Daily Forty-Niner, Oct. 7, 2019

WEEKLY PRINT EDITION

DAILY FORTY-NINER CELEBRATING 70 YEARS

Vol. LXXI, Issue 07

www.daily49er.com

Monday, October 7, 2019

Inside the

Niner

PAGE 4

NEWS

ARTS & LIFE

Continued controversy at Puvungna

Tightening up the laces

pg 3

pg 10

2

MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2019 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | STAFF@DAILY49ER.COM ON THE What goes up, may come down... quickly.

Photo Illustration by RYAN GUITARE.

Weekly Calendar Monday 10/7

Tuesday 10/8

Career Closet Donation Drive @ USU-312 8:30 a.m. 7 p.m.

Career Closet Donation Drive @ USU-312 8:30 a.m. 7 p.m.

Sports

Drag Bingo @ USU Ballrooms 4 p.m. 7 p.m.

MGolf v.

Alister Mackenzie Invitational (1st and 2nd rounds) Fairfax, Calif.

Wednesday 10/9

Career Closet Career Closet Donation Donation Drive @ Drive @ USU-312 USU-312 8:30 a.m. 8:30 a.m. 7 p.m.

7 p.m.

Farmers Market @ Friendship Walk 10 a.m. 2 p.m.

Sports

Movies on the House: MGolf v.

The Lion Alister King (2019) Mackenzie @ USU Beach Invitational (Final round) Auditorium 6 p.m. & Fairfax, Calif.

9 p.m.

Sports WGolf vs. Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational (1st and 2nd rounds) Sammamish, Wash.

Thursday 10/10

Sports WGolf vs. Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational (1st and 2nd rounds) Sammamish, Wash.

Daily Forty-Niner 1250 Bellflower Blvd., LA4-203 Long Beach, CA, 90840

Saturday 10/12

Friday 10/11

Sunday 10/13

Career Closet Sports Sports Donation Men’s Men’s Drive @ WPOLO v.

WPOLO v.

USU-312 Stanford @ Stanford @ 8:30 a.m. Ken Lindgren Ken Lindgren 7 p.m.

Aquatics Aquatics Center Center

Movies on Sports the House: Women’s The Lion Tennis v.

King (2019) Beach tennis @ USU Beach tournament Auditorium @ Rhodes 6 p.m. & Tennis 9 p.m.

Center

Sports

Sports

Women’s Tennis v.

Beach tennis tournament @ Rhodes Tennis Center

Women’s Tennis v.

Beach tennis tournament @ Rhodes Tennis Center

Sports

Sports

Women’s Soccer vs.

CSUF @ George Allen field 7 p.m.

Men’s WPOLO vs.

Alumni @ Ken Lindgren Aquatics Center 2 p.m.

Sports

Sports

Women’s Volleyball @ UC Davis Davis, Calif.

7 p.m.

Women’s Volleyball @ UC Riverside Riverside, Calif.

5 p.m.

Editorial Office Phone (562) 985-8000

Austin Brumblay Editor in Chief eic@daily49er.com

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Business Manager

Special Projects Editor Copy Editor Design Editor

By Alejandro Vazquez Shark Bites is a CSULB inspired crossword puzzle that contains clues from the recent news stories published by the Daily Forty-Niner. Tag us @daily49er with a picture of your completed crossword for a chance to win a prize!

Down 1. Max De Geest, a freshman basketball newcomer, is from this city in New Zealand.

2. The username of Ahmad El Samad, a member of the CSULB Esports Association.

3. Amen “Sleepy” Rahh, a professor emeritus of Africana studies, use to play this sport at CSULB. 4. This type of dorming option costs $7,994 at CSULB for the 2019-20 academic year.

6. The university has moved this onto Puvungna.

7. In the video uploaded to the Daily Forty-Niner YouTube page, the Pyramid was inspired by this building.

Across 5. Chris Rivera created a visual company called Pleasure Palace where they made these.

8. The elevators are in lack of updated these.

9. Last name of the Kleefeld Contemporary museum director.

In the issue published on September 30th, in the article “The fight for a feminist education” Sherna Berger Gluck’s name was spelled incorrectly. It was corrected online at daily49er.com

Staff arts@daily49er.com Perry Continente opinions@daily49er.com

Melissa Valencia business@daily49er.com Hannah Getahun Rachel Barnes Alejandro Vazquez

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Social Media Editor

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Shark Bites

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NEWS 3

MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2019 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | NEWS@DAILY49ER.COM

Problems at Puvungna CSULB and the Native American community have been at odds about the sacred land.

RYAN GUITARE | Daily Forty-Niner

Trucks transport excavated dirt from construction of the new Parkside North Dormitory, and dump it on Puvungna, the Native American sacred land.

By Rachel Barnes and Austin Brumblay Staff Writers

ence with the expression of Native American religion in California.”

@rachlbarnes & @adbrumblay

Ximalli added that the fire keeper, who tends the fire during the ceremony, told visitors to focus on the ceremony and not the controversial dumping on the sacred land.

F

or weeks, Long Beach State has been dumping dirt from the construction site of the new Parkside North Dormitory on the Native American land, Puvungna. This action has angered many Native Americans who have personal connections with the land.

The controversy has prompted the community to start a GoFundMe campaign for an injunction against CSULB. They have raised almost $3,000 of their $20,000 goal.

The Native American community held their annual Ancestor Walk and Bear Ceremony at Puvungna Oct. 5. According to Ximalli of the Tarahumara tribe, the current situation at Puvungna has not physically affected the ceremony, but it has emotionally impacted the community.

“Some elders didn’t want to come [to the Bear Ceremony], they were too heartbroken by the construction,” Ximalli said.

According to Ximalli, the school planned on charging visitors for parking for the Bear Ceremony, but the day before the celebration began administrators decided to allow free parking for up to 200 vehicles in Lot G2.

He said the charges would be a violation of Assembly Bill 4239 which serves to “prevent irreparable damage to designated sacred sites, as well as to prevent interfer-

Ximalli said administrators told the native community that the construction is a part of a “beautification project.”

“It has affected us emotionally, metally and spiritually,” he said. “I don’t see anything beautiful about it.”

Jeff Cook, assistant vice president of strategic communications for CSULB, said that the university has decided to stop dumping as “a good faith gesture” to the community who have expressed concerns.

“This method of managing excavated earth was based on the original counsel of both internal and external Native American advisors to keep soil from campus here on site,” Cook said in an email.

In an email statement, Vice Provost for academic planning Dhushy Sathianathan said that the method the university used is the best way due to financial and environmental reasons.

“We have been in ongoing communication with those who have an interest in the site even as we have disagreed with many of the assertions that have been made about this work,” Sathianathan said.

According to an email sent by Craig Stone, director of American Indian stud-

ies, a company contracted by the university originally started dumping dirt from the construction site of the new Parkside North Dormitory on the 22-acre parcel on Sept. 20.

The day before the vehicles were spotted, Stone said he was told that there would be no activity on the site. He also said that this was the third time that Long Beach State had not consulted the Native American community, despite the university saying it would not happen again.

Native community members inspected the dirt and found PVC pipes, plastic sheets, rebar and a manhole cover. Ximalli referred to the dirt as “toxic.”

Michelle Castillo, who is part of the Acjachemen tribe, said that she was at Puvungna preparing for the annual Bear Ceremony when she saw the construction vehicles.

curred the previous week, the university continued dumping on the 22-acre parcel.

While CSULB celebrated the groundbreaking of the new Parkside North Dormitory on Sept. 27, the Native American community protested the dumping of dirt from the construction at Puvungna.

“We don’t bring machines like that, and these people think that that’s OK,” said Maggie Acosta, who is part of the Apache and Yaqui tribes. “[It’s] a complete disregard for what we’re about and what we do here, and I don’t understand that.”

Stone said any construction at Puvungna requires an Environmental Impact Statement as well as a consultation with representatives from the Native American community. Cook said there are no plans for any permanent construction at Puvungna beyond what is already there.

Castillo said she has worked on the land for years and has bonded with it; she considers it the heart of the university. Ancestors have been buried on the land, some not too long ago, she said.

“A temporary expansion of parking spaces to the south and north of Lot G2 is currently being assessed in response to increased parking pressures on campus as evidenced this fall,” Cook said. “The university will conduct an Environmental Impact Review regarding this proposed work in consultation with designated tribal leaders.”

Puvungna is one of the most sacred things that the community has, and Castillo said it should be respected at all times.

According to Cook, contractors inspect the dirt before and after it is transported to Puvungna.

“It’s almost like you’re suffocating the spirit of a sacred site,” Castillo said.

“There are monitors both at the student-housing site as dirt is excavated as well as on the parcel east of Bellflower where the dirt is being relocated,” Cook said in an email.

“I told an elder that it felt like I was at a funeral,” Castillo said. “It was a shock.”

Despite blowback from the Native American community about dumping that oc-

4 NEWS

MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2019 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | NEWS@DAILY49ER.COM

DANGEROUS ELEVATION Elevators on campus have safety permits that expired over a year ago.

When asked for remarks, both senators said they would “address it to [their] executive,” and declined further comment.

By James Medway Staff Writer

S

tudents and faculty have raised concerns after finding out the safety permits in Long Beach State elevators are expired.

Neither ASI member knew that there was an issue with campus elevator permits, including the ones in their own building.

Joshua Cichuniec, director of facilities management said that he and his team were aware of the expired elevator permits. He said that his understanding of the situation is that Cal/OSHA is backlogged due to construction in Long Beach.

Under California State law, all elevators are required to have a valid and current permit issued

by The Division of Occupational Safety and Health “posted conspicuously and securely in the elevator car.” This permit, usually valid for one year, certifies that the elevator has been inspected and found safe by Cal/OSHA.

“Inspection for annual permit renewal of elevators is done by the State of California Department of Industrial Relations,” Cichuniec said in an email. “They schedule and dispatch their inspectors – we do not control their schedule. We are aware permits have expired and have made them aware on several occasions.”

The Daily Forty-Niner examined 15 elevators from upper campus to E. James Brotman Hall, and none had valid permits.

After finding out that the elevators where she works in the University Library have expired permits, Julia Dowell, a first-year geography master’s student said she was concerned.

According to Cichuniec, there is a full time resident elevator technician assigned to CSULB who performs monthly inspections and responds to any emergency calls all hours.

“If I was really lazy I’d still take [the elevator],” she said regarding stopping using the elevators.

In addition to the regularly scheduled maintenance, facilities management has also recently had the mechanical equipment and interior of elevators maintenanced in the McIntosh Humanities Building, Liberal Arts-5, Student Health Services, and psychology buildings.

Similarly, philosophy department assistant professor Nicholas Laskowski, whose office is on the ninth floor of the McIntosh Building, said, “It does not make me more likely to take the stairs.”

But despite an overall lack of concern, not all students trust the elevators.

“The frequency of elevator emergencies is low given our robust maintenance practices, but it happens,” Cichuniec said.

“It’s frightening,” said fourth year studio arts major Lucy Giles. Lucy added she doesn’t typically take the campus elevators and is “planning on avoiding them now.”

One such incident occurred in 2011 when a CSULB employee died after trying to exit an elevator car that stopped between the second and third floors.

Reports of the accident indicated that the woman had attempted to escape before first responders had arrived.

Not all the elevators on campus have a record of reliability, according to Ashley Boehne Ehlers, the production coordinator for the department of theater arts.

“We call it ‘the haunted elevator’ because it’s a little spooky,” Boehne Ehlers said, referring to the elevator in the theater arts building. “We have had students in the past stuck in it a couple times. A lot of our faculty avoid the elevator.”

Stephanie Torres, a fourth-year business management major and college of business senator, and Xan Balayan, a fourth-year aerospace engineering major and University Student Union Board of Trustees chair said they didn’t know much about the issue.

Cichuniec said that if students become trapped in the elevators, they should exercise caution before making quick decisions.

He said that the elevators are maintained often despite the lack of updated permits.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY RYAN GUITARE

Students worry about the safety of the elevators due to the lack of updated permits.

“We remind elevator occupants in an emergency is to remain calm, stay in the car, and follow the directions for making a call inside the elevator for assistance – its safe inside the elevator and help is always on its way,” Cichuniec said.

NEWS 5

MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2019 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | NEWS@DAILY49ER.COM

GRAPHIC COURTESY OF FACILITIES

In a space utilization study, facilities found enough under utilized space on campus the make up a whole new building. In the study, facilities evaluated which departments had the most lab space.

By Mercedes Cannon and Rachel Barnes Staff Writers

Spaced out: T campus space utilization study

here is approximately five million square-feet on campus that is used day-to-day by the Long Beach State campus community.

A space utilization study was conducted in August by the campus planning and sustainability department to find ways to fine-tune already existing space to better serve the people who use it.

The study broke down the utilization of space in buildings on campus. It also covered which areas are in need of improvement so that the facilities department can streamline usage. This will aid in the creation of the campus master plan, which will outline changes that will be made to the campus in the next 10 years.

“With the number of staff and students we have, and the amount of space we have, there’s a lot of space there to finetune things and make better use of it,” said Michael Gardner, director of campus planning and sustainability. “If we could just find 2% of our space that we can optimize, that would be the equivalent of 70,000 square-feet, which is the equivalent of a building full of space.”

All spaces evaluated in the study were categorized into instructional space, research space, creative activity space, office and administrative space, student space and auxiliary space.

According to the study, instructional spaces were found to be below the state average for usage due to large gaps between class times. These gaps are referred to as “off-grid” classes.

Facilities finds that 70,000-squarefeet in combined area in campus buildings is unused.

“There are ways to improve the availability of classes by changing the way they go off-grid,” Gardner said.

One suggestion was to allow more types of classes to utilize specialized lab spaces on campus.

Though many buildings on campus require updates to make them more streamlined, the University Library is not among them. The study found that the library was well used with a large amount of seating due to proactive reduction of book stacks to allow for more space.

Spaces such as hallways in lecture buildings were also evaluated as part of the study. Hallways were found to significantly lack needed amenities such as tables, chairs and power outlets that could turn them into more active spaces.

“We want to continue to go through campus and update common areas, so that they work better for students,” Gardner said. “We’re starting our own campus planning student outreach group with one of our interns… so he’s going to be having lunches where he invites students in to talk about what they think needs to be improved on campus.”

Areas that needed immediate improvement were outlined in the study. These areas include: • • • • • • • •

Engineering 2 Engineering 3 Engineering 4 Faculty Office-2 Faculty Office-3 Faculty Office-5 The McIntosh Humanities Building Facilities Management Building

Faculty from The College of the Arts have raised concerns about the fine arts buildings for some time now, but these were not included in the recommended list in the study.

“In my opinion, there is a certain character to our building that has a certain nostalgic ‘art school’ charm,” said Director of the College of the Arts Aubry Mintz. “However, I am sure all of the students would forgo ‘charm’ for updated facilities.”

Renovations were planned for the buildings more than 20 years ago, but they fell through according to former art department chair Jay Kvapil. The construction company contracted by the university spent the entire $14 million budget, and abandoned the project in 2000.

“In 1988, [Fine Arts buildings one through four] we’re determined by the university to be in dire need of renovations,” Kvapil said. “We worked with architects for about four years putting together a renovation plan. The project was to take about 16 months, but almost two years later the construction company had not even completed the first two buildings.”

The study could help improve not only the efficiency of space, but also the quality of learning and study environments for more majors, including fine arts.

Most solutions that were suggested could be attainable in short time frames of up to three years. Some improvements, such as modifying class scheduling and renovations, would take five years or more.

Though many suggestions provided by the study would significantly improve campus life and operation, it is ultimately up to the campus master plan to apply these improvements in the future.

“We want to make sure that we’re meeting the current needs of students,” Gardner said.

6 NEWS

MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2019 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | NEWS@DAILY49ER.COM

The Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum is set to undergo renovations in November. The museum will be closed for two years.

ALEJANDRO VAZQUEZ Daily Forty-Niner

Contemporary to temporarily close The museum will close in November for two years for expansions.

By Joel Ruditsky Staff Writer @ JoelRuditsky

T

he Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum will be undergoing two years of construction starting in November to expand the building and upgrade the facilities.

The expanded museum will include three exhibition galleries, a reading and archives room, a study room, an education room, some expanded collection storage, updated workspaces and a renewed exterior. A $10 million donation from artist Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld will fund the project.

“To get a facility where we can get those works in front of our students is really us making our mission and values manifest,” said the newly appointed director of the museum Paul Baker Prindle.

In the two years that the building will be under construction, there will be 15 months of construction and nine months will be used to prepare the new building with art, according to Baker Prindle. During that time, the artworks will be kept in storage.

During the renovations, Kleefeld Contemporary has projects planned for on and off campus. The projects include

partnering nearby school and off campus exhibitions. There are also discussions with Associated Students Inc. to contract architects to install new sculptures on campus.

For Baker Prindle, one of his main goals is getting people to look at museums with a different perspective.

“I like to think of museums as...having buildings, but also as some social entities that are more than a building,” Baker Prindle said. “We are a museum that has a building, but it is what happens and who makes it happen that is more important.”

Kleefeld Contemporary’s funding will also allow the university to offer more scholarships to its art students as well as present new internship opportunities.

“We are looking at our new collection access as an educational tool,” said Amanda Fruta, public affairs and communication specialist for Kleefeld Contemporary. “This gift grants us the ability to give students more access than they ever have before.”

The new museum will feature 160 works from Kleefeld, according to Baker Prindle.

Kleefeld and Baker Prindle had similar ideas for the museum, and he said that is why he enjoys working with her. As a poet, artist and as a philanthropist, Baker

“

We are a museum that has a building, but it is what happens and who makes it happen that is more important.”

Paul Baker Prindle Museum Director

Prindle said he fell in love with Kleefeld’s investment in nurturing student creativity.

“I think with any relationship with a benefactor, it’s about identifying mutual goals and where you overlap,” Baker Prindle said. “She is a person who speaks with a singular voice, and that is something we can get down with too.”

Baker Prindle said his goal is to make the new exhibits accessible to a larger community.

Obstacles such as transportation, mobility, financial and social stigmas are all things he and his team are evaluating as possible barriers that come between the community and the museum.

“As a museum we can do more than just sharing our ideas,” Baker Prindle said. “But we can also listen to the community’s ideas, needs, their desires and preferences for arts programming, and then meet that need.”

With heightened levels of access, both educationally and for the community, the new Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum looks to change the way students grow at Long Beach State.

“I think of museums as labs,” Baker Prindle said. “Just like in a chemistry lab where you take materials and conduct experiments, works of art are like that as well. We can do profound and powerful things with them beyond just looking at them.”

CSULB 2020

WINTER SESSIONS

WHAT YOUR TEACHERS WILL NOT TELL YOU The Democrat Coup D’état Continues What your Teachers will not tell you Dr. George A. Kuck (galbertk@aol.com)

focus forward finish

Registration Begins October 14, 2019 Session One

Session Two

Entirely Online December 18 – January 17

On Campus January 02 – January 17

cpie.csulb.edu/winter | (800) 963-2250 | CPIE-info@csulb.edu @CSULBInterSessn #csulbsessn

Here we go again. Our county has just been through 3 years and $45 million dollars to pursue the hoax of “Russian collusion” pushed by the Washington Bureaucracy (the Deep State) and the Democrats. It takes quite a bit of chutzpah to try the same game plan when the first attempt to impeach President Trump by lies and innuendo failed. But what the heck. When you control most of the news sources and have all the TV commentators singing the same song, it might work the second time. Of course, the fight will further divide the country but so what. The Democrats will be able to overturn the results of the 2016 election that they thought was in the bag.

The first phase of the current coup was completed when the Mueller report found no evidence of collusion between President Trump and the Russians. The Russian probe used information (the so called dossier) which was obtained from a foreign agent working for the Clinton campaign using Russian information.

The collusion thread can no longer be followed to impeach President Trump.

We have now entered phase two of the coup. President Clinton signed an agreement with the Ukraine and other countries that allowed joint investigations of crimes in both countries. This agreement is President Trump’s basis for calling the president of the Ukraine. Congressman Schiff of Burbank wrote a fictional report of the call and presented it to Congress on TV. This false presentation has been

confused with the transcript by many people who now believe Schiff’s fairy tale. The transcript of the call has been released. You need to read it. Coup participants claim that the call was corrupt because VP Biden and his son were mentioned in the context of a larger Department of Justice investigation.

Democrats are claiming that President Trump asked for a pro quid quo from the Ukraine before he released money to buy US weapons. This is a bogus claim. However, there is a video of VP Biden boasting about a real pro quid quo. Mr. Biden threatened a Ukrainian President to withhold a billion dollar US loan guarantee unless a Ukraine special investigator was fired. The investigator was fired and the loan was approved. This was a real pro quid quo because there was a threat and an action completed as result of the threat. VP Biden is guilty of the crime for which the Democrats are trying to impeach President Trump.

The coup is continuing with the Democrats and the “Deep State Bureaucracy” is still trying to impeach the president. The Democrats still refuse to accept that President Trump is the duly elected leader of the country. Voters, be forewarned for the 2020 election on this Democrat “win at everyone else’s expense” philosophy. If the bureaucrats can impeach a legally elected president, what chance do you have if you get powerful Democrat upset?

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8 ARTS & LIFE

MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2019 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | ARTS@DAILY49ER.COM

AMMI RUIZ | Daily Forty-Niner

(Left) Bryan Jimenez, a second year music education major, sits on the cramped patio of his house where he lives with so many people he doesn’t know how many live there. (Above) A make-shift privacy curtain hangs over a bed in Jimenez and Lopez’s bedroom.

Students can’t pay the price for privacy Lack of affordable housing drives students to share bedrooms at residences around Long Beach.

By Nicholas Kim & Ammi Ruiz Staff Writer

T

he cost of housing at Long Beach State has driven some students to look for alternative housing at local residences. Some students have gone as far as sharing a bedroom with multiple roommates, despite sacrificing their own privacy and comfort.

Housing fees at CSULB for the 201920 academic year are $6,994 for a triple-occupancy room, $7,994 for a double-occupancy room and $8,994 for a single-occupancy room. These rates do not include summer or break periods.

Second-year music education major Bryan Jimenez and third-year economics major Cris Lopez both pay $400 a month for a shared room at a home near the Bixby Knolls neighborhood.

“I was looking for my own room, not a shared room, but [the owner] told me the private rooms were filled up,” Lopez said. “But she also had this shared room, and it was cheap.”

The bedroom where they sleep is found at the top of a narrow staircase, which is lined with eerie paintings, including one with a ghastly, wrinkly figure that resembles a screaming Voldemort.

A stairway off of Long Beach Boulevard leads down to the backyard of the five-bedroom, four-

bath house. Students like to hang out in one of the patio areas outside, but they admit they spend most time at school.

Many college students like Lopez and Jimenez are enticed by the affordability of sharing a room. Onebedroom, one-bathroom apartments for rent near CSULB range from about $1,300 to $6,000 a month, prices many students find too steep.

“It saves me a lot of money,” Jimenez said. “Where I lived last year, it was $550 a month. I had more privacy there, I guess, but I’m trying to save a lot of money.”

Sometimes students are lucky enough to have friends they can share a room with, but Jimenez and Lopez were complete strangers before they started living together.

They said they get along well and haven’t had any problems with their other roommates.

“There’s also an Australian lady that lives here, and an Irish dude that lived here, but he left already.

There aren’t any other students here.

They’re all old,” Jimenez said, who wasn’t sure about the exact number of people living in the spacious home.

Most of the space in their bedroom is taken up by three separate bunk beds covered by curtains, but privacy hasn’t been a major issue. Both students plan on moving out soon.

Much like Jimenez and Lopez, Tyler Treadway, a second-year at CSULB, said he chooses to live with

roommates for financial reasons.

“It makes it easier for me to save money, and I have a car to commute to campus and back,” Treadway said.

Treadway and his two friends, also CSULB students, live in the Alvista Apartments on Ximeno Avenue.

They all pitch in to pay the $2,200 rent.

He said privacy is not hard to get since his roommates are mostly at campus or at work. The main issue for him is having to share a bathroom, but overall Treadway enjoys living with his friends.

Another student taking advantage of the cost-effectiveness of sharing a room is Shea Belford, a first-year at CSULB who transferred from Poway, San Diego.

Belford shares a one-bedroom apartment on Termino Avenue with his girlfriend, where they pay $1,400 for rent.

They both share responsibilities and manage to bear with the cons of living in a small apartment, like sharing one bathroom and a desk to do school work.

Belford said he enjoys living with his girlfriend because it strengthens their bond.

“I choose to live in an apartment besides a dorm because the cost of living in a dorm is too much, and living with my girlfriend is better,” Belford said.

ARTS & LIFE 9

MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2019 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | ARTS@DAILY49ER.COM

The COLOR COLLECTION: Chris Rivera The short series features student artists at CSULB and the work they create outside of school. First-year design major Chris Rivera tells us about how he utilizes his skills in his day-to-day life which include: 3D printing, lyric writing and video mapping.

By Suzane Jlelati Arts & Life Assistant @suzanejlelati Bandmate Javier Garcia has been friends with Rivera for 16 years.

The two have always bonded through their love of music.

D

espite his hectic schedule, first-year design major Chris Rivera is constantly thinking of new ways to incorporate his skills into his artistic works.

“He’s a real self-sufficient DIY guy who would always show us we can do things ourselves,” Garcia said. “Whether it be record our own music, do our own visual projections, throw our own shows, or making merchandise for our band.”

Rivera splits his time between his band, his classes and his work in the Long Beach Public Library.

Amid all of this he has somehow managed to generate a passionate, local following for his music.

Rivera wrote the song “Silent Slippin” in high school. Although the song has 228,000 plays on Soundcloud, he looks back at the song as “cringey.”

“Design just really intrigues me because you could take something that’s abstract in your mind and then bring it into reality,” Rivera said.

“To me a song is like an awkward photo,” Rivera said. “[It’s like] taking photos with my friends and I don’t like the way I came out in it, but all my friends are still in it so I still like it.”

Rivera sees music as an extension of design.

Rivera originally planned on becoming an English teacher before gravitating to 3D design.

While designing in his free time, the staff there inspired him to take his passion more seriously.

The band is releasing a song called “New Whip.” The song is about being a teenager stuck at home, being saved by a mystery car and going out on a reckless adventure.

This song is inspired by Rivera’s teenage years when he would sit at home and wish he had a car to visit his friends who lived far away.

“I was kind of in denial,” Rivera said. “English for me was a more guaranteed route to success, [but] art was what I really wanted to do but it was more risky, but I just decided to commit to that risk.”

Rivera practices with the band on weekends, has classes from Monday through Thursday and works at the library four or five days a week. But this busy schedule doesn’t stop him from enjoying what he creates.

Currently Rivera currently works at the Billie Jean King Main Library as a studio guide, teaching others how to work with 3D printers and laser cutters.

Rivera’s coworker, Gabriel Gaete, also teaches library visitors design.

Rivera met Gaete four years ago kick-starting his artistic career and studies.

Two years ago, Rivera and his partner created a visual company called Pleasure Palace. They create animations and project them behind bands at music shows, also known as installation art.

“He’s one of those people who’s really fun to be around and joke with, [and] he’s really open to sharing his art, he left a really good impression,” Gaete said. “It’s really neat to see some of the things I taught him and how he applies it in his own unique way and now he works with me.”

With his childhood friends, Rivera is part of the band Lovekraft, which formed in 2013. The group has a following in Whittier and attracts local crowds.

Having experimented in multiple facets of design, Rivera feels confident enough to one day have his own firm and direct his own group of designers.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRIS RIVERA

Chris Rivera stands in front of a video mapping projection he created.

“When you make something you really love, all these good things start to gravitate towards you,” Rivera said. “I noticed that once I fully committed to being an artist and pursuing design, more doors opened for me.”

10 ARTS & LIFE

MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2019 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | ARTS@DAILY49ER.COM

Rollin’ on by The Cal State Rollers Club skates the streets of Long Beach to show off their skills.

Evelyn Vasquez (above) wears her Moxi Lolly roller skates in the color poppy for the skate out on Oct. 4.

Alejandra Ceseña’s (right) skate name is Au, which is the atomic symbol for gold. Shermae Guiterrez (below), third-year outdoor wilderness major, leads the Cal Skate Rollers to a nearby alleyway on Oct. 4.

BY PARIS BARRAZA

Members of Long Beach State’s, Cal State Rollers club turned heads as they skated through downtown Long Beach in colorful gear and makeup, practicing tricks and showing off their skills on wheels.

The club held a skate out session on Oct. 4 to showcase the club’s love for roller skating. Themed “Pop Art,” members of the Cal State Rollers spent the day skating through the streets of Long Beach.

Open to newbies and experienced skaters alike, the Cal State Rollers has welcomed student roller skate enthusiasts for the last three years.

Cal State Rollers member and fourth-year biology major, Alejandra Ceseña, started roller skating five years ago after a friend recommended the hobby to her.

“Well in school I was really anxious,” Ceseña said. “[Skating] really helped me.”

The club hosts meetings and roller skate lessons throughout the semester for beginners both on and off campus. Among some of the club’s activities are skate out sessions at beaches and skate parks, as well as partnering with other roller skating groups in Long Beach. These larger, more inclusive events introduce members to roller skating and the culture of Long Beach roller skating.

According to third-year creative writing major Victoria Hurtado, one memorable event included a skate out with Moxi Roller Skates creator Michelle Steilen. Steilen, who goes by Estro Jen, is known to be a professional within the roller skating community.

The openness of the community is an important aspect to Hurtado.

“We all just mesh and skate together,” Hurtado said. “It does not matter who you are. It doesn’t matter what level you’re at. We’re having a good time.”

Evelyn Vasquez (top left) wears colorful makeup and a polka dot dress for Cal State Roller’s “Pop Art” themed skate out on Oct. 4. Robbie Simmons (above), communications studies major at Long Beach City College, breakdances in roller skates.

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12 OPINIONS

MONDAY, OCTOBER 7,2019 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | OPINIONS@DAILY49ER.COM

Spill the Tea is a weekly section for students to share their opinions and make their voices heard. Long Beach State students answer a question that can range from the silly to the political. We at the Daily Forty-Niner value the diverse opinions of the CSULB student body and look forward to you sharing them with us. This week, students weigh in on the development of Puvungna, sacred land for indigenous people. This 22-acre parcel is located on CSULB and has been at the center of many disputes between Native American populations and the university.

Photos and Reporting by Paris Barraza

CSULB is dumping dirt from construction on Puvungna, sacred land for the indigenous population. Native American remains have been found on the land and the community is vocal about leaving it alone. Do you think the preservation of this land is necessary?

Name: Jada Knight Major: First-year, Journalism

Name: Jarrid Trama Major: First-year, Business Finance

“[CSULB] could be wrong. If it’s some type of memorial then yeah, it’s still pretty disrespectful.”

“If the school has like, maybe a Native American club or association, they should probably get involved and protest peacefully with the members of the community. But to be honest, I don’t know what specifically the school could do without stepping over some toes. Yes [the school] should [do something]. Because if they started constructing on cemeteries that we have loved ones buried in, it would have the same reaction from the rest of us.”

Name: Robert Gonzalez Major: Fourth-year, Marketing

Name: Janine Salgado Major: First-year, Child Development

“I think the school should maybe stop and try to find other solutions. I also wouldn’t like it if someone was dumping dirt [on] like, my house. I don’t think that’s right. We always like to honor our dead, especially those [who] are family. So I think it’s important to honor them and not just disrespect them like that.”

“Students [should protest] and get their word out and get what they want ‘cause if no one stands up for it then nothing is going to be done and all the history is going to be taken away.”

OPINIONS 13

MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2019 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | OPINIONS@DAILY49ER.COM

Why impeaching Trump won’t be so peachy

Criminals need to be prosecuted, even in the White House

By Perry Continente Opinions Editor

By Manuel Valladares Assistant Sports Editor

@perrycontinente

@manvajournalism

I

I

understand the sentiments of the proimpeachment group, I myself am a passionate leftist who dislikes Trump’s administration. However, it’s important to note that impeachment is not the best way for Democrats to get Trump out, instead it may be a counterproductive way of leading to his reelection.

t is time to impeach Trump. He has repeatedly acted as if he was above the law, and his infamous Times Square comment shows that he views himself as untouchable. But he isn’t. And he shouldn’t be.

He needs to be reminded of this, and the only way is to impeach him.

Soliciting dirt on a political opponent from foreign leaders is undemocratic. This is not negotiable, “quid pro quo” is not a prerequisite for this being a criminal offense.

My fears first began with the fact that this storyline has happened before, with Bill Clinton making it out untouched. The impeachment actually caused a jump in his approval rating.

Impeachment is certainly a risk, but it is one we must take.

Our democracy is increasingly shaky and an unencumbered Trump can only make it worse.

For Clinton, the House of Representatives took the impeachment to its farthest point, only to be shut down by the Senate. With that in mind this impeachment process is eerily similar, with a democratic-majority House and a minority in the Senate it’s clear that this will end similarly.

Children are being detained in deplorable conditions, the trade war with China is damaging many soybean farmers’ livelihood, and the president fawns over despots and excuses their crimes.

Republicans have described the Ukraine phone call as “one of his better phone calls,” despite the immoral and arguably illegal nature of it. If this is one of his better calls what does one of his worst look like?

Unlike most Senate legislation, things can not be passed by simple majority, a two-thirds majority is needed, which is unlikely in Congress given it’s majority Republican. With that in mind what is point for trying?

We cannot stand by and let the president run the country like some kind of inept, wannabe mafioso.

Democrats have spent all of Trump’s presidency villainizing him and it has got to the point where their strategy has lost steam, with the president’s approval rating reaching a 2019-record high in October.

That being said, there certainly are compelling arguments against impeachment. Not the least of which is past impeachment efforts raising approval ratings.

Anything less than an approval rating decrease helps Trump, so Democrats choosing to pick a path that has proven ineffective will get the sitting president reelected.

The impeachment of Bill Clinton lead to some of the highest approval ratings of his career. The Senate failed to convict him, and the whole affair is considered to be a political misstep for Republicans.

Democrats must take this foresight into account and take advantage of the path ahead of them.

They need to build on their leads in the polls by propping up their top-three candidates. All Democratic candidates are predicted to beat Trump.

Democrats must focus on populist policies that a majority of Americans to regain the states they lost to Trump.

All they need to do is focus on policy, with two of their three primary front runners already doing so. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have policy proposals that are more enticing to the average American than what Trump.

There are fears that an attempt to impeach Trump will result in a similar political backlash.

Even Richard Nixon’s impeachment, which lead to his resignation, was not widely supported by the public.

While this is certainly a concern, support for Trump’s impeachment is far higher than either Clinton or Nixon, and any information divulged during the case will most likely convince more people of the president’s incompetence.

Just look at Nixon, while the public initially resisted his impeachment, the tide turned significantly because of the process. The divulging of Nixon’s paranoia, lies and crimes rallied the public against him.

Pushing these popular liberal policies is what will grab voters.

This may be a culture shock for a party that has spent a presidential term antagonizing him, creating a narrative that treats him like the end all be all for this era of corrupt officials in politics.

This will be the case with Trump. One only needs to see his social media spiral further and further out of control to see how nervous he is.

While impeachment certainly has its risks, namely the two-thirds majority required to convict in the Senate, the pressure that it would put on Trump simply for exposing his crimes to the public is reason enough.

In reality, focusing on impeaching Trump, even in its most ideal scenario, won’t solve much.

Americans need to realize that Trump isn’t the problem in this political system but merely a symptom of a much larger issue.

Beyond the political utility of impeachment, there is also a moral imperative. If the actions of the president don’t rise to the level of impeachment, what does? How many crimes does a president have to commit before impeachment is rolled out?

These issues won’t be solved by feuding with the president but instead fixing the broken political system that got him there in the first place.

Democrats need to start focusing on policies that appeal to the American people as opposed to their big-dollar donors.

It’s not as easy of a sell to Democrats as impeachment, but it’s the necessary medicine if they wish to prevent any future incidents like Trump’s presidency.

In the case of the Republican Party, apparently only a blowie in your office is a severe enough offense.

With the investigation expanding to include Mike Pence, there is a decent chance that more than Trump will be implicated.

Donald Trump has joined Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton to have his presidency defined by impeachment.

This is the breaking point. Whatever the risks Democrats need to take action and they need to take them now.

14 SPORTS

MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2019 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | SPORTS@DAILY49ER.COM

‘Love for the school, that’s our tradition’ CSULB’s most accomplished athletes from 196872 came together to celebrate their feats of the past and work towards a better future with Beach Athletics.

By Mark Lindahl Sports Editor @markalindahl

H

istory is something worth more than just celebrating. The Hall of Fame, championship banners and records mean more to a school than just what they added to the win/loss column.

For Amen “Sleepy” Rahh, a professor emeritus of Africana studies and former Long Beach State basketball player, the athletics department hasn’t been doing its part in creating an inclusive environment for alumni.

“Most schools are known for their sports,” Rahh said. “Their alumni have a voice… some of us don’t even go to the games because we feel like we’re not a part of the programs, and I’m hoping we can share the information we have with the [coaches and administration].”

With a clear desire to bring back the glory days of the Beach, CSULB athletics champions from 1968-72 football, basketball and baseball teams gathered together on Sept.

28 for the 50 Year Sports Renaissance.

The event was brought together by the alumni in efforts to show that they still a defining piece of the school’s history, whether or not the athletics department chooses to make their presence known.

“We didn’t have no budget, it all came from our pockets,” Rahh said. “We didn’t have no time, but we made time.”

Attendees of the 1968-72 era included high profile names such as former NFL coach and CSULB quarterback Jim Fassel, former NBA champion and CSULB basketball player Glenn McDonald and former NFL safety and CSULB football Hall of Famer Jeff Severson.

The room was all smiles as former colleagues and life-long friends gathered together for a day of remembrance of their

late teammates, like CSULB football’s only first round NFL draft pick Leon Burns.

“All these guys I played with, I’m the oldest out of all these guys,” said former CSULB basketball player Charles “Tap” Nixon. “So it was a great time seeing everybody.”

But once the food was eaten, drinks were enjoyed and stories were told, the players began to share what was on their minds about the recent state of CSULB’s athletic programs. “[The athletes] worked hard,” Rahh said. “Students come [to CSULB] and don’t know about…this bowl they won with Leon [Burns], and the fact that we were the first team to go to the NCAA [basketball tournament].”

MARK LINDAHL | Daily Forty-Niner

(Top)Legendary 1970 CSULB fullback Hans Albrecht (31) poses with a photo of himself and late teammate Leon Burns (38). Jeff Severson (above) showing off his 1979 NFC championship ring as a defensive back for the Los Angeles Rams at the 50 Year Sports Renaissance Sep. 28.

These are just some of the issues brought up by the alumni.

“Once we’re done, where’s the tradition to bring back the [CSULB] Hall of Fame?”

Severson asked. “They need to reach out to the [former] athletes.”

One of the many ways Severson said he desires to help student athletes at the Beach is by making sure the students are confident in themselves thanks to his unique understanding of the struggles they go through.

That doesn’t always come to fruition though.

“I donate money to the school every year, [but] I kind of have to initiate some of these things,” Severson said.

While CSULB has gotten its name back on

the national stage through its success in men’s volleyball, the other programs still aren’t back to the notoriety they once had.

the plan as they generally do not attend athletic events alone, and would have to purchase tickets for anyone else joining.

“We were the soldiers of the school,” Rahh said. “You don’t see it, but if you went to our practices you would have felt like it. We were on the front line for our school, giving them a name that they could be proud of.”

Standing in front of his peers, McDonald voiced his opinion that the efforts are a step in the right direction.

In efforts to bring back more voices of the past, executive senior associate athletic director Rob Clark presented the group with the Beach Athletic Varsity Club initiative, which will provide former CSULB athletes a ticket to any game of their choosing throughout all sports games.

“We need to connect, we need a vehicle,” Clark said. “It’s coming shortly.”

While this is a clear act to make amends, members had potential misgivings about

“It’s good if they follow up on it,” Severson said. “I have been through so many athletic directors over there. A lot of times they use us as a stepping stone.”

It remains to be seen if the athletics department will follow suit and give the former players the platform they feel they deserve.

“It’s our duty to remember,” Rahh said.

“We have to tell our history. And we hope we inspire the athletic department to do more. Every great player in the Long Beach area and surrounding area should be wanting to come here to keep that legacy going.”

MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2019 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | SPORTS@DAILY49ER.COM

SPORTS 15

COURTESY OF AHMAD EL SAMAD.

Ahmad “Contrastsz” El Samad will be CSULB Esports’ new starting mid laner for their Division I League of Legends team.

Leveling up the competition The CSULB Esports Association strives to be a premier collegiate program that propels its competitive players’ careers forward with practice and communication.

By Ralston Dacanay Assistant Sports Editor @RalstonDacanay

A

hmad “Contrastsz” El Samad has been playing video games for as long as he can remember.

Perhaps a culmination of his childhood, growing up in Kuwait firing up first-person shooters on his SEGA Genesis and PlayStation 1 as a part of his daily routine, El Samad once won $300 competing in a “Call of Duty” tournament.

In high school, El Samad dropped the Activision FPS title to join his friends on Riot Games’ “League of Legends” — the 10-year-old multiplayer online battle arena, whose high -skill- ceiling matches averaged eight million peak concurrent players in August, is considered to be crowned the most played PC game worldwide.

Before graduating at the end of this year with a masters of business administration degree from Long Beach State, El Samad looks to complete his commitment to the CSULB Esports Association’s Division 1 “League of Legends” team on Summoner’s Rift.

“We have official practice for three hours each, for three days a week,” El Samad said. “But since we all enjoy the game a lot, we tend to practice just to play for fun together and build our synergies.”

After two weeks of online tryouts, complete with one club moderator analyzing in-game callouts and another taking note of each macro play — i.e. wards, positioning, rotations, objectives, teamfight set-up — El Samad was named the starting mid laner and thus one of the 100-plus players representing CSULB in collegiate esports.

Though the goal of winning is something that is shared among all teams at the Beach, player eligibility remains a defining concern in collegiate esports.

As the captain for the club’s Rainbow Six: Siege Division 1 team, senior computer science major Chaz

“AbsolutelyTrash” Del Prato said he makes sure his players understand that not meeting GPA requirements would make them ineligible for the Collegiate R6 league.

“I make it a rule with us that school is first,” Del Prato said.

“One of our players can’t make it [to the match] because he has three exams next week. We sub them out, and we’re OK with that. We’re ready for that.”

Playing professionally, like in any sport, is something that remains more of a dream than a reality for most players.

Del Prato said that although he may never get the opportunity to go pro in “Rainbow Six: Siege,” he’s more than satisfied with the friendships he made at the Beach while making an underdog grand finals playoff run last December.

While strategies and in-game mechanics are something players spend numerous hours perfecting, senior business marketing major and teams coordinator Christopher “Roeka” Yem said that the club’s main priority is developing its players’ communication skills.

“By being a part of a team, communication [in game] not only helps you,” Yem said, “but it gives you practice because being in an actual game, you have to focus on the minor details. If one little callout is off, then that means they could lose the whole match.”

In addition to “League of Legends” and “Rainbow Six: Siege,” Yem has brought back “Dota 2” and introduced “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” this semester into the club’s existing catalog of teams — “Rocket League,” “Fortnite,” “Overwatch” and “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.”

Most of the teams carry multiple divisions of rosters, with the main ones comprised of players with the most talent or commitment to competition facing off against the likes of USC, UCLA, UCI and other elite collegiate esports teams.

The other rosters are used to build up less experienced players committed to improving, and offer pathways for them to represent CSULB on the “varsity” teams in the future.

After not wanting to continue her stint as a support player due to time constraints, senior studio art major Laura “iiLita” Duenas volunteered to drop the player spot to become the manager for the club’s Overwatch Team B this semester.

In addition to looking for other teams to scrimmage against and tournaments to participate in, Duenas said she wants to continue the tradition of family and creating a cohesive team. Often times, it can be difficult to make the right plays in the heat of battle, especially if you’re afraid to make callouts to total strangers within your team.

“As managers, we want to push our team members to communicate more with each other because at first, they can seem shy because they don’t know each other,” Duenas said. “They’re just put into a team and it’s, ‘OK, now you guys have to talk to each other.’”

Second-year choral music education transfer Matthew “MANDERSON” Anderson said that although he doesn’t have plans to continue his competitive playing career after his time on “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Black” comes to an end, he hopes to start an esports club in the future as a school teacher.

“Gaming isn’t just some negative thing where people go online and swear profusely at each other,” Anderson said.

“You learn all sorts of skills that you didn’t know you needed. Communication, team work, having the [right] mindset, work ethic, all that stuff. And being able to bring that to the younger generation, if they haven’t been able to experience stuff like that, especially if the stigma around gaming is still negative as I feel like it is to this day.”

For now, El Samad said the stigma that students can’t be gamers while still being successful in college is false.

“It’s very important to prioritize school,” El Samad said.

“That’s something I was very careful of and made sure. But after that, if you want to blow off some steam, if you want to take a break while playing ‘League of Legends’ or any video game for that matter, I feel like if you prioritize well, it’s very manageable.”

16 SPORTS

MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2019 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | SPORTS@DAILY49ER.COM

WELCOME TO THE BEACH, BOYS Max De Geest, Romelle Mansel and Joshua Morgan are among the team’s six incoming freshman looking to rejuvenate men’s basketball.

RALSTON DACANAY | Daily Forty-Niner

Freshman guard Max De Geest (left) poses for his headshot on Long Beach State men’s basketball’s media day. Freshman forward Romelle Mansel (middle) records videoboard promos on Long Beach State basketball’s media day. Freshman center Joshua Morgan (right) tosses the ball while taking his headshot on Long Beach State men’s basketball’s media day.

By Ralston Dacanay Assistant Sports Editor @RalstonDacanay

W

ith six freshmen, three incoming transfers and three redshirt returnees listed on the Long Beach State men’s basketball team’s 2019-20 roster, the message is loud and clear — the program is beginning a new chapter.

CSULB Athletics director Andy Fee announced March 29, 2018 that men’s basketball head coach Dan Monson signed a five-year extension with the program. One of the main goals then was a concerted effort to bring in more freshmen who would set the foundation to get the team back into Big West championship contention.

De Geest will be asked to provide an immediate impact to stretch the floor for the Beach.

“You have to have somebody to stretch the defense with the bounce, you have to have somebody to stretch the defense with post play,” Monson said. “But the ultimate stretching the defense is somebody that can shoot the ball from a distance, and Max out of that nine-man class gives us that the most.”

After starting two of the three exhibition games during the team’s Costa Rica trip, it will be interesting to see what becomes of De Geest’s shot and role in the offense opening night.

“I think I just have to get [the three] off a lot quicker just because these guys are able to jump a lot higher and contest a lot more shots than people could back home,” De Geest said. “The pace as well is just a lot faster.”

“The most important thing is bringing in good guys and good players,” Monson said. “If they have four years in your program, then that’s certainly a bonus.”

Romelle Mansel, 6’9”, 230 lbs, Forward, Freshman, St. Bernard HS (Playa Del Rey, California)

The program has not only had the luxury of traveling to another country, but also being able to start practicing earlier.

When evaluating high school basketball talent, local prospects such as Romelle Mansel signing for the program they grew up supporting are rare.

“A lot of players love what basketball brings,” Monson said.

“The notoriety, the new shoes, the exposure, but these guys love the game. They’re in here at night, they just play all the time and love to play basketball and that enthusiasm for the game becomes contagious…They’re not looking at the clock hoping [practice] is over, they’re like ‘we want more.’”

“[Romelle has] been somebody we’ve known about and [have] been recruiting for several years,” Monson said.

“And for him to want to stay home and play in front of his mom and his grandma and his family is really exciting for all of us.”

Tipping off the Daily Forty-Niner’s player spotlights for the 2019-20 Long Beach State men’s basketball roster will be three of the team’s six incoming freshmen.

Max De Geest, 6’3”, 185 lbs, Guard, Freshman, Christ’s College (Christchurch, New Zealand) De Geest was the first player to commit to CSULB this offseason.

“The coaches just welcomed me, and all the players, when I came on my visit,” De Geest said. “My parents loved [Long Beach] so that was a big thing for me as well, and it’s one flight away from home so it was a pretty easy decision.”

De Geest is expected to be the premier shooter of the new faces joining the team this season. With a proven international track record out of New Zealand’s high school scene, and experience with the youth national team,

At any level of basketball, 6-foot-7-inch wings who are comfortable handling the ball, athletic and quick on both ends with the ability to score inside and out are at a premium. As showcased during his years at St. Bernard High School and in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League, Mansel has the versatility and potential to take his game in many directions.

“I most definitely want to see [my game] develop as in the inside, nobody can guard me,” Mansel said. “Every time I get in [the paint], it’s a bucket. And as far as outside, I just want to see my jumper grow consistent and get a good three-ball so I could expand my game so people really can’t guard me anywhere.”

As a former volleyball player in high school, Mansel said he’s looking forward to supporting the rest of CSULB athletics. Additionally, with his brother helping him with the weight training side, lifting four days a week, Mansel said transitioning to Long Beach State has been great.

“[The] opportunity that I felt coming here would be being able to play coming in as a freshman, making sure I worked hard,” Mansel said. “Just proving to myself that I’m ready for it, I’ll get ready for it as time comes on and I’m going to show them what they wanted.”

Joshua Morgan, 6’11”,195 lbs, Center, Freshman, Sheldon HS (Sacramento, California) With the departures of big men Mason Riggins and Temidayo Yussuf, Joshua Morgan should step right into a major role for the Beach. Morgan’s size and athleticism proved problematic for opposing Sheldon High School players, and the same will be said for the rims at the Walter Pyramid. “[Coach Monson] wants me to be a rim-to-rim runner,” Morgan said. “He wants me to help pretty much everywhere.

I am going to be that guy who is getting the blocks, hustle for rebounds on offense and defense. I felt I always had a really high motor when it comes to that, but now that I’m in college I have to really kick it up a notch.”

With Morgan’s presence down low, the perimeter defenders will not only have the ability to be more aggressive, but also have a safety blanket to erase their mistakes.

“Whether Riggins or Temidayo were still here,” Monson said, “Or Dan Jennings or Eric McKnight...Eugene Phelps when we last went to the tournament. Regardless of any of those guys that were here, Joshua Morgan would still be different. We haven’t had anybody like him because his timing and length is such a presence behind your defense.

He helps protect the rim as good as anybody I’ve seen for his age.”

Coming out of Sheldon High School, the Sacramento native said he’s enjoyed the intensity during practices so far.

“In high school, it could be how the team feels, if they come out hard or if they’re just walking around,” Morgan said.

“It’s actually refreshing to play with people who want to play all the time, 100%, 24/7.”

In addition to the intensity, Morgan said that the Beach’s emphasis on team bonding has been special, especially after their summer international tour.

“Going to Costa Rica, it just went to another level,” Morgan said. “We got to spend so much time together that honestly, maybe we’re even closer than brothers at this point. It’s just a really tight-knit family.”