Nov. 4, 2020, Vol. 21, No. 5

TEASER

TEASER

The Blue Nightmare is Over.

Is too Much Boba Bad for Your Identity?

B ULLETI N Page 9

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California State University, Dominguez Hills

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November 4, 2020 • VOL. 26, NO. 5

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Biden On the Cusp

Locally, Hilton Stays on Carson Council, California Says Negative on Affirmative Action

By Iracema Navarro, Politics Editor UPDATED: Fri, NOV. 6, 3:50 pm There remains no declared winner for U.S. President, but crowds are forming outside the convention center in Philadelphia, as the vote total in that state has shifted in favor of former Vice President Joe Biden.

After trailing President Trump in that state since the first totals were announced Election Night, Biden’s numbers have steadily increased, due to mail-in ballots, particularly in and around Philadelphia, which have taken longer to count than the sameday votes, which favored Trump.

As of 3:30 p.m., Biden leads Pennsylvania by about 14,000 votes, with about 102,000 remaining.

If Biden’s lead holds, he gains the state’s 20 electoral votes, pushing him over the 270 threshold to win the presidency. (Most projections have Biden with 253 or 264 electoral votes.

The difference is Arizona’s 11; some outlets have called

for Biden while others are waiting.)

Biden also took the lead in Georgia today and continues to lead in Nevada. Trump leads in North Carolina.

A myriad of legal challenges have been filed by the Trump Administration, and at 2:52 . President Trump, who has alleged massive election fraud since Tuesday night, Tweeted that Biden should “not wrongfully claim the office of the President.”

Biden is expected to address the nation in a few hours.

The picture is clearer in California, which was called for Biden minutes after the polls closed.

Proposition 17, which restores voting rights to parolees passed, as did Prop. 22, which will classify rideshare app drivers as independent contractors.

The state-wide rent-control measure, as well as Prop.

Taylor Helmes Bulletin

Election Officials like Mary North volunteered at CSUDH’s Vote Center for the past 10 days

[See Election, page 10]

Dean Changing the Channel

By Daniel Tom

Staff Reporter After 25 years in the humanities, Dr. Mitch Avila is moving into campus administration. The dean of the CSUDH College of Arts & Humanities announced Oct. 23 that he has accepted the position of provost at California State University, Channel Islands. As provost, he will be one of the chief academic officers of the University. His job duties will include overseeing faculty hires, curriculum development and assessments, as well as anything with stu-

dent success. He begins his new position Jan. 1.

“This is an exciting--and daunting~--professional opportunity for me, and while I am of course honored to take on this new role, I am sad to be leaving Dominguez Hills,” Avila said in his Oct. 23 email to the College of Arts & Humanities.

Dr. Avila leaves the Toros for CSU Channel Islands, a school established in 2002 and with a fall, 2019 enrollment 6,860 students. He replaces that school’s previous interim provost, Elizabeth Say, who retired this summer.

Six days after Avila announced his move, CSU CI’s Erika D. Beck,. announced she was taking the position of president at Cal State Northridge Avila came to CSUDH in the summer of 2015, after two decades at Cal State Fullerton both as a department chair and professor in philosophy, and later the associate dean in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, a position he held for four years.

Since his arrival on campus, he has overseen a [See Avila, page 5]

Not-so-happy Holidays? Layoffs Appear Imminent

By Brenda Fernanda Verano

News Editor Since learning in July that its share of the $299 million cut to the California State University’s 2020-21 budget was nearly $7.5 million, and that one-time mandatory university costs swelled that number to nearly $10 million California State University Dominguez Hills has slashed

nearly $7 million from its baseline budget.

Vacant positions were examined to determine which ones could be eliminated.

Travel budgets were reduced.

There were probably many fewer boxes of pens ordered.

But now the painful works begins. About $3.5 million of the original shortfall needs [See Layoffs, page 10]

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PERSPECTIVES

WEDNESDAY, November 4, 2020

CSUDH BULLETIN

No Substance, No Benefits: Boba Liberalism.

A Confession of a Former Boba Liberal

By Jasmine Nguyen | Editor-in-Chief In the year 2020, there’s a problem within the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. Being Asian or supporting Asian culture seems to be the trend right now.

And that’s the problem , AAPI community is only focusing on the trends, which ignores the actual problems that plagues the community.

You can’t turn a corner without seeing a boba shop, can’t speak to a white person without them telling how good Pho is, or if you’ve heard that new BTS song—it was trending on YouTube.

But these shallow aspects of AAPI culture being the only focus of activism has led to a concept of “Boba Liberalism.” This term was coined

by Twitter user @diaspora_is_red, who explained that “[boba liberalism], is wanting to reconnect with your roots: by drinking bubble tea, getting added to subtle Asian traits, and organizing fundraisers for your Asian student association, but never studying your history

and feeling solidarity with your homeland against imperialism.”

Asian Americans, especially millennials and Gen Z, thrive on the trendiest of our culture.

We flock to memes about Tiger parents who care too much about straight As, or talk about how cool and funny “Crazy Rich Asians” is on social media groups like Subtle Asian Traits.

A lot of Asian Americans view going to the latest boba place with their Asian friends or raving about a Hello Kitty collab with a Western brand as the or our community. We’re cool now, all the struggles our ancestors went through are all worth it, because now Emma from your English class loves getting a Taro Milk Tea with boba before her weekly movie date with her boyfriend Chad!

It’s not! This over-reliance on the trendy and marketable aspects of AAPI culture only furthers the concept of Boba Liberalism.

Boba Liberalism focuses more on the struggles of up-

per-middle-class East Asians, rather than anything else.

Immigrants’ rights aren’t as pronounced when the focus is purely on which Hot Pot place is the best or if 88rising is going to post a new collab album.

Let

me be frank, if you like boba, or care about AAPI representation in Hollywood, you aren’t a horrible person, in fact, my activism was very

similar to that until a few years ago. Many of my friends were like that too. But as we’ve seen very recently, with the rise of Anti Asian sentiment, due to COVID-19, the love of our food and our culture’s aesthetic is flimsy and we should instead as a community focus on more than just that in our activism.

So what should we focus on?

There’s no way to list the importance of issues.

There are so many things that need to be talked about.

We need to talk about the achievement gap between South East Asians, like Hmongs, versus East Asians. In a 2013 study, “iCount: A Data Quality Movement for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Higher Education.”, only 13% of Hmong households hold a bachelor’s degree. This is a direct contrast to the Taiwanese households, in which more

than 74% hold a bachelor’s degree.

We need to point out the rampant Anti-Blackness in our community.

We need to focus on how immigrants are still a huge issue for our community. Cambodians are increasingly under the threat of deportation under this government.

Or how many in our home countries are being exploited in sweatshops for U.S. companies.

Talking about representation in Hollywood or posting memes about being a part of the AAPI community shouldn’t be the end-all of activism. For many, the pride and kinship you feel when talking about drinking boba or eating pho is a gateway for many young AAPI members to feel more comfortable with their Asian heritage. I am one of those who felt connected because of these aspects, it’s comforting to be able to share in a culture that you fit into it.

But it can’t be the end of it.

Less Selfies, More Reflection: Three Tips to Avoid Social Media Narcissism

By Matt Barrero | Assistant Sports Editor Remember a time when social media, apps, or even smartphones for that matter, didn’t exist? One might say they were simpler times where we sat around with friends and family and discussed what was going on in their lives. Compare that old school scenario to the norm now: checking in at every restaurant you dine in on Facebook; a video of a mother modeling provocatively on the beach and using her child to take the photo; or how about the selfies of people in hospital beds with the caption, “Don’t really want to get into it, but I’m fine.”

Social media posting has gotten out of hand and has become less about posting for one’s own interests and likes and more about posting for everyone else. Terms like ‘influencer’ and ‘clout’ are just examples of what is truly the core problem.

Narcissism is rearing its

ugly head.

You may be at the point where you don’t want to continue to read the article because you’re being exposed and that is exactly the point I am trying to make. You are aware of the fact that you are posting on your social media feeds for likes. And yes, many will argue that this is the normality of social media these days, but I’m here to tell you there’s still a chance to promote yourself without being full of yourself.

Here are three do’s and don’ts to avoid becoming a social media narcissist.

DON’T Be Desperate: If you have no real reason to post anything on your feed, don’t post anything. If you feel the need for social validation and attention, then you’ll probably share viral content that everyone is buzzing about. But if everyone is sharing it, are you actually unique?

The answer, I can tell you, is no. Don’t be desperate to post about literally anything just because you haven’t posted in a day or two. Sure, you may get some likes, but think of these two questions before you post: 1) Does this provide value to anyone but me?

2) Why would someone view my post?

This is the best way to avoid being clickbait and how you can stay true to yourself rather than solely aiming to earn more likes than the person next to you. Don’t make your life about likes because in the end it’s not about how many likes you get, but more about the actual people who like your content.

DO Consider What Your Parents Think: This should be at the top forefront of anyone’s mind when posting on social media.

What we must understand is

Illustration by Nova Blanco-Rico

Social media has lost its purpose and has become a platform to fake. that no matter how old we are or become, our parents will always have something to say about the content we put into the public eye and especially when we post anything foolish or questionable. Yes, there are ways to keep your content private and avoid your parents’ criticisms, but if you

have to go out of your way to hide things from your parents, is the post actually worth it?

Who are you trying to impress? Carefully consider what you display and whether or not your mom and dad would approve. The most important [See Narcissism, page 10]

STAFF BOX EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jasmine Nguyen MANAGING EDITOR Taylor Helmes PRODUCTION MANAGER Yeymy Garcia NEWS EDITOR Brenda Fernanda Verano CAMPUS EDITOR Robert Rios

POLITICS EDITOR Iracema Navarro CULTURE EDITOR Darlene Maes PHOTO EDITOR Nova Blanco-Rico SPORTS EDITOR Jeremy Gonzalez OPINION EDITOR Destiny Jackson

RE P O RT E RS Matt Barrero Raven Brown Cindy Canas Andrea Espinoza Melanie Gerner Jonathan Ghattas Luis Guitierrez Darlene Maes

Carlos Martinez Chris Martinez Jeannette Montoya Ruby Munoz Carina Noyola Taylor Ogata Daniel Tom Anthony Vasquez

LAYOUT ADVISER Joseph Witrago LAYOUT ASSISTANTS Luis Guitierrez Chris Martinez EDITORIAL ADVISER Daniel Vasquez ADVISER Joel Beers

The print and digital version of the CSUDH Bulletin is published bi-weekly and is produced by students in Communications 355, News Production workshop.

The views and expressions contained on both do not necessarily reflect that of the Communications Department, or the CSUDH administration.

The Bulletin operates within, and is protected by, the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America.

Comments, criticism, and story ideas can be emailed to bulletin@csudh.edu.

We reserve the right to edit any letters for length, grammar and punctuation, and libel.

CSUDH BULLETIN

PERSPECTIVES

WEDNESDAY, November 4, 2020

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‘Tis the Season of Sweatha Weatha—Did Someone Say Sweata Weatha?

By Iracema Navarro | Politics Editor The moment the temperature in Southern California is in the 70s and I feel a slight breeze, I know that it’s “Sweata Weatha” season.

A term I first heard when I was 12, rebelling against my parents by staying out past my curfew on Saturday nights to watch Season 33 of Saturday Night Live. Who had a Saturday night curfew?

This young, Mexican American girl did.

One of my all-time favorite sketches, “Bronx Beat,” had Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph in a using Bronx accents introducing me to sweata weatha and summarized what a young child felt in 15 seconds about the weather, “About time, sweata weatha.”

I truly dislike the heat.

There is little that can be done about the heat such as it even when I’m wearing shorts, tank tops, and sandals.No matter what, there is still sweat dripping in areas that should not be mentioned.

I enjoy the challenge of a cold breeze because it is easily defeated with an extra layer of clothes. I like the bundled-up, hold-me-gently

feeling of another protective layer.

Sweata weatha, ‘tis the season of long sleeves, hoodies, jackets, coats, scarves, beanies, and most importantly sweaters. Black, white, gray, blue, coral, blue, and even yellow sweaters.

Excitement runs through my veins, and my smile grows as big as the Joker, as I shove my summer clothes into the back of my closet every year. With such disgust, I vow to never see them again.

I then take out all my sweata weatha clothes with the excitement of a child grabbing it’s favorite toy.

It’s a season that occurs usually in between fall and winter, but with global warming and climate change, these seasons don’t just feel the same anymore.

Southern California’s weather is quite mischievous.

One day it is 84 degrees and then two days later it is 66 degrees, all of this happening in early November. There is no need to convince me about the issues of climate change when I have to scramble looking for shorts a few days after I swore I wouldn’t see them until next

summer.

My warm sweaters are clothes that I can trust to keep me warm, clothes that have lasted me longer than any of my other clothes. They are my pride and joy, limited but very much taken care of. I hand wash them with detergent, air dry to prevent shrinking, and fold them with the Marie Kondo method because they spark joy.

A joyful season, the sweata weatha season.

Memories arise when I wear a sweater, a connection to a time and place I wish to relive.

Reliving Thanksgiving in my light brown sweater with over 30 members of my family packed in the garage, throwing pieces of paper to my cousin’s two tables to my right.

Reliving Christmas in my ugly sweater, needing to once again explain to my aunts that the green T-Rex on it has on the same sweater, with its shorthands ripping off in the sleeves.

I wish to relive another sweata weatha season on campus. I want to relive telling fellow Toros, “hey, nice sweater!” Relive walking

Tijana Drndarski, Unsplash

Sweaters, delicate but worthy. Limited sweaters but with boundless of joy. on the library east walkway in my bright red sweater with my hands tucked in my pockets heading to the DH Sports Lounge for my traditional Thursday night beer before my two and a halfhour lecture class. Relive

walking to parking lot six in my favorite gray sweater hoping I find my car on the first try. Relive the pride and joy of being a Toro walking through campus.

A campus season soon to come.

Fool Me Once Shame on You, Fool me Twice Shame on Me

By Jasmine Nguyen | Editor-in-Chief In 2016, I was 18 years old, attending my first year at California State University, Dominguez Hills, I was way too into Honey Milk Tea and I was very excited to be voting for a woman in my first presidential election.

I didn’t pay much attention to the election, I had more important things to worry about like prom dates, k-pop concerts and my first year at college. I had been in AP Government in my last year of high school, but I couldn’t name most of the intricate details of the candidates’ plans for sure.

All I knew was that Hillary Clinton was going to be elected by a landslide.

I was practically vibrating with excitement, I remember telling my father it was a done deal there was no way that Donald Trump could become president.

I was naive, just happy that my first election was going to be when the first female president of the United States was sworn into office.

The country was going to move towards a progressive path with the first female democrat president, and continue to improve in the next four years.

That obviously didn’t happen. Instead, I felt horrified by the results, somehow, Donald Trump had been elected as president. The man who stereotyped and insulted a whole nationality

Illustration by Pau Barbaro on Blush

The 2020 election brings a new form of anxiety. of people his first days on the election trail, a man who admitted on tape that he cared little for women’s autonomy and only cared for their bodies.

I didn’t sleep that night, anxiety crawling from the pit of my stomach to my throat. That anxiety had stayed within me these past four years, only growing as this administration continued to jeopardize those most at risk in this nation like refugees, the

LGBTQ+, the lower class, and so many more.

That anxiety turned into fuel, urging me to pay more attention to politics, to care about my local and state elections, to donate to causes I cared deeply about, and overall not let the mistakes of 2016 to be done again.

Currently, in 2020, I’m 22 years old, I’m attending my last year at CSUDH. I’m Editor-in-Chief of my school paper,

and I’m way too into Matcha Milk Tea. But I am terrified about the election.

Compared to four years ago, I’m prepared, I’ve followed the election since the start, I voted in the midterm and the primaries, I’ve done my research for our state’s propositions ( by the way read our special issue about this election ) Honestly, I should be feeling pretty confident about now. Es-

pecially when there are reports of record-breaking numbers of voters, and Joe Biden is leading most in polls against Donald Trump (though I remember Clinton was also leading in the polls back in 2016).

But I can’t put myself at ease. Even if this woman on TikTok reads Joe Biden’s birth chart and swears the signs say that he’ll be elected. I can’t find myself hoping for a good outcome. The optimism I had back in 2016 has been dried up after four years.

Maybe I should be more positive, in 2018 the midterms saw a wave of progressive candidates being elected.

Young people, Gen Z especially seem to be heading to the polls, according to the Harvard Youth Poll, found that 63% of respondents indicated they will “definitely be voting,” which is a 20% increase from the 47% in 2016.

So maybe we have a chance, maybe the past four years have been a wake-up call to many people in this country, maybe the younger generation has had their formative years in such a turmoil time, have had enough and are ready to vote for the more progressive candidate.

But I can’t give in to the optimism yet. I can’t have a repeat of 2016, I’m older, maybe not wiser, but the same mistake cannot be made.

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WEDNESDAY, November 4, 2020

NEWS

CSUDH BULLETIN

Free Legal Services Continue

By Carlos Martinez | Web Editor

Courtesy of CSUDH Toros Dreamers Success Center

Flyer for Oct. 21 Workshop for Undocumented Students Immigration has been a hot topic in politics for decades. As the 2020 general election draws to a close, many are worried about the fate of programs such as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy and the DREAM Act. To keep the community informed, the CSUDH Toro Dreamers Success Center hosted a virtual workshop on Oct. 21

to inform students and faculty about the rights of undocumented and mixed families, which number about 500 at this campus, and about 9,500 throughout the CSU system.

For the workshop, the TDSC collaborated with California State University’s Glazer Family Dreamers Resource Center to introduce participants to the legal services that are freely

available to for CSU students, staff, faculty and their immediate families.

According to Ana Barragan, program director for the TDSC, the 23 CSU campuses are mandated to provide legal services for students, such as CSUDH’s partnership with the Central American Resource Center.

(CARECEN).

CARECEN is the largest Central American rights non-profit organization in the United States.

According to its website, CARECEN empowers all immigrants by defending human and civil rights and working for social and economic justice while promoting cultural diversity.

Michelle Polanco, a staff attorney from CARECEN who serves both CSULA and CSUDH, elaborated on resources available to students and staff if they were to encounter ICE, such as the organization’s deportation defense unit.

“It’s very important to stay calm and have your phone ready for any video or picture evidence,” Polanco said. “It’s good to prepare yourself for an emergency scenario.”

Polanco also provided tips

on how to handle an encounter with an ICE agent. One important step is to see a warrant signed by a judge if ICE agents are asking for entry to your home.

If there is no signature or if the information on the warrant is incorrect such as the address of the person listed, you don’t have to open the door.

You have the right to plead the Fifth Amendment and choose to remain silent, even if the agent has a warrant and you have to let them into your home.

If you are detained, establish a plan to handle aspects such as child care, bills, wiring money and remembering phone numbers such as family members and lawyers.

When asked about if the 2020 election’s possible effects on legal services, Polanco said, “We can’t predict the future due to many factors. Either way, people should still seek consultation and encourage students to tell others, who might be in legal issues, about these services.”

The Toros Dreamers Success Center has a goal of holding at least four “Know Your Rights” workshops per semester, the

number of workshops varies on need and demand as well as legal services and conversations.

“We take a holistic approach and provide students with information about the services available,” Barragan said. “Such as social media campaigns, training and consultations.”

Typically workshops are arranged to share about immigration services in the middle of the semester and focus on preparing for the worst-case scenario such as leaving behind all assets.

“We make sure to mention websites on the page that provide other types of services such as DACA renewals and help with the DREAM act,” Barragan said.

The Toros Dreamers Success Center will collaborate with CARECEN in a “Family First Plan” workshop on Nov.18 from 6-7 p.m. in Spanish and Nov. 19 from 6-7 p.m. in English.

For more information on legal services contact the Toros Dreamers Success Center at (310) 243-2782 or tdsc@csudh. edu.

In addition, students can also call CARECEN for an initial consultation at 213-385-7800 or access their legal services page.

Women’s Empowerment Comes from Leading Other Women

By Raven Brown | Staff Reporter Women in leadership positions are more important now than ever. With Kamala Harris running for vice president and Amy Coney Barret being sworn in as the newest Supreme Court justice, we are witnessing women in this country taking on higher positions of power. To highlight the need for these roles in our current social environment, women from the California State University system came together on Oct. 20, via Zoom, to discuss the intersection of gender and leadership.

In the workshop, “Leading from Where You Are and Living the Advice You Give” panelists Dr. Donna J. Nicol, Davida Hopkins-Parham, Dr. Jane E. Dabel and Dr. La Tanya Skiffer were given the opportunity to share their personal experiences about how they stepped into leadership roles and how they utilize their positions to create lasting change.

Hosted by Dr. Laura Talamante, a history professor at California State University, Dominguez Hills, this workshop not only centered on how to become a leader and the power of education, but how these women with vastly different backgrounds and stories got into higher education in the first place, and how they maintain their sanity through the power of saying no.

“Something all of our panelists have in common is that their paths were not planned into higher education,” Talamante said.

“Their common thread is the way

Composite By Raven Brown Bullletin

Women in Leadership panel, from upper left: Dr. Donna J. Nicol; Davida Hopkins-Parham’ Dr. Jane E. Dabel; Dr. La Tanya Skiffer they are shaping future leaders.”

Dr. Nicol, an assistant professor and department chair of Africana Studies at CSUDH, said she has spent her career committed to influencing women to push the boundaries of what they believe is possible for themselves. Being a fourth-generation college graduate, she knew her highest calling was to get involved with students face-to-face, to pass down the advice she received herself.

“In my family, the women are more educated than the men,” Nicol said. “There’s more doctors, lawyers and Ph.D.’s that are wom-

en then there are men,Largely because we were influenced by very strong women from early on.”

Hopkins-Parham, who is married to CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham , has a career exceptional in its own right. She started out as a civil rights advocate, stepping into higher education when the opportunity arose. She served as the assistant to the president at CSUDH, and also the director of affirmative action. Although she is now retired, she dedicated 35 years to the CSU system.

“I got into higher education by accident,” Hopkins-Parham

explained. “It wasn’t necessarily a planned career change. But once I got in there, I saw what a wonderful environment it was.”

Ascribing to the philosophy of saying “yes” to almost anything, these women not only stayed open to new opportunities but created them for themselves.

Professor of History at California State University, Long Beach and editor of “The History Teacher,” Dr. Dabel advised women in their 20’s to say “yes” to everything and to see where it takes them.

“It is a time in most people’s lives when you can embrace new opportunities and challenges,” Dabel said.

She noted however, that women need to protect their time and their energy. According to Dabel, saying “no” is necessary and putting time limits to how accessible she is throughout the day has helped her serve her students better and keep her on the right track.

Dr. Skiffer, a professor of criminology at CSUDH who joined the military at the age of 17, began her journey into higher education when she was recruited to attend West Point Military Academy, but chose to pursue college instead. She knew that redirecting herself to teach was going to help her influence young people.

“When I’m helping people reach their goals, I feel empowered,” Skiffer said. “But I have

to remind myself to take time to rest, take deep breaths and meditate daily, so that I can be more present with my students.”

Nicol introduced the idea of “radical self-care” which resonated with all the panelists.

Nicol coined this term in an article she wrote, “Reclaiming Our Time: Women of Color Faculty and Radical Self-Care in the Academy,” in the peer-reviewed journal, “The Feminist Teacher.

“She emphasized that it is not just “self-care” in terms of how much money one spends at the gym or on costly facials, but more about prioritizing yourself and your time in order to be of the greatest use to others by saying no when you need to.

“Radical self-care is this idea that you need to take agency over your own work life and you cannot be a good scholar, teacher or administrator if you are not making decisions that feed your soul,” Nicol said. “You can say no and you should say no! You must be strategic about how you spend your time.”

Women currently make up over 60% of undergraduate and graduate students at CSUDH. Knowing that more women seek education than men is the basis for these women’s teachings and they truly are living the advice they give. Women are just as capable, if not more, at attaining positions of leadership and making lasting change for generations of women to come.

NEWS

CSUDH BULLETIN

WEDNESDAY, November 4, 2020

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Second Virtual Village Event Stresses Listening

By Robert Rios | Campus Editor With the fight for social justice and dismantling structural racism an ongoing battle, a second virtual CSUDH event was held last week that emphasized the importance of dialogue and understanding in creating a campus community that actualizes change rather than just talks about it.

Nearly 200 people attended the second “It Takes a Village Event,” which was held Oct. 27 over Zoom. Like the first, which was held during Welcome Week at the beginning of the semester, the webinar included a faculty and student round table panel and a Q&A session.

Both addressed, at times, sensitive topics around anti-racism. But one of the event’s co-creators said that it was less about giving attendees a forum to air grievances or concerns about racism and social justice, but more of an opportunity to learn about how important

listening is in creating the kind of dialogue that helps facilitate real change.

“It was really important that we create dialogue and we continue the dialogue and we also take actions towards our advocacy,” Monique Turner, one of the event’s creators and a professor in the CSUDH psychology department said. “I think students have the power in doing that.”

The panel included students and faculty including the CSUDH Academic Chair Laura Talamante Rose Black Resource Center Program Director Catherine Jermany,, Dr. Anthony Samad, executive director of the Dymally Institute and ASI President Rihab Shuaib.

Some students who participated in September’s event were asked to join the panel to moderate and voice their opinions. Yet, they were also

listening, but not individually as much as the leader of an organization that exists to help student on and off campus.

That means listening, she said, but it also means taking action to address those concerns.

“I think it’s really important that we are able to listen to the concerns of all students and really try to create the changes they want to see,” Shuaib said.

“A lot of the time students just want to be heard about some of the issues they are going through. Even though that is such a great tool and a great thing we can do, it is also important that we put action towards what’s going on. We can’t just listen and [not] put any actions behind it.”

Another body on campus that is currently listening in order to formulate what steps, if any, are needed to effect change on this campus, is the task force on racial reconcili-

ation announced by CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham over the summer. The co-chair of that task force, Dr. Samad of the Dymally Institute was also on the Village panel.

He explained that the task force is charged with examining whether any racist policies exist on this campus by listening to different people and groups on campus.

However, the task force isn’t limited to only hearing concerns, but to suggest ways those concerns can be remedied.

For instance, Samad said the task force has heard from some Black faculty that they feel they are not given enough resources to help Black students in all the ways they need it. Samad said that hearing this prompted the task force to create a subcommitee on staff issues at CSUDH and to off specific suggestions to the president’s cabinet about how they could be fixed.

First G Get Their First Week

Avila From Page 1

college that has seen enrollment grow by 45 percent and the creation of two new degrees in women’s studies and Asian Pacific studies.

Dr. Tim Caron, the associate dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, credited Avila with hiring “new tenure-track faculty, strengthening the departments all throughout our College. His commitment to our students means that we now have degree programs in Women’s Studies and Asian Pacific Studies, when those programs were formerly offered only as minors. The new degree programs represent exciting opportunities for our students.”

Doris Acosta, the chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance, praised Avila for being a strong advocate of the department.

“He investigated the safety of the University Theatre and found funding to update the old rigging, upgrade equip-

there to listen, something that student moderator Ronald Jackson said is a skill that is hard to implement when one is pre-occupied in their respective situations.

In the past, Jackson said, when he was experiencing problems, he “hadn’t given much thought to what others thought because I was busy dealing with the situation.

“As other cultures began to awaken to it, I started to really think about not so much what am I doing, but what is actually going on. Some of the actions I have taken [recently include] being more a part of dialogue, being more of a listener, and understanding what other people’s take is. I have to live on this planet as a Black man, so I still have to go through this maze that everybody now is discovering exists.”

ASI president Shuaib affirmed Jackson’s take on

By Melanie Gerner | Staff Reporter

Courtesy of CSUDH

Under Dr. Mitch Avila , the CSUDH College of Arts and Humanities increased enrollment by 45 percent ment and other needs to make our theatre safe,” Acosta said.

“The theatre and dance program had been underfunded for years and he found resources to make sure we could successfully produce [See Avila, page 10]

The 1964 Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were monumental pieces of U.S. legislation, but a third bill passed during the era has arguably influenced the evolution of this university even more.

The Higher Education Act of 1965 helped create the Pell Grant and Federal Student Loan programs that have made it financially feasible for many low-income, first-generation students to attend four-year colleges and universities. This semester, up to 55 percent of CSUDH’s students are considered first-generation, according to a university website geared toward welcoming, and attracting, new students to the university. To honor those students as well as to commemorate the 45th anniversary today of the signing of the act, six student service organization are collaborating this week on a five-day virtual celebration

of first-generation college students.

The celebration is a continuation of sorts of last year’s first CSUDH Celebrate First-Generational Day, held on the East Walkway. Elizabeth Hanna, the director of TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) one of the six campus organization’s hosting the event, said that extending it to five days this year was designed to acknowledge the importance first-generation students have at CSUDH, and to integrate those students more fully into the extended campus community through acknowledging campus core values and creating events that align with responsiveness, respect and collaboration.

Along with SSS, the other campus organizations hosting the first-gen celebration are the university’s Office of Educational Partnerships, the University Advising Center,

Associated Students Inc., Encounter to Excellence, and the Veteran’s Resource Center.

The week began Monday with opening remarks from Hanna, augmented by an appearance by Teddy the Toro. Throughout the week, prominent campus voices will join the event, ranging from students like ASI President Rihab Shuaib, to administrators, like Associate Vice President of Student Success, Dr. Ruttanatip (Dang) Chonwerawong.

Some of the highlights of the week included a First Generation voting presentation, tips from alumni and daily information briefings on the advising center’s virtual event this weekend, the firstGen Toros Retreat.

The event is open to all first-generation CSUDH students. For more information,contact the Office of Educational Partnership at 310-243-2143

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CULTURE

CSUDH BULLETIN

Five Fearful Films from Asia

By Jasmine Nguyen | Editor-in-Chief Did you hear something? A branch creaking? A hurried pair of footsteps creeping through your hallway? The sounds of the wind or are those whispers outside your window?

Is there a ghost? A zombie slowly making their way into your room or a demon hiding in the bushes? It’s none of those things. It’s just the sound of these Asian horror films that I’ve been watching to get my mind off of the real-life horrors (like climate change, capitalism, or deadlines) that are going outside my home.

So here’s a list of some of my personal favorites from the genre to help keep your mind of the real terrors in your life.

Dumpling ( dir. Fruit Chan, 2004, Hong Kong) Watch on Amazon | Trailer Mrs. Li (Miriam Yeung) wants the same thing that many people want, to remain young forever.

Her looks are fading and her husband’s attention is disappearing at an alarming rate. So she turns to a local chef (Bai Ling) who says she has the secret to everlasting beauty and youth, and with learning her secret there is a price to be paid. I’m not going to spoil any-

by Jasmine Nguyen Bullletin

Treat yourself to some skin-crawling films to enjoy a fall night inside.

more, but I have to warn “Dumpling” doesn’t pull any stops. The horror, and the slow descent into madness the characters fall into is something quite unlike other films I’ve watched. But I’ll be avoiding eating dumplings or even being around babies for the time being, at least until I can get this story out of my head.

A Tale of Two Sisters ( dir. Kim Jee-woon, 2003, South Korea) Watch on Amazon, Shudder, Kapony | Trailer “A Tale of Two Sisters” is an

eerie film, filled with uneasy glances, unreliable narrators, and toxic family relationships.

The film follows Sumi (Im Soojung), a young teenager who has recently been released from a mental hospital and is haunted by the past. She returns to her family’s home with her younger sister Suyeon (Moon Geunyoung) and Sumi is she’s forced to wrestle with a fraught relationship with her stepmother Eunjoo (Yum Jung ah). The film has your heart racing, an uneasy feeling crawling up your spine

as you watch Sumi struggle with her haunted past, and no matter how hard someone tries to forget something, it’ll usually end up crawling out from underneath your oven.

Perfect Blue ( dir. Satoshi Kon, 1997, Japan ) Watch on Amazon | Trailer Fame, Money and Beauty, what else could a girl want? The film follows Mima Kirigoe, a Japanese pop star who’s transition to acting brings the young woman a new slew of issues. Her private life, and her public persona have the lines slowly blurred, as a stalker begins to threaten Mima and the people around her. “Perfect Blue” is an animated film, the only one on the list, but the skin-crawling experience is just as intense as the live-action films. Maybe even more so, as the animation gives freedom to the director that physics rarely gives.

Train To Busan ( dir., Yeon Sang-ho, 2016, South Korea ) Watch on Netflix |Trailer I don’t usually like zombie films. They’re often boring and all the same to me, but this film?

Iconic. I’m not just saying that

because Gong Yoo plays the main character Seokwoo or the love of my life, Choi Woo Shik plays a charming baseball player in it. “Train to Busan” is an unpredictable yet unpretentious spin to the zombie movie. It’s not mindless or just a gore form of transport instead this movie gives you characters you want to survive throughout the film, plus a man literally uses only his arms to fight against zombies, how cool is that?

The Wailing ( dir. Na Hongjin, 2016, South Korea) Watch on Amazon | Trailer Note to anyone reading, this film probably wasn’t made to watch at 11 p.m. on a Sunday night with only your blind dog as company. “The Wailing” is much more akin to “Memories of a Murder” by Bong Joon Ho (the director of “Parasite.”) With a fumbling policeman as the main character trying to unravel the mysterious illness that has invaded his small village.This film is a complex mixture of zombie horror, demonic possessions, and even the leftover tension of Japanese colonization. It’s a film that should be watched twice.

Five Books That Will (Hopefully) Give You Nightmares

By Destiny Torres | Contributor Since the beginning of the spooky season, I have been on the hunt for the best scary books to distract me from the horrors of today’s reality. As October has come to an end, I have finally found the stories to do just that.

“The Troop” By Nick Cutter This book centers around a Canadian boy scout group who go on a retreat in the woods. They are attacked by these parasite-like creatures and then their trip takes a turn for the worst. Cutter tells the story from the point of view of the campers but also includes interviews and newspaper clippings to give the reader more of an outsider perspective as well.

My only warning is that if body horror makes you too queasy, this won’t be a book for you. But if you’re looking for a book that is terrifyingly and disgustingly good, pick this one up when you can.

“House of Leaves” By Mark Z. Danielewski “House of Leaves” is unlike any other haunted house book I have ever read. No ghosts or monsters are lurking in the halls, the main character is the house. It is not written like a regular book either, it follows a documentary style about the home. Even that explanation is too simple for how this book is written. If I can compare the execution of this book to any other work, it would be the Blair Witch

These are five horror books that are a sure to scare you every time.

Project. The book includes other people’s tellings of what goes on in the house, notes from a documentary and footnotes on top of footnotes. It’s a very interesting book to read if not for the story, for the style it is written in.

“Bunny” By Mona Awad If you are at all interested in the dark academia aesthetic, look no further than “Bunny” by Mona Awad. Taking place at an elite university, the main character Samantha is there on a scholarship for the master’s writing program.

In her class, there is a group of snooty, rich girls who call each other “Bunny.” When Samantha receives an invitation from them to join their group, she is fixated on their world which turns out to be a lot darker than she imagined.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants a book that continuously leaves you wondering, “what the hell just happened?”

“Horrid” By Katrina Leno After her father’s death, the main character Jane and her mom move to the mother’s childhood home in Maine

Illustration By Nova Blanco-Rico

for a fresh start. The home brings a lot of dark memories for the two women. For Jane, she struggles with the grief over her father and tries to find solace in the old books in the home. Her mom has a very strange attitude towards the house, especially the “storage room.”

This is another great haunted house story that gave me the creeps at times, but aside from that, it’s a story about grief and mental health which I think makes it even more of a captivating read.

“Pretty Girls” By Karin Slaughter *Warning: this book includes sexual violence, torture and other subjects that may be difficult to read for some.* This book follows Claire Scott. One of her sisters was kidnapped and had disappeared when she was young.

After years of searching for her, Claire’s father committed suicide and her other sister became a drug addict.

Flash forward to 20 years later and Claire’s husband is murdered in front of her. So much tragedy for one family, what are the odds that these deaths are linked? Claire reunites with her estranged older sister to find out.

This book messed me up when I first read it, some parts are difficult to get through. The whole time I thought I had the ending figured out when Slaughter knocks me with a plot twist.

If you choose to read this pick, I can assure you that you won’t be able to put it down.

The horror genre has so many titles to choose from that it may be difficult to pin down the really good ones.

These five are all picks I’d suggest whether you are familiar with the genre or if you want to try something new.

So find a comfy spot, open one of these reads and make sure you leave the light on.

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The Show Must Go On At CSUDH Despite COVID-19

By Melany Ruiz | Assistant Opinion Editor California State University, Dominguez Hills still perseveres despite the global unrest by having new productions from the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance that will be released this fall. From playwright Josefina Lopez, “Confessions of Women from East L.A.,” will be directed by Stefani Baez, former CSUDH alumni and now Theatre and Dance department professor. This production will be accessible to students virtually on November 12, 13, and 14.

The play consists of nine stories told by Latinx women in East Los Angeles. The department chair gets together every year to distinguish the shows that best fit the campus population for students, and “Confession of Women from East L.A.” meets the criteria. The play went through the proper channels before getting approved for in-person rehearsals to be developed.

The play itself will explore topical events, such as stereotypes, the importance of voting, and social protest. These themes shown in the play are relevant to the current events happening. Rehearsals will be held in-person and while testing is not required, hand sanitizers, masks, and social distancing are mandatory on set.

Baez even completed a COVID-19 training, to direct the production that abides by the appropriate safety guidelines. Four actors in the production have been approved not to wear a mask while performing. Everyone else perform-

Empty theatre seats now filled from the comfort of one’s home. ing must remain six-feet apart or further from the rest of the crew during rehearsals.

Confession of Women from East L.A. will be accessible to students via Livestream at an affordable cost of $5. “So for the price of a cup of coffee you can watch the show,” Baez said. The show is being promoted on social platforms for students, staff, and faculty to access.

Other productions, such as “Crossroads,” a screen dance event and, “A Surge of Power,” which tells the story of a group of strangers that meet at a Black Lives Matter protest, are

set to be entirely virtual.

“To quote Hamilton, ‘there’s nothing like being in the room where it happens,’” Baez added how in-person monologues and scenes add an essential human element for the audience. Andrea Velazquez, a third-year theatre student at CSUDH, auditioned to play a part in “Confessions of Women from East L.A.,” landing her first acting role for this production at our campus.

Before this role, Velazquez worked behind-the-scenes on other university productions.

Auditions took place on cam-

Photo by Denise Jans on Unsplash

pus with the required COVID-19 guidelines, such as wearing face coverings and following the required six-feet apart social distancing.

They consisted of monologues and choreography that are in production.

“Having committed to this play, we are committing not to go out to any parties, not to anywhere we can risk ourselves to getting COVID-19 so easily,” Velasquez said.

Velazquez will be playing “Calletana” who is an “elotera,” a corn-selling street food vendor, and “Roxie,” who is a self-defense instructor. The characters in this show will explore

the underlying struggle and sacrifices Latinx women have to make under different circumstances.

For example, Calletana faces the battle of her business being shut down by police when that is her sole income to support her family, and Roxie as having to use her defensive skills to guard herself against someone she felt would cause her harm.

The nine stories of these women in the play show different perspectives and struggle that Latinx women face roaming in the streets of East L.A. Velazquez plans to pursue future roles in the several productions that CSUDH will be releasing this year.

“Even though we won’t have an audience, I think it’s still going to be quite as entertaining as it would’ve been in person,” Velazquez said.

“Being live-streamed, you will still be able to watch us live, we’re still performing for you guys, so you guys are with us.”

For more information regarding the CSUDH Department of Theatre Arts and Dance productions for Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 please visit: https://www.csudh.edu/theatre-arts/auditions/ https://www.csudh.edu/Assets/ csudh-sites/theatre-arts/docs/ Audition-Info-2020/Theatre%20 and%20Dance%202020-2021%20 Season.pdf To Purchase tickets for Confessions of Women from East L.A. Please visit: https://www.csudh.edu/theatre-arts/buy-tickets/

CSUDH Student, Eric Zamora starts clothing company Lunoid

By Carina Noyola | Staff Writer The effort to start something bigger than oneself. Something that is true to the love, and passion one holds to create something bigger than themselves has one thing in common, perseverance.

Eric Zamora, California State University, Dominguez Hills, Criminal Justice Administration Major, and Biological Anthropology Minor did just that. “I felt that people would think of me as weird because I liked learning about bones. I learned to love what I do... I just wanted to express that through my creations”, said Zamora.

At the age of 23, Zamora had taken an extensive course load of criminology and anthropology courses. His understanding of the human body resulted in much more than names of bones and ligaments. It rooted deeper than that - he described the anatomy of a person as a mirror reflection of who one was, “human bones can tell you so much about an individual. It has the story of the person and everything they went through” he said.

His artistic designs, combined with his educational background of human anatomy, added in with his passion for pop culture, sports, and music

Courtesy of Eric Zamora

CSUDH Criminal Justice Administration Major, and Biological Anthropology Minor, Eric Zamora built his clothing company, Lunoid, “from the bone up” during quarantine. created Lunoid Clothing, “A clothing company that puts a spin to everything in the world of pop culture, music, sports, and many more.”

The story of people resonated through to Zamora in the form of bones, and in that, he was sure to write his story in bones, too. The company’s inspiration is described to be the shape of two bones in the human body.

The lunate, in the wrist and sphenoid located in the skull, “I chose those two because… they make specific shapes.

For instance, the lunate looks like a crescent moon and the sphenoid looks like a butterfly,” together, the two create

the inspiration behind Lunoid Clothings’ theme. Zamoras’ ultimate goal was clear from the start, “I honestly want it to grow big, [to] be able to go online and have people posting about it daily, people getting excited for me to drop new designs.” The amount of times that Zamora found himself looking at a style, design, outfit, or the fashion industry in general couldn’t help but leave him feeling like his own spin on things would make them that much better. How many people pass by and say to themselves “this would look nice with this or if they added this to it” Zamora said to himself. The only difference was, one day, he

no longer said it to himself and moved on with his day - one day, he did something with it instead.

Lunoid Clothing, Oct. 6th, the day he made his creative designs a reality.

The fear of failure was clear for Zamora, starting a company at any point in time is “nerve racking” but starting a clothing company in the middle of a global pandemic has an added pressure to it. “It was nerve racking before actually begging because like everyone, you don’t want to fail. You get nervous about the “ifs” and that hit me a bit. I just thought, what if I’m not cut out for this? What if I can’t come up with some designs?” he said. With all the doubt in the world, he casually mentioned it to his group of close friends and girlfriend. He was instantly sought out with the most supportive feedback one could hope for. “You have to go for it because if you don’t, you’ll regret it later” said Zamoras’ girlfriend, Liliana Perez.

A project that he started earlier this year in July, became months of work, and learning to create what he has today. With no prior design experience, no entrepreneurial experience,

Courtesy of Eric Zamora

Zamora wearing one of his designs. and sure enough, no company of his own. What he did have, was perseverance. The perseverance to do hours of research on youtube, procreate, and finding design tips to help make his designs come to life. “As they say ‘shoot for the moon even if you miss you’ll land amongst the stars.’ That’s my mentality for everything I do. Go 100% percent into it because if you go less than that, you really don’t want it at all then,” said Zamora.

Don’t forget to support small businesses - To find out more about Lunoid Clothing, visit the companies website, as well as Lunoids’ Instagram account.

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WEDNESDAY, November 4, 2020

SPORTS

CSUDH BULLETIN

LA Dodgers: Sweet, Sweet Victory

By Jeremy Gonzalez | Sports Editor After capturing the National League Pennant for the third time in four years on Oct. 18, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts gave an emotional post-game speech where he reassured Dodgers fans that the wait was finally over.

“For the fans who are here (in Arlington, Texas) and for those who aren’t, we love you and we’re always thinking about you,” Roberts said.

“This year is our year. This is our year.”

Many fans of the franchise had heard those words before and grew to have their doubts on them due to the team’s unsuccessful attempts in previous seasons. However, when Roberts uttered those words on the microphone that night in Globe Life Park, they carried a different energy with them.

This was a team that seemed complete from top to bottom, filled with star power that could beat you in any which way. The acquisition of Mookie Betts from the Boston Red Sox cemented the expectation that it was World Series-or-bust for this team.

And on Oct. 28, pitcher Julio Urias delivered the final strike to end Game 6, giving the Dodgers a 3-1

Art by Nova Blanco-Rico

The Commissioner’s Trophy is back in Los Angeles after a 32-year absence. victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. The crucial win crowned Los Angeles as the 2020 World Series champions and ultimately ended the 32-year drought that had cursed the Dodgers for so long.

Legendary Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully called Game 1 of the 1988 World

Series when the Dodgers last took home the trophy, highlighting one of the biggest moments in World Series and MLB history. One sentence from that famous Kirk Gibson walk-off home run decades ago summarizes what the current 2020 Dodgers team achieved.

“In a year that has been so

improbable, the impossible has happened,” Scully said.

When the year began, no one could have predicted how chaotic everything would turn out for Los Angeles. The loss of Kobe Bryant, a larger-than-life figure who represented everything the city stood for, left a large void in Angelino

hearts.

The COVID-19 pandemic swept the world and Los Angeles was one of the hardest hit cities, effectively pausing almost everything in daily life. And each passing day seemed to bring more bad news.

But the taste of victory seemingly wiped away the negativity that engulfed the city, even if it was momentarily.

After decades of being so close and falling short, the Dodgers finally put together a team that fulfilled its promise of bringing home the World Series. In a year that asked people to stay apart, the Dodgers brought the entire city together.

This title is for the Dodgers fans who can finally say they’ve seen the team lift the trophy in their lifetime.

This title is for the diehard supporters of the franchise who had their hearts broken every time the month of October came about. And this title is for the everyday heroes working on the front lines to save the city and for everyone that bleeds blue.

It represents more than just a trophy. The title pays tribute to the fighting spirit of the organization and the people of Los Angeles.

Thank you Dodgers.

CSUDH Soccer Team’s Journey to Success

By Bryana Medina | Staff Reporter The history of the men’s and women’s soccer team is one to remember. These teams have worked hard to make a name for themselves at CSUDH. There’s no doubt that these teams have put their blood, sweat, and tears into the soccer program.

As 2020 marks the 40th anniversary of Toros soccer being in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, these teams have built a community during their time where their college experience has motivated them to become a better version of who they are not only as athletes but people off the field.

Marine Cano, the women’s soccer head coach, started the program in 1984 and founded the first women’s soccer team at CSUDH. “If you know anything about collegiate soccer recruiting, especially back in those days, it was mission impossible,” Cano said. “I was able to get 12 of the gutsiest kids on the planet that played their hearts out, and four of them never even played soccer

before.”

During their first year, they played UC Santa Barbara, who ranked ninth nationally in Division I. The Toros were seen as underdogs, facing a powerhouse program that had a The women’s team was 0-0 at halftime and eventually lost 4-0 with no substitutes and late goals. At the end of it all, they left it all on the field.

“You wouldn’t be able to tell on a stat sheet, but that was when we started our tradition of excellence,” Cano said. “That was when our program was born, when Dominguez Hills arrived.”

The program went on to appear in the CCAA tournament 11 times and won seven CCAA championships. They first appeared in the CCAA in 1991 where they won the school’s first national title.

The women’s team has 10 All-Americans and four of them were NCAA First-Team selections. Coach Cano has also won the title of Coach of the Year in 1992.

The program has an overall record of 398-246-66, and a

CCAA record of 166-127-32.

The women’s program continues to achieve the highest potential as athletes on and off the field.

The men’s soccer team remains as one of the most decorated teams at CSUDH. The program has an illustrious history but has taken a step back in recent years.

Toros men’s soccer has won titles like two NCAA DII National Championships (2000, 2008) and nine CCAA championships.

The man who put the Toros on the map was Joe Flanagan, who coached from 1994-2017.

He was a five-time CCAA Coach of the Year, and twotime national Coach of the Year. Flanagan left his legacy at CSUDH and the program strives to maintain the success he brought.

As the men’s soccer program grows, a few players have reached the top tier level of professional soccer.

Kevin Hartman is a retired goalkeeper who played for the Los Angeles Galaxy. He attended CSUDH in 1992-1993.

Hartman holds the record for most saves in MLS history and was the first MLS goalkeeper to have consecutive 20-win seasons.

Kei Kamara, who is currently playing for Minnesota United FC, played at CSUDH in 2004-2005. In his second year playing for CSUDH he was named third team All-American. Kamara has won awards like the MLS Humanitarian of the Year award in 2015, and MLS joint top-scorer in 2015.

Lastly Tony Alfaro, who played for CSUDH from 2011-2015, was named First Team All American by the NSCAA and a Division II CAA Second Team All-American.

He started all 21 games in his senior year at CSUDH. Alfaro currently plays for Atlético Zacatepec.

Current Toros head coach Eddie Soto has seen the team grow tremendously in his short time with the program.

Soto began coaching the men’s soccer team two years ago. He did not feel the pressure of keeping up to par

in a program that had accomplished so much.

“I was an elite athlete, I worked at some elite programs and it just comes with the territory,” Soto said.

“Their past success strives me to push harder.”

Motivation is what the men’s team values to keep striving for success.

“I just want to keep their motivation, making sure they are mentally and physically in check.” Soto said.

Coach Soto’s main priority right now is mental health and being aware of everything that is going on to keep the success of the program going.

The men and women’s soccer programs are models of excellence that truly represent what it means to be a Toro athlete, fueled by a rich past full of individual and team success. The current teams are guided by coaches who love the game of soccer and value what it’s like to be an athlete. The future of Toros soccer looks to be bright with a strong foundation and history already set in place.

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SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, November 4, 2020

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Words to the Dodgers

By Robert Rios | Campus Editor The expectations for the Dodgers to win a World Series has been a long time coming. There was excitement in my house when Mookie Betts hit that homer to put the game away. I teared up a little when I realized that the Dodgers only had three more outs to win the game. My grandparents were around when the team last won in 88, however, I really wanted the Dodgers to win while we were all together at home.

Once Julio Urias got the game-winning strikeout, I yelled at the top of my lungs and celebrated with my family. We quickly ran outside to see the neighborhood sky light up with fireworks.

It was like a dream that I thought was never going to come true.

Losing two World Series in a row was devastating and it looked like the team was done. But now look at the Dodgers, they are the champs of the world!

By Matt Barrero | Assistant Sports Editor When we think back to 1988, the words that cycle from ear-to-ear are the words Vin Scully spoke after Kirk Gibson’s dramatic walk-off home run in Game 1 of the World Series: “In a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened.”

After the final pitch was made in Game 6 of the 2020 World Series, I sunk to the floor and began to cry. I sat on the living room floor and just let the moment sink in.

There was no posting on social media.

There was no lighting of fireworks.

The moment had to be lived without any other distractions.

I felt the emotions of overwhelming joy, relief and excitement knowing that, finally, I got to see the Dodgers win a world championship.

Following almost three decades worth of misfortunes, pain, anxiety ridden October months, I can hold my head high and proud knowing Los Angeles is once again a title town.

You will always remember your first and after 27 years, the wait was worth it.

The Dodgers are world champions!

Los Angeles is a City of Champions!

And for those who say there’s no crying in baseball, you are damn wrong.

By Daniel Tom | Staff Writer Where were you the night the Dodgers ended their 32-year championship drought? I was at home with my family celebrating. After seven years of coming up short, the integrity of baseball being questioned in ‘17 and simply being outplayed in ‘18, you would think the Dodgers would finally be able to get to the top of baseball’s highest mountain.

In a year that has brought us more gloom each passing day, the Boys in Blue provided baseball fans with excitement and optimism each game they played, and the postseason was no different. After the Lakers clinched their first title in a decade 3 weeks prior, Dodger fans began to believe that “it was our turn”.

After all the twists and turns, the good games and even the bad, we’re still the last ones standing and for not being around 32 years ago, this one is extra special taking it in with my family of Dodger fans.

Los Angeles is a city of champions once again and it feels good.

Photo Edited by Christopher Martinez

Aztec Football Opens ‘Carson Era’ in Blowout Win

By Daniel Tom | Staff Reporter On Saturday Oct. 24, a new era began at Dignity Health Sports Park as it welcomed Division I college football and San Diego State to Carson where it defeated the UNLV Rebels by a final score of 34-6 in its season opener.

The Aztecs trekked north to Carson after it was announced in September that SDCCU Stadium, where the team had previously resided for the last 52 years, was being torn down in preparation for a new stadium development set to open in time for the 2022 season.

In their first game of the

season, the Aztecs flexed their muscles and showed off the run game by executing 31 run plays for 213 yards on the ground in the first half while averaging at least 7 yards a carry.

SDSU did not have to rely much on their passing game.

Sophomore quarterback Carson Baker, making his first start as the number one signal caller, completed 12 of his 25 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown in the first quarter.

First year head coach Brady Hoke, who takes over for long-time coach Rocky

Long who moved on to New Mexico this offseason, was impressed with how his team performed on the night, along with the preparations they had in a short offseason “The guys did a great job preparing. I thought we came out there with a lot of energy. They were excited to go out and play. We were playing as a team. We did a nice job.”

Hoke also gave praise to his quarterback and offense on how they performed throughout the night. “Carson [Baker] did a nice job.

He really did a good job of

making a few things happen in the fourth quarter when he scrambled and found [wide receiver] Ethan [Dedeaux] was really well done.

He did a really good job of operating the procedures of the offense.”

Hoke adds his thoughts on the team’s recipe for success playing a shortened season and away from San Diego.

“We have got a group of seniors that have absolutely done a tremendous job as far as we’re making sure we’re trying to take care of each other and stay in our pods, everything, the protocols

that we can do that will help us play. The other thing is our underclassman knows that it only takes one guy to screw up what we’ve got going on. The coaches have been creative in their coaching and what we are trying to accomplish. All those things are part of being able to come out here tonight.“ The Aztecs are 2-0 on the young season and will look to build on a successful start.

They defeated Utah State 38-7 on the road this past weekend and are back home on Nov. 6 to host San Jose State.

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WEDNESDAY, November 4, 2020

NEWS

CSUDH BULLETIN

Election From Page 1

21 which would have reinstated affirmative action in higher education admissions and state employee hires and contract bids.

CSUDH alumnus Steven Craig Bradford won state senate District 35 and will continue to represent Carson and other communities.

Mike Anthony Gipson won the 64th State Assembly District, and Nannette Diaz Barragan was re-elected in the 44th District representative in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Jawane Hilton won election to the new District 1 in the city of Carson. He will represent north Carson,

Narcissism From Page 2

people you will ever need to impress is your parents.

DON’T Embellish Your Reality: They say if you have it, flaunt it. Okay, cool – but do you actually have something to flaunt? Social media fakes are the worst kind of person, in my personal opinion (obviously). If you truly have worked hard to show off that new BMW or keys to the new house, then I applaud you and you can happily flaunt away. Just remember who you are also flaunting to: family, friends, and colleagues. If they know your actual reality and know you are in no place to be posting about fancy cars and three-story mansions, you’ll be deleting that post just as fast as you reached 100 likes.

Layoffs From Page 1

-som signed a revised budget on June 30 that reduced CSU funds by $299 million. Those cuts were divided up among the 23 CSU campuses, and CSUDHs’ portion was approximately $7.5 million.

About halfway through the presentation, however, Robinson replied to a question left in the chat room about whether reductions to CSUDH’s budget in light of that deficit meant layoffs.

“We have started exploring lack of work layoffs,” Robinson said.

In a previous EEP information session on Sept. 30 held by the Department of Human Services (HR), Robinson presented a projected deficit of nearly $4.6 million to the university’s base, or permanent, budget.

According to the same presentation, the university had a starting deficit of $9,899,643,

which includes CSUDH. Current CSUDH law professor Charles Thomas finished third.

Carson voters approved Measure K, which will establish a three-quarter cent increase in sales tax that would require public spending disclosure.

According to David Gamboa, Associate Vice President of External Relations, 1,325 voters cast their ballots at the 11-day voting center located on California State University, Dominguez Hills’ campus and it does not include voters who submitted their mailin ballots between the time period.

Election Officials like Mary North volunteered at CSUDH’s Vote Center for the past 10 days

Another factor to consider is if you are actually faking your social media life,. wWhat happens when that flame dies out and you truly have nothing to flaunt? The best way to avoid any sort of embarrassment is to simply be yourself on and off the social media world.

Final Thoughts It is easy to get obsessed with being loved and complemented day in and day out.

The problem is that this mentality becomes addictive and equivalent to taking drugs.

You want that boost of serotonin and you’ll do anything in your power to hold onto that high.

Social media was meant to bring people together and to celebrate milestones and achievements. It’s meant to social network with those who share common interests or believe you can be an asset to promote value into their business. Instead, social me-

dia has taken over our ways of building relationships for both personal and business reasons. Narcissism makes it difficult to make connections with people and it’s a dangerous trait overall, simply because it becomes so hard to make any progress in life due to the inability to form something real.

While this may come off as an insult to you or your brand, I can assure you that’s not the point of my writing.

We choose to act based on our own satisfaction with our lives. I was once someone who felt like being popular on social media was a way of life. But as time has passed, I realized that those likes and the attention I received only lasted for a millisecond. It is not a do or die situation if I don’t get the recognition.

That time can be better spent with more productive ways of living. If you want to follow

my pages and like my content whenever I choose to post, then great. But I’m not going to be social media famous and I am okay with that.

Additionally, if you have reasons to promote yourself and feel you have something unique, go for it. But since you have made it this far and maybe you are questioning your overall model on social media, I’ll leave you with a few questions to consider: What makes you stand out different from the rest?

Is your content worth people’s attention and authentic?

Why are you sharing this content?

Whatever your answers may be, remember to stay true to yourself above anything else. The social media world can be either mean and nasty or kind and uplifting. There is no middle.

And never read the comments.

when the Stoplight Program helped allocated approximately $5 million, which left an adjusted base deficit of $4.5 million.

The university had already dealt with about half of its original deficit which was $9,899,643, through a Stoplight Program which helped allocated approximately $5 million. The program went through all vacant job positions and decided which ones could be eliminated and left an adjusted base deficit of $4.5 million.

As a last resort, many expected that the Early Exit Program (EEP), the universities university’s latest permanent base reduction strategy, would help close the gap on the budget deficit and therefore CSUDH diverted from layoffs, but the program did not reach the success it was expected.

Only a total of 9 nine out of 400 staff and faculty eligible to take this program signed up, which only helped to save about $700K. Today, exactly a month af-

ter the EEP application period closed, both permanent base reduction strategies have already been implemented and CSUDH still has a projected deficit on its base budget, but it is not all bad news. According to a “1st Quarter Budget Update” on Oct. 21 through Zoom the university’s deficit has decreased. The $4.6 million deficit is now at $3.5 million.

According to the Oct. 21 Powerpoint presentation, at this point in time it,”it will be up to each division to identify the remaining shortfall.”

Some strategies for consideration are to revisit critical positions on the spotlight chart, reduce their operating expense or “remove students or temp help that are base budgeted.”

The month of November is an important month when it comes to the universities university’s future budget.

This month, the next board of trustees meeting will result in a preliminary budget for

the year 2021-2022. The CSU Board of Trustees discusses any budget request from the university for additional funding, which CSUDH is in need of. The request must outline the reasons for increase allocation which can include things like graduation initiatives, deferred maintenance or enrollment costs. This request is then submitted to the governor.

The fact that CSUDH continues to be an underfunded campus contributes to the budget deficit. Although California State University Dominguez Hills gets a higher monetary budget allocation in the 2020-2021 fiscal year of approximately $103.3 million, in comparison to the 20112012 fiscal year that allocated $59.8 million to CSUDH, the university is still getting almost the same percentage of the whole CSU budget. In almost 10 years the university’s budget allocation has only gone up from 2.7% of the CSU’s budget to 2.8%, only a 0.1% increase.

Taylor Helmes Bullletin

Avila From Page 5

a full season of theatre and dance productions and serve the needs of our students.”

In a statement to the campus community Oct. 23, CSUDH Provost Dr. Michael Spagna announced Avila’s departure and thanked him for his contributions to the campus.

“He has led efforts to place the College of Arts & Humanities and the entire university on a positive trajectory towards the future. I know he means it when he writes, “good things ahead!” for CSUDH.” Acosta said Department faculty hope the administration begins the process of hiring a new dean very soon. They look to see if a new dean will continue the forward progress that Avila has led over his tenure.