MARCH 27, 2024 - Spring 2024

CFA vs CSU

The Fight Continues

United States Ban on TikTok

What Happened to the Bullet Train Project Police Brutalilty: Racism or Ablism

Jacqueline Flores Staff Reporter

In August of 2011, CSUSB announced they would be joining a new program that allowed students, from all over San Bernardino County, to ride the Omnitrans Buses for free. The program known as GoSmart was a big hit with other involved colleges such as Chaffee Valley College and San Bernardino Valley College. This program was meant to be a start for greener ways of traveling. Mass transit reported that one student taking the free buses instead of driving eliminates up to twenty pounds of carbon emission.

Two years later the Office of Institutional Research conducted a survey with 1,488 students and concluded that 76.5% of these students were commuters.

Of course, much time has passed since this last documented survey, and we can only assume with the rise of tuition and on-campus living costs, that many more students have stuck with commuting.

CSUSB is a diverse campus filled with life from other counties, states, and even countries. It could come as a shock to many that while CSUSB has these commuters, their buses still only cater to San Bernardino County students. They recently

extended their contract with Omnitrans and added an express bus from Loma Linda that drives straight to the campus, with no stops and no transfers.

The question is asked: What about the students outside of San Bernardino County?

Riverside County is the second highest county, after San Bernardino County, in student population. According to an infographic created by the Office of Institutional Research, 14% of transfer students came from Riverside Community College and 12% from College of the

Desert, both considered as top feeder schools in 2017 and both in Riverside County.

But wanting to take the bus from Riverside or any cities part of its county, is not convenient in any way, oftentimes taking up to three hours. Many would, or do, take up to 4 different buses just to get to campus. For cities like Hemet and Moreno Valley, students would have to drive to other cities near them such as Beaumont (it hosts the commuterlink 10) and Riverside, as those are the ones with connecting buses to San Bernardino.

Continue online @ coyotechroinicle.net

UNFINISHED: Drawings from our collection

The Difficulty of Funding

CSUSB’s Airwaves

By Phillip Radomski Staff Writer

Funding for both Coyote Radio and Paws Radio at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB), has been a critical issue that has been ignored throughout the last few years. Both campuses in San Bernardino and Palm Desert have had their problems with securing funding for their radio stations in the past. The San Bernardino campus has had problems with funding because the funds have been allocated to different programs throughout the years, while the Palm Desert Campus lacks enough space to provide resources for its students and faculty.

stations’ funding is viewed as a last priority.

Although funding has been allocated to different programs on both campuses, efforts to reverse this trend and increase funding to both radio stations will require additional time and effort. Funding for Coyote Radio at the San Bernardino campus has been adequate, but there must be efforts to provide the students with a great learning experience. I spoke to Kelli Cluque, the General Manager of Coyote Radio station for the San Bernardino campus.

Although funding has been adequate for both Paws Radio in Palm Desert and Coyote Radio in San Bernardino, there needs to be more efforts to provide the radio stations with more funds and resources. What has made matters worse is that since the COVID-19 pandemic, funding to the radio stations has been reallocated to different programs on both campuses. The radio

Kelli Cluque mentioned that the radio station is funded by allotments from CSUSB and Academic Affairs. She stated that the California State University (CSU) system funds all radio stations for the 23 universities in the CSU system and has felt there has not been a decrease in funding. She said that although there has been no decrease in funding to Coyote Radio, additional funding is always nice to provide students with the best learning experience.

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SBX arrives at the main campus of CSUSB.

Contributors

Diego Lomeli

Matthew Pacheo

Matthew Vinson

John Gray

Kiara Jerez

Dimpul Nallagatla

Faculty Advisor

Gregory Gondwe

Department of Communications Studies

Staff Writers

Matthew Amaya, Paola Escobar Pivaral, Jacqueline Flores, Giovoni Gonzalez, Brenda Hernandez Diaz, Jocelyn Martinez-Lopez Arizdelsi Martinez-Perez, Nayeli Melena, Ryu Oshiro, Damaris Preciado, Phillip Radomski, Marco Rimicci, Estela Rodriguez, Estevan Vega

Staff Writers are comprised of students enrolled in COMM2391 Practicum: Print & Online Journalism taught by Dr. Gregory Gondwe.

The Difficulty of Funding CSUSB’s Airwaves continued

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The radio station is wellequipped, and a request is sent for equipment through the annual Vital and Expanded Technologies Initiative grant that is set up with the Information Technology Services department. Coyote Radio station receives top-of-theline funding. Cluque stated that although Coyote Radio station is well funded, they have not received any donations and have a philanthropic account set up for donations through their two websites for Coyote Radio and Coyote advertising. Clique feels that Coyote Radio operates at top-notch and is not lacking in essentials.

During her time managing operations for the radio station and Coyote advertising, she cannot identify any issues the university has had with funding the radio station; but has said that if more funding is provided to the radio, it is always great to use it. After my interview with Kelli Cluque, I decided to ask more questions about the advertising for Coyote Radio with David Mitchell who is the promotions and marketing manager and team lead for Coyote Radio. I asked him about how funding is determined for Coyote Radio. Mitchell stated that funding is determined based on numerous factors that include radio equipment, merchandise, and employee pay. He feels that funding to the radio station has been a “last priority” and funding to the radio station is determined every summer.

What has helped the radio station thrive is the funding from outside advertising and donations. He has been with Coyote Radio for five years and contributes to the radio station through campus outreach and reaches out to multiple departments on campus for donations to support the merchandise operations. Since the pandemic started, funding has been allocated to different departments. Before the pandemic started Coyote Radio had better funding but has now been looked at as a “last priority” according to David Mitchell. Funding has helped the

promotions and marketing sector, but the station must determine measures for supplies from offcampus organizations donating to them or small donations from listeners.

He has been fortunate that funding does not affect the radio’s listenership; but if their current equipment were to fail, there would not be enough funding to replace the equipment and could affect their number of listeners. Although there does not need to be more funding to increase their listenership, the audience of listeners has increased through promotions and word-of-mouth, with X, formerly known as Twitter, and TikTok attracting more listeners.

While he does feel the university and the CSU system contribute to the radio station, one of the major challenges to securing funding for the radio station is delays in funding. When this happens, Mitchell would do promotional outreach to collaborate with departments. He has stated that gaining more listeners and spreading the word about Coyote Radio will help with funding. If this does not help with funding, listenership

can grow.

While funding has decreased in recent years to Coyote Radio in San Bernardino, Paws Radio in Palm Desert has been struggling to provide more space to its students and faculty in Palm Desert. Lacey Kendall oversees Paws Radio. The difference between Coyote Radio and Paws Radio is that Coyote Radio has been getting bigger for the last thirty years. The San Bernardino campus serves over 18,500 students, while the Palm Desert campus serves over 2,400 students. The Palm Desert campus is completely impacted because of a lack of space. Although there is a lack of space the funding for the Paws Radio at the Palm Desert campus is great. Students have the technology and assistance they want. When Lacey Kendall had to work at Paws Radio, she had to work in a smaller space for fewer people. Because they serve the funding can go further. They serve almost one-tenth the number of students that the San Bernardino campus does.

Photo credit: Philip Radomski

By Giovoni Gonzalez Staff Writer

Southern California’s population has been growing and as a result more and more apartments are being built rather than houses. Housing has become so expensive and is hard to afford. Many apartment complexes label themselves as “luxury” apartments, but don’t usually prove to be too luxurious.

I live in Vernola Marketplace

Luxury Apartments and despite its lavish amenities like a pool, spa, game room and dog park, there is always a severe lack of parking at night past 10 p.m. If you come past 10 p.m. you will find multiple cars circling the parking areas desperate to find parking for the night. It feels like a battle to get parking. It is typical for apartment complexes to give each apartment at least one designated parking space, however this apartment complex does not. They do, however, give the option to rent a shaded parking space or a garage for an additional fee of course. The problem is that even if you wanted to rent a space, there is a waitlist, and you are forced to wait until available spaces open up. Nightly you will see people give up on finding parking and leave to find parking in the community across the street. I investigated why parking is so difficult to come by and what the apartment complex is doing to fix the problem.

I started my investigation by

interviewing Joe Valencia, one of the security guards that patrol the complex. I asked him how often he sees people encounter the parking problem in the community. Valencia responded, “I see it often, you just need to get lucky and hope you can snag a spot quickly.” I followed up with what he recommends we do if we are unable to find parking. He recommends that we wait to follow someone to their car until they leave or park in the community across the street. The community across the street is not associated with the apartment complex and should not be supplemental parking for the luxury apartment complex.

The next day I asked Maggie Cervantes, one of the apartment managers if she was aware of the parking situation there. Cervantes explained that she occasionally receives complaints about parking or people getting their cars towed, but never really recognized a major problem with the parking. I was curious as to why she would be oblivious to the war for parking, but she also clarified, she has her own designated parking garage, so she does not have to worry about finding parking if she gets home late at night. They are always looking to improve the community and make it so people enjoy living there, however at the moment there is nothing being done about the parking situation and there was not a plan to add additional parking anytime soon. Cervantes said that she would

push the issue further up and see if they would consider adding either more parking options or give each apartment its own dedicated parking spot. This was unfortunately as far as I could take my investigation due to the time crunch for this publication.

California did recently pass a new law on September 22, 2022 called AB-2097 that “prohibits public agencies from imposing or enforcing a minimum parking requirement on a residential, commercial, or other developmental project that is within one- half mile of defines ‘public transit’.” Public transit would be modes of transportation such as public busses and trains. This law was passed as a way to encourage California residents to use public transport to decrease the necessity of private vehicles in the state. There is access to public transit within half a mile of the apartments, so they are not legally obligated to build more parking.

I hope that despite the law protecting the apartment complex from fixing the parking issue, the property managers will work towards a solution to the nightly problem that many residents deal with. It is frustrating when you are worried about leaving any time at night to go get food and you know that you will struggle to find parking when you get back. I will follow up with management and see if there will be any potential changes with the parking situation in the near future.

Another area with no available parking, taken a separate day at 10:30 p.m.

Title: CFA vs. CSU

The fight continues

By Damaris Preciado Staff Writer

In a resounding display of solidarity and determination, the California Faculty Association (CFA) recently concluded a system wide strike back in late January, sending a powerful message to California State University (CSU) management. The fight for equitable treatment and fair wages for faculty is far from over.

Despite securing significant gains in the recent negotiations, the CFA recognizes that the struggle is ongoing, particularly in the search for livable wages that are essential for educators to effectively fulfill their roles in delivering quality education.

The strike, which saw professors, lecturers, librarians, counselors, and coaches across all 23 CSU campuses unite in a collective call for justice, highlighted the critical importance of ensuring that faculty members are adequately compensated for their invaluable contributions to students’ education.

At the core of this request is the necessity for a salary that enables faculty members to afford the cost of living in the areas surrounding CSU campuses and to compensate for a changing economy.

Essentially, a fundamental principle within this issue: students deserve to receive the full value of the education for which they pay tuition fees. The dedication and expertise of faculty members are essential in

The Difficulty of Funding

CSUSB’s Airwaves continued

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Coyote Radio and Paws Radio are both similar because Lacey Kendall copied everything at the Palm Desert campus the same way she did at the San Bernardino campus. Both stations are great; however, Coyote Radio has been named the greatest internet radio station in America by MTV.

Associated Students Incorporated discuss the strike and the challenge for students following.

delivering this promise.

Without a salary that meets basic living expenses, educators might find themselves grappling with financial challenges that hinder their capacity to teach and mentor students effectively.

The recent negotiations between the CFA and CSU management yielded significant victories, including a 5% General Salary Increase that extends to July 1, 2023, and extended paid parental leave. Though these achievements mark significant progress, they merely scratch the surface of the larger battle for economic fairness within the educational landscape.

Professor Dr. Gondwe, who teaches the Coyote Chronicle journalism class, shed light on the recent negotiations. Reflecting on the initial demands

There have been no efforts to increase accommodation for the Paws Radio because of a lack of space. When construction on a new building is completed at the Palm Desert campus, there will be more space for Paws Radio. With a lack of space, faculty have nowhere else to work and do not have any offices. Paws Radio currently has no room to store equipment.

Lacey Kendall acknowledged the way the campus runs is outstanding because there will be a new facility built to accommodate the growing student population and include more space for Paws Radio. The building is scheduled for completion in 2026.

Professor Kendall mentioned during our interview that the San Bernardino campus has more accommodations because the campus has more students and space.

and subsequent compromises, Dr. Gondwe revealed.

“The initial demand was a 12 percent increase, but the University was proposing 5 percent. After the strike, CFA settled for a 5% increment, then another 2 percent starting July 1st if all things remain constant, Many faculty members are not happy about it.” said Gondwe.

The CFA remains devoted in its commitment to advocating for the interests of faculty members and ensuring that they are afforded the dignity and respect they deserve. This includes pushing for further increases in wages to address the pressing issue of affordability in California’s high-cost communities.

Gwendolyn Watson, first year student, passionately

The Palm Desert campus is limited in resources due to a lack of buildings that can accommodate storage and offices. She mentioned, “We look at that as a wonderful problem. Students are coming here; they are enjoying it, and they are telling others. Getting impacted is what happens when you have high enrollment.” Kendall feels that no one is heard louder than the students because when they want something on campus, they get their way. After all, the faculty is here for them.

Every year the faculty at the Palm Desert campus seeks more funding for innovative technology for students, with Lacey Kendall applying for the Vital Technology Grant and instructionally related funding grants. She was awarded a grant for outstanding lecturer, and she gave it to Paws Radio to help pay for student assistance. It has

expressed her belief that professors should receive fair compensation for the considerable time and effort they invest in teaching and guiding students.

“I expect to get exactly what I put into my school and education, so I wish the same for my professors in terms of fair compensation for their dedication and hard work,” said Watson.

As the California Faculty Association (CFA) continues its ongoing conversation and negotiation with CSU management, students play an integral role in advocating for fair treatment of faculty members. Their active participation is crucial as the quality of their educational experience directly correlates

been difficult for Paws Radio to provide more accommodation due to the lack of buildings with a limit on the number of people in them. The number of buildings has made it hard for Paws Radio to provide more resources for students and faculty. Funding Paws Radio has been outstanding, but there must be more accommodations for Paws Radio to provide more for their campus. It will take time for Paws Radio to be supplied with the adequate resources it needs, while overcoming struggles that lead to success and growth.

While funding for both radio stations at the San Bernardino campus and the Palm Desert campus has been an issue, there has been an effort to increase funding and provide more resources to both campuses that will take time. With funding and resources being allocated to educational programs, both

with the working conditions of their professors.

By standing together with their educators, students actively uphold the collaborative spirit of knowledge-seeking, rooted in fairness and equity. Their united front emphasizes the vital role of acknowledging and valuing the valuable contributions of faculty members to the educational community.

If CSU fails to ensure fair wages and livable work conditions for faculty, CFA won’t hesitate to strike again as heard from sources. Another strike would disrupt our education, emphasizing how crucial faculty conditions are for the entire university.

CSU management needs to understand that another strike is a serious possibility if faculty concerns aren’t addressed. Not only does it affect education quality, but it also disrupts campus life.

Students, who need a stable and supportive learning environment, would definitely voice their discontent if another strike loomed. Together with faculty, our voices demand fair treatment and better working conditions within the CSU system.

As the fight for economic justice in education continues, the CFA stands firm in its dedication to support the rights of all educators. Their commitment guarantees that students receive the best education they’re entitled to, and that it ensures academic excellence and personal growth.

radio stations are seen as a “last priority” and will require outside efforts to increase funding for both Coyote Radio in San Bernardino and Paws Radio in Palm Desert. With funds being diverted from the radio stations, there is also an effort to increase resources to the radio stations so they can provide more to the students and faculty at both campuses. The Covid-19 pandemic has made funding to both radio stations difficult, and there will be more efforts to reverse this trend. The effort to provide more funding and resources to Coyote Radio and Paws Radio will take time and effort with many struggles along the way. While it will require effort and progress to increase funding for Coyote Radio and Paws Radio, students and faculty must raise awareness of the importance of securing funding for both radio stations.

What has happened to the Bullet Train Project? Where does it stand?

By Brenda Hernadez Staff Writer

President Biden invested 3 billion dollars last year in Brightline West, the company that will complete the high-speed rail project by 2028, promising to significantly reduce the commute from Los Angeles to Las Vegas in half.

The Biden administration announced on December 08, 2023, that it would fund 3 of the originally 3.75 billion dollars petitioned for the Brightline West High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail System Project. According to the press release, it is the largest award granted to the Nevada Department of Transportation in history. Further, it is “the culmination of more than two decades of planning and coordination to build a high-speed rail line between Las Vegas and Southern California.” The High-Speed Rail Project has been in the works since 2003.

a high cost. What is surprising to hear is that the company is set on a four-year deadline. According to the Nevada Department of Transportation, this may be due to the upcoming Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028.

“The culmination of more than two decades of planning and coordination to build a high-speed rail line between Las Vegas and Southern California.”

Just about six months before the grant, on June 28, 2023, Brightline West, the private company responsible for the project, announced the high-speed rail system would take about 12 billion dollars to complete. The company’s website states that the project construction alone will be completed in just four years. It is not surprising to hear that such an ambitious project comes with

It is great that the Olympic Games tourism is sought out as an opportunity to showcase the rail system’s convenience. However, going back close to two years ago, on October 5, 2022, Brightline West publicly thanked the city of Rancho Cucamonga and San Bernardino County on October 5, 2022, for “approving several agreements that represent a key final step in advancing Brightline West’s development and station plans.”

This led many residents to believe that construction was on

announcement with enthusiasm.

Fast-forward nine months. On July 31, 2023, Brightline West made another announcement on Facebook, hinting that rail labor would soon begin construction. However, seven months have passed already. 2024 has arrived, and construction in both cities has yet to begin.

Although both ending destinations, one in Las Vegas and the other in Rancho Cucamonga, have announced early in January 2024 work towards preparation for construction. Neither side has been able to begin to break ground on the project. In this month, Brightline West shared updates on the project. According to the company, “the fieldwork began in January to advance final stages of design in preparation for a groundbreaking”. This indicates that funds are currently being used to assess the areas for the upcoming project. The resources are there, but the final mapping of the route and current route conditions are being considered before officially taking off with the build.

The rail is meant to cover

addition to the convenience, the train will offer to commuters. It is highly anticipated for the amount of jobs and economic

West is under pressure to complete the high-speed rail project in time for the Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

impact it will have on the cities. According to Brightline West, the intercity partnership “ supports more than 35,000 jobs across the construction period. At operations, Brightline West is expected to support over 1,000 permanent jobs, about 900 of those being union roles”.

In conclusion, Brightline

Given that both cities have approved several agreements and San Bernardino County has provided additional funding to add two additional stations, we wonder what the real holdup is. Can the company guarantee quality work in such a short time, or will they finally announce a new deadline?

Arial and front renderings of the proposed Las Vegas station located on the southern end of the strip. Photo credit: Brightline West Media Kit

Proposed rail line map detailing stops between Las Vegas, the Victor Valley and Rancho Cucamonga.

Rendering of the proposed terminus in Rancho Cucamonga

United States Ban on Tik Tok: an attack on Freedom of Expression?

By Estevan Vega Staff Writer

Tik Tok is currently facing a possible ban by the United States Government as a new bill was passed by Congress on March 13, 2024.

Tik Tok is arguably one of the most popular social media applications released in recent memory. Released officially in September 2016, but really making its stride in popularity during the Covid-19 lockdown that kicked off the worldwide pandemic. With society being forced to stay at home with nothing to do, they found a new pastime with this new social media application that was different from big name apps like Instagram, Twitter or “X”, and Facebook.

What set this application aside from the rest was the emphasis on short form content, allowing the users the ability to scroll from video to video at the swipe of a finger and allowed the world to see content from across the globe as this app exposed audiences to how the pandemic was affecting all parts of the world not just the United States alone. Tik Tok allowed users the ability to connect and see parts of the world that they had never seen before and that was because

of the existing influence of censorship on other social media applications.

But the main difference about the backings of the application is that it is without influence from any government as it is an independent application that doesn’t take influence from governments or share any of its data with any governments. This is the reason why the United States Government is targeting Tik Tok as it tries to get the company to sell so the United States can be in control of the data that Tik Tok is trying to protect.

The CEO of Tik Tok, Shou Zi Chew, is a Singaporean businessman who has been at the forefront of Tik Tok since 2021. Chew testified in court before Congress on March 24th, 2023, at a Senate Hearing to discuss US lawmakers attempt at banning the application and was asked about what Tik Tok was going to do about ensuring the safety of children on the application after claiming that it pushed a child into partaking in a “Blackout Challenge” that they had recommended to them on the platform. Chew said this, “There are more than 150 million Americans who love our platform, and we know we have a responsibility to protect them . . . number one we will

keep safety particularly for teenagers as a top priority for us, number two we will firewall protect U.S. data from unwanted foreign access. Number three Tik Tok will remain a place for free expression and will not be manipulated by any government.” The United States government is deeming Tik Tok as an unsafe application as they do not feel that it has the ability to keep its users safe but has no real evidence of Chew selling or trading information of the American people to China or any other foreign governments.

On March 13, 2024, the House of Representatives passed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which according to Nikki McCann Ramirez and Asawin Suebsaeng of Rolling Stone would essentially, “require TikTok to sever itself completely from its Chinese parent company ByteDance or face a potential ban from mobile app stores and web-hosting services. The bill would also create a process through which the president can designate certain social media applications with ties to foreign governments as a national security risk.” This essentially would ban the application from app stores in the United States if Chew does

not choose to sell the company to a U.S. owned company. The Biden administration is under the impression that foreign powers can seemingly use the application to influence views and beliefs of the American people whenever they have the desire to do so. What makes this interesting because Rolling Stone also recounts when Donald Trump was in office and all in on the ban of Tik Tok, he was sued by Tik Tok for making claims against the company without proof of a threat of national security. The complete ban of the application isn’t at stake, rather the conditions that allow Tik Tok to continue to be operational in the United States for the citizens of the United States.

In an effort to appeal towards the U.S. government from banning Tik Tok in the United States, Chew did implement measures like building a firewall to seal off U.S. data from foreign access as well as keeping the data in the United States but still not agreeing to share that information. On the other hand, the United States government is actively trying to gain control of the application to, in their words, “keep our information safe.” What has not been considered is how the banning of this application could have an effect on the future

of constitutional rights in the United States. Max Zahn of ABC News speculates what the ban of the app could mean for freedom of speech when he says, “If the U.S. enacts a law banning TikTok, a federal judge may order a temporary pause while the legal challenge makes its way through the court system due to the wide-reaching ramifications of such a measure. ‘The First Amendment concerns are clearly very serious,’ Chander said.

‘And blocking the app would have enormous consequences for the livelihood of millions of people and the speech of millions of people.” The possible banning of Tik Tok could lead to an even bigger discussion as to what defines freedom of speech in the United States.

The battle for the banning of Tik Tok and whether or not the application will cease to exist in the United States will be very telling as to what the future holds for constitutional rights in the United States. It is no secret that the banning of the application will affect the lives of millions, from those who work for Tik Tok as content creators to the everyday consumer, the future is uncertain and so is the future of constitutional rights in America.

Picture above was provided by Investopedia and features a person seemingly searching and updating their Tik Tok app on the app store.

Remote Education in a Pandemic Follows Students

By Estela Rodriguez Staff Writer

Virtual learning is exercised more often than before after the remote switch in the COVID-19 pandemic. Students have several technological obstacles in the way of their academic success. Interviewed were three professionals addressing the issue of the impact virtual learning has on students during and after COVID-19. The teachers interviewed were Adrian Merendon, Estela Rodriguez, and Jasmine Castro. Each individual was interviewed and asked questions regarding how COVID- 19s pandemic outbreak impacted the students and their learning. All teachers interviewed have a minimum teaching experience of five years.

In the study done by Brooking, they observe and show the way COVID-19 has greatly affected children. Grade learning average has dropped greatly as shown in the graph below. The ideal core subjects as The Department of Education mentioned “ Core subjects like math and reading, there are worrisome signs that in some grades students might be falling even further behind pre-pandemic expectations.” The students still deal with the reoccurring ripple of lying under grade level today.

During the interview with Jasmine Castro the question “ When Covid mandates came into effect what was the outcome that you expected?” was asked. She replied “When the mandates came through, I never

in a million years thought that physical school would shut down for 1.5 years. I expected to print packets for students for a couple of weeks & then returning. This was not the case. The reality went from 1-2 weeks to 1.5 years.” She went into further detail regarding the effects hybrid learning still has lingering today. That question was asked to Adrian Merendon as well as Estela Rodiguez. The response from Adrian Merendon was, “I knew some students would get depressed and that it would affect everyone differently. Depending on how students’ home life is, many students come to school to get away so for students to be stuck in their home life I knew they would feel stuck, and that is not to mention COVID many students had to worry about losing or sick family members. I felt like compared to those things school and school work came last on their list of priorities.”

Adrian Merendon was correct in how COVID-19 impacted students mentally, which will later affect their overall well-being.

The United States Department of Education explains due to COVID-19 and the switching from remote learning to in-person learning, “ Abrupt shifts to remote learning over the past

two school years have affected students, negatively impacting their social, emotional, and mental well-being and academic achievement.” Currently, many students struggle with the ability to focus after learning went remote and technology advanced. The same question was asked the last time and the response from teacher Estela Rodriguez was “ I did not expect things to go online, I believe it was a shock to all of us when the mandates came out. The outcome now is that children are behind and trying to catch up for the year or two that they missed.”

Each teacher’s response differs in the way they responded to the outcome of how the whole pandemic started. It seems they all have the same idea just assuming the pandemic would not have lasted this long as it is still currently occurring. The response from teacher Jasmine Castro stood out the most regarding the question “Are there behavioral differences you spot in students when they come back from a long period due to COVID?” She replied, “ Because I have the best class I’ve ever had the privilege to teach this year, I’m not fully sure what the behavioral impact of the pandemic was on students. For my class, it seems like they are all grateful to be back so they act with kindness & perseverance.

Students are engaged & excited to be back. They have fresh ideas & they are curious about everything.”

Typically the responses out of all interviews were negative but hers was the most positive in regards to students being happy about being back in school. Throughout all the interviews several of my questions challenged my interviewees to think deeply about the impact COVID has had on their students over the last two years. There are not many people who speak about the effects students face learning online.

The article by Brooking mentions that for students based on their studies “They find that online education lowered a student’s final grade by about 0.2 standard deviations. Their work also confirms the results of previous papers, finding that students with lower academic ability drove the negative effect of online learning.” That statement is reassuring that the switching between remote and online was very harmful to the students as far as education. Overall students were greatly impacted by the long break due to the spread of Coronavirus. The Coronavirus has put a setback that continues to follow student’s academic success in the present. Students and teachers feel this effect. Data and studies

Sowing Seeds of Resilience

By Evette Gallardo Staff Writer

“The lifestyle I grew up in, it was you either ended up dead or in jail.”

Growing up in Norwalk, California from the late eighties to nineties, Annette Valdes faced adversity and fell into a lifestyle that she thought there was a possibility she’d never come out of. Drugs, gangs, and rebellion seemed to dominate the early years of her life, but she’ll be the first to attest to the fact that it wasn’t her fault. It was the culture she was born into; a bubble, she recalled, that seemed to cover her and those she was closest to.

“It’s um--it’s a learned behavior. You know it’s not a choice. You’re grown up into that--you’re brought into that, that’s all you know,” Annette said.

It began in her adolescence

-- those awkward formative years you fall into once you hit middle school. But it didn’t happen overnight, it was a gradual shift from being the ‘dorky new kid’ in sixth grade, hanging around the cool kids, to being the cool kid in eighth grade. That’s when the change took hold.

“Growing up my mom wasn’t like, structured like typical parenting--she kind of, I think, was growing up and learning as well but, I didn’t have too many rules,” Annette recollected. “I wasn’t taught to respect authority I guess, and I just ran with that…Once I got into high school, my best friend was in a gang. Her whole family was just not a very structured family either…so it was easy,

whatever we wanted to do, whatever trouble we wanted to get into…”

From ditching school a couple of times, to sneaking out with her best friend and even getting herself into some “sticky situations” (which she seemed to prefer not to dabble into), it was a lifestyle that was fun to her younger self. There was an aspect of carelessness that she liked – it made her feel in control…fearless. She was cruising down the highway to one of two destinations: death or incarceration.

But Annette’s story hardly ends here.

On November 1st in the year 2000, she had her first daughter, and it changed the trajectory of

her life forever. Though she was a young mother, freshly nineteen, and had no real clue how to raise a child, she’d done everything she could to remove herself from that environment so that her kids didn’t grow up in the same bubble.

It wasn’t easy though.

Having kids didn’t immediately change her life; there was still room for growth. Annette credits this growth to being a mother;

A graph presented by Brooking shows the drop in the grade learning average.

Pictured is Annette Valdes at the age of 21, holding her second daughter. .

Opinion

Is it racial profiling or ableism?

Why do half of the people killed by police have disabilities?

By Paola Escobar Pivaral Staff Writer

A phone call was made out to the San Bernardino County Sheriff on Saturday, Mar 9, 2024. The call was placed by a young girl who is the sister to a 15-year-old teenager, by the name of Ryan Gainer. The recorded call has the girl stating that her brother Ryan, who is clinically diagnosed with autism, was lashing out due to frustration in processing his emotions. Ryan was told he was not able to play his video game, causing Ryan to begin throwing home furniture and breaking down doors.

For those who are not aware, autism is a condition related to brain development that affects how a person perceives and socializes with others. This may cause a lack of communication between the autistic person and others. According to the Mayo Clinic, the disorder also includes limited and repetitive patterns of behavior. The term “spectrum” in autism spectrum disorder refers to the wide range of symptoms and severity. Ryan’s younger sister called the police for help, she had no idea that this one call would escalate to a point of no return.

The SBC Sheriff’s

Department arrives at the Apple Valley home to a distraught Ryan who has yet to calm down. Ryan ran out holding a gardening tool and the police shot him as he approached them. 15-year-old Ryan was pronounced dead after arriving at the hospital. The questions that immediately pop into my mind is, “Could this have been handled in a better way?” “Why did this resort to Ryan having to die?” and my last thought was “Why does it seem like the police frequently shoot kids on the spectrum?”

Thinking off the top of my head, I can name a few other altercations regarding people who were on the spectrum and unfortunately no longer here with us due to police choosing violent action. One was Eric Parsa, the 16-year-old who had a meltdown and attacked his father in the parking lot of a laser tag facility. The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Department (Louisiana) arrived, ordering a cop to sit on his chest for 9 minutes causing him to suffocate and die. According to Fox News, In 2019, an off-duty LAPD officer fatally shot 32-year-old Kenneth French, who had a cognitive disability, during an altercation inside a Costco in Corona.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department was also

sued last year after deputies shot and killed Tony Garza while he was in the middle of a mental health crisis. Zoe Gross works as the advocacy director at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, a nonprofit organization run by and for individuals on the autism spectrum. “ The autistic community has seen far too many cases of law enforcement profiling, targeting, and using excessive, sometimes deadly force on Black autistic people,” Gross said. “Because of the prevalence of police violence and the amount of unmet need in our communities, we must fund and implement alternatives to policing.”

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, half of people killed by the police have a disability. “Almost half of the people who die at the hands of police have some kind of disability, according to a new report, as officers are often drawn into emergencies where urgent care may be more appropriate than lethal force.” (NAMIillinois.org) Police have become the default call for someone experiencing a mental health crisis and this needs to change. Lacy Gainer states that Ryan was bleeding on the floor for longer than 4 minutes and that the police would not allow

(Police Violence Chart can be found at mappingpoliceviolence.us)

any of the surrounding family members to come to his aide.

“At one point the police were pointing their handguns at us to get away from him as we tried to help our bleeding Ryan on the floor..” The report, published by the Ruderman Family Foundation, a disability organization, proposes that while police interactions with minorities draw increasing scrutiny, disability, and health considerations are still neglected in media coverage and law enforcement policy.

How can we bring light and change this common and awful

occurrence? The frightening reality of this is that it can happen to anyone. We expect our law enforcement to have compassion for all citizens, regardless of color or mental illness. How could the sheriff’s department dispatch inadequately trained officers to calls regarding people with mental disabilities?

Ryan’s mother Lacy, states “It wasn’t gunshot wounds that killed him, It was the fact that officers didn’t give any care after they shot a 15-year-old autistic teen. They showed disregard for human life.”

The State of our Restrooms

By Jocelyn Martinez-Lopez Staff Writer

If you’ve spent any significant time on campus, chances are you’ve had to utilize the restroom facilities at some point. However, your experience can vary greatly depending on the building you choose to visit.

Personally, I’ve encountered some less than ideal situations

when using the restrooms on campus. Issues range from inadequate lighting , high pressure sinks, to difficulties in even accessing a stall.

In my investigation, I visited a total of 10 buildings and inspected most of the restrooms. Each building typically featured at least one men’s and women’s restroom on each floor, with a few exceptions having multiple facilities, particularly in

buildings like the student unions and the library which sometimes contained two or three restrooms for each gender. Due to time constraints, I couldn’t thoroughly examine every stall, toilet, and sink. Additionally, being a woman, I regrettably couldn’t assess the men’s restrooms.

The most noticeable problems in many of the restrooms were the lighting issues. Entering a poorly lit restroom is unpleasant and not something many want to experience. Out of the 38 restrooms I inspected, at least 12 of them had one or two broken bulbs, often leaving the area around the toilet seat in darkness. In extreme cases, such as the first-floor women’s restroom in Jack H. Brown Hall, there were four broken light bulbs, resulting in extremely dim lighting. This condition is far from ideal for anyone needing to use the restroom.

Another significant issue I observed was the malfunctioning of modern technology, such as the motion-sensored feminine product dispensers. I decided to test these out in the restrooms

where they were installed, only to find that none of the newer machines were operational. Conversely, older buildings like University Hall still have functional and stocked machines, despite the fact that the technology on those is a lot older.

A less common but still problematic issue was the high-pressure sinks, particularly notable in the first-floor restrooms of University Hall and the College of Education. The forceful water flow often resulted in wet clothes.

When discussing restroom concerns with others, aside from lighting, a major complaint was the positioning of the stall doors. Unfortunately, I couldn’t test every stall, but based on personal experience and student feedback, it seems that some stalls are positioned too close to the toilet, making entry difficult, especially when carrying a backpack and feeling cramped.

Even the restrooms that appeared to be in pristine condition had their share of issues. For example, in the women’s restroom on the fifth floor of the John M. Pfau Library,

the exterior seemed fine with excellent lighting, a functional feminine product dispenser, and sinks with normal water pressure. However, disappointingly, it lacked a flushing toilet. While this was just one documented instance, there are likely others I haven’t come across yet, but you may have experienced similar situations.

Given that lighting is a significant concern, I attempted to find a point of contact to address this issue. Regrettably, my research didn’t yield any contact information. Nevertheless, I hope this sheds light on the widespread restroom issues across campus. Restrooms are essential facilities for everyone’s use, and we deserve to have comfortable and adequately lit spaces and well, peeing in the dark is far from comfortable.

The women’s restroom on the first floor of Jack H. Brown Hall. Photo by Jocelyn Martinez-Lopez

“Keep Looking” The Road to Mental Stability

By Jacqueline Flores Staff Writer

In a tiny cul-de-sac, snuggled between Hemet’s overflowing selection of schools, churches, and agriculture, Diana Flores starts her day. Most of her early mornings consist of coffee, running behind her 8-year-old, ponytails, instruments, and rushing to beat the bell.

In her world, every tick is time lost.

Diana spends most of her day in meetings and auditing reports sent to her by associates. She is known to be kind, funny, outgoing, bold, and is often seen sporting a smile. It comes as a surprise to many to find out about a diagnosis she received three years ago, one that changed her way of life forever.

In the year 2021, in a small white room, Diana seeks help for the first time. After suffering for three years, she takes what feels like a big step toward her mental health journey, but the response is not one she was expecting.

“He seemed uninterested. Like ‘So do you want to talk to a mental health professional? Do you want something prescribed?’ At one point I wanted to say, ‘Well, aren’t you the doctor?’” Diana laughs.

After the awkward and short conversation, Diana was diagnosed with Clinical Depression, a class of depression that is known to be the most severe. According to the Cleveland Clinic, clinical depression, also known as Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), is when someone experiences a persistent low and depressed mood, a condition that affects sleep, appetite, and the ability to think clearly. It can come in episodes that can last for days and even weeks.

While Diana was feeling all these things, she also felt like she was rushed out the door. There was no thorough explanation of the antidepressants prescribed, nor the meaning behind her sudden diagnosis.

“He prescribed me with Zoloft after that conversation, but I was never really explained about or given directions on how to take them.” Diana folds the matching pair of pink leggings, placing each into two separate piles, “They were really strong, and if I wasn’t careful they would have pretty bad side effects. Eventually after some research on my part, I was able to start taking them.”

Diana isn’t the only one.

According to a study reported by HuffPost, those

with physical ailments were more likely to be treated with the proper protocol than those with depression. Often, many primary care physicians fail to follow the frequent advice of treating mental illnesses, such as depression, as a chronic illness.

‘My primary doctor was probably like, ‘Hey, I specialize in primary medicine, I don’t know anything about this stuff’, and passed me along to the second guy. I think the worst part of it all is the waiting game.”

The ‘waiting game’ Diana refers to is the time it takes to process the request to see someone. The primary doctor will request approval and eventually leave the patients to do the rest. Patients must call and make the appointment, must make sure their insurance covers it, must find psychiatrists that are available, and must wait, oftentimes for long periods, for their first appointment.

For Diana, just making the appointment to the doctor was a lot.

“Getting to the doctor’s and asking for help, in that condition, already felt like such a big step, I didn’t think I’d have enough energy for another. I thought the doctor would set me up with an appointment right away. But instead, they were like ‘Hey, we put the request in. You do the rest.’ I never ended up doing the other steps until much later.”

When it came to finally seeking further treatment for her depression, it also didn’t turn out the way she expected. According to an article by Studyfinds, finding the perfect therapist for you can be difficult, with 72% of Americans saying that finding the right one can be overwhelming. Many factors can go into finding the right professional for you, such as someone who can relate to your experiences, someone who is easily accessible or nearby, and one who can fit your budget. In Diana’s case, she never found the right professional.

“I met up with three therapists and they just didn’t work out for me. I think it was difficult to open up to them from the get-go, like telling strangers about my problems. Yeah, it just wasn’t for me.”

But Diana’s journey didn’t stop there. The mother of two realized that while maybe the system was somewhat faulty, and professional help didn’t seem to help at all, Diana was able to make something out of her diagnosis of depression.

“I don’t want to discredit people with good experiences, but for me personally, [getting

a diagnosis] has its good and its bad. I am really more self-aware, and I’m able to control my emotions better, but there is also that stigma of it being extremely negative. I want to tell people, ‘Hey I have depression and anxiety but I’m still living my life, still feeling well.”

After some time searching, Diana had found something helpful to treat her depression.

The Bloom app, a selfguided therapy app that uses CBT, also known as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, as its base for its teachings. Short videos that explain why we do certain behaviors and how to change them into more productive thoughts that can help us shape into healthier people. It explores excessive thoughts and anxious actions, and overall educates the user on many factors that can come with depression and other types of mental illnesses.

When brought up in the conversation, Diana seemed determined to recommend it to

others, even insisting on showing me a couple of examples. In the beginning, she would visit Bloom every day after work, often spending hours watching videos, now she’s at a place where she only visits from time to time, during bad days.

“This type of therapy just really really helped. It was like I was working on myself, I was thinking in a different way than I would’ve originally, and applying it to my life. So that was extremely helpful to me.”

Recently, Diana has shared that her perspective in life has changed since being diagnosed. Like many others, she has gotten through rough patches that seemed impossible to pass. But with time she was able to learn more about herself and her mental health. She also recognizes that there’s still much more to learn about her diagnosis, and that goes for professionals and the system as well.

“I think it has changed my

perspective on life because I feel more self-aware of my feelings and others, I’m more open and understanding about others because of what I went through. I can somewhat understand.”

Diana still works heavily, still rushes after her daughters, and still runs around her small house, working on everything and anything, but she no longer dwells on her diagnosis and instead reaches for help in any way she can. She leaves with some words of advice.

“Don’t give up on yourself. Continue to reach out for help, and try different methods. Give professionals a chance, maybe that’s something that can help, but if not, don’t stop there. Keep trying. Keep looking.”

Diana Flores walks with each of her daughters at hand after the interview.

Arts & Entertainment

The Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art recently hosted a student-curated exhibition called Unfinished, which showcased the museum’s collection of drawings and works on paper. The exhibition featured 18 works across various mediums, including pastel, graphite, charcoal, and watercolor. What made Unfinished unique was that it was curated entirely by students, who spent weeks researching, designing, and curating the exhibit with the help of RAFFMA staff.

The idea for the exhibition came from the museum’s desire to explore its collection in-depth, and the students were tasked with selecting and organizing works from the museum’s collection. Through careful selection, they picked 18 pieces of art to be included in the exhibit. The students then came up with the theme and direction for the exhibition, which focused on the human impulse to draw and the idea that drawings are not incomplete works of art.

Unfinished was organized by the 7 Elements of Design and served as an educational opportunity for anyone interested in drawing. The exhibition also features an Art Studio, which was an activity center designed for artists of all levels. Visitors could create their own works of art to be hung alongside the displayed artworks, complete with pencils, mirrors, small models for reference, and specially printed paper with a way for visitors to create their own labelss for their artwork.

The exhibition was a tremendous success and marked the first student-curated exhibition in recent history at the Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art. The student’s hard work and dedication paid off, resulting in a stunning exhibit that celebrated the art of drawing and showcased the museum’s collection in a new and exciting way. Unfinished was a testament to the power of studentled initiatives and the importance of art education. A huge congratulations and these student assistants: Aleah Galvan, Leslie Madrigal, Samuel Marshall, and Khoa Nguyen.

Arts & Entertainment

Family, Friends, and Support

On February 24th, the opening reception of RAFFMA and its new exhibitions for this spring semester took place. The faculty and staff provided support for the exhibitions, and the families and friends of students also showed up to demonstrate their support. It was amazing to see the expressions on the faces of our student assistants as they witnessed the community and their peers engaging with their work. We would like to express our gratitude to the community and campus members for supporting our student assistants and their hard work.

We are on the Radio!!

Unfinished not only caught the attention of community members but the campus as well. We collaborated with CSUSB’s very own Coyote Radio to interview our student assistant on the process and hard work put into the exhibition. Our students had an amazing time and the staff at Coyote Radio was very warm, welcoming, and supportive. They were very interested in each of their experiences what they were able to contribute throughout the process and what they took from this experience.

Pause: Taking a leave of absence

Samantha Spencer, a CSUSB Student, sitting in front of the coyote statue. Photo

By Jocelyn Martinez-Lopez Staff Writer

A leave of absence is a temporary break from school, typically taken for various reasons such as familial or personal issues, or circumstances beyond one’s control. Samantha Spencer, a CSUSB student since 2019, faced challenges during the years 2019-2021, marked by a global pandemic. During this time, students worldwide grappled with adjusting to societal changes and coping with illness and loss. Samantha, like many others, experienced the loss of her grandfather and assumed the role of a support system for her family. This emotional strain, compounded by practical difficulties such as inadequate access to necessary resources, made it challenging

for her to keep up with coursework.

Samantha decided to take a leave of absence in 2021 to address these challenges. Reflecting on her decision, she explained, “I chose to take a leave of absence when my grandfather passed away. While online courses seemed feasible due to the pandemic, the situation became untenable when I was in Ensenada, and my grandmother discontinued the Wi-Fi service since my grandfather was the primary user. Struggling to maintain internet service and balance my responsibilities, I found it impossible to remain mentally present for my coursework while also supporting my grandmother.”

The loss of her grandfather profoundly impacted Samantha, and she acknowledged that had it not been for this event,

she would have continued her education without interruption.

While she was still in Mexico in 2022, Samantha expressed her desire to gain job experience and explore her career interests. She stated, “I aimed to become a pharmacy technician, so I immersed myself in a hospital or a mom-and-pop clinic environment. While the job was decent and enjoyable, I soon realized that the hospital setting was not where I wanted to be; it felt rather depressing. Recognizing that there were alternative ways to make a difference, I decided to move away from hospital and clinical settings.”

Subsequently, Samantha enrolled in a community college and completed a six-week course to obtain a certificate in Applied Behavioral Analysis, becoming a behavioral technician. Reflecting

on her experience, she fondly recalled working with the children, becoming emotional as she remembered the impact she had on their lives. “I loved that job and I enjoyed working with the kids. I loved the bonds I made with the family and kids at the school sites I visited,” she added, her voice filled with warmth and fondness. When asked about transitioning from a gap of 2-3 years back to academia, Samantha described it as rough. “I entered into an entirely new system, a different territory. Moving from a quarter system to a semester system was a huge adjustment. I was accustomed to the fast-paced nature of the quarter system, so adapting and relearning the new system was challenging. Without the support of my friends and the school aiding my transition, I believe I

would have had a much rockier start. Their assistance made my return to education smoother, and I’m grateful for their support. I feel comfortable picking up where I left off all those years ago.”

Samantha is currently pursuing a major in Communication and is set to graduate within the next two years. When asked about her expected graduation date, she replied playfully, “Either spring 2025 or fall 2025.” She serves as just one example among many students who take a leave of absence and return to successfully resume their studies. Her journey highlights that it’s okay to take a break from the stressful school environment and that the option to return and continue is always available, without shame.

Sowing Seeds of Resilience cont.

she admitted that she would be in prison had it not been for her children. They were her motivation for sowing seeds of resilience in her life.

“They were my reason and before that, I didn’t have a reason, and not like in a bad way, but now I had a responsibility that was mine. And whatever decisions I was going to make now were going to impact them and nobody else was responsible

for them except me…My kids just taught me so much about me…I couldn’t imagine a better lesson than being a parent,” She said while holding her youngest daughter.

Coming out of this bubble had its challenges too. Vulnerability, uncertainty, and just the simple fact that there was so much she didn’t know had loomed over her like a shadow. However, she

understood that there was a need for this exposure to the real world and it didn’t change who she was but gave her a deeper appreciation for the qualities that the lifestyle lived in her younger years instilled in her.

She went back to school, got her G.E.D., has two associate degrees, is in the process of going back to attain her bachelor’s, and is a proud mother of five. When asked if there

was any advice, she would give her younger self, all she could say was to “stay in school.” She later opened up that it wasn’t until she was older that she realized that there was power in education and that control, she was searching for all those years ago, could have been obtained (though not entirely in the same way) had she stood in school.

Nevertheless, though the past might seem far behind

her still credits that part of her journey in helping her get to where she is today -- still molding her into the person she is, forty-two years later.

“I made mistakes,” She shrugged. “Yep, I made a lot of mistakes, but I can proudly say that everything I been through-the mistakes, the lessons learned--I never gave up.”

by Jocelyn Martinez-Lopez