Daily Forty-Niner; April 19, 2020

weekly print edition

DAILY FORTY-NINER EST p 1949

Inside the

Niner

Vol. LXXI, Issue 29

www.daily49er.com

Sunday, April 19, 2020

NEWS

NEWS

Relief aid to help students

The journey back home

pg 3

pg 4

2

SUNDAY, APRIL 19, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | EIC@DAILY49ER.COM

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COVID-19 Updates at CSULB and Long Beach APRIL 12, 10:45 A.M.

The Internal Revenue Service distributed—to American taxpayers—the first round of stimulus funds, the agency tweeted Saturday.

Arts & Life Editor Paula Kiley arts@daily49er.com Opinions Editor Perry Continente opinions@daily49er.com Sports Editor Mark Lindahl sports@daily49er.com Design Editor Alejandro Vazquez design@daily49er.com Advertising Manager Steven Zuniga advertising@daily49er.com Business Manager Hannah Getahun business@daily49er.com Special Projects Editor Hannah Getahun Photo Editor Ryan Guitare Social Media Editor Brenna Enos Podcast Editor Manuel Valladares Podcast Editor Julia Terbeche Webmaster Samantha Hangsan Arts and Life Assistant Paris Barraza

APRIL 13, 3:50 P.M.

Long Beach reported its 14 death as a result of COVID-19, Mayor Robert Garcia announced Monday.

Assistant Sports Editor Assistant Social Media Editor

Ralston Dacanay Cristal Gomez

Distribution Manager Rachel Barnes Distribution Assistant Alejandro Vazquez Design Adviser Gary Metzker Content Adviser Barbara Kinglsey-Wilson

APRIL 15, 4:07 P.M.

A homeless man has tested positive for coronavirus in Long Beach, Mayor Robert Garcia announced Wednesday. This is the first homeless person in the city that has been confirmed to be positive.

APRIL 16, 3:27 P.M.

Long Beach State will be lending a portion of its campus to MemorialCare health workers for coronavirus rapidtesting, according to a faculty email sent Thursday.

APRIL 17, 3:36 P.M.

Three new coronavirus testing sites will be opened this weekend in Long Beach, Mayor Robert Garia announced Friday. Two of the sites will be on Long Beach Unified School District campuses, Cabrillo High School and Jordan High School. The third will be at St. Mary Medical Center.

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

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Long Beach State students to expect aid as soon as this week

By Ashley Ramos Staff Writer

L

ong Beach State officials are “hoping” to distribute funds to students in need beginning the week of April 20, according to President Jane Close Conoley.

It was announced last week that the university would be receiving a total of $41.7 million in coronavirus relief funding out of a total of $525 million set aside the California State University system.

Conoley said the university is still waiting for the federal government to release the funds.

“We are ready at our campus to make the funds available to all students who apply, but we’ll have to push our timeline to early next week,” Conoley said. “It’s not a campus decision but a federal delay.”

It is estimated that if the $41.7 million was divided equally between the student population at CSULB then each student would receive around $1,114, according to EdSource.

However, the school is planning on distributing to students who meet student emergency intervention criteria first. The criteria include displaced living, medical expenses due to illness, or loss of transportation.

“We have many students who were laid off from work on and off campus,” Conoley said.

“We want to target students who we know are quite economically distressed and students who are newly distressed because they or their families have lost jobs.”

Conoley said the plan is to use $20 million of the funds for student aid now and then distribute the remaining amount as financial aid in future semesters.

Additionally, Conoley said the school has raised over $200,000 for its student emergency fund.

CSULB students may apply for funds at the student intervention website.

Since the funding was allocated by the federal government, all final decisions must be approved by it.

As of now, funds can be distributed to international, part-time and self-support students.

Undocumented students will not be eligible to receive funding, but the university does have non-federal sources available.

Expected budget cuts will not be impacted by the grant as it cannot be used for operational purposes.

Conoley said the university is hoping to keep losses between 5% to 10%, but acknowledged it may face up to 20% budget cuts come the 2020-21 academic year.

Conoley said university officials will continue working to get the funding to students as quickly as possible.

“We’re working with all the campuses of the CSU to be sure we are acting in similar ways so that students can be confident that they are being treated equitably,” she said. “Although it’s important to remember that the needs of students vary dramatically across the different universities.”

NEWS 3

4 NEWS

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Illustration by EMMA DIMAGGIO | Daily Forty-Niner

International students and those studying abroad were forced to make decisions quickly as the coronavirus pandemic grew across the globe.

International students stuck in limbo Students part of the international studies program have been forced to make life-altering decisions in the matter of weeks as the spread of COVID-19 increases.

By Madalyn Amato, Ana Duares Peixoto, Karla Gutierrez Staff Writers

E

sther Choe arrived in Scotland to attend Glasgow Caledonian University on January 19.

The third-year psychology and women’s studies major said she wanted to study abroad to expand her horizons.

“I have spent a lot of time in Long Beach and Cerritos where I felt as if I was struggling emotionally and mentally,” Choe said.

“I figured that giving myself the chance to study abroad would let me find myself.”

Choe said she chose to study in Scotland because of its “progressive government” and deep-rooted culture, although she admits the accent took a bit to become accustomed to.

On March 1, the National Health Services in Scotland announced its first confirmed case of COVID-19.

As of April 12, there are 5,590 reported cases in Scotland.

Choe, like many others abroad, was faced with a choice: come home or stay put.

Long Beach State officials sent a message on March 14 calling all students currently engaged in a study abroad program to return home immediately.

“Given the severity of the situ-

ation and the State Department’s elevated Worldwide Health Advisory, and out of an abundance of caution for the health and safety of our students and faculty, California State University, Long Beach has decided to cancel all study abroad programs currently in operation in all countries,” officials said. “The university is requiring all students, faculty and staff currently abroad to return directly to your permanent residence in the United States as soon as possible.”

According to the International Education and Global Engagement department’s website, CSULB hosts more than 3,000 international students every year and sends students to more than 60 locations worldwide.

“Many students decided to depart the U.S. and continue their studies from their home country after President Conoley’s announcement that virtual instruction would continue for the rest of the term,” said Xochitl Lopez, director of the office of International Students and Scholars.

“Our international students have the option to depart and complete their courses online, and I believe this influenced many to choose to return home.”

The ISS has been working with the Department of Homeland Security to “help students maintain their status as an international student.”

Choe said she didn’t receive the

initial message, nor any direction from the university on how to proceed with her studies.

“I didn’t even know that I was supposedly staying in the U.K.,” Choe said. “CSULB didn’t even reach out to me until I had reached out first asking what the current situation was.”

Other exchange students had received a message from the university telling them to return home immediately.

But Choe and another student studying at the same university had yet to receive any information.

“

They basically sent me an email saying I’d lose all major and minor CSULB services

”

— Esther Choe

Third-year psychology and women’s studies major

“We sent multiple emails to the CSULB study abroad office, and we didn’t hear anything back until almost a week later,” Choe said on March 16. “They basically told me to come home this past Saturday.”

At that time, Choe had made the decision to stay in Scotland.

She said that she felt the pros would have outweighed the cons.

“After a period of time where I felt really anxious and confused, I was really sad when I found out that CSULB wanted me to come back home,” Choe said. “This semester was supposed to be a semester where I was going to really find out what I wanted to do in graduate school, and if I had plans on moving here in the future, which I do.”

“I spoke with my parents and decided that it would be best for me to stay,” she added. “Knowing that there is free healthcare, it would be best for me to stay here [so] I can get free tests and treatments. If I were to go home, I would have to pay thousands for that or even have the possibility [that] I can’t get tested.”

Officials said in their initial statement that students would be able to receive credit if they were able to complete the coursework through an alternative instruction method.

Choe said that was not an option for her.

“If I were to go home, I most likely wouldn’t be able to get credit for my classes, and my whole

academic plan would be pushed back for at least a year,” Choe said.

Since then, Choe has made the decision to come back to the U.S. out of an abundance of caution.

Her original departure date was scheduled for May 31, but due to nationwide lockdowns, she wouldn’t have been able to leave Scotland until late June.

“CSULB did give me the option to stay, but things ended up getting far worse and they begged me to come back,” Choe said. “They basically sent me an email saying I’d lose all major and minor CSULB services, financial aid and everything else on my own while I’m in Scotland. I figured that I couldn’t really handle the stress, so I left.”

Officials had said in their March 14 announcement that fees incurred would have been covered by the university, but Choe said she’s been trying to get in contact with university officials and has yet to hear back.

“I’ve been contacting CSULB for the services they claimed to provide for me,” Choe said. “I’m still figuring it out, but I haven’t really heard back from them about financial help.”

Choe isn’t the only student in this position.

To read more check out daily49er.com

NEWS 5

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Another day of a pandemic, another day of work Even though many functions of the university have shut down, a small group of essential workers remain on campus.

Courtesy of CORRY COLONNA

(Left to right) Emilio Ramirez, Pablo Deleon and Robert Calderon all members of the Housing Facilities Staff outside Parkside Residential College.

By Reina Esparza Staff Writer

W

hile the halls, walkways and buildings of Long Beach State remain unusually empty through the pandemic, few essential workers remain to maintain the campus.

Jesús Mendez, the building trades supervisor is one such worker. Whenever something needs fixing around campus, Mendez and his team are the ones who typically respond. Despite an empty campus, their jobs have not changed much.

“We have a lot of leak issues that we try to work with while people are not here,” Mendez said. “There are still things that are getting broken, and we are fixing it.”

This situation has provided Mendez with the ability to work on certain issues without having to work around people who may be inside rooms that need repairs.

“Before we had to communicate with the customer if it was

“

OK to go in,” Mendez said. “Now we send them an email and make sure no one is there and start performing the job. We have a lot of jobs going because we can get to those spaces now that the students are working [from home].”

Student housing is taking advantage of the emptier campus as well. According to Housing and Residential Life Director Corry Colonna, just over 100 students are still living on campus. Many residence halls are currently empty, open for pending repairs.

Normally, housing is only empty for small windows of time throughout the year, which makes thorough cleaning, repairs and projects difficult. Now, they are currently considering repainting the rooms at Parkside College Dormitory and possibly putting in new blinds at other residence halls.

Frank Marticorena, a campus plumber, said that HRL used to have to coordinate larger projects when residents occupied most of the rooms.

“We can’t just go in and shut down the building, so now I’m able to do bigger projects, take my time with them and correct a lot

of these issues,” Marticorena said.

“We have dining halls with many students that go and every day, they’re getting three meals a day.

So we got a lot of problems with the drain system.”

When some students began moving out this semester because of the pandemic, custodians and custodial leads went through the dorms to pack up items some students couldn’t come back for and put them in storage.

Then they did some light cleaning and made sure all the garbage was taken out and all refrigerators were empty.

“Now we’re going back through and starting the deep cleaning of all the furniture and wiping down the walls, every nook and cranny,” Colonna said.

The staff also uses a nebulizer that can turn a disinfectant into a gas. This has allowed for more thorough cleaning.

The University Police Department continues to monitor any crimes on and around campus.

Though the job is the same for the most part, safety measures are still practiced and enforced.

“Our unnecessary public contacts have been halted,” Capt.

Richard Goodwin said. “For example, if someone reports the theft of property that occurred days prior we will take that report over the phone. Our contacts in the field with individuals are kept at a distance, if possible six feet.”

Though it has been “humbling” for the department to see the campus so empty, student safety remains important to them, as well as the safety of their officers, Goodwin said.

With the increased opportunity for work, issues of health, hygiene and safety come up for these essential workers. All are taking precautions to be safe while doing their jobs.

“We are wearing our masks, and then we’re wearing gloves,” said lead custodian Debora Aguilera. “I wiped all the tables to make sure we can put our stuff there, so we are taking extra time to clean too.”

The UPD officers wear masks and gloves and carry hand sanitizer with them at all times. Marticorena sanitizes his tools and equipment before and after use and wears protective gear.

The same goes for Mendez whose directors and managers

We feel safe. There’s no reason to be nervous, we’re taking care of ourselves.

– Debora Aguilera Lead Custodian

provide masks and gloves whenever he and his team need more.

“I feel safe to come to work, I feel safe going back home and knowing I’m not bringing anything back because we do clean up before the end of our shifts,” Mendez said.

Aguilera shared a similar sentiment. So far, working on campus has not been worrying.

“We feel safe. There’s no reason to be nervous, we’re taking care of ourselves,” she said.

There are fewer staff members on campus and those that are on campus continue to maintain safe distances from one another.

For Mendez, what has been most important is making sure all the needs of the workers are met and maintaining their safety. He also found that some basic courtesy has helped in these times. “[We are trying] to be very conscious that we are going through a very hard time, trying to understand the frustrations of others as well,” he said. “When they try to walk through campus, try to give them a smile and try to give them their space too because we’re all together on this.

6 ARTS

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Brittany Ransom high-fives her teammate, Ellie, in original Disney+ reality competition show “Shop Class.”

From desks to Disney Professor Brittany Ransom appears in Disney+ show, “Shop Class,” where she leads a duo of young builders in a competition to create and build innovative wooden and metal handiworks.

Courtesy of Disney+

By Cristian Vasquez Staff Writer

P

rofessor Brittany Ransom began each day by putting on her yellow team uniform, securing her tool belt and meeting with her teammates Ellie and Hugh, both 12 years old. The team got to work planning, discussing and drafting a creation to blow the judges’ minds.

For five days, Ransom traded in a lecture hall for a television set as she made her appearance on the Disney+ original reality series, “Shop Class.”

The reality competition series follows teams of young builders led by workshop teachers tasked to design and build wood and metal handiwork models. Each episode features a panel of experts who test and evaluate their work to ultimately win the title of the “Shop Class Champs.”

“I love reality TV and I figured since it was with kids it would be something that would be pretty fun, so I [...] put myself forward,” Ransom said.

Ransom, who also serves as associate director for the Long Beach State school of art, said it all began when she and other members in the department received an email from an alumnus scouting faculty working in 3D sculpting to serve as team leaders in the show.

“I actually was initially cast as an alternate, meaning that if someone backed out or got hurt that was how I would end up being on the show,” Ransom said. “So, I was actually on-call for the entire duration of their filming process, and then they actually asked me to be a regular.”

Ransom, who had never been on television, said she felt nervous and excited. She described her initial fear at the Glendale studio, saying it did not compare to her nearly five years of teaching a 200-student class at CSULB. “I had no idea that there would be like 20 cameras on all at the same time, constantly being followed by a camera everywhere,” Ransom said. “But they made it really fun and after a while it was interesting. You started to kind of forget that the cameras were there, and it really became more about working with the kids one on one and the cameras were secondary.”

Courtesy of Brittany Ransom

Brittany Ransom leads a group in Disney+ series “Shop Class.”

Filming took place last summer over the course of five 12-hour days for Ransom’s episode.

The sculpture and 4D professor said she incorporated her teachings from her basic sculpture classes into her team leadership, showing her kids on the show how to use tools like chop saws, band saws, and a drill press.

As an expert in electronics and kinetics at CSULB, Ransom led her team to build an interactive, solar-powered picnic table with LED lights.

“Those kinds of skills that I teach in kinetics and electronics…were incorporated into the design. Quite a few things that I do regularly with students at [CSULB], we did in the show,” Ransom said.

According to Ransom, the Disney experience left a mark in her life. Ransom said she would love to do another show in the future where kids can get their hands-on experience building things, especially as an aficionado of reality television.

“Reality TV for me is like a way to sometimes shut my brain off,” Ransom said. “I’m constantly thinking and problem solving all day long at [CSULB] that there’s something about reality TV that just, like is the perfect thing to put on at the end of the day.”

Ransom’s episode titled “Boulder Bash” released late March and is available now to stream on Disney+.

OPINIONS 7

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I won’t vote blue no matter who

Biden’s not your favorite. Too bad.

By Manuel Valladares Podcast Editor

J

oe Biden is not a figure who inspires confidence.

He’s spent the entire election cycle cherry picking his best traits and completely disregarding his atrocious decision-making that has plagued his political career.

Similar to incumbent president Donald Trump, he was a part of an administration that locked kids in cages and helped give an exorbitant bailout to large corporations.

So why should I vote for him?

Although he is the lesser of two evils in this instance, Biden’s inhumane record should get the scrutiny it deserves. Maybe then he’ll learn from his failures and favor policies that benefit everyday people.

Biden also has a credible sexual assault allegation from his former Senate staffer Tara Reade during an encounter they had in 1993.

Biden has not acknowledged the accusation despite being on national television multiple times since it became public.

I would advise the Biden campaign to be completely transparent about the interaction.

These are only three examples of his record yet they show that Biden isn’t willing to change the basic structure of American society; instead he takes advantage of the current power structures because he believes there will be no repercussions.

This conservative approach allowed him to move up the political chain; it’s what Barack Obama needed in 2008 to balance out his presidential ticket and gain the vote of working class citizens who were afraid of change.

Biden might be updating his policies for modern times, but his world view is still decades old, which leads me to believe that there will be no substantive change in this country under his administration.

That being said, policy-wise I can understand why Biden may be someone who can steady the ship after four years of Trump.

Yet for me and many others, it’s very difficult to just vote for someone, especially when similar politician’s failed campaigns, like those of Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, were so disastrous .

What made these two former presidential candidates so unlikable was the lack of contrast to their opponents in terms of economic policy. They weren’t looking to end trade deals that hurt American workers or fight for basic necessities like universal healthcare.

These pro-working class policies are ones that Americans from all over the political spectrum can get behind, so if Biden wishes to earn my vote then he’ll have to hire policy aides and administrative figures that can make progressive legislation a reality.

This level of decision making is important not only for policy reasons but also because Biden needs help getting his message across.

It’s very alarming to me when a 77-year-old man can’t string together a coherent sentence in front of media experts like Anderson Cooper and Sanjay Gupta. Biden made a great point by saying we need an FDR-style war production board to battle this pandemic, yet that point became moot when he couldn’t finish that statement properly.

Although this is concerning, I think the only correct way to go about this situation is by surrounding the presumptive Democratic nominee with people who can help carry the political load, allowing him to be more of a figure head as opposed to a politician who works day in and day out.

Yet this should also not be an excuse for him to hire corporate lobbyists like Obama did in 2008. The current political landscape requires pro-worker figures like Bernie Sanders to occupy the White House.

So if Joe Biden wishes for people to vote for him and take his campaign seriously then he must bring in people who prioritize the American worker over corporate business.

It’s as simple as that.

If he doesn’t do so then many Americans like myself will either vote third party, turn in an incomplete ballot or avoid casting one altogether.

By Perry Continente Opinions Editor

I

’ll come clean: I don’t like Joe Biden.

But come November I’ll gladly vote for him because the alternative is almost apocalyptic.

And I swear if die-hard Bernie Sanders supporters don’t do the same, they are enabling every horrible thing that will happen in the next four years.

You didn’t get your way? Too bad. Politics suck. Vote for the lesser of two evils, and stop acting like spoiled children.

Not voting is a political act, and voting for a third party is useless: by throwing away your vote you are throwing away your voice as well. I would vote for a soggy noodle if it was the Democratic nominee, and you should too.

Biden is far from a perfect candidate. His voting history contains some serious missteps, and although he wants to expand health coverage, he is against Medicare for all, one of the best tent poles of the progressive movement.

Add onto that recent sexual assault allegations against him and his perceived lack of mental acuity, and I understand why people are reticent to vote for him.

That being said, the “Never Biden” crowd needs to grow up.

Sure, Biden is a sub-par candidate for a lot of people, but he is up against a man who has consistently abused presidential power and set himself up as a tyrant.

I get it. Our system sucks. The two party system has produced two candidates who, for many, are utterly distasteful and who do not represent their best interests.

But this over-generalized, false-equivalency forgets one thing: One of these men is actively malicious.

Liberals cannot throw another childish tantrum because their favorite toy was taken away. Are there problems with our system? Yes. Do I think that Bernie would be a better president?

Definitely. Is that an excuse not to vote for Biden? Hell no.

I am terrified of the 2020 presidential election. If the Democrats don’t get it together fast, Donald Trump will spend another four years in office, giving him ample opportunities to further erode our democracy. This is a man who, in just the last few days, has defunded the World Health Organization during a pandemic and encouraged conservative protesters to break quarantine for armed demonstrations against social distancing.

Mentioning “Liberate,” and “Second Amendment” in regards to state legislators would trigger an FBI visit for anyone else, but here the president is encouraging dangerous, possibly violent, actions that will only make the pandemic last longer and kill more people.

These two crazy, dangerous decisions were made in the last few days. We can’t survive another four years of this.

By refusing to vote for Biden, you are enabling these abuses of power, enabling a litany of racist, regressive policies. Not voting is a political act in and of itself. We can’t afford to be apolitical at this point.

If you are still unconvinced, look outside of your privilege and think about how a “Trump Part 2” could affect more vulnerable people. There are people left destitute, children in cages, and people drawing their last breaths in hospitals because of the decisions this man made.

The President doubts the experts at every turn, even tweeting out fringe “miracle cures” for COVID-19 that have no basis in science, or reality. People who followed his advice have been getting sick.

There is a lot of blood on this administration’s hands. Blood that wouldn’t be there under sane or even semi-competent leadership.

And if Bernie-bros don’t show up in November, they will be culpable for all the bloodshed by the Trump Administration for the next four years.

8 SPORTS

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FEE UPDATES FUNDING ‘Scholarship dollars are going to be tough to come by’: Long Beach State Athletics projects financial troubles

By Cain Hernandez Staff Writer

“P

eople are still wondering about the state budget,” Long Beach State Athletic Director Andy Fee said via Zoom Tuesday evening in the ‘State of the Department’ address.

“Some of my colleagues think it’ll be a 5% cut,” Fee said. “I think it’s somewhere between 10 to 20% potentially in terms of a cut. Probably more towards that 20%”.

Fee updated the Beach community about how the department will operate due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

He said that budget cuts are projected to affect the number of scholarships for student-athletes.

“Scholarship dollars are going to be tough to come by,” Fee said, “but what we do know is that scholarship dollars are the fuel in which we compete for championships.”

Although there is still uncertainty surrounding coronavirus in the coming months, Fee plans for things to return to “business as usual” for the fall 2020 semester.

“Until we hear that fans won’t be able to

Long Beach State Athletics Director Andy Fee speaks over Zoom in his State of the Department address April 14. Fee said he anticipates department-wide budget cuts due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

come, or something of that nature, I’ve got it circled on my calendar for the first home event for those fall sports,” Fee said.

With spring sports being canceled in wake of the coronavirus, the NCAA is granting student-athletes, whose seasons ended early, an extra season of eligibility.

CSULB currently has 35 senior athletes who will have to decide if they will return.

“The NCAA has kind of put it in the institution’s lap, on whether to offer financial aid for those seniors to come back to complete their eligibility,” Fee said. “That comes with a price tag.”

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The NCAA is allowing programs to return seniors on scholarship, but the amount of money granted for the athletes may not exceed what they received for the 2020 season.

Schools now factor the returning seniors’ scholarship amount into its budget while it considers incoming freshmen and the athletes already enrolled at the university, Fee said.

The budget cuts are not anticipated to affect one single team.

“It’s going to be consistent,” Fee said.

“I don’t want to harm one program more than it needs to be. Many of our 19 sports are competing for a minimum of a Big West championship and I don’t want to snatch dreams away and penalize a coach or a program more so than another.”

Another NCAA rule that can impact CSULB’s student-athletes is the implementation of new waiver criteria that would allow athletes in good academic standing to receive a release to transfer schools and play right away for another program.

“This new rule creates potential issues around tampering with players,” Fee said.

“One thing I worry about is the Power 5 schools. I’d worry that those schools can look to the mid-major schools, like ours, as a developmental league.”