Daily 49er, February 6, 2017

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LONG BEACH

VOL. LXVIII, ISSUE 58 | FEBRUARY 6, 2017

49er

CLEAN SWEEP

D SENATE BILL

Local support for Senate’s ‘sanctuary’ statutes

L

ong Beach State men’s and women’s basketball teams defeated UC Irvine Saturday.

With its best defensive performance in conference play, the men’s team beat the Anteaters 72-63. Senior guard Anna Kim, who led the women’s team 68-63, became the 25th player to reach the 1,000-point mark in LBSU history. To read more about the 49ers, see page 8.

As major immigration bills progress at state level, Long Beach City Council moves to offer support.

By Adam R. Thomas Staff Writer

Long Beach Councilwoman Lena Gonzalez announced a city council meeting agenda item to declare that the city will be the first in the state to support two recent immigrant “sanctuary” bills on Friday.

“As the Vice Chair of the State Legislative Committee, I believe it is imperative that Long Beach shows the rest of the state and nation that we stand with our immigrant community and that we stand for religious freedom,” Gonzalez said in a press release.

The bills are California Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de Leon’s Senate Bill 54, the “California Values Act,” and Senator Ricardo Lara’s SB 31, the “California Religious Freedom Act.” The declaration of support is to be voted on at the city council meeting tomorrow.

“SB 54 will make it clear California public schools, hospitals and courthouses will not be used by the Trump regime to deport our families, friends, neighbors, classmates and

Top left: Junior guard Justin Bibbins dribbles through UCI defenders Saturday at Walter Pyramid.

Ben Hammerton | Daily 49er

Bottom left: Senior guard Anna Kim dribbles against Cal Poly defenders on Jan. 30, 2016. Kim was recognized as the 25th player in 49ers program history to reach the 1,000-point milestone in a 68-63 win over UC Irvine on Saturday at the Bren Events Center.

Daily 49er File photos

see SB 54, page 3

DACA

CSULB DREAMers visit Mexico despite Trump’s policies

By Elizabeth Campos Assistant News Editor

Putting aside the fear and threats of deportation, 25 undocumented students from different colleges and California State University campuses took a trip to Mexico on Dec. 22 of last year and returned five days before President Donald Trump took office.

Among the 25 who participated in this last trip were four graduates from Cal State Long Beach: Lidieth Arevalo,

Sandra Hernandez, Guadalupe Vazquez and Sheila Salinas.

Students were able to travel abroad to Mexico to reconnect with their roots and understand the relation between the United States and Mexico thanks to the California-Mexico Studies Center, a program that takes DREAMers to Mexico.

DREAMers are immigrants who entered the United States before the age of 16, have lived continuously in the U.S. for five years and have no criminal convictions. In addition, another requirement of DREAMers is that they are currently in school, graduated from high school, earned a General Educational Development or served in the military.

The way in which the Califor-

nia-Mexico Studies Center takes undocumented students abroad is through Advance Parole, a travel document that allows them to temporarily leave the United States for educational, employment or humanitarian processes.

The program, created in 2010 by CSULB Chicano and Latino Studies professor Armando Vazquez-Ramos, has taken approximately 125 DREAMers from various campuses since 2014.

But what made this trip different for these 25 students is the fact that it all took place as the clock was ticking for President Trump to take office.

For Sheila Salinas, a CSULB Business Administration alumna, the opportunity to visit her home country right before Jan. 20 brought a plethora of emotions.

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Study abroad students face challenges upon return to the U.S.

‘Grab your luggage and go to the room’ is what officials told the 25 students who then had to wait in a separate waiting area for approximately an hour.

“There was a lot of uncertainty,” Salinas said and explained that although there was doubt and fear, the fact that the students went as a group and the professor had various connections and

support both in the U.S. and Mexico, made her feel safe.

Media coverage of the trip from organizations such as the Associated Press, Telemundo, The Press Telegram, La Opinion and others was available for the public to see, which gave Salinas “a peace of mind.”

“People knew that we were going and if something happened, I feel like there was a lot of support for us,” Salinas said.

Lidieth Arevalo, a CSULB film graduate and executive assistant and multimedia director of the California-Mexico Studies center, said in an interview last year for the California-Mexico

see ABROAD, page 2

2 NEWS

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IMMIGRATION

Students worry over executive orders

Staff Writer

With an estimated 11.3 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. a 2014 Pew Research study found that illegal immigration had dropped by nearly one million between 2007-2014 and has, since then, been on a steady decline.

Often, during his debates, President Trump promised to do away with “bad hombres” and build a “great, great wall” across the U.S. - Mexico border. Since taking office, he has signed multiple executive orders including Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvement.

As the U.S. is often called a “nation of immigrants,” it is very easy to find people who may be affected by the president’s actions. On campus, many

ABROAD

continued from page 1

Project that when she visited El Salvador with an Advance Parole, officers at the Central American and Mexican borders didn’t seem to be well aware of the travel document.

Similar to Arevalo’s experience, Salinas said that when preparing to board the plane en route to Mexico, students were asked how were they planning on entering back into the United States.

When coming back from Mexico during the layover at the Texas airport, officials unaware of Advance Parole questioned students about not having proof of previous U.S. entry on their passport.

“Grab your luggage and go to the room” is what officials told the 25 students who then had to wait in a separate waiting area for approximately an hour.

“I felt very intimidated and scared at that moment,” Salinas said. “Two or three students felt really anxious … I felt their anxiety.”

Students were not allowed to text, call or use their phone at all while waiting in the room.

Later, students were able to continue their journey back to the United States after Advance Parole paperwork was revised and passports were stamped.

While in Mexico The California-Mexico Studies Center’s trip abroad consists of one day in Mexico City, 11 days to go visit their family at whichever state they reside and 12 in Cuernavaca, Morelos, where they attend a Spanish-speaking school called Centro Tlahuica de Lenguas e Intercambio Cultural.

Salinas visited her birthplace, Chalco, in the state of Mexico, where she lived for seven years before her parents brought her to U.S.

Along with President Trump’s vow for increased border security, he has also called for an executive action in order to ban people from entering the U.S from seven predominantly Muslim countries: Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Syria, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. The executive order titled “Protecting The Nation From Foreign Terrorists Entry Into The United States” prohibits visa holders from the seven countries from entering the U.S. In some cases, those holders were barred from entering the U.S. and sent back to the country they had arrived from. As of Friday night though, U.S. Federal Judge James Robart issued a nationwide temporary halt to the immigration order, according to CNN. While this halt may give some individuals a sigh of relief, it didn’t come soon enough as some students on campus were already worried of what to do of the situation.

A finance major from Oman, who spoke under the condition of anonymity for self-protection because of their Muslim identity, stated their opinion on the ban by saying, “In each country there are the good ones and the bad ones and we can’t generalize them all.”

“All I remembered was a cold, concrete house,” Salinas said about the place where she used to live. “When I went back I was able to see the house where I lived, it seemed like not much had changed. I remember the Popocateptl and ‘la bella durmiente.’”

Popocateptl and Iztaccihuatl, also called “la bella durmiente” (“the sleeping beauty”), are the two volcanoes that overlook the Valley of Mexico.

She also described how in Chalco, floors are all dirt instead of concrete and how kids still play outside in the streets.

“It made me feel sad to see that we live 2017 and in the U.S. we’re very privileged and spoiled,” she said. “We have clean water, we work a lot and have commodities and in Mexico you work a lot, but you don’t have commodities.”

“

“

By Sol Mendez

students have shared their worries over what they fear may happen to their friends or family.

Ana Sandoval, a liberal studies freshman who has parents from Jalisco, Mexico, expressed her fear over President Trump’s building of the wall.

“My parents are worried and undocumented,” she said. “They’re thinking, ‘is he going to go through everyone’s records and send them back to where they belong?’”

Sandoval, whose family would directly affected by a mass deportation, said, “My uncle has a visa and he usually makes monthly visits to our family in Mexico. It’s going to affect them because our family in Mexico kind of needs our help from here.”

Many students like Sandoval may now face a possible question of what they would do if a mass deportation were to take place.Whether her parents have a plan as of now, Sandoval said, “My parents are planning, and they kind of plan of going back there and leaving me and my siblings here, ‘cause we’re in school. We’re from here so we can stay and work.”

We live a better life for commodities [in the U.S.], but we don’t see each other, we don’t eat lunch together.

-Sheila Salinas, Undocumented Student

Salinas shared that while in Mexico, protests against high price increases for fuel were happening and she was able to see how people mobilize.

She realized the sacrifice that her parents took by leaving their life behind to migrate to the U.S. and give her and her sisters a better life when she experienced how some people live in Mexico and the difficulty to find stability there.

“There’s a lot of social problems [in Mexico] that we don’t know about in the U.S.,” she said.

While recognizing that the U.S. pro-

And while the student stated that their family had not been affected directly by the ban in any way, they were not completely unfamiliar to the situation as some of their friends or acquain-

“

My parents are worried and undocumented... they’re thinking, ‘is he going to go through everyone’s records and sent them back to where they belong?’

-Ana Sandoval, Liberal studies freshman

“

As Trump signs executive orders, CSULB students voice their worries.

tances had definitely been impacted.

“My friend, my classmate that is from Libya that is from the seven countries that is banned,” the student said.

“He didn’t go back to visit his family for two years. He was planning to visit them for this summer for one month

and come back. He has two choices, either he goes back and he won’t come back in, or stay here for two years without seeing his family.”

While Judge James Robart issued the temporary halt, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer was quick to issue a statement saying, “At the earliest possible time, the Department of Justice intends to file an emergency stay of this outrageous order.”

For those like the student mentioned above, who have friends who are now in pivotal positions, the question of what their own family is doing or would do if more countries were barred from entering the U.S. “My dad told me to take as much subjects as you can and then come back because it’s being unsecure for Muslims and I am Muslim,” the student said.

Since President Trump’s executive orders on immigration started, the California State University issued a statement saying, “We oppose the divisiveness of the recent executive order, and we stand with the state and national officials in requesting that the President reconsider this Policy.”

Photo courtesy of California-Mexico Study Center

DACA recepients visit their home country, Mexico, during their travel abroad. vides a higher chance of stability, Salinas explained that in the U.S. it is less common to have family time and eat meals together, given the time that one spends at work.

“We live a better life for commodities [in the U.S.], but we don’t see each other, we don’t eat lunch together. [In Mexico] I was eating all my meals with my family,” she said.

During the students’ visit, they were also able to meet the other DREAMers.

These, unlike DREAMers such as Salinas and others who were able to obtain a work permit and driver’s license, left the country before former President Barack Obama announced Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.

These other DREAMers left either due to deportation or by willingly following their family’s decision to go back to their home country.

“Hearing their stories of how different it is to readjust [to their home country] really brings us to reality of what’s going to happen if one of our

family members gets deported or how’s it going to be if we get deported,” Salinas said.

The Mexico native said that adapting to the country where these undocumented students were born, but not raised, would be very challenging.

“After you’ve been taught that in the U.S. you have dreams and you can reach them … in Mexico you can have dreams, but you can’t attain them,” Salinas said.

President Donald Trump’s Immigration Orders President Donald Trump has openly spoken about deportation and the possible termination of DACA, thus leaving many DREAMers like Salinas concerned and worried.

“I think he’s going to take DACA away,” Salinas said. “I’m very hopeful that he doesn’t take it away, but I think he is because he’s been doing everything he said he was. I think he’s going to do it, and it’s very unfortunate.”

Trump, however, has also showed sympathy for DREAMers. In a Huffington Post article titled: “Donald Trump Says, Without Specifics, That He Will ‘Work Something Out for Dreamers’”

by Elise Foley, the article states that the 45th president of the U.S. acknowledged the struggle that DREAMers go through and said some are “in never-never land because they don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Salinas said that revoking DACA would affect DREAMers’ personal lives as well as the U.S. economy because they have contributed to it.

According to a study by the Center for American Progress, DACA recipients contribute positively to the economy through large purchases like a car or house.

Trump has signed several executive orders regarding immigration and immigrant status, but the future of DACA remains uncertain.

“We want to contribute to the safety of the country,” Salinas said.

NEWS 3

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2017 DAILY49ER.COM | CITYD49ER@GMAIL.COM RESEARCH

CSULB showcases campus research BUILD sparks student interest in campus discoveries.

By Sommer Dalton Staff Writer

The impossible is made possible in the second annual Cal State Long Beach BUILD Research Symposium, as the groundbreaking work of BUILD shows what discoveries can be made when students are given the opportunity to dive head first into the world of research.

The symposium on Friday showcased four guest speakers, all assistant professors at CSULB. “Inspiring Student Research for Better Health Tomorrow,” was the theme chosen by the team behind Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity. BUILD has made it possible for students to participate in groundbreaking research, with funding from the National Institutes of Health.

“Last year, the symposium was more focused on students giving poster presentations,” said Carma Spence, the digital media and communications specialist for BUILD. “This year, we just decided to have the four main presentations and focus more on the mentors.”

The professors working with

BUILD each have students helping them with their research. This gives the students a chance to see how discoveries are made, and how much hard work is needed to further them.

It’s a hands-on experience that provides students with key knowledge in the field, while some students also get to conduct their own work.

“I think the main priority is to showcase what’s possible,” Spence said. “These are all BUILD members who have BUILD students helping with the research. So, this symposium acts as a way to showcase what we’re doing while also serving as a recruiting tool.”

The first two speakers to present were May Ling Halim and Houng-Wei Tsai. The research was titled “Sport Trajectories Among Latino/a and Asian American Adolescents,” and “Influence of Aging and Gender Differences on Social Behavior in Mice.”

During the second half of the symposium, Ted Yu and Michelle Alencar presented their research. The works were titled “Study to Improve Electrolytes in Sodium Batteries,” and “Obesity Management Using Telemedicine: A Multi- Disciplinary Pilot Study.”

Spence says the BUILD program is doing very well at CSULB, yet they are always looking for ways to improve it and grow.

“BUILD is an experiment to see what we can do to help improve un-

derrepresented students going up and getting Ph.D.s,” Spence says. “We’re trying new things to see what will inspire people and what will work better.”

The new focus of the event attracted students who are interested in joining the program. Among them is Timothy Vu, a second year biology major at CSULB. Vu’s interest in research was sparked the second semester of his freshman year after helping out a graduate student in the marine biology lab with his research.

It’s students like this the symposium is looking to draw in. The intensive research training program calls for people with a real interest and love for research to rise to the occasion, and go on to be successful.

Laura Kingsford, the Dean of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and one of the principal investigators for the BUILD award, talks about how the goal of providing students with the tools they need to be successful in a career of health-related research.

“We need more qualified people doing research and we need that diversity,” Kingsford says. “That’s what this is designed for. To get more students who would never consider these kinds of career paths engaged in research, and to really understand what they can contribute to it.”

SB 54

continued from page 1

co-workers.” said Assemblymember Marc Levine, the bill’s co-author, in a press release in December.

On Jan. 31, SB 54 was presented to the Senate Public Safety Committee in Sacramento. Several individuals offered stories of their experiences with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and fears of deportation in support of the bill. This included Victor Alvarez, whose father was deported after CSULB police stopped him for a broken headlight in February of 2016.

Alvarez said he thinks the bill will pass with de Leon’s support. “[de Leon] has a lot of communities, a lot of activists behind him,” said Alvarez.

Since his father was deported, Alvarez has become more involved in immigration activism including appeals to state government.The bill passed committee approval on party lines, with five democrats for it and two republicans against it. With committee confirmation the bill now moves forward to the Senate for a second approval before moving on the State Assembly, and then to the Governor’s office.

“If you think about Cal State Long Beach, how many immigrants are there?” said Alvarez. “This happened to my dad, and what if you’re at graduation for example, and you have a lot of undocumented people there and the next you know ICE is pulling up and just because you’re undocumented we’re going

to take you in. I mean, come on.”

Both bills are similar in nature in that they restrict various state agencies from reporting or acting in concert with federal agencies, such as ICE. SB 31 focuses on prohibiting state agencies or employees from reporting identifiable information pertaining to an individual’s religious practices to the federal government. SB 54 focuses on limiting the ability of state agencies, including campus police departments, from “using resources to investigate, interrogate, detain, detect or arrest persons for immigration enforcement purposes.”

Similar measures that restrict cooperation between local and federal enforcement agencies over immigration are generally known as “sanctuary city” policies when passed at the city-wide level.

President Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 25 entitled, “Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States,” that directed the federal government to identify ways it can cut off funding to local governments that pass ordinances and refuse to work with federal law enforcement.

“These jurisdictions have caused immeasurable harm to the American people and to the very fabric of our Republic,” according to the executive order signed by Trump.

Despite the real possibility of these bills running into direct conflict with a presidential administration that has vowed to end such laws, Alvarez remains optimistic. “The only thing you can do is stay positive. Stay focused on your family. Try to live the American dream.”

4 ARTS & LIFE

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Trang Le | Daily 49er

A variety of food is displayed at the grand reopening of the ASI Beach Pantry.

FILM SCREENING

Filling seats to fill the pantry Facebook

Benjamin Scheuer sings about his struggles with lymphoma in his one-man show “THE LION” happening in the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles.

PERFORMANCE

Courage in ‘THE LION’ Benjamin Scheuer offers free show for CSULB students and faculty.

By Jason Enns

Arts & Life Editor

Benjamin Scheuer, a singer/songwriter, award-winning Broadway performer, author and stage-four Hodgkins Lymphoma survivor is coming to Cal State Long Beach.

He currently spends his nights performing his one-man show “THE LION,” which won the 2015 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Solo Performance, at the Geffen Playhouse in L.A. His residency there, lasting from Jan. 4 to Feb. 19, will take a brief halt when he sets up stage at The Pointe,

located under the yellow steps of the Pyramid on Wednesday from 6:308:30 p.m.

Admission for the show, entitled “Making Good Things Out of Bad Things,” will cost $10 for the general public; however, Scheuer invites students and faculty from CSULB and Cal State Fullerton to join him for free in this night of stories, songs and videos. The show is also free for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society patients and families.

The event will be split up into two portions, with the first hour being “stories and songs.” This section will contain Scheuer’s presentation and an audience Q&A. The second hour will be a book signing for his book “Between Two Spaces,” during which guests can meet and greet the artist as they help themselves to coffee and desserts.

“Between Two Spaces” is a collaboration between Scheuer and photographer Riya Lerner that began shortly

after Scheuer’s diagnosis. The artist book contains 27 black and white photographs of his journey, alongside text selected from Scheuer’s journals, with an introduction by Scheuer and an afterword by Lerner.

Lerner and Scheuer donate 50 percent of the book’s earnings to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Former tour partner Mary Chapin Carpenter said this about Scheuer’s performances: “What I respect the most about Benjamin’s gifts is his ability to not only tell a story – a deeply personal one at that – but to make the listener feel that wrapped inside that deeply personal narrative is something quite universal.”

Those going to the show unfamiliar with Scheuer’s work might walk away kicking themselves for not discovering him sooner, but one lucky audience member will be leaving with two tickets to see his show “THE LION” at the Geffen Playhouse.

SGSA to host “Todo Sobre Mi Madre” screening tonight for guests donating to ASI Beach Pantry.

By Jason Enns

Arts & Life Editor

Spanish-speaking students have the opportunity to socialize, enjoy some pizza and a classic movie tonight, all while doing their part to give back to the campus community.

The Spanish Graduate Student Association in the Romance, German, Russian Languages and Literature department is hosting a Spanish movie and pizza night at 7 p.m. in Academic Services room 384.

Entry into the event won’t be free, but organizers don’t want your money. To get in, all one needs to do is bring a canned good item to donate to the ASI Beach Pantry.

Students can help themselves to pizza while helping students who receive aid from the food service.

The campus food pantry is located in the University Student Union room 302. To gain access to the pantry, students must first fill out

a questionnaire to evaluate need.

Beach Pantry uses this information to continue offering assistance by connecting students to outside resources. Students must be currently enrolled in classes, and present their student ID to enter, which they can do once a week.

ASI Beach Pantry is always accepting donations, but the SGSA will use the film screening as an opportunity to generate some extra canned food items.

The film they chose, “Todo Sobre Mi Madre,” in English translates to “All About My Mother.” Pedro Almodóvar’s 1999 Oscar winner is a tribute to the tradition of “women’s pictures,” — romantic melodramas made during the ‘30s and ‘40s.

There are few things in this film you wouldn’t see 80 years ago; for example, a young Penelope Cruz plays a pregnant, HIV positive nun.

The story follows Manuela, played by Cecilia Roth. After tragedy strikes Manuela, she returns to Barcelona to see the father of her son, who has since undergone a gender transition to live as a woman. There, Manuela finds love and fellowship in a local theater troupe.

For a chance to experience this film and give back to fellow students, join the SGSA tonight at 7 p.m.

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ARTS & LIFE 5

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2017 DAILY49ER.COM | ARTSNLIFED49ER@GMAIL.COM BENEFIT EVENT

Having fun while raising funds North Long Beach bar will host fundraising event and act as a donation center for Dakota Access Pipeline protesters.

FAST FACTS

ACCEPTABLE DONATIONS

By Isabel Ramos Staff Writer

Live music, art, food trucks and alcohol for a cause, what more could you ask for? All those needs will be met Saturday at Muldoon’s Saloon.

The North Long Beach bar is holding a fundraiser for Standing Rock to support the protection of the Native American land and water supply being threatened by the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Musicians Samerai the 7th, Myk Mansun, Char Lynch, Joesé Gloria, IllNes Infection, Dr. V & The Moans, Fueled By Saka and Jumpship!! will be playing for free to support the cause.

The food trucks Dos Chinos and Pho King Awesome will also be there to serve up some delicious dishes.

The event will be held at Muldoon’s Saloon on Feb. 11 from 5 p.m.-2 a.m. with happy hour from 8-9 p.m. Muldoon’s will be serving up a specialty cocktail made for this night only, and

Los Angeles hip-hop artist Samerai the 7th will be performing as part of Muldoon’s Saloon’s benefit event. the best part? Admission is free.

Muldoon’s Saloon is an Irish bar located near North Paramount Boulevard and South Street.

On top of encouraging patrons to come with supplies to donate, a portion of all their sales will be donated directly to the elders in the camps at Standing Rock.

In August of last year, protests started against the Dakota Access Pipeline the Keystone XL, a crude oil pipeline that would begin in Hardisty, Alberta and extend south to Steele City, Nebraska.

The Obama administration worked to block it, and in December Army Corps of Engineers refused to grant the

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permit to extend the pipeline beneath Lake Oahe in North Dakota.

When President Trump came into office, one of his first executive orders was to advance approval of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines, in complete opposition to the Obama administration. This started up protests again for #NoDAPL.

They are looking for donations of: • Firewood • Tipis/Tipi Poles/Tipi Liners • Trailers/Campers • Snow tires/ Tire Chains • Gas cards • Batteries (AA, AAA, C, D) • Carts and Wheelbarrows • Cigarettes • Propane • Gift cards • Snow camo • Snowmobiles • Snow shoes • Water tank with heater

Muldoon’s Saloon is hosting the event, but the art vendors and food trucks will also donate a portion of their proceeds. They are supporting the cause with Veterans-Stand, a nonprofit organization created by veterans to literally act as a buffer between the police and Native American tribes at Standing Rock.

6 OPINIONS

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CAMPUS ACTIVITIES

Week of intimidation: clubs, orgs and anxiety Week of Welcome was set into full motion last week, yet, was it really as welcoming as its title suggests?

By Isabel Ramos Staff Writer

W

eek of Welcome was its usual chaotic self Wednesday and Thursday of last

In any case, the more students Week of Welcome can attract, the more involved and active students will be on campus.

When students are informed of the opportunities available to them they can take away much more from their college experience than just a degree.

Some of the benefits include: learning about health services, career fairs and fun clubs students join to take a break from school and work. It can be a great experience, but I think there are ways to make it more accessible for shy or socially anxious students.

For instance, to help with the flow and approachability of the event, putting signs around or maps located at the entrances to pick up before going in would make it easier to navigate through.

I had a hard time finding my way

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Clubs and organizations gathered in the central quad on Wednesday and Thursday. around and knowing which booths were where.

On the second day I encountered

“

Especially for more introverted students, Week of Welcome can be seen as more of a challenge to either overcome or avoid, rather than a welcoming party.

“

week.

Clubs, organizations and campus resources wasted no time in setting up booths to recruit and inform students on all the campus has to offer.

There were many unique and surprising clubs and opportunities to find throughout the event – breakdancers, video game designers, businesses, religious clubs, sports clubs, cultural clubs, Greek life, even a yo-yo and kendama club and so much more.

Week of Welcome has so much to offer, but is it really welcoming to all students?

I remember my first encounter with Week of Welcome during my freshman year. My first thought was, “I cannot go in there.” The maze of booths and huge crowds of people was daunting. Especially for more introverted students, Week of Welcome can be seen as more of a challenge to either overcome or avoid, rather than a welcoming party.

“I think walking through the aisles by yourself, you feel very intimidated,” said Lily Phelps, a senior political science major. “Everyone is staring at you and judging you.”

Week of Welcome could add some structure to make it seem less hectic at first glance. People generally do not want to participate in things that they perceive as overwhelming.

Looking at Week of Welcome could be dizzying due to the crowds of people and the overabundance of booths.

I know that it can become more accessible to everyone so no one misses out just because they might be too intimidated to participate.

someone passing out maps, but not on the first day at all. I also noticed some booths were in different places the sec-

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ond day, which certainly didn’t make things any easier.

Another suggestion is lowering the music at some booths because the loud music makes it hard to talk to and get to know clubs and organizations.

It’s good to have music, but not so loud that everyone is yelling just to hear each other.

In contrast, many students do indeed feel welcome and even seek it out on their own.

The loud music was not even enough to deter event-goers from talking to different booths.

Timothy Nguyen, a freshman biomedical engineering major said, “[Music] adds to the atmosphere of having a lot of fun times.” Students continuously milled in and out of the rows of booths with seemingly no hesitation.

Some even engaged with club and

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org members rather than have booth workers approach them.

This is an amazing feat to me as an introvert, which is why I believe Week of Welcome is more geared to the outgoing, extroverted students.

Despite Week of Welcome being overwhelming to me, I am not against it. I definitely think it is an important event Cal State University Long Beach has which allows students to become involved on campus so they can get the most out of their time here.

For being a commuter school, our campus is very lively.

This is one of the great things about this campus — and Week of Welcome adds to that. There is always room for improvement.

Making Week of Welcome more structured could make it less intimidating and more welcoming to all students.

1250 Bellflower Blvd., LA4-203A Long Beach, CA 90840-4601

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Michaela Kwoka-Coleman Elizabeth Campos Xochitl Abarca Jade Inglada Roberto Herrera

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Editorials: All opinions expressed in the columns, letters and cartoons in this issue are those of the writers or artists.

The opinions of the Daily 49er 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 49er.

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SPORTS 7

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2017 DAILY49ER.COM | SPORTSD49ER@GMAIL.COM WOMEN’S WATER POLO

LBSU loses to No. 3 UCLA Long Beach State women’s water polo team can’t withstand UCLA’s offensive attack.

By Zulema Suarez Staff Writer

After starting its season in the win column, the No. 14 Long Beach State women’s water polo team has lost three consecutive games with a 13-2 loss to No. 3 UCLA Friday night at Lindgren Aquatics Center.

The Bruins (7-0) jumped out to an early 4-0 lead after the first quarter. As the second quarter began, the 49ers played better defensively, but allowed two more goals to go down 6-0 in the last two minutes of the second quarter.

Although the game wasn’t very close, 49ers coach Gavin Arroyo was proud of how his team continued to fight throughout.

“We have specific goals we set for the team and they accomplished a lot of them today,” Arroyo said. “Of course, there are tons of areas we need to work on, but over the weekend [we] lost to Stanford and they did a lot better today than they did for that game.”

LBSU (1-3) got on the board after junior defender Alexandra Massier scored the first goal for the 49ers to cut the deficit to 6-1 at halftime.

It didn’t take long for UCLA to add to its lead, with a goal in the first two

Jose De Castro | Daily 49er

The 49er defense goes in for a block as Bruins junior attacker Devin Grab attempts to take a shot on goal Friday at Lindgren Aquatics Center. minutes of the third quarter by Bruins’ senior Alys Williams. That goal started a 6-0 run for UCLA as LBSU didn’t have an answer for the Bruins’ attack in the second half.

UCLA’s Rachel Fattal scored another goal to give the Bruins a 9-1 lead after the third quarter.

The Bruins scored two more goals before the halfway mark of the fourth

quarter when the Long Beach State center Paige Bennett was excluded from the game.

“They closed the gap a bit and I’m proud of that,” Arroyo said. “It didn’t help losing our center, but our goalie did absolutely spectacular. We were prepared, but I know there is always room for improvement.”

With 3:24 left in the fourth quarter,

junior attacker attacker Bridget Reynolds scored for Long Beach.

However, UCLA scored scored the last two goals of the game to finish with the 13-2 win.

Savannah Jones, a huge fan of the LBSU women’s water polo team, said she has definitely seem them in worse times, and the attitude of the team is what will keep them getting better.

“They always come out of the water with a great attitude,” Jones said, “knowing that they will do better the next game. They don’t dwell on the fact that they lost; they have a positive outlook on the score and know it could’ve gone worse.”

LBSU will be back in action when it travels to La Jolla to compete in the Triton Invitational Feb. 11 at 9 a.m.

FEATURE

Back to the Beach Christina Kotsia makes her return to Long Beach State after a year playing for Greek National Team.

By Jordan Py Staff Writer

While Long Beach State women’s water polo player Christina Kotsia spent time abroad, she always knew she’d end up back with the 49ers.

Kotsia is a senior defender for the LBSU women’s water polo team and has returned after a yearlong stint playing in her home country of Greece for its national team.

Although Kotsia has spent a majority of her life playing water polo, she remembers before she was recruited when she was only doing gymnastics and a lot of cardio exercises.

Kotsia’s water polo career started when a former LBSU men’s water polo player told her mom that she had the body type that would help her excel at water polo.

From the very beginning of her water polo career, Kotsia has been a standout player. She scored 50 goals her freshman year as a defender at the Beach.

The defender knew she had a future in water polo when coach Gavin Arroyo offered her a scholarship after seeing her play in a tournament.

“I am so grateful for everything that came out of it,” Kotsia said.

Kotsia’s teammates are thrilled to have her back, as she missed her junior year playing for Greece.

The Beach finished fourth in the Big West last season but didn’t miss the conference title by much, and Kotsia’s return is another addition to the team that could be the spark the team needs to win the conference title.

“We are just kind of learning how each other plays again but it’s definitely a blessing that we have her back in our starting lineup,” senior attacker Daniela Screnci said.

With a mix of returning players and a familiarity to the style of Kotsia’s play, it is only a matter of time before the Beach starts to gel as the season progresses — and there is nobody more excited to be at LBSU than Kotsia herself.

“It is like a family,” Kotsia said. “Long Beach feels like home now. I like the intensity of the student athlete schedule and you always need to keep going and then like the friendships and of this that comes with being a student athlete. I love it.”

With Kotsia back in the fold at the Beach, she gives her old and new teammates confidence to win the Big West title and beyond. For Kotsia, though, she will never forget her Greek roots and the man who encouraged her to become a great water polo player.

Kotsia is now looking to help LBSU to the Big West title and she’ll never forget the day she decided to jump into the deep end.

Jose De Castro | Daily 49er

After a one year hiatus playing for Greece’s national team, senior defender Christina Kotsia returns to the Beach.

8 SPORTS

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2017 DAILY49ER.COM | SPORTSD49ER@GMAIL.COM

MEN’S BASKETBALL

49ers guard the ‘Myd With its best defensive performance in conference play, LBSU beats UC Irvine 72-63.

ANNA KIM GUARD

By Christian Gonzales

LONG BEACH STATE

Staff Writer

For the Long Beach State men’s basketball team, it’s been a guessing game on how the team will fare in between contests.

So, after giving up 108 points in a loss to Cal State Northridge on Wednesday, the 49ers had one of their best defensive performances beating UC Irvine 72-63 victory in front of a 4,213 sellout crowd at the Walter Pyramid.

“I was pleased with our attitude and effort today,” LBSU head coach Dan Monson said. “We could get better. This is not a landmark win by any means, but something we can use as a barometer of how good we can be.”

Junior guard Evan Payne scored a game-high 19 points; nine were from free throws, including six rebounds.

With great play from junior guard Justin Bibbins, freshman Loren Jackson and Payne, the 49er guards combined for 48 points.

The Black and Blue Rivalry started with neither team being able to score in the first four minutes until Jackson went coast-to-coast for first basket of the game.

The 49ers (10-15, 5-4 Big West) held the Anteaters (13-12, 6-3 Big West) scoreless for the first five minutes.

That opened a gap for LBSU to start off the game strong, which allowed 49ers to take an early lead.

LBSU led by 15 points in the first half with 5:48 left, but thanks to the UCI knocking down 3-pointers, the Anteaters cut the lead to four.

The 49ers struggled at the start of

Anna Kim reaches 1,000-point club Photos by Ben Hammerton | Daily 49er

Coach Dan Monson shows his displeasure at the referee during the UCI game Saturday at Walter Pyramid. the second half, allowing the Anteaters to tie the game, but an 11-0 run

by LBSU with the help of Payne and Jackson lifted the curse from their past second half struggles.

“The game is evolved around runs and we knew that,” Jackson said. “We said we are going to get this stop and make it our run now.”

Despite allowing the run by the 49ers, the Anteaters crawled their way back into the game and took their first as senior guard Luke Nelson knocked down a 3-pointer — but Payne answered right back with a 3-pointer of his own.

The 49ers never looked back after that, and finished the game strong down the stretch to move into a three-way tie for fourth place in the Big West.

The starting backcourt was responsible for 48 out of the 72 points scored tonight.

LBSU will travel to UC Riverside Thursday at 7 p.m. for a game that will be aired on ESPN3.

Long Beach State’s women’s basketball team defeats UC Irvine 68-63 Saturday afternoon.

By Matthew Simon

Sports Editor

Junior forward Roschon Prince slam dunks in front of two UCI defenders Saturday at Walter Pyramid.

MEN’S BASKETBALL PARTIAL 2017 SCHEDULE DATE

MATCH

LOCATION

TIME

02/09

UC Riverside

Riverside

7 p.m.

02/11

CSUF

Fullerton

7:30 p.m.

02/16

UC Davis

Walter Pyramid

7 p.m.

02/18

UCSB

Santa Barbara

4 p.m.

02/23

Cal Poly

Walter Pyramid

7 p.m.

Led by senior guard Anna Kim, the Long Beach State women’s basketball team beat UC Irvine 68-63 Saturday at Bren Events Center.

With her nine-point performance, Kim became the 25th player to reach the 1,000-point mark in LBSU history.

Heading into halftime, LBSU led the Anteaters 36-28 after shooting 56.3 percent from the field in the first quarter.

While LBSU jumped out to an early lead, the success didn’t last as UC Irvine mounted a comeback, chipping away at the 49ers’ lead that went as high as 18 points.

By the end of the game, UCI brought the 49ers’ lead all the way down to five points.

LBSU will look to continue its strong conference play when it hosts Cal State Fullerton Thursday at 7 p.m.

Men’s volleyball After suffering a loss to No. 1 ranked Ohio State University Jan. 28, the Long Beach State men’s volleybal team has swept its last two opponents including a 30-28, 25-14, 25-18 win against No. 7 Stanford.

After a bck-and-forth first set that had seven lead changes and 16 ties, LBSU had a great all-around effort as they handed Stanford its first conference loss.

Along with hitting at a .418 clip, LBSU contained the Cardinal attack to a mere .122 attack percentage.

Sophomore hitter Kyle Ensing led the way for LBSU with 12 kills, along with having a .360 hitting percentage.

With the win, LBSU moved to 9-2 overall while moving to 5-1 in MPSF. The 49ers will now hit the road for a four-game road trip that starts with a trip to UC Irvine Wednesday.