Daily Forty-Niner, September 28, 2020

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Vol. LXXII, Issue 6

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Monday, September 28, 2020

ray for

uvungna

Inside the

Niner

pages 4 & 5

ARTS & LIFE

SPORTS

Dancing down barriers

Long Beach Legend: Lute Olson

page 7

pages 12 & 13

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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | EIC@DAILY49ER.COM ON THE COVER Photo by Julia Terbeche

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JULIA TERBECHE | Daily Forty-Niner

All on-campus residents at CSULB will quarantining for two weeks in their rooms in Parkside College after five students tested positive for COVID-19.

BREAKING: COVID-19 on campus With concerns of further outbreak of the coronavirus, Long Beach State will be pausing in-person instruction for the next two weeks and reviewing the number of employees permitted on campus and placing all residential students in quarantine.

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By Madalyn Amato & Julia Terbeche Staff Writers

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resident Jane Close Conoley announced Saturday that all on-campus residents at Long Beach State have been placed in quarantine for two weeks following five newly diagnosed cases of the coronavirus.

Four of the students infected live in the residence halls and one off campus.

This new development brings the total number of COVID-19 cases related to the campus to 90, according to the New York Times.

“Late yesterday, we became aware of a number of students who have not headed our guidance related to COVID-19 precautions and congregated socially off campus earlier this month,” Conoley said in a campus-wide email.

In accordance with the Long Beach Department of Public Health and Human Services, CSULB will be testing all 328 on-campus residents soon, she said.

As a response, the school will begin contact tracing for those who may have come in contact with the infected individuals. All in-person courses will be paused for two weeks until it is determined who the infected students interacted with, according to Conoley, and CSULB will review the number of employees on campus to determine when it’s safe to return.

“Given medical privacy regulations I don’t feel okay about further identifying our affected students. Right now we don’t think any of the positive students are taking in person classes, but we have to find out who was exposed to the virus,” Conoley said. “Failure to follow precautions is a selfish act.”

According to Jeff Cook, associate vice president of strategic communications, all housing students will remain in their assigned rooms in Parkside College “for the

time being while testing is being pursued.”

Housing and Residential Life staff will work with the 49er Shops staff to participate in no-contact meal delivery to students’ rooms, Cook said.

One on-campus resident, who was not comfortable giving their name, said they didn’t even know about the announcement.

“I’m supposed to move out Monday so I don’t know how that’ll affect me,” the student said.

Josh Licata, first-year microbiology major and housing student, said he had not received any information from Housing and Residential Life and found out about this development along with the rest of campus from Conoley’s email.

“I’m not surprised. A part of me just doesn’t want to believe it, but I mean I knew it was gonna happen,” Licata said. “I’m sad to hear it. It’s just something that I didn’t really want to happen.”

Cook, however, said that Housing and Residential Life sent out a follow-up email to student residents after Conoley’s initial announcement.

Dean Stavros, first-year film major and housing student, said he received the email Cook referred to in which Housing and Residential Life emphasized the importance of maintaining health and safety standards. Stavros said the email warned that non-compliance may result in removal from the dormitory buildings.

A representative from Housing and Residential Life called Stavros and told him he needed to be tested for the virus. For the time being, he and all other residential students are expected to shelterin-place in their dormitories for a full two weeks.

“It’s probably going to suck but I’d much rather take this route than letting it get worse and shutting down entirely after a few more weeks,” Stavros said.

According to James Ahumada, Associated Students, Inc. senior

communications manager, access to on-campus resources in the University Student Union will be paused for the foreseeable future.

In accordance with Conoley’s announcement, the ASI-affiliated services that will be closed until further notice include the USU’s Open Lab computer center, the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in the USU and the Student Recreation and Wellness Center’s equipment checkout program, Ahumada said. The Beach Pantry pop-up drive-thru event on Oct. 2 will also be canceled.

“The health and safety of the Beach community continues to be our top priority,” Ahumada said.

“We will continue to make these closure decisions in consultation with university, city and regional health professionals.”

As of now, campus is open to all essential employees and 97.5% of instruction will continue as planned, Conoley said. Cleaning and disinfection of the facilities will be increased and student conduct will be addressed to prevent further outbreaks, she said.

“Those who have the need to be tested will have a test offered,” Conoley said.

Conoley said the university’s plan moving forward includes a Los Angeles County “mobile testing unit” coming on campus Monday to test students. These five cases, she said, are the first instance of possible exposure to “campus contacts” which is why administration is “moving quickly to investigate and pause in-person instruction.”

Cook said that all residential staff, including resident assistants, custodians and facility workers, will be encouraged to get tested for COVID-19.

“I worry about some of our research programs and graduate student research projects that might be affected,” Conoley said. “The faculty teaching in person classes will be greatly inconvenienced by the reckless behavior of a few students.”

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NEWS 3

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | NEWS@DAILY49ER.COM

Enrollment reaches “historic high”

By Julia Terbeche News Editor

D

espite instruction being mainly online, enrollment at Long Beach State has reached an alltime high for the fall 2020 semester with close to 39,300 students, about 1,000 more than last year.

According to Timothy Gotimer, communications specialist for enrollment services, CSULB admitted about 4,800 incoming freshmen, 5,100 transfer students, 1,600 graduate students and an additional 600 post-bachelor students, which is a “historic high.”

President Jane Close Conoley said the university has been growing in enrollment applications since 2014 and feels pleased with the Beach’s rise in students.

“I am delighted. I want us to be accessible to students who are willing to do the hard work of a Beach degree,” Conoley said. “I think we’ve grown as a reputation for excellent teaching. Basically, we are awesome.”

According to Dhushy Sathianathan, vice provost of academic planning, the increase in enrollment this semester is primarily due to an increase in transfer applicants and continuing students, particularly local students who prefer to stay closer to home.

He said it is likely students are “taking advantage” of online instruction to take more courses than they normally would.

“There is a clear indication that local transfer students have pre-

Graphic by Julia Terbeche ferred to stay closer to home than transfer to northern campuses,” Sathianathan said. “CSULB is committed to increasing access [and] I am delighted we can provide opportunities for students.”

Sathianathan said that although new non-resident enrollment is 50% lower than fall of 2019, this is only 3% of incoming students, meaning “a decline in non-resident enrollment does not significantly impact the overall campus enrollment.”

International student enrollment is lower by about 29%, according to Gregory Woods, director of news media services, which is likely due to travel restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic. This fall, CSULB has a total of 274 new international students, while the university had

387 newly enrolled international students last fall.

“The reputation of a Beach education remains strong and is a pathway to career goals, further education and social mobility,” said Jeff Cook, chief communications officer. “This has not changed during the pandemic and our largely virtual environment.”

Conoley said she feels enrollment may have reached record-high numbers this fall due to assumptions that students would not want to attend a mainly virtual semester. Also, with fewer students on campus, the traditionally difficult parking situation is no longer an issue for many commuters.

“We may have reached a bit into our wait list during the time when everyone was predicting that few-

er students would come for a remote semester,” Conoley said.

Conoley said she doesn’t feel that enrollment will continue to rise, though, as the university receives an enrollment cap by the state of California.

CSULB’s cap, set by the chancellor’s office, is at 30,975 full-time-equivalent students, while the university is currently projecting 32,586 full-time-equivalent students, according to Sathianathan. This is roughly within 5% of the target enrollment, he said.

The 30,000-student cap differs from the actual headcount of about 39,300 enrolled students, as some CSULB students are not full-time students.

“The state pays for about half of instruction,” Conoley said. “If

we go over the cap, we get just tuition and no state funding for students.”

With enrollment at a historic high, CSULB has additional revenue from tuition this semester.

Much of this revenue, Conoley said, is likely going toward paying faculty salaries, which remain unchanged regardless of the mode of instruction. She also said some of the revenue will be used to fund required medical and retirement costs that have increased.

The higher enrollment has also brought higher instructional costs, though.

Sathianathan said he feels the additional revenue “does not come close to mitigating these challenges” and that the university is using one-time reserves to offer essential courses and services.

To prepare for the coming years, Conoley said CSULB will use 50% of its reserve funds for 2020-21 academic year.

“Of course, it won’t make up for a $20 million cut, but it’s good news,” Conoley said. “If we don’t get state support and tuition, we’re in trouble.”

Announced in July, CSULB received a budget cut of $22 million this academic year, and this budget challenge will continue for several years, according to Sathianathan.

“The next few years are expected to be far more challenging,” he said.

Conoley said CSULB will cut back on hiring and travel to help reduce spending.

“There’s no doubt that we’re in for a bumpy ride,” Conoley said.

4 NEWS

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2020 | DAILY49ER.C

The st Puvungn

The Native community and over rights and

By Madalyn Amato Editor in chief

M

JULIA TERBECHE | Daily Forty-Niner

Located on Puvungna, the Ancestor Pole is a place for members of the Native community to come pray and acknowledge their ancestors.

embers of the Juaneno Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation-Belardes and California Cultural Resources Preservation Alliance, Inc. are awaiting a decision in their lawsuit against Long Beach State over the dumping of construction-related dirt on Puvungna.

Meanwhile, the Native community that calls the 22-acre plot of land home is at odds with the university yet again.

Back in March, much of the school closed due to concerns of an outbreak of the coronavirus on campus. Classes began to be delivered remotely via Zoom, on-campus restaurants were closed and access to Puvungna was restricted.

According to Jeff Cook, CSULB’s associate vice president for strategic communications, access to the land is being limited per state and local health guidelines.

“Because of the current access limitations in place for the campus, we will seek affirmation from the Long Beach Department of Public Health, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and the State of California Department of Public Health to consider whether the event falls within an ‘authorized use’ under the current guidance,” Cook said in an email.

The event referred to by Cook is the Prayer Walk and rally, an event organized to bring awareness to the Native community’s concerns about the lack of access to the land.

All “non-essential” persons are prohibited from coming onto campus, according to the university’s website. Evidence of on-campus authorization is required, along with mask-wearing and social distancing standards.

Those who fail to comply, per the school’s policy, may be removed from campus and charged with

criminal trespassing under California Penal Code 602.6.

The school’s stance on restricting access to Puvungna is upsetting for many, including Michelle Castillo, a member of both the Acjachemen tribe and Friends of Puvungna, an advocacy group that works to preserve and protect the land.

“How would they ask the Native community to fill out an application to pray? How are they forbidding us to go on Puvungna? Their website states they have the right to call police and make an arrest. This is a violation of the American Indian Religious Freedom Act and a slap in the face to all communities,”

“We know that i the law because birthright and a

Castillo said. “We will still exercise our rights as Native people to honor Puvungna, honor our traditions and honor the ancestors. We have been on Puvungna to pray and to clean up. We [all] social distance.

We all wear mask[s].”

The American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978, as Castillo mentioned, “protects the rights of Native Americans to exercise their traditional religions by ensuring access to sites, use and possession of sacred objects and the freedom to worship through ceremonials and traditional rites.”

Bike riders, dog walkers and recreational visitors are a daily sight on CSULB’s campus. However, University Police Department Captain Richard Goodwin said that the guidelines issued on the school’s website are not being “enforced,” but rather monitored. Goodwin also said the responsibility has been handed over to the Division of Student Affairs.

NEWS 5

COM | @DAILY49ER | NEWS@DAILY49ER.COM

truggle for na continues

d Long Beach State continue to go back and forth d access to the 22-acre parcel of land.

Rebecca Robles, whose mother, Lillian, was the driving force behind getting Puvungna on the National Register of Historic Places, said that a member of the community visited Puvungna last week and a police vehicle approached her.

According to Robles, the woman left without speaking to police because her time of prayer had been intruded on and she feared receiving a ticket.

University police did not comment on whether or not it was policy to approach or remove someone if they were on the land and redirected all questions to the communications office.

our birthright and an infringement on our rights as Native American people.”

Home to the Tongva and Acjachemen peoples, Puvungna once covered 500 acres of land. Developments, including CSULB, were built on top of the land, leaving only a 22-acre parcel on the outskirts of campus running parallel to parking lot G2.

Puvungna was first recognized on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 after the community, led by Rebecca’s mother, Lillian, fought against the university’s efforts to build a shopping mall on the land.

year ago, construction crews began dumping dirt onto Puvungna in an effort to clear debris away from the Parkside North Dormitory’s construction site. The dirt was filled with rebar, wires and other trash.

In October of 2019, JBMIAN-Belardes filed a lawsuit against CSULB to hold the university accountable for its actions.

Chairman Matias Belardes said that the tribes are also seeking to establish a memorandum of understanding with CSULB that would require the university to consult with the tribal groups before making any further decisions regarding the 22-acre plot of land.

it is imperative that we continue, and we are depending on the school continues to violate the laws. It’s a denial of our an infringement on our rights as Native American people.”

— Rebecca Robles, spiritual leader Cook did maintain, however, that all non-essential personnel are still barred from entering campus.

“We have had information posted on-site and online for a number of weeks stating that only enrolled students and designated faculty, staff and contractors with an essential need for physical access should be on campus,” Cook said.

Robles said that the tribes have since submitted a request for access to Puvungna to host the Prayer walk and rally. The paperwork, as of Sept. 23, was still pending, she said. According to Cook, the university received the paperwork and is still working with local health officials for approval.

However, Robles maintains that the limitations to the land are concerning.

“We know that it is imperative that we continue, and we are depending on the law because the school continues to violate the laws,” Robles said. “It’s a denial of

It was confirmed then that the land was a sacred burial ground and was home to physical remains.

“It’s very, very clear what Puvungna is,” Robles said.

Legal ownership of the land falls under the state’s jurisdiction.

Not only is access to Puvungna limited due to COVID-19 restrictions, but also the parking lot providing access to the land, G2, is now closed.

According to the Parking and Transportation Services website, select parking lots are closed for fall 2020 to help “ increase security” across campus. With G2 closed, however, persons wishing to go onto Puvungna must park further away, in lot G4.

University police would not say where visitors wishing to go onto the land were expected to park and redirected questions to the communications office.

Land access isn’t the only hurdle the community is facing. Nearly a

When pandemic-related shutdowns began in March, courts were closed, pushing back the progress of the lawsuit. Since their reopening, Belardes said there has been little progress made.

“It’s a slow process,” Belardes said. “The main thing was to get the project stopped for them dumping and then moving forward so we don’t have these issues again.”

No more dirt has been dumped on the land, according to Belardes, but the trash-filled piles remain in place.

In relation to the lawsuit, the university filed for a review with the Office of Historic Preservation per California Penal Codes 5024(f) and 5024.5(a), both of which mandate that agencies seek commentary documentation from the office before embarking on projects or making changes to locations registered with the National Register of Historic Places.

According to the commentary,

JULIA TERBECHE | Daily Forty-Niner

Parking lot G2 on CSULB’s campus, which provides access to Puvungna, is now closed, forcing those wishing to visit the land to park further away in parking lot G4. filed by Julianne Polanco, State Historic Preservation Officer, CSULB did not consult with the Office of Historic Preservation before the construction project began as required by PRC 5024 and 5024.5.

Construction crews did lay Visqueen, a polyethylene plastic sheeting, down before dumping the dirt in attempts to protect the land.

This is something Polanco said should only be used for shorter periods because “over time [usage] result[s] in adverse effects to buried deposits [and] artifacts because of the accumulation of moisture and heightened decomposition from the plastic.” It is recommended by the OHP that the university seek other alternatives.

Polanco also said that the use of heavy machinery to transport the debris not only may have serious side effects on the buried artifacts from the vibrations caused by their movement, but is also considered to be “inappropriate” on any NRHP listed property.

The JBAIM-Belardes is asking the university to commit to a treatment plan that will remedy not only their concerns, but also the physical damage done to the land, Belardes said.

“Removing the soil, treating the area, getting it back to its original state,” Belardes said. “We feel that it was altered when they dumped on it.”

The university’s treatment plan, submitted to the OHP, includes plans for sensitivity training for all persons involved with future developments and monitoring by Native Americans and archaeologists, soil stabilization, no future vehicular traffic on the land and removal of the dirt piles in question.

According to Polanco, CSULB only submitted an initial draft of its treatment plan as of Aug. 10, 2020, when the review was filed,

despite the OHP requesting a final copy. She said the draft “appears to reflect an ongoing need to consult further with tribes.”

Polanco said that environmental testing found that the debris dumped on the land is “not expected to present a significant environmental, health or safety risk” and further sampling of the soil is not recommended. She maintained, however, that “all of these materials should be completely removed because construction materials and debris should not be deposited on an NRHP listed property [as] it is not a construction laydown area.”

The OHP’s review concluded that the university must seek other solutions to reallocate construction-related debris, as “the action of soil deposition has the strong potential to become an adverse effect to the historic integrity of the NRHP historic district.” Polanco said she supports the JBAIM-Belardes’ terms of the lawsuit in seeking a MOU with the university.

Belardes did recognize that the university has made progress in its relationship with the community over the years.

“Long Beach has done some good things in the past and [is] still looking to do good things,” Belardes said. “We have ceremonial places on the campus itself, we’ve been doing the Ancestor Walk for years, they do a land acknowledgement before events. They’re respectful and mindful of certain aspects, but, when it comes to projects and building, they kind of take a lefthand turn.”

For now, the Native community will continue to advocate for access to and respect for Puvungna.

“We want to go back to our sacred places so we may pray, meditate and continue to be Native people,” Robles said.

6 NEWS

By Madalyn Amato & Julia Terbeche Staff Writers

C

hancellor-select Joseph I. Castro discussed his visions and plans for overseeing the California State University system in a livestream interview Friday, promising to address faculty diversity, stable funding and student opportunities.

Named Wednesday morning, Castro will be the first Mexican-American and California native to hold the chancellor position. Slated to begin his duties Jan. 4, 2021, Castro will be the eighth individual to head the 23-campus system and has served as the eighth president of California State University, Fresno since 2013.

A first-generation college student and proud member of the Latinx community, Castro will be the CSU’s first chancellor of color to oversee the leading four-year university system in the country, representing the majority of students enrolled in CSU campuses.

With 482,000 total students, Hispanic and Latinx students make up 43% of the CSU’s student body, the largest demographic in the system, as of fall 2019.

“The California State University provides unprecedented and transformational opportunities for students from all backgrounds to earn a high-quality college degree and to better their families, their communities and the industries in which they become leaders. There is no other institution that makes this great of an impact on the entire state – the CSU is key to a growing and thriving California,” Castro said in a statement. “I am truly grateful for and excited about this unique and wonderful opportunity, and I look forward to working with the talented faculty, staff and presidents of the 23 campuses as well the Board of Trustees and executives and staff at the Chancellor’s Office to further increase achievement for our 482,000 students.”

Born in the San Joaquin Valley, Castro is the son of a single mother, the grandson of immigrants from Mexico and has three kids of his own with his wife, Mary.

He studied at University of California, Berkeley and received a doctorate in higher education policy and leadership from Stanford University.

Long Beach State President Jane Close Conoley said she felt “delighted” with the Board of Trustees’ decision to appoint Castro.

Conoley said she and Castro have worked together in the past at University of California, Santa Barbara, and she even consulted him when she was a candidate for CSULB president.

“I’m overjoyed about our new chancellor-select,” Conoley said in an email. “He is a thoughtful and generous leader who is totally student focused. He also understands the role of being president in the CSU System. This is very important.”

Castro has worked for the CSU system for 23 years and has held faculty and administrative positions at five University of California campuses, including UCSB, UC Berkeley, University of California, Davis, University of California, Merced and University of California, San Francisco, where he served as Vice Chancellor of Student Academic Affairs.

Although current Chancellor Timothy P. White announced last October that he planned to retire by June 30, 2020, the coronavirus-imposed transition to remote learning in March caused him to postpone his retirement.

As chancellor-select, Castro said his goals include securing a more stable funding base and implementing more technological advances to “serve more talented students” in accelerated opportunities.

Castro is also strategizing how to rid the CSU of the “Pell gap,” an issue he said results from undergraduate students who receive Pell grants as financial aid taking longer than four years to grad-

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | NEWS@DAILY49ER.COM

CSU chooses Castro as chancellor-select A first-generation college student and proud member of the Latinx community, Joseph I. Castro will be the California State University’s first chancellor of color to represent the leading four-year university system in the country.

California State University

Joseph I. Castro, sitting president of California State University, Fresno, has been named the eighth chancellor of the California State University system.

uate. Moving toward a four-year graduation path, Castro said, would help these students save money on tuition and start their careers sooner.

In addition, Castro said he intends to implement the system-wide Graduation Initiative 2025 to increase graduation rates for CSU students, which focuses on prioritizing academic preparation, enrollment management, student engagement and well-being, financial support, data-informed decision making and administrative barriers.

Amid an academic year of remote instruction, Castro said he feels Fresno State, along with the other CSU campuses, “successfully made the switch” to virtual learning and remains optimistic that things will only improve looking ahead.

“I’m encouraged by the innovation that’s occurring right now,” Castro said in the livestream. “We’re going through a societal reset that is going to be positive when we get there. I think we’re going to be stronger after COVID than we were before.”

When considering returning to in-person instruction, Castro said he is “prioritizing the health and safety of students, faculty and staff” across all 23 campuses instead of looking to return to normal.

As he will be one of the few sitting chancellors of color in California, Castro said he feels “excited” to join the growing number. Former Chancellor White is a native of Argentina and has served the CSU since 2012.

There are just two other Mexican-American chancellors in the state, including University of California, Merced Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz, a fellow first-generation college student who was appointed in July, and Eloy Ortiz Oakley, who has served as California Community Colleges chancellor since 2016.

Other chancellors of color include University of California, Davis Chancellor Gary S. May, the only Black chancellor in the UC system, University of California, San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla, a native of India and UC Santa Barbara Chancellor Henry T. Yang, a native of China.

There are also a few chancellors who are first-generation college graduates, like Castro, including University of Santa Cruz Chancellor Cynthia K. Larive, University of California, Riverside Chancellor Kim A. Wilcox and University of California, Irvine Chancellor Howard Gillman.

Castro said he plans to increase faculty diversity across the 23-campus system as he feels it is crucial to have faculty who are able to accurately reflect a diverse student body. He also said the CSU “must stay focused on our DACA students.”

“It is extraordinarily important, in my opinion, that our faculty become more diverse in a way that reflects where our faculty really understand our students’ lived experiences because they walked similar paths,” Castro said.

Concerns over Castro’s appointment have been raised by the California Faculty Association, however, including a focus on his pay.

Expected to earn $625,000 annually, Castro will be receiving a $148,000 salary increase from the current chancellor’s pay. Housing and car allowances are expected to remain the same.

This pay increase comes at a time when the CSU as a whole is facing a $299 million deficit due to the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic and is described by the CFA as “irresponsible” and “cruel.”

In an official statement from the association, CFA calls on Castro to “be a strong and committed advocate who will doggedly fight for the People’s University and the increasingly diverse students it serves.”

Other calls to action included using the CSU’s $1.5 billion reserve to prevent gaps in learning and layoffs and to address racism and white supremacy in higher education head-on.

ARTS & LIFE 7

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | ARTS@DAILY49ER.COM

Calling attention to “Cat Call” Long Beach dancer and choreographer James Mahkween shares his upcoming project “Cat Call,” a two-hour performance that will focus on topics of sexual harassment and toxic masculinity.

By Paris Barraza Arts and Life Editor

B

COURTESY OF DANIEL RHONE

James Mahkween, a Long Beach dancer and choreographer.

COURTESY OF BSIDE PHOTOGRAPHY

James Mahkween, who has been dancing for over 10 years, performs at the Long Beach Black Dance Festival.

right lights beam down on the stage as dancers glide and sway, demanding the audience’s attention for two hours as they tell stories of sexual harassment, toxic masculinity and the harm inflicted upon individuals with feminine energy.

The audience is captivated, watching the filmed performance at a viewing which is ready to be distributed so that the conversation unfolding on stage can travel to places beyond California.

This is James Mahkween’s “Cat Call,” and if all goes to plan, that is how it will debut next year.

Mahkween, a Long Beach dancer and choreographer, explained that the feminine being is a form of energy that people can choose to express on the dayto-day basis, and that, regardless of how that individual chooses to identify, they can still engage with the energy and be vulnerable to people wanting to harm them because of it.

“If I choose to have my feminine being shown today, and you’re that toxic man who chooses to disrespect who I am and as a feminine being, then you’re part of the toxic train and you need to get off of that,” Mahkween said. “[The performance] is a conversation that will display women, but it is a conversation that is discussing feminine beings and masculine beings.”

Mahkween is not unfamiliar with the experience of being catcalled. It was a moment muddled with disgust and discomfort, but never fear—a privilege born out of his confidence in knowing he could easily defend himself should it escalate.

One year ago, Mahkween decided to take this concept and write it down, fueled further by the conversations he had with his close friends, all women, that often delved into their honest experiences with harassment.

It frustrated Mahkween, who was raised by women, whose childhood teachers were women and whose mentors in the industry are women.

“I am a feminist, a womanist. I don’t believe in slut shaming or anything like that. You live you,” Mahkween said. “I just really wanna show my appreciation and know that they know they got a strong person, a man who has their back, though I do have my days where I have feminine energy, so also I’m speaking for myself.”

Mahkween choreographed a section for “Cat Call” that debuted at the Long Beach Black Dance Festival, founded by The CRay Project.

Ajah Muhammad, a dancer who has

worked with Mahkween for years, told the visual story of Jasmine Gardiner’s experience with sexual assualt.

“Even though it was someone else’s story, I still connected to it [in] some type of way just because it’s something that I was able to observe ever since ...

I was maybe 11 or 12, that young,” Muhammad said. “Sadly, it’s just one of those things that a lot of women, especially women of color, deal with in this country on a regular basis.”

Mahkween choreographed the section in his living room, unable to access a studio space or concert stage. Although the two were able to make it work, Muhammad had to adjust to the small space that threatened to confine her ability to expand her movements and her energy.

But when Gardiner watched the performance, she said it was eye-opening.

“I definitely felt a lot more of my victimhood that I had before because of the way that everything transpired in the situation,” Gardiner said. “He went about it so verbally nicely that it was hard for me in my mind to process that the action behind it wasn’t okay, and so, listening to the recording where I’m speaking about it, and I’m so calm and it’s so matterof-fact, but then watching it physically played out moved me in a different way.

I realized how aggressive the situation was even though his words were soft.”

Gardiner met Mahkween 10 years ago.

She feels that Mahkween is able to see the struggle women go through to be respected by men, and a culture that does little to stop that behavior.

She knows that change is long overdue, as does Muhammad.

“The interesting part about it is that a lot of times these types of incidents happen among people that we know and they happen among people that we think are cool or that we are okay with, that we know because of mutual friends or they’re family members or friends of family members,” Muhammad said. “So as a result of that, it’s very easy to fall victim to that situation.”

Mahkween’s responsibilities are growing as the project continues to evolve.

He is looking for more dancers to work with and said he needs a space to rehearse, perform and film, which means he’ll need a cameraman too. By next year, Mahkween will also need venues for “Cat Call” to premiere at for public showings, and he also wants to pay every artist involved in the project so that they know they, and their work, are valued.

“To whomever is involved in the project must lead with their life,” Mahkween said. “Nothing but positive vibes, because there’s a lot of weight that will be involved, mostly in regards to the topic itself.”

If you would like to learn more about “Cat Call,” visit James Mahkween’s Instagram for updates on the project.

8 ARTS & LIFE

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | ARTS@DAILY49ER.COM

Taking education to a higher degree Recipients of the Sally Cassanova Pre-doctoral Scholars Program share why they were inspired to pursue graduate programs and the research they plan to conduct in years to come.

By Jireh Deng, Assistant Opinions Editor The Sally Cassanova Pre-doctoral Scholars Program seeks to provide funding for students in the California State University System interested in graduate school and pursuing a doctorate. Scholars will also be provided with individual guidance from CSU faculty members as well as opportunities for career and professional development.

The 2020-21 scholars include 12 students from Long Beach State. Here are two of the 12.

Kayla Landers, fourth-year chemistry major Kayla Landers hated chemistry when she was a sophomore in high school. As a straight-A student, this was the first time she struggled in a class. However, she grew intrigued by the challenge that this subject brought into her education.

“That struggle became motivation of, ‘I want to master this content. I want to be able to control chemistry instead of continually confusing me,’” Landers said.

Landers has struggled with perfectionism. In her first year of college, Landers was finally able to come to terms with the fact that she had anxiety when she failed her first test in her general chemistry class and remembered crying in the dorms.

However, science has forced her to embrace the lack of perfection in chemistry and in herself.

“I had always lived my life in a way that there was a clear-cut you’re good, or you’re bad, or like you’re smart, or you’re dumb, or you get it or you don’t. And science kind of forced me to live in this in-between state that I’ve never experienced before,” Landers said.

Her journey in research began when she took an organic chemistry course with Kensaku Nakayama. The subject intrigued Landers, and she found herself at Nakayama’s office hours, spending so much of her time that eventually she joined his research project.

Currently, Landers is studying asymmetric catalysis, which has the potential to alter the drug and pharmaceutical industry.

Nakayama’s research lab is looking at ways in which organic chemists can manipulate the 3-D shape of drugs and ultimately the ways in which they interact with the body’s

chemistry.

“If we do figure this out, this is something that really will streamline the drug manufacturing process,” Landers said. “It will make it a lot more effective, it will make it a lot more inexpensive, a lot more feasible.

So it’ll be not just a breakthrough for organic chemistry, but it really can impact various different reactions in various different fields.”

Landers is enthusiastic about her research, but her biggest inspiration and joy

comes from mentoring younger students.

As a supplemental instruction leader, she has been able to help students who are working through some of the toughest general chemistry courses that are prerequisites to becoming a STEM, or science, technology, engineering, and math, majors.

She’s been able to help students from underrepresented backgrounds see a path forward within their majors.

“I see many of them come into my classroom... with so much fear and so much lack

of belief in themselves,” Landers said. “A common theme with all of us is we’ve never seen someone like us do it.”

Landers knows that representation is more than just the numbers schools tout as diversity quotas in their programs. As a Black woman making her way through the field of chemistry trying to pursue a doctorate, she has never had a Black teacher throughout her educational experience.

“I think it’s more than just having a couple token, underrepresented students to say that we’re diverse,” Landers said. “I think it’s creating a culture that not just invites the students in but also makes the students comfortable when they inhabit the space.”

There have been professors who have been supportive of Landers throughout her journey at CSULB, but none have directly addressed the intersection of her identities, and she wants that to change. Landers said that her goal at the end of her career is to become a professor and to normalize seeing a Black professor teaching subjects like chemistry.

“Diversity has become a word that is used a lot now,” Landers said of higher education. “It’s kind of like a trend, ‘we’re very diverse.’”

Her hope is that academia will support students of color beyond the “trend of diversity” to make sure that these students thrive and that systems of support can be created to ensure their success.

Landers said she notices that it’s sometimes easier for educational spaces to not address the disparities.

“Let me be very clear. I want to be seen,” Landers said. “I do not exist to be invisible.”

Joshua Acosta, fourth-year history major and religious studies minor Like many other freshmen in college, Joshua Acosta was trying to find his niche as he took classes across multiple majors in his first year. Ultimately, he found that history was his main passion.

Acosta remembers an oral history project that filled him with inspiration.

“I had the opportunity to interview my grandmother,” Acosta said. “And I knew she came from the Philippines. I knew that she studied nursing but didn’t really know the specifics.”

Learning about his grandmother’s journey helped Acosta realize that immigrant stories of resilience and overcoming hardship were the narratives he wanted to study.

His professor, Guotong Li, saw potential in him during his first upper-division history class in the fundamentals of research and encouraged him to apply for the annual CSULB Student Research Competition.

Although Acosta didn’t win, he said that his appreciation for research grew that day, falling in love with the process of speaking for his work and getting grilled by the competition’s judges.

He went on to apply for his first pre-doctoral program through the Mellon May’s Undergraduate Fellowship Program and then the Sally Casanova Scholarship.

For his doctoral degree, Acosta said he wants to explore Asian-American history, specifically, its role in the construction of U.S. history. He said it’s more than just diversity and that these stories invite peo-

ple who have been left out of conversations “into the collective effort to reshape a lot of systemic disparities that we see today.”

These stories, he argued, play an integral role in battling today’s struggles with “ra-

cial violence... xenophobia, nativism and hateful rhetoric.”

The research Acosta plans to explore will focus on the Filipino labor and migrant communities on the West Coast. He said he wants to examine how communities process cultural solidarity and “what it means to be American,” and more specifically, what it means to be a “hyphenated American.”

While the coronavirus pandemic has shifted in-person research conferences online, Acosta said that, in the grand scheme of things, he’s found joy in the fact that his research is now more accessible virtually.

He encourages other undergraduates to seek out research opportunities even if they might not want to pursue a career in academia. Acosta said that the research skills he gained can help other students pursue careers ranging anywhere from social activism to the medical profession.

“I think sharing scholarship is an important part of why I want to pursue this because, as I said, including people in these discussions makes it more enriching and valuable,” Acosta said.

Acosta’s research was just recently presented at John Hopkins University’s Macksey Symposium.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | ARTS@DAILY49ER.COM

ARTS & LIFE 9

Experimental eating during quarantine Students have spent time trying social media food trends and changing their diets while adjusting to stay-at-home life during the pandemic.

By Grace Widyatmadja Staff Writer

T

he coronavirus pandemic has brought upon countless changes to students’ daily routines, including changes to the food

they eat.

Since March, students have found themselves at home with the time to explore the food trends that have flooded social media. Loaves of banana bread, the TikTok famous dalgona coffee and sourdough bread were only a few of the popular trends circulating the web.

“I tried a lot of TikTok food trends early on, so I cooked a lot of pasta and banana bread,” said Vittina Ibanez, a second-year film major. “I think I really only tried them because they looked good and I was like, ‘I literally have nothing better to do.’”

Ibanez faced some difficulty finding consistency in meals during the beginning of stay-at-home orders. The change in her daily routine pushed her to look for ways to try a healthier lifestyle.

“Quarantine has changed my eating habits quite a bit. I’m pretty much completely plant-based at this point,” Ibanez said. “I was really inconsistent in the beginning, but I’ve gotten really good at watching what I eat.”

Trendy foods aren’t the only things that have changed in students’ diets.

Third-year environmental science major Alyssa Wendt wanted to in-

corporate environmentally friendly eating habits into her lifestyle and looked to an Instagram page called @zerowastechef. While at home, Wendt tried her hand at pickling foods, including cucumbers and cauliflower following a recipe she found from the account, using glass jars from her house.

As a vegetarian, Wendt is constantly looking for ways to create better lifestyle habits for the environment.

The stay-at-home orders gave her an opportunity to work toward building a more sustainable lifestyle, starting with how she eats.

“You can do a lot of stuff with leftover ingredients,” Wendt said. “It’s also a better way to just create less waste.”

Food accounts have seen a surge of popularity on Instagram. People have taken to the trend of “the phone eats first” by documenting their food to share online, and many look to these pages for inspiration if they’re looking to try something new.

“In the beginning of quarantine, I was more experimental with cooking, but I mostly bake or try to make quick, healthy snacks,” said Loudres Parra, a second-year liberal studies major. “I try to look at TikTok or healthy lifestyle instagrams.”

Parra has made a point of decreasing consumption of meat and increasing her intake of matcha lattes.

“I think quarantine has changed my eating habits,” Parra said. “I sometimes eat a lot of not-so-healthy snacks, but I do often try to eat healthier meals since we are indoors and it’s always good to practice self-care.”

Illustrations by Paris Barraza

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | OPINIONS@DAILY49ER.COM

ILLUSTRATION BY VIC FITZSIMONS

10 OPINIONS

If you’re looking for a sign to learn ASL, this is it The impact and importance of American Sign Language for both the hearing and Deaf communities.

By Kelsey Brown Opinions Editor

A

fter I finished ringing up a customer’s groceries, I turned to the next person waiting in line.

“Hi, how are you doing today?” I asked. The customer didn’t respond initially, which I thought was odd, but not too out of the norm. There were plenty of instances of customers completely ignoring my attempts to be polite, so I carried on.

“Would you like a bag today?” I continued. This time, the customer pointed at their ears, shook their head, mouthing the words “I’m Deaf.”

I had learned some American Sign Language in elementary school and had refreshed my memory on the ASL alphabet in middle school after reading a biography on Helen Keller. But at that moment, I realized I didn’t remember any of it, and finished the transaction with exaggerated hand motioning.

I felt some guilt in that moment. I thought about how often Deaf people must go places with no one able to communicate with them, and how frustrating, isolating and unfair that must be.

I signed up for my first college-level ASL course not long after that interaction. I relearned the basics of sign: the alphabet, colors, animals and simple things, like how to ask one’s birthday and age. I didn’t know any Deaf people in my personal life,

so I’d practice by teaching my friends and family signs I learned.

The first time I had a Deaf customer come in after I’d started my class, I excitedly signed, “Hi! I learn sign.” ASL doesn’t use articles and some prepositions.

I watched the customer’s face light up and she smiled as she signed back, “You learn ASL where?”

We continued our very simple sign conversation, but as my knowledge of sign grew, I began having more detailed conversations with people. I would notice a customer using a lot of hand gestures, and my coworkers, clearly confused, would be trying to assist them. I was now able to step in and sign, “You need what?”

As I began to recognize the various members of my local Deaf community at work, I quickly made connections with them. My favorite customers are a Deaf couple who regularly come in and make it a point for me to practice my sign. Now that we’ve established a connection, they approach me every time they’re in the store, asking how I am, how my family is and about school. When our conversations end, they part with the sign for “I love you.”

Prior to my ASL course, I had never heard of Gallaudet University, the world-renowned college for students Deaf and hard of hearing. I learned about the history of the Deaf community, including their oppression, which was met with by the Deaf power movement. Unbeknownst to me, the Deaf community’s movement and oppression are a part of America’s history that had never even been spoken of in my educational history.

ASL and Deaf culture should be taught in our country. Not only will it allow for us as a society to better embrace, support and connect with the 48 million Deaf and hard of hearing individuals in the United States, but ASL provides benefits for hearing people as well.

From as early as six months old, according to ASL University, babies can learn to use sign language. This far precedes the expectations for verbal language in infants, allowing them to communicate with their parents at an earlier age. This can be especially useful for children with autism and Down syndrome.

Studies also show that teaching children to sign boosts their reading abilities.

According to HealthDay, children who learned ASL at a young age are able to read at a higher level, and their vocabulary is improved 15% to 20%. Though studies done on the benefits of learning ASL mainly focus around children’s long-term cognitive abilities, learning a new language is always beneficial to one’s brain.

Oftentimes, the medical community embraces the cochlear implant and encourages speech for Deaf or hard of hearing people as an attempt to assimilate Deaf people into the hearing society, which is a controversial issue in the Deaf community.

Though many hearing people are unaware of this ongoing debate in Deaf culture, this is a huge issue for the community. For example, when a Deaf baby is born to hearing parents, many times the parents will encourage the baby to learn speech, even though they’re Deaf. These children may get an implant and never learn to sign.

Though Deaf children are able to communicate and function in the hearing world, there is still a disconnect between the hearing and Deaf communities. While the parent may have good intentions and want their child to be able to be a part of their hearing world, they, in turn, are denying their child the ability to be a part of a culture and community of people who will truly understand and embrace them.

The Deaf community doesn’t see a lack of hearing as something in need of curing.

Many Deaf people, when asked if they could be hearing, say they wouldn’t want to, according to data found by the Atlantic.

Deafness is more than not being able to hear—there is an entire community, culture and history behind it, though it is one rarely spoken of in hearing education.

As members of the hearing community, we should be the ones making the effort to communicate with Deaf people. Learning to sign has been one of the best decisions of my life. Though I only was able to take ASL I and II, I have the basics for conversations. In the future, I do want to take more courses to solidify my knowledge of ASL. Not only is it incredibly eye-opening to learn about a culture and life outside of your own, but it is an extremely rewarding language to learn. To be able to communicate with different types of people is an incredible tool. It means so much to them, and to me, to form that connection.

If you’ve been looking for a “sign” to learn ASL, this is it. Next term, make sure to add a sign language class to your course list and watch your world of language and understanding expand.

OPINIONS 11

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2020 | 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 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.

How do you feel about another semester online?

BY JIREH DENG AND KELSEY BROWN

Laura Hardin, third-year general biology major

Marissa Guzman, third-year communication studies

“I’m a transfer student, so this is my first semester at CSULB. Being in a new school virtually has been a huge obstacle...a big part of my education comes from hands-on learning, like dissections and microscopy. I feel like I’m losing out on a quality education.

People are tired of being cooped up and isolated and they are already taking to the streets and acting as if the pandemic is over.

Why do we at CSULB still need to socially distance when the majority of SoCal is already returning to their pre-COVID ways?

If I could ask for a compromise from the CSU system, I’d ask that classes with lab components go back to in-person teaching, while keeping the lecture courses online. At least that way the campus population is reduced but people like me still receive the handson training required for their major.”

“My main concern is Zoom. Way too many folks in my classes don’t understand Zoom features. As rough as it is, I think it should have been mandatory for everyone to sit through a tutorial on how to use everything on the app. It really holds up class time with the amount of students yelling out and cutting off professors because they don’t check the chat, know how to use the ‘‘raise hand’’ option, complete polls, etc.I even tried reaching out to one specific classmate because she constantly unmutes herself to chime in mid-lecture, but she never saw my chat. Inevitably, I’ll be reaching out to my professors about it, but I’m annoyed that I even have to. Aside from that, I don’t live in the greatest neighborhood. Sitting through another long semester of hearing all of my neighborhood playing music, M-80’s going off every day, people fighting outside and next door, etc. is not exactly making spring something to look forward to .’’

Ryan Mardon, third-year history major

Victoria Sanchez, second-year journalism major

“While online classes can be easier for students like me who don’t like getting up early in the morning, as we can just roll out of bed and join a Zoom call, I do really miss the social interaction that comes with attending classes in person, from the random little conversations before and after class to getting to meet your professor face to face. I also find it harder to stay focused and manage my time while online. I feel like when you are in class you are somewhat forced to focus and take notes, but in a Zoom call you can easily be distracted by the many things around you, like your phone. The feeling of actually walking to class and seeing everyone on campus, especially friends, is something I think is very core to college life. I guess the Z in Gen Z now stands for Zoom..and we are Zoomers!”

I’m a hands-on learner, I need to be in an environment that stimulates me. Sitting and looking at a screen for eight hours a day, whether it be for classes or school work, drains me completely.

It’s also hard for me to pay attention for long periods of time, and being at home doesn’t help. I used to spend day & night at the library in the absolute silence I needed to do work, but now I’m at home where it’s consistently loud and I can’t be left alone.

Luckily all my classes have group chats whether it’s on Discord, Instagram or texting. Some of us are essential workers, and our environment at home may not be peaceful and one we can work in efficiently. I have made the decision with the support of my family to take next semester off because I cannot do online school. It is overwhelming and has caused a lot of anxiety [and] stress, and we’re not even a month into the semester. All in all, it’s a lose-lose situation for both the school and students.”

12 SPORTS

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2020 | DAILY49ER.C

Lute Olson and the championship that never was Although only coaching the Long Beach State men’s basketball team for one year, he made a lasting impact on the Beach’s legacy.

By Jacob Powers Sports Editor

T

he year was 1974 and Barbra Stresiand’s “The Way We Were” blared over the Billboard Hot 100 chart across the nation.

Long Beach State men’s basketball team would go on to climb its own charts that year.

Posting a 24-2 record and achieving the program’s most successful season in its history under legendary coach Lute Olson, the Beach was robbed of a shot at the National Collegiate Athletic Association title.

After losing only to Marquette University and University of Colorado by just two points, the team was slated to take it all.

Under Olson, the 49ers were ranked as high as third in the nation behind coach John Wooden and Bill Walton‘s University of California, Los Angeles squad.

“What he did for that program in the one year he was there, particularly when you consider the level of experience that Lute had given he had never had coached at a four-year level, was incredible,” said Jim McCormack, former Press Telegram sports editor and Long Beach State sports reporter. “There was a real cloud over the program because of the possibility that they were going to go on probation.”

Before coming to coach at the Beach after a four-year career at Long Beach City College, Olson wanted to make sure there were going to be no obstructions standing in his way of winning a championship.

McCormack Former head coach Jerry Tarkanian, after turning the Beach into a national powerhouse, got the team banned from appearing in the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament.

The team was also put on a three-year probation mid-season due to recruiting violations during his five year career.

Olson was told at the time of his transfer

that Long Beach was not going to be put on probation. He believed them but was not told the truth.

With a dream roster in place, the Beach in ‘74 was taking the NCAA by storm under Olson.

“He inherited a team that was just loaded. I mean he had Clifton Pondexter, Roscoe Pondexter, Leonard Gray and Glenn McDonald,” McCormack said. “All four of those guys were among the first 53 players taken in the 1974 NBA draft that year.”

According to former NBA champion and Boston Celtics small forward, Glenn McDonald, Olson came into the head coaching position knowing he wasn’t just going to focus on one person, but rather looking to distribute the ball around equally.

Coming from LBCC, Olson’s style of play revolved around giving every possible player an opportunity to score.

“We didn’t know what we were getting with a new coach. Lute had come in after Tarkanian as a father figure but had different ways he did things,” McDonald said.

“Lute was a true family man. He and his wife, Bobbi, together were just family people. He tried to implement how to grow up strong, young men and I really looked up to him to care about you as a person.”

Olson earned respect early on and was unparalleled in the way he protected his players.

The Beach that season, according to McCormack, was treated like a motorcycle gang due to the sanctions. They were constantly heckled and tormented on the road.

“Lute’s purposefulness and professionalism was far beyond his coaching experience.

It was really impressive how the kids just rallied around him and stayed together,” McCormack said. “I just have nothing but absolute respect for Lute. Lute treated me really professionally and was successfully candid.”

Olson would spend time that season tapping deep into players to unlock better performances.

McDonald was mainly known as a defensive specialist throughout the duration of his career at the Beach, until he met Olson.

Like with any other player, Olson pushed McDonald for greatness, and greatness he met.

Playing a pivotal role in Game 5 of the 1976 NBA Finals, he scored eight points

in the third overtime period as the Boston Celtics won 128-126.

The Celtics went on to win the championship in six games.

“Lute remembered in high school when I would score 30 points in a game. He’d tell me ‘When are you going to start looking to score more?’ He just had a way that you knew he was for you,” McDonald said.

“There was no favoritism, we won as a team and lost as a team.”

Dennis Pitts, a season ticket holder and athletic booster member since 1972, recalled how Olson impacted the team during his time at the Beach.

“The year that Lute was here was, for me, a busy year because the age of my kids were fairly young at the time. We had season tickets for the games at Long Beach,” Pitts said.

“We would have functions after the game where we would interview players and Lute was always so friendly.”

In addition to being a force on the court, Olson was a well-respected leader at home and in the community as well.

Olson first met his wife, Bobbi Russel, in 1951 while singing in the Grand Forks, North Dakota church choir.

Two years later while attending Augsburg University in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the couple was married.

Together for nearly 47 years, Olson’s love was split over his wife, his five children and his admiration for the game.

“What I admire most about Lute was his affection for his wife, Bobbi,” McCormack said. “The road can be a really tempting place for a lot of coaches, but his steadfast love for his wife and his behavior on the road was impeccable.”

Throughout a Hall of Fame career, Olson spent 25 years coaching at the University of Arizona and nine for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

In over 30 seasons of being a head coach, Olson only had one losing year.

Olson compiled a 781–280 record (.736) and is still tied for the most NCAA tournament appearances with 28 in 34 seasons as a Division I head coach.

“Lute really made you just say, ‘I need to play for this man,’” McDonald said. “Him coming from a junior college, we knew we were good, but when Lute came in, he was a real winner and hated to lose.”

Photos Courtesy of JIM McCORMACK

(Clockwise) Coach Olson comes off the bench to give the team direction during a game. Head coach Lute Olson sits with his team during team photo day in 1974. Coach Olson looks for mistakes made on the court before calling a timeout.

COM | @DAILY49ER | SPORTS@DAILY49ER.COM

SPORTS 13

14 SPORTS

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | SPORTS@DAILY49ER.COM

Coronavirus stints return to practice An outbreak of coronavirus on campus has caused the practice start date for men’s and women’s basketball to be postponed.

By Jacob Powers Sports Editor

T

he Long Beach State men’s and women’s basketball teams were slated to begin preseason practice Oct. 1. However, due to a recent outbreak of coronavirus amongst on-campus residents, the start date has been postponed for the foreseeable future, according to the Long Beach State athletic department.

According to Long Beach State athletic director Andy Fee, the department has definitive plans for outdoor practice including cardio, strength and conditioning led by the director of sport performance, Laura Teel.

“The first two weeks are going to be getting used to living in a COVID-19 world,” Fee said. “We will be providing players individual crates for all of their personal belongings that they will be required to carry their stuff around from workout to workout.”

To begin preseason, the team will be focusing mainly on strength and conditioning rather than typical indoor practice drills.

Following in the National Basketball Association’s footsteps, both the men’s and women’s teams have been in a “bubble” style atmosphere, holding each other accountable in mitigating spread of the virus to be able to safely return as a team.

President Jane Close Conoley said that student athletes are being grouped in pods of three to five athletes to maintain accountability amongst players and ensure coronavirus standards are being upheld as the season approaches.

“They’re not interacting willy nilly with everybody on the team, it’s like a family group,” Conoley said. “We’ve been testing everybody, but what we’re trying to avoid is having to quarantine everybody every time there’s a positive test because how could we possibly practice or compete?

This pod idea is like the bubble, you’re not interacting with other people unless you’re playing.”

Using the pod model, Conoley said, ensures that the athletic department has more control over if any students were to contract the

AUSTIN BRUMBLAY | Daily Forty-Niner virus.

All student athletes have been filling out COVID-19 screenings daily through the student portal to assure players are safe to return to competition when allowed.

Nearly 70 student athletes currently dorm on campus, according to Fee. “Certainly the first step is getting up and running with outdoor activity. If people are not testing positive, the next hurdle would be getting approved for indoor activity,” Fee said. “We haven’t had any outbreaks on campus, and I think credit to our students, the housing staff and to the campus admin for communicating why it’s important.”

Conoley said the men’s and women’s basketball teams must stay sequestered from others for

two weeks beginning now. If there are any breaks in the sequestration, the previously scheduled Oct. 1 outdoor practice start time will be delayed.

A recent Ohio State study of COVID-19 positive athletes found evidence of myocarditis in at least 26 students. Athletes participating in this year’s basketball season are set to be tested once to twice a week.

“It’s not an if, but a when,” Conoley said.

Rooms in the dormitories have been reserved for quarantining in the case that a student does contract the virus, including student athletes whether or not they are dormitory residents.

Securing adequate testing still remains the biggest hurdle for the return of athletics at the Beach.

According to Conoley, to adhere to the National Collegiate Athletic Association and Los Angeles County Health Department guidelines, the university will have to invest around $200 to $400 per week to test each student. A service that is currently being provided by Student Health Services, for now.

“The current plan is the Student Health Center but we don’t think we can scale that to all the athletes,” Conoley said. “We don’t think we have staff there to really be testing twice a week for nearly [350] athletes.”

Talks of the Beach participating in the Paradise Jam tournament were brought up last week, however, Conoley has her reservations.

“That’s not going to happen,”

Conoley said. “Can we really trust the other teams?”

Fee is now in discussion to establish a more localized tournament to guarantee the safety of the players.

Looking towards spring 2021, Conoley remains unsure if the Beach will return to its normal athletics operations. As she and Fee continue to calculate how adequate testing will be completed in time for the basketball season, the reality of needing to test close to 400 athletes next season is something they are both unsure is feasible.

“The reality of sports is, I can’t see a scenario at the moment,” Conoley said. “Unless the vaccine immediately appears, tomorrow, we won’t be able to have many spectators.”

“We’ve been testing everybody, but what we’re trying to avoid is having to quarantine everybody every time there’s a positive test because how could we possibly practice or compete? This pod idea is like the bubble, you’re not interacting with other people unless you’re playing.”

- President Jane Close Conoley