Daily Forty-Niner, Aug. 31, 2020

weekly digital print edition

DAILY FORTY-NINER EST p 1949

Vol. LXXII, Issue 2

www.daily49er.com

Monday, August 31, 2020

AND

BORED

ROOM

Inside the

Niner

PAGE 3

ARTS

SPORTS

More than a mask

Running into the future

page 5

page 9

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MONDAY, AUGUST 31, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | EIC@DAILY49ER.COM ON THE COVER Photo by Richard Grant

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Daily Forty-Niner wins at L.A. Press Club

By Daily Forty-Niner

F

ormer Daily Forty-Niner staff members were recognized Saturday, Aug. 29, at the 62nd Annual SoCal Journalism Awards.

A total of six people were nominated, with

James Chow winning first place for his “Native Histories” podcast that examined the history of the indigenous community in Long Beach.

The Daily-Forty Niner took third for best college newspaper for its issue from Nov. 18, 2019 detailing the “Beverly Prowler.”

Sports Editor Jacob Powers sports@daily49er.com Design Editor Alejandro Vazquez design@daily49er.com Advertising Manager Carter Magee advertising@daily49er.com Business Manager Hannah Getahun business@daily49er.com Special Projects Editor Peter Villafane Photo Editor Andrea Ramos Video Editor Pablo Unzueta Social Media Editor Jocelyn Torralba Podcast Editor Cameron Johnston Multimedia Assistant Luke Pajari Design Assistant Anna Karkalik

Shark bites 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 screenshot of your completed crossword for a chance to win a prize!

News Assistants Chance Sinerius Nicholas James Arts and Life Assistant Celeste Huecias Opinions Assistant Jireh Deng Sports Assistants Cain Hernandez Ignacio Cervantes Special Projects Assistant Giselle Alexandra Ormeno Photo Assistant Richard Grant Video Assistant Lauren Berny Social Media Assistants Yaritza Rodriguez Ashely Ramos Desiree Aguilera Webmaster Assistant Kevin Patel Distribution Manager Rachel Barnes Design Adviser Gary Metzker Content Adviser Barbara Kinglsey-Wilson Advertising and Business Jennifer Newton Adviser Letters to Editor editor@daily49er.com

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Letters Policy: All letters and emails must bear the phone number of the writer and must be no more than 300 words. The Daily Forty-Niner reserves the right to edit letters for publication in regard to space.

Across

Down

3. For ‘Spill the Tea’ students gave advice to 1. Jarren Duran went to ___ High School in California. their past ___ selves.

2. Clara Virgil and Derrick Paris started building 6. The late Lute Olsen was the former Long inclusivity in the dance department by editing the ___.

Beach State Men’s ___ coach.

4. Jenn Nidoy’s ___ business has sold over 450 units.

8. Project ___ helps formerly incarcerated 5. The dorm that is currently housing individuals pursue a higher education.

340 students is ____.

9. The long distance and cross country coach is 7. Next week, come visit us at the virtual version of Shawn ___.

Week of ___.

Editorials: All opinions expressed in the columns, letters and cartoons in the issue are those of the writers or artists. The opinons of the Daily FortyNiner are expressed only in unsigned editorials and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the journalism department or the views of all staff members. All such editorials are written by the editorial board of the Daily Forty-Niner.

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NEWS 3

MONDAY, AUGUST 31, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | NEWS@DAILY49ER.COM

Because indoor dining is not allowed, residential students eat outside with their grab-and-go meals.

RICHARD GRANT | Daily Forty-Niner

Dreary dorms About 340 students move into their single dorms for the fall semester knowing they may have to evacuate at a moment’s notice.

By Julia Terbeche News Editor

D

orm life at Long Beach State has changed significantly this fall with several new coronavirus-imposed restrictions in place and housing only at 15% of its

usual capacity.

With only about 340 on-campus residents campus this semester, officials said, students will be living in Parkside College only in single rooms. Residents moved in during a span of three days from Aug. 19 to 21 and were each allowed up to three guests to help for about an hour.

“The university has done all we know to do for safety, but if we don’t follow public health guidelines in our personal behavior, all the hand sanitizer in the country won’t keep us safe,” President Jane Close Conoley said.

According to Corry Colonna, executive director of housing and residential life, there will be about 140 incoming freshmen living on campus this fall. In addition, the number of student athletes who live on campus has dropped dramatically, he said, as housing restrictions have become increasingly strict.

Currently, around only 330 out of the total 2,722 beds are being occupied for the fall semester, and no visitors will be allowed in residence halls, including parents and family members.

Conoley said that residential students hold a “big responsibility” in ensuring that the select number of essential students who are granted on-campus access are able to resume face-to-face instruction safely.

“We want to do our best not to introduce any other people into the community that could potentially bring with them the

ANDREA RAMOS | Daily Forty-Niner

CSULB has posted COVID-19 regulations by the entrance to Parkside College. virus,” Colonna said. “We are going to be able to provide housing to our students if, and only if, they follow the rules, prohibit guests, wear masks [and] keep socially distant.”

On-campus residents’ neglect to wear masks or remain physically distant will result in a pivot to fully remote learning, Conoley said.

Housing officials asked residential students to be ready to evacuate if deemed necessary by the university at any point.

“They told us to be adaptable and to be just ready just because, you know, the corona situation could change at any moment,” said Trokon Johnson, resident assistant and third-year marketing major.

Some additional housing changes include only the Parkside dining hall being open, with all meals only available as grab-and-go. Since most food locations are closed for the fall, not many students selected meal plans that have the “flex dollars” option allowing for dining at any 49er Shops eateries.

Johnson, a second-time RA, said the main difference between this year and last year is having virtual resident programs rather than in-person activities, as well as the masked outdoor dining.

“For COVID precautions, we do take out now,” he said. “You’re still allowed to eat with friends, but you have to be socially distant, and once you’re done eating you have to put your mask back on.”

Any residents displaying signs of being sick will be given a sick tray option of chicken noodle soup, Jell-o, juices and crackers.

Students in isolation will be able to place orders for food to be delivered.

To maintain health standards, all residence hall restrooms will be cleaned once daily and sanitized twice daily, and disinfectant and hand sanitizer will be left in the restrooms for students to use between those cleanings.

In an effort to enforce physical distancing standards, dorming students must use provided color-coded signs to indicate the restroom is occupied when using facilities

within the residence halls.

Housing and Residential Life said they will provide each student with one facemask, touchless tool, a small bottle of hand sanitizer and a mask ear-saver.

The campus has no plans to test any students for COVID-19, including any on-campus residents.

“We cannot and will not prevent students from leaving campus, but we do highly discourage it,” officials said. “Every time a student interacts with others, they increase the risk of viral transmission in their residence hall.”

All students coming to campus must complete daily health screenings before arriving, and all housing students must complete their screenings before leaving their rooms.

If a student tests positive for COVID-19, that individual will be moved into a room set aside for isolation in Hillside College, which will be equipped with a mini fridge, a microwave, trash bags, toilet paper and linens. Housing officials maintained that students in isolation will not be permitted back into their original dorm in Parkside until they are cleared to return.

“We can’t cure the coronavirus but we can follow public health guidelines,” Conoley said.

According to Colonna, residential students who fail to follow housing guidelines will be held responsible through student conduct and may be asked to leave housing.

Residents who fail to comply with the guest policy this fall will be placed on residential probation after their first offense and will be evicted after their second offense.

“We have to remember that although most students won’t get very sick from the coronavirus, older staff and faculty can die from the virus. That’s a huge responsibility,” Conoley said. “It’s certainly keeping me up at night.”

4 NEWS

MONDAY, AUGUST 31, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | NEWS@DAILY49ER.COM

PROJECT REBOUND

Project Rebound to assist formerly incarcerated students New to the Beach, the program works to help individuals who are looking to pursue higher education after reentering society.

By Chance Sinerius Assistant News Editor

L higher education.

ong Beach State has officially launched Project Rebound, a program to assist formerly incarcerated students achieve their goals in

Currently incarcerated individuals who are seeking a degree in higher education after reentering society can get in contact with Project Rebound by letter, and the program’s staff then provides assistance in navigating enrollment, financial aid and admissions by connecting potential and current students with other university offices.

“The belief system and the mission of Project Rebound is, as an organization, it promotes education to change folk’s lives,” said James Binnall, the project’s executive director.

Project Rebound began at San Francisco State in 1967 and expanded to eight more campuses in 2016.

The nine campuses that make up the Project Rebound statewide consortium, or association, approached the

state legislature for more funding in early 2020.

The consortium successfully advocated to become a state line budget item and decided to branch out to five more campuses, including CSULB. Early last semester, Associated Students, Inc. senators also advocated for incarcerated person’s rights by showing support for the Aim Higher Act, which would allow Pell Grant funds to be made available to formerly incarcerated individuals, as well as encouraged CSULB to establish a face-to-face prisoner-education program.

A program coordinator, who has not been hired yet, and a handful of students on federal work studies will make up the organization’s staff.

The team will be working on campus, when permitted, in an office space located in the Social Science and Public Affairs building.

Binnall anticipates the project will start with roughly ten members in the fall 2020 semester and hopes to have a total of 20 members, if not more, by the end of spring 2021 semester. However, one of the primary concerns for a lag in new membership is the societal stigma that can accompany identifying oneself as formerly incarcerated.

Beth Lesen, the new vice president of student affairs at CSULB, worked extensively with students in

Project Rebound during her time in student affairs at Sacramento State.

Lesen said she has seen the impact of Project Rebound firsthand and offered a piece of advice to students who are contemplating joining the program.

“Please identify yourself,” Lesen said. “Identify yourself to Project Rebound or just directly to me. There is no judgment here, you will get nothing but support…The sooner we know who you are, the faster we can start helping you address all of the challenges that you need to address.”

Each of the five Project Rebound expansion campuses are still considered to be in a two-year provisionary period. At the end of the two-year period, each campus will be evaluated to become a permanent host campus, based on metrics such as membership.

“In the first couple years, to grow your number [of members], that’s the goal here,” Binnall said. “Long Beach is a very strong campus, I don’t think that’s going to be an issue.”

Binnall is the faculty advisor for Rising Scholars, another campus program that supports formerly incarcerated students along with system impacted students. A system impacted person is anyone who has a relative or loved one within the carceral system.

With a support base for these individuals already established, the hope

for Project Rebound is to expand the community and provide more aid.

“We call ourselves a dysfunctional family,” said Irene Soleto, a founding member and current president of Rising Scholars. “We’re very supportive of each other. We know we can come to each other, talk to each other cause we all have that uniqueness that nobody else has.”

Soleto was integral to bringing Project Rebound to CSULB and plans to be heavily involved in the program. A formerly incarcerated student herself, she partners with representatives from other Project Rebound campuses in the area, such as California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and California State University, Los Angeles, to help other formerly incarcerated individuals.

“We go to Pelican Bay [State Prison] together and teach intro-to-college,” Soleto said. “We go to Homeboy Industries, we go to Anti-Recidivism Coalition. These are the places where people who get out go to and start looking to reintegrate into society. We’re the educational part.”

While physical distancing does not allow Project Rebound to maintain its traditional methods of outreach, the program will utilize online resources such as Zoom to continue outreach during the coronavirus pandemic.

ARTS 5

MONDAY, AUGUST 31, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | ARTS@DAILY49ER.COM

A family business stitched with love Jenn Nidoy started Niyama Design Studios when people started to express interest in her home-sewn masks, but with success also comes challenges tied to running a small business.

PHOTOS BY ELISABETH NIDOY

(From top to bottom) Jenn Nidoy sews a homemade mask at her home in Sacramento.

Jenn Nidoy has turned her living room into a home office as the volume of orders for masks increased.

By Paris Barraza Arts and Life Editor

J

enn Nidoy never expected to be considered a hero for selling home sewn masks in the middle of a pandemic.

While Nidoy honors the ‘thank you’ messages she receives from her customers, she does not need a thank you. All she wants to do is to provide someone with a mask that keeps them safe, preferably with a design of their choice to remind people that masks can be fun.

Nidoy’s first mask was for her four-year-old niece Mia, who refused to wear the masks her pediatrician gave her. The masks were uncomfortable and unfamiliar to Mia, but with no other options, it seemed that she would not have a choice.

That is when Nidoy, along with her daughter-in-law, Taylor, brainstormed on how to make the right mask for Mia. It turned out that comfort, color and a size adjusted for her small face turned out to be the right fit.

Much to Nidoy’s surprise, people began reaching out to her after seeing Mia’s mask on Facebook. As interest grew, it became clear that the next step would be to start her own business.

“I’m just going to try,” Nidoy said, recalling how she first assumed the business would not go anywhere. “I looked in the first week and I had 50 sales.”

It became clear to Nidoy that she was going to need help filling the orders.

That is how her niece, fourth-year chemistry major Marina Balza, became involved.

“I’ve been sewing since I was a kid,” Balza said. “My family has always been really artsy and crafty.”

Balza helps sew, but she also is involved with the marketing of the business. She created their business cards and combs through the website on the daily to double check that everything is worded correctly and looks presentable.

Niyama Design Studio offers masks with images of Disney characters to Harry Potter designs. The name Niyama is a Sanskrit word for healthy living, which became important to Nidoy over the years as a single mother.

“Nine years ago we were homeless and we were surfing everyone’s couches,” Nidoy said. “Every cent counted. I started to learn the value of money and how to be healthier living green.”

Nidoy was determined to remain at home to raise her four children, oftentimes working side jobs and catering gigs to bring in extra money. Although challenging, it taught Jenn Nidoy how to be resourceful and to find happiness in what she already has, a lesson she has passed down to her children.

That devotion to her family made Nidoy pause as she invested more time and savings into the business.

“We live in such a small apartment and I’ve taken up over half the living room,” Nidoy said. “I feel guilty, [but] that pushes me. I better make something of this.”

Their dining room table, an old sewing table with a large wheel at the bottom, quickly had to be converted to Nidoy’s office space.

Family meal time, an important tradition for the Nidoys, proved difficult to do, but for daughter Elisabeth Nidoy, all that mattered was supporting her mom.

“She has always had that entrepreneurial spirit,” Elisabeth Nidoy said. “She never gave up. She kept pushing. When it came time for me to kind of do that for her, I was like, ‘Absolutely Mom, let’s figure out how we can do this.’”

Jenn Nidoy and her family have sold over 450 masks since they first began producing.

“The one thing I didn’t realize with a small business is that it’s 24/7,” Elisabeth Nidoy said. “She’ll get orders at two in the morning or messages at 10 o’clock at night. This is a lot of hard work. This is all day everyday.”

Except, in the past few weeks, it has not been work all day everyday.

Louis DeJoy was appointed postmaster general for The U.S. Postal Service in May, and has since implemented widespread change within. DeJoy has eliminated overtime for thousands of employees and removed multiple top executives in charge of daily operations. This, combined with President Donald Trump’s recent criticisms of the USPS, has caused delays in mail across the nation.

Soon after, Jenn Nidoy started to see that packages were not being delivered on time or being held at distribution centers, forcing her to process refunds and send new masks.

“When it’s a small business, it’s cutting deep into the pockets,” Elisabeth Nidoy said. “She has to make a whole other mask and pay for the shipping again. This is her business. This is her livelihood.

It’s devastating to watch her go through this and not have any other recourse.”

Despite these worries, Jenn Nidoy knows that she has found what she wants to do. It comes as no surprise to her, as her family has had a long line of successful seamstresses.

As Jenn Nidoy works on an order and through the fear that it could be her last, she feels proud to see all that she and her family have overcome.

“Our motto in our family is keep moving forward,” Jenn Nidoy said.

6 ARTS

MONDAY, AUGUST 31, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | ARTS@DAILY49ER.COM

The Department of Dance at Long Beach State remains closed for the fall semester.

PARIS BARRAZA | Daily Forty-Niner

A spin in the right direction The transition to virtual learning amid national conversations about racism has challenged the Department of Dance to create a more accessible and equitable department for the years to come.

By Paris Barraza Arts and Life Editor

A

s the Department of Dance at Long Beach State began to prepare for virtual instruction for the fall semester, long before California State University system Chancellor Timothy P. White made the official decision on May 12, the transition seemed to be their biggest concern.

On May 25, the killing of George Floyd sparked nationwide civil unrest in response to police brutality and systemic racism in America. People were taking a critical eye to institutions everywhere, including CSULB. Suddenly, the conversations amongst faculty and students within the department were no longer just about the pandemic. It was about advocacy and equity.

“A faculty member can start a conversation, but it isn’t one until the students show up and want to have it,” dance department Chair Elizabeth Cooper said.

That is exactly what fourth-year dance majors Clara Vigil and Derrick Paris did.

“We had a meeting within our department and found there was a need for something that was advocating for students of color within our department, specifically black students within our department,” Vigil said. “We all felt that we have such

a diverse student body but that wasn’t reflected in our faculty.”

Dance Affinity Advocates for Inclusion and Dancer Equity was born, a student based organization where, according to Vigil, students from marginalized communities can unite, create a safe space for each other and advocate for equity within the department. While the organization has not been officially recognized yet, they have begun working on how to start the process of building inclusivity.

According to Paris, one of those ways has been editing their student handbook to remove outdated language. Later in the semester, Paris and Vigil plan for Dance Affinity A.I.D.E to introduce spirit weeks that celebrate a different, underrepresented community each time.

As these problems were addressed, Coo-

per and the faculty continued to discuss how to fix the other issues they saw arise during the end of spring semester.

“We’re concerned about making sure all of our students have access to the internet,” Cooper said. “We are going to purchase some more laptops and buy some hotspots for students. If our students can’t connect with us, then they can’t learn.”

Zoom fatigue was also a concern, according to Cooper. To mitigate this problem, faculty discussed creating more community building exercises, had conversations about mental health and how to better accommodate students.

“We are talking about some of the policies in place for a long time that clearly don’t work in a pandemic,” Cooper said.

One of these policies includes attendance.

“Dance is being with other people and working together and feeding off each other’s energy.”

- Clara Vigil Fourth-year dance major

“Our department previously had a really strict attendance policy,” Paris said. “We’re working with Betsy [Cooper] and making it more of an agreement. We’re all adults and we’re sort of past that. We’re all responsible.”

Another problem students and faculty faced in spring was the adjustment to performing and teaching at home.

“Students don’t have a lot of space,” Cooper said. “Most of us are working in a small space.”

Practicing and performing within the confines of a bedroom or apartment proved to be difficult, but lack of space was not the only issue. The environment of training inside a studio with their peers was lost.

“Dance is being with other people and working together and feeding off each other’s energy,” Vigil said.

While students like Vigil and Paris have accepted that virtual learning may not always be conducive towards their original plans for fall, both have seen the positives of what the past few months have brought.

“It’s been nice because I don’t think a lot of things we’ve been doing would be looked at or done if we didn’t have this time,” Vigil said. “We’ll have these new things implemented that will help future students.”

When CSULB returns to in-person instruction, Cooper intends to continue these lessons and conversations for the betterment of the department.

“We have a lot of work to do,” Cooper said. “But, we’re starting it and that feels exciting.”

OPINIONS 7

MONDAY, AUGUST 31, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | OPINIONS@DAILY49ER.COM

An explosion over 7,000 miles away still reverberates at home

By Mariam Ayache Contributor

W

e are the diaspora, the ones living away from Lebanon.

We are far away from our beautiful home, watching the disaster from afar.

On Aug 4, 2020, I woke up to a text message reading “Mariam, is your family alright, there was an explosion in Lebanon at the port, go check on your family.”

I rushed downstairs to my mother panicking because none of the lines were picking up back home. My grandparents resided in Burj Hammoud, Lebanon, which is close to where the explosion happened. Thank God, there were no injuries or deaths for my family, but a lot of the houses’ glass shattered, and some homes tore down like my grandparent’s home.

Unfortunately, it was not the same for others, many lost loved ones; so far, there’s been more than 100,000 injuries, 250 deaths and more than 40 are still lost under the rubble. This explosion was not just any explosion, it was rated the third strongest explosion after Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This explosion did not only take a toll on the country because it was a huge explosion, but because Lebanon is going through a pandemic, economic crisis, political unrest, corruption, and revolution.

This was the result of 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate that was left at the port for six years exploding. There are many theories going around about the explosion, such as people saying it was a strike from Israel, the leaders of the country or it was the fireworks factory nearby.

Nobody knows the cause, and the fact that none of the leaders claim that they know, and no one is claiming responsibility about

COURTESY OF MARIAM AYACHE

This is a picture of my grandparents’ home in Burj Hammoud, Lebanon after the explosion. The explosion took such a toll that they heard it all the way in Cypress and all over Lebanon. the chemicals, makes the people even more angry. Nonetheless, after a tremendous amount of pressure, Lebanese leaders have started to resign, and most of the neighboring countries and countries worldwide have donated or sent aid to help the people.

The Lebanese people in God’s will, will recover from the tragedy.

We are resilient—Lebanon before this event has fallen seven times, and it will recover an eighth time.

This explosion will remain in our hearts until the grave.

08/04/2020 “Min Qalbi Salam La Beirut.”

From my heart all the love to Beirut.

For anyone interested, individuals can donate to the Lebanese Red Cross. redcross.org.lb

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 rnage from the silly the political. We at the Daily Forty-Niner valve deverse opinions of the CSULB student body and look forward to you sharing them with us.

What advice would you give your freshman self?

BY JIREH DENG AND KELSEY BROWN

Nubia Hernandez, Liberal Studies ITEP, College of Ed. 2020 Grad.

Bella Arnold Second-year journalism major

José Charles Fourth-year chemical engineer major

“Record yourself reading your notes or textbook. While commuting to work or doing chores like laundry, play your recording to be productive.

Even if you’re not paying attention, it’s still in your subconscious.”

“Focus on yourself! Nobody cares about what you wear or how your hair looks, just focus on the moment and try to enjoy it. Try out as much as you can, and don’t feel bad about saying no to obligations!”

“All the financial aid money you get, spend it on other books besides school.

School might be the start, but it’s not the boundary for learning.”

Amara Nakamura, Fourth-year biomedical engineering major and computer science minor “Everything gets a lot less seemingly insurmountable when you realize that you are never alone-- you’re a part of a vibrant campus, community, and world, and what each individual brings to a space is unique and important. Your story up till now has immense power and you get to keep creating it as you go. Do your very best wherever you’re at and in whatever you decide to do.

Trust that what is meant for you will come to you.”

SPORTS 9

MONDAY, AUGUST 31, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | SPORTS@DAILY49ER.COM

Former Long Beach State men’s basketball coach Lute Olson dies

By Madalyn Amato Editor in Chief

LONG BEACH STATE ATHLETICS

F

ormer Long Beach State men’s basketball coach and hall of fame inductee Lute Olson passed away Thursday night at the

age of 85, ESPN reported.

Olson coached for Long Beach City College from 1969 to 1973 and for the Beach from 1973 to 1974.

He then left Long Beach for Iowa, coaching at the University of Iowa from 1974 to 1983, and went

on to the longest leg of his career at the University of Arizona from 1983 to 2007. Olson announced his retirement a year later in 2008.

Olson’s career was filled with success, including a National Collegiate Ath-

letic Association National Championship in 1997 for Arizona and NABC Coach of the Year in 1980.

He was inducted into the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002 and later into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

PHOTO BY JOHN FAJARDO

Cross country head coach Shawn Winget, with baseball cap, huddles with the team.

Uncertain trail to success Cross country explores how to safely return to practice at the Beach amid social distancing regulations.

By Ignacio Cervantes Assistant Sports Editor

B

efore the season came to an end in March, Director of Track and Field Andy Sythe was certain his long distance team would have a breakout year.

“We’ve been trying to see ourselves grow there and develop,” Sythe said. “Last weekend of February, we were seeing tremendous improvement. It started clicking. This is the missing piece and we have a couple of distance runners that can make the difference for us.”

Less than a week after its first meet of the season, the Beach track and field team was told to

go home on March 7. The evolving threats of coronavirus that forced a worldwide quarantine meant National Collegiate Athletic Association President Mark Emmert and the board of governors had to cancel all remaining championships.

According to Sythe, long distance and cross country head coach Shawn Winget took it as a positive sign of guidance. Winget took the negative situation of a canceled season and told his runners to prepare for a cross country season of their lives in the fall.

“I worked so hard over the summer,” women’s runner Ryley Fick said. “I was in the middle of a run when we got the message.

In the middle of training, all of a sudden, the season is canceled.”

Fick’s focus went from the 2020 cross country season to “a period of confusion,” she said, following a socially distanced meeting with the team at the Walter Pyramid that ended with

more questions than answers.

“How fast it happened... it just felt like ‘bam,’” said Raymon Ornelas, a top finisher in Winget’s men’s team in last season’s NCAA West Regionals. “From one day to the next it was all gone, our season was over.”

Before that chaotic day, Winget had set the team up with a 10-week preseason program that began in June. The plan was set up to prepare the team for fall’s first practice Monday, Aug. 17.

Winget said that program is now turning into a 50-week plan that might drag into 2021.

For Winget, it’s a “painful situation as a coach” because he’s noticed the improvement in his athletes.

Despite the season’s unpredictable future, the set of juniors are eager to get back to competing.

Without a season to train for, Ornelas suggested that now is the time for the Beach to stay focused and work harder than ever.

“I think a lot of it is hope, knowing a season will come around,” Ornelas said. “Some people think, ‘Ah no season.’ This is the right time for us to get ahead of them.”

According to Long Beach State athletic director Andy Fee, every other program’s season lingers on whether the university can get proper funding to secure rapid testing and mitigate possible coronavirus outbreaks. Without this, Fee doesn’t think even reduced group practices are an option.

“In reality we’re trying to mitigate and reduce transmission as much as possible,” Fee said.

“Rapid testing is the answer, in my opinion.”

Fee said that with the provision of rapid testing, and negative test results from each program, the Los Angeles County Department of Health is more likely to clear the university for on-campus, socially distanced practices.

If the university is able to secure approval, Fee said, Winget will be able to have cohorts of six runners at a time. He will have to give the same speech multiple times as his 31-athlete roster means at least five clusters will form. The runners will also have to stay with the same five runners for the remainder of socially distant practices.

Luckily for Winget and his squad, returning to cross country practice may not be as difficult as it may be for other sports. Cross country is an outdoor sport with very little-to-no contact and no ball in use. Still, things remain up in the air.

These “unchartered waters,” according to Winget, have only been compounded by the news that his wife, Lynn, is due with a baby in December.

“I think it has added some positivity to the team,” Winget said.

“That not everything is ugly right now.”

10 SPORTS

MONDAY, AUGUST 31, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | SPORTS@DAILY49ER.COM

Former Dirtbag pulls up his Sox Jarren Duran has always been his toughest critic on the diamond. field in Class-A ball.

“It’s obviously tough because playing baseball at the top level, it’s harder to move around and learn a new position. I’m getting the best coaching possible because I’m at the highest level,” Duran said. “I’m pretty comfortable with every position in the outfield, wherever they want to put me I’ll do it.”

Hitting situational line drives, ground balls and getting on base for the heavy hitters is where Duran excels. Baseball America currently has the 23-year-old as the No. 5 prospect in the organization behind Jeter Downs, Bryan Mata, Triston Casas and Bobby Dalbec.

Duran is ranked as the Sox’s best minor league prospect hitter for average, and, in 2019, was awarded the organization’s minor league base runner of the year award.

“I think for me his work ethic stands out. He’s an athlete and when you add those two together it’s dynamite,” said Corey Wimberly, head coach of the Class A Salem Red Sox. “His bat, ball skills are really good. He’s not a high strikeout guy and is very detailed with his work ethic, trusting coaches’ advice.”

By Jacob Powers Sports Editor

G

rowing up in Southern California, Jarren Duran used to idolize second baseman Dustin Pedroia of the Boston Red Sox, a team he would later be drafted by in the seventh round of the 2018 MLB June Amateur Draft.

“He’s always been a big Pedroia fan, he would emulate his style and he motivated him to play hard,” Duran’s father, Octavio, said. “He’s a grinder and works hard and wants to perform at the highest level because of his work ethic. ” Duran realized his knack for speed early on when he would constantly beat out others he’d challenge in a foot race on school playgrounds and in his neighborhood. This speed would later attract the attention of MLB scouts.

In high school, Duran played for Cypress High School, winning the CIF-SS Division 2 championship in 2013. During his time at Cypress, his biggest struggles, according to head coach John Webber, were not on the field but mentally in his own head.

“He was a hard working young kid. His junior year he started for us and hurt his back but fought his way back in the lineup. JD never really played elite travel ball,” Webber said. “He was always an under the radar type of player, I had to sell him to coach Buckley at the time. He had offers from Cal Poly, Kansas State, Washington State and Hawaii and didn’t want to go because he didn’t believe he could do it.”

Duran said that the decision to attend the Beach came last minute, but ultimately became the best one for his career.

Quickly endearing himself to Dirtbags fans over the seasons, Duran ate up hard-hit grounders and slashed a collective .294 batting average during his time at the Beach.

“I think the attitude of the program is so crucial, it doesn’t matter if you are up by 10 or down by 10, you never quit and you finish what you started,” Duran said.

“The culture of being a Dirtbag is rooted in being hardworking and has definitely shaped me where I am today.”

During his freshman year at the Beach, Duran started 55 games as the primary second baseman finishing with a .272 batting average.

In his breakout campaign of his sophomore year in 2017, Duran started 58 games at second base, missing only five games after he was hit in the face by a pitch versus California State University

COURTESY OF JARREN DURAN

Duran practices sliding drills during Red Sox summer camp.

Fullerton on March 26. That season, Duran led the team with 47 runs scored, five triples and 19 stolen bases on 26 attempts.

After hitting .308 that year, Duran was also selected to the second All Big-West team.

“All the guy did was work, he constantly worked out,” former Dirtbag first baseman Jacob Hughey said. “When we got buried in conditioning during the fall, we’d have guys throwing up on the side towards the end [myself included], and he’d be standing there like he hadn’t even broken a sweat yet.”

In Duran’s junior year, scouts started to get wind of his aggres-

sive baserunning and consistent plate presence. Finishing with a .302 average that season, Duran began to catch the eye of multiple pro clubs.

Duran’s exceptional speed, which grades as a 70 on the 20 to 80 scouting scale, was one of the main attributes that attracted MLB scouts to pursue him.

On June 14, 2018, Duran was drafted in the seventh round by the Boston Red Sox, a day he says he’ll never forget.

“I mean you’re always hoping to get drafted and the ultimate goal is to get to the MLB. My dad was an Angels fan and as a kid we would always be talking about

the Red Sox as they played them a lot,” Duran said. “There was a little sense for me of ‘I did it, I’m here,’ but also I still have to prove myself.”

Upon graduating from the Beach, Duran became part of a storied list of CSULB infielders to grace the big leagues, joining notable alumni: Troy Tulowitzki, Evan Longoria and Jeff McNeil.

Duran was assigned to the high Class-A Salem Red Sox on April 3, 2019. At a point during his first full professional season, he batted a minor league-best .410.

An infielder his whole athletic career, Duran quickly adapted to being called to move to the out-

To work on his game amidst the coronavirus pandemic, Duran returned home March 12 to Southern California from Florida after spring training was shut down.

Duran spent a significant amount of time working out at home and at Blair Field until the Los Angeles Angels began to utilize the field as their alternate site for summer camp.

Despite his success on the field and in his career, Duran’s biggest obstacles remain in his head.

“The competition in Double A increased a bit from Single A, and I had to keep telling myself that I do belong here and get past my self doubt,” Duran said. “That’s been the hardest thing for me about this whole experience.”

At the end of July, he was sent out to Pawtucket, Rhode Island to join the Triple A Pawtucket Redsox.

Having more than 82 games above Class-A ball under his belt, Duran may see the call up to the Red Sox this summer. Currently, the Red Sox outfield this season is full, but if someone gets injured or centerfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. leaves next year during free agency, Duran will be seeing playing time.

“I went from being a not-highly-sought-after player when I was a sophomore in college to being a seventh round pick, Duran said. “I am trying to have fun everyday, if I have fun, I will have a successful day. I want to laugh and joke around with my teammates and just enjoy each day no matter the results.”