Daily Forty-Niner, Sept. 14, 2020

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Vol. LXXII, Issue 4

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Monday, September 14, 2020

AH SHit, here we go again “I am announcing that the CSU will continue with this primarily virtual instructional approach for the academic term that begins in January 2021” — Chancellor Timothy P. White

2

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | EIC@DAILY49ER.COM

Letter from the editor: Student journalists are journalists, period.

Just because we’re learning, that doesn’t mean we’re not legit.

By Madalyn Amato Editor in chief

I

t was late Tuesday night when Pablo Unzueta, thirdyear journalism major, was covering a rally for Dijon Kizzee, a Black man who was killed by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputies, in South Los Angeles. As a freelance and student journalist, Unzueta is no stranger to being face-to-face with police, but this night was different.

After issuing an “unlawful assembly” order, L.A. Sheriff’s Deputies began to close in on the crowd, and before he knew it, Unzueta was in cuffs.

Despite having a press badge on his bag and a camera around his neck, the Daily Forty-Niner video editor was placed under arrest for a misdemeanor violation and held for nearly 24 hours.

Student journalists are journalists, point blank, period.

We may still be learning, but we are out on the front lines, risking our lives and well-being, just the same as professionals in the field.

While being apprehended, Unzueta’s credentials were ignored and his equipment was confiscated. He is almost certain he’ll never see his camera or cell phone again.

Over the past four months, the nation has been grappling with racial reckoning over the recent killings of Black folks at the hands of police. Across the country, protestors have been clashing with officers, and oftentimes peaceful protests end up dissolving into violent confrontations.

In the midst of it all, members of the free press stand as witnesses and documentarians. A press badge was once enough to prevent arrest and attack, however, over the last few months it’s become more of a target than a shield.

Omar Jimenez, correspondent for CNN, was arrested on live television at the height of the protests in Minneapolis, Minnesota, following the killing of George Floyd.

Journalists with large publications, like Jimenez, however, have the legal and monetary support to continue their work in the face of obstacles like arrest and equipment destruction.

Student journalists don’t.

Unzueta was lucky enough to receive pro-bono representation from the Student Press Law Center, an organization that works with student journalists across the country, but not even his attorney could get a confirmation from the LASD as to where his equipment was located and whether or not he’d be getting it back anytime soon.

Just because his press badge was from a student organization doesn’t mean his credibility, or talent, are lesser than anyone out in the field.

The next time you go looking for local news, instead of scrolling through a major publication, check out your local student paper.

Because believe us, we need your support.

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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.

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NEWS 3

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | NEWS@DAILY49ER.COM

Another Zoom-ester

By Julia Terbeche & Madalyn Amato Staff Writers

P

resident Jane Close Conoley confirmed in a campus-wide email Thursday that Long Beach State will remain virtual for the spring 2021 semester, in line with all California State University campuses.

“I’m disappointed. Of course I keep hoping that we’ll all get back together but I know in my mind and my heart that it is the right thing,” Conoley said. “I think like everybody else I was hoping that [the virus] would be gone by now.”

In an earlier announcement on Thursday, CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White said all 23 campuses in the system will continue with online instruction in the spring, after deciding that the current status of the coronavirus proves to be too unpredictable.

“After extensive consultation with campus presidents and other stakeholders, and careful consideration of a multitude of factors – regarding the pandemic and its consequences, as well as other matters impacting the university and its operations – I am announcing that the CSU will continue with this primarily virtual instructional approach for the academic term that begins in January 2021, and also will continue with reduced populations in campus housing,” White said in the statement.

According to Conoley, the plans to remain virtual for the spring semester had been discussed last Tuesday in a meeting with White, his vice chancellors and all the CSU presidents. Concerns were raised regarding a rise in coronavirus cases at campuses such as California State University Chico and San Diego State University.

“We ended that call last Tuesday, saying, ‘Okay, we get it, we can see the writings on the wall,’” Conoley said.

According to Conoley, the chancellor has been in discussions with “the top epidemiologists in the state” to keep up-to-date with the status of the virus and have predicted two more surges of COVID-19 cases, one this fall and another around March of next year.

Provost Brian Jerksy projects, Conoley said, that the spring semester may see a slight increase in the number of face-to-face courses available depending on how the virus progresses. Clubs may also get the chance to meet on campus, depending on guidance from health officials.

Conoley said she hopes this projection will become a reality while the campus community grows more accustomed to remote learning.

ALEJANDRO VAZQUEZ | Daily Forty-Niner

President Jane Close Conoley confirmed that Long Beach State will continue with virtual learning through the spring 2021 semester.

“The bottom line is our shared decision-making must be guided by prevailing public health guidelines,” Conoley said in her campus-wide email.

Commencement for the class of 2020 had been postponed in May over concerns of potential dangers of spreading the virus among graduates’ guests and the Long Beach community. Initially, the class of 2020 was set to walk alongside the class of 2021, but since the chancellor’s announcement, those plans may not come to fruition.

“Your guess is probably as good as mine,” Conoley said. “Does

anybody want to graduate like they’re playing baseball with nobody in the stands? I don’t know.”

An official decision regarding commencement will be made come Dec. 1, Conoley said. There will be consultations and questionnaires surveying the student body, she said, on whether they would be open to an in-person ceremony but with no guests.

CSULB initially made the move to virtual instruction in March after guidance from local and state health officials.

While there have only been 71 cases associated with the campus since March, the city of Long

Beach has had 11,088 cases as of Sept. 9.

Conoley said she predicts that there will be some kind of outbreak of COVID-19 on campus, but is certain the university can handle it without having to shut down.

“My hope is to get through the fall without any major outbreaks,” Conoley said. “Although, you know, I’m trying to be realistic about that. I [did] not want us to go into this thinking, ‘Well, we can always close in October.’ You know, that’s unfair. It’s so unfair to do that.”

She feels that positive cases

are unavoidable, but quarantining students would allow for the campus to refrain from drastically opening and closing on a repeated basis as other schools have.

Professors have implemented new teaching methods and activities to engage their students amid a virtual learning environment, and Conoley feels this is a good sign for how the spring semester may operate.

“I’ve been reading about faculty who are doing really unique and creative things with their remote classes, and I’m really encouraged by that,” she said. “People are trying to, you know, not just have Zoom meetings all the time or [say], ‘here’s the PowerPoint, learn it.’ I hope that continues.”

Conoley said she hopes for a vaccine “that we know will keep people safe.”

Along with the Student Health Center, campus administrators are working closely with health officials to determine whether CSULB will be able to offer rapid COVID-19 testing for students, if deemed economically feasible.

Due to the high demand for rapid testing, tests cost roughly $100 each, and ideally students would be tested more than once a week to stay on top of potential outbreaks, Conoley said. This means, if every CSULB student was tested according to guidelines, the school would have to invest roughly $10 million per week into this method.

The students most likely to receive this form of testing, according to Conoley, include on-campus residents, students coming to face-to-face classes and student athletes.

In April, the school received a total of $41.7 million in Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act funding, with $21 million set aside to assist students.

The remaining amount is set aside for “institutional purposes,” Conoley said, that can be used to pay for students’ testing.

“One of my concerns is that, you know, we needed to tell students pretty early. When we thought about how unsettling it would be to get the information just a week before the semester, it seemed like it was worth telling them,” Conoley said. “With some of these other universities, students came back [to campus], and then they were sent home within a week. Understandably, the students are saying, ‘Well, why did you bring me back if you didn’t think you could, you know, keep the place safe?’’

Despite this setback, Conoley remains hopeful for a successful spring semester.

“What’s the path that people don’t have to lose their jobs and their livelihoods, their savings and everything?” Conoley said.

“On the economic side, is there a way to safely operate more businesses? So that’s part of our goal is figure out a way that we can manage.”

4 NEWS

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | NEWS@DAILY49ER.COM

Scholar strike embraces some, forgets others Professors and students share their experiences with the two-day pause in academics, both good and bad.

By Julia Terbeche & Madalyn Amato Staff Writers

A

fter the post-Labor Day scholar strike concluded its two-day pause of normal academic studies, students and faculty reflect on their experiences as participants in

the event.

Anthea Butler, associate professor of religious studies and Africana studies at the University of Pennsylvania, created the strike to bring awareness to issues of racial violence and injustice by having participating faculty stray from traditional course material and administrative responsibilities for 48 hours.

With over 5,000 participant signatures, the event exceeded Butler’s expectations as the strike spanned several states, even reaching Canada. She said she expected between 500 and 1,000 participants at most.

“I’m really grateful for all the people who decided tbo participate,” Butler said.

“I think for the first time, this was pretty decent. I don’t think I’d do anything different.”

Butler started the strike on Twitter after being inspired by the N.B.A. and W.N.B.A.’s walkouts, feeling professors should do the same.

While Butler managed most of the social media, the website and YouTube accounts, Kevin Gannon, professor of history at Grand View University in Iowa, assisted with the execution of her vision by organizing email lists and spreading information about the strike. “[Gannon] was really instrumental because he came right at the front and said, ‘you know, whatever you need I’m happy to help you,’” Butler said. “It was a lot of work, I have to tell you, it was a lot of work.

I could not have done it by myself, I’m really grateful to him for helping me.”

The two organized the majority of the work that went into administering the strike, along with help from a few others including Charles Davis, an assistant professor of higher education at the University of Michigan, who provided the logos.

During the two-day movement, Butler’s established hashtag #ScholarStrike was trending on Twitter a few times, she said.

There were several marches and events occurring nationwide, according to Butler, in relation to the issues brought to light with the strike, including a march to end police violence Tuesday afternoon at Recreation Park in Long Beach.

With roughly 75 attendees, Tuesday’s march included members of Black Lives Matter Long Beach, the People’s Budget Coalition and the Democratic Socialists of America Long Beach, all calling for the Long Beach Police Department to be defunded.

Butler said she envisions the scholar strike to become a recurring event, but hopes several other events occur in the meantime to continue to provide a platform for discussions about race and racial violence. She also said she wants more active involvement in local and academic communities.

“I see us doing some stuff, not just next year, but I see us, you know, trying to continue to raise awareness and do some actions and things like that,” Butler said. “It might not be to the same extent that it was

JULIA TERBECHE | Daily Forty-Niner

Protestors march in the intersection of Bellflower Boulevard and East Seventh Street in solidarity with victims of racial violence, calling for the LBPD to be defunded, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020. today but I want to see that we can keep going. Now that we have this linkage of all these professors, we have to think about what more we can do.”

Some participants in the strike at Long Beach State expressed concerns regarding the accessibility accommodations for disabled individuals.

Barbara LeMaster, director of American Sign Language Linguistics and Deaf Cultures at CSULB, expressed her concerns about the lack of accommodations, particularly for deaf participants.

Just a few days before the strike was set to occur, LeMaster said, there was “nothing in place for communicative inclusion of deaf students and faculty,” and felt it was important for organizers to ensure the sessions were accessible for students who wished to attend.

“It is extremely important to provide accommodations to a segment of our campus that often gets forgotten, left out, or, in some of this population’s own views, inadequately served on this campus,” LeMaster said. “I felt torn. I support the strike and do not support exclusion of deaf colleagues and students. I did my best to argue in favor of inclusion by provision of interpreters.”

Vanessa Cruz, third-year dance major, voiced her disappointment with CSULB’s execution of the sessions, specifically during the session titled “13th: What the Film Teaches Us About Anti-Blackness in the U.S.,” in which there were no sign language interpreters visible on-screen, she said.

Cruz said that captioning or closed captioning should have been secured and image descriptions for visually impaired individuals should have been provided.

When she brought this issue to the attention of the organizers, however, she was told it was an issue with her Zoom account not being up-to-date.

“They were trying to blame it on [me] not having Zoom updated, but my Zoom was updated,” Cruz said.

According to Cruz, this lapse in information availability was “detrimental” to those who needed these accommodations to be able to engage in the sessions.

“It becomes just another simple mistake as they would call it, but in reality it’s not.

It’s a microaggression towards disabled people specifically to Black disabled people, and people of color who have disabilities as well,” Cruz said. “What upsets me most of all was the fact that police brutality targets a lot of Black disabled people, and the fact that we are still putting disabled needs secondary is a form of discrimination [and] a form of segregation.”

LeMaster said she made sure to inform deaf students and faculty to check to make sure the session they wanted to participate in had proper accessibility.

She said she “lobbied hard” for disability accommodations to be added to the strike’s events and reached out to the administration with her concerns.

“I thought that maybe, if someone high up enough in the administration wanted this to happen that maybe they could make

it happen,” she said. “I reached out to people with this kind of access and asked them to please state the case for accessibility, and the irony of striking for such a noble cause while excluding a segment of our own university community. Maybe that message got through?”

Nathan Hunter, third-year political science major, said he felt his professor’s participation in the strike was “half-hearted.”

“I’m a political science major, and my professor for media and American politics is the one that striked and told us to use the day to educate ourselves,” Hunter said.

“But wouldn’t that be a great class to educate us in?”

Instead of sending students to the sessions being led by others, Hunter said he wishes his professor would’ve fostered discussions on race and racial violence in the parameters of the course.

One of CSULB’s initial supporters of the strike, David Shafer, history department chair, said he hopes the strike increases students’ awareness of the importance of voting and census participation.

“My biggest hopes are that it will raise consciousness amongst our students, get them to register to vote and encourage them to complete their census forms,” Shafer said. “Nothing will change if California, and Los Angeles County, in particular, does not have its population counted and if people don’t go out and vote. If the scholar strike is able to accomplish both of these objectives, it will have been a ringing success.”

ARTS & LIFE 5

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | ARTS@DAILY49ER.COM

Searching for home in ‘Faith Alone’ Jess Kung discusses the value of storytelling through different mediums and their documentary short “Faith Alone,” featured in KCET’s Fine Cut Festival meant for emerging filmmakers.

By Rajvinder Singh Staff Writer

J

ess Kung’s documentary short “Faith Alone” began as an assignment for a non-fiction writing course during their senior year at Long Beach State in 2019.

Now, the short is representing CSULB and competing with the likes of filmmakers from University of Southern California and New York Film Academy on KCET’s Fine Cut Festival for prizes like valuable equipment, and to be part of an emerging filmmakers showcase at Cannes Film Festival.

“When I made this movie, I wanted to put my all into it,” Kung said.

The documentary paints a portrait of The Good Samaritan United Methodist Church in Silicon Valley, where Kung’s mother, Helen, is a minister. It chronicles the issues that come with being transgender, including the rest of the LGBTQ community, within the church.

They unveil the curtain on the social politics that go into being someone who doesn’t exactly align with the Methodist Church’s ideals. This bore a great deal of social ostracization for them as a place that was assumed to be home turned into a place to hide and cry.

Despite the discouraging outside forces, Helen works towards uniting her church.

But, Kung still believes that the church is a flawed institution.

Communicating personal stories from outside of their own head was a challenging task. The stories were something Kung thought about for a long time and communicating every part of them was vital to the crew’s understanding.

“It’s a personal story and it’s the kind of thing you want to get right,” Kung said.

Other hurdles Kung faced included pitching to a panel and the team while juggling classes and work. The team was made up of producer, additional cinematographer and assistant editor Taylor Vracin-Harrell, editor and sound recordist Tricia Baumgartner and cinematographer and assistant editor Isaura Aceves.

The stories Kung wanted to tell had to begin with learning how to make documentaries.

“The form we could learn that best at, at Cal State Long Beach, was in the film department,” Kung said.

COURTESY OF ALEJANDRO RAMOS

COURTESY OF TAYLOR VRACIN-HARRELL

Jess Kung plots multiple themes for “Faith Alone” in the CSULB Library on April 2019.

But they don’t consider themselves a filmmaker.

Kung’s passion for audio production runs much deeper. Audio storytelling wasn’t something that was difficult to adapt to at CSULB, it was meant for them.

“I was always drawn to podcasting because the form lets you express things in really specific ways,” Kung said. “But I think the reporting I’m interested in is the same and when I write and when I try to make stories, they’re along the same lines.”

Kung’s work at DIG Magazine explored Long Beach’s drag scene and transgender health at CSULB. Their aha moment arrived when they were still majoring in film. They knew they weren’t as invested in fiction writing as much as non-fiction.

“It’s not like one is much more stable than the other,” Kung said, joking about screenwriting versus journalism.

Kung used 22 West Media’s equipment to record monologues for their documentary, which earned the publication an “honorary credit” in the film.

CSULB graduate Tara Thomas worked alongside Kung as art director at 22 West while Kung was editor in chief.

“They wrote a lot of articles as well,” Thomas said. “I think it really highlighted the diversity we appreciate in 22 West.”

Kung nurtured their passion for audio production under the supervision of student media coordinator Danny Lemos at 22 West.

Lemos said Kung’s vision of the publication created an impact for the better and that all he had to do was approve the changes.

One day, Lemos was taken by surprise while listening to one of his favorite podcasts, KCRW’s “The Document.”

“I remember driving along the 405 and then hearing the end of the podcast,” Lemos said. “And it said ‘We’d like to thank our associate producer Jess Kung,’ and I was like ‘Oh my God.’ I freaked out!”

What began as a National Public Radio internship after graduation became a full-time position for Kung. Today, they produce NPR’s “Code Switch,” a podcast dedicated to themes of race and culture and how these factors function in our communities.

Kung strives to see different perspectives of life in their work and the fact that the media enables this was enough to win their heart.

“I feel like I’ve always been interested in documenting my life to an extent, but I think we all are,” Kung said. “We just found different ways of doing it.”

6 ARTS & LIFE

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | ARTS@DAILY49ER.COM

A bite of Long Beach For students looking for safe dining options amid the pandemic, these five local restaurants offer a variety of options to chow down on.

BY GRACE WIDYATMADJA

F

or Long Beach State students still living locally or on-campus looking for a bite to eat, these five restaurants offer the community easy to-go options and safe service.

The restaurants featured are all located within a 10-mile radius of campus. Until dining indoors is deemed safe once again, customers will have to continue to rely on takeout and delivery options to maintain safety standards and social distancing guidelines.

Simone’s Donuts sits half a mile away from CSULB and is open 24 hours for any student with a midnight donut craving.

Commodity, a local coffee shop, has a mission to bring quality drinks to the Long Beach community, with carefully crafted coffee, wine and beer available for takeout. “We’re your one-stop shop for quality coffee, alcohol and breakfast foods,” said Alyssa Garcia, manager of Commodity.

Veganism has quickly become a part of Long Beach culture. Plant Power Fast Food takes favorite fast food classics and reimagines them into plant-based substitutes.

“I encourage all students to give vegan food a shot, it’s great for you and the environment,” said Vanessa Buck, a Plant Power Fast Food employee.

MVP’s Grill & Patio remains open as a takeout eatery with outdoor patio dining available. The sports-themed restaurant is best known for its burgers and sandwiches like the George Foreman or the Shaq.

Yago Juice is a locally owned small business specializing in acai bowls and coldpressed juices. “We are fortunate to have the support of the community to help us through these difficult times,” said Paolo Lopez, owner of Yago Juice.

ARTS & LIFE 7

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | ARTS@DAILY49ER.COM

The Acts of Matter dancers perform via Zoom, complete with live music and a virtual audience.

CELESTE HUECIAS | Daily Forty-Niner

Performing from home Rebecca Lemme, the co-coordinator of the Bachelor of Fine Arts program for dance, directs an all-virtual performance with members from her outside dance studios, students and

By Celeste Huecias Arts and Life Assistant Editor

A

s the spring 2020 semester came to a close and a summer of being confined indoors began, dance studios everywhere had to face the tough decision of keeping their doors sealed.

But Rebecca Lemme, the co-coordinator of the Bachelor of Fine Arts dance program at Long Beach State, couldn’t let her students down.

A virtual dance intensive and performance was not something Lemme had planned for her studio, Acts of Matter, but with the rising cases of the coronavirus, she moved forward without a second thought.

“So much of what made [the participants], them, had gotten stripped away that this sort of brought them back to what it is they love to do,” Lemme said. “It really gave them an outlet.”

For eight hours a day over the course of three days, the intensive focused on modern, contemporary and movement-based choreography. Held via Zoom on July 12, the final performance featured over 100 virtual audience members, live music and a cast of 23 dancers, half of which were CSULB students and alumni.

At first, Lemme debated between moving forward or canceling the show because this was Acts of Matter’s first ever intensive

and performance. Despite the challenge, though, Lemme continued on.

“It definitely felt risky and I was nervous about it,” Lemme said. “But once we dove into the process it really became clear what was going to work and what wasn’t.”

Lemme explained that she tried not to fight too many uphill battles throughout the creative process. She collaborated with all of her students to see what would work

was a two-way creative process that both Lemme and her students needed. Everyone involved played a part and had an outlet to express themselves in the way they know best.

“I didn’t realize how much I needed this until we did it,” Lemme said. “I truly didn’t realize how much I needed this outlet, not only of dancing, but of performing and creating something.”

“I truly didn’t realize how much I needed this outlet, not only of dancing, but of performing and creating something.”

— Rebecca Lemme Co-coordinator of dance program

and what they could do differently that they couldn’t do on stage.

Zoom’s webinar platform allowed only dancers on the screen, rather than dancers and audience members. This helped the performers articulate the detail of up-close hand movements, lower body movements, facial expressions and more.

The whole performance and intensive

Many of the dancers felt the same way.

Derrick Paris, a fourth-year dance major, explained that if it wasn’t for Lemme offering him a scholarship for the intensive, he wouldn’t have been able to dance and perform.

“I, like so many other people right now, are facing financial hardships and I think [Lemme] knew how much I wanted to do

it,” Paris said. “She definitely knows how much dance means to me and I’m just so grateful.”

Paris said he felt that this intensive woke him out of a depressive state that he has been stuck in and that participating in this brought so much joy to him that he had missed out on.

Danielle Burdick, a fourth-year dance major, had similar feelings pent up inside of her.

Until this project, Burdick had not been able to dance. She said that the process was a lot more emotional than she had anticipated because of that.

“Throughout the whole process I was actually experiencing a lot of anxiety and really intense dreams,” Burdick said. “It just felt like a huge release.”

Acts of Matter’s performance allowed every participant to feel emotion through dancing and experience the creative process that goes along with it.

Participants took this performance as an opportunity to create, connect with people in their community and learn what the new age of dance could look like.

As CSULB stays virtual through spring semester, Lemme plans to utilize this virtual performance technique at both her studio and on campus. The dance department will be doing a virtual production this fall, with a mix of live Zoom performances and pre-recorded dances.

“I think we will still see a lot of creativity coming out of the department,” Lemme said. “It just won’t be happening in our the-

8 OPINION

Go Greek, you won’t regret it

By Bella Arnold Staff Writer

L

ook, we all know the standard jokes about going Greek. I could sit here and make fun of business majors named Chad who like to punch drywall and wear boat shoes, but truthfully, fraternity and sorority life has come a long way.

Like all great American traditions, fraternities were founded out of spite. According to Greek Yearbook, John Heath, a student at the college of William & Mary, founded Phi Beta Kappa after being rejected from multiple secret societies in 1776. This was the first brotherhood to don the Greek letters with pride and inspire other college campuses to soon follow suit.

In 1851, Wesleyan College established the first sorority, promoting their ideals of “mental, moral, social and domestic improvement of its members.” Though they weren’t seen as valid members of the Greek-letter society until the 1900s, this was a monumental step for women seeking sisterhood in higher education.

I advocate for Greek life because of the undeniable community it brings. The transition to college can be extremely stressful and lonely, so having a solid group of people you can lean on is a terrific way to combat the first-year blues.

Fraternity and Sorority Life is a great outlet for emotional and academic support. For some members, their brothers and sisters can serve as a study group.

The community is typically filled with different grade levels and majors meaning that a lot of the time, someone has likely taken the same class as you, and can supply a textbook and offer academic assistance. Having a strong community encourages students to stay enrolled until they graduate. According to a report done by USA Today, graduation rates among FSL members is 20% higher than the average student.

The root of the word fraternity is quite literally “frater” which translates to brother in Latin. This network that frat bros and sorority sisters bond over is one that can last a lifetime and can be a great resource to make connections.

You may enter Greek Life with the expectations of using a lot of red Solo cups, but you may leave with internships, interviews and fellowships lined up thanks to some Greek letter love. I do find it important to acknowledge the present scope of Greek Life.

Many institutions, like Long Beach State, have integrated special interest sororities and fraternities. At CSULB, we have special interest fraternities and sororities, ranging from Kappa Psi Epsilon, a Pilipina based special interest sorority that promotes female empowerment and uniqueness, to Delta Sigma Chi, a coed fraternity for Latinx students.

I emphatically promote the philanthropic contributions of FSL and implore college students to go Greek if they are seeking a community to bring them closer to their college campus.

However, I find myself struggling to promote date parties and rushing for all because of the heteronormative culture, sexism and hazing associated with said activities.

I acknowledge the progress that fraternities and sororities have made in those respects, but I think that it would be ignorant to ignore the problematic aspects that plague the community.

These issues are deeply rooted in the culture of Greek Life and the only way to change it is from within. I praise fraternities at CSULB like Delta Lambda Phi that do not participate in hazing, demoralizing behavior and are comprised of gay, bisexual and progressive men.

I do not think that Fraternity and Sorority Life is a flawless entity, because the truth is that they have a lot of work to do. But would I recommend FSL to a new student looking to make friends and connections? Without a doubt.

Having said that, as college students, I believe that we have the opportunity to incite change from within and call out the problematic behavior. If you’re a new student looking to make connections, friends and memories, I firmly believe that going Greek is the correct path.

Because that guy named Chad who, once upon a time, punched drywall might end up being your future colleague and a lifelong friend.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | OPINION@DAILY49ER.COM

Greek has got to go

By Diego Herrera Staff Writer

F

raternities and sororities function essentially as cults. They do not worship a god, but worship an ideal version of a person.

For fraternities in particular, they are a cult of men which breed dominance resulting in abuse of their members and all those they come in contact with. Sororities are also institutions that prey on freshmen who are eager to fit in, promising parties, popularity and lifelong friendships, leaving out the less appealing aspects of Greek life.

Bullying, unethical initiations and sexual assaults are all characteristics known to Greek life, and abusive relationships too.

In 2016, both the Long Beach State chapters of Kappa Sigma and Sigma Alpha Epsilon were under investigation for allegations of rape and sexual misconduct. Both chapters were suspended, however, and SAE is now attempting to make a comeback since their suspension period of four years is coming to an end.

Issues surrounding race, racism and diversity in both frats and sororities is something that is often talked about. Almost everyone is pale, white or white passing, mostly blonde, repeating their chants. It’s something akin to a scene of Midsommar, and is honestly a little creepy.

Racism and sexism alone should warrant abolishment, but our campus, both the institution and students, tolerate them.

Not only because the freshmen they indoctrinate are fed myths about Greek life, but also from the institutions profiting from their existence.

In the 2018-19 school year alone, sororities bled a million dollars from sorority members, according to the CSULB Panhellenic Recruitment Guide. How could our campus not see the issue with capital being made from students?

The social costs of the charitable and social events are not only incredibly taxing, but socially isolate their members from the rest of campus life. Students oftentimes are not able to be a part of any clubs or take part in events, or find it difficult to make time to be part of anything else, other than Greeksponsored ones in order for them to not have any outside friends.

I have had many good friends who wanted to be a part of Greek life, but too many times they have grown distant, not by any fault of our own, but simply because they did not have time for anything besides Greek life. It is almost as bad as losing a friend through a fight because you know they could just leave and it would be okay, but they don’t. A good portion of the student body has probably gone through this and it’s tragic.

While there are exceptions to the rule, such as minority led and coed fraternities, the majority of FSL institutions continue to do more damage to students than good. The issues pertaining to Greek life are inherent and are of a bygone age centuries ago and the only way to fix Greek life is to abolish it.

OPINION 9

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | OPINION@DAILY49ER.COM

Age and youth in action Started in 1974, the Long Beach Gray Panthers continue to advocate for seniors, Black Lives Matters and other groups in need in the city.

By Karen Reside Gray Panther member

T

Ronell Robinson, above, celebrates at the 2019 Pride Parade. Members Bill Sive, Bill Logan and Jim Dawson, left, lead LBGTQ engagement. The Long Beach Gray Panthers pose at the 2019 Annual Strategic Planning session, below.

COURTESY OF LONG BEACH GRAY PANTHERS

he working slogan of the Long Beach branch of the Gray Panthers, multi-generational local advocacy network in the United States which confronts ageism and many other social justice issues related to Older Adults, is “age and youth in action.”

The organization was formed by Maggie Kuhn in 1970 after she was forced to retire from the Presbyterian Church at the age of 65. She then gathered some of her friends who were also being forced to retire and formed an organization to advocate against and work towards eliminating forced retirement. They were successful and decided to engage in other Older Adult issues.

Led by Kuhn, the group received inspiration to name themselves the Gray Panthers from a TV producer, and Maggie and her sister visited the New York Black Panthers to study their community programs to see how they could apply it to elders.

Today, the Long Beach network engages with over 72 community partners on issues of racial justice, housing, Social Security, Medicare, elections, Census, consumer protections, LBGTQ issues, technology access, caregiving and any other issues that impact Older Adults.

It is important that everyone has the choice of living their life the way they choose, in health, safety, dignity and freedom. One lifestyle does not fit all. It is important for younger people to realize that they too will age. The programs that are in place now may not meet their needs as they age.

Take Social Security for example – if regular adjustments are not made to the funding of the program, the program could eventually run out of money, which would reduce retirement security for everyone, not just those receiving benefits now.

The Social Security Administration showed that in 2019, a total of 65 million Americans were receiving Social Security benefits. Of those, 48.1 million were considered to be seniors, the rest either disabled workers or survivors of deceased individuals.

For seniors, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that one in four individuals over the age of 65 rely solely on Social Security for their monthly income.

Currently, the Long Beach Gray Panthers are implementing the Donna Helsley Food Fund with Partners of Parks, a nonprofit associated with

Parks and Recreation and Marine.

The fund provides $50 grocery store gift cards to seniors who have difficulty making their food money last to the end of the month.

The Gray Panthers are also part of the People’s Budget, an organization that advocates for communities of color in Long Beach, and are working to get their demands implemented in next year’s city budget.

The People’s Budget is working to reallocate financial resources in the city’s budget process to provide more services to benefit the community.

There are 10 points to the People’s Budget, brought forth by members of the Long Beach Rising Coalition of progressive community groups. Of those, defunding the police remains at the top of the list.

Over 40% of Long Beach’s budget funds the police department, which alone does not make the community safer. Our coalition wants more resources to go to prevention, such as youth programming and health services to keep young people engaged in healthy activities rather than hanging out unsupervised.

Black and Brown lives are presented as the key focus of our organization because of the systemic racism they have faced, particularly in police interactions. According to the Advancement Project, police stops are more likely to happen to Black and Brown community members, and they are more likely to die during a stop than a white person. This is not equitable. It creates mistrust of police and has cost the city over $31 million in lawsuit settlements in the last six years, as reported by the Signal Tribune.

We want a healthier form of policing with civilian oversight, rather than continuing to allow the police department to oversee itself. There needs to be civilian oversight that demands accountability from police officers.

The militarization of the police has to stop. Police engage in things they are not trained for, like trying to assist the mentally ill or manage homeless communities.

We need to renegotiate the job of policing to create a healthier, safer community. This is not a new problem but it is time to finally fix the problem, not offer bandaids.

Our youth and seniors deserve investment too, as do our families.

The Gray Panthers welcomes all ages, and anyone can join by sending an email to longbeachgraypanthers@gmail.com or attending their monthly online Zoom meetings that are held the first Saturday of the month from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

10 SPORTS

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | SPORTS@DAILY49ER.COM

MARK LINDAHL | Daily Forty-Niner

Athletics remains afloat Despite academics remaining online through the spring 2021 semester, Long Beach State athletic director Andy Fee said the department is still in good shape.

By Jacob Powers Sports Editor

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ollowing the recent announcement made by Chancellor Timothy P. White of yet another virtual semester, Long Beach State athletic director Andy Fee said he is planning ahead for the department’s future.

“Athletes across the country have been kind of hotbeds of COVID because they can’t play without coming in close contact with one another,” Conoley said.

Recently, colleges across the nation have been cutting budgets significantly across athletics departments. On August 8, Stanford University announced they would be cutting 11 varsity sports, including its men’s volleyball team.

Luckily for the Beach, all sports programs will remain intact going into the spring 2021 semester.

“We were able to fundraise an additional $150,000 through donor donations and keep all of our athletes covered,” Fee said. “We’ve had our consistent donors step up, and we’ve had some new donors, but mainly our consistent donors.”

According to Fee, the athletic department received only $200,000 this year because they were unable to participate in National Collegiate Athletics Association March Madness due to COVID-19 restrictions, which is nearly $400,000 less than last year.

Per NCAA regulations, student athletes have been grant-

“ I want everyone to be able to play here for four years, and the reality is we can’t do that anymore due to the financial situation we are in.

” — Andy Fee Long Beach State athletic director

ed an additional year of eligibility if they chose to sit out the fall 2020 season.

“If we are required to keep folks on scholarship, what do we do about incoming student athletes?” Fee said. “Now you have the returning athlete not hanging out the baton of scholarship and our new athletes. I want everyone to be able to play here for four years, and the reality is we can’t do that anymore due to the financial situation we are in.”

However, offering an extra year of eligibility comes with a multitude of issues.

For example, the Dirtbags’ baseball roster currently has 54 players, nearly 20 more than the NCAA had previously allowed per team.

“You start amplifying instead of a 40-man roster, it’s now an extra 14 players on staff we have to attend to,” Fee said. “Multiply that across 19 sports and that’s a significant increase. The reality is my heart endorses people getting their year of eligibility. You’re a little handcuffed by the NCAA, until the eligibility is exhausted, every player, not just seniors are getting this extra pushback.”

The only hope for a return to live sports at the Beach solely rests on men’s basketball.

The NCAA had originally set the season to begin Nov. 10, but will now instead make a decision at the end of September on whether there will still be a season at all. Fee is hopeful, however, that the organization will decide favorably for the team and spectators can expect to see men’s basketball after Thanksgiving.

“We are creating a system that requires us to do certain things,” Fee said. “The reality is we can’t keep adding money into the scholarship bucket. The bucket has gotten smaller, when you put too much pressure on institutions, we are at the front end.”

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | SPORTS@DAILY49ER.COM

SPORTS 11

Men’s volleyball aims for return The Beach continues to follow the coronavirus guidelines as they look to a possible 2021 season.

By Teran Rodriguez Staff Writer

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lthough the men’s volleyball season doesn’t start until next spring, the future of the 2021 season is still up in the air.

The team, however, is still keeping its hopes up despite all sports being postponed after the Big West Conference issued a statement on July 29, announcing that fall sports competition would be canceled through the end of the calendar year.

“It’s certainly not the way anyone wanted to start the school or even start our fall volleyball

training, but it is what it is,” head coach Alan Knipe said. “We are in this situation and we can’t control that right now. We can only control how we’re responding to what we are allowed to do.”

Not being able to practice faceto-face in the campus facilities has not deterred the team, but coach Knipe hopes that he and his players can get back to practicing in the gymnasium soon.

“As a player or a coach, during something like this, there’s certainly lots of things to keep us busy,” Knipe said. “But in reality, the thing that we love and are passionate about [is] being in our gym with our culture and our guys. We don’t get the chance to do that right now, so it’s difficult.”

To keep the team busy, coach

Daily Forty-Niner

The LBSU men’s volleyball team heads to the NCAA Tournament on May 2, 2016 in search of its first National Championship since 1991.

Knipe has built a playbook where athletes build the structure of their team handbook based off of individual job descriptions and system descriptions.

“Of course I hope we can get back as soon as possible, and hopefully that’s sooner than later,” senior opposite Simon Andersen said.

Andersen said that he and his teammates have been communi-

cating through Zoom to make up for not seeing each other every day in practice.

“Being around all the guys is a huge part of what I’ve been used to at Long Beach,” Andersen said.

“I think it helps me through the academic side as well just to have the time and the practice gym where you get to get your tension out and be focused on volleyball and nothing else.”

Senior outside hitter Ethan Siegfried is hoping he’ll be able to play his senior year, as he’s hoping he can go out on a strong note.

“Being a senior, it’s fun being on a team and you know how the team works,” Siegfried said. “Going into a 50-50 season, I’m still trying to enjoy being a senior on the team, enjoy the team dynamic and get to know all the guys on the team.”

World Series champions or bust The Dodgers are again having a great regular season, but come October, none of it matters without a World Series Championship.

By Cain Hernandez Assistant Sports Editor

I

JACOB POWERS | Daily Forty-Niner

Dodger Stadium from atop of the pavilion on May 11, 2016.

t’s time for the Los Angeles Dodgers to finally bring back a championship to Los Angeles.

No more excuses, it has to be this year.

It has been a long, gut-wrenching 31 years since the boys in blue last hoisted the commissioner’s World Series trophy.

This year’s squad must be the team to break the cycle of capturing seven straight National League West titles without winning the world series.

After the season ended how it did last year, winning 106 games, it put me in a dark, miserable state of mind for days on end.

The series loss to the Washington Nationals was debatably worse than the 2017 World Series loss to those cheaters in Houston.

Beating the Nationals in four of six games in the 2019 regular season, the Dodgers lost the divisional round series to Washington in five games. Seeing them lose in the first round hurt so bad I did not bother watching the rest of the postseason.

Seeing the shot of Clayton Kershaw hanging his head in the

dugout after giving up two late inning home runs hurt my soul.

His postseason demons will sadly always be a part of his legacy.

In last year’s divisional matchup with the Nationals, Kershaw was brought into the game in the seventh inning to protect a tworun lead. In the eighth, Kershaw gave up back-to-back bombs, swinging all the momentum Washington’s way.

As the Dodgers hold the best record in the national league weeks away from postseason October baseball, I am once again aboard the Dodgers hype train.

With the deepest lineup in the league, there are no more excuses for the Dodgers to not be the last ones standing.

The Dodgers have mashed opposing pitching, hitting a league-high 79 home runs. In August, the Dodgers broke the record for most home runs hit in a month with 57. They have also scored the second most runs in the league, with 236. Only the San Diego Padres have scored more runs.

Los Angeles has four of the top 30 players batting for average on the team. Corey Seager and Mookie Betts are scorching hot hitting atop the Dodgers lineup.

Seager is reminding everyone why he is the top shortstop in baseball batting .331. Betts is slated to be a front-runner for National League MVP, hitting 13

homers while driving in 31 RBIs. Another key contributor to the Dodgers’ success in this shortened season has been outfielder AJ Pollock. Pollock presents a consistent bat in the order.

While facing left-handed pitching, Pollack is hitting a team high .359.

As the offense is putting runs on the board, the Dodgers’ pitchers are keeping runs off of it.

The Dodgers pitching staff has a combined ERA of 2.88, second lowest behind the Cleveland Indians.

If the Dodgers want to make a deep postseason run, they’ll have to keep their bullpen consistent nightly. With the regular season only being 60 games, their arms should be fresh to carry them late into October.

Even though the pitching has been solid, the bullpen is the Dodgers’ weak suit as of this moment.

With Kenley Jansen no longer being the lights-out closer he once was, I don’t assume he is going to have a clean inning anymore. He’s been solid as of late, but he needs to perform once the playoffs begin.

The Dodgers can be the best team in the regular season and win an eighth straight division title, but if they come short of winning the world series for the third time in the four years, the pain will return.