LIFESTYLE
SPORTS
The Vibrant Life of Day of the Dead
A Volleyball Connection Stretching from the Redwoods to the South Bay
BULLETIN See page 4
See page 6
California State University, Dominguez Hills
OCTOBER 23, 2019 • VOL. 23, NO. 4
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Free Legal Help Demand Exceeds Expectations Immigration team increases campus visits to weekly By ROBIN RENAY BOLTON Co-opinion Editor A mere three weeks before the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a case
that could profoundly shape the futures of those undocumented individuals living in America collectively called “Dreamers,” the demand for free immigration legal services at California State University, Dominguez Hills has exceeded expectations. Originally intended to be offered every other week by a team consisting of a
lawyer and a paralegal, the high response from CSUDH students has meant increasing the visits to weekly in order to keep up with the needs of students and staff, according to Michelle Polanco, a lawyer who is part of the two-person team assigned to CSUDH. In August, the California State University announced that it was rolling out free
immigration services at 22 of its 23 campuses. Though available to all students and staff, undocumented students would receive priority for appointments on matters such as immigration status, assistance in filling out family-based petitions, and other general assitance. That announcement came two months after the Supreme
Court agreed to hear legal challenges over President Donald Trump’s 2017 decision to rescind Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), for about 800,000 recipients across America, including an estimated 10,000 CSU students. While there is no firm [See Services, page 3]
Is the Farmers Market in Peril? Campus sustainability AS agenda today By ROBERT RIOS News Editor
Did Steve Carell land this bird?
Robert Rios Bulletin
Filming for a new Netflix show starring Steve Carell about the creation of a new American space force occured on campus last week.
Progressive Changes Coming to CSUDH School to Launch Women’s Studies As a Major Offering Next Spring By YESENIA FLORES Staff Writer In the past, women were largely left out of the history books, their essential role either downplayed or overlooked or not mentioned at all. Now, their history and contributions to society will be honored at CSUDH
with the creation of the school’s newest department: Women’s Studies, which is launching a bachelor’s degree in the spring of 2020. Formerly offered only as a 15-credit minor in the College of Arts and Humanities, the 39-unit major will continue to emphasize the experiences of women and their representation
on a world scale. However, the major will also focus on other genders, such as transgender women and those who identify as non-binary. But despite the name of the major, Jenn Brandt, an associate professor who will chair the department next [See Changes, page 3]
The future of the CSUDH farmers market may be clearer after today’s Academic Senate meeting as Sustainability Coordinator Ellie Perry will give a report on campus measures to promote sustainability, including whether to continue hosting the market, which began last semester. Perry’s presentation will touch on what sustainability is and how it can be better integrated into the rhythm of campus life. The CSUDH Sustainability Office is charged with reducing the campus’ carbon footprint in ways ranging from reducing waste and conserving water, to making the campus more energy-efficient and getting students more engaged in “going green” initiatives. It also oversees the campus’ urban farm and the Farmers Market. The market, which is open every Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Sculpture Garden, was unveiled last semester with the intention to offer the CSUDH community, as well as the surrounding area, healthier food alternatives. However, based on last [See Academic, page 8]
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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2019
OPINION
This Elevator Needs Some TLC By DAYZSHA LINO Staff Reporter There are way too many problems with the elevator on the north side of the library. It takes too long to start and when it does start, it moves in a jerking motion. It shakes and wobbles and there’s almost no space for people to fit comfortably. While we all love a good ride on Disney’s Hollywood Tower of Terror, students and faculty probably prefer not to cross over into the third dimension on the way to their offices. The elevator has moved with all the alacrity of a snail for some time now, but it’s approaching waiting-in-aDMV office status this semester. Once home to books that no one cared about, the third and fourth floors are now filled with a slew of organizations and offices, ranging from EOP and the Dymally Institute to the Bulletin’s awesome new newsroom. Compounding that, this elevator feels smaller than other ones in the library. They are able to accommodate a small crowd,but this one
makes a party of five seem like 100. Every day between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., crowds of people wait tediously in front of the elevator door on the second floor. Once they finally cram themselves into the moving box of slow-motion terror, it seems like a lifetime before anybody can reach their destination. Just imagine being squished inside a tiny, condensed elevator with seven people in it – some of them carrying roller-bags and binders – and waiting for them to get off or having to weave your way through once you’ve reached your destination. If that isn’t bad enough, students are often victims to the slew of electrical problems this tired conveyance is saddled with. Shawn Tessema, a molecular biology major, said while he was on it, the lights went out and the car began wobbling and shaking. But poor lighting and shaking was a picnic compared to the ordeal on Oct. 9 when the elevator shut down completely while a student was on it. The unidentified student
was headed upstairs when the elevator suddenly stopped moving. Firefighters, paramedics, University Police, and CSUDH maintenance staff arrived on the scene shortly after she called 911. After almost two hours, the doors were finally pried open and she got out safely. The elevator remained closed overnight, but despite this major incident happening it re-opened the next day. As of now, there have been no signs of maintenance or renovations. Calls to facility services were either unreturned or people directed me to someone who was out for the week. Nonetheless, the current conditions of the elevator are unacceptable, and CSUDH maintenance and administration owe it to students and faculty to make some changes. Until then, students, please don’t take the elevator one floor downstairs just to get something out of the vending machine. Take the stairs and burn off some calories instead.
The Lady Behind Impeachment By IRACEMA NAVARRO Staff Reporter
If you’ve been following the latest saga unfolding over the past two weeks in Washington D.C., and the media 24-7, you’re familiar with most of the main characters: Donald Trump, Nancy Pelosi, whatever that Ukrainian president’s name is. But the real star of this show is someone whose name is all over the news, but who most of us really don’t know that well: Lady Impeachment. Why is she a lady? Well, if the personification of justice is a blindfolded lady holding a set of scales, why can’t the embodiment of impeachment be a woman? After all, impeachment by the U.S. House of Representatives of a federal official, and the subsequent trial and possible conviction in the U.S. Senate, is definitely about justice, right? Plus, she’s like another woman: Mary Poppins. Both rarely appear and each is magical; Mary can fly and has an amazing bag of tricks; Lady Impeachment has the potential to make entire presidential administrations disappear.
ONLINE Read the full version of this at csudhbulletin. And wouldn’t that be awesome? Whether you think the impeachment inquiry is just another desperate gambit to undermine the results of a valid election, or the only thing that will remove the vilest stain to ever soil the U.S. presidency, Lady Impeachment is going to be around a while. So here’s five things you should know about her. 1. She is related to feet. According to etymonline. com, the word impeach stems from the Latin pedica, “to shackle, fetter.” The root of pedica is ped, which meant base, or foot of a tree, which is where words like pedal, podiatrist and centipede come from. By the 1400s, the verb apechen was used to charge someone with an offense, and by the mid 1500s, empeach was used specifically to formally accuse the king or a member of the House of Commons with treason or another high crime.
2. She’s part English. Like Mary Poppins, Ms. Impeachment originates from England. Before she decided to chuck the tea and move to America for ice coffee and to hang out with the cool rebel kids, she was Parliament’s goto girl whenever it came time to slap down the King. She was used to check what Parliament felt were excesses perpetrated by the king’s appointed ministers and judges, usually relating to abuse of power. 3. James Madison had a crush on her. Delegates at the 1787 Constitutional Convention wanted a stronger central, or federal, government than America’s first constitution, the Articles of Confederation. But not too strong. Among the checks and balances they agreed upon between the three branches of government was giving Congress the power to impeach federal judges, since they were given lifetimes. But give Congress the power to impeach the president? That was a tougher sell. After all, wouldn’t he have to face voters every four years? For more, go to “Impeachment” at csudhbulletin.com.
CSUDH BULLETIN
Costume Appropriation: Me Don’t Love You Long By JASMINE NGUYEN Co-Lifestyle Editor Exotic dragon ladies. Giggling schoolgirls. Sensual geishas. For the longest time, these seemed to be the only images of Asian women that mainstream America could conjure. While those stereotypes are slowly fading away in films and on TV, they scream come Halloween season. Look around your local costume store and you’re bound to see some botched version of a kimono or a costume titled “China Doll” in obnoxious oriental font. Some may say, “hey they’re just costumes,” but everythings a sexy version of its original form during Halloween. Even Mr. Rogers can’t escape it. But the over-sexualization of Asian and Pacific Islander women stretches far more than just tacky Halloween costumes. For some reason in the United States, Asian American and Pacific Islander women have long been viewed as submissive playthings who serve to the whim of any white man, or seen as the dangerous female villain who uses her sexuality to fool the poor hero. American pop culture has produced hundreds of scheming dragon ladies or docile porcelain dolls. The film “Full Metal Jacket” showed a Vietnamese sex worker uttering the phrase “Me love you long time,” and most Asian women still can’t escape it. Anna May Wong, one of the first Asian American actresses of the 1920s, bounced between the two stereotypes of a dangerous vixen or exotic plaything throughout most of her career. These stereotypes don’t just stay on the screen. For many AAPI women, they seep into our daily lives. For instance, when I was 13, I was waiting for my friends outside a restroom. An older man, he must have been in his thirties, came up to me
and asked if I was Asian just before trying to touch my face. He only backed off when I told him I was 13. It was like he expected me to be okay with him touching me and not say a word about it. On dating apps, I’ve had men tell me that they were excited because they had never been with an Asian girl before. It was like I was some sort of hot new dish at a restaurant instead of an actual human being. Many of the AAPI women I’ve spoken to have faced similar experiences as well. Gabby Giang, biology major, is called exotic or Oriental by men so often that she can’t even keep count. “When I speak my mind people tend to be shocked, they’re confused that I’m not soft-spoken or just simply quiet,” Cianna del Rosario, a student at Glendale Community College, said. “There’s this stereotype that Asian women just take and take [until] they fall into a category of submission.” Marley Yu, cellular and molecular biology major, said she is not only sexualized because she’s Asian but the fact that she’s mixed with Caucasian as well, “So [typically] men see me as an “exotic prize.” So yes, those sexy kimono Halloween costumes aren’t a big deal. I shouldn’t be yaping that someone wearing it is going to send back the rights of AAPI women everywhere, so yeah be that sexy geisha, go all out with the chopsticks in your hair. But just keep in mind that many women, including myself, have their stomach churns every time they pass by a China Doll costume. For them, it’s not a harmless costume but a potent symbol of the objectification of AAPI women, not as actual human beings, but as exotic objects of male desires.
Caito Roc
STAFF BOX EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jordan Darling MANAGING EDITOR Yeymy Garcia NEWS EDITOR Robert Rios SPORTS EDITOR Jeremy Gonzalez
ASST. SPORTS EDITOR Jessica Olvera CO-OPINION EDITORS Robin Renay Bolton Destiny Jackson CO-LIFESTYLE EDITORS Monique Davis Jasmine Nguyen
PHOTO EDITOR Nova Blanco-Rico COPY EDITOR Andrew Baumgartner LAYOUT MANAGER Lindsey Ball LAYOUT ASSISTANT Chris Martinez
REPORTERS Matthew Alford Yesenia Flores Elicia Gallardo Lavielle Hibbert Dayzsha Lino Malena Lopez Angelica Mozol
Iracema Navarro Jaclyn Okwumabua Violeta Rocha Destiny Torres
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.
NEWS
CSUDH BULLETIN
CHANGES From page 1 semester, said a women’s studies major, or any class in the department, can benefit all students. “Women’s Studies as an academic field can be of benefit to anyone personally or professionally,” Brandt said. One reason for that, Brandt said, is the prominent role that gender as a social construct plays in today’s society. A better understanding of gender can have a huge bearing on job performance, as well as contribute to a more well-rounded perspective on many contemporary issues. “All the things you hear about in the news that are such hot topics: immigration, the economy, and politics, so much of that, whether we realize it or not, has a lot to do with our perception of gender and how we understand the world in terms of gender,” Brandt said. Sergio Apodaca, a soonto-be transfer, currently a student at Long Beach City College who is transferring to CSUDH in Spring 2020, student from Long Beach City College, said Women’s Studies would definitely benefit his goal of becoming a history professor because it would give him a broader understanding of what women endured through a different perspective than that which was taught in grade school. “I was going to transfer to CSUF for their gender studies major but now that CSUDH is offering Women’s Studies as a major, I’m going there…and it works out because it’s closer to home,” Apodaca said. Women’s studies, stemmed from the same crucible of activism in the late 1960s that forced college campuses to begin changing their curriculum to reflect the growing diversity of their students, including Africana studies, Chicano/a studies and Native American Studies.
SERVICES From page 1 number of how many of CSUDH’s appointments have centered around questions relating to undocumented status or specifically DACA-related issues, Ana Barragan, the program coordinator of the Toro Dreamers Success Center, said CSUDH has approximately 500 undocumented students, and one out of eight students have an undocumented parent and paths to legal residency may exist for them. “There is research that shows 18 percent of undocumented immigrants qualify for a pathway to legal residency,” Barragan said. “But a lot of times they don’t know about that pathway or even know they qualify because
The first women’s studies program, offered 11 classes, and was formed at San Diego State in 1970 becoming the first women’s studies department in 1975. According to the website of the University of Maryland, there are now more than 900 universities world-wide offering women’s/gender/ feminist studies programs, departments or research center, including 12 CSUs. The CSUDH major will bring a new tenure faculty member to campus, and offer several new courses such as Gender, Sex, the Body, & Politics, and Feminist Principles. Earlier this year, a bill was proposed in the California State Assembly that would make an ethnic studies course a graduation requirement at all CSU’s. While some have questioned whether that might adversely affect the number of students who take a women’s studies class in favor of one that reflects their cultural heritage, Brandt said the requirement would actually support and enhance the work already being done in existing departments and CSUDH’s new department. “Women’s Studies, particularly here at CSUDH, is an intersectional field that considers the ways race and ethnicity impact gender,” Brandt said. According to the women’s studies page on the CSUDH website, the knowledge obtained from studying the discipline helps students assess where and how their expertise would best benefit themselves and society. “In terms of a critical thinking standpoint of understanding what it means to look at structural problems in society around privilege and oppression, having a women’s studies degree is going to prepare you to challenge those kinds of problems, tackle them and hopefully, solve.” Brandt said. they don’t have access to lawyers or cannot afford to pay for the pathway.” The CSU has contracted with four immigrants-right organizations in the state to provide the legal assistance, including CARECEN, which is working with eight Southern California CSUs, including CSUDH. While the legal services are free, students and employees are still responsible for any fees associated with application fees, such as the $495 it costs to file a DACA application. Most of the services offered are only for CSUDH students and staff, but the legal team is also offering help with family petitions. This allows CSUDH students and staff to get help with applying for their family members to become legal resi-
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2019
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The Crime Rate on Halloween By MATTHEW ALFORD Staff Reporter Halloween ranks among the best nights of the year for children dressed as ghosts, zombies and other monsters, but it can also bring out an unfortunate real-life scary element. From intoxicated party-goers who decide to get behind the wheel, to burglars taking advantage of empty houses of parents escorting their kids on their candy-seeking missions, the crime rate does tend to spike on Halloween in some communities and cities. According to the xtown. la website, based on numbers sourced from the Los
Angeles Police Department’s public online database, from 2011-2017 Halloween had the highest number of crimes than any other day of the year. And get this: the average number of crimes reported on Halloween over those years? 666. Of course, that’s an average of 666 crimes reported in a city with more than 3 million people, so no need to arm the young ones. But, it is never a bad idea to be extra cautious whenever kids are involved. One preventive measure is to view the 25 safety tips posted on lapdonline.org, including: kids should never enter a stranger’s home, they should
walk, not run, while trickor-treating; always walk on sidewalks instead of streets; As far as the CSUDH campus? According to Campus Police Lieutenant David Hall, nothing particularly unusual “occurs on Halloween; sometimes ASI puts on events and [campus police] are [asked] to help with crowds.” Other than that, Hall said, Halloween is just another night on campus. So, if you’re still unnerved by the thought of going out on Halloween, just huddle in the campus library. It’s on a Thursday night, so it’s open until 11. At least you’ll know kids won’t still be out at that hour.
Provided by Dr. Annemarie Perez
Syllabus for the World of Harry Potter class.
Uncovering the Wizarding World of CSUDH By DESTINY JACKSON Co-Opinion Editor Have you ever solemnly sworn that you were up to no good? Or perhaps you’ve spent every summer since you were 11 years old dreaming of receiving your own letter to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? Well, if you’ve only imagined it, here’s the next dents. “The direct services are for the staff and students of CSUDH, but let’s say if you come in and say ‘My parents are undocumented. I’m a legal citizen and I want to petition for them.’” Barragan said. “You are still the client and we would be able to help you.” The fate of individuals involved in the DACA program was thrown into turmoil after Trump, who campaigned on a strong anti-immigrant platform, ended it in 2017. DACA was created June 5, 2012 through an executive order by President Barack Obama as a way that those brought to the country as children and who met certain criteria, such as graduating from high school or serving in the military and posing no threat to national security, were granted two
best thing: The World of Harry Potter,” a special topics class offered in the Interdisciplinary Studies Department taught by Dr. Annamarie Perez. Now, while there’s no denying the popularity and uniqueness of the 1997-J.K.Rowling-novel-turned-global-spanning-collosuss. What is a class based in a years of protection from deportation and given work permits. Recipients could renew their status every two years. In his September 2017 announcement that he was ending DACA, Trump gave Congress a six-month “deadline” to legalize it or it would expire. But before that deadline expired, the University of California filed a lawsuit Jan. 8, 2018 on grounds that rescinding DACA was unlawful. A district court judge agreed to an injunction that froze the revocation, allowing those who had, or previously had, DACA status to continue to submit applications to renew. That lawsuit was joined by two others, which also saw injunctions issued. In November 2018, the government, claiming the decision to rescind DACA
fictitious world of wizards and muggles doing at university? You’d be surprised. Classes that somehow relate to the Potter universe have been the subject of serious scholastic inquirty for 22 years, including classes called covering Discrimination in Society, and the Physics of Quiddich. [See Potter, page 8]
was not reviewable by the courts, asked the Supreme Court directly to review the lower courts’ decision. The court passed at that time but on June 28, 2019, agreed to review the challenges. It said it would consider two questions: whether the decision to rescind DACA is reviewable by the courts; and whether ending DACA is legal. The court will hear oral arguments Nov. 12. A decision is expected before June, 2020. In a brief filed last month, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra wrote that DACA recipients generate approximately $9 billion in taxes annually, and that businesses would lose billions of dollars if DACA were revoked and they were no longer to legally live and work in the U.S.
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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2019
LIFESTYLE
CSUDH BULLETIN
The Haunting of Relationships Past Shake Me By DESTINY TORRES Staff Writer With the spooky season in full swing, what better way to ring in the holiday than with haunting dating stories? Nothing can make a person shudder with fear like the mention of ghosting--not the supernatural kind, but the all-to-real kind. There are several ways to break-up with someone. Whether it’s in-person, via text, or even through email,
none of those ways make quite as much of an impact on a person as simply disappearing off the face of the earth. This particular break-up method is called ghosting. Ghosting is what happens when a friend or romantic partner ceases all forms of communication. It’s a trend that has embedded itself in dating culture with the rise of technology. One moment you’re talking about going out and the next they are
nowhere to be found neither in real-life or the internet. In a study conducted by Plenty of Fish (PlentyofFish. com), an online dating site, out of about 800 million single people between the ages of 18 and 33-years-old, 80 percent said they have been ghosted. A child development major, Amanda Dimson recalled a time when she got ghosted by a coworker. The flirty exchange started by swapping Snapchat
usernames. For a while, they talked before hanging out in-person outside of work. Although all seemed to be going smoothly, Dimson found herself to be a victim of one of the most dreadful dating trends present today. Dimson was ghosted. Back at work, Dimson and her co-worker continue to work side-by-side and pretending that the brief connection never happened. [See Haunting, page 5]
Nova Blanco-Rico Bulletin
CSUDH’s annual Day of the Dead celebration will be held on Nov. 5 in the Sculpture Garden
The Vibrant Life of the Day of the Dead By VIOLETA ROCHA Co-Social Media Manager Christmas, Easter and Halloween are three examples of rituals and traditions with roots reaching back more than 2,000 years that have become secularized and commercialized holidays emphasizing consumerism over culture Is Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, next on the list? For one local example, in a Monday article in the Daily Breeze newspaper, columnist David Whiting wrote that although he had been to many Day of the Dead events across Southern California, he had never seen anything as “cool and awesome” as a Whittier celebration last week that included “tricked-out lowrider cars.” (In fairness , he did mention that Day of the Dead is rooted in “Mexican culture and time to celebrate and honor[relatives].” But the emphasis on something that has nothing to do with a celebration that began
during the Aztec empire gives credence to those who feel the increasing popularity of Day of the Dead in the U.S. is diluting its significance and obscuring its history. That the meaning and symbolism of a tradition that celebrates life through honoring the dead is endangered by things such as Hollywood co-opting it through films like “Coco” and the James Bond flick “Sceptre,” cultural appropriation and being seen as “Mexican Halloween.” “I do feel that in recent years there has been the commercialization of the tradition without proper education of the rituals,” Dr. Corina Benavides López, an assistant professor in the Chicano/a studies department, said. “Many times, one sees Day of the Dead decorations along with Halloween decorations at places like Target and Walmart. Yet, they are not the same type of celebration. El Dia de los Muertos is not a Mexican Halloween.” According to Claudia Mendoza Diaz, a professor
in the modern languages department at CSUDH, Day of the Dead stems from Aztec mythology. They believed that after death, a person’s eternal sould could only rest after a four-year journe through nine daunting layers. Every August, it was believed, the boundary between life and death was most fluid, and they felt the dead had returned to the land of the living. To make them feel welcome, alters, or ofrendas were erected in homes and adorned with skulls, a potent Aztec symbol of death and rebirth, and marigolds, considered a sacred flower. However, when the Spaniards colonized Mesoamerica and forced the inhabitants to convert to Catholicism, the Aztec ritual, after unsuccessful attempts to eliminate it, was “rebranded” to the first two days of November, when the minor Catholic holidays of All Saint’s Day and All Souls Day were observed. This resulted in a cultural hybridization, with indigenous touches, such as the
ofrendas holding offerings such as skulls and marigolds, but now alongside Catholic symbols, such as candles dedicated to saints and pan de muerto, a cross-topped bread symbolizing the Eucharist. The fact some indigenous customs survived into the modern world is one reason why Day of the Dead celebrations began appearing in the U.S., particularly Southern California’s East Los Angeles in the 1970s. According to a 2013 article in The Journal of American Folklore, by Regina Marchi, these secular celebrations began “as a way to communicate messages of Chicano identity.” One can’t help but wonder if buying Day of the Dead blonde ale at Wal-Mart, or a Day of the Dead shower curtain on Amazon for $17.99, was high on those cultural activists’ agendas. CSUDH’s annual Day of the Dead celebration will take place in the Sculpture Garden Nov. 5 from 4 p.m.-7 p.m.
Awake
By YESENIA FLORES Staff Writer Sleep paralysis is when our brain is awake and our body is asleep, causing huge confusion and inability to move even when one tries to force themselves to move. When we begin to doze off, our brains tell our muscles to relax, which in turn causes our muscles to tense up and stay still while we fall asleep; this is referred to as atonia. According to SleepEducation.org, sleep paralysis occurs when our brains go through this process while we are waking up or just about to fall asleep. It wasn’t up until a couple of months ago that I experienced sleep paralysis for the first time. Thankfully, it wasn’t firsthand. I woke up to loud groaning and whimpering, so I bravely went looking for the source. I walked to my sister’s bedroom and realized her fists and jaws clenched, while tears rolled down the sides of her temples as she laid facing the ceiling. I assumed she was having a nightmare so I tried to comfort her by saying everything was okay for a couple of seconds until I decided to softly shake her arm in hopes that she would realize it was all a dream. That’s when she woke up fully, or as I thought, and burst out in tears thanking me. She confessed she was experiencing sleep paralysis and had heard me get out of bed, walk over, and tell her everything would be okay but could not move until I physically shook her out of her state. She told me she woke up to a black figure standing in her doorway and slowly make its way next to her, hovering. She could not scream or move but was able to move her eyes to scan the room and the black figure’s movements. So I did what every other concerned little sister does. I told my mom about it in hopes to scare her. Failure. I ended up being the one scared. She began telling me about sleep paralysis encounters in her family, some of which drove people to close to death experiences. Although stress is a medical explanation for sleep paralysis, some people choose to believe otherwise. Some think it is associated with extraterrestrial encounters and paranormal phenomenons. In the Mexican culture, sleep paralysis is referred to as, “cuando se te sube el muerto.” In other words, when the dead come to visit you. Some Mexican urban myths associated sleep paralysis with demons pushing down on one’s chest. The reason as to why some people experience demons on their chest while they sleep is unknown, but many believe it is due to cultural backgrounds and their strong beliefs in religion.
LIFESTYLE
CSUDH BULLETIN
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2019
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Declining Enlistment in U.S. and Israeli Militaries By JORDAN DARLING Editor-in-Chief
T
he sun beat down on the tops of our heads as the breeze stirred the long grass that tangled itself around the metallic signs and rusted barbed wire lining the cliff of the Golan Heights, separating it from the Syrian border. Zohar Kapustin pointed to a distant spot on the other side of the Heights indicating where he was stationed as a member of the IDF Rocket Artillery in 2013. “The Syrian Civil War was raging and Assad [threatened] to use chemical weapons and Obama threatened to bomb Assad if he did that…We were somewhere in the West Bank and we were called to get here and get ready,” Kapustin said. Kapustin and his unit were stationed off the Syrian border for over a week in 2013 waiting for Assad to use chemical weapons on the Syrian rebels. On the night Assad dropped the chemical weapons, Kapustin’s commander told them to remain vigilant and wait for orders. Orders that never came; instead Kapustin’s unit was told to stand down. An intense moment in Kapustin’s military journey, a journey that started in 2009. At 16, Kapustin walked into a recruiter’s office for the first time, prepared with a list of his top choices that would propel him down a three-year path in the Israel Defense Force. “I started thinking about what I really wanted to do in the army…I do want to go into a combat role but the only thing left for me was the anti-air artillery,” Kapustin said. Anti-Air Artillery would assure that Kapustin would be out of combat but it wasn’t the role he envisioned. Kapustin, as an only child, needed his parents’ signature before being assigned to a combat unit, which is when he came to a decision to join an artillery unit and convinced his
HAUNTING From page 4 “I feel like it’s a new thing because people are afraid of commitment,” Dimson said. On the opposite end, psychology major Anthony Chavez has been the ghost in someone’s life. After losing interest, Chavez cut off communication with the person and stopped replying to their messages. He said he felt a pang of slight guilt, but thought the truth would hurt their feelings more. “I didn’t know how to tell them I didn’t want to talk to them anymore, so I just stopped,” Chavez said. CSUDH psychology professor Larry Rosen said that online dating has dramatically
Jordan Darling Bulletin
An abandoned gate on a hike through the Golan Heights in North Eastern Israel
parents it was the best option. Like many before him and many after, Kapustin would leave for the IDF at 18 prepared to complete his military service and if necessary lay down his life in the defense of the State of Israel.
Israel is one of 26 countries including Armenia, Brazil, and Norway that has compulsory military service and one of the five countries to conscript both men and women into military service according to a 2019 report from PEW Research.
changed the structure of relationships today. Rosen has studied the effects of online dating, specifically the different perceptions of online and traditional daters. Rosen said it is easier for people to open-up behind the safety of a screen resulting in faster connections. That anonymity can also have the opposite effect, however, by making it easier for either party to disconnect. When it comes to traditional online dating sites, you were able to disappear with ease. Today, however, everyone is connected on so many different apps and social media sites that ghosting is no longer a simple task. “Ghosting has become more complex because people
are connected on so many modalities,” Rosen said. If you or a loved one has ever been ghosted, Rosen said the last thing you should do is blame yourself. He said the hurt a person who has been ghosted feels usually stems from the needs they project on the other person. People assume what they want their online partner to be like in the real world, leading to hurt later on. The lack of an explanation for someone’s sudden disappearance creates a void that can be filled with self-blame, insecurities, and questions that are left unanswered. Modern dating is as complicated and scary as ever, and the rise in internet dating makes it more unnerving.
In the same report, it was stated that the United States is one of the 191 countries that does not require military service but one of the 23 countries out of that 191 that has a military draft even though the draft is not currently in use.
Military service has declined in recent years in both countries even with compulsory military service in Israel. In a 2016 article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency, it was reported that 72 percent of Israelis who were conscripted into the military joined the IDF, this was a 3.5 percent decrease from previous years. Counted in the percent of Israelis who did not join the military are those undertaking religious studies, women with children, and those that were not found to be physically or mentally fit for active duty. This is compared to the low percentage of young Americans who said they would be willing to join the military. The Marine Times reported on Nov. 2018. “The most recent internal Defense Department surveys, conducted in late 2017, show the percentage of young people who say they will likely join the military is at 11 percent ― the lowest point in nearly 10 years,” The drop in military participation is surprising considering the United States and Israel both made the top ten list in a 2019 article with World Economic Forum where the U.S. reportedly spent 3.2 percent of its GDP on military spending with Israel coming in at 4.3 percent in 2018. A drop in enlistment has not stopped Kapustin’s pride in his service or his feeling of the necessity of military service. Kapustin said “The military is the melting pot of Israeli society. The Israeli society is very diverse, the military is the thing that unites us. Even if you come from a different background you come into the military and you serve with people from all sorts of different cultures and that’s part of what makes the Israeli society, this one thing that is common for everyone.” After leaving the IDF in 2014 Kapustin went on to join the reserves and is still currently an active reservist.
Nova Blanco-Rico Bulletin
6
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2019
SPORTS
CSUDH BULLETIN
Jeremy Gonzalez Bulletin
Juniors Lynda Nguyen (L) and Jordan Ramirez (R), who were friends before CSUDH, have helped the Toro Volleyball squad to its best record after 16 games (10-6) in the program’s 41-year history.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
Connection Stretches from Redwoods to South Bay By JEREMY GONZALEZ Sports Editor
C
hemistry is one of the most important traits any successful sports team must possess. Good chemistry can elevate a team to an elite status that makes them difficult to beat; bad chemistry can kill it, as a team’s identity is more about the individual than the collective unit. A coach or manager plays a pivotal role in chemistry, as they need to meld different personalities, egos and mindsets into a cohesive unit. But athletes can also help the chemistry by being around each other on and off the field, or in this case the court. At the heart of the Toros volleyball team are two athletes doing just that. Junior Lynda Nguyen, defensive specialist and libero, who leads the team in digs, and her best friend and what she calls her near-sister, Jordan Ramirez, the team’s setter who is second on the team in assists. Their chemistry, contri-
“This season has been the best one we’ve had together so far in comparison to our last two seasons. Things are definitely getting better. I feel very comfortable playing with [Ramirez] and her being on the court with me makes me feel more comfortable about my own game.” – Lynda Nguyen, junior butions and communication on the court are extremely notable when watching them play or practice. And that bond was forged nearly 400 hours north, during their club days at Encore Volleyball Club in the Bay Area city of Redwood City. “There was an open gym one day and I remember this little Asian girl on the court,” Ramirez said. “She was extremely loud, constantly calling ‘my ball.’ And I loved it because you have to be loud when you play volleyball.” Nguyen was that obnoxious newcomer who grabbed Ramirez’s attention. As team
practices continued and the season progressed, Nguyen and Ramirez grew on each other and their friendship tightened. Once their time at Encore ended, they had a chance to meet the Toros volleyball coaches through their club head coach and visited the campus shortly after. Nguyen was the first of the two to commit to CSUDH and Ramirez followed a week later. The two friends now became roommates and college teammates, donning the Toro cardinal and gold as freshmen in 2017.
Each said that coming to Dominguez Hills has improved their overall game significantly because the program competes in the California Collegiate Athletics Association, which is pretty much to Division II basketball what the SEC is to Division I football, multiple nationally ranked schools and decorated volleyball programs. “Competing at a level like the CCAA is something I never thought I would accomplish in my career, especially because of my height and physical body,” said Nguyen, who stands at five feet according to Toros Athletics. “I’ve gotten very mentally tough. The girls who play in this division can read you and know when you feel [mentally] small and weak. You can’t really show that. I went back to my roots and had to earn what I wanted. ” Both Nguyen and Ramirez were introduced to the sport at a very young age. It was a part of their childhood like Saturday morning cartoons and eventually grew into one
of the most important aspects of their lives, playing a role that goes beyond the court. Ramirez said her mental toughness has grown during her time as a Toro and said volleyball is a sport that teaches you many life lessons, including how to work well with others. They have been key components this season for a program that has only finished at .500 or better four times, but currently has a 9-6 overall record. They said that as gratifying it has been to grow closer as friends and into better athletes, it’s just as gratifying to use their bond to help contribute to the team’s success. “The first two years were tough,” Nguyen said. “This season has been the best one we’ve had together so far in comparison to our last two seasons. Things are definitely getting better. I feel very comfortable playing with [Ramirez] and her being on the court with me makes me feel more comfortable about my own game.”
SPORTS
CSUDH BULLETIN
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2019
7
WOMEN’S SOCCER
Toro Women Still in Playoff Hunt By JESSICA OLVERA Assistant Sports Editor Though it has a losing record for the season, a win over No. 10 Cal State LA Oct. 9 and a double-overtime tie against No. 25 Cal Poly Pomona Oct. 17 means the CSUDH women’s soccer team still has life in its quest to return to the postseason for the first time since 2009, the year they were runner-up in the Division II championship. With six games remaining, and a possible total of 18 points, the Toros will need some hope, but as they trail the current final seed by only five points, there is a chance. The Toros (2-3-1) have home games gainst top-seeded UC San Diego Oct. 31, and Nov. 2 against Cal State San Marcos. The four road matchups include only one team, San Francisco State, not a playoff hopeful. East Bay is three points ahead of the Toros, and Monterey Bay and Humboldt State are both one point behind the Toros.
“Its [this season] has been a very good learning experience for myself and we have had so much adversity early, so it was a struggle for the first five games not having what I considered my first team lineup,” head coach Marine Cano said. “At this time, right now, we are almost there in terms of a full healthy team where everything is clicking.” Cano said that it is frustrating for the players and coaching staff when they tie against opponents but admires the “never quit” attitude of the young team. “This is the best I’ve felt since August 19, with them [players] getting their style since it has taken so long with them getting Cano’s style, but now it’s their personal style and we fear no one,” Cano said. “This weekend’s playoff weekend, don’t talk the talk or walk the walk, we’re sprinting the sprint. Two wins, nothing less.” The Toros travel to East Bay on Friday and Monterey Bay on Sunday before coming home next weekend to host UC San Diego and San Marcos.
MEN’S SOCCER
Men’s Soccer Dealing with Defensive Issues By JEREMY GONZALEZ Sports Editor After a disastrous 2018, when they finished with their worst record in program history, the CSUDH men’s soccer team enters the final six games of the California College Athletic Association as a dark horse, but one that still has a beating heart. With a possible 18 points still left on the schedule, and only trailing the final seed by six, there could still be a possibility of seeing the Toros in the playoffs. (Every win is worth three points, and every tie is worth one). The Toros have a conference record of 2-4, with wins coming against Sonoma State and Stanislaus State. All four losses have come against teams that are in a position to qualify for the postseason. “The progress that our team has made has been great,” Toros first-year head coach Eddie Soto said. “If you look outside our results and record, we’ve been able to implement a lot of things I wanted to do. It’s a foundation we have to build on
as we move forward.” In this final stretch of games, the Toros are only home for two: Oct. 31 against top-seeded UC San Diego and Nov. 2 against Cal State San Marcos. The four road matchups are favorable for the Toros as only one team, San Francisco State, is a playoff hopeful. The other three road opponents find themselves out of the playoffs for now. Monterey Bay is one point above the Toros on the table, Humboldt State is tied with the Toros, and East Bay has yet to register a point this season. Defense has been an issue lately for the squad. On Oct. 1, they were 1-1 in conference but then gave up six points to Cal State LA and four against Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State San Bernardino. The lone highlight was a double-overtime win over Sonoma State Oct. 11. The Toros travel up north this weekend to face East Bay on Friday and Monterey Bay on Saturday before coming home next weekend to host UC San Diego and San Marcos.
Oscar Gutiérrez Bulletin
The Dodgers have made the postseason the past seven years but the World Series trophy still eludes them.
NOTES FROM THE BULLPEN
Bleeding Blue Has Its Price By JESSICA OLVERA Assistant Sports Editor Growing up in the San Fernando Valley, I was raised to wear the blue and white color scheme of the Los Angeles Dodgers with pride. Dodgers flags replaced American flags on most of the lawns of the homes I passed by in Elysian Park to get to Dodgers Stadium. I had Dodgers-themed birthday parties. Half of my wardrobe still consists of team gear. It’s hard to miss the sea of blue during baseball season in Los Angeles, and I’m swimming along with the rest of the faithful. I was born into this fan base and will pass my birthright on to my children. But, this fan loyalty often comes with a price. The price is the consistent backlash that you receive for supporting a team that has a recent history of not performing when it matters most in playoffs. As a fan, you have to constantly hope that “this year will be the year.” But it is an emotional, physical, and financial investment. And considering the awful end to this season, I wonder how many Dodgers faithful are considering switching to another bank? Even in star-studded Los Angeles, with all its glitz and glamour and all the championships its teams have won, the Dodgers are special. They’re the most historic of our franchises and the legendary names are part of LA mythology: Koufax, Wills, Scully, Lasorda, that 1970 infield, Fernando, Hershiser. Only the Lakers, with
Welcome to the Bulletin’s new sports column, where sports editor Jeremy Gonzalez and assistant sports editor Jessica Olvera will write about pretty much anything they please — as long as it has to do with sports and is somehow related to this campus. their 11 titles since 1972, can match the Dodgers’ five since 1959. Fans of each are passionate and loyal, but talk about loyalty tested recently. The Lakers have been a mess since their last ring in 2010, but their 2019-20 season is about to start, so I don’t want to stir up any bad mojo by dissing them. But the Dodgers’ season just ended. And like any Dodgers’ fan over the past decade, I am once again cycling through the seven stages of grief over their latest failure to win a championship. The last time the Blue won the World Series was 1988. That stings, particularly since that other Los Angeles team won in 2002 when they weren’t even Los Angeles and still aren’t Los Angeles, but I digress. What makes it hurt even more is that over the past decade, no team in professional American sports has done as well as the Dodgers—seven consecutive playoff appearances and two World Series appearances the past three years. And what do they have to show for it? Lots of wins. Lots of playoffs. No championships. And this year was the worst. The Dodgers won 106 games, only the third time
since 1907 that a National League team had won that many. And they couldn’t even get out of the division series, losing a heartbreaking best-of-five contest to the Washington Nationals. How do we go from having the most wins in franchise history to getting bounced in the divisional round in playoffs? By a franchise that never won a SINGLE playoff series? This is beyond embarrassing. According to a baseball payroll list conducted by The Associated Press News in late March, our opening day payroll was an estimated $192 million, putting us in the top five. We even have an MVP candidate in Cody Bellinger and a potential CY Young Award winner in Hyun-Jin Ryu. Even with a roster filled with powerhouse names, we still couldn’t get the job done. Our players did not step up when it mattered the most and it’s a shame. As a diehard Dodger fan, I understand it’s all part of the game, but this fan base deserves nothing less than a world championship. I will forever bleed blue for the Dodgers and count down the days until it I hear “It’s time for Dodgers Baseball!” But I am so sick of having my hopes crushed year after year, and having to endure the mockery from the fans of that imposter Los Angeles team that plays about 20 miles down the 5 from Chavez Ravine. Bleeding blue runs deep in my veins but there’s only so much despair that a fan even like myself can go through before I (metaphorically, of course) open those veins.
8
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2019
NEWS
CSUDH BULLETIN
United to Make a Change
ACADEMIC From page 1
By ROBERT RIOS News Editor When she arrived at California State University, Dominguez Hills, Jacquelyn Ramirez knew there was something missing. There were services and organizations for First Generation students, low-income students, and students who had served in the military. But there were no services for students who had previously been incarcerated. So she decided to start one. For her brother. Ramirez is co-founder and president of Scholars United, a new student-run organization at CSUDH designed to help previously incarcerated individuals return to college, or enroll for the first time. Her goal is to use her organization to help establish Project Rebound on campus, an organization that for 52 years has helped to ease the transition of those who have served time in prison back into mainstream society. “I got very involved because of my brother, it affected me so much and is why I realized I needed to help,” said Ramirez. “When I came to this campus I noticed that there was no support whatsoever. We didn’t have a program for formerly incarcerated individuals. Every other school around here has Project Rebound. [My brother] has helped changed my path.” Scholars United is a student-run organization looking to integrate people who, due to past behavior,
POTTER From page 3 Perez took inspiration from the various classes that have been offered across the country. “I did feel completely overwhelmed as I started putting the class together. What I ended up doing is looking into this class called ‘Six Degrees of Harry Potter’ being taught at Saint Catherine’s University [in St Paul, Minnesota] taught by Dr. Cecilia Konchar Farr,”said Perez. “I looked at it and it had this really neat idea to divide the class into [the four Hogwarts] houses to cover different themes.” And thus, ‘The World of Harry Potter’ class was born. What can students expect to cover in this vast potions cauldron of Harry Potter culture? “We do [a] sorting hat ceremony and then themes are assigned. Gryffindor’s theme is ‘Hero with a Thousand Faces’ about the hero’s
Jacquelyn Ramirez Bulletin
Scholars United tabling event on the East Walkway in front of the LSU
are now in a system that, for many, is difficult to escape. From finding gainful employment and a place to live, to living with a permanent scarlet letter of F, for felon, those returning from paying their debt to society often find their work has just begun. It is difficult work, and one of Scholars United’s main focuses is to combat recidivism, the increase in odds that a previously incarcerated person will return to jail or prison. “Statistically, if you have been incarcerated once, your chances of going back shoot up,” Ana Velez, a criminal justice major and outreach coordinator for Scholars United, said. “That is why with our organization we want to empower, give a safe space, and help them find their place in society.” Another statistic: Formerly incarcerated people
are nearly eight times less likely to complete college than the general public. That is what Project Rebound, the organization Scholars United wants to establish at CSUDH is all about. Nine CSU’s including Cal State Los Angeles have Project Rebound, an organization founded in San Francisco in 1967 to assist formerly incarcerated people to adjust and fit into campus life. It receives state funding that provides financial aid, counseling, tutoring, and mentoring workshops While Project Rebound is the goal, the inspiration of Scholars United is Robert Garcia. A sociology major, Garcia is the treasurer and co-founder of the group, but his life experience may be his greatest contribution. Ensnared by the system in his younger years, he managed to persist and is now
determined to help others like him thrive. Ramirez and Garcia hope to find others who are system impacted so they can help make a difference in those people’s lives. They are currently speaking in classrooms talking about the criminal justice system, the effects on the community, and using Garcia’s testimony ,hoping people are inspired to help and to join Scholars United. “When I went back to school, it was hard to identify other people who were system impacted,” said Garcia. “There was not enough support from the school or faculty to help students like me. We have been on a crusade to find people who are system-impacted so they know there is someone there for them.” To contact Scholars United email them at dh.scholarsunited@gmail.com.
journey, Slytherin’s theme is ‘Physics of the Impossible’ looking at the science behind magic, Ravenclaw’s is ‘Harry Potter’s Bookcase’, Hufflepuff [looks] into children’s literature and young adult’s literature.” Perez said. She also added a social media element for students to participate in group discussions publically and as a group using platforms like, Twitter (#HogwartsDH), Wordpress, and Slack. Though the class is fairly new, Dr. Perez and her colleagues; Associate Dean of Arts and Humanities Dr. Tim Caron, and the Dean of Arts and Humanities, Dr. Mitch Avala are still working on moving the class from ‘special topics’ to a full-blown course of its own. “People in the department were really excited,”Perez said. “Harry Potter is taught at most colleges because of its tremendous impact on your [ the millennial] generation.” However, not everyone is so keen on teaching their students Defense Against the
Dark Arts. Less than a month ago, St. Edward Catholic school in Nashville,Tenn. was hit with a Harry Potter book ban after the pastor of the school Rev. Dan Reehil turned to several exorcists for advice about the series. That’s right. Exorcists, ordained clerics specializing in exorcisms. After their investigation Reehil and the team of exorcists came to the conclusion that the books are actually trickery and present the risk of conjuring evil spirits. In a statement for the The Washington Post Reehil said “These books present magic as both good and evil, which is not true, but in fact a clever deception,” Reehil explained. “The curses and spells used in the books are actual curses and spells; which when read by a human being risk conjuring evil spirits into the presence of the person reading the text.” So naturally, for any naysayers out there that don’t think pop culture topics like Harry Potter, Twilight, or
Hunger Games should be taught in schools, here is what Dr. Perez had to say. “A lot of times when people say stuff like that, they haven’t even read the books, they’re just responding to the idea of witchcraft, I do believe in teaching popular culture.” Perez said. “Because those things become classics in a relatively short period of time. And for students, I tend to look at it both from a cultural and literary perspective that these are important works because of the influence they’ve had on culture.” So maybe you visited Universal Studios’ the Wizarding World of Harry Potter one, two, six hundred times too many, and maybe you never received that letter from Hogwarts even though you’ve certainly trolled JK Rowling on Twitter, but if you’re sticking around for Fall Semester 2020 don’t forget to check out the class offerings in Interdisciplinary Studies, or email aperez@csudh.edu. Mischief managed.
last semester and the first half of this semester, Perry said it may not be viable for vendors to continue selling their products. If it does not return in 2020, this will be the second market near the campus to go under due to low attendance and low sales for the businesses. “This semester [the venders] said the first week they did really well and then foot traffic has decreased since then,” Perry said. While the intention of the maket was to get fresh produce and other healthy food on campus, Perry said that the vendors’ bottom line is also important. “I was shocked to learn the farmers only makes on average $100 per market,” Perry said. Some of the vendors have already decided to leave the market, which also includes some fruits and vegetables farmers who have been coming and going. This is important, Perry said, because people who come to the market with a California SNAP card can use it to only buy produce. Some vendors said they believe a change might improve foot traffic. Currently, the market is located in the Sculpture Garden. “[Business] is not as great as I wanted it to be but it’s going pretty good,” Erick Baranco, the owner of Claritea, which sells organic loose leaf teas and herbs said. “I would probably change the location because I feel like right here there is not that much foot traffic.” Baranco said he’d return next semester if the market was still here but “if it’s in the same location, I wouldn’t.” Some students interviewed Tuesday said they had become regular patrons of the market due to the diverse options vendors bring, and would be disappointed if it did not return. “Yes, I would be bummed if the market disappeared,” said Hector Velasquez, a senior majoring in political science. “This market provides students the ability to try something that [is different] compared to what they usually do. Most people on [campus] buy Panda or Subway, but this market allows them to get fresh produce and get fun snacks.” Perry said the future of the market hinges largely on location, and hopes to move it in time for next semester. A possible option is to move it to the west walkway, closer to the library and LSU. However, that will take negotiating, Perry said, due to fire code regulations and moving there would necessitate the charge vendors to sell their wares. The Senate meeting will be held at 3 p.m.