

“I got the impression that students were kind of looking forward to the strike much more than the faculty,” Foraste said. “Maybe as a few days off.”

“The faculty have the right to advocate for the needs that they have for a working environment. I support their ability to advocate for better working conditions, however that might come about.”

— Jeremy Smotherman

This article has contributions from Amanda Dominguez-Chio and Abraham Alapisco.

11

12

Culture

Experiencing the Unconventional The art pieces at the Museum of Contemporary Arts push a student out of her comfort zone

By Elizabeth Nguyen Opinions Editor

“All the Bands I Can Remember Seeing and All the Extinct Vertebrates in North America Since 1492”

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simplicity or its details.

My experience at MOCA was one I wouldn’t forget because I actually want to understand contemporary art before I attempt to visit another museum with similar exhibits. sc

isn’t j u s t vibrant colors, but a layered piece.

You can’t tell in the photo, but if you see it in person, try to take a look at the art from the side.

Individual layers, like the grass and the strands on separate papers, make up the entirety of the art

piece. It provided a lot more depth to Tomaselli’s art and made me appreciate it even more.

Other nontraditional works of art included photographs and a literal jumble of everyday household items that took up a part of a room.

You can truly tell how different contemporary art is from what people imagine art to be, and I can respect that to an extent. Some artists were clever while others lost meaning depending on its

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keep looking back at it.

The colors were pretty and taking the time to look at it longer was definitely worth the effort.

Another favorite from MOCA Grand was done by Fred Tomaselli.

The title itself is a doozy called “All The Bands I Can Remember Seeing and All The Extinct Vertebrates in North America Since 1492” (1990).

What’s unique about this particular piece is that it

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behind the shapes.

This doesn’t mean I hated what MOCA had to offer. The art was beautiful in a nontraditional way. I still really enjoyed what I saw because I took the time to read the little descriptions and stand in front of pieces that caught my eye. My favorite was a collage by Wangechi Mutu, displayed at MOCA Grand.

After doing some Google searching, I found that it was called “She’s Egungun Again.”

It was really peculiar to look at and from a distance appeared to just be a woman in a strange position.

But when I looked at it longer, I could see the woman was shaped by other smaller w o m e n and abstract shapes and waves.

The painting was certainly eyecatching and I couldn’t help but want to

ab

Whenever I think of Los Angeles, I think of museums. It’s a new tradition among my friends from high school where we take trips to L.A. over breaks and visit a different museum. This time around, we visited the Museum of Contemporary Arts (MOCA).

The title says it all; the museum houses works of contemporary art. Actually, there were two locations that we visited: MOCA Geffen and MOCA Grand.

Geffen housed a permanent exhibit called “Don’t Look Back: The 1990s” where all of the art pertained to significant moments of that time. Grand showcased many more exhibits in chronological order, starting from the 1950s to the 2000s.

Personally, I’m not a huge fan of contemporary art compared to the traditional art forms. The struggle I have with this particular form of art is how to interpret it, partly because of the history I don’t have knowledge of and partly because of how simple contemporary works can be.

For example, one work was just a bunch of different shapes on a canvas. It was a so simple that I had no idea what purpose the painting served or what it meant to the artist. There were descriptions to the side, which definitely made it easier to get through the contemporary pieces; however for the one in question, I don’t remember what was the purpose

Culture

13

Hot Diggity Dog! A personal narrative on man’s best friend

By Richard Mejia Managing Editor As an aspiring journalist, I often catch myself living a clichéd lifestyle. I’m a student being taught what I already do on a daily basis, I work at a coffee shop, alcohol is a welcomed sight and much of the time—I value being alone.

Now these might seem like items that you’re familiar with, but in the world of journalism, these are all fairly spot on– especially in print journalism.

Spring break brings on a time of relaxation and the opportunity to reset as the homestretch of the semester is right around the corner. As a journalist, I was able to fully immerse myself in the aforementioned traits of a journalist, with the exception being alone. Instead of wallowing away over a week, I decided to spend my free time with my fickly loyal chocolate lab, Biscuit.

Almost six years old—in dog years— Biscuit lives a very cushy life. He lounges around the house all day, barking when anyone approaches the door as he waits for

someone to come home and either give him a treat or play with him.

Instead of waking up early in the morning to settle my day, I get up and let Biscuit out in the back to do his “business.” As he rustles through the dewy, high grass, I sip on my piping hot black coffee and grip one of his many torn and tattered toys.

A few cups of coffee and rounds of catch later, I head inside and give Biscuit his delicious and nutritious morning kibble, partnered up with a steel bowl full of ice-cold sink water.

As the day progresses, Biscuit becomes progressively lazy. He lies on the old wooden floors and mindlessly grunts. Occasionally, he’ll give me the “side-eye” in which he communicates either his boredom or general disinterest of what his day has become.

Obligingly, I invite my decadently colored companion to join me at my feet as I go through my daily array of Union Weekly content.

As he slowly waddles his way towards to me, I meet him halfway and give him a jovial belly rub and the classic butt scratch—all dogs and humans love a good butt scratch.

Much of my days throughout spring break were repetitive to this extent. Biscuit would always go where I went and I spent the majority, if not all, of my time with him.

Whether sipping on hot coffee on a cold morning or curling up to a roaring fire in the backyard on a chilly night, Biscuit is always there.

The dog is given a lot of love and he returns all of it with interest. He’s too scared to leave the front yard and too socially awkward to interact with strangers or new dogs. That’s the main reason I know he’ll always be around– but in my heart, I know it’s because of the connection we have.

Biscuit looking lovingly at his owner, Richard Mejia

14

Community

I Am Still Healing Viewing “Secret Survivor” as a sexual assault survivor

By Julia Velasco-Aguilar Contributor

With April being Sexual Assault Awareness month, Dr. Rosie Kar from the department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality studies hosted “Secret Survivors,” a documentary film screening and Q&A on Thursday, April 7 in the USU auditorium.

The documentary was exceptionally impactful and hit every spot that it should have.

Survivor or not, I highly recommend this documentary for everyone who wants to get some raw testimonies from survivors and expand their understanding of the topic. It will make you cry. The DVD is available to rent at the library.

It was not explicitly stated that the screening was going to be about child sexual abuse cases. Information of this sort could have been useful for survivors of child sexual

abuse like me.

It could have helped me and possibly others to prepare ourselves emotionally and mentally.

I would have known to bring tissues.

Regardless, this delicate topic was very well handled by the host, audience and specially the guest speaker Amita Swadhin — a survivor herself.

I knew that the topic of sexual assault would be triggering for me but Swadhin’s words toward the audience were always — beginning to end — wrapped in compassion.

Her being both incredibly knowledgeable about the topic and having to experience it herself was very reassuring and comforting to the other survivors in the room, because it provided a safe space for them.

Until the screening of this documentary,

I had never considered myself a “survivor”.

This was the first time I had ever used the word “survivor” to describe myself. It never occurred to me that that’s what I was.

That’s what I am.

And that’s what I will be.

This event helped me realized that I will continuously be looking to heal every aspect of me that was damaged and that I will say, “I am still healing.” Five, ten, twenty years from now – don’t get me wrong. That’s a good thing. We survivors want to heal. We want to get rid of this hurting in any way.

Swadhin definitely relieved some of that pressure to keep quiet and told us—survivors in particular—that we cannot think that we will heal and feel like someone who has not suffered the trauma of child sexual abuse, because that’s not who we are.

And that is probably some of the most comforting words a survivor can hear.

Because healing is not about that.

It is about forgiving and accepting and coping in a healthy manner.

I am grateful to Amita Swadhin for taking her time to come to our university to share her story and for telling me that when we heal ourselves, we heal seven generations behind us and in front of us.

Throughout the years, I have slowly but surely decided to speak more about my past child sexual abuse.

Now, I know that it could actually be impactful not only to me but for the other survivors whom silently roam around me to let them know – they’re not alone.

You’re not alone.

Beautiful and Haunting

Music snags you as you see people pace around the audience. Sexuality and mystery ooze out of them with every step. Your eyes connect with theirs and you flirt with the idea that they might come to you — this is a show after all.

Smooth beats turn rapid as the dancers begin moving their bodies. Several hip sways, hair flips and body rolls later, clothes begin to be shed.

Burlesque in the modern age revolves around mystery and sexuality. It’s a cultural celebration that involves fashion, comedy and dance. This celebration was more than apparent at Mrs. Fish’s first ever burlesque show, Cabaret Noir.

Behind a little door off Hill Street in Downtown Los Angeles, Mrs. Fish’s underground club lives up to her name, feeling like a beautiful grotto only Ariel could

find. Lights are dim, but hold an array of colors. A fish tank wraps around the the top of the middle floor.

I’ve always wanted to go a burlesque show since I first saw Dita Von Teese on YouTube.

Dubbed the Queen of Burlesque, she’s known for putting the “tease back in striptease,” in her own words. Because of her and the 2010 film “Burlesque,” the shows have received a recent revival and return of popularity.

With these in mind, you think you’d know exactly to expect. But that’s the magic of burlesque: you never know what you’re going to get.

From a stripping Geisha to a nude horse and its trainer, this troupe kept the audience and I captivated. Each performer had a different theme to their outfit and each performance told a story.

My favorite performance was when a dancer did a Swan Lake-inspired piece,

dressing as a black swan and dancing around the audience. It was beautiful and terrifying at the same time, especially when several other dancers converged on her space.

The swan danced to her death. A waiter put a plate of roasted poultry on her body and the other dancers feasted on it: a symbol for feasting on her carcass. It was primal and savage and I loved every second of it.

Mrs. Fish’s show proved that burlesque is more than a striptease.

It’s a medium for expression and storytelling.

It can be as beautiful as it is haunting, as sexy as it is disturbing and as mysterious as it is explicit.

One thing is for certain, however - I’ll go under the sea any time Mrs. Fish has another show like this.

Mrs. Fish’s Cabaret Noir makes burlesque modern

By Jordan Daniels Staff Writer

Community

15

Bringing Back an Old Tradition Sigma Chi’s “Derby Days” Week raises funds for cancer organization

By Jorge Lopez Contributor and Bailey Mount Community Editor

Sigma Chi was joined by sorority Alpha Phi at their Slice of Hope event to raise cancer awareness and funds during “Derby Days,” taken from Alpha Phi’s Instagram @csulbaphi

Fraternity Sigma Chi’s Eta Beta chapter of California State University, Long Beach hosted its first “Derby Days” in 20 years from April 4 to 8.

By the end of the week, the fraternity raised money, student awareness, and the reputation of Greek Life organizations on campus through its philanthrophy.

Each event was dedicated to a singular goal: raising funds toward The Huntsman Cancer Institute.

The institute focuses on finding the causes of cancer and developing more effective treatments for it.

Sigma Chi member Christopher Terzic called the event “a philanthropic tradition.”

“Now that the Eta Beta Chapter has the capability to bring back Derby Days once more,

our goal is to raise $20,000 by August 1 and we are already more than halfway to completing that challenge,” he said.

Sigma Chi and its fellow fraternities across the United States set up on derbychallenge.org to monitor their achievements.

The site also enabled nonmembers, friends, and family to track the fraternity’s progess and give donations to the program.

Whether it was through these donations, the purchase of food, or through the dunking of Sigma Chi members into a water tank, support from their fellow students was greatly appreciated by the fraternity.

“I believe that being part of the CSULB community means we should support one another,

A coin drive was held all week long to raise money for the Huntsman Cancer Institute (Luis Martinez/Contributor)

especially in a cause in which we believe in,” said CSULB student Karla Cervantes.

The weeklong event included a coin drive, cookie and pizza sale, dunk tank, dance-off, Spartan Race, and a formal banquet.

Sigma Chi received an overwhelming share of support from its fellow Greek organizations as well.

“I heard about Sigma Chi’s philanthropy through my sorority, Alpha Omicron Pi, and I wanted to donate whatever I could for a good cause,” said Alonna Gilmore.

Sigma Chi’s “Slice of Hope” pizza event at East 7th Street on April 6 was joined by sorority Alpha Phi. The following event on April 7 was a dance-off between sororities Sigma Kappa, Zeta Tau Alpha, and Alpha Omicron Phi. Their final competitive event was a Spartan Race between the sororities.

And although “Derby Days” served as a bonding event between the Greek life organizations as well as a philanthrophy event, it also succeeded in striking a personal chord with many students.

“My aunt had cancer and I’m happy to say that her cancer is in remission, but she still has to go for checkups,” said student Rodrigo Loyola.

And for many other students like Loyola, the fraternity provided awareness and aid for a cause that was beneficial to many.

“Fraternities get a bad reputation for a lot of things, but

Members of Sigma Chi cheer on contestants as they compete in the Spartan Race (Jorge Lopez/Contributor)

ignore the philanthropies that they do,” Loyola said.

He added that there should be “more coverage of philanthropy events so that the whole campus could participate and donate to them.”

“Derby Days” also succeeded in righting some misconceptions about Greek life. “ . . .Stereotypes about Greek organizations put on by the mainstream media are not an accurate reflection of what Greek life is all about,” said Sigma Chi member Anthony Doan.

“We want students, faculty and staff on our campus to see that Greek members are people who

care about the community and want to make it better.”

To learn more about “Derby Days” and what occurred during it visit Sigma Chi’s Instagram @ sigmachicsulb and on Twitter @ SigmaChiHB. As of the date of this article’s publication, all of the combined fraternities around the U.S. raised nearly $750,000.

Sigma Chi alone raised roughly $10,000.

Further donations to The Huntsman Cancer Institute will be accepted on derbychallenge.org.

16

Music

They Came, They Played, They Killed A lucky concertgoer experiences The Killers for the second time in her life

By Amanda Dominguez-Chio Culture Editor While many people traveled ready to perform. or slept through spring New Regime only break, I saw The Killers performed for 30 in concert for the minutes, but we second time. waited about 45 A couple of minutes for months ago, the real deal my roommate to arrive. told me the Standing Killers were six feet coming to away from San Diego the band, on April 2. we jumped I remember with joy as the morning we watched purchasing our Brandon Flowers, tickets was exciting, Dave Keuning, yet tense because of the Ronnie Vannucci Jr., possibility that we may not and Mark Stoermer get into attend the concert at Mark Stoermer and his frizzy hair heavily position and open all. with “Spaceman.” focused on bass playing (Amanda Fortunately for One of the things Dominguez-Chio/Union Weekly) us, we got tickets for I love about concerts general admission, where we stood about is that when you’re seeing a great band six feet away from the band. perform live, the fans sing along. We may all I was in middle school when I first heard sound off-key individually, but altogether, “Mr. Brightside.” I remember watching the the sing-along created a community that video on VH1, mesmerized with the vibrant shared something: a great love for the band. colors and eclectic costumes. It’s such a That feeling surfaced as we sung along to catchy song with an unforgettable riff.

“Read My Mind.”

“Hot Fuss” is such a great album, filled The only bad things that occurred with classics like “On Top,” “Somebody during the concert was a couple in front of Told Me,” and my personal favorite, “Jenny us kept swaying along to the music, with the was a Friend of Mine.” girl’s head obstructing my view of Although “Hot Fuss” Brandon Flowers’ beautiful was heavily inspired by face and at one point, I New Wave bands, was standing next to their second this older guy and album, “Sam’s our arms kept Town” created brushing each a different other. His arm sound. hairs, though.

I feel that The horror. many people T h e were taken second time aback by this, I saw The but I couldn’t Killers in help but love it. concert beats It uses less vocal the first. My effects, mostly friend came up because “When from San Diego to You Were Young” was attend the concert heavily influenced by with me. We had seats at Bruce Springsteen. Hearing the Los Angeles Sports Arena that song live is an Brandon Flowers sings and plays the piano and watched the amazing experience, (Amanda Dominguez-Chio/Union Weekly) band perform from creating this raw afar. energy among the fans.

They were touring for their fourth We could not be more thrilled to see album, “Battle Born.” They played a couple The Killers. They are my favorite band and of their old songs (including “Jenny was a having the chance to see them again was Friend of Mine,” hallelujah!) and, if memory worth it. New Regime was the opening band serves, opened with “When You Were and the singer had a great voice and the band Young,” a great way to kick-start the concert had a great sound, but it was difficult to pay I had waited years to attend. attention knowing The Killers were getting Unfortunately, they played “From Here

on Out,” which sounds a little stepped forward with the country, a genre I cannot lights shining on him stand. So what was it and played that like standing there memorable riff. with my friend and When the listening to my song ended favorite band and the band play a country left, we were song?

Very left with a displeasing to feeling of my ears. Aside euphoria. from that, I I’m not fulfilled my sure when dream of seeing The Killers The Killers. will release This time new material, around, the band but until then played their old stuff I will continue and ended the concert listening to their with a bang by playing beautiful music.

Brandon Flowers sings(Amanda “Mr. Brightside.”

Dominguez-Chio/UnionWeekly) I just loved how guitarist Dave Keuning

Music

17

Progressive Chaos A song-to-song review of post-metal band Latitude’s latest album

By Peter R. Clark Travel Editor Latitudes is a post-metal band from London, England. Their third album, “Old Sunlight,” was released earlier this year. Keeping the theme of their previous albums, most songs are longer with a progressive tone about them. With the exception of two, each of the seven songs on the album are over five minutes long.

Track one, “Ordalian,” sets up the mood for the album. It starts off slow, but progressively builds up to a powerhouse of sound. This song is chaotic at times, with the guitars driving the song in haphazard directions.

It’s a perfect song to start an album with, hitting all the notes of what’s to come.

It interjects some melody amongst the madness and offers some respite to the overall harrowing tale of anguished sound.

“Ordalian” is the longest track on the album, but not by any means the best. For most of the nine minutes this track lasts, it does the same thing, and eventually ends

with a beating to the ears that does not in any way prepare you for the next song.

The second song on the album, “Body Within a Body,” starts off with singing.

Unfortunately, the band has not released any of the lyrics online, so it’s difficult to make out what is all being said in a song, but for the majority of this song, the vocals are easily understandable.

“Body Within a Body” is not as hard hitting as the first song, and the music plays off the vocals. At times, the vocalist stops singing and the chaotic nature of the album breaks through in the song, but overall, this is a tame song compared to the others on the album.

Toward the end of the song, the vocals work well with the song and provide a sense of emotion to the track the other tracks seem to lack.

“Amnio” is my second favorite track on the album, and second shortest on the album, sitting at three and a half minutes long.

This song reminds me a lot of “The Crystal World” by Locrian. “Amnio” is a building song. A fast ascending and descending sound can be heard as the grueling guitars fade in.

The guitars in this song at times sound like something horribly grinding against metal.

Throughout the song’s background, the ascending and descending rapid notes can be heard, which just serve as an escape for your ears as the guitars drone on with their grinding nature. Toward the end, the ascending and descending sound fades; only the guitars can be heard. This is probably the heaviest song on the album. It’s truly a master crafted song.

The fourth track is “Gyre.” It’s a speed demon through and through. It starts fast and almost never slows down. Other than it being fast, there really is nothing else to say about it. It has a few heavy parts, and a few parts of interesting melody, but overall this track is kind of forgettable.

“In Rushes Bound” is my favorite track on the album. It’s a perfect combination of great guitar work, drumming, and singing.

The vocals don’t overpower the song, adding a nice emotion to an already fairly emotional track.

At times, this song sets itself up to be a slower song, but then it speeds up. Every once in a while the vocalist adds in his two cents to the song at the perfect time.

Towards the end, the rhythm slows down and quits to set itself up for the last part of the song.

Once the last part starts, it’s a downhill crescendo of sound that exemplifies what the band is all about: a post-metal band with influences from various genres and bands. The vocals in this part are well executed and crafted.

Overall, this song among my favorites of all time. If the album ended here, I would be fine with it, as the final two songs do not live up to the greatness of “In Rushes Bound.”

I have a hard time listening to the two final songs on the album, “Altarpieces” and “Quandary” as I am taken so at back by “In Rushes Bound” that I simply ignore what’s happening in these songs.

“Altarpieces” is pretty standard fare for this album, it mimics the sound design of “Gyre.” A fast song that is sometimes broken up by moments of clarity. The entropic nature of this song works better here than in “Gyre,” because of the soft moments of melodic sound that are thrown in.

There is a very interesting part toward the middle of the song that sounds like the song is climbing a hill. “Altarpieces” closes with part that could almost be construed as a solo, well at least for this genre.

It’s quite good, and listening to alone and not in sequence right after “In Rushes Bound” makes the song better.

“Quandary” is the shortest song on the album. Sitting at a measly two and a half minutes, this song serves as an outro of sorts.

It is a simple song that has a soft guitar playing with a couple of voices saying things. It works as an outro, but it’s pretty boring otherwise.

Usually, I skip this song altogether because it seems to add nothing to the album.

Overall, this album is great. I’d leave out a song and rearrange the order, but the album works well as an entropic post-metal album.

The chaotic nature of the album is on par with their previous works, and “Old Sunlight” is a great addition to their discography.

I suggest giving it a shot if you are even remotely interested in good music. Latitudes is a fucking great band, and I can’t wait to hear more from them.

“The chaotic nature of the album is on par with their previous works and “Old Sunlight” is a great addition to their discography.”

18

Entertainment

More Than Just Wrestling

By Peter R. Clark Travel Editor I recently watched Wrestlemania XXIII which, to my surprise, was more exciting and interesting than I originally thought it would be. My friend invited me a few weeks before and I was initially hesitant, but after he tempted me with good beer I accepted. I hadn’t watched wrestling much since I was younger, and I stopped because it became boring for me. All the greats have long since left to do other things or sometimes come back for special appearances that seem more fake than the wrestling itself.

I arrived late to my friends and some matches were already over, but apparently those matches were not as exciting and interesting. When I arrived, there was a tag team championship match taking place between the boring League of Nations and somewhat exciting The New Day. It was mostly uninteresting save for one of the The New Day guys playing a trombone mid-fight.

The excitement came after the League of Nations won and started talking some bullshit.

That’s when Shawn Michaels, Mick Foley, and Steve Austin all came out and kicked all their asses.

As a side note, Steve Austin was drinking his own beer that was brewed by El Segundo Brewing. It was cool to see these three old icons come out and kick ass.

The next form of excitement came from something completely unexpected. There was a Battle Royale for the Andre the Giant memorial.

Because there were so many wrestlers—mostly

Illustration by John Mueller Graphics Illustrator

Fo’ shizzle

B-stars—in that match, a number of them were already in the squared circle.

What was unexpected was that Shaquille O’Neal came running out to the ring. It was cool to see him stacked up next to Kane, The Big Show, and Mark Henry.

Despite those wrestler’s size, they seemed tiny compared to Shaq’s massive stature. He was unfortunately the first one to be eliminated in this match, and the eventual winner was someone I didn’t know, but just the fact that Shaq of all people made an appearance was worth it.

The last thing that left all of us in the room questioning everything was the fact that, of all people, Snoop Dogg was inducted into the wrestling Hall of Fame. There was really no explanation for it, and he didn’t seem to be fazed by it either.

Another interesting note is that the diva Sasha Banks is apparently related to him.

Perhaps that is how he got into the Hall of Fame? It was unclear, and my limited research online didn’t provide much other than he did do a lot of guest appearances.

Other things happened throughout the night, such as “The Rock” having a verbal dispute with the Wyatt Family, and John Cena making a return.

Overall, this Wrestlemania proved to be interesting and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Maybe I might be so inclined to watch next year’s, but I fear that nothing will live up to this year’s excitement. Time will tell.

Entertainment

19

Elsa v Thor: Dawn of Just Ice

By Mara Hernandez Contributor I was lucky enough to see an advanced, free screening of “The Hunstman: Winter’s War” and let me start off with this - thank God it was free. Initially I walked into the theater thinking that I didn’t need to watch its predecessor “Snow White and the Huntsman” in order to understand the plot as it was promoted as “the story before Snow White,” and I was right until about one-third of the way into the movie. For some reason someone thought it would be a good idea to put a prequel and a sequel within one film.

Why you would promote a movie as a prequel only to have it turn into a sequel about 30 minutes in is beyond me though.

“Winter’s War” is about the horrors of forcibly raising children to be soldiers, but shifts to a “love conquers all” narrative all while throwing in some unspoken sister rivalry on the side. Did I mention that there

was no war to be seen, despite it being in the title? No? Well, that’s because there was no opposing army or war, just the unspoken sister rivalry I mentioned earlier. At least the dwarves managed to save the film from being a complete bore.

I almost felt sorry for the star studded cast for this haphazard mess of a movie. Chris Hemsworth returned as Huntsman Eric, and somehow he went from a brooding widower from the first film to a sarcastic, almost Thor-like comical guy in the sequel. Charlize Theron also came back as the beautiful evil queen Ravenna, but only for a few moments and even in those moments her character commanded all of the attention. Jessica Chastain played Hemsworth’s love interest, Sara, a fellow Huntsman who arguably acts like more of an assassin than a hunter. And to top it off Emily Blunt had the role of Elsa.

I’m joking; Blunt had the role of the ice queen Freya, sister to Theron’s Ravenna. However, Freya might as well have been a darker take on Queen Elsa; you know, with the whole ice castle and ice clothes and living in solitude to the north gig.

The movie was directed by the first film’s visual effects supervisor, Cedric NicolasTroyan, and he was able to bring back an aesthetically pleasing look to “Winter’s War.” I personally thought the costuming and makeup were fantastic, and the few special effects used on the sister queens’ powers were just as magical as the setting. But that doesn’t make up for the rest of the film. For example, one of the film’s focuses was on the dynamic relationship between Freya and Ravenna, but the writers failed to elaborate on what their relationship was and what they mean to each other. Overall the characters were

dry or severely underwritten, and the camera would often focus on minor characters that make the audience question what is so important about them in relation to the main characters. I give “The Huntsman: Winter’s War” a 4/10 for tasteful sideboob, Thor with two axes, visual aesthetics, and the comic relief of the dwarves.

“The Huntsman: Winter’s War” Run Time: 1 hr 54 min Directed by: Cedric NicolasTroyan Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Jessica Chastain, Charlize Theron, Emily Blunt In Theaters: Apr. 22, 2016

“Dirty Grandpa” Funnier than “Meet the Parents” “Dirty Grandpa” holds nothing back when it comes to the raunch department. I am accustomed to seeing Robert De Niro (Dick Kelly) in serious roles like in “Goodfellas” or “Casino.” But he did not disappoint with actually being a dirty grandpa. De Niro held nothing back in this role and even beat out Zac Efron (Jason Kelly) in the dirty department.

The basis of the film is that De Niro’s wife dies and he asks his grandson, who is engaged to the uptight Meredith (Julianne Hough), to drive him down to Florida. Except the trip does not go as smoothly as Jason would have liked and they end up in a world of trouble. Along the way they meet Shadia (Zoey Deutch), an old college classmate, and Lenore (Aubrey Plaza) and they go on to celebrate spring break. Of course there is tons of drinking, some drugs, and sexual jokes. Crazy hilarious shenanigans occur causing distress to the characters and they

try to work out the repercussions. Weirdly for an R-rated movie about spring breaks there were no breasts, sorry. But there are other things that definitely earn that R rating.

Efron does a good job representing the pressure of being a certain way thanks to Hough’s character and his father in the film.

And then when he runs into Deutch’s Shadia he realizes everything he wants to do in life, but wasn’t able to before. His dilemma will be something relatable for all 20-somethings.

As for the females, Plaza was her usual sarcastic self and brought that into her role.

“Dirty Grandpa” Run Time: 1 hr 42 min Directed by: Dan Mazer Starring: Robert De Niro, Zac Efron, Zoey Deutch, Aubrey Plaza, Julianne Hough

By Lauren Hunter Staff Writer

Movies on the House are hosted twice a month on Wednesday and Thursday. Each movie is screened for 2 days at 3:30 pm, 6:00 pm and 8:30 pm in the USU Beach Auditorium. All screenings are free for students and $5 for non-students. Snacks are available for purchase.

“Dirty Grandpa” will be screened Apr. 13 and 14 The next Movie on the House will be “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” on Apr. 27 and 28.

She definitely was the funniest out of the ladies in the film. Deutch was the sweet girl and is set up to play the polar opposite of Hough. She is sweet, kind and laid back compared to Hough’s uptight elitist attitude that she has throughout the film.

Overall, De Niro stole the show. He was not even this funny in “Meet the Parents.” He held nothing back and let the audience have it. His performance was a surprise and not something I am used to seeing him doing. I hope he makes more films like this and just lets loose.

The De Niro-Efron team is hysterical.

Their comedy compliments each other. It was great watching De Niro in something where he doesn’t play the tough guy. Efron does a good job. All the girls do a fantastic job. Plaza is hilarious. She easily is one of the funniest parts of the entire film. All the other characters do a great job too. The entire rest of the cast meshes well together and make a great ensemble. Overall this is a good and silly film that should be watched. It is strictly meant for adults and makes you wish it was still spring break.

Volume 78 Issue 8

Monday, April 11, 2016

LBUNION.COM

The Grunion is a work of satire. It in no way reflects the views of Long Beach Union Weekly or Associated Students Inc.

Deadlines

Local Man Stung by Wasp, Sues Wasp for Racial Prejudice, Loses

WHO THE FUCK ATE MY ICE CREAM?

BY GRIM FANDANGO (MANUEL CALAVERA) GRUNION FUCKLORD

I THE TRUTH: Apparently not all actions have a racial motive, a local man finds out the hard way after near-fatal wasp attack. Local man pushes for appeal.

Local Woman Accused of Being Indecisive

was sitting here enjoying my day.

Watching the birds fly through the air and crashing into the electric fence off Pico when I decided it was time eat my ice cream. Specifically my prized possession: my ice cream cake. I looked all over for it, underneath my grave sweat, in my rumble wagon, and even in the chill train, but nothing. I asked some of my writers, and they all claimed that they haven’t seen it.

I asked Khaled M. Khaled if he had seen it and he said that maybe Avril Fickhauser had taken it, but then when I

NEWS SECRETARY

N

Genetically Modified Foods are Food too!

ew light has been shed on the case of millionaire tycoon Donald Trump reportedly blasting his wife last Sunday, Apr. 3.

The report stated that presidential candidate, and real estate tycoon, Donald Trump blasted his wife, but no other information was given at the time of reporting. After further investigation it was found out that the blasting was not from a gun, but rather from a finger.

“Yes that is correct, I finger blasted my wife with such intensity that she went unconscious and was presumed dead for about 4 or 5 minutes,” Trump said in a interview on Thursday. He wanted to stress the fact that she thoroughly

enjoyed it, and that she is very much alive. The report came as a bit of a shock to many, as Trump was not known for touching women of any kind due to his strong disdain against anything that bleeds for a week and doesn’t die.

The Grunion tried reaching out to Ivanka Trump, but she could not be reached for comment.

Donald Trump wanted to make it clear that she is in no way harmed by the recent alleged blasting.

“I want to make finger blasting great again,” Trump said at a press conference

in Wisconsin.

Trump wishes to let all his supporters know that finger blasting your wives is good for their health. And that you should not be afraid to blast your wife every once in a while.

“She’ll enjoy it, China enjoys it. It’s going to be big. Trust me. She will enjoy it. China,” Trump said as he explained finger blasting to crowd of middle schoolers in Detroit.

I’m dead, so fuck this election. I should stop reporting on the matters of living, they aren’t important.

TIGHT ASSHOLES FUCKED INSIDE

BY BILLY HERRINGTON PROLAPSED ASSHOLE

E LEAVE GMOS ALONE: Just becuase they were born in a test tube doesn’t make them any different! Treat them like normal food, they didn’t ask for their lives to be the way they are. Next time you talk down to a GMO, just remember that they are food too, and you should treat them with the same respect you treat other foods.

melted your fucking ice cream cake and ate the remnants just for fun and profit.

Hahahahahaha.

You motherfucker. I should have banished you when I had the chance.

First you take over my page, then you steal my ice cream? Begone, spawn of darkness! Your presence is not needed here! I will banish your foul presence from our reality once and for all! Wait...

I can’t do that. I’m a dead editor with no real powers. Fuck.

That’s right, you can remove me from your page, but you can’t remove me from existence. I ate your cake, I drink from your milkshake. I do what I want, because I am goatlord. I am Kulldeep Crossbuster. So fuck you!

Alright, I’m going to stop you there. I’ll just get more ice cream cakes.

HUBBY TYCOON BLASTS WIFE

BY MERCEDES COLOMAR

MAKE UP YOUR FUCKING MIND: Local woman can’t decide on anything.

When forced, calls everyone an asshole. Perhaps you should fucking make a decision so we call move on with our fucking lives.

asked Avril she said that she hasn’t seen it. I looked all over for my beloved ice cream and it was truly missing.

So I started weeping in my skull throne where I sit when I usually eat my ice cream. Upon my throne I observed my surroundings, trying to assess the situation. Who could have taken my ice cream? I can safely rule out Khaled and Avril, that leaves me, Hamtaro fucker, Joel Masterson, Mercedes and then... wait a fucking second.

Kulldeep you motherfucker. It was you wasn’t it? Where are you asshole?

Show yourself!

Hahahahahaha yes! It was I, Kulldeep Crossbuster master of hell, the universe, and the beyond. I am here to fuck your girlfriends and steal your hay bails. I am the god of everything. I even

ver had your tight asshole reamed?

You know, really hard by some massive object like a penis or dildo? What if I told you that is happening to your right now, and you don’t even realize it.

That’s right, right now everyone is getting their tightly puckered assholes fucked by the police. Since the beginning of this year, the police at Long Beach State have been withholding information that the students there are supposed to be told.

When a crime is committed is goes on the crime tracker, but then it is never

released on the main site for all to see.

Granted, a lot of the crimes listed are minor and not wroth mentioning, however some are pretty major and are worthy of a mention.

Personally, my asshole is sore from all the pounding I’ve received by the university police. I go to school there, and I leave with a bleeding asshole. I don’t want a bleeding asshole, but the police insist on taking me to pound town that it just hurts so much.

Secretly, I’m a fan of getting my asshole pounded, but I know that most people are not. I mean, I like getting my asshole punched by a big burly dick as much as the next guy, but I can’t take all the punishment that the police inflict.

From what I understand, most other people can’t take as much abuse as I

can, so maybe it’s time we do something about it.

Let’s stand together as students in forcing the university police in telling us students the information we desire. But let’s not ask for too much, I can’t stand having my asshole tightening up again.

I like getting anus prolapsed every once in a while. Maybe we just harp on them a little bit to give us the juice on the major incidents. You know, without us getting after them, they will just tell us when a guy enters a restroom and peeps on a woman, or when a man stalks a girl on campus. Or maybe when there is an altercation between two people.

Something, anything, just tell us, we have the right to know!

In essence, I want my tight asshole fucked hard, but not too hard. Thank you.